Part 11 - Sanji 19/21

"In my defense, I didn't know how much I needed to scare him to awaken his Haki, so I decided to go all out right from the start!" Luffy spoke quickly, which was extremely rare for him. "And anyway, since we're about to head to the Grand Line, Usopp needed to get stronger, or he might die, so I'm not at fault!"

Luffy's words failed to impress anyone once again. In plain language, his words meant that he was fully aware of his fault but, predictably, was not going to admit it. However, in the end, Nami was the most outraged, though only in comparison to the others. The guys had initially prepared themselves for the possibility of never seeing Usopp again — and they had prepared not just as a joke but seriously — so any other outcome seemed extremely positive from their perspective... Moreover, Usopp now had Haki, and the guys weren't about to let him off easily. Even Zoro. And that was a sign.

On the other hand, when Luffy released Nami, she only grumbled a little, weakly tried to appeal to the conscience of those around her, predictably failing completely, and then, calming down, returned to Luffy's side. Moreover, as mentioned before, the whole crew, except for Sanji, had long considered their lives to belong to Luffy, so from their point of view, he was free to do as he pleased. And Usopp was no exception. Such fanatical devotion could be frightening, but at the same time, each member of the crew knew that Luffy was devoted to them with perhaps even more fanaticism... just in his own, somewhat peculiar way.

After all, when Zoro asked how to get stronger, Luffy had essentially killed him. However, if someone else had tried to do that to Zoro besides Luffy himself, he would have, if necessary, flooded the world with blood and corpses in revenge. And not in the way things were now, where Luffy, though with a stretch, could be considered good — after all, his victims were mostly among various scum, mostly pirates, who were already hanging from the gallows. No, in avenging his family, Luffy would have, in pursuit of one single person, destroyed an entire country, with all its inhabitants, if it meant killing that 'one single person.' It was this Darkness, which Luffy controlled, that Nami was talking about. And it was this Darkness, which Zoro was unshakably sure would make the world tremble, when some idiot finally crossed a line and hurt someone from their family.

The issue of Usopp was, if not forgotten, at least postponed until better times. After all, he was still alive, and the rest wasn't so significant. In truth, the Straw Hats did not encourage long and especially painful reflections. One should be simpler and live more cheerfully. That was how Luffy thought, and thus, to some extent, the rest of the crew did too. As mentioned repeatedly, Luffy was excellent at imposing his opinions on others. And not just opinions: he was also adept at imposing himself!

The rest of the evening, or rather night, passed quietly. No new revelations, serious topics, or plans, just light conversation about everything and nothing. In a close-knit family, there was always plenty to talk about. Especially after a not too long, but still a separation. Sanji, as was always the case with him, talked about Zeff and the other cooks, and a little about the customers who managed to stand out in one way or another. Johnny, Yosaku, Zoro, and Nami talked more about the girl's home island and the events there. Although they had already discussed the defeat of Arlong's gang and Zoro's relationship with Nojiko, many other things had happened during their time on the island. Nothing particularly serious or memorable, but still enough fun or interesting to be worth mentioning. It was just right for keeping the conversation going and maintaining the light, relaxed, even slightly lazy atmosphere that had settled around the table.

Closer to morning, after the crew had worked together to clear the table and wash all the dirty dishes, the whole crew went to bed... or almost everyone. The 'trouble' came from where Nami least expected it. Over the past month, the girl had somehow completely forgotten about her conversation with Luffy regarding his cabin. Despite the boy's insistence, she eventually concluded that Luffy was simply being difficult and not serious that day. So, Nami occupied the only separate cabin on the Going Merry as soon as the ship left Usopp's home island. And over the past few days at sea, she had settled in it quite comfortably, considering it her own. It was therefore all the more surprising for Nami to be shamelessly thrown out of the mentioned cabin. No amount of flattery, pleading, threats, or promises made Luffy open the hatch leading to the cabin.

In protest, Nami lay down to sleep right on the hatch, having dragged a mattress from the men's cabin... or rather, having made Johnny drag it. Nami's protest ended with the expected result, that is, absolutely nothing. Luffy, of course, was deeply indifferent to any protests... just as he was indifferent to threats, flattery, and promises. The boy only emerged from the cabin closer to noon, well-rested and clearly in high spirits. His mood only improved when he saw the gloomy and clearly sleep-deprived Nami. However, Luffy's prank was not a strong enough reason for the girl to change her behavior, so as soon as Luffy sat down at the table, the disgruntled Nami settled beside him. Though, it must be acknowledged, Nami was not the only one clinging to Luffy. Besides the girl, Zoro, Johnny, and Yosaku also continued their more than strange behavior: the guys, like Nami, followed Luffy around as if they were tethered to him. This continued for three days, and then Luffy's patience likely wore thin, and he... well, he once again proved that Luffy is not so much a name as a diagnosis.

"Alright, I didn't want to say this out loud, but I can't stand it anymore: your behavior is giving me chills! What happened to you? You've been acting really strange for the past few days... and I can't believe that, of all people, I'm the one pointing this out!"

Johnny and Yosaku, who had been lazily watching Usopp's latest training, quickly started looking in different directions under Luffy's gaze. Zoro, sitting next to them, pretended to be intensely focused on cleaning his sword with a cotton swab. When Luffy looked at Nami, who had settled on another lounge chair placed under the same umbrella and was reading a magazine, she lifted the magazine higher and, following Zoro's example, pretended not to see or hear anything.

After surveying everyone present once more, Luffy's suspicion suddenly gave way to realization:

"Aha, I got it!" Luffy sighed in relief, causing Zoro, Johnny, Yosaku, and Nami to shift their full attention to their captain. "Don't worry, it's completely normal to feel embarrassed after something like that," Luffy continued, puzzling everyone. "I remember, the first time, I also felt quite embarrassed being around people I knew well after a big, drunken orgy with them!"

"WHAT?!!" Four jaws dropped at once.

"But believe me," Luffy said quickly, as if afraid he wouldn't be allowed to finish, "at your age, it's perfectly normal! You drank, you had fun, hormones kicked in, and all that. But I'm sure that, even when you were drunk, you showed the utmost respect to Nami and her sister, and generally behaved in the best possible way, both during and after. And I repeat, there's nothing to be ashamed of!" Luffy winked and gave a thumbs up with a broad smile.

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