[FIC][Salrynn's Shrine][SEVEN][ZoSan][PG]
Title: Salrynn’s Shrine
Word Count: 4379
Rating: M/NC17/18 Whatever country you’re in (overall) this chapter is worksafe.
Chapter: 7/?
Disclaimer: I don’t own One Piece. I’d love to, though.
Summary: The island had seemed rather nice, normal, and pretty much like the all the other islands they had visited - inasmuch as it had many pretty girls who Sanji liked to gander at and (unsuccessfully) flirt with. It also had an unusually high number of same-sex couples, or so he had presumed in most cases, and it wasn’t until they had left the island some months ago that he realised why.
Comment: Here it is. I wanted to update earlier, but I had so much fucking college work. Take an academic subject if you're going to college, its far less work D':
Dinner seemed to pass by in a blur. Sanji was still shocked (and very, very horrified) that Robin had known before anyone else, and he was trying to get used to the fact that it wasn’t just him, Zoro and Chopper who were in on this. It was almost as if having the woman involved made it suddenly more real; Sanji had always associated better with women than he did with men, but this was a strange way for it to take shape. But it seemed to hit him, harder than ever, that this really was happening to him.
Nevertheless, once the crew had filtered out of the galley, he withdrew the book from its hiding place and sat down at the galley table. He opened it up at the contents and scanned it until he found a chapter titled: ’Fertility Rituals’. He rested his jaw on his right hand as his blue eyes roved over the characters attentively.
‘Fertility rituals - or ‘Coty’ as they are called on the island - are understandably central to this small community’s way of life. After all, it is a fertility goddess who presides over the land.
Something that makes the island unique among its sister islands is that the ancient rite does not discriminate over same sex or opposite sex couples. This is perhaps why the island does not enjoy much tourist interest, despite its natural beauty and superiority over the other islands of the Glordonia chain. However, this is not a book on sociology; it is a book of history.
The legend of Salrynn is an interesting one. The deity is regarded as a goddess, but in fact She has two counterparts - though both female. The story goes that Sal and Rynn were lovers in a time that homosexuality was condemned on the island, but the women created a coven of sorts, originally to escape the judgement of the islanders. The name of the coven and its members was ‘Coty’. Over time, they had several members of the community - all same sex couples, male and female, who began worshipping the double goddess that was Salrynn. Eventually, word began to circulate around the land that such a place existed, though who allowed the secret to escape their lips has long been a mystery.
In any case, the rumour had been going around the island for sometime and by the time it reached the chief, it had been misspoken and perpetuated falsely, and the chief was told that there were a group of rebels who were planning to overthrow him. Terrified of a revolt, the chief sent his best troops to the alleged site of the coven and ordered them to kill at will.
However, upon their arrival, the Coty had just finished performing the Ascension ritual - the merging of the two High Priestesses and their arrival in the Land of the Gods as a double goddess. The troops were spared but the Chief was ordered to withdraw them. The chief and his followers were banished to Marné, a small, then uninhabited island at the very south of Glordonia as punishment for their judgemental ways.
Salrynn has since been regarded as the merciful Goddess, and a Shrine was built in her honour at the site of her Ascension.
The text on the Shrine - here written in the ancient language thought to be spoken by Salrynn and Her worshippers thousands of years ago denotes - “those who have expressed their love for each other in this Bed of Fertility will soon be blessed with child.” To this day, many of Salrynn’s worshippers - namely the islanders - have mated in this bed, praying for a child and leaving letters of thanks and gifts to Her at the Shrine of Salrynn. All have found their prayers answered.’
Sanji sighed as he finished reading the text. He supposed that this made he and Zoro ’Coty’ then. He understood the situation a little better now; it was better than feeling like he was stuck in the dark about the whole situation.
But he had to admit, he was still a bit bummed out about Robin knowing. Having someone with such a powerful presence in on this was like having everyone in on it. Sanji reasoned that he at least had another month or so to decide on what was going to happen with regards to telling the crew, and with Robin's help they were bound to come up with a good plan.
*****
The next two months seemed to pass very slowly. All they felt they had done for the last eight and a half weeks was island hopping, seemingly for the sole purpose of restocking. This made their captain - and the whole crew, in fact - agitated at being inactive for long. They hadn't even been attacked by marines or anything! So most of the crew had been reduced to sparring with each other every once in a while or, in Zoro's case, doubling the mass of his weights.
Sanji, however, was feeling somewhat worse than his crewmates, partially because of the hormones, but also because of the fact that he had been forced to take it easy. He was becoming slightly alarmed at how quickly the tiny little curve had grown into a mound his hand could only just cover, but he tried to ignore it as Chopper felt it was normal. His clothes were able to disguise it well, though he had had to go through his entire wardrobe to see what clothes covered the bump and which ones did not, and unfortunately, many of his tight-fitting dress shirts creased and stretched somewhat over it, which made the bump look even more pronounced. So he'd been forced into wearing loose-fitting tees and baggy sweaters - but it wasn't really enough.
Being the smartly dressed gentleman he was, he didn't own many informal pieces of clothing; he felt that they made him look cheap and unkempt. He owned so few baggy clothes that he'd even turned to stealing some of Zoro's, even though they were too big for him. But he had to admit, they were a lot cooler and comfortable than his usual suit and tie. But bump covering shirts and sweaters were still not enough. Sanji was becoming increasingly worried about the clothing situation as his jeans and trademark slacks were no longer fastening at the top, and it wouldn't be long before he needed new clothes altogether.
Zoro, on the other hand, grinned like an idiot every time the bump was revealed, which was mostly when they were alone in the bunkrooms, getting changed or even having sex in the galley. Indeed, both men were both very pleased that their sex life was still in tact, especially Sanji, as he didn't think he would be able to give up smoking, fighting and sex for nine months. At least he had one of his vices left for comfort. He tried not to let his mind slip into resentment that Zoro, even though they had both done equal amounts to conceive the bloody thing, was still able to do all of these things. And he didn't even smoke! Sanji grumbled irritably every time he thought about it.
But nonetheless, Zoro was quite happily coming to terms with the fact that there was a baby on the way. Truth be told, he'd never really thought about being a dad, so it did really hit him between the eyes when it happened. Though he was pleased, and that was another thing that made this process more bearable.
They were coming into port at one of a medium-sized cluster of islands named the Seven Stars Archipelago. Each of the islands seemed to serve a different purpose; Islands A through C were residential areas, D through E were filled with entertainment hotspots, and Island G was an area which filled all of the necessary amenities needed within a community; schools, hospitals and a small, mostly powerless police station. It also had a large commercial district, where there were open markets and long, bustling high streets filled with all kinds of stores.
Island F was uninhabited; Nami explained that it was because of the large, inactive volcano that took up most of the space. F was set further to the south than the other islands, and the only way across was by boat, unlike the other islands which had been connected by a series of elaborate bridges. The peculiarity of the archipelago and its architecture meant that it attracted tourists from all over, and it presented to a crew which were, to say the least, sick to the back teeth of tiny islands and their little markets, a whole new adventure.
"The islands are simply named after letters because the founders didn't want them to create their own individuality," Nami had explained as they approached the mostly full harbour. "It was probably for the best. They wanted the archipelago to stay as a group of islands which altogether created the Seven Stars, as it created a sense of unity amongst the population and by doing so, they basically decimated the possibility of conflict and war amongst the islanders. What's more, the marines can't touch it because its protected by some pirate called Hengest - he's got a huge fleet and more than enough allies to guarantee all out war if they tried anything. That means there's no taxes and everything is dirt cheap! It's like a pirate haven!" From the way she was talking, it was like Nami had just found Nirvana.
Luffy, Brook, Usopp, Frankie and Chopper were nearly pissing themselves by this point, as it was quite dark by the time they had arrived and the lights had obviously excited them. They pulled into the dock peacefully and decided that they would eat out for a change -Sanji had suggested it; he needed a break from the heat of the kitchen, even if it was his job. The dock itself was on Island G, so they had to ask for directions as to where the bridge to the entertainment district was. They discovered that it was on the other side of the island, so they set off on foot. After approximately seven minutes of walking, Luffy began to complain that he was hungry.
"We'll get something to eat as soon as we get over the bridge, okay? And we haven't even been walking for that long, so stop complaining!" Nami replied disapprovingly.
"But I'm huuunngrryyyyyy~" The captain whined, his face morphing into a series of tortured expressions.
Nami sighed, but then perked up at the sight of the bridge. There were countless chariots with horses, as well as many people on horseback and foot travelling on and off the bridge in a rather chaotic bustle. "We're here!" She exclaimed, and ran up to what seemed to be a kind of ski lift. In fact, as Sanji looked up to above the lively bridge, a whole system of carriages suspended from long wires operated from above them. On the side of the bridge was an area were they lowered themselves towards the ground, so that foot-passengers could board one of the bench carriages as they glided silently towards them.
Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Usopp and Franky marvelled at it and all but begged Nami to give them the money to install one on the ship.
"No, you idiots, why the hell would we need one of these? It's a ship, not a fair ground," Sanji said, "stop bothering Nami-swan and get on the lift. Ah- after Nami-swan and Robin-chan of course," he finished.
Nami and Robin sat down on the lift as it came towards them with a pair of the cutest laughs Sanji had ever heard. His eyes popped into hearts at the sound, and Zoro rolled his eyes.
Brook and Luffy boarded the next one with Chopper parked between them, then Franky and Usopp, and finally Sanji and Zoro. Sanji marvelled at the sight the lift provided; in the distance there was the island they were travelling to, which was alight with lamps from the buildings, as well as bright neon signs and coloured spotlights that roved around the dark night sky. From a distance it almost looked like a painting, as the lights bounced off the dark, velvety sea and created a delirious assortment of colour on the horizon.
His blue eyes were busy following them when Zoro spoke up. "You kind of look like Luffy right now," he commented, watching Sanji's face.
"Oh, thanks," he said.
"Not as in stuffing your face with whatever's in front of you, even if it’s your ankle," Zoro replied, "I mean… you've got that look on your face that you're really happy."
Sanji was quiet for moment. "Oh. Thanks, I think…" He said finally.
Zoro gave a sheepish smile, and looked down at the bar across them. Sanji silently took his hand in his and placed it over the bump in his abdomen when he was sure nobody could see. They were so far ahead of them they were just distant yells of excitement, so the blond positioned Zoro's hand and then laid his own across it, not making eye contact with his lover.
Zoro was quiet, but slightly in awe at how quickly the bump had grown. He didn't really touch it during sex, because he didn't know what Sanji would make of it, but his abdomen was distinctly bigger than it had been before. Instead of muscles there was a soft curve, and strange as it was to say it, it felt alive.
"It feels… big," Zoro commented, feeling a bit stupid.
"Well duh," Sanji replied, looking up at his lover with a smile. It was one of those rare moments of peace they shared, where they didn't bicker or fight, but just spoke.
They sat close together like that until they began to approach the end of the lift, when Zoro pulled his hand away from rubbing the gentle bump and sat back from Sanji. They hopped off of it with ease, and walked to rejoin the others.
"Uwaah! That was so cool!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Yeah, we should have one on the ship!" Luffy added, grinning like a fool.
"We just went over that," Nami said, rubbing her temple.
The crew made their way across the next island loudly, in awe of the strange new land they had discovered. Along the shore of the island there were countless arcades, casinos, fast food joints and clubs, each with huge neon signs that towered above them, some of them even moving. From the sky it must've looked like a huge ring about the tiny dot of an island, but further inland there were more entertainment establishments, which seemed to climb above the ones seen from the shore along a gently sloping hill.
Eventually the crew managed to find their way through the winding streets, until they came to a fairly quieter spot which had some stylish bars and restaurants lining the streets: the ground was cobbled and there was plenty of greenery, but it was not without the bright illuminations the rest of the island sported. There were lanterns and lit signs, but they were softly illuminated and reflected well off the buildings surrounding them.
It was fairly busy that evening, but not unbearably so. They found a larger restaurant that served plenty of meat but fitted the affluence of the neighbourhood, and also seemed to be able to accommodate the large group. Once there, they sat down at a round table and Luffy promptly proclaimed that he wanted everything on the menu.
"Give me all the meat you have!" He shouted at the terrified waiter, who nodded and ran off to place the order.
Nami rubbed her forehead. "You'd better hope there's some treasure around here or I'm going to charge you interest for all that food." She answered, obviously more than a little frustrated at not seeing anything sparkly for a while.
Luffy ignored her; the fact that he was going to be fed seemed to make him immune to any kind of threat. Sanji could feel his own gut rumble, despite the fact that he'd eaten not that long ago back on the ship.
After about fifteen minutes, the food began to arrive on their table, and continued to do so for the next couple of hours. They ate heartily, much to the horror of their fellow diners, who stared in awe at the table of weird and rowdy pirates.
Zoro was drunk, Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Franky and Usopp were stuffing their faces like total pigs, though Sanji was also eating rather a lot (though a lot more like an actual human, unlike his companions) and Nami and Robin were slightly slumped in their chairs, full, and far too used to the sight of the bottomless chasms beside them.
Once all the food was gone, they sat at the table for about an hour before they could actually move. No one spoke much, apart from the odd belch, until it went down. Luffy was ballooned to about double his normal size, and even Sanji was quite proud of himself for eating as much as he had. Zoro was thoroughly pissed and looking around hazily.
"So, where to now?" Usopp asked, eyes half lidded.
"I want to go to the arcade!" Chopper said, perking up a bit.
"I want to go to the casino," Nami added, a dangerous glint in her eye.
"I want to go to another restaurant," Luffy declared, his cheeks full. Nami kicked him in the head.
"No. That's enough money spent on food for one night," she added.
"Yeah, we need to buy some food for the next part of the voyage," Sanji added, rubbing his belly inconspicuously beneath the table. Zoro caught it and grinned drunkenly. "Who knows how long it'll be before we find the next island…"
"Yeah, and if Sanji's gonna keep eatin' like he's pregnant then we're gonna need more food than what we already have," Zoro slurred, grinning like an idiot.
Sanji shot him a deadly glare and Robin and Chopper exchanged a worried look.
"Well, I think we'd better take this moron back to the ship," Sanji said with a false grin, now very worried about what the swordsman might say in front of the crew in his state.
"What? No, I'm not gonna pass out or anything, stupid cook," he slurred, "maybe being pregnant does that to people… ne, Chopper?! Don't women and stuff get all crazy when they're preggo-" Sanji kicked him and dragged him out of the restaurant in a headlock, much to the swordsman's garbled chagrin, leaving the rest of the crew in a confused state.
"Ah, Cook-san was meant to make Zoro that healing remedy that Chopper said he should drink," Robin lied, smiling widely.
"Yeah, from that injury in his torso he sustained from his fight with the giant on the last island," Chopper added, nervous.
"Eh?! Fight?! Zoro had a fight with a giant and he didn't tell anyone about it?!" Luffy complained loudly, eyes wide.
"Yes, Sogeking was there too, wasn't he? He was so brave!" Robin said with mock admiration.
Usopp gave her a strange look, and then he gave a shit-eating grin. "Well, of course he was! He is, after all, king of the snipers!" He exclaimed, and leant forward to begin telling some vastly exaggerated and made up story about how Sogeking had saved Zoro's life just in time. Most of the crew listened intently, but Nami was greatly confused. She knitted her brow and asked a passing waitress for the bill, deciding that she was going to get to the bottom of the weird behaviour she'd been witnessing from her friends.
Meanwhile, Sanji was dragging a loud, swearing, complaining, drunken Marimo back to the ship. This included wading through the busy entertainment district, somehow surviving the lift across the bridge, and then navigating their way back to the dock. Once they finally arrived, Sanji threw him into a chair at the dining table and poured a glass of water, before slamming it down before the other man dangerously.
"Drink." He said darkly.
"I don't-"
"Fucking drink." Sanji spat. Zoro didn't think he should argue, so he downed it in a few seconds and then wiped his mouth.
Sanji watched him from his position leant against the island counter, with his arms crossed and a heavy glare on his face. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He snapped as soon as Zoro stopped drinking.
Zoro blinked. "What did I do now?" He asked stupidly.
"You fucking moron! You nearly told everyone about the pregnancy thing!" Sanji fumed, letting out his anger now they were in a safe place.
"No I didn't," Zoro argued, "I just made a couple of metaphors," he slurred, but slowly found himself beginning to sober up.
"What, three metaphors about the same fucking thing? Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could see through that," Sanji retorted.
"Then its lucky half of them don't have two brain cells to rub together," Zoro replied.
"Well, at least we know which half you belong to!" Sanji shouted, and made for the door in anger. But as soon as he looked up from glaring at the other man, he was stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing in front of a closed door was the redheaded money demon herself. She kept her brown eyes trained on Sanji in such a way that he felt himself walk backwards and sit in a chair beside Zoro, who turned to look where his lover was looking. His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he instantly knew that Sanji was going to murder him before he even had a chance to see his child.
*****
Nami sat down at the table after a couple of minutes of staring and sputtering from both men, and looked at them both with question. "So, what was this little spat all about?" Nami asked, looking from one of them to the other.
"When did it involve you?" Zoro shot back pugnaciously. Sanji kneed the back of the chair he was sat on irritably.
"Nami-san, please ignore this idiotic Marimo beside me. I can explain everything, if you would be kind enough to give me the chance?" Sanji said.
"Go ahead," Nami replied with a smile.
Sanji thanked her and then sat down beside his lover, who looked like he really needed to go to bed. He then proceeded to tell her everything that had transpired in the last few months, including the excruciating torture of telling him about the arrangement, as it were, that he and Zoro had had for over a year now. He felt so awful about breaking her heart, and took her hand to apologize- but they could still be together! He would happily raise the child with-
He was interrupted in his thoughts by a loud, raucous cackle that only belonged to his dear Nami-swan. He blinked incredulously. "I knew you were fucking, I knew it! Hah! Nojiko is going to be so pissed when she sends me that ten thousand Beli in the mail!" She said excitedly, giggling.
Sanji blinked at her incredulously. Nami-san… his Nami-san, had known all along? And had had a bet with her sister over it? It was too much to take in.
Zoro, on the other hand, found the whole thing rather amusing, even if he too, was disturbed that she was making bets over such a thing.
Sanji sat in deep embarrassment, and scratched his head in confusion. Eventually, Nami's laughter died down, and she became serious once more. "But anyway, Sanji-kun, I think that this is all amazing. I knew the Grand Line was a weird place, but…" she trailed off and raised her eyebrows.
"I thought the exact same thing, Nami-san," Sanji said, looking at the table.
"We need to start thinking about preparations for the new arrival," she said a bit suddenly, in a business-like tone, "we'll made a checklist, and I'll help you in any way I can."
"Holy shit, are you suggesting what I think you are?!" Zoro replied incredulously, perking up after a while of being quiet.
Nami held up a finger and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to mask some kind of agonizing pain. "I am willing to help those close to me when they are in need." Her eye twitched a bit. "Even if it means… spending a higher than usual amount of money," she forced out finally, immediately letting out a long breath.
"Ah, thank you, Nami-swan," Sanji swooned, albeit tiredly.
"But right now, I'm rather tired and I think I need a bit of time to process it all. We'll talk about it in the morning." And with that, the redhead stood from the table and began to walk towards the door.
"Oh, Nami-san? I'd be eternally grateful if you didn't tell anyone about this," Sanji called before she left.
Nami's eyes held a subtle hint of devilishness as she turned to smile and agree, and bade them both a goodnight before returning to her cabin.
Zoro looked at Sanji a bit guiltily. "Sorry," he said, "but I think it was kind of for the best… you've only got about two weeks before that bump becomes too noticeable, and we don't want her getting too many blackmail ideas."
Sanji sighed, knowing that the swordsman was right. It just made him hate him even more, however. "I'm tired," he said with a yawn, not even bothering to answer Zoro's statements. The swordsman nodded, however, and the two made their way back to the men's quarters where they slept peacefully for a few hours, until Sanji woke at the tell-tale noise of his crewmate's drunkenness and clambered out of Zoro's hammock tiredly, falling into his own just in time for the door to swing open.
*****
There was another scene (or a few scenes) I was thinking of adding to this one, but its really like a whole other chapter- the length is a bit unanticipated. But I hope you like this one :D
Comments and the like are much appreciated.
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Word Count: 4379
Rating: M/NC17/18 Whatever country you’re in (overall) this chapter is worksafe.
Chapter: 7/?
Disclaimer: I don’t own One Piece. I’d love to, though.
Summary: The island had seemed rather nice, normal, and pretty much like the all the other islands they had visited - inasmuch as it had many pretty girls who Sanji liked to gander at and (unsuccessfully) flirt with. It also had an unusually high number of same-sex couples, or so he had presumed in most cases, and it wasn’t until they had left the island some months ago that he realised why.
Comment: Here it is. I wanted to update earlier, but I had so much fucking college work. Take an academic subject if you're going to college, its far less work D':
Dinner seemed to pass by in a blur. Sanji was still shocked (and very, very horrified) that Robin had known before anyone else, and he was trying to get used to the fact that it wasn’t just him, Zoro and Chopper who were in on this. It was almost as if having the woman involved made it suddenly more real; Sanji had always associated better with women than he did with men, but this was a strange way for it to take shape. But it seemed to hit him, harder than ever, that this really was happening to him.
Nevertheless, once the crew had filtered out of the galley, he withdrew the book from its hiding place and sat down at the galley table. He opened it up at the contents and scanned it until he found a chapter titled: ’Fertility Rituals’. He rested his jaw on his right hand as his blue eyes roved over the characters attentively.
‘Fertility rituals - or ‘Coty’ as they are called on the island - are understandably central to this small community’s way of life. After all, it is a fertility goddess who presides over the land.
Something that makes the island unique among its sister islands is that the ancient rite does not discriminate over same sex or opposite sex couples. This is perhaps why the island does not enjoy much tourist interest, despite its natural beauty and superiority over the other islands of the Glordonia chain. However, this is not a book on sociology; it is a book of history.
The legend of Salrynn is an interesting one. The deity is regarded as a goddess, but in fact She has two counterparts - though both female. The story goes that Sal and Rynn were lovers in a time that homosexuality was condemned on the island, but the women created a coven of sorts, originally to escape the judgement of the islanders. The name of the coven and its members was ‘Coty’. Over time, they had several members of the community - all same sex couples, male and female, who began worshipping the double goddess that was Salrynn. Eventually, word began to circulate around the land that such a place existed, though who allowed the secret to escape their lips has long been a mystery.
In any case, the rumour had been going around the island for sometime and by the time it reached the chief, it had been misspoken and perpetuated falsely, and the chief was told that there were a group of rebels who were planning to overthrow him. Terrified of a revolt, the chief sent his best troops to the alleged site of the coven and ordered them to kill at will.
However, upon their arrival, the Coty had just finished performing the Ascension ritual - the merging of the two High Priestesses and their arrival in the Land of the Gods as a double goddess. The troops were spared but the Chief was ordered to withdraw them. The chief and his followers were banished to Marné, a small, then uninhabited island at the very south of Glordonia as punishment for their judgemental ways.
Salrynn has since been regarded as the merciful Goddess, and a Shrine was built in her honour at the site of her Ascension.
The text on the Shrine - here written in the ancient language thought to be spoken by Salrynn and Her worshippers thousands of years ago denotes - “those who have expressed their love for each other in this Bed of Fertility will soon be blessed with child.” To this day, many of Salrynn’s worshippers - namely the islanders - have mated in this bed, praying for a child and leaving letters of thanks and gifts to Her at the Shrine of Salrynn. All have found their prayers answered.’
Sanji sighed as he finished reading the text. He supposed that this made he and Zoro ’Coty’ then. He understood the situation a little better now; it was better than feeling like he was stuck in the dark about the whole situation.
But he had to admit, he was still a bit bummed out about Robin knowing. Having someone with such a powerful presence in on this was like having everyone in on it. Sanji reasoned that he at least had another month or so to decide on what was going to happen with regards to telling the crew, and with Robin's help they were bound to come up with a good plan.
*****
The next two months seemed to pass very slowly. All they felt they had done for the last eight and a half weeks was island hopping, seemingly for the sole purpose of restocking. This made their captain - and the whole crew, in fact - agitated at being inactive for long. They hadn't even been attacked by marines or anything! So most of the crew had been reduced to sparring with each other every once in a while or, in Zoro's case, doubling the mass of his weights.
Sanji, however, was feeling somewhat worse than his crewmates, partially because of the hormones, but also because of the fact that he had been forced to take it easy. He was becoming slightly alarmed at how quickly the tiny little curve had grown into a mound his hand could only just cover, but he tried to ignore it as Chopper felt it was normal. His clothes were able to disguise it well, though he had had to go through his entire wardrobe to see what clothes covered the bump and which ones did not, and unfortunately, many of his tight-fitting dress shirts creased and stretched somewhat over it, which made the bump look even more pronounced. So he'd been forced into wearing loose-fitting tees and baggy sweaters - but it wasn't really enough.
Being the smartly dressed gentleman he was, he didn't own many informal pieces of clothing; he felt that they made him look cheap and unkempt. He owned so few baggy clothes that he'd even turned to stealing some of Zoro's, even though they were too big for him. But he had to admit, they were a lot cooler and comfortable than his usual suit and tie. But bump covering shirts and sweaters were still not enough. Sanji was becoming increasingly worried about the clothing situation as his jeans and trademark slacks were no longer fastening at the top, and it wouldn't be long before he needed new clothes altogether.
Zoro, on the other hand, grinned like an idiot every time the bump was revealed, which was mostly when they were alone in the bunkrooms, getting changed or even having sex in the galley. Indeed, both men were both very pleased that their sex life was still in tact, especially Sanji, as he didn't think he would be able to give up smoking, fighting and sex for nine months. At least he had one of his vices left for comfort. He tried not to let his mind slip into resentment that Zoro, even though they had both done equal amounts to conceive the bloody thing, was still able to do all of these things. And he didn't even smoke! Sanji grumbled irritably every time he thought about it.
But nonetheless, Zoro was quite happily coming to terms with the fact that there was a baby on the way. Truth be told, he'd never really thought about being a dad, so it did really hit him between the eyes when it happened. Though he was pleased, and that was another thing that made this process more bearable.
They were coming into port at one of a medium-sized cluster of islands named the Seven Stars Archipelago. Each of the islands seemed to serve a different purpose; Islands A through C were residential areas, D through E were filled with entertainment hotspots, and Island G was an area which filled all of the necessary amenities needed within a community; schools, hospitals and a small, mostly powerless police station. It also had a large commercial district, where there were open markets and long, bustling high streets filled with all kinds of stores.
Island F was uninhabited; Nami explained that it was because of the large, inactive volcano that took up most of the space. F was set further to the south than the other islands, and the only way across was by boat, unlike the other islands which had been connected by a series of elaborate bridges. The peculiarity of the archipelago and its architecture meant that it attracted tourists from all over, and it presented to a crew which were, to say the least, sick to the back teeth of tiny islands and their little markets, a whole new adventure.
"The islands are simply named after letters because the founders didn't want them to create their own individuality," Nami had explained as they approached the mostly full harbour. "It was probably for the best. They wanted the archipelago to stay as a group of islands which altogether created the Seven Stars, as it created a sense of unity amongst the population and by doing so, they basically decimated the possibility of conflict and war amongst the islanders. What's more, the marines can't touch it because its protected by some pirate called Hengest - he's got a huge fleet and more than enough allies to guarantee all out war if they tried anything. That means there's no taxes and everything is dirt cheap! It's like a pirate haven!" From the way she was talking, it was like Nami had just found Nirvana.
Luffy, Brook, Usopp, Frankie and Chopper were nearly pissing themselves by this point, as it was quite dark by the time they had arrived and the lights had obviously excited them. They pulled into the dock peacefully and decided that they would eat out for a change -Sanji had suggested it; he needed a break from the heat of the kitchen, even if it was his job. The dock itself was on Island G, so they had to ask for directions as to where the bridge to the entertainment district was. They discovered that it was on the other side of the island, so they set off on foot. After approximately seven minutes of walking, Luffy began to complain that he was hungry.
"We'll get something to eat as soon as we get over the bridge, okay? And we haven't even been walking for that long, so stop complaining!" Nami replied disapprovingly.
"But I'm huuunngrryyyyyy~" The captain whined, his face morphing into a series of tortured expressions.
Nami sighed, but then perked up at the sight of the bridge. There were countless chariots with horses, as well as many people on horseback and foot travelling on and off the bridge in a rather chaotic bustle. "We're here!" She exclaimed, and ran up to what seemed to be a kind of ski lift. In fact, as Sanji looked up to above the lively bridge, a whole system of carriages suspended from long wires operated from above them. On the side of the bridge was an area were they lowered themselves towards the ground, so that foot-passengers could board one of the bench carriages as they glided silently towards them.
Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Usopp and Franky marvelled at it and all but begged Nami to give them the money to install one on the ship.
"No, you idiots, why the hell would we need one of these? It's a ship, not a fair ground," Sanji said, "stop bothering Nami-swan and get on the lift. Ah- after Nami-swan and Robin-chan of course," he finished.
Nami and Robin sat down on the lift as it came towards them with a pair of the cutest laughs Sanji had ever heard. His eyes popped into hearts at the sound, and Zoro rolled his eyes.
Brook and Luffy boarded the next one with Chopper parked between them, then Franky and Usopp, and finally Sanji and Zoro. Sanji marvelled at the sight the lift provided; in the distance there was the island they were travelling to, which was alight with lamps from the buildings, as well as bright neon signs and coloured spotlights that roved around the dark night sky. From a distance it almost looked like a painting, as the lights bounced off the dark, velvety sea and created a delirious assortment of colour on the horizon.
His blue eyes were busy following them when Zoro spoke up. "You kind of look like Luffy right now," he commented, watching Sanji's face.
"Oh, thanks," he said.
"Not as in stuffing your face with whatever's in front of you, even if it’s your ankle," Zoro replied, "I mean… you've got that look on your face that you're really happy."
Sanji was quiet for moment. "Oh. Thanks, I think…" He said finally.
Zoro gave a sheepish smile, and looked down at the bar across them. Sanji silently took his hand in his and placed it over the bump in his abdomen when he was sure nobody could see. They were so far ahead of them they were just distant yells of excitement, so the blond positioned Zoro's hand and then laid his own across it, not making eye contact with his lover.
Zoro was quiet, but slightly in awe at how quickly the bump had grown. He didn't really touch it during sex, because he didn't know what Sanji would make of it, but his abdomen was distinctly bigger than it had been before. Instead of muscles there was a soft curve, and strange as it was to say it, it felt alive.
"It feels… big," Zoro commented, feeling a bit stupid.
"Well duh," Sanji replied, looking up at his lover with a smile. It was one of those rare moments of peace they shared, where they didn't bicker or fight, but just spoke.
They sat close together like that until they began to approach the end of the lift, when Zoro pulled his hand away from rubbing the gentle bump and sat back from Sanji. They hopped off of it with ease, and walked to rejoin the others.
"Uwaah! That was so cool!" Chopper exclaimed.
"Yeah, we should have one on the ship!" Luffy added, grinning like a fool.
"We just went over that," Nami said, rubbing her temple.
The crew made their way across the next island loudly, in awe of the strange new land they had discovered. Along the shore of the island there were countless arcades, casinos, fast food joints and clubs, each with huge neon signs that towered above them, some of them even moving. From the sky it must've looked like a huge ring about the tiny dot of an island, but further inland there were more entertainment establishments, which seemed to climb above the ones seen from the shore along a gently sloping hill.
Eventually the crew managed to find their way through the winding streets, until they came to a fairly quieter spot which had some stylish bars and restaurants lining the streets: the ground was cobbled and there was plenty of greenery, but it was not without the bright illuminations the rest of the island sported. There were lanterns and lit signs, but they were softly illuminated and reflected well off the buildings surrounding them.
It was fairly busy that evening, but not unbearably so. They found a larger restaurant that served plenty of meat but fitted the affluence of the neighbourhood, and also seemed to be able to accommodate the large group. Once there, they sat down at a round table and Luffy promptly proclaimed that he wanted everything on the menu.
"Give me all the meat you have!" He shouted at the terrified waiter, who nodded and ran off to place the order.
Nami rubbed her forehead. "You'd better hope there's some treasure around here or I'm going to charge you interest for all that food." She answered, obviously more than a little frustrated at not seeing anything sparkly for a while.
Luffy ignored her; the fact that he was going to be fed seemed to make him immune to any kind of threat. Sanji could feel his own gut rumble, despite the fact that he'd eaten not that long ago back on the ship.
After about fifteen minutes, the food began to arrive on their table, and continued to do so for the next couple of hours. They ate heartily, much to the horror of their fellow diners, who stared in awe at the table of weird and rowdy pirates.
Zoro was drunk, Luffy, Chopper, Brook, Franky and Usopp were stuffing their faces like total pigs, though Sanji was also eating rather a lot (though a lot more like an actual human, unlike his companions) and Nami and Robin were slightly slumped in their chairs, full, and far too used to the sight of the bottomless chasms beside them.
Once all the food was gone, they sat at the table for about an hour before they could actually move. No one spoke much, apart from the odd belch, until it went down. Luffy was ballooned to about double his normal size, and even Sanji was quite proud of himself for eating as much as he had. Zoro was thoroughly pissed and looking around hazily.
"So, where to now?" Usopp asked, eyes half lidded.
"I want to go to the arcade!" Chopper said, perking up a bit.
"I want to go to the casino," Nami added, a dangerous glint in her eye.
"I want to go to another restaurant," Luffy declared, his cheeks full. Nami kicked him in the head.
"No. That's enough money spent on food for one night," she added.
"Yeah, we need to buy some food for the next part of the voyage," Sanji added, rubbing his belly inconspicuously beneath the table. Zoro caught it and grinned drunkenly. "Who knows how long it'll be before we find the next island…"
"Yeah, and if Sanji's gonna keep eatin' like he's pregnant then we're gonna need more food than what we already have," Zoro slurred, grinning like an idiot.
Sanji shot him a deadly glare and Robin and Chopper exchanged a worried look.
"Well, I think we'd better take this moron back to the ship," Sanji said with a false grin, now very worried about what the swordsman might say in front of the crew in his state.
"What? No, I'm not gonna pass out or anything, stupid cook," he slurred, "maybe being pregnant does that to people… ne, Chopper?! Don't women and stuff get all crazy when they're preggo-" Sanji kicked him and dragged him out of the restaurant in a headlock, much to the swordsman's garbled chagrin, leaving the rest of the crew in a confused state.
"Ah, Cook-san was meant to make Zoro that healing remedy that Chopper said he should drink," Robin lied, smiling widely.
"Yeah, from that injury in his torso he sustained from his fight with the giant on the last island," Chopper added, nervous.
"Eh?! Fight?! Zoro had a fight with a giant and he didn't tell anyone about it?!" Luffy complained loudly, eyes wide.
"Yes, Sogeking was there too, wasn't he? He was so brave!" Robin said with mock admiration.
Usopp gave her a strange look, and then he gave a shit-eating grin. "Well, of course he was! He is, after all, king of the snipers!" He exclaimed, and leant forward to begin telling some vastly exaggerated and made up story about how Sogeking had saved Zoro's life just in time. Most of the crew listened intently, but Nami was greatly confused. She knitted her brow and asked a passing waitress for the bill, deciding that she was going to get to the bottom of the weird behaviour she'd been witnessing from her friends.
Meanwhile, Sanji was dragging a loud, swearing, complaining, drunken Marimo back to the ship. This included wading through the busy entertainment district, somehow surviving the lift across the bridge, and then navigating their way back to the dock. Once they finally arrived, Sanji threw him into a chair at the dining table and poured a glass of water, before slamming it down before the other man dangerously.
"Drink." He said darkly.
"I don't-"
"Fucking drink." Sanji spat. Zoro didn't think he should argue, so he downed it in a few seconds and then wiped his mouth.
Sanji watched him from his position leant against the island counter, with his arms crossed and a heavy glare on his face. "What the fuck is wrong with you?" He snapped as soon as Zoro stopped drinking.
Zoro blinked. "What did I do now?" He asked stupidly.
"You fucking moron! You nearly told everyone about the pregnancy thing!" Sanji fumed, letting out his anger now they were in a safe place.
"No I didn't," Zoro argued, "I just made a couple of metaphors," he slurred, but slowly found himself beginning to sober up.
"What, three metaphors about the same fucking thing? Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could see through that," Sanji retorted.
"Then its lucky half of them don't have two brain cells to rub together," Zoro replied.
"Well, at least we know which half you belong to!" Sanji shouted, and made for the door in anger. But as soon as he looked up from glaring at the other man, he was stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing in front of a closed door was the redheaded money demon herself. She kept her brown eyes trained on Sanji in such a way that he felt himself walk backwards and sit in a chair beside Zoro, who turned to look where his lover was looking. His eyes nearly popped out of his head, and he instantly knew that Sanji was going to murder him before he even had a chance to see his child.
*****
Nami sat down at the table after a couple of minutes of staring and sputtering from both men, and looked at them both with question. "So, what was this little spat all about?" Nami asked, looking from one of them to the other.
"When did it involve you?" Zoro shot back pugnaciously. Sanji kneed the back of the chair he was sat on irritably.
"Nami-san, please ignore this idiotic Marimo beside me. I can explain everything, if you would be kind enough to give me the chance?" Sanji said.
"Go ahead," Nami replied with a smile.
Sanji thanked her and then sat down beside his lover, who looked like he really needed to go to bed. He then proceeded to tell her everything that had transpired in the last few months, including the excruciating torture of telling him about the arrangement, as it were, that he and Zoro had had for over a year now. He felt so awful about breaking her heart, and took her hand to apologize- but they could still be together! He would happily raise the child with-
He was interrupted in his thoughts by a loud, raucous cackle that only belonged to his dear Nami-swan. He blinked incredulously. "I knew you were fucking, I knew it! Hah! Nojiko is going to be so pissed when she sends me that ten thousand Beli in the mail!" She said excitedly, giggling.
Sanji blinked at her incredulously. Nami-san… his Nami-san, had known all along? And had had a bet with her sister over it? It was too much to take in.
Zoro, on the other hand, found the whole thing rather amusing, even if he too, was disturbed that she was making bets over such a thing.
Sanji sat in deep embarrassment, and scratched his head in confusion. Eventually, Nami's laughter died down, and she became serious once more. "But anyway, Sanji-kun, I think that this is all amazing. I knew the Grand Line was a weird place, but…" she trailed off and raised her eyebrows.
"I thought the exact same thing, Nami-san," Sanji said, looking at the table.
"We need to start thinking about preparations for the new arrival," she said a bit suddenly, in a business-like tone, "we'll made a checklist, and I'll help you in any way I can."
"Holy shit, are you suggesting what I think you are?!" Zoro replied incredulously, perking up after a while of being quiet.
Nami held up a finger and closed her eyes, as if she was trying to mask some kind of agonizing pain. "I am willing to help those close to me when they are in need." Her eye twitched a bit. "Even if it means… spending a higher than usual amount of money," she forced out finally, immediately letting out a long breath.
"Ah, thank you, Nami-swan," Sanji swooned, albeit tiredly.
"But right now, I'm rather tired and I think I need a bit of time to process it all. We'll talk about it in the morning." And with that, the redhead stood from the table and began to walk towards the door.
"Oh, Nami-san? I'd be eternally grateful if you didn't tell anyone about this," Sanji called before she left.
Nami's eyes held a subtle hint of devilishness as she turned to smile and agree, and bade them both a goodnight before returning to her cabin.
Zoro looked at Sanji a bit guiltily. "Sorry," he said, "but I think it was kind of for the best… you've only got about two weeks before that bump becomes too noticeable, and we don't want her getting too many blackmail ideas."
Sanji sighed, knowing that the swordsman was right. It just made him hate him even more, however. "I'm tired," he said with a yawn, not even bothering to answer Zoro's statements. The swordsman nodded, however, and the two made their way back to the men's quarters where they slept peacefully for a few hours, until Sanji woke at the tell-tale noise of his crewmate's drunkenness and clambered out of Zoro's hammock tiredly, falling into his own just in time for the door to swing open.
*****
There was another scene (or a few scenes) I was thinking of adding to this one, but its really like a whole other chapter- the length is a bit unanticipated. But I hope you like this one :D
Comments and the like are much appreciated.
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