Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

And thus, the shenanigans began. 

“Nami!! Nami, Nami, Nami!!”

Nami could hear the dopey grin spread across her brother’s face. She winced and pulled the speaker away from her ear, his voice was more annoying over the phone.

“What, Luffy?”

“Heheeah guess!!”

“Luffy. I’m on my way to class, I don’t have time for this. What do you want?”

“Come onnn I wanted you to gueeeess,” he pouted.

She took a deep breath and brought the phone down to her chest, remembering her temper problem. She counted to five, thinking about the Yell Jar currently sitting on her kitchen counter. (Her roommates had also made her a Nag jar, but she didn’t want to think about that right now.)

She sighed and brought the phone back to her ear, “Luffy.”

“Okay, fine.” He relented, “Move with me to Washington D.C.”

Nothing brings out bad habits like twin brothers.

“LUFFY YOU STUPID LITTLE WEASEL I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR THIS.”

“I’m serious, Robin and I are moving to D.C. in the Spring!! Come to D.C. with us!!”

Nami pictured the Yell Jar sitting peacefully on the kitchen counter, suddenly in a million pieces.

“YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE WASHINGTON D.C. IS, I SW—”

“It’s between Maryland and Virginia!”

She paused, “…Since when do you know where Washington D.C. is?”

He gave his goofy little chuckle, “Robin showed me.”

“Wait…” she said, stepping off the sidewalk, “are you being serious right now?”

“Yeah!” he smiled, “Come with us!!”

“…Why do you want to move to D.C.?”

He paused for dramatic effect. “…For the riddles.”

She imagined the remnants of the Yell Jar littered beneath her living room wall, with angry dollar bills lazily fluttering to the floor.

“Jesus Christ, I’M HANGING UP YOU STUPI-“

Before she could finish, Luffy whispered, “Yell Jar!!” and quickly hung up before her.

She balled her fist and screamed, “GAH I CANNOT BELIEVE IM RELATED TO HIM,” before storming off to class, ignoring the confused stares from the strangers around her.

She cooled down by the time she made it to class. Sitting in a stiff plastic seat, she took notes on the history of cartography and let her anger boil off. The deep voice of her weathered old professor settled over her, and it only took a few minutes to completely forget about her conversation with Luffy.

The professor finished his PowerPoint early, and asked the class to put away their notes. Confused, the students cautiously put down their pencils and closed their notebooks.

“Now,” he said, his voice suddenly flooding the room, “I wanted to stop class early today, because I wanted to address one of the questions I received a few days ago.”

Curious, Nami sat back and watched.

“If you are in this class,” he began, with his hands clasped behind his back, “it means you should be nearing the end of your undergraduate career. So I would expect most, if not all, of you to have a firm grasp on cartography, and the geo-sciences as a whole.”

There were various nods throughout the classroom, to which the professor responded, “Good, I’m seeing some nods. However, a few days ago, I had a group of students approach me and ask if I could talk about the potential career opportunities available to individuals with Cartography degrees, or really geo-science degrees as a whole.”

He paused to make sure he had the room’s attention. He did.

“Show of hands,” he said, “how many of you chose this major because you had a genuine passion for it.”

Almost the entire classroom raised their hand, along with Nami’s lazy wrist-flick.

“Now how many of you have an idea of what you want your career to look like?”

Only a quarter of the original hands remained up. Nami’s hand was not one of them.

The professor sighed. “I was worried that might be the case, so I wanted to take the rest of this class period to talk about job prospects.”

The room seemed genuinely excited about this, so he brought up a different PowerPoint with miscellaneous pictures and company logos.

“Now,” he began, “the first one: academia. As I’m sure is obvious, this is the career path I chose.”

He continued to speak about his job, and how much work it was, how much it paid, etc. Nami thought the tenured salary was enticing, but she didn’t like the part about being broke, overworked, and underappreciated, for the next 6-8 years while she completed a Master’s and PhD.

“Now,” he began again, “The other option is industry. Within cartography, there aren’t a lot of options within the industry without either an accompanying engineering degree, or a very solid grasp on coding and computer modeling.”

Ew, Nami thought, I’d rather die.

“You can certainly get a job without either of these,”

Good.

“But you’re looking at a salary of $30,000/year or less.”

Fuck.

He continued on with the lecture, showing slides with computer code and digital maps, which she ignored.

$30k a year? Or less?? She was already tired of being a broke college student, and she wasn’t even that broke.

Stunned, she quietly gathered her things and snuck out the back of the room. After hearing the doors close behind her, she beelined for her car and called her brother. Out of breath, she heard the line connect.

“Okay, dumb dumb,” she breathed, “I’m in.”

●

It wasn’t until later that Nami learned the real reason Luffy wanted to move, which was to follow Robin as she moved to D.C. for a law degree, after finishing her undergrad degree that semester. She thought it was romantic for Luffy to follow his girlfriend across the country, though she knew the only thing he was leaving behind were his favorite restaurants and a handful of part time jobs. If anything, he was probably excited to start fresh in a brand-new city, and considered this a fun, new adventure.

It was surprisingly easy to uproot their lives. Nami had completely given up on getting a degree, and Luffy was relentlessly stubborn about these types of decisions, so there weren’t many forces moving against them. Plus, the twins had basically raised themselves, so they didn’t exactly have any guardians to convince. So, seeing that she didn’t have any reason to finish her schoolwork, Nami spent the next week researching the area, finding apartments to tour and restaurants to try. They realistically wouldn’t need to sign a lease for a few more months, but they were all so excited to move that they wanted to start touring apartments early. They decided to road trip to the city a week later, after they found a few places they all agreed on.

Nami had spent that week mentally preparing to be stuck in a car with Luffy for seven hours, hoping that Robin would help make him a bit more tolerable than usual. Or at the very least, entertain him for a few hours. She really didn't think that was too much to ask. Unfortunately for her, it was.

She climbed into the driver's seat and sighed, waiting for the other two to join her in the car, knowing these might well be her last few moments of silence. Then, as predicted, Luffy jumped down the stairs and pounced into the passenger seat after shouting “SHOTGUN”, while Robin casually trailed behind and climbed in the back. And, as predicted, Luffy became a bother the second they hit the highway, while Robin sat quietly in the back, unhelping, alternating between reading a book and watching the landscape go by. Within ten minutes, Luffy had begun to play with the radio buttons.

“Get your hands off the radio, dork,” Nami snapped and swatted his hand away.

“But I’m boooooored,” her brother whined, turning the radio knob all the way left and jumping at the Hispanic priest suddenly yelling “iQUE DIOS QUIERE!” at him over heavy static.

“Jesus Christ, what are you, an iPad kid? Why didn’t you sit in the back with your girlfriend?”

“Because I called shotgun.”

Nami rolled her eyes, “you know, the right thing to do would have been to let her sit up here, while you sat in the back.”

He cocked his head, confused, like a dog in training, listening to commands without yet knowing what they mean. “But…” he responded, “She didn’t call shotgun.”

Nami pinched the bridge of her nose, already exhausted. She heard a tiny chuckle from the back seat, and decided not to press it any further. After a few more arguments, a heated game of License Plate, and a subsequent slapping contest between the twins, Nami came up with a plan.

She started mentally reading the mile markers as they climbed, getting her closer and closer to what she hoped would be her reprieve. 149… 150… 151…

“Hey, Luffy, I have a surprise.”

“Hmm?”

Nami gave him an evil smile, “Guess.”

“Hmm…” he hummed again, “food?!”

They knew each other too well.

“We’re gonna stop at a Steak n’ Shake here in a few minutes,” she laughed, not surprised, “My treat.”

She saw Robin’s eyes dart up in the rearview mirror and added, “Yes, Robin, I’ll pay for everyone.”

Robin flashed a mischievously content smile, like she knew exactly what Nami was planning, and had just scored a free lunch. Nami responded with a forced but knowing smile, like she didn't like being used for free food, but respected Robin's game. She continued on, trying her best to tune out her brother's ramblings, her grip on the steering wheel getting tighter and tighter. They eventually made it to exit 155 and pulled in to the local Steak n' Shake. Nami set her jaw and gave herself an encouraging nod, before following the other two into the restaurant, prepared to spend as much money as it took to get Luffy full enough to sleep for the rest of the trip.  

The car dutifully waited in the parking lot for an hour and a half. Nami was the first to climb back in, one hamburger fuller and $66.58 poorer. Her face was unreadable with its warring expressions, both pleased that her plan seemed to work, and distraught over the loss of seventy dollars. The other two fell into the back seat a few seconds later, with Robin climbing in first and setting her back against the door, already knowing how this would play out. Luffy climbed in last, pregnant with five hamburgers and three milkshakes. He held his full stomach and gave a satisfied yawn, before falling back against Robin's chest and nuzzling under her chin. Robin pet his hair lovingly, before bringing out her book to read over his shoulder. 

Nami saw a glimpse of them in the backseat and smiled, momentarily forgetting about her petty annoyance. "You know," she said, putting her key in the ignition, "I didn't really understand the two of you at first." 

Robin held an arm out while Luffy shifted into a more comfortable position, before resting her arm along his side. She smiled down at him, entertained. "And now?"

Nami glanced back at them through the rearview mirror. Robin wasn't a physically large person, yet she still somehow held a powerful intimidation. She had a quiet strength: not boisterous, but unmoving. She sat longways in the back, with Luffy cradled in her lap, and their legs extending along the length of the three back seats. Luffy laid languid against her chest, his lanky body comfortably confined in her lap. At first glance, the two of them would seem incompatible -- Luffy's unstoppable spirit, against Robin's immovable composure. Yet, as Nami watched the two of them together, she realized it was something else entirely. Luffy's enthusiasm seemed to free Robin from her own mind, reminding her of the happiness in the minutia of life. And Robin's presence seemed to ground Luffy, making him think more deeply about the world around him. They were from such different worlds, that they were endlessly learning from each other. Many people would see them as opposites, when they were, in fact, complimentary; for each one had what the other lacked.  

Nami laughed sarcastically, "Nope. Still don't get it."

Robin responded with a smile, before turning back to her book. Ignoring her brother's obnoxious snoring, Nami queued up her favorite playlist, then hit the road. 

●

They finally made it to D.C. around 9:00 that night, exhausted from the long drive. Well, at least Nami was tired from the long drive. Luffy was wide awake after a six hour “nap”, and Robin looked unfazed. And Nami wasn’t surprised – she’d known Robin for about three years now, but had never once seen her even slightly fatigued. Which was all the more impressive seeing who she was dating.

She climbed into bed the second they got to the hotel room, wanting to relax for the rest of the night. But Luffy excitedly pulled her out, shouting something about wanting to check out the local bars, and walk around the area. Nami fired off a pleading look to Robin, who responded with a friendly smile that said, I know you’re tired, but we should see as much of the city as we can before we leave. Nami gave an aggressive sigh, annoyed that Robin didn’t even need to say anything to be convincing. She was going to make one hell of a lawyer.

“Fine!” Nami yelled, throwing her hands up, “we can go out to one bar. But I’m done driving! Find one we can walk to.”

She saw Luffy’s demonic grin and snapped “Shut it” before he could say anything about the Yell Jar.

They ended up finding a small local pub a few blocks down, that was said to have a good atmosphere and take-a-load-off-after-a-long-day-of-work vibe, which seemed perfect. It sat at the dead-end of a lonely side street, sandwiched between a small Chinese restaurant and a few ATM machines. The front door was painted dark blue with golden handles, which opened into a skinny hallway that was separated from the rest of the bar with a pair of swinging saloon doors. Nami ignored her brother’s comment on whether or not she thought this bar was for cowboys, and pushed through to the bar.

A comfortable little pub opened up in front of her, with a few booths to either side and a rounded bar table directly in front. A few of the booths were occupied with miscellaneous people, but the room felt overall pretty empty. The lights were slightly dimmed, and there was good music playing under the hum of various conversations. Nami felt some tension lift from her shoulders. She let out a breath and realized that it was a comfortable kind of empty.

“Luffy and I are going to grab a booth,” Robin called from behind her, “You can grab a drink at the bar, and meet us after.”

Nami turned around and gave them a nod, thankful for Robin’s understanding. She didn’t know how Robin always seemed understand exactly what she needed, but she was glad she had become a part of their little family. Nami walked up to the bar and fell into a seat, waiving politely at the bartender.

He smiled back at her and walked over. He wore a well-fitted black blazer over a white linen button-up, with its collar poking out over his shoulder. He had blonde, disheveled hair, reminiscent of a playful golden retriever, and the vague stubble of facial hair. His legs were tall and slender, making his steps look more like strides, as he approached her and flashed a flirty grin. “What can I get for you, beautiful?”

Nami perked up, ignoring her fatigue in the hopes of getting a free drink.

She tucked some hair behind her ear and gave a nervous chuckle. “Oh, uh, hi,” she said, putting on the best Shy Girl performance she could muster, “Do you have any drink specials?”

He grinned, obviously playing into it. “Pretty lady’s drink free. What can I get for you?”

That was easier than I thought.

“Oh! Haha, thanks,” she said, gazing down at the table, feigning fluster, “Um, can I get a rum and coke?”

“Of course.”

Nami gave him another flustered giggle. 

He handed her the drink, which she graciously accepted, and, keeping up the performance, took a shy first sip -- then suddenly stilled, stunned at how amazing it tasted.

There isn’t really a right way to make a rum and coke, seeing that it’s literally just rum and coke, but whatever he did, it was the right way. Unable to hide her immediate reaction, the bartender smiled.

“How is it?”

“It’s…” she responded, shocked out of her persona, “really good.” She looked up to meet his gaze, “like, it’s really good.”

He beamed, and a goofy smile almost eclipsed his cocky grin, “Good. I’m glad you like it.”

While she excitedly took her next sip, he nodded towards Luffy and Robin, sitting next to each other and giggling over something Luffy had on his phone.

“Those your friends?”

She followed his gaze. “Yeah,” she responded, grinning at how happy they looked, “that’s my brother and his girlfriend.”

The bartender gave her a second to watch them.

“And yet,” he teased, “You’re drinking with me.” He comically leaned forward, overacting his confidence in a way that reminded Nami of a Looney Tunes character. “I guess I’m just that handsome.”

She rolled her eyes into her next sip. “Oh please,” she bit back, “I just needed two seconds by myself, I’ve been stuck in a car with them for the past seven hours.”

Before he could ask, she elaborated, “we’re moving to the city soon, so we’re here for the weekend to tour apartments.”

He put his hands in his pockets, dropping the Looney Tunes look, but keeping the cocky grin. “Well, welcome to D.C. I’d be happy to show you around town, if you want.”

 She rolled her eyes again and shut him down, “Nope, I’m good.”

And before he could respond, she cut him off again with a devilishly fake smile, “Actually, I think I’m good here. But thanks for the free drink.”

He chuckled, his confidence unbreaking, “Fine. But at least let me pour you three a round, on the house.”

She paused midway as she stood up, and gave him a skeptical look.

He ignored it and poured the drinks, his smile suddenly seeming more genuine. “Congrats on moving to the city, it’s a great place.” Then he handed her three full pints, which she cautiously grabbed and brought back to the booth.

Robin smiled when she finally sat down, “that guy’s kinda cute.”

“Oh, please,” she dismissed.

Robin shrugged.

Before they could take their first sip, Nami lied, “This round’s on me. You guys can buy the next one.”

Luffy gave her a thumbs up. “Thanks, sis!”

●

They got up the next day at noon, their heads groggy with the lingering alcohol. They shared what was left of the continental breakfast, complete with cold eggs, soggy waffles, and room temperature coffee. They ate in silence, using most of their will power to sober up. A news station played in the background, filling the room with a stale white noise. The environment seemed fitting.

But the three of them were young and resilient, and were able to overcome the fog by the time they piled in the car for the apartment tour. And by the time they actually got there, they were so excited to see their potentially new home, they had completely forgotten about their headaches and self-pity.

They met with the leasing manager, who was very pretty, with thick brown hair pulled back into a neat bun. She had thin, rectangular glasses, and wore a black polo tucked into casual-professional trousers. She spoke mostly to Nami as they walked around the 1X1 showroom, while the other two lingered behind and whispered comments to each other, only butting in when Luffy wanted to ask pointless questions, like whether or not the building was haunted. To his disappointment, it was not.

Nami nodded along as the leasing manager spoke about appliances, and rent, and the area in general. And she had to admit, it wasn’t a terrible place. The rent wasn’t nauseating, like most places in the city, and it had just enough space for the three of them. From the front door, there was a small kitchen to the left, with a dishwasher, stove, and fridge, and a little closet along the wall that would act as a pantry. To the right was a small living room, with two large windows along the walls, each adorned with those annoying falling curtains with the strings that always get tangled. She knew that her brother would find a way to break them eventually, but they would be easy enough to replace. There were two doors along the far wall, leading to the master bedroom and bathroom. Nami knew it would be tedious to share a bathroom with the two of them, but it wasn’t a deal breaker.

The best part about the apartment was the little alcove that sat in the far right corner of the living room. The leasing agent said most people used that space for an office, but it was just big enough to fit a twin bed and some dressers, and they could easily hang a curtain up for extra privacy. Nami looked around nodding as they finished their tour, giving this place her seal of approval. It was far from perfect, but it was even farther from terrible. She considered that a win.

As they were walking out, the agent turned to them and said, “Before we leave, I should tell you that we only have a few of these units available. So if you like this one, you should sign as soon as you can.” Nami considered this for a moment, knowing it was probably true, but also knowing it was a common ploy for apartments to pressure potential tenants into signing early. However, before she could formulate some politically vague response to show both her interest and suspicion, Luffy called out from behind them, “We’ll take it!!”

Nami circled back to him and pinched his ear, forcing his face down and ignoring his cries of pain. “Thanks for letting us know,” she smiled cordially as she shoved his face closer to the floor, “we’ll talk it over and get back to you as soon as we can.” The agent was unfazed. She returned the cordial smile and led them out of the unit.

Afterwards, they convened at a local diner to discuss their options.

“I honestly really liked it,” Robin said, sipping a coffee, “I’d feel confident signing today.”

“Me too!!” Luffy called out through a mouthful of bread.

Nami sighed and played with her food, “I agree, but we should be careful. We don’t move for another few months, so we should take some time to think about it and look at other places.”

“But this place was our favorite!!” Luffy said, nudging Robin’s shoulder while she calmly sipped her drink, “I don’t want someone else to take it.”

“Plus,” Robin added, “She said that if we signed this weekend, they’d take $100 off of our signing fees.”

Nami considered this.

“And,” Robin added in a deceptively cool tone, “If we move in a month sooner, they’ll take $75 off of rent. They’ll take $150 off if we move in two months sooner.” She acted nonchalant, like rescheduling the next chapter of their lives was nothing more than a simple decision.

Nami, not expecting this, looked up and studied their expressions. She realized that they were already in agreement, and that she was now outnumbered. Robin was going to make one hell of a lawyer.

She gave it a second of thought, then threw up her hands, “Fine! When would he have to move?!”

The other two smiled at each other. Luffy was the one to respond, “next weekend.”

Nami dropped her spoon. “WHAT TO YOU MEANT NEXT WEEKEND.”

The other two were unfazed. “If we want $150 off rent,” Robin explained, “we would have to move in by next weekend.”

“YOU… YOU LITTLE WEASLES PLANNED THIS, DIDN’T YOU?!”

They were starting to draw attention from other people in the diner. The three of them didn't seem to care.

“Heheee,” Luffy chuckled with his signature grin, “We saw the rental information on their website.”

“We’ve known since last weekend,” Robin added.

“AND YOU DIDN’T TELL ME?!”

The other two let that question hang in the air, and answer itself. Nami knew that if they had told her, she would have shut them down. Nami knew that, ultimately, they made the right decision. She knew all of this, but she still wanted to be mad about it.

Defeated, she looked up at Robin. “Do you have a plan for how we’re going to move everything in a week?”

Robin smiled, “I do.”

Defeated, she looked up at Luffy. “And what about your jobs.”

Luffy grinned, “I quit last week.”

Nami put her head in her hands. Of course he did. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair. Then, she took out her phone and called the leasing agent.

And thus, the shenanigans began.

Chapter Text

Luffy pulled his shirt down and shared a look with Robin. A giant smile stretched across his face, so big that his eyes squinted shut. His trademark stupid idea look. He beamed and declared, “The Lincoln Memorial!!”  

The first few months were unremarkable, the tedium of everyday life was as inescapable as their own shadows. Nami worked as a waitress at a local diner, perfecting the abilities to flirt for tips and balance an arm-full of trays, and would independently study cartography in her spare time. Luffy found a few spare jobs around the campus, working as a custodian, security guard, barista, and just about any other job he could charm his way into. He may not be the most socially savvy person in the world, but he had an unerring honesty and a sort of contagious happiness, that people seemed to be drawn to. Happy people make people happy, after all. And Robin eventually started school, spending almost every waking second reading, writing, and studying.

Luffy frequently went on city tours by himself, Robin being too busy to indulge his every whimsy, and Nami being too tired from work to join him. At first, he sulked around the apartment and complained about going alone, but he eventually found excitement in recounting the dramatic stories, and then inventing the riddles to go with them. And the girls would sit back and eat their dinner, watching Luffy bounce off the walls and tell his favorite ghost stories, spinning his own narratives about the adventures the three of them would go on. Then, even if she was still drained from work, Nami would jump in and bicker with her brother on the logistics of treasure hunting.

Ultimately, the three of them were cramped, and over worked, and borderline broke, but they made it work. They had their fair share of bad days, but they were happy. If anything, having each other to yell at when they got frustrated made the shitty days the slightest bit more tolerable. And for Nami, today was a particularly shitty day.

Robin’s car had broken down last week, so Luffy and Robin had been using Nami’s car to get to campus, leaving her to walk to work. Which wasn’t terrible, since it was only a few blocks down, but getting out of work after a long day then remembering that you have to walk home is a special kind of torture. And so, at 6:00 on a Tuesday night, sweaty and exhausted, Nami determined to drag herself home after a pitiful day at work. At least, that was the plan. But after walking for a few minutes and lamenting in self-pity, Nami felt this overwhelming hunger, suddenly needing a drink more than she’d ever needed anything in her entire life. She closed her eyes, ignored the exhaustion in her limbs, and turned around to walk the other direction. And about twenty-five minutes later, she crested the swinging saloon doors to what had become her favorite pub.  She was greeted with a smile from the blonde bartender across the bar, whom she had seen enough times to now know by name. She knew he would be here, since he worked every Tuesday night, but she assured herself that had nothing to do with her sudden desire to visit the bar. She just needed a drink. But having a cute bartender that gave her free drinks was definitely a plus. Not that she thought he was cute or anything.

The saloon doors fell closed behind her, swinging comically back and forth for far too long before finally coming to a stop. She had grown accustomed to this little bar, with its semi-dimmed lights, warm music, and massively out of place saloon doors. She listened to the ceaseless creaking of door hinges behind her and let the sense of familiarity wash over her, lifting some of the tension from her shoulders. There was just something about this bar that always made a bad day better. She couldn’t quite put her finger on it, but she was glad it was here. She crossed the floor and fell into a seat, dropping her arms onto the bar top. Sanji watched her sit down, then put on his most charming smile and leaned forward, “What can I get for you, beautiful?” The same thing he always said.

Nami wanted to respond with something along the lines of, “anything you can give me for free”, or “flirting won’t get you a better tip”. The same thing she always said. But when she searched her mind for some response to keep up the playful façade; she was met with a mental roadblock, her thoughts stuck in a gridlock after such a long day. She stammered for a second, then decided it wasn’t worth the energy. She gave up. “…I really don’t have the energy for this today, Sanji. Can we save it for next time?”

His smile didn't falter. “Save what?”

Nami’s dropped her head on the table, unable to match his energy. She kept her head down, expecting him to fire off playful and flirty comments, just like he always did, but he stayed uncharacteristically quiet. She stayed like that until enough time had passed to make her curious, so she looked up, and was surprised to see that he wasn’t even there. She turned around to scan the rest of the bar, thinking that maybe he had stepped away to help another customer. But this was a small pub, and it was a Tuesday night, so there weren’t many people there in general, let alone people who needed help. She chuckled darkly to herself, adding this to the list of disappointments today.

He could’ve at least left me with a drink.

She put her head back on the table, thirsty and sad, and fought back the tears that pricked at the edges of her eyes. She wasn’t planning to dose off at the bar top (that kind of thing was reserved for alcoholics and the elderly), but the warmness of the bar covered her like a blanket, and the music sang to her like a lullaby. Her mind started slipping away, and she was too tired to wrestle it back. The heaviness of her body started to override her willpower, the strength falling from her shoulders, and the room around her disappeared.

Suddenly, she was in a car. She was in her car. But she was in the back seat, and she was watching Luffy and Robin laugh about something, not paying attention to the road and swerving in and out of traffic, somehow narrowly missing multiple fatal crashes. She grabbed the backs of their seats and screamed at them, begging them to slow down. But they didn’t seem to hear her, and instead blasted through another red light at 90mph, on track to T-bone a semi. She jumped up to the front seat and desperately pulled the steering wheel to the right, but the car didn’t seem to care, and instead continued straight on its suicide mission. She screamed at the two of them as loud as she could, but she was now sealed in an invisible vacuum, her voice never reaching the air between them, no matter how loud she tried to be. The semi got larger and larger as they approached, and Luffy finally turned around to her and flashed his signature dorky smile, which Nami had come to both love and hate. “Oh, hey Nams,” he said, unaware of their current situation, “We didn’t see you back there.” She looked, terrified, towards Robin, but was coldly ignored. Confused, she looked back through the windshield to see the semi directly in front of them, moments away collision. She closed her eyes and tried to grab her brother, attempting to drag him to the back of the car to safety. But there was suddenly a net that separated the front and back seats. It opened up and tethered around her hands, winding up her arms and clamping down rigidly, handcuffing her. Luffy turned back to Robin, falling back into whatever conversation they were having before, once again completely forgetting about her, and the oncoming truck. She screamed and closed her eyes, preparing for impact, but then felt the car take a sharp turn, throwing her on her side. Disheveled, she sat back up and looked at Robin, who was now steering the car and contentedly listening to whatever Luffy was happily telling her, like nothing had happened, the both of them once again either ignoring her, or completely forgetting she was there. She opened her mouth to scream again, but was caught off guard by a smell. Confused, she looked around the car, trying to find the origin, but found nothing. Luffy and Robin didn’t seem to notice it either. She turned her head around, wildly sniffing the air. It smelled like… chicken?

She was suddenly thrown back into reality, her head snapping up from the table, a deep red mark spanning her forehead where it had rested on the table, and her eyes puffy and red. She was momentarily unaware of where she was, her heart still racing from being in the car. But she looked around, and remembered. She remembered she was in the bar, she remembered her crappy day, and she remembered the situation she was in. Embarrassed, she looked at Sanji, hoping he couldn’t see that she was on the verge of tears. He had a calm smile on his face, almost identical but somehow different from his usual cocky smile, but she was glad that it was not a look of pity. She actually kind of liked it. It seemed warm, and genuine.  

She looked down to find a plate of fried chicken to her right, next to two little side bowls of salad and cut fruit. She looked in awe at the food next to her, not quite sure how to react. Was it for someone else? Would it be rude to ask if she could have some? Why was it there? Was it there the whole time, and she just hadn’t noticed? She looked up at Sanji for some guidance, and felt a small pang in her heart when she saw the look on his face. It was a casual look, but it was full of warmth and caring and fondness. She momentarily forgot about the food, once again not quite sure how to react.

In response to her obvious confusion, he gestured to the food, implying it was for her. She cautiously brought the food close to her, watching him the whole time, waiting for him to stop her. He didn’t. Instead he leaned back and lit a cigarette. “So,” he said, “how was your day?”

●

Suddenly, her job didn’t exist anymore. The world didn’t exist anymore, her problems didn’t exist anymore. The only thing in existence, was the heavenly smell, of fried chicken. For the first time her life, she was utterly speechless.

“Comfort food is the best cure to a long day,” he said.

Nami, still unable to respond, continued to watch the food, afraid it might vanish just as quickly as it appeared. The largest plate was directly in front of her, with a pile of fried chicken legs, all perfectly golden with little specs of seasoning hidden within the breading. There was some sort of gravy drizzled over them, with multiple custard cups off to the side, each filled with additional dipping sauces. To the left was a small bowl of salad, with miscellaneous pieces of strawberries poking out from under the leaves, drizzled with a lightly colored vinaigrette. To the right was a similar small bowl, simply filled with an assortment of cut fruits topped with powdered sugar and some sort of syrup. Coming out of her silence, she said the first thing that came to mind.

“I didn’t know you guys sold food.”

He chuckled, casually dangling the cigarette from the side of his mouth. “We don’t.”

Confused, she watched a single line of smoke climb from the end of his cigarette -- a thin line falling upwards, snaking around as it climbed, until it eventually vaporized and settled into the atmosphere.

“Don’t try to act so cool,” she deadpanned, “What is this?”

He grabbed the cigarette like a normal person, and dropped the Jonny Bravo act. “Do you like it?” he asked, “After a long day, the best things to eat are protein, carbs, and sugars.”

Nami smiled. She’d come to this bar a million times since she moved here, and almost every single time she came in, Sanji had pestered her with flirts and shallow complements. They had created somewhat of a repertoire, him making empty advances towards her, and her sarcastically ignoring them. It had become their norm. But today seemed different, like he was an actual person, and not some oversized toy that came pre-programmed with responses. As strange and inconsequential as it may seem, that was probably the first sentence he had ever spoken to her that didn’t come with some degree of flirtation. Talking about protein, and carbs, and sugars. They had gone off script.

She didn’t know how she was supposed to react to this new, more human side of Sanji. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just unexpected. So instead of saying anything, she leaned forward and took her first bite of chicken. And for the second time in her life, she was speechless.

The breading had a perfect crunch, the meat was perfectly tender, and the flavors were complex enough to be interesting, but common enough to be familiar. It was the best thing she had ever eaten. It was the best thing anyone had ever made, in the history of mankind. It was the best thing in the history of mankind, period. Now, the fact that she was physically exhausted and hadn’t eaten a proper meal all day definitely helped, but it was, objectively, delicious.

She was suddenly stuffing her mouth faster than she could chew, mentally blocking out everything around her besides the food, her subconscious not wanting to waste even a second in between bites to lose the flavor. Everything fell away, filling her with a serene contentedness, reinstating her will to live. Then suddenly, she went to take her next bite, and the food was just… gone. She sat up and looked at the plates in front of her, now completely clean of everything besides crumbs and a few smudges of sauce. She surveyed the plates, baffled at the fact that she had just eaten an entire meal in what seemed like less than five minutes. “I’m sorry,” she said, quickly trying to hide her embarrassment, “I don’t know what happened, I didn’t mean to eat that fast.”

“It’s fine,” he chuckled back, like he had expected that exact reaction, “I take it as a compliment.”

Her embarrassment fell away, and she felt much happier than she had felt in a long time. Such is the power of good food.  “You really know your way to a girl’s heart.”

He returned the smile, though it was partially hidden behind another pull of the cigarette. “So,” he said, trying to act cool, but secretly reveling in her complement, “long day?”

She responded with an exhausted laugh.

“Want to talk about it?” he asked.

“Not really.”

He shrugged and handed her a rum and coke. Then they sat in a comfortable silence for a few moments, as Sanji busied his hands with miscellaneous glasses and Nami sipped her drink. She used the stillness to re-ground herself, realizing she couldn’t remember the last time she could hear herself breath. She felt the cold glass against her warm hands, and felt its perspiration pooling along her fingers, where they wrapped around the edges. She felt the stiffness of the seat underneath her, and the gentle breeze of the air conditioning behind her. The familiarity of the bar washed over her again, and she felt present.

Then she stole a glance at Sanji, watching him as he dried a glass with a dish rag, repeatedly wrapping the rag around the rim of the glass multiple times, regardless of the fact that it was already dry. His face was warm but mostly expressionless, and she wondered what he was thinking. Did he feel awkward in the silence, clinging to the first thing he could do to make him seem busy? Or did he appreciate the silence, letting his mind wander while his hands were kept busy?

Before she could find an answer, he caught her watching him, and a ghost of a smile grazed his lips. Seeing that, a question unexpectedly fell out of her mouth, “…Did I ever tell you I dropped out of college?

She was somewhat surprised to hear herself say that, though Sanji seemed unfazed. He shook his head, inviting her to continue.

It was weird, she usually avoided this kind of conversation. “I was really close to finishing, too,” she continued, feeling strangely comfortable. Like talking about her purpose in life was as easy as talking about the weather.

“What happened?” he asked.

She shrugged, “The jobs that it led to weren’t really what I wanted to do.”

It wasn’t the whole truth, but it was most of it.

“So, what do you want to do?” he asked.

“Who knows?”

He chuckled, like he understood the weight behind such a silly question.

“What about you?” she asked.

He made himself a drink. “Same as you, I guess.”

The response caught her off guard.

“I was actually studying to be a chef,” he continued, “I went to a culinary arts school, but I dropped out after my first semester.”

She looked at him, curious. “Why did you leave?”  

He laughed. “I flunked out,” he said, “not everyone can be as smart as you, and just leave because they want to.”

Nami looked down at her empty plates, like she could decipher the untold parts of his story through a few smudges of gravy. Then she looked back at him, refusing to let him deflect the conversation. “Why did you flunk out?”

He shrugged, admitting defeat. “I didn’t like the way they cooked. And they didn’t like the way I cooked. It just wasn’t a good fit.”

He could’ve said more, but he didn’t need to. She understood. They weren’t exactly in the same boat, but it was the same ocean.

“Learning and studying are two very different things.”

●

They took a mutual sip of their respective drinks, letting the last idea hang in the air, punctuating the conversation.

After a beat, Nami figured it was time to change the subject. “…Did you know that ice is the best way to get gum out of your hair?”

Sanji shook his head, undisturbed by the sudden shift in conversation.

“Well, a kid got gum in my hair today,” she continued. “We tried oil, soap, water, everything. Then our dish washer came over and told me to freeze it off, and it actually worked.” She shrugged, “Apparently he has two daughters.”

He gave her an interested nod, seeming happy to have learned a new fun fact. But before they could begin this new, much lighter, conversation, a group of customers walked in, and his attention was pulled instinctively to the door. It was a group of four people in their early twenties, all dressed well, but in a casual way. Like they had all spent an hour in front of the mirror figuring out the most optimal combination of jeans and a t-shirt. They huddled together for a moment, forming some sort of battle strategy, before three of them left to find a booth, deigning a single person to order and deliver their drinks from the bar top. This designated drink deliverer was a very pretty girl, wearing jeans with rips along the knees, paired with a tight, black, long-sleeve shirt, and slightly dirtied white shoes. She walked up to the bar, and her long wavy hair danced behind her, bouncing and swaying with every step. She looked young, naturally beautiful, and naïve: every straight guy’s fantasy. Nami almost pitied her.

Sanji shuffled down the bar to meet her a few seats over. "What can I get for ya?" he asked with a signature grin. 

The girl spawned her own bubbly, subtly flirtatious grin and perked up, "Do you have margaritas?"

"I can get ya anything you want."

"Perfect," she giggled, "can I get a strawberry margarita?"

"Of course," he smiled with a subtle wink, "just give me a second and I'll have it right out."

He again busied his hands with miscellaneous bottles of different colored fluids, an artist at the craft. Nami looked back down at the bar top, inwardly shaking her head at how big of a flirt he was. It didn't bother her, not really, I mean it's not like she has any claim to him or anything. Plus, it came with the job. She flirted with basically every guy that she came across at the restaurant, it's just good business. On that level, she could respect his game. 

A minute later he poured her finished margarita into a tall, chilled glass, not wasting a single drop. He happily adorned some fresh fruit around the rim and added a little toothpick umbrella for flair. "Want me to keep the tab open?" he asked. 

"Yes, please!" she said, reaching over the counter top and grabbing the drink with a smile, "I'll be back!"

"Look forward to it," he replied with a grin. 

Nami rolled her eyes before he could catch her. She didn't know how she felt, watching him flirt with a younger, nicer, prettier girl. But she had to admit. He was probably going to get a great tip. 

●

Over the next half hour, Nami sat and sipped her drink as Sanji meandered around the bar, helping the various groups who had eventually filtered in. He would always find his way back, and they would chat for a few minutes, then he would be pulled away by another customer, and the cycle would repeat. But Nami was happy. She took respite in the moments of silence she was afforded, and enjoyed getting to watch him work. She wondered how he could always make the people around him happier, and exude this natural warmth, which she wasn’t quite able to quantify. It made her wonder what she looked like while she was working.

After some time, he caught her gaze from across the bar and gave a teasing wink, to which she rolled her eyes and turned back to her almost empty glass. He smiled and walked over, refilling her drink, beginning the cycle again. “You know,” he said, “if you keep rolling your eyes, they’re gonna get stuck like that.”

She rolled her eyes (at this point, it was habitual) and said, “if they do, it’s your fault.”

At this, they both hid a little smile. “You know,” she continued, “you’re really good at this thing.” She gestured around to the few new customers who were happily sipping their drinks. “You smile at people and they, like, automatically like you.” Then she nodded to the cute girl from earlier, who was very obviously still watching him, trying not to be obvious. She quickly hid her head back behind her booth when the two of them glanced over.

He grinned, “Jealous?”

She once again rolled her eyes, and absently swirled her drink. “If she wants you, she can have you. I’d be happy to have you off my back.”

He gave a small, friendly laugh, “Looks like you’re feeling better.”

In all honesty, she was feeling much better. She was glad came to the bar tonight, though she would never admit it.

She was about to bite back some sarcastic comment, but was cut off by a sudden, jarring noise, as the front door slammed open, allowing a wave of cold air to rush in, the impact of the door rattling the nearby picture frames. The sudden noise suspended the entire bar in a jump-scare, putting everyone in a momentary state of confusion. Then Nami heard a familiar giggle.

Her heart sank, proactively filling her with regret for whatever was about to happen next. Slowly and painfully, she turned around, already knowing what she was about to find, and trying to delay the discovery as long as possible. Eventually, her gaze made its way to the front door, and found Luffy and Robin, doubled over, now laughing so hard that no noise came out. Then, when they realized how hard they were laughing, they pointed at each other, and laughed even harder at how hard the other one was laughing. Luffy eventually lost his balance and stumbled backwards, forgetting the saloon door was not an actual door, and tried to lean on it. The door fell open immediately, making Luffy stumble back even more, and eventually fall backwards. After that, the two of them were laughing so hard they were basically convulsing, and it was a wonder that they were even still conscious.  

“O- oh no!!,” Robin laughed out, “Th- th- the cow-b-boy do-oor!!”

Luffy continued laughing until he saw his sister from across the bar, and excitedly scream-whispered, “Nami!!!”

Nami covered her face and slowly turned back to the bar, ducking her head and pretending not to know them.

“Namiiiiiiii!!!!!!!”

She sank further into her seat and ignored Sanji’s glare. She closed her eyes, hoping that they would be gone by the time she opened them. But she was spooked out of her prayers by a voice whispering directly into her ear, like a devil on her shoulder. “Nami, we have such a good idea.”

Nami slowly turned her head to see a giggling Robin directly next to her, who was bent down enough for their heads to be at the same level, so their noses were almost touching. Robin’s face looked almost foreign with such a big smile on it.

Fuck, she thought, they're giggly high.

Nami finished her drink and dropped her face in her hand. She had enjoyed her moment of peace, but now it was time for her regularly scheduled bullshit. She ignored Robin and addressed everyone else at the bar. “I don’t know them.”

Luffy then battled his way to his feet and ran over to join his girlfriend. “Seriously, Nami,” he breathed, “We have a really good idea.” Then, momentarily mesmerized, he said, “Sanji!!” realizing that Sanji was, in fact there. “You should come too!!!”

Nami stood up to face them and crossed her arms, ready to diffuse whatever stupid situation they were about to get themselves into, but was cut off by an amused chuckle from behind her, “Whatever it is, I’m in.”

She turned back around, ready to scold Sanji for encouraging them. But before she could bite anything out, her breath suddenly caught in her throat. Sanji had adorned yet another type of smile, one that felt calm but also somehow excited, and ready for adventure. It was a raw smile, not filtered by flirtation or any ploys for better tips, and Nami's brain, for some reason, had chosen this moment of all moments to realize how handsome Sanji actually was. 

He had dark eyes, which now took on a warm hue as they sat above such a graceful smile. But she now noticed they had little flecks of hazel in them, sailing across the dark ocean of his irises, making him seem a little more human. How had she never noticed that before? 

“Y—” she uncharacteristically stumbled out, “You’re working. You can’t just leave work.”

He shrugged effortlessly, “My shift ended like twenty minutes ago. Give me a few minutes and I’ll meet you guys out front.”

Luffy bent down and leaned on her shoulder, whispering so that no one else could hear him. “Hehe, I like him.”

Nami punched him in the stomach before he could say anything else.

“Fine.” She said, “We can go. But we’re stopping at the apartment first to get you guys some eye drops, you look like goddamn teenagers.”

Robin and Luffy cheered and double high-fived.

“And we’re all taking showers,” she added, “I smell like work, and you guys smell like ass. Seriously, what, did you hotbox the car?”

The two of them looked at each other, trying to play it cool, making it immediately obvious that that was exactly what happened. Then, Nami remembered that they were all sharing a car. More importantly, they were all sharing her car.

“Wait,” she said, “DID YOU HOTBOX MY CAR?!?!”

They didn’t even need to respond, she could read it on their faces. Unable to restrain herself, she pounced at her brother, who was comically slow to respond, and quickly submitted to a headlock. But before she could do any more damage, Sanji poked his head out from behind the back of the bar and said, “Take it outside,” dismissively waving his hand, “You’re disrupting my guests.”

Sanji’s head disappeared again, and a different bartender walked out, ready to take over the rest of the shift. Nami and Luffy looked around at the miscellaneous people around the room, some looking agitated at the disturbance, others looking entertained, and they bowed their heads and shared a meek “Sorry”. Robin then jumped in front of them already knowing what to do, like they had done this before. She ran over to the front door, calmly holding it open as Nami walked out backwards, dragging a defeated Luffy from his shoulders, still in a headlock. They all left the bar quickly and quietly, trying to be respectful of the people around them. But once they made it outside, Nami picked up where she had left off, once again immediately filling the bar with the (now muffled) sounds of two people hitting each other outside, with giggles interspersed between, “Ow”-s and “What did I tell you about hotboxing the car?!”-s.

Sanji eventually stepped out after a few minutes, to find Luffy with the back of his shirt pulled over his face, and Nami tying his shoelaces together. He lit a new cigarette and lazily put his hands in his pockets as the smoke drifted upwards. “So,” he said, “Where are we going?”

Luffy pulled his shirt down and shared a look with Robin. A giant smile stretched across his face, so big that his eyes squinted shut. His trademark stupid idea look. He beamed and declared, “The Lincoln Memorial!!”  

Chapter Text

Then he suddenly stopped, wiggled the knife, and smiled. "Heheee," he beamed, "Got it!"

Nami and Luffy started working when they were fifteen. Nami had this grand plan for their lives, where they would work at the same place, and save up enough money to buy a car, then just carpool to work -- honestly, a genius plan for a fifteen year old. And so, at the ripe age of fifteen, they both worked at the only place in town that would hire children: the grocery store. They garnered quite a bit of patronage and pity (both of which they resented) from their older coworkers, but they made due. 

Eventually, they were able to find a used 2001 Honda Civic for a reasonable price, and a match was made. One of the back doors couldn’t open, and half of the windows didn’t work, but it was theirs. The two of them learned how to perform a lot of basic repairs, some of which were more irritating than others, but it always got them to where they needed to be. And by the time they moved out for college, they had grown a considerable love/hate relationship with the car. They named it Jerry. 

Luffy met Robin a few months after they moved out. He worked at a cafe near campus, and would serve her when she visited between classes. She sat in the same seat every time, next to the window in the far right corner, and would always set her laptop to the left of her drink, with her backpack laying in the recess of the window sill. She always ordered the same drink, with the same cadence and the same smile every time; and yet, every time she came in, Luffy always found something new to talk about.

Nami was always happy to see them two together. As much as she hated to admit it, she loved her brother, and had come to love Robin, so she was happy that they were happy. Even when Luffy decided to move in with her, leaving Nami on her own for the first time, she remained happy for them, regardless of the pit it left in her stomach. But it wasn’t a huge deal. At that point, she had made enough friends to find new roommates, and the two of them were simply growing up, and growing apart. It was inevitable, and ultimately a good thing, but still. Some days she couldn’t help but look around, and be unable to find anything that felt familiar. 

Jerry was really the only lifeline she had to her past. Luffy had relinquished his partial ownership when he moved out, choosing to gift it to her as a parting present. He had spent that month signing leases, and packing boxes, and buying kitchenware, but it was that moment that truly marked the end of their era. They still lived in the same area, and still hung out enough to get on each other’s nerves, but it was different. He left Nami and Jerry behind to begin his own journey. 

So when Nami saw her car sitting powerless in the parking lot, and smelled the acrid, residual smoke from behind the broken windows, she couldn’t help but feel a bit betrayed. It honestly wasn’t that big of a deal, since she and Luffy had hot boxed the car hundreds of times, but her anger built nonetheless. Before Luffy could reach for the passenger side door, Nami snapped, “Sit in the back, dummy. Both of you,” glaring between him and Robin. The two of them held back giggles, which she couldn’t really blame them for, but it certainly didn’t make her feel any better. Then she looked up at Sanji and nodded towards the passenger side door, “You can sit up front.” 

It was a quick drive back to the apartment, but Nami ignored them the whole time. But they didn’t seem to mind. They just sat in the back and traded giggled whispers, unfazed by her irritation. And when they finally got to the apartment, Luffy and Robin went to the bathroom to shower off, leaving Nami to ignore them through a wall.

But when she watched them disappear behind the door, she couldn’t help but let out an exhausted laugh. Her brother was certainly a handful, but at least he kept things interesting. She took a long breath and appreciated the newfound stillness around her. 

“Does this kind of thing happen a lot?”

Her eyes widened. Sanji. She had forgotten about Sanji. Well, she hadn’t forgotten, seeing that she was the one that drove him there. But she had been so encompassed with thoughts about Luffy, that she had forgotten the inherent awkwardness inviting someone over for the first time. Suddenly, the cute, flirty bartender, whom she had a very well defined relationship with within the confines of the bar, was now standing in her living room. Hell, he might as well be standing in her bedroom.

Quick to react, she said, “You’d be surprised.” It was a good response, which even received a chuckle, but the threat of an awkward silence still loomed over them. Desperate to keep that from happening, she fell back onto her go-to situation diffuser: “You smoke?”

●

One hour, a few showers, and a shared joint later, they tumbled out of the car and into the National Mall campus. They were faced with about a half-mile walk from the parking lot to the Lincoln Memorial, but they were in too good of a mood to care. They spent the walk giggling and conspiring about what riddles lay before them, passing the time so quickly that the walk felt instantaneous. Then, a second, or possibly an hour later they found themselves at the base of the monument, staring up the marble staircase, and at the goliath sitting calmly before them. 

Lincoln sat behind a cage of beautiful stone columns, easily ten stories tall. And though he was much more massive than any of them had expected, the building around him was at least twenty times larger, and with such substance that he was almost dwarfed in comparison. The four of them needed a second just to take in the sheer size of the marble building, before they could begin to comprehend Lincoln’s place within it. But make no mistake, this was his monument. He sat evenly in the middle, and the size of the building only served to frame his figure, expressing the largeness of the character that was once held within a single, small man. 

The President sat comfortably at the top of the staircase, with his legs held squarely in front of him, one slightly kicked out. His arms rested along the length of the arm rests, with one hand wrapping around the front edge, the other balled in a fist. He had a warm, resting expression on his face, with an open posture that made him feel familial, and welcoming. But as they walked closer, and began to see his eyes, they saw something else entirely. Behind his eyes he held an unerring strength, enough to make any ant of a human either run, or bow. His figure commanded immediate respect, encapsulating his successor’s doctrine of, “ speak softly and carry a big stick .”

As they finished climbing up the pale marble steps, and eventually entered his chambers, the four of them were barely eye level with his feet. The giant room was empty, save them and the President, and their jaws went slack. Their gazes simultaneously started at his feet, then arced up over his body until they landed on his eyes. They each watched him with a heavy intensity, and he watched them back, until they eventually looked all the way up to read the carved inscription hovering above him:

IN THIS TEMPLE

AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE

FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION

THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN

IS ENSHRINED FOREVER

Luffy was the first to break the silence. “Woooah," he said, How tall was this guy??”

“I don’t know,” Sanji said stupidly. “At least, like, six feet.”

"...Nice”

Sanji giggled, looking directly at the base of the statue where his feet met the ground. “I wonder if this guy has a WikiFeet page,” he said. 

Nami giggled back and playfully shoved his shoulder. 

“You guys ready for some treasure hunting?" Luffy asked. 

"Always" Sanji responded. 

Nami's initial frustration had mostly ebbed away, the smoke sesh having alleviating her usual temper. She had come to accept the absurdity of the situation and just go with it. "Do you know what we should be looking for?" she asked. 

“You’ll know it when you see it,” Robin said. 

Nami gave her a thumbs up, “Not helpful at all, but thanks.” She then looked to Sanji to make sure he was doing okay. By now, she was more than used to Luffy's shenanigans, now amplified by Robin's wit and ability to direct his energy. But this was Sanji's first time with the group, probably his first time at the memorial, and certainly his first time 'treasure hunting'. And she wanted to make sure he was doing okay. 

When she looked over, she found him with the same charming smile that he had adorned back at the bar, calm but ready for anything. She still found it to be unbearably cute, but chose to ignore it for now. The night, however exciting and strange, would pass, and everyone would go back to their day jobs and the feeling would pass. Happy that Sanji seemed to still be enjoying himself, she turned back to the monument and sighed, accepting the absurd task before her. 

"Let's split up," she said, turning back to the group, "each of us takes a corner then we can work our way inwards. We don't know what we're looking for, so we need to cover a lot of ground."

"Good idea," Robin chimed. 

"Sounds good to me," Sanji answered.

"Let's do it!!" Luffy screamed and ran forward. 

The rest of the group followed his lead, walking excitedly behind him up the steps and into the main chamber. Then they each split up, went to their respective corners, and got to work.  

●

It was a fairly straightforward plan, though each member of the party approached it differently. Luffy immediately ran to the front left corner of the large room, and started poking spots along the wall, seemingly at random. Although, who knows, maybe it wasn’t random. Maybe he was secretly following some mathematically optimized pattern, designed to maximize the amount of information given per square inch, which would help him find the clue more quickly. Maybe he had an undiscovered gift for calculus, which he willingly hid behind his handyman jobs, and goofy personality. Maybe he used his on-campus jobs as an opportunity to watch university-level lectures, to educate himself in the mathematical language of the universe. Maybe he was much smarter than people gave him credit for. Or maybe not. Maybe he was just high, and decided to poke the wall whenever a moment of inspiration struck. It was impossible to tell. The inner machinations of his mind were truly an enigma. 

Behind him, Sanji settled in the far back corner, and without any better ideas, copied Luffy's idea to poke every square inch of wall. But, in his defense, he was a bit preoccupied with the chaos around him to come up with a clever plan. An hour ago, he was comfortably serving drinks at the bar, having a lovely conversation with Nami, and helping his customers unwind. Now he was cold, high, and a little paranoid, standing in the middle of the Lincoln Memorial with a group of people he barely knew, looking for a clue to a riddle he didn’t understand. It was overwhelming, and scary, and, honestly, more fun than he'd had in a long time. So yes, he was a little distracted. 

On the other side of the room, the girls were being a bit more strategic. Nami went to the back right corner, and was running her hands along a patch of wall. She thought the clue might be small, so it would be easier to feel it, rather than see it. She stood close to the wall, with a relaxed, outstretched hand, then moved in a zigzag pattern: right, then down, then left, then down, then right, etc. Then, she would shuffle over to the next area and repeat the process, forming a map of the hidden lands that laid along the cold wall. 

Robin, in the front right corner, stood a few feet away from the wall at all times. Instead of physically interacting with the wall, in the hopes of stumbling onto a clue, she simply looked at it, and thought strategically about how one might hide something along such an unassuming surface. The walls were a clean, monotonous white, broken only by the periodic caulk lines between the large bricks, so any hidden artifact would be immediately obvious. How, then, would one go about hiding something? Perhaps one of the bricks was different from the others, in a way that was only perceptible to someone already looking for that difference. But what would that difference be? How can one look for a difference in something, without first knowing how it is different? And so, she stood there, thinking and motionless, desperately trying to outwit a wall.

●

For the first few minutes, each member was fully dedicated to their opponent. It was intensely quiet, and almost peaceful, as the nippy D.C. air made its way around the stone columns and throughout the monument. A chorus of cicadas and far-away traffic filled the atmosphere with a familiar white noise, drowned out only by the closer, indiscriminate noises of footsteps and rustling clothes. Each one of them felt regrounded, using the quiet to rectify all the chaos they had thrown themselves into over the past half hour. 

And yet, even though the serenity was appreciated, these precious quiet moments rarely last very long. Especially for this group of friends. “Naaaami!! Robin!!” Luffy screeched, shattering the stillness, “Have you found anything yet???” 

Nami jumped, and the intense concentration she had gathered fled her body. “Obviously not," she snapped, "If you’re bored, go annoy Sanji.”   

“Sanji!!!" Luffy yelled, jumping in front of him, "Found anything?”

“Not yet,” he said, “Wanna help me look?” 

Luffy nodded in response and sauntered over, poking adjacent parts of the wall.

"I haven't seen you or Robin at the bar recently," Sanji said, quiet enough so that only Luffy could hear.

Luffy's smiled, "I know."

"Why?"

"Robin said we shouldn't."

“Why not?"

Luffy gave him a knowing grin but remained quiet, like he knew something but didn’t want to say. 

Sanji paused. Was Luffy keeping something from him? Because at the end of the day it didn’t really matter whether or not him and Robin visited the bar, they could do whatever they wanted. But it was weird. It was weird because whenever they stopped coming to the bar, Nami started coming by herself a lot more. And he really enjoyed when Nami came by herself. Honestly, he liked it more than when she came with Luffy and Robin, because it meant he could spend more time with her. But why did she come by herself so often? Did she actually like hanging out with him at the bar, or did she just come to get away from her annoying roommates? Did she enjoy seeing him as much as he enjoyed seeing her? 

“You know,” Luffy said, “I think Nami really likes you.”

Sanji’s heart skipped a beat as he was snapped away from his thoughts. "What do you mean?" He laughed, trying to sound casual. 

“She’s way nicer to you than she is to anyone else. Plus she talks about you like all the time.”

“I don’t know man," he chuckled, "I think she’s just nice to me for the free drinks.”

Luffy giggled, “That definitely helps.”

”Yeah I don’t know. I don’t think she likes me *that* much,” Sanji bit out, “I mean, she’s a little out of my league, don’t you think?”

"Listen, my sister can take care of herself," he replied with a strange new air of seriousness, "If she didn't want you here, you wouldn't be here."

Sanji’s face warmed, and he bit out an awkward, “Yeah man, I guess.”

Sanji’s hands stilled for a moment as he chewed over Luffy’s words. His mind churned, looking for something else to say, but Luffy had already turned back to the wall and resumed his random probing, like nothing had happened. Unable to do anything else, Sanji cleared his throat and followed suit, continuing where he left off with the treasure hunt.

●

On the other side of the monument, the girls continued working in silence. Nami’s efforts had been, unfortunately, fruitless, and having reached the end of her search area, she was stumped. She looked at Robin who was still visually scanning the wall, deep in thought, and wondered if she might have any good ideas. After doing one last scan of her area, she made her way over to the front side of the monument. “Hey,” she said quietly as she approached, not wanting to scare Robin, “Find anything interesting?”

Robin, unperturbed by the intrusion, shook her head. 

“Yeah,” Nami said, “Me neither. Maybe we should look for something else?”

“That'd be wise,” she responded, “Hiding something along the walls seems too obvious.” 

“So, what are you thinking? Maybe along the floor?” 

She shook her head again, “No, that would run the risk of someone accidentally stepping on it. It’s somewhere hidden, or not easily visible.” 

They both glanced around the monument. They were standing to the right of the president, who was dutifully staring out into the courtyard, with the boys chatting along the opposite side. Robin scanned the side of the statue, hoping a different perspective might give her some ideas, until something caught her eye.

“Do you remember that time you lost your earring sophomore year and Luffy found it under the sink?” she asked. Nami followed her eyes to see where she was looking, and smiled. She did, in fact, remember that, and immediately understood what Robin was thinking.  

A few years ago, Nami was visiting the other two at their apartment, eating dinner and goofing around. At some point, the twins had gotten into a big fight (the reason now long forgotten), which inevitably turned into a wrestling match in the middle of the kitchen. That night, Nami had Luffy pinned to the floor, and he wanted to throw her off by shoving one of her shoulders to the side. But she shifted at the last second, and his arm instead shoved the broad side of her face, throwing her head backwards and knocking an earring out of her ear and skittering invisibly along the kitchen floor. It was one of her favorite earrings, so they immediately stopped fighting and tried to look for it. The issue was that it blended into the kitchen floor so it was impossible to find, and even though it was a totally fair shot, Luffy still felt a pretty bad about it. After a few irritating moments of looking, he got frusterated and suggested that they put double-sided tape on the bottom of their shoes. The idea was to walk around the kitchen aimlessly, and hope that one of them was lucky enough to step on the invisible earring and stick it to the bottom of their shoe. The girls laughed him off but tried it anyways. A few minutes later the earring was glued to the bottom of his shoe, and eventually back in Nami's ear. For all the dumb shit he says, Luffy really had its moments.

The girls made their way to the front of the giant statue. The president towered over them as they stared at the bottom of his out-kicked shoe, hoping that maybe the President had his own little earring hiding underneath.  

●

The boys had somehow fallen into a discussion about whether or not carbonation was a flavor. Sanji offered up countless pieces of evidence, saying that carbonation was not, in fact, a flavor, but a style of drink. But logic rarely wins against obstinate opinion, and his arguments fell flat against Luffy’s relentless protests that, you had to admit, soda just tastes fuzzy. 

Their philosophical debate was cut short from Nami calling them over from across the room. “Come look at this,” she said waving them over.

The boys wandered over, excited about potentially finding a clue, and made their way to the front of the statue. 

The four of them gazed up wondrously at the bottom of Abraham Lincoln’s giant shoe. His feet were pretty big: a solid two feet long, and maybe 7 inches wide. At first glance, the outsole looked like a flat, clean slab of marble: a continuous piece that spanned heel to toe. But upon closer inspection there was something in the center that seemed… different. None of them could consciously see the difference, but they somehow knew it was there. Hell, maybe it was a hallucination, but at least it was something. They shoved their faces together underneath the foot to get a closer look, and realized that, along the perfect marble, they could see the impossibly faint outline of a small rectangle.  

Nami ran a hand along the marble, and closed her eyes. She could feel the rectangular outline, almost as though it was carved into the stone. She closed her eyes tighter. No… it wasn’t a carving. It was a… seam? She opened her eyes. The rectangle wasn’t part of the outsole at all… it was a separate piece. It was a separate stone that was inset into the bottom of the shoe, fitting so perfectly that it was borderline imperceptible. "Guys," she said, "feel this."

The other three took turns feeling the surface, agreeing that it was definitely something. "Luffy," Nami said, "do you think you ca--"

“Got it,” He answered, knowing what she was going to ask. He took out the pocket knife Nami had given him for his 16th birthday, which he carried on him religiously, and folded himself into the small area underneath the shoe. He carefully slid the sharp edge of his blade down the seam, trying to find a point of leverage. After a few passes he looked back at Nami, “Nams can you--”

“Yeah,” she answered, already knowing his idea and quickly folding herself into the awkward little space next to him. Luffy was going to need two hands on his knife, and the stone might fall out if no one supported it. Sitting to his left, she pressed up against the stone rectangle, angling her arm out of Luffy’s way as he continued. 

He continued to drag his blade around the perimeter of the recess, using one hand to move it, and the other to control its position. Their ears rang with the whisper of the blade scraping against the marble, which flooded the room and made them wince. He dragged the knife around the perimeter once, then twice, then a third time, trying to find something to leverage he blade against.  Then he suddenly stopped, wiggled the knife, and smiled. "Heheee," he beamed, "Got it!"

Chapter Text

She reached into her back her pocket and pulled out a folded map. She studied it for a moment, silently figuring out where to go and how to get there, then folded it up again and put it back. 

Luffy grinned. "Lead the way, Nams."

Luffy’s knife stilled, and his jaw set. He had found what he was looking for. Nami’s arm moved gracefully around his, as he pivoted the knife to find a point of leverage. The two of them stared upwards, unblinking, as the knife wiggled around, trying to fit into the slim opening. The air hung still in their throats. Luffy nudged his knife to the left,  then right, then pushed in. Then he flicked his wrist up, and the block moved. Nami shifted to support the tiny block as he pulled away, then slowly brought her hand down, allowing the block to fall from its resting place. 

There was a still moment as she determined possible courses of action -- in all honesty, she didn’t think they'd make it this far. She brought her hand down, with the stone cushioned in the pads of her palm, and watched it sit frozen in her grasp; wondering what, exactly, they had just found, and what they were supposed to do with it. Then she let her attention be pulled upwards, to the underside of Lincoln's giant shoe, which now held a small, rectangular recess from where the stone had been removed. 

Inside the recess was a beautifully chiseled message, stained black but in a tiny script. She squinted, straining to make out the individual letters:

DO NOT TOUCH

“Huh.”

Luffy’s head shot upwards, “What???”

“There’s… a message.”

He strained his eyes to read it. "Do Not Touch," he read aloud. He immediately shot his hand upwards and jabbed the inscription with his pointer finger. "I wonder why it says that." 

Before Nami could stop him, a loud click hissed from behind the inscription, like something had been activated. Then she found herself flying backwards, and shrouded in darkness. 

A large, heavy mass collided with her head-on, sending her backwards against the monument and pulling the oxygen from her lungs, leaving a hollow vacuum in her chest, and a sharp pain in the back of her skull. Then the dark mass smothered her face, muffling her scream and pushing against her hands, which had instinctively been raised in self-defense. Then, in a moment of fight-or-flight, she forcibly dropped one hand to her waist, with the other still covering her face, punching upwards and outwards with a powerful twist of her upper body. 

Her fist met with a flat surface that was firm but still yielding, like she had punched into a bag of flour. Then the large mass bent over, still directly in front of her but no longer clouding her vision, and it screamed out, “Fuck!”

Her vision cleared and whatever danger she was in seemed to have subsided, though her thoughts were still clouded in adrenaline. Her first instinct was to look for Luffy, who stood to her right, with his arm still up and pressing the "Do Not Touch" inscription, looking surprised but otherwise unaffected. Confused, she turned forward to see the thing that attacked her, which was now doubled over and clutching its stomach. She took a step back, realizing that Sanji was the thing in front of her, who had, for some reason, decided to... tackle her? 

“Fucking hell, Nami,” he coughed, “Warn a guy first.”

Nami scrambled for something to say, something to think, anything. She instead stood frozen, drenched in confusion. 

“That was a good one, Nams!!” Luffy suddenly screamed, in between his bellows of laughter, “Robin, did you see that?!?!”

Robin let out a soft chuckle. “I did,” she said, “That was a good one, Nami.”

Sanji joined in with a few, pained giggles. “Where’d you learn to punch like that?” he laughed, desperately trying to still look cool while doubled over in pain.  

“Sanji...?" Nami responded, slightly winded, "Why'd you attack me?”

He gave a pained laugh, still crouched over "I didn't mean to-"

"Wait," Nami bit out, "Did you... did you think it was booby trapped?"

“...No,” he said, obviously lying. 

She looked around at them piecing everything together, and couldn't help but laugh. They weren't in any danger, Sanji had simply gotten a little paranoid and tried to protect her from a booby trap he thought Luffy had sprung when he pressed the button. And the best way to do that was to throw himself on top of her and use his body as a shield. It was surprising that, in his paranoia, his first thought was to protect Nami. A woman whom he knew very little about and yet seemed to care for. It was silly, and illogical, and it ultimately did more harm than good, seeing the bruise that was now forming on the back of her head, but it was sweet.  

“I found something," Robin said, pulling everyone from their thoughts. 

Nami looked around to find Robin near the back of the statue, looking closely at something. Happy to get back to the matter at hand, she walked around the statue to see what Robin had found. Along the bottom left corner of the base, a large brick had shifted over, poking out from the side about two inches. This must have been what the button was for. 

Luffy walked to it and bent down to inspect it. 

"Luffy don't--" Nami said. But before she could finish Luffy had already pulled out the errant brick, turning it around in his hands and inspecting it haphazardly. 

The other three held their breath, waiting for something to happen. When nothing did, they all looked into the pocket the brick left behind, like the first piece removed from a Jenga stack. There was another, similar, inscription along the newly exposed face:

Lost love is never found again

Below it sat a dark bronze cylinder, inlaid into the ground. It had multiple rings along the circumference, each with a string of random letters along the circumference.

"It's a cryptex!!" Luffy called out.

"How do you know what a crpytex is?" Nami asked.

"I watch movies too, dummy."

"What does that mean," Sanji asked, ignoring them, "lost love is never found again ?"  

"I don't know..." Nami answered. 

Luffy perked up and looked at Robin, "It sounds like that quote, from that thing."

"Poor Richard's Almanac."

"Yeah!"

Sanji looked up, "What's that?"

"It's an almanac Ben Franklin used to write," Robin said.

"What was the quote?" Nami asked. 

"Lost time is never found again," Robin answered. 

"Huh."

"What's 'The Poor Richard's Almanac'?" Sanji asked, lost. 

"It was like a book that Ben Franklin used to write every year," Luffy said, proud to know this tidbit of American history, having gleaned from one of his many city tours. "It was known for its seasonal forecasts, but it also had stuff like poems, astrology, puzzles, stuff like that."

"What does that have to do with Abraham Lincoln?" Sanji asked. 

"I don't know, maybe it's a conspiracy," Luffy said excitedly, "Some people said that he used the Almanac to send messages to his secret lover. That he would write his poems in a secret code, and he would give out information for the weather that year since his secret lover was a farmer."

"...Are you saying that Abraham Linclon was Benjamin Franklin's secret lover?"

"I don't think so," Robin laughed, "They lived during different centuries." 

"Maybe it's saying that Abraham Lincoln was gay!!" Luffy said. 

"I think there's more to it. I mean, if that's it, then what's the cryptex for?" Nami retorted. 

"Maybe the inscription is just the next clue," Sanji said, crouching down to read the inscription closer. "Maybe we have to find out where 'time' and 'love' come together."

He looked back at the group excitedly and caught Nami's eyes. His dark pupils shone with an adventurous excitement, and he had the cutest little smile on his face. 

"And where would that be?" Nami asked, trying to ignore it. 

"If there's anything related to a hidden part of American history, it'll be in the Library of Congress," Robin said.

"What do you mean?" asked Nami. 

"That's where historians keep unpublished American artifacts," Robin said, "Pieces of history that were hidden from the public, but were too important to forget. Secret letters to lovers, secret agreements, secret assassinations, all of that stuff is locked away in the basement of the Library of Congress."

"How do you know that??"

"I wrote a report on it."  

"To the Library of Congress!!" Luffy called out. 

"Hold on, hold on," Nami said, "We can't just walk in to a secret basement of the Library of Congress."

"Actually we can," Robin said calmly, "I have access to it." 

"What?? How?"

"Hehee," Luffy grinned, "Just trust her."

Robin gave a solemn nod to corroborate. 

"Sanji?" Nami asked, hoping he would be able to talk them out of this crazy idea. 

"You know I'm in."

Of course. She sighed, accepting her fate and allowing herself to get the slightest bit excited. This was actually happening. She reached into her back her pocket and pulled out a folded map. She studied it for a moment, silently figuring out where to go and how to get there, then folded it up again and put it back. 

Luffy grinned. "Lead the way, Nams."

Chapter Text

Then the sirens kicked on, and she was driven away.

The National Mall campus was paved with unexpectedly smooth sidewalks, but the gang still somehow silently agreed to walk along the empty roads instead. It was just past 10:00, and the area had become sleepy without the usual tourists and taxis, so they moved under the orange street lights with a calmness unbefitting of how the night started.

Nami successfully led the group as their unappointed navigator, despite only looking at the map once, right before they left. She stalked just ahead of the group, far enough in front of them to lead, but close enough to look over her shoulder and join in conversation when needed. Sanji and Luffy trailed just behind and followed her unquestioningly, with Robin a few steps to their right.  

Nami was only peripherally aware of the boys’ conversation, which bounced lightly between cooking and adventure stories, comfortably filling the air like background music.

"Can you cook pork chops??" Luffy asked, "or roasted chicken?? Or steak?? Oooh or roasted chicken with steak???"

Sanji walked with his hands in his pockets, his chin up, and a new cigarette casually hanging from his mouth. "Yeah I can cook all of those,” he chuckled.

“Nami, we gotta have him over more often!!” Luffy called up.

She shot a sarcastic glance over her shoulder and Sanji swaggeringly replied, “I’d love to.” 

Nami responded with an eye roll and kept walking. 

Robin laughed to herself from behind them, content simply to watch and listen from a distance, quietly enjoying the night. This continued on for the majority of their walk, with Luffy bouncing from conversation to conversation, taking Sanji along for the ride while Nami and Robin walked silently with them, periodically giving them snide comments or gentle laughs. Nami watched the empty roads ahead of her, thinking about all the stupid shit she’s gotten into over the years with her brother, and now with Robin. She thought about how much Luffy had changed from when they were kids, and yet somehow stayed the same. He still made the same stupid jokes and he still got into a decent amount of trouble, and he still saw the world with a relentless optimism that often doesn’t survive teenage years; but his edges had rounded out and he had become a little more grounded in reality. And he may not have gotten much smarter but he certainly had gotten just a little bit wiser. Nami had to admit that Robin had played a large role in his newfound maturity, allowing him the space to be his usual self while providing reasonable alternatives to some of his more juvenile ideas. 

Nami then wondered if she had matured at all, like her brother had. She wondered if her edges had rounded out at all, or if she had become more grounded, or maybe had gotten just a little bit wiser, like Luffy had. Maybe that was what having a partner was for -- having someone around to help you grow and give you some direction. And now Luffy had someone and she was alone. An aching suspicion set in as she watched the empty roads spill out in front of her, that Luffy was outgrowing her. I mean, now that he had Robin, did he even need her any more? Or had she simply become a relic, marking his past as he continued to grow without her? 

“We’re here,” she said eventually, swallowing her melancholy thoughts and turning towards Robin, “What’s the plan?”

Robin gestured to the side of the building and said, “There’s an employee entrance along the east side of the building. I have the key to get in.”

“Can’t believe we’re already here!!” Luffy said, beaming, “Good leading, Nams.”

Nami responded with a pained smile, and turned around to lead them towards the side of the building. 

The group walked closer to the building, coming up to a wide concrete staircase which led to the large, ornate dark wood doors that led to the main entrance of the building. The group took a sharp left, following the sidewalk that ran along the perimeter of the Library of Congress, heading towards the east-facing entrance. They came up on a much smaller, less ornate door, one that was hidden behind shrubbery and general blandness. It was painted off-white with the words “employees only” stenciled in black. Robin walked to the front of the group and pulled out a ring of keys, which held about twenty, seemingly identical, keys. Yet she easily flipped a large handful of them over, deliberately picking out a singular key. She put the key in the lock and turned it clockwise, then opened the door. The other three stumbled behind her to get through the door, anxious to see what they would find.

A bland hallway opened before them, with regular doors lining the walls, and really nothing else.  

“Wait, it was that easy to get in?” Nami whispered.

“Of course it’s that easy,” Robin replied with a soft laugh, “it’s a public government building.”

Robin closed the door behind them, and began leading the group through the building. They instantly became engulfed in the situation, as their steps became lighter and time seemed to drag behind them. They walked for a few minutes, undisturbed by any other trespassers or alarms, until they made a turn and ended up at a dead end with an old, weathered wooden door at the end of it. Robin brought out her ring of keys, flipped a handful of them over, and produced a key that was imperceptibly different from the first. She calmly opened the door, and stepped into a room unlike anything the others could have even imagined. 

●

The other three followed her across the threshold with wobbly knees, as Robin carefully circled back around them to close and lock the door. A magnificent room opened before them, as the sterile concrete floors of the hallway were replaced with beautiful darkwood panels that spanned what seemed like a mile into the distance. A vaulted ceiling now flew above them, decorated with renaissance style artwork and arcing up into the upper-half of a sphere, beaming beauty into the room like a ray of sunlight breaking through a sheet of clouds. And in front of them stood rows and rows of densely packed bookshelves that vaulted to the heavens, like the decorated bones of a giant. How something so magnificent could be housed underground within such an unassuming building seemed almost sacrilegious. 

“Wow,” Nami said.

“I… yeah.” Sanji said, similarly incredulous. 

 A quiet second passed before Luffy, once again, shattered the silence, “This is awesome!!”

His exclamation echoed around them, jumping  off of every bookshelf and reflecting back to them. Nami spun around desperately to clamp her hand over his mouth, “Shhhh!”

“Shooowry,” he whispered into her palm.

Robin chuckled, “It’s okay, no one should hear us in here.”

Nami slowly brought her hand down from her brother’s face, but was still ready to grab him again should the situation call for it.  

“What… is this place?” Sanji asked, timidly stepping forward.

“The Hidden Hall,” Robin answered through a calm smile, as though it was nothing more than a simple library.

“This is where Congress keeps all of the redacted parts of history,” she continued, “Like personal journals from founding fathers, and lab reports from the analysis on the world trade center…”

“How did you find this place??” Sanji whispered, reflexively. 

“Like I said, I’m doing a report on it,” Robin said, as though that were a perfectly good explanation.

“Huh,” Sanji answered, before taking another cautious step forward. 

Luffy walked up and clapped his shoulder, “Come on, let’s check it out.”

The two of them stalked forward as Nami tip-toed behind them, with Robin bringing up the rear. 

“I’m going to look over here,” Robin said, nodding to a corner that held a long shelf of what seemed like knick-knacks. A plaque was hung on the wall above the shelves that said, 16th Century -- Forbidden Medicine.

“We should split up and look for more clues,” she said.

Nami shook her head, trying not to look at the weird jars sitting on the 'Forbidden Medicine' shelf.  “Nuh uh, I’m not walking around here alone. Sanji, you’re coming with me.”

He responded with a sarcastic grin and said, “I’d be honored.”

She rolled her eyes but accepted his outstretched arm to hold on. Warmth crept through her fingers where they laid on his sturdy forearm, and she secretly relished the excuse to touch him. At this point, she had no option but to accept whatever feelings seemed to be plaguing her tonight. “And Luffy,” she said trying to drown out her blushed grin, “you go with Robin. Try not to touch anything.” Then she gave Robin a nod and said, “We’ll meet up once we find something.”

Robin nodded back and turned to Luffy, “Come on,” she said, “there’s a whole section of cool pocket knives I’ll show you. One was even used to kill John Wilkes Booth.”

Luffy’s attention was piqued, and he followed Robin into the collection of personal items that sat along the back side wall, leaving Nami and Sanji to stalk forward into the beautiful belly of the beast.

Nami held on to Sanji as they walked through the different sections. The library seemed to be made up of a singular hallway that led back, with long columns of bookshelves on either side and miscellaneous shelves lining the far walls, holding little books and trinkets. The rows seemed to be arranged chronologically, and as the walked they passed placards that read:

15th Century  -- Confidential Reports -- Domestic

15th Century -- Confidential Reports -- International

15th Century -- Presidential Trading Legers

15th Century -- Personal Correspondence

16th Century -- Confidential Reports -- Domestic

“So, how are you liking the city so far?” Sanji whispered to her, like they weren’t in the middle of committing a felony.

“...What??” Nami whispered back, unprepared for his question. 

“I said how are you liking the city so far?”

“Oh, uh,” she stammered, trying to keep her attention focused on the plaques as they continued walking, “I really like it.”

“Cool,” he whispered back, “I-- I know you’ve been here a few months, but I can still show you around town, if you want.”

“Uh yeah, sure,” she said, unsure of how to react and slowing down as they reached the 16th Century section. They came up on the placard that read, 16th Century -- Personal Correspondence . “Bingo,” she whispered, before leading the two of them further into the bookshelves. The two of them were suddenly surrounded by a mosaic of book spines, each one a different size and color but all of them sharing the same aged look. 

“What are you looking for?” Sanji whispered. 

Her head bobbed up and down, reading each label then immediately dismissing it, before moving on to the next. 

“Anything from an R. Saunders or B. Franklin, or something like that,” she said without looking up, “or anything written in Philadelphia in the early or mid 1700’s, probably around like the 1730’s.”

“How do you know all of this?” he asked.

“Luffy,” she responded flatly. 

“You guys really like history, huh?” he added, settling next to her to help scan labels.

“Not really,” she said, “it’s mostly Robin. But now Luffy’s all excited about it too, and I kind of just got caught up in it. You look over there while I finish this section,” she added, “Let me know if you find anything.” 

He met her gaze with a dutiful smile and thumbs up, his wide smile fitting comfortably on his face, and his head just barely tilted to the side, making a soft wisp of hair hang over his left eye. For a moment, everything else fell away as she took him in, and her heart clenched. She quickly turned back to the bookshelf to continue scanning through the different books, hoping he hadn’t seen the blush that once again undoubtedly painted her cheeks. 

She thought about the food he had given her earlier. She thought about how amazing it tasted, and how sweet it was of him to get her food in the first place. And she thought about how calm he was when she walked in, unfazed by how disheveled she probably looked, and how he didn’t tell her to cheer up, or to look on the bright side, or to talk about it. Because she didn’t want to cheer up, and she didn’t want to look on the bright side, and she didn’t want to talk about it. She had walked into the bar that night because she was exhausted and on the verge of tears, and she just wanted to be somewhere comfortable. When had that place become Sanji’s bar? 

She thought about how she had punched him earlier, and made fun of him for being scared of non-existing booby traps, even though she was just as paranoid as he was. She thought about how unquestioningly he had come along tonight, and how happily he agreed whenever she asked him to do something. She thought about every compliment she had blatantly ignored from him, and what was worse, she couldn’t for the life of her remember a single nice thing she had ever told him. She couldn’t imagine a world where someone as warm and patient as him would ever settle for such a shallow, short fuse like her. 

Not like he should. And not like she wanted him to. Because honestly, she already had enough shit to deal with without having to worry about something as silly as boy problems. Because she had, for some reason, willingly forgone a college degree, and instead moved to a new city with no job prospects, no connections, and no fucking clue what she was doing, and was currently living in the corner of a single bed apartment, following her brother and his girlfriend around like a wounded animal and swallowing her pride for good tips. She didn’t have enough left in her to make some boy feel important, so why should she--

“Nami.”

“WHAT.”

She forcefully spun around to find smiling Sanji holding out a small, dusty book, offering it to her like a proud hunting dog would offer newly caught poultry. “Look what I found.”

“...What is it?”

“I don’t know, but it’s by R. Saunders, like you said.”

He handed it over to Nami, unfazed by whatever anger she had accidentally distilled in herself. She grabbed it and carefully turned it over in her hands. It was a beautiful green leather book, hand bound with a thick leather thread looping through the pages and across the spine, it’s title embossed in gold:

On Life and Country

By R. Saunders

She lightly leafed through the yellowed pages, careful not to damage any of them, and caught glimpses of each page with exquisite hand-written cursive in black ink, weaving letters into sentences, forming a dense script. Her eyebrows arced up as she investigated the book, before looking back up with an excited smile. Seeing her reaction, Sanji beamed a smile so bright it could lead a lost boat to shore. It made her heart skip a beat again, but she didn’t care. He found it. Sanji had found the next clue.

●

Robin lightly dragged the tips of her fingers across the old relics lying along the dusty dark wood shelves that sat against the wall. Luffy was a few steps ahead of her, bobbing his head up and down to look closely at each unknown relic, sniffing them out like a police dog. 

“Oooooh look at this one, Robin!!” He would say every few steps, spinning around with each new strangely shaped antique that caught his interest, “What does this one do?”

And each time she would respond with a calm smile of endearment, and list off another obscure historical fact that she had read somewhere in a book, to her boyfriend’s unending amazement.

“You’re so smart, Robin.”

And thus they continued for the first few minutes of their investigations. 

“Why did you tell me to stop going to Sanji’s bar?” He asked offhandedly, his head bent down to investigate yet another gold-plated pocket watch.

“Why do you ask?” 

“He brought it up earlier today and he got super weird about it.”

Robin hummed in thought.

“Do you think he likes Nami?” Luffy added.

“Yes, I do.”

Luffy responded with a heavy and thoughtful hum, and continued walking in an uncharacteristic silence.  Robin trailed quietly behind, giving him the space to form his thoughts. 

“Then why did you ask me not to go to the bar?” He asked again. 

She was quiet for a beat while she investigated a lightly tarnished compass, giving him a moment to append his question.

“Did you think I would get in the way?” He asked.

“I don’t--”

“Like he wouldn’t talk to her if I was there? Because he flirted with her even when I was there. But I mean it’s not like I’d do anything, Nami’s way better at taking care of herself than I am. Do you think I intimidated him? That’d be kinda cool. Or maybe you thought that I’d make him jealous? Because she was so mean to him and only a little mean to me. Or that we were hanging out with her and he wasn’t? Or did you think she’d be nicer to him if we weren’t there? Do you think he’d talk to her more if I wasn’t there? Did you think I’d be jealous if she spent less time with me?”

That last question seemed to catch him off guard. He abruptly stopped talking and found himself slightly out of breath.  

“I think she only started talking about him after we stopped going with her,” she answered calmly. 

“What do you mean?”

Robin smiled, “I think her and Sanji would be good together.”

They stopped moving as that thought settled in the air between them. But the moment passed, and he turned his attention back to the trinkets. With his head resuming it bobbing, he asked, “Have you found anything yet?”

“No, but I think we’re getting close,” she answered as she ran a finger along the length of a rusty pistol, labeled G. Washington . 

They continued walking slightly slower, reading the labels and names more closely. Luffy saw something on the table and suddenly froze, making Robin almost run into him. 

“What is it?” she asked. 

She looked over his shoulder to see another fountain pen, similar to the others she previously saw lying along the table, but this one had the name B. Franklin, inscribed in black cursive along a small gold placard inlaid into the glass. “Is this it?” Luffy asked. 

“I don’t know,” she said, “Is there anything else that belonged to him around here?”

Luffy rubbed his chin in thought as he quickly bounced up and down the shelves, scanning for anything else with Ben Franklin’s name. He pointed to miscellaneous objects that were hidden among the other artifacts in the area, including a few pairs of bifocal prototype -s, some long metal tubes labeled lightning rod-s that were deeply charred , whatever the hell a glass armonica was, and miscellaneous personal items like a pocket watch, a ring, a bible, and multiple fountain pens. 

Robin hummed in thought again and began looking more closely at the used lightning rods closest to her. Luffy followed suit and began thoroughly investigating the glass armonica, which had immediately piqued his interest. They each quietly investigated the miscellaneous items, searching and hoping for some indication of a clue, until Luffy popped up and turned to Robin, holding an old pocket watch. 

“A watch?” she asked. 

“Yeah,” he said, “And there’s something on the inside.” He held it up and read out the tiny inscription, “ All my love, H.M. ”

“Interesting.”

“I don’t know,” Luffy said, “Maybe that was a gift from a lover. Like what Sanji said, ‘where time and love come together’.”

“Yeah maybe,” she responded, “let’s take this and check in with the other two to see if they’ve found anything.” 

Luffy nodded back, ecstatic to have found the next step on their adventure. Leaving the watch in Robin’s care, he turned around and ran deeper into the elaborate underground library, ready to share it with his sister.

Nami was sitting on the floor leaning into a dusty book with such an intensity that she could have fallen in. Her back rested against a wall of other forgotten books, and her legs were folded to her chest and she carefully leafed through the brittle, yellowed pages. Sanji stood a few feet to her left, continuously scanning the area for anything they may have missed. 

"Nams!!" Luffy screamed, suddenly right next to her.

She startled so violently she almost dropped the book, "Fuck Luffy, what?!?!"

He donned a signature dopey grin, “Hehee guess.”

“Luffy I swear to God.”

“We found a clue!!”

“What’d you find?” Sanji and Nami asked at the same time. 

Robin trailed quietly behind him with a resting smile, until she stopped next to him and held out her hand. Luffy smiled so large that his eyes crinkled. 

Nami gingerly walked over and peered into Robin's palm, “A pocket watch?” she asked. 

Robin responded with a nod and a soft smile. 

“Check it out, I think we found something too,” Nami said. She held out the book and said, “this looks like a memoir by Ben Franklin, but written under his pen name R. Saunders.”

“What does it say?” Robin asked, leaning over to look at it.

“It’s interesting,” Nami responded, “It was written under Ben Franklin’s pen name, but it talks about what he’s learned from his life and his time in government.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, right here for example,” Nami said, pointing to a spot on the page, “he writes, ‘ I have learned, in my years, that there are shortcomings to any Ultimacy. Ultimate Power, Ultimate Love, Ultimate Knowledge, things of the sort. During my youth, I deified the Ultimacy of Love, I believed it to be all-knowing and all-powerful. Nothing could separate lovers while the strength of their love remained unencumbered. Then I learned, in the painful way that most unfortunate and optimistic youths must learn, that this mindset was incorrect. Once I learned this unfortunate lesson, shattered and heartbroken, I then found strength in power. I then believed power to be an absolute, and if only I could gather enough power within my own world, I would be free from ever reliving the pain of loss that only an absolute love could inflict. I, again, was incorrect. 

“As one matures, one is humbled by the lack of true Ultimates in this world. Nothing is absolute, and a balance of acting forces is always necessary to maintain peace, and sanity. So too, in government. I have cultivated this knowledge into forming this country, and have made it law such that no single Ultimate should hold all power, as captured in the Articles of Confederation. Written in such a way to abolish these notions of an Ultimate ruling power, these states will stand united, together, under a single ruling force, made not from one single absolute or ultimate party, but by the party of individuals. This was no easy task, and indeed this document underwent a multitude of revisions by my pen alone, but I believe it a worthy endeavor. I hope that one day, my Love, you will see these states united, and feel the love that I have put into them. The love that you so graciously showed to me and was all too soon torn from our hands. The love, and the lessons that I have cultivated from it, used to create a right and just country. I hope you hear it in the songbird’s sonatas and feel it in the wind’s gentle touch. I hope that, although we must remain separated, you feel the effects of our love every day, in this joyous new babe of a country. Just as I do.”

Luffy wiped a tear from his eye, “Nami, that was beautiful.”

“I didn’t write it dumb-dumb, Ben Franklin did.”

“Still,” he said with a final sniffle.

“It’s interesting that he mentions the Articles of Confederation,” Robin said.

“What do you mean?” Nami asked.

“Well he obviously has some emotional ties to them specifically, maybe they’re related to whatever ‘lost love’ we’re looking for.”

“Hm,” she thought, “Let me see that pocket watch again.”

Robin handed it over and Nami passed a finger lightly over the inscription, “maybe this H.M. person is who he’s talking about here,” she said, “His lost love.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“I wonder if this place has any revisions of the Articles of Confederation he was talking about,” Sanji chipped in. 

“Yeah that’s a good point,” Nami responded.

“There’s a section over there that houses the Documents of Independence.” Robin said, “If they're here, they'd be in that section.”

“Perfect!” Luffy yelled, “Let’s go look!”

“Jesus Christ, would you keep your voice down!!” Nami whispered, instinctively smacking the back of his head. 

Luffy giggled but obliged, as the group followed the bread crumbs to the next clue. 

They made their way across the giant library floor, following Nami as she scanned every book spine and placard to find what they were looking for. She held both the book and the watch in her hands, hoping to channel their energy into some sort of answer. 

They eventually made their way to a large, ornately decorated chest of drawers that sat along a blank section of wall. A placard hung above it that read, “Documents of Independence - Working Drafts”. Each drawer had a small label on the top corner, and Nami read through them out loud. “Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence…”

“Not interested,” Luffy said. 

“Constitution… oh here. ‘Articles of Confederation’.” Nami turned around to hand thier gathered artifacts to Robin, before opening up the drawer. 

The chest let out a grizzly creak as she opened the drawer, which had clearly not been opened for decades, if not centuries. Dust billowed in the air, and the smell of mothballs and aged wood surrounded them. Nami stifled a cough and swatted at the air in front of her, letting the dust settle before looking in. 

In the drawer, she found neatly organized stacks of folders and loose papers, all written by hand with a dense black ink in perfect cursive. She wondered if the founding fathers ever practiced their large, curved letters on scrap material before putting pen to paper, or if they all just innately wrote in perfect cursive back then. 

“Looks like we’re gonna have to look through these,” she said, turning back to the group. She found a relatively empty table a few feet away, and brought over stacks of papers. “We’ll each go through a stack, and let the others know if we find anything from Ben Franklin or R. Saunders.”

The other three made their way over to the table, looking excitedly at the table covered in old papers. 

“Be careful, Luffy,” Nami warned, “these are all really old, you can’t just throw them around.”

“I know, I know,” he said. 

“That goes for you too, Sanji,” she added. 

He flashed her another grin and playfully said, “Yes ma’am.”

Then she rolled her eyes out of habit, and got to work.

A few silent minutes passed as they all carefully looked through their stacks of papers, flipping through the history of their nation without a second glance. 

“Hehee Robin, look at this one!” Luffy said, holding up a wilted old piece of paper. “Whoever wrote this had something else on their mind.”

Robin looked up with a warm grin, as Luffy pointed to a sketch of a wedding ring in the top right margin of the paper. It was a simple ring, with a single, skinny diamond sitting at the top, and the lines around seemed to be traced over themselves, like the author couldn’t help but continuously outline his drawing. It was a rough sketch, but it was clear that there was a lot of love behind it.  

“This is what your ring is gonna look like,” he said, beaming. 

“What ring?” Nami laughed off-handedly while flipping through her own papers. 

“Her engagement ring, duh.”

“What, you’re gonna propose ?” Nami asked sarcastically. 

“He already did,” Robin answered. 

“Wait WHAT,” Nami said, putting her papers down and turning toward them, “What do you mean ‘he already did’??”

“I proposed to her two weeks ago.” Luffy said. 

“You?? Proposed to Robin?”

“Yeah!” he answered excitedly.

Nami pinched her nose, trying to comprehend what was happening. “Y- you can’t just propose ,” she said. 

“Uh, yeah, I can.”

“No, you can’t”

“I can and I did,” Luffy said, his smile falling as he became more serious. “What’s your problem?”

“My problem is that you’re not actually engaged.”

“Yes. I am.”

Robin and Sanji exchanged knowing glances and silently moved out of the way, not daring to get in the middle of whatever was happening between the twins.

“No you’re not,” Nami laughed, trying to excuse him. 

“Robin is my fiance , Nams. Why are you trying to say she’s not?”

“You can’t be anyone’s fiance , dum dum, you’re just a fucking kid.”

“I’m not a kid.”

“Yes you are, and so is Robin.”

“Watch it, Nams…” Luffy said, clearly offended. 

“No, she’s a fucking KID Luffy, she’s still in college .”

“She’s in Graduate school, Nams, she’s not some teenager and neither am I.”

“Yes you are,” she laughed again, “and so am I! I’m a fucking kid too! You don’t see me out here getting married.”

“That’s because you’re SCARED, Nami.” He said.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!?!?”

“It means you’re scared!! It’s okay, I was scared too, but I’m not a fucking kid any more, and I can’t live the rest of my life scared that I’m going to get left behind. And neither should you.”

“FUCK. YOU.” She said, tears pricking her eyes. She was suddenly brought back to the memory of when they were little kids, and she comforted Luffy as he cried and asked for their Mom. And she had sat there and hugged him, knowing full well that their mother was never coming back.  

“NO NAMI, FUCK YOU,” he yelled back, tears beginning to prick his eyes as well, “I’M NOT YOUR LITTLE KID ANYMORE. YOU’RE NOT MY MOM AND YOU NEVER WERE! I DON’T NEED YOU IN MY LIFE TELLING ME WHAT I CAN AND CAN’T DO, I’M NOT A FUCKING CHILD.”

“Uh, guys,” Sanji jutted in.

“Stay the FUCK out of this, Sanji,” Nami yelled. 

“I think I found somethi--” 

“Sanji, shut the FUCK UP I--”

“EVERYONE DOWN ON THE GROUND!!”

The doors across the library suddenly burst open as a dozen SWAT agents poured in. Sanji and Robin were hidden from the door behind a large bookshelf, so only Luffy and Nami could be seen, meaning all guns were pointed at them. 

“HANDS IN THE AIR WHERE I CAN SEE THEM, NOW!!”

Then a million things happened at once. Robin jumped out from her hidden spot and stood in front of Luffy, raising her hands in the air and slowly dropping to her knees. “We will comply with everything you say,” she said calmly. The SWAT agents began to filter through the bookshelves, guns now aimed mostly at Robin. Nami, without thinking, turned around and shoved Sanji behind the chest of drawers, hiding him. As they rounded the corner, she then made a show out of raising her hands as she said, “My hands are raised!! We have no weapons!” As she said this, she deliberately walked away from where she had hidden Sanji, pulling their attention towards her and away from him. “Please don’t shoot!”

The three of them were then shoved to the floor, handcuffed, and aggressively led out of the room. 

“You have the right to remain silent,” began one of the SWAT members, “anything you say can and will be held against you in a court of law.”

They were shoved through the door and walked down the same hallway that they came in. 

“You have the right to an attorney, if you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you.”

They were then walked outside and each shoved into separate police cars.

“Do you understand these rights as I have read them to you?”

Nami's eyes were still wet with tears, and she had completely lost her grip on what was happening. Her head was ducked into the police car and she let out an empty, “I do.” 

Then the sirens kicked on, and she was driven away.

Chapter Text

Sanji’s head hung upside down from the opening in the ceiling, furnished with his trademark grin and deep brown eyes. He gave them a wink and said something that only he would say at a time like this.

 “Hey ladies.”

The police cars eventually pulled into the station, and the three of them were each brought out by a police officer. They awkwardly ducked their heads out of the cars to stand up and made eye contact, and Luffy desperately called out, “Nami I--.”

He was cut off by an officer who shoved his shoulder and said, “No talking.”

“Luffy don’t answer any questio--” Nami bit out before another police officer shoved her and told her to be quiet. “Fuck OFF,” she yelled, and pulled her shoulder away. 

Robin got out last and made eye contact with the other two, saying nothing but giving them a reassuring smile. 

“Robin I--,” Luffy tried to say. 

“I said No. Talking.” the officer bit out again, grabbing Luffy’s shoulder and aggressively leading into the station. 

The three of them walked into the station, with Luffy still trying to talk and being scolded, Nami physically struggling against the officer but following his directions, and Robin calmly walking behind them. As they walked through the doors, a rush of AC and LED lights hit them, and a large, undecorated, cream-white room opened before them. The room was filled with unpadded seats that random people were sitting in, all of them in varying levels of dishevelment and none of them looking happy. In the center of the room was a large wooden receptionist desk, with thick plexiglass separating the receptionist from any presumable criminals that might need her help.

“Where do you want ‘em?” asked the police officer leading them to the main desk. 

“Cells 5 and 10 are open,” the receptionist said in a flat tone, “the Lieutenant should be ready for questioning in 10 minutes.”

“Got it,” he responded, “thanks, doll,” then gave her a wink. 

She looked up to give the officer an uninterested glare, before looking back at her computer. 

Without another word the officers grabbed them again, and Nami and Robin were split away from Luffy, with the officers leading the girls to the left, and Luffy to the right. Nami immediately struggled, not ready to let them be split up again. 

“It’s alright,” Robin whispered, “he’s going to the male holding area.”

Nami looked confused, so Robin continued, “We’re going to the female holding area, they separate the jail by genders.”

Nami muttered something along the lines of, “that’s stupid” under her breath, but accepted the explanation and let herself be led away from her brother. 

The two of them were quiet as they were led down a long hallway and pushed through a set of double doors, which opened to a long room lined with small cells. One of the officers pulled a key from his belt and unlocked one of the empty cells, pushing the two of them in and saying, “I’ll be back for you two in ten minutes, the Lieutenant wants to question you.” 

“Thank you for letting us know,” Robin answered gracefully. 

“Not like we're going anywhere,” Nami said, sarcastically brandishing her handcuffs.

The officer gave them a content smirk and locked the cell door, then gave them a playful wave as he was walking out of the room.

Nami rolled her eyes reflexively and crossed her arms. She waited until he was out of earshot and said, “Perv.” 

Robin gave a soft giggle and sat down on the cot. Nami stayed at the cell door with crossed arms, scanning the room before turning around to scan the cell. Her eyes fell on the unobstructed stainless steel toilet in the corner and deadpanned, “you better not have to pee.”

Robin chuckled again and said, “don't worry, I can hold it.” 

Nami gave a soft chuckle, Robin's rare hint of sarcasm was not lost on her. She then sat on the ground criss-cross applesauce, leaning her shoulder against the cell doors. Their eyes met, and the weight of everything that had happened in the past few hours was silently acknowledged. The two of them couldn't help but laugh. 

“It’s certainly been a long night,” Robin said in between a chuckle. 

“I can't believe I worked a ten hour shift before this,” Nami said, remembering her shitty day at work that started everything off. “I wonder where Sanji is.”

“Hopefully somewhere more comfortable than this,” Robin said. 

“Yeah,” Nami chuckled, “I’m sure he was glad to get away from us. And all the craziness.” 

“I don't know,” Robin said lightly, “I think he was having a good time.” 

“Yeah until we got arrested,” Nami said.

“Yes that certainly was not in my plans for tonight.”

“Was any of this in your plans for tonight?”

“Some of it.”

Nami couldn't help but laugh, “you think too much.”

The two of them exchanged a chuckle and let a light silence fall between them.

“Hey I'm sorry about earlier,” Nami said, “about… you know… you two getting engaged. It just caught me off guard is all, but I’m honestly really happy for you two. That's great news.” 

“Thank you,” Robin smiled. 

“I honestly don't know why I blew up like that, it's just not what I was expecting.”

“It's okay,” Robin said, “Like you said, it's been a long night. And Luffy could have found a better way to tell you.”

“Yeah I guess…” Nami trailed, looking through the slates of the cell to stare into space. “It's just weird, ya know. Luffy’s always been my immediate family. But now you two are going to get married and probably have some kids and start your own family and I’ll just be… a relative. I’ll be extended family.”

“He’s always going to be your brother,” Robin offered.

“Yeah but now he's also going to be your husband,” Nami looked back at her. “God that sounds weird to say. He's going to be your husband ?? I can't believe that goof ball’s going to get married. And to you of all people, I mean, you have to know that you're way out of his league.” 

“I don't know,” Robin laughed, “I think we make a good pair.”

“I guess…”

“And what about you and Sanji?” Robin asked. 

“What about me and Sanji?” Nami answered. 

“I don't know,” Robin said, “I think you two would make a good pair.”

“Oh please,” Nami scoffed, “he’s nothing but a flirt.” 

“It looked like he was doing more than just flirting,” Robin said.

“What do you mean?”

“Nami, he followed you on a treasure hunt all around town on a random Tuesday. The only reason he stuck around all night is because he wanted to hang out with you.” 

Nami hid a blush and thought about the cute blonde girl she saw earlier in the bar that ordered a flirtatious margarita from Sanji. And she had to admit, even though Sanji was definitely flirting with her… he still charged her for the drink. 

Nami couldn't remember the last time she'd paid for a drink at that bar. Was that bad?

She forced a laugh through her nostrils, “I think you’re reading too much into it.”

Had they not been in a jail cell, it would almost feel like they were having a girls night. 

Robin leaned back to get more comfortable on the flat cot. “I wonder what they’re going to question us about,” Robin wondered aloud. 

“What, besides breaking and entering a secret government building two blocks away from the White House?” 

Yeah, besides that,” Robin said, “I mean, they caught us red-handed. There isn’t really much to question us about.”

“Yeah I guess,” Nami replied, “Maybe we got caught up in something else.”

“I don’t know,” Robin said, “Maybe.”

There was a silent beat as Nami adjusted herself to get more comfortable leaning against the cell wall, then decided to change the topic.

“So when’s the wedding?” She asked. 

●

Luffy watched the girls being led down a hallway in the opposite direction, before quickly falling out of eyesight. He wished they could stay together, especially after the fight he had just had with Nami, but he knew those two would be okay without him. He resolved to simply focus on his current situation, and let everything else figure itself out. 

Two officers then flanked either side of him and said, “you’re coming with us”

“Oooh, am I going to jail??” Luffy asked excitedly. 

“Yup,” one of the officers replied flatly, as he lightly pushed him forward through a different hallway. 

“Cool!” Luffy said, “I’ve always wondered what jail was like! Do I get a roommate?”

“No, you’re not getting a roommate,” the other officer replied, clearly a little annoyed. 

“Hmm,” Luffy replied, “Can I request one?”

“No.” The officers responded together. 

“Hmph,” Luffy grumbled, “then what’s the point of going to jail?”

The officers led him through a set of double doors, which opened up to a holding area with a few other jail blocks. One of the officers opened an empty cell while the other shoved him in and locked the door. 

“Stop asking questions,” the annoyed officer said. 

“Some officers will come get you in a few minutes for questioning,” said the other officer. 

“Questioning for what?” Luffy asked from behind the cell bars.

“I said stop asking questions,” the annoyed officer said over his shoulder as he walked out of the room.

Once they left, an uncomfortably quiet beat fell over Luffy. His cell was relatively small, with a thin metal cot hugging the wall and a plain stainless steel toilet in the corner. He looked around and noticed that he was the only person in a cell, while all of the other ones sat open and empty, hungry for another criminal to detain. 

He sat in the middle of the cell on the cold, hard floor and started mindlessly picking at the hem of his jeans, his body aching for something to do. He pinched his nails through the white frayed fabric and began to think about what had just happened. Not the ‘getting arrested for trespassing on secret government property’ part, he didn't really care about that. He thought about the fight he had just had with Nami. They had had plenty of fights in their lives, most of them worse than this, but this one still felt different. This time felt like something had finally broken. 

Luffy had always been more of a “go with the flow” kind of guy. Nami had always yelled at him, and told him to take control of his life before it took control of him, but he would laugh it off and silently disagree. He found a certain strength in flexibility, which Nami didn’t seem to be able to perceive. Honestly, he didn’t need his life to be perfect, all he needed was food in the fridge and a good friend he could rely on. And for as long as he could remember, the person responsible for both of those had been his sister. 

But time went on and somewhere along the way he met Robin and fell in love. And before he could realize what was happening, Robin had become the most important person in his life. At that point, he had stopped relying so heavily on Nami, and instead put his trust in his beloved girlfriend. Not that that was a bad thing, I mean, that’s what’s supposed to happen, right? Him and Nami were getting older and out-growing each other, and that’s just the way of life. That’s what Robin said, at least. But still, knowing that and accepting it were two very different things. And even though he was entering a point in his life where he and his sister were expected to grow separately, he couldn’t help but refuse to let go of that tether. That’s why he invited her to join them when they moved to D.C., and that’s why he was secretly relieved when she said yes. They were even living together again, just like when they were kids. 

But now he was sitting alone in the middle of a jail cell, with his hands cuffed in his lap and his fingers mindlessly twirling through overaged denim, and couldn’t help but realize that he was about to get married. He was about to get married, and he still had a roommate. In all fairness, that roommate was his sister, but still. This was supposed to be the time for him and Robin to finally make a home together, and figure out who they were as a couple. Not who they were as a couple, plus his sister-roommate.  He couldn’t help but feel bad for Nami, since he had someone and she didn’t. But that’s not the point. The point is that it was time to move on. Maybe that’s what he meant when he told her she was scared. Maybe the reason she can’t find someone is because she’s scared to move on, like he was. But he was right, they weren’t kids anymore. 

“Alright, get up,” said an officer as he walked up, pulling Luffy from his thoughts. He was different from the officers that had initially brought Luffy in. He had large, poofy black hair that looked like he tried to tame his Afro into a low ponytail but was unsuccessful, so it still frayed out in the back. He had a brown, checkered bandana tied around the top of his head like a hat, with a pair of blue tinted circular sun glasses laying on top. His uniform was a little baggy, but cinched around his ankles to make his legs look bigger than they were. And a tan, oversized tote bag hung off of his shoulder, which was seemingly filled with an assortment of knick-knacks and doo-dads. He walked in with crossed arms and a raised head, with a deep scowl that made it look like he was trying a little too hard to be intimidating. 

“Oooh, where are we going??” Luffy asked.

“We're bringing you to questioning,” he said in an unnatural gruffy voice. “Punk,” he added for extra effect. 

“Okay!!” Luffy beamed. “Thanks mister… Usopp,” he said, looking at the officer’s name tag. 

“That’s Captain Usopp to you!” He shouted looking down his nose. He then grabbed Luffy and pulled him out of the cell. 

“Ooh you're a captain??” Luffy mused, “that's so cool!!”

Unabashed pride flashed across the officer’s face. He cleared his throat and said, “come on, let's go,” playing it cool. 

He led Luffy down the hallway and into a different section of the building, and eventually led him into what he guessed was the interrogation room. It was a square room with all plain white walls and a single rectangular table in the middle, with a seat on each side. There were no clocks or windows, but there was a large mirror that took up the majority of one of the walls. Luffy figured it was a two way mirror like in the movies. 

“Allright punk, sit down!” ordered the officer as he led Luffy to the table. “Tell me…” he trailed as he walked around the back of Luffy’s chair, then slammed his hand on the table, “WHERE IS IT?!?!”  

Luffy was completely unfazed and answered, “Where is what??”

“You know what I’m talkin’ about,” The officer said as he crossed his arms and looked down his nose at Luffy, “Tell me where it is!!”

Luffy rubbed his chin and thought for a moment. “These??” he asked as he pulled out a handful of mints from his pocket, “I took them from the front desk, did I take too many??”

The officer dramatically smacked them out of his hands, “Quit messin’ with me punk, tell me where it is!!”

Still unfazed, Luffy thought for a moment, “Tell you where what is?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know…” he said as he walked away from Luffy. He spun on his heel and slammed both hands on the table, “THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, I KNOW YOU TOOK IT!!”

“Someone stole the Declaration of Independence?!?!!?” Luffy asked, amazed.

“You stole the Declaration of Independence!!” The officer responded. 

“I stole the Declaration of Independence?!?!?!” 

“Of course you did!!”

“Are you sure??”

“Yes I’m sure, it’s missing!!”

“Well where is it?”

“I don’t know, you tell me!!” The officer yelled. 

“I don’t know but I guess I can help you look for it. Where was the last place you saw it?” Luffy asked.

The officer clearly thought Luffy was messing with him, and raised a hand like he was about to hit him, “You little--”

Just then another officer walked in the room and said, “Oh is this the interrogation?” This officer had short, light green hair, and was wearing a plain white undershirt instead of the regular tan police button up. He had long slender legs with black pants, and instead of a gun he had three police batons hanging at his waist. 

“Jeez Zoro, what took you so long?? I had to start the interrogation without you!!” The first officer said. 

“I got lost.”

“You got-- you got lost?? How long have you worked here, how do you still keep getting lost??”

“Relax, I’m here now.”

Usopp walked over to him and whispered, “Yeah but I already started without you so I had to be the bad cop. That means you have to be the good cop.”

“Huh??” Zoro said back, making no attempt to match his whisper.

“Remember?” Usopp pleaded, “The ‘good cop bad cop’ thing that I was talking about?”

Zoro just ignored him and walked over to Luffy, “Where is it.” He said it more as an order than a question, and was immediately more intimidating than the other officer was trying to be.

“Where is what?” Luffy responded. 

“The Declaration of Independence,” Zoro answered, unbothered, “We know you have it, where is it?”

“I don’t know,” Luffy said, “where was the last place you saw it?”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Usopp cried, “We know that the Declaration of Independence was stolen from the National Archives Museum this morning between 3:15 and 4:05 AM. And then we find you three snooping in the Vault of the Library of Congress later that very same day, coincidence?? I THINK NOT!!” 

“What’s the National Archives Museum??” Luffy asked. 

“You know what I think?” Usopp continued, ignoring Luffy’s question, “I think you’re little gang is going around and stealing historical documents to sell to our enemies.”

“What enemies??” Luffy asked. 

“Those enemies!!” Usopp cried as he gestured wildly at the open air. 

Zoro walked up to Luffy and said again, “Where is it.”

“Why would I know where the Declaration of Independence is?” Luffy answered. 

“Didn’t you steal it?” Zoro asked.

“Why would I steal the Declaration of Independence?” Luffy said.

Zoro shrugged his shoulders, “I don’t know man, you tell me.”

“This is a waste of time, he’s not going to give us anything,” Usopp said, annoyed and defeated, “Let’s just question the other two.”

Luffy’s ears perked up when he heard that. He chose to stay silent. 

“Okay, I’ll walk him back to the holding area,” Zoro said. 

“No, you’re going to get lost. With my luck, you’ll just walk him out of the station and let him go. No, I’ll walk him back to the male holding area, you meet me in the female holding area and we’ll get the next one together.”

Zoro seemed too uninterested to argue so he silently agreed and walked out of the room. Usopp heaved a heavy sigh and grabbed Luffy’s shoulder to walk him back to his cell. 

●

Nami and Robin were having a lighthearted conversation about dress designs when an officer walked into the holding area. He yawned and gave an uninterested glance towards the girls, “Is one of you Nami?” he asked.

“Who wants to know?” Nami answered from the floor.

“Me,” he said.

Nami looked up at the officer and tried to size him up before responding. Although he was slim, he was immediately intimidating. And without knowing a single thing about this man, other than what she could glean from his nametag which was that his name was Zoro and he was ranked as a detective, she could tell he was the strongest officer they’d seen today. And yet, looking at his figure and seeing his three strangely aggressive batons, she didn’t feel afraid of him. He honestly just looked bored, and if anything, a little stupid. “I’m Nami,” she said, deciding to go with it. 

“I’m supposed to take you in for questioning.”

Nami glanced back at Robin, who gave a nod in silent agreement about the officer, and then looked back. “Okay,” she said, “but will I be brought back here afterwards? I’d like to stay with my friend.”

“Yeah I’ll bring ya back,” he answered indifferently.

“Okay,” she said, standing up. 

Zoro seemed to accept this and walked over to the cell to open the door. Nami looked back at Robin one last time and gave her a nod, and the officer silently walked Nami out of the cell and through the double doors. A hallway opened up in front of them. To the left were the doors Nami passed walking in, and to the right were a handful of doors Nami hadn’t seen before, with a red exit sign hanging from the ceiling. The officer stood still for a moment and looked both ways, saying, “which way was it again?”

Nami looked at him scratching his head in confusion. She was definitely right about him being a little stupid. “I think it’s this way,” she said in an innocent voice, coaxing him to the right side of the hallway, towards the exit sign. Maybe she could convince this idiot to walk her right out of the building to freedom. 

The officer looked at her and shrugged, then led them to the right, following her advice. A few other officers passed by and looked at them with confusion, like they knew those two were walking in the wrong direction but didn't want to question someone of a Detective rank.

They continued walking until the hallway banked right, leading to a pair of double doors with a large exit sign above them. Nami could clearly see a parking lot through the door’s glazed windows, and realized she was a few steps away from simply leaving the building. 

A voice suddenly called out from behind them, “Zoro, where the hell are you going?” 

The two of them turned around and saw another officer, looking clearly annoyed. His arms were crossed and one of his eyebrows was crooked up in judgment. His name tag read, “Ussop”.

“To interrogation,” Zoro said. 

The other officer palmed his face and said, “Zoro the interrogation room is on the other side of the building.”

“Oh.”

The other officer then looked at Nami like he could tell exactly what she was trying to do. “Come on,” he deadpanned, “Follow me, we’ll go to interrogation together.” Then he turned around and muttered something like, “can’t leave him alone for two minutes…” and led them down the hallway in the opposite direction, looking over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure Zoro was still behind him. 

They eventually made their way to the interrogation room, where the officer named “Usopp” suddenly jumped in front of her and made a show about politely pulling out the chair for her to sit on. He smiled and said, “sit down, sit down. Get comfortable, we just want to ask you a few questions.”

Nami gave him a questioning look. This was a very different attitude than what he had shown a few minutes ago in the hallway. She wasn't buying this new cordial attitude he was trying to put on, but ultimately decided to go with it and sat down. It's not like she could do anything else.

Ussop sat in the chair opposite hers, while Zoro leaned against the wall and watched. “So listen,” Usopp started, “I’m just tryna’ help you out here, you see my buddy over there,” he nodded to Zoro, “can get a little… carried away. If you know what I mean.” He gave an exaggerated glance at Zoro’s batons, implying he was the ‘bad cop’ in this scenario. “So,” he continued, “if you just tell me where it is, I can make sure you get out of here without too much trouble. Trust me, you don't want to see this guy angry.” Nami glanced over and watched Zoro lazily pick his ear with his pinky finger, then bring it up to his nose to smell it. 

Both of them were clearly stupid. They were obviously playing a little game of ‘good cop, bad cop’. Bored, she decided to see how far they would take it. 

“I’m a little thirsty,” she said innocently, “could you go grab me a water?”  

“Of course,” Ussop said with a smile, fulfilling his ‘good cop’ role, “I’ll be right back.” He left the room and came back a few minutes later with a small paper cup filled with room temperature water.

“Oh,” Nami said in a cutesy voice, “I only drink cold water, could you grab me some ice?”

“Of course,” he said again with his same smile, “I’ll go grab some.” He backed out of the room again and returned a few moments later with another cup of ice. 

Looks like he was willing to take this little charade pretty far. 

Nami filled the water with a few ice cubes and took a sip. “So,” Ussop started again, “are you ready to talk?”

Nami drank the cup of water in a single sip and said, “I don't know, my head’s a little fuzzy, I think I need something to eat.”

“Right…” he responded, “what would you like?”

“Hmmm… I could really go for a cheeseburger.”

“A cheese burger?” He asked.

“Yup! With extra ketchup and pickles on the side.”

“Okay…” he said, maintaining his cordiality but seeming a little annoyed, “well there's a restaurant a few blocks down, I guess I can give them a call and order some takeout.” Nami smiled in approval, and he walked to the far corner of the room and took out his phone to make a call.

“Hello, yes?” He said, “I would like to place a takeout order… I said I WOULD LIKE TO PLACE A TAKEOUT ORDER.” He shouted the last sentence like the other line had trouble hearing him. 

“Y- Yes, I would like to order a cheeseburger,” he continued, “with extra ketchup and pickles on the side… yes.. give me a second,” he put the phone to his chest and whispered to Nami, “what kind of cheese do you want?”

“Do they have cheddar?” She asked. 

“Hold on I’ll ask,” he put the phone back up to his ear, “Do you have cheddar? Okay then yes, with cheddar cheese. Yes. Okay. Okay, Sorry, give me a second,” he put the phone back to his chest, “it comes with a side, do you want fries or a salad?”

“Ooh fries!” Nami said, “and ask for extra ketchup on the side.”

Ussop put the phone back up to his ear, “okay I’ll get the fries for the side with extra ketchup. Yes. Hold on,” he put the phone to his chest, “anything else?”

“I’ll have a double burger with pickles and sub the side for a chocolate milkshake,” Zoro said.

Ussop put the phone back up to his ear, “okay and can I get a double burger with pickles and a chocolate milkshake instead of a side? CHOCOLATE MILKSHAKE INSTEAD OF A SI-- can you hear me? Yes. Yes. Yeah that’s it. Okay. Okay thank you, I'll be right over.” He hung up and put his phone in his pocket. “They’re making it right now, I’m going to go pick it up,” he said. He looked at Zoro, “I’ll be back in 15 minutes. Don’t leave this room.”

Zoro just gave him a shrug in agreement as he left the room. He then lowered himself to the ground and leaned his back against the wall. He laid his hands over his batons and said, “I’m going to take a nap. Don’t go anywhere.”

“Um, okay?” Nami said, confused. 

Is he really going to-- Zoro closed his eyes and, after a few seconds, began breathing deeply. Yeah I guess so, Nami thought. 

She looked around as if asking if this was allowed, but no one else was in the room with her to say anything. So apparently that meant it was allowed. She waited a few moments until she was sure he was sleeping, and quietly moved her chair out from under the table and began to stand, in an attempt to sneak out. She moved slowly and didn’t make a single sound, but one of Zoro’s eyes slammed open. “I said don’t move.”

She quickly sat back in the chair trying to act like nothing happened. She had no idea how he heard her, but she decided to just sit back and wait for the free food. Without anything else to do, she started mindlessly picking at the seam of her shirt. Once she got bored of that she started picking at her nails, and eventually she just gave up and rested her head on her hand. In this big empty room with nothing but a lazy, green haired buffoon and an empty table, there really was nothing else to do but to sit there and think.

She had plenty of things to think about, what with her fight with Luffy and the wedding announcement and everything. But for some reason, all she could think about was Sanji. She thought about the moment they got arrested, and how she shoved him behind the dresser without thinking. Which was the right move. I mean, it’s not his fault he got roped into all of this. He shouldn’t be punished for it, let alone arrested. She felt bad for dragging him into all of this mess, all of her mess, and knew that he didn’t deserve it. He was such a nice guy, and even though he was a flirt, he was still warm, and kind. Not to mention his looks.

She sighed. After everything that had happened tonight, there was no point in lying to herself any more. She had been dancing around the thought all night, but now, in this empty interrogation room, there was nowhere left to hide, and no more room for excuses. She had no choice but to admit it. She had feelings for Sanji. 

 She wondered how he felt. What did he think about her? Did he feel the same? Why did he come along tonight? And why did he always give her free drinks? Because he liked her? Or was it pity? And what did her realization mean? Should tell him? Should she ask him out? Or would he be better off with someone else? Should she just keep her mouth shut until these feelings pass?

She let out a small laugh through her nostrils. Luffy was right, she was scared. Scared of what? She didn't know. But still. What was she going to do? Tuck her tail and shamelessly cling to her brother for the rest of her life? She needed to start building her own life. And maybe that life involved Sanji, instead of Luffy. Regardless, it was time to move on. Luffy clearly had. And however much that hurt to realize, it would be worse to pretend it wasn't true. She put her head down on the table. What now? 

“Food’s here!” Ussop said, walking through the door, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Finally,” Zoro said as he stood up, “I’m starving.”

He grabbed his burger and milkshake from Ussop, then sat back down on the floor and quietly started eating. 

“And for you,” Ussop continued, sounding like he was trying too hard to be friendly but was secretly at his wits end. He dropped a burger and fries on the table in front of her. Who knew you could bargain for food while being questioned by the police?

She quietly ate the food in front of her, and while it wasn’t anywhere as good as what Sanji had made her, free food is always good food. Especially when it was conned from a stupid cop who was trying to play the role of a “friend”. 

“Now,” Ussop began again, “Where were you this morning between 3:15 and 4:05 AM?”

She looked up from her food, still chewing. “...I guess I was sleeping? Why?”

“Hmm,” Ussop said, “That’s interesting, because that’s exactly around the time that the Declaration of Independence went missing from the National Archives… You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that now, would you…?”

Nami couldn’t help but let out a laugh. What were the odds someone had stolen the Declaration of Independence on the same day that they were trying to solve their little Abraham Lincoln American History riddle? Tuesday must be the best day for treasure hunting. 

“The Declaration of Independence went missing?” she asked, “How does that even happen?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” He countered.

“Well, I don’t know, I wasn’t the one who lost it,” she said. 

“Well…” he said as he began to slowly walk around the room with his hands held behind his back, “You may not have been the one who lost it, but maybe you could be the person to help find it.” He emphasized those words as though ‘lost’ was the new politically correct way to say ‘stole’, and ‘find’ was the new way to say ‘tell us where you stashed it and we won’t press charges’. 

She obviously had no idea where the Declaration of Independence was, but said, “Sure, I can help you find it.”

He lapped the room and sat back down at the table. He crossed his hands and looked expectantly at Nami, “Go on.”

“Well where was the last place you saw it?”

A silent beat reverberated through the room as Ussop’s face grew red.

“STOP ASKING ME THAT LIKE I KNOW WHERE IT IS!! WHAT IS WITH YOU AND YOUR BROTHER???!!?” He pinched his nose, “Come on Zoro, let’s take her back to Holding, we’re not going to get anything from her.”

Zoro shrugged and stood up, “Okay.” He walked over to Nami and grabbed her shoulder to get her to stand up and walked her down the hallway. They walked all the way back to the cell as Usopp walked behind them, muttering the whole time about how ‘good cop bad cop’ is supposed to work. 

When they got back to the cell area, Usopp basically threw her in the cell, then turned around and stormed out.

The girls looked at each other and waited for the officers to leave the room. Once they were alone, they both relaxed and assumed the same positions they were sitting in before Nami was taken for questioning. 

“How’d it go?” Robin asked.

“I honestly don’t know,” she said, “did you steal the Declaration of Independence earlier today?”

“Hm,” she thought, “I don't think so.”

“Weird.” 

Nami was about to recount her interrogation experience, but was cut off by a rustling sound. They each looked at each other, then quietly looked around the cell. It suddenly stopped and they almost resolved to ignore it, when they heard it again, this time louder. It sounded like something heavy and clothed was being dragged against a metallic surface. They looked around and saw nothing out of the ordinary. They looked at each other confused, and heard it again. Except this time it sounded like it was right next to them. Or rather… right above them? They gave a quick glance at each other and looked up, and found the AC vent above them begin to move. It wiggled a little, then was brought upward into the ceiling and slid to the side out of sight. They walked over to the newly created square hole in the ceiling, when a familiar mess of dusty blonde hair poked out. Sanji’s head hung upside down from the opening in the ceiling, furnished with his trademark grin and deep brown eyes. He gave them a wink and said something that only he would say at a time like this.

 “Hey ladies.”

Chapter Text

They stepped into the empty room, not noticing the AC grate slightly out of place. 

“Wha--” Usopp said, “but we just-- how did they-- wh-- WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!????!”

It all happened so quickly. One second he was treasure hunting, the next he was being shoved behind a dusty old dresser like human contraband. Sanji could still feel the weight of Nami’s hand against his chest, which was stronger than he imagined, as her deceitfully skinny fingers had cratered his chest inwards and forced all of the air out of his lungs. He had stumbled back towards the wall and fell into the small space behind the dresser, shielding him from the watchful eyes of the SWAT agents. Nami had thrown him one final glance as he fell, before jumping in front of him and drawing the attention towards herself, securing his safety from the police. 

He now stood, baffled, in the open, quiet hall, trying to rectify what had just happened. She had saved him. Of all the things she could’ve done in that moment, and of all the people she could have worried about, she chose him. It seemed like a shallow detail to focus on given the weight of everything that just happened, but he couldn’t help the growing warmth in his chest. He took a breath to steady his mind, and the dusty air caught in his lungs. He coughed and waved his hand around to clear the air, cursing himself for being so stupid. 

He stepped out from behind the dresser and walked through the aisle. He stopped in the middle of the room, flanked by bookcases and priceless treasures, and took stock of his surroundings. The main door was still open, as the agents hadn’t bothered to close it behind them, and the floor in front of it was littered with dirty boot prints. Savages , he thought to himself. He walked to the front of the room and tried his best to clean up the area by lightly kicking the dirt into a single pile, away from the artifacts. You’d think that, in a room with such important relics, someone would leave a broom and maybe some cleaning supplies, just in case. Whatever. Kick-sweeping would have to do. 

He finished tidying up what he could, and walked back to the table they were using before the interruption. He had caught a glance of something interesting before the police busted in, but was having trouble finding it again in all this mess. Their previous stack of papers had toppled over in the confusion, with papers either spread haphazardly across the table, or having fallen to the ground. He carefully stepped around them as he continued to scan the pages on the table, desperate to find something. He scanned the pages, repeating the names that Nami had told him. “Ben Franklin, R. Saunders, Ben Franklin, R. Saunders…”  

He searched for a few minutes, but was unable to find anything of note. Exasperated, he leaned on the table and hung his head,“Come on, man, think.” He looked at his shoes, cursing himself for being so useless, when something new caught his eye. A few inches away from his feet, there was a long, worn piece of parchment, with more wrinkles than the others. The letters were written with less intentionality, as though this document wasn’t meant to be read by many people. The title was written in small, unorganized, slightly smudged letters:

Articles of Confederation

An Outline for a Balanced and Just Government

B. Franklin 2-77

That much didn’t seem to surprise him, most of the papers they were looking at were related to the Articles of Confederation. What had caught his eye was the fact that this document looked more like a grocery list than a declaration. It had multiple bullet points all the way down the page, with random words scratched out in favor of better ones, and notes scribbled in the margins. All of the other papers they had looked at seemed like red-lines of final drafts, with miscellaneous ideas written in different colors and handwriting, as though a group of people had sat down to edit the single document. This one just looked like a list of talking points that was scribbled down quickly to prevent them from being forgotten. Honestly, it looked more like an overly complicated grocery list than an important governing document. Sanji ran a hand over the worn page and realized it must have been the very first draft of the Articles of Confederation. He scanned the front then flipped it over, and found a small undisrupted inscription in the upper left corner.

H.M. 15-08-30

Never Forget

A giant smile grew across his face. This was it, this is what he had been looking for. He skimmed the document again just to make sure, but he knew this was it. 

He rolled up the paper as carefully as humanly possible and slid it into his back pocket. Then he picked up the rest of the papers on the floor and organized everything else on the table, making sure to put everything back where they had found it. He then looked around this beautiful room one last time, as he had absolutely no intention of ever returning, then shuffled away. He closed the door behind him, wincing when it whined on its hinges, then fast-walked towards the exit. He took a left, and then a right, and then another right, trying to remember exactly which way Robin brought them in. He finally came up on a plain white door with light leaking through the bottom, which seemed to lead outside. He took a breath and slowly opened the door, and was immediately met with a bite of cold wind from the night air. He smiled to himself and knew exactly what he had to do. 

The night was only just beginning. 

●

It wasn't something that he liked to admit, but Sanji had been arrested before. It happened a few years ago when he was in college and miserable, but still. He had been at a restaurant with some friends, and a man from a few tables over started complaining about his food. The man had called over the waiter and cussed him out about something stupid like overcooked meat or whatever. Push came to shove, and Sanji ended up stomping over and shoving the food in the guy's face, telling him that the only problem was him, and that “scum like him don't deserve to waste food.” Or something like that. He couldn't really remember. Anyways, the asshole freaked out and called the police, accusing Sanji of assaulting and threatening him, and soon enough he found himself cold and alone in a jail cell. He remembered being bored out of his mind as the frigid metal cot seeped through his jeans, and the hum of the iridescent lights filled his ears. Until he heard a conversation between two people coming from somewhere near his cell. Curious to hear something other than the echoing silence, he had looked around to see where the conversation was coming from. He scanned the room multiple times, turning around in circles, but somehow couldn’t find where it was coming from. Confused, he focused his attention and followed the noise, only to realize it was coming from a ceiling vent in the corner of his cell. He had walked over to stand just below the vent, and listened to the people casually about their work that day. It was a fairly normal conversation, just two officers talking about their days driving around town and pulling people over, when Sanji realized that he could smell something. It smelled like… cigarette smoke? Focusing harder, he realized that he could faintly hear cars passing in the background of their conversation, and figured that the two officers were probably on a smoke break outside. But he could hear them crystal clear through the AC vent, as though they were standing right next to him. Putting two and two together, he realized that the vent in his cell likely led directly to the external exhaust vent outside, without any significant interference. In other words, there was a direct, unobstructed path connecting his jail cell and the parking lot outside. Huh , he had thought, well that seems like a security risk . 

He remembered that day as he pulled into the parking lot next to the police station, armed with his newfound treasure-hunting clue and the resolve to save his friends. He scanned the area before getting out of the car, then quietly stalked towards the back of the building. He kept his head low and his body guarded, but after a few steps he suddenly walked into something. He looked up and froze as he realized that “something” was a police officer.

“Sorry, man,” Sanji laughed, trying to play it cool, “My bad.” He couldn’t bring himself to meet the officer’s eyes, and instead stared daggers into the police emblem embroidered over his left shoulder. The nameplate read “Ussop”. 

“Wha--, oh, no I'm sorry,” said the officer, clearly surprised, “I wasn't paying attention. I have some crazy suspects in there, I’m not thinking straight!”

“Sorry man,” Sanji said as casually as possible, “good luck in there.” 

The officer gave him a nod, “thanks I’ll need it”. 

The officer then gathered up the greasy paper bags in his arms, filled with what smelled like deep fried hamburgers and french fries, and shuffled into the front door of the precinct. Sanji waited with a forcefully casual smile plastered on his face until the officer was out of sight, then let out a deep breath. He then continued slinking towards the back of the building, with the stolen artifact from the Library of Congress hanging a little heavier in his back pocket. 

He finally cleared the front of the building and padded through the grass along the side wall, until he rounded the corner and found what looked to be a smaller, hidden parking lot for police cars and other precinct employees. There was an outdoor picnic table with a folded overhead umbrella sticking out of the middle, which sat right next to a solid white door labelled with an illuminated “EXIT” sign above it. He snuck along the wall towards the door, scanning for any signs of an AC exhaust vent, when a white metallic glint caught his eye. Getting closer, he realized that the glint was from a nearby street light reflecting off of a painted metal grate inset into the wall. His heart started pacing as he walked closer and closer towards it, until he stood directly in front of it and felt a faint warm breeze coming from behind the bars. He put his ears closer to the opening, and heard an officer say something about “suspects these days…” and “this ‘good cop bad cop’ thing better work…” His heart nearly jumped out of his throat. This was it. This was the direct link that led to the vent in his old jail cell. This was his way inside. 

He took a step back to size up the grate. It was roughly human sized, about four feet long in both directions, and was held in place with a single screw in each corner. He took his phone out to shine a flashlight through the bars, and saw the dark gray reflective sheet metal making up the inside of the vent. It continued into the building for a few feet, before turning upwards to the ceiling. That meant that once he crawled inside the vent, he would have to maneuver his body into a standing position and climb. He gave himself a little chuckle at how absurd his current situation was, then let out a self assuring breath. Let’s do this .

He kneeled down and took out a pocket knife, then began unscrewing the bolts at each corner of the grate. They all came off surprisingly easy, and within a matter of seconds he was able to pull it off. He gave one last final glance around, then slid into the cramped opening in the wall. He then turned back to gingerly place the grate back to where it was supposed to be, and continued onward. No one would suspect a thing. 

It was a tight fit, but after a few wriggles and turns he was able to fully stand in the duct. He maneuvered his phone out of his pocket and turned on the flashlight to see how tall the vent was, and realized that it climbed directly up to the ceiling. Luckily for him, he also found what looked to be some sort of ladder-like foothold inset into the wall, likely there to help technicians access the entire system when needed. It was almost too easy. 

He grabbed hold of the ladder and shoved his foot into the bottom wrung, then ascended into the ceiling of the precinct. Once he got to the top, the vent made a sharp 90 degree turn and continued into the building horizontally. He pulled himself up, then fell onto his belly and crept forward on his elbows. He slithered through the skinny vent like a snake, scanning each grate he passed by. He looked down into a few rooms, only ever taking a second to investigate before moving on, until he came up on a grate that led into some sort of holding area. Excited, he scanned the room for any sign of his friends, and found Luffy sitting alone on the floor picking at the hem of his jeans. 

Unsure of what to do, he could only think to whisper, “Luffy…”

Luffy didn’t seem to hear anything and continued picking at the hem of his jeans. Sanji huffed, scanned what he could see of the room and tried again. 

“Luffy!!,” he yell-whispered, a little louder this time. 

Luffy’s head popped up and started looking around, clearly confused. 

“Luffy!!” Sanji whispered again, “I’m up here, man! In the ceiling!!”

Luffy aimlessly scanned the ceiling, looking along the other side of the room. 

“Right above you,” Sanji said, “in the AC vent.”

Luffy finally looked up directly at the vent and shouted, “Sanji!!”

“SHH!!!” Sanji yell-whispered, “Be quiet!!”

“Right, sorry,” Luffy whispered back. “What are you doing up there??” He asked.

“I’m busting you guys out,” Sanji said.

“A jailbreak?!?!?” Luffy asked wondrously. 

“Yes, a jailbreak,” Sanji answered, “Just… don’t make it obvious. Be cool.”

“Right,” Luffy responded with a huge smile sprouting on his face. 

“Where are the girls?” Sanji asked.

“They're in a separate cell, on the other side of the building,” Luffy said. 

“Crap,” Sanji cursed to himself, “Can you help me find them?”

“Heck yeah!!” Luffy responded. 

“Okay, come on up, I'll open the latch.” 

Sanji shuffled back to pry up the metal grate, and quietly shoved it out of the way. With the hole in the ceiling now exposed, he dropped his arm through the opening. 

“Grab on,” he whispered, “I’ll pull you up.” 

Luffy nodded and beamed, excited to continue the adventure. He reached up and clasped Sanji’s arm, giving a small jump as he was lifted into the sealing. 

Once they were both in the ducts, Luffy exclaimed, “Wow, you're really strong!!”

“Thanks,” Sanji laughed, trying to hide how winded he was. He then slid the grate back into place, and the two of them continued on through the maze of air ducts.

The first few minutes were uneventful. Luffy crawled in front of Sanji, guessing which way led to the other side of the building, while Sanji scanned each new grate they passed. They continued slowly and quietly, passing one room after the other, until Sanji blurted out, “Did you mean what you said back there?”

“What, when I said you were strong?” Luffy whispered back, “Of course I meant that.”

“No, I--” Sanji said, thinking back to earlier that night, “I mean back at the Memorial. When you said that… that Nami wanted me here. That she liked me.”

“Yeah, I meant it,” Luffy said without hesitation. “You know, I’m not an idiot,” he continued, “I know that you like her.”

A quiet beat fell between them. 

“I think you should go for it,” he continued, “I know she feels the same way about you.”

“Wha… Really?” Sanji breathed.

Luffy paused to look back at him. “Really,” he beamed and continued crawling. “You’re a good guy, Sanji. Nami could use a guy like you in her life.”

Sanji responded with a nervous laugh. Would a girl like her really go for a guy like me? 

He had to admit that he had some sort of feelings for her. After all, every time she walked into the bar the air somehow felt lighter, and his day would immediately get better. Honestly, some days, the hope of seeing her was the only thing that could convince him to get out of bed and get dressed for work.  But he had contented himself with giving her cheap flattery and free drinks because that was all he could really offer. After all, he was just a broke, uneducated bartender whose only skills were mixing drinks and flirting for tips. And she just… she was everything. She was brilliant, and beautiful, and fun, and kind, and a little bit crazy, but the good kind of crazy, and she deserved better than him. 

But then he thought about how often she visited him at the bar. There were a million bars in the city, and yet she had chosen to frequent his. He thought about how she always went straight to the bartop and sat in the same chair every time, which was the closest to his station. He thought about how comfortable she seemed with him coming along on this crazy adventure, despite never having seen him outside of the bar. He thought about how she had held his arm and happily teamed up with him in the Library, and how she had no second thoughts about protecting him from the police, even if it made her a bigger target. His face grew warm and his heart danced awkwardly in his chest as he chewed over Luffy’s words. Because Luffy was right, Sanji did like her. She was the most amazing, beautiful woman he had ever met, and she made him feel happy, and special, and seen. Did he really have a chance? 

He mulled it over as his hands got shaky and sweaty, when a distant voice pulled him from his thoughts. 

“How’d it go?” said a woman’s voice. It was muffled so he couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Robin.

He shook his errant thoughts away as he refocused his attention. 

“I honestly don’t know.” he heard in response, from a voice that was unmistakably Nami’s. He almost tripped over his own elbows. 

“I hear them!” he whispered up to Luffy.

“Me too!” Luffy whispered back, “I think they’re up here, let’s go!”

The boys quickened their pace as quietly as possible, when they heard Nami’s voice again. 

“Did you steal the Declaration of Independence earlier today?”

Confused as to what that question meant, they rounded on the duct. Sanji looked down to see the top of her head spinning in circles looking for something, and her perfect, fiery red hair bouncing along with her. He reached out a shaky hand to move the grate out of the way, creating an opening in the ceiling that connected him to the cell below. His mind went blank as he maneuvered himself above the opening and dropped his head down into the ceiling, finding himself face to upside-down face with Nami and Robin. Even with an empty mind and a racing heart, he couldn’t help but smile when he saw her. Then he then reflexively gave her a wink and said the only thing he could think to say. 

“Hey Ladies.”

●

Nami’s head spun rapidly, making sure no one else was in the room. “Sanji, what the hell are you doing??”

“I’m busting you out, what does it look like?”

“You can’t just--”

“Luffy’s here too,” he added

“Hey Nams!!” Luffy called from behind him. 

“Wha-- how did you even get up there??” Nami asked, incredulous. 

“Don’t worry about it, just come up quickly before someone sees us!!” Sanji whispered back.

Nami looked up at them dumfounded, then looked to Robin for some help.

“I agree,” Robin said, “we should get out of here before someone sees us.” 

“Ugh you’re no help. Fine!! We can go,” Nami whispered. 

Smiling, Sanji dropped his arm into the room, waiting for Nami to grab on. She sighed and clasped his hand with a stronger grip than he was expecting, then was pulled up into the ducts. Once her whole body was successfully packed into the air ducts, she shot a disapproving glare at her brother, who beamed a full set of teeth at her. 

Nami rolled her eyes, “Of course you’re enjoying this.”

Her and Luffy crawled behind Sanji to make space for Robin, who came up shortly after without much trouble. The three of them then situated themselves behind Sanji, with Nami directly behind him, Robin behind her, and Luffy in the rear. 

“Okay,” Sanji said, catching his breath and getting himself situated, “Is everyone ready?”

“Which way is the exit?” Nami asked from behind him.

“I don’t know exactly, but it should be in that general direction,” he answered, pointing vaguely to his right. 

“What side of the building did you come in from?” Nami asked.

“The back side?” Sanji answered.

“Okay well the cells were on the north-west side of the building,” Nami said, thinking out loud, “and the back door’s probably on the south side, so we have to head south-east.” 

Sanji looked back at her with an empty, confused stare, and she sighed. “That way,” she deadpanned, pointing generally to the right. 

“Ha, so I was right!” Sanji cheered. 

Nami rolled her eyes again, “Yes, you were right. Now let's get out of here before we get charged with another felony.”

Silently agreeing with her, Sanji gave a soft chuckle and began crawling.

●

Honestly, at this point, his mind was blank. He had never really felt this way about a woman before, let alone go through with a jailbreak before. He just put one elbow in front of the other, and tried to focus on finding the way out.  

“Sanji,” Nami whispered from behind him, “Go left up there.” She nodded to a fork in the ducts ahead. 

“Are you sure?” He whispered back. 

She lifted her arm to point. “That way goes south-east”, she said confidently, “the other way probably leads to the front of the building.”

He shrugged, knowing she was probably right, and led them towards the fork. 

“You guys make a good team,” Luffy called up from the back. 

“Shut up,” they responded bashfully in unison. 

Luffy and Robin giggled quietly, and whispered something between themselves that Sanji couldn’t quite make out. Sanji did his best to ignore them and just continued crawling. He finally made his way to the end of the hallway and turned right, only to be met with a single, long pathway that finished in a dead-end. Trusting Nami, he trudged onward. 

After a few minutes of silence, Nami whispered up to him, “Hey, you okay?”

“What? …Yeah I’m good,” he lied, “Why?” 

“I don’t know,” she responded, “you just seem a little different… Just want to make sure you’re okay.”

God, this woman really saw everything. 

“Yeah I’m g--” he started, but cut himself off. They had made it to the end of the hallway and his hand almost fell into the floor. Looking down, he realized the duct no longer continued through the roof, and instead led straight down to the ground. He could see a faint light leaking in from the bottom, and felt a burst of frigid, outside air. Looking closer, he could see familiar footholds inset into the wall, and an external grate that was slightly out of place. This was it. Those were the footholds he had used to climb up, and that was the grate he had moved to get in. This is where he came in from. This was their way out.

●

Zoro walked into the holding area and scratched his head. 

Huh. 

He was supposed to get the prisoners from their cells, but there was no one there. He must have gone to the wrong holding cell area by accident. He walked out of the room and returned a few minutes later with Ussop. 

“We only have one set of holding cells, man,” he said lecturingly as he walked through the doors. “There’s no where else they could--”

They stepped into the empty room, not noticing the AC grate slightly out of place. 

“Wha--” Usopp said, “but we just-- how did they-- wh-- WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY?!????!”