Nami leaned against the boat and glared at the cook across from her.

"What are you mad at me for?"

"This is all your fault."
"What,no it's not"
"What's up with the attitude?"
"I'm not just your love sick puppy,I can actually calm myself in a crisis."
"Hmm...Maybe it's split personality."
Sanji rolled his eyes.

"Yeah,exactly,it's split personality."
"You're acting very out of character."
"You can't expect me to behave like a moron every second of day."
"Yeah,but usually around me...Now that I think of it, we never just hang out."
"You call this hanging out?"
"That's not what I meant."
The Mini-Merry rocked violently,throwing the redhead navigator into the cook's arms.
"Are you okay?"

"Ugh,I'm fine."
"Okay, get off,please."

"Geez,have a little heart in this crisis."

"Nami, your knee in on my crotch and it hurts."

"Ooooh."
She moved back to where she was before.

"Sorry about that."
They stared in silence at each other.

"Sanji, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
She shifted nervously and looked away.

"Do you like me?"
"You're my nakama."
"I meant...Like-like."

He raised a curly eyebrow. Nami caught a quick flash of the blush that spread across the cook's face when she asked, but now that rosy-tint was completely gone.

"...Are we teenagers again?"

"...Sanji,we really are teenagers. You only stop being a teenager when you're twenty."
"Well,I don't know about you, but I'm 21"
"You're 19."
"21."
"19. I asked Zeff when I was at the restaurant."

They stared in silence at each other. Again.

"Wait, what?"
"Uh?"
"That's not possible. You left before I officially joined the crew, so you couldn't ask Zeff after. Why would you have any interest before?"
This time,Nami was the one who blushed.

"No reason."
The boat shook violently again.

"Unless...You were interested in me for some reason..."

Both of them blushed violently.

"Of course not, I was just curious..."
"Really?"

He seemed disappointed.

"Well...I kinda like you."
"...I kinda like you too."

"So..."
"Yeah...You want to go have dinner together on the next island we stop at?"
"Like...A date?"
"I guess you can call it that."

"Oh. Okay then."
"Right."
"Thanks."
"For what?"

"For bringing this up. I would've never have the courage to tell you."

"...Oh...You know,if this wasn't a crisis I would've never calm myself enough to actually talk to you. You're too cute."
She looked away.

"Is that why you like me?"

"What?"

"...You only like me for my looks."
"...Not exactly. It was something about the way you look that made me fall for you but..."
"What?"
"There was something in your eyes. I don't know, something different. Then I got to know you better. A lot better. And I fell completely for you. You should thank your sister."

She slowly raised an eyebrow.

"You feel in love with me because I was a sad little girl?"
" What can I say, I like to protect. But seriously, it was that strength of yours."
She looked away.

"I'm not strong. I just-"
"You are strong. Stronger than me, at least. What about you?"

"Uh?"
"Why do you like me?"
"I don't know."
"Sure you do."
"...You have pretty eyes. And then I learned how brave and selfless you were. I mean, you had just met me and still, you went with Luffy and..."

"I know. I'm an idiot."

Both of them smiled.

"You really are."
"Thanks a lot."
They laughed a little and looked at each other in silence. A pleasant silence.

"I never realized how funny you were."

He shrugged.

"I guess I am."
"So...What are we going to do about the giant sea king circling around us?"
"I would kick it. But it would swallow me whole. I'm not sure I can kick when I'm being chewed?"
"And we're just going to wait for the Sunny?"
"I guess so."
"Any ideas on how to pass the time?"

He threw her a suggestive look.

"Sanji!"
"What,what did I say?"

"It's not what you said,it's what you did?"
"I did something?"
"You idiot."

Both of then laughed as the boat started shaking violently again.