Vice Captain of the Straw Hat Pirates

Hearing her words, Luffy nodded and walked toward his room.

"Don't you find it funny? The person with the most experience has chosen to be with someone with the least experience." Liam showed a gentle smile and asked.

"Are you calling Robin bad?" Nami clenched her fist and asked. She didn't say that word but knew Liam understood what she meant.

Liam furiously shook his head and said.

"No, no, I am just saying opposite attracts. Yes, that's it. Opposite always attracts."

"Humph!" Nami snorted and softly sighed.

"Robin needs Luffy's love. Even though I had been living as part of the Arlong Pirate Crew for years, I at least didn't have to worry about being sold out by Arlong Pirates."

"She didn't have that luxury. Every day, every night, she lived in constant fear of being sold out to marines or some pirates that could do anything to her."

"I can't even imagine how much she went through just to find herself a proper life."

Hearing her words, Liam nodded and replied.

"Although I hate Crocodile for making Alabasta's situation worse, it gave her a home for a while. She might have done bad things under Crocodile, but she was able to live comfortably for a few years."

"Now, Straw Hat Pirate is her new home. After our battle with Aokiji, she trusts her completely. But, without seeing absolute despair, you can't find true happiness."

"That's why she still has that fear in her heart. A fear of abandonment. At the same time, she also wants to find someone who will always be there for her."

When he said that, Liam clenched his right hand.

'I'm sorry, Nami. I shouldn't have become your lover. I can't even imagine how painful it will be for you to see me disappear in front of your own eyes.'

At this moment, Liam began to regret making those decisions. Maybe if he hadn't changed things, he wouldn't be rejected by this world.

But that regret only lasted for a mere second.

'This is not a comic or anime. This is the real world for me. This is the real world for Nami, Luffy, and everyone else. I don't regret making those decisions. I don't regret making my crew stronger.'

'I know Nami will understand me, understand my choice. But I can't tell here now. I can't change more things until that moment. I absolutely can't make a mistake here.'

While he was thinking, Nami was completely unaware of his emotions. She just held his arms and thought of Robin's words from last night.

..............

Few Days Ago;

"What? You are going to confess to Luffy. That Luffy, our Captain?" Nami had the look of absolute shock when she heard Robin's words.

Robin nodded her head and replied.

"I know this is shocking, but I want to try it. Nami, you should understand me. You are the only one in the crew who was afraid of joining this crew and having freedom because of your fear of Arlong."

When she said that, Nami's eyes darkened. But, she also understood what Robin was feeling at this moment.

Robin knew this crew was strong. It was absolutely strong enough to face an Admiral.

But, Marines weren't just admirals.

There were three admirals, one fleet admiral, and some other powerful individuals, not to mention a powerful government behind it.

Although Robin and Luffy are in the same boat due to her knowledge and his devil fruit, she can't bring herself to believe that Luffy will always be there to protect her.

Deep down, she couldn't pass this last hurdle, and it just kept getting worse when Luffy and Liam fell unconscious after that battle.

Robin didn't leave the Vice-Captain's room the entire time. She was sitting next to Luffy. Of course, Liam already had Nami by his side. So, she couldn't just sit next to Liam like Nami.

But she didn't choose Luffy because she couldn't choose Liam. No, she chose Luffy because his existence brought peace to her heart, and she wanted to get stronger for him, not for the crew or others.

Only for him.

Nami sighed heavily. She knew Robin and Luffy weren't going to be a perfect pair. Luffy already had a childhood sweetheart and another woman who had fallen in love with him.

Though Alvida's love might just be some kind of admiration or lust, it doesn't change the fact that Robin might be the third one to love him.

Thinking of that, Nami glances at Luffy.

'What does this idiot have? Could it be I am the only one who can't see him as a potential lover? Could it be that my vision is bad?'

She quickly shook her head and didn't think about it. After a deep sigh, Nami continued.

"Alright, you can go for him, but you need to be proactive. Luffy doesn't understand Love as we do. His mind is only filled with meat. Even crew comes after meat."

"So, if you want to be his lover, you have to compete with meat. I can't believe I am saying this. But right now, your position in his heart might not be as high as a piece of meat."

"But it is also easy to make him your lover. You just have to play a little dirty."

Hearing her words, Robin shows a look of confusion. She didn't understand how playing dirty might get his heart.

Suddenly, her eyes darkened as she coldly said.

"Nami, I am not doing this for sex. I want his heart, not his d**k."

Nami hurriedly shook her head and explained.

"You misunderstood me. By dirty, I mean you need to get this empathy and make him understand your pain. This is a dirty move because you are guilt-tripping him."

"Luffy acts on emotions rather than understanding. I know you are not the type of person to reveal her emotions in front of others. But this is the only way to make Luffy understand the importance of his love."

"Luffy loves you just like he loves everyone. So, if you want him to love you like a lover, not like a crew mate, then you have to make him understand how much you need his love and how scared you are without his love."

"Otherwise, you might end up spending two years convincing him to marry you, only to end up getting rejected because his dream comes first."

Hearing her words, Robin's eyes lit up. But then a feeling of shame and guilt emerged in her eyes as she tried to reject this idea.

Seeing this, Nami immediately spoke.

"I know what you are thinking, and it's not good. Remember, the world we live in is ruled by strength. In fact, till this confession, I regarded you as a rival because of how Liam looks at you."

"Luffy might not be Liam, but he has bigger flaws. That is, if he ever gets guilt-tripped or agrees to have another lover, he will love you two equally. This is a good thing but also a bad thing."

"Vivi might end up confessing to Liam any day. And, then, Liam might just agree. He will do anything to convince me to agree with Vivi's relationship."

"Either I would need to leave him or share him with Vivi. This is just Vivi. What if he agrees to be in a relationship with more people? Luffy is not like Liam."

"Without including you, he already has two potential females. And, if Liam is right about Hancock, there are three potential females. You can't take chances here, Robin."

"Not only might you never earn his love, but you might also lose to other girls who could be much bolder than you."

"If you want to secure your status in his heart, you need to use this method. Remember, right now, your status in his heart might not be as high as a piece of meat."

"I don't love him, so I don't need to care. The same can't be said for you."

Hearing her words, Robin finally agreed to use this method.

................

Present Time;

In Captain's Room;

It was quite a spacious room with a large bed. There was a table, a chair, a mattress on the ground, and a space near the door.

Luffy walked toward the bed and slowly put Robin on the bed. After that, he slowly tried to remove his hand, but Robin held him tightly.

Seeing this, Luffy couldn't help but remember his past conversation with Liam.

"Liam, why do you always try to find a chance to sleep with Nami?" Luffy asked.

Liam looked at him with confusion and replied.

"Why are you asking?"

"Well, we always sleep together. So, I don't understand what's so good about sleeping with a girl." Luffy asked while scratching his head.

Liam sighed and patted Luffy's shoulder.

"You haven't fallen in love, Luffy. You won't understand. Not only it is the best moment for a man to sleep with his love in his arms, but it is also a move that makes his lover feel safe and warm."

Thinking about that conversation, Luffy decided to enter the bed. He was a little confused but still ended up putting his arms around Robin and pulling her into his embrace.

Whether she was awake or not, Luffy saw a small smile appearing on the corner of her mouth as she peacefully slept in his arms.

Seeing this smile, Luffy felt a strange tone in his heartbeat. It started beating faster, even though he wasn't doing anything hard.

It was weird yet comforting.

'What is this feeling?'