Archive of Our Own ^beta

Nami used to love new islands.

It was exciting, especially back in the East Blue. New places, new sights, new smells… new people to fleece money from. It all went to Arlong of course, but Nami loves the thrill just as much as she loves the money.

But now, as they’ve crossed into the New World where each new island presents a whole new set of problems… her excitement has dwindled a little. She still gets excited, still wants to explore just like everyone else, but there’s new stronger self-preservation instinct kicking in now that their enemies have crossed over from being lousy pirates like Arlong to emperors like Big Mom and Kaido.

That, and their captain somehow manages to get them into shit every single time.

Now there has to be at least one person on Luffy duty each time they make for land, something they’d all figured out pretty quickly after the first few disasters. Somehow their captain has the innate ability to find trouble almost every single place they go to. Nami once saw him manage to bring down the entire dictator government on one island barely bigger than the Sunny, and that was simply because a store vendor refused to let him eat a leg of local meat for free. Sure, the island’s people had been thankful, but it had taken days for Nami to massage the headache away from that one.

So Usopp is put on duty for this particular island. A summer jungle island with a large port and plenty of city to go with it. The log pose is only going to take a few hours to reset, and Nami figures that isn’t nearly enough time for Luffy to topple a government or find another stray warlord to challenge.

She’s not wrong. But the alternative isn’t exactly any better.

Nami is haggling over a carton of bright purple fruit Sanji keeps making eyes at in the town square when Usopp comes tearing through, his panicked screaming heard well before he comes into sight. To his credit, he sounds genuinely distressed, and Nami glances up to see him sprinting directly towards her. She stops mid sentence, her gut churning at the fear on Usopp’s face, and every thought of getting off this island scot-free falls away.

As it turns out, the jungle here is particularly carnivorous, and Luffy seemed like a tasty treat.

Nami wants to scream in her hands as Usopp manages to flounder through an explanation of Luffy challenging a rather grouchy tree that sprouted a mouth much much bigger than their dear captain. They’ve not even been here for an hour. How the hell is this her life now?

“Well go get him,” she grits out, her teeth gnashing together as Usopp turns wide eyes to her.

“I-I-” he stutters, looking ridiculous with leaves sticking out of his hair, now sporting scratches up his arms and over his long nose. “I have can’t-go-into-a-carnivorous-jungle-dis-“

“I’ll go,” Zoro volunteers, dropping the bags of produce Sanji had been steadily piling him up with onto the ground. He gets a kick in the head for it from Sanji, followed by a steady barrage of insults. Nami takes a slow breath through her nose as she ignores the two starting to squabble beside her and continues to glare at Usopp.

Maybe if she gives him enough of a look, it’ll convince the bullshit liar into going back.

Unfortunately, Usopp won’t budge and Zoro obviously can’t go alone, the directionally challenged bastard. Somehow, Nami ends up agreeing to lead the way after Usopp gives her well detailed directions, and of course that means Sanji insists on coming too.

Nami drops her head into her hands. Beside her, the vendor sympathetically reaches out to nudge the crate of fruit her way. 

Three hours later, they come charging out of the forest.

Luffy is whooping and hollering where he’s slung over Zoro’s shoulder, pulling faces and laughing at the pack of flesh-eating flowers that are charging after them. Sanji is limping beside the swordsman on what Nami knows is definitely a broken leg, despite Sanji’s assurances that he’s fine. Nami is right on their heels, swearing up a storm as they hurl towards the Sunny, wrapped up in Zoro’s coat and Sanji’s suit jacket, trying not to think about her beautiful dress left torn to shreds on the forest floor behind them.

To make it worse, they’re covered in some sort of amber sap the tree Luffy was stuck in spat on them, and it is disgustingly sticky. Nami wants to throw up at the feeling, desperate to scrub it off right now, but making it to the Sunny and outrunning the plants trying to kill them feels like more of a priority at this point.

Luckily the Sunny isn’t far past the outskirts of the forest, and Nami’s feet are killing her as they fly across the beach towards the port, not exactly sporting shoes that are suitable for running for your life in. The others are all on board waiting for them, Usopp the bastard waving them down from the gangway, and Nami has half a mind to conjure a mini storm with her clima-tact to follow him around personally in retribution for this bullshit.

The sound of their shoes clomping on the wooden gangway is music to Nami’s ears and they finally pound up onto the deck of the Sunny. She’s never felt so relieved, never felt so puffed either, and she takes a moment to catch her breath as Franky hauls up the gangway to stop the plants from reaching them.

Luffy jumps from Zoro’s shoulder, bouncing on the deck with a stupidly large grin on his face. “Awesome!” he cheers as he dances from side to side, eyes closed and a stupid amount of joy on his face. “We should do that again-”

He doesn’t get to finish his sentence before Nami smashes him over the head with her clima-tact, sending him crashing to the deck with a whimper.

“Shut up,” she roars, heat burning in her cheeks. She glances behind her to see Sanji is leaning heavily on Zoro, the two of them coated in the sticky sap with their hair clumping into birds nests, bleeding sluggishly from cuts on their cheeks, and looking as unimpressed as she feels. “You idiot! What the hell were you thinking?”

Luffy whines but turns a brilliant smile up at her. It makes the anger in Nami’s chest unknot just the slightest, that annoying inability to stay mad at their captain for very long kicking in, and she grits her teeth.

“Whatever,” she huffs, ignoring Luffy’s delighted giggling as he reaches out to pat her shoulder. She ducks away from his hand and sends him a reproachful look. “I’m going for a bath.”

She tightens Zoro’s coat around her as she turns on her heel. She catches sight of the rest of her crew scattered around the deck, eyebrows raised as they take in her appearance, and her temper flares once more as Brook opens his mouth with a very obvious question.

“Can it,” she snaps as she stalks past, and Robin lets out a small laugh behind her hand. Nami can’t be mad at her, but that doesn’t stop her flicking a rude hand gesture her way as she heads towards the bathhouse, thinking longingly about getting this sap bullshit off of her.

It doesn’t take long to shed Zoro’s coat, nor Sanji’s jacket where she’d tied it securely around her waist once she’s locked the bathhouse door behind her. Beneath them, she mourns what’s left of her dress, scraps now that barely give her any dignity. Some tree she hadn’t realised was one of the sentient ones they’d been fighting had taken umbrage to her standing too close, and she’d only just managed to avoid its sudden attacks.

Her dress, however, had not.

Luckily Sanji had been there to intervene, although Nami knows the sickening crack she’d heard when his leg had met the tree wasn’t exactly from a snapped branch. Not that it had seemed to bother Sanji as he’d dispatched it quickly enough, and Nami had scrambled at the scraps of her clothes to try keep at least some of her modesty as he’d done so.

Surprisingly, Sanji hadn’t even chanced a peek as he’d shucked his jacket to pass to her. Even more surprising was when Zoro’s green jacket had smacked her in the face, the swordsman not even looking her way as he’d thrown it. Nami had appreciated the offer, even if her nose still stings from a stray button.

It’s only because of their, and Nami swallows thickly… generosity that she doesn’t crumple both clothing items in a heap on the ground. They’re covered in the sticky amber sap and Zoro’s jacket has a few more tears in it than before. Begrudgingly, because it’s not like they’re going to pay her, she decides she’ll clean and repair their clothes before she returns them. With that decided, she gathers them together and turns to instead hang them on one of the hooks by the door before heading towards the bath.

It’s such a warm relief, to sink into the bath under the bubbles. She lets out pleased sigh, leaning back as she tilts her head into the water. She takes her time to relax, only interrupted once by Robin slipping into the room to hand her a small bottle of oil to work through her hair and break the tacky sap. Nami is thankful, not at all pleased that her alternative would’ve been to start cutting it off. She’d grown her hair out for a reason, and her short cut she used to sport is not something she wants to return too.

Eventually, when the water turns lukewarm, she gets out to find her robe. No doubt Sanji, Zoro, and Luffy will be chaffing at the bit for their turn… or Sanji will at least. Zoro probably has already dunked himself into the ocean and shaved his head, the brute, and it wouldn’t surprise Nami the slightest if Luffy has convinced Usopp to make him a pulley system just so he can do the same.

Either way, Nami doesn’t care as she leaves the bathhouse for the female quarters. For now, she just wants to get into some comfy clothes, get her clima-tact to Usopp to repair, and get started on fixing the boys clothes.

Oh.

Nami swears as she glances around the female quarters and realises she forgot Zoro’s coat and Sanji’s jacket in the bathhouse. Never mind, she decides as she finishes getting changed and pulls out her hair dryer. She’ll just go grab them when she’s finished. It should leave the boys plenty of time to get in and out, and if Sanji spots them before she gets there then, well, she won’t have to worry about their clothes at all.

Once finished, she heads back to the bathhouse, detouring under deck to drop her clima-tact to Usopp in his workshop. He takes it with zero complaint, but Nami thinks it’s probably because Usopp is too busy monitoring a freshly clean Luffy playing in the corner with what Nami hopes isn’t but most likely definitely is gunpowder.

Not her problem, she decides.

At least she knows the boys are finished in the bathhouse as she climbs the ladder up through the library. The door is still shut though when she reaches the top, but Nami thinks nothing of it as she creaks it open.

Only to pause when she hears voices.

She stills, the door still ajar in her grip. She can hear splashing inside, deep voices and muttered bickering, and curiosity gets the better of her as she opens the door just the slightest to peek around the edge of it.

Zoro and Sanji are inside, thankfully not facing her. Nami’s face runs hot when she realises she’s doing exactly what she yells at the boys for thinking, especially Brook and Sanji, but decides that she doesn’t care as the sight of the other two surprises her enough to make her jaw drop.

They’re in the bath together, Zoro sitting behind Sanji and bracketing him with his legs, the tops of his knees just poking out of the water. Sanji’s broken leg is hanging over the edge of the bath, a new cast wrapped around it that he obviously can’t get wet, but he’s leaning back into Zoro’s chest. The jar of oil for removing the amber sap is lying discarded on the ground, and Nami’s watches in fascination as Zoro carefully cards his fingers through Sanji’s long hair, removing the clumps of amber sap with a gentleness she didn’t think he knew.

She knows they’re together, of course she does. It’s not exactly been a secret even if most of the crew have decided she’s just spreading rumours. Usopp had laughed in her face when she’d mentioned it to him once and that was not a reaction she took to favourable. Even Robin isn’t entirely convinced and Nami knows the other woman spends a lot of time spying on the lot of them.

But Nami’s been there since the start, and she has watched Zoro and Sanji grow together ever since bloody Arlong. Screw the rest of the crew, she knows what she’s looking at.

However, she’s never seen the two of them in such an… intimate moment.

“Careful there, Mossy,” Sanji grumbles, but there’s no bite to it as he stays relaxed in Zoro’s arms. “Keep pulling and I’ll elbow you right where it hurts.”

Zoro snorts, his fingers working deftly on extracting a large piece of sap. “You do that and I’ll shave your fucking head, Cook.”

Nami rolls her eyes. Bloody pig of a swordsman.

Sanji growls though in response and reaches back to flick water in Zoro’s face. “I fucking dare you.”

There’s a pause for a moment before Zoro leans forward until his head is right beside Sanji’s, and Sanji’s eyes widen just as Zoro starts to shake it. His wet hair splatters water everywhere, making Sanji yelp as he tries to get away. His broken leg catches on the side of the bath though, and he only succeeds in falling further into the water as Zoro lets out an uproarious laugh.

“Fuck you!” Sanji splutters, spitting water out of his mouth as he scrabbles to right himself. Zoro keeps laughing, but his hands come out to hook under Sanji’s armpits to haul him up and out of the water.

“Serves you right, Curls,” he jeers, and Sanji looks mutinous as he twists around to shove at Zoro’s chest.

Zoro catches his hand though, his gaze softening, and Nami’s own widen in surprise as Sanji goes still. There’s a beat, a long beat, before Sanji’s face splits into a smile and he leans forward. Zoro rises to meet him, his eye fluttering closed.

Nami quickly pulls back, face bright red and hand clapped over her mouth as she tries to quietly shut the door behind her. She’s not sure if she’s successful, but it doesn’t matter as she scrambles down the hatch back to the main deck, avoiding Robin’s curious look as she hustles through the library.

She’ll get their clothes later, Nami decides. Much later.

…

Usopp likes to sleep.

In fact, he loves it. Maybe not as much as some of the others, especially Zoro who Usopp is pretty sure spends more than ninety percent of his time in some position that cuts off the air supply to his brain, but Usopp still likes nothing more than a hearty nap or a hunkered down sleep.

In saying that, his time joining the Strawhat’s has made the ability to sleep not exactly that easy.

Napping is. Everyone naps. Long stretches of time when they’re cruising on the Sunny with the next island days away is spent with everyone sprawled around the deck in various states of rest. Usopp doesn’t always join in, normally finding those moments the best to experiment in his workshop with little to no interruptions. After all, Luffy has a particular disposition towards messing with his and Franky’s gunpowder stores and Usopp uses it often enough that locking it away would be a hassle.

But sleeping? Actual sleeping in the bunk room? That sleeping is hard.

He should’ve know it the moment he pointed out the separate female quarters on the Going Merry and Nami had looked like she was going to cry. She’d warned him then, told him to be prepared for sleepless nights from tweedle dee and tweedle dumb as she’d hooked her thumb at Zoro and Luffy who’d been trying to fish off the side of the Merry using only Luffy’s fists and a stick Zoro had found somewhere.

He had scoffed at first, but frankly, it was only from fear of her kicking his teeth out that Usopp hadn’t tried to beg his way into the female quarters the following morning.

She wasn’t wrong. Luffy’s snores alone made Usopp’s bones rattle and Zoro’s were so loud and sporadic that Usopp found himself lurching awake to them constantly throughout the night. The bastards even had the indecency to act like they’d had marvellous sleeps every morning when Usopp would drag himself out of bed and contemplate using toothpicks to keep his eyes open.

He’d worried when Sanji had arrived, terrified what his sleeping habits were. The man is a monster like Zoro, and Usopp had been convinced he’d be just as atrocious. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to handle it if there were three of them, and he’d genuinely considered sleeping in the storage room if Nami wouldn’t kick his ass for being to close to her quarters.

Surprisingly though, Sanji was the opposite of what he expected. Each time Usopp would glance over it would be to see Sanji curled into a tight ball in his hammock, breathing softly and quietly, hardly moving an inch and barely making a sound.

Not that it mattered, Chopper more than made up for Sanji when he joined the crew. Cute though his snores were, Usopp’s eye still twitched at night when Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper would start bloody harmonising.

It’s fine though. Usopp just invested in a set of decent ear plugs and, once Franky arrived, heavy duty ear muffs for the nights when the whole ship shook with the rumblings from the mens room. Brook had laughed at him the first time he saw Usopp pulling them on, but after the second night at the cabin’s mercy, he’d wordlessly accepted Usopp’s spare pair when he offered them.

Snoring and grumbling was something that Usopp got used to very quickly. It became normal, part of what he expected from the crew. The nights he spent away from them after leaving the crew in Water 7 were some of the quietest nights he’d ever experienced.

He didn’t get much sleep on them either.

But it’s not until after the endless disasters that were Zou, Whole Cake Island, and Wano… well things are different. They change.

It’s Sanji. Of course it is. Usopp knows the sleeping patterns of his fellow male crew members like the back of his hand. He’s seen them in so many different ways. Snoring, yelling, sleep walking and talking, even fighting on the odd mind-numbing occasion, but it’s Sanji that has always remained the same.

Always quiet, always small, always tucked away from the rest of them.

Until the day he isn’t.

The screaming splits through Usopp’s sleep addled mind like one of Zoro’s swords, cracking through his brain and making him lurch bolt-upright in his bunk. Panic splits his chest, his heart thumping wildly as he glances around the room, wide-eyed in the dark. The screaming is coming from somewhere around him, the rest of his crew making concerned noises in the dark, but it takes until someone slams the light switch near the door for anyone to see something.

Usopp kind of wishes they didn’t.

The screams are coming from Sanji’s bunk, the furthest top one from the door. Usopp slides out of his own middle bottom one to look up, bumping into Chopper as he does so, and freezes when he spots Sanji.

He’s thrashing in his bed, violently rocking Chopper’s recently vacated bunk beneath him, skin pale and sweaty, his face contorted into one of utter terror. It’s horrifying, Usopp doesn’t think he’s ever seen Sanji look like that before, wasn’t even sure it was an emotion he could feel, and he has no idea how the hell to proceed.

It looks like he isn’t the only one as he sees Brook, Chopper, and Luffy all stare back at him with wide eyes.

“Move.”

Usopp jumps at the rough voice, only clicking its Zoro as the swordsman drops down from his bunk above Usopp’s. He lands with a thud, his hands fisted at his sides, and Usopp watches in shock as Zoro pushes aside the others before he grips the edge of Sanji’s bunk and swings up into it.

“Hey Curly,” he says, voice surprisingly soft. Usopp’s mouth drops open as Zoro leans over Sanji and gently catches his wrists with one hand, pushing them into Sanji’s chest as his other hand comes up to stroke Sanji’s hair. “Wake up, it’s just a dream.”

Usopp is expecting Zoro to be launched across the room by a well aimed kick, the others clearly thinking the same as they begin to edge away from Sanji’s bunk. It doesn’t happen though, in fact Sanji’s screaming dies away into something a little more broken, and Usopp’s chest clenches.

This isn’t fair, he thinks.

“Come on, Twirly-brow,” Zoro continues, his voice not even changing an octave, still perfectly calm and steady. “It’s time to wake up.”

Sanji does, sitting bolt upright with a start. He’s panting heavily, his eyes wild and unfocused as he spins his head around the room, and Usopp isn’t entirely sure what he’s actually seeing.

“Marimo?” Sanji gasps out as he turns panicked eyes to Zoro, and Zoro lets out a calm affirmative as he cups Sanji’s cheek. There’s a long beat where everyone holds their breath, waiting for a response, but then Sanji’s shoulders sag and he sinks forward to press his forehead to Zoro’s chest.

Usopp immediately thinks they shouldn’t be watching this, that Sanji doesn’t deserve to be gawked like a sport by his crew, and when Sanji lets out a small wounded noise, Usopp reaches out to snag Luffy and Chopper by the backs of their shirts.

“Usopp-” Luffy starts to whine, and Usopp grits his teeth as Zoro’s sharp glare turns to them. There’s no room for argument and it’s clear what he wants. Usopp gives him a weak smile as if to convey that he’s trying and he keeps tugging Luffy and Chopper towards the door.

“Come on,” he hisses, wincing as he hears Sanji’s breathing become ragged and distressed. He glances up to see Zoro enveloping Sanji into his arms, his chin resting on top of Sanji’s head and Usopp only just catches a few of the calming words Zoro is murmuring. “I think I can rustle us up some hot chocolate and cookies.”

The temptation of food is all Luffy needs and Chopper can never turn down something as sweet as a hot chocolate. Usopp’s relieved as he bustles them out the door, Brook hot on their heels as they flee the mens quarters. Whatever Sanji is going through, whatever Zoro is doing… it’s not something for them to witness.

Thankfully, it’s not hard to find the hot chocolate ingredients in Sanji’s meticulously organised kitchen. Luffy and Chopper are kept well entertained by the cookies Usopp digs out and Brook fills the silence by humming a tune for them. Usopp is thankful, not sure if any of them want to discuss whatever just happened, but Franky provides even more distraction when he bursts in to join them, reeking of oil and steel from his workshop. Usopp’s surprised Jinbei hasn’t clambered down from the crows nest to see what is happening as well, but he’s thankful it’s just Franky as Luffy and Chopper instantly latch onto their newly appeared crew mate… giving Usopp a chance to take a moment to just breath at the sink.

Of all the crew, Sanji is the only one that Usopp has not seen this happen with. Everyone else, yes. Luffy over Ace, Chopper over Dr. Hiriluk, Franky over Tom, and Brook over Yorki and… well his whole crew if Usopp is right.

Even Zoro. Usopp has never found out who Kuina is. He doubts anyone has.

But Sanji? If the man has ever had nightmares then he’s been able to keep them to himself for years, and that makes something in Usopp’s chest squeeze. They’re crew, nakama. They’re supposed to trust each other with these things, be there for one another. The thought of leaving anyone to deal with these things on their own makes Usopp ache something fierce.

Then again, as Usopp thinks back to the easy way Zoro had hauled his way up into Sanji’s bunk, as if he’s done it many times before… well, maybe Sanji has had someone this whole time.

That makes Usopp pause in stirring the hot chocolate on top of the stove for a moment. Nami had said something about Zoro and Sanji a long time ago but Usopp hadn’t really believed her if he’s honest. There weren’t any signs that he saw, but if he pauses to think about it a bit harder…

Or not. It’s too late and too early to be thinking these kinds of things. Instead, Usopp hands out the hot chocolates to loud cheers and slumps into a chair at the table, thoughts of Zoro and Sanji pushed to the back of his mind in favour of watching Franky show off whatever creation he’s been tinkering away on in the early hours of the morning. 

Time ticks by and Usopp’s fingers eventually stop trembling around his mug. Part of him is curious to go back to their bunk room, but the other part violently objects and wonders instead if it’s too early in the morning to start banging around in his workshop. He’s tired though, and eventually that wins out by the time they’ve all finished their midnight snacks, Luffy and Chopper slowly drooping back to sleep where they sit at the table.

“Think it’s safe to go back?” Usopp asks Brook as he gathers their dishes. Franky gives him an odd look but doesn’t say anything as Brook quirks his head to the side.

“I think so,” he says, and Usopp nods. He leaves the dishes in the sink, well aware he’ll get a kick in the head for it in the morning. It will be normal though, and Usopp is nearly desperate for that right now.

He picks up Chopper as Brook pulls Luffy to his feet. Franky bids them goodnight, and Usopp is thankful he never once asked what they were all doing up. Together, the four of them hobble back to their bunk room, stifling yawns as they go. Usopp feels a deep exhaustion mix with worry, and he pauses outside the bunk room door for a moment.

Brook doesn’t though, just opens the door for them and slips in, dragging Luffy behind him. Usopp’s heart thumps in his throat as he follows, eyes flicking around the room as if Zoro or Sanji might just jump out at him any minute.

But they don’t. The room is still, and Usopp’s shoulders relax as he hears the familiar noise of Zoro’s snores. He could cry with relief, and he sniffles a little as he closes the door behind him. He waits until Brook has helped Luffy up into his top bunk and slipped into his own under Luffy’s before he flicks off the light switch.

The moon isn’t very bright, but it offers enough light for Usopp to navigate the piles of laundry and discarded objects littering the floor towards his bunk. Chopper is pliant in his arms, and Usopp gently tucks him back into bed before patting his forehead and turning to his own.

He lets out a sigh as he sinks into his mattress, roughing up his pillow and hauling his blanket up to his ears. Finally, he thinks. He can’t wait to fall asleep, but he pauses when the loud noises start to rise in the room.

With frustration, he reaches out to feel for his discarded earmuffs, knowing they’re somewhere on the floor. It doesn’t take long to find them, and he flips onto his back to jam them over his ears with a filthy look at Zoro in the bunk above his.

Only to pause.

Zoro’s arm is hanging out of his bunk, something that’s not unusual, but what is unusual is that it’s not alone. In the dim light, Usopp can just make out Sanji’s also extended arm, his fingers entwined with Zoro’s as their hands hang in the space between their bunks.

A lump forms in Usopp’s throat, and he finds himself quite unable to look away from the casual touch. It feels deeply intimate, again like something he shouldn’t be partial to see… but at the same time it makes his lips quirk into a smile.

Maybe Nami isn’t full of shit after all.

…

Chopper always wanted to be a doctor.

It started with Dr. Hiriluk of course. Chopper couldn’t help but idolise the man that took him in after he ate the Hito Hito no Mi, after his herd rejected him and the humans thought him to be nothing but a little monster. Dr. Hiriluk was more than just a father figure and mentor and Chopper isn’t even sure he’ll ever be able to come up with words to describe just what the man meant to him.

But the medicine, oh the medicine. At first Chopper just followed Dr. Hiriluk’s steps, played assistant and tried to hide his confusion. It didn’t take long for him to understand though, and when it did? When it all clicked?

Chopper was in love.

Curing people wasn’t something Chopper ever expected to do, but it became addictive so quickly. Being able to nurture someone into better health? Being able to fix that which shouldn’t be fixable? To see relieved smiles and tearful reunions? Chopper was and still is hooked.

It’s different with his crew. There’s still that desire to heal and that need to fix, but it’s stronger now. Chopper has never felt as at home or accepted as he is here with the Strawhat pirates. He’ll never forget Dr. Hiriluk, nor Dr. Kureha. They’re his father and mother respectively, the two that taught him so much and loved him no matter what type of monster others branded him as.

But the Strawhat’s? They need him, and Chopper loves to be needed.

In saying that, Chopper is also so terribly tired of the Strawhat’s maybe needing him a little too much.

At first it had been comical. Chopper’s blood pressure was higher than ever the first few months he set sail with Luffy and the others. Somehow, no matter where they went, they’d end up in fights that would land the majority of them in the infirmary. Nami had warned him when he’d joined the crew that three of them in particular were always inclined to get injured, Usopp repeating the warning a few day later, but Chopper had thought maybe they were exaggerating… until Arabasta.

He should’ve guessed that patching up Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji on Drum Island wasn’t going to be a one off experience.

He went through more medical supplies in one month than he’d gone through in a year with Dr. Hiriluk. He’s almost sure that most of them went toward making sure that Zoro was somehow wrapped up in one piece the vast majority of the time, the swordsman stupidly prone to getting injuries that would cause loss of limbs on regular people. Chopper’s positive that Nami’s blood pressure went up as well the first time he nervously handed her a list of things he needed replaced, even if she turned down his offer to try remove some of the less important things. She’d come through with his goods though, and Chopper’s nerves had drifted away after that.

Somehow he thought that he would get used to it. The Strawhat’s get battered around so much that fixing them up has become almost a regular routine. Zoro and Sanji’s daily fights alone means that Chopper doesn’t have a lot of fear of deskilling, and all the marines, warlords, and emperors that Luffy seems determined to antagonise give him a healthy amount of experience too.

But he doesn’t get used to it. The small scraps and scratches, yes. It’s second nature to pull out the bandaids and dressings now, to slap on some antiseptic and scrub out messy wounds. But the big incidents? The moments when he thinks perhaps this time his crew is too far gone and he won’t be able to bring them back from the brink?

They’re still devastating.

Chopper has lost track of the amount of times he’s patched up the nicknamed ‘monster trio’ after their battles. Skypiea, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Punk Hazard, Dressrosa, Whole Cake Island, Zou, Wano… Thriller Bark alone, while a long time ago now, still holds a terrible place in Chopper’s heart.

It’s no secret that he’s closest to Zoro amongst the crew. There’s a bond there that Chopper never expected to feel. Not just a camaraderie, but a quiet acceptance and a deep respect. Chopper knows he’s young, some days he feels even younger than he is, but those days Zoro is always there for him. He keeps Chopper grounded, keeps him safe… keeps him loved.

So to see Zoro near death? It does things to Chopper that he can’t explain.

This time, somehow, stupidly somehow it’s not even a big or important fight. Wano is behind them, the greatest battles and threats they’ve ever faced long since passed. They’re healthy, they’re healed, they’re happy.

“Sail ho!”

Brook’s call cuts through the still air, the scattered crew coming together on the deck. Chopper follows Sanji out of the galley, his bowl of ice cream lying abandoned at the table, and he hops up on Zoro’s shoulder as he passes. He finds himself resting against Sanji’s too, the cook and swordsman pressed side to side against the railing as they wait for Brook to identify who’s coming towards them.

“Marines!”

Chopper sighs. They haven’t had a battle as simple as that against marines in what feels like forever. It’s pleasantly relaxing to know it shouldn’t be too much of a big deal, and he jumps from Zoro’s shoulder to rest on the railing as Luffy starts to squawk with excitement. Zoro and Sanji move from the top deck to join him, jostling each other as they start up their usual bickering. It took Chopper a long time to realise that it’s comfortable for them to be like that. He’s never pretended to understand humans, nor their traditions, although Robin had assured him that Zoro and Sanji are far from traditional.

She appears at his side now, her hand coming up to rest on his head as she gives him a small smile. “Shall we leave it to them today, doctor?” she asks, and Chopper can’t help but preen under the title.

It’s decided fairly quickly that will be the case, especially as the minute the marine ship is within a suitable distance, Luffy reaches out to snag Sanji and Zoro in one long arm before slingshotting them away. Chopper can’t help but giggle at the yelling and protesting the other two do over Luffy’s whoops, although they get decidedly quieter the further away they fly.

Robin laughs too before she gestures back to the galley. Chopper follows her back in, content that the others are ready on deck if the marines somehow manage to get close enough. It’s highly unlikely, but Chopper has faith their new resident ex-warlord of the sea alone should be able to handle a few stray marines, let alone the abilities of the rest of his crew.

While that’s not a faith misplaced, it isn’t exactly what he should have been worrying about.

He’s chowing into the last of his ice cream and listening to Robin reading aloud from one of her books when it all goes to shit. His spoon is halfway to his mouth, his eyes wide and attention rapt as Robin uses her hands to emphasise her paragraph. They’re wrapped up in the moment, only for them both to jump as the galley door slams open violently, bashing against the wall with a sickening crunch.

Chopper turns wide eyes to see a frantic Sanji in the door way, Zoro lying limp in his arms, completely unconscious with a sword sticking out of his chest.

“Chopper,” Sanji breathes, eyes wild and breathing laboured.

Chopper panics, springing from his chair, bowl in his hand dropping to shatter on the ground. “Zoro!” he cries. “Call a doctor!”

A warm hand lands on his head. “You’re the doctor,” Robin says.

Of course he is. Chopper’s panic eases slightly, the familiar wash of professionalism falling over his shoulders as he turns back to Zoro, eyes starting to run over him clinically. “Bring him to the infirmary,” he orders Sanji, turning to lead the way.

Sanji doesn’t say anything and just hurries behind him. The moment they’re in the infirmary, Chopper points to the bed, and Sanji gently lowers Zoro down onto the sheets.

Zoro lets out a deep painful groan at the jostling, and Chopper lets out a breath he didn’t realise he was holding. He’s still alive. Thank whatever gods are out there for that.

Sanji steps back, and Chopper catches sight of his shaking hands and wide eyes. He looks horrified, and Chopper takes a deep breath before he scurries closer. He evaluates the damage, eyes tracking over the sword still in Zoro. It’s buried in his side, far enough away from his core that Chopper thinks it won’t have done too much damage to any irreparable organs.

That doesn’t mean it hasn’t done plenty of damage though.

“Sanji,” he says, trying to keep his voice steady as Sanji’s head snaps to him. “I either need you to leave, or I need you to get it together and help me.”

He doesn’t say anything else, just waits for a moment, but then a look of determination crosses Sanji’s face before he pushes up his sleeves and gives a jerky nod.

Together, they work on Zoro. For now, the sword is blocking the hole ripped into Zoro’s side, and Chopper has a small amount of time to pull out all the equipment he needs, shifting into jumping point in need of the dexterity of fingers. He readies Zoro with an intravenous line, attaching a bag of fluids wrapped in a pressure bag to them and lining up the next few bags on the table beside Sanji, before finally turning back to the main problem.

The first step is to get the sword out. On his command, Sanji removes the sword, Chopper forcing himself to ignore the distressed noise Sanji makes at having to do so, and instead focuses on placing pressure on the wound and searching for the extent of the damage.

The bleeding is bad, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s the hypovolemic shock Zoro is going into that’s the problem. “Keep holding pressure,” Chopper orders Sanji as he flits about the room, readying drugs and bloods. He attaches them to Zoro’s line, eyes darting between Zoro’s wound and his scrunched up face, before turning back around.

It’s hard work, Chopper biting back all the fear as he tries to keep Zoro alive. Sanji is helpful, does as he’s told and doesn’t say a word edgewise. As Chopper stitches, Sanji pushes through blood bag after blood bag, administers the drugs Chopper calls for, hands him instruments he needs.

It’s not exactly sterile, but Chopper has antibiotics for that.

Until finally, finally, Chopper steps back.

Zoro lies still on the bed. He’s unconscious, Chopper’s concoction of sedatives enough to lay the man out into some sort of sleep. His torso is bandaged within an inch of its life, and Chopper had nearly lost track of the amount of stitches keeping him together. He’s breathing though, there’s colour to his cheeks, and Chopper watches his chest rise and fall for a moment too long.

Beside him, Sanji is slumped in the chair next to Zoro. He looks wrecked, a bone deep exhaustion that Chopper doesn’t think a simple nights rest will fix. His hair is pushed back, both eyes on display where they’re locked on Zoro’s sleeping form, his trembling fingers clearly twitching for a cigarette where they lie on his knees.

Chopper wants to say something but finds there’s no words. Instead, he turns to clean up his mess, moving meticulously around the infirmary and trying not to think about who it is lying on his bed. Any of the Strawhat’s being in this room is awful, but Zoro…

Chopper can’t think about it.

He’s standing at Zoro’s IV line pushing in another dose of antibiotics when the silence is broken though, and Sanji’s raspy voice nearly makes Chopper jump.

“It was meant for me.”

Chopper frowns and glances over to see Sanji’s head is in his hands.

“Sanji?” he calls softly, unsure what else to say.

Sanji shakes his head though, and when he looks up, Chopper sees his eyes are too wet and the smell of salt mixes with the overwhelming scent of steel and blood. “The sword,” Sanji murmurs. “It was meant for me.” He runs a hand through his hair and glances back at Zoro. “I had… my back was turned and I missed… I missed it-”

He can’t finish the sentence, his voice choked as he lets out a shuddering sob. Chopper freezes, hooves clutching the syringe of antibiotics as he pushes the last of it in. What to say, he thinks, what to do?

“He won’t blame you,” he manages to get out, and Sanji’s eyes flick to him. “You know he won’t.”

Sanji sniffs. “He should.”

Chopper gives him a weak smile. “He won’t.” He shrugs. “It’s Zoro.”

Sanji looks at him for a long moment before he sighs. Chopper isn’t sure what to expect now, but he watches in surprise as Sanji leans forward to take one of Zoro’s hands in his. He links their fingers, his thumb stroking over the side of Zoro’s hand, and he raises Zoro’s knuckles to his lips.

“You better wake up soon, Marimo,” Sanji mutters, his voice catching on his words. “Or so help me…”

He trails off, but Chopper hears the empty threat as what it is.

Quietly, Chopper twists off the drug syringe and moves back to his desk. He doesn’t want to leave, not now, not when it’s Zoro, but he also doesn’t want to linger. Sanji looks like he’s only a moment from falling apart, and Chopper knows from a deep history and one entire life lesson on Whole Cake Island that isn’t something Sanji ever wants others to see, not even his nakama.

The rest of the crew needs an update anyway, so he takes one last look around the room, settles the things on his desk, then heads towards the galley door.

“Chopper?”

He pauses, his hoof on the doorknob, and he glances back to see Sanji is looking at him again. There’s something at war on his face, something Chopper wouldn’t dream to comprehend, but then Sanji lets out a shuddering breath and holds out his arm.

Chopper doesn’t understand humans, but he understands this.

With a choked cry, he hurries back to Sanji, and Sanji catches him with his arm as he pulls Chopper onto his lap. Chopper can’t help it as the tears flow, as he buries his face into Sanji’s chest and lets it all out. The fear of losing Zoro, the extra damage he had to do to fix him, the near misses as Zoro’s face continued to drain of colour…

Chopper is a doctor. He loves being a doctor. But sometimes it can be too much.

Sanji just holds him close, his fingers stroking through the fur at Chopper’s neck, and Chopper lets himself be comforted. Sanji is saying soothing words, and Chopper holds them close to his heart as he sinks into Sanji’s hold.

And later, when he’s drifting between sleep and awareness, he listens to Sanji’s murmurings to Zoro, the quiet promises and sweet confessions that he presses into Zoro’s knuckles… and thinks maybe humans aren’t that hard to understand after all.

…

To Robin… books have always been her solace.

Ever since she was young it’s been this way. Her childhood wasn’t a happy one, not with her mother gone, her aunt and uncle not caring for her in a way that mattered, and the forced loneliness caused by a village’s fear of a small girl they claimed to be a monster. She’d never been happier than the day she’d wandered into the Tree of Knowledge, when Clover had invited her to read the thousands of text that lined the wall of it.

It was beautiful. She’ll never forget the first time she stood in the tree. The bookcases that lined the walls and reached higher than she could see, the old wooden ladders that could be slid to reach the ones at the top, the spiralling staircases that curled through the room leading to places she’d yet to explore, the warm candles that glowed on every desk scattered throughout the tree with books piled high… the giant poneglyph in the centre that hummed with a deep rich history.

She’d fallen in love the second she laid eyes on it. Her little heart had nearly burst with the feeling. She would spend hours trailing her fingers over book spines, feeling the different fabrics and textures, opening them and breathing in the rich smell of old parchment and dried ink. Glover used to watch her with kind eyes, would laugh as she’d stumble with her arms piled high over to a desk she claimed as her own. The times he would let her take the books away with her were the best times.

Her only friends had been the scholars in that tree. It had been her only place of peace. It was all she had.

Then Ohara burned… and Robin’s life burnt with it.

Demon of Ohara, she became. She didn’t know peace from that moment forward, not as twenty years passed in a rush of death and betrayal, of anger and rage taken out on a small girl who’s only crime was the ability to read that which no one wanted read. Everywhere she went she was used and abused, treated like dirt or forced to do things that honestly? She never really wanted to do.

And then she met Luffy.

Luffy, in all his wild wonderful insanity, with a crew that claimed to be more sane and yet Robin isn’t sure she’ll ever believe their protests. They’re a family, something that Robin didn’t think she’d ever have again… and at first she didn’t. At first she kept everyone at arms reach, terrified her curse would come to destroy this crew of weird and wonderful people.

But Enies Lobby proved to her that, despite her fears, Luffy wouldn’t let that happen.

Now here she is, on a frankly monstrous ship in the middle of the New World, the World Government snapping at their heels, the Blackbeard Pirates determined to wipe them out, a newly liberated country under their protection, their future a gathering of dreams and wishes… and Robin stands strong beside all of her nakama.

And the best part? Once more, she has a beautiful library.

Franky had designed it with her in mind, as he’d told her with red cheeks and shifting eyes. Robin’s heart had thumped a little too loud and a little too irregular when he’d lead her up the steps, opening the door to present the room.

It’s stunning. Robin had run her hands over the wooden benches and the large desk, the beautifully finished bookshelves and gazed out the dramatic windows. While not the Tree of Knowledge, it is and remains the most perfect library she’s ever seen.

Unsurprisingly, what makes it better, is who she shares it with.

Their library is a collection of books from them all. Robin knows she’s contributed the most, Chopper not far behind her. She enjoys the time she spends with the young doctor browsing through old bookstores when they find them on new islands. Often times she has to sprout extra arms just to carry them back for them, although Sanji happily volunteers a grumpy Zoro if he finds them.

If she’s honest, Robin isn’t sure the swordsman would do if it wasn’t Sanji who was asking.

Still, there are other books. A bunch of cooking books and lone recipes from Sanji are jammed between two shelves, Nami’s phenomenal amount of atlases and maps from each island takes up an entire bookcase on its own, the manuals Franky and Usopp can’t fit in their workshops are stashed between the large desk in the centre of the room and their own bookshelf, and Brook’s books and sheet music are neatly stacked in another.

Even Luffy has a few stray comics scattered amongst all the bookcases, no sense of order at all to where he keeps them. Robin has watched many times as Luffy just shoves the comics back wherever he sees fit, even if it messes with Chopper’s fastidious book-keeping system. Not that the little doctor protests too much at his captain’s antics. It’s only been very recently that Luffy has even shown an interest in some form of reading, most likely due to Trafalgar Law and that little comic the two of them used to huddle in the aquarium bar and read together with red cheeks and sweet smiles, so the crew has unanimously agreed to not dissuade him in any way.

It probably helps that, despite both of their insistence otherwise, most of Luffy’s comics scattered amongst the library are from Law’s personal collection.

But perhaps Zoro is the only one that Robin doesn’t see reading, nor owning books. There used to be a shelf left for him when they first got the Thousand Sunny, and Robin had stared at the empty and lonely place many a time on her trips to the library until Chopper slowly started adding his books to it. She doubts Zoro would mind that at all, however a part of her, the romantic part of her wishes that Zoro did have something to add to the library.

It’s a home for her and a gentle reminder that she is part of a crew now, part of a family… being surrounded by their books? It makes Robin feel just a little less alone in the world.

So, on one of the pleasantly slow days post-Wano, when there’s nothing but the warm sun, gentle waves, and their Jolly Roger flapping in the wind, Robin finds herself finishing her latest book and decides that maybe a long visit to the library is in order.

She packs up her things from her sun lounger, snapping her book shut with a dull noise before reaching for her overdress strung over the back of the chair. She cinches the tie around her waist and picks up the delightfully fruity drink that Sanji had made her earlier, not willing to leave that behind. Book in one hand and drink in the other, Robin casts a brief look around the deck, looking for her crew.

They’ve all long since fallen still. Nami is dozing peacefully beside her on her own lounger, arm draped daintily over her eyes. Luffy and Usopp are perched on the side railing, fishing rods in hand, their captain slumped sleeping against Usopp’s shoulder while their sniper has what looks like a very firm hold on Luffy’s waist as he too seems to be fighting to stay awake. Jinbei has long since disappeared off the side of the ship for a swim in the cooler waters, and Chopper is reading quietly on the swing nearby, cotton candy treats strewn in the grass around him as he kicks himself into a lazy sway.

Brook and Franky are sitting together on the steps leading up to the top deck, Brook picking at his violin while Franky strums gently on his guitar. It’s a pleasant tune, a soft meandering one that adds to the comforting atmosphere. Robin smiles as she passes them on her way towards the galley, trailing her fingers over Franky’s shoulder teasingly, and she smothers a laugh behind her hand when Franky gives her a low wolf whistle return.

The only ones missing are Sanji and Zoro. Robin assumes Zoro is throwing those weights of his around in the crows nest and Sanji is sleeping after his night watch shift. She could look for them, but Robin has long since learnt that sometimes her crew deserves their privacy.

She doesn’t need to be watching her back for enemies to face alone anymore either, a habit that was hard to break and yet somehow, her nakama managed to break it all the same.

The walk to the library isn’t long but Robin already misses the feel of a new book in her hand. It doesn’t take much to duplicate her eye and sprout it on one of the library walls, beginning her search for her next read. Chopper had mentioned a book he’d acquired in Wano about the history of zoan devil fruits, thinking it may interest her. She has no doubt it will, even if it’s merely because Chopper bought it for her, and she casts her eye around to try and locate it.

Only to pause when she sees the library isn’t as… unoccupied as she thought it might be.

Sanji and Zoro are very much not where she had assumed, but are currently taking up one of the benches wrapping around the library walls. She’s not surprised to see them together, not when the rumours she’s heard around the ship have become very much fact after Robin couldn’t help casting her eyes and ears about, but it is quite unusual to see them together in the library of all places.

She comes to a standstill on the observation deck, the wind rustling the nearby mikan leaves as she can’t help but stare at the other two.

They’re tangled together on the bench seat. Zoro sits sideways, his legs crossed with one of Nami’s decorative pillows in his lap… a perfect place for Sanji to rest his head as he lies on his side, his blond hair strewn over the pillow and Zoro’s lap, his face slack with rest as he takes slow breaths in and out. He’s curled into a ball, one of his hands tucked under his head and the other lies over Zoro’s knee, one of Zoro’s hands covering Sanji’s… the other holds a book in front of Zoro’s eyes.

Robin can see the swordsman is speaking, and it’s sheer curiosity at the sight of seeing Zoro reading that has her sprouting an ear nearby to hear what he’s saying.

“… while there are a large variety of swords, most are classified by their qualities into three different categories. Meito, meaning ‘named blade’ are swords…”

Oh. Robin covers her mouth in a small laugh. Of course. She can’t believe she wondered at what Zoro was reading. She’s positive that man lives and breathes swords, his desire to be the worlds greatest swordsman his most overwhelming trait. She believes he will be, in fact she doesn’t even have a shred of doubt, but finding out the man reads about swords is quite a fun note to his character.

“… kokuto, meaning ‘black blade’, have been forged by their wielders through countless battles…”

Although, Robin is confused as to why he seems to be speaking aloud. It’s not uncommon to come across readers that can’t seem to do so in their minds, but she wouldn’t think to put Zoro in that category. After all, the swordsman mainly communicates through grunts and actions. Words seem to escape him often.

But then she hears a quiet huff, and she glances down to see Sanji is letting out a small yawn. He looks sweet, sleep-rumpled and bleary eyed as he rolls his head up to look at Zoro. Zoro stops reading, his voice cutting off abruptly as he glances down to see Sanji is giving him a sleepy smile.

“Don’t stop,” Sanji murmurs, “I’m just getting comfortable.”

Zoro stares at him for a moment, and Robin isn’t sure what will happened next, but then a soft smile curves over Zoro’s lips and he turns back to his book.

“Yoto, meaning cursed or mystic blade, are swords said to be cursed to bring misfortune to their wielders…”

Sanji lets out a small pleased noise as he closes his eyes again, burrowing back into the pillow on Zoro’s lap. Robin’s chest squeezes at the sight, even more so as Zoro’s hand moves from Sanji’s to start carding his fingers through Sanji’s hair, a soothing motion that makes Sanji’s shoulders relax, and Zoro’s voice picks up to fill the empty space of the library once more.

Robin glances away from the two, feeling for all the world like she’s intruding on something she shouldn’t be. She starts to dissolve her eye and ear away, deciding to leave them in peace, but she pauses as her eye lands on Sanji’s bookshelf.

Because there, nestled amongst all the cook books and recipes, she can all of a sudden recognise books that don’t belong to the cook. Books on swords, books on different alcohols, one or two history ones that don’t belong to Robin, and on closer inspection a few fiction books that she knows Sanji doesn’t read.

Robin huffs a laugh. Of course, she thinks. No wonder Zoro didn’t mind Chopper taking over his bookshelf. He didn’t need it in the first place.

She dissolves her ear and eye, Zoro’s quiet voice lingering with her even after she’s done so. His voice is pleasant and gravely, and Robin wouldn’t mind being read to by the swordsman herself. But that’s not something she’d ever dare to ask, not when clearly it’s meant for Sanji and Sanji alone.

It leaves her standing on the observation deck, drink and book in hand as she looks up at the library. She decides maybe this once she doesn’t need a new book just yet.

Instead, she turns to make her way back down the hatch into the galley, heading back towards where Brook and Franky are still picking at their instruments on the stairs. Franky glances up when he sees her coming, a small frown on his face, but she gives him a small smile as she seats herself beside him.

She settles her drink down on the step, her book in her lap, and she leans sideways to rest her head on his cool arm.

“Play me a song, Franky?” she asks, and she meets Franky’s surprised gaze.

“Of course.” Franky’s smile lights up his face. He glances at Brook briefly before he turns back to Robin. “Any requests?”

Robin hum as she thinks of the library, of Zoro’s calming voice and Sanji’s sweet smiles, of the way they’d melted into one another… it makes something warm in her chest.

“Something romantic,” she says, and Franky’s smile turns into a grin as the sound of gently plucked strings fills the air.

…

For Brook… nothing has ever been more important to him than crew.

He lost his. He doesn’t think that’s ever going to be a wound that heals. The tone dial he stores inside his skull serves as a constant reminder of them all, of their last night together… he can still hear their voices singing Binks’ Sake, can hear the sweet accompaniment of the twin violins, the single viola, and the deep cello as his fingers had glided across ivory keys.

He remembers hearing them slip away… becoming a quartet, a trio, a duet… a solo.

Brook will keep the last song of his crew safe for as long as it takes to get it to Laboon.

And they will get to Laboon. Brook knows that. He doesn’t even have to doubt it. Luffy doesn’t make promises he won’t keep, and from the stories he’s heard, Brook knows that Luffy has a connection with his old friend that spurs them on. One day they will return to Reverse Mountain.

But until that day, Brook spends time with his new crew. They will never replace his old ones, the Rumbar Pirates own half of his heart, but there’s still plenty of room for the Strawhat’s to wriggle in as well.

Too be honest, Brook wasn’t sure at first if he would fit in amongst this crew. Who would want to have rotten old skeleton with decades worth of trauma he’s never going to forget? This crew of strong-willed pirates with faith in droves and a courage Brook has never seen… what would they need him for?

And then Zoro had smiled at him when they had sat in front of his old crew’s grave, his broken sword buried in the ground, the two of them united by a grief that may not be the same but still wounded their hearts…

“He’s always wanted a musician,” Zoro had said. “He’s been looking for you right from the very start.”

Brook gathered very quickly that Zoro was not one to waste words, nor one to exaggerate or create falsities… perhaps that was the reason the moment he stepped back onto the Thousand Sunny he felt, for the first time in a long time, home.

He loves this crew. He loves them all. They may fight and squabble like children, bring down whole governments on accident, and start wars with warlords and emperors that Brook didn’t even know existed, but no matter what they always stay together. Even when they part, even when the odds seem impossible to overcome… they are nakama.

They have awoken a part of Brook that had long since fell dormant.

Brook never thought he would find a reason to play such bright music again. Years of the mournful violin has finally given away to cheery tunes and upbeat duets with Franky as his thoughtful companion, the two of them playing together for the crew through the long days and nights. The Strawhat’s love their music, love their parties too. They throw them on islands, with their friends old and new, when things are at their lowest, and sometimes they even have parties simply on the deck of the Thousand Sunny for no reason at all.

It reminds Brook of the times with the Rumbar pirates. Yorki’s only condition for joining his crew was that one must love music. Without exception, all of the crew able to play and instrument or belt out a tune however rough it may sound.

Brook joins the Rumbar pirates for that reason. He was meant to hear the voices of others singing his songs, harmonising with his instruments, filling the otherwise still air on the sea.

The Strawhat’s are more than happy to make that happen once more.

It’s a random evening not long after Wano when Luffy stands after lunch and slams his hands on the table. The crew are used to it, most reaching to ensure their cups don’t fall over as Sanji kicks their captain in the back of the knees in protest. Luffy barely buckles, his grin wide and infectious, and his declaration of a much needed party is met with a round of delighted cheers. Even Zoro looks pleased, lounging back on his chair at the other end of the table.

Brook’s fingers itch for his guitar right away, and he meets Franky’s gaze with a wide grin. It doesn’t take long for the two of them to hustle out of the galley to the mens quarters, fishing out their collection of instruments and arguing good-naturedly over what songs they will play as accompaniment for the party.  

Of course, Brook wins. He is the Soul King after all. But Franky does manage to work some of his own personal favourites into their track-list for the evening, including a few solos. Brook’s fingers no longer get sore on the strings of his instruments, but he doesn’t mind the odd rest or two to let Franky play… especially if it’s a certain sweet song for a certain archeologist.

A sudden downpour of rain threatens to ruin the mood that evening, something Nami is most disgruntled about, but Brook doesn’t think he’s ever seen the crew disheartened by something so trivial.

Usopp leads the way into the aquarium bar that evening instead. It’s certainly big enough for all of them, and Brook likes the moody lighting and soft atmosphere. It also helps that the acoustics are quite wonderful. He and Franky set up in one of the corners as the crew piles in, Usopp and Jinbei doing a marvellous job of holding Luffy at bay as Sanji sends all the snacks he’s prepared down the dumbwaiter in the centre of the room.

Chopper hangs from Zoro’s arms, giggling with sheer excitement as Zoro makes straight for the bar. Robin perches herself down on the cushioned bench seat closest to Franky, her eyes slightly hooded as she watches Franky set up. Brook barely holds back a laugh when Franky gets a little flustered and twangs his guitar sharply enough that Nami throws him a reproachful look as she joins Robin.

They wait until Sanji joins them, bustling in the room with two trays covered with individualised drinks, before Brook starts up the first tune.

It’s a blur after that. Brook plays and Franky accompanies him, the others mingle and eat, laugh and dance. Brook gets swept up in the music, his fingers flying as his bow slides over the strings, the familiar siren call of his music enough to make his heart want to burst.

He plays a jaunty tune for Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, laughing as they manage to rope Zoro and Jinbei into their bizarre form of dancing. He twiddles something a little slower for Franky and Robin to sweep around the room too, Sanji and Nami joining them gracefully as they side step Luffy and Usopp’s disastrous attempt at a waltz. He plays a round of sea shanties that the crew bellows, swaying together and sloshing their drinks all over the floor.

He plays Binks’ Sake, and feels a thrill when everyone sings along with him.

He doesn’t stop playing for what feels like hours, until Franky rests a hand on his arm and takes over. Brook is loathed to step away, but Franky’s guitar is out and he’s making eyes at the lovely Robin, and Brook thinks that maybe a small break wouldn’t go amiss.

Franky’s music is different to his, but it’s still pleasant on the ears. Brook doesn’t think that any music is bad as long as there’s a passion to it, and if there’s one thing that Franky has then it’s passion.

Brook rests his violin down and moves further around the room away from the others. They’re crowded around Franky with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper cheering him on loudly and disjointedly. Jinbei is quite unable to move with Luffy wrapped around him, although he doesn’t look too unhappy with an indulgent smile over his face. Nami and Robin are seated together at the bar, and Brook catches Nami’s teasing tone and the slight blush to Robin’s cheeks as he wanders past them.

His intention is to sit quietly on the other side of the room to catch his breath for a moment, just to relax and enjoy the music and joy. But as he curves around the room he comes to a halt, the corner he was aiming for already quite engaged.

Brook has heard all the rumours about their resident swordsman and cook. Despite its overall large size, its still a small ship with an even smaller crew. However, he’s not yet seem the two of them in a way that has confirmed those rumours.

Until now.

They’re standing in front of the aquarium, close together with Zoro’s arm loop loosely around Sanji’s hips. It sounds like they’re bickering, of course they are, but Brook can’t help his interest in what they seem to be quarreling about.

He’s not like Robin, he doesn’t have the ability to sprout parts of himself nearby to listen, but he is quite nimble and quiet and he slips forward a few more steps until he’s in listening distance before settling down on the bench seat.

“… see now that one reminds me of you, Marimo,” Sanji is saying, and Brook frowns only to see that Sanji is pointing at one of the many fish swimming lazily in front of them. “It even looks like it’s growing moss out of its head.”

He glances at the fish at it continues to swim up the tank towards him and nearly snorts. Too be fair to Sanji, he’s not exactly wrong.

“Oi,” Zoro barks back, and Brook catches him pinching Sanji’s side, making the cook jump. “You don’t see me pointing at every dartboard and telling you how much they remind me of you.”

Sanji hisses and smacks at Zoro’s hand. “You do do that,” he snaps. “Every fucking time we come across one.”

Zoro laughs, and the sound is quite delightful to Brook. “Well maybe you should shave off those eyebrows and I’ll stop doing it, love-cook.”

“Over my dead body,” Sanji growls as he shoves against Zoro, the two of beginning to grapple at one another. “I’ll shave that fucking mossy head of yours first, shitty swordsman.”

“I’d like to see you try!”

Brook sighs and drops his jaw into his hand as the two of them squabble, pushing and shoving at one another through hissed insults. Maybe the rumours aren’t true, maybe the crew is just reading into something that isn’t quite there. Brook personally doesn’t see anything really different from the way the two usually act.

However that thought process stops the second Zoro’s arms snatch out to catch Sanji’s waist, and Brook barely keeps his mouth from hitting the floor as the swordsman drags Sanji closer only to drop his face down and… and start blowing raspberries into the cook’s neck.

Of all the juvenile things he’s seen Zoro do, he wasn’t even sure he was capable of this.

Sanji’s laughter is just as wonderful to hear as Zoro’s was, and Brook smiles as he watches the cook squirm in Zoro’s grip, pushing back against the swordsman’s chest and kicking out at his legs. Not that it does anything to stop Zoro who keeps his grip tight on Sanji as he continues to tickle the cook’s neck.

“Stop, stop!” Sanji starts giggling, his hands beating uselessly at Zoro’s shoulders. “Marimo! No!”

It’s not until he’s out of breath though that Zoro finally pulls back, a wicked smirk curved over his lips. Sanji is loose and pliant in his arms, panting heavily with his hands fisted in Zoro’s hoodie as he leans back. He doesn’t look particularly mad though, in fact Brook thinks he looks startlingly happy with flushed cheeks and warm eyes.

“You’re such an asshole,” Sanji mutters, and Zoro looks ridiculously pleased at the insult as Sanji’s hands move to loop up around his neck.

Brook knows what comes next as Zoro starts to lean down, and he decides that it’s maybe not quite something he should be intruding on even if they don’t appear to notice his presence. Despite his nosey curiosity, he knows when to pull back and allow them a moment to themselves.

So he stands and moves back towards the others. They’re still clustered around Franky, all swaying to the music or dancing a badly timed jig. Even the ladies have joined in, giggling with one another as they turn each other in wild circles.

Brook grins. The loud chaos in front of him, the soft quiet behind him… his nakama,

Maybe he can convince one of the ladies into a dance to Franky’s rock ballad, and if not then he’s sure Chopper wouldn’t mind a swing or two on his shoulders, their little doctor’s love for heights and dance well known by them all.

Either way, he thinks, what bliss.

…

Contrary to what his crew might think, Luffy isn’t oblivious.

Sure he takes a while to catch up, and on the odd occasion he does miss something rather blatant that has the rest of his nakama groaning and complaining… but for the things that matter?

Well, Luffy will never be King of the Pirates if he doesn’t pay attention to what matters.

And what matters to him will always be his nakama.

He sees them all. His perch on top of Sunny’s lion head is the captain’s seat of course, the best spot on the entire ship in his opinion, but it wouldn’t be perfect if it didn’t give him the best view of his nakama as well.

Nami and Robin are on their sun loungers, Nami lying about while Robin reads from something old and dusty in her lap. Franky is nearby, never far from Robin, whistling a tune as he plays with some toy he's made. Usopp and Chopper are singing along to a song Brook is playing on his violin up on the observation deck, and Jinbei is at the helm, correcting Sunny with small movements on the choppy waves.

All together. Like Luffy has always dreamed of.

Sanji and Zoro are missing though. Luffy frowns. Maybe Sanji is in the kitchen? Maybe he’s preparing snacks?

Luffy’s stomach rumbles and he grins as he starts to move down from Sunny’s head. Surely Sanji won’t mind this time if Luffy asks to taste test whatever he’s cooking up.

But voices stop him, and Luffy pauses on the Sunny’s head as he glances down with a small frown.

Turns out, Zoro and Sanji aren’t that far away at all. They’re just below him in fact. The smoke from Sanji’s lit cigarette curls up in the air and it tickles Luffy’s nose as it wafts past. He itches it furiously as he leans around to get a better look at his nakama, curious as to what they’re up to.

Not much, as it turns out. Sanji leans against the railing, Zoro just behind him. Luffy quirks his head to the side when he spots that Zoro’s arms are wrapped around Sanji, his chin resting on Sanji’s shoulder and the two of them are staring out at the sea together. They’re talking quietly, but Luffy can’t hear them from where he’s perched.

Not that he wants to. Luffy’s lips twitch into a smile. He likes seeing them this way. He likes seeing them fight too, but something about this just seems better. Any interruption from him might just break them apart… and Luffy doesn’t want that.

Instead, he pauses and glances away, looking out at the sea himself. For a moment, he wonders where Torao is right now.

The thought flitters away though, and Luffy turns back around on Sunny’s head, quite content to simply close his eyes and listen to the sound of his nakama behind him.

…

Fin.