One Piece One Shot: The Interview

By: HeartandSoul123

Luffy was sitting surprisingly still on the railing of the Thousand Sunny, his legs dangled lazily above the sea and his tongue was pinched tightly between his lips. The sharp focus in his eyes was a sign that he was in deep concentration and his brows were furrowed to support this claim. In his hands was a fishing pole and directly attached to the line was a tiny worm he had found in Usopp's garden. A single bead of sweat crept down from below his ruffled black hair, traveling with a steady rhythm to prevent a break in his rare attentiveness. He gulped dryly and sank his teeth gently on his tongue.

'This has to be it…it's only a bit longer!'

According to his stomach, which was now growling with uneasy impatience, it was almost time for lunch. He was elated that it was only a matter of minutes until Sanji would come bursting out from the kitchen to sing his favorite words, but at the same time, he wanted to impress the rest of the crew with his soon-to-be achievement.

'A big delicious fish! As big as the Sunny!'

Just then, a tug. A strong tug. The tug he had been waiting for. He grinned and felt his muscles tremble.

"Yahoo!" he screamed in delight and satisfaction. Usopp and Chopper, who were sitting on the opposite railing, quickly turned around and dropped their equipment on the deck. They hurriedly rushed towards their rubber captain.

"You got one?!" shouted Usopp, overjoyed. Chopper nuzzled his tiny head against the space in the railing and observed.

"Look at that jerking force! It must be gigantic!" cried the fuzzy reindeer.

"Sure is," Luffy agreed, still grinning madly from beneath the brim of his hat. He felt the pull on his line tighten and the weight of whatever he caught increase. It wasn't going to a problem, however, especially not for him. With one powerful motion, Luffy yanked his line with all his might, pulling his line straight out of the water. Immediately, all three of them dropped their jaws.

"It's…" Luffy began.

"It's…" Chopper repeated.

"HUGE!" yelled Usopp. He threw his hands above him to shield himself from the sea drops, but instead of just getting wet, the entire haul landed right on top of him, sending him face first into the deck.

"Nice catch, Usopp!" sang Luffy, throwing his legs around the railing. He began to jump up and down, excited about his prize.

"Usopp!" cried Chopper, more concerned than excited. The doctor tried desperately to pull Usopp out of the wreckage. Luffy was laughing at his sniper's misfortune.

The door to the men's room opened.

"What the heck was that?!" shouted Zoro. He had just put on some fresh clothes after finishing his workout and felt very tired. When he saw what was on the deck, the hair on his body stood up and he suddenly felt very much awake.

"Yeah, it sounded like a mini-earthquake," said Franky. The cyborg also halted in his tracks upon seeing what was crushing Usopp.

"The mere force shook me right down to the bone. Which is fair to say, considering the state I'm in. Yohohohohoho!" laughed Brook. The milk he was carrying slipped from his boney fingers and shattered on the floor. He felt a shiver run through his spine, now that he was looking at the very thing keeping everyone at unease. All except for Luffy. Luffy was giggling with glee.

The door to the women's room opened.

"You all better not have broken anything, I swear!" shouted Nami, who sounded appropriately agitated. She had been interrupted from drawing one of her sea charts, and she punished anyone who made her stop her work due to some sort of reckless activity. Likewise, Robin had been interrupted from her book, but it never seemed to bother her whenever something like this happened on the Sunny. In fact, she sometimes found their shenanigans to be very entertaining.

When the two saw what was lying out Usopp, they felt their mouths part in shock.

The door to the kitchen opened.

"Nami-sweet! Robin-dearest! And all you other lousy ingrates…it's time for lunch!" crooned the very ardent cook. He noticed everyone outside, but their eyes were focused on what was down below on the deck. Sanji scratched his head.

"What's up?" he questioned curiously. When he saw what was on top of Usopp, his eye shook with fear. He nearly dropped the wine glasses and drink in his hand.

All eyes were studying the black beast that lay on top of the sniper warrior, who was now groaning with a good amount of agony. Chopper had turned into his human form to lift the massive creature off him.

"W-What the hell is that?!" stuttered Nami as she pointed a finger at the huge animal. She felt her knees quake and tried her best to hide herself behind Robin.

Chopper carefully turned the beast on its side to get a better look at it. He gulped.

"It's still breathing," he confirmed to the rest of the crew. Everyone took a step back. The creature was starting to stir.

"I've never seen anything like it," whispered Chopper. Everyone nodded in agreement. The creature began to cough.

Chopper was about to touch the black fur on the bewildering beast, but before his hoof could touch it, the fiend uncontrollably and violently sputtered liquids directly at his fuzzy face. He immediately retreated backwards.

"Ahhhhhh, gross!" he shouted, frantically wiping his fur coat of the thick and mysterious phlegm. Usopp also received a fine bit of the stuff all over him.

For reasons not worth mentioning, Luffy couldn't help but laugh.

"This isn't funny!" snapped Nami who, like the rest of the crew, managed to calm themselves and gathered closer to the doctor and sniper. They made sure not to get too close, however.

Luffy tried to compose himself, and failed. Fortunately for him, Nami was happy to help with a nice punch to the head.

"Seriously though, what is this thing? Chopper's never even seen something like this," remarked Zoro. He placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, just in case.

Robin massaged her chin and walked next to Zoro, quietly studying the black beast.

"Perhaps it is some sort of Sea King. I might have read something about these animals," she inferred.

"Whatever it is," murmured Sanji, who placed the glasses and drink aside, "I'm not cooking it. It's kind of gross."

The beast coughed its hardest, silencing everyone. Nami noticed something about its stomach.

"Look, everyone!" she pointed out.

The crew looked to where she was indicating and fell even more silent. Its belly was pounding rapidly now, almost like a drum. Whatever was inside of the beast seemed to be giving it a good amount of discomfort.

"W-What do we do?" asked Nami shakily. Though Luffy hadn't noticed, she had unintentionally grabbed one of his arms and began to cower behind him.

No one could answer her question because the creature gave one last cough, a cough so great it launched a person out of its tummy and onto the deck of the Thousand Sunny. The beast stirred before falling unconscious.

"Now who is that?!" Nami screamed, her hold on Luffy's arm tightening. This time he took note of it.

"It's…it's a person!" exclaimed Sanji in surprise.

"And he's covered in this goop!" shouted Usopp, who like Chopper, was trying to wipe and shake away the secretion that drenched him.

"Chopper, is he okay?" asked Franky.

The doctor had finally gotten a good amount of the saliva off him and was able to check for a pulse.

"He's still alive," Chopper sighed with relief. He touched the black-furred beast.

"The beast is okay too," he sighed again.

The crew stayed as they were, unable to move. Each of them had a different plan of how to approach the situation, but Luffy was first to make his move. He tugged gently at Nami's hold.

"Luffy?" she squeaked lightly as she released her grip from his arm. Her captain grinned at her. It was a grin of mischievous intent. She could feel herself getting hotter.

The grin he wore vanished and was replaced with an innocent look in his eyes. He chuckled.

"Let's eat this thing!" he resonated to the rest of his comrades. He placed both hands on his hips and beamed towards the sky.

"After all," he continued, "I caught it! But there's no need to thank me!"

Everyone, except for Robin, felt themselves crash straight into the deck.

The man could slowly feel himself regaining consciousness. His eyelids felt incredibly heavy but he oddly felt very comfortable, almost like he was resting on some sort of bed.

"This doesn't feel too good," he murmured groggily, slowly opening both eyes as he rubbed his aching head.

"He's finally awake!" cheered Luffy.

"That didn't take too long," sighed Nami.

"The guy smells like rotten cabbage," mumbled Sanji.

"He looks like a rotten cabbage," replied Zoro.

"You look like a rotten cabbage…no…more like rotten broccoli," chuckled Sanji.

"You wanna fight?" grunted Zoro. "I'd be happy to dice up those swirly brows."

"I'd rather not touch rotten broccoli," insisted Sanji.

"Will you guys knock it off!" reprimanded Nami.

"Who are you people?!" the man exclaimed.

"Now he notices," whispered Franky.

"He really does smell like rotten cabbage," agreed Brook. "Or was it rotten broccoli?"

"How can you smell when you don't have a nose?" teased Usopp.

"Oh, very true," replied Brook. "Who nose?"

Usopp laughed.

"That was actually pretty good, Brook," he congratulated.

"Everyone, please, he needs a little more room to breathe," pleaded Chopper, trying hard to push the males away from the cot.

"Hello there," said Robin gingerly. "I take it you are feeling much better?"

The man scanned the room he was in with all the surrounding people he had never met before in his entire life. Most of them were human, but some of them, like the talking reindeer, skeleton, and cyborg, freaked him out. He was about to faint, but he managed to collect himself by gripping the ends of the cot he was resting in.

"I…I don't want any trouble," the man begged. "If it's money you want…"

"We don't need your money," Luffy reassured with a smile. Nami placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back.

"What he means to say," she interjected, "Is that if you want to make a donation, we'll happily accept."

"Oh, I guess that's okay," Luffy agreed.

The man took both of his palms and ran them up and down his eyes. The darkness he saw with his eyes closed reminded him of the previous situation he had gotten himself into.

"That's right!" he shouted, scaring everyone. The man frantically patted down his sides, only to realize he was no longer wearing the same clothes he wore before passing out.

"Are you looking for something?" asked Chopper. He pointed to a counter-top in the corner of the room.

"All of your belongings and clothes are neatly cleaned and separated over there," he said. "I promise everything you came with is on that table."

The man bolted from the bed and rushed towards the table. The crew made him a path, wondering what was getting him all worked up. The man rummaged through his clothes' pockets until he found what he was looking for. He cried in delight and relief.

"Oh, thank you!" he wept. "Thank goodness it's still here!"

The crew looked at the small notebook he was holding into the air. The hardback booklet was still a little wet from being inside of the black beast. Despite that, the man began to kiss the book cover.

"Nasty," whispered Usopp.

The man inhaled and opened his eyes, now smiling gratefully at the people before him.

"Thank you all for taking care of me," he said graciously. "And this notebook. Especially this notebook."

"Why's that notebook so important?" Nami asked inquisitively.

The man pressed the book to his chest and grinned.

"I should probably start from the beginning," he said apologetically. "My name is Lappatet Lafayette von Strizer. Call me Lafayette if you would. It's my family's name."

"Oooo so cool," commented Chopper.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely. "As of right now, I am a journalist and a reporter for the Lafayette Gazette."

"Has a nice jingle to it," acknowledged Franky.

"Almost too coincidental," mumbled Zoro.

"It's my family's company," he said proudly, now pointing his notebook. "We love a good story, and we write some of the finest newspapers out there on the sea. This notebook has so many detailed interviews I've taken throughout the years. It's most precious to me."

"That sounds very interesting," said Robin, who gratefully accepted a cup of coffee from Sanji.

"Indeed," he continued on. "Of course, the Lafayette Gazette is a small company, but we work harder than most of our competition to get the best news stories out there. And today is my favorite day to report on. Today is the most beautiful day to do journalism and the most beautiful day in general!"

"What makes today so special?" asked Luffy curiously. He was picking his nose, much to Nami's chagrin.

"You mean you don't know?" Robin inquired softly.

The majority of males in the crew looked amongst each other. The females and Sanji were taking note of their confused comrades. Nami sighed. Sanji shook his head. Robin smiled.

"Today is Valentine's Day," the archeologist informed them, a faint sound of excitement in her voice.

"The most beautiful time of the year!" the man chimed in.

"It is quite SUUUUUPEEERR!" shouted Franky, pressing his forearms together.

"Nah, I'd go for Christmas over V-Day," Usopp disagreed. "It's more magical."

"Same," Chopper said with delight. "The snow is also the best!"

"I'm more of a Halloween kind of fellow myself," said Brook while sipping some tea.

"My day is Sleep Day," yawned Zoro. "It's a day dedicated for me."

"Really?!" Chopper beamed. "You have a day just for you?!"

"My day is Meat Day," giggled Luffy, still exploring his nostrils. "It's a day filled with meat!"

"That day is every day, idiot," murmured Sanji. The cook's eyes suddenly turned into hearts.

"But Valentine's Day is the best day, because Nami-sweet and Robin-dearest go on a romantic date with their prince charming," he cried as he flung his side swept bangs across his forehead. He smiled majestically at the unenthusiastic navigator.

"I don't think so," scoffed Nami. Her comment made Sanji's head drop.

"Besides," she continued as she crossed her arms, "Valentine's Day is so overrated. And we being pirates means that we don't care about romance. We only care about adventure, treasure, and more treasure."

"She said treasure twice," whispered Chopper to Usopp.

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," he mumbled back.

"So what is Valentine's Day?" asked Luffy innocuously. He actually stopped picking his nose and wore a serious expression on his face.

A hush swept across the ship. Even Lafayette had become intriguingly quiet.

Nami looked irritated.

"How do you not know what Valentine's Day is?" she asked with a hint of anger. "Even someone as dense as you should know this! It happens every February fourteenth for crying out loud. It's also known as Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine. It's filled with red hearts, flowers, candy, and love notes…the whole caboodle! Don't you realize more than one hundred million Valentine's Day cards are exchanged every year? Don't you know that this day exceeds Halloween in terms of candy bought? Don't you understand that marriages happen because of this day? Geez, Luffy, if you had a girlfriend or something, she would be furious at you right now!"

Nami had to take a second to simmer down. All eyes were staring at her, surprised to hear just how much she knew about Valentine's Day. Even Robin didn't know some of those facts.

Chopper shakily raised a hoof. Nami glared at him.

"What?" she snapped, her hands on her hips.

"You're pretty furious right now, Nami," he said not too loudly.

"So what of it?" she retorted back.

"Well," he gulped. "You said if Luffy had a girlfriend or something…she would be furious…and you're furious…"

The eyes of the room went from Nami, to Chopper, then back at Nami again. Luffy didn't move his eyes away from Nami, not even for a second.

Once Nami made sense of Chopper's inquiry, she blushed. Her face turned Valentine's red and her heart beat heavily against her chest. She gulped.

"W-Well…that's just not the case!" she tried to reason. "I…I'm not Luffy's girlfriend, Chopper!"

"But you are something," Zoro took note. "A girlfriend or something, right?"

Sanji lashed a kick at Zoro's head, who managed to dodge at the right time.

"So you do wanna fight?" snarled the swordsman, clutching one of his swords.

Sanji bit down on his cigarette.

"Nami-sweet is not interested in that monkey and you know that!" he hollered. He lashed another kick.

Zoro grunted.

"She isn't interested in you either, Love Cook. Don't you remember? She just rejected your sorry ass," he laughed.

Sanji stopped, mid-kick, and sank to the floor.

"Oh, yeah…" he silently wept. Brook and Franky walked over to comfort him.

Nami nervously bit her lower lip and glanced over at her monkey of a captain. To her astonishment, he was still staring directly at her with the same serious expression he wore when he asked what Valentine's Day was. The sides of her cheeks burned and felt rosy hot. She hastily looked down at the floor.

Lafayette, who had been silently observing the commotion, had kept a watchful eye on both the captain and navigator of the ship. At first, he was fearful when Nami confirmed they were pirates, but this was nothing new, especially for a reporter on the high seas in the New World. He decided they didn't seem like a real threat, and even thought of them as playful and humorous individuals. There was also a romantic aura flowing around some of them, and it would make the perfect story for his company. He cleared his throat loud enough to get everyone's attention.

"So this is the Straw Hats' pirate ship," he said carefully. "I take it you all don't intend to hurt me…am I correct?"

Luffy stopped looking at Nami to answer him.

"Yup, you got it reporter guy," he replied. "You seem pretty cool."

"Thank you," he exhaled, relieved. "Then, may I take this opportunity to interview you all on this fine afternoon? I'd be honored to interview the Straw Hat crew, especially you, Monkey D. Luffy."

Luffy grinned.

"So you know me?" he wondered excitedly.

Lafayette smirked.

"Who doesn't know the four hundred million berries man who declares himself to be the next Pirate King?" he asked.

Luffy snickered.

"That's me all right," he said, placing a hand on his beloved straw hat. Nami looked over at Luffy and smiled.

Lafayette grinned.

"Then it's settled," he declared. "For this interview to commence, we mu—"

"Now wait a second," interrupted Zoro. He walked towards the door and peeked through the window.

"Aren't you forgetting to explain about that disgusting fish-thing outside?" he asked with an extended thumb.

Lafayette paused and raised his eyebrow.

"Disgusting fish-thing?" he tried to follow Zoro's words. "What do you mean?"

"You don't remember?" asked Chopper. "There's a big black furry creature still outside on the deck of our ship. It must have eaten you or something because it coughed you right out of its stomach. It's the reason you're on our ship. Luffy caught it."

"Yeah, can't forget that mucus," Usopp grumbled.

"It's why I had to put you in those fresh clothes," Chopper continued. "It also explains the rotten cabbage smell…or…"

He looked at Zoro and Sanji.

"Was it rotten cabbage or rotten broccoli?" he asked.

"Cabbage," said Sanji.

"Broccoli," replied Zoro.

"Does it really matter?" moaned Nami, smacking her forehead.

"Anyway, that funky smell is all thanks to that black animal outside," said Chopper. "Go ahead and take a look."

Lafayette placed a hand on his cheek and caressed it.

"I can't remember what dreadful experience I encountered, but I can assure you, I have no reason to think of it. I'm just so glad I didn't end up losing my notebook. That is the only thing I need after all," he said calmly.

"So we can chuck the smelly thing overboard then?" asked Zoro.

"Yeah, let's not keep around the lovely memories," mumbled Usopp.

"I have to make sure it's okay before we toss it overboard," imposed Chopper. "I am a doctor after all."

"Fine by me," said Zoro.

"Fine by everyone," corrected Usopp.

"Yeah, just make it quick," insisted Sanji. He looked at Lafayette.

"You were saying something about an interview?" he recalled.

Lafayette nodded.

"I'd like to interview all of you. Each interview will be questions about your tastes, your distastes…it's all about you," he said thrillingly. "If something I ask offends you, please, tell me. However, each interview will be privately conducted to avoid any embarrassment one might have while answering. That means only me and that person will know the answers to each respective individual."

Eyebrows were now raised all around the room.

"That's a tad strange," commented Usopp. "So we can't find out what our other crewmates say?"

Lafayette nodded again.

"For today, yes," he replied affirmatively. "That is, until the newspaper comes out. Then you will be able to read all about it."

Robin's eyes widened in realization.

"So that means the whole world will read about our interviews?" she questioned, though not with any panic.

"Um, yeah, I'm not good with that," said Usopp. "My well-being is pretty confidential. I'm only good with my crew knowing about me, not the whole world."

"You lie all the time," Zoro remarked. "Just make up a story."

Lafayette chuckled.

"Honesty would be best," he suggested. "And to your question, only in the New World will these newspapers be distributed."

"I'm honestly okay with this," said Franky. "C'mon guys, everyone will know how super we all are!"

"You mean, how even more super we all are," corrected Usopp.

"Sounds like fun," said Robin with a smile. "After all, we can always ask each other of our responses afterward if we really want to."

"Remember it's only privately conducted to prevent a different response due to others being around," reminded Lafayette. He smiled.

"So who would like to go first?" he asked, the excitement filling his every limb.

"WAIT!" shouted Luffy above everyone.

"Do you have to yell?!" barked Nami, who got an earful of his shout.

Luffy gave her a stern look in the eyes. Nami's voice immediately stumbled, and she felt lost in his gaze. She swallowed hard.

"L-Luffy?" Nami stammered bafflingly, "W-What is it?"

Once again, the strong and serious look in his eyes changed into an exciting one.

"We gotta eat first of course! I'm starving! You know, the black furry thing is still out there! We can still eat it!" he hollered with jolliness.

Nami lifted a fist and sent Luffy hurtling into the ground while Zoro and Chopper went to dispose of the fuzzy black fish outside.

"You're certainly an exceptional cook," praised Lafayette to the blond-haired man sitting across from him. "That was the tastiest meal I've ever eaten."

Sanji grinned to himself and lit a cigarette with the lighter he kept in his breast pocket. He brushed his golden bangs away from his eye.

"It's always a pleasure to cook for someone who has a fine eye for culinary expertise," he exhaled.

Both Lafayette and Sanji were inside the aquarium room of the Sunny, which all the crewmates agreed would be the perfect location for a private conversation. Excluding the two, everyone else was waiting patiently and anxiously upstairs for their turn. Sanji offered to go first, the true reason being that he was ecstatic to give his share regarding Valentine's Day.

"So, Mr. Sanji was it?" asked Lafayette while he pulled out his precious notebook and a pen.

"Sanji will be just fine," insisted the cook. He puffed out smoke that formed the shape of a small heart.

"Sanji, the cook…you told me earlier your age was 21," mumbled Lafayette as he quickly jotted down some notes.

"That's right," Sanji confirmed mildly. The excitement he was holding in was bubbling all around his stomach.

"Very nice," returned Lafayette. He smiled at him.

"Why don't you start by giving me some information about yourself," ushered Lafayette. "That's a good start. Tell me more about you…such as your hobbies, what you like to do in your spare time, and of course since it is Valentine's Day, you mu—"

"There are so many beautiful ladies!" shouted Sanji from out of nowhere.

Lafayette was surprised so badly, he was thrown off his chair and went sailing backwards. His notebook and pen flew in the opposite direction. Sanji wasn't quite done his spiel.

"There are so many delicacies in the world," the cook carried on. "Blond beauties, such as myself of course…but there are dark-haired beauties, red-haired beauties, orange-haired beauties…like Nami-swan!" Sanji cried. His eyes changed into bright pink hearts. A faint trail of blood began to exit his nose.

"Y-You're bleeding," noticed Lafayette, who was barely able to lift himself back in his chair. "I have a tissue here somewhere…"

"I LOVE VALENTINE'S DAY!" yelled Sanji at the top of his lungs. "I NEED LADIES!"

Lafayette fell back on his rear again and watched in horror as Sanji began to sing and dance around the aquarium.

"Just what the heck is going on in there?" asked a very confused and startled Usopp. He was surrounded by the other Straw Hats who were also very lost and profound about the loud noises.

"That cook is an idiot," declared Zoro openly. "He's getting worked up about this whole Valentine's Day no doubt. It's so lame."

"It is rather exhilarating though," argued Robin softly, who felt herself move towards the swordsman for some particular reason.

"How would you know?" Zoro asked while raising a brow.

Robin giggled without answering him, much to his dismay.

"Meh, I can't understand what's so fun about it," sighed Usopp. "It's all about love right? Like lovey kissy romance. It's just so strange. And like Nami said, we aren't into that kind of stuff."

Some eyes, which included Luffy's, wandered over to the navigator who was quietly resting her head in her hand. She looked bored, but she also looked a little saddened, almost like she was waiting for something to happen.

"Nami's right. We aren't into lovey kissy romance," agreed Zoro. "That kind of stuff is for the birds."

"But don't we all wish we were a bird sometimes?" queried Robin gently. "Don't we all wish at one point, we could explore that longing feeling deep inside…that beautiful feeling of loving someone special?"

Robin was staring almost indefinitely at Zoro while she spoke those words. When the swordsman met her gaze, he felt his hair stand up and a wave of electrifying energy run through him. He quickly averted her stare.

"I don't think so," countered Usopp. "I've never liked a girl like that before, never in my life."

"Not even Kaya?" asked Luffy out of the blue. Zoro and the once-comatose Nami lifted their heads after hearing that name.

Usopp blushed.

"Y-Y-You remember Kaya, Luffy?" asked Usopp, completely astonished.

Luffy chuckled.

"Of course! I only remember her because she meant a lot to you back in your village. You also talk about her a lot," he replied, smiling as he did.

"Kaya?" asked Robin thoughtfully. "And who might this be? A former or current lover of yours?"

"Is she pretty, Usopp?" cried Chopper, who was sounding very enthusiastic. "I think you've mentioned her before!"

"Is she madly in love with you?" questioned Franky.

"Would she ever consider showing me her panties?" whispered Brook.

Usopp felt sweat mat the back of the shirt he was wearing. He desperately waved his hands in front of his face.

"K-Kaya is a very important person in my life," he stammered. "She's actually very pretty. No she's not a former or current lover of mine, no she's not madly in love with me, and no she will never show her panties to you."

"Oh, that just breaks my heart. But I have no heart. Yohohohohoho!" cried Brook.

"She's just a friend…" Usopp felt his voice trail off and his arms fell dully by his sides. "I'm sure she'll find the right person someday…and I'll be there with her to support her through it…but only as a friend…"

The sniper was now focusing his attention at the deck. Everyone had become very silent. The sounds of singing and laughing were still commencing in the downstairs aquarium, but no one could hear anything. Franky wiped a tear away from his eye and slowly brought a hand on Usopp's shoulder.

"You must return to this girl one day," he whispered compassionately. "You must tell her you love her with all your heart and soul."

Usopp was taken aback.

"F-Franky," he muttered, confused. "But why? I said I don't see her li—"

"The mind will always try to win over the heart…but the heart knows and feels everything! Your heart is what you must follow! Even when everything else fails…even when you doubt yourself and there's nowhere else to turn to…your heart will guide you to where you belong! Your heart will pick you off your feet and take you to places you never dared to imagine! It may seem impossible sometimes, but nothing will overtake what the heart wants! Your heart will never lie!" cried Franky, tears streaming down his robotic-like face.

Robin giggled. Nami felt her own heart beat faster. Chopper and Brook cheered the sniper on. Luffy touched his chest and watched his navigator. Zoro violently shook his head.

Usopp sniffled and then raised a hand to wipe away a set of tears.

"I do like Kaya," he said vehemently between his sniffles. "No…I love you, Kaya! I love you!"

"That's the spirit," whimpered Franky. "Feel the burning passion inside your soul!"

The cyborg and sniper began to embrace and cried in each other's arms. Zoro moaned loudly.

"This is so stupid," he mumbled under his breath.

"It's not stupid!" retorted Franky in tears. "Surely even you have loved someone?"

Zoro let out a rare laugh.

"Me, love a woman? Not while I'm alive at least," he snarled under his breath. "I've never been in love."

"It's never too late," countered Robin smoothly. "To fall in love."

Again, the ship fell silent. A loud bump resounded from down below where the fish tank was. Nobody moved for what seemed like eternity. Finally, Zoro swallowed roughly.

"W-What are you getting at?" the green-haired man snapped, his face turning suspiciously red.

Robin smiled.

"I just know that deep down, in your own heart you fee—"

"I GOTTA GET OUT OF HERE!"

Robin was interrupted by a loud cry that came from the aquarium. The door swung open and out came running Lafayette, who was drenched in sweat and had total panic in his eyes. Chasing after him was the blond and giddy cook who was still swirling around in circles with a pink twinkle in his eye. Lafayette was kicking it in full gear.

"S-Sanji!" cried Chopper. "What's gotten into you?!"

"Valentine's Day, baby! Tell me, can you feel the love tonight?!" the cook shouted to no one in particular.

"But it's still the afternoon…hey watch it!" shouted Usopp as Sanji continued to throw himself around the ship.

"He must be drunk," mumbled Franky. "Shoulda stuck with the cola, brother."

Luffy was laughing at the confusing ambience, while Nami barely paid any attention. She was still looking aloof and uninterested.

Lafayette wasn't going to stop for anything. Instead, with notebook in hand, he jumped off from the side of the railing and went plummeting into the sea.

"W-Wait a minute!" shouted Usopp. "Where are you going? What about the interviews? What the heck is going on?!"

All except Nami and Sanji rushed to the side of the ship where Lafayette took a dive into the water below. He was swimming as fast as he could away from the ship.

"I knew…pirates were nothing…but trouble!" he tried to shout with each stroke he took. "I'm sorry, but I'm cutting it loose! Happy…Valentine's Day!"

"Happy Valentine's Day," Nami mumbled back, who had now snapped from her trance.

Everyone minus cook and navigator watched in silence as the reporter of the Lafayette Gazette slowly disappeared in the distance. The sound of seagulls up above and the gentle waves crashing against the Sunny could be audibly heard.

"Thanks a lot you stupid cook," said Zoro in frustration. He walked over to Sanji and knocked him over the head. He finally stopped spinning and singing to rub his bruised noggin.

"I feel dizzy," moaned Sanji. "What happened?"

"What happened?!" repeated Usopp in exhaustion. "You were acting like a total maniac! You chased away Lafayette! He jumped overboard!"

"Did he really? That's a random thing to do," Sanji murmured.

"He did it because of you, dummy!" shouted Usopp.

"I guess we won't get a chance to be interviewed," whispered Robin in disappointment. "I was really looking forward to it."

"Me too," sighed Chopper. "Even if I've never been in love."

"What's love got anything to do with the interviews?" asked Zoro.

"Love is everything!" cried Franky. "Remember, the heart will—"

"Yeah, yeah, I got it," interrupted Zoro as he shook his head. He turned to the rest of the crew and sighed while shrugging his shoulders.

"Now what?" he asked.

Another thoughtful silence. Robin smiled and raised a hand. Zoro flinched for some reason.

"W-What?" he questioned nervously. Even though he was the one who asked the question, he couldn't look Robin in the eyes to hear her response.

"Why don't we all sit in a circle on deck and ask each other about our romantic sides? Instead of the private interviews, we can all just answer amongst each other," she suggested tenderly. "It would be most exciting, and a homage to our first celebrated Valentine's Day together."

"D-Does that mean Robin-dear is in love with me?" stammered Sanji, who was now repaired from his outburst.

"No, idiot," grunted Zoro. "And anyway, I don't have a romantic side, so this would be pretty pointless."

The rest of the crew gave it some thought. Luffy looked at Nami. Nami looked at Luffy. She swiftly turned and looked away at the sea. He continued to gaze at her.

"I think it would be an excellent idea," chirped the very festive Franky. "We need to continue this love conversation. And I like the thought of it as our first celebrated Valentine's Day together as a crew."

"I agree," said Usopp.

"I'd love to," replied Brook.

"Even though you all know I've never been in love," said Chopper, "I'd be happy to hear what everyone else has to say."

"Let's give it a shot," said Sanji. "Nami-sweet and Robin-dearest will finally express their love for me!"

"Whatever," murmured Zoro. "Let's get it over with."

Robin's smile widened. She turned to the navigator and her captain.

"Luffy? Nami?" she asked softly.

Luffy grinned.

"Sounds like fun!" he sang.

Nami sighed.

"Fine. Sounds wonderful," she grumbled as she brought her knees to her chest.

Robin giggled.

"Then it's settled. Let's get some chairs together in a circle and let's make this Valentine's Day worth remembering," she said cheerfully.

"So…" began Usopp uncomfortably. "Who wants to go first?"

Everyone made themselves comfortable in their tight circle. As it coincidently turned out, Luffy was next to Nami. He would occasionally watch her which she did notice from the corner of her eye, but she was afraid she would make awkward eye contact with him again had she returned his frequent glances.

"What the heck are we doing again?" asked Zoro who was now growing restless and impatient. He would rather be lifting weights and training than being squished next to Sanji and Franky. He wished he would have sat next to Robin instead. He didn't tell anyone, however.

Usopp gave Zoro a puzzled look.

"We're gonna interview each other about our love lives," he reminded him. "That's why we're sitting in a circle."

"Oh, right," he mumbled back.

"Why not start with you then," grinned Usopp as he crossed his arms. Zoro stared at him with a bit of nervousness.

"W-Why me first?" he argued intently. "Why doesn't Robin start? She made up this whole thing…it's only fair if she starts!"

Everyone turned and faced the archeologist. While she beamed, Zoro kept his face locked on his knees.

"Okay, Robin," said Usopp as he focused his eyes directly at hers. She was sitting very still with an innocent smile on her face. Her hands rested interlocked on her lap. She was as serene as the beautiful afternoon. This interview business was really bringing out the best in her.

"First question we all would like to know is…have you ever been in love?" he pressed lightly, though his words flew out of his mouth like spilled change.

There was a moment of silence as an electric current surged around the circle. Robin giggled to everyone's disbelief.

"Yes, I have," she answered ecstatically.

Usopp held his breath. Franky clutched his heart. Sanji shook with eagerness. Chopper squealed as quietly as he could. Brook took a sip of tea. Nami felt her jaw drop. Luffy opened his mouth as well. Zoro gulped.

"R-Really?" Usopp pressed on. "A-And who was this person?"

Robin smiled and looked up at the sky.

"He is definitely someone I didn't expect myself to fall in love with," she whispered. "But he's someone I've been in love with for a long time now."

"Does he have a name?" Zoro asked rather forcefully. Some of the crew turned his way.

Robin giggled and winked at him. Zoro blushed but quickly dug his fingers into his lap in order to hold everything in.

"Of course he has a name," she replied with a sly tone in her voice.

"Well, let's hear it," he snapped. The crew went from Robin and then to Zoro. This was heating up fast.

"I think it's better if I keep him a secret and tucked away in my heart," she said calmly, keeping every inch of focus on the swordsman. He was boiling over by now. He needed to know this man.

"Don't say that!" he barked. "You need to tell me! I mean, us!"

"Yes, you have to!" ushered Usopp.

"Pretty please!" yelped Chopper.

"Is it your prince, Sanji-baby?!" cried the cook.

"Robin, who is it?" asked Nami in a tiny voice.

Luffy remained quiet as did Franky and Brook. Every single person wanted to know…badly.

Robin grinned.

"Ozro Narooro," she said at last.

Everyone could now hear the gulls overhead thanks to the ample amount of quietness.

"Ozro…" began Usopp.

"…Narooro?" choked Zoro, his eyeball almost turning into a fireball. "Who the hell is that?!"

Sanji began to weep. Brook scratched his afro. Chopper was up and standing on his seat. Franky put a finger on his chin. Luffy tilted his head. Nami squinted her eyes, trying desperately to read Robin's mind.

The archeologist smiled and nodded.

"Yes, I am in love with the one named Ozro Narooro," she confirmed to everybody. "Even as I speak."

Zoro jumped from his seat, knocking it backwards. The crew all froze, confused.

"Zoro?" whispered Luffy.

"I knew this whole damn thing was a waste of time!" he hollered. He gave Robin a hard stare. She returned it with a curious grin.

"I hope you have a fun Valentine's Day with Ozro!" he said sarcastically. "After that, I hope you get married and have a bunch of kids…so I can take care of them!"

"How can she have a Valentine's Day with him if he's not here?" wondered Usopp.

"A future babysitter?" inquired Franky. "How intriguing."

"Robin-dearest will never marry anyone but me!" cried Sanji.

"What's going on with you?" Nami demanded. "What are you so worked up about?"

"Shut up and leave me alone!" he shouted back. With that, Zoro turned and stormed away to the men's quarters, slamming the door behind him.

"It must have been something I said," Robin implied playfully, as her eyes wandered to where Zoro had gone.

After a moment of silence, Usopp cleared his throat.

"Okay…" he started slowly. "So who would like to share their love story next? Brook, Sanji, Franky, Luffy, or Nami?"

Sanji cleared his throat.

"I'd like to go next," he said slickly while brushing the stray hairs away from his eye.

"Why do I get the feeling I already know the answer to this," Usopp mumbled dreadfully.

"You see," Sanji continued without giving it another thought, "I love all the ladies."

"Go figure," Usopp said sardonically.

"But for today," he gleamed cheerfully, standing up and eyeballing the two women of the crew, "I only love, NAMI-SWEET! And ROBIN-DEAREST!"

The cook began to prance around each corner of the ship while singing off-key.

"Quick, before he snaps out of his idiocy," whispered Usopp to the remaining six, "Who wants to go next?"

"Why don't you go next, Miss Nami," offered Brook to the quiet navigator. Franky nodded his head and grinned.

"Yeah, sis, tell us about your first love," shepherded the cyborg. "Or your current one."

"We're all ears," Robin encouraged softly. She rested a hand on her shoulder.

Nami took a large gulp and felt her entire body begin to tremble. She had no clue where to look. She wanted to take a chance to look at her captain, but something told her not to. She also wanted to run away as fast as her feet could take her, and never have to answer any questions about love, but something was keeping her put. The weight of the entire world was resting upon her. She hadn't noticed it was only Robin's hand holding her down. It was time to talk.

"W-Well…" she stuttered embarrassingly, "…I…I really don't know if I've ever been in love before…"

"You don't?" asked Franky with surprise. "Isn't it easy to tell if you have or haven't been?"

"I…I really don't know," Nami repeated.

Luffy had placed his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward, his fingers interlocked together and an almost somber expression resided on his face. He looked almost too serious for his own well-being, even though there were times he would show a very defining side when confronted with a dire situation. Though this didn't appear to be a dire situation, Luffy was still acting grave and attentive. It was as if Nami's words were causing him to act this way.

"Are you in love with anyone now?" the rubber boy asked suddenly out of nowhere, bringing another stagnant feeling to the circle. His eyes were plastered with a dark shadow. His face was nearly expressionless, save for his stern countenance. Nami was now looking at him, sweat covering her palms while her heart raced almost through her skin. She was lost in his gaze. She was lost for words. She was lost for what seemed like an eternity.

"Nami?" whispered Usopp lightly. "You there?"

Nami came to her senses and shook her head, forcing a smirk at her gawking captain.

"I'm not in love, Luffy," she had to say despite the disapproving voices screaming in her head. "And I'll never be in love with anyone. Ever."

She felt her hands shake violently and had to press them against her jeans to make them stop. She had to hold in the voice that desperately wanted to say yes. She had to hold in the sadness she felt from lying to the man she had feelings for. She lowered her head back at her thighs and exhaled anxiously, not giving her captain a second glance.

Luffy stayed quiet for a passing moment before standing up from his seat. His six remaining crewmates watched as he covered his eyes with his straw hat and began walking away from the group circle. Nami almost nearly reached out for his hand, but stopped herself before she could even raise a finger.

"Luffy, where are you going now?" asked Usopp worriedly. "Don't tell me you're leaving the interview too!"

Luffy slowly nodded his head without turning around.

"I just need some time to think," he replied softly in a manner neither upset nor happy. With that said, Luffy walked slowly towards the men's quarters. He pulled on the door and went inside, joining the miserable swordsman.

Nami sighed heavily while looking high into the clear blue sky, wondering to herself how she would ever talk to her captain again.

"What a day," sighed Nami as she changed into a tank top and shorty shorts. The navigator had finished taking a shower and was almost ready for bed. The interview she had participated in had ended shortly after Luffy had mysteriously walked away from the group. Brook and Franky were the last to give their stories, but they weren't anything to be thrilled about, especially when it came to Brook who merely asked to see her undergarments. The crew had kept to themselves for the rest of the day, only gathering together when it was time for dinner. No one talked during the meal and even Luffy excused himself from the table without asking for seconds. Zoro was also very quiet, and he only occasionally stared at Robin while whispering the words, "Ozro Narooro."

Nami blew at her bangs and thumped loudly on her bed, looking plainly at the ceiling above. She didn't feel tired whatsoever, but she wanted to fall asleep and forget about this crazy day. But something was still killing her inside. She regretted with all her heart for lying to Luffy about not loving anyone. She was very confused with her emotions, but it was easy for her to tell that she held some sort of feelings for her captain. Why she was in love was enigmatic in itself, but she had her reasons…or so she believed. She just didn't know how to express them to Luffy, nor did she want to for the sake of changing his opinion on her. She wasn't even sure if he felt the same way.

"Valentine's Day," she muttered as she rolled on her side. "What a stupid holiday."

"So what is Valentine's Day?"

"That idiot. That damn idiot!" Nami shouted. She lifted her pillow over her face and screamed into it, completely frustrated.

"How did he not know what it was?" she cried into her headrest. "Why couldn't he just tell me how he felt about me?"

She paused.

"Why couldn't I tell him how I felt about him?" she whispered, small tears forming at the corner of her brown eyes. She sniffled.

"Who was the real idiot?" she murmured sadly.

She sighed deeply and went to turn off the lights to end the dreadful day. However, right as she lifted a finger to press the light switch, a small knock came from the door.

Nami froze.

"W-Who's there?" she stammered nervously.

She grabbed the door and opened it.

"L-Luffy?" she asked shakily.

"This is by far the stupidest day of the year!" shouted Zoro as he trudged angrily to the shower upstairs. The swordsman had a pretty rough day to say the least. The archeologist had made him rather upset and he continued to feel waves of jealousy whenever he thought of "Ozro Narooro." He tried so hard to forget about everything, but he couldn't stop thinking about Robin and what she said. For someone who could tolerate shock waves, slashes, punches, gunshots, and lasers, he seemed awfully hurt by a mere matter of words.

"I don't care about Ozro Narooro!" he convinced himself aloud as he began to climb the ladder to the shower room. "She can like whoever she wants!"

He reached the shower room door and kicked it open.

"I hate Valentine's Day!" he roared. "I hate everything abou—"

Zoro was stopped dead in his tracks when he came face to face with a naked Nico Robin who was just about done drying herself off with a towel. His entire body was frozen in place while he felt every inch of his skin burn and change dark red. Robin lifted her head and stayed right where she was, unable to move as well, not even to cover herself with the towel in her hand.

He twitched and gulped down on what felt like sharp daggers.

"Zoro?" Robin whispered in shock.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I," he stammered with his heart thumping at a million beats per second.

Her curious expression changed into a smile.

"I'm so glad you're here actually," she said softly, paying no mind to her bare self. "I've been meaning to speak with you alone in private."

Zoro wasn't going to listen. He bolted around as fast as lightning and ran towards the door. Unfortunately for him, Robin was much quicker, and she used her Devil Fruit abilities to close the door shut and used multiple hands outside to keep him from escaping. She grinned at him.

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-I," he tried to plead again. He wanted to apologize and leave the shower room as soon as possible, especially with the archeologist still very much naked in front of him.

"I want to show you something," cooed Robin as she gazed deeply in his eye.

"Sh-Sh-Show me something?" he choked. He accidently glanced at her nude body and immediately pinched his eye closed. "W-W-What?"

Robin giggled and headed in the opposite direction to retrieve something she had placed on the bathroom stool. Zoro lifted his eyelid and saw that she was facing away from him. He charged towards the door and yanked on it, but to no avail.

"Don't be scared," she reasoned gently, now walking towards him with a piece of paper in her hand.

Zoro peeked from behind his shoulder and closed his eye again.

"Can you at least put on some clothes?!" he cried.

"Sorry, Zoro," she apologized empathetically and teasingly. "But I left my clothes in my room. All I have is this towel."

"Then put it on!" he ordered loudly, his face still hellishly red.

She giggled again.

"I will. But first you need to turn around and look at this," she commanded softly.

"I'm not looking at your naked body!" he objected.

Robin laughed.

"It's what I have in my hand that'll interest you," she promised.

Zoro very slowly rotated his head and then his body to look at what Robin was holding. He tried very hard not to stare at her chest, but it was difficult, especially because she was holding the paper close to it and because her bust was rather large. He swallowed while blushing and looked up at a corner of the room.

"W-Well," he stammered with a fearful tone. "What does it say?"

She smiled.

"Take a look," she offered gently.

Zoro carefully looked down but still caught sight of her breasts. He forced his eye at the paper and only at the paper. He felt his brows furrow and his teeth clench.

"Why do you have Ozro Narooro written on it?!" he spat angrily.

While keeping her calm, Robin pointed at the words.

"Do you notice something about the lettering in this name?" she asked with complete composure.

Zoro stared hard at the paper.

"Yeah, it has your boyfriend's name on it," he mumbled sourly. "I can read."

She grinned.

"The name Ozro Narooro has the same amount of letters and the exact kind of letters as Roronoa Zoro, just rearranged in a different order," she replied, her voice now gaining a bit more anticipation.

Zoro had to stop and think. When he pieced together what she had said he blushed much more.

"W-What do you mean?" he asked quite frantically, his heart ready to explode.

She smiled tastefully and began to walk closer to him. Zoro started to retreat backwards, but he was backed against the door which prevented him from escaping her advance. He swallowed more daggers as sweat poured down his forehead.

She was now only inches away from where he stood.

"I think you know what that means," she whispered sensually, her hands moving towards his muscular chest. He didn't even flinch when she placed them on him. Instead, he was replaying her words through his head.

"S-So th-that m-means," he stammered with heavy breaths.

"Go on," she encouraged flirtatiously.

"That Ozro Narooro," he continued, "Is really…me?"

Robin smiled and began to snake her hands from his chest and around his neck. Zoro nearly fainted when Robin's own bare chest pressed against his. His body was now shaking uncontrollably.

"R-R-Robin," he could only get out.

She licked her lips slowly, all while keeping her eyes glued on him.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she whispered as she leaned forward and planted her lips directly on his.

"Rob— mmmhmmff!" he cried, but not in time to finish saying her name. He threw both of his arms in the air and stayed paralyzed, surprised, but elated more than ever to feel the lips of the woman he loved on his. Eventually, he lowered his arms and placed them around her neck, slowly closing his eye while he did so and letting his body go numb in her embrace. Robin grinned against his lips. She was completely satisfied. How she wanted to do this, even long before Valentine's Day.

Robin and Zoro continued to hold each other while kissing extensively through the night.

"L-Luffy," Nami called out again.

To her confusion, there was no one outside.

"Did I just imagine that?" she asked aloud. She was certain someone knocked on the door. She stepped outside just to make sure, looking left and then right. Still, no one was to be seen.

"Whatever," she mumbled. She was ready to close the door until she noticed something laying right outside in front of her feet.

"What is this?" she asked in a tiny voice. She leaned over and picked up a small envelope, which was resting on top of a rose and a sunflower, as well as a small box. She gulped.

"W-What is all of this?" she asked herself. She turned over the envelope, which was completely blank. Raising an eyebrow, she carefully tore it open. Inside was a card and a large sheet of paper. She gulped again and began to read the contents of the paper.

Dear Nami,

This is your captain speaking. First things first…I need to apologize. I'm sorry for asking about what Valentine's Day was. I've actually heard about the holiday back in my village, and even Shanks told me something about it being with a person you like a lot…but I never gave it any thought. Mainly because I never loved anyone in a romantic kind of way. Or so I thought. Over a good amount of time, I began to realize I was developing feelings for this special girl who eventually became a big part of my life. I wasn't sure if this was love…but I couldn't see it any other way. I was confused and shy experiencing these new feelings, but eventually I knew that they were important and I had to pursue them. And today, I found that these feelings were true…for you. I realized that I've always wanted to tell you about these feelings…but I was always afraid of what you would say. I was afraid to lose you if you thought differently. But now I'm coming clean. Today, I want you to know that I love you. I love you in that very special way, and it's because there's no other person who makes my heart feel so good. There's no other person out there who makes me smile like you do. Without you, I'm nothing. But with you, I feel on top of the world. With you, I already feel like I've accomplished my dreams. So, I want to thank you. For putting up with me, for being there when I needed you…and for just being you. You're a special person, Nami. You'll always have the most special place in my heart, all to yourself, and no one can ever replace that feeling. I'll write it again because I want to. I love you, Nami.

-Luffy

P.S. If you're wondering about all that other stuff, the box is full of candies I bought when we were at that fancy island and the flowers are because it's Valentine's Day of course! Try the chocolates, they rock! Sanji always says roses are romantic, and I got a sunflower because you said that's your favorite. I need to tell Robin I took some of her flowers…oh and don't forget the card!

P.P.S. If you love me back, stand outside your room and close your eyes. I want to give you one more thing.

Nami covered her mouth with her hands, dropping the paper and card on the floor while she silently sobbed, her heart picking up speed and her mind running in all directions. This entire time, he had felt exactly the same way she did. This entire time, he loved her deep down and wanted to share those feelings with her. This entire time, she had loved him back, but never had the courage to tell him. She never wanted to explore the feelings she held in her heart until now, now that she was sure he loved her too. She whimpered and cried, all too happy. This was a dream come true.

"Luffy," she sniffled, trying her best to wipe away the tears. "You idiot, of course I love you too!"

She shakily reached for the card and paper and placed them and his other gifts on her nightstand. Before she walked outside, she opened the card.

Happy Valentine's Day, Nami! Many more to come :)

Nami giggled and placed the card back on the stand. She headed for outside.

"Luffy," she called in between her sniffles. "I'm here."

She looked around for him again, but he was nowhere in sight.

"I'm here," she whispered again, confused. She spun around, but still couldn't locate her captain.

"Where is he?" she wondered aloud. Suddenly, she remembered something.

If you love me back, stand outside your room and close your eyes. I want to give you one more thing.

Holding her breath, she slowly closed her eyes. Her arms were shaking by her side and her heart pounded against her chest. She waited for what seemed like years.

Then, something warm and soft pressed gently against her lips. Nami immediately exhaled against whatever was on her mouth. She wanted to open her eyes, but she wouldn't. She liked this feeling, and returned it by pressing back. Whatever was on her lips, she felt belonged there. It almost felt like another person's lips. It almost felt like someone was kissing her. Could it be…?

Nami opened her eyes and jumped back in surprise after seeing Luffy's upside down head and stretched neck. He beamed at her and snickered.

"You taste way better than chocolates, Nami," admitted the rubber boy, who she could see was stretching his neck from high above the ship's masts.

"L-Luffy," she said with shock and eagerness.

"That's me," he giggled as he whipped his head back to his torso. Nami watched as he jumped down from high above, landing perfectly in front of her. He smiled sheepishly at her.

"So," he said somewhat nervously, putting his hands in his pockets, "You…you do love me then?"

Nami smiled the furthest she ever had in her entire life. She reached for Luffy's hands and took them out of his pockets. She pulled him close. She brought a hand to his cheek and stroked it. He stared longingly into her beautiful hazel eyes while also bringing his own hand to her cheek. At the same time, they reached for each other's lips.

Before they could kiss, Nami wanted to say one last thing.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Luffy," she whispered into his lips, her eyes slowly beginning to close and her mouth giving chase.

He giggled before closing his own.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Nami," he eagerly whispered back.

And so, the two ended their Valentine's Day together holding onto one another as they shared a most special kiss, the perfect kind of kiss for the most beautiful time of the year.

The End

I sure hope it was a fun read. I want to continue writing one shots…they never have a time limit or a deadline. Thanks for reading and have a very happy Valentine's Day! (Which is in exactly 4 months!)