Hi! I'm so excited to finally bring you this chapter. It's one of my favorites. Spoilers for anyone not caught up on Luffy's Gear 5. :)

Chapter 20: The Drums of Liberation

Nami opened her eyes blearily. It took a few long seconds for her vision to focus, and she found herself staring at columns of bars in front of a bare white wall. She was apparently in a cage of some sort, lying on some cold stone tiles, and when she glanced down at herself in confusion, she was startled by the extravagant white dress she was wearing. It looked like a…wedding dress?

It was easily the most beautiful dress she had ever seen—strapless, with a sweetheart neckline and bodice embellished with white shimmering mermaid scales that ended at her waist, followed by a skirt crafted from waves of luxurious silk that seemed to go on forever. She couldn't see her own feet under all the fabric.

She sat up quickly, feeling some achiness in her shoulders and lower back, and her first nonsensical thought was, where did I steal this from?!

Then, it all came rushing back to her.

She had been backstage after the end of the fashion show, still buzzing from the thrill of being in front of cameras and surrounded by the audible gasps of admiration from the audience. Nojiko, Haruto, and all of her nakama had secretly been in attendance, viewing the stage from a higher level. Since they were farther away, she hadn't really been able to see their faces, but she definitely heard and basked in their rowdy cheers.

It had been curiously empty backstage, but she hadn't thought much about it and focused on making her way back to her dressing room. She recalled passing by Boa Hancock's dressing room and pausing, as the door was slightly open. Against her better judgment and perhaps feeling overly confident from the fact that she'd heard more cheers in her favor throughout the show, she had pushed open the door with the intention to gloat, only to find herself unexpectedly witnessing what appeared to be a kidnapping.

The masked figure with a large stature dressed in all black had the unconscious Pirate Empress slung over one shoulder. And before the navigator had been able to react, the kidnapper had shot something that pierced her right upper arm, and she had promptly blacked out. A tranquilizer, she now suspected.

Nami's hands flew to her lower abdomen as she was abruptly overwhelmed with feelings of dread and anxiety. She needed to know if her twins were okay. She needed to get out of here—back to Luffy.

She reached down to fumble for her Clima-Tact, which she remembered keeping strapped to her leg. It wasn't there.

Perhaps she should start freaking out.

"You're finally awake," came Hancock's unmistakably haughty voice.

Oh, she wasn't alone.

The navigator whipped her head over her shoulder to see that it was indeed the Pirate Empress, who stood with a hand on her hip in all her white regal glory. She was also wearing a gorgeous wedding dress, although it was a very different style from the one Nami wore. Hancock's gown was off-the-shoulder, with sleeves that fell to her wrists and a mermaid silhouette that accentuated her curvy figure. Pearls that glinted even in this dim lighting adorned the dress throughout. It suited the Pirate Empress perfectly, and the navigator felt a slight twinge of jealousy.

While Nami felt beautiful in the dress she was wearing, it still felt foreign, like it wasn't quite hers to wear. On the other hand, Hancock looked like the dress was custom tailored for her, and she knew it.

Not even bothering to spare the other woman a glance, the Pirate Empress continued to glare daggers at the cage. "Of all the people I had to be trapped with…of course it would be you."

Nami scoffed lightly at that. Hancock was far from being her first choice of companion as well, but the navigator was secretly thankful that the former Warlord was at least very powerful. It could've been worse, she supposed. "It's not like I asked to be kidnapped," she pointed out dryly. "How long was I out for?"

"You were snoring away for at least half an hour," the Pirate Empress snapped impatiently.

"I don't snore!" the navigator protested resentfully, "Luffy has never mentioned—" She quickly shut herself up, realizing she had said too much.

Hancock perked up at the sound of his name, but otherwise said nothing.

Nami hastily changed the topic. "Where are we? And why haven't you broken out already?"

Hancock's eyes narrowed, but she continued to focus her attention on the cage. "How dare you suggest that I haven't tried?" She gestured to the cell they were in. "It's made from seastone."

The navigator took a second to process that piece of information. So their kidnapper was probably influential and/or wealthy then, if they'd managed to get their hands on a seastone cage. And their kidnapper had been prepared to imprison devil fruit users. Specifically, Boa Hancock.

"I saw someone I couldn't identify kidnapping you," Nami recalled cautiously. "Do you know who it was?"

There was a stretch of silence, and for a moment the navigator thought the other woman wasn't going to dignify her with a response.

Then, the Pirate Empress huffed in exasperation. "I wasn't able to see their face. But I suspect that it's just another one of my many admirers. They've been growing increasingly daring and repulsive ever since I lost my Warlord status and especially after I nearly lost my homeland. They think I'm vulnerable—" she cut herself off and inhaled sharply, as if she'd said too much.

The navigator remained quiet, wondering with bated breath if the other woman would continue.

The Snake Princess started to shake uncontrollably, her hands clenched in tight fists. Nami involuntarily winced, slightly concerned that she could be drawing blood. She recognized then that Hancock wasn't experiencing sadness or pain—she was absolutely furious.

Hancock took a shuddering breath, her flashing eyes now fixated on something that wasn't there. A distant memory, perhaps. "How dare they…" She was seething in unadulterated rage. "I refuse to be a prisoner again…but somehow a stupid, foolish man was able to catch me off guard?!" She was suddenly stalking over to the door of the cage, raising her voice vehemently, "Show yourself and feel my wrath!"

Judgment clouded with rage, Hancock struck the cage door with a vengeful kick that would have shattered some bones, and the sounds of fabric ripping and pearls scattering rang through the air. The moment her bare foot made contact with the seastone bars, she faltered slightly, feeling her energy being sapped.

Nami observed the woman before her in a mixture of pity, curiosity, and reluctant awe. The skirt of her gown now had a large tear that went all the way up to her right hip, but Hancock somehow still made it look elegant and glamorous. If they weren't in such a situation, she would've found it irritating.

The navigator cleared her throat. She wondered if the Snake Princess even realized that she'd revealed a surprising and rather shocking detail about herself but thought it would be best to not ask her to elaborate. She didn't have a death wish, of course. So instead, she carefully stood up and adjusted the skirt of her gown, glancing down to note that it trailed several feet behind her in a dramatic train. Of all the attire she had to be kidnapped in…this was completely impractical. She realized then that her feet were also bare.

Whoever kidnapped them clearly thought they might use their heels as weapons. It was a smart move, she supposed.

Shaking her head, the navigator reached into her hair to search for a pin. Upon locating and successfully detaching one, she made her way over to the cage door to examine the lock.

A slow smile spread across her face. This lock wouldn't be an issue in about three minutes. It seemed that their wealthy kidnapper was actually an idiot.

She got to work, feeling Hancock's gaze on the back of her head. Nami wasn't sure what possessed her to start speaking, but she found herself offering offhandedly, "I was enslaved by pirates for years before Luffy saved me. I used to see it as something to be ashamed of, but now I've accepted it as a part of my past that has shaped me to become who I am today." She didn't need to turn her head to feel that the Pirate Empress was still watching her. Listening. "It sucks that it happened, but ultimately it's made me stronger, and I can be proud that I overcame it. And besides, I probably would've never met Luffy otherwise."

It astounded her just how easy it was for her to talk about her traumatic past now. She had her stupid, wonderful nakama to thank for that.

There was a minute of strained silence between them, with the only sound coming from the lock being tinkered with.

"You're in love with him," Hancock accused indignantly. "Admit it!"

Not this again. Leave it to the Pirate Empress to always make it about Luffy.

Nami suppressed a sigh and directed her attention on picking the lock, trying her best to ignore the other woman's piercing eyes drilling into the back of her head.

"Why won't you admit it?" Hancock pressed, growing more incensed by the second. "Do you think my beloved Luffy is unworthy of love?!"

If that was true, then she wouldn't be carrying his devil spawns, dammit. The navigator rolled her eyes. This woman needed to get her priorities straightened out.

"Are you ignoring me?!" Hancock thundered, sounding thoroughly offended.

And just when Nami thought that she should probably say something, the door to the room swung open. With lightning reflexes, the navigator nimbly removed the pin from the lock and hid it back in her hair.

"I thought I heard voices. So you're both awake-eh?"

"You?!" Nami and Hancock gasped in unison, horrified. They exchanged sharp glances, both a little unsettled by their identical reactions.

A squished, chubby face with a thick-lipped mouth and snot dripping out of one nostril. It was without a doubt Saint Charlos, a former Celestial Dragon, but he looked even more deformed now with a very unflattering flattened head. There had been rumors of him being assassinated, but unfortunately, it seemed he had escaped with some permanent disfigurement.

Both women took several steps backwards when he eagerly rushed toward the cage and pressed his disgusting face against the bars, leering at them in utter glee. "Fantastic! My pets are already dressed for the occasion-eh!"

Nami did not like this one bit. "What do you want from us?! Where are we?!"

"Calm down, now-eh," Charlos drawled. "This is just your temporary cage as I make arrangements. We're to be wed in a few hours-eh."

"What?!" the navigator exclaimed in abject horror.

"You pathetic, sniveling man! Do you even know who I am?!" Hancock was beyond livid.

Despite the situation at hand, Nami couldn't help but note with some amusement that the Pirate Empress somehow made being a man sound like an insult.

The ex-Celestial Dragon blinked slowly. "But of course, my dear Boa Hancock—it's precisely why I had my men kidnap you-eh. We've been watching you for a while, ever since I first spotted you on Fish-Man Island. Once the world sees that we're married, you'll help me climb to the top again. It's no matter that you're a pirate when you have powers that can conquer civilizations and unparalleled beauty-eh." He shifted his lustful gaze to Nami, who immediately put even more space between them. "You're just a lovely bonus. I had no idea it was going to be a two for one deal-eh!"

So she hadn't even been an intended target—just an unfortunate victim in the wrong place at the wrong time. This made her even more infuriated. "Where are we?!" she demanded again.

He had the audacity to look proud of himself. "My own personal auction house. This is where I select who will be a wife I'll keep and who will be a slave I'll auction off. And I believe you're both fit to be wives." He lowered his voice, as if sharing a secret with them. "But don't make me change my mind."

There were so many things wrong with what he said. "Auction house?!" Nami glowered darkly at the loathsome creature. Saobody had been years ago at this point, but the events were still fresh in her mind, as if they'd happened just yesterday. "You've continued to enslave others?!"

"Oh, yes-eh," he confirmed without a single shred of remorse, sticking a finger up his nose. "What else would I be doing? In order to reclaim my status, I must show that everyone else is below me-eh."

"You don't have any status! The Celestial Dragons were abolished," Hancock growled through clenched teeth. "I saw it with my own eyes. You're just a lowly commoner, and you will kneel before me!" She pointed her right index finger at him, her posture commanding obedience.

The navigator blinked at the other woman in pure astonishment and a dash of respect.

Charlos was spluttering, red-faced. "You impertinent woman! I was born to rule! You're making me angry, pet! Should I make you a slave after all-eh?!"

Hancock's face grew cold and menacing. "I would rather die," she spat out forcefully.

Nami felt her grudging respect for the other woman involuntarily skyrocket. The Pirate Empress was a certified badass.

Charlos frowned in something akin to concern. "That would be such a waste of your beauty. Don't be so dramatic, my dear. Why don't you turn that frown upside down-eh?" He turned toward the navigator. "What's your name, sweetheart?"

She was momentarily taken aback by his question. Did he really not realize that her captain had beaten the shit out of him a few years ago? Did he not recognize the members of the Pirate King's crew? Had he been living under a rock?

"Tell me about yourself-eh?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

This vile imbecile really had no idea who she was. Nami almost let out a relieved breath. She could make this work in her favor.

It was time to turn on the charm, as much as it pained her to do so. Internally cringing, the navigator approached the cage door, swinging her hips and fluttering her eyelashes. "Why don't you open this door and I'll tell you?"

The ex-Celestial Dragon seemed to seriously consider her words for a moment, his eyes falling onto the lock before him. Then, his gaze darted over to the Pirate Empress. "I can't do that-eh. She's too dangerous."

Nami feigned innocence as she tilted her head to one side, smiling at him. "Then how are you going to marry her?"

"Oh, that won't be an issue. I'll soon be in possession of seastone cuffs and other devices that will guarantee submission-eh," Charlos stated matter-of-factly. "Until then, this door stays closed."

Nami put on her best puppy dog face. "But what about me? I'm not a devil fruit user." She grabbed the bars with both hands to prove her point. "See? Seastone doesn't affect me. Surely you can let me out? I'd love to see just how powerful you are in this place that you own."

She could see that his resolve was crumbling. She really didn't want to do this…but it always worked on stupid men. Cursing under her breath, she slyly lifted her skirt to reveal part of her bare legs. "And I may just have some things of my own to show you," she purred with a suggestive wink.

It worked like a charm. As if under a spell, he was fishing out the key and scrambling with the lock.

As soon as she heard the click, Nami mustered up all of her strength and kicked the door open. Her foot hurt like hell, but it was worth it. Charlos fell onto his bottom in utter shock, his ugly face comically marked with imprints of the bars from the impact. Then, the Pirate Empress was on him in a flash, petrifying him with a wrathful kick to the face.

That had been easy enough. It was clear to the navigator that the ex-Celestial Dragon hadn't thought everything through. The kidnapping had actually worked out in his favor, but everything else after that seemed rather sloppy.

"His first mistake was not preparing seastone handcuffs before kidnapping me," Hancock declared as she straightened out her dress.

"His second was trusting me," Nami added as she dusted herself off.

The two women looked at each other warily, silently sizing each other up. Some strange form of understanding passed between them.

"You will forget everything that I said here," the Pirate Empress commanded.

"Already forgotten," the navigator agreed readily. "What do you want to do with him?"

She decided to defer his fate to the Snake Princess, as she had a strong suspicion that Celestial Dragons were somehow involved in her past. Hancock was momentarily surprised by the gesture, but quickly masked it.

"I ought to just kill him," the former Warlord mused. "But I think my sisters would love to have a word with him first."

The navigator suspected it was going to actually be several words and more violence. She kind of wanted to see it. "He's all yours. But you might want to figure out how to transport him."

The two women looked around the fairly empty room, finding nothing of use.

"If only Salome was here," the Pirate Empress sighed ruefully. Her attention shifted to the staircase outside the open door. "I sense that she's close by."

Nami wasn't sure who or what Salome was, but she didn't bother asking. "Let's lock him in this cage for now," she suggested.

She could have sworn that Hancock's lips quirked up at that, in something that almost seemed like approval, but she was probably just seeing things. It had been a very long day, after all.

Luffy felt like he was going to be sick. Any moment now, he was going to double over and hurl, which would be such a waste of the delicious lunch he had earlier today, but he really didn't care at the moment. He couldn't even remember what he'd eaten. He couldn't remember ever feeling this awful before. Like a sense of impending doom.

He tried his best to focus on what was happening around him. His nakama, Nojiko, Haruto, and Hancock's two sisters were questioning every fish-man and mermaid they came across, asking if they knew anything about an auction house.

They had found Nami's Clima-Tact backstage, seemingly forgotten on the floor of Hancock's dressing room. Zeus had helpfully heard the entire incident from inside the Clima-Tact, sharing what he knew with the Straw Hats. Apparently there had been at least two kidnappers, and they had mentioned something about an auction house. And they had been fast—too fast for Zeus to even leave the Clima-Tact and do something.

Hancock's sister Marigold said something that he didn't catch. Her other sister, Sandersonia, was holding a piece of a Vivre Card in her palm. Hancock's, probably.

But he wasn't paying attention. He needed to go. He was going to spontaneously combust if he didn't.

He felt his chest constrict painfully, and he doubled over, falling to the ground on his knees and clutching at his chest. And suddenly he couldn't breathe.

There was a firm hand grasping his shoulder then, and he struggled to look up to see who it was.

Zoro tightened his hold, bringing his face down so his captain could see his stern gaze. "Get a grip, Luffy! There's no time to freak out. We're going."

He opened his mouth to say something, but his voice wasn't cooperating. His chest was still hurting, just as bad as when he had lost Ace. It was a searing pain that threatened to burn him from the inside out.

No, this was worse. He felt like he was dying.

Was this how he was going to die? The almighty Pirate King? He was going to die. He was going to die before seeing her again.

He opened his mouth again, and only one garbled sound came out. "N-Nami…"

His first mate nodded. "We have a lead."

"She's the craftiest person I know," Usopp chimed in softly from somewhere behind Zoro. "She's definitely alive."

"Nami-san is as strong as she is resilient," Brook reassured with conviction.

"My suspicion is that she may already be finding her way back to us," Jinbe spoke up.

"She's a force to be reckoned with," Robin added gently. "She's been through worse."

"A super woman," Franky emphasized.

"Deep breaths, Luffy," Chopper encouraged, placing his hooves on his captain's back soothingly. "In and out."

His nakama waited in silence as he took a few deep breaths under Chopper's instruction.

Nojiko dashed away some tears and took a deep, shaky breath. Haruto had a comforting arm around her. "My baby sister has always been a survivor. I'd be shocked if she wasn't clawing out someone's eyes right now." She released a watery chuckle.

"Let's go get our beloved Nami-san," Sanji stated after a long drag of his cigarette.

No one admonished him for smoking.

They were right. Feeling like he could breathe again, Luffy scrambled to stand up, determination crossing over his features. With a hand over his chest, he closed his eyes, willing his heart to start beating to the familiar, comforting rhythm—the drums of liberation.

When he opened his eyes again, he was ready.

"That's more like it," Zoro drawled with a smirk.

He needed to go.

"Oi, Luffy! Don't rush ahead! You don't even know where you're going!"

"What the hell was that?!" Nojiko and Haruto chorused in amazement, both first-time witnesses of his Gear 5 transformation.

Nami estimated that it was late in the evening. It was a clear night without a single cloud in sight, allowing the moon to cast a delicate glow and the stars above to shine. They were definitely still on Fish-Man Island, but from the looks of it, this was a shady district. She pursed her lips in disdain as she surveyed their miserable surroundings. Oh, how the Celestial Dragons had fallen.

"Thank you so much!" A grateful, tearful voice came from behind her.

She turned around and gave the mermaid a reassuring smile. "Don't mention it! I'm happy to help."

"You saved us," another mermaid added. "We're eternally grateful!"

"I can finally go home to my family," a third mermaid cried.

Nami and Hancock had battled their way through the auction house, petrifying all of the ex-Celestial Dragon's minions along the way. As it turned out, many of them were fish-men who were criminals of various degrees. It seemed that Charlos had been acting on his own in his desperation to ascend the ranks again, even stooping low enough to bribe these fish-men, which he never would have done in the past, believing them to be an inferior race.

And he still had a disgusting, deranged obsession with mermaids.

They had discovered a room where all the mermaids were being held captive, along with Hancock's snake weapon Salome. Salome was now transporting a still-petrified Charlos.

"This place is a shithole," Hancock muttered scornfully.

Nami chuckled in amusement. "Perhaps we should destroy it. Send the message that this is what happens if you try to resort to slavery."

The Pirate Empress tilted her head in thought, seemingly considering this proposal.

There was something poetic about two former slaves rescuing others from suffering the same fate, but Nami couldn't quite place her finger on it.

She wasn't entirely sure what possessed her to casually say, "I think we could be friends."

"Friends?" Hancock wrinkled her nose in obvious distaste and scoffed. "You're my rival. I will never admit defeat."

Just as Nami was about to retort, perhaps to finally put this woman in her place, something alarmingly bright in her peripheral vision captured her attention. She rubbed her eyes vigorously and blinked rapidly. The brilliant figure was soaring through the sky at an inhuman speed, a stark contrast against the darkness—mostly white and definitely Luffy.

He was here for her.

Feeling her heart swell with love and joy, she reacted instinctively, picking up her long skirt and sprinting to meet him.

Wait, was it okay for her to run like this in her current condition? She skidded to an abrupt halt and winced upon realizing that she was still barefoot. In her adrenaline-fueled state, she hadn't thought about finding a pair of shoes. No wonder her feet were throbbing in pain.

"Nami!"

She looked up from her inspection of her feet, and her vision was obscured by a mystical white glow as he descended and crushed her to him. His arms around her were like a cage, but it was one she felt completely at ease in. The white clouds floating around his body enveloped her like a warm hug, and she sank into chest, knowing that she was home.

He was laughing uncontrollably, as he usually did when in this form. He was always a grand spectacle to behold—her beloved Sun God Nika.

She reached up to caress his enthralling, ethereal face with both hands, feeling her eyes gradually fill with tears of happiness. "I love you," she whispered ardently before sealing her lips over his.

Several yards away, Boa Hancock watched the scene unfold before her in a mixture of outrage, humiliation, heartbreak, and confusion. She didn't— couldn't— comprehend this situation. Her Luffy seemed to be returning the other woman's affections with exuberance, and this was simply impossible.

He hadn't even spared her a single glance.

She was widely considered the most beautiful woman in the world. No one else could compare. Not this orange-haired, ugly, weak woman.

Except she wasn't ugly or weak, the Pirate Empress found herself grudgingly admitting.

She felt her sisters come up to her before she saw them.

"Are you okay?" Sandersonia asked softly.

Hancock realized with a start that a tear had escaped her right eye. She hastily brushed it away. "How could I possibly be okay, Sonia?!" She glared at her younger sister. "That's a stupid question!"

She regretted snapping at her almost instantly, but stubbornly pressed her quivering lips together, forcing her eyes back onto the man she wholeheartedly loved. Whose heart belonged to another.

Sandersonia knew better than to take Hancock's misguided ire personally, exchanging a troubled glance with Marigold. They watched as the Sun God Nika carefully gathered the other woman in white up in his arms, as if she was a sacred being to be worshipped, and carried her away, back to their nakama.

Marigold licked her lips nervously and opened her mouth to say something, only for Sandersonia to stop her with a warning shake of her head.

No words of comfort would bring the Pirate Empress peace—at least not in this moment. So the Gorgon sisters stood together in silence and solidarity, until the darkness settled again once more.

After ensuring that Nami was safe in Chopper's care, Luffy returned to the auction house and proceeded to destroy it, cackling the entire time. It was a fairly quick ordeal with his Gear 5 powers. The Gorgon sisters were already gone by then, which he had found curious, as he didn't even have a chance to greet them. Hancock usually had a lot to say to him.

Chopper had immediately done a comprehensive examination, reassuring all of them that Nami seemed largely unharmed (aside from her poor feet and a few scratches here and there) and the twins were safe. Camie and Pappag had rushed over to meet them at the castle, both profusely spewing apologies for the major security oversight. The navigator had merely grinned, and Pappag had somehow interpreted it as a menacing smile, hastily promising to gift them more clothing in the years to come. Then, they had all proceeded to celebrate, throwing a classic Straw Hat party which involved plenty of food, booze, and commotion. King Neptune had been delighted to accommodate this, thanking the Straw Hats for saving his civilians, apprehending the criminals, and demolishing the nefarious auction house. Apparently, he had heard rumors about missing mermaids and the rise of an illegal auction house of some sort, but no matter how many times he ordered a search, his soldiers never found any evidence.

It was a wonder how the Straw Hats always managed to successfully dismantle something in a matter of hours, when it would have otherwise taken months or even years.

During the party, Nami recounted her entire experience at the auction house to their nakama, Nojiko, and Haruto. Luffy couldn't remember for the life of him who "Charlos" was. Apparently this guy used to be super important and he'd beaten him up before, but to Luffy, this guy was just one of many terrible people who have felt his wrath. He had long lost count.

They were now back in their room at the palace, settling in for the night. Nami was in the shower, while he stood outside on the balcony, watching the calm waters below.

He heard the shower turn off and knew that it would only be a few minutes before she came out. He mentally rehearsed everything he wanted to say to her once again, scrunching his face up in thought as he continued to stare at the ocean.

He felt her before he saw her. Her arms slithered around his waist and up his chest over his robe, and he felt her familiar warmth against his back.

"Hi," she whispered right by his left ear.

He grabbed one of her hands, giving it a squeeze. She was safe. She was here.

"What were you thinking so seriously about?" she asked with a teasing lilt.

He turned so that they were facing each other, still holding onto one of her hands. "You."

Her hair was mostly wrapped in a towel that was piled on top of her head. Usually, he would have laughed and poked fun at this poop-shaped object on her head. But right now…there was something about the way she looked and how she was looking at him that made him hold his tongue. He didn't really understand it, but maybe that's what happens when you love someone?

Her lips parted in surprise. "Me?"

He placed both hands on her shoulders, staring hard at her. Staring into her meat-colored eyes, which were glowing under the bright stars.

"Luffy?" she prompted.

What was he going to say again?

He blinked a few times, snapping out of a trance he hadn't even been aware of falling into. "I can't lose you," he managed to say over a lump in his throat.

Her face softened, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, smiling gently at him. "You won't," she promised. "What happened today was…" she trailed off, searching for the right word. "It was entirely random. I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and these things can happen. There will always be things that are out of our control. But what matters is that we're here now, together."

He found himself shaking his head. "No, I should've been there with you. It wouldn't have happened if I was there."

She regarded him fondly. "It's okay, Luffy. I'm okay."

He was still shaking his head, quite unable to stop himself. "I'm never leaving you alone again."

She halted his head movements with a hand cupping his cheek. She seemed to find his words funny. "Even when I'm just going to the bathroom?"

"Yep."

She laughed then, and it was music to his ears. "You're being overly protective, Luffy." She paused and one side of her mouth quirked up into a smirk. "I love it, but I want you to relax. I'm a big girl—I can take care of myself too. I managed to escape today, remember? It would've been even easier if I had Zeus with me, but—"

"You're pregnant," he interjected bluntly. "You shouldn't be doing dangerous things."

She looked down at her belly thoughtfully for a few moments, and then met his gaze once again. "I would do anything to protect them."

He was momentarily stunned by the fierce conviction in her voice. He swallowed. "I know, but you shouldn't have to." He was suddenly very frustrated with himself. At his lack of words to express himself. "I should be protecting all of you."

She appeared to want to say something but was holding herself back.

He released an exasperated huff. "What use is it, being the Pirate King, if I can't even protect my own family?"

Family sounded like the right word to him. She was his queen, they were his children—together, they were his family now. His nakama were also his family, but in a different sense. He supposed his dad and grandpa were family as well, but it was also different. He felt strongly about this.

Her mouth opened and closed a few times, clearly speechless. The hand that was on his face dropped down to once again wrap around his waist.

There was a long stretch of silence between them, as the gravity of his words continued to linger in the air.

Finally, the silence was broken by her soft sigh, and he felt her arms tighten around him. "Luffy…" she started carefully. "I want us to be a family with unconditional trust. If we're apart, regardless of the circumstances, I want you to have faith that I will do whatever it takes to protect myself and our twins and return to you." She was brushing her lips over his then, in the lightest of touches. "I will always return home to you," she breathed when she pulled away slightly. "You can be worried, as that's only natural, but I don't want you to be worried to the point of insanity." She paused before adding with evident concern, "Usopp said it looked like you were having a heart attack. I can't have you dying prematurely because of me." She chuckled a little. "I can't have people calling me a God Slayer. Could you imagine?"

It was his turn to not know what to say. She was breathtaking perfection. Her eyes twinkled like stars.

"Have faith in me," she reiterated gently. "That's an order from your queen."

He could only bob his head in response.

"Good." Her smirk was back tenfold. "Now, why don't we—"

"There's something else I have to tell you," he confessed in a rush, dropping his hands from her shoulders.

She tilted her head curiously, waiting patiently for him to continue.

"Uh…" He had definitely rehearsed this part, but now the words were escaping him. "Well…" He was growing increasingly nervous, afraid of how she would react. She might just become the God Slayer after all. But he needed to tell her the truth. "The ring you gave me…I…lost it…"

Her eyes darted over to his bare fingers, and her eyebrows knitted together in what he desperately hoped wasn't anger.

"It happened when I was destroying the auction house," he started to babble. "Actually, it broke during one of my punches. Into many small pieces. And I couldn't find them after. I really tried to look for them. I really did! I'm sorry, Nami, please forgive me, I wasn't thinking—"

She stopped him with a finger to his lips. "It's okay, Luffy."

Really? She wasn't mad?

"I'm not mad," she confirmed with a small, mysterious smile. "It was only a temporary solution, anyway."

"Temporary solution?" he repeated in bewilderment. It sounded a little funny because her finger was still pressed against his lips.

She dropped her hand with a laugh and hummed in thought. "We'll just have to get matching rings next time."

"Matching rings?" he echoed.

Her cheeks colored at that, and he found it fascinating. "I-I don't necessarily mean get married or anything, just matching rings to demonstrate our commitment to each other."

He didn't really get it, but he would do it if it made her happy. He would do anything.

"Whatever you want," was all he said.

The grin she flashed at him was blinding.

"Earlier, you were saying that guy wanted to marry you," he suddenly remembered. He found that he was pouting. "You can't do that."

She blinked at him. "Of course not. I wouldn't marry anyone I didn't love. He's a vile creature who deserves whatever punishment coming his way."

When his pout only deepened, she added, seemingly without thinking, "I'd only ever marry you." There was a pregnant pause before she hurriedly corrected herself, blushing, "Not that we're getting married!"

He was very relieved to hear that. He didn't really care about this marriage stuff, but he just knew that Nami couldn't marry anyone else. "That's good to hear!"

She was looking at him a little strangely, and he racked his brain for something to say.

"You look good in white," was the next thing to come out of his mouth without thinking.

She glanced down in confusion at the plain white robe she was wearing. "You've already seen me in this before—"

"I meant the dress you were wearing earlier," he interrupted.

She took a moment to process that, her eyes widening almost comically. "Wh-What does that mean?"

He shrugged indifferently. "Just something I noticed, that's all." He beamed at her. "You should wear it again sometime."

Blushing furiously, she opened her mouth and closed it. He found that it was quite fun rendering her speechless.

"A-Are you proposing to me?!" she whisper-shrieked.

"WHAT?!" He was outright yelling.

"You don't just tell someone they look good in a wedding dress, unless you have some other intention behind it!"

"Huh?!" He was absolutely flabbergasted.

Nami laughed at his endearing expression, shaking her head as she took a deep breath and released her grip on him to face the balcony railing. "Never mind. You're adorable, Luffy." She settled her forearms on the railing and leaned over to look below at the sea and then above at the stars.

When she noticed that his eyes were still on her face, she cast him a sidelong glance and smirked. "You look good in white as well."

He hadn't expected that at all. "Eh?"

"Your Sun God Nika form," she clarified and reached up to affectionately cup his cheek with her hand, tracing the scar under his left eye. "You're absolutely radiant in it. Like an angel." She elaborated with amusement, "An angel of destruction or liberation, depending on how you view it."

He swallowed thickly. "I'm a warrior," he protested petulantly.

She leaned in to press her lips to his scar, and he felt a jolt of something at the contact. Probably not electricity, since he was a rubber man. But he definitely felt something.

"A very attractive warrior," she purred as she pulled back and added pointedly, "Well, when your eyes aren't threatening to pop out and you're not doing weird body contortions."

His transformations were always quite a sight to behold. Or so he was told. He had no idea; he couldn't see himself while in action. He just knew that he had complete freedom in this form, so whatever creative inspiration he thought of would be manifested into reality. He supposed there could be some really weird moments.

"Oh, and I'm pretty sure that Boa Hancock saw everything that happened between us when you arrived," she said with a slightly nervous hitch in her voice. "She must know that we're together, but probably not to what extent."

He managed a listless shrug. Because he really didn't care about that stuff. Hancock wouldn't tell anyone anyway.

She pursed her lips at him, pondering. "Fine, if you don't care, then I won't either," she said decidedly, allowing the tension in her body to seep out. "At least, I'll try my best to not care," she amended.

He was glad that she was learning how to relax and not overthink everything. Acting on an impulse, he laid both hands over her clothed lower abdomen, his face lighting up when he detected the fluttering rhythms under his palms.

She just watched him fondly, allowing him this time to connect with their twins in a way no one else could understand. While a part of her was a little envious that he had this connection already, she mostly found it heartwarming.

"It's gonna be a boy and a girl," he declared.

"And how could you possibly know that?" she quipped with an affectionate roll of her eyes. "I hope you're right though."

"I just know," was his simple answer.

She didn't bother questioning him further, and they fell into a compatible silence. He could stay like this forever, just feeling their heartbeats thrumming under his palms.

A minute later, she let out a pensive hum, and he knew by now that this kind of hum meant she wanted to say something. Sometimes it was something completely random, other times it had to do with making love. He hoped that it was the latter.

"It's been a long day, my feet hurt like hell, and I'm honestly tired, but…" She bit her bottom lip.

He was almost certain it was the latter. She gasped when he hoisted her up so that she was seated on the railing, her legs reflexively wrapping around his torso at her sudden loss of footing.

"Well, aren't you eager, Captain," she murmured, suddenly sounding a little breathless. "You better not let me fall."

He responded by deftly tugging open the front of her robe, and she seemed to temporarily forget what she'd wanted to say.

Just when things were heating up, she pushed him back a bit to speak. "Mm…Luffy, I was thinking…since you can control your Gear 5 form well now, I was wondering if we could…try something different?" she trailed off hopefully.

It took him a few moments to form a coherent response. "Like what?"

She brought a hand to rest directly over his heart, under his robe, and pinned him with her most seductive look. It was one that involved peering at him from under her lashes, and it never failed to take his breath away and make his knees weak. "I want to feel your drums of liberation beat for me."

He was certain that she was going to be the death of him. Nami the God Slayer.

They ended up spending another week on Fish-Man Island. Pappag informed the navigator that Boa Hancock garnered more sales with the ensembles she modeled, but that didn't bother Nami one bit.

As far as she was concerned, she was the true winner.

And she didn't even see the Pirate Empress again during the rest of their time there. It was strange—she felt like the two of them had somewhat bonded over their shared experiences, but perhaps Hancock didn't feel the same way. She wasn't dead yet, at least. She wondered how things between them would be the next time they met.

But hopefully not anytime soon.

Many tears were shed on their departure day. Nami promised her sister and brother-in-law that the Straw Hats would visit again soon. Nojiko ordered the navigator to keep her updated on all her pregnancy milestones and had all of her nakama vow to keep her safe. In turn, Nami borderline threatened Haruto to take care of her sister, assuring him that she would find out if he didn't.

The Straw Hats were now on the shores of a peaceful island in the New World, where the graves of two formidable pirates with extraordinary legacies were located.

As per usual, Luffy was leaping off the ship even before the anchor was dropped. He flashed all of them a blinding smile. "I'm gonna go on ahead!" And he was gone.

Shaking her head fondly, Nami helped the rest of their nakama prepare to disembark.

"Nami, I've been meaning to tell you," Robin started with a mysterious twinkle in her eye. "That day when you were in a white dress and Luffy was in his Sun God Nika form…it almost looked like a wedding."

Brook chortled. "I agree. The two of you looked like you came out of a painting. It inspired many more compositions that I'd love to show you."

"It was super beautiful!" Franky proclaimed. "I shed some manly tears."

Jinbe nodded in agreement. "It was certainly a picturesque sight to behold."

"Is there going to be a wedding?!" Chopper asked excitedly. "Am I invited?!"

If the reindeer wasn't so precious, she would've yelled at him.

"I don't mind being the best man as long as the booze is good," Zoro offered gruffly.

"What makes you think you would be the best man, marimo?! Luffy has a brother!" Sanji retorted.

"I'll leave that to Luffy to decide." Zoro shrugged indifferently before snickering, "The maid-of-honor role is all yours."

"What did you say?!"

Everyone else laughed at Sanji's expense and proceeded to ignore the inevitable brawl that ensued.

Nami personally didn't want him to be her maid-of-honor, but that wasn't the point. "And as usual, you're all just getting ahead of yourselves…" she growled without any real ire. "How can there be a wedding when I'm pregnant?!"

"It doesn't have to be now," Robin mused. "But it's very interesting to see that you're no longer denying the possibility of a wedding."

The navigator's mouth dropped open, a furious blush crossed her face, and she was stammering. "I-I didn't…I never said—"

"It's okay, Nami," Usopp interrupted brusquely, patting her back. "We understand. You don't need to say anything."

"Shut up," she snapped back, only to elicit guffaws from the sniper.

When he finally recomposed himself, he was squinting at her in a way that she didn't appreciate. "I think I might regret asking you this, but I'm too curious not to. Can you explain what Luffy means by 'God Slayer'? He throws that around every now and then."

Nami balked at him.

"It sounds pretty badass," Usopp continued. Then, something occurred to him, and he grimaced as if he was in pain. "Is it a weird sex thing? Forget I asked!"

Completely mortified, the navigator decided that it was high time she escaped from her nakama. She grabbed the bouquet of flowers she had prepared and scrambled to get off the ship and follow Luffy's footsteps, grumbling under her breath at how exasperating and impossible her nakama were.

She found him at the gravesite, and it appeared that he was already chatting away with someone else. The two of them were sitting cross-legged in front of Ace's monument.

Sabo.

They had contacted him about meeting up, and it seemed like their timing had worked out.

Nami found herself suddenly feeling strangely out of place, wondering if she should give them their privacy. It had been a long time since they'd last seen each other, after all. There was a lot for them to catch up on.

Just as she was about to turn around, to resign herself to the fate of fending off her nakama by herself, he spotted her.

"Nami!"

The cheerful grin and wave he sent her had her walking over to him instead. Like a natural gravitational pull, as always.

"Nami," Sabo greeted warmly. "Why don't you sit with us? Luffy was just telling me all about you."

The navigator swallowed a little nervously, wondering what exactly Luffy had already told him.

As if reading her mind, Sabo reassured, "Nothing bad, I promise! Just something about how you two are going to be together forever." His lips quirked up into an amused smile. "Please, sit."

She acquiesced, placing the bouquet down in front of her and settling down between the two men who were sitting across from each other. She found herself facing Ace's monument and gazed up at its splendor, feeling a wave of sadness wash through her.

But her captain didn't seem to be sad at all.

"Oh, now that Nami's here, there's more I wanna tell you and Ace!" Luffy announced with fervor.

"Yeah?" Sabo chuckled at his younger brother's endearing enthusiasm. "I'll listen to you for as long as you want, after a sakazuki ceremony."

Nami watched curiously as he poured three cups of sake and recalled Luffy mentioning that he'd done this with Ace and Sabo in the past.

Then, he was handing her one of the sake cups.

She was abruptly taken aback, waving her hands around. "O-Oh no, I couldn't. This is Ace's."

"I don't think he would mind if you drank from it," Sabo insisted with an earnest smile. "From now on, you're our little sister."

His words warmed her heart, and she really wished she could accept this significant offering. But…

"I can't, I'm pregnant," she explained ruefully, not really thinking before speaking.

Sabo promptly spilled his own cup of sake.

"P-Pregnant?!" He was shell-shocked, his jaw dropping.

Clearly, Luffy had not mentioned this important revelation yet. Had he been waiting for her to tell him together?

"Ah, I can't have this either," the captain suddenly remembered, setting his sake cup down. "I promised Nami I wouldn't have any alcohol." He shot his brother a brilliant smile. "Sorry!"

"Luffy is going to be a dad?!" Sabo was struggling to comprehend this unexpected turn of events.

Nami couldn't help but chuckle at his reaction. "For better or worse," she confirmed.

"Isn't it great?!" Luffy exclaimed. "We're having twins!"

"Twins?!" Sabo wondered when the surprises would end. Probably never.

Luffy nodded eagerly. "Yep! A boy and a girl!"

"A boy and a girl?!" At this point, he could only bring himself to repeat his brother's words. No other coherent thoughts were forming.

Nami scoffed dismissively at that. "No, don't listen to him. We don't actually know the genders yet."

Ignoring them, Luffy continued, "I'm gonna name the boy Ace!" He looked up at his late brother's monument, an ear-splitting grin on his face. "You hear that, Ace?!"

This was her first time hearing about this. A part of her itched to confront her captain and demand who the hell allowed him to name their nonexistent son without any input from her. But perhaps now was not the time. Not when he was so happy.

And besides, she had to admit that Ace was the perfect name.

The three of them were suddenly enveloped in a gust of warm air, as if Luffy's words had reached him. They all blinked up at the monument in awe.

Nami watched as Sabo seemed to recollect himself. They exchanged a brief meaningful look.

"Must be one hell of an adventure, huh?" Sabo asked, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm sorry in advance for all of the trouble."

"You have no idea," she quipped with an affectionate roll of her eyes. "But I wouldn't have it any other way."

And together, they listened to Luffy animatedly ramble on until the sun was low over the horizon.

~To Be Continued~

Things I absolutely love:

1) Badass female characters (Boa Hancock deserves her revenge on a Celestial Dragon)

2) Domestic fluff (I love depictions of established, mature, healthy relationships)

3) Gear 5

I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! I'm 99% sure that the next chapter will be the final chapter...I've dragged this story on for long enough, and I really want to make sure I finish this before life inevitably makes it even harder to write. I've always envisioned a very specific ending for this story, ever since it became a multi-chapter fic. I may be back in the future with an epilogue or one-shot in the same universe, but I can't make any promises. In the meantime, I'm aiming to have the last chapter done by the five-year anniversary of the start of this story lol. I appreciate all the love and support, and I do take the time to read every comment! :)