Work Text:
Work Out Like It’s Supposed To
The Thousand Sunny sailed the seas as the experiences of Wano Country were already behind becoming memories. Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji sat on deck of the Sunny, gazing at the sea before them.
Sanji took a drag of his cigarette. “Man. What a deal that was.”
“Tell me about it,” Zoro sighed.
Luffy just held his smile. “It was one hell of an adventure!” He laughed.
Sanji exhaled and rubbed the back of his head, “Man. Feels like we’ve been going since Fishman Island.”
Zoro wanted to argue but felt a exhaustion hit him. “Well… I guess you’re right about that.”
“Things were even crazy before that!” Luffy laughed. “One giant adventure!”
“Hey, speaking of ‘before that’, Luffy, I wanted to ask you something.”
“What’s up?”
“It’s about a rumor I heard!” Zoro sneered. “About you and Boa Hancock.”
“Oh, yeah,” Luffy chuckled. “She’s really nice!”
“Yeah, but I heard she’s in love with you.”
Luffy blinked and chuckled again, “Oh, yeah! That!”
Sanji stared at Luffy. “What do you mean ‘oh, yeah, that’?”
“I mean, she’s really nice but she was always asking me to marry her,” Luffy picked his ear. “That part kinda got annoying.”
Sanji stood mouth agape, his cigarette barely hanging in his lips.
Zoro just laughed. “Surprised you even knew the difference and didn’t take her up on her offer.”
“Nah,” Luffy replied. “Couldn’t marry her.”
Zoro stopped then looked at Luffy. “What? Why?”
“Oh, well, that’s an easy one,” Luffy replied. “I don’t love her.”
“You know about love?” Sanji asked.
“Not everything. But I just know I don’t love Hancock.”
Zoro shrugged, “That’s fair, I guess.”
Sanji scoffed. “Like you love anyone.”
“Well, sure, I do,” Luffy admitted.
“What?! Who?!”
“Nami.”
Zoro and Sanji froze immediately. Their minds were spinning to comprehend the answer Luffy just gave.
“Say what?” Zoro asked.
“I love Nami,” Luffy repeated, matter-of-factly. “Have for a while.”
Zoro blinked a few times and shook his head. “I know you said it already, but, so I can make sure I heard that right, can you repeat that one more time?”
“I love Nami.”
“Like… like as a friend, right?”
“Nope!” Luffy replied.
“YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!” Sanji yelled.
“Well, sure, I do,” Luffy replied. “I like Robin, love her as a friend, even as a big sister, but I love Nami.”
“Luffy, how the hell do you even know about this stuff?” Zoro asked.
“I just do.”
“Yeah, but… how?!”
“Huh.” Luffy thought for a moment. “I just figured it out after I talked to Rayleigh a few times.”
“Rayleigh?” Zoro asked.
“Yeah. I mean… with Nami, she’s just great. Everything about her is awesome! I think me and her were always supposed to meet and go on this adventure together!” Luffy stopped for a moment. A warm smile on his face. “She’s made this whole adventure even better than I ever thought it could be. The whole crew has. You guys, too.”
Zoro blinked and jerked his head back. “Heh. Thanks for that.”
“Yeah, whatever!” Sanji shouted. “Thanks for the nice words, but get back on topic!”
“What topic?” Luffy asked.
“WHAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT!”
“Oh! Okay. What about it?”
“If you love Nami, why haven’t you ever said anything?!” Sanji demanded.
“Because,” Luffy shrugged.
“THAT’S NOT AN ANSWER! EXPLAIN!”
“Oh. Okay.” Luffy rubbed the back of his head, “Well… I just figure I’m probably not the kind of guy she goes for. She’s always mad at me. If anything, she’ll find some guy who will make her rich and that’ll be great for her!”
Zoro studied him. “So, if she married some other guy and maybe had to leave the crew…”
“As long as she’s happy, that’s all that matters. She’s the best navigator in the world and I don’t want her to ever leave. But if she’s happy and she’s okay and it’s what she wants, that’s what’s most important.”
“What about you and how you feel about her?”
“Eh!” Luffy put his hands behind his head, “I’ll be okay! I’m gonna be King of the Pirates, and everything else will work out exactly like it’s supposed to.”
Zoro looked at Sanji, who seemed on the edge of a panic attack. Zoro smirked and looked back at Luffy, “And if you find out Nami’s in love with you?”
“That’d be awesome!” Luffy smiled. “But it’s nothing to worry about right now. If that happens, I’m sure it’ll work out just fine.”
Sanji let out a cry of anguish.
“What’s wrong, Sanji? You got a cramp or something?”
Zoro just laughed.
“I’LL KILL YOU!” Sanji lunged at Luffy, aiming for his throat.
“WHADDID I DO?!” Luffy shouted.
Zoro couldn’t stop laughing.
Listening from just nearby, Nami covered her mouth and quietly slipped away. She couldn’t believe what she just heard, but, at the same time, it was impossible to deny it. Luffy, of all people. After all this time and all he had accomplished, Luffy still had moments that took Nami completely by surprise. Those same moments would also make her realize things about herself she didn’t grasp until now, certain things that had been there for a long time.
One day, she’d admit to Luffy she heard that conversation. One day, they would discuss what it meant. One day, she would get Luffy to admit to her face how he felt about her.
And she would do the same for him.