Chapter 1: Surprise Feelings

Chapter 1

Among the Straw Hat Pirates, they typically didn't keep secrets away from each other. After risking life and limb for each other routinely throughout their journeys, keeping thoughts under wraps proved difficult. Along with an ever present laid-back atmosphere, the thin walls and close quarters allowed for information to pass freely from one member to the next. Without the prospect of romance or sex among them, the biggest secrets that escaped were what foods disagreed with their stomachs.

If by any chance, rested did arise, everyone would know about it immediately. That would seem like an unwritten rule of the pirate crew. The captain remained an open book for everything on his mind, and such an attitude fomented openness in everyone.

That night, through the walls that separated the boys' and the girls' rooms, sounds piqued suspicion among the shipmates. A particular variety of laughter kept some of the members of the ship awake. For the third night that week, Luffy had snuck away to the girls' room to hang out with Nami for whatever reason. After all the time everyone knew him, no one could read his mind.

Most of the crew probably made the assumption that he had nothing on his mind on a day to day basis. In fact, for all they knew, this was just a new quirk he developed. There was nothing perverse that could be going on between him and Nami. They were close, but Luffy didn't think that way. This was the captain that treated all his shipmates equally and fostered the love and respect that they all hold for each other. Even Despite expressing infatuation towards Robin and Nami, Sanji wouldn't break their code of friendship. However, nothing was written in stone and by the sounds of giggling, that slight suspicion everyone had could be a reality.

During the day, no one had the guts to interrogate Luffy or Nami. Robin would probably have the most information if she didn't spend the early parts of the night elsewhere. By the time she returned to her quarters, they were usually asleep. Perhaps fear hindered their curiosity - fear that something true occurred past the walls of the sleeping quarters. Luffy had reached adulthood, but he wasn't an ordinary man! Chopper mentioned he saw the pair bathe together, so there was room for doubt on whether Luffy was incapable of acting on natural impulses. How did they become so close out of nowhere?

"Nami~," Luffy laughed, vaguely echoing Sanji's sing-song style of saying Nami's name. The medium of the wooden wall muffled the rest of his words.

Someone was going to get hurt. Sanji stirred. Meaning, he was seconds away from kicking down the wall and rescuing Nami from Luffy's newly lecherous grasp. He didn't feel possessive of Nami, but he did feel protective of both of them. The team did discuss whether or not he should intervene and they decided against it. What did they know? Most of the crew hadn't experienced heartbreak. The majority of them were virgins! They were in denial and Sanji had been sulking all week. Even children could develop infatuations, so why could their man-child of a captain somehow resist such a pull? "I think something is going on. No man could take a bath with Nami and be able to resist her," he muttered to himself, but really to anyone who was awake.

Usopp figured something happened between them. The thought alarmed him. Luffy in love meant he had a favorite. Hopefully, their crew didn't break up because of a relationship. Unlike Sanji, he assumed Luffy and Nami's recent behavior to be Nami's fault. Their captain didn't usually express interest in women, and so that change in behavior could only have been triggered by Nami's guile. First hand, he witnessed her cause guys like Brook and Sanji swoon over her. Something seemed different between her and Luffy. It had to be friendship. "Luffy would tell us if something was going on right?"

After sleeping sporadically during the day - and every day, Zoro couldn't sleep between the stirring and snoring and sounds of giggling. "Can you quit it?" he growled at Sanji. "It's none of your business even if something is going on." He knew that wouldn't shut him up.

Chopper and Franky and even Brook would probably chime in their opinion. He couldn't give half a shit what took place on the other side of the wall. The chances were pretty unlikely. Zoro himself barely interacted with women outside the crew and their temporary allies. Luffy's reasoning was probably something simple like the beds are more comfortable in the girls' room than in their room. The swordsman realized he was expending way too much energy on rationalizing the situation.

---

Meanwhile, Luffy lied between Nami's arms. Contrary to Sanji's suspicion, he merely rested there for her warmth and company. They spent nights telling stories and jokes until they fell asleep. What the crew or Luffy may not have realized is that he came there on nights where his thoughts kept him on edge.

Of all the Straw Hat Pirates, Nami seemed the most receptive to his subconscious venting. When he needed someone to cling to, he could come there with a warm welcome. There were places on her body that were warmer than others, but she scolded him last time he sought the space between her breasts. For some reason, it bothered her to the point where she kicked him out for the night. Nami's anatomy felt deliciously irresistible, especially after a bath. He respected her wishes, however.

Their laughter began to dwindle into a long yet comfortable silence. Captain Straw Hat had something at the tip of his mind and only now decided to bring it up. "After I find One Piece, I still want to have adventures," he said under his breath.

Nami lightly laughed, "I can't really imagine you staying in one place."

"You'll come, too? We could see the entire world and build a large fleet of Nakama."

"Where else would I go? " she replied gleefully.

Luffy stretched his arm the grab his hat the lied under the bed. He placed the hat on Nami's tangerine-colored hair. "You could be Pirate Queen," he said with an ingenuous grin.

He didn't understand what that meant, did he? Nami covered her mouth, aghast by his words. He couldn't have known that he implied marriage. The casual mood and platonic theme of their relationship didn't call for it. For the young navigator, this arose an inkling of emotion that started in Arlong Park. She felt a significance in their moments together, but to maintain a clear head and appropriate friendship, denied such significance.

However, face-to-face with the possibility of a different level of intimacy between her and Luffy, her mind became muddled. "Luffy..." she whispered. At this point, even if he clarified himself, it didn't stop her from realizing how their time lately had meant something different than it did before.

At first, the captain looked back to study her expression. He usually couldn't read people that well, but something told him by her suddenly quiet demeanor that he had said the wrong thing. To him, it was only natural that she would continue to travel with him. Or else, he'd just get lost at sea again and again. Aside from the utility, she gave him comfort and intimacy and peace of mind. He loved his entire crew, but the thought of Nami by his side.

"Of course," she smiled with her grip on him tightening. Even if she didn't understand why she said proposed such an idea, it still made her happy. As Luffy wrapped up explaining his plans for tomorrow's destination, Nami traced the definition of his abs and muscles. With a few more jokes and laughter, the tension experienced before melted away. She felt a compulsion for something, however. "Do you want to go up to the library?" asked Nami.

"Aw, Nami, I wanted to go to sleep," he complained, turning away from her.

She held back a smile and pulled him closer to her body. Resting her face on the side of his neck, the orange haired navigator let out a sigh. Why did she behave like this with him? They were family, and she was using cheap persuasive tactics. The coercive navigator failed to acknowledge that these were, in fact, seduction tactics. This was just diplomacy. She offered more of her warmth. And that's what he wanted, right? "Come on, Luffy. We could fall asleep up there." she tried.

Luffy shook his head. He protested, "No."

A tinge of pain shot through her chest. Why did that response hurt her? Nothing changed between them. She just wanted to go to the library. Holding him tightly, Nami felt the shock subside. There was still a tense silence, and she took a deep breath. "I think Robin feels uncomfortable when you're in here with me unless we're asleep. Maybe you should leave," she sighed again.

Turning around to face her, he hesitated before muttering, "No."

What? She was irritated at this point. "What do you mean?!" she retorted a little too loudly. His attitude and words presented a tumultuous horizon. He wanted her to stay, yet didn't want to be alone? Maybe sleep honestly did motivate him, and he probably felt more comfortable with her. Knowing this, the tension she had felt subsided. The moment was pure, and whatever compulsion that pulled her to the library would have to wait. As she fell asleep, she pulled him to her chest. He muffled words into her skin.

By this point, he heard her light snoring. Guilt settled in. While he laid in this position, Luffy realized why such an arrangement wasn't a good idea. Although he was a man of honesty, he felt himself stifling his impulse to say what he felt at that moment. This unique feeling surged within him as he lied between Nami's bosom. His racing thoughts and heart held him awake for one of the first times in his life.

---

Weeks had passed since the night Nami asked Luffy to go to the library. He stopped coming so often and stopped spending the night when he did visit her room. This irked Nami, and when she had a chance to talk about it on a shopping trip, she took it. However, he seemed to be evasive on their trip alone together to the city. Whether it was conscious or not, Nami's patience grew thin. After the time they knew each other, she should have let go of the planned dialogue she wanted with him. Plans and Luffy don't go together.

"Luffy, let's go into this shop," she suggested, looking back over her shoulder. He was already inside. A rainbow-striped spinning top caught his eye. The clerk already made sales pitches to persuade the captain to buy the toy, and by the time Nami stepped foot in the door, they finalized the deal with a handshake. In a low, guttural voice, she shouted, "Luffy!"

Before she could get another word out, the store clerk reached for a curious navy blue box in the class display case behind him. With a sly grin, he turned around and pointed with an open palm towards Nami. "I'll throw in this silver necklace with a ruby heart for your wife. Only an additional 1,000 berries. " bargained the clerk in an attempt to mollify Nami's annoyance. She knew all the tactics of cunning, so she saw right through him.

"Wow! That's really shiny," exclaimed Luffy as he reached for the jewelry without inhibition.

Nami didn't wear jewelry, but the necklace was exceptionally beautiful. Silver and red complemented each other wonderfully. Typically, she'd be caught up in peddling stolen jewels and gems that she never stopped to admire them. That's not to say that she wasn't thinking of how much she could get if she resold them. Jewelry would probably get in the way of her adventures. It wasn't practical.

Something did seem amiss with what the clerk said. Something he said had the hairs on the back of her neck at attention. Something he said made her face burn with nondescript reason.

Wife. What wife? Her? Never! She should have felt angry, but instead, she felt like her cards were showing in a game of poker. Staring at Luffy, she gripped the bottom of her shirt. The word didn't phase him at all. He must have known what it meant. Why didn't he react with disgust or at least deny it?

"What are you talking about? We're not married! Luffy, t-tell him we're not married," demanded Nami. Hypocritical in her own way, Nami failed to question why moments passed before she finally denied such a relationship.

Laughing, Luffy stretched his arm out to gently pull Nami closer. His arm wrapped snugly around her shoulders. "We're not married. We just live together, and sometimes sleep together," he explained. The carefree attitude he usually maintained so well was somewhat interrupted. Maybe he picked up on Nami's vibe. Despite his giant grin, the thought of marriage suddenly shattered something. He didn't know what it shattered, but that's how the word felt. How would a relationship like that factor into their Nakama? And what made someone want to marry another person?

Of course, Luffy didn't notice the stale air that lingered after his boisterous statements.

"I...um...Well," stammered the clerk as he averted eye contact with both of them. He didn't care if he lost the sale at that point.

Nami punched Luffy out of the store. "You're making this situation worse!" she screamed and huffed. Her face and neck were rosebud pink. Sweat at her brow, she marched after Luffy as he tried to run away. "You can't tell people something like that so casually. They'll get the wrong idea!" After he apologized, she was able to regain her composure only slightly. Usually, he wasn't so quick to apologize. Maybe he knew how wrong it actually sounded. Yet, with more thought, she wished he showed some reaction to the clerk's assumptions. Now was probably the wrong time to talk about sleeping in the same bed again.

Luffy kept quiet until they started heading back to the ship. He wanted to discuss their sleeping arrangements as well. However, something became more prevalent in his mind. Once he put his thoughts into words, he couldn't help but blurt them out. "How do you know if you want to marry someone?" asked the captain.

The cool breeze of dusk complemented his words in a way that made everything else stand still. To him, the way the setting sun illuminated her cream skin incessantly drew his attention for most of the evening.

This time, Nami was a little too caught up in her surroundings to pay attention to him. The shops were closing soon after all. They had to leave by morning. Luffy had to repeat himself to get her to listen.

She jumped a bit, and the swelling of heat and tension returned. Nami then irately questioned, "Why would you ask that? I wouldn't know." Was it too optimistic to hope the ended conversation there? Silence settled in, and she immediately regretted wishing for him not to respond. The way he held in the first thought that came to mind irked her. This contemplative behavior didn't suit him. "Haha," she chortled, "I guess if you want to be by that person's side until the end of time. Even during separation, you'd still trust that you'd reunite." Her initially awkward grin melted into a placid smile as she stared into the distant western horizon.

"I see," he responded with a little more clarity on the situation. Why wouldn't he want to marry his entire crew?

What Nami said closely resembled Nakama, however. Maybe she should give more context before he hilariously proposed to all the Strawhats. "Marriage usually means you love the person. Love like kissing and touching and wanting to make children - not like Nakama," she said with a light blush. Love is difficult to define and it means something different to everyone. Love was especially hard for her to define when it closely resembled her relationship with Luffy. Something kept her from flat out denying that they had something so special. Now was really a bad time to bring up sleeping together again. She missed him whether she wanted to admit it or not.

Pushing his hat down on his head, he grinned. "I see, I see!" beamed Luffy. "Can you marry your Nakama?"

"Yeah, of course, you can. Just give it time and make sure you love her before just jumping into marriage," she nervously laughed. Nothing was actually funny. It wasn't like he actually had someone in mind, but the way she talked about marriage seemed like he was in a relationship.

As they neared the harbor, Luffy lingered behind at a slower pace. He knew of marriage, but like many men and women his age, it was hard to define if that's what he wanted. Equality and morale were important to him. At the same time, he was never one to fight his impulses. All the Strawhats had their vices, and most of them indulged them. Luffy was no exception. However, when it came to violating Nami's personal space, he felt guilty for having such desires. Touching and kissing weren't actions he witnessed very much. He wanted the closeness, and he definitely craved her warmth. Maybe she changed her mind about the places he could touch. He'd have to ask.

---

Later on, at dinner, Nami was taking a bath once the food was ready. Robin joined her instead of Luffy. That's the way it had been for a while now. Maybe now he could have the rest of the crew chime in their opinions for how he should handle the situation. "Oi," he said through his full mouth. Everyone gave him their attention. "How do you know when you want to marry someone?"

Everyone's minds shattered. Simultaneously, they spit their food out at him. "WHAT?" A long silence fell over them. They repeated, "WHAT?" again.

Chopper was just a little bothered by the whole situation. He erred on the side of caution and wanted to make sure Luffy's impulses didn't lead to anything that would affect the dynamics of the crew. Knowing this, he took a deep breath. It was just a question. He had to clarify carefully in order to avoid further upsetting everyone. "You have to love the person in a romantic way," he smiled.

"Ah, okay. Do you touch and kiss and have kids before or after marriage?"

Everyone cringed again. This wasn't going anywhere. Chopper was beating around the bush, and they all needed to get to the bottom of it. Even Zoro who claimed to be impartial to the situation was at the edge of his seat. Franky, who overall supported the pairing, remained high-strung and wasn't quite sure what this would mean. Usopp's face grew pale with each passing moment, but after the mention of love, his heart sunk. Sanji slammed his hand on the table, but before he could interrogate further, Brook took the metaphorical stage.

"Yohoho!" he sang, "I knew I heard wedding bells. You'd be one lucky man to marry Nami-san."

Sanji couldn't take anymore. Gripping Luffy's collar and lifting him above the ground, he barked, "Do you even know what you're saying, Luffy?" How could he be so casual about this? They spent 2 years without each other, and all of a sudden he was in love? That's not how things work. "This is just one of your impulsive decisions, but you're going to hurt her if you don't stop and think about what you're saying!"

"I love her," he decided aloud. His furrowed brow and tight grin resembled his fighting face.

On the other side of the table, Usopp took a stand. "I don't see how it's his fault. Nami knows more about this sort of subject than Luffy. For all we know, she's been taking advantage of him. He barely knows what love is. I respect her, but she's still a tease," her argued. It was a heated statement because he understood how it put Nami in a bad light. They needed to take that into consideration, though. "Luffy," he started, "I don't think you actually love her. You just want her, right?"

"I want her and I love her," he repeated. It was such a matter of fact response that his words seemed to lack feeling. That may or may not have been the case. Something about his eyes seemed undeniably serious.

As the argument went on, the crew chose sides. Sanji, Chopper, and Franky blamed the prospect on Luffy's caprice. Usopp, Zoro, and (sort of) Brook blamed it on the lure of Nami. Mind you, they still cared for each other... somehow. The topic of who was taking advantage of whom carried on with fervor.

Brook, being one of the the only members to truly support the blossoming love. At a certain point, the motive of everyone was clear: They didn't want a romantic relationship among them to tear them apart, yet there they were, duking it out over who's to blame for these feelings that suddenly arose in their captain. All the while, Luffy was tied up in the corner in an attempt to stop these feelings from coming full bloom. That was the best solution, right? Or else he'd keep shouting "I love her" and no one wanted that.

This made for quite the scene when Robin and Nami emerged from the room. Scanning the situation, Nami assumed Luffy told everyone what transpired that day at the shop. Tension built at her temples as she sighed. If she just sat down and ate and pretended like she didn't see anything, maybe they wouldn't approach her and bring her into the mess. However as soon as she sat down across from Robin, all eyes were on her. Her eyes narrowed over towards the boys. "What?" she huffed.

No response.

Robin pointed towards Luffy. "Why is Luffy tied up? Did he do something wrong?" She received a cacophonic response of yes's and no's.

Nami wondered why Robin had to say anything? Maybe her curiosity got the better of her. She knew what happened earlier on the shopping trip. Her response had been comforting somehow. His words didn't surprise her at all. It led Nami to believe that she knew more than she was letting on. Robin then remotely untied Luffy.

Everyone managed to somehow calm down a little too quickly and quietly. The clinking of plates and slamming of cups to the table indicated that things hadn't exactly calmed down. Before something stupid erupted into a brawl, the navigator retired to her room. Tensions were so high that the crew failed to notice her, and they also failed to notice the captain pass by Robin after he finished his food. Nodding towards her, he slinked away.

---

Alone with her thoughts, Nami grew suspicious of what the guys talked about. Maybe they were lecturing him on how to interact with women. She thought she gave him more than enough lectures on how to treat women. Or maybe they had to redefine what marriage means. His curiosity about marriage affected her heart in more ways than one. The situation was frustrating and most likely futile. Part of her wanted to punch him the next time she saw him. Maybe she was a little immature as well.

The door quickly opened and shut.

She shot up and looked over to see Luffy. "Hey, Nami," he greeted, "I wanted to sleep in your bed again tonight."

Initially, her fist balled up, but she knew that wasn't the proper reaction to seeing him return to her like this. Seeing him made her happy. Still, she scoffed, "What did you say to upset everyone?"

"I don't know. I didn't say anything weird," protested Luffy as he grabbed the blanket and dove into bed. "I missed you!" added the captain, unwary of how those words felt on Nami's ears. There was much more to say, but that could wait. The warmth of the bed beckoned him into silence. He tried not to think of touching her in new places.

Respectfully, he kept his distance. This was a great accomplishment for a man who followed every desire that came to mind. However as she pulled him closer, some other kind of force drew him to her face. He scanned the adorable smile she had on her face. Such a tepid aura didn't radiate from her before. Closing his eyes, his face gravitated towards hers until their lips met. Before he could doubt her interest, he felt her hand on the back of his head.

Unsure of when to stop, he paused - underestimating how difficult that actually was. Nami's face was buried in his chest. "It's okay, Luffy," she assured him. "I missed you, too." Never could she have predicted that Luffy would be her first kiss. She didn't know he had it in him.

Wanting to kiss him again, she refrained, and to her luck, that was a good choice.

Suddenly, the entire crew flooded into the room, alcohol in each hand. "Drink!" they demanded. The sudden shift in mood was pretty common among them. However, inertia hindered Luffy's adjustment the most. As Nami got up from the bed, his joined hands stretched like a rubber band and he fell to the floor. In a crowd, the pirates freed Nami and picked her up to take her to the deck. By the time he joined them, everyone was drinking including his navigator. Franky pushed a wine bottle into Luffy's hands. When they began the game of cards, everyone made sure that the potential couple didn't sit next to each other. In fact, they ended up on the opposite sides of the circle. Hard to believe that only moments before they broke out into a brawl, for they partied as if they had 100 years of peace.

Sanji looked over to Nami. "Ah, Nami-swan," he slurred, "Sweet, innocent, untarnished Nami-swan. That asshole doesn't know what it means when he says he loves you. He's really just trying to do lewd and evil things with you." Maybe he didn't realize that he had just confessed on Luffy's behalf. The love cook made dangerous the assumption that she already knew.

"Luffy wouldn't say something like that," replied the young woman as she waved the idea away. Everyone else froze except for Luffy who continued chugging the bottles of wine. "Why does everybody look like that?" she laughed.

"Idiot, why did you say that?" Zoro shouted and threw his pint towards Sanji. Chopper tried to calm them down, but they were already in each others' faces. The Strawhats took sides again, but those who were too intoxicated sat out.

Across the room, Luffy locked eyes with Nami. He continued when she tried to look away. As the rubber man finished his bottle of wine, he ineptly got to his feet. "I kissed Nami," confessed the lead Straw Hat. Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at him.

That was it! He broke the last straw. Nami hiccuped, "Luffy! Don't tell them that!" She used the side of the boat to stand up.

"They're our Nakama!"

"You're gonna give them the wrong idea."

Luffy then ran towards Nami to cradle her in his arms, lifting her feet from the floor. "I want them to know I'm serious when I say that I love you," he explained and looked at the band of pirates he built. As much as they wanted to argue with him, they couldn't at that moment. Nami was speechless and so was everyone else. "I love her because I like touching her and kissing her and sleeping with her!"

She punched him this time - square in the face. This was way too embarrassing and she was way too drunk to formulate a better response than punching him. Immediately, she had a tightness in her chest. He just confessed. Each passing second, she felt as if she were driving a knife into him. "Luffy, I'm sorry," she started, tears falling from her eyes, "I'm sorry for punching you." So much was going on, and the alcohol had hit her pretty hard. That seemed like the solution that would cause less trouble. There was no use in secrecy at that point. "I love you, too, Luffy!" she sobbed before kissing him.

Their Nakama dropped their guard. For that night at least, they'd let everything pass. More drinks, more laughs, more music transpired for the rest of the night, not without a heavy heart. Maybe this was no one's fault.

---

"Where am I?" said Nami as she weakly sat up. Luffy's heavy head lied in her lap. The sun hung brightly from the sky. Upon surveying the land - wait, land? The last thing she remembered, she was on the ship kissing Luffy. Tension built up at her temples as her face reddened. What a wild night. "Luffy," she called with a smile. After a few times of calling his name, she slapped him a few times. He couldn't be dead! Then he started snoring. Laughing, she kissed him and he returned it. When she stopped, he started snoring again. "LUFFY, WAKE UP!"

"Where am I? Ah, Nami," he grinned. Planting his face between her breasts he continued, "Where are we?"

She shoved his face away and to the sand. "I don't know," she mused, "We're on an island. What's weird is that I don't see any footprints from the others." The cool breeze off the coast of the mid-morning sun comforted her. Aside from her pounding headache and sore back, the setting failed to completely unnerve her. She glanced at her lover. That's what they were, right? That felt so weird to think, so she wasn't sure if she could say that aloud anytime soon. They'd continue as normal. Only, they could kiss each other now. In that quick moment, he had somehow managed to climb a nearby tree to look around.

Suddenly, he had somehow managed to climb a nearby tree to look around. Also, he regretted resting his face on Nami's chest. Maybe that wasn't okay even though they loved each other. He'd probably have to wait until they got married. Was there a waiting period for that? The best case scenario would probably involve him proving himself to her. "Just do everything she likes and nothing she hates," he said to himself. That way she'd want to become Pirate Queen and travel with him even after he found One Piece.

"Luffy," she waved up to him, "Do you see anyone?" To no avail, he shook his head in reply.

Then it hit them. Looking at each other, their jaws dropped. "THEY LEFT US!" they shouted.