It was now several hours later and the ship maintained a steady course. Each member of the Mugiwara crew was occupied doing their own thing, trying to kill time until they arrived to the next island.
Luffy sat on the figurehead of the Sunny, the brim of his hat covering his eyes and arms crossed as he dozed off.
Zoro was training in the crows nest, lifting huge dumbbells in each hand while counting his reps aloud.
Robin tended to her flower bed, watering each delicate plant while chatting with Chopper about his past adventures with Doctor Hiriluk.
Usopp hammered away at his latest invention, hard at work in his factory.
Sanji was cleaning up after lunch, scrubbing away at the dishes that were left behind.
Brook sat on the swing of the deck, he was enjoying a warm cup of tea and Franky was in his workshop, working on plans for his latest renovations.
Nami in particular, sat at her survey desk in her study, taking advantage of the peace and quiet that was often scarce when it came to the Mugiwara crew, to work on her latest map. She put her pen down with a sigh of relief after working vigorously for a while.
Finally.
She gave the newly finished map of Fishman Island a final glance over and was satisfied with her work. The navigator stretched her arms out and yawned sluggishly.
Lately she found it difficult to get an adequate amount of sleep due to thoughts of Luffy often occupying her mind. She kept trying to rack her brain as to when these feelings even started. Was it after being freed from the clutches of Arlong? Or maybe it was after she learned that Luffy had gone missing following the events at Marine Ford? She was unsure, however she found it more and more arduous to keep her emotions in check.
How long have I been feeling this way?
Ultimately, Luffy was someone that was very dear to her and when taking their entire journey into consideration, it only seemed natural that she would develop feelings for him. Not only was he the reason she was now able to pursue her dreams, he also constantly protected her, freed her, and gave her a home. She owed him her life and she could never repay him for the kindness he's shown her thus far.
Her eye lids became heavy and she gingerly crossed her arms, resting them on top of the polished wooden desk in front of her. As she leaned forward to lay her head down, she felt sleep taking over her.
________________
"Oooooi! Island!!" shouted Luffy excitedly from the Sunny's figurehead. The crew began to gather on the deck to check out their next destination. It was a summer island with palm trees that surrounded the outskirts and as they approached, the crew could see it was inhabited.
There were several ships bobbing up and down on the water, fishermen were tending to their nets, and children were running about. There, at the dock, sat a pirate ship amongst the many other ships. Luffy didn't recognize the Jolly Roger so he decided to not pay it any mind. The crew prepared to drop anchor and started delegating tasks amongst themselves. They needed to restock supplies and wanted to take some time to explore the island.
"Does anyone know where Nami is?" asked Chopper, noticing that the navigator had yet to join the others.
"I believe she was working on a map in her study. Luffy, would you mind going to check on her?" asked Robin.
"Un." Luffy nodded and made his way back inside.
"I know what you're up to." said Zoro lowly to the raven-haired beauty with a smug grin on his face.
Robin laced her fingers behind her back and responded with a seemingly innocent closed-eye smile.
"We should have some fun aboard this ship after all." she giggled.
Luffy pried the door to Nami's study open and stepped inside. "Oi, Na-" he paused.
Nami was hunched over with her head on her desk and her long orange locks draped over her shoulders. As Luffy approached her, he could hear her soft snores.
She fell asleep.
Luffy crouched down to her level and carefully brushed her bangs away from her eyes, grinning a bit. His chest throbbed and Nami was definitely the cause. He occupied himself with counting the faint freckles that were scattered across her face and noticed how her eyelashes matched the color of her hair.
Cute.
Nami gradually opened her eyes, feeling something brush against her forehead. Her vision was somewhat blurry but she could make out his red cardigan.
What is he doing in here?
"Luffy? What's wrong?" she asked drowsily, her head still on her arms.
"Robin told me to come get you. We made it to the next island." he said with a toothy smile.
"Okay, coming." she mumbled and stood, rubbing the exhaustion out of her eyes as she trailed behind Luffy.
Luffy opened the door however he came to a sudden halt. He really wanted to listen to Sanji. If he actually did have feelings, he wanted to make sure Nami knew about it.
"In the meantime, maybe try complimenting her..."
His hand still held a steady grip on the door handle which caused Nami to collide into him face first. She immediately yelped and used the palm of her hand to rub her nose.
"Luffy, what gives?!"
So I just gotta tell her what I like, right?
"Nami."
"Hm?"
"Your eyelashes are orange, just like your hair."
She deadpanned.
What is he trying to say?
"...Yes Luffy, I know." she said with furrowed brows.
He blinked, feeling underwhelmed. What was the point of compliments? It seemed pretty pointless. Then he remembered that other thing Sanji said.
"...or doing something nice to show her how you feel."
Ohhh, so I guess I should do something nice?
Luffy turned back to face her and reached to place his hand on top of her head, stroking it gently.
"It's cute." he stated bluntly.
He flashed her his radiant smile and with that, he was out the door.
Did he just...
Nami stood frozen in the door way with eyes suddenly wide in disbelief, blinking rapidly upon hearing Luffy's declaration and the way he lovingly stroked her head.
He thought it was cute?
The drumming of her heart was booming and incessant and she felt that it would burst at any moment.
What's gotten into him lately?
_______
It was decided that Brook and Usopp were to guard the ship whilst the others ventured onto the island to buy supplies. As the Mugiwara crew descended off the Sunny and made their way into town, the townspeople that were out and about watched them carefully. They felt the intense stares that bore holes into them, however seeing as they were pirates, they were well acquainted with the feeling.
"That's Mugiwara no Luffy!"
"I heard he disappeared for two years and now he's stronger than ever."
"Look! It's the Mugiwara crew in the flesh!"
The crew heard murmurs everywhere when suddenly a voice stopped them in their tracks.
"You there!"
A man with auburn hair and pale skin sprinted up to them. He wore an apron and looked not much older than most of the crew. He placed a steady hand on his chest and it heaved heavily as he struggled to catch his breath.
"Who're you?" asked Luffy while picking his nose with an uninterested look on his face.
"My name is Blaze and we could really use your help" he said with a huff.
"Our help?" asked Sanji, carefully eyeing the man before them.
Blaze nodded in response. "You're the Mugiwara Pirates, right? Well there's a group of outlaw pirates currently on the island that have been terrorizing the townsfolk. They've been stealing our food, threatening to shoot whoever doesn't hand over their wallet to them, and destroying our homes." The man bowed low with eyes shut tight. "They're inside my bar harassing my patrons as we speak. Please help us, Mugiwara!"
Luffy nodded with determination as he was never one to turn his back on those in need.
"Yosh! Let's go, Blake!"
"...It's Blaze."
____
Inside the bar sat a large man with long unruly hair and snake-like eyes, his feet were propped up on a table in front of him. He took a swig of his beer and downed the remaining liquid before violently smashing the glass mug against the floor. The captain's underlings occupied most of the tables inside the bar, however there were a handful of townsfolk who sat frozen in their seats, trembling with fear.
"Where's that shitty bartender? I need more beer!" he snarled.
A moment later the front door of the bar slammed open and it suddenly became eerily silent. The captain scowled and looked over at the source of the disturbance and at the front door stood Luffy, the rest of the crew and Blaze behind him.
"Who the hell are you?" asked the captain, his face darkening.
"I'm Luffy. The man who'll become king of the pirates, and I'm gonna kick your ass."
To be continued
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