The pair had been caught by Zoro in a compromising situation yet again, however, what really bewildered Nami was the fact that Luffy moved in as if he was still willing to seal the deal despite getting caught. She gawked at him when she noticed her captain resume to move his face towards her, Nami immediately placed her hand on his forehead, forcing his head back with a huff.
"Luffy! Didn't you hear him?! There's a ship approaching!"
Her face was on fire. She was blushing so hard that her cheeks resembled the same shade to that of Luffy's cardigan. Luffy groaned under his breath and stood to scope out the incoming nuisance. He was an inpatient man after all and he had been wanting to kiss the orange-haired navigator since last night, thus, his patience was running very thin.
The captain jumped off the figurehead of the Sunny and landed on the grassy deck below, the rest of the crew eventually gathering behind him. Up on the figurehead, Nami was struggling to regain her composure. She held her head in her hands and let out the shaky breath that she had been holding in ever since the moment her captain asked to kiss her.
Nami pried her head out of her grip and turned to face the swordsman. As a thief, she was quite used to getting caught red-handed, but this felt unsettling. She felt extremely bashful and it wasn't that she was ashamed of her feelings towards Luffy; In fact, she felt like screaming it to the heavens, it was more so the guilt she would feel if she were to throw off the dynamic of the crew or make anyone feel uncomfortable.
"Zoro, I.. I-" she spoke to explain but he cut her off.
"Nami, I don't need to know." he grumbled as he stood against the mane of the Sunny with his arms crossed over his chest.
The swordsman was never particularly interested in the relationships that the crew members had amongst themselves, nor could he bring himself to care. Luffy and the orange-haired witch had a special bond, that much he was certain of; But even though their captain treated everyone with care and attentiveness, he knew it was... different with Nami. After all, she was there since the very beginning.
At first he thought his extra attention towards her well-being was out of obligation to keep her safe because of her delicate nature, however, once he noticed all the unnecessary effort he put into making her laugh or the glances he'd steal her way, he knew the raven-haired man had developed certain feelings. The same was to be said for the navigator, especially as of late. She was a blushing mess with so much as a simple greeting from their juvenile captain.
"You're not mad?"
"Why would I be mad? Whatever is going on between you and Luffy is none of my business."
"...Do you think the crew would be mad if they knew?" she glanced down to avoid his gaze and she felt her heart stop beating all together, fearing his response.
"As long as you both are happy, we don't care. Plus, we're pirates. We all do whatever the hell we want anyway." he said apathetically.
At this, Nami's eyes widened. She knew that whatever this was that was developing between her and Luffy wouldn't make the crew change their view of her, and she knew they wouldn't hold it against the pair. Taking all of that into consideration still didn't make the idea of the rest of the crew finding out any less mortifying, but she felt hopeful now; a sense of relief washing over her after Zoro's reassurance.
"Thank you, Zoro." she muttered softly, a small grin forming on her face.
He grunted in response and proceeded to make his way back down to the deck, Nami trailing behind him.
As the said ship approached, Usopp brought the pair of binoculars that hung around his neck up to get a better view of whoever may be on board but saw nothing.
"What gives? I don't see anyone on the ship." he said leaning over the guardrail.
"It doesn't really look like a pirate ship either." said Franky.
Chopper dashed forward to hop up on the guardrail next to Usopp with panic-stricken eyes. "Could it be marines?!"
"...Ah, wait! There's someone coming out!" said Usopp.
Suddenly, a tall man with blonde wavy hair emerged onto the wooden deck. He was wearing a black top hat, and wrapped around the hat, was a pair of blue goggles that Luffy vaguely recognized.
Where have I seen those goggles before...
With the ship now a short distance away, the crew held their ground. All except for Robin, who Nami noticed had a huge smile plastered on her face.
"Robin?" asked Nami.
The raven-haired archeologist merely winked at her in return. Raising a thin brow in question at her friends response, Nami then carefully eyed the man.
Luffy made his way towards the guardrail with his arms crossed over his chest and studied the blonde man who was now a few feet away. He was smiling and proceeded to take off his hat. The raven-haired captain now had a better view of the man's face. He had a scar over his left eye and he looked not much older than Luffy.
"Oi! Who're you?" asked Luffy sternly.
The man only smiled widely in return, thing that left the crew puzzled. Watching the scene unfold, Robin raised her hand over her mouth and giggled as she stood beaming at the blonde-haired man. Looking over at her, the man raised his hand in response.
"Yo, Robin!"
Luffy tilted his head and looked back at Robin, highly confused.
"Oi, Robin. You know him?"
"Does my own Outoto not recognize me?" he asked while slowly stepping forward, his smile only growing considerably wider.
"Outoto?!" He spat back. "Listen, I dunno who you are but there are only two people who can call me that and that's the late Ace and someone else who died a long time ago named "Sabo".
Wait... why does this guy have Sabo's goggles?
He immediately furrowed his eyebrows and as he glanced over the man again, realization slowly crept in.
"S-S-Sa..." he trailed off and his eyes became the size of saucers. He furiously shook his head in denial and took a few steps back.
There's no way...
"Did you know... we can become brothers if we exchange a cup of sake?" he asked, his smile never faltered, it only threatened to leave his face.
Luffy's jaw hung open and he felt a flood of tears collect in his eyes. He swallowed the lump that had formed in the back of his throat and began to whimper, his lips violently quivering.
"...SABO??!!"
He stretched both his rubbery arms out to wrap them around the blonde-haired man, pulling him into a ferociously tight hug with a 'snap' and began to wail uncontrollably.
The crew watched the two with shocked expressions as Luffy sobbed all over his shoulder, completely drenching the man's jacket with tears and snot. They had no idea who this person was after all, except for Robin anyway.
"S-sabo!! I thought y-you were dead!! I l-let Ace get killed, Sabo! Ace is d-dead!" Luffy completely broke down, he struggled to speak coherently due to the choked sobs and wailing that escaped him.
"I know, Luffy." he wrapped his arms around the raven-haired captain and shut his eyes tight in attempts to hold back his own tears that were forming. "But I'm happy you survived!"
Treading back to give the duo some space, the crew all turned to Robin for answers.
"Luffy has another brother?!" asked Usopp with eyes still wide in shock from seeing the captain sob like a baby.
"What a heart-warming scene! Even though I have no heart! Yohohoho!"
"Do you know him, Robin?" asked Nami softly, turning her attention to her raven-haired friend.
"I do. We met two years ago after we were all separated on Sabaody. He is the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff, and Luffy's older brother, Sabo."
Nami was dumbfounded along with the rest of the crew. They really did know close to nothing about their captain's past.
His brother?
She found herself comparing the two and assumed they were sworn brothers, like him and Ace, seeing as how they looked nothing alike. The blonde knew Ace as well, so Nami figured Sabo had known Luffy since childhood.
After finally composing himself and a few exchanged words later, Luffy wrapped an arm around Sabo's shoulders and presented him to the bunch.
"Sabo, these are my nakama. I guess you know Robin already. This is Zoro, Usopp, Sanji, Chopper, Franky, Brook." He pointed them all out and smiled when his eyes fell upon the orange-haired navigator. "And Nami." he stood there with a dumb smile, refusing to remove his eyes off of her as he thought about the almost kiss just moments ago.
Nami internally facepalmed at her captain making goo-goo eyes in her direction.
He's making it way too obvious now...
The man glanced between the two. He caught on very quickly, especially considering he witnessed them almost engage in a lip lock mere moments ago, and he couldn't help but to laugh heartily.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all! Thank you for taking care of my Outoto." They all bowed in return.
"Sanji!" yelled Luffy suddenly. "We're throwing a feast! I want meat, and lots of it!"
"Aye aye, captain." Sanji smiled and turned to make his way towards the kitchen.
"Are you sure, Luffy? I wouldn't want to impose." said Sabo.
"Nonsense! You are Luffy-San's Onii-San and I'm sure you both have much to catch up on!" said Brook.
'Shishishi' "What he said! Come on, Sabo! Let me give you a tour!"
Luffy rushed forward, dragging the blonde around with him by the wrist. It's as if he had an extreme pep in his step, even more than usual. Nami followed the pair inside with an endearing smile and observed Luffy intently.
The last time she recalled him in this state of euphoria was when he saw Ace again in Alabasta. Now pondering over this new information, the navigator couldn't help but to feel her heart ache for her captain. It must have been extremely difficult for him to have mourned the loss of not one, but two of his brothers. But seeing him now, reunited with his loved one who was presumed dead, made her feel a sense of joy bubbling up inside her. She felt immensely happy seeing Luffy happy.
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The crew piled into the dining room after Sanji announced the food was ready, and they took their seats. Nami sat on Luffy's left and Sabo on his right. The love-cook brought over a huge stack of plates that held a wide array of meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit and carefully began to lay them out across the table.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry. Meshi, meshi, meshi." sang the captain as he bounced up and down in his seat.
"Wait until Sanji-kun is done to start eating, Luffy." warned Nami, seeing his mouth already start to water at the delicious aromas that filled the room. But as soon as a plate was placed within arms reach of him, (not that it mattered considering he was made of rubber) he began to scarf down pieces of meat and fruit.
Sanji raised a leg to swiftly kick the human dumpster over the head. "Ouchhhh, Sanji!!" he whined, rubbing the newly formed lump on his head.
"Listen to Nami-San, you greedy bastard!"
"Sanji-San, the food looks amazing. I can't wait to eat, even though I have no stomach! Yohohoho!"
"I'm not sure why Luffy's always so eager to eat everything in sight, it's not like the food's any good anyway." spat Zoro.
"What'd you say, you shitty marimo??"
"You heard me, you pervy cook!"
"OW! Stop fighting you two!" said Franky.
"Usopp!!" cried Chopper hysterically, sitting up in his chair. "It's coming!!"
"Oh no you don't!" said Usopp as he grabbed his fork and gripped it tight, already moving it in stabbing motions as Luffy stretched a rubbery arm towards them.
Sabo suddenly erupted into a fit of laughter so intense, he wiped away the tear that now slid down his cheek, making the crew all turn to stare at him.
"You guys are hilarious!" he exclaimed.
Robin giggled upon seeing his reaction and propped her elbow on the table to hold her chin as she smiled brightly. "I told you they were all one of a kind."
They all sweat dropped.
"Oi, Robin! How do you know Sabo anyway?" he said before continuing to stuff his face with food.
"We met at the Revolutionary Army base. I also met your Oto-San there, Luffy."
He immediately choked and slammed his palms down on the table.
"Eh?? You did? It's like everyone's met him but me! Is that who you've been with the entire time, Sabo?"
The blonde nodded in response.
"So what made people think you were dead?" asked Sanji, now taking a seat.
"You should start from the beginning, Sabo." said Robin.
He nodded.
"I grew up as a young child in the world of nobles and I detested it. My parents were always very unreasonably strict and the only thing that seemed to matter to them was our social status and having me marry into a rich family. They did whatever it took to raise said status, and they considered anyone who wasn't a noble to be "inferior".
His lips fell distastefully as he recalled the treatment he would receive from his estranged parents.
"Once you turn eighteen, you are automatically considered a full-fledged noble so I ran away from home." he continued. "I refused to be considered what I despised the most. I ended up meeting Ace, and eventually Luffy, and we all lived together for a while before my father forced me to return home. After learning about a terrible fate that involved everyone outside our town who wasn't from a noble family, I tried to escape and find Luffy and Ace to warn them but failed and I was locked up inside my own home."
"That's terrible..." Chopper exclaimed.
"It was. Thankfully, I was able to slip past one of the guards who fell asleep in my room. I stole a vessel and set out, but I didn't make it very far before a World Noble shot at me with a bazooka. I tried to put out the flames, but then came the second shot and it completely destroyed the ship. I thought it was my day to die that day. There was wreckage everywhere and I could barely hold onto one of the planks before I started losing consciousness. I was drowning and very badly injured, but Dragon-San saved my life."
They all stared at the man with uneasy expressions.
"W-why did he shoot at you?" asked Usopp, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat.
"Because there was a commoner in his way."
At this, Nami set her glass down and her appetite flew south. She suddenly felt extremely sick.
"...They deliberately shot at a child?" she asked, now looking down at her plate, her face darkening.
Sabo nodded in response.
"I had completely lost my memory... I couldn't even remember my own name. One of the revolutionaries wanted to take me back home, but there was this gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach telling me not to go back to where I came from. One thing led to another, and I eventually devoted my life to serving the Revolutionary Army."
"So when did you get your memory back?" asked Franky.
"After I read about Ace's death in the paper." replied the man with a sorrowful smile. "I was in utter shock and I fell into a coma for three days because of it. There's not a day that goes by that I'm not overwhelmed with regret for not being able to help save his life."
At this, the orange-haired navigator eyed Luffy. Even though he maintained his composure, she could see the glint in his eyes and his nostrils start to flare. She discreetly reached for his hand from under the table, and intertwined their fingers. He quickly glanced at her, not expecting the sudden sign of affection, and gave her hand a slight squeeze upon seeing the concern that spread across her features before turning back to Sabo.
Her hand is so tiny..
"It wasn't your fault, Sabo. You had no memory of him." said Robin.
Luffy agreed with a nod. "She's right, Sabo. It wasn't your fault."
The blonde smiled softly to himself as he stared down at his hand, eventually forming it into a fist. "I visited Ace's grave, Luffy. I made sure to let him know that you were doing okay. I even left him some sake." he chuckled.
At this, Luffy could no longer restrain his tears. He chocked out his laughter and began wiping away with his free hand at the tears that refused to stop cascading down his face.
"I made a promise to him at his grave. I'm going to look for the Mera-Mera no Mi, Luffy. I'll inherit Ace's ability no matter what."
Luffy formed a face-splitting smile and gave the blonde a firm nod. There was a moment of silence that followed and the crew all simply smiled at each other, all struck with amazement due to Sabo's determination. It was a very Luffy-like declaration.
"Now enough of that. Tell me of what you all have been up to." he said with a toothy grin.
And as Sabo listened to their many tales of adventure since they set sail in the East Blue, he beamed with pride for Luffy. From entering the Grand Line, all the way to their most recent defeat, they recalled all their tales with delight. The blonde, although extremely curious as to what his Outoto's pirate life consisted of, refrained from asking Robin in hopes that he would hear it all from Luffy himself, and that he did.
To be continued
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A/N: This chapter wasn't super fluffy but there's more to come! Also, can we please talk about the ASL picture above? I love them so much ❤️ In all honesty, I'm not really sure of how my writing skills are doing since this is the first story I've ever written so please don't hesitate to provide feedback. Thank you for all the views this far!