One Piece 1. Good Luck Charm

**Treasure Hunters**

Author's Notes: So, I said December, but things got a bit crazy and I wanted to finish a bit more of the story. Unfortunately, I didn't get as much done as I wanted even as it stands, so this story might update a little more slowly than the last one.

In addition, I have decided to start this story rated T. This means there will not be any descriptive sex... Unless I change my mind. However, for readers just discovering this story, this is a **sequel **to _Genuine Treasure_, which is rated M. If you have not read _Genuine Treasure_, you may wish to, as it sets up some of this story. If you are not mature enough to handle a rated-M story, then you probably will not be able to handle this story either.

This story involves slash and m-preg. If this is not your fancy, hit the back button now.

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing except what I make up as I go along!

**Chapter 1: Good Luck Charm**

**Suggested Track: "Seven Deadly Sins," Flogging Molly**

Franky and Brook were enjoying some evening drinks in the galley: cola and green tea, respectively. The radio was turned low, playing some old orchestral piece, and they were relaxing in the cool night air, telling dirty jokes and recalling old stories. The Grand Line was a magnificent place when it wanted to be, and now, between islands, the Straw Hat crew wanted to have as much fun as they possibly could. Unfortunately, there was always a buzz kill, and it usually came from the same man.

"Franky," Zoro barked from the door. The cyborg gritted his teeth, looking nervously over at the Santoryu swordsman, who had his bandanna tied on his head and his eyes dark with anger. He forced a grin and waved.

"Hey, Zoro-bro! Looking for a bit of sake?"

"Franky, I have a riddle for you," Zoro said, his voice bitingly cold. "What's three feet tall and not supposed to drink cola?"

"Aw, come on, Zoro-bro!" Franky rolled his eyes. "Will you just live a little-"

"Let me rephrase the question." Zoro drew one sword. "What is three feet tall, three years old, and not supposed to drink cola?"

"Zoro, the kid ain't gonna die over a little caffeine-" Brook had begun to back away from the table, chuckling nervously, as Zoro drew a second sword.

"Let me rephrase the question!" Zoro snapped. "What is three feet tall, three years old, has green hair, and is not supposed to drink cola?"

"Let the girl have fun, she's not in any danger!" The third sword was in Zoro's mouth so fast Franky barely even saw his hand move.

"One last try! What is three feet tall, three years old, has green hair, is not supposed to drink cola, and is hanging off of the goddamn rigging?!"

"Shit, Gilly!" Franky jumped up from the table and rushed onto the main deck, followed by armed-to-the-teeth Zoro and a strolling, whistling Brook. Sanji, Nami, and Robin were staring up at the crow's nest of the Thousand Sunny, where a small child was hanging off the rigging, giggling with glee and swinging around. Luffy was standing directly below her, calling out her name with an identical grin on his face. Roronoa D. Gilea was never one to miss out on an adventure.

Gilea was three feet tall, a bit more than three years old, weighed about twenty-six pounds, had green hair (like her father) and button-black eyes (also like her father.) (She was also not supposed to drink cola, by order of her father, but that was a different story.) She was considered the ship's good luck charm simply on the virtue of surviving from conception to birth. She was considered, informally, a crew member. She was precocious and good-natured, a good bargaining chip (Nami did it best: "If you don't cut the prices, the kid doesn't eat!"), and plenty of fun for the entire crew. She even had a bounty, assumed to be 10,000,000 bells (since Luffy didn't keep her Wanted poster.) The Captain's daughter was a darling, and she made both her father Luffy and her other father Zoro very happy.

Gilly had been born on the Going Merry, and had been just short of eighteen months old when it was damaged beyond repair and given a Viking funeral. She was also happy to meet Thousand Sunny, and enjoyed a toddler-hood wandering around the decks. She was generally kept out of trouble as much as possible by a very protective crew. She very much liked her family, all of her "aunts" and "uncles." Perhaps the most exciting part of her life was meeting a new family member.

The first new addition to the crew after her birth was Franky, and she was only just learning to walk and talk when he joined. Luffy took her hand and led her to meet him after he officially joined the crew, and she didn't even see him before then. During the Blue Laguna at Waters 7, just before the trip on the Rocket Man, Iceburg had been watching the crew board, until he noticed Gilly over Zoro's shoulder. Zoro paused as he passed Iceburg, looked between him and Gilly, and suddenly thrust her into his arms.

"Hold this! If she gets hurt, I'll kill you. We'll be back for her!" Iceburg didn't have a chance to protest, because the Straw Hats were already aboard and gone in a flash. He stared at her, utterly dumbfounded for a moment.

"Oh. A little girl, nma?" Iceburg tilted his head. Gilly, dangling from his hands, tilted her head to match him. "I suppose they do not want you endangered. Sensible for pirates, nma. Would you like a candy?" Iceburg offered Gilly a lollypop, and Gilly smiled her half-toothless grin.

"Canny? Aika canny."

"Yes. I like candy too, nma." He looked around as she began to suck enthusiastically on the lollypop. "Calipha, I require- oh." He stopped, realizing he needed a new secretary. He looked back to the infant. "Okay, nma, you will be my secretary until your guardians return." He set her on his shoulders, and she happily clung to him like a little monkey. She had hung there the entire time, even in the rain while he repaired the Merry one last time. Iceburg had greeted them on the ship with Gilly and Tyrannosaurus, and Zoro had held her in his arms while Luffy burned the ship.

"Bye, Mer-nema," Gilly said softly. Zoro was glad that Gilly understood that Merry was leaving and gone, but at the same time, was irritated that it would take him a long time to break her of ending every sentence fragment with "nema."

After their recovery and the decision to have Franky join them, they knew that Gilly had to meet him. Before setting sail, Zoro withheld Franky (who'd been redressed and given an ice pack after his encounter with Robin) on the deck. As Luffy chattered to Gilly about what had happened at Enies Lobby, fluffing her mop of sea-green hair as he stood in the cabin house out of view, Zoro stood by Franky's shoulder, and explained, "We don't want people to meet the last member of the crew until they're sure they want to join and we're sure they won't hurt her. She's shy, and she can't protect herself well."

"Hey, I love girls!" Franky chuckled. "Is she a cute girl?"

"Cutest girl on the ship, but you don't have a chance with her," Zoro replied coolly. Gilly peered around the corner at Luffy's beckoning. Gilly looked Franky up and down from her hiding spot, and Luffy patted her back.

"See? New uncle. Let's go say 'hi.'" Luffy grinned at her, and she smiled back. He lifted her into his arms and turned the corner into Franky's view. "Franky, this is Gilly. Gilly, Uncle Franky!" Franky stared at Gilly in shock, and then looked at Zoro.

"Is this a joke, swordsman-bro?" He gaped. Zoro shook his head.

"Not at all. This is my and Luffy's daughter, Gilly. He and I are partners, and she is our daughter together. She's the crew's…" Zoro squinted at the baby, who was staring at Franky's nose with utter wonder at the shiny metal. Franky stared between her, Zoro, and Luffy, trying to do the math. Zoro finally rolled his eyes. "… Well, she's the crew's good luck charm. Now, you can either agree to be her uncle and be welcomed aboard, or forget you ever met her and walk away."

"Are you kiddin' me?" Franky laughed, tears springing to his eyes. "I've always wanted to be an uncle! I've got a bigger family now!" He took the offered baby and lifted her into the air, and she laughed happily. "Welcome to the Franky family, little sister!"

Before Franky joined them, Usopp briefly abandoned ship and Robin was gone. Gilly was, of course, too young to understand the situation, but for the few days they were gone, she wandered around expectantly looking for them, calling out what of their names she could. Certainly, she referred to her "uncles" and "aunts" by name, but the farthest she could go was one syllable, two on occasion: "Sa" for Sanji, "Na" for Nami, and on a good day, "Ja" for Chopper. Now, her cry was for "Usah" or "Ra," nobody could answer her, and she couldn't understand.

When Robin was reunited with the crew, she found herself with a toddler at her heels until she turned around to notice her. "Ra!" Gilly cried, opening her arms. Robin couldn't keep her tears away as she pulled the baby against her chest. Gilea squealed and giggled as Robin spun her around.

"I won't leave you again, little girl," she'd whispered.

However, when Usopp rejoined them, Luffy welcomed him back with tears, and Gilly demonstrated the use of her third full polysyllabic word, after "Daddy" and "hungry:" "Sogeking!" Gilly had exclaimed it unhesitantly, pointing eagerly at Usopp as he rushed to pick her up. Usopp laughed when Gilly recognized his secret identity, and corrected her:

"Usopp, kiddo! Uncle Usopp! I wasn't gone that long!" Usopp smiled in an attempt to hide his disappointment. "I guess you don't remember me, huh? Usopp?"

"Usah?" Gilly wrinkled her nose, and grabbed Usopp's nose. "Sogeking!"

The most recent addition to the crew was Brook, and Zoro was very reluctant to introduce her to him. On the first night they had met Brook, Zoro chose not to allow her to meet him, and instead kept her down below and ate dinner alone with her. Once he joined, Zoro was apprehensive. She'd been terrified enough of the zombies as it was, and Zoro was a protective father. Perhaps one of the worst moments in Zoro's life had been upon waking up in Thriller Bark after having his shadow taken away. Much of the ordeal had been described to him by Robin.

Before disembarking to search for the missing crew, Zoro and Luffy had taken a peek at their daughter in her bed. She slept through the night well, and she was already curled up with her thumb in her mouth. They agreed that as long as they locked the door, she would be fine without knowing they were even gone. However, by the time they were returned without their shadows, she had been awakened by the noise from above, worked the door open and was running between Zoro, Sanji, and Luffy's bodies in the galley. The rest of the crew watched as Gilly toppled the remaining chairs over and began to pull the zombie's decorations away. "Daddy! Daddy! Uncle Sanji!" She wailed desolately, shaking each of them over and over. "Daddy wake up! Daddy wake up!" Zoro mumbled indistinctly, briefly raising his hand to brush her cheek, but let it fall away. She shrieked, stomping her feet, and threw her head back and cried. Robin claimed the poor child and took her away to the cabin to put her back to sleep, but before they left again, Zoro and Luffy reassured her and promised there would be no more monsters.

Zoro had wanted to keep that promise. Luffy insisted, however, that he finally had a crew musician, and she should be just as happy as he was. They had to prepare for the worst, though. For the two days Zoro slept, Nami took charge and made the decision not to tell Gilly about Brook, Brook about Gilly, or even let the two meet. She could tell Gilly was shaken by Zoro's condition, and Luffy felt the same. He reluctantly agreed to wait until Zoro awoke. When Zoro awoke and learned of the situation, he seemed briefly upset, but he knew Brook would be invaluable to the crew. The crew waited on the bridge with Brook, and Robin told him what was happening:

"You have to meet one more crew member, and I think she has to approve."

Luffy and Zoro had Gilly by the hands, preparing her as much as they could. Zoro explained in his best 'dad' voice: "Sometimes, we're scared of things, and sometimes, we stop being scared of things. I know all those zombies came here and scared you, and it's okay to be scared. They were scary, but we met a nice skeleton, so you have to not be scared of him."

"Skelly-man?" Gilly whimpered. "Daddy, the skelly-mans are scary!"

"You haven't met this skeleton, Gilly!" Luffy chirped, and he placed his straw hat neatly atop her head. "If you are brave and say hello, and he might play you a song!"

"Is a scary song?" Gilly asked, shivering as Zoro checked her shoelaces.

"No. No scary songs for you. Happy songs from a nice skelly-man," Luffy giggled, and he and Zoro escorted Gilly to the dock where Brook waited to board. Brook found himself under the scrutiny- or perhaps over the scrutiny!- of a toddler one-fourth his size. Gilly stared up at him, little eyes wide, her tiny pigtails shaking on her quaking little head. Brook's afro blew a bit in the hollow wind. He looked between Zoro and Luffy, and grinned.

"Yoho! I've heard of this. I never heard of anyone getting the kid born, but it is you, Luffy!" Brook crouched down, his knees above his shoulders, as he leaned close to Gilly. "Hello there, little person!" She squeaked, and grabbed onto Zoro's leg.

"Daddy, the skelly-man--"

"Do not be afraid of the skeleton. The skeleton is a nice skeleton," Zoro said firmly, looking her in the eyes and straightening Luffy's hat on her head. "Gilea, meet Uncle Brook."

"Uncle?! Yohohohoho! I'm her great-great-grandpa!" Brook chortled. Luffy grinned, as Brook patted Gilly's head. She whimpered. "What does she do on the ship?"

"She scares the hell out of the shitty swordsman any way she can!" Sanji laughed, and Brook began to tickle Gilly with his long, thin fingers. She screamed in utter terror and scaled to the top of Zoro's head. Zoro rolled his eyes, and carefully detached the little girl from his forehead and set her firmly on her feet on the ground in front of him.

"Roronoa D. Gilly, we do not run away from things we fear," Zoro reminded her, before turning back to the skeleton. "Brook, don't… don't touch her. She's scared. Gilly is our ship's good luck charm and we love her very much, but she is a child." Brook looked at Gilly and studied her face.

"I should say. First child- a little girl, even!- I've laid eyes on in over fifty years," Brook paused to smile a little wider, "even though I don't have eyes! Yohohoho! Skull joke!" Gilly wailed again, and Zoro glared at Brook, but Luffy thumped Brook's shoulder and laughed wildly. Brook glanced between Luffy, Zoro, and Gilly, and opened up his violin case. "Yohoho, but I should show her my qualifications if I am to gain her approval." He set the violin on his shoulder and began to play a spirited dance song. Once he started playing, Gilly edged away from Zoro to watch intently. Her eyes were wide and lit with joy.

"Mister Brook? You… you show me how?" Brook kept playing, standing tall and proud but not hiding an approving grin. It wasn't like he could.

"Of course. That would be most enjoyable. Am I still scary?"

"Yup." Gilly nodded. "But… song is good." Brook laughed again, fingers flying down the frets, and though it took Gilly a month to stop screaming whenever she saw Brook, he was now part of the family.

With new crew members came new worries, not to mention the same old worries there always were. Never a day went by that Zoro was not snapping at Brook not to belch at the table (a bad influence, he insisted) or coax Gilly to ask Nami for panties, or interrupting one of Usopp's tall tales, or forcing Nami to return the toddler's pocket money, or extinguishing Sanji's cigarette when Gilly came within five feet of him, or (and this was his special pet peeve) keeping Franky from giving the tiny powerhouse caffeine.

Gilea's favorite foods were candy and apples, and she especially liked candy apples, but Zoro and Luffy knew that she had her limits. She tended to bounce off the walls once sufficiently sugared, and this led the caffeinated little girl, already bathed for the evening and wearing green striped pajamas, to have bounced her way to the top of the main mast and swing from the rigging like a monkey.

"Little sister, get down from there!" Franky wailed, tears flowing from his eyes. Zoro ribbed him viciously.

"This is all your fault!" He screeched, eyes white-hot with rage.

"Roronoa D. Gilea, get in the crow's nest and wait for your damn father!" Sanji ordered in a shaky voice. "I swear, if you don't stop that, I'm not making you breakfast!"

"Don't be mean, Uncle Sanji!" Gilly called down cheerfully. Luffy laughed.

"Come on, Gilly! It's way past your bedtime!"

"Is that all you can think of?!" Zoro snapped. Luffy grinned and shrugged.

"Well, it is." Luffy looked back up at Gilly, who swung her legs up to hang upside-down from the rope. Zoro startled, and put his swords away.

"Gilly, don't move, I'm coming up there!" He began to swing his way up the ropes, and Nami cried out.

"The ropes are shaking! She'll fall!" Nami gasped. Zoro dropped back to the deck, and Luffy sighed.

"Okay!" Luffy grabbed onto the railing with one hand. "Game over! You asked for it! Rubber… Boomerang!" Luffy swung his free arm back, and then punched up in an arc with his hand curved in towards his palm. He caught Gilly in his hand, grabbed her around the waist and yanked her back down towards him. The sheer force of the toddler knocking back into him sent him stumbling back against the railing, until Zoro grabbed the both of them before Luffy could fall.

"For god's sakes, Luffy, don't do that!" Zoro screamed, yanking both captain and child away from the edge of the ship. Nami, Sanji, and Franky sighed with relief, and Luffy grinned as he handed Gilly to Zoro. Gilly was quivering and giggling happily.

"Daddy, I want to do that again!" She began to scramble to try and get out of Zoro's arms, but Zoro held her tight.

"You could have fallen and hurt yourself, Gil," Zoro told her firmly. "You're not going to do that again. You should know better by now. We are very upset at you." Gilly stilled as she heard the utter force in her father's voice, and she slouched her shoulders.

"Sorry, Daddy," she mumbled, hanging her head. Franky's lower lip wiggled.

"Hey, don't get down on the kid. It's my fault, I let the runt drink the cola!"

"Yeah, but I wasn't watching her close enough, and Luffy, you- where were you when she was climbing up there?" Zoro turned to Luffy, who suddenly had a blank look on his face.

"The bathroom," he responded, after a moment. "Which reminds me!" Luffy rushed off, apparently finding business more urgent than watching Zoro scold their daughter. Zoro put Gilly over his shoulder and sighed heavily.

"Gilly, what do you say?" He patted her back, glancing at the again-smiling child.

"Good night, everyone!" She chirped, and Zoro sauntered off to follow Luffy.

Luffy was in the bathroom when Zoro entered with Gilly, sitting on the edge of the bathtub with his knees folded to his chest. Zoro stood Gilly on a step stool and put toothpaste on her brush. "Back and forth, up and down." Zoro started brushing her teeth, and looked at Luffy as Gilly took up where he left off. Luffy watched with a grin.

"Heh, Gilly's a smart one, huh? Too smart for her own good." Luffy rose from the tub and untied her fluffy green hair, combing it out with his fingers. "Our girl's one of a kind, you know."

"You've got that right. And she's going to have a one of a kind punishment tomorrow for drinking cola without our permission and climbing the rigging without one of us with her." Zoro folded his arms and looked down at Gilly with a very stern face, which she ignored to keep brushing her teeth. She had the same big, exaggerated smile Luffy wore, but when Zoro looked up at him, he could see Luffy wasn't wearing it at the moment. "Something wrong?"

"Yeah. She's not going to be one of a kind anymore," Luffy replied, rubbing the back of his head. Zoro stared at Luffy, who held up a pregnancy test with two blue lines visible. Zoro was silent, unsure: Ever since Gilly's birth, knowing that it was entirely possible Luffy could conceive again, he and Luffy took as few chances as possible. He was familiar with Luffy's monthly ritual of taking a pregnancy test, whether or not they had forgotten a condom, but Luffy had never showed him the results before. He opened his mouth to say something about how the tests could be inaccurate, but Luffy spread his hand, revealing four more positive tests. Zoro's jaw dropped, and Luffy held up five more positive tests in his other hand. "Yes, I'm sure." Zoro looked down at Gilly, then at Luffy again. He dropped his voice, hoping Gilly couldn't hear them over the sound of the brush against her teeth.

"Just how pregnant do you think you are?"

"This much," Luffy replied, and he folded up the bottom of his shirt to reveal a slight bulge around his bellybutton. Zoro's face was blank. He looked at Gilly, as she spat out the toothpaste and grabbed the box of floss. Luffy put his shirt back down, and Zoro helped Gilly floss her teeth in silence. Luffy's head was hung, and Zoro finished by washing Gilly's face.

"Gilly, go to your bed. Daddy or I will be there in a moment to tuck you in," Zoro instructed quietly. Gilly seemed to sense the obvious tension between her fathers, and shuffled away with her thumb in her clean mouth. Luffy looked up at Zoro again, one hand on his hip.

"I didn't want to start telling people until I was sure I was past the point of losing it. The first positive one was four months ago. You're going to leave us, aren't you?" Zoro and Luffy met eyes, and Zoro shivered at all the implications of his statement. He finally threw his arms around Luffy. Luffy smiled as Zoro mumbled into his ear:

"You should have told me. You should have told me, damn it! I love you like a madman! You did it alone once and I still kick myself for it. I'm not going anywhere! We can do it again together!" He swung Luffy in the air and danced out into the hallway, tangoing down past Usopp and Chopper, both of whom dodged out of their way.

"Zoro, what are you doing?!" Usopp shrieked, pressing himself against the wall. Zoro laughed eagerly.

"I'm gonna be a dad again!" Zoro laughed, and Luffy threw his arms around him, hugging him tight. Usopp cried out, somewhere between terror and joy, and Chopper squealed.

"I'm gonna tell EVERYBODY!" Chopper cheered, and rushed off in tears of joy. Zoro and Luffy both laughed, as they danced up and down the hall.

"Hang on! Let me tell everyone!" Luffy cried, and he let go of Zoro to hug both Usopp and Chopper.

"I'm not going to keep it a secret this time," Zoro chuckled, and he rushed up to the galley, where Nami and Sanji were having a late-night hot toddy together and Franky and Brook were finishing their own beverages. "Hey! Good news! We're getting a new crew member!"

"What?" Nami jerked to awareness, looking over at the madly-grinning first mate, who seemed to be somewhere completely different in his mind. She sat up, completely alert and with a smile itching at her lips. "When did this happen?"

"What are you on about, shithead swordsman?" Sanji grumbled, eyes narrow, until squealing and stomping footsteps distracted him to look outside.

"Gilly's going to get a little brother or sister!" Usopp crowed as he rushed onto the deck to find the others. Chopper was dancing back and forth across the deck with Luffy, can-canning their way to the bow and back, and Usopp joined the pair in high-kicks. "There's going to be another baby!"

"Hah! Awesome!" Sanji laughed and grabbed Nami's hands, and the two began to waltz crookedly but joyfully around.

"Yes!" Franky jumped to his feet and pumped his fists, before joining the chorus line. "Super!"

"Heh, I knew it," Robin giggled from her deck chair, over the top of her book, as Zoro pulled Luffy from Usopp and Chopper and swung him around in the air. "As often as those two are active, there was sure to be a mistake sometime."

"Yohoho! At least someone on this ship is getting laid," Brook laughed, and he pulled out a bottle of rum. "Come on, let's all celebrate Zoro getting it on!"

"Oi, keep that down," Zoro said sternly, putting Luffy down and ending the dance. "Now, before we get too out of hand, I have to ask: does anybody object to a new crew member?" Zoro and Luffy looked around at the entire crew for a moment, as they glanced from eye to eye. Everyone had to wonder why Zoro even had to bring such a thing up, but they still glanced suspiciously at one another. Who could Zoro possibly expect to object?

"I think we're all okay!" Luffy chuckled after a moment, and the rest of the crew smiled and laughed. "We'll talk more about it when it all gets closer. I just figured you wouldn't want me to keep it a secret this time!"

"Well, that's inconvenient for us. We're going to have to actually do something for you," Nami teased, giving Luffy's ear a playful tug. He laughed, and Nami laughed along. "Come on, let's celebrate with a drink!"

"I'm all in for that!" Zoro cheered, taking the bottle from Brook and cracking the lid off against the railing. He raised the foaming bottle high. "Kanpai!"

"I would, but I can't." Luffy withdrew himself with a grin. "Gilly's waiting for me. Start the celebration without me, okay?" Zoro nodded, and patted the small of Luffy's back in a quick hug before letting him go. Luffy waved briefly to the others, before rushing back under to the men's cabin, where Gilly slept directly beside Luffy and Zoro's shared bed with a curtain hung from the ceiling to give her privacy. Zoro, Usopp, Franky, and Brook started drinking and whooping while Nami and Chopper chattered about babies and laughed excitedly. Robin was smiling, withdrawn as always, but clearly happy. Her eyes followed Luffy, knowing that he was going to do one of those simple things he loved to do.

Gilly was sitting up in her futon watching the door with a fluffy patchwork quilt over her head and the plush sheep she'd had since she was a baby sitting in her lap. The quilt had been assembled by Nami and Usopp from torn, destroyed clothes worn by other crew members, and she liked to look at it and pick out which fabric had belonged to whom. She yanked it over her face as Luffy entered. He sat down beside her bed, legs crossed.

"Hi, little lamb!" He called her by her secret nickname and shifted the quilt back from her head, and she inched away from him. "Aww, don't be like that." He reached into the futon and yanked her and her sheep onto his lap. She squirmed for a moment, but Luffy planted his hand on her head. "Did you hear the happy news? You're going to get a baby brother or sister."

"Really?" Gilly smiled eagerly as Luffy kept her captive on his lap. "So, you're so happy you forgot about being mad at me for climbing the ropes alone?"

"Nah! But you should be happy at least until Daddy and I punish you. Soon, you'll have another kid to play with. I keep asking Aunt Nami or Aunt Robin to give you a playmate, but they haven't done it yet, so Daddy and I did it ourselves." Luffy affectionately combed out her eternally messy hair with his fingers again. Gilly looked up at him, button-black eyes wide.

"Daddy, how are we gonna get a baby?" She asked innocently. "I've never seen one in a store, not on any island ever!"

"Well, see, Daddy and I made him." Luffy chuckled, and Gilly was blinking in confusion. "That's how babies are made, kind of. You get two people who love each other, and they have the pieces of a baby. We put the pieces together, and then we put them in me. The baby's gonna live in my tummy for a while, and then they'll take him out, and then he'll be here."

"Why is the baby in you and not Daddy?" Gilly tilted her head. Luffy thought for a moment, smiling blankly.

"Well, Daddy and I are good at different things. Carrying the baby is just one of the things I'm good at." Luffy continued to fluff her sea-green hair as she hugged him in his lap. "Now, you need to sleep. Tomorrow's going to be another exciting day. For now, I'm going to tell you a story, and not one of the stories from the book. What do you want to hear about, Gilly? What story haven't I told you? I know I told you about Drum Island and Dalton and Doc Trenu, and about Arabasta and Princess Vivi, and I definitely told you about Waters 7, and last night I told you about Loguetown, and I'm sure I told you about the White-White Sea from when you were way too little to remember… What about when your Daddy and I first met?"

"No, I've heard that one a billion-billion times!" Gilly laughed. "Tell me about Arlong again! I wanna hear about bad ol' Arlong and you and Uncle Sanji and Aunt Nami and Uncle Usopp and Daddy beating the fish paste out of that shark!" Luffy laughed, and scooted over onto her futon.

"Okay, so, you have to remember the Baratie, Uncle Sanji's old restaurant. Well, we were there, and your Daddy was in that big fight with Mihawk, the one where he got that big scar on his tummy, but suddenly, we see that our ship, the Going Merry, is gone! Just gone! So, we talk to Daddy's old friends, Yosaku and Johnny…" Gilly listened intently with her plush sheep clutched tight to her chest, hanging off every word as Luffy retold the adventures from before she was born.

* * *

_To be continued…_

**End Notes: **

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Updating in about two weeks, so get some reviews rolling in!


	2. The Smallest Pirate

**Treasure Hunters**

Author Notes: In this chapter, the action gets into motion a little more. It's a little shorter, but things are still being set up.

Disclaimer: I own nothing except Gilly. Yay Gilly!

Chapter 2: The Smallest Pirate Meant for Impel Down

"I feel a little guilty, celebrating a pregnancy without the mommy present, but hey, it's not like he can drink now anyway," Brook chortled, as Zoro and Sanji toasted between two shots of sake. They had adjourned to the ship's lounge, and Robin had started to show Franky and Brook her and Chopper's records of Luffy's first pregnancy. Nami, who had joined them, laughed.

"Well, he's had a couple months to celebrate by himself, right? He probably had his suspicions long before telling us. He said he wanted to get past the riskiest part before telling anyone. The first three months are the most risky." Nami grinned, as she flipped the page. Franky laughed aloud as he saw the photograph of Luffy leaned against the wall with a big belly, head tilted back and pouring drool.

"It just looks like he overate!" Franky, still laughing, slapped his leg at the comically round captain. Zoro rolled his eyes, but continued to drink.

"Luffy does get very weird when it comes to Gilly. It's like he's actually serious with his own progeny," Usopp remarked shrewdly. "He's probably just as protective of the next kid as he is her."

"I don't blame him," Robin replied. "Let's not forget how very rare and risky the very prospect of a Devil Fruit pregnancy is, so Gilly is truly a miracle child. Besides that, he didn't have a very good family when he was young, did he? He probably wants his own children to have things a bit differently, with their loving parents."

"Yeah," Zoro muttered, thinking. He glanced over at the wall where their Wanted posters were hung, with their real names and titles written on little plaques beneath them. Their total, according to the posters and including Brook (since they weren't sure if his bounty counted now that he was dead and alive again), was 700,000,050 bells. However, there was a plaque without a poster. "Roronoa D. Gilea- Ship's Good Luck Charm" was at the bottom of the wall, and though the entire crew knew she had a bounty, her poster was not displayed. "We do want to protect her."

"We know, Zoro. I guess you still feel guilty about before she was born, huh?" Sanji tilted his head back, looking at the swordsman over his shoulder with a nasty smirk. Zoro gritted his teeth- Sanji reopened that old wound every opportunity he could.

"The past is the past, don't keep bringing it up," Zoro snapped. "I've been forgiven, okay? I have to start thinking about the future now."

"We all do," Luffy added from the door, and the crew looked up to see him enter with a few pieces of paper under his arm. "I've got something to do." Luffy approached the Wanted poster wall and hung up three pieces of paper under Gilea's name. Everyone but Zoro leaned forward to take a closer look.

"Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 10,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"

"Bastard Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 40,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"

"Bastard Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea- 60,000,000 Bells- Wanted Alive!"

Each poster, with its increasing bounty, was accompanied by a photograph of Gilly. The first was of her as a very small infant, taken while she was wrapped up in blankets and clutched to Luffy's chest. The next was of her as a toddler, in a brown jumper and sloppily chalking their crew's flag on a sidewalk in Waters 7 outside the Galley-La building. The sharp increase must have been attributed to the crew's involvement at Enies Lobby. The third was taken only a few months ago, just before her third birthday, and she had obviously been told her photo was being taken, because it was a close-up and she was smiling directly into the camera. Most of the crew looked at their own bounties with shock: Gilly had done nothing and her bounty was higher.

"I don't know why, but the Marines really want Gilly," Luffy stated simply. "I want to get rid of her bounty."

"Holy shit, Luffy," Sanji muttered, shaking his head. "She's worth as much as Franky and Nami combined."

"It's the same as your bounty when I met you, Zoro," Chopper pointed out, obviously in awe.

"Yeah, and it makes me sick. It's your damned grandfather, Luffy!" Zoro slammed his fist on the arm of the sofa, and stood up. "I don't want him to ever lay hands on her!"

"I don't want that either. I don't know how we're going to do it, but we have to make them not want her," Luffy declared firmly. Robin looked away solemnly.

"Luffy, I don't think that's even possible. I've had my bounty for years and years, even though I didn't do anything. They want her because of her potential to do harm, and unless they see that she won't do harm, she will continue to rise in price." Robin sighed softly. "They probably only want her alive because she's done nothing wrong. They probably will want to reform her. But if they can't, they'll just ship her to Impel Down."

"Gilea is not a criminal, and she doesn't need to be reformed! She's a pirate, but she's not a criminal!" Luffy folded his arms and scowled. Chopper giggled joyfully.

"Mood swing!" All male members of the crew other than Luffy gave Chopper an odd, uncomfortable look, but the female members giggled and nodded understandingly. Luffy, however, frowned a little harder.

"It's not funny!" Everyone quickly looked away from Luffy, and Nami scratched her head and sighed.

"Well, my information shows that the next island, which we're supposed to reach tomorrow, has a Marine base on it." Nami pulled her book from her pocket and flipped it open. "Briefer's Wake. Maybe if we do some recon, we'll be able to get in and cancel Gilly's bounty."

"Yeah, I want to be sure this happens as quick as possible!" Luffy grinned.

"We've got some other business on the island too. You." Zoro looked at Luffy. "You're seeing a doctor."

"But I'm not sick," Luffy replied cheerfully, folding his arms behind his head. Zoro snorted and glared. He cast one jaundiced eye towards Chopper, and smirked.

"You're going to the doctor, because you are four months pregnant and since I haven't seen you sneaking off to a clinic, you haven't had a prenatal check up yet." At this, Chopper squawked indignantly.

"F-f-f-four?!"

"At the very least," Zoro nodded, and Luffy found himself faced down by heavy point Chopper, who looked angry, to say the least. Luffy smiled nervously up at him.

"Yes?"

"You're coming with me right now!" Chopper roared, and he yanked Luffy by the arm. Luffy's arm stretched, proving Chopper's efforts futile, and Robin giggled softly.

"Doctor Chopper, why don't you just go with him tomorrow? That way, you will be able to see the results and keep closer track of him."

"That's a good idea, Robin," Chopper chirped, releasing Luffy's hand and turning back to his brain point. "But Luffy, the baby is my top priority!" He put his hands on his hips, puffing up his chest and smiling at the crew. "As long as I don't have emergency priorities, I'm going to take the best care of you and the baby as I can!"

"The baby's safe, I promise. I don't want anybody to worry about it," Luffy replied simply. "It's the baby that's already out in the world that I worry about."

"He's right. When we are on this Marine base island, I want Gilly disguised, and she's going to have to go by a false name," Zoro declared, folding his arms.

"I'll help disguise her," Usopp offered. "I'm very good at constructing disguises!"

"Better be more than a stupid cape and mask," Franky snickered. "That won't fool anybody except Luffy."

"Yeah, especially with how good her most recent picture is," Robin added. "After all, they were able to keep track of me on a twenty-plus year old photograph for years because it was close up and I have very distinct facial features. However, because Gilea is so young, it would be hard to discern her from face alone."

"That's good," Zoro nodded. "Won't have to change her face up too much, then."

"Yes, but… Gilly's hair stands out," Robin pointed out. Everyone's eyes turned to Zoro's hair.

"Mini-mossball," everybody said at once, and Zoro groaned.

"First thing I'll change, then!" Usopp clapped his hands together with a smirk, and turned to Nami. "May I have some tangerines?"

"Good idea!" Nami grinned. "Usopp, how about you and I do this together? I'll modify some of her clothes so that they're unrecognizable as hers." The two of them smirked deviously, plots running through their minds. Robin giggled softly again.

"I think they will be able to handle it. But what can we do specifically about the Marines?"

"I've got an idea," Nami cut in, looking up from her brainstorm with Usopp. "We send someone into the Marine base and have that person do some manipulation with the officials there, from destroying the file to changing it so that the men-in-charge there will be adamant that she doesn't need a bounty."

"What sort of idiot would be willing to go on that suicide mission?" Sanji muttered.

"Sanji, since your Wanted poster has the least accurate portrait, you should be the one to infiltrate the Marines," Nami suggested. "Besides, I know you've got a talent for thinking on your feet." She winked at him. Sanji giggled stupidly and nodded quickly.

"Consider it done, my swan!" As Nami and Robin continued to do the heavy thinking and plan out their venture on the next island with the rest of the crew, Zoro changed seats to sit next to Luffy, who had tilted his head back and closed his eyes in thought. He opened one eye to look at Zoro again, and they shared one of their quiet smiles. It was one of the things that reminded Zoro of why they were married.

"Zoro, I could use a favor," Luffy said quietly.

"Better make it good."

"It's a small request, and I've put it off for a couple weeks," Luffy started, his grin spreading a bit wider. "Shiitake. Like, a bunch of them. With hot sauce on top."

* * *

Sanji was not going to divulge the combination for the refrigerator's lock, but Luffy got the cure for his new craving for breakfast. Gilly had her tongue stuck out as she watched her father devouring shiitake mushrooms practically soaked in red chili sauce. She also had her sharp little nose wrinkled up at the strong smell of tangerines in the air. They had reached port in the night, and docked on a small peninsula on the far side of the island, and Nami and Usopp were hard at work giving Gilea a make-over.

"Now, Gilly, you're going to be with me and Uncle Usopp today, okay?" Nami chirped, as she untwisted some of the foil from Gilly's hair and wrung tangerine juice from it. "Except we're going to play a game. We're going to play family. I'm going to be the Mommy, Uncle Usopp will be the Daddy, and you're going to be our little daughter, Hitsuji." Gilly frowned.

"Only Daddy calls me that!" She pointed at Luffy, and Zoro frowned over at Luffy.

"Hitsuji?"

"No, Hitsujiko, my little lamb," Luffy insisted through a mouthful.

"I just got it from her plush sheep-" Usopp started, but stopped as he realized Luffy had done the same thing. "Ohh. Well, we're calling her Hitsuji. You can keep Hitsujiko. We won't use that at all."

"Actually, using a name she's responded to before might be good," Nami chuckled, and she began to remove all the foil from Gilly's hair. It had been turned from the usual green to a bright, vibrant orange. She carefully worked out the tangerine pulp with a thin comb, and Gilly looked fairly irritated until Sanji set down a bright green mousse before her.

"For the little lady! A key lime tart!" He grinned affectionately. "How dignified you look with orange hair! You look so much like Nami-swan now!"

"Really? Am I really as pretty as Aunt Nami- er, Mommy?" She looked at Nami for approval, and Nami giggled and turned pink at being called 'Mommy.'

"You can wait to start the game until we're in public," Nami corrected through her blush. Sanji chuckled and winked at Nami.

"Nami-Mommy?" Nami, indignant, blushed more, but simply smirked.

"I don't think I like the thought of my daughter calling someone else Daddy," Zoro muttered, rubbing his forehead. Usopp crouched by her and began to paint on freckles. "I know this was my idea, but I don't like her having a substitute father."

"It's only for today. It's just a game, anyway," Usopp reminded him in a quavering voice. He obviously didn't want to get Zoro angry, but they wanted to keep Gilly from knowing anything was particularly wrong. Zoro simply grunted and rubbed his forehead.

"Wait, what do I call Daddy and Daddy, then?" Gilly looked at her fathers, wide-eyed. Usopp and Nami glanced at one another.

"You can call them Daddy too, Hitsuji," Nami reassured. "You probably won't see them while we're in town today. Your Daddy is going to the doctor, and you can't go with them."

"Oh." Gilly shrugged, and began to eat her breakfast. Zoro sighed; he didn't like the thought of being separated from her, even if it was only for a few hours. He didn't like the fact that she now looked more like Nami's child than his, especially in a purple skirt and pink shirt with yellow flowers embroidered on it. He knew, however, that his beautiful little Gilly would be endangered if she looked like herself without him there to protect her. "Hitsuji" would have to do until he washed her disguise off.

"Here's your pocket-money for the week, Hitsuji." Zoro reached into his pocket and pulled out two hundred Bells. It wasn't much, but he figured she could buy herself a piece of fruit with it for a snack. It was Nami's idea to start giving her an allowance for when they went ashore so that she would learn to handle money. Zoro had never seen her actually spend it, but since she was a three-year-old sugar junkie, he was sure she did. Gilly carefully tucked it into a pocket on her skirt, and jumped from her seat to run and kiss Zoro's cheek.

"Thank you. I will be good with it." She planted a big kiss on his cheek, and he grinned. He scooped her onto his lap and squeezed her.

"You know I'd love to go with you today, kiddo, but you wouldn't like visiting the big doctor. Your daddy doesn't want to go either."

"Daddy doesn't like doctors?" Gilly's little mouth formed an 'o.'

"Doctors have to do things that hurt you sometimes, Gilly," Luffy mumbled. "And besides, doctors are for sick people, and I'm not sick."

"Luffy, don't scare her," Zoro hissed, before explaining to Gilly, "He's just going to the doctor for the baby."

"Oh, dear, swordsman," Robin giggled softly. "That may have been the worst thing you could have said." Gilly's eyes were wide with anxiety.

"The baby is sick? Daddy! Why is the baby sick?!"

"No, calm down, honey, the baby is not sick, we just want to see him!" Zoro insisted, the hair on the back of his neck standing up.

"We get the baby today?!" Gilly gasped, clenching her fists. "I wanna go! I wanna get the baby!"

"No, Gilly, no-"

"Gilly, finish your breakfast," Luffy instructed cheerfully but firmly, before Zoro could say another word. Gilly immediately calmed.

"Okay." Gilly hopped back to her seat and dug into the green custard, and Zoro sighed with relief. It was hard to believe this precocious child belonged to the Luffy he knew most of the time, but every once in a while, his genetics shone through.

They disembarked in three teams. Zoro codenamed them 'Team Cute,' 'Team Uncute,' and 'Team Serious Business.' 'Team Serious Business,' Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper, were going to go to a clinic, mostly against Luffy's will. Sanji in particular did not like being on the 'Uncute Team,' until Nami convinced him that 'Uncute' was just another name for sexy. Sanji and Franky were going to the Marine base. Robin, Usopp, Nami, Brook, and Gilly were 'Team Cute,' and they were going shopping.

"Oi, Brook, do you have the grocery list?" Sanji asked, as he adjusted his Marine-issue cap and began to shine his shoes to Marine standards. Robin had discreetly gone ahead and "acquired" a Marine uniform for Sanji. Nobody asked where it had come from, but they all knew where it had come from.

"Yup, got it all right here in my head!" Brook responded cheerfully, flipping his skull open and pulling out a pad of paper, and then laughed raucously. Robin giggled, as Gilly hugged her leg fearfully. "Skull joke!"

"I hate skull jokes," Gilly said spitefully, and Brook chortled loudly in spite.

"Maybe he should go with Sanji and Franky," Zoro remarked hotly. (He wasn't sure which one of the two, between Brook and Gilly, was more mature, but Gilly was at least potty-trained.)

"The less conspicuous we are, the better," Sanji replied. "And no offense, but an eight-foot-tall skeleton is pretty distinct." Brook chortled, sockets almost vanishing in his wide, wide grin.

"And Franky, you're inconspicuous?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow at the resident cyborg.

"I'll be outside with the Baby Den-Den Mushi," Franky replied, holding up one of their snail-phones. "Just in case Sanji gets into any trouble with those female Marines."

"Oi, oi, I can control myself," Sanji grumbled. Nami scoffed.

"Maybe it really is a bad idea to let Sanji go…"

"Uncle Sanji!" Gilly called to him suddenly from Nami's side. Sanji looked, and could see that the child had discreetly lifted Nami's skirt. "Aunt Nami's panties today are pink with strawberries on them!"

"Mellorine!" Sanji wailed, tilting his head back with his nose bleeding. Brook laughed along, and Nami was pinker than her underwear and very obviously resisting the urge to smack the small monkey, but Gilly was unstoppable.

"Uh huh! And if you are very, very good with the girlie Marines and do everything Captain-Daddy told you to do, she will let you see them later for free!" Gilly informed Sanji with a blithe smile. Nami giggled; she knew where Gilly had learned that trick.

"I'll do anything!" Sanji declared, fire in his eyes. "Franky, we've got a mission to complete!"

"Gilly-sis, do you have a reward for me?" Franky asked jokingly. Gilly continued to smile.

"I will buy you a cola and a girlie magazine with my own pocket-money."

"The kid's good," Franky reported to Zoro seriously. Luffy laughed and squeezed her in his arms.

"She learned from the best!"

"Come on. We've got business here." Zoro took Gilly from Luffy, and tapped her nose. "You have to be on your best behavior. If you're not, the Marines will take you to Impel Down." At this, Gilly whined and folded her arms.

"Fine. But only cause I don't want to go to Impel Down."

Damn right, Zoro thought.

* * *

End Notes: Any suggestions or comments? Please review!

With school back in session, updates will still be spaced. Look for chapter 3 in about 2 weeks!


	3. Briefer's Wake

**Treasure Hunters**

Author's Notes: I don't have much time to write here, but I wanted to do one thing before I got to the meat of the story.

Review Responses:

LunaticV: I love getting reviews like yours! I will ensure there are a few good ZoLu moments.

For some of your other questions: Luffy had all those positive tests because he kept testing himself after "the first one" to be sure.

Meeting up with old friends? Well, Yosaku and Johnny are probably still in the East Blue. But as for the others, we'll just have to see!

Gilly was given the epithet "Bastard Enigma" by the Marines because they're pretty sure she was born out of wedlock to a female lover of Zoro's. (Shows you how much they know!) The Enigma part is that they know nothing about her. All they know is that if she's with the Straw Hats, she has to be dangerous!

I actually love Sanji. Sanji makes me laugh and he's just plain awesome. However, Sanji and Zoro fight like roosters and I have to express that in the story! Besides that, Sanji is still protective of Luffy because he's the captain.

Last, where Gilly learned to say such naughty things- that would be Sanji and Brook. Why Zoro didn't react- he was probably laughing or not paying attention. Hey, he may be overprotective, but he's still a pirate!

Disclaimer: Still not mine!

**Chapter 3: Spitting Image**

**Suggested Track: "Grace Kelly," Mika**

Nami and Usopp were preoccupied with pretending to be a married couple, mostly because Usopp was trying to do so loudly and Nami was most reluctant to play along. Robin and Brook were doing most of the actual shopping. "Hitsuji," however, was taking advantage of the distracted adults to have her share of fun. She was striding confidently down the sidewalk with a big smile, and a vaguely familiar song on her lips:

"The islands in the west~ are windy~!

Blow up, blow down, see their heads blow around,

And they're all idiots~!"

"My, my, she's very much like her father," Robin giggled softly, as Brook began to eat an apple from the stand. "I just hope that her distinct personality doesn't draw attention to her."

"She's no more noticeable than the rest of us," Brook remarked cheerfully. Robin glanced around quickly between Nami biting Usopp's head off, Usopp laughing nervously and squealing protests, and Brook, who'd gone to ask a pretty passerby if he could see her panties, and laughed softly.

"If we haven't been arrested yet, then she should be fine." Robin glanced around when she realized she didn't hear Gilly singing anymore. "Hmm, I wanted to hear about the islands in the east. Where is our Hitsuji?" Robin glanced at Nami to see if she had an eye on Gilly.

"Usopp, for the six billionth time, I will not kiss or hug you just for this stupid ploy," Nami hissed to Usopp. She looked especially irritated that he was trying to slide his hand into hers or his arm around her shoulder. Neither of them were paying attention to the girl in their care, which may have been a bad idea. Gilly appeared to have vanished into the crowd.

"Hitsuji? Hitsuko?" Robin called aloud, trying to get Nami's attention, glancing around the market stalls. Usopp looked up.

"Ahh! Hitsuji's gone!" Usopp shrieked, and Nami cried out.

"Ah! We have to find her now!" Nami and Usopp began to scramble and look for the familiar green-haired girl. None of them noticed the girl, whose hair was now vaguely the color of tangerines, hanging off the edge of an armory booth, staring with wonder at the swords.

"Oi, shopkeeper man, how much are those shiny swords?" Gilly asked cheerfully, pointing at a sword that looked much like her father's. He looked over the counter at the tiny girl who had to stand on tiptoe just to see over, and chuckled warmly. She looked unusual, but was still cute.

"They cost a lot of money, little sweetheart," he chuckled, and she continued trying to pull herself up. Finally, she hoisted her elbows onto the counter and folded them so she could see everything, with her feet dangling. "Now, now, don't do that! I wouldn't want you tipping this table over and getting hurt and scratching all my nice swords!"

"I won't! I want a sword." Gilly grinned. "I have pocket money!" The shopkeeper laughed raucously.

"Pocket money! Hah! Little girl, these swords cost much more than pocket money. Now, where's your mommy and daddy?"

"Oh, I dunno." She shrugged. "Around. I have all my pocket money, though." She reached into her front pocket and pulled out a little wooden box, and dumped the contents- folded bills and rolled coins- out on the counter. It seemed that Zoro and Nami's explanation of pocket money had given her an idea.

"_Gilly, because you are such a smart girl, I think you should learn to get things for yourself," Zoro had said when he sat her down in the lounge. She had just turned three, but she was still sucking her thumb. "What I'm going to do is give you some money once a week. Have you seen me and Daddy and Auntie Nami and Uncle Sanji buy things with money?"_

"_Uh-huh," Gilly mumbled around her thumb. _

"_Yeah, it's like a trade. We give them money, and they give us things we want or need," Nami added. "So, if you have money, you can get things you want."_

"_Say we're in the market, Gilly, and you would like a candy-apple." Gilly's eyes lit at Zoro's words: her very favorite confection! "Well, instead of asking Daddy and me, you can just let us know you would like it, and give the man your money. Now, you will not have very much money, so you have to ask how much things cost before you buy them."_

"_You will have two-hundred Bells every week," Nami explained, and she took out coins that added up to two-hundred Bells. "See, this little one's worth one, this one's worth five, this big one's worth ten..."_

"_So, if a candy apple costs one hundred and fifty bells, you will only have enough for one. Then, you have fifty extra. You can even put that away and save up for another candy apple next time." Zoro paused, and looked at Nami. "Are you sure this isn't too complicated for a three-year-old?" _

"_I'll help her, Zoro! She's a bright girl!" Nami giggled, and showed Gilly the Bells by size. "See, big ones are worth more…"_

Gilly's little fingers quickly organized her Bells by size and denomination. "I have thirty-hundreds, and four hundreds, and fifty, plus two hundred today…" She reached into her other pocket and pulled out the money Zoro had given her that morning. "Three thousand, six hundred and fifty Bells.." She looked up at the shopkeeper with a big grin, as he gaped at the considerable pile of money. "Are any of your swords less than three thousand, six hundred, and fifty Bells?"

"You can count that high?"

"Mommy taught me all about money!" Gilly chirped, still struggling to keep her eyes over the counter's edge. "How much is that sword?" Gilly pointed at a katana that looked very similar to her father's. The shopkeeper looked between the sword and the child.

"The least expensive sword I carry costs seventy-five-thousand Bells. Besides that, they are all larger than you, so it would be fruitless for you to try and lift one." Gilly stared at the shopkeeper, and traced the numbers in the air to do the math.

"Oh… oh… it's all too much!" Gilly stomped her feet in frustration.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" A lower female voice asked, and Gilly turned to see a woman in Marine uniform with dark brown eyes and dark hair. She couldn't help but be intrigued at the sight of a small girl looking at swords. Gilly's eyes welled up with tears.

"See, lady, my daddy told me that he was a great swordsman even when he was little, and I'm little now, and I want to be a great swordsman like him, and so I want a sword so I can be a swordsman, but they're so expensive and big!" She began to cry softly, and the woman patted her head. She looked at the shopkeeper with a warm smile.

"Why didn't you tell her about practice swords? I'm sure you've got some bamboo swords for students." Gilly stopped crying and looked up. The shopkeeper got taken aback, and saluted.

"Yes, miss!" The shopkeeper quickly retrieved a box of wooden swords. Gilly looked up at the woman.

"I didn't know there were swords like that."

"Of course. What dojo do you want to attend that doesn't have wooden swords?"

"No dojo. I want to learn from my daddy." She began to jump to try and see in the box, until she caught her under the arms and lifted her up. "Thanks, lady!"

"Ensign Tashigi," she corrected Gilly. Gilly didn't react to Tashigi's title and identity, nor the voice of her father's other old Marine enemy.

"There you are! Come on, we have business- oh?" Smoker was intrigued the same way Tashigi had been. "You make a friend?"

"Commodore, I'd salute, but my hands are full. I don't know where this girl's parents are, but I ought to turn them into headquarters for letting a child this young wander around alone!" Tashigi scoffed. Meanwhile, Nami, Usopp, and Robin were watching and listening from across the street, as Nami repeatedly bashed Usopp in the head with her fist.

"Look-at-that! Look! See! You distract me for two minutes, and she's already been caught by Marines! And not just any Marines! The only two Marines with half a brain in their thick skulls!" Nami hissed.

"Shh. You must not remember Commodore Smoker," Robin reminded her quietly. Nami looked at Robin, bewildered.

"Of course I do! He wants Luffy dead!"

"Shh." Robin nodded back to the armory booth, as Smoker and Tashigi knelt next to Gilly and showed her how to hold the bamboo sword. It was light, and decorated with three red ribbons. Tashigi carefully adjusted her grip, and Smoker chuckled, as she eased her knuckles around the hilt.

"Now, just bring it down in front of you, really hard, okay?" Smoker edged back, and Gilly swung the sword down over her head. He laughed and clapped his hands together. "Hah! Good job! You're on your way!" Usopp and Nami gaped, and Robin giggled.

"You forgot that Smoker loves children." The trio looked back, as Gilea swung a few more times.

"There was a lot of power in that, I could feel the air move from your swing!" Tashigi chirped. Gilly blushed pink, and hugged the sword to her chest.

"So cool! Thank you so much, Mister and Miss Marine!" Gilly bowed politely to them, and shoved her share of money towards the shopkeeper. Smoker helped her put the rest of it back into her box. "You're Condor Smoker, and you're Ensign Tashigi, right?" Gilly looked up at them, a big, eager grin on her face. Smoker laughed.

"Commodore."

"Okay. Commodore and Ensign. I'm going to tell everybody I know about the nicest Marines I ever met!" Gilly hopped in place, still grinning, and Smoker chuckled again, smoke puffing with each laugh.

"Aww, do you know people who think Marines are mean?" Tashigi asked in her sweetest voice.

"Nah, but my Daddy doesn't like Marines at all."

"Hitsuji!" Robin called out, and Gilly's ears perked.

"Uh oh. I have to run now, thank you again!" Gilly bowed to Smoker and Tashigi and rushed to where she heard Robin's voice from. Tashigi smiled at Smoker.

"What a sweet girl. So young, and so ambitious!"

"You know who that was, right?" Smoker raised an eyebrow. Tashigi looked dumbfounded for a moment, but Smoker pulled a familiar photograph from his pocket. "Spitting image of her father, even with that disguise." Tashigi gaped, as she saw the photograph of Gilea.

"My god, Roronoa Zoro's daughter!" She watched as, across the street, Robin picked Gilly up and carried her against her hip. "Commodore, we should-"

"No. Wouldn't be fair. Let's wait. I don't think I could pull in a kid like that. It would be unjust to take a child from her father, or to take father from child. Only way I would do it," Smoker grinned, "is if I took both at once."

Nami and Usopp isolated Gilly in an alcove. They had been given permission by Zoro to use the most severe punishment there was on her. Zoro and Luffy had agreed when it became clear that Gilly required punishment that they did not want to hit her. Luffy had enough of Garp's "fists of love," and Zoro didn't like the idea of doing harm to or frightening his daughter. They often gave her time-outs on a "naughty spot," denied her dessert, sent her to bed early, or removed toys and other privileges. However, they soon realized that a child who could be as wild as theirs may only respond to corporal punishment. They did not want to hit her, but they decided on a way to make very, VERY clear to Gilea that they were displeased with her actions and that she should not repeat them. Usopp was very, very nervous, but Nami stood firm as Gilly stared between them.

"Hold out your hand," Nami instructed her in the coldest voice she could muster. Gilly's eyes widened. She outstretched her arm and closed her eyes, knowing what was coming. "Gilea, you ran off from us. You talked to strangers without our supervision. Do you know how scared you made us?" Gilly nodded, eyes squinted shut. "What you did was wrong. Very wrong. You could have gotten taken off the street and never seen us again! Even worse, the Marines could have taken you away and sent you to Impel Down when they found out you were a pirate! You're going to have to take your punishment so you know never to do that again!" Nami turned to Usopp. "Okay, go ahead."

"Why do I have to do it?" Usopp whined.

"Because you're the man." Nami put her hands on her hips, and Usopp raged.

"You suck!"

"Long-nose."

"Dirty thief."

"Pinocchio."

"Gilly," Robin interrupted to get her attention. Usopp and Nami continued shooting back and forth, and Robin took all their grocery packages and set them in Gilly's hand. Usopp and Nami stopped when they saw Robin had taken over. "This is the weight you put on our hearts." Gilly whimpered, as the heavy packages balanced on her palm, but Robin held her hand and forced her to hold it up.

"It's heavy!" Gilly whined, tilting her head back and letting tears run down her cheeks. Robin nodded.

"Yes. And it hurts us too." Robin took the packages from Gilly and took her firmly by the hand. "Young lady, I hope you learned your lesson."

"Won't run off again," Gilly sniffled, and she grabbed onto Robin's hand.

"Okay, good." Robin patted her head, as Gilly rubbed her nose furiously. "Now, let's find where Brook vanished off to and make him hold all the packages. Silly man shouldn't run off!"

-----------------

Sanji fit in on the Marine base easily with his hat on, and stayed quiet as he wandered into the main hall. He got directions to the kitchen from another Marine, briefly mentioning that he was a recent transfer. He strode to the kitchen and quickly made himself look busy chopping cabbage.

"New guy?" The head cook asked, as Sanji piled up the cabbage in the center of the table. "You're fast. How'd you end up here anyway?"

"Pissed off my higher-ups," Sanji chuckled, keeping his eyes hidden as best as he could.

"A man of your skills should be doing something more useful. Can you make coffee?"

Sanji found himself wheeling a cart of coffee up to the meeting rooms of the commodores and rear-admirals, and smiled slyly. His plan was working. He figured that once he was delivering meals, he would be able to slide into an office and go for any records on Gilea. However, he heard something that changed his mind completely.

"… Roronoa Gilea, if she is associated with the Straw Hat Pirates, is either a kidnap victim or a pirate. I have to wonder sometimes why Vice-Admiral Garp is interested in her," a frustrated Rear-Admiral Zetsubou complained. The other Rear-Admirals of the 51st division agreed in loud complaint. "The Straw Hats have been sighted in our area, and we get a special request from the 153rd to seek out a three-year-old child?"

"It's utterly unfair, is what it is. We don't even know anything about this kid, outside of a photograph!" Another rear-admiral groaned. Sanji rolled his cart and began to pour coffee for the despairing Marines.

"Yeah, truth be told, nobody knows much about that Roronoa Gilea," Sanji remarked offhandedly as he distributed cream and sugar. "Even in my research of the Straw Hat Pirates, I could only get a limited amount of information on her, and my captain didn't even want to hear it." The rear-admirals looked suspiciously at Sanji, and Zetsubou, the most senior, stood up.

"You've researched the Straw Hats, recruit…?" Sanji grinned, shifting his cigarette to the side of his mouth.

"Choreboy Oujitamae, but friends call me Ouji. As for the Straw Hats, call it a hobby. Every man needs one. You'll have to pardon me for interrupting, sirs, but your conversation about the most elusive little Straw Hat caught my ear."

"No, no, anyone who knows anything about the Straw Hats could help. What do you know, newbie?"

"Oh, I'm no newbie, just recently demoted," Sanji chuckled. "But I've got a fascination with the Straw Hats. Real quick rise, small crew, high bounty in just a few years, pretty impressive for a couple of ragtag pirates… though I think that the Marines have really underestimated some of them. Black Cat Burglar Nami's got a real raw deal." Sanji leaned against the wall, still sucking his cigarette. "She's a lot more dangerous than her bounty indicates, not to mention much more useful. And that reindeer isn't an ordinary pack mule. He's actually a well-trained beast, just as useful as most of the men. Believe me, if my superiors had listened to me, they'd probably have caught those Straw Hats," Sanji chuckled, his smile wide and confident. The rear-admirals were taking notes.

"What's the trick with Black Cat Burglar Nami?" One rear-admiral asked.

"Well, she's valuable as their navigator, and the smartest aboard the ship. Her weapon can manipulate weather using ancient technology not seen in this world for a very long time. Not to mention, she's manipulative, a great beauty, and the beloved wife of Black Leg Sanji." Sanji kept his hat tilted so the admirals couldn't see the wicked grin on his features.

"Really, that devil woman is married to Black Leg Sanji?!" Zetsubou gasped, and the admirals flipped their pages to find their records of both Nami and Sanji. Sanji bit his tongue, until he heard, "Why do we have such a shitty picture?!"

"Heh, you'd have to tell me. He's much better-looking than that," Sanji laughed. "And Black Cat Burglar Nami is no devil, and surely, her husband would take offense if he heard such a thing." Sanji grinned. "If the people hunting those pirates would bother to check public records, they'd find a valid marriage certificate for them, dated and sealed."

"Any reason he's been spotted near the Shabondy Archipelago rather than with his crew?" One rear-admiral asked.

"Shabondy? I hear he's on extended honeymoon there," Sanji laughed, wondering what they were talking about. "But the subject of your meeting is that Gilea." Sanji strolled to the table and stubbed out his cigarette on the stack of papers of one of the rear-admirals, and quickly lit a new one. The rear-admirals listened intently, almost letting the coffee-boy run the show. "Your information says she's the daughter of Roronoa Zoro?"

"No, any information we have is speculative. However, the girl is the spitting image of Roronoa Zoro," Zetsubou held up the photos of Zoro and Gilea. "Same unruly hair, same eyes. She looks like he would if he were a small girl!"

"Only difference is, she smiles," Sanji chuckled. "Yeah, I think that's all a ruse. There's no way she's Zoro's at all, that heartless demon swordsman wouldn't be able to bed a woman if he wanted to. That look she has in public is an utter disguise. I don't know which Straw Hat she belongs to or where she came from, but the name is put-on and the appearance is fake. This is the so-called Roronoa Gilea I've seen." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a photograph of "Hitsuji." "It's no wonder nobody's caught her. They're looking for a face- hell, maybe a person- that doesn't exist. Their sniper, Sogeking, is a master of disguise."

"We'll have to change all the information we're passing out immediately!" Zetsubou declared, and he pressed the button on a Den-Den Mushi. "Secretary! We need to recall all the wanted posters on target Roronoa D. Gilea, we have a new photograph! It's also been determined that she's using an assumed name!" Zetsubou's eyes shot to Sanji. "What is her real name?"

"Even I haven't found that out. You'd be better off just putting out those photos," Sanji chuckled. "I fear I've outstayed myself, though. I'd better run to the next room before the coffee gets cold." Sanji took the cart in his hands.

"Wait, Choreboy Ouji!" Zetsubou cried, and Sanji stopped at the door.

"Yes?" Sanji smirked, his visible eye glinting.

"Your information is invaluable. I'll never forget you!"

"No, no, please. Forget me and take all the credit." Sanji waved over his shoulder and pushed the coffee cart out, leaving Rear-Admiral Zetsubou laughing with glee.

"This information will surely lead us to this target! We'll all get promotions!"

"Yeah," Sanji chuckled to himself, as he left their earshot and abandoned his cart near the women's bathroom. "Promotions and transfers to Retardia."

"Oi, Choreboy." Sanji froze in place when he heard Smoker's voice. He turned around to see Smoker with his arms folded, staring at him. "Didn't know you became a Marine." He smirked, letting himself tower over Sanji. "You're in a bad spot, aren't you?" Sanji laughed again, his voice high, and he whipped out his Baby Den-Den Mushi. Before Smoker could stop him, he pushed the button and hissed a message into it.

"Franky, emergency escape!"

"No worries, Sanji-bro! FPS, go!" Franky's voice cut off, but thick white poured from Smoker's mouth. Sanji yelped as it wrapped around him and flailed, but Sanji's imperilment ended as the wall was smashed down. Franky grabbed him around the waist and yanked him from Smoker's trap and away. "Super run like hell!" And with that, Franky ran off with Sanji in his grip. "Oi, Sanji, you get the mission done?"

"With any luck, I'll have them off her trail for a little while," Sanji chuckled. "Even better, I got to tell them a whole lot of bullshit and they believed it!" Franky laughed aloud, and dodged out of sight. Smoker, however, had been accosted by the rear-admirals and found himself surrounded and unable to give chase.

"Where's Choreboy Ouji?! Smoker killed Choreboy Oujitamae!" Zetsubou lamented over the smashed wall, and Smoker could only stare stupidly as the rear-admirals detained him.

"I am the only one in this organization with a brain," Smoker grumbled to himself as he was escorted away.

Zoro had been forced to wait outside the clinic, as only one person was allowed to enter with Luffy and he and Chopper agreed that the doctor assisting Luffy would be the best choice. (In addition, he lost at Rochambo.) He was still waiting there when Nami and Sanji approached with a completely cleaned-up and redressed Gilly carrying a paper package. He got down on one knee and opened his arms, and Gilly rushed to throw herself against his chest. Zoro grinned as he picked Gilly up and swung her around. He enjoyed these moments, when it felt like it was just the two of them. She put one hand on his cheek and looked in his eyes. "Daddy, Nami punished me!"

"What did you do?" Zoro asked in response.

"She ran off," Nami replied, as Gilly pouted. "You'd probably admire her reasoning, though. Check out what she bought with her pocket money." Gilly drew his attention to the big paper package, and Zoro opened it a bit to peer inside.

"Ohhh." Zoro began to laugh, as he set Gilly down and pulled out her sword. "What's this for?"

"So I can be a swordsman like you," Gilly replied, smiling and folding her hands behind her back. Zoro chuckled softly, and patted her head. "Just 'cos I'm a girl doesn't mean I can't be a swordsman! I can be a swords-girl!"

"That's right, kiddo. No matter what they say, a girl can be just as good, or even better, than a boy with a sword. Draw your sword, and I'll show you a thing or two." Zoro pulled one sword, and held it with both hands just like Gilly had to. Gilly pulled the sword over her shoulder and brought it down over her head, and Zoro grinned. "Hey, that's a good one. Now, to get a little more force, step forward while you do it. Let's do it together." Zoro turned himself next to her, and lifted his single sword. "One-sword-style heii-giri!" He stomped one foot forward as he brought his sword down. Gilly imitated him, and he quickly circled her to adjust her stance. Nami giggled; she could see the immensely proud smile on Zoro's face. "Kiddo, you're a natural."

"I was watching you!" Gilly chirped, still gripping her wooden sword.

"Perfect. I'll teach you everything. I'm going to make you a better swordsman than me." Zoro had never looked so terribly pleased, and it was almost creepy to Nami and Sanji. He took his black bandanna off his arm and tied it onto her head. She giggled and hugged Zoro, sword still in one hand. There was a distinct chuckle from behind, and Gilly turned to see Luffy and Chopper waiting. Luffy scooped Gilly up as she ran to him.

"What a girl!" He kissed her cheek. "Making your daddy proud without even trying!" He squeezed her tight. "You'll have to be a good example for your little sibling."

"How'd it go, Luffy?" Zoro sheathed his sword, and took Luffy in a gentle embrace. Luffy chuckled, as they grasped each others' arms.

"Everything's great. The new baby looks fine," Luffy chuckled.

"Fine?! It was better than fine!" Chopper finally exploded, wearing a big, big smile. "It was so cool! It actually looks like a baby! It's got a face and arms and legs and the doctor even told us what it was!" Chopper began to hop up and down. "But it's supposed to be a secret!" Gilly ran over and began to jump up and down with Chopper, chanting, "Baby! Baby! Baby!"

"No, no, I'm gonna tell Zoro, but I want to keep it secret from everyone else," Luffy giggled and slid into Zoro's arms.

"Why are you gonna tell me?" Zoro looked slightly taken aback at this statement, but accepted Luffy on his chest.

"Well, since I picked Gilly's name, you get to pick this time," Luffy replied as he rubbed his cheek against Zoro's shoulder. Zoro smiled uncomfortably and rested his hands on the small of Luffy's back. "And you should pick a boy's name." Nami and Sanji both laughed, and he looked at them. "What?"

"N-nothing, Luffy. Nice secret," Sanji snorted. Luffy continued to blink in confusion, and Zoro glared at both of them. He then turned back to Gilly and Luffy with a calm smile.

"Come on, let's get Gilly back. Not sure why you're out of disguise, but you're safe with us." Zoro and Luffy each took one of Gilly's hands and began to walk back towards the ship with her swinging between them. Chopper scampered after them, hanging off of Luffy's side. Nami and Sanji smiled at one another, and took hands as they followed Zoro and Luffy.

* * *

"They're lucky, aren't they, Nami?" Sanji remarked, as he stared out the galley window at Zoro and Luffy. Nami was helping him dry dishes. It was late at night, and they were laid out on the grass on deck, cuddled up. Franky was sitting near the figurehead, strumming his guitar and singing an old ballad for Robin, who was half-listening and half-reading. Usopp was working on his Kabuto on the table behind Sanji, trying to improve the design, but he was tacitly surprised that Sanji had asked Nami to help with the dishes rather than making one of the men do it. Nami looked out the window for a moment, before responding to Sanji.

"How are they lucky?" Nami asked, and looked back down at the dish.

"Because they found each other. There's not a single person in the world either one of them could be in love with, and they found each other." Sanji offered a cleaned dish to Nami, and she quickly finished drying the one in her hand to take the new one. Nami scoffed quietly as she continued to dry.

"I don't believe in that soul mate stuff. You love who you love, that's it. They love each other."

"Well, Nami-swan, try and imagine Luffy in a relationship with anyone but Zoro," Sanji chuckled. "Nobody could balance Luffy quite so well. Besides that, I never thought Zoro could fall in love at all."

"Don't be so mean to him, I don't like that. Luffy is like a brother to me, and Zoro's saved my life more than a few times."

"Yeah, I know. Guess I shouldn't even think about it," Sanji said, shrugging his shoulders as he continued with the dishes. Usopp looked suspiciously over the Kabuto at the pair, eyes narrow. He had noticed, over the past several months, that Sanji was more calm around Nami and Robin (and other women) than he had been when they first met. However, he had more important things to think about.

"Let's see… seven-string Kabuto with two extra Flame Dials?" He tested the new rubber bands with one finger, and inserted a marble. He pulled the marble back and sent it flying at a target he'd pinned on the wall. The dials got turned around and scorched Usopp's face, and the marble ricocheted off the ceiling and floor and finally out the window to hit Franky in the sea-panties. Franky screamed in pain, dropped his guitar, and began to dance around swatting his burning crotch, and Robin laughed. The marble rolled from where it had been embedded, and Franky quickly calculated what had happened.

"Usopp! I'll kill you!" Franky roared, and he made a dash for the deck house. Usopp squealed in panic and rushed from the galley to the downstairs. Franky ran past Sanji and Nami, fists raised and ready to bring the smack down on Usopp. Robin finished laughing, and picked up her book and continued where she'd last left off. From the lounge, Nami could hear Brook begin to play a cheerful tune on the piano, and Chopper happily clapping along.

Nami put down the dishtowel and closed the galley window's blinds.

"Sanji." Nami smiled softly. "Let's dance." Sanji immediately put the dish he was cleaning down in the sink and wiped his hands on his pants. Nami spread her arms and took Sanji's hands, and the two began to slowly dance to the music drifting from below. Sanji slid one arm around the small of her back, and Nami didn't even object. His smile was different from the way he used to smile at her; it was calm, sedate, and affectionate.

You love who you love, that's it.

* * *

End Notes: Gilly's song is based off of Luffy's island song from the Skypiea arc. Check it out on Youtube! I managed to scramble together and approximate a Japanese version of her verse, along with a slightly more accurate translation:

Nishi no shima wa manman kaze!

Bakuha, bakuha, atama fukinuku

Ano baka!

(The islands of the west are full of wind!

Blow up, blow up, it blows through their heads

What idiots!)

I've also started using Japanese terms a little bit more, and I realized that I have not yet translated Gilly's nickname. Hitsuji means "sheep." Hitsujiko means "lamb." Hitsu means "chest," and yes, I am punning this off into treasure chest. I promise I will translate any Japanese words I incorporate.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Leave a review!

Any questions? **Review!** Any suggestions?** Review!** Like it? **Review!** Hate it? **Review!** Got any baby names you want to share? **Review!**


	4. Maybe Memories

**Treasure Hunters**

Author Notes: I definitely need to pay more attention to these things.

First, to clarify something from last chapter. I mentioned Franky using "FPS." I neglected to explain- Franky Positioning System! Whoever has the receiver will be on Franky's map, showing the quickest route to Franky! Hence, how Franky found Sanji so fast.

Thank those of you who reviewed! To those of you who sent in name suggestions, thank you very much as well! I will be sure to keep them in mind. If you have any baby name suggestions, go ahead and leave them in your review or send me a message!

Also, in case you have not guessed, italics indicate a flashback.

Disclaimer: Still not mine at all!

**Chapter 4**: Maybe Memories

Late in the night, someone rowed out into the Briefer's Wake bay, and a note had been tagged to the Thousand Sunny's figurehead. Luffy had woken first due to an unnatural urge to use the toilet, and he found that he couldn't bring himself to go back to bed in the stretching sunlight. He noticed the note in his special seat, and picked it up.

"Straw Hat Luffy-

Come alone and unarmed to the Brass Pendulum Inn. I will do the same. I will wait all day if I must. I will buy us a meal. This is not an attempt to arrest you, nor an attempt on any of your crew. Consider it a long-overdue conversation between friends.

- Chief Petty Officer Coby"

"Coby? Hey, I haven't seen that guy for a while!" Luffy grinned. "Plus, he's offering food!" He scrawled his own message on the back of Coby's, and bounded off the ship into the town.

The sun was still stretching its way up the street as Luffy followed his gut towards the suggested tavern. His food-finding instincts were on target, and he soon saw Coby in Marine uniform waiting at the sign post.

"Straw Hat." Coby nodded to him. Luffy smiled.

"Coby." The pair faced one another, before Luffy rushed forward and hugged Coby. "It's good to see you!"

"It's good to see you too!" Coby laughed as Luffy put him down. "Hey! Why'd you eat breakfast before you came?" Coby poked Luffy's belly.

"Huh? Oh, I didn't, I'm starving!" Luffy grinned. "I know exactly what I want."

"Let me guess- meat?"

"No, a mushroom omelet!" Luffy laughed. "And meat!"

The twosome went in and got a booth, and Luffy quickly placed his order of the omelet, bacon, sausage, ham, and a strip steak. He also gave Coby some money to cover his gluttony. Coby simply laughed and told the waitress he still needed time to think, and as she left, Luffy leaned forward.

"I wish I'd had more time to talk to you on Waters 7. I didn't want to say too much in front of Helmeppo." Luffy grinned. "It's actually pretty convenient, I didn't get the chance to tell you before. Now, this is supposed to be a secret, but I have a daughter."

"What?!" Coby gasped. "You-you do?" Luffy laughed wildly at the shock on Coby's face.

"Yeah! She's three and a few months. Her name is Gilea. Gilly for short."

"Ah! No way! Roronoa D. Gilea is-"

"Don't tell anyone, okay?" Luffy chuckled. "I'm surprised Grandpa didn't tell you, because I know he knew. I'm tired of hearing the Marines keep calling her Zoro's daughter. I just like the name Roronoa better."

"Wow, no wonder Vice-Admiral Garp is so interested in pushing her bounty higher but requesting that she be turned in alive." Coby scratched his chin. "I guess he wants to get his great-granddaughter."

"Yeah. I was really upset the first time he met her…" Luffy looked away, thinking for a moment on that day on Waters 7.

_As Garp pounded nails into the wall, Luffy watched as toddling Gilly made her way up to him. She watched him for a moment, before beginning to imitate him by pounding the boards with her tiny fist. Luffy laughed, and Garp noticed her. "Well, who's this?" _

"_Hey, leave her alone!" Zoro stepped forward. "She's just a baby-"_

"_Hah! You! That's right, I wanted to meet you!" Garp reached down and picked Gilly up by the back of her jumper in one hand. _

"_Put her down!" Zoro snapped._

"_Now, now, moss-head, let me meet my new little girl!" Garp laughed raucously, and Zoro gritted his teeth. Gilly stared at him in curious wonderment as he continued to pick his nose with his free hand while he scrutinized her head to toe. She stuck her tongue out and made a face._

"_Ick, nema. Shunna nose icky nema." _

"_Don't be so rude to your great-grandpa!" Garp snapped a finger against her forehead. She whined and squirmed, and both Zoro and Luffy started. "You might be a girl, but you certainly have a lot of potential. The women in our family have always been smarter, you'll be no exception! Maybe even more brains than all your male ancestry combined! Haha! Where should I start with you?" He poked her forehead. "I bet you'd benefit from a night at the bottom of a well, or alone in the jungle… No doubt, you can be just as strong as any boy! Where I messed up with your father, I'll have to correct with you. Yes, you'll be a fine Marine. I would be surprised if you didn't turn out to be a fine Admiral!"_

"_That's your dream for her, old man," Zoro growled, stepping forward. "She's going to have her own dreams." Garp turned to Luffy._

"_Luffy, you're my grandson and a lost cause, but this is my great-granddaughter, and she's still salvageable! I'm not going to haul you in today, but I want the girl!"_

"_No. Never." Zory and Luffy's voices were indistinguishable as they spoke, and both moved towards the Vice Admiral._

"_She's not going to chase your dreams. She will chase her own dreams," Luffy growled, advancing on Garp._

"_Da'ey, adda geddaa nao nema!" Gilly shouted, waving her arms at Luffy and Zoro from Garp's grasp._

"_Talk right!" Garp snapped, and he swung a fist back to drive the lesson home. "You'll never be a Marine like that!" Luffy stretched out and caught the fist of love, and Zoro rushed forward and sliced through Gilly's jumper. The toddler slid from Garp's grasp as the little dress slid off, and Zoro caught her against his chest. Luffy took the punch instead, but once he could get up, the rubber man still rushed to his now-wailing daughter._

"_It's okay, Gilly. You can be scared," Luffy whispered to her, before speaking aloud to Garp. "You couldn't kill my dream, and you won't kill hers either. You can't kill her dreams before she even has them!" _

"I'm almost glad I didn't see the Vice-Admiral that way, I mean, stealing a child from her father? That's just sinister." Coby shuddered. "I guess he has a point, though. What sort of morality will she learn being raised by pirates, even if it's you guys!" Luffy scowled. "Well, then again… you were raised by the Vice-Admiral, and you and your brother still turned out pirates."

"Why do you have to bring up Ace?" Luffy muttered, glancing away and watching for the waitress to return with their food.

"Actually, your brother is the main reason I'm here. Ace asked Vice-Admiral Garp to send a message to you, and I thought you should at least get it. But before we get into that!" Coby leaned in and lowered his voice. "Luffy, I really want to know: who is Gilea's mother?"

"I am," Luffy chuckled. Coby gaped in utter confusion.

"Wait, what?"

"I'm her mother, sort of. Zoro's her father. That's why she has his last name, silly. She calls us both Daddy!" Luffy grinned, and Coby's eyes went wide in realization. His nose dripped blood.

"You mean- you mean- you mean- you're gay with Pirate Hunter Zoro?!" Luffy laughed at this- the word "gay" had never come into his mind before!

"Well, I wouldn't say that! He and I just respect each other a lot, and we're good partners, and we have good sex." Luffy scratched his head. "And then, you must know about the whole Devil's Fruit baby-making thing-"

"Yeah, I've heard of it, but I thought that sort of thing only popped up with lower-rank Devil's Fruit user pirates getting raped by their superiors! They try and get rid of it! You're talking about her like she was a l-l-love child!" Coby squawked anxiously. "You're the captain and you- you were with your first mate?!"

"Whoa, calm down!" Luffy laughed, as Coby hyperventilated. "You're acting like a kid again! I don't even want to know what you'd do if I told you we were gonna have another! Because we are." Coby stopped screaming.

"Congratulations. Good luck." He shook Luffy's hand briefly, and promptly continued freaking out. Luffy laughed wildly as the waitress approached with food. Coby managed to subdue himself to shivering, and, unable to pick up his breakfast sandwich, watched as Luffy devoured everything before him. "My god, as much as you usually eat, I can't imagine you eating for two."

"Actually, I feel a little less hungry, especially when I get really big," Luffy chuckled through a mouthful of bacon. "And I want to eat weird stuff, like mushrooms!"

"That's so weird," Coby chuckled. "I know you can eat forever, but apparently when you eat for more than yourself, you eat less!"

"I know, but it's cool! I get to give my little girl a baby brother- except nobody's supposed to know it's a boy, so forget I told you." Luffy grinned. Coby laughed aloud; it was impossible to tell if Luffy was being serious or facetious, but he did know that he wouldn't tell anyone.

"So, you're still hungry all the time?"

"Well, right now maybe a little less than normal. I only feel like four and a half meals a day." Luffy grinned through a mouthful of sausage. "But this is my first meal today, and I don't feel nauseous in the morning, so I'm hungry!"

"You must be pretty lucky." Coby smiled and leaned forward. "What's Gilly like?"

"She's really clever. She knows how to get around rules really well." Luffy was still smiling and eating. "She's a lot of trouble, but I like her a lot. I don't just love her, I really like her too. Even if she is in trouble all the time!"

"Has she actually done anything to earn that bounty?" Coby frowned curiously.

"Nah. We protect her as much as we can, you know? She needs protecting, because she's small and wouldn't hurt a fly. She's never done anything wrong." Luffy's eyes were wide and focused on the table as he spoke, the smile on his face nearly plastic. "If you could help her, I'd really appreciate it. She's my little girl. I can't lose her."

_Luffy remembered the Davy Back Fight with Foxy the Silver Fox, and watching helplessly as Zoro and Sanji argued over who would be the Groggy Ring ballman. He could hear Porche and Foxy talking about which of his crew they would take next. Gilly was cradled to his chest in a sling, waving her little hands and making soft baby noises. He was trying to look into her eyes and chatter back to her while half-listening to the bickering, pointing things out to her and naming them._

"_There's Daddy. There's the Merry. There's Uncle Sanji. There's a split-headed blockhead. There's Uncle Chopper! Wave to Uncle Chopper!" He pointed to where Chopper had been taken. She gawked, wide-eyed, and waved her hands at him and squeaked. Chopper didn't notice; rather, he was sulking and couldn't bear to look at them._

"_Foxy, what about that cute baby?" Luffy heard Porche say. Foxy cackled._

"_Oh, how horrible would that be! I think that's Straw Hat's daughter!"_

"_But she's so cute!"_

"_Now, Porche, what purpose would that baby serve us? She's listed as their good luck charm. A baby that tiny could do nothing."_

"_I would play with her, just like Choppy! Come on, Foxy. Look at that face! She's the cutest thing ever!" Porche giggled and rubbed her blushing cheeks as she glanced at the tiny, fluffy-haired infant. "And if we do get tired of her, we could just throw her overboard. It'll just break their captain to have his little girl taken away." Luffy stopped talking to Gilly and looked at Foxy and Porche with his nastiest scowl. Foxy hadn't noticed, but he cackled to Porche, his nose twitching. _

"_Taking the baby would probably lower their morale, or even cause the captain to join our crew in pursuit of her! Yes, I think that would be an excellent idea, Porche. Besides, last I checked, she had a bounty."_

"_Zoro!" Luffy roared. "You have to win! You have to win or they're going to take Gilly!" Zoro looked over at Luffy, briefly looked at Gilly, and then glared at Sanji._

"_Oi. You hear that? That's my kid. Now, you're going to be the ballman, and you have to win."_

"_Zoro, Sanji, if you don't win, I'm going to kick your asses!" Luffy stomped his feet, and Gilly looked up at him, her baby straw hat brushing against his chin. Her eyes welled up with tears, and Luffy wrapped his arms around her. "I'm not mad at you, Gilly. For a few months, you were all that could make me happy. I don't want to lose you…"_

"I don't know what I'd do if I lost her." Coby chewed his lip as he saw at the look on Luffy's face.

"Luffy, you know I can't… I don't want to take her from you, even if you are a pirate, I just…"

"What's Ace's message for me?" Luffy looked at Coby. He hadn't thought of Ace since first noticing that his Biblicard was shrinking, and had put him out of his mind.

"He wants you to know that he's sorry. He said you'd know what for."

"God, that fucking bastard," Luffy scowled and looked away. The rest of the meal was silent, and Coby couldn't help but wonder what memories the mention of Ace brought out in Luffy.

_Luffy remembered a particular sunset on a Spring isle. He and Zoro had taken Gilly clothes shopping, as she was getting too big for some of her baby clothes. He was very happy to walk around the market with Gilly riding his shoulders. She would get to ride if the area was especially crowded or if she was extremely tired- after all, she was barely a year old, and very small. He would plop his hat on her head, set her on his shoulders, and she would straddle his neck and clasp her hands onto his forehead. Zoro walked at Luffy's side around this particular sunset, occasionally tapping the bottom of his infant daughter gently up Luffy's shoulders. Despite her tiny size, it was already apparent that she was somewhat precocious, and her first few words were already starting to make sense. Luffy and Zoro could always translate._

"_Da'ey," she started, as she grabbed a handful of Luffy's hair, "Ad canny." _

"_Not right now, Gilly," Zoro chuckled in response. When he spoke to her, he was sure to enunciate. He may have made funny faces at her, but he never used baby talk. "You have had breakfast, lunch, and snack, and we will not have dinner until we find the ship. You have to have your dinner before you have your candy."_

"_Buh Da'ey! Canny! Can-can-can-can-can-canny! Ah essa verdully, kemmi gubu! Ah-ib-canny!" Zoro shook his head, and Gilly pouted and yanked Luffy's hair. "Ehn!"_

"_Whoa, kiddo!" Luffy reached up and removed Gilly from his shoulders so he could look her in the face. "Now, there will be no candy at all if you behave like that. You may have been very good while we were shopping today, but if you make bad choices now, you will not be rewarded with candy. You must eat your dinner, and we have not had dinner yet." Gilly stared at him, eyes growing wider at Luffy's reprimand._

"_Buh-buh-buh-"_

"_No buts. Besides that: young lady, you did not say please. End of discussion." Zoro folded his arms, and Gilly began to screech and wriggle. Luffy set her down on the ground, and both men crouched down by her. They knew it was time to nip the tantrum in the bud before she escalated._

"_That's not okay." Luffy said firmly, and held one finger to his lips. Gilly pouted and put her finger to her lips as well to imitate him, though glaring as spitefully as a toddler could. "Now, you can be upset, but you will only look silly like that. You will not change our minds."_

"_Wow, Luffy!" A familiar voice laughed, and Luffy jolted up to see Ace in a Marine uniform, his arms folded across his chest. "You're really channeling Grandpa there!"_

"_Don't be an ass, Ace," Luffy replied, standing upright, and he grinned at his older brother. "What are you looking for? You want to fight now?"_

"_Hah! Yeah, right. Nah, I'm still on assignment. I'm a Marine, not a pirate, stupid." He rapped on Luffy's head. "Now, where did you get that?" Ace's eyes focused on Gilly, who had stopped crying altogether and shoved her thumb firmly in her mouth. Zoro rose and stepped forward protectively, as Ace seemed to tower over the child._

"_This is my daughter," Zoro said calmly, and he picked Gilly up from the ground and held her close to his chest. She stared at Ace, dumbfounded, and reached for his goggles in an urge to get a closer look. Ace, however, snickered._

"_Aha, I heard you abandoned your crew for a while, Pirate Hunter Zoro. I guess you took the bastard off her dam and ran?"_

"_No," Zoro growled, starting forward, but Luffy stopped him. He glanced at Zoro, knowing how sensitive the man still was on the topic of running away from his daughter's "mother."_

"_Ace, this is our daughter together, Roronoa D. Gilly. She's mine, too. Remember? You saw me a couple months before she was born." The smile faded from Ace's face._

"_Luffy… you mean you actually had the kid?" Ace edged towards Zoro and Gilly, examining her face. "God. She does look a lot like you. Like both of you." A wide grin split Ace's face again. "And with him? Hah!" Ace began to laugh. "I probably should have thought about that last time! I didn't even think about who fathered the shrimp! Man, I should have known! It couldn't have been your sharpshooter, because no doubt even if you did bang him, he's probably as barren as his brain. The perv-cook is definitely straight, and you wouldn't sink so low as to screw the reindeer. And unless you had a one-night-stand somewhere, that only leaves your excessively-masculine swordsman." Ace cocked his head back and laughed. "No wonder, you're really just like Luffy!" Zoro grinded his teeth, but Ace went back to looking at Gilly. "But hey, I'm an uncle!" He began to mess up Gilly's hair. "Hey, how cute are you? You look just like your Uncle Ace!" He continued to laugh, but Zoro scowled._

"_She's adorable. Keep your paws off of her," Zoro grumbled. Luffy ribbed Ace, but Ace simply cackled and mocked him._

"_Such a proud papa! Or does she call you mama?" Ace continued laughing._

"_She calls both of us Daddy," Luffy replied. He seemed to be growing increasingly less tolerant of Ace's scornful mirth. "You shouldn't call us names when you don't know anything."_

_Ace kept laughing. "Luffy, I can't believe you! I could cry!" He was, indeed, laughing so hard his eyes were beginning to tear, and Zoro's glare was hot enough to melt a diamond. "Oh-god-and you're wearing a wedding ring! Shit! Hah! Married pirates! Are you actually married?!"_

"_Uh, yeah." Luffy scratched his head uncomfortably. "Is something wrong with that?"_

"_No, it's just hilarious! I saw it, but I didn't believe it! Roronoa Gilea, ten million Bells!" Luffy finally frowned._

"_Don't say that so loud. Look, is there any reason you're talking to me?" Ace forced himself to stop laughing. _

"_Nah, but when I saw- heh- her, I had to come and get a closer look. Hey, let Uncle Ace hold his ickle baby niece!" Ace suddenly snatched Gilly from Zoro, and held her up. "Hi there Gilly-Billy! Silly-Gilly-Lilly-Billy-Willy-Nilly-Gilly!" He babbled some baby talk, and Gilly laughed. "Say Ace! Say Uncle Ace! Say it! Say Ace! Eeeey-ssss."_

"_Ess!"_

"_Bwahaha! She said it! She said Ace! Hee! Oh, this is awesome!" Ace reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of crystallized ginger, which looked fire-red in the low light. "Okay, say Ace again and I will give you the candy."_

"_Ace, she doesn't get candy until after she has dinner," Luffy muttered. "If we gave her candy whenever she wanted, she'd eat nothing but candy." Ace laughed at this, despite Gilly's insistent reaching for the candy and shouting "Ess! Ess!"_

"_You are a good father, huh? Heh, never thought that'd be you. You're just a kid yourself. Still, I am glad to see you're doing something right." Ace grinned. "Almost makes me feel bad about Buggy the Clown."_

"_Buggy?" Both Luffy and Zoro shot their eyes to Ace. Ace blinked a few times._

"_He… he did go after you, didn't he?"_

"_How did you know about that?" Zoro growled. Luffy's eyes darkened, and he hung his head. Zoro knew very well that he and Luffy did everything in their powers to never speak of that particular day, and especially not that part of it. _

"_Well, uh…" Ace looked away, and chewed his lip nervously. "I… I gotta run, little brother."_

"_Oh, no you don't!" Luffy snapped, grabbing Ace's shoulders. "How do you know about that?! And don't you lie to me!" _

"_Fine. Buggy and I were drinking buddies for a while…" Ace laughed nervously, looking over his shoulder and away from Luffy. "And he told me he might have some information on Blackbeard. And he asked me for some information on you… On your status at that time. Because of the rumors that were going." Ace looked away. "I might have told him…"_

"_Might you have known what he was going to do to Luffy?" Zoro growled, drawing one sword. _

"_Well, I figured he was going to confront you, and he told me he… he told me he killed you and the kid." Ace smiled sadly, and covered his forehead with his hand. "I didn't believe a word of it, but I was sure you'd lost the kid."_

"_You… you stupid ass! You knew he would have killed her!" Luffy roared. _

"_I knew you'd be able to handle yourself, and I thought you would have been able to protect it! She wasn't alive, Luffy. Buggy had good information, and I needed to do this for Whitebeard! I have to live for the living, Luffy, it's not like I wanted to kill her, but I need Blackbeard-"_

"_She's your niece, idiot!" Zoro shot back. Ace flinched and put her down, and she toddled back towards Luffy, oblivious to the brewing storm._

"_You almost murdered her! We're brothers, and you wanted to take my first child from me!" Luffy snarled. "She's your niece, and you would have killed her for nothing!"_

"_It was a stupid mistake, Luffy! I… I didn't think-"_

"_I'm leaving," Luffy muttered. "Ace, you're my brother, and you've never given me reason to be angry with you before, and I will accept that you would defend your crew over my kid. But I guess that means you chose that family over this one. You'll always be my brother, but you'll never be her uncle." Luffy scooped Gilly into his arms and held her tight to his chest, and he and Zoro turned their backs on Ace and walked away from him. even as she reached over her shoulder for Ace._

"_Ess! Canny! Ess!"_

"Ace can't be forgiven until he shows me he knows why he was wrong," Luffy finally said simply, shaking his head. "So, I guess you're here for information on Gilly, just like he was." Luffy's eyes darkened. "She's a child. She was born in Spring on a Fall island. Her favorite foods are apples and sugar candy, especially candy apples. She wants to learn to be a swordsman, just like Zoro. We love her and want her to be happy. She's never done a thing wrong in her life, and was born with a clean slate. She's going to have dreams too, Coby, just like you and I have. Do you really want to take that away from her?" Luffy finished his last bite of omelet and picked some scraps of mushroom off the plate. Coby was silent, looking down at his own barely-touched meal. "I've kind of got to get back. I hope the money I gave you covers this meal."

"Yeah, why did you insist on giving me money? I said I'd pay."

"I don't want to owe you." Luffy left without another word, and Coby watched his back vanish into the sunlight. He sighed to himself and rubbed his forehead.

"Luffy, you don't even know what happened to your brother, do you?"

Gilly had woken early, like most children do, and was watching Sanji make breakfast. He was, oddly, missing a shoe, and he still wore the clothes he'd worn the day before, but Gilly didn't seem to notice or mind. The others who were awake, Brook and Franky, had noticed, but Brook was too busy chanting for breakfast from the dining table to care, and Franky didn't think much of it. Sanji didn't seem to care either, but was instead talking with Gilly as she stared at the steaming pot.

"Alright, Gil, tell me what I'm making."

"You don't know?" Gilly giggled. "It's rice porridge."

"What kind? Sweet or savory?"

"Sweet."

"How can you tell?"

"The smell! You're using basmati rice. Basmati has a natural bittersweet flavor that matches well with a sweet preparation." Gilly grinned. Sanji laughed. "And you're going to add jasmine, saffron, and honey. You're going to serve it with lavender-infused yogurt, aren't you?"

"Don't know why you want to be a swordsman, kiddo, you'd be an excellent chef!" Sanji laughed. He'd been discreetly slipping facts to her, teaching her like he'd been taught as a choreboy, and he almost knew she had that memorized, but it was fun to hear her dissertate on it. There were footsteps in the stairwell, and Zoro emerged into the dining room, yawning. Robin came shortly after him, and Usopp after her.

"Has anyone seen Luffy?" Zoro asked, scratching the back of his head. "He was gone when I woke up."

"You only woke up a minute ago, and only because I told you Luffy wasn't in bed," Usopp muttered darkly. He was ignored.

"Yeah, Luffy's out on the figurehead. He was there before Brook even played the morning wake-up," Franky replied, pointing out towards the bow. Zoro looked, and saw Luffy was indeed there, staring forward at the island and Marine base. "Found this on the main mast, so Sanji's said he's not getting breakfast." Franky handed Zoro the note Luffy had found, but on the back, in Luffy's handwriting, was "FOOD!" Zoro flipped it over and read Coby's message.

"Huh." Zoro shuffled out of the cabin and across the deck towards the bow. "Hey, Luffy, where were you?"

"I had some things to take care of!" Luffy called back to him. Zoro jumped up to the front and leaned against the pole, staring up at Luffy's back.

"You met Coby?"

"Yeah, he deserves to know the truth." Luffy shrugged a little. "I'm hoping that… maybe if he sees that our kids aren't a threat, he'll do what he can to help us." Zoro was silent, considering Luffy's words for a moment. He knew that Luffy had found a moment of clarity in the mess that was his mind. He scaled the figurehead and kissed Luffy under the ear, nipping gently.

"You know what you're doing," he mumbled, and sat directly behind Luffy and straddled him. He rested the tips of his fingers on Luffy's waist, and rested his chin on Luffy's shoulder.

Luffy leaned back against Zoro and sighed, closing his eyes. "Zoro," he mumbled, opening one bleary eye. "I want everything to be perfect." Zoro looked at Luffy's face and saw how serious he was suddenly. He smiled reassuringly.

"I'll do what I can. We are the best family our kids can ask for, and we'll show everyone."

"Thank you," Luffy whispered, his smile spreading wide across his cheeks. "I love you, Zoro. I will even prove it." Luffy turned and kissed Zoro's cheek, then across his neck and back to his lips. Zoro groaned under his tongue as Luffy turned around, his pudgy belly pressed against Zoro's muscles, and Zoro kissed Luffy's forehead. Luffy grinned and wrapped his legs around Zoro's waist and cuddled himself into his lap. Luffy nipped his neck a few times, leaving little bite marks on Zoro's tanned flesh, and shifted to kiss and suck his lower lip. Zoro moaned softly, gripping his hands on Luffy's hips and rubbing the hollow of his pelvic bone. Luffy gasped as Zoro bucked his hips up towards Luffy, and Luffy ground himself against Zoro in response. Then, Luffy pressed his mouth into Zoro's again, tracing the inside of his cheeks with his tongue. Zoro curled his fingertips into Luffy's back, and Luffy finally rested himself fully against Zoro. They rested there in a tight, mutual embrace.

Not even when Sanji called Zoro for breakfast did either move. They were too content.

* * *

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To be continued!


	5. Usopp's Specialty

**Genuine Treasure**

Author Notes: WOO! Spring break! Almost. This chapter contains some Japanese language jokes, so you might want to have a translator handy. I will post an explanation at the end in case you don't catch them.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Gilly!

**Chapter 5: **Usopp's Specialty

"… Finally, we have an updated report on the Straw Hat Pirate crew, known destroyers of Enies Lobby and one of the most notorious new crews on the Grand Line!" The pirates had gathered around the radio every week for the past five weeks to listen to the weekly bounty updates ever since they left Briefer's Wake. It took four days for the Log Pose to reset and start pointing the way to the next island, Tiny Oar Peak, and Gilly had not been allowed off the ship at all. She instead had stayed with Zoro and guarded the ship. He had been training her intensely, helping her develop solid stances with her single sword, and showing her some basic sword slashes. He also got her some one, three, and five pound weights to start building her arm and leg strength.

"She'll never lift a real sword if she can't lift five pounds," Zoro had explained to a frustrated Nami.

"She's only three, dumbass!" Nami snapped back. "Your expectations are way too high!" Zoro glanced over his shoulder as he heard a crash, and saw that Gilly had dropped the weight onto her foot again. As Gilly screamed, Zoro rushed to comfort her.

"I didn't say she'd be doing it tomorrow!" He growled, as Nami ground her teeth in anger.

Even in five scant weeks, the toddler had gotten a little stronger. With both feet together and a little help balancing her handstand from Zoro, she could push the five-pound weight up with her legs, and lift three pounds with both arms. She wasn't especially muscular, but when Zoro squeezed her bicep muscle, he could feel how firm it was getting. He couldn't say in words how proud he was of her- especially now, because it was for something she was doing rather than just existing. Now, Zoro wanted to learn if his protégé was still on the Marine's hit list. Gilly sat in Zoro's lap because she no longer fit in Luffy's, and Luffy was seated on the counter beside the radio with one hand on his rounded belly, grinning eagerly for the news.

"Come on, come on, tell me they've changed it…" Sanji urged, scratching his head anxiously. Franky turned the volume up.

"… Recent reports have shown that Black Leg Sanji is near the Shabondy Archipelago, and the 51st division reports that he should be accompanied by Black Cat Burglar Nami…"

"You had to slip that in, didn't you?" Franky cackled, ribbing Sanji. Nami rolled her eyes, and Robin turned the volume up again.

"In addition, it is believed that Bastard Enigma Roronoa D. Gilea…"

"Daddy, what's a Bastard Enigma?"

"Shh," Zoro hushed her, and Usopp turned the volume up again.

"… has been disguised in all of her photographs! In addition, one report shows that Roronoa D. Gilea was observed purchasing a sword, leading Marines to determine that she is, in fact, the apprentice of Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro! With this relationship confirmed, her status has been changed to 'Wanted Dead or Alive,' and the Marines are offering a 10,000,000 bell reward for a confirmed photograph of the girl out of disguise!"

The silence made the radio sound like a foghorn, and Luffy slammed his palm down on the radio's power button. Brook was the first to speak.

"Do we need ten million bells?" Sanji and Franky both brought their feet down on Brooks' afro, and he laughed. "Someone had to say it!"

"Daddy, they want me dead," Gilly whispered, eyes wide as she stared up at Zoro. Zoro frowned, unsure of what to say to change her frightened face. "Daddy, they want me dead cause I've got a sword!" She jumped from his lap and ran to the deck, and Zoro and Luffy quickly followed. She picked up her wooden practice sword from where it had been left leaned against the cabin house and threw it overboard. "They won't want me if I'm not a swordsman!"

"Gilly, don't talk like that!" Luffy yelled, and stretched to catch the sword in his hand and bring it back. "Your Daddy and I want you to chase your dreams, and if you want to be a swordsman, you shouldn't give up!"

"But the Marines will kill me!" Gilly wailed, as Luffy, holding the sword and obviously angry, stomped towards Gilly. Zoro gaped; Luffy indeed looked funny with his stretched belly and slightly adjusted gait, but he was still very intimidating.

"Roronoa D. Gilea, we wouldn't be where we were now if we were scared of death! You should be proud that the Marines are so scared of you!" Luffy folded his arms and scowled.

"Luffy, stop," Zoro interrupted. Gilly's eyes were full of tears. Luffy frowned.

"I won't let you give up on your dreams, Gilly. I don't want those Marines chasing you, but I won't have you give up what you want most because of it!" Luffy declared, and he turned to Zoro. "What if you had given up your dreams just because you lost against Mihawk?"

"You're right, but don't yell at her," Zoro replied sharply.

"I just don't want her to talk like that." Luffy looked back to Gilly. "I'm not mad at you. I don't want you to give up on your dream!"

"B-but Daddy…" Gilly rubbed her eyes. "I don't want to go to Impel Down." Luffy shook his head, got on his knees, and embraced her. Zoro looked away.

"Gilly, we will get the Marines off your trail," he said quietly. "We will do it somehow."

"I think I know how." Zoro and Luffy turned when they heard this from the least likely source there was: Usopp. Usopp was considering Gilly with his hand on the back of his head. "Pretty simple matter, actually. I thought of the story you told us of when you met Zoro, Luffy." Usopp smiled. "Coby. He wanted to join the Marines, but needed a clean slate, right?"

"Right." Zoro, Luffy, and Gilly all nodded.

"And then Daddy got him to punch him in the face," Gilly added.

"And then the Marines decided he was our enemy and therefore not a pirate at all," Zoro finished. Zoro and Usopp met eyes, Usopp smirking calmly, and Zoro's eye twitched in shock. "No!"

"No what?" Luffy looked confused, but Gilly could have been catching seagulls in her mouth.

"You want me to hit Daddy?!"

"No way! That'd look set-up if you just hit him. We'd make it genuine, and I can totally construct it so nobody gets hurt!" Usopp grinned. "I used to do it all the time with my pirate crew. We'd put on little fight shows, and if you trained Gilly up really good, you could have her fight you!"

"I can't lose to her," Zoro replied, raising an eyebrow. "She may be my daughter, but I'm not going to throw it."

"I'll work on a script, and you can beat her, and she won't get hurt! Zoro, what you need to do is start training her in real duel situations." Usopp looked very excited. "Just make her a great swordfighter!"

"Fine. We'll try it," Zoro grunted, and looked at Gilly. "Tomorrow, we're going to start serious training."

* * *

Two weeks later, Zoro found himself more pleased than he could imagine. "I remember when I was proud of her just because she went to the potty all by herself, with no help from us," he remarked to Luffy as he watched Gilly play-dueling with one of Robin's fleur. Luffy, who sat on the railing next to where Zoro leaned, grinned.

"I remember when I was proud of her for saying Papa," he replied.

"I remember being proud of her for sitting up on her own."

"Crawling."

"Rolling over."

"Smiling."

"Now, I'm proud of her because I want to take her to a dojo and have her take down their sign," Zoro chuckled, as Gilly smacked Robin's wrist with the bamboo.

"Gilea, if you insist on winning, I will have to fight harder!" Robin called from behind her book. Gilly laughed, and pounced onto Robin's hand.

"Don't be so serious, Auntie Robin!" She turned around when Franky came out with a big bottle of cola under one arm. She pointed her sword at him. "Uncle Franky! I challenge you!"

"Oh, a challenge from the little swordsman? Super!" Franky laughed. "You asked for it, and a man will always accept a challenge!" He planted his hands on his hips, leaving his chest open and smirking. "I won't hold back!"

"Remember, Gilly, it's not honorable for a swordsman to show his back to his enemy, nor honorable to strike at the enemy's back!" Zoro called. Luffy laughed, as he saw the look of contemplation on his daughter's face. She was bright, he knew, so there were definitely wheels turning.

"Okay!" Gilly grinned, and faced Franky and pointed her sword straight forward. "Daddy taught me this, Uncle Franky! I know you can't get hurt from the front, so…" She took stance carefully, bringing the lithe wooden sword behind her head. "Thirty-six-pound-hou!" She spun it around her head with as much force as possible. Franky's hair blew in the little bit of wind she'd created, and he laughed.

"Hey, Gilly-sis, that's pretty cool, but I think you were a little inaccurate! I barely felt that-" There was a splashing sound, and Franky realized that the cap had been blown off of his cola bottle. Franky's jaw dropped in shock, and he gaped as the little swordsman leapt over the cola puddle towards him and pounded on his chest-fridge with the hilt of her sword. The door sprung open.

"Weak spot!" She slashed from right to left and broke all the bottles in his chest, and jumped back into a defensive pose before he could strike at her. Zoro burst into malicious laughter, as Franky realized he'd been utterly blitzed.

"Gilly-sis, that's not fair!" Franky whined as his hair went flat, and he stomped his feet and puffed smoke from his ears.

"I think it was smart! She knows your weaknesses!" Luffy laughed. "Besides, you know it's not a fair match. Right, Zoro? She can't hurt him with her swords from the front, and it's against a swordsman's honor to attack the back."

"That's right." Zoro smirked. "She did the right thing. She disabled him as much as she could. However… you still have to clean up the mess." Zoro retrieved a bucket and sponge, and Gilly pouted. "You know the rules. You make the mess, you clean it up." She scowled and began to clean the cola off the deck. Zoro turned to Franky, still smirking. "Don't accept her challenges unless you're sure you can beat her," he chided teasingly. "She might be fifty pounds of cute in a twenty pound bag, but she's got a real instinct for swordplay. It's a game to her."

"I was only coming out here to get you and you sic the shrimp on me!" Franky snarled. Zoro finally stopped smirking and tilted his head in confusion.

"You were coming for me?"

"Yeah, you asked me to remind you of the meeting you called! I programmed it into my internal clock and everything!" Franky flipped open a panel one of his arms and showed a blinking digital time display.

"Oh, that's right." Zoro turned to Luffy. "Oi, I'm having a secret meeting with the men except for you. We're planning something special for you, so don't come in," Zoro instructed him firmly. Luffy grinned and clapped his hands.

"Sounds good! I'll be sure she cleans up nice and good, and we'll wait for you to tuck in to sleep." Luffy grinned and gave Zoro a thumb's up, and Zoro chuckled and left with Franky. Robin glanced at Luffy over her book, and then at the sign Franky hung on the cabin house door.

"No Women Or Luffy Allowed- Private Manly Man Meeting," she read aloud. "I can't help but wonder what they're talking about."

"The men are keeping a secret?!" Nami gasped as she popped up from the lower deck. "Hey, that's not fair!"

"Nami, you and I have our share of girls-only secrets," Robin remarked, smiling slyly. "You wouldn't want the men to nose in on our conversations."

"Yeah, but we tell our secrets in our cabin!"

"But they have Gilly in their room, and as bright as Gilly is, she'd unintentionally divulge any and all secrets they tell. Not to mention, Luffy's not in on this one."

"It's a surprise for me!" Luffy laughed. "I'm not going to spoil it for them or spoil it for myself. I don't want you to spoil it for me, either!" Nami simply smirked, and climbed to the cabin house. She pressed her ear to the door and listened in as the men started.

Franky, Chopper, Usopp, Sanji, Brook, and Zoro seated themselves around the table, and Sanji served ale all around (except to Chopper, who refused.) "I asked you all to meet with me because I require some help," Zoro started. Sanji scoffed.

"I can't believe you're admitting that. What's the deal?"

"This is the unofficial Boy-Child Name-Selection Committee," Zoro announced, and he set a notepad on the table. "Luffy said I get to name the new kid, and I'm supposed to pick a boy's name." Zoro shrugged. "I got nothing."

"Well, good thing Luffy's got a couple months left," Usopp remarked with a chuckle. "It'll take us a long time to agree on anything!"

"We're not going to vote on it. I just need a good list. We can make a big list, and I can pick a name I like off of that. I figured maybe some of you would have some ideas, because I can't come up with any." Zoro cast his eyes from man to man. "My only request is, don't give me names that came from people you know, alive or dead."

"Can we name him after me? I'm not alive or dead!" Brook laughed.

"I'll kick you out!" Zoro threatened sharply.

"I think I know what he's saying. He doesn't want the kid to have to live up to anyone else's accomplishments," Usopp stated. Chopper and Franky both grinned.

"How sweet."

"How cute."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. No Zoro the Second or anything. The only one I can think of is Ichirou, and that's such a plain name," Zoro remarked. He wrote it down anyway.

"Hey, I like Ichirou," Sanji shot back. "That's the boy name I picked."

"What do you mean?" Franky looked to the cook.

"Well, I… I already picked out the names I want for my kids!" Sanji grinned and pulled out a sheet of paper from within his vest. Brook snatched it from his hands and opened it.

"Yohohoho! Ai, Aiko, Aimi, Aina, Airi, Akemi, Akiko, Aoi- Why, Sanji, these are all girl's names!" Brook laughed.

"The boy's names are on the back," Sanji replied, scowling. Brook flipped it over, showing the front side of the paper covered in tiny handwriting listing a book's worth of girl's names. The back side was most sparse, with just one name on it: "Ichirou."

"Why so few?" Chopper asked, and Sanji grinned again.

"Because my bride is so beautiful she could never produce a male child!" Sanji declared proudly. Zoro kicked him in the shin.

"You are made of thirty-six different kinds of stupid!" As Sanji swore at Zoro, Zoro turned to Chopper. "Chopper. Boy's names. Now." Chopper squeaked, taken aback.

"Uh-uh-uh- Kaede, Okashi, Ichigo, Kiwi-"

"Those are all edible!" Zoro snapped, and Sanji laughed.

"Hey, I have another one- Kichirou!" Zoro kicked Sanji again, but he kept laughing. Franky noticed that Zoro was still writing all the "names" down.

"Hey, Zoro, what about Carver, Benjamin, Edison, Nicolai, or Alexander?" Franky suggested. Zoro nodded, and scrawled them down. He sensed, somehow, that there was a pattern, but he couldn't figure out what it was.

"What about Oni?" Usopp laughed. "That way, when you do your attacks, it'll be like you're saying your kids' names!" Usopp imitated Zoro with a double slash. "Oni… Gilly!"

"Out," Zoro snapped, pointing at the door. Usopp quickly began to stammer.

"Oh! No! I've got more! Shishi, Kurokuma, Wanizame, Hikyuu-"

"Tora," Zoro interrupted, and grinned. "Heh. Shishi, Tora, and Kurokuma!"

"Oh my!" Brook laughed.

"Oh, that'd be good! You could have three sons!" Franky laughed.

"I think one will be fine," Sanji chuckled. "We don't need any more Zoros on board. Let's pick a good name, since I hope this is the only one we need to work on! I've thought of a few more. Cormoran, Cygne, Canard, Colombe, and Poulet."

"Ugh. Those are the worst," Zoro muttered, but he still wrote them down. "Didn't know you hated Gilly so much."

"Love the kid, but she's too much like you," Sanji teased.

"Zoro," Brook tapped the table to get his attention. "This gentleman's suggestions are Maestro, Solo, Oratorio, Capriccio, Basso, Canzone, and Allegro."

"Hmph. Well, at least they sound pretty, but I have no idea what they mean," Zoro muttered. He glanced around. "You guys are just as inept at this as me!"

"Oi!" The others shouted, and reached forward to smack the swordsman. Zoro laughed and tucked the list into his sash.

"Okay, okay, why don't we just break, and we'll try this again when we've all had more time to think?"

"Do you have a favorite so far?" Chopper asked, shaking with excitement.

"Yeah. I do." Zoro smirked. "But I'm not going to tell." Franky, Chopper, and Sanji all scowled and pouted.

"Jerk."

"Neanderthal."

"Moss ball."

When Zoro opened the door, he found Nami and Gilly crouched right next to it. The pair looked at one another, at Zoro, and then back at one another. Nami finally focused on Gilly.

"Okay, Gilly, now you explain to your Daddy why you were eavesdropping!" Nami ran away, and Zoro looked back at the suddenly-alone girl. Her eyes widened, and Zoro narrowed his eyes, before crouching by her and smiling softly.

"Hey, Gil, what do you want your baby brother to be named?" The child stared at Zoro, before shrugging.

"I don't know. Ken?"

"Heh. Ken. Okay. Bath time." He took her by the hand and led her away.

* * *

Luffy peered in around the curtain to watch Zoro and Gilly. Gilly was sitting on his lap, peering into a book he held on his lap. She was watching intently and mouthing along as Zoro read aloud.

"Night is to day as moon is to sun, school is to work as beach is to…" Zoro paused, and pointed at the word. Gilly tilted her head, and slowly sounded out each letter.

"F… oo… n. Foon, foo, fuh, fun. Fun." Gilly smiled. "Beach is to fun?"

"That's right. Beach is to fun." The smile on Zoro's face was nearly audible. Luffy shuffled in past the curtain and sat beside Zoro, listening as he kept reading. Sanji and Usopp listened from their cots, as they assembled some small props by their beds.

"Sanji, do you think you'll ever have kids?" Usopp asked, twirling a wooden spoon in a mixture of melted wax and oil sitting over a hot plate. Sanji glanced briefly up at Usopp as he mixed ketchup with Worcestershire sauce and corn syrup. He hadn't wanted to work in Usopp's shop because of the smell.

"I'd like to, someday." Sanji stared at his mixture for a moment. Usopp glanced at him, wondering what he was thinking, until Sanji spoke again. "Why, do you want children, Usopp?"

"Ah, I would, but I don't think I'll ever meet a girl who'd put up with me and my pirating ways. I mean, for a while, I was in love with Nami… but that ended a while ago, because I realized I never had a chance with her." Usopp rubbed his forehead, and Sanji scoffed.

"I didn't know you were smitten with Nami-swan. You should have shown her!"

"Not all of us are as obtuse as you," Usopp muttered, and he spread some of the wax mixture on an old kitchen knife. He carefully thinned it out, so it was barely noticeable against the blade, and tested it on a piece of paper. The paper didn't even show a mark. "You know, I have to wonder if Franky and Brook can even have kids. Franky got run over by a train, and he replaced most of his frontal body parts-"

"Franky's still got his oranges, man, no doubt he kept the seeds. I'm pretty sure he's fertile," Sanji laughed. "But I'm pretty sure Brook is missing that particular bone required to make babies." Usopp cackled.

"You're sick! Give me some of that." Usopp took a spoonful of Sanji's mixture. "Yeah, this looks about right in terms of viscosity and color, and it looks like it'll drip right, but I hope nobody goes and smells it."

"Let's hope not. It smells pretty awful as it is." Sanji chuckled softly, dragging in on his cigarette.

"What about Robin? You think she'll want kids? She's motherly as it is," Usopp suggested, as he pulled out a few canisters of eye shadow and began to measure amounts into a bowl with a spoon.

"Robin… with child?" Sanji giggled immaturely. "Oh, she'd look so cute with a baby!" He clasped his hands together in affection and squealed with glee.

"If you think she'd be so cute, why don't you just get her pregnant?' Usopp teased, and Sanji snorted angrily.

"Well, a baby is something you need to think about, and plan, and be committed to. Robin has such a mature beauty and an even more mature mind, so she'd never be the type to just lay with a man for the sole purpose of conception. She'd want to be married. And besides, if you think it's so easy, why don't you do it?"

"You act like I have a chance with her either!" Usopp snapped.

"Hey. Shut up." Both looked, and saw that Luffy was tucking Gilly into her quilt and Zoro had emerged with the book closed in his hands. "If you're going to be perverts, do it where the kid can't hear you."

Sanji scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Okay, Mr. Manly Man. We'll stop talking about sex with _girls_." Zoro's eye twitched, and Usopp picked up the knife and some of the powder in the bowl.

"Sanji, you need to have respect for the first mate!" Usopp barked, and he hit Sanji across the face with the knife. Sanji hissed, as a brown and purple bruise appeared on his cheek.

"You… son of a bastard!" Sanji snatched the knife and some of the ketchup mixture and sliced Usopp's nose. Usopp moaned and clutched his nose as blood poured from the wound. Zoro gaped, taken aback.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Usopp began to throw punches at Sanji, bruises becoming apparent with each smack and Sanji kept slashing at Usopp with the knife, until Zoro jumped in the middle and grabbed the knife from Sanji. Usopp had blood congealing all over his arms, and Sanji was bruised terribly. "Hey, if you're going to fight, take it outside!" Zoro snapped. "You're going to wake up-" He cast his eyes over his shoulder, and saw Luffy had fallen asleep next to Gilly's cot, and Gilly was still asleep. "Ugh. Never mind." Zoro let them go and started to storm away. "If you kill each other, I'm not coming to your funerals!" Usopp and Sanji remained in place as he closed the door behind him, and began to snicker.

"Hah! We got him! Gotta give you credit for a newbie, the tiny piping bags for the blood was a good idea, especially with the groove in the sculpted wax for it to flow down." Usopp cackled, and began to wipe the fake blood away.

"The combined colors of eye shadow for bruises is good. You must have experimented with that a while with your kids," Sanji complimented in return. "You go wash that off, I'll put this stuff away." He began to scoop up the bowls and hot plate, and Usopp half-skipped to the washroom. Sanji stopped on his way out to the kitchen and took a detour to the second floor. He slid one shoe off by the girls' cabin door and went on his way, humming softly to himself with a devious grin on his face.

He jumped down the stairs to the kitchen and began to stow everything away, only slightly attracting the attention of Franky and Nami, who sat with cola and coffee. Franky was sketching on some blueprints for an upgrade for the Mini-Merry, and Nami was working on her maps. Robin could be seen outside near the bow on her evening watch shift. Sanji gently tapped Nami's shoulder after tucking the hot plate away, and she gasped as she turned around.

"Oh, your face!"

"It doesn't hurt too much." Sanji grinned widely. "Not at all!" Nami paused, then rolled her eyes. Sanji laughed. "Look real? Turns out Usopp's got a secret talent."

"I was fooled. For a second." Nami smirked. "Up close, you can see the powder."

"Hrm. Usopp will have to work on application of bruises," Sanji remarked. "Not that you'd know, since you never use it, but how do you remove eye makeup?"

"Oh, I'll show you," Nami chirped, rising from her chair and leading Sanji down back towards the cabin. She glanced down, noticed his missing shoe, and smiled softly to herself. Franky didn't seem to pay any mind to the two of them, continuing to pore over his blueprints.

"The Mini-Merry's definitely going to need this super upgrade," he muttered to himself. "Especially with this notorious archipelago ahead."

* * *

**End Notes:** To be continued!

Oh, and explanations for the boy-name selection committee jokes:

Ichirou means "first son," and it's a fairly common Japanese boy's name.

Kichirou means "lucky son."

Chopper's suggestions- Kaede: maple. (As in maple syrup!) Okashi: candy. Ichigo: strawberry (but some of you probably knew that!) And of course, Kiwi.

Franky's suggestions- There IS a pattern. Just guess!

Oni Gilly- An example of what I call "long way for a dumb joke." Gilea would be "Giria" in Romanji, and Gilly would be "Giri."

"Shishi, Tora, and Kurokuma:" Lion, Tiger, Black Bear, oh my!

Wanizame: shark. Hikyuu: leopard-like beast.

Sanji's second set- French poultry, yum! (cormorant, swan, duck, squab, chicken)

Brook's suggestions- Music/opera

Ken- Japanese for Sword.

That's all for now. Please leave a **review!**


	6. Preparations

Treasure Hunters

Author's Notes: I have a Frosty! That is all.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but what I make up as I go along!

Chapter 6: Preparations

The last island before the Vindaloo Archipelago was Tiny Oar Peak. After learning about this section of ocean, most of the crew were worried about entering it. Robin had been the bearer of bad news when she heard Nami discussing the Archipelago with Franky and Usopp.

"Apparently, very few people pass through this route because of this Vindaloo Archipelago. Nobody seems to know why," Nami remarked, as she reviewed her notes. Robin edged closer to enter the conversation.

"That's because it's a wasteland." Nami looked up when Robin spoke. "Technically, Tiny Oar Peak is part of the Archipelago, and the first island in it." Robin took Nami's notebook from her hands and flipped a few pages. "Yes, as I thought. We have very little information. I know, however, that the Vindaloo Archipelago is a massive stretch of ocean with four hundred islands of varying sizes. Supposedly, it was once a single large island that was destroyed by a natural disaster, but any records of that are lost to us. Only four of the islands within it are named, and only three are civilized. Most of the islands are very small, only big enough for a man to stand on, but some are larger. Tiny Oar Peak is the biggest, and it's the furthest tip from Merman Island. Sanji?" She glanced behind her. Sanji peered in from the kitchen, an amorous look in his visible eye.

"Yes?"

"What is Vindaloo?"

"Ah! Vindaloo, my dear Robin, is a type of especially spicy curry! Prepared correctly, it can burn the tongue!" Sanji grinned sweetly. "Shall I make you some?"

"No; thank you, though." She smiled casually at him, and he melted to the floor. Robin turned back to Nami, Franky, and Usopp. "The Archipelago is a Summer island, or set of islands, and was named because it is notorious for 'burning' crews. The small islands form mazes for ships to run ashore upon, vast expanses of empty sea with nowhere to restock can starve the foolish, unpredictable weather can force even the best crews to their knees, misfortune will lead friends to feuds, and besides all that, the area has a notoriety as an ambush point for pirates, as it can provide a quick and easy path to the holy land of Mariejoa if you know the route, and high-ranking Marines know the route." Robin closed the notebook and handed it back to Nami. "They say that Gol D. Roger was captured there with nothing but a bottle of liquor and his flag. Of course, I think that's just folklore." Nami giggled to herself; she knew just how much folklore meant to Robin.

"So, you're saying this place is just made of bad juju?" Franky suggested.

"That's one way to put it," Robin replied with a shrug. "We'll be in big trouble if we go in unprepared. It could take us up to three months to navigate it successfully, and that's if there is no disaster. Nami, you will need to be on point, we will need to be prepared for bad weather, and everyone will need to be ready to fight for their lives and make sacrifices."

The first thing they decided on was rationing. Three months was a very long time to go without restocking staple starches and vegetables, and though they hoped the fishing would suffice for meat, they had to be prepared in case the fish didn't bite. Sanji consulted with Chopper and decided on a ration priority list: who needed to eat and who didn't.

"Top level is Luffy and Gilly." Sanji pointed to the chart on the refrigerator with an extending fork. The chart had magnet characters of each crew member in a pyramid. Luffy grinned, and the others groaned.

"But if Luffy's eating first, he'll eat everything!" Usopp whined. Sanji rolled his eyes, and tapped the paper to get attention.

"The beauty of it is that a ration means that only a certain, allotted portion of food is served. I've done restricted rationing before, and I know how much a person needs to eat. Each person, no matter where they fall on the chart, will receive only what they need to survive." Luffy didn't seem to hear this, instead wiggling in his chair.

"Yay! I eat first!" Sanji gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to smack Luffy.

"Not specifically you, shit-for-brains. It's only 'cause you're knocked up, get it? If you weren't, it'd just be Gilly. The second you deliver, you're down at the third level, and the baby gets the top. No matter what, the kid eats."

"Hear, hear," Zoro agreed quietly. "You've got something right for once."

"Second level is Robin and Nami."

"Idiot!" Zoro threw a cup at Sanji's head, and he deftly dodged.

"Hey! Hey! I've got a damn reason!" Sanji roared, and Zoro scowled, eye twitching as he waited for it. Sanji huffed irritably. "Nami's the navigator, and Robin has the most information about this damn place. We need them to get around." Zoro conceded with a shrug. "Chopper's on this level too, because he's the doctor and he can deal with injuries."

"Yay! I get to eat too!" Chopper celebrated with Luffy.

"Also, if we run out of food, we can stew him." Chopper wailed at this statement, but Zoro cackled and Robin laughed. Sanji grinned, and took a drag off his cigarette before continuing. "Third level is Usopp, Franky, and myself. We eat if there's enough for the top two levels. Franky, you're important because you can steer and fix the ship, but you use dual energy sources. As such, we're going to be stockpiling cola. Because his robot parts run on it, he's the only one allowed to touch it. On the other side of that coin Franky, you can only use the cola if you need it. That means you go flat unless you need to work hard or kick ass."

"Oh, uncool!" Franky moaned, but he understood and complained no further. Brook leaned forward, drumming his fingers on the table.

"And where, pray, do myself and Zoro fall on this hierarchy?"

"Down here." Sanji pointed to the very bottom of the chart, a level placed about two feet down from the third level. Brook and Zoro's caricatures were placed there. Zoro's eye twitched.

"Why am I down there?"

"Because you sleep all the time anyway, so you don't need food energy," Sanji replied curtly. "And Brook, you don't even need to eat."

"Ah, this is true. I lived for fifty years on but one teabag, I suppose three months without a meal will do me no harm," Brook conceded somberly. "Though I would like very, very, very much to eat."

"I need to eat, Sanji," Zoro growled. "I need to eat just as much as you and Usopp and Franky do."

"Fine, fine," Sanji muttered, and he moved the magnet with Zoro's caricature up to the third level. Brook sighed heavily.

"Ah! Fate is cruel! But this gentleman shall tolerate it. I recognize that it is vital that those of you with vital organs nourish them. Yohohohoho!"

"Skull joke!" Luffy laughed raucously, pounding the table.

"Don't get all bent out of shape. Wouldn't want you to break something," Sanji teased. "This is only in case of emergency. I plan on acquiring enough staples for four months, and I trust my crew to get us through this easily. Come on, we went to an island in the sky. A shitty maze isn't going to touch us."

With this plan in mind, Sanji had created a long list of things he would need to purchase in the market. Franky also made a list of repair materials he wanted to have on hand in case of emergency, and Robin suggested to Luffy that he get baby supplies before they entered the Archipelago proper.

"If you are indeed twenty-six weeks pregnant, we may in fact see the new baby born before we get out of the Archipelago," Robin told him. "You should have diapers and such ready." Luffy rubbed his head in thought, and then his tummy.

"Hey, little guy. When are you coming out?" Luffy asked, and then stared down expectantly, as if waiting for an answer. Robin giggled, as he continued to stare. After a moment, he frowned. "No, that's way too soon." He paused, as though waiting for an answer. "Well, I think you're wrong. Still, your Aunt Robin is right. We should prepare for you anyhow."

"What did he tell you?" Robin asked with a soft giggle. Luffy turned around, confusion on his face.

"Who told you it was a boy?"

"Oh, dear, did I let the cat out of the bag?" Robin briefly glanced behind her, where Nami eavesdropped. She laughed nervously and backed away, and Robin turned back to Luffy. "Well, perhaps it was a lucky guess. Is it a boy, Luffy?"

"That's a secret!" Luffy grinned. "I'll never tell!" Robin giggled again, but Usopp, who had heard most of the conversation, folded his arms.

"Luffy, you're a total idiot." Luffy and Robin ignored him.

"But anyway, he told me he wants to be here in a few weeks- except it's not a he, okay?" Luffy grinned. "But there's no way, 'cause I'm sure I'm not supposed to have him for at least another three months."

"Ah, so it is." Robin smiled distantly. "Well, still. Better prepared than not, yes?"

"Robin, will you help me?"

"Won't Zoro help you?"

"No, he picked out icky baby clothes last time. Besides, he promised Gilly they would go to the beach and he would teach her to swim." Robin stared at Luffy, as he suddenly started thinking. She could actually see it in his eyes. "Hey- wait- that's a bad idea! Zoro!" Luffy turned tail and dashed off to find Zoro and Gilly. Robin giggled to herself watching Luffy's waddling gait.

"He's so funny." Usopp frowned enviously as Robin continued to giggle, and continued his morning target practice.

"Zoro!" Luffy yelled as he ran the decks, but stopped as he saw Gilly admiring herself in a bathing suit in the girls' cabin. "Ah! Gilly! Where's Daddy?"

"He said he was going to make Uncle Sanji pack us a picnic and get a beach blanket and sunblock!" Gilly chirped, turning to look at the back of her suit in the mirror. She giggled happily; she seemed to like her little blue bathing suit with a turtle on the front and an aqua skirt. "I can't wait to swim in the ocean!"

"It's not safe," Luffy said grimly. "I will prepare you."

Five minutes later, Zoro returned in his bathing suit with a basket under one arm and his and Gilly's swords under the other. "Gilly, are you- Luffy, what are you doing?" Zoro gaped as he tried to see Gilly under the pile of flotation devices Luffy had covered her in. She had two sets of water wings on both her arms and legs, a flotation vest, and three inner tubes. Luffy turned at Zoro's entrance and grinned proudly. Zoro groaned and slapped his forehead with his palm. "Luffy, she's never going to swim like that!"

"Thank you!" Luffy replied with a beaming grin. "She won't sink at all!"

"Luffy, just because you sink doesn't mean she will. She hasn't eaten a Devil's Fruit, and we both know it's not hereditary."

"Daddy!" Gilly whined from under the inner tubes, and Zoro began to remove the water wings.

"Besides that, I'll be right there with her, and we won't go in deep. I won't go too much further than where she can stand. I was going to do some sand terrain training too. If we're living on the sea, she needs to know how to swim. Especially in this dangerous part of the ocean." Zoro yanked the vest off of Gilly. "I promise, we'll be really careful." He grinned at Luffy, and Gilly gasped exaggeratedly.

"I can breathe!"

"Fine, I'll trust your judgment. If she gets hurt, I'll punish you." Luffy wagged his finger playfully, and Gilly giggled.

"Daddy's gonna get punished!"

"I better not get punished," Zoro muttered, but he wore a smirk. "C'mere, you." He slid one hand around the small of Luffy's back, pulled him close, and pecked his lips. He gave Luffy's round belly a tender rub, thinking a silent prayer to a god he'd never believed in, and Luffy smiled sweetly and rested his hands on Zoro's shoulders. The pair smiled knowingly at one another, before Zoro turned back to Gilly, who had watched with wide eyes. Luffy grinned and waved goodbye, before rushing off to rejoin Robin.

* * *

Almost everyone set off into the city on chores and duties. Nami chose to stay on the ship that day because she wasn't feeling well, and Chopper stayed behind to tend to her. He did ask Robin to get him medical supplies and books, and everyone else was off to work. Zoro and Gilly went to a beach where they could see the Sunny docked. Zoro was charged with guarding the ship and not getting lost, and he figured that as long as he could see the ship, it was safe. He didn't spend too much time watching the ship as it was, much more content to dip little Gilly in the water. She flailed a little like she had when he took her in the water as an infant, too used to seeing Luffy do the same thing, but Zoro showed her how to tread water effectively. He didn't realize that while he was not watching the ship, someone was watching him. Three someones, in fact.

"You're saying that's not Roronoa Zoro's daughter?" Commodore Smoker grunted as he watched Zoro lift and toss Gilly around. Petty Officer Coby shook his head.

"I didn't say that at all, sir."

"You said she's Straw Hat Luffy's daughter," Ensign Tashigi reminded him.

"That's what I said, ma'am."

"Shit, are you kidding me? Roronoa Zoro's a twink?" Commodore Smoker spat. Coby and Tashigi both gaped at the slur. She couldn't believe she'd heard him right.

"Commodore-"

"He's a fag. A homo. A pansy. Roronoa Zoro is a fruit, is that what you're telling me?" Smoker demanded viciously. Coby shivered.

"I don't think he and Luffy are necessarily gay, but if that's how you want to put it, sir, yes. You would probably know about that particular side eff-"

"Yeah, I know about it, kid. Ugh. Pirates disgust me. Flaunting this violation of nature…" Smoker covered his eyes and grimaced.

"Roronoa Zoro and Straw Hat Luffy… perhaps one of the most dangerous marriages there has ever been!" Tashigi declared, folding her arms. "And you said Roronoa Zoro was indeed training her?"

"Yes. My source confirmed that she wants to imitate him, ma'am." Coby's head was hung as he spilled blood off his tongue.

"Vile. The girl must already be lost. I can only wonder why your Vice Admiral still wants her alive," Smoker muttered as he tucked a third cigar in his mouth.

"I couldn't tell you, sir," Coby replied quietly. "I suppose the Vice Admiral thinks she could still grow up normal. She's still very little, and maybe once she becomes a teenager and hits that rebellious phase, she'll stop wanting to be just like her family."

"We can't wait that long. If she's starting now, imagine where she'll be in two years," Tashigi said, voice quavering. "We've seen how fast Roronoa Zoro can improve his technique; though he refuses to fight me, I've seen his exploits." Coby couldn't help but wonder how they could talk so seriously while Zoro was pretending to be terrified of the little shark splashing behind him.

"So, what should we do, Commodore Smoker?" Coby asked, looking over at the older man. Smoker tapped the ash off one of his cigars.

"We corner them. If they're heading the way I think they're heading- and idiots like them, I know they are- then we can and will set an easy trap." Smoker smirked, as Zoro lifted Gilly over his head and tossed her up and down, laughing cheerfully as she wiggled and smiled. Coby swallowed a little, but Smoker continued, "No doubt, if you can bring in the Straw Hats, you'll get a good promotion. Go get your helmet-head subordinate. I'm going to need some of your ships." Smoker's smile was wide and devious, and even Tashigi had to wonder what her boss had planned. Coby simply shook his head and wondered what his thirty pieces of silver had bought.

* * *

Zoro liked spending as much time with Gilly as he could; she was all the things a father could ask of a daughter. However, he still remembered a conversation Nami and Sanji had had with him shortly before she was born.

"_Zoro, I'm surprised you're so content knowing you're about to be a father," Nami remarked coolly. It was a quiet night on the island, and Sanji was preparing a midnight snack in his hut. Zoro was having a sake and enjoying the night air, while Nami had a glass of iced tea. "I mean, the way you are, I'm surprised you haven't complained…"_

"_Complained about what?" Zoro grunted._

"_Well, you know. The fact that you made a girl," Nami taunted playfully. _

"_Why would I be upset about that?" Zoro raised his brow._

"_Because you're a man's man, Zoro. You like man stuff," Nami explained with a little shrug._

"_Yeah, I thought you'd want a boy and be disappointed with a girl," Sanji added. "So you could do boy things with him. Boys are stronger, so you'd be able to train a boy with swords, and play rough-and-tumble games, and all that stuff."_

"_Hey, girls can learn swords too!" Zoro protested with a frown._

"_But they're girls." Nami shrugged her shoulders again. "I dunno. Most guys say they want sons, like to carry on the family name. It's a guy thing."_

"_I'm going to have a daughter, and I'm completely fine with that. I just hope that you two are," Zoro warned harshly. Sanji and Nami both chuckled._

"_Just checking!" Nami giggled._

Zoro had, if only for a moment, worried about whether he'd be a good father to a little girl. He met Gilly and all his fears were instantly dispelled. Now that a little boy was on the way, Zoro began to worry more- simply put, he knew what to do with a little girl. A little girl was an easy proposition. Little girls wear their little jumpers and little sneakers and little pigtails. Little girls play jump rope and draw with chalk, little girls dance to the radio and sing along in their little girl voices. Little girls dress up in big girl clothes and stumble around in big girl high heels. Little girls would play with swords, this he knew. Little girls, he knew like the back of his hand. What the hell was he going to do with a little boy?

What do little boys do? What games do little boys like to play? What do they want to wear? He didn't remember what it was like to be young. All he remembered was growing up as quick as he could to join a dojo. As he floated on his back with Gilly paddling next to him, he could only wonder what kind of father he would be this time. He was good with Gilly, and that was satisfying, but he didn't know about this new kid. Luffy had really sprung a surprise on him, and Zoro didn't know if he had enough time to prepare himself.

"Kiddo, are you looking forward to being a big sister?" Zoro asked as she paddled along.

"Of course I am! It's gonna be fun!" Gilly chirped in response.

"Yeah. It'll be fun. A whole different adventure," Zoro reassured himself quietly. He just didn't know if he was ready for that adventure.

When the tide came in and the sun began to sink, Zoro took Gilly ashore to rest. Instead of going away to find Luffy or looking for something else to do, he sat beside her and watched her as she took her afternoon nap. He was somewhat tempted to join her, but he was content just to watch her sleep and the swaying ocean.

With their chores done for the day, most of the crew joined them by evening. Gilly was still water-pruned and smelling of the sea, and sat on the blanket wrapped in her towel and chanting for dinner. Sanji had set up a grill and wok and was preparing fresh squid and vegetables. Robin had a book and a beach chair, and Usopp was telling Chopper stories. Nami had joined them once her stomach had settled and was drinking unsweetened iced tea and reviewing the few notes she could get. Franky was dancing to his own beat while Brook strummed a guitar near Sanji's fire. Luffy was asleep on Zoro's lap on the beach blanket, tired from acting as Sanji and Franky's pack mule, and Zoro was simply asleep out of his usual lethargy. They were happy.

Even with the dark sea looming before them, and a great deal of unknown, they were happy.

* * *

End Notes: I read somewhere that, if you repeat something three times, it gets ingrained into someone's mind. Therefore…

Leave a review! Leave a review! Leave a review!

Please? Any questions, comments, or even a "you suck!" Just let me know what you thought!


	7. Shoe

**Treasure Hunters**

Author Notes: Yay! I'm so excited for this chapter! So excited I'm posting it a week earlier than scheduled!

Review response first!

LunaticV: I always thought Smoker would be the kind of guy who would be intimidated by homosexuality and especially m-preg. Thinking about other men being gay makes him think he could be gay, thinking about other men making babies makes him fear he could make a baby. As for talk of promotions, he probably knows that Coby is overly ambitious. He doesn't care about promotions himself, but he needs to keep Coby on board with his plan.

Disclaimer: Still don't own anything!

**Chapter 7: **Shoe

Suggested Track: "The Love Cats," The Cure; "Should Be Loved," Blue October

The archipelago had begun to spread itself before them before two weeks were out. Zoro could understand what Nami and Robin had said about the archipelago being a maze: now he could see bits and pieces of land breaking the wide, deep blue, and he could only wonder how deep and wide some of the land masses went. However, there had been no trouble yet, and Zoro wasn't planning on jinxing anything. Sanji had already put the entire crew on rations out of nervousness, and though everyone was still eating and the fish were still biting, the heat was steadily rising. Even Robin had not known about the terrible heat that hung in a haze over these islands, and it was miserable, humid, and sticky.

The heat had everybody down, except for Luffy. He barely even seemed to notice, and the only adjustment he made was removing his shirt. He sat happily bare-chested, his fingers drumming his tight, swollen middle, watching steam rise from the water. Other crew members were doing what they could to keep cool. Nami had broken out a kiddie pool and filled it with ice and seawater, and she and Usopp were down to bathing suits and sitting in it. Franky was down on the lowest deck, below the Soldier Dock, doing some repairs with a well-iced cola and a fan running to prevent his circuits from overheating. Robin was under a parasol with an iced drink, and Sanji was preparing a chilled gazpacho for lunch with frozen tomato juice cubes. Chopper was in his office reading under the bed where it was shady. Zoro was unstoppable, and he was, to the disgust of most of the crew, still training Gilly. Even as the rest of the crew tried to cool themselves, they could hear the stomping and slamming as they sparred in the muggy, sun-steamed crow's nest. Brook, who seemed immune to the heat, was watching and even assisting Zoro in demonstrations.

Gilly was taking a short break and wringing cold water on her head while Zoro and Brook quietly discussed what technique he wanted to teach next. Zoro and Brook were fully dressed but for their shoes, and Gilly was dressed in shorts and a tank top. She was still sweating bullets, but she watched intently as Zoro imitated Gilly's two-handed style with one sword, demonstrating something to him. He sheathed the sword on his belt next to two empty scabbards as he turned back to Gilly. Brook pulled his saber from his cane.

"Okay, Gil, pay very close attention," Zoro started, as Brook began haphazardly twirling around and giggling to himself behind Zoro. Gilly giggled right along. Zoro ignored the laughter. "We're going to practice our defense. This is a very important thing to learn if you're going to be a good duelist." Zoro continued to ignore Brook as he twirled and skipped his way in front of Zoro. "See, Gil, here on the Grand Line, you will meet many strange, ostentatious, and tricky swordsmen. No matter what your opponent is doing-" Brook suddenly turned and swung at Zoro. Without even turning, Zoro whipped out the sword and blocked the blow. "You have to be ready to defend yourself." He turned and smirked at Brook, before throwing him off. Brook chortled, as Gilly's jaw hung open.

"Daddy, you didn't even look!" Gilly squealed.

"I could hear him coming by the change in his biorhythm and the sound of his footsteps. They made his intent very clear the second he changed it." Zoro smirked, obviously pleased that he had impressed her. "Of course, that's another thing you have to remember. No matter what, if you're faced by another swordsman, never get distracted. You'll have to learn how to watch for these changes; a change in the smell of their sweat could be the only warning you have. Even if you think he's your friend, he could pull a blade on you at any second."

"Well, now, don't be afraid of everyone!" Brook cut in. "Yohohoho! Some people, even swordsmen, can be trusted! For example, you will never have to worry about myself or your Papa surprising you unless we're training."

"Right." Zoro rolled his eyes. "I guess you won't have to worry about being attacked by a true swordsman if I'm around," he added. "No true swordsman would pass up the opportunity to duel me just to hurt a little girl. Once you're bigger, you'll actually be challenged on your merits as a swordsman. However, you still need to pay attention to people who you think might hurt you. Whenever you carry your sword, even if it's a wooden sword, you are showing that you are prepared to fight. Besides that, you're a pirate, and you're sailing with us." Zoro smirked. "So, let me show you how you, with one sword, should block and throw off a blow."

The stomping began again, and Nami groaned. "It's so hot. How can he make his only daughter do that stuff?"

"Please, you've seen the man," Usopp grumbled. "He went swimming on Drum Island just to see if he could stand the cold."

"Someone should give the poor girl a reliever. I bet she'd appreciate a swim right about now," Robin stated absently. Luffy turned from the figurehead with a grin.

"Daddy to the rescue!" Luffy cheered, and shot himself up to the top of the rigging to enter the crow's nest. Robin giggled softly, and Usopp sighed.

"How is he going to put Zoro off training Gilly? Nothing stops Zoro's training! They're just going to argue with each other, and that can't be good news!"

"They never fight, Usopp, not since before Gilly was born," Nami reminded him. "It's probably because they're friends before lovers, and they agree on just about everything." Her grin shifted to sly. "And despite how we know Luffy is, Luffy knows Zoro better than Zoro knows himself. He can use that man like I use Sanji."

Gilly was watching both Brook and Zoro with sharp little eyes when Luffy entered. Brook and Zoro seemed to be standing quite still, with their arms folded and their eyes turned away. Gilly didn't even look at Luffy when he came in. Luffy could see a few bruises on her elbows from tumbling, and one on her head, and it was obvious (to him) that she was learning something. She had her sword sheathed, and her eyes darted between her opponents. Suddenly, Brook drew a wooden sword and swung over his head at her. Gilly drew her sword almost as quickly to block, pressing her palm to the blunt edge of the blade and positioning her legs to support herself even as he came down on her. Brook struck her hard, her knees bent as she tried to support the hit, and she tumbled to the ground. "Aw, poor little Gilly!" Brook crowed, dancing victoriously, as Gilly rubbed the new bruise forming on her knee. Zoro dusted her off, and checked her over quickly. Brook stopped spinning. "Is she okay?"

"Nothing major. I saw what happened, kiddo." Zoro took a damp washcloth from the bench and dabbed her knee. "See, you were supporting the blade, but you need to support the hilt just as much. When you're bigger and fighting one-handed, you won't want to have your hand on the blade at all, so you need to put your strength there. You need to have that arm at the right angle so you can use your strength to its fullest." Zoro smiled at her. "Got it?"

"I got it," Gilly mumbled, rubbing her head.

"Aw, Zoro," Luffy chuckled, as he wrapped his arms and one leg around Zoro from behind. "Be nice to her, eh? It's hot. It's really hot. You should let Gilly take a break." Zoro grinned nervously as Luffy pressed himself into his back and traced circles on his thigh like a slutty high school girl. Brook chortled eagerly and began jumping up and down in place.

"Oh, Master Zoro, do go on! Do go on!" Brook was utterly wiggling with glee at Luffy's tantalization of the swordsman. Gilly stuck her tongue out in childish disgust.

"Are you gonna start kissing?"

"Sure, why not?" Luffy slid in front of Zoro and began to kiss his mouth. Zoro loosened up, sheathed his sword with one hand and wrapped his arms around Luffy. He couldn't resist the feel of Luffy's warm hands on his sweaty back. It sent chills running down his spine. As they continued to kiss, Luffy slowly spun Zoro around, and as Luffy squeezed one hand to massage Zoro's neck, the other hand slid to Zoro's lower back. Brook continued to giggle wildly as Luffy sucked and teased Zoro's lips. Gilly was covering her eyes and had her tongue stuck out. However, when he'd turned Zoro away from Gilly, Luffy waved his hand at Gilly and Brook behind Zoro's back. Gilly, who was covering her eyes and ignoring her fathers' tender moment, didn't see, but Brook did, and he could interpret it clearly: 'Scoot.'

Brook picked Gilly up and rushed from the gym to give Zoro and Luffy privacy. He knew that every once in a while, Luffy had a stroke of genius, and these moments had to be appreciated. This was one that would make everyone happy.

Zoro pushed Luffy against the wall, drawing back briefly to look at Luffy's face. Luffy's lips were moist from Zoro's tongue, his body damp with sweat. He brushed a strand of Luffy's hair back from his face and pulled off his hat. "Sneaky bastard," Zoro managed to swear as he pulled his lips back from Luffy's, still grinning as his body tensed in their embrace.

"It's so hot. I'm so hot," Luffy crooned, as he slid a sweaty hand down the back of Zoro's pants and the other through Zoro's hair. "Looking at you in all those clothes makes me feel hot. Take them off."

* * *

"Hey there, strangers!" Usopp laughed as Gilly clung to Brook's back and Brook descended the ropes. "It seems like we barely see you anymore! Hey, Brook, is it hotter up there than it is out here?"

"It's so hot in there, it makes my skin crawl!" Brook replied as he set foot on the deck.

"Or it would if I had skin!" Usopp and Brook chorused, before breaking into laughter together. Gilly shuddered and jumped off of Brook's back.

"Ick!" She stuck her tongue out, and toddled towards the wading pool. She stared at the melting ice for a moment, at Nami in her bikini, and thought for a moment. Finally, she jumped in, clothes and all, and rolled around in the water to chill herself. Nami laughed.

"Rest up, kid. You're lucky you got out of lessons early," she teased. "I can't imagine how you can put up with that heat! I'm not doing anything at all, and I'm feeling awful."

"Still, Nami? You know, you keep complaining about feeling sick, but you didn't see a doctor last we were in port," Robin mused. "If I recall, you were ill even then."

"I'm not that sick," Nami snapped back, flapping an irritated hand at Robin. "I just feel nauseous. Now quit talking about it."

"Quit talking about what?" Sanji asked as he approached Nami and Robin from the galley with a tray of gazpacho. He distributed bowls to Robin and Nami, a smaller one for Gilly, and then for the men of the crew.

"Don't worry about it," Nami replied sharply. She took a sip of the soup, and gave Sanji a thumbs-up. "Good job! This would be great with tortilla chips."

"I'd make some up for you, but I don't think I could take frying in that kitchen right now." Sanji wiped his brow. "It seems to be much cooler on the lower decks, but Franky's still sweatin' his ass off. And Chopper- well, Chopper could definitely use a few minutes in the ice. I'm pretty sure he's stewing in his skin."

"Oh, Tony's not doing well?" Brook looked over. "If someone held his head over the water, no doubt he'd be alright in that little pool."

"Sounds like it might be a plan," Robin agreed quietly. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt me to get in the water… You know, Nami, I've an idea. I'll run a bath with cold water."

"Is there even a cold faucet in the bath?" Nami asked, raising her brow. Robin smiled sweetly.

"I don't need one." Robin stretched her fingers out. "I suppose a bucket brigade from the kitchen will suffice." Nami and Sanji both looked on with awe as a trail of hands wrapped around them from the galley to right beside them and grabbed the bucket they had used to fill the swimming pool. It passed the bucket into the galley, and the hands vanished. Sanji quickly rushed to follow them, and saw the hands lined up the ladder to the bathroom, passing buckets of water and empty buckets back and forth. He walked back to the deck with his hand on his head.

"That's like a scene from a horror novel… but it's still so ingenious it's beautiful. If I didn't know better, I'd think I was hallucinating." He flopped into a deck chair and sighed. "So, what are you planning on doing with that cold bath?"

"I thought that the men with their Devil Fruit powers and Franky's lack of buoyancy could enjoy the nice shallow pool, and Nami, Gilly, and myself could enjoy the nice cold bath." Robin smiled a bit. "Even if I am cursed, surely I can trust Nami to keep me from drowning." As if on cue, a trail of hands appeared with Chopper passing between their palms. Nami rose and left the pool to let the fleur-trail dump Chopper in the shallow water. Chopper, who had been apparently asleep, jolted to awareness and gasped in a panic.

"Can't swim, can't swim!"

"Come on, Gilea, your clothes are soaked through with seawater." Robin picked the sopping toddler up and held her at arm's length. Sanji, Usopp, and Brook glanced at each other as the crew's women vanished up the stairs, and all thought at the same time.

"You know, since the water's cold, there will be no steam to obscure our view," Brook pointed out. Sanji grunted and kicked Brook in the chin.

"Watch it, creep!" Sanji snapped.

"Hey, why are you getting so upset? You know you were thinking the same thing!" Usopp barked. Sanji grunted, and took a drag on his cigarette.

"They've got Gil with them. You can't talk about peeking on girls if you're talking about peeking on little girls! Otherwise, I'd be there in a heartbeat." Brook simply laughed at Sanji.

"What if we don't look at the little one?"

"Nobody looks at the girls in the bath, damn it," Sanji declared, folding his arms. "As proof of my word, even I will not go watch Robin and Nami naked in the bath!" Brook and Usopp laughed; they found it very hard to believe him when his pupils appeared to be shaped like hearts and blood ran from his nose.

* * *

"So, are you going to do it tonight?" Robin, who lounged in the bath, asked Nami. Nami was scrubbing Gilly's back, and Gilly was cleaning between her toes. Nami glanced at Gilly, thinking, and sighed.

"Yes, we were talking about it," Nami replied reluctantly. "I suppose it's only fair."

"Don't worry, I'll help you set it all up," Robin assured her as she pulled herself from the bath. Gilly continued to naively scrub her legs and front. "Now, what is the plan?"

"We arranged our night watches side by side, so we can use all that time, and then your watch is after that. If all goes well, most everyone else will be asleep, so we can have all the privacy we want." Nami smiled distantly and began to rub the dirt from behind Gilly's ears. "He says he's got everything else covered. I'll trust him."

"Well, well. That's surprising." Robin smiled, and seated herself behind Nami. "I'll help you with your hair. A girl deserves the chance to feel pretty once in a while."

"Wow, thank you, Robin!" Nami smiled. "I know it sounds silly, but it's supposed to be special."

"Of course it is." Robin smiled knowingly. Gilly glanced over her shoulder.

"What are you talking about?" Nami and Robin both giggled at the little toddler.

"It's a big-girl secret. Nothing for you to worry about," Nami chirped. As Robin washed Nami's back, Gilly scrambled around to clean Robin's back.

"I can be in on big-girl secrets too!" Gilly whined. "I do things like a big girl!"

"Gilly, it's a super, super secret," Robin replied over her shoulder. "You wouldn't be allowed to tell anybody. Not your Daddy, not your other Daddy, not Uncle Usopp or Uncle Franky. Not even Doc Chopper."

"Secret-secrets are not fun unless they're shared with everyone," Gilly retorted.

"This secret is not meant to be shared," Robin replied gently. "Isn't that right, Nami?"

"Yeah… that's right." Nami nodded. "Anyway, Robin, why don't you ever…?"

"You mean, have a date night?" Robin smiled softly. "Who do you think I would have a date night with?"

"Well… just for fun. Nothing serious! I couldn't see you being with any of the available men on the ship," Nami giggled. "Maybe Franky, emphasis on the maybe."

"It'd certainly pass the time," Robin remarked to herself. "But I've had men in love with me before, and I find it most unpleasant."

"Oh? Are you saying you'd prefer a woman?" Nami teased.

"Not at all. I simply don't like the thought of being protected by someone and indebted to them in that way." Robin shrugged, and began to comb Nami's hair out. "I suppose I can understand you from that standpoint. You don't want to be protected, that's why you try to pretend everything is exactly the same as it was."

"Things are the same. That's exactly the point. Only one thing has changed in the slightest, and I'm not sure how much more needs to change." Nami held as still as she could as Robin's fingers nimbly worked through her hair.

"Do you like the change thus far?" Robin asked.

"Yes." Nami giggled. "I like it a lot. Gilly, stop pestering Robin and come over here. I'm going to give you special nice-looking hair."

* * *

"Oi, Gilly! You don't look ready for a fight!" Zoro laughed as he saw the three ladies emerging from the bathhouse in their towels. Gilly had her hair smoothed into little curls and waves down her shoulders. Nami's hair was neatly swept into a braided bun on the side of her head, and Robin's hair was done the only way Gilly could- little pigtails at the nape of her neck. "Thanks for keeping an eye on her, Robin." Zoro scooped her up and hugged her.

"Oh, don't take her back to keep training!" Nami sighed, but Zoro simply laughed.

"Are you kiddin'? Nah, it's time for her afternoon nap." Zoro set her down. "Let's race to see who can get to the cabin first!"

"Yay!" Gilly cheered, and ran off. Zoro chuckled, and leaned against the wall.

"She wins. Good night." Zoro propped himself against the wall and closed his eyes. Robin and Nami stared for a moment as he began to snooze, and slipped away with their towels tight around them.

"That must be what he's like in the afterglow. Wonder where Luffy is?" Nami mused aloud.

"No doubt, asleep already in the crow's nest," Robin chuckled. She couldn't help wondering how anybody could be as easy as he was.

* * *

Luffy returned from the crow's nest still tired, and the crew enjoyed a dinner together of cold sushi and chilled soba. The evening was starting to cool down, and after dinner, most of the crew went to the lounge or to sleep to prepare for their evening watch. Sanji, who had not eaten dinner with the others, approached Brook as he took up his violin to play some evening music.

"Oi." Sanji murmured in his ear. "I'll get you a pair of panties from one of the girls on the ship if you do me a favor."

"I'm listening," Brook replied, keeping his voice even as he continued to play.

"At around 11 tonight, play some romantic music. Maybe something good for dancing to. Just for fifteen minutes or so. Small favor, but it's really important to me."

"I understand, Sanji. I'll entertain you during your watch," Brook chuckled. "Panties in advance?"

"Panties on satisfaction, Brook. Panties on satisfaction." Sanji patted his shoulder and strolled away.

This was not the first odd happening that evening before lights-out. Franky spotted Sanji working in the kitchen on something hot. Nami was seen trying on different earrings. Last, when most of the crew went to sleep at the 9PM lights-out and Nami went on watch, Sanji was still awake in the kitchen. Sanji had placed a table with a white tablecloth and a vase of flowers on the deck by the bow, and Nami was waiting on one of the two chairs. She was not at all dressed for night watch; instead, she wore a pale blue evening dress and dangling star-shaped earrings. Sanji came from the kitchen wearing a suit jacket over his usual black pants and vest.

"I'll be doing service tonight. Glad you're here, my sweet," Sanji said with a grin. "I prepared a delicious dinner for this special night."

"It is a special night. I'm glad we can celebrate together," Nami replied sweetly, her chin resting in her palm. She blew him a kiss, and he chuckled softly and caught it in the air. "One whole year, huh?"

"Yeah. A year. I can barely believe how quickly it's gone by. I remember you said you wouldn't make it a week," Sanji chuckled. Nami laughed too.

"Makes me feel a little silly when I think about it. Can I help you at all?"

"Nope. Just stay there and enjoy this beautiful view, my swan. Fortune is with me tonight, and the night sky is so beautiful I could not have better arranged the stars myself. Tonight, I'm celebrating you." Sanji bowed at the waist and went back to the kitchen. Nami smiled to herself, and waited on the deck with her eyes closed.

As the pair ate dinner together, Robin kept watch over the ship and over their activities. She watched as they chatted and laughed, and she smiled somberly to herself. She turned to the stern of the ship and sighed as she watched the stars blinking in the steamy night. Behind her, she heard footsteps, distinctly heavier footsteps. "What is it, Sanji? Shouldn't you be down there with Nami?" She asked instinctively, but was greeted by a considerably different voice.

"Sanji?" Robin jumped when she remembered there was more than one person with men's footsteps on the ship, and turned in shock to see Luffy standing there with a curious look on his face. "I thought Sanji took a later watch than this."

"He does, as do you. You've got the dawn watch, Luffy." Robin managed to keep her panic from her voice. "Whatever are you doing up?"

"Kid was keeping me up. I wasn't asleep, no matter how much I wanna be," Luffy grumbled. "What are you doing out here?"

"Nami asked me a favor," Robin said softly, dismissively. "Why don't I get you some chamomile tea from the kitchen to give you rest?"

"No, I can't sleep when we're arguing." Luffy stood next to Robin, staring out behind the boat.

"Oh, you and Zoro had a quarrel?"

"Nah, of course not. Me and this one." Luffy pointed at his tummy.

"I didn't know you could have an argument with him," Robin remarked with a soft giggle.

"He wins a lot. I think he's smarter than me," Luffy added. Robin covered her mouth to hide another laugh. From below, there suddenly came echoing piano music playing a waltz, and Luffy turned around. "Hey, is Brook up?"

"Oh, Luffy-" But Luffy was already gazing over the deck at Sanji and Nami.

"Ho!" Luffy gasped. Sanji and Nami were hand in hand, waltzing on the grass by the mast. Nami's eyes were alight with joy, and Sanji's serene grin betrayed a pure sort of happiness. They were utterly in their own world as he twirled her across the deck and she spun on the tips of her toes, graceful like a cat. Robin grabbed his hand. "Oi, Robin, look at this!"

"Luffy, let's go get you a snack. I'll unlock the refrigerator for you," Robin said softly. It was all she needed to do to make him forget.

"Yay!" Luffy was immediately distracted and followed Robin down towards the kitchen. Robin sighed softly in relief, as the thought of food kept his mind off of the music. Still, she listened to them as she ushered Luffy into the galley.

"Sanji, you didn't have to do all this," Nami said as the music swirled in the air.

"I wanted to. It's a special night," Sanji replied with a grin.

* * *

Robin managed to get Luffy back into the men's cabin and got herself back onto the top deck, but Sanji and Nami were already gone. They had cleaned up while she had kept Luffy distracted. She went back to the women's cabin to sleep, but she stopped outside. She surveyed the door for a moment, and sighed to herself. She took a seat on the floor beside the door, and covered her face with her hands. "Another night…"

"Oi, Robin!" She flinched as she heard Luffy's voice shouting again.

"Shhh!" She shushed him exasperatedly. "Luffy, please!"

"Eh?" Luffy blinked. "Is something wrong, Robin?"

"Please, please, be quiet!" Robin whispered urgently. Luffy yanked himself up to the second level and sat beside Robin.

"Why do we have to be quiet?" Luffy whispered back.

"Because, Luffy- it's lights out. Only the one on duty should be awake, everyone else gets to sleep. Including you." Robin rubbed her forehead.

"Oh. It's Brook's watch, right?" Luffy asked. Robin nodded, and Luffy thought for a moment. "When's your watch, Robin?"

"It ended fifteen minutes ago," Robin sighed.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Luffy asked. Robin paused, and glanced back at him. He stared at her for a moment, clearly reading her, and grinned, concluding, "You can't sleep either. So, we will not-sleep together."

"Of course," Robin replied dejectedly, and brought her knees to her chest. Luffy tried to do the same, but failed. They were silent for a moment, before Robin glanced at Luffy. "Does Zoro know you're up?"

"Nope. He's asleep. Also, Franky's out cold, Usopp's snoring, and Chopper is curled up too. Brook's on watch, and Gilly's been asleep for hours. So, it's okay." Luffy nodded to himself. "Does Nami know you're up?"

"Yes." Robin didn't elaborate further, until Luffy leaned to look Robin in the eyes.

"Robin, why aren't you in bed? I would be in bed but I feel worse when I lay down. You don't have this-" he patted his midsection- "sitting on your tummy. You could be in bed."

"Oh, for heaven's sake," Robin groaned. "Luffy, I'm very tired, but… Nami asked me to give her privacy."

"Ohh. Why?" Luffy didn't wait for a response. Instead, he got to his feet and went to the door. He creaked it open just a bit, and peered in.

On Nami's bed, he could see two shadows moving and hear soft moans. He tilted his head and squinted. He could make out discarded clothes and three shoes on the ground, and Luffy saw a pack of cigarettes dropped near the door. Luffy calmly shut the door and took his seat next to Robin. There was a moment of silence again, before Luffy burst into giggles.

"They're doing it backwards!" Luffy giggled, and Robin choked out a laugh as well.

"Yes, but I think they prefer it that way," Robin corrected quietly. "See by the door?" She pointed over her shoulder at the hinge, and Luffy looked to see a shoe, one of Sanji's, left there. Neatly. Precariously. Intentionally. "That's their sign that they would like a few moments of privacy."

"Why don't they ever do it down in the men's room?" Luffy asked, tilting his head like he had water in his ears.

"Because it's much easier to ask me if they can have the room alone for an hour than to exile all the other men and one child." Robin sighed. "It's only truly inconvenient when they fall asleep together and forget to let me back in. I go sleep in the sick bay when they do. And they do make it up to me. For this evening's interlude, Nami has already said she will take my shift tomorrow night, and Sanji has offered me choice of tomorrow night's dinner. I don't need it, but I suppose it's not all bad." Robin smiled slyly at this. "I think I will ask for some powdered-sugar teacakes for a snack."

"You're so generous, Robin." Luffy grinned. "So, how long have they been doing this? Ooh, and do you think there are wedding bells ringing?"

"The wedding bells are in the past, Luffy," Robin corrected him gently. "Think hard. What happened about a year ago?"

"Oh, yeah, Brook joined our crew!" Luffy grinned.

"And tonight, Nami and Sanji celebrated their first anniversary," Robin added.

"Man, I missed the wedding? I must have been asleep. I can't believe nobody told me!" Luffy scowled, but Robin patted his shoulder.

"Luffy, they didn't tell anybody. There wasn't even a proper wedding. Luffy, do you remember Absalom?"

"Yeah, that man. Nami kicked his ass good, didn't she?" Luffy beamed.

"Yes, well… the fact is, Sanji did most of it because Absalom had kidnapped Nami. Nami finished the job, but she was only-half aware that he'd been involved at all. The way Sanji tells it, he saw her in that wedding gown Absalom had dressed her in and saw an angel. The way Nami tells it, from what little she remembers of it, she could see his intentions in defending her honor were pure. Sanji showed that he was in love with her-"

"And then they got married?" Luffy cut in.

"Not quite." Robin smiled weakly, turning a little pink. "When Absalom had Nami, he almost married her. Once all was said and done, Sanji decided to defend her honor for good…"

_"Nami." Nami turned at hearing her name, and saw Sanji in the doorway to the library. He looked weary and dejected. Nami wasn't at all used to see him looking at her without him looking __amorously__ at her._

_ "Is something wrong?" Nami crossed her arms in front of her chest nervously._

_ "I just wanted to return this to you." Sanji held out a piece of paper- a marriage certificate. "I took it away from that lion-faced pervert just to be safe. He already put your name on it- must have gotten you to sign it when you were barely conscious- and I didn't want him signing it and filing it anywhere to make it legal. Take it, destroy it, whatever you like." Nami gingerly took the paper from him and squinted at it for a moment. She scowled and crumpled it in her hand._

_ "Sanji… you signed your own name on it!" She shook it in his face, and he looked away from her. "You idiot! You signed a marriage certificate with my name on it as the bride and yours as the groom!"_

_ "Just so nobody else can sign it." Sanji puffed a long stream of smoke into the air. "It's not legal, I didn't file it with a notary. I just wanted to be sure nobody else used it. Shred it. Throw it into the sea. Burn it and throw its ashes into a volcano. Feed it to Luffy. Just… I don't care." Sanji turned to leave, and Nami dropped the certificate and grabbed his shoulder._

_ "Why didn't you give this to me before? Before you signed it?"_

_ "Because I… I wanted to pretend!" Sanji clenched his fists. "I wanted to pretend, for just a goddamn minute, that I ever had a chance to be married to you!" Nami stomped her foot._

_ "Are you kidding?! I'm too young to be married!"_

_ "And let me guess- never to a pervert like me?" Sanji whirled around, scowling furiously. Nami had never seen him frown at her before, and she was too shocked to speak. "A man can have dreams, can't he? I met you and I was smitten with your every feature." His fists were clenched, and there was a dark fire in his eyes. "I let you push me around and treat me like dirt because I wanted you to pay attention to me. I fell in love with you, and you're completely indifferent." Nami shivered, still unsure of what to say, as Sanji lit a fresh cigarette and took a long, long drag. He spoke again as he exhaled. "I came to terms with that a long time ago. But I saw you in that wedding dress, and I dreamed that you'd wear something like that for me and be mine. I love you like hell, but I know you're never going to feel the same way about me!" Sanji turned away again. "I just want you to be happy, even if you'll never be happy with me. I had my dream, and now it's over. It's time for me to wake up!" Sanji started to walk away, but Nami reached and grabbed his hand._

_ "You… you actually love me? You know how hard it is to tell when you flirt with other women all the time?!" Nami couldn't help but raise her voice._

_ "Because I appreciate and admire them!" Sanji barked, shaking her hand away, but he lowered his shoulders and took another drag off his cigarette. "You're the only one I really love, but that's a dream I have to give up on. Can I go now? Let me just go be alone for a while. Then, I can put on a happy face and pretend this never happened."_

_ "Wait- Sanji-" Nami grabbed his hand again. "Sanji, let's talk about this." He whipped his arm away from her._

_ "What the hell is there to talk about?" Sanji snapped, shutting his eyes and shaking his head. "Stop doing this to me. I don't want to be angry with you!"_

_ "Fool." Nami stepped in front of Sanji. "Look at me." Sanji forced himself to look Nami in the face, and could see that she was frowning in thought rather than anger. "Now, if you were to be married to me, would anything change?"_

_ "What do you mean?" Sanji was struggling to keep his voice low._

_ "I mean, you'd still let me fight and be a pirate and make maps and steal treasure?"_

_ "Of course I would. I would never ask you to change. Only thing that'd change is that you'd have me to come back to," Sanji grunted, looking away again, but Nami grabbed his chin._

_ "You wouldn't treat me any differently?" He looked her in the eyes, and she let go of him._

_ "I'd want you to at least show me some affection once in a while, but that's it."_

_ "Would you still flirt with other women?"_

_ "Yes I would, but only as a formality of my position as designated pervert. It doesn't meant anything to me. It hasn't for a while."_

_ "And if I said I wanted out?"_

_ "I wouldn't stop you." With that, Nami let go of Sanji and looked back at the certificate. His rage faded as he wondered at her utter calm._

_ "This marriage certificate is no good," Nami finally stated. "It needs to be sealed… like this." Nami turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She planted her lips on his, pressing herself against him, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist. She released him, and he gasped for breath. _

_ "Nami- what-"_

_ "It's official. We're married." Nami smiled at him as he gaped at her in utter confusion. "I give it a week, but I'll give it a shot."_

_ "N-Nami… I love you!" Sanji cried, throwing his hands in the air. Nami winked at him._

_ "Good." Nami beamed._

"They asked me to sign as a witness, and they filed that certificate at the next island they landed on," Robin concluded. "They keep up appearances, they don't talk about their marriage, but when they're alone together, they're happy as a couple. I probably wouldn't even know if Nami didn't tell me herself, but she wouldn't want to change it for the world."

"Wow, they're so lucky." Luffy grinned. "So, when are they going to tell everyone?"

"I think Nami said she'd own up to it when they had no other choice. Sanji would do it this second. From what Nami tells me, their biggest quarrel is that she won't wear the ring Sanji got her." Robin shrugged. "But Luffy… you can't tell anyone now." She gave him a somber look.

"If that's what makes them happy," Luffy agreed cheerfully. "But are you happy? It can't be fun getting tossed out just so they can do the naughty thing."

"I won't begrudge them their vows, Luffy. I'll just wait until they finish and Sanji leaves, and then go to sleep." Robin smiled wearily, and Luffy peered in the door again.

"He is asleep." Robin sighed and covered her face.

"Luffy, can I stay in the men's room tonight?"

"Hehe, sure." Luffy beamed. "Just try not to be jealous of them, okay, Robin?" Luffy tapped his fingers together. "I know you'll get married and be a great mommy someday." Robin smiled weakly.

"I don't worry about that. Let's just go rest, okay?" Robin stood up and turned to Luffy, who was twiddling his thumbs pensively. It was an unfamiliar look for him, and Robin offered him a hand. He took it and she pulled him up to a stand. He immediately folded his hands around his middle, suddenly becoming rigid. Robin watched, as he still stayed in place, staring down thoughtfully.

"I've really lost the argument this time," he said slowly. "I'm pretty sure I need to go see Chopper."

"Luffy?" Robin gasped, pushing his hair back from his eyes. She looked into his face and saw the pain in his eyes and the fear on his face. She stared as he dropped back to his knees, cradling his belly in his palms, completely sure she was imagining the entire scenario and yet so terrified that it was real. "I'll wake Chopper," she whispered, and rushed away, but Luffy shivered in place. He took a few deep breaths, and finally let out a terrible, gut-wrenching scream.

* * *

End Notes: Ohnoes! The suspense!

Did you enjoy it? Review!

WTF you're writing about straight people?! Review!

WTF why aren't Sanji and Zoro fucking? Review!

Do you have a suggestion? Review!

Do you have a question? Review! (Answers not guaranteed, but hey.)

Anything to say at all? Review please!


	8. Bring the Rain

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes: **Get your popcorn, guys. This is a LONG one!

**Disclaimer:** I still own just about nothing!

**Chapter 8: Bring The Rain**

**Suggested Tracks:** "Knights of Cydonia," Muse (towards end of chapter)

"It was just an argument!" Luffy shrieked, pounding on Chopper's back as the transformed reindeer hauled him to his office in a rush. Zoro chased them, heart pounding and still disheveled from sleep. "He said he wanted to be born and I said no! I told him it's too soon but he won't listen!"

"Please calm down, Luffy!" Chopper cried. He laid Luffy down in the infirmary bed, and Zoro winced as Chopper quickly drew the curtains. He heard Luffy crying and screaming again, and Zoro froze. A piece of fabric would never have stopped him before, but it suddenly seemed like an insurmountable barrier.

"Zoro," Robin whispered from behind him. Her eyes were wide as she placed her hands on his shoulders. "Zoro, come on. There's nothing you can do here. Let's go get some tea." Zoro simply shook his head. Luffy moaned in pain, and Chopper said something encouraging to him.

"He's… he's…" Zoro stood stiff, not even looking at Robin. "The baby can't be born yet. If he's born now, he won't be able to breathe. I need to help him." Zoro pumped his fist into the air. "Luffy! You can do it!" Luffy's sobs rose again.

"Zoro, quiet down, I need to concentrate!" Chopper squeaked, and Robin quickly dragged Zoro out by the edge of his shirt.

"If there's a good god up there," Zoro whispered, wide-eyed, as he dragged his heels, "let me ask just this one thing of you. Keep them safe. Just let Luffy be okay…"

* * *

"He's okay. The contractions stopped," Chopper told Zoro quietly. It had taken seven hours for Chopper to contact him. He was staring at his hooves and quivering, and Zoro had his arms folded and his head hung. "Baby's moving back up. I think I read that when someone goes into labor this early, it's a bad thing because his body thinks its ready to have the baby and will keep trying to have it, but I'm pretty sure, based on his basal height, that he's about six weeks short of full-term."

"Talk to me like I have no idea what that means. Basal height." Zoro tilted his head forward.

"It's basically how big his tummy is. It's a good predictor of how far in he is."

"I don't like the phrases 'pretty sure' or 'predictor,'" Zoro growled. "If you don't know-"

"No! It's because Luffy's not totally sure when you guys conceived and he didn't tell anybody when he found out he did, so I'm not sure when the baby will be full-term!" Chopper squeaked. Zoro sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"Why did he start having contractions in the first place?"

"Early contractions are pretty normal, but his were pretty severe, and he's really early. It could be some sort of hormonal thing, an infection, some STI like trichomoniasis, diabetes, asthma, lupus, abdominal trauma, lot of stuff." Zoro ground his teeth and glowered at Chopper like he had just been viciously offended. Chopper shivered. "I can definitively rule out all of those I just listed but three."

"Which?" Zoro scowled and held up seven fingers. Chopper whimpered.

"It's not an STI, I'm sure it's not!" Zoro put down a finger and scowled a little less. Chopper sighed with relief and continued. "He's never shown symptoms of asthma or diabetes before." Zoro put down two more fingers. "And it's not lupus. It's definitely not lupus." Zoro looked at the three remaining fingers, and Chopper listed the remaining three. "Hormones, abdominal trauma, or an infection, and since he's got no other symptoms I'm all but sure he doesn't have an infection."

"So, either there's something wrong with his body or someone hit him." Zoro concluded, then turned away from Chopper and looked back at Robin, who had been silently leaning against the wall and listening. "Did you see anybody hit him? Did he fall? Was he doing something stupid?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," Robin stated.

"So, he did something stupid?" Zoro rose an eyebrow. Robin shook her head.

"It was so sudden. He said he couldn't sleep, and then he was in pain," Robin murmured somberly.

"I think it's abnormal hormones," Chopper theorized quietly. "You have to remember- even if things are as they are, Luffy is still a man, and men don't have the right hormone balance. It's kind of a miracle that he's had no problems before. If I had to give you the most probable scenario, it's that something triggered a rush of hormones in his body that acted like a signal for labor." Zoro's eyes widened, and he dropped his arms to his sides stiffly.

"Shit. It's my fault," Zoro said quietly. Robin covered her mouth with her hand as she realized what Zoro was implying.

"No, Zoro, you didn't know!" Robin tried to reassure him.

"I should have! Damn it, I should have known!" Zoro stomped his foot, and turned back to Chopper, eyes dark. "Thank you, doctor. You've done a good job, and I can do no more than owe you my child's life."

"Don't be a jerk!" Chopper laughed with embarrassment, blushing and waving Zoro off. "Saying things like that mean absolutely nothing to me!" Zoro cracked a smirk, and passed Chopper to enter the sick bay.

Luffy was shirtless in the bed, arms folded across his chest and glaring fiercely down at his middle. Zoro approached him and sat on the bedside. He picked Luffy's hat from the bedside table and set it gently atop his head. Luffy didn't react, but continued hatefully staring down his own flesh. Zoro glanced over his shoulder at him. "Sorry," he muttered, then turned away again. Luffy didn't even react. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I wouldn't have done what we did if I'd known. We'd gotten away with it before, I just didn't know that this could happen." Luffy still didn't speak, and Zoro hung his head. "I understand why you're not talking to me."

"Eh?" Luffy stopped scowling and looked at Zoro. "What are you talking about?" Zoro huffed darkly under his breath.

"I'm talking about how us having sex caused you to go into labor!" Zoro snapped.

"What? That's what you think it was?" Luffy readjusted to sit cross-legged and stare at Zoro's back. "That's not it at all!"

"What was it, then?" Zoro cocked an eyebrow and turned to face Luffy.

"It's his fault!" Luffy pointed at his belly and scowled. "He's pretty stupid, wanting to be born now. I am very, very angry with him." He folded his arms and glared at his navel again. "We are not speaking." Zoro chuckled softly into his hand.

"Would it make you feel better if you had a name to call him?" Luffy looked up, and Zoro looked away again. "When Robin told me the baby was coming, I finished my list of names so if the baby was born tonight, we'd be able to name him. You asked me to name him, right?"

"Yeah, 'cause you're his Daddy." Luffy grinned.

"Well, I couldn't pick a name. So I picked a few that I really liked from a big list the guys and I came up with and I wrote them down for you." Zoro pulled out a small piece of folded paper and handed it to Luffy. "Since you are also his dad, you also get to pick." Zoro smirked proudly. Luffy tilted his head as he unfolded the paper and read the names. "I, uh, I really liked those. Kaede, Torao, Cygne, Edison, and Basso."

"I don't like any of these! But that's okay, thank you for trying." Luffy kissed Zoro on the cheek, and Zoro chuckled weakly.

"Do whatever you want. As long as you're happy and our kid is healthy." Zoro rubbed his eyes wearily and leaned back against the wall. Luffy lay back in the infirmary bed, staring into his middle coolly.

"You're a little jerk. I sure hope you're okay."

* * *

Chopper said he couldn't let Luffy out of the infirmary for a few days, and Luffy reluctantly agreed, resigning himself to doing what would get him injured least by the doctor himself. Zoro stayed with him as much as he could and sulked when he couldn't. The rest of the crew was charged with lying to Gilly to convince her that Luffy was okay and then with keeping her on her usual routine. Unfortunately, the very moment Gilly heard that Luffy was in the infirmary, all of her impulses exploded. Every single Straw Hat tried to take a stand against the tyrannical toddler, who was suddenly out-of-control.

"Gilly, please get down!" Franky shrieked. He hadn't even given her cola this time, but she had climbed up the rigging and was hanging upside-down from the ropes. This was after she threw a tantrum that left the men's cabin in complete disarray that would require at least three loads of laundry and a bottle of acetone to repair. "Gilly, please!"

"No!" Gilly snapped back. "Tell Daddy to come get me!" Sanji watched impassively, cracking his knuckles against his palms, while Brook stared up as well.

"Are you going to go help her, Sanji?" Brook said quietly. Sanji shook his head.

"Same problem as always. Ropes shake, kid falls, Zoro bludgeons us." Sanji glanced up at Brook. "You gonna help? You're lighter, you might not shake the ropes."

"I'm afraid a gentleman such as myself would only worsen the situation. For some reason, the child fears me." Brook took out a pair of little green panties with a daisy printed on them to dab pointlessly at his eyes. "Also, I am not certain why I am talking to you at all."

"Hey, I promised you a pair of panties from a girl on the ship. I didn't say which girl." Sanji smirked just a little. Brook didn't respond for a moment, listening to Franky yell again.

"Please, little sis! I promise you'll get to go see your Dad if you just come down!" Tears practically poured from Franky's eyes at this plea.

Brook looked back to Sanji. "Where is Nami?"

"She's said she's not feeling well again. Her head, her stomach," Sanji grumbled. "Chopper's checking her out again."

"A pity. I feel that the women of this ship have a certain way about them… Between you and I, Sanji, I do not think that you, myself, and Franky are meant to be fathers," Brook remarked sagely. "At least, not to her." He pointed up at Gilly, who had begun swinging back and forth of her own accord. Robin came onto the deck, book under her arm.

"Oh, Gilea," Robin sighed, as Franky screamed in terror and yanked at his hair.

"Gilly, please!" Franky began to tear at his hair. Robin folded her arms across her chest, and two hands grew out of the rope and pulled Gilly's feet off. Gilly cried out as she began to fall, but more arms sprung out and caught her. Robin kept her arms folded and scowled at Gilly. Gilly scowled right back from the net of fleur.

"Hi, Auntie Robin," she grumbled. Robin took the girl by the back of her shirt and held her up in her real left arm, staring at her in pure disbelief. "Put me down!"

"No." Robin wound back her other real hand and gave Gilly a firm smack on the bottom. Gilly cried out, and Robin set her down on her feet but held on to her by her shoulders and knelt to meet her eyes. "Your fathers would never want me to hit you, but you need to listen to me right now!" Robin bit her bottom lip for a moment. "Your fathers would be most disappointed in this behavior. I am most disappointed in this behavior! You should be helping your father feel better, not misbehaving to get his attention!" Robin put her hands on her hips as Gilly continued crying. "I will not tolerate it, Gilea. You will come with me."

Robin taking charge of Gilly did help to keep her in line, but she would act up whenever she could. Gilly refused to eat, would not go to bed until she fell asleep from exhaustion, and generally sulked most of the day. Robin did not spank her again, but instead decided to investigate the cause of her angst.

"What's wrong, little lamb?" Robin sighed to her as she cleaned her off after her bath.

"Daddy didn't tell me he was sick! I don't want Daddy to be sick," Gilly muttered angrily.

"You're worried about him?" Gilly nodded. "Sweetheart, he's not really sick. He's only in the infirmary because…" Robin thought for a moment. "Because that bed is better for his back, and his back is so sore."

"His back is sore?" Gilly tilted her head.

"Of course it is." Robin nodded. "After all, don't you see how much his back curves out? Your Daddy needs to take very good care of his whole body while the baby's getting ready, so he's got to stay in Doctor Chopper's bed for a while." Gilly pouted a little, gripping her robe around her, while Robin toweled off her hair.

"But… I wanted Daddy or Daddy to give me my bath. They play with the toys better." Gilly folded her arms. Robin kept her smile steady and accepting.

"Well, I will have to ask your Daddy how he does it. After all, I am certain that your baths rarely, if ever, involve drawing pictures on the floor in shampoo when my back is turned." Robin scooped her up and glanced down at Gilly's artwork. It was a rough facsimile of the Straw Hat symbol with a big heart under it. "Let's just hope nobody needs to wash their hair anytime soon."

After two days, Chopper said it would be okay for Gilly to visit. Gilly didn't like sitting in the infirmary, but she stayed with Luffy and Zoro as long as Zoro would let her. Gilly would drag her favorite quilt in and sit with it on her lap despite the heat. Then, she would beg Luffy to tell her stories. Somehow, hearing Luffy's spirit so high when describing their adventures made Zoro feel a bit better as well.

"Daddy, tell me about when I was born!" Gilly begged him eagerly on the third night of Luffy's stay. She was wearing her favorite clothes, and Robin had encouraged her to ask for her favorite bedtime story. Zoro laid his hand over Luffy's, as Luffy scratched his head.

"Well, okay, if you really want!" Luffy grinned and plopped his hat onto Gilly's head. He hugged her onto his thigh and began to retell his tale. "Once upon a time, we were on the Merry Go, and your Daddy and I decided we were in love. So, we talked about it for a long, long time, and then, a doctor told us that you were going to come." Zoro smirked and looked away as he listened to Luffy's story. "Now, we were really, really surprised, so surprised we didn't know what to do, but we kept going and just rested on knowing that things would turn out okay."

"Because that's what pirates do, Daddy?" Gilly interrupted softly.

"Because that's what pirates do." Luffy beamed. "And then, we went to an island with no other people and lots of storms because we wanted to be alone, just us, and you and I had a talk. You probably don't remember it, but you were just as smart before you were born as you are now. And we decided the world was a really good place for you to be right then. So, I reached in and Doc Chopper and your Daddy and me all took you out so you could see the world and we were all very, very happy! Now, here you are. We're still happy. That's how you were born, the end."

"That's cool, Daddy," Gilly whispered contently, and wrapped her arms around Luffy's neck. Luffy smiled contently and clutched her tight as she closed her eyes. Chopper peered in.

"Luffy, it's been 60 hours since your last contraction. I think you should be okay to get out of bed now."

"Yeah, okay. I will in a minute." Luffy grinned at Chopper, and leaned back against the pillow with Gilly falling asleep on his lap. Chopper giggled as he watched them from the door. Luffy untied Gilly's pigtails and let her fluffy, messy hair hang loose on her cheeks. He stroked her cheek and cuddled her gently, closing his own eyes and looking somber for a moment. Zoro wrapped his arms around Gilly's waist and pulled her off of Luffy, letting the drowsy child rest in his arms, and Luffy got to his feet. Zoro watched as Luffy stretched his arms and legs, first straight out, then wrapping his joints around one another. "Man! I feel like hell. Zoro, did Gilly eat dinner?"

"Yeah, 'course she did. Sanji told her that if she refused to eat again, he'd kick her ass." Zoro frowned as he stood up to watch Luffy more carefully. Luffy reached to Zoro to take Gilly, but Zoro shook his head. "Chopper said it would be better if you didn't lift anything heavy."

"Okay." Luffy still tried to take Gilly, but Zoro kept his grip on her.

"The traditional limit is twenty pounds," Zoro informed him coolly. "Chopper says you should not lift anything heavier than that, even if you are normally strong!"

"That's stupid! Gilly's lighter than a feather to me."

"Luffy, no." Zoro slung the limp toddler over his shoulder. "I'm going to put her down to sleep. You go talk to the crew and catch up. Especially Robin, she's been worried."

"But-" Luffy scowled as Zoro hauled Gilly away and stormed up to the deck. The moon was out in the steamy, cloudy sky, and Nami was looking off the port side, between the open ocean and the Log Pose on her wrist. The rest of the crew was looking off the bow at something completely different. "Wow!"

"How'd word get down to you?" Sanji frowned as they noticed Luffy.

"Chopper said I'm healthy now," Luffy chirped, and joined the others looking at what was blocking their current path. About thirty yards in front of the ship was a wreck, a massive Marine ship up against a rock. It looked old and worn, and some of the side panels were cracked and peeling away.

"That's what I've figured is the best path, but it's not looking good. It looks like a storm is forming in the next clearest direction," Nami stated as she rejoined the group. "It'll probably be a nasty one too. The fog's already rolling in."

"So spooky!" Luffy laughed. "So, we have to either go into a storm or move that ship!"

"We have no choice," Franky muttered seriously.

"Let's go move the ship!" Luffy cheered, jumping up and down. Sanji planted his heel on Luffy's head.

"Don't be stupid!" Sanji snapped.

"But it'll be fun!" Luffy laughed, bouncing back from the scolding. "Come on, everybody! There's gotta be treasure and fun stuff on there!"

"I don't think it's a good idea for you, Luffy," Robin warned gently.

"I'll go with him." The source of this declaration was a surprise- Nami. "After all, once he gets an idea in his head, there's no getting it out." She smiled a little. "Might as well keep him from killing himself."

"Do what you want," grunted Sanji, turning away from her. Luffy tilted his head and glanced at Robin. She shook her head. Sanji glared back at the others. "Anyone else want to go on this escapade of idiots?"

"Hey, I'll go with!" Usopp volunteered. "Franky, you should come too, you're an expert dismantler!" He ribbed the cyborg cheerfully.

"No way! I'm not going!" Franky folded his arms. "That thing is a death trap. I'll to tell you what to do on the Baby Den-Den Mushi, but I'm staying here in case we need to make a quick getaway."

"I'll go, then. I do love thrills," Robin said with a smile.

"Where are we going?" Zoro asked as he rejoined them. Luffy pointed at the wrecked ship, and Zoro scowled. "Oh no you're not."

"Yes I am!" Luffy replied, putting his hands on his hips. "It's going to be fun!" Zoro scowled, before turning his nose up.

"Fine, then I'm going with you."

"No you're not!" Luffy giggled. "The Mini Merry only holds four people, and we're already overloaded. See?" He began to flip up fingers as he counted off. "Me, Nami, Usopp, and Robin. That makes seven!" Zoro looked at the seven fingers Luffy held up and groaned.

"It's four. Four-and-a-half at the most. And if you're counting seven, you should be the one not to go." Luffy stared at Zoro for a moment, before laughing and walking past him.

"Let's get going! The sooner we go, the sooner we get back!" Luffy waved to beckon the others. Usopp happily bounded after Luffy, whooping and cheering. Nami followed, but Robin quickly looked between Zoro and Sanji, before chasing Luffy.

"Luffy, Luffy, talk to me," Robin said firmly. Luffy didn't seem to hear her. "Luffy, please talk to me!"

"What's up?" Luffy looked at her, stopping. The other two continued without him to go to the Soldier Dock, and Robin folded her arms.

"I wanted to talk to you. To be sure you were okay."

"Yeah, I remember now!" Luffy grinned. "I'm fine. Nothing hurts. Really, I'm absolutely fine!"

"We just want to be sure the little one is safe, Luffy." Robin sighed. "I was really worried about you."

"What happened to Nami and Sanji? You said they were married."

"Don't change the subject. What about your baby? You should take it easy until the baby is born. Do you want Zoro to worry himself sick?" Robin shook her head. "You know he was miserable, don't you?"

"How do you think I feel? I'm not going to spend my life shut up like a sick person. I want my freedom and happiness," Luffy replied with his usual smile. "I'm not sick, the baby is fine, and I'm going to take care of my crew. I don't want to go into a storm, and destroying that ship will be easy. Besides, I bet there's cool pirate treasure on there!"

"That must be why Nami wanted to go with you. I certainly hope she's not going just to defy Sanji," Robin remarked, to herself more than Luffy. "Please, Luffy, try to be careful. I'll ask Franky to bring the Sunny as close to the shipwreck as is safe just in case, okay?"

"Okay." Luffy grinned. "Now will you tell me what happened to Nami and Sanji?"

"I don't really know. Nami only told me they had an argument, she wouldn't say what about." Robin sighed. "She did say that he said something inexcusable, and she doesn't plan on forgiving him for a while, at least not until he apologizes a couple thousand times. I mentioned this to Sanji, he said he doesn't care and he has nothing for which to apologize. And, of course," Robin sighed and imitated Sanji by pulling up her eyebrow with one finger and miming a cigarette with her other hand, inhaling off her index and middle fingers and exhaling through pursed lips, "She's the one that ought to be apologizing to him."

"Wow. Sounds like an argument Zoro and I had once. Except it didn't end like that." Luffy scratched his head. "I hope they patch up soon. It'd suck if they split, because then one or both of them would want to leave." Luffy's eyes widened. "And that'd suck! Nami!" Luffy scrambled back down the hall, and Robin smiled to herself, shaking her head.

"Nami! Nami!" Luffy grabbed onto her as she was stepping onto the Mini Merry. "Nami, you have to-" Suddenly, he stopped himself and bit his lip.

"I have to what, Luffy?" Nami rose an eyebrow.

"Never mind. It's a secret." Luffy sulked and let her go, and they boarded. Robin and Usopp got on behind them, and they watched the dock spin slowly to the open hatch. The Baby Den-Den Mushi chirped, and Robin picked it up, holding the speaker so they could hear it.

"You're all clear, guys!" Franky announced through the speaker. Nami ignited the steam engine, and the little boat began to glide towards the shipwreck.

"Hey, Robin?" Zoro spoke through the Baby Den-Den Mushi. "Keep him safe, okay? And Luffy, if you get in trouble again, you know who's going to be upset."

"Me!" All four passengers turned around to see Gilea popping up on the Mini Merry's stern. She was still dressed and had her bamboo sword strapped to her back.

"Gilly!" Luffy laughed and pulled her into his lap.

"What?! She's there?!" Zoro snapped, making the baby Den-Den Mushi look very, very upset.

Nami stopped the Mini Merry with the handbrake and turned to Luffy and Gilly. "Should we go back?"

"Gilea, how did you get here?" Robin folded her arms sternly.

"I woke up and I heard you guys talking about going on a trip and I wanted to come too!" Gilly chirped. "Can I please come with? I want to help!"

"Gilly! Nami, turn that boat around right now! I am going to- I'm going to- you're not going to like what I'm going to do to you!" Zoro snarled over the com.

"It's okay, Zoro!" Nami laughed. "We'll keep a really good eye on her. Besides, she's a part of this crew, she might as well help us out!"

"Nami- Luffy- Franky- take this!" The feed rattled, and the four in the boat looked behind him as they heard a splash. Zoro had dived off the deck and was swimming towards the Mini Merry. He grabbed onto the port side and pulled himself on, while Luffy, Nami, and Usopp laughed wildly.

"Okay, okay, Zoro, you can come with us!" Luffy laughed as Gilly hung around his neck and giggled.

"Thank you," Zoro growled, dripping rage and seawater. He squeezed in between Robin and Usopp in the back seat, both of whom had to swallow their laughter. "Now. Gilea, this means no pocket money."

"For next week?" Gilly asked, tilting her head.

"For the next three months," Zoro growled. Gilly pouted and looked to Luffy.

"He's right. You were not invited, so now you are punished," Luffy chirped, wagging his finger at her. Nami giggled and started the boat towards the shipwreck again.

"Franky, move the Sunny as close to us as possible in case of trouble." Robin held the baby Den-Den Mushi. "If things get rough, I don't want to worry about our escape. Especially with all of these people on board."

"You got it, Robin! Hey, Zoro-bro, I didn't know you could swim that fast!"

"I'll kill you when I get back," Zoro growled, as the steam-boat stopped next to the wreck.

"Hoo!" Luffy looked up at the ship with a grin. "Well, it's bigger than I thought it was. Let's start destroying it anyway!"

One by one, the six Straw Hats made their way from the Mini Merry to the deck of the ship by climbing up the anchor's chain. Gilly clung onto Robin's back, as Usopp tried to cling onto Zoro for a free ride. He ended up climbing up on his own with a welt on his head, as Luffy began to tear up the floorboards and toss them into the water. Nami swatted his head.

"Don't do that! Let's us take a look around for treasure and stuff. I'll also check out the structure of the boat, so we know what we're doing." Nami put her hands on her hips, and Luffy grinned.

"Okay, sounds like a good idea! Robin, uh, I know that you're here to help, but…" Luffy shuffled his feet. "Well, I think that it'd be safer if Gilly stayed up here. Will you stay with her?"

"Of course." Robin patted Gilly's head and held her hand. Zoro looked very surprised.

"Luffy, you just made a correct choice as a parent. I'm impressed."

"Thank you, I've been working on it," Luffy laughed, as the crew made their way down the stairs. "You're so busy with her, someone's going to need to take care of the other one."

"Hey, I will have plenty of time for both of them," Zoro rebutted. Nami and Usopp split up to start checking the different rooms on the lower level, while Zoro and Luffy made their way towards the bow.

"Yeah, I still want to be a better father! That's the second-best thing to be!" Luffy smiled. "Hey, he's going on his first adventure too, huh? You and your big sister get to go on an adventure together!" Luffy chuckled, and Zoro smirked to himself, before glancing around at the dented walls and sagging rafters.

"I'm just glad it's a relatively safe adventure. I mean, nobody's here, the worst that could happen is something falling on one of them."

"You're right. This is a safe adventure!" Luffy smiled thoughtfully for a moment. "That's boring. Let's make it more fun!" Luffy reached and grabbed onto one of the rafters and began swinging from beam to beam like a spider monkey on crack. Zoro groaned and chased after him.

"Get back here, you idiot!" Usopp laughed as Zoro tore after Luffy.

"I'm surprised how limber he still is!" Usopp chuckled to Nami as he rejoined her in the corridor. "He's gotta find that hard!" He waited for her to joke back, but realized that Nami was not smiling. "Hey, you okay? You look a little down in the dumps."

"Yeah, fine," Nami replied, brushing him off. "I'm just disappointed we haven't found any treasure yet." She moved for the next door, and turned the handle. "It's locked. Usopp, do you have an Impact Dial? I bet with just a little tap, we could break this door down."

"Sure thing." Usopp pulled out his dial and placed it in the center of the door. "I just can't remember the last time I used it." He steadied himself as Nami stepped back, staring firmly down his nose at the point of the shell. He frowned pensively for a moment, before looking back to her. "Do you want to do it?"

"Just do it!" Nami snapped. Usopp groaned, braced himself, and tapped the shell's tip. The door flew back and crashed into the outer wall of the ship, and Usopp screeched and grabbed his shoulder.

"Damn it, I think it's dislocated!"

"Oh, be a man!" Nami snapped, striding past him into the open room. She began digging through drawers. "Weird, there's nothing in here. No sign of ever being used by Marines, at least not for a long time. Somehow, this feels wrong." She frowned pensively, before returning to Usopp. "Come on, let's go find where Destruction-boy is."

Luffy had made his way to the bow hull, with Zoro close behind. The hull was up on the rocks already and they could see through the holes in the floor to the waves below. There was already a fairly large vertical fissure going down the center of the keel, and Luffy was scratching his head curiously. Zoro had his hand on the hilts on his sword, tapping each pommel with his index finger in a silent game of "eenie-meenie-miney-moe." Finally, he selected one and pulled it out. "Luffy, I'm going to try and make that crack bigger, but we shouldn't split it completely. Punch it about four feet from the ceiling."

"Okay!" Luffy grinned. He swung back his fist and slammed it into the keel, cracking the whole front of the ship. Zoro dug his blade into the crack in the wood, and there was an audible groan as the ship shuddered.

"Hey, what are you idiots doing?" Franky's voice crackled through the Den-Den Mushi.

"We are breaking the ship!" Luffy chirped.

"No, no, no, starting at the bottom is a bad idea! Go to a higher level!" Franky snapped.

"Fine, we will," Zoro grumbled. "Let's head upstairs."

"Mmm, Zoro," Luffy groaned softly. "Could you help me up?"

"Eh?" Zoro looked, and saw Luffy standing still and shivering, his head hung and his fists clenched.

"I think the blow shook back through the rest of me."

"Idiot," Zoro scoffed. "I told you, this was bad for you! You get to go sit with Gilly now." Zoro picked Luffy up and slung him over his shoulder, as Luffy scowled coldly.

"Jerk."

"It's not my fault you're a rock-headed idiot," Zoro snapped. "I'm protecting my kid."

"I need to finish this. I am still useful. I do not need to stop," Luffy mumbled as Zoro squeezed him tight and hauled him back up to the main deck.

"Stop talking like that. You are still useful, damn it! But if you take risks like this, you're going to lose the baby, and that's just about the worst thing I can imagine! For the sake of the baby, you have got to stop!" Luffy still grumbled under his breath as they ascended the stairs. The wind had begun to howl outside, and the ship was creaking under them. Zoro felt a twinge in the back of his mind that something was not right, but he pushed it aside and made his way topside. Robin had removed most of the minor deck structures while sitting and playing "I-Spy" with Gilea, leaving it barren. Zoro set Luffy down beside Gilly. "Robin, he doesn't move."

"I will try to enforce that, but surely shall fail," Robin replied coolly.

"I'm starving," Luffy muttered, folding his arms and scowling like a child. "That's the only reason my tummy hurt. I'm hungry."

"Don't bullsh- lie to me." Zoro caught his tongue when he remembered Gilly. "Stay here. I do not want you to get hurt. I care about you, damn it." Zoro placed his hands on Luffy's shoulders, but Luffy pouted and looked away. Zoro rose and went to the main mast. He thought for a moment, scratching his chin, before picking up the Baby Den-Den Mushi. "Franky, can you send Sanji over?"

"Tell him I'm not going over there," Sanji was heard to say in the background.

"He's being a pain in the ass. Sorry," Franky said aloud into the receiver.

"Damn. I could use someone to break the masts and keel, and Luffy's out." Zoro turned back towards the hatch, as he heard Chopper begin to complain to Franky. "Oi, Usopp! Get out here, I could use some explosives!"

"Coming!" Usopp rushed out with Nami close behind.

"Zoro, something seems wrong here," Nami said. "We should gather ourselves and head back to the ship."

"What do you mean, something seems wrong?" Zoro frowned. Luffy listened too.

"The ship's too clean for a wreck, and it seems too conveniently placed," Nami replied, folding her arms. "We should get the hell off and take the other route. Braving a storm would be better than waiting for a trap to be sprung!"

"A trap?" Luffy leaned forward.

"Yes, I think this is a trap and we need to get away from here," Nami informed him sharply.

"Okay. Robin, take Gilly back to the Merry!" Luffy smiled. Robin nodded and took Gilly up into her arms. As she moved to climb down, the wind blew harshly, and rain began to blow down with it. Robin held her close, waiting for the wind to die down before beginning her descent.

"Are you sending the girls back?" Sanji's voice was heard. "Nami, you go too!"

"Luffy, go with them," Zoro instructed calmly. Luffy shook his head.

"I don't want to leave, but Gilly should, and Robin can drive her back. Nami, if you don't want to stay, you should go back too, but send Franky! We need to break this boat!"

"Quit being stupid!" Zoro snapped.

"But… I'm the Captain," Luffy grumbled, folding his arms.

"You should be taking a break!" Zoro snapped. "I have no right to order you around as a crew member, but as your partner, I want you to keep yourself safe!" The wind picked up again, the waves crashing against the hull, and there was a loud crack. There was a terrible groan below them, and the deck began to split apart. Usopp grabbed onto Nami, and Robin held Gilly tight. Zoro sharply turned to the others. "God- Robin- get her out of here!"

"Guys! There's a Marine ship coming towards you! Everybody get on the Mini-Merry and come back towards us! I'll move the ship closer!" Franky roared into the baby Den-Den Mushi.

"Oh god," Nami gasped. "It is a trap." Through the fog of the storm, a schooner could be seen approaching.

"Attention, Straw Hat Pirates!" Helmeppo's voice could be heard over a loudspeaker. "This is Petty Officer Second Class Helmeppo! Do not be alarmed. Our first test of Sea Shifter- Model Tempest has commenced! Prepare for winds at speeds of up to 75 miles per hour, exceeding the force of a hurricane!" There was a bang, and Zoro could see a large dial being turned on the Marine ship's deck. The wheel turned, going up, and dropped suddenly. The sea shook, the waves rose, and rain came down in sheets. The wind rose again, and part of the ship they were on was torn away. Zoro looked to Gilly for a split second, as Robin wrapped more arms around her.

"Take care of Luffy," Robin told him, barely audible over the sound of the wind, keeping the calm in her voice. She began to stretch out a bridge of arms back towards the Thousand Sunny as it came closer. The ship they stood on broke again, and Sanji, Chopper, and Brook came to the side closest to the wreck.

"Luffy, try to jump over here!" Chopper wailed. Luffy took a running start, and Zoro looked back at him.

"Luffy- don't!" Zoro yelled, moving towards him as he jumped towards the ship, stretching his legs out to try and reach. Zoro tried to grab Luffy's hand, but he slipped. As Luffy's other leg left the ground, part of the wreck's deck suddenly tore off the side in another massive gust of wind and caught Luffy in the side. Luffy yelled aloud as it hit him, and he was carried off into the wind. His scream could be heard echoing as the bit of wood he clung to vanished into the distance.

"Luffy!" Zoro shouted, as the ship they stood on broke apart even more.

"Sanji- take this!" Usopp saw Nami reach into her pocket and rush towards the edge of the ship. She threw something across the divide as Usopp caught her around the waist. Sanji managed to catch it, and he leaned forward.

"Get over here! You'll be blown off too!" Sanji shouted. Nami moved towards him, but Usopp grabbed her.

"You'll fall into the ocean!" Usopp wailed. There was a resounding report, and the deck of the ship fell in. Zoro managed to grab onto the mast, Usopp grabbed onto a sheet of wood, and the wind caught them.

"Sanji!" Nami called. "I'm sorry!" The wind swirled, with force that could crush them. Robin cried out, and Zoro barely turned in time to see the crisscrossing fleur of her bridge break and the wind carried her and Gilly off.

"Gilea!" Zoro shouted, staring at her vanishing form. He felt like the bottom of his heart had dropped out, and he didn't know what to do.

"Zoro, hold on!" Franky drew back his fist. "I'll grab onto you!"

"Get the Sunny out of here! I'm going to try and find them!" Zoro yelled back. "We have to find the others! We don't move on until we're back together!"

"Don't be a dumbass!" Sanji snarled fiercely. "You'll get yourself killed!"

Zoro simply shook his head. "I owe them this much!" He unfolded his arms and kicked back from the mast. The wind caught him in the chest, and Zoro forgot how to breathe as the tempest claimed him.

Sanji's knuckles were white as he gripped the railing, and Chopper was wailing and panicking. Franky set the Sunny on a Chicken Voyage, propelling them backwards as fast as its mechanisms could carry them. "Franky, what the hell are you doing?!" Sanji snapped, moving towards him.

"Exactly what Zoro said." Franky gritted his teeth. "They're far away from here now, and if we stay, those Marines are going to take us too!" Sanji pulled at his hair.

"No! Damn it! Nami! Robin! Luffy! God damn it, you fucking idiots, come back!" Sanji screamed, but his howls were as pointless as if he'd never said anything at all.

* * *

"Petty Officer Coby, report," Smoker requested calmly from the deck of his ship fifty miles away from the scene of the tempest.

"Mission is a success, sir," Coby replied somberly. He sat slumped in the control room of his ship, not looking at the Den-Den Mushi or the screen Smoker appeared on. "The pirates were lured to the decoy, more than half boarded. They were all sent away. They should be in a radius of at least thirty miles of the given point, though we're not sure if they're dead or alive. Their main ship survived, however, and we know there are at least two members on it."

"That's good enough, Coby. We'll join you soon, and begin the body count," Smoker replied, frowning and looking away. "It's not what I usually like to do, but if we can bring those war criminals in, it will all be worth it."

* * *

**End Notes:** Questions? Comments? Complaints? Review!

I love reviews! Reviews make me happy! Reviews make me work faster!

PS: Since I've broken my long-standing writer's block, updates might come a little faster! Expect the next chapter next week!


	9. Dividing By Zero

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes: **A few review responses before we continue!

The lovely poztedeluz has done another lovely fanart of Gilly, Luffy, and Zoro! Follow the rabbit by removing the spaces: http: //poztedeluz .deviantart .com/ art/ Plastic-pool-160168735

LunaticV: Luffy got swept off on a chunk of wood, so I imagine he's going to hold onto it for dear life. As for Luffy being reckless… he's Luffy, he just likes to have fun. We're talking about someone who didn't realize Drum Island was cold until he thought about it. As for Usopp… hmmm. He might have been trying to prove himself, or at least thought that going onto the shipwreck to help destroy it wouldn't be terribly dangerous. (He was wrong!)

MooglesTookMyHeart: Coby? Aw, I actually like Coby! He definitely feels a little bad about breaking up the Straw Hats like that.

**Disclaimer: **I still own nothing, but I like to mess with it anyway!

**Chapter 9: **Dividing By Zero

**Suggested Track: **"The Sheep Song," Dresden Dolls; "Set the Fire to the Third Bar," Snow Patrol

There was no light. There were no stars, no moon. There was no sun. Night is to day as moon is to sun, school is to work as beach is to fun. F-U-N, eff yew enn. Fuh-oo-nn. There was no land, no sky, just a world that was completely blue and the rock she sat on. No school. No beach. No sun or moon. Was there even air or water? Gilly chewed her fingers as she stared around helplessly. She had awoken on Robin's chest, and it was already dark when she opened her eyes. Robin seemed to be sleeping silently beside her, breathing very slowly. Her clothes were soaking wet, her shoes and ribbons were gone, with her hair sitting in soft waves that covered her ears and neck. She still had her sword strapped to her back, but it had broken in half. She had no idea what had happened, and she didn't want to wake Robin and ask because that would be rude. She did not want to be rude.

Finally, the sun began to make itself apparent over the horizon, and the fog faded a little. They were on a big rock, surrounded by water for as far as she could see. She gawked silently at the detritus that floated around them, chunks of wood and sheets of metal. At it became brighter, Gilly decided that even if it was rude, she wanted to know.

"Auntie Robin?" Gilly reached and shook her arm gently. "Auntie Robin? Where are we? Do you know where we are?" Robin was still. Gilly noticed dried blood on the rock and the right side of Robin's head. "Auntie? Please wake up. Do you know what happened? Where's Daddy and Daddy?" There was fresh blood on the side of Robin's head too, sluggishly dripping from an ever-more-visible gash above and behind her ear. "Auntie Robin? Please wake up. Please wake up. Auntie Robin!" She began to cry. "Auntie Robin, wake up!" Gilly shook her over and over. Robin's chest rose and fell, her head still bleeding, her heart still beating, and Gilly cried and cried as she slept on.

She cried and she cried and she cried.

* * *

"Nami, wake up." Usopp shook her chest nervously. He had managed to stay conscious, but Nami had been knocked out against the board they had clung to. He had paddled them to the nearest island, laid her on the broken boards so she could sleep, and went into the island's wilderness to search for food. Now, with the day apparent and no food to be found, he decided to try and wake her again. "Nami, come on," he plead with her limp body. "Tell me you're awake."

"Hmm? Sanji?" Nami opened her eyes, two dull slits, and she immediately covered them.

"Ah, good, you're alive!" Usopp sighed with relief. Nami sat up, rubbing her forehead.

"What a nightmare," she moaned.

"You're telling me!" Usopp laughed sharply, and Nami looked around. They were on a sandy strand of beach, and it was still pouring rain. They were surrounded by wreckage and washed-up seaweed, and there was nobody else there. "We're alive, though. That's what's important."

"What about the others? Sanji? Luffy? Zoro? Robin?" Nami's eyes darted around in a panic.

"I have no idea," Usopp confessed. "Sanji was still on the Thousand Sunny, and the others are god-knows-where."

"Is this a joke? Is this some sort of sick prank? Ha, ha!" Nami stood up, grinning madly, staring around. "You've made your point, Sanji! It's not funny at all! I get it! I'm an idiot! I'm reckless! Just come out!" Nami bit her lip, as though waiting for something. "S-Sanji?"

"Nami, he's not here, this is not a joke!" Usopp stood and throttled her. "Why are you saying those things?" Nami shivered, pressed her face into her hands, and began to rub at her eyelids. Usopp thought for a moment. "What did you give to him? What was so important that you had to risk your life to give to him?"

"His wedding ring!" Nami sobbed. Usopp let go of her and she collapsed onto her knees. "He got me a beautiful ring four days after we got married, but I was so selfish I barely even tried it on! I don't even have it now! I didn't get him a damn thing when we got married, so I tried to get him something for our anniversary. But- when Luffy started screaming outside our room, I got scared that we'd be caught! I wanted him to have his ring… I wanted to tell him before that… I'm an awful wife!" Nami shook her head.

Usopp's jaw may as well have been six feet below the ground. "Ann-anniversary?! Ring?! Married?! Wife?!"

"Yes, that's exactly it," Nami whimpered. "We've been married more than a year."

"I didn't know! Why didn't anyone tell me?!" Usopp squawked.

"We… we didn't tell anyone… because I'm selfish…" Nami pressed her palms into her eye sockets like she was trying to push her tears back. "We were going to have to tell everyone soon enough… I just didn't want to be treated differently."

"I didn't even know!" Usopp groaned, sinking back to the ground and resting his head in his hands. "If I had… I… I would have tossed you back to the Sunny!"

"It doesn't even matter… we had a huge fight… he wouldn't have caught me. I don't even know why he caught his present. I'm a terrible wife… Oh, god, I'll never see him again!" Nami began to cry uncontrollably. Usopp was taken aback.

"It… It's okay. It is, Nami! I bet, the second he saw our part of the ship blow apart, he jumped in after you! He'll probably swim the whole way here!" Usopp clenched his fists excitedly and jumped back to his feet. He pumped his fists into the air. "I can practically hear him right now! Listen! 'Nami-swan! Nami-swan! My darling tangerine! I'd swim a thousand oceans for you my beautiful, wonderful… wife…!'" Usopp stopped, because Nami had stopped. He looked down at her: her teary eyes, a tiny, tiny crack of a smile parting her lips. He unbuttoned his shirt, pulled it from under his overalls, and laid it over her shoulders and head for a raincoat. It only seemed to rain harder as he sat back down beside her to wait for the sky to clear. "They'll come for us, Nami. I know they will."

"It's not the worst part, Usopp," Nami whispered. "I've been ruined. You deserve to know that much. I… I have to tell you…" Usopp didn't know what to make of this, and they sat amongst the ruins with nothing to say, even as Nami doubled over and began to retch into the sand. Tears ran down her face, and she cried and she cried.

* * *

"_Sanji_?"_ Nami tapped the doorway to get his attention. Sanji was working on dinner for the crew, and he barely looked up when she entered. _

"_There you are," he grumbled. "Where were you? We could have used you. That damned kid is out of control."_

"_I'm sorry, I wasn't feeling well, so Robin told me to take a rest."_

"_Go see Chopper. I keep telling you. I've been worried about you, damn it," Sanji growled over his cutting board. "You were just laying around the whole time?"_

"_Sanji, I'm… I'm really not feeling well," Nami sputtered nervously. He scowled and scoffed quietly. "I… I need to talk to you. We need to talk."_

"_Well, we're alone now. We're talking. What is it?" Sanji demanded curtly over his cutting board. Nami glanced at the sloppy cuts of cabbage, uneven and crooked, and frowned._

"_If you're in a bad mood, then now isn't the right time." Nami folded her arms and looked at her feet. "We've barely even spoken all day, though not for lack of my trying, but I don't want to do this like this. Find me when you're in a better mood."_

"_You've already started. Get on with it," Sanji snapped. He put down his knife and began to wash his hands. Nami gaped._

"_What the hell is wrong with you?" Nami shot back, putting her hands on her hips. "Quit being a prick. This is serious!"_

"_I know what you're going to say!" Sanji growled. "You think we've been found out and Luffy's going to blab to everyone just because he was dragged away from your cabin door when he went into false labor-"_

"_What? No!" Nami gasped. "Robin told me she was sitting there, and Luffy went to her because he couldn't sleep and he saw she was awake. Luffy doesn't know a thing! Calm down. Let me talk!"_

"_Then what is it?" Sanji conceded, drying his hands on his apron before folding his arms and frowning at her. Nami studied his face for a moment and wilted in his gaze. _

"_This is hard," she sighed. "Please, stop looking at me like that. Sanji, I… I mean… You… me… we… I… I should have asked Luffy. He's better at this kind of stuff." Nami subconsciously rested her palm over her lower stomach. "I-I'm going to be sick again."_

"_If it's torturing you that much, get it over with," Sanji admonished, raising his brow. Nami gagged, but swallowed her bile._

"_F-fine." She looked him in the eyes. "I'm pregnant. It's yours. Are you happy?" Nami grabbed the wastebasket and heaved into it. The cigarette dropped from Sanji's lips._

"_What? How long have you known?" Sanji held the back of her shirt as she coughed and cleared her throat. _

"_Just today," Nami choked out, spitting one last time and going for a glass of water from the tap. Sanji scowled again._

"_How far are you?"_

"_I don't know."_

"_What do you mean, you don't know?" Sanji growled. Nami rinsed her mouth out and leaned against the counter weakly. _

"_I don't have any way of knowing. That little friend that is supposed to tell me I'm not knocked up once a month has never been consistent. Could be two weeks. Could be two months. The last time it came properly was more than seven months ago. Does that help at all?" Nami scowled at him._

"_Not in the slightest. Damn it, Nami!" Sanji paced as he lit up a fresh cigarette. "You know very well that we have been committing the act for over a year, and not once have we used protection! No protection. No baby-prevention. You could have caught the little bugger at any time in the past year! Hell, I wouldn't think that someone had to tell you that if you do the act that often, you should at least check every once in a while!" _

"I'm_ doing the act? _I'd _best check? What do you think your role in this was?!" Nami snarled. "This wasn't an immaculate conception, you know!"_

"_Are you kidding me?" Sanji barked. "I know very well it's half my fault, and hell, maybe I should have used a condom, but it's your damn body and you have to take care of it! I mean, come on! It's a kid, damn it!" Sanji extinguished one cigarette and quickly lit another. "What are you going to do?"_

"_What do you mean, what am I going to do?" Nami mumbled, dejected._

"_It's your body, and you're going to do what you want anyway," Sanji grunted. He took a long drag. "You're going to kill my kid, aren't you?"_

"_Oh, what the hell?!" Nami snapped right back. "It's my body, but it's your kid?!"_

"_You don't even wear your wedding ring, Nami! You don't want to admit I'm yours, how can I expect you to keep anything I gave you? Even a goddamn baby!" Sanji threw his hands up in disgust. "Hell, why did you even bother telling me?!"_

"_I wanted to talk to you and you're just yelling at me!" Nami cried._

"_I'm pissed off!" Sanji roared, putting his face close to hers and nearly pinning her to the counter. She could smell the smoke on his breath, and it almost choked her. "You know," he growled, lowering his voice, "this has to be the stupidest thing you've ever done."_

_Nami stared at him, shocked, studying the rage in his eyes. Cigarette smoke on his breath nauseated her and she couldn't think. Terror quaked her, and she would have thrown up if there was anything other than water left in her stomach. "You… you… I can't believe you," she whispered weakly. She pushed his chest back and stumbled towards the door. "I thought you'd be happy. Fuck you, Sanji." She ran, and he scoffed quietly and went back to work._

Sanji stared stupidly at the little jewelry box Nami had thrown him. After hearing his tale, Chopper and Franky were wailing and Brook had hung his head somberly. "That's… the last time we spoke. I'm such a damn fool. I was just so frustrated with Gilly and Luffy and the heat and everything that I treated the woman I love like dirt! I'm an asshole. I'm such a dick."

"Nami's having a baby and you're an asshole!" Chopper cried.

"I hate you so much, Sanji!" Franky bawled. "You're such a dick!"

"Is she wearing the special fat-girl panties yet?" Brook asked seriously.

"Shuddup!" Sanji snapped, before shrinking back. "She… she was only a little bigger. Just a little. Her waist only increased by five inches. Just a little bulge. No less." Sanji rubbed his eyes.

"That's very precise," Chopper sniffled.

"It's just one of those weird little things I can do, just knowing her measurements by looking… I didn't want to say anything! I couldn't care less if she gained weight, I didn't even want to mention it until after she told me she was… God." Sanji sadly opened the box again and rubbed the gold ring with his thumb, feeling the engraved windmill. "She spent money on me."

"Sanji, if she's showing that much, she's at least four months pregnant," Chopper pointed out quietly.

"F-four?!" Sanji squeaked.

"Well, yeah, but she could be a late bloomer," Chopper added cautiously. "Like you said, she could be six or seven months pregnant and just not be very big. The baby could be unhealthy or undersized, not to mention complications due to second-hand cigarette smoke inhalation." Chopper shivered, but kept babbling. "Low birth weight, higher risk of premature delivery, a whole host of genital defects including congenital heart defects, pulmonary disorders, even cerebral palsy- or placenta abruption or even miscarriage-"

"Chopper, stop!" Franky wailed, covering his mouth. Sanji had begun to sob into his hands, and he lit a second cigarette and crammed it into his mouth next to the first.

"Oh, god, Nami," he moaned. "We've lost everybody…"

"All the liddle babies," Franky sniffled.

"We've lost our captain, or navigator, our first mate, our sharpshooter, and our archaeologist," Brook recounted mournfully. "We might as well have tossed ourselves into the sea with them!"

"We can't do that," Sanji said softly. "We have to find them, we have to find them all."

"We gotta get 'em back! Liddle sis Nami!" Franky's nose and eyes were pouring like faucets. "Baby sis Gilly, and all the liddle babies that aren't alive yet!" Franky howled. "We need to get our crew back together!"

"We'll start by going back to where that one ship was destroyed," Sanji mumbled, lighting a third cigarette. "Maybe we'll find some clues to what directions things were carried. Things… people… happiness…" He slid his ring onto his finger.

"You know, if Sanji and Nami had not argued, Nami may not have gone onto that ship and she would still be here to help us navigate," Brook pointed out.

"Don't remind me!" Sanji moaned. "I miss her like hell. I miss the hell out of her. It's all my fault. Nami…" Sanji buried his eyes in his fingers and wept.

* * *

_From the Internal Monologue of the Stranded Captain Usopp_

She's pregnant. Oh god, she's having a baby. Shit, what do I do?! I mean, thank god I kept her from jumping across, because she would have fallen and then Sanji would have lost both of them! But she's going to be a mother! What am I supposed to do? I'm not her husband, there's no way I can tell her everything's going to be okay! She won't stop crying, no matter what I say. I need to do something! It's my duty now. She's always been stronger than me, but she's broken-hearted. This position feels so familiar to me, and I don't know if I can do it. Even if I have to, and I do have to... I, Captain Usopp, have to be the brave man of the sea now!

I just hope my knees will stop shaking long enough for me to do something. I feel like I should cry and vomit and beg for mercy, but that won't do anybody any good, let alone Nami. I'm going to do it, I'm going to help her somehow. I'll help Nami and the baby and we'll all be a crew again!

When it stops raining.

* * *

It was very sunny when he opened his eyes. It had to be at least midday. His stomach was empty, but somehow, still felt full. The sky was blue, with puffy white clouds that almost looked painted in drifting somewhere high above. It was hot, and he was already starting to sweat. He sat up, and one hand moved to his stomach.

"I look like I just ate," Luffy said aloud, "but I still feel really hungry. Hmm. I would like some mushrooms. Sanji!" He turned around, and realized there was nobody else there. "… A dream?" He scratched his head. "No, if this was a dream, I would be waking up in a barrel." He looked down at the sheet of plywood he was sitting on. "It's too real to be a dream. I remember now!" He grinned. "Yep! I'm not dreaming. I'm stranded." He smiled to himself, proud he remembered, until it hit him. "Stranded?! Damn!" He stood up and gazed all around. "Oi! Zoro! Zoro!" He spun around, his feet heavy from his swollen ankles. "Nami! Usopp! Sanji! Anybody!" He tilted his head back. "Brook! I know I'd see your ass from a mile away- if you had an ass!" He waited, but Brook's laugh didn't echo back. He dropped back into a sit. "Yep. Completely stranded. Damn." He looked down at his midsection. "Except for you. But I don't think you'll be able to help me at all." He thought for a moment. "I guess we need to talk."

Luffy began to trace little circles on his skin with his fingertips. "So, you were right again. I was wrong. Maybe if you were born when you said you wanted to be born, you wouldn't be here now. But you are still too small to be born. You probably would not have lived and that would have made me sad. Now, though, it looks like I'm not going to be able to take care of you, even if you are still inside me. There is no food out here, nowhere safe enough for you. You'll either starve because I'm going to starve, or get hurt because I'll be hurt. So, I'm really sorry, but you're going to die."

Luffy paused as though waiting for a response, sniffled a bit, and kept trying to explain. "It's not that I don't like you or don't want you. Really, I like you very much. And I have wanted you for months, ever since I knew you were alive. Except that's just it; you're not really alive. I need to go help the people who are actually alive now, even if you kind of feel alive and you're almost alive. I'm sorry. I'm very sorry." Luffy forced a smile. "I hope you get to go be born with a good mommy and daddy who will be able to keep you safe like Zoro says and love you a whole lot. I'm not a very good daddy at all. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Luffy rubbed his eyes and balled his fists at his sides. "Please don't cry."

* * *

"A voyage of idiots," Sanji muttered mournfully to himself. "I called them all idiots. If we never see them again, the last thing I said to them was that they were idiots."

"I should have gone with them," Franky moaned, digging his fingernails into his scalp. "I could have saved them. I am the worst man this week."

"I've never even once seen Robin's panties!" Brook bemoaned.

"And what good am I to my patients?" Chopper whimpered. "I said I'd protect Luffy and the baby, and I have to take care of everybody else too!"

"We suck," Sanji decided, and all four sighed.

"Hello? Sanji? Franky? Somebody?" They all looked up when they heard a familiar voice.

"Zoro?" Chopper jumped up. "Zoro! Where are you?"

"I… I'm not really sure," Zoro's voice replied, and Brook looked to the Den-Den Mushi on the table. He picked it up.

"Zoro, are you injured?" Brook asked gently.

"I have never been happier to hear your voice, Brook," Zoro replied. Even the Den-Den Mushi looked weary as it mouthed Zoro's words. Chopper, Sanji, and Franky got close to it.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Franky leaned in.

"I think… I fell into the eye of the storm. I got pushed around in the air, but I got smacked in the ribcage and fell. I can't really move, I don't want to break anything. I'm still at the shipwreck, I'm on some flotsam under part of the ship. I think I can still see the Mini-Merry on the other side here. I'm just so lucky I had this thing on me… I need help… Wait. No. The others. Find Luffy first. We need a captain…"

"Don't be stupid!" Franky growled. "We're coming to get you!"

"Zoro, stay still!" Chopper instructed. "We were headed there anyway!"

"No, I'm telling you, Luffy, and Gilly. The priority chart, guys. The ration chart. That's how important everyone is," Zoro mumbled. "I'm at the very bottom. You guys don't need me."

"Of course we need you!" Chopper wailed, clinging to the receiver until Sanji snatched it.

"Stupid," Sanji hissed into the speaker. "It's not all about you. We need the Merry too."

"Is there a lot of wood there?" Franky asked tentatively. "I can build another small boat."

"And we need another able body to help search," Brook added. "After all, I don't have a body at all! Yohoho!"

"And of course we care about you too, Zoro!" Chopper squeaked. "I miss you! I miss everybody!"

"Okay, if that's what you're going to do. I'll be here. I won't move at all," Zoro murmured. "I can't anyway."

"You can't move? Oh no… Your voice sounds faint," Chopper whimpered.

"Everything's gotten kind of fuzzy. I'm going to take a nap. Zoro, out." There was fuzz on the other end of the line, and Chopper cried out.

"Zoro! Zoro!"

"He said he was out, he must be out," Sanji muttered, as Franky rushed on deck to the wheel.

"The rescue mission begins now!" Franky declared bravely. Chopper and Brook nodded firmly, and Sanji bowed his head.

"Give me a god to pray to, because I have nothing else."

* * *

Gilly could wait no longer for Robin to wake up. She took a long piece of wood from the sea and stretched out to touch a chunk about the size of a picnic table that bobbed on the nearby rocks. She managed to tap it and drag it closer, and, with some effort, rolled Robin off the rock and onto the slab. She jumped onto it beside her and pushed off the rocks using her long piece. "It's okay, Auntie Robin. We have a raft and an oar, and we will go find everybody. I'm a pirate, after all." She began to row out into the vast, foggy blue.

* * *

**End Notes: **The next few chapters are going to be a little complicated, as I'll be moving between the situations of the different characters as they are spread out across the Archipelago.

Questions? I'd be happy to answer them!

Comments? I love them!

Concerns? Let me know!

Review! Reviews are super-happy-fun-time-good!

Look for chapter 10 next week!


	10. This Isn't a Pirate Ship

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** Hello my candies! This week's chapter is a little bit shorter than usual, but it's okay because the last few were a little long.

In addition, the scenes are going to start switching around a little more to cover the separated Straw Hats. I hope everyone is able to keep up, but if you think I should adjust things, please let me know!

I hope you all enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything. If I did, then there would be no Ivankov and Boa Hancock would be a lesbian.

**Chapter 10: **This Isn't a Pirate Ship

When Franky dropped anchor near the site of the wreck in the early morning mist, his heart sank to look on it. There was almost nothing left of the ship that had blocked their path before, just a few chunks of siding and the mast bobbing in the rocky seas. The Mini-Merry was there, with only a few dents and one thin crack down the starboard side. Franky took up a pair of binoculars, as Sanji strode onto the deck. "You look like hell," Franky remarked, before starting to survey the wreckage. Sanji's hair was uncombed, his stubble unshaven, and his clothes disheveled.

"I didn't sleep at all last night," Sanji muttered, and began to take a look over things himself. "Goddamn mess."

"Yeah. Brook's going to make a run for the Merry," Franky replied. Sanji nodded, and leaned against the railing. He heard footsteps behind him, and suddenly saw the long-legged skeleton soaring through the air over him. Brook dashed over the water towards the Mini-Merry, his low density keeping him aloft, and as Brook landed in the cockpit, he waved back towards the main deck. Franky gave him the "OK" sign. He revved the engine and sailed into the midst of the destruction.

"Zoro!" Brook called eagerly. "Where are you?"

"Brook?" Brook looked up when he heard a response. "Follow my voice. I'm under… something. I can't tell." Brook drove the Mini-Merry forward towards a fairly large chunk of hull. He could hear Zoro's voice coming through a hole in it. He lifted it off, and there lay Zoro, flat on his back on a wide strip of metal. Zoro was breathing slowly, his shirt shredded and umber with his dried blood, and he managed a toothy grin. "Good to see you."

"As it is you," Brook replied evenly. He picked up the Den-Den Mushi sitting beside him. "Chopper! I've found Zoro! What shall I do with him?"

"Transfer him onto the Merry very carefully!" Chopper squeaked, and Zoro could hear that he was crying. "Be very careful with him, I'm afraid he might have broken something important!"

"I'll be okay, really. I could use some sleep though." Zoro cracked a sliver of a smirk, but his gaze didn't shift.

"Try not to shift his back at all!" Chopper added. "If he's messed up his vertebrae, then jiggling them around could paralyze him permanently!"

"I'll keep him as straight as a bone," Brook replied, chattering his jaw nervously. He picked up the whole platform and carefully balanced it on the back of the Mini-Merry.

"Thanks, man," Zoro managed weakly. "I feel like shit."

"You look worse," Brook replied very seriously.

Brook carefully sailed into the Soldier Dock and turned off the engine before they even got into the port. Chopper, in Heavy Point, watched the Mini-Merry carefully to ensure there was no movement below him, before carefully picking the platform Zoro was on up and carrying it very evenly up the stairs to the infirmary.

"Where does it hurt?"

"My chest, upper thighs, and my head. Especially the back of my head. I think… I lay flat too long." Zoro was forcing a wide-eyed smirk. Chopper glanced down at him for a brief pitying second.

"Your eyes are red and bloodshot. Did you get seawater in them?"

"Yeah, sure." Zoro grinned a little wider. "Let's say I got water in them." He choked under his breath, and Chopper looked at him again. Seawater seemed to be leaking from his lower eyelids and streaming down his cheeks. Chopper's lower lip wiggled, and he looked away as Zoro babbled on. "I couldn't help them. I watched it happen. I can't imagine anything worse…"

* * *

"Fourth verse! The eastern islands are… rainy!

Pitter-pitter-patter-patter, and their heads are getting wetter,

And they're all idiots!"

Gilly raised her mournful voice high as she rowed on through the thick fog. She was damp with the humidity, tired already, and looking for something, anything, that signified other people. Robin was still laid out in a dead faint, motionless but for her shallow breaths. She had stopped bleeding, though her hair was matted. Gilea didn't know what she could possibly do further. She was thirsty and hungry, her arms were tired, and very, very lonely. She whistled into the air, and jumped as she heard a response- the horn of a conch shell. She whistled again, and the shell blew back.

"Ahoy!" She called aloud, cupping her hands to make a loudspeaker. "Ahoy! Ahoy! Ess-oh-ess! Is there anybody there?" Her voice echoed off into the steamy fog, seemingly vanishing in the noise of the water, and she sighed and slouched. "All alone."

"Ahoy there, little miss." Gilly jumped and turned to see a small ship, maybe only four times the size of her tiny raft, emerging from the fog. It was shaped like a coffin, with a single seat and a black sail, and there was a lone man with hawk's eyes gazing down at her from the edge of the ship. "A swordsman?" He looked at her bamboo sword, and frowned. "No, a mere child. Can I help you with anything?" Gilly gaped at him. She remembered this from her father's stories.

"I'm gonna be a swordsman when I'm bigger… Are you Mister Mihawk?"

"I generally do not go by Mister, but, yes," Mihawk conceded, putting down his conch shell and resting his chin in his hands as he leaned off the side of the boat.

"You're a Shi-shi-bu-guy."

"Shichibukai." Mihawk didn't smile when he corrected her. "I am, yes. And you are?"

"Gilea." She stuck one thumb in her mouth and offered him her other hand. He shook it gingerly and retreated to a small chest at the stern.

"Let me see." Mihawk flipped through a large portfolio of posters, and finally selected one. "This Gilea?" He showed her the poster, and she nodded. He looked past her. "And that would be?"

"My Auntie Robin. She's hurt bad, Mister Mihawk. But you're a Shi-shi-bu-guy, which means you do not like pirates." She chewed her thumb nervously. "So, are you going to kill me or turn me in to the Marines?"

"Why would I?" He put her poster down.

"I got a bounty. You know that. That's my poster. Is that why you were looking for me?"

"I was not looking for you. No, I only sought you because I was bored and heard a voice much like your father's." He stretched his arms out, still lazily staring down at her. "I was surprised to instead find a young girl…"

"Then you will kill me because I am a swordsman… Daddy says that swordsmen will duel me if he is not there, because I am a swordsman, even though I do not have a sword, and I am very small." She looked at her inwards-turned feet, shaking like a leaf.

"Tsk." Mihawk scoffed quietly as he studied the shivering girl. "Small? You wish to be a swordsman when you are larger, you say. Young lady, you seem knowledgeable of my reputation, so take a look at this." He held up the cross on his neck and unsheathed the blade. Gilly looked up and tilted her head. "This sword is no bigger than you are. Do you know what I did to your father with it?"

"You messed him up good!" Gilly responded as she rubbed her sore arms, and Mihawk nodded to confirm it.

"Indeed I did. All you lack is experience, not size. It is the spirit behind the blade that matters most. Now, come." He held a hand down to her. Her jaw fell.

"What are you going to do?"

"I am going to take you onto my boat."

"Are you going to kill me now?" Gilly whimpered.

"To duel an inexperienced, unarmed child? Out of the question. Most unsportsmanlike. An utterly meaningless victory. Boring, too." He grabbed her hand and easily lifted her onto his boat. "No, we shan't duel. You shall come with me."

"Auntie Robin!" Gilly whimpered, pointing back at Robin on the bobbing raft. "Auntie Robin is hurt very bad, Mister Mihawk, I'm afraid she'll die!"

"I am not a doctor," Mihawk replied curtly. "But I will take her too. It would be most unbecoming of a gentleman to leave a lady in the lurch." Mihawk leaved over and shifted the raft to the starboard side so he could reach Robin's body, and carefully lifted her onto his boat. He lay her in the shade and covered her with part of a spare sail. "There, now. I will take you somewhere where you can be found by the appropriate individuals." Mihawk pulled anchor, and the raft began to drift on a quick current. Gilly watched the tiny raft and makeshift oar vanish into the fog, and turned back to Mihawk.

"Thank you, Mister Mihawk. I am indebted to you." Gilly bowed at the waist.

"Did your father teach you that?" Mihawk cracked a smirk.

"No, Auntie Nami did. She said I should show good manners to anyone who can whup me." At this, Mihawk tossed his head back and laughed, and Gilly giggled nervously.

"A most wise piece of advice! How sagely you are for a toddler." He rested his hand on her head, seemingly observing her face. "Watch the waters, stay by the steering mechanism. If there is a rock, say something, but I have never had trouble on this path before."

"Gotcha," Gilly agreed, though she did not know what a mechanism was.

"I will craft a sword to befit a swordsman of your size. Call it my gift to the New Era." He walked to his chest and started digging through sets of swords which he'd seized from the men he'd defeated. Gilly sat on the ground, occasionally peering around to watch him. He had defeated a lot of men. He finally selected a fairly thin katana with a short handle. He tested the weight thoughtfully, and laid it down. He pulled his large blade and sliced the sword about one-third of the way down from the tip. Gilly gasped at the sparks that sprung from the steel cutting steel, but Mihawk was unfazed. He then took a whetstone and sharpened the edges, polishing the new point very carefully. Finally, he set it over one of the green candles on the corner of his raft, sharpening it over the flame. Gilly couldn't help but gape as he seemed uninjured when his hand flew through the flame.

Robin stirred and awoke at the shockwave when Mihawk sliced the sword, but froze when she saw Mihawk through her blurry vision. She held very still and tried to analyze her situation. She could feel her head throbbing with pain, though it was healing, she didn't know where she was, and she saw Gilea watching Mihawk from the middle of the deck. She closed her eyes as she felt a jolt of fear, and she felt Mihawk's eyes rest on her. What, she wondered, would he do to the little swordsman? What would he do to _her_?

"Young Gilea, this is your new weapon." He handed her the refinished sword, and she took it in her hands.

"It's amazing, Mister Mihawk! Thank you very much!" She bowed again, and Mihawk smiled evenly.

"The question is, what will you offer in exchange for my gift?"

"I guess you have done me a lot of favors for no good reason. I don't have anything, though." Gilly hung her head. "I have my clothes. Would you like my clothes?"

"I would not let you run naked," Mihawk refused. "And what would I do with them?"

"The only other thing I have is my own sword," she mumbled. "But I bought it for me with my own pocket money! I know that this sword might be better because it's real and it's not broken… but my spirit is in this sword!" She showed him her cracked bamboo sword. "You said it was spirit, right? I know this will never hurt anyone, but this is my spirit."

"I understand. Keep your swords, young Santoryu." Mihawk chuckled and shook his head. "I will request instead a photograph of you and a mark."

"Is that all? Okay. I agree!" Gilly nodded. Mihawk nodded, and took an old camera from his keepsake chest. He set it on his chair, and turned back to her as she strapped her new katana right next to her bamboo katana.

"Do not expect such courtesy next time we meet, Roronoa Gilea. It will be several years, but next we chance meet, I expect you will be more sporting." He frowned, thinking for a moment. "Let me see. I suppose that you may be ready to stand before me in…" He paused, turning away from her, but suddenly turned around with his dagger in hand. Gilly pulled her new sword and blocked. She staggered under the force of his blow, but she lasted two full seconds before tumbling to the ground. Mihawk sheathed his dagger and considered this carefully, as Gilea shivered and looked at her bruising knees as she stood back up. "Twelve…? No. Seven years, you are blessed with your father's quick recovery, and you have an instinct for it. If you continue at this rate, you will be on par with an average swordsman in seven years, and thus, if we met, I would be inclined to duel you. In twelve years, you will be on par with your father as he was when he challenged me."

"Then Mr. Mihawk, I hope we meet in thirteen years," Gilly said very earnestly. Mihawk simply chuckled.

"Of course, it would do poorly for my reputation were I to leave you completely unscathed. Young Roronoa, remove your shirt."

Robin nearly jumped from her false sleep at this request, but she managed to stay still. She opened her eye the tiniest sliver, just enough to see what Mihawk was doing. She had gotten tangled in her shirt in trying to take it off, and Mihawk finally helped her, exposing her skinny torso. Mihawk pulled his dagger again, and dug the tip in just above her heart. It was not deep enough to cause permanent damage, but it would leave a scar. Mihawk carefully carved a cross. Gilly bit her thumb to keep her silence, and when Mihawk finished, he tipped her chin up to force her to meet his eyes.

"You resist your tears. You are a child. An infant. You are allowed to cry."

"Daddy never cries!" Gilly retorted tearfully.

"I have seen him cry, child, I'm certain that he still does. He will today." Mihawk pulled needle and clean thread and began to stitch Gilly's wound shut. "This wound is for him, not you. He will feel your injury, and he will weep, for I am certain he shall be gone of you for some time yet. If a man does not long for his child, then his heart has surely been carved out already." Mihawk finished, and put Gilly's shirt back on her. She sat down on the edge of the raft and smeared away her tears. Mihawk picked up his camera and took a photograph of her as she held back her tears, and looked at the result. He wrote something on the back, and whistled. A falcon landed on his chair, and he tied the photograph to its leg and sent it off again. "We will reach our destination soon, young lady. Give yourself rest."

Robin could only wonder what he was doing.

* * *

Chopper had wrapped Zoro's entire torso in a cast. His back was not broken, but he had broken several ribs. Sanji hung over him as he awoke, staring down at his face coldly. "You were crying in your sleep."

"I was not," he muttered.

"Don't even bother trying to sit up. It's not a heavy cast, but you're not going to be able to bend your abdomen in it. Chopper said it'll take a few days for your ribs to reset. Of course, it takes a normal person's ribs a good three weeks, but you're a freak."

"Yeah. Look, we really need to keep moving. We need to find Luffy."

"Nami," Sanji muttered. "We need our navigator. She's the expert, and we won't get anywhere without her expertise."

"Luffy is our captain. He makes all decisions. Saying otherwise is… mutiny." Zoro glowered.

"Luffy would want us to find Nami!" Sanji snapped. "We won't get goddamn anywhere without her!"

"Luffy would want us to find everybody!" Zoro shot back. Shouting made his chest hurt, he was forced to drop his voice. "You're just saying that because you're a skirt-chasing pervert!"

"How dare you pretend to understand me?" Sanji hissed, swinging his leg back. "You have no manners, you-"

"STOP IT!" Chopper roared, and heavy-point-Chopper sent Sanji out into the hallway with a good thwack. "Sanji, Zoro needs to recover before you two start fighting again!"

"Fine!" Sanji snapped. "I'm going to talk to Franky. We need to keep moving. We need to find Nami!"

"LUFFY!" Zoro roared, and then groaned in pain. Chopper whined and shut the door to end the confrontation. "This isn't a pirate ship," he panted. "This is a rescue boat. We need to find them all…"

* * *

**End Notes:** Next chapter will be up next week!

Please review! I'm going to be doing a reader poll soon, so I hope people pay attention to these endnotes!

Any suggestions? Review.

Any criticisms? Review.

Anything at all? Review.

Nothing at all? Still review!


	11. Shoot Me

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes: **I'll be honest: this chapter has perhaps one of my favorite scenes from the entire story. However, this scene breaks one of my few rules: I used a Japanese term several times. The term used is "okama." _Okama_ is Japanese slang for a gay man, usually implying an extremely feminine gay man. For example, Mr. 2 Bon Clay is an _okama_. I have elsewhere transcribed it loosely as "tranny," or a transsexual. I hope this makes things mostly clear!

**Disclaimer: **Have you seen it in the manga? Then I don't own it. All belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

**Chapter 11: **Shoot Me

"I know exactly why you are doing this!" Zoro snarled as he confronted Sanji. Chopper was right on his tail, crying wildly. It had taken Zoro two days to fully recover from his injuries, but his temper had only bubbled under the surface, building pressure. Now, the fight picked up exactly where it had left off. Chopper was halted at Sanji's appearance, as he had been before; he hadn't even bothered to comb his hair, and he looked like he hadn't slept at all. Zoro, however, couldn't give less of a shit. "You…"

"Why am I doing what, exactly?" Sanji grumbled around his cigarette. He looked far too exhausted to argue, and his tone betrayed it too. Zoro, however, did not seem to notice or care.

"You don't want to find Luffy. You don't want to find our captain, you… you mutineer!" Zoro's voice rose again. Chopper wailed and clung to Zoro's leg.

"Please don't do this!"

"Chopper, you- you know what this means to me," Zoro murmured to the reindeer. "But him!" He glared back at Sanji. "I know your problem. You don't like _okama_!"

"What the hell?" Sanji cocked his eyebrow, and Zoro raised his voice.

"On Alabasta! I distinctly remember you saying, 'I'm not interested in _okama_.' You know, I was always worried about this!" Zoro clenched his fists. "You think that because I'm Luffy's partner, we're just a couple of worthless _okama_ and you don't give a shit about either of us as human beings!"

"When did I ever say that? I just said I'm not interested in _okama_! You're not _okama_! It's a goddamn nightmare of mine to get trapped by a shitty queen!" Sanji glowered in wrath.

"Homophobic coward," Zoro growled. "Do you have it in for me and Luffy? You afraid of us?" Franky rushed in from the main deck at the sound of the argument, and Brook entered from the lounge to listen.

"Who are you to talk? You're not even man enough to call yourself 'gay' or Luffy's 'husband.'" Sanji got to his feet and moved closer to Zoro. "I have my reasons for wanting to find Nami first! We need a navigator, but you just want to find your goddamn lover!"

"You're afraid of me. You don't want me and Luffy to be happy, dammit!"

"I just don't like _okama_! I don't care what you guys do, you aren't _okama_!" Sanji snapped. Zoro's eye twitched, and none of the witnesses believed what happened next.

Zoro grabbed Sanji by the shoulder, pulled their faces close, and smashed Sanji's mouth against his in a kiss. Franky, Chopper, and Brook could only watch the look of pure horror on Sanji's face as Zoro kissed him, and Sanji tried to push Zoro off and squirm away. When Zoro finally let go, he stepped back from Sanji and put his hands on his hips.

"_O-_" Zoro shook his hips to the left. "_Ka-_" He lifted his back leg. "_Ma!_" Zoro did a ballerina pose reminiscent of Mr. 2 Bon Clay, juxtaposed against his purely dignified glare, much to the horror of all around him.

After a tense moment, he dropped his limbs and folded his arms, his expression completely serious. Sanji turned to Brook, Franky, and Chopper with a very, very, very sad face. He tried to mumble something, but finally dropped to the ground with a sickly look on his face. Zoro simply began to laugh, and Sanji groaned as Franky, Chopper, and Brook joined in. He got to his feet, still scowling, and glared at the witnesses.

"That… never leaves this room. I don't want to hear you tell anybody about that! And you! You're crazy!" He whirled back to Zoro. "You are made of so many kinds of crazy I'm pretty sure I met your mother when I was getting tail in the psycho ward!" Zoro continued to laugh at Sanji's stammered comebacks, Chopper was pounding the floor, Franky was laughing so hard he was bawling, and Brook's skull appeared to be spinning around. Sanji was making absolutely no progress in stopping them, so he switched tactics to intimidating them. "Hey! Shut the fuck up! Chopper, I'll cook you right now! Franky, I'll kill you too! And Brook, I'll take your jaw off with a pair of bolt cutters if you don't chill the fuck out right now!" The three of them quickly tried to clamp their mouths shut to regain control, letting only small giggles escape.

"Defensive, aren't you?" Zoro teased with a smirk. Sanji whirled back to him with a desolate look on his face.

"Why did you slip me the tongue?!" Franky, Chopper, and Brook lost it again, but Zoro maintained his composition with a smirk.

"To prove a point. I sure as hell didn't expect you to like it." Zoro held his head high. Sanji moaned and rubbed his eyes.

"I feel like I just cheated on my wife with a hippopotamus. And you're a shitty kisser!" Chopper, Brook, and Franky stopped laughing. Zoro scoffed, before looking up and tilting his head like a curious dog.

"Wife?" He turned back to Sanji. Sanji froze, and hung his head. "Wait, you're married? To who?" Sanji shivered, put his cigarette out and lit a fresh one, and Zoro glowered and advanced on him. Franky stepped forward to get between them.

"That's enough, both of you," Franky finally growled. "Now, you both have ulterior motives for wanting to save either Luffy or Nami first, and Zoro, look at me!" Zoro scowled and glared at Franky. "I built another boat out of the wreckage, so we are going to search for both! But I am not going to let you two argue like children over this!" Franky turned to Zoro first. "You. Why do you want to find Luffy first? Be honest!"

"Because he's our goddamn captain!" Zoro snapped. Franky scowled and tipped his sunglasses down his nose to give Zoro a disapproving glare. Zoro looked away. "And I love his dumb ass. And my kids, including the one he's got in him."

"Good." Franky looked over at Sanji, still scowling. "Sanji, why do you want to find Nami first?" Sanji was silent, glaring at the wall. Franky reached out and grabbed him by the nostrils and started to pull him forward.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Quit it!" Sanji pushed Franky off and rubbed his nose, before looking back to Zoro. "She's my wife, she's carrying my kid!" Zoro's eyes widened. He considered this silently for a moment, not knowing what to say. Franky heaved a massive groan.

"Okay. Now that this is all cleared up, it's time you two settled this like men." Franky reached into a high cupboard and took out two bottles of ale. He gave one to each, and pointed outside. Brook opened the door for them, and Franky glared when they hesitated. "If you two lay a hand on one another, I'll come out there and kick your asses." The two of them glared resentfully at each other, then Franky, back at one another, and stormed outside. Franky grumbled to himself, "Honestly, who gave those two the right to breed?"

Sanji and Zoro took a seat on either side of the foremast to look off at the ocean on both sides and not at all at one another, cracked their bottles, and each took a sip. They were silent for a few minutes. Finally, Sanji looked over his shoulder to Zoro. "It was last year, right before Brook joined up. You were asleep. We didn't really tell anyone. I guess you'd know about that." Sanji looked away with a very slight smirk.

"Yeah." Zoro didn't even jump down his throat at the taunt. "Makes you feel kind of stupid when it comes out."

"Damn right," Sanji muttered, wilting a little bit. "I feel like a total tool." Zoro sighed.

"So, she's pretty much _just_ conceived?"

"Not a clue. She just found out, but for all we know, it could be more than four months."

"Jeez." Zoro hissed under his breath. "Did you two try to prevent it at all?"

"Nope. Kind of stupid, really." Sanji sucked on his cigarette. "Like we were asking for it the whole time. We didn't even talk about it. We didn't plan this baby. I don't know if she even wants kids!" Sanji scowled at the ground. "I want kids. I want like ten kids. But we didn't plan this one!"

"Nor did Luffy and I, and I didn't even think I wanted a kid until I had one," Zoro muttered. "But let's agree, as men, that we need to take attempts to prevent future unplanned procreation."

"Agreed. Drink." The two clinked bottles over their shoulders and took a chug. They were silent for a few moments, and Sanji started again. "You lost them both. What the hell happened?"

"Ugh. Robin said she had Gilly, so I went for Luffy. But he just sort of slipped through my hands before I could grab him, and then Robin... I screwed up. I shouldn't have let him go on that ship in the first place, I should have tied him to the mast! But he would have been pissed off at me."

"Yeah… I was just being an asshole to let Nami go alone. We had this awful fight a few days before that. I called her stupid, she told me to go fuck myself, and we hadn't spoken since. At least you tried."

"No excuses," Zoro stated emptily.

"Eh. I'll drink to that." They tapped bottlenecks again and drank. "So, do we have kind of an understanding here?"

"Yeah, I got it." Zoro turned to look back at him. "Your wife, your kid. Luffy and my kid… and Gilly. God, Gilly." Zoro sighed. "It killed me to see her and Robin fly off like that. I hope she's still with Robin."

"Must suck," Sanji murmured. "Luffy went one way, Gilly and Robin went another… Hey. Gun to your head, who do you save? Gilly or Luffy?"

"Hm? What, in this game of yours, I can only save one?" Zoro grumbled, and Sanji nodded.

"Yup. Gun to your head, pick one. Gilly or Luffy. Or your son, if he's been born. Gilly, Luffy, or the boy."

"Gun to my head?" Zoro smirked. "Shoot me." Sanji chuckled softly at this.

"Right. I guess what we'll do is let you take the Mini-Merry and the Franky-Positioning-System receiver so you don't get lost. You can even use the homing autopilot once you've found them. We'll use the shitty rowboat for when we reach islands, and I think Franky's working on an outboard motor for it. Keep in contact with us. Find the captain. Find your kids. If you find Robin and Nami and Usopp, bring them back. Divide and conquer."

"Yeah, we'll get further in getting us back together if we split up to look," Zoro agreed quietly. The two men tapped bottles again and drank.

An agreement was made between men, and the search began. Zoro took his favorite photographs of Luffy and Gilly from his storage box and tucked them into his haramaki, and he left the Sunny on his own the next morning. Sanji, Chopper, Franky, and Brook continued on the Sunny, waiting for any good news.

* * *

"Here we are, young Gilea." Mihawk stopped the raft at a lush green island. Gilly peered over the side. Robin opened one eye, and closed it before Mihawk could possibly notice. "This is one of the more inhabitable places on this Archipelago. You will find fresh, drinkable water and some lovely, exotic fruit trees. I have already sent for a rescue boat that will get you back to your family." He took a plank and set it on the side, making a thin ramp to the shore. "You will disembark here."

"Okay. How will we get Auntie Robin off?" Gilly took up her little sword to ensure she had it strapped on. Mihawk smiled a small, devious smile.

"Nico Robin will not be coming with you. I have alternate plans for her." Gilly's jaw dropped. This, she had not expected.

"But- Auntie Robin! You're going to give her to the Marines who hate her!" Gilly protested. "Please don't take me away from Auntie Robin!"

"I will not give her over to the Marines. I don't think the way you were treated was fair. It was dishonorable and backhanded, and I found it distasteful. Therefore, I will be leaving her elsewhere. You will begin your journey here." Mihawk patted her head as she stared, open-jawed, up at him. Finally, she held out her hand.

"Promise you won't hurt Auntie Robin?"

"I promise." Mihawk took her hand and shook it gently. Gilly stepped onto the ramp and ran down it, holding her hands out to the side for balance. She turned and watched sadly as he shoved off, with Robin still sprawled near the back of his boat.

Once they traveled some distance from the island where Gilly was left, Mihawk went to Robin's side and leaned very close to whisper in her ear: "You may stop pretending now. I have known you were aware for two days." He dropped a canteen of water at her side. "You will die if you do not have some fluids, and I would not like to break my promise with the young swordsman due to neglect." Robin, knowing it was useless to pretend otherwise, sat up and drank heavily. Mihawk went back to the wheel. "In exchange for saving your life, I will expect you to have the courtesy not to take mine. I will be keeping my promise with the young swordsman and you will be left on another inhabitable island."

"Why do you insist on separating us?" Robin asked hoarsely.

"It is as I said. She has a journey to take from here, some things in the world that she must see alone, and I do not have the audacity to change the path Fate has set for her." Mihawk drove on, and he did not speak to Robin again.

A few hours after leaving Gilly, Mihawk stopped on another island. This one had a few ruined buildings on it. "This is where we part, Nico Robin." He set the plank in place. She got to her feet, though unsteady from her injuries, and steadied herself on the railing of the flatboat until she got to the ramp. Mihawk took her hand and stepped into the water to help her down the thin plank, his eyes fixed on her as she walked. He stood on the sand beside her, and when he let go of her hand, she collapsed to her knees. "This is a deserted place, and if you hide yourself well, you will not be found. Give yourself time to heal."

"Thank you, Lord Mihawk." Robin bowed her head. "Is there… anything… I can do for you?" She looked up at him without lifting her head. He shook his head.

"It has been a privilege to meet you. Behave yourself. I hope you are rescued before too long." Mihawk turned on his heel and left, and Robin dropped back onto the sand. She closed her eyes and tried to think. All she could do was wonder if Gilly was alright, and what had happened to the photograph of her.

She must have fallen asleep when she closed her eyes, because when she next opened them, it was night. She only awoke when she heard the distinct 'click' of a gun cocking in her ear and the clap of handcuffs closing on her wrists. She looked up to see Commodore Smoker in front of her.

"Good news, Coby," Smoker said over his shoulder. "We've got bait."

* * *

"Hello, birdie." Red-Haired Shanks chuckled softly as the falcon hopped around on his head like a little sparrow. It had woken him from a nap, but he didn't mind. "What do you have for me?" He reached up and took the capsule off of the bird's leg. He shook the paper out of it, and the falcon flew off. Shanks unrolled the slip of paper, and grinned. "Well, well!" He looked at it on both sides. "Well, well, well! Hey guys, come look at this!"

"What's up, boss?" Ben Beckmann looked up from cleaning his rifle.

"I got mail! It's awesome mail!" Shanks rushed over to where his three senior crewmen were sitting. "Take a look at this!" He handed the paper to Ben Beckmann. It was a photograph of a rather cute little girl with tears in her eyes and moss-green hair.

"Hmmm. What a face," Beckmann remarked, smiling a little, and he passed it to Lucky Roux. He let out a little peal of glee.

"Aww! I could just eat her up! What a cutie!"

"Damn right!" Shanks laughed. "Come on, who knows this face?"

"Oh, I'd know that face anywhere!" Yasopp slapped his leg. "I can almost hear that voice saying, 'Take me out to sea with you!'"

"I wonder why she looks so sad," Beckmann mused.

"It came from Hawk-Eyes, and I know why he sent it to me _and_ why she looks so sad." Shanks grinned. "Whose sad, pouty, 'Take-me-out-to-sea-with-you' face is that?!"

"Luffy!" The other three cheered.

"Except she's not pouting because she can't go out to sea. She's pouting because she got separated from her crew and she's all alone." Shanks flipped to the other side of the photograph to show a short note in red ink, written in neat print.

"Do you think the rumors are true, Captain? Could this really be Luffy's daughter?" Yasopp tried to look at her face again.

"Sure as hell looks like Luffy," Lucky Roux chuckled. "But it just breaks my heart to think of the poor little girl all alone! Is there anything we can do?"

"Yeah, we can't just leave her!" Yasopp insisted. "We should go get her!"

"We can't keep her, Yasopp," Ben Beckmann reminded him soberly. "We would have to return her to her father."

"Luffy doesn't need to know we're helping him, either," Shanks remarked, rubbing the scruff on his chin. "But still, Mihawk gave me coordinates of where he left her, and I'm not putting that information to waste. I'm going to check with a few of my contacts, and we'll arrange a little-girl relay!"

"Here's the plan. I've got a friend who's recruiting in that area, so I'll send him to her coordinates. He'll get her to an island another of our allies is using as a base, and from there, they'll get her to a crew who will get her back to her dad!"

"Sounds good to me," Lucky Roux agreed cheerfully with his captain.

"Those photos the Marines had were real. I wonder where Luffy got a kid," Beckmann mused, smiling to himself.

"Don't think too hard about the where, Ben. And don't think about where she got green hair either," Shanks tempted with a grin. Ben did think about it, and winced. Shanks burst into laughter. "And the best part is- rumors go, he's getting another one! Let's just hope we can get him back to his little girl really soon."

"Don't you want to meet the little girl too?" Yasopp wondered.

"I will, someday, when the time is right," Shanks chuckled. "Let's just see what path Fate leads us all on."

* * *

**End Notes:** "O-ka-ma!"

I laugh every time I picture Zoro doing that.

So, what did you think? Any questions? Comments? Concerns? PLEASE REVIEW!


	12. Treasure Hunters

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes: **Happy Children's Day, and happy birthday Luffy!

Unfortunately, I cannot give Luffy a present, so I will give one to you, my faithful readers: an early update!

It's not the best present ever, but it's the best I can do.

This chapter is comprised of several separate scenes, and as such, I could not pick a chapter name. So, there are three titles. Sorry. The listed chapter title… is the best I could decide on.

Please to enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **Watakushi, Ezra no Aoi wa jika no kotonashi. (I, Ezra the Blue, own nothing. I also apologize for the obscure Excel Saga reference and my nonexistent understanding of Japanese grammar.)

* * *

**Chapter 12: A Snowball's Chance/Have Mercy On Her!/Did You See Them?**

Gilly used a stick to trace her SOS into the sand, as big as she could think to make it. She drew the Straw Hat Jolly Roger in the middle of the "O." It was a pretty small island, but it had lots of shade and protection from the sun, a little fresh water spring, and lots of fruit trees. She thought she could live there for a while, but she was very lonely. She did not like being lonely. Even if it wasn't dark, it seemed very eerie with no other people around. There were a few colorful birds that would land to pick and eat the fruit, but they were not good conversation and they did not give good hugs. They did not, in fact, give hugs at all. As she sat on the shoreline, hoping someone would see her Ess-Oh-Ess, she decided that this bee-ee-ay-see-aech was absolutely no eff-yew-en.

Then, she saw the boat. She jumped to her feet and waved and screamed. "Help me! Help me! I'm here!" She jumped up and down, and finally squealed with joy when she saw they were coming towards her. The boat landed on the sand, and two men approached.

"This her?" One looked at the other. He held out a photograph, the same one Mihawk had taken of her.

"Yeah, that's her, gotta be her. How many kids have green hair like that? Cute little girl," the other remarked with a smile, and then looked directly at Gilly. "Hey, kiddo! Come on over here! We're going for a ride! We're taking you back to your dad!"

"Daddy!" She gasped. "You know my Daddy?"

"We know who he is," one of them said. "And we're going to get you back to him!"

"Yay!" Gilly jumped to pounce on one of the two pirates, and he caught her in the air as she hugged onto him. He laughed and carried her to the boat.

Gilly had not yet learned that it was unsafe to go places with strangers, even if they do tell you they will take you to your daddy. She was very fortunate that the men she had encountered did, in fact, intend to take her to her father. They sat her down and gave her a coloring book and a little box of crayons, and one man hoisted the anchor.

"Away we go!"

* * *

_From the Internal Monologue of the Brave Man of the Ocean, Sogeking_

It was practically overnight! I didn't expect it to be so sudden. One day, she was Nami, the navigator, the fiercely independent, the clever one who could turn any man to her will like she had thumbscrews on them. The next, she was Sanji's wife, and she was going to be the mother of his child, and she was afraid. Now, it's only been a few days, and it's obvious that she's going to be the mother of his child, and damn soon. Where the hell did that come from? She looks, God, like Luffy after lunch! I admit, I've never paid attention to Nami's waistline. (I always looked a little higher.) Now, I can't keep my eyes off of it.

Her clothes aren't fitting as well, and she's sick a whole lot. She used to be able to hide from us when she was throwing up everywhere, but where can she hide now? Even worse, she cries a lot, and it breaks my heart. She doesn't want to do anything. I can't really do anything for her except beg her not to cry, to try and tell her jokes. I might as well be talking to a stone. So, I've taken matters into my own hands.

This island doesn't have much by way of nourishment, but I managed to find some fruit trees and fresh-water spring, and I'm always sure that even if I don't, Nami gets to eat. I've been building a raft out of the wood that's washed up and vines I tore out of the forest. I fashioned an oar, too. I did some scouting, and saw another, larger island a few miles away. I decided that we have to keep moving so we might be able to find people and get help. There are no people here. Maybe there are people there. But there are definitely none here. Nami can't be moved to go, though.

That's when it started. I had to do it. I told her Sanji was there, I had seen him! I swore I had seen him, that he was looking for her, and she rushed to the raft.

It took a few days of rowing, especially with the current as rough as it was, but I managed to get us to the next island. It, too, was uninhabited. There was also no Sanji. Nami cried, she tried to hit me, she yelled at me for lying, but I swore to her that he must have gone ahead looking for her. He was desperate to find her, I said, I could even hear him calling her name at night. "Nami-swan! Nami-swan!" It kept me up all night. Not the shouting, the lying. I hate lying to her.

We walked across this island, resting often because her weight slows her down. I'm hoping we see another island, and another, and another, and we find a place with people and we can wait there safely for our crew. Nami needs that. She's just so sad all the time. I may not hear Sanji's voice, but I hear his name, because she cries;

"God, Sanji, I hate you, I can't believe you…"

Please stop saying that, Nami, I know you love him. It's why you keep moving. You can't lie to me.

I can see the next island in my binoculars. It's been more than two weeks since we were split from the others. It's further away, and it's going to be tough to get there. But all I want is to find some way to get us back to the crew. If we can keep going, that's all I need. I just want Nami to be happy again, because it breaks my heart to see how sad she is all the time. Nami, oh, Nami, she doesn't want to move, all she wants to do is stare at the ocean and cry. I have to keep lying to her, because I love her like a sister and I hate every second of this.

"Nami, Sanji's there. I'm telling you, he has to be there."

* * *

"Live for the living" was Luffy's new motto. He had spent three weeks rowing between islands on the tiny raft he'd landed on, paddling with his hands, yelling the names of his crew members until his lungs hurt. He didn't like being all alone. When he finally exhausted, which happened sooner and sooner each day, he would either lay flat on the raft with his head down so he didn't have to see the sun, and eventually drift to some shore on the current. If he had strength, he would try to dig for sand crabs, but he always failed. If there were any plants, he would eat them, if only because he was too oblivious to actually get sick from them if they weren't good for him. All he wanted was his crew and a plate of shiitake. Even the ever-slowing thrashing of his son wasn't enough to distract him from his mission. He hadn't even spoken to his child, blocking out his insistent cries in his mind, only shouting back:

"Live for the living!"

A lesser man would have died of dehydration a week ago. Luffy didn't have the courtesy to succumb. However, after three weeks of no decent food and very little water, he felt physically dry, and his blood felt sluggish. He managed to drag himself ashore to another unfamiliar shore and collapsed in the shade of a palm tree. He tried to remind himself that he had to survive, and he wanted to survive so badly, and his stupid body wasn't going to stop him. He did feel terrible. His skin felt stiff, dry, and a little less elastic than usual (which was nearly impossible for him!), his tongue was dry, and his abdomen was taut like a drum. Even though he hadn't eaten, his middle somehow looked bigger, the bulge more prominent on his withering from, and he tried to use its shadow to keep the sun from his eyes. Somehow, it felt more disconnected from him all the time, like an orb of flesh that he just happened to be following.

Hand over hand, he crab-walked himself up the beach, further into the shade, and heard a familiar sound- running water. He looked behind him and saw, in the center of the plants, a hole with water flowing from it like a vein from the Earth. He flipped onto his front and began to gulp it desperately. Water on his tongue and in his throat made him, somehow, feel a little alive again. He didn't realize that he was not alone on the island until it was too late.

"Straw Hat Luffy!" Luffy glanced over his shoulder to see a strange man watching him. If he had his head screwed on right, he would have recognized Helmeppo. He went right back to slurping up water. "I'm surprised you're alive! Stand up. You're under arrest."

"Gimme a sec!" Luffy held up a hand, gulped down his water, and finally pushed himself to his feet. He groaned as he rocked his stiff joints back into place. "Okay. What's up?" He looked at Helmeppo with a weary smile.

"Why don't you remember me?!" Helmeppo snapped. Luffy frowned, thinking for a moment.

"Oh, yeah. I remember you. You're that guy with the mushroom hair. You caused that storm that sent me flying. Okay." Luffy's smile flipped upside-down. "What's up?"

"You're under arrest, that's what's up." Helmeppo beamed, obviously very proud of himself.

"Oh." Luffy thought about this for a moment. "No I'm not. I've gotta find my crew. Where's my crew?" Luffy scowled again.

"Straw Hat Luffy, your entire crew is already under arrest." Helmeppo smiled slyly. "You're under arrest too. Come quietly now. Think about the baby." He began to laugh at this last statement, laughing harder and harder, as Luffy clenched his fists. "The b-baby!" Helmeppo patronizingly poked Luffy's middle, and Luffy quickly grabbed and constricted his hand around the fingers.

"You have my crew?"

"Y-yes!" Helmeppo stammered, still laughing as he tried to pull his hand out of Luffy's grasp. "They're all fine for now, though! You'll be reunited with them on the trip to Impel Down!"

"No, that's not where we're going." Luffy twisted Helmeppo's fingers back, and Helmeppo let out a squeal of pain. "We're going to find One Piece. I need my crew."

"S-Stop talking about it like you have a choice!" Helmeppo pulled a gun with his free hand. Luffy kicked his other wrist, knocking the gun to the ground.

"Let my crew go! Go let them out and bring them back to me!"

"Shut up! You can't order me around!" Helmeppo reached to pick up his gun, though Luffy still held his fingers in a vice grip, but as soon as he straightened up to aim at Luffy, Luffy grabbed his other arm and threw his foot as far back as he could. He put his foot right into Helmeppo's gut, and dropped him to the ground to let him spit blood.

"I'll do anything for them! I'll rip you limb from limb if you don't give them back!"

"C-calm down!" Helmeppo choked, sliding away from Luffy, who glared down at him with a look of hatred. Luffy grabbed him by the throat and stepped on his chest. "Th-think of your freaky little baby. If you keep struggling, you'll do it harm! If you keep resisting, you'll force us to do it harm!" Luffy, at this, released Helmeppo and began to shudder with rage, fists balled at his sides. "There you go." Helmeppo smirked, satisfied that he had calmed the beast. He managed to sit up, shaking out his still-purple fingers. "We'll be sure that little runt gets to Vice-Admiral Garp safely."

"Is that what this is all about?" Luffy growled. "To take my entire family? Start with my crew, and then my children?" He cracked his knuckles against each other. "If you're looking to steal this child, then you should know… this child is dead!" He slapped his belly hard, as if to demonstrate its hollowness. "I lost him! You already stole him from me!" Helmeppo's eyes widened and jaw fell.

"I… I mean… we didn't want it to die!" Helmeppo was lost for other words at he got back to his feet, shaking in place as Luffy's rage renewed.

"You broke my family! You might as well have cut him out and slit his throat yourselves! When you went to break us to pieces, you should have known that without a family, a baby doesn't stand a snowball's chance in hell!"

With this, Luffy punched Helmeppo in the chin. Helmeppo dodged left and right, as Luffy punched again and again. The air around them felt like he was firing bullets, full of gunpowder and tension. Helmeppo dodged around to Luffy's side to kick his hip, and Luffy whipped around to kick Helmeppo in the chest, knocking the wind out of him and bringing him down. Helmeppo tried to throw his hands up in defeat, but Luffy began to stomp on his groin. "My son! My son! You killed my son!" He roared it over and over, and Helmeppo kept screaming in pain. It was brought to an end when two hands grabbed Luffy from behind, taking his wrists and wrapping his arms around his chest. The hug felt odd to him, and he froze. "R-Robin?" Luffy looked over his shoulder, but it was not Robin embracing him.

"Let him be, Straw Hat," Tashigi whispered tearfully. "You have made your point." Luffy halfheartedly struggled against her grip, but somehow, her hug felt nice. He let her remove him from Helmeppo, giving him a chance to crawl away. Luffy began to wail aloud, turning to hug her as well out of his need for affection, and she patted and rubbed his back. "There are no words to express my apologies. There is no justice in the death of an innocent child. If we were to claim justice, we would be nothing but monsters and murderers." Luffy sobbed loudly onto her shoulder, unable to respond. Tashigi looked over his shoulder to Helmeppo. "Can you stand?"

"Y-yeah," Helmeppo muttered, pushing himself from his hands and knees to his feet.

"Helmeppo, did you see Straw Hat Luffy?" Tashigi asked pointedly, still squeezing Luffy tight as he cried like a baby.

"Yeah, what are you talking about?! He's right there! You're restraining him!"

"I don't see Straw Hat Luffy," Tashigi responded sharply.

"Y-you don't?" Helmeppo grimaced.

"No. I only see a coffin, a man trying to bury his dead." Tashigi gave Helmeppo a significant look, and he understood.

"Of course." Helmeppo hung his head. "We didn't see Straw Hat Luffy. Nobody saw Straw Hat Luffy. If any of our men say they saw Straw Hat Luffy, they're lying."

"Good," Tashigi murmured, and she released Luffy. Luffy collapsed to the ground, weakened by his uncontrollable emotions, and she shook her head. "I'm so sorry." She bowed her head. "I hope you're wrong. I hope that baby is alive. I hope he's born kicking and screaming. I'll apologize to him myself!"

"Let him be, Tashigi," Helmeppo interrupted, taking her by the elbow. He gave her a tissue from his pocket, and she wiped her tears. Luffy still cried aloud, head tilted back, bawling. "I can't say I'm comfortable with his loss either, but you're just breaking your own heart now." He led Tashigi away, back to their scouting boat on the other side of the island, and they were gone. Luffy was alone again.

He dropped back to the ground and crawled to the well. He began to suck the water up, glutting himself like a sucking tick until he couldn't open his mouth without leaking. He rolled over, bloated and waterlogged, and cried silently. With a belly full of water, he could almost imagine his son still writhing in his preparations for life. Almost.

A lesser man would have died from water poisoning. Luffy knew he didn't want to die, but he wasn't sure he wanted to be alive, either.

* * *

Zoro had sailed from place to place, circling each tiny island as he went. He didn't land on many of them, only when he ran out of food to eat or water to drink. He had to land, however, when he saw a building. He left the Mini-Merry by a rock that jutted out, and got onto the island. He could see the brick building better now- it appeared to be a partially burned church. There was a sign to indicate one of the three named islands in the Vindaloo Archipelago: "Eléison."* Zoro approached the ruined church cautiously, and looked around at the tall cedar trees that seemed to spring from the solid, sandless rock, and frowned. Something felt wrong, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He crept towards the building and peered in the front window. His heart nearly dropped through his ribcage- he could see Robin, laid on the altar at the front of the room with her head in bandages. She looked like a corpse in the sunlight that beamed through the fallen-in roof. Zoro shook the thought from his mind- she must have fallen asleep there when it was shady, but the sun had moved. He almost let out a whoop of victory, but then suppressed his happiness- was Gilea there?

He slipped into the building through the broken door, and approached Robin. He stood over her, and laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Robin," he whispered. She opened her eyes.

"Zoro," she hissed weakly, barely aware. "Zoro, you have to leave. They've spotted your boat, they knew you were coming. I'm the bait for their trap…"

"What?" Only now did Zoro realize that Robin was in seastone handcuffs. "Damn!" He picked her up and slung her over his shoulder and turned to the door, but it shut. Smoker and Coby emerged from the shadows in the back of the room, and they advanced on the swordsman. Zoro looked between them, and carefully set Robin down on one of the benches.

"Okay, Pirate Hunter," Smoker growled. "Come quietly. I have the authority to kill you where you stand." Zoro glanced between them, scowled, and then looked to Robin on the pew.

"Robin, is Gilea okay?" He asked softly.

"Yes, she's not here, she was left on another island," Robin whispered. Her soft voice was loud in the silent sanctuary.

"She was alive?"

"Yes, she was just perfect. The man who left her said someone else would take her soon so he could return her to you," Robin told him with a sad smile.

"Who was coming for her?"

"Pirate Hunter Zoro!" Coby's voice was trembling. "Come forward or we'll shoot!"

"He didn't tell me," Robin mumbled sleepily. "He only said she'd be okay. I don't know, though. I wish I did. I'm so sorry. I'm a terrible mother." Zoro shook his head, saying nothing to her, and looked to Smoker and Coby.

"Here!" He pulled a photograph from his sash. "Look at her!" He threw it at Coby's feet, and he picked it up. "Is that what you want?" Coby looked at the photograph of the tiny infant, with just a few wisps of hair, photographed while yawning. "My only girl. She'll be four soon." He pitched another photograph at Smoker, a more recent one. "Isn't she just goddamn beautiful? She doesn't look a damn thing like me except that wild moss-head of hers." Zoro sounded terribly bitter in recounting it. "When she smiles, or pouts, or laughs, she looks like Luffy, but when she's angry, she looks like me. She is the greatest joy in my world! She is a child! Defenseless! Naïve! She's never done a goddamn thing wrong in her life!" Zoro got down on his knees. "I know I'm a criminal. I know you think I'm a bad person. But I love my daughter more than my own life! Have mercy on her!" Zoro put his hands on the ground and lowered his head. "Just this once, give me leave! Let me be sure she's safe! Let me find my daughter!" Smoker and Coby stared at the swordsman on his knees, and neither could speak.

"Commodore Smoker," Coby finally said. "Commodore Smoker, I can't do this."

"Damn," Smoker muttered, and he stepped forward to sink into a pew. He puffed one of his cigars anxiously. "How am I…? I don't want to jeopardize that poor damn kid… There is nothing right in leaving that kid to starve!"

"Are you kidding me?" Zoro muttered. "Coby, I know Luffy told you. He told you, didn't he? I'm going to be a father again. Luffy and my son are somewhere in this desolate part of the world, starving just the same!" He tried to catch his breath. "And…"

"And?" Smoker growled, rubbing his forehead.

"Robin," Zoro looked back over his shoulder. "Nami, Robin. Sanji told me. She's expecting too."

"Oh god…" Robin's voice was barely audible. "Is she okay?"

"We don't know!" Zoro lost control of the volume of his voice. "For all we know, she lost it when she was caught in the whirlwind! She got hit hard. The man's practically killing himself in his stupid self-pity!"

"This is… too much…" Smoker shook his head angrily. "Marines… don't… murder… children!" He took a key from his pocket and pitched it at Zoro's head. It bounced off his collarbone and landed by his hand. "Take her. Get the hell out of here. You, take him to where his daughter was left!"

"C-Commodore, what if command finds out we let Roronoa Zoro and Nico Robin go?" Coby stammered. Smoker turned to Coby with cold eyes.

"Oh? Did you see Roronoa Zoro or Nico Robin?" Smoker growled.

"Wh-what?"

"I asked if you saw them, Petty Officer!" He barked. "I sure as hell didn't see them!" Zoro took the key into his hand and freed Robin. He picked her up into his arms and held her tight against him. Smoker stared at them as he started to walk for the door. "All I see are a couple of treasure hunters, not pirates. Let them find what they're looking for." Coby nodded, and hung his head.

"Yeah. We didn't see them." He cast one eye over to Zoro. "Go. Get out."

"Before we look again," Smoker added darkly. Zoro paused for a moment, and ran for the boat. He gently laid Robin down on the back seat and started the boat. Robin tried to speak and explain.

"Zoro, I can point the way to where Gilly was, but I'm afraid Smoker and Coby have had me imprisoned for more than a week. If Mihawk did send for a rescue for her, then she'll be long gone by now…" Zoro whirled around.

"Mihawk?! You saw Mihawk?!"

"Yes," Robin replied calmly. "He found us, he took us onto his boat. He took a photograph of her, he cut his mark into her, and then left her on an island. He left me somewhere else."

"He cut her?" Zoro growled. "He hurt her?!"

"She agreed to it as part of an exchange. She was very, very brave. Zoro, he gave her a real sword."

Zoro scoffed with disdain as he thought about Mihawk, before looking back at her. "Where were you while all that was happening?"

"Mostly passed out. Look at me." Zoro looked over his shoulder, and she turned her head and unraveled some of the bandages to show the healing wound. He winced. "I had begun to recover, until I was taken by those two. I did not want Hawk-Eyes to harm either of us, and he had told her he would not attack her. I'm just thankful he did not attack me in this state." Zoro turned on the FPS receiver.

"Robin, forgive me. I need to get you to Chopper first." The boat began to direct itself towards the Thousand Sunny. "If Mihawk said that Gilea would be rescued, I will trust him on his honor as a swordsman. You need medical attention, and if you die, then Gilly's going to be heartbroken." Robin smiled sadly, as the Mini-Merry's FPS navigation system began to guide them back.

"You really are a good father, you know. A much better father than I'll ever be a mother." She closed her eyes to let a few tears roll down, and Zoro silently hoped she would fall asleep and stop suffering.

* * *

Gilly was transferred from the first small boat to another one, with two friendly men rowing back. They happily chatted with her most of the day, and she was glad to be around men who laughed like her family. They wondered over her scribbling in her coloring book, However, the longer she was with these strangers, the more nervous she got. Even if she had never been told not to mess with strangers, she had to wonder. What if they were not really taking her back to her father? What if they did not know who she was? Worse, what if they did? What if they were turning her in for her bounty? When they arrived at a larger ship that let them aboard, Gilly realized that they were not flying a Jolly Roger. She did not recognize the symbol on the flag they flew but she knew it was not a Pirate flag. She stared around at all the strange men that surrounded her, most of whom smiled at her, and she looked around her at the ocean. She shivered in fear, and finally screamed and scrambled to jump back overboard. One of the men grabbed her by her arms.

"Calm down, little miss, we're friends! We're not here to hurt you!"

"I want my Daddy!" Gilea shrieked. "I want my Daddy!"

"We have to find him first!"

"Daddy! Daddy!" She screamed, scrambling to escape, but he held her tight.

"Get her in the barracks, lock her in there if you have to," one of the higher officers instructed. "The big guy won't condone her getting so much as a scratch while she's in our care."

"Yes sir," the man holding Gilly agreed, and he carried her, kicking and screaming, down towards the cabin. Gilea didn't know very much about the world; she couldn't be expected to recognize the Revolutionaries' flag when it was so rarely seen.

* * *

**End Notes: *** The name Eléison comes from the Greek Christian liturgy "Kyrie, Eléison." The titular phrase means, of course, "Lord, have mercy." I'm not terrible creative, but at least I'm esoteric!

Next week's chapter might be a little late, as I will be on vacation… in Disneyland. I would get you all souvenirs, but I do not have enough money to get everyone presents and I don't know where you are.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Criticism? Please review! Reviews make me extra-happy!

Until next time!


	13. Uneasy Lullabies

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** The lack of the response to the last chapter… was disturbing. I only hope people are not losing interest. After all, I'll finish the story, but it's better if I have an audience. Please leave a review so I know that you're out there!

I also had trouble selecting a title for this chapter, so I went with the one that I think applies to the most notable scene.

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine… except for what is mine. But most of it belongs to Eiichiro Oda.

* * *

**Chapter 13: The Death of a Child/Uneasy Lullabies**

**Suggested Tracks: **"The Crane Wife 1," The Decemberists; "Dreams," The Cranberries

* * *

_From the Internal Monologue of the Brave Man of the Ocean, Sogeking_

We landed on the next island, and it turned out I was only half-lying. This island did have people on it! A whole village, on the island of Hephaesta! I was so happy I almost peed myself. (Boy am I glad this is an internal monologue!) Turns out, this is one of the three named islands, aside of Little Oar Peak. It's also the only other inhabited one! We are the luckiest people in the world! They figured we were castaways and were happy to feed us. I had never been hungrier in my life, because all the fruit we took with us to row here, I gave to Nami.

We told them what happened to us, at least what they needed to know, and a few lies. I told them we were lost after an accident split our crew up. I said I was her brother, that she was expecting. I did not say that we were pirates. I told them enough to make Nami look honorable; "I could have sworn we saw her husband here from that other island, but either I was hallucinating or he left without any of you noticing him. He's been looking for her, but we just don't seem to cross paths!"

They offered us pity, and an empty house. There was only one bed, but since we were siblings, we wouldn't mind, right? I slept on the ground. I offered to do repair work at the watermill to keep us fed. Nami still can barely bring herself to move, she just stays inside.

She still cries a lot, and she's only getting worse. I keep promising her, "He'll come soon, he won't leave this place without you!" But it's not enough. Nami told me the worst part.

"He said getting pregnant was the stupidest thing I'd ever done. Can you imagine? Most men are proud when they find out all their sweat and effort and pleasure meant something. Not him. I'm stupid for doing it. All I've ever had going for me on this crew is my mind, but he thinks I'm stupid. I didn't plan to have kids, but I wasn't set against it! But no, I'm stupid, I'm stupid! He probably hates me. He's probably not looking for me at all. He's no better than Zoro was!"

Yes, I was angry. But she still loves him, so I can't let her know that I want to strangle him! I wish I would see him, because I'd get a gun and shoot him.

As much as she cries for him, I have to keep her hopes up. I had to do it. I hate it, but I had to do it. "Nami! It's Sanji! I see Sanji!" I scream it aloud as I run to the hut. She jumps from her chair by the window and rushes outside as fast as she can, and we run together to the shore. "I saw him in a boat, just on the horizon!" We get there, but there's nothing there. I give her my scope. Not there. Of course not. "Damn, he's gone! You know, I waved to him. I think I heard him say he couldn't come yet, because he wanted to get you a present to make up with you. But he'll be back soon, I swear, he was here!"

It's enough. She's a little comforted. It helps her, it gets her to put down her notebook and come outside, even if she knows I'm lying. I do it again the next day, and the next, and the next. I lie again and again. "I did see him! He said he was afraid you'd still be mad at him!" "He was there, but the wind out there was so strong, and when he was trying to wave, it must have blown him off course!" "He said that one of your tangerine trees fell off the boat, and he was trying to find you a new one, so you wouldn't be mad that it was gone!" "He promised he'd be back tomorrow, he said he had to shave before you could see him!" "He was yelling for you, 'Nami-swan! Nami-swan! Quick, go get her! I can't stay long!' I guess I wasn't fast enough. Sorry."

I'll lie to her about what I don't see, but I'm not going to tell her about what I did see. It was the middle of the night, and I saw a ship passing by. I could tell, by size alone, that it wasn't the Thousand Sunny. I saw its flag when it shone a spotlight around the shore, and it was definitely a Marine ship. I knew they were looking for our crew, and I didn't want them to think for even a second that Nami and I were there. I quickly fashioned a slingshot with some extra rubber from the tool kit and a few sticks, and whipped up a rudimentary fire star with a few things from around the house. I stood in the middle of the forest as the Marine ship began to circle the island like a shark, and I fired the star at the farthest island I could see, hoping it would hit something and catch. It did, thank god! I saw the fires begin to spread between the faraway trees, picking up in the sea wind, and the Marine spotlights turned to it. They'll leave to check it out, and probably won't think anything more of this place.

Today, I am Sogeking, brave man of the island, and I will protect my crew with my life. Nami is the only crew member I have right now, and she needs me. I won't fail her now!

* * *

"Robin, but no Gilly," Sanji remarked in seeming disgust. Zoro had gotten back as quickly as possible, due to Franky remotely piloting them, and Robin had slept most of the ride. The evening was late already, and Zoro had just made it back to the Sunny after three days' travel. Chopper had taken Robin into his care the moment she got off the boat, and Zoro went to talk to Sanji. Zoro shrugged, as Sanji lit a fresh cigarette.

"Robin said Gilly would be safe, and I can trust that. I'm just worried about Robin now. I hope there's no permanent damage from that hit she took on the head." Sanji nodded in agreement with Zoro as the swordsman shuffled his feet anxiously. "Have you seen Usopp, Nami, or Luffy?"

"Nothing," Sanji grumbled, rubbing his temples. Zoro took a good look at him. He had big, blue bags under his bloodshot eyes, his chin was shaded with stubble, he hadn't bothered to put on a tie, his shirt and pants weren't ironed, and his fingers were yellowish from his increase in nicotine intake. The only thing under his care that was clean was the kitchen, but Zoro already had heard from Brook that the food had not been as good, saying:

"I think Sanji has not been thinking about his work."

"Oi, how is Robin?" Franky asked from the door, poking his head in.

"We don't know yet, we're waiting on Chopper to let us know," Zoro answered, and he folded his arms behind his head. "She was talking last I saw her, and I think that she can mostly move, but she's really weak. Not saying nice stuff either; kept muttering about being a terrible mother. I imagine she's dazed. Chopper will probably let us know her condition as soon as he has her settled in."

"Right." Franky entered, setting a paper-wrapped bundle on a side table by the door. "Zoro, what is your plan now?"

"Robin gave me a description of the island where Gilly was left. I'm going to head back to where she was and try and find it. Maybe I can find some trace of her to follow. If not, then I'll follow my instincts."

"Papa Wolf on the prowl," Sanji chuckled wearily.

"I'll rig the Mini-Merry II up with its own Den-Den Mushi. As long as you stay within the magnetic range of the Archipelago, we should be able to contact you and check on you," Franky said. "If you see anything or anybody, or if we see anything or anybody, we talk."

"Good idea, Franky." Zoro then turned to Sanji to mutter, "You better not call me unless you've got good reason."

"You're sure you didn't see Nami?" Sanji looked back at him.

"No! Idiot…" Zoro grumbled. Franky sighed as the two sulked, and left, taking his paper bundle with him. He made his way down to the infirmary, where Chopper had made the room more comfortable for Robin. There were no lights on, just a few lit candles, and she was laid in the bed with the sheets up and her hands folded over her chest. Chopper met him by the door.

"I was just coming to find you and the others. Good news." Chopper smiled. "She's just weak from hunger and fatigue. A combination of the 'Zoro' and 'Luffy' treatments will have her back on her feet in no time- a few days sleeping in a proper bed and some food." He paused. "And painkillers. She also is on lots of painkillers."

"Would you mind if I spoke to her?"

"Sure, but she might fall out on you." Chopper looked down at his feet. "She's kind of delirious."

"I don't mind. I just want to check on her." Franky patted Chopper's head. "You're a good doctor, for a raccoon."

"Shut up! Saying things like that doesn't make me happy at all, you asshole! And I'm not even a raccoon!" Chopper blushed and squealed. Franky chuckled and went to Robin's bedside. She didn't open her eyes, but he saw her lips shift to a smile.

"The smell of motor oil and cola. Nice to see you, Franky, in a sense of the word."

"You're a sight for sore eyes too." Franky rubbed his right eye, which was already beginning to betray him. "I made you something to 'super' things up a little in here." He unwrapped the paper bundle, and Robin opened one eye to look. He held up a trio of metalwork flowers, welded of scrap copper and tin and twisted wires. They reflected the light from the candles. "You don't have to water them or anything." He set them in an empty glass by her bedside. "I would have picked you some real ones, but I didn't want to rip up your garden." She giggled softly.

"Very kind of you. I can only hope you are still my friend when I lay on my deathbed."

"Don't talk about death," he hissed. "It's a jinx."

"Franky, I have felt like death warmed over for the past week, so I apologize if I am… more morbid than usual." Robin closed her eyes again and sighed. "I'm a terrible mother."

"No, don't say that," Franky muttered. "For one, Gilly's not even your daughter. But you couldn't have stopped what happened, and you did what you could."

"She's the closest I'll ever have to a child of my own, and I couldn't protect her." Robin sighed, pressing the back of her head into the pillow.

"Aw, don't talk like that!" Franky sniffled and rubbed his eyes. "It breaks my heart to hear you talking so negatively! You're the only one of us, other than Zoro and Luffy, that the shrimp listens to. I'm sure you'll be a fantastic mom when you do have kids of your own!"

"I don't think I can," Robin sighed, shaking her head. "I've killed too many children to ever have that honor for myself."

"What? Why are you saying these things?" Franky took her hand, rubbing his thumb in her palm. "Come on, Robin, cheer up. Please."

"You don't even understand," she whispered. "I'm a murderer. All the terrible things I did… I didn't even have a choice sometimes. They wouldn't hire a girl on skills alone, but I was just a young thing, I needed someone to protect me… I had to sleep with them. They would protect me if I laid with them, and I won't lie- I tried to enjoy it." Franky's eyes widened at this, as Robin's gaze drifted upwards. "The first time I conceived, I was sixteen. I was a frightened child, and I told the boss. He made to turn me into the authorities for my bounty, because I was of no more use to him, and I betrayed him just as fast. I escaped, and I found a back-alley doctor who could get rid of it. He scraped my insides out with a sterilized wire, and I bled the thing out." Her eyes were spilling tears. "The second time was five years later. I didn't tell the boss that time, but another woman in the organization I worked in gave me a mix of herbs that triggered miscarriage. I was sick for a week, but nine months later, I didn't give birth."

"You made mistakes, we all make mistakes, but you've got a different future now," Franky interjected. He was trying very hard not to look like he was crying, even though she wasn't looking at him.

"The last time was four months before I met Luffy," Robin continued, as though she couldn't hold it in any longer. "Sleeping with that man was the worst thing I ever did, he was cold and heartless, and he didn't even take his hook off when I was on top of him. That time, I did it on my own with an untwisted wire coat hanger. I didn't have any other option." She clutched the sheets under her hands, unable to lift them to clear the salt from her face. "I was put into hospital with an infection a few days later. That doctor told me that my womb was more scar tissue than flesh from being shredded up and poisoned, that most of it was dead, and it would be a miracle if I ever conceived again. Even if I did, it probably wouldn't be able to attach, it would just leave me. Whatever chance I had to give life to this world, I destroyed it with my own two hands."

"So what?" He growled protectively, and he physically took Robin into his arms, still wrapped in the bed sheet, and he sat himself on the bed where she had laid with her laid in his lap. Tears lined his cheeks, but he cleaned her face instead. "I can't even begin to imagine your pain; the death of a child is a terrible thing to suffer. But I lost a lot too. I wasn't much of a man, I was an outcast. My parents rejected me, and I had no family. All I had were two hands. I built my family from the ground up, and even if I was a criminal and despised, they loved me. I built this boat from the ground up, and I call you all my brothers and sisters. My dreams came back together when I met you, even though I was told you were the bane of my life." Franky ran his fingers through her hair. "You led me to them. You led me here. You said your crime was your existence, and you say you're unable to create a new existence." Franky rubbed her head, and she closed her eyes. "Here's what you have to do now. Keep existing. Keep living. Time will heal all of your wounds. Just keep living on, and things will be okay. And you can always turn back to me, because if you need me to, I'll lead you on." Franky rubbed her cheek, and she smiled. "Even if you don't have any children of your own, you're a super mother."

"Franky…" She swallowed hard. "We're going to survive. We're all going to survive, aren't we?"

"Damn right we are." Franky stood and laid Robin back down like a baby in a cradle, and tucked her back in very carefully. "You just rest. I'll be back." He blew out the candle nearest her bed and closed the door behind him.

"Bawwwwh!" Franky looked, and saw Chopper sitting against the door with his eyes bursting with tears. "Woooobinnnn!"

"Hey! You were eavesdropping!" Franky accused, pointing at him dramatically. Chopper kept wailing, and Franky finally dropped beside him to join in, forming a river down the hallway. "Bawwwwh! I'b dot cwyin' cause ob Wobin, I'b cwyin' cause I'b zo bad ad you! Baaawh! Wooobinnnnn!"

* * *

Four weeks after being separated from the crew, four weeks of exposure, starving, and overwork, Luffy found he could do no more. He had fallen asleep on a sandy shore, too exhausted to move, and not even knowing if he would or could wake up. When he did wake up, it was not because he was well-rested or because the sun was in his eyes. It was barely daybreak, and he woke with his body racked with terrible pain. He opened his eyes as he felt it ripple down his stiff abdomen, and groaned softly as he recognized the sensation of a contraction. "Guess you finally gave up, huh?" Luffy said aloud. "Sorry, little guy, I'm just not ready for you. You… have to stay in there… just a little longer." He smiled weakly, and sat up. He knew, sadly, that it was time to dispose of the tiny corpse. He crawled from the shade to the shore, still shuddering with pain, and thrust his hands into the dry sand. "I guess I'll make you a cradle."

He began to dig. He dug through the sand, forcing it out between his spread legs even as his insides contracted again and again, not even stopping from the pain. He dug deep, until he reached sea level, where the sand was thick and wet like clay, and then deeper. Water pooled around his feet, and pain rolled down his body like shockwaves. The grave was finally finished when Luffy felt the distinct, painful sensation of being stretched out against his will, and the sun was high overhead. He sat himself on the edge of his hole, kicked his shorts off and tossed them over his head. "I guess you can't help it. I wish I had a knife," Luffy sighed. He stretched to reach between his legs, and felt something pressing out against him. He pressed into it, and found it was a thin skin of thin fluid, a membrane thin enough for him to dig his fingernails into and break. He felt the fluids spill down his legs, and moaned in discomfort as he felt the very top of the head. The pain came in faster and harder waves like the rising tide, and he began to pray that he wasn't birthing a monster.

"You're early, little guy. Really early. You weren't supposed to be alive for a few more weeks still. You've gotta be small, don'cha?" He was telling himself more than the baby. He spread his legs wider over the sandy pit he'd created. He could only gasp for breath as the pain grew worse. Even though it was worse than the first time, he didn't have the strength to raise his voice. He was stuck between the pain knocking him out and being in too much pain to close his eyes. He took a few big, deep breaths as his abdominal muscles constricted around him like a snake, and managed to scream: "Zoro! I wish you were here!" He pressed down on his belly with his hands, and he felt the head slip out of him a little further. He reached to cup it with one hand, and choked when he felt that it was covered with hair. Pain came in vicious waves, and he screamed again, "ZORO!" He forced himself to push again, making the whole head emerge into his hand. Tears streamed from his angry eyes as he felt the pain of being ripped apart from the inside out, and reached with his other hand to wrench at the infant's torso. He was no longer following his contractions or waiting for his muscles to do the work. He simply pulled and pulled against the one part of his body that didn't want to stretch.

It took ten agonizing minutes for him to extricate the infant. He'd had no more strength to cry out, only grunting like an animal, but the silence in the air as he forced the baby out was the most tense and heavy noise he could have imagined. With the head cradled in one palm, he pulled the torso out first against the resistance of his muscles. His fingers found the cord, and he pulled it out of the way so it wouldn't hinder him. He pulled the legs out slowly, millimeter by millimeter, and by twisting the ankles out through the aching opening, finally held the body he had created. He cradled it in his hands, head in one hand and bottom in the other, and examined his son's body. The cord on his bellybutton was still pulsing, and the baby was still and motionless in his hands. Luffy gawked to think on how small he was, how strange he looked, even with a full head of black hair. He stared dumbly at the tiny boy, ignoring the blood and gunk still sliding from him, because in his shock, he'd stopped feeling the pain. He shivered weakly and slid down into his own hole, biting his lower lip and choking back tears of sorrow. He knew it was time to bury him, but he couldn't bear to put him down. He loved the soul he'd lost.

Then, he saw the baby's chest rise and fall. Luffy looked on in utter, mute wonder as the baby coughed a few times, fluid spewing from his mouth and nose, and he finally released a shrill cry. His eyes opened; they were a haunting, ghostly grey. His voice rose in long shrieks, he writhed a few insistent squirms, and Luffy laughed in disbelief through his tears.

"You… why are you alive?" He kept the baby laid flat on his palms, shaking his head as he gazed at his tiny, dark-haired son, and wept, "I have nothing for you. There's nothing I can give you, nothing to offer you but a grave. I have no clothes for you, no blanket for you, no hat for you, no food. I don't even have a family for you. You… you should have died!" He gripped the infant tight to his chest, pouring tears. "Why aren't you dead?"

Once the baby started crying, he didn't stop. Luffy slid down the ravine he'd dug with him against his chest. He supported his back on the wall and summoned all his strength to lift the baby's belly close to his mouth. He took a deep breath, rolled his tongue back so he didn't have to taste what he was about to do, and bit through the cord. He spat the blood out and shifted the baby into one hand to brush the remnants of the cord aside. He laid the baby against his tilted chest, curving his limp back against his arm, and removed his shirt with his free hand. He laid the inside of it, which was not coated in sand, over the baby's body to try and keep him warm. He knew that there was nothing he could do to feed him- he didn't have the strength left in him to crawl back out of the hole and get to water, and even that wouldn't nourish the infant's need for real food and energy. He didn't know this; he still cried and cried in senseless, inexplicable fury at the entire world that was not nearly as nice as he had been led to believe.

"Shh, shh," Luffy crooned gently. He felt like he'd lost a fight on the inside, struggling now to move and breathe. The baby just kept screaming, and as much as it wrenched at Luffy's heart and gut, he didn't want him to stop, not even to open his eyes and look at him. "_Saa, saa_, _saa_, _yosha, yosha, yosha_," he murmured under his breath, trying as hard as he could to keep the weak baby upright. His crying started to slow a little. "_Saa_, there, there. Good boy. I know what will help you." Luffy took his own hat off, shook the sand off of it, and placed it over his head to keep his pink skin shaded from the sun. "I have a gift from your Daddy, too. He gave you a name for me to call you." Luffy smiled weakly. "I will call you Torao. Roronoa D. Torao. That is your name now. I'm sorry about the mean things I said to you before. I hope you can forgive me." Torao hiccupped, but still sobbed on. "Shh, shh, shh, nice boy. I can't do anything for your cold skin or empty belly. Just keep crying so I know you're alive. You have to stay alive a little longer. You're my son. You've got to be great. You're either going to die here or live forever!" Tears still ran from Luffy's eyes, and he choked on his sobs as Torao finally silenced into a weary, fitful sleep. "Shh, shh, _yosha, yosha, yosha_, I love you, Torao. Please wake up. Please, wake up, somehow…"

Luffy was too weak to crawl out of the hole, and even if he did have the strength, he wouldn't have the strength to paddle, and he wouldn't be able to do it with a baby in his arms. He knew for a fact that Torao deserved life, but he didn't know if it was a life he could give him.

He knew it was only a matter of time.

He slept after a while, and Torao was still silently sleeping on his chest the next time he awoke, his breaths shallow and weak. He did not awake from being well-rested or from having the sun in his eyes, but instead roused because someone was pulling him from the hole.

"Wrap him in a sheet, he's sunburned all over. Get the baby, we need to get the sand off of him and get him dressed." As he was dragged to the surface, he saw that he was surrounded by other men, and one of them pried Torao from his hands. Luffy groaned.

"N-no, don't…"

"It's okay, Straw Hat Luffy. We're here to help," one of them told him. "We've got food for both of you."

"His name is Torao, okay? Just in case." Luffy closed his eyes again. "That's his name."

Luffy knew, somehow, that he and his baby son were safe.

* * *

**End Notes:** Huzzah for Roronoa D. Torao!

Over the next few chapters, I'll be including a few SBS-style facts about the Small Straw Hats. If you want to ask any questions about the kids, leave a review!

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Review!

See you next week!


	14. DenDen Ojii

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** I'm glad people are still reading this. This story is actually already much longer than the original Genuine Treasure! Woo me!

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing except for Gilly and Torao. Figures, I get to keep the cute ones. Everything else is Oda's.

* * *

**Chapter 14: Den-Den Ojii**

Zoro drove on from place to place from the beach where Gilly had been left. Each desolate mound of sand he stopped at was more hopeless than the last. He looked for little footprints or signs of life everywhere he stopped. Even a single strand of green hair in the wind would have been enough. It was the middle of the night when he reached another island with fruit and greenery, a livable one, and he could see lights from the ocean. He landed and barely remembered to put down anchor before running forward. He could see a few homes that still had lights on- common sense said that they were awake. He knocked on the door of one of the homes with lights on, and heard a familiar voice.

"Shh, she's asleep!" Usopp cracked the door open. "What's- oh." Usopp stared at Zoro, the two of them in utter disbelief with one another. Usopp stepped outside and closed the door behind him. "Keep your voice low; Nami's been having a lot of trouble sleeping." Zoro gawked, in utter surprise to have found their sharpshooter. Finally, he found something to say.

"Usopp!"

"Good to see you too," he grinned, as Zoro's expression brightened.

"I can't believe you're actually here. Both of you are here. This is great." Zoro grinned. "I almost want to hug you, but I'm not going to."

"That's fine by me," Usopp chuckled, looking down and scratching the back of his head. "How did you get here?"

"I was on the Mini-Merry!" Zoro grinned. "Man, I didn't even get too far from the Sunny when I got blown in the wind. I split off from the others to look for Gilly and Luffy, but I found you guys!"

"Have you found Gilly yet?" Usopp frowned.

"No, I was looking for her. She's not here?"

"We haven't seen her, no. What about Luffy, or Robin?"

"Robin, yes. She was injured, but she's recovering."

"Good." Usopp sighed a little. "Listen, I need a huge favor." He glanced back over his shoulder. "Nami… Nami's really upset because of Sanji. I know this sounds really stupid, but we're safe here, and I want her to be with him. Don't rescue us."

"What?" Zoro glowered at him. "You mean leave you here? I can't do that! Luffy would want our entire crew back together, and there's no way the two of you are quitting on us now!"

"I don't want to quit, and Nami doesn't either! I just want Sanji to give her the validation she needs…" Usopp sighed and thought for a moment. "Is there any way you can contact the ship?"

"Franky installed a Den-Den-Mushi. I could call them right now."

"Transmit your coordinates to them. Franky should be able to locate you and direct the Sunny here." Usopp folded his arms. "I want Sanji himself to come and take her back. Besides that, you need to find your kid, and if you waste time taking us back to the Sunny before continuing, it might be too much for her."

"You're right." Zoro couldn't believe he was saying it. "Okay, do you know this island's coordinates?"

"Yeah, I do. Do you want me to do the talking?"

"Come with me." Zoro began to walk back towards the shore behind Usopp's hut, but Usopp stopped him.

"Boat is over there," Usopp hissed, pointing the opposite direction towards the town. Zoro looked, snorted, and let Usopp lead the way.

"I would have found it eventually."

Usopp patted the Mini-Merry's figurehead as he reached it, smiling with some relief, before sitting in the driver's seat and picking up the Den-Den-Mushi.

* * *

"Thousand Sunny, coming in. Thousand Sunny, do you copy? Mini-Merry calling! Mini-Merry calling!"

"Good evening!" Someone picked up the Baby Den-Den-Mushi, but both of their voices were muffled due to the long transmission distance. "Reading you, Zoro!"

"Not Zoro. Usopp. Franky, take down the following coordinates, I'm waiting here for you. You and Sanji get here as quick as you can."

"This isn't Franky."

"Whoever this is! Just take down the coordinates." As Usopp read off the coordinates, he heard a distinct clacking on the end of the line. He ignored it as best as he could. "Do you need me to repeat anything?"

"No, I've got it perfectly. Judging by our current position, we should be able to make it in two days or less. I will direct the ship towards you right away. I would talk longer, but it's very difficult to hear you. Take care of yourself, Usopp! We'll be there as soon as we can!" The Sunny disconnected from the Merry, and the door to the lounge opened.

"Brook, what's up?" Franky asked, peering in as the skeleton hung up the snail-phone.

"Zoro just contacted us. He's found an island with people on it." Brook would be trying to hide a grin if he didn't appear to be grinning all the time anyway. "We can get some food there, and they might have seen our missing comrades. I'm going to direct the ship to their coordinates, and we'll see what's there."

"Super!" Franky gave Brook a thumbs up. "Just give me those coordinates, I'll change the ship's bearing right now!"

* * *

"Usopp, has Nami been alright?" Zoro finally asked as he prepared to depart again.

"No, not really." Zoro frowned back at Usopp.

"Is her kid alright?" Zoro folded his arms. "She didn't… lose it, did she?" Usopp urgently shook his head.

"No, nothing like that! Her kid is fine. It's huge, Zoro. I'm telling you, no lie, she looks bigger than Luffy was the last time I saw him. It's like she just exploded over the past five weeks. But that's not the only thing bothering her!" Zoro frowned, and Usopp continued, "She's been upset because of how Sanji treated her. He's a pig. She won't even talk about him to my face, but when she thinks I'm not listening, she cries about it." Usopp hung his head. "She's miserable."

"Geez," Zoro muttered, shaking his head. "Take care of her, okay, Usopp? I'm trusting you." Zoro and Usopp shook hands, and Usopp watched as Zoro pushed off and began to sail onwards in search of Luffy.

* * *

"Hey, little girl?" Gilly peered out of the barrel she had hidden in, to see a man looking for her. "Little girl? Come out, we have something for you to see!" He turned to the barrel she was peeking out of, and smiled. "Hey, come on out." He lifted the barrel lid up. Gilly's eyes were ringed red from crying, her hair messy from pulling at it, and her voice raw from screaming. She had hidden (this time) after throwing the tantrum of the century and destroying a barrel of sake by battering it with her sword until the metal ring bent and burst. She had been a figurative tornado seed since arriving on their ship, ready to go off on a frightened streak of destruction at the drop of a hat. This time, however, she was afraid of what would happen.

"Are you going to throw me off the ship?" She whimpered.

"Well, we're going to have to tell your father what you did." He smiled slyly. "In fact, we can go tell him right now…"

"Daddy?" She gasped.

"Yep." He smiled at her. "We found your dad, we think. Come on, I'll show you." He lifted her out by the back of her shirt and frog-marched her to their infirmary. "Make a hole, guys!" A whole bunch of other men were gathered around to try and get a look, but the man with Gilly managed to get to the front. "Little girl, is this your dad?"

Gilly gawked at Luffy, who was sleeping soundly, in utter horror. "Daddy! Daddy!" She pulled out of her retainer's grasp and jumped onto Luffy's legs. "Daddy, your tummy went away! Where's my baby brother?" Two of the men lifted her off of him and held her back.

"Calm down, kid. Your baby brother is over here," one of them told her in a very firm voice, and pointed to another bed, where a bundle made in a striped shirt was laid. "It is a boy, right?" He looked over to one of the men who'd found Luffy.

"Oh yeah. Bloody, messy baby boy. He looks okay, though." He picked up the little bundle and made his way in front of Gilly. He knelt down in front of her. "Hold out your hands. You have to support his head and bottom." Gilly, wide-eyed, opened her arms, and accepted her baby brother into her arms. "This is Torao, according to your dad." Gilly very carefully sat down with Torao in her lap, cradling him in her knees and staring at him with eyes bigger than half-dollars. He was squinting up at her, completely confused and unable to comprehend his situation. "Yup, we fed him some warm milk and wrapped him up nice and tight, and he hasn't cried since!"

"Well, yeah, cause he's my baby brother. He's totally awesome, even if he is kinda small." Gilly smiled proudly. She looked back up and over to Luffy. "Daddy…"

"He'll be okay, alright? We're giving him lots to drink, and he'll get to eat a whole lot when he's awake, so you just give him a few days." The men were mostly smiling down at her, and for the first time since she'd arrived, she felt comforted.

"Hey!" Someone peered in the door. "There's a call on our Den-Den Mushi for the kid."

"Daddy?" Gilly gasped. "Is it my Daddy?"

"Isn't he…?" The man at the door looked to Luffy. "Never mind. It's not your father, it's our boss. He wants to talk to you, and he wants to see the little boy." One of the men took Torao from Gilly's arms, and the messenger led Gilly up to the control room, where the ship's captain was chattering urgently with the snail.

"… We suspected it was her, but we didn't want to interrupt your work to let you know."

"I'm surprised," the voice on the other end of the snail-phone replied. "Ah! There she is. That is most definitely her." Gilly frowned, but noticed the snail's eyes were glowing. She looked up at one of her escorts.

"Can he see me?"

"Yes, he likes to see who he's talking to, though he doesn't like people seeing him. Go on, say hello." He nudged her forward with one hand, and she hesitantly approached the receiver. The snail was silent and still, eyes focusing on her in an eerie way. Finally, she leaned close to the receiver and whispered:

"Hullo?"

"Hello!" The snail wore a big grin as it replied cheerfully, and Gilly jumped back nervously. "What is your proper name?"

"I am Roronoa D. Gilea," she replied, curtsying a little bit. "Most everyone calls me Gilly, though." She shuffled her feet nervously. "Or… little girl. Some people say little girl."

"Gilly, then." She smiled a little, happy to hear someone using her familiar name. "And who is that?" Gilly looked behind her. "The one in the stripes." Gilly focused on the bundled baby.

"Oh, that is my baby brother. His name is Tora…" She scrunched up her nose in thought. "Toro… Toto." She nodded, as if to decide. "Yes, his name is Toto. What's your name?"

"Gentlemen, leave me with the two children," the voice on the other end of the line instructed. There was a moment of silence, as the other men looked between one another, debating this instruction. Finally, they moved to carry his instructions out. The man holding Torao gently laid the newborn in her arms, and she sat on the ground to be sure she wouldn't drop him. The captain and the two other men left the room, closing it behind him, and the snail smiled down at her. "My name is Dragon, Gilea. Monkey D. Dragon."

There was an awkward pause.

"That's so weird!" Gilly giggled after a moment. "My daddy's name is Monkey D. Luffy!"

"What an odd coincidence! I did not know it was such a common name." The snail seemed to smile even wider at her deduction. "My, if we have the same last name, it is as if I were his father! Do you know what it would mean if I were your father's father?"

"Oh! Are you my uncle?" Gilly tilted her head curiously, and Dragon laughed.

"No! No! I am your grandpa. You may call me grandpa, if you like."

"I have a grandpa?" She smiled a little.

"You may have one, if you like." Dragon was obviously smiling, extremely pleased, but the snail matching his emotion was very creepy to Gilly. His tone shifted to patronizing, though still affectionate. "I feel very badly that I have not met you yet. I am, sadly, a very busy man, and I work very, very far away."

"It's okay." Gilly lowered her eyes. "I didn't even know I had a grandpa. I guess I have one now. But I have Daddy and Daddy and all my aunts and uncles. I'm not lonely. Except without them." She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "They're away. There was this big wind, and then me and Auntie Robin were alone. Except Auntie Robin was asleep and not waking up. Then the Shi-shi-bu-guy came and he took us on his boat and he gave me a real sword, and then he put me all alone on an island and left with Auntie Robin. Then I was all alone and I was so sad and I wanted to cry and cry and cry but I did not cry, and then this boat found me and they put me on this boat and I was scared because I don't know anybody, and then I cried and cried and cried until I ran out of tears and I broke stuff and then I hid because I was scared. And now Daddy won't wake up!" Gilly rubbed her eyes again, as Torao yawned softly.

"There, there, Gilly," Dragon intoned gently. "I can assure you your father is alive, and he will remain so. He likes to sleep, does he not? He is much like his own grandfather. And I know your Auntie Robin is alright, as she was taken back to your other uncles to get better. In addition, your father Roronoa Zoro, is looking for you right now. The moment my men see him, you will be reunited with him. All of my friends here are going to be very nice to you."

"But, Mister Grandpa, they are going to be angry at me." She sniffled again. "I did some bad things."

"They will not be angry, Gilea. My friends know you are very scared, and we are going to be very nice to you. You need to behave yourself though, so they will be able to tell your father how good you were. Can you do that?"

"Yessir," Gilly mumbled. "I will be good until Daddy is okay." She looked up at the snail with doleful eyes. "You remind me a little of my Daddy."

"Is that so? Which one?" The snail smiled again.

"Daddy." Gilly shrugged. "Because you are very serious, even though you are smiling a lot, and very smart. Do you have green hair too?" She smiled a little, and Dragon laughed.

"No, I do not. But you do remind me of your father, too."

"Really? Which one? I have two, you know." Gilly beamed. Dragon chuckled again.

"Luffy. My son. You're much like him."

"Yes, some people say that, but I think I look more like Daddy!" Gilly seemed very proud. "So, Mister Grandpa, will I ever get to see you?"

"I don't think Fate has yet thought that far ahead, but I imagine you and I shall cross paths someday."

"That would be very nice," she nodded. "We should have a tea party."

"Ah, that would be lovely. I certainly hope your handsome little brother will be old enough to join us. Now, Gilly, I must continue my business with my friends, but I will ensure you are very well taken care of. You are a very lovely granddaughter. Run along and get the captain, my dear."

"Yessir." Gilly got to her feet, still holding Torao, and went to the door. "Hello? I can't open the door, but Mister Grandpa wants to talk to you!" Dragon laughed into his receiver as the captain opened the door in a panic.

"Don't call him that!" The captain chided nervously. "Go put your baby brother down in his bed!" Gilly handed the baby to one of the other men, and they walked her back down to the infirmary. He went to the phone. "Sorry, sir, you have to forgive her, probably calls lots of adult men that! She doesn't mean you're old, I'm sure-"

"Calm down, Captain," Dragon reassured him. "It's alright if she calls me grandpa. She is but a little child. I expect you to take very good care of her in my stead…"

* * *

**End Notes: **As a brief side note, the chapter's title is a bit of portmanteau- Den-Den Mushi, the electrical transponder snail, with Ojii, Japanese for "grandfather." The chapter's title means, essentially, "Electric Grandpa!"

I also forgot to mention a translation detail last chapter! Torao's name means "tiger" or "tiger's tail," depending on what source you check. He's so cute.

In fact, as promised, it's time for Small-Straw-Hat-SBS Corner! These answers are based on things Oda answered for all of the Straw Hats in the SBS, so now it's time for Gilly's answers!

**Roronoa D. Gilea:**

**Representative Color: **Maroon

**Animal Resemblance**: Ram

**What Chopper thinks she smells like: **Baby powder (under 2 years,)Apples (2 years and older.)

**Favorite Island and Season: **Summer on a Spring island.

**Favorite Food: **Candied-apples, hard candies, peach dumplings

**Family Member: **Oldest niece

**Nationality if she lived in our world: **Chinese (Picture her with her hair in little bao-baos, wearing a little red qipao. Adorable.)

Do you have any questions you would like answered about the Small Straw Hats? Leave them in a review, and I'd be happy to answer them for all the younger Straw Hats (once they are introduced, of course.)

Questions? Review!

Comments? Review!

Ideas? Review!

Anything? Review!

Nothing? Still review!

I am not certain as to whether or not there will be a new chapter next week, as I will be going on vacation to Italy. If there is a new chapter, it will be posted early, possibly on Wednesday night. If there is not, it will be posted as soon as I get back. Please review!


	15. Usopp Lies

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** I don't have too much time to ramble, but I wanted to say a few things before I get into it.

First, I want to thank my loyal fans and reviewers. You make my heart leap with joy! I love seeing your words in my inbox! I want to thank one reviewer especially, who said she had not reviewed any other story in two years. I was so happy to hear that this story has interested her that much!

Second, I wanted to say… sorry. This is a Sanji/Nami-heavy chapter. I hope everyone enjoys it anyway!

**Disclaimer:** All Oda-sensei's. Own nothing.

* * *

**Chapter 15: **Usopp Lies/She Will Forgive Him

**Suggested Track: **"Northern Downpour," Panic! At The Disco

Nami had gotten out of the shelter hut she shared with Usopp that morning, somehow feeling energized. She joked with Usopp over breakfast that maybe that day, she would be the one to see Sanji, and went into town to try and help some of the other women with the laundry. Usopp was working by the water wheel as he always was, replacing the slats with more efficient ones that he had designed, while the women were using the water it was channeling into the storage well and filling a trough in which to wash their clothing.

"So, Nami, any sign of that husband of yours today?" One of the island wives joked. "It seems every day your brother is yelling that he's arrived!"

"Usopp lies all the time. I know he just wants to make me feel better," Nami giggled weakly. "I don't put any stock in it."

"What a pity!" A young woman laughed as Nami dipped one of her dresses in, put it against the washboard and ran the bar of detergent up and down it. "How's the baby doing today?"

"Oh, he's just crazy," Nami said with a little smile. "He's been squirming around since last night. If I didn't know better, I'd say he knew something I didn't."

"Think he's trying to get out?"

"No way!" Nami actually laughed at this. "Definitely too soon. Not for a few more weeks at the earliest!"

"It's strange, you just got so big so fast," another woman remarked, briefly giving Nami's middle a gently poke. "You must have a lot of stretch marks!"

"Don't even remind me. My husband will probably be disgusted. I've got stripes like a zebra." Nami winced, prodding her own side. "You calm down in there!" She sighed, and turned to hang her dress beside the other clothing on the communal line, and took a seat on the edge of the trough. "I'm exhausted already."

"Take it easy, okay?" Usopp called to her over his shoulder.

"I'm fine, Usopp!" Nami snapped back, and stretched her arms up over her head. "I'm just sore from standing. You try going around with a watermelon in your overalls and tell me how your back feels!"

"Oi, oi," Usopp grumbled, and continued working. "I'm trying to be nice."

"I know, sorry," Nami sighed, and reclined against the trough. That's when she noticed something out on the horizon. "Hey, I see a boat!" The island women turned around when Nami said this, and gasped.

"Nice try, Nami, but you know that won't work on me!" Usopp laughed.

"I'm not joking!" Nami got to her feet and rushed for the shore. "There's a boat. There's a boat!" Usopp turned around, and his jaw dropped as he recognized a familiar figurehead.

"It's… Sunny. No way!" He dropped his tools and rushed to Nami's side. "Hey! Guys! We're here!" He yelled, waving his arms over his head. "It's us! We're here!"

* * *

The look on Franky's face as he gazed through the binoculars to the shoreline was utterly and completely priceless. Brook stood beside him, laughing wildly as Franky burst into tears.

"It's them! They're there!"

"Yohohohohohoho! Yo-hohohohoho!" Brook slapped his knees (or he would have if he had knees) and clapped his hands in his excitement. "I knew Usopp was there, but-"

"You _knew_?" Franky grabbed Brook and throttled him. Brook kept laughing. Sanji was helping Robin down the stairs to the main deck so she could enjoy the sunshine, and, attracted by the noise, they joined Brook and Franky.

"What's going on?" Robin asked.

"We found Usopp." Brook said jubilantly. Franky brought his fist down on Brook's afro.

"_And?_"

"Oh, and Nami's there too," Brook added, excited to the point of bouncing on his heels.

"N-Nami?" Sanji's eyes widened, and he reached for the binoculars. "Let me see her!"

"No." Robin reached out with a fleur and tossed the binoculars from Franky's grasp to her own. "You will see Nami when you see Nami in person."

"Yeah, that's right," Franky agreed, frowning at Sanji. "You gonna be a man and go face her?" Robin and Brook both looked at Sanji evenly, as Sanji's face shifted to sudden sadness.

* * *

"There's a smaller boat coming towards us," Nami laughed as she and Usopp watched the approach. The rest of the village had gathered at their triumphant cries.

"Sanji! Oi! Sanji!" Usopp called. Nami took out her telescope to look, and her face fell. "Eh? What's wrong?" Usopp was about to take the telescope from her, but he soon heard what had broken her heart:

"Yohohohohoho!"

"Brook!" Usopp screamed joyfully. He could now see the afro against the sunny sky, and he jumped and waved to him. The boat had a small motor attached, and it quickly ran itself ashore as Brook jumped off the side and bounded across the water to them. Brook and Usopp locked arms and spun around, laughing with glee. "Brook! I'm so glad to see you!"

"Yohoho! Did you miss me?"

"Of course I did!" Usopp and Brook laughed like fools in their embrace, and Nami managed to smile again as they celebrated.

"Ah, we've been looking for you two for so long!" Brook exclaimed. "I'm so glad you two are here together!"

"Someone had to protect Usopp," Nami joked tearfully. Brook looked at her, and suddenly had to consider her. He let go of Usopp, turned to her, and bowed at the waist.

"May I see your fat girl panties?"

* * *

_From the Internal Monologue of the Brave Man of the Ocean, Sogeking_

The whole town was surprised to see a skeleton, especially a rude one! I'm pretty sure the crack all the village's women gave his skull will remind him not to call Nami fat. I think that this was the hardest she has cried through the entire separation. I'm not even sure it's because he called her fat, but it's definitely not helping. I packed what few possessions we have- the handmade dresses the village women helped Nami make, my extra set of clothes, my rudimentary slingshot- and Brook is trying to help the best way he knows how, cracking jokes. (Of course, if he's not careful, Nami's going to crack him! Man, I've gotta start writing these down.)

"I'm glad we've found you, Nami. Ever since you vanished, the food has really sucked!"

But Nami obviously feels so terrible, either because she's insulted, or because Sanji himself didn't come for her. She keeps pressing her fingers around the edge of the bump on her middle like she's trying to tuck it back in, and sighs. That is the noise that breaks my heart. Nami, please, please cheer up. You're going to see him again. And so will I.

I say farewell to the village chief as Nami settles herself in the boat. The women had all been working on crocheting a huge blanket for the baby, and they surprise her with it as she makes herself comfortable for the ride. I thank him profusely for all of his kindness, and for his people's kindness. We would have never survived without their generosity. He tells me that Nami would have never survived without me.

We sail back towards the ship, and once we're a little away from the island, Brook takes another Baby Den-Den Mushi from his pocket. "Franky! I'm on my way back! They're both with me!"

"Franky! Oi!" I shout from behind the receiver.

"Super!" Franky cheers eagerly.

"Nami?" The voice changes- Sanji's grabbed the speaker from Franky. I can't read his emotions, even on the face of the snail. "Hey, Nami, say something." Nami stares at the Den-Den Mushi, and looks away. "Nami-swan, if you're there, just let me hear your voice! It better really be her, Brook, you better not be yanking my chain!"

"I'm not! How harsh! Nami, say hello!" Brook prodded her, pushing the shell close.

"I don't want to talk," Nami murmured, and she wrapped the big blanket around her body and turned away.

"Okay. I heard her. I'm glad she's alive. Oi, Usopp, you behave yourself?"

"Are you kidding?" I crack my knuckles and smile wryly. (At least, I think I'm smiling wryly.) "I was the brave man of the island."

He's glad she's alive. Is that all he's going to say?

* * *

They pulled into the Soldier Dock just after nightfall and were greeted by Robin and Franky. Robin was being gently supported by Franky's hand, but managed to stay upright on her own when he went to chain the rowboat in. "It's so good to be back!" Usopp shouted as he jumped onto the platform. Brook got off after him, but Nami huddled over in the little boat, trying to cover her body as much as she could.

"I'm very glad you're back, my long-nosed friend," Robin said softly. "I was afraid you'd been blown away like a feather in the wind."

"Well, no need to fear, Robin, Captain Usopp will always find a way!" He grinned proudly. Robin smiled and embraced him, much to his surprise.

"I missed that." He was frozen in her arms for a moment, unsure of what to do or say, until he noticed something.

"Hey, you feel kinda limp, are you okay?" Usopp stepped back to look at her.

"I've lost some muscle mass," she replied in a very quiet voice. She then looked to Nami, still curled up in the boat. Franky glanced at Robin, and knelt down by the boat.

"Hey, Nami-sis, you need a hand up?" He beamed kindly.

"C-can I just stay here?" Nami asked, her voice quavering. Robin pursed her lips, and got down beside Franky. "Robin, everyone will know…"

"Nami, I'm sorry your secret is out, but hiding will do you no good," Robin stated firmly. Nami hung her head, and Usopp knelt down to whisper in her ear.

"That's not it." Robin glanced over to him, and he looked down. "She's… more pregnant than she thought she was."

"I'm ashamed," Nami mumbled. Robin frowned slightly, and looked back at her.

"He is going to see you eventually," Robin said softly, dangerously. Realizing it was no longer necessary for him to be there, Usopp got to his feet and walked up the stairs, and Brook followed him out. "Stand up, Nami, be proud! He wants to see you, no matter how you look!" Nami looked between Franky and Robin, both of whom were smiling supportively, and took Franky's hand. He pulled her to her feet and lifted her to the dock, and embraced her with tears running from his eyes into her hair.

"Nami, you look beautiful," Franky sniffled. "I don't care what you think! Sanji's going to think you're beautiful just the way you are!" Robin embraced Nami from the back, and the three stood in solidarity like mother, father, and daughter.

* * *

_From the Internal Monologue of the Brave Man of the Ocean, Sogeking (Final Entry)_

Nami's crying on Robin's shoulder, and that's good. She definitely needs to get it out of her system after holding it in around me for so long. I've been holding it back too, but now, I'm going to release my own pressure valve. I think I've only been this enraged once before in my entire life, but I think my reasoning is better this time. I've got my blood boiling. He didn't come to get her, he wasn't waiting for her when we got back, so what the hell is he doing? I run up the stairs to the grassy deck, and Sanji's sitting there by the mast, smoking and staring up at the sky. Big freaking surprise! He doesn't even look at me, just keeps sucking down that cancer. "Hey, Usopp. You okay?"

"Am I okay?" I can't believe my ears. "Am I okay? Of course I'm not okay!"

"What?" Sanji looks up at me. God damn it, he looks so stupid and pitiful. "What's wrong with you?"

"You… you bastard!" I can't believe this. "Nami told me how you treated her!"

"Yeah, I didn't get a chance to apologize. I know I screwed up." He sulks. Like I'm going to give a shit. "I guess you're on her side."

"Goddamn right I am! You don't even have a valid side!" I can't believe this idiot! "It's not just that you insulted her for carrying your child! It's that even though you treat her like shit, she's still devoted to you! Do you have any idea what she has been going through for the past six weeks?" I've clenched my fists, I don't know where this heat is coming from! "Every single day, she cried and called your name, wishing you would come for her, and you didn't even have the decency to come for her yourself!" I have a newfound strength, I grab him by the shirt collar and pull him from the ground to look me in the eyes. (The look of shock on his face, as his cigarette falls from his mouth to the ground, is priceless. I know he just wants to ask, "Where the hell is this coming from?" but I can't be stopped!)

"It's more than that! You made me lie to her! Because she needed you, I kept telling her you were there! I lied to her every single day just to get her to get out of bed and eat! I lied to her so she could sleep at night! I lied to her like I had to lie to my mother so she would die with a smile on her face! I almost wish we'd never been found because the lies I told her about you are better than the reality!" I drop him back to the ground, and he stares at me, awestruck. "Nami deserves a better man than even I can imagine, and if you don't have the… the… the testicular fortitude to be better than my lies, then you might as well throw your wedding ring into the sea!" My knees are shaking. I want to hit him, but I couldn't if I tried. He stares at me, mute with shock, and finally looks down.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm a shitty husband." His lips twitch, and he pulls his knees to his chest. "All the same… thanks for taking care of her." Sanji has not yet taken out a fresh cigarette. It's my turn to be shocked. "I couldn't face her… because I can't bear what I've done to her. I don't even know if I could have done half of what you did. Still… I could never have forgiven myself if something had happened to her, and I still can't. If I'm ever forgiven, it'll be you doing the forgiving." He folds his arms and rests his forehead on them, like a shamed dog, and I simply nod.

"Not today, Sanji," I say quietly. "Maybe someday, but not today." I hold my head high and coolly walk away to the galley. I can hardly believe I did that. I told him he needed to be better, and he listened to me! I can go piss myself with terror now, and I will still hold my head high like a man!

"Usopp!" Chopper grabs onto my leg. "I saw the whole thing! That was so cool!" He looks up at me with his eyes aglow, and I grin proudly.

"Yeah, I know, wasn't it?" I toss my head back. "I am a brave man of marriage counseling!"

I know Nami will forgive him and wrap her arms around him, and I know Sanji's going to take better care of her now, but I also know for a fact that I am the cause of at least a fraction of that. When it comes to love, that's further than I ever imagined I would go.

* * *

Robin and Franky walked Nami to the top of the stairs, and she peered out the window to where he sat, leaned against the mast, head in hands. Nami still had the blanket wrapped around her body, trying to hide it as much as she could. Franky and Robin both put their hands on her back. "Go to him, little sis," Franky urged her emotionally, and Robin nodded. She took a deep breath, and carefully stepped out into the moonlight evening air. She didn't smell cigarette smoke, at least not fresh smoke, and he didn't move even as she cautiously, silently approached him. Her footsteps on the grass rustled loud enough for him to hear, and he finally looked up. She froze in place, nervously starting to edge back towards the safety of the cabin house. He got to his feet. Their eyes met for a brief moment, and his eyes slowly traveled her contours. He reached forward, and she drew back.

"S-Sanji," she murmured, taking a full step back from him.

"Let me see you," he whispered. She froze, and took another step back. "Just let me see you! It's been almost two months since I last saw you, I want to be sure it's you!" She could hear the tears in his voice, his moist eyes wide as he stared at her. "Please, stay here. Nami, please." His lower lip wiggled, and Nami stayed still. "At least… let me look at you!" Sanji stumbled forward and grabbed the corner of the blanket that Nami held. She dropped it, and he stared her up and down. "Oh my god," he mumbled. She was big. She was definitely big, bigger than he could have possibly expected. He pressed one hand to her rounded middle as if to be sure it was real. "Y-You…"

"St-stop it!" Nami whirled around and hunched herself around her abdomen. "I'm… I'm sorry. You were right. I'm a total…" She bit down on her own words. "Complete… idiot!"

"Don't say that!" Sanji wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her in his grasp. "I'm the idiot, I'm the stupid one! You shouldn't have listened to me when I said that, and I wish I could erase it! If I could go back and do it over, I would cut myself off at the knees before even thinking to say that! I should have said I was thankful just to have you! And I am, and I'm sorry!"

"You were right, Sanji, just look at me," Nami whimpered, and he slid around to look her in the eyes. "Just… look. I'm not cute anymore, and I'm more pregnant than I ever thought I could be, and… I'm so stupid!"

"Don't say such things," he murmured. "Listen to me- I've never been happier to see you, you've never been more beautiful, and you're not stupid at all." Nami let out a sob and slid from his arms, dropping to her knees. He quickly sank down to half-catch her, and he wrapped her in his arms again as she began to cry onto his chest. "I never want to spend another day without you. I never want to be apart from you, my family, ever again. A world without you in it is pure hell." Nami whimpered and sobbed again.

"Why, Sanji, why?" She plead, and Sanji kissed her. He pulled back slowly, and tipped her chin so she would look him in the eyes.

"Because I missed you. Because you make me happy. Because you're my perfect woman. Because I love you, and nothing's going to change that or get in the way of that." He kissed her again. She stared at him, blinking the tears from her eyes, and finally smiled. She rubbed the last tears on her cheeks onto his shirt.

"You idiot," she whispered playfully, and buried herself in his arms. She slid to lay down in his lap, her head on his knees, and he stroked her hair. "I… I do love you, Sanji. You really love me?"

"Of course, my swan." He smiled, wrapping a strand of her hair on his finger. "Don't ever think otherwise."

* * *

**End Notes: **Aww, sweet and sappy chapter ending.

In the next chapter! Will Zoro ever find Luffy? What will happen to Nami and her baby? What are those damned Marines up to?

One last note: Somehow, the song "Northern Downpour" seems completely suited as a love song for Nami and Sanji. I might just be mushy.

Anyway, I'm going on summer vacation. I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter, and I'll be back with chapter 16 in two weeks!

Don't forget to review!


	16. Father and Son

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** Italy was nice, but I've missed writing!

Due to an untimely patch of writer's block, I might have to start slowing down the updates to every other week again. Stupid writer's block. But fear not! We shall see what happens.

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing except the stuff I made up.

* * *

**Chapter 16: **Father and Son

**Suggested Track:** "Times Like These (Unplugged)," Foo Fighters

After another week afloat and alone, Zoro was lonely and desperate to hear or see anyone else. He ended up calling the ship out of desperation to hear another human voice.

"Usopp and Nami got back alright?" He asked Franky after formalities.

"Ayup, ayup, sure did! Chopper checked Nami out, but he has absolutely no clue when she's gonna deliver."

"No clue at all? You would think that they'd at least have a hint."

"Nami's best estimate is seven-and-a-half months as her maximum. Thinking about it, she's been less than her best for a long while."

"As long as she's alright. Luffy's going to be so excited when he finds out Gilly's getting a little cousin." Zoro smirked as he thought about it. "He's been bothering both her and Robin to make a baby already, and now, Nami's going to be a mom."

"Could be sooner than we thought," Franky murmured, his voice lowering a bit. "Chopper suspects that because of all the trauma she experienced, she might go into labor early, so he's trying to keep a really good eye on her. Have you seen any signs of Luffy and the shrimp?"

"Not a single thing." Zoro rubbed his forehead with his thumb and index finger "Luffy should be due sometime next week. If it's trauma you're talking about, I wouldn't be surprised if he's already had the kid…"

"Luffy and two shrimps," Franky began to sniffle. "An' Nami's baby's in trouble too…"

"Don't start crying on me now!" Zoro snapped.

"I'b dot cwying! I'b god a cowd!" Zoro groaned as Franky began to bawl, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye.

"Franky, I think I've spotted another ship. I've got to go!" He quickly hung up and directed the Mini-Merry towards the ship. As he got closer, he saw them waving and calling his name. "How do they know me…?" He frowned, and looked at their flag. He didn't recognize it as either Marine or pirate, nor World Government, but he didn't like it. He pulled alongside their starboard side and anchored the Merry, and they dropped a rope down to him. He quickly scaled it and jumped onto their deck.

"Roronoa Zoro! It really is him!" The deck was full of strange men, most of which were smiling at him, and Zoro did not like it. He quickly pulled his swords.

"Alright, what the hell do you want?" He growled. "Are you looking for a fight? I'll give you a fight, but unless this is really damn important, I don't have time for this!"

"He wants to fight us?" One man chuckled. He turned around. "Hey! We got any swordsmen who wanna take this guy on?"

"I'll do it!" A small voice chirped near the back, and the crowd parted to let a small girl with her hair tied up with a red ribbon rush to the front with her sword drawn. She skidded to a stop when she saw who, exactly, she had challenged, button-black eyes wide. Roronoa Zoro dropped his swords in disbelief.

"Gilea!" He stepped over his blades, dropped to his knees, and spread his arms. She sheathed her own blade and rushed into his hug. "I thought I'd lost you…"

"I was here, Daddy! All these nice people kept me here! We were looking for you!" Gilly rubbed her running nose on his shirt. "I missed you, Daddy! I thought you would never come!"

"I would have never stopped looking," Zoro murmured, scooping her up. He picked up his blades and sheathed them. Begrudgingly, he looked at the men around him. "I apologize for being confrontational. Thank you for looking after my little girl."

"And Daddy."

"Hm?" Zoro looked down at her.

"No, _Daddy, _Daddy. They took care of Daddy too," Gilly explained. Zoro froze, eyes wide at what she was implying.

"Luffy's here?"

"He sure is," the captain chuckled as he came forward. "He's just downstairs, giving Torao a bottle."

"T-Torao?" Zoro paled.

"Yeah, Toto." Gilly smiled. "He's cute."

"C-can I see him?"

"Yeah, come on," the captain offered with a smile, as the rest of the crew got back to their duties.

"Let's g-go," Zoro choked out, keeping Gilea squeezed in his arms like a teddy bear. The captain obliged, taking Zoro down a flight of stairs through the cabin house.

"Your little girl there was in great shape when she came to us. She spent her first week here hiding and destroying things, though!"

"You busted some of their stuff?" Zoro glared down to Gilly in his arms. She looked away, making a face oddly reminiscent of Luffy post-meat-thievery. "Sorry," he groaned. "Look, just tell me how much the stuff she broke cost, I'll pay you back."

"No, don't worry about it! Our boss already said he'd compensate for everything. Anyway, she really calmed down when we found your captain. He was a major mess when we picked him up, though. Starving, dehydrated, depleted. It's almost a wonder he survived. And yet, once we gave him enough food to feed a small army and two days' sleep, he's almost back to normal."

"Almost?"

"Well, we haven't seen any of his rumored antics, but he's awake and aware!"

"Come aboard and bring along all your hopes and dreams… together, we'll find everything we're looking for…" Zoro grinned as he heard Luffy singing softly.

"Luffy!" Zoro burst into the infirmary, and saw Luffy sitting on the edge of a bed with a bottle in one hand and a bundled infant laying in his arm. Luffy was making faces as the baby fed, but looked up when he heard his name called. He didn't seem to know what to say, and nor did Zoro. "You… stupid… idiot!" Zoro fell at Luffy's bedside and grabbed his elbow. "Do you know how god damn worried I was?"

"I can't tell if Daddy is angry or happy," Gilly remarked to the captain, who laughed so hard he choked on his spit. Luffy looked down at Zoro, hands still full, as Zoro rubbed his cheek against Luffy's arm. Luffy bit his lower lip, eyes big and watery, and put down the bottle. He held out the baby in his hands.

"Your son," he offered. "You want to hold him?"

"Yes, I do." Zoro carefully took him, and cradled the boy close. He scooted up to sit on the edge of the bed with Luffy, and kept staring between Luffy and Torao. Finally, he kissed Luffy on the mouth, much to his surprise, and then kissed Torao on the forehead. "I have two children. I don't think I could be much happier." Gilly ran over and jumped into Luffy's lap, and he wrapped his arms around her and put his chin on her head.

"Zoro, what about our crew? Some guy said he'd arrested everybody…"

"Please, he was lying." Zoro smirked. "They're all back. It's just us they're missing now. You're not going to believe it, there's a lot going on! They just miss you."

"Great." Luffy grinned. "Are we going to go back now?"

"Sure, soon, as long as it's okay by them." Zoro nodded to the captain. He turned back to him. "Is it alright if we get going soon?"

"I can't hold you back!" The captain beamed. "You can leave as soon as you're ready."

"Great." Zoro took up the bottle Luffy had put down to finish feeding Torao. "He's so small, Luffy." Torao blinked his wet grey eyes up at him, before closing them in babyish contentment, and Zoro grinned in amazement. "He's so, so tiny." Luffy's smile shrank.

"Yeah… he was born too early," Luffy murmured, looking away. "I kind of failed him."

"No, you did just fine. He's alive, isn't he? Even after everything that happened." Zoro rubbed his nose against Torao's forehead. "I was afraid we'd lose him."

"We?" Luffy blinked.

"Yeah, we. We're responsible for each other, and I'm just as responsible for them as you are. I might not have been carrying him, but his life is my responsibility because I made him. If he'd been lost…" Zoro put the empty bottle down and set his palm on Torao's head. "I would never have forgiven anybody for it."

"Z-Zoro…" Luffy clamped his hands over Gilly's ears. "I wished him dead, I told him he should have been born dead."

"How could you-" Zoro started, but stopped himself, as Luffy's lower lip wiggled.

"He was born into a grave, and he was so hungry, but I couldn't do anything about it. He would have never been hungry or cold."

"But he wouldn't have had a chance to live!" Zoro frowned, and Torao whined. He looked down at him, and dropped his voice. "Thank whatever god there is or isn't that he's alive. It's not your fault, either. Marines… they made all of us hurt. They made you hurt, her hurt, him hurt! Never again. I won't let it happen." Zoro wrapped his arm around Luffy and kissed his cheek, and then fluffed Gilly's hair. "I love you guys. All three of you. I've got a beautiful daughter and a cute little son and a great captain. As far as I'm concerned, I am the Pirate King."

"That's my job!" Luffy laughed. He kissed Zoro a few times on the cheek, and Gilly stuck her tongue out.

"Ick. Toto, aren't they gross?"

"Toto?" Both Luffy and Zoro looked at her, and both grinned.

"Look at that. Cute little ass already has a nickname, eh, Toto?" Zoro snickered. "So, can you walk?"

"Yup, I'm up!" Luffy set Gilea aside and swung his legs off the side. He hopped to his feet, stretched his arms, and pumped his fists into the air. "Yosha!"

"Yosha!" Gilly hopped up at his side and imitated him. Luffy giggled, and Zoro rose, Torao still cradled in his arms. Gilly hopped at his heels as the couple made they way up, eagerly shouting, "We're going home!"

* * *

As part of his reward for "staying alive, dammit," Zoro allowed Luffy to "drive" the Mini-Merry. This, however, provided a discreet benefit for Zoro. Luffy got to snore in the front seat with the boat on autopilot, Gilly got to snooze in the shotgun seat, and Zoro got to lay in the backseat with his son.

"You know, I really liked the name Torao." He smiled a little bit, rubbing the boy's head through the layer of blanket. "It's even better now that you have it."

He had tried to prepare himself for it, but he couldn't. He had known it was coming for four months, but he hadn't been able to know what to expect. It should have been just like the first time, shouldn't it?

It wasn't. It was another animal completely.

Zoro looked down into his infant son's face with a smile, but he felt utter wonderment and confusion. "What am I supposed to do with you?" he wondered aloud. He sat up, shifting Torao into his lap to look directly down at him. He moved the blanket off his head and tried to arrange his little tufts of dark hair into little pigtails, but it didn't look right. "I know what to do with a little girl, but you're a damn mystery." Torao's eyes opened for a moment, before he yawned, smacked his lips, and closed them again. "I mean, your sister was so easy. Natural. How the hell do I show you I love you?" He glanced to the front seat, where Gilly had sprawled her way into Luffy's lap. "She liked it when I made funny faces, but not until she was a little older. You're too little to think they're funny. And I don't have any toys for you. I'll make you some when we get back. I'll carve you a little boat to play with in the tub. That'll be fun, eh?" He grinned, as Torao continued to doze in and out. "And we have some of your sister's toys still. You can play with her old rattle. It'll make noises for you. But that'll be better when you're older too. What did Gilly like when she was a new baby?" Zoro lifted Torao to touch noses, trying to look down into his eyes and understand him. Somehow, he smelled oddly sweet to Zoro. "Hm. I guess, when she first got here, all she wanted was a cozy crib, a dry butt, and a warm bottle. And me. And Luffy. And lots and lots of sleep. That was a lot of what she did. Is that it? I bet you like to sleep. I can do that. And I bet you like attention. Yeah. You probably just like to hear my voice. Okay, Toto. We'll figure this out together." Zoro lay back down on the bench and carefully settled Torao on his chest. He clasped his hands over Torao's bellybutton as a seatbelt. "Let's start right here." Zoro closed his eyes, and both father and son dozed contently in the warm night air.

* * *

"So, you're feeling okay?" Chopper asked. Nami was hard at work on the upper deck, enjoying the fresh air, legs folded under her as she scrawled away on her map.

"Never felt much better, I guess, but I really need to finish this," Nami replied as she measured out a gap on a ruler. She was seated on the grass with her notebook and her charts. "Three hundred islands in the Vindaloo Archipelago and only three on the current map! Lucky that most of them are tiny. And Usopp said that he heard a story about a fourth one getting a name shortly before we left the island we were on, and got a page of folklore. I haven't had time to look it over yet because I'm trying to record all the islands we've passed so far, and I have to catch up!" Nami sighed anxiously.

"I guess you want to get your work out of the way before the baby gets here, huh?" Chopper leaned over her shoulder to look at her work. "I think you should try to relax and all. I mean, you shouldn't stress, it's bad. Have you and Sanji picked baby names yet?"

"Sanji's got a whole stupid list of girl's names," Nami replied, rolling her eyes, but she managed to smile. "He's really set on one, Cora."

"Cora? Where did he get that from?"

"Coeur, French for heart." Nami smiled.

"Ahh! How stupid can he be? That's a dumb way to pick a name!" Chopper blushed and squealed with delight. Nami giggled.

"Yes, I think I like Cora too." She continued to work.

"What about boy's names?"

"Sanji didn't know, he said I could pick if it was a boy. I was thinking of Mika or Saffron."

"Aww, so cute. Things that are delicious!" Chopper grinned and began to bounce on his heels. "I can't wait to see your baby. It'll be so exciting to have both your and Luffy's babies here!"

"I'm just worried it'll be chaotic. I mean, Gilly's way too energetic, she was too much for me to handle, and Nojiko always told me I was a difficult child." Nami sighed and scratched her head. "I don't know if I'm even ready, but I kind of want it to be over with so I stop having all these cramps… Okay. No time to mope." Nami straightened up and took out her notebook. "Tiger Buckets."

"Tiger Buckets?" Nami looked up as Sanji entered with a plate of soba and a cup of iced tea. "Odd thing to say." He set down the plate before her and took a look at her map.

"It's the name of an island. Apparently it was either that or Tiger Grave, but Buckets stuck. It got named that a few weeks ago by some other travelers passing through, and word got to the island we were on right before we left. The travelers heard this terrible noise like a dying tiger, and landed only to find a big, empty grave lined with blood." Nami chuckled a little. "So they decided that, surely some awful beast dug its own grave there. A half-drowned monster that dragged itself ashore, dug a grave, died and was reclaimed by the sea."

"Poor tiger!" Chopper sniffled sympathetically.

"Interesting story." Sanji smirked. "Is it true?"

"Good question. I can't answer it, though." Nami put down her pencil and started on her snack. Sanji took a seat beside Nami and kissed her cheek. Chopper continued to whine.

"I hope it's not true! I'd feel so bad for the tiger!"

"Ugh, Sanji," Nami sighed, pushing her plate away. "I'm sorry, I can't eat this. It's making me nauseous."

"Don't worry, I understand; what would suit your sensitive palate?" Sanji asked subserviently, giving her a very sweet smile. Nami smirked deviously.

"Venison."

Sanji looked over to Chopper with an evil look in his eyes and a terrible, terrible grin. "Nami-swan wants to eat you." Chopper screamed and ran away, and Sanji gave chase down towards the mast. Nami laughed hard, slapping her knee, until there was a distinct rumbling from below as the Soldier Dock was turned. Usopp ran past her on his way down.

"They're back!" Usopp howled.

"Usopp! Could you give me a hand up?" Usopp turned and helped pull her up to her feet. "Ugh. Hope you didn't break anything there."

"Just my back. Shit, you're heavy!" Usopp groaned. Nami whirled around and scowled.

"You suck." She put her hands on her hips, and Usopp flinched in preparation for the slap. "Just you watch it. You're lucky I like you." She hustled away down the stairs, and Usopp followed her. Sanji and Chopper, having heard the movement in the bottom level, had given up their chase and were rushing for the stairs. Brook was already there, and Franky and Robin were waiting as the Mini-Merry sailed in. Luffy was jumping up and down and waving even before they were all the way in, and once they were close enough, he leapt across the gap and wrapped his arms around as many of his crewmates as he could.

"We're home!" Luffy tried to give everyone a group hug, as Zoro directed the Merry into dock. Gilly hopped onto the deck as well and hugged onto Robin's leg.

"Auntie Robin! Everybody is safe! Uncle Usopp! Auntie Nami!" She rushed from person to person to distribute individual hugs. "Daddy! Let's show them what we got!"

"Hold on, hold on!" Zoro chuckled, as he finished docking the boat. He had Torao bundled in one arm, and he carefully stepped onto the dock. "Would anybody like to see what we've got?"

"Let me see!" Usopp jumped to the front of the crowd, and looked into Zoro's arms. "Ohoho!" Robin turned to look at Torao as well.

"My, he looks just like you."

"Awful small, mossball," Sanji remarked sarcastically, before jumping back when someone stomped on his foot.

"Oops, sorry, Uncle Sanji!" Gilly grinned innocently, and rushed behind Zoro to hide. Zoro smirked a little, as Sanji took another look.

"Well, he is damn cute," Sanji conceded while giving Gilly a sharp look.

"He was born a little early, but he's still pretty healthy. Quiet, too. You want to hold him?" He offered him to Sanji. "You're going to need to practice doing this."

"And you have to be careful!" Gilly chimed in. "You have to promise to be careful, because he is very small and delicate."

"He is tiny, isn't he?" Nami remarked with a small smile. "I almost forgot how small babies were." Sanji seemed amazed in his own right as he took up Torao.

"A few weeks with his family will make him all better!" Luffy chirped. "He needs some whole milk. All they had on the ship we were on was powdered." Luffy wrinkled his nose. "It tasted bad."

"Heh, poor guy," Sanji chuckled, tickling Torao's nose. "Have you been drinking skim?"

"He's alive, that's all that matters," Zoro said, before turning back to look at the rest of the crew. His eyes fixed on Nami, and he cocked his head. Luffy noticed, and he cocked his head as well. Nami turned a nervous shade of pink. Zoro and Luffy both seemed to be considering their words carefully, before Zoro finally said, "Hey, Nami, you got fat!"

Silence. Horror. Chopper hid behind Brook.

"Hold this." Sanji carefully passed Torao to Robin (who showed him to Franky) and pounced at Zoro. "I'll kill ya!" Zoro dodged and ran. Luffy chuckled and crouched by Nami's middle. He gave it a few gentle pats and prods, giggling and grinning.

"Meat?" Nami and Gilly both giggled as Luffy's suggestion.

"No. Just a little tangerine." Nami grinned.

Luffy giggled madly. "That's a lot of tangerines!"

"One big one!" Usopp pitched in.

"Nah, two big ones!" Luffy teased, before standing up and embracing Nami. "I'm so happy for you."

"Aw, thank you, Luffy," Nami chuckled, hugging him back. She then began to strangle him. "Are you saying I'm fat too? I'd kill you if you didn't have a newborn!"

"Hey, calm down guys!" Franky wrapped his arms around both of them and split them up. "We're all back together! This is super!" Robin reached a fleur to grab Sanji's ankle and trip him, thus getting him off Zoro's trail. This allowed Chopper to hug onto Zoro's leg, protecting him from further chasing.

"Why don't we all go upstairs and celebrate?" Zoro suggested with a grin, and he scooped up Chopper onto his shoulders. "The family's all together!"

"Damn right!" Luffy concurred, grinning. "First, I need a nap, and then something to eat, and then, we've got business with the Marines."

"Damn right!" Gilly added cheerfully. Zoro gave her a harsh look, but it was hard to argue with words from the mouths of babes. Luffy giggled, ruffling her hair. The rest of the crew briefly gazed eye to eye, then nodded and concurred:

"Damn right."

* * *

**End Notes:** Got quite few this time!

1) The song Luffy is singing to Torao is the beginning of the Funimation interpretation of "We Are!"

2.) Tiger Buckets- one of the Japanese term for grave is "bokketsu." Say it aloud, it sounds like Buckets to me.

Finally, the informal reader poll I mentioned a few chapters ago! I'm trying to pick a boy's name for Nami and Sanji's son (if they do have a son) but I myself am stuck between Mika and Saffron. I really like both names, and they both serve the same reference. If you have an opinion either way, please post it in your review!

Remember to review, review, review! I'll post again soon!


	17. Struggling to Breathe

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** Due to my current struggles to get through this story, chapters will be on an every-other-week update schedule. I apologize for the inconvenience, but I have a lot of projects on my plate.

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing!

* * *

**Chapter 17: Struggling to Breathe**

**Suggested Track: **"Weak and Powerless," A Perfect Circle

On the night of Luffy and Zoro's return, the crew decided to drop anchor so everyone could get a good night's sleep. They thought everyone needed the rest, and Chopper was sure that examining the entire little family could wait until morning. They were looking forward to a good night's sleep, but the Fates had something else in mind.

They were awoken shortly before midnight by cries and screams, and it did not begin in the men's room, where Torao slept in Gilly's old crib. It instead began in the women's cabin, and it was not the screams that awoke them. Robin was the first to wake, and it was Sanji's hand on her shoulder that was the culprit.

"Sanji- what?" Robin blinked curiously from her sleep. Sanji didn't say anything but pressed a finger to his lips. Robin then heard it- uncomfortable gasping from Nami's bed. She looked, and saw Nami sitting up, one hand on her middle and moaning softly. Sanji shook his head, and Robin saw the terror on his face. She nodded, got out of bed, and went to Nami's side.

"Nami-swan, let's go downstairs," Sanji said quietly as he helped her to her feet. Robin caught her other arm and helped to keep her upright. Nami cried out in greater pain at being upright, but Sanji kept one hand on the small of her back and the other on her shoulder to support her. "It's okay. Chopper's going to help."

"How long have you been in pain?" Robin asked in a muted voice.

"Since before dinner… I thought it was nothing… it's just getting worse really fast!" Nami chewed her lower lip. "It's… It's too soon, Robin. It's way too soon!" Her voice rose, and Sanji hushed her.

"Please, stay calm, we just need to get you to Chopper so he can help the baby." Robin and Sanji supported her out the door, and Brook, on his watch, heard her cry out. Sanji rushed her over to the infirmary through the kitchen, where Zoro had been heating a bottle for Torao, and Robin went to get Chopper. By the time he got her there and Chopper had joined her, her cries had woken the rest of the crew except for Gilea and Torao. Zoro watched Luffy stroll into the galley with Torao, who had finally woken with soft hunger cries, and Usopp and Franky joined them. Robin, Sanji, Nami, and Chopper were gone into the infirmary, and the others listened as Nami cried out again. Luffy pouted slightly as he listened.

"She does not sound happy."

"It sounds familiar to me," Zoro muttered.

"It seems a little early," Franky remarked.

"Let's just wait for news. I'm sure Chopper or Robin will let us know when he's gotten her to stop," Usopp said calmly. The men nodded in agreement, and they sat and waited quietly, the only sounds they could hear being that of a suckling Torao and a sobbing, whimpering Nami on the other side of the door.

After twenty minutes, Robin emerged and quickly shut the door behind her. "What's the news, Robin?" Zoro asked. Franky was taking his turn with Torao and patting his back very, very softly as he was lulled back into contentment with a full tummy.

"It's not good," Robin said after a moment. She looked at her feet. "She's definitely short of due by at least five weeks, but she's already dilating. Her water's broken. There's no turning back. If she doesn't deliver, the baby will be subject to infection."

"Damn," Zoro sighed. "What a pain."

"What are you talking about, what a pain?" Franky hissed. "It's Nami who's in pain!"

"It's just a pain that we're not at all prepared for this!" Zoro snapped back. "We don't have enough diapers, or an extra crib, or anything!" He looked away. "And besides that, I feel like a jerk because we didn't do anything for her."

"Toto only needs one diaper at a time. We'll just have to wash them more," Luffy replied simply. "And Toto will be very happy to share his bed with his new little cousin. Isn't that right, Toto?" Luffy grinned at the little baby, and Franky looked down at Torao in his arms.

"He's pretty small. You could get like four babies in his crib," Franky murmured thoughtfully. "But I think it might not be safe for the new baby, who's sure to be a little smaller. There's some apple wood for the fireplace in my storeroom… You know, if I go get to work now, I could have a perfect new crib ready by sunup." He got to his feet and handed Torao to Usopp. "I'm going to get started with my lathe and band saw."

"I'll cover your watch, and you can take anything you need from my workroom," Usopp offered. "And if you need me to help, I will!" Franky gave him a thumbs-up, and rushed to get to work. Robin smiled, as Luffy scratched his head.

"What can we do for the baby?" Luffy wondered aloud.

"I'll get her some ice," Robin said softly. "If we need anything, we'll ask. I'm going to get back to Nami. Sanji's not handling this very well, so she needs someone to support her."

"Eh? Sanji's not okay?" Luffy followed Robin curiously to peer in on the scene. He couldn't see Nami or Chopper, but Sanji was sitting on the floor in his pajamas, his eyes wide, chewing his thumb. Robin closed the door on Luffy's nose, and he went back to sit by Zoro with a slight pout. "Sanji seems unhappy. He should be happy. This is a happy thing!" Luffy grinned. "There's gonna be a baby soon!"

"Luffy…" Zoro started, but realized it was fruitless to try and explain, and simply sighed. "Well, at least you're optimistic."

Robin came out several times for ice and water, and Brook soon came in to switch out watch. Usopp went to take Franky's turn, and Brook sat by the door to listen to what was happening inside the infirmary. Robin knocked him over several times on her way in and out. The minutes passed quietly, with Torao fast asleep on either Zoro or Luffy's lap. At about one-thirty in the morning, Robin emerged with somber eyes.

"I've been asked not to return," she said quietly. "Nami said that Sanji needs to, quote-unquote, 'man up' and support her better. I'm going to go see if I can help Franky at all." She left. A few minutes later, she returned with some large sheets of canvas. "Zoro, go to the girls' cabin and find my sewing box. I'm going to make a temporary mattress for the new crib."

"Good idea." Zoro looked over at the others. "Brook, I've got another one. Go to the crow's nest, grab the biggest sack-cloth training dummy we have. We'll un-stuff it and use it to help fill the mattress out." Brook, understanding, nodded and went to get the dummy.

"Hmm, is there anything I can do to help?" Luffy whined.

"Hold Torao. He's going to need feeding again in an hour or so, and if he gets wet, he's going to need you to take care of it." Zoro kissed Luffy's cheek appreciatively, and rushed to get Robin's needles and thread. Luffy watched curiously as Robin's many fleur began to work at cutting shapes and organizing them into piles. With so many extra hands, it was a quick job, and finished by the time Zoro returned. He and Luffy watched with wonder as she sewed multiple pieces together at a time, and a simple rectangular prism took shape. She took the empty shell and carried it off to wash it, just as Brook arrived back with the dummy.

"Zoro, hold this." Luffy passed Torao to him, took one of Zoro's swords, and cut the dummy open. Zoro chuckled quietly as Luffy and Brook tore the dummy to pieces. Still, Nami cried on and on, but they tried not to think about her pain.

Usopp brought in a set of spring coils for the mattress and returned to his watch, and the mattress was quickly finished with ten sets of hands working on it (nine of which were Robin's, though Brook helped to stuff the deepest part and pack the stuffing in.) Torao had woken twice, once for a change and then for his 3AM feeding. Luffy was taking his turn holding him, humming an old lullaby Brook had taught him with the bottle in one hand and the infant cradled to his chest.

"_Duérmete, mi niño, duérmete ya..._ _Que viene su Papa y te comerá…_"

"No you will not," Zoro hissed. The air was noticeably clear of smoke, but full of crying. Luffy sighed as Nami's voice rose again, and glanced at Zoro.

"I think she needs… water."

"I think she needs a pain killer," Zoro countered.

"I think she'll be fine," Robin said softly. Brook turned as he heard Sanji yell out:

"Oh god what the hell is it doing?"

Brook spoke up, "I think now would be an excellent time to pay a visit- Not the fro!" Two of Robin's fleur grabbed and pulled Brook's hair, and Robin herself gave him a stern look, before looking back to Luffy and Zoro.

"This process was surely easier for you, Luffy. After all, you naturally stretch, she doesn't. And even you experienced intense pain." There was a loud crash from within, and Sanji's wailing could be heard. "I shall go ensure that our cook is not dead." Robin released Brook's hair and went into the infirmary, shutting the door behind her.

"I sure as hell hope Nami's alright, with all that screaming… but if she wakes Gilly, I'll go tell that baby off myself." Zoro shook his head.

"Poor Nami," Brook sighed despondently.

"I told you, we shouldn't be sad or glum or worried. This is a happy time!" Luffy grinned. "Pain is important in life. Just because she's in pain doesn't mean it's bad!"

"This is a blessed event… I guess," Zoro concurred with a nod. Usopp came back in from his watch.

"Franky finished the crib in good time, he's taken over for Robin's watch so she can stay with Nami," he explained. At the mention of her name, Robin emerged again, her complexion somewhere between pale and pink. The gathered looked at her expectantly for an update, and Robin sighed softly.

"She's very close, and she's very scared, but she asked me to leave." Robin sighed. "There's nothing we can do but hope for the best."

"Nami!" Luffy shouted, loud enough to be heard in the infirmary. "Don't be afraid! I'm still alive and I did it twice! You can do it!"

* * *

Nami smiled when she heard Luffy's voice. "He's the best brother I never had," she whispered to Sanji. He was shaking and wide-eyed, but he still clutched and kissed her hand.

"We've got the best damn crew on the ocean. They're all cheering for you." He wiped the sweat from her pallid brow. "We're going to make our crew and family bigger. I know you can do it." Chopper checked the monitors he had attached to Nami as she began to breathe heavily again.

"Oi, Nami!" Chopper rushed to her side with a towel ready, and Nami cried out again…

* * *

"I'm going to rip them off, Sanji, ya hear me? Rip! Them! Off!" Zoro, Usopp, and Brook all shuddered at this cry, as Luffy laughed and continued to snuggle Torao. Usopp folded his hands in mock prayer.

"Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to mourn the loss of two of our kind's bravest and most valiant…" Zoro turned red, Robin turned pink, and Brook and Luffy both burst into laughter.

"Oi, oi, it's not like he needs them," Zoro muttered, and Luffy simply chuckled. There were more cries from within the infirmary, and suddenly, silence. After a few minutes of tense quiet, the door swung open, and Sanji appeared with a damp, blood-spotted towel and a baby wrapped tight in it.

"Nami asked me to let you see him, but he can't stay. Chopper says he ain't looking too good." Sanji wore a wide-eyed, terrified grin, and the crew silently realized that the baby was not crying. "It's the only boy I've ever loved. We haven't picked a name yet. Five pounds seven." The crew gathered around to look at what Sanji held. He was small, with a scrunched, pale face covered in tears and a shock of nearly-white hair. The baby wheezed softly, gasping like he was drowning, as Sanji slowly massaged the boy's chest. "It's okay, little guy…"

"Sanji!" Nami cried out from within, and Sanji finally stopped smiling.

"Shit." Sanji rushed back into the infirmary, with Robin on his heels, and the door slammed shut again. Zoro, Usopp, and Brook gaped in silent shock.

"I wonder what happened," Luffy said, scratching his head. He passed Torao to Zoro and pressed his ear to the door, alongside Brook and Usopp. Franky entered and surveyed the scene. He finally looked to the most responsible one there.

"Swordsman-bro. What's going on in here?"

"I haven't got a damned clue," Zoro admitted, before sitting on another chair with Torao cuddled tight in his blanket. "It's a boy, we saw him, but it seems like there's something still happening in there. Baby didn't look good at all." Zoro shook his head somberly. Then, there was a cry, a very strong baby's cry, and they heard Sanji cry out with joy. Luffy, Usopp, and Brook got shoved against the wall as Sanji shoved the door open again, this time wearing a bigger grin.

"It's a girl!"

"What?" Franky howled, looking accusingly at Zoro. Zoro looked ready to panic.

"It's a boy and a girl! They're twins!" Sanji laughed eagerly, spinning around on his feet. "Nami had twins!"

"Oh my god," Zoro muttered, getting to his feet. "Can we see her?"

"In a few minutes. We need to clean up, but Nami wanted you to know," Sanji said, grinning even wider. "She did great, she really did great. We'll let you know!" Sanji quickly closed the door again, and Franky began to sob with joy.

"Ahh, there's two! Super!" Franky rubbed his eyes, and Luffy, Brook, and Usopp all peeled themselves off the wall and cried as well.

"It's a miracle!" Usopp wailed. The door opened, and Robin peered out.

"You can come in now," she stated calmly, "but you have to be quiet."

One by one, the crew tiptoed in. Nami was half-asleep on the bed with a cool compress on her forehead, but held a small baby close to her chest. Chopper was setting up a clean linen sheet over a small cart, with an oxygen tank enriching the air around the first infant. Sanji was staring at the baby on the cart, wide-eyed, as Robin sat back at Nami's side. Nami managed a cheerful grin at her comrades.

"I did it!" She squeaked in a hoarse voice.

"How are you feeling, mama?" Usopp asked with a grin, crouching near her.

"Exhausted… exhilarated," Nami replied softly. "Usopp… Cora. Hold her?" She sat up just enough to hold the female infant out, and Usopp took her to his chest.

"Hey, thanks," Usopp chuckled, and he examined the new baby. Sanji smiled again, though still staring at the tiny boy.

"She's as beautiful as her mother, isn't she? A beautiful little princess. She's perfect," Sanji babbled, before pressing his hands against the edge of the cart the boy lay in. Cora was a little bigger than the boy, but not by much, her head was covered in very light red hair, and she was crying softly. Usopp hushed her softly and dabbed her eyes with the corner of the blanket. "I could never sleep again because of all the happiness I'm feeling right now."

"Does he have a name yet?" Franky looked at the thinner boy under the tent.

"Sanji… Name him Mika?" Nami suggested sleepily.

"Mika's a good name. Mika's perfect." Sanji nodded, and turned back to him. Nami then beamed.

"How's little Mika doing?" Sanji didn't seem to have an answer for this. Franky and Brook both looked down at the baby, who was still bluish and gasping for breath.

"He's doing wonderful, my swan," he assured her quietly. Usopp nodded, lowering his eyes back to Cora.

"Let's put Cora down too, okay?" Chopper suggested. "I want to let her get a little extra oxygen too, just to be sure." Usopp nodded, and handed her over. Chopper gently surrounded the little pair with warm rolled-up towels and placed a plastic sheet over the linen to isolate the oxygen-rich environment. "They'll be okay in there." Nami sighed contently and closed her eyes, and Robin folded her hands onto her lap. She was already completely asleep.

"At last, she'll get some rest," Robin sighed softly. "Let's hope that she is still a mother to two when she wakes."

"Don't say morbid shit like that, Robin," Sanji muttered. "Chopper, do you have any idea why he's having trouble breathing?"

"I can't say just yet, but I'll do some tests in a few hours if he doesn't improve by then." Chopper turned to speak to Sanji, and the rest of the crew listened as well. "His APGAR scores are really low, though. He didn't respond to stimuli, his color is bad, almost no muscle tone, irregular heartbeat, and his lungs are barely functioning. On a scale of ten, he's consistently a two. Cora's considerably better, though. Started at a five, and moved up to a seven." Sanji nodded somberly, and closed his eyes.

"Hey, Toto, come and meet your new baby cousins!" Zoro felt Torao snatched from his arms from a distance, and Luffy carefully opened the tent and lay Torao down neatly next to Mika.

"Hey! Take him out!" Sanji hissed.

"Nawh, lookit. Cousins." Luffy beamed, very proud of himself. Sanji's eyes seemed to fill with rage. "They're cozy warm." Sanji paused, and looked again.

"Yeah, I guess." Sanji smiled weakly; Torao dwarfed the two premature newborns. "Little ducks in a row."

"Luffy, that might be too much oxygen for him," Chopper said.

"Okay." Luffy gingerly removed Torao.

"Everyone should go to bed. Nami's going to be sleeping, and the twins will need lots of quiet," Chopper suggested in his most authoritative voice.

"I'm staying right here," Sanji muttered, and took the stool from beside Nami's bed and took a seat by the twins. "Going to stay right here until my boy's doing better. He needs his father."

The crew was quiet, looking from eye to eye, and one by one, they filed out to return to bed or their watch, except for Sanji, Nami, and Chopper.

"You lied," Nami said once she woke up and got a good look at Mika. "He doesn't look well at all." Chopper had decided that Cora was well enough to be out of the oxygen tent, and Franky set the crib up in the dining hall so she could be near her parents, but Mika was still struggling to breathe.

"He's doing okay, that's what's important," Sanji murmured. "He's still breathing. Keep breathing, little guy." Sanji pressed his hand against the sheet that kept the oxygen in. "He's still cute." He rubbed his eyes slowly.

"How long have you been here?" Nami leaned on his shoulder.

"Haven't left since last night, just for a minute to change. Just watching him." He shook his head. "He stopped breathing twice. Chopper revived him." Nami realized that Sanji's hands were shaking.

"You need a cigarette?"

"Yes, I do," he muttered. "But I'm not going to leave. Chopper thinks that if he gets one good, full breath just to fill his lungs out, he'll be off and running. I want to be sure he gets it."

"Sanji, you need a cigarette and some sleep."

"He's not getting better. He's not getting that breath. His lungs aren't ready. He can't eat, either." Sanji shivered, still not looking at Nami. "Chopper had to give him milk in a little plastic syringe, he couldn't suck from the bottle. He… he tried, though." He cracked a sad smirk. "It's my fault, you know. You oughta be mad at me."

"How is this at all your fault?" She sighed, tousling his hair. "You didn't hurt him."

"My smoking," Sanji mumbled. "I smoked around you. I smoked around you the whole time before I knew you were pregnant. I probably messed him up. Cora's lucky."

"He's probably just having trouble acclimating," Nami reassured him. "He's breathing right now. Sitting here isn't going to help. Chopper's already gone to get you a reliever, I'm going to stretch my legs." She smiled and pulled him to his feet. He still stared down at Mika.

"He needs me, he needs his daddy."

"You'll worry yourself sick, come on." She dragged him outside, leaving Mika behind. Sanji glanced down briefly at Cora as he passed her, and sighed to himself.

Sanji took a smoke a few feet away from Nami, as she ate a snack. She sighed quietly. "I guess I knew the babies couldn't be perfect, not after everything that happened. I'm just happy Cora's as healthy as she is, and we're lucky Luffy and Zoro gave us all of Gilea's baby clothes and some of Torao's."

"This is karma punishing me," Sanji muttered, taking a sharp drag. "Punishment for everything I've ever done wrong."

"Please, like you haven't gotten paid back before. It's just what happens. Aren't we lucky enough to have two little babies?" Nami rested her head on his shoulder. "I'm happy. Aren't you happy?"

"Yeah, I am. And I am really proud of you." He kissed her cheek. "You're pretty damn strong, you know that?"

"Someone has to be tough here, Sanji." Nami sighed softly. "Take another smoke, I'm going to go back."

"No, it's enough, it'll hold me off. I should try and cut back anyway," Sanji muttered, and he stubbed the cigarette on the railing. "I know you hate it."

"I don't hate it that much, Sanji," she assured him gently. "Reminds me of someone I knew." The two of them together went back through the galley towards the infirmary, where Usopp had taken up the watch, but they heard his voice before they saw him.

"… and so that's when your uncle, the great Captain Usopp, climbed up the whale's back and fired a flare into the sky! My ten-thousand followers rose up from the bottom of the ocean in their submarines and began to fire on the terrible sea monster, even as I stood atop his back and tried to dig through its skin to get to the jewels in his belly…"

"Some story, Usopp," Sanji chuckled softly. Usopp stopped and looked up. He had been acting the scene out for Mika with some of Gilly's toys, as well as a hand-made Sogeking figurine.

"Well, I figured he could use a little fun. Besides, he's young enough to believe my stories." Usopp quickly shoved the toys back in his pockets. "I'll just go now."

"Wait just a second." Nami stopped him, and looked back at Sanji. "Sanji, I want to-"

"I think I know what you want to do. Go ahead." Sanji smirked. Nami looked back at Usopp.

"Usopp, I'd like to ask you to be Mika's godfather." Usopp's jaw fell.

"Really?" He grinned. "Honest? You want me to be his godfather?"

"Yes, I do." Nami beamed. "You've been helping me take care of him since before he was born, and I think you're the best man for the job."

"Wow, I'm really honored," Usopp chuckled, obviously overjoyed beyond expression.

"We owe you, man," Sanji added, offering his hand to Usopp. "He'll do good with you on his side."

"I would've been on his side anyway, but I'll cheer him on as best as I can!" Usopp shook his hand eagerly. He then looked back to Mika, who still wheezed with every breath he took. "He's going to be okay. I know he is."

* * *

**End Notes:** Luffy's lullaby to Torao is a variant off of a traditional Spanish lullaby. The original translation is: "Sleep, my child, sleep now, or the _cucuy_ will eat you." Luffy has replaced the bogeyman with "your father." Hence, "No you will not."

Next chapter- the fate of the twins is revealed, and the crew continues their journey!

And now, it's time for our bonus...

**Small Straw Hat SBS!**

This week, we profile...

**Roronoa D. Torao:**

**Representative Color: **Turquoise

**Animal Resemblance:** Rooster (It will actually make more sense later.)

**What Chopper thinks he smells like:** Unidentifiable, soap (under 2.) Mud, dirt, ocean air. (2 and up.)

**Favorite Island and Season:** Winter on a Summer island.

**Favorite Food: **Bacon, Spaghetti Carbonara

**Family Member:** Younger nephew

**Nationality:** Filipino

If you have any questions about the Small Straw Hats, message me or leave a review!

Even if you have nothing to say, be sure to leave a review with your thoughts!


	18. Recovery

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** I hate writer's block so hard. I seriously have a billion ideas right now, but I don't seem to have the energy to write any of them. I can only hope I have a breakthrough soon, because I have stories to finish and to begin!**  
**

**Disclaimer:** I own and profit off of nothing in this story.

**Chapter 18: Making a Recovery/Struggling to Breathe II**  
**Suggested Track:** "Grapevine Fires," Death Cab for Cutie; "Scream With Me," Mudvayne

* * *

Even as Mika, Cora, and Torao adjusted to their lives in the world, Chopper was dealing with the rest of the returning crew's health. He was most concerned about Zoro and Luffy. Once Nami had fully recovered from giving birth, he checked out both of them.

"You look like you're doing okay," he reported, after checking Zoro out all over. "I'm still a little worried about your ribs, but as long as you don't do anything stupid, you'll be okay."

Luffy got a similar response: "You've definitely recovered well from everything you went through! But you're going to need to be careful for a little while. You've definitely lost muscle, you'll need to build that back up."

"So… meat?" Luffy beamed.

"Yeah, meat," Chopper giggled.

Chopper had also gotten a chance to check out Gilea's new scar. "It's not infected, that's the good news!" He sighed with relief. "Looks like it'll heal up and fade with some vitamin E lotion and by keeping it out of the sun. Much better than your dad's scar."

Robin's head injury had healed nicely as well, and Chopper had said that it would more than likely have no lasting repercussions. "It looks like your body hasn't weakened too much, and you've been getting better since you got back. I'll keep an eye on you, but you should definitely take it easy."

"Thank you, Tony." Robin patted his head, and left Chopper alone with still-wheezing Mika.

Zoro and Luffy developed their own physical therapy plans. Luffy borrowed some of Zoro's weights to start building himself back up, and Sanji begrudgingly doubled his meat portions. (Luffy tripled them on his own, and Gilly found herself eating a lot more vegetables than usual.) Zoro exercised to build his pectoral and abdominal muscles up again, though being cautious not to overdo it. Nami began to exercise also, despite the heat, jogging and doing aerobics for half an hour a day to try and, as she put it, "regain my cute." She did find a lot of trouble taking that solid half-hour for herself, but she managed to find it somewhere between feedings, diapers, and watching Mika for apnea. With the navigator busy much of the time with two very needy infants, the crew found that their journey was slowing considerably. However, they needed the time.

"If we were to face an ambush in our condition, we would be in big trouble," Franky remarked to Robin. She nodded, and watched him work on a considerable device.

"What are you trying to make?"

"I'm working on the Chicken Voyage mechanism. I want to power it up just in case we need to make another quick retreat. I don't want to deal with their little storm machine again," Franky grumbled.

"It sounds like it might be even worse," Robin added. "Remember, Juracule Mihawk was headed through here on business. We know that this place hides a path to Marineford, and if he's heading there, who knows who else might be on that trail?"

"A Shichibukai… I wouldn't want to face one of them with a fleet of battleships," Franky muttered darkly. "The biggest thing is, half of our crew is out of action at the moment. How did you all deal with things when Luffy had Gilly?"

"We took a three-month vacation." Robin smiled. "Luffy got back into shape, Gilly grew up a little, and we all got a little stronger because we had the time we needed to get stronger and practice."

"Why don't we just stop now?" Franky asked, tilting his sunglasses onto his forehead.

"Luffy hasn't said to," Robin replied with a shrug.

"Why don't we ask him?"

"That's a good question." Robin folded her arms. "Probably because he wouldn't listen."

Food had become somewhat of a difficult question aboard the Sunny as well. It wasn't that they were low on staples, and the fishing was still pretty good. However, Sanji was not cooking, leaving the job to whoever had the energy to take it up. Sanji spent all of his time either with the babies or sleeping. Cora began to thrive quickly, getting bigger and crying louder all the time. By the end of two weeks, the little bit of fuzz she'd been born with had grown out like strawberry-blonde grass, all sticking straight-out from her head. It looked like a lion's mane. Sanji loved her and loved to cuddle her, unless Nami was feeding her or she was fast asleep. He adored his little girl, it was obvious just from the serene affection in his eyes. She was getting bigger and heavier, and she and Torao were passed around by proud fathers and eager uncles.

"They are so adorable," Brook said as he cradled Cora in one hand and tickled her button-nose with the other. "Why, I had never expected to become a grandfather at my age! Especially to four little pirates! Yohoho!" Cora whined, but Brook laughed again. "I just wish I could hold my other grandson!" Zoro frowned, before gently reclaiming the squirming infant.

"He's not allowed out of that little tent," Zoro said in a hushed voice.

When he was not with Cora, Sanji rarely allowed himself away from the little tent that shielded Mika. A twelve-hour rotation had been formed, with Sanji, Nami, Robin, and Chopper each watching him for three hours at a time, and they repeated it twice daily. Because of his apnea and asthma, he needed supervision at all times in case he stopped breathing. Resuscitating the infant was a daily activity for the first two weeks of his life, sometimes three or four times, and Sanji was the first to ask Chopper to teach him how to do it himself. Sanji would stay with Mika beyond his rotation just to stare at him, often with Cora in his arms so she could be near her brother. Even if her eyes were closed most of the time and when they were open she couldn't see past her own nose, Cora seemed to be a bit more content when she was near her brother. Mika, however, was unmoved to anything. He was gasping, wheezing, trying as hard as he could to get a breath; he wasn't growing, he couldn't cry. Sanji was heartbroken every time he had to breathe into Mika's mouth to fill his lungs for him. Chopper kept reassuring him:

"Give him time, don't worry. He's at least five weeks premature, we knew he was going to have a rough time."

Chopper had also begun to give Mika steroids to help him build his strength, and Sanji hated it. He hated thinking that his first son couldn't find his strength without drugs. Nami was worried about all the side effects, but they were so desperate for him to breathe it was giving them trouble breathing too.

Zoro felt guilty that Torao was doing so well next to his new cousins, and he was very careful when he was doing things with him when Sanji was around. Zoro also had to control Gilly, as she was very, very eager to show off her new baby brother and, being three, had little regard for Sanji's troubles. It seemed that whenever Luffy and Zoro laid him down for a nap, she would go get him after just a little while and carefully toddle him down the stairs to the deck and sit with him on the grass. She laid him on his back and watched him nap on, and after some time, tickle him until he woke then carefully lay him on his belly and lay in front of him, looking at his face and chatting with him. Luffy, unable to resist temptation, would sit with her when he caught her at this, gently turn him onto his back, and they would talk to him and dangle toys over his head where he could see them. Though he wasn't yet strong enough to swat at them, his little hands clasped and clenched and his wrists flapping as his eyes followed them. Zoro did love to watch him at play, wondering what his little mind was up to. However, he knew that when Sanji came out for a much-needed smoke break, it wounded him to watch healthy Torao enjoying the sea air, sucking a pacifier, and doing things that Mika couldn't do. Zoro didn't know what could be said to console him. He did know, however, that the first time he saw Torao reach up to swat at the rattle Luffy was jingling over him, Sanji crushed his cigarette in his hand and left, unable to watch.

* * *

Luffy had spent the first few hours of Torao's life singing uneasy lullabies. It was Sanji's turn to do the same.

It was the middle of the night, and he took Mika from his oxygen tent and wrapped him in a thick blanket. He still wheezed weakly as his chest expanded and contracted, but Sanji kept him close and tight as he stole his son away out to the grassy field. He folded his legs on the ground and leaned against the main mast, laying Mika flat on his back. For a split second, he reached for the pack of cigarettes in his shirt pocket, but stopped himself. He sighed deeply, and watched Mika shudder through each breath. Despite the warmth of the summer atmosphere, the air that night was especially crisp and fairly cool. He had to take the chance.

Sanji exposed Mika's chest and rubbed his hands together to warm them up. "I…" With a gentle massage, he traced an I down the right side of Mika's chest. "Love…" He traced an upside-down L across the top of Mika's chest and down the left side. "You…" He finished with an upside-down U up, over, and down Mika's entire torso. "That's right." He continued his gentle massage, as the undersized infant continued to gasp and wheeze. Sanji forced himself to keep smiling. "Come on, little guy," he encouraged him gently. "Take a big gulp of the nice, fresh air." Mika heaved another breath, and Sanji stopped his massage. "That's okay. We're getting there. Just take a full breath! Just one. Just show me that you can." Mika didn't respond, couldn't respond, but his little wrists flailed weakly as he tried to move. "Hey, that's good! Good. This is your little world, you know. You were born into a world where anything can and will happen, and where your mom and I will help you do anything you want. You can do anything. You have complete freedom. You can start dreaming any day now. All you have to do is start breathing." He moved the blanket back from Mika's head to tousle his hair. It wasn't as wild or as long as Cora's, but it still covered his head in little patches. "Please, Mika, please," he pleaded.

Mika was silent for a moment. His chest fell, sunken and still. Sanji's heart raced, but he tried to remain calm, and he ran his hand down Mika's back and rubbed. Mika suddenly took a big, gasping breath, his bluish hue briefly subsiding, and he let out a long, shrill cry. His thin voice was reedy and forlorn in the night air, but Sanji grinned. It was the longest sustained cry he'd managed so far. "That's good," he whispered to him. Mika wailed again, before coughing back into short, urgent shrieks. He smiled and rubbed his cheeks dry. "Thank you."

"Oi, Sanji!" Sanji flinched, not even looking up as Luffy bounded down and sat beside him. "Having trouble getting him to stop crying?" He beamed, as Sanji continued to gaze at Mika.

"No, he's okay," Sanji muttered.

"Oh, yeah, it must be nice to know he's breathing." Sanji flinched- Luffy had cut him to the core. He leaned over Mika with a silly smile. "Shh, shh. Saa, saa. You're okay…" Luffy rubbed his cheeks gently, and Mika relaxed back into rough puffs of breath. Sanji wanted to be angry, but he realized Luffy was right- it was probably better that he didn't waste his energy.

"He's just listing. He's not getting stronger, but he's not getting weaker. I don't know if I can keep going with the ambivalence of not knowing what's going to happen to my boy," Sanji explained quietly. Luffy nodded sagely, pretending to understand.

"He should decide whether he wants to live or die and do it," Luffy finally replied. "Not that he really knows, but I guess that he needs to find the will to live. Just like Torao, I guess… die now, or live forever."

"Go away," Sani growled, as flatly as he possibly could. He didn't want to scare Mika, but he did want to kick the shit out of Luffy for saying what he'd said. Luffy stood and went to leave, still smiling.

"Don't worry about his fate. It's only a matter of time. If he'll die, he'll die. If he'll live, he'll live. You can only hope that the end result is better, and do everything you can do help him get there." Luffy went back inside, and Sanji clenched one fist and gritted his teeth. He went for his cigarettes again, but managed to resist. He took a few deep breaths to calm himself, and sighed as he looked over Mika again. He was still breathing, slow, but shallow, and Sanji could only lean close to him to murmur a few bars of a lullaby before he had to take him back to his little shelter.

_"The firemen worked in double shifts, with prayers for rain on their lips, and they knew it was only a matter of time…"

* * *

_

Nami, despite it all, seemed to be standing strong in the face of her son's illness. She was dutiful and doting, played with Cora more and more as she was able to do more and more, didn't complain over diaper duty or watching Mika, even going so far as to bring her work in on her watch so she could get all of her jobs done. However, that is just the trouble with private pain- it's very hard to heal if nobody knows healing is needed. Zoro got the clue when he went on watch and saw Robin sitting on the deck's swing, with Nami sitting beside her crying silently into her hands. Zoro watched for a moment, and he and Robin met eyes. He turned an about-face, right back into the cabin and into the infirmary, where Sanji was reading one of Gilea's storybooks to Mika.

"You. Go. I'll take over," Zoro muttered. Sanji stopped and looked up. Zoro thumbed over his shoulder. "You've got other business." Sanji was silent, and handed the book to Zoro.

"Sorry." He quickly left, and Zoro took his place. Sanji went and sat beside Nami, trying to silently comfort her because there were no words that he could use.

Zoro figured it out as quickly as Robin had. Sanji showed his pain more, but Nami swallowed it to try and support Sanji, and it's always worse to swallow the poison than to be coated in it. She and Sanji shared miseries, but Robin confided to Zoro that it was for different reasons. Sanji was dejected because he was sure his actions had caused Mika's weakness; Nami felt she had failed him as a mother even though she'd done nothing wrong. She also felt that she was failing him because there wasn't a single thing she could do for him now. Her efforts were just as futile as Sanji's. They needed a miracle, and Nami couldn't see it happening.

Seventeen days after he was born, Nami gave up. She would remember the exact moment she lost faith. It was three in the morning, and it was her turn at Mika's watch. She had finished feeding Cora, and now struggled to stay awake. The sound of the hissing filter, though something of a white noise that made her drowsy, echoed against his soft wheezes, his chest puffing up and down quickly. She hated watching him struggle. It almost made her hate him. Soon, though, it would be Robin's shift, and she wouldn't have to look at him. She had to just be sure, for a little longer, he would keep breathing. Just keep breathing.

Deep down, at that desolate moment, she knew she'd already given up. What could she do? Even if he did stop breathing and they revived him, what would be the point? He would just keep forgetting to fill his lungs, and one day, reviving him wouldn't work. She shivered to think of it. She had never thought she would even have a son, let alone bury him. Maybe it would have been better if he had never been born…

Suddenly, Mika was silent. The wheezing had stopped. Nami cried out and reached in to claim him. She immediately regretted all of her thoughts of giving up on him. She held him against her chest, tilting his head back, ready to press air into his lungs again for what could be the last time-

Robin stayed her hand. "Nami, shh, look!"

"Wh-what? Robin- He'll die!" Nami protested weakly. "I didn't mean it- He's my son- I don't want him to-"

"Look at him. Look at his chest," Robin urged her. Nami did, and she saw what Robin had seen. His chest was still rising and falling, but slowly, evenly, and quietly. With him held close to her breast, she could only hear a soft whisper of an inhale and exhale, and his eyes briefly opened. She gasped as he seemed to look into her eyes.

"He's breathing. He's breathing okay. He's doing it on his own!" She began to shake with uncontainable joy. "I don't believe it!"

Sanji rushed in, panting and disheveled from sleep. "I heard noises- what's going on?"

"Your son has had the breakthrough he needed," Robin replied calmly. Nami, laughing and crying at the same time, swayed him in her arms. "Perhaps, slowly but surely, he has been getting better, and only now is it noticeable."

"He's going to be okay. He's going to be fine," Nami choked out through her mirth. "He's so wonderful. Sanji, look at him, he looks just like you!" Sanji, standing still in shock, leaned over to look at him like he was seeing him for the first time. Nami tousled his soft, white-blonde hair, and he noticed that the center of his son's head parted his hair in a perfect clockwise swirl of the universe.

"That's my boy," he chuckled. "He belongs here. Isn't that right, little guy?" He got to his feet and gazed lovingly down at his wife and son. "Let's see if we can't get him to take a bottle. He's getting stronger, maybe he'll start to eat normally."

"He wouldn't have made it without all of your love," Robin reminded him softly. "I'll be back in twenty minutes for my shift." She left them alone as Sanji went to heat up a bottle. They deserved those few minutes to be a normal family. They would never forget the moment they regained their faith.

* * *

Zoro woke when he heard humming from the main deck, just outside the door to the men's cabin. He heard the noise of swordplay between bits of the song, and realized that there was something very wrong. Brook was on watch, Gilea was not in bed, and Zoro was horrified. He jumped out of bed and rushed outside. Gilly and Brook were toe to toe in a duel. She had her real sword, though she still had her broken bamboo sword attached to her back, but Brook used a wooden sword. She had not landed a single hit, but she was covered in bruises. Zoro reached in and caught Brook's sword as he went to swing again, and as he did, Gilly sliced his leg.

"Gilea." Zoro whirled around and glared at her. She, panting, put her sword away, and Zoro released Brook's sword. "Brook, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Yohoho! Don't blame me! I was challenged!" Brook pointed at Gilly. Zoro whirled around to look at her, but she didn't flinch.

"You challenged him?"

"She did, and she refuses to call quits. She keeps getting up," Brook said in response, as Gilly still caught her breath. Zoro folded his arms and glowered down at her.

"Are you getting your butt kicked?" Gilly didn't respond, black eyes dark as she panted softly. Zoro squatted to look her in the eyes. "Why did you ask Brook to fight you?"

"Because… I'm getting ready," Gilly panted.

"And since you have been thoroughly beaten and can't win, why haven't you surrendered?"

"Because I need to keep going!" Gilly drew back her sword and swung at Zoro, but he caught the blade between his palms and kneed the hilt from her grasp.

"Tell Daddy why you need to keep going." Zoro looked her firmly in the eyes and threw her sword aside. She wiped her eyes, breaking into a cold sweat.

"Because if I look all beat up, the Marines will think I'm beaten already and they won't hurt me!" Gilly shrieked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Marines?" Zoro frowned.

"Yes! When the Marines come, they're going to attack us!" She insisted.

"Oh, that's right." Zoro scratched his chin. "You're worried about that?"

"Yes! Daddy! I don't want to be away from you ever again so I don't want the Marines to take me!" Gilly threw herself against Zoro. He, surprised, set her sword down and picked her up into his arms. Brook put one hand on his hip and casually adjusted his hat with the other.

"Will the young swordsman be punished?"

"Yes, she will," Zoro muttered. He released her from his grasp, looked her in the eyes, and sighed heavily. "Alright." He went and picked up a large weight, and crouched next to her. She stared at it, knowing she couldn't lift it. He, however, held out his own hand and set the weight on it, balancing it and looking directly into her eyes. "This is the weight I have put on your heart." He held it upright for a full thirty seconds, before letting it drop. Her lower lip wiggled with guilt as he picked it back up and put it behind him. "How do you feel?"

"Bad," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about the Marines. It's my job to protect you from them, okay? I'm your father, and you have too many grown-up worries as it is. Now, what do you say?"

"I'm sorry, Daddy." Gilly shuffled and stared at her feet.

"Who should you be apologizing to?"

"I'm sorry, Mister Brook," she corrected hesitantly, her voice quavering.

"Look at him and tell him why you are sorry," he instructed evenly, using a low voice. Gilly forced herself to look up at Brook.

"I'm sorry I challenged you and did not follow the rules, Mister Brook!" Gilly wailed, her eyes damp. Zoro then hugged her and kissed her. Brook knelt down to join the embrace, patting her head.

"You have raised a strange girl," Brook remarked proudly. "But you have raised her well."

"She's a good kid, and I love her to death," Zoro muttered. "They're not going touch my girl." He released her. "Okay, kiddo, one last thing: what, exactly, drove you to do this right now?"

"This, Daddy," she mumbled, reaching into a pocket of her jumper and holding out a bit of paper. He took it from her and squinted at it. "The birdie came, he dropped it."

It was a simple map, and it showed a boat with a sun emblem and a boat with a seagull emblem amongst the islands. A line connected them, labeled simply but in elegant script, "Three days." A cross served as signature.

"Brook, did she show you this?" Zoro looked at him, and he shook his head.

"I was ignorant of it, no."

"When did you get this, Gilly?"

"Yesterday. I'm scared, Daddy, I couldn't sleep at all!" She stuffed her fingers in her mouth and whimpered under her breath.

"We have two days to prepare," Zoro muttered to himself. "Come on." He picked her up, grunting a bit as her weight settled on his ribcage. "You're going back to bed. Brook, hold off on the wake-up call."

"I'm not in trouble?" Brook wondered aloud as Gilly clung to Zoro.

"What am I, your father?" Zoro turned his back to carry Gilly back to her bed. In his mind, he was thinking of all the possibilities, and knew he only had one option.

With Gilly back in bed, he went to the infirmary. Sanji was sitting just inside, half-asleep in a chair with his feet kicked up on Chopper's stool while watching his twins in their crib. Mika had an oxygen mask over his mouth, curled up like a dry leaf, and Cora had sprawled herself across her half. Zoro leaned on Sanji's head, and he snapped awake.

"Is it wake-up call, mossball?" Sanji immediately glared up at him. Zoro shook his head.

"It's duty call. You and me need to make good on our responsibilities as fathers." He folded his arms. "We need to do this for our kids." He and Sanji looked into each other's eyes again.

"You're not going to kiss me, are you?"

"Get over yourself," Zoro grumbled. "I'll explain, but let's get Usopp. We need to make a plan… now." Sanji stood up, smoothing down Mika's hair again, and he and Zoro left.

They were united in purpose, and ready to deliver a recovery blow.

* * *

**End Notes:** The next chapter will probably be ready in two weeks. Please remember to review, as reviews make me very happy!

Questions? Comments? Concerns? Complaints? Suggestions? I'd be happy to answer anything if you review or send me a message!


	19. The Most Important Job

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author Notes:** Where have I been? I actually have excuses.

1. My dog died and I was depressed.

2. My grandfather died and I was depressed.

3. Writer's block as a result of depression.

So, no promises about when the next chapter will be ready, nor about when I will be back on schedule. I have actually been having a rather awful summer. Even my favorite escape has offered me no relief.

A few acknowledgements:

Smoltwire- First off, I'm sorry I originally thought you were a girl! Oh my god, what a faux pas! I guess it's a nasty stereotype that only girls are interested in yaoi. And thank you for all your kind words!

Zeo1fan- I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story! Thanks for the encouragement!

Riu- I'm glad you ventured out of your comfort zone to read my story. I really appreciate every reader I have, even if my material is not always the most appealing!

On with the show!

* * *

**Chapter 19:** The Most Important Job**  
Suggested Track: **"Psycho Killer," Cage the Elephant

Side by side by side, three children lay flat on the grass under a purple parasol. Grass sprung between their fingers and wiggled between their toes. Torao, Mika, and Cora had no words nor coherent thoughts. At their age, they seemed hardly to know that one another existed. However, their hands touched, their heads touched, their hair was loosely tangled in the gentle wind, and they were at one. Their lives were quiet, peaceful, content. Their minds were filled only with thoughts of warmth and comfort.

Robin sat beside the three infants with a book on her lap, keeping a watchful, protective eye on them as the world around them became ever less peaceful. Franky was fixing the cannons and preparing to install his improved mechanisms. Nami was preparing a map and drawing strategic charts. Brook and Gilly were training on a dummy with wooden swords. Chopper and Luffy were both lightheartedly practicing their punches. Usopp, Sanji, and Zoro were in the lounge talking, and they had been for a long time. Though the weather that day was sunny but not excessively hot, the atmosphere was thick with something other than humidity. Robin's mind, however, was temporarily at peace. Hands sprung from the ground to catch each baby's attention on occasion, rubbing their cheeks and playing on their arms and bellies. She was most content in the position of the doting mother, even when she was not the mother at all.

Usopp came from the lounge with a pensive look on his face. He approached Robin on the grass and crouched beside her. "You feeling okay?"

"Feeling very well, thank you. How is planning going?"

"Pretty well. I think that between Sanji and myself, we've got a pretty solid idea. We just have to trust Zoro, Luffy, and Sanji to pull it off."

"Oh? What about you?" Robin smiled teasingly up at him. "Am I to assume you will be having a case of I'll-Die-If-I-Face-The-Marines?"

"No, actually, I've been given the most important job." Usopp grinned proudly. "Do you mind if I take one of these?"

"Sure, I'm certain your god-son would love to see you." Robin tickled Mika's nose, and his eyes fluttered open. His irises were pale blue, the same color as the hazy sky. Usopp scooped him up and seated himself next to Robin. "Is there any other news?"

"Only that Franky has nearly completed the repairs," she reported coolly. "I believe, however, that all of this sunlight is doing me little good." Robin closed her book. "All three of them have been fed and changed just a little while ago. All you need to do is ensure they do not injure themselves and keep them somewhat entertained. Their parents should return soon."

"Say no more! I love my little nieces and nephews," Usopp chirped, giving Mika a squeeze. "Kids love me, too."

"I will be in the girl's cabin. Call if I'm needed." Robin affectionately squeezed Usopp's shoulder, before departing towards the cabin house. Usopp smiled contently and settled himself under the parasol, humming to himself as the three infants unknowingly continued their relaxation. Even as Franky finished his work and moved for the men's cabin to rest, it seemed like an ordinary day. If there was a storm brewing, the sky didn't show it.

* * *

Nami had calculated everything carefully, and based on the map Gilea had been given, the Marine boat on their trail would intercept them around sundown that evening. When the afternoon shadows grew long, the mood began to shift. When the shadows were flat on the ground, Luffy scooped up Torao in a sling around his neck and shoulder and climbed up to the bird's nest. Sanji and Nami each took one of their infants in a similar sling and did the same. Chopper had gone up beforehand with a huge fan, and had let it run for a while to cool it off. Blankets covered the free-weights and lined the floor. Prepared baby formula, diapers, toys, and other baby supplies had been brought up as well, along with a stack of coloring books and a big box of crayons. Luffy, Nami, and Sanji settled the three infants on the blankets, and Zoro soon joined them with Gilea in tow. Usopp joined them last. He took his place with the four children, and their parents all folded their arms and stood over him.

"Keep them quiet. Keep them occupied. Keep them happy," Sanji said firmly. "This is the safest place on the ship for them to stay out of the way of the fight, so I trust you to keep it that way."

"If Mika's breathing gets rough, there's a mini-respirator in the diaper bag," Nami added, pointing to the repurposed satchel.

"Gilly, you are to stay with Uncle Usopp," Zoro instructed his daughter firmly.

"But Daddy, what about the Shishibuguy and the Marines and all the bad things?" Gilly whined.

"You shouldn't have to worry about them," Luffy answered her. "I didn't start worrying about stuff like that until I was…" He thought. It took him a very long time, before deciding, "Seven."

"But Daddy, I'm smarter than you! I have to worry!" Gilly moaned, stomping her feet. Usopp choked on a small giggle.

"Yes, you are probably smarter than Luffy was at your age-" Zoro began, but Gilly cut him off:

"I'm smarter than he is now!"

"That's a mean thing to say about your father!" Zoro scolded, but Luffy, Sanji, Nami, and Usopp were already laughing. Zoro snorted, and glowered at his daughter. "Just for that, you are most certainly not allowed down on the deck during the battle. You cannot speak about us that way."

"Fine," Gilly mumbled. She folded her arms and sat by Usopp, who put an arm around her shoulder.

"Cheer up, lambikins! We can color and read and play with the toys while they do the scary stuff."

"We've found the perfect job for Usopp," Sanji joked, but Usopp simply snorted.

"I take very good care of the kids. That's what makes me a man, not the ability to cause harm to everything around me." He gave Sanji a sideways look, and Sanji's smile dropped when he realized what Usopp was implying.

"I'll… uh… go downstairs." He vanished down through the trapdoor.

"Oooh, Usopp's really got him by the short ones," Luffy giggled. Zoro batted the back of Luffy's head.

"Little ears," he muttered ominously.

"Guys, let's leave Usopp to it. I think he can handle all of this business," Nami interrupted before Luffy and Zoro could start up. "I've got to survey the area, and we need to brief everyone on the whole plan."

"Right," Zoro agreed. He and Nami went to the trapdoor, but Luffy lingered. He crouched by Gilly for a moment.

"You know what to do, right, Hitsujiko?"

"Yes, Daddy." She kissed him on the cheek, and he kissed her on the nose.

"I trust you." He got up, and the three adults left down the rigging. Once the door closed, Usopp covered the trapdoor with a blanket and stretched out beside the three smallest Straw Hats. Gilly lay down beside him.

"You know, kiddo, you're lucky you have parents like that," he told her with a bright grin.

"I dunno. Sometimes, things are weird, and based on the stories I read, things happen that shouldn't happen," Gilly replied thoughtfully. "Still, I know… my daddies are the best. Nothing's going to change how I think about that."

"Yeah, that's a good attitude to have. I know when I was little, I would sometimes wonder if I was more trouble for my mom than I was worth!" Usopp laughed. Gilly seemed to think about this. "Of course, I behaved when I realized how much trouble I was… but I guess I was a good son."

"Wonder what I'd have to do to be a good daughter?" She mused to herself, staring up at the ceiling. The sunlight flooding the crow's nest grew ever dimmer as the sun kissed the horizon.

* * *

The shadow of a Marine ship came into Nami's telescope as she stood on top of the aft cabin house, and she immediately gave the signal to Franky at the wheel. He turned the Roar Cannon their direction.

"Where was that device located?" Franky yelled.

"It was on the front of the ship, it was like a big can of tuna!" Luffy called back. He was standing on top of the cannon, watching the sails move ever closer. Without their sharpshooter, they were depending on the expertise of the cannon's designer to make the shot, and Luffy just wanted to watch.

"I think I can see it," Nami called back to the wheel, adding, "They'll intercept in ten minutes at this clip, I advise you to fire in six!"

"I got it, girlie, but everyone better brace themselves! I'm not going to dick around with warning shots from the regular cannons, we need a clean shot! I rationed my cola for months just in case we needed this, so nobody better ruin it by falling off! T-minus 600 seconds!"

Brook and Sanji were at the bow, just behind Luffy.

"You remember your target?" Sanji quizzed Brook seriously.

"The female Marine with glasses," Brook replied nonchalantly, just as seriously. "I will tear up her pants so that I may view her panties."

"Good luck, buddy, you're a braver man than I," Sanji chuckled.

"And your duty?"

"Me, Nami, Robin, and Chopper are going to keep the small fry from assisting the four big targets. Chopper will split off to administer medical care if necessary."

"An important job, if I do say so myself," Brook agreed.

Chopper was with Robin on the main deck, with Zoro directly behind them.

"Now, Robin, I don't want you to get injured, so if you start to feel dizzy or sick at all, call me," Chopper mumbled tensely.

"Don't worry, Doctor, I'll be fine," Robin assured him, with all the confidence of a steel wall.

"T-minus 120 seconds!"

"Priority one- put Smoker in the water," Zoro remarked to himself, then called aloud, "Remember, if you see an opportunity to put Smoker in the water, do it! Otherwise, focus on your given target and avoid him!"

"I'm worried the most about him," Robin murmured. "We can only hope…"

"T-minus 40! Brace yourselves! 37! 36!" Franky began to count down.

"Luffy, you ready?" Zoro shouted to him.

"As ready as I'll ever be!" Luffy clenched his fists at his hips. "I'm not going to fail! This is for the kids!"

"19! 18! Grab something steady! 14!"

Just a few miles away, Coby spotted the Thousand Sunny. "Commodore! Enemies in firing range!"

"Fire at will!" Smoker ordered fiercely, his teeth grinding into the rind of his cigar.

Nami gasped when she saw the flashes of light from the explosions. "Incoming!"

"3! 2! 1! Firing Roar Cannon!" The Straw Hats each grabbed something steady- Luffy grabbed the lion's head, Nami and Robin grabbed masts, Sanji and Brook dropped to the ground, Zoro crouched to hold the deck with his feet, and Chopper grabbed Robin's leg- as the beam burst forth from the lion's mouth.

Marines threw themselves away as Franky's shot struck the Sea Shifter. Smoker snarled to himself.

"Fire all cannons!"

"Firing all cannons!" The whole ship erupted with cannon fire aimed at the Sunny. Luffy took a deep breath to inflate his whole body and bounced them back.

"Franky, open fire!" Zoro ordered. Franky gave him a thumbs up, and aimed for their cannons. He struck a few, but once the Marines were in range to aim their rifles and pistols, a flurry of bullets came flying across the deck. Robin and Nami ducked, Luffy left them bounce off his skin, and Franky took the hail without flinching. Zoro growled under his breath.

"Fight us like men!" He roared, and tore for the bow. The Marines turned their ship to avoid a complete collision, and they faced each other, starboard to port. Helmeppo and Coby were the first to board.

"COBY!" Luffy screamed, and launched himself at his friend. Coby dodged back and back again as Luffy began to try and strike him. Luffy swung his arms like a gorilla, trying to swipe him, and parried him back towards the cabin house. Zoro jumped at Helmeppo, swords at the ready- using the blunt edges. Tashigi advanced towards Zoro, but Brook blocked her.

"I will be your opponent, miss," he announced pleasantly, and the two started to duel near the bow. As more Marines came forward, Chopper jumped up to defend his crewmates and friends with monstrous fists. Robin tripped them as they came up, a line of fleur springing up along the railing like the eeriest fence imaginable. Helmeppo began to block Zoro's slashes with a pair of pistols, but Zoro was beginning to get the upper hand.

"Keep the Commodore back!" Zoro shouted, and he knocked one of Helmeppo's pistols away. He dodged another of Zoro's slashes, but Zoro caught him on the rebound and knocked him off his feet. He stepped on his chest and put his sword against his throat. "Nami, guard our first hostage!"

"You're going to fuck around with hostages?" Smoker roared as he sprung forward. "We're not going to put up with this shit!"

Luffy let a flurry of blows fly, and Coby was incapacitated. He gripped Coby against his body, just a millimeter from choking him. Brook was humming to himself as he parried Tashigi back and forth, but she wasn't making even an inch of progress. However, when Smoker landed on the deck and moved towards Luffy and smoke rolled across the deck.

"We don't play games here, kids," Smoker growled under his breath as the smoke rose around them. "You lot are just as good dead as alive."

* * *

"Uncle Usopp?" Gilly turned to him. He had been staring out the window with Torao slumped against his chest; she had been coloring. "I thought of something."

"What's that, kiddo?"

"I've caused enough trouble just by being here." Gilly stood up. "This is because of my stupid Wanted poster. None of this would have happened if Daddy and Daddy didn't have to protect me."

"Don't talk like that!" He lay Torao down and got up. "That's not true at all!" She shook her head.

"No, Uncle Usopp, it is. I have to be a good daughter now." Gilly grabbed her sword and made a run for the door.

"Gilly, don't!" He shouted, but it was too late. Gilly tore open the trapdoor and jumped down into the rigging. Her eyes were closed as she grabbed the rope, and she held her breath as she began to fall.

_I'm sorry, everyone. This is my job!

* * *

_

**End Notes:** I'm sorry if this chapter was a bit short, but I wanted to get this chapter up before it became a whole month wait! Hopefully, chapter 20 will be finished in two weeks.

That's all for this week! Except...

Psst? Want spoilers?

Unfortunately, I don't give spoilers online. I will, however, happily give spoilers in real life! This weekend (July 30th-August 1st), I will be attending Otakon in Baltimore. My name tag will read "Ezra The Blue" and on Saturday, I will be in costume as Maka Albarn from Soul Eater. If you find me, I'll tell you what's going to happen in chapter 22!

Other than that… questions? Comments? Suggestions? I'd be happy to answer anything you ask if you leave it in a review!

See you again soon!


	20. An Infant's Resistance

**Treasure Hunters**

**Author's Notes:** I don't think I'll ever be satisfied with this chapter. At some point, all I can say is that I tried my best. Sorry again for the delay!

**Disclaimer:** I still own nothing but the things I made up.

* * *

**Chapter 20: An Infant's Resistance**

**Suggested Track: **"I Won't Tell You," Lacuna Coil, "Oildale," Korn

_My name is Roronoa D. Gilea. I am almost four years old. I have grown a full inch since my Daddy last measured me, but my weight has remained the same. (Maybe even a little less, but don't tell Daddy that, or he'll think I have not eaten my vegetables.) I'm stronger than I was six months ago. I'm faster. I'm smarter. I'm definitely cuter. But I'm also a little less of a child than I was._

_Maybe that's the problem._

_Someday, Daddy says, I'll sprout like a weed, with long arms and legs and lots more places to put muscles. I'll get to be big and strong. I won't be a little girl anymore. I can do anything I want then to chase my dreams. The problem is, I want to do it now, and sometimes, I'm afraid that I won't have another chance._

_I think that's the problem. I'm smart. Maybe smarter than I should be, because I have to live in the world of adults. I know that pirates are criminals, and that my daddies are pirates, everyone I know is a pirate, my baby brother is a pirate. And I know that a criminal is a bad person. Thereby, I am a bad person. So are my daddies. So is everyone I know. So is my baby brother. We are bad people. However, my instinct, everything everyone has ever told me, is to be a good girl. I can't be a good girl and a bad person. It just doesn't work. It doesn't! Don't tell me it doesn't! _

_But it doesn't make sense. I have to be a bad girl to be a good person. I think I have to decide for myself. I have to be a bad girl. Daddy said I knew what I had to do, and I do. I really do. I'm sorry I'm not following directions._

_If, or when, or if, I grow up, maybe it'll make more sense to me. But for now, all I have is my own mind and heart. One of them isn't working, but I can't tell which. They're both racing, but all that's happening is that I'm moving my feet and my arms and please don't let me die, Daddy._

Gilly caught the rigging in her hands, bouncing as the ropes shook, and began to try and scramble down. Zoro's eyes shot skyward.

"Gilly!" He loosened his grip on Helmeppo, and before Helmeppo had a chance to react, she swung her body towards them and let go. She landed squarely on Helmeppo's head, knocking him to the ground and knocking him out. She then whirled around and pointed at Zoro.

"You!" She screamed. He stared at her, bewildered, arms at his sides. She reached for a barrel and grabbed a sword. "I'm sick of this!"

"What?" Zoro growled. "You better drop that tone-"

"You listen to me!" She smacked the sword against the ground to get his attention. "Let me go! I'm sick of being here! I want to go home!"

"This is your home!" He snapped. She growled in frustration.

"Stop it! I'm not going to let you get me killed!" She took stance and swung at him. He dodged back with a jump, and she screeched in frustration, stomping her feet. "You're cruel to me and put me in danger and you let her hit me!" She pointed furiously at Robin, but she didn't stop throwing Marines aside to respond. "I could die any second and you don't care!" She rushed at him again, and Zoro unsure of what to think, couldn't move in time. She landed a blow at his hips, and though what appeared to be blood and what reeked of blood slid down his skin, there was no pain. He realized what Gilly was doing- her sword was fake! It was the fake sword, loaded with fake blood, that Usopp had created months ago. He immediately picked up the cue, and closed

"I trained you, and this is how you treat me?" Zoro picked up another of the swords in the barrel. "You've broken the student-master bond." He glanced at Smoker. "Give me a moment to settle this, would ya?"

Smoker said nothing. He had frozen when Gilly had pulled a sword on Zoro. Brook was still holding Tashigi off, but she was desperately trying to intervene from a distance.

"Commodore!" She shouted, as Brook parried her flush to the railing. "Stop him! He'll kill that girl!"

"Luffy," Coby choked, still restrained. Luffy said nothing, wide eyes focused on the oncoming fight.

"I trained you with one sword," Zoro muttered, squeezing the hilt in his hand. "Therefore, I'll fight you with one sword." Gilly nodded, and put one foot forward.

"Do your worst! Show the Marines what kind of monster you really are!" Zoro winced as she said this, and she took the opportunity to rush him. She swung at him overhead, exerting all the strength she could in one fierce blow, but Zoro whipped around and caught her in the gut. She choked as the wind was knocked out of her, and she flew back and hit the railing. She groaned and pushed herself back up, and moved towards Zoro again. She held still, shivering in pain, and Zoro made the move next. He came from the side, she rushed for his knees, but he blocked her sword with his foot and slapped her across the side of her chest.

"Luffy… that's your daughter!" Coby hissed. Luffy, unbelievably, cracked a small smile.

"Yeah, I know. I told you she was. She's pretty cool, huh?" Luffy seemed to still be grinning, even as blood began to drip down Gilly's side.

"You're just going to let him kill her?" Coby snarled. "She's just a baby!"

"He would never hurt her. I'm sure he'll use the back of his sword."

"How can you be so goddamn uncaring?" Coby roared, finally starting to kick and struggle. Luffy gripped him tighter, but Tashigi took his struggle as a sign to fight back harder. She finally managed to parry Brook backwards and, with a few swift swings, pushed her blade through his chest. He looked at it, confused, then back at her.

"You missed everything!"

"How could I miss all of your vital organs?" She protested furiously.

"I have none!" Brook opened his jacket, revealing that Tashigi's blade was trapped between his ribs. "And of course, I don't think you'll be needing this any further, so…" Before finishing his sentence, Brook turned tail and ran. Tashigi only had a moment to be confused.

"What the hell are you- Hey! Give my sword back!" Tashigi screamed, giving chase as he climbed the stairs up and down, all over the ship. Smoker, however, made no move to intervene, stuck staring at the duel between father and child.

Gilly was holding her own, but Zoro was holding back, and everyone could tell. There was no moving forward for Gilly- she was stepping back and back and back, turning in circles to keep from going into walls. Her wrist was getting sore, her hits less controlled and less accurate. The tip of Zoro's sword kept nicking her face, and he could see blood dripping down her cheeks. He could still smirk as he kept overtaking her, knowing the blood was fake and proud that she was so daring. It didn't look that way to Smoker.

"That son of a bitch… he's not even human… attacking his own child!" Smoker was frozen in place, simply staring. Zoro could only guess what he was thinking- he couldn't decide whether to stop him from taking out Gilly at the risk of harming her. He kept chasing her in circles, step after step, each slice making the air stand still.

Brook scaled to the top of the crow's nest, with Tashigi close behind him. He clung onto the flagpole, howling with laughter.

"I forgot I was afraid of heights!" He crowed. Tashigi crawled closer and closer, but realized that she could see inside the upper room to where Usopp hid. He was looking down to the other side, and couldn't see her over his shoulder. She, however, could see everything. She could see Mika with his oxygen mask and tank, Cora on her belly swatting at a plush lion, Torao fast asleep on his back with his pacifier sitting on his chest. She gasped as she looked at all of them, and Brook realized what she was doing.

"Ah! How terrible! You're not supposed to look in there!" He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her up to the top of the crow's nest. "Naughty girl…" His grimace sent a chill down her spine. "I'll simply have to punish you…" He took out his sword, and she, unarmed, swallowed as he made his move.

Helmeppo woke up just as Gilly jumped backwards over him again, trying to keep her father's sword back, and coughed as Zoro stepped on the small of his back. Robin pulled him out from under their back-and-forth, and used her limbs to hold him down. Nami stepped on his neck.

"Commodore Smoker, you can end all this!" Nami declared. "Are you willing to hear our terms?" Sanji broke off from the front defense line and joined her, allowing her to step forward. Helmeppo gagged on his tongue- somehow, Sanji's foot was much heavier on his cheek. "We're willing to end this quietly, and we both go our own ways-"

"Never," Smoker growled, finally stepping forward. "You bastards are standing by and letting that girl get beaten like that?"

"That's between them. You have the power to stop it," Sanji muttered cryptically. "You're a smart guy, so think. What's driving her to do this? You think she really wants to take down her old man and run off with you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" Smoker growled.

Gilly was slipping, her hands slick, her legs shaking. Zoro's eyes were focused on her as he swung like he was hacking at the trunk of a tree.

"Come on, Gil," he muttered. "Keep it up."

She couldn't reply; she was out of breath.

"She loves her dad, man. She wants to be just like him," Sanji said, getting ever closer to Smoker as Nami held Helmeppo down. The smoke between his cigarette and Smoker's cigars mingled, acrid and foul in the muggy air. "Do you think he would have agreed to train her if he didn't care about her? Just watch the man. He's pulling his punches." Smoker glanced at Zoro and Gilly again.

Zoro might as well have been holding a bamboo stick. He was swinging as lightly as he possibly could, but every swing felt like a tornado to Gilly. She was stumbling, feeling lightheaded and dizzy.

"I want to live," she cried softly, but her voice was distinct even in the clatter from atop the crow's nest. Nami looked up when she heard Brook shriek, and gasped.

"Oh no!" Sanji looked as well, and flinched. He quickly glared back at Smoker.

"Why the hell do you think a three-year-old is afraid for her life? Couldn't have a damn thing to do with the fact that she's wanted, dead or alive, could it?" With that, Sanji clambered up the ropes towards Brook and Tashigi. "Get her the hell down!"

Brook had tried to grab Tashigi, but she kicked him in the face and managed to get her sword out from between his ribs. Now she had wedged it into the space between two vertebrae, and he was panicking and trying to get it out. She had taken the opportunity to get onto a rope and start swinging her lower body back and forth, facing one of the windows. At full swing, her toes almost touched the glass. Sanji took a leap at her from his section of rigging but missed and caught himself a few rungs below her.

"I'm not gonna hurt you," Sanji growled, "But get the hell away from this room!"

"Just stop me!" She snapped back. He gritted his teeth.

"Hey, Usopp! Open the window!" Usopp turned when Sanji yelled his name, and screamed like a little girl when he saw what was happening outside his window. He saw Tashigi swing back far, and dove to open the window. She swung forward and let go, flying in the window and crash-landing on the padded floor. Usopp stood over her, shaking at the knees.

"What the hell… am I going to do…?"

Gilly had stopped moving back, her sword at a block, frozen in place as Zoro continued to slap at her sword.

"A little longer… you want me to end this?" He muttered.

_No. I don't. I can't take this. I don't want this anymore. I don't want this for you or me or Daddy or Toto or anybody. I think… I think I'd rather stop living than go on like this!_

Gilly dropped her sword as Zoro took one final slash at her chest. Her shirt was cut open, her chest bled, and she dropped to the ground. Zoro's jaw fell.

"Gil…?" He got down on his knees. "Gilly?" He shook her chest. "Get up. You lost. You have to go back inside now. I have business to finish." Gilly didn't say a word. Her button-black eyes were reflecting the sky. He moved his hand, and realized that she was spilling real blood from a real wound. "… This isn't one of the props," he realized aloud, getting to his feet. "Chopper!"

"Chopper!" Luffy let go of Coby and went to Gilly's side. Coby dove for Helmeppo and began trying to revive him. "Gilly, talk to me, tell me you're okay!" Gilly said nothing, eyes wide, her chest sunken in.

"God. Oh god. Oh god," Zoro muttered, digging his hands into his scalp. "What the hell have I done…?" Chopper got down on the ground by Gilly with his medicine bag.

"Most of the wounds are shallow… she's in shock. Move back, I'll start patching her up!" Chopper whipped out a big roll of bandages, and Luffy edged back, still looking down into Gilly's face.

"It's okay, little lamb… Just calm down and breathe."

"What the hell… What the hell…" Zoro kept moving back. He took the sword in his hand and stared at the blood on it. "My little girl…"

The blood on that sword was his. He'd made it- at least some of it- and nurtured the body it flowed in. Everything he'd done for her flashed before his eyes. He remembered the day he learned she was coming, the day he accepted it. He looked at the gold ring on his finger- it wasn't only a promise to Luffy, but a promise to take care of her. What the hell was he doing? Where had he lost the plot? What the hell was wrong with him? It was his blood. He was going to pay for it.

Zoro pulled his arm back and jammed the sword into his own gut.

"Hey! Why did you do that, you psycho?" Luffy shouted, catching him as he collapsed. "Chopper, get him next!"

"Bushido bastard," Smoker muttered as he approached. The Straw Hats moved back in surprise- he'd finally reacted. "Move, let me take the girl." He got on the ground and began to patch Gilly's wounds, and Robin and Nami moved to his side to supervise him. Chopper began to examine Zoro's wound. Coby left Helmeppo where he lay, helping Luffy hold Zoro steady. Tashigi scrambled down the rigging from the crow's nest, quickly followed by Usopp and Sanji. Franky was gritting his teeth, still trying to break the cannonballs being fired by the Marine ship.

"Hey, Cancer-man! Can you call your men off so we can deal with this shit?"

"Ceasefire," Smoker muttered into a baby Den-Den Mushi as he wrapped Gilly's arm in bandages. "Kid, you're going to need to talk to me."

"Gil… ea…" She whispered. "That's my name…"

"Okay," Smoker agreed quietly. "What's going on?"

"I don't want to die…" She breathed. Her eyes were still unfocused. "If I'm going to die… I'll die here with Daddy… I want to be with my Daddies…"

"God…" Smoker shook his head. "Gilea, I would never hurt you…"

"Commodore, look at this." He glanced over his shoulder for a moment, and realized what Tashigi had done. She, Usopp, and Sanji each had an infant cradled to their chest, and she was crying. Brook was behind them; it seemed had managed to get the sword out of his spine and return it to Tashigi, and was now in a panic, checking to be sure his afro was completely intact. "The kids did live… Look, they're all so cute…"

"Sorry, Nami," Sanji muttered, as he lay Mika against his shoulder. Usopp clutched Cora against his chest with both arms, like he was afraid she would vanish. "I couldn't do anything to stop her."

"Put Mika inside! This air's no good for him!" She snapped urgently.

"Two of them are theirs, Commodore, they're small and sick," Tashigi whimpered, rubbing Torao's back. "And this one's Zoro's. They're just so sweet and innocent. Why in the world do we want to hunt down babies like this?"

"Quit acting like such a woman!" Smoker hissed. Zoro's breath rattled in his throat- if looks could kill, Smoker would have keeled over at that exact second. Gilly, however, didn't look amused either.

"What's wrong with acting like a woman? Daddy does that sometimes… but he's still a man… it's not wrong to care about someone or something… it isn't… I'm glad they care for me…" She managed to sit up and look directly into his eyes. Her face was still wet with blood. "Mr. Smoker… I don't want to die at all… and I think I'd die without my Daddy." With that, she fell flat again, still breathing slowly, her eyes dull again.

"Zoro, Gilly's okay, you're going to be okay too," Chopper assured him quickly. "Put him down, I'm going to move him to the infirmary-"

"Wait," Smoker muttered, getting to his feet. His fists were clenched, his eyes weary, his voice resigned. "Wanted, dead or alive? Her status as a wanted criminal? Is that what this poor kid is so worked up about?"

"Yes," Robin replied, completely unhesitant with her words. "She's terrified of being taken from her family and killed."

"Problem is, that's not the way your people see it. She's a pirate's kid, so she's a threat?" Sanji seemed to be squeezing Mika as tight as he could, looking down at his thin skin and fluffy hair. "My own boy'll probably be the same to you. He can barely breathe on his own, and he's a bad guy because his dad's your enemy."

"It doesn't even make sense," Franky added darkly. "Making existence a crime-"

"I get the point," Smoker hissed. "Look, if you just take care of these goddamn kids like they deserve to be taken care of, I'll deal with the goddamn bounties!" He unclenched his fist, staring down at Gilly with almost-soft eyes. "Kid's right. She's never committed a crime. But I'll tell you this, Straw Hat!" He glared at Luffy, who glared right back. "When I arrest you, I'll make sure those kids go to good homes that'll make them forget everything about being a pirate!"

"Okay." Luffy nodded, and finally grinned. "Thank you."

"What?" Smoker cocked an eyebrow.

"I said thank you. Thaaaaaank yooooooou." Luffy chuckled. "I thought you were smart. But yeah, it's awful nice of you to look out for the kids."

"Right," Smoker grumbled, giving Luffy another icy look. "Now, don't think of this as us letting you off. We still owed you from Alabasta. Right, Tashigi?"

"Right," Tashigi agreed softly, and she wiped her tears away with the corner of Torao's blanket.

"I can't say I believe in criminalizing these children either," Smoker muttered. "After all, they were born pure, they haven't had time to be corrupted by the rest of this filthy world. That little girl is on the verge, and I'll take it upon myself to keep her as clean as she is. You've got real treasure here, pirates, so you better take damn good care of it. I'm not going to get in your way anymore." He glanced away. "Besides, we really don't have time to play around with you kids right now. We're due for business in Marineford." He folded his arms, closing his heart. "Let's get out of here." He turned away and picked Helmeppo up, then waved at his ship, beckoning them to come closer. Tashigi rushed towards Luffy and held out Torao.

"Please tell him I'm sorry for everything that ever happened to him." She glanced at Zoro, who had been intravenously anesthetized by Chopper. "I'll even the score with that bastard someday, so until then, take care of him." She rushed after Smoker as he boarded their clipper. Coby folded his arms nervously as Luffy faced him again.

"Coby." Luffy moved towards him and extended a hand. Coby flinched, until he saw that Luffy's palm was open. The two shook hands. "It was good to see you. Good luck, and keep getting better!" He smiled. "Maybe next time, you'll have a chance against me. I gotta take care of Zoro, Gilly, and Toto now." He released Coby's hand. "Bye!" He got down on the ground by Gilly, picking her up in his other arm, and followed Chopper and Zoro inside. Coby glanced at the rest of the crew, who closed in on one another and began to examine one another for wounds and injuries. He looked at his ship, where Smoker, Tashigi, and Helmeppo waited. He couldn't help but smile at the Straw Hat family.

"They're just nuts," he chuckled to himself as he got onto his own ship, and the Marine crew sailed back into the fog.

"Just scratches and scrapes," Robin said softly. "Nothing major."

"I'm completely fine, but my eyes are sore. Man, I have no idea how you do that, Usopp!" Franky crowed with a laugh.

"Rope burn. Sore hands. I'll be able to work around it, but Nami-swan, will you give me some lotion?" Sanji batted his eyelashes, and she scoffed playfully.

"Yeah, sure, I'll take care of that. I'm fine too."

"I could use some adhesive tape… another centimeter and that Marine lady would have taken my head clean off! And what good am I without my afro? Yohohoho!" Brook chortled as he showed off the gouge in his spine.

"I'm sorry I couldn't keep control of Gilly," Usopp mumbled in shame. "She just lost it…"

"No, it's not your fault," Robin insisted. "She did what she needed to do. She's got a lot of guts for a girl her age."

"Can't believe it one bit," Sanji murmured.

"I imagine she's not unlike her fathers," Brook remarked sagely. The group all turned towards the cabin house. The life of part of their family hung in the balance, and they couldn't help but, each in their own way, wonder- what was the sum of Gilea's true sacrifice?

* * *

**End Notes:** Since you were all so patient waiting for this chapter, it's time for…

**Small Straw Hat SBS!**

This week, we're profiling…

**Mika!**

**Representative Color: **Brown**  
Animal Resemblance:** Vole (No, not a mole.)**  
What Chopper Thinks He Smells Like: **Sterile medical equipment (under 2,) crayons and paper (2 and up.)**  
Favorite Island and Season:** Fall on a Fall island**  
Favorite Food:** Polenta with leeks; lentil soup**  
Family Member:** Older nephew**  
Nationality:** Swedish

Okay, so, I gotta know- what did you guys think? Please leave a review, because if I change this chapter later, I need to know what to correct!

Please review!

And before you go, know this- _the story is not yet over!_

So, don't forget: questions, comments, searing hatred, insincere marriage proposals, or ideas? Leave me a review!


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One Piece, Adventure, Drama