From the Desk of: Lumi Olivier

“You know how Dragon’s his dad?” Nami reminded him.

“Yeah,” Law nodded, staring back at his sister skeptically, “Why?”

“Because he has ties to Crocodile, too,” Nami added.

“Crocodile?” Law thought back, “The name sounds vaguely familiar, but it’s not really ringing any bells.”

“There’s a fashion house,” Nami explained, “It’s called House of the Cross Guild.  There are three major designers that run it.  One of them is Mihawk, which you know as Zoro’s adoptive dad.”

“Yeah,” Law nodded with her, “Because of course, Zoro’s a little nepo baby, too.  Very low key a nepo baby, but not as bad as Luffy.”

“And then, there’s Buggy,” Nami went on, “He’s kind of a major eccentric, but that’s his business.  But then, there’s Crocodile.  Crocodile is a major player with the House of the Cross Guild.  He always has been.  But there’s been a lot of mystery around him.  A little bit of controversy.  Crocodile also knows Luffy.  Robin told me just how well Crocodile knows Luffy today.”

“I’m not surprised there,” Law kicked his feet up on Nami’s leg, “I mean, his dad is fucking Dragon.  His grandfather runs a label, too.  Why would we be so shocked that he knows a fashion designer?  I’m sure Crocodile worked with Dragon at least a dozen times throughout his career.”

“Oh, I’d say they worked together,” Nami scoffed, “Because Crocodile and Dragon came together and had a collaboration.  And by the way I’ve heard Luffy talk, they’re still collaborating to this day.”

“Ok?” Law still wasn’t following, “So, they work together.  Congrats to them.”

“No, Law,” Nami threw Law’s feet off her lap, “They collaborated, oh…Let’s say about…Nineteen years ago?  And I’m sure they both call that collaboration their greatest achievement.”

“Wait…” Things finally started to fall into place, “Are you fucking serious?!”

“Now, you’ve figured it out,” Nami applauded, “Yeah.  Crocodile?  That’s Baba.  Every time Luffy has ever mentioned Baba, he’s talking about Crocodile.  I’m sure that’s none of my business to ask about, but I can only assume…Wait, no!  Because Luffy looks too much like Dragon and too much like Crocodile for that to be an adoption situation.  Crocodile had to be the one to have Luffy.  But…I don’t see how that could work out.”

“Easy,” Law explained, “Crocodile was either born intersex with fully functioning ovaries and a uterus or physically transitioned after having Luffy.  Nothing more to it than that.  But you’re serious?  Crocodile is Luffy’s Baba?”

“That’s what Robin said,” Nami confirmed, “And she used to intern with him ages ago.  I…Law, I have a headache.  I’m exhausted.  I really just want to go to bed.  And you should go to bed, too.  We have a big day tomorrow.”

“When are we supposed to get to the label?” Law asked.

“Noon,” Nami checked her phone.  It was already almost one o’clock in the morning.  She didn’t need to deal with anyone else for the rest of the night, “Go home.  Go to sleep.  We need a group meeting in the morning.”

“Yes, we do,” Law agreed.  He pushed himself off his barstool and left a kiss on top of his sister’s head, “Night, Nami.”

“Good night…” And Nami went straight to bed. 

Nami had too much to process.  And most of it was Luffy’s fault.  Nami thought she knew her friends.  And new them well.  But then, Luffy happened.  Luffy and all of his connections finally coming to light.  Nami had never heard Luffy talk much about his family.  But that was because his thoughts were all over the place anyway.  Luffy was a little rubber ball of pure energy and ran solely on good vibes and sunshine.  It would all be sorted in the morning, Nami thought to herself.  It would all be taken care of after a good night’s sleep.

The next morning, there were noises in her kitchen.  Understandably so.  Her coffee pot was set on a timer and she wasn’t surprised to hear it gurgling already.  Nami dredged herself out of bed and shuffled her feet across the kitchen floor.  She needed coffee.  And she needed some as soon as humanly possible.  Sleep didn’t exactly come easy for her the night before and she would need to supplement.

“Morning, Nami.”

“Leave your key on the counter,” Nami demanded, not at all surprised to see Law at her island.  But that didn’t mean she was ready to receive company.  Even if it were her brother. 

“No,” Law shook his head, “Coffee.  Please.”

“You know,” Nami pointed out, getting two cups down from the cabinet, “There’s a Dunkin just down the road.  Or a Dutch Bros. a block over.  Or if you really feel like being supportive of a small business, you could walk your ass two blocks down and hit the Baratie.  They’re open, too.”

“But,” Law countered, “When I go to any of those places, they usually greet me with a smile and some cheery tone asking me how I want my coffee.  Except for maybe the Baratie.  But why would I do that when I can just walk down the hall and get met with snark and attitude and the love of my little sister?”

“You’re an ass, Law.”

“Love you, too.”

Nami sat down and slid Law’s coffee across the counter, “Does that mean I can start charging you?”

“What would you do that for?” Law sipped his coffee made just the way he wanted.

“My coffee doesn’t come cheap,” Nami rolled her eyes, “You think I just get that shit for free?  No.  Of course, I don’t.  So, why should you?”

“Because,” Law smiled a bit, “You love me.  And you wouldn’t do that to me.”

“Like hell, I wouldn’t,” Nami chuckled to herself, “Whenever you’re ready, I will take a few hundred berries in the can on the counter.  Thank you.  And have a pleasant fuck off.”

“Wow,” Law scoffed, “You’re bitchy when you just wake up.”

“I hardly slept last night,” Nami groaned, “My melatonin didn’t want to kick in.  I took it at one after you left and I’m looking at my clock.  All of a sudden, it’s three o’clock and I’m still wide awake.  Like, what the fuck?”

“How long does it usually take for your melatonin to kick in?” Law asked.

“About half an hour,” Nami laid on her arm, “Why?”

“You need a stronger dose.”

“I’m already on ten milligrams, Law,” Nami told him, “Isn’t anything over that considered risky?”

“Then, you start looking into taking Ambien,” Law gave her a little nudge, “I’m sure if I asked one of the doctor’s I’ve interned with nicely, they’d hook me up.”

“I doubt it…” Nami pulled out her phone and shot a text to her boys, telling them to get to her place before they went off to the label, “Law…We need to see just how deep Luffy’s well runs.”

“Absolutely,” Law agreed, “Who do we know about now?  Dragon and Crocodile are a given.  And Shanks, too.”

“And Shakky,” Nami added, “Who has styled some of the biggest names to walk the face of the earth.  And Iva, who…Goes without saying.”

“Queen.”

“And then,” Nami went on, “There’s Rayleigh, too.  And Rayleigh, if I can get him, but I don’t see why I can’t.  Shakky’s going nuts with him retired.  He’s bored and Shakky’s going nuts.  He’s going to be our publicist.  He’s damn good at what he does.  He’s taken care of both Dragon and Crocodile before.  He’s our guy.  I’m going to get a hold of him in the next couple days and make sure the offer’s on the table.  Law, my head hurts.  Where the fuck is Usopp when I need him?”

“Wherever you left him last,” Law figured, “Should he be here, too?”

“He’s not part of the group,” Nami pointed out, “He’s my assistant.”

“And he’s not assisting you right now.”

“I don’t need him right now,” Nami let that slide, “But something tells me when you guys start taking off, I’m going to need all the help I can get.  And that’s what I’ll have Usopp for.  Bless him.”

“Knock, knock,” Sanji came in with a pastry box on his arm, “Morning, Nami.”

“Morning, Sanji,” Nami picked her head up, “Go ahead.  Make yourself at home.  Tell me you brought breakfast.”

“I brought breakfast,” Sanji put the box on the kitchen counter, “There’s an orange vanilla glazed donut in there just for you.”

“Thank you,” Nami gladly took that and got a good bite out of it.  This is why I don’t kill him when he stays over.  This is why I don’t smother him with a pillow, “What else is in there?”

“Raspberry Danish,” Sanji ran through them, “Chocolate bar donuts, apple turnovers.  Just some basics.”

“Thanks, Sanji,” Law already helped himself to a raspberry Danish.  He wasn’t complaining.  This is why I don’t punch you every time you make heart eyes at my sisters. 

“No problem,” Sanji pulled up a chair, “I suggest you get your fill now before Zoro and Luffy get here.  As far as I know, they’re on their way.”

“Good,” Nami let out a little sigh of relief, “Because we have a lot of shit to go over before we go to the label.”

“I figured that’s what this was all about,” Sanji gave her a nod, “So, how’d it go last night?  Speaking of the label.”

“It was great,” Nami chirped, “The CEO is a nice guy.  He was nothing but a gentleman to me.”

“So,” Sanji figured, “He gets the gold star for not being as big of a pervert as he could’ve been?”

“Absolutely,” Nami assured him, “Don’t worry, Sanji.  He’s a good guy.  Really, he is.”

“Nami!” Luffy chimed at the door, “We’re here!”

“The door’s open, Luffy,” Nami ushered them both in, “Morning, boys.”

“Good morning,” Zoro walked in still half asleep and without thinking about it, he bricked into Sanji’s back, “Morning, curly.”

“Good morning,” Sanji took a step to the side, knowing Zoro wasn’t there for him.  He saw the same white box Nami did, “Breakfast is on the counter.”

“Yay!” Luffy scanned Nami’s kitchen counters and frowned, “Where?”

“In the box,” Sanji told him.

“But…” Luffy looked in the box, “They’re just donuts.  I thought we would have real breakfast.”

“We have places to be today, Luffy,” Nami checked her clock, “And it’s already getting late.  And we need to talk.”

“Sure,” Luffy already had a chocolate bar donut in his mouth.  Mmm…And they’re cream filled.  Peanut butter cream?  Tastes like peanut butter.  Yum, “What’s up, Nami?”

“As we all know,” Nami leaned over her island, “I had a date with the CEO of the label last night.”

“We all knew that?” Zoro cocked his head.

“Yeah,” Luffy agreed, “I didn’t know you were dating the CEO of the label.  I thought you were already dating Vivi.”

“I am dating Vivi,” Nami assured him, “But that’s the thing.  It wasn’t a date date, per se.  It was more of a get to know you dinner.  Luffy…How well connected are you?”

“What do you mean?” Luffy asked.

“Shanks sends his love,” Nami relayed the message from the night before.

“That’s nice of him!” Luffy smiled, “When did you see Shanks?  I didn’t know you knew him, too.”

“I didn’t,” Nami went on, “Until last night.  When I had dinner with him.  When he introduced himself as the CEO of Grand Fleet Records.”

“No way!” Sanji clutched his chest, “Seriously?”

“Really?” Luffy was still a little lost, “I didn’t know Shanks was the CEO of Grand Fleet.  Good for him.”

“Hold on, hold on,” Sanji sat down, “So, to recap…You know the CEO of our label, your stylist, Mosshead’s stylist…”

“Our future publicist,” Nami added, “And one of the most influential rockstars to ever live.”

“Luffy,” Zoro shot him a look, finally joining the conversation, “I’ve known you for years.  Longer than anyone else here.  How in the hell is this the first time I’m hearing all of this?”

“You never asked,” Luffy shrugged, “I know a lot of people.  My brothers are in a band, too.”

“Of course, they are,” Nami groaned into her hands.

“Yeah!” Luffy threw himself into the couch, “Ever hear of Twin Flames?”

“They’re kind of a bluesy rock duo, right?” Law thought back.

“Yep,” Luffy nodded, “That’s Ace and Sabo.  Those are my brothers.”

“Dragon’s had more kids?” Law asked.

“No,” Luffy shook his head, “Ace and Sabo were adopted.  Sabo was adopted before Dad and Baba got married.  Sabo was kind of a stray that Dad ended up picking up and he had nowhere else to go, so…He’s Dad’s now.  Then, Ace was orphaned and Grandpa was good friends with his biological dad, so that meant Grandpa getting him after he died.  And his mom died in childbirth, so…Grandpa couldn’t raise a kid and since Dad already had Sabo, Grandpa gave him Ace, too.  And then, they had me.  Yay!  Happy family!”

“Oh, yeah,” Nami added, “And a Cross Guild designer, too.”

“Excuse me?” Sanji looked at Luffy like he grew a second head, “A what?”

“You heard me,” Nami stood her ground, “Robin told me all about the time she was working for Baba.”

“Oh, yeah!” Luffy nodded, “I remember that.  I was still pretty little, but I remember when Robin worked for Baba.  She was his intern.”

“Mother of fuck,” Nami finished off her coffee, “I need to sit down with Rayleigh before I have an aneurysm.  Because if anyone can help me sort through this, it’s him.”

“Oh, yeah,” Luffy sat on the couch, a knuckle deep in his nose, “Rayleigh’s the best.  Oh!  And you forgot about my grandpa, too, Nami.  He’s running a label, too.”

“Thank you, Luffy,” Nami mumbled into her countertop, “Very helpful.  I am.  I’m going to have a goddamn aneurysm over this shit.”

“No, you’re not, Nami,” Law promised, “You’re more likely to work yourself into stomach ulcers than to give yourself an aneurysm.”

“I hate my almost doctor brother,” Nami groaned, “You know what?  I have plans for after this meeting.  And I think it’d be best if all four of you came with me.  Because God knows I’ll fucking need it.”

“Sounds fun!” Luffy agreed, “What’s the plan, Nami?”

“After,” Nami hushed him, “But for now, we need to get to the label before we’re late.  We need to make a good first impression.  Even if Luffy already knows Shanks.”

“Let’s go!”

And so, the five of them were off to the label.  To the big, beautiful building downtown that kissed the sky.  Nami had seen it from the outside a million times before.  All while working under Arlong.  It wasn’t a pleasant memory, but she hoped this would be much better.  It had to be.  She wasn’t under Arlong’s thumb, so it had to be better.  It couldn’t be worse than that.  Still, Nami was nervous.  She knew everything would be fine.  She knew they were signed.  She knew they were taken care of.  She knew Shanks was ok with Luffy and with her.  That didn’t settle her nerves in the slightest.

“Hey…” Law took her hand, “You’re alright, Nami.  You know this guy.  He’s just another guy.”

“I know,” Nami breathed a little easier, grateful for her support system.

“Hi, Beckman!” Luffy waved to the man at the reception desk.

“Hey, Luffy,” the man greeted him with a smile, “What are you doing here, kid?”

“We’re Shanks’ twelve o’clock,” Luffy told him.

And the man was caught a bit off guard, staring Luffy down, “Really?  You finally got involved in the idol racket?”

“Mmhm.”

“You were the last one I would’ve expected,” the man looked the others over, “The pretty blonde one wouldn’t surprise me.  You, on the other hand?  Definitely a curveball.”

“Nami,” Luffy pulled her up to the front, “This is Beckman.  He’s Shanks’ assistant.”

Of fucking course, you know him, too.  And yet, Nami put on a smile and shook his hand, “It’s nice to meet you.”

“You, too,” Beckman gave her a courteous nod.

“Nami’s our manager,” Luffy explained, throwing an arm around Nami’s shoulders, “And she’s the best manager we’ll ever have.”

“That’s good to know,” Beckman approved, “But hey.  Keep it down, Luffy.  All of you, keep it down.  Yeah, you can be Shanks’ noon appointment all you want, but he’s not feeling very well today.”

“Oh, no,” Luffy awed, “What happened?”

“He got into a fight with a little green fairy,” Beckman rolled his eyes, “And the fairy won.”

“Shanks was fighting a fairy?” Luffy could hardly believe him, “Wait, did Shanks go to see Iva’s revue last night?  Because I’m pretty sure he was performing.”

“He wasn’t,” Sanji reported, “He was going to make me work the bar, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t performing last night.”

“No, Luffy,” Zoro put a hand to his shoulder, “He means the guy responsible for our contract is hungover.  That’s what happens after a night of absinthe.”

“Woof,” Luffy cringed, “Poor guy.”

“No,” Beckman settled him, “Do not take pity on him.  He brought this on himself.  You should hear the voicemail he left me last night.  My god.  It was pathetic.”

“Um…” Nami chimed in, “Should you really be talking about your boss like this?”

“When my boss knows I talk about him like this,” Beckman chuckled under his breath, “Yes.  When he does stupid shit, I have every right.”

“But wait,” Nami thought back, “I was with Shanks last night.  I maybe saw him have two drinks all night.”

“Were you with him all night?” Beckman asked, “Because something tells me this was well after you had gone to bed.  Shanks may have his moments where he’s dumb as a brick, but this wasn’t one of them.  He said he was going to meet a new client.  He told me to make reservations for the Baratie.  I thought it was a little strange, but he’s asked for stranger.  I’m not going to judge.  So, I got his reservation.  I thought that’d be it for the night.  Three o’clock this morning.  I get a phone call.  Like any sane person, I’m asleep, so I don’t get it until this morning.  You want to hear what he had to say?”

“What did he say?” Luffy asked.

“Honestly,” Beckman scoffed, “I’m both surprised and impressed he didn’t call his ex last night.”

“Oh, no…” Zoro’s face contorted into pure shock and horror.

“Oh, yeah,” Beckman nodded, “I thought you looked familiar.  You’re Mihawk’s kid, aren’t you?”

“Yeah,” Zoro squeezed his eyes shut, “That’s me.”

“So, if you could not mention that around Shanks,” Beckman warned, “Especially with the way he is now…?”

“Trust me,” Zoro promised, “I will definitely keep my mouth shut.  And I can only imagine how that phone call went.”

“You’re a good kid,” Beckman praised, “But like I said, be gentle with him, Luffy.  I heard him throwing up in his bathroom earlier.  I almost joined him.”

“Got it,” Luffy gave Beckman a nod and headed into Shanks’ office.

Of course, there was Shanks.  His head down on his desk, his curtains drawn, and praying for death.  In a way, Nami felt bad for the guy.  She didn’t think he would go out drinking after the night they had.  Was that reflective of her?  Did she say something or do something that made him want to go out after leaving her at her doorstep?  She knew she’d have to walk on eggshells around him today, but would she have to do that for the rest of their career?

“Beckman…” Shanks whined into his desk, “Will you go get me some painkillers…?”

“Hi, Shanks,” Luffy, much to everyone’s surprise, kept his voice down.

“Luffy?” Shanks gently picked his head up.  And that was enough to put a smile on his face, “Hey, kiddo.  What are you…you…you’re my noon appointment, aren’t you?”

“Sure am,” Luffy sat across from him.

“Alright,” Shanks managed to pull himself together and got a quick glimpse at Luffy’s manager, “Hi, Nami.”

“Hi, Shanks,” Nami sat down next to Luffy, “How you feeling?”

“I’ve definitely been better,” Shanks winced, “But I’ll manage.  Just a side note.  When you start seeing the little green fairy when you’re drinking absinthe, do not take that as a personal challenge to try and outdrink the little green fairy.”

“Noted,” Zoro nodded.

“So,” Shanks got a quick look around, “This is Monster Heart?”

“This is Monster Heart,” Nami confirmed, “You already know Luffy, but this is Zoro, Sanji, and Law.  They’re the rest of the group.  And you know I’m their manager.  We’ve met.”

“That we have,” Shanks nodded.  Slowly, “It’s good to meet everyone.  I’m sorry I’m not in better shape.”

“No worries,” Nami allowed, “I’m pretty sure we’ve all been in your position at least once.”

“Except me!”

“Except Luffy,” Nami added, “But that’s because Luffy doesn’t drink.”

“Good,” Shanks praised, “I would pray for the day that anyone thought getting Luffy drunk would be a good idea.  And I wouldn’t call myself the religious type.  So, my afflictions aside, let’s get down to real business here, shall we?”

“Of course,” Nami agreed.

“So,” Shanks asked, “Tell me, boys.  What do you need?”

“Breakfast,” Luffy chirped.

“You and me both, my little dude,” Shanks chuckled to himself, “But that’s not exactly what I meant.”

“I want to keep Luffy in vocal lessons,” Nami took charge.

“Of course,” Shanks allowed, “We can get him a vocal teacher.”

“Actually,” Nami went on, “We already have a vocal teacher for him.  If we could get Brook on board.  He’s very easy to pay.”

“Yeah,” Zoro scoffed, “Just give him Nami’s underwear and he’s good.”

“Zoro!” Nami quietly snapped at him, “Didn’t need to know that.”

“It’s true,” Zoro shrugged her off, “Tell me I’m wrong, Nami.”

“But if he’s going to be on the payroll here,” Shanks brought it back, “We’re going to have to pay him in actual money.  Not just panties.”

“Good,” Nami let out a quiet sigh.

“What else?” Shanks asked, “What else do you need to make life easier?  You need a choreographer?”

“Actually, no,” Nami shook her head, “We have one of those, too.”

“Oh, yeah?  Who do you got?”

“Nico Robin,” Nami told him, “She’s a good friend of ours.”

“Nice,” Shanks approved, “Nico Robin…Wow.  That’s a name I haven’t heard in a while.  Not since she was interning with the Cross Guild.  Good for her.  I’m glad she’s still dancing.  She was damn good back in the day.”

“She’s still good now,” Nami confirmed, “She still dances, but she’s mostly teaching these days.”

“I had a couple exes that worked with Cross Guild,” Shanks let out a little sigh, “And I remember Robin at Crocodile’s feet.  But…That was a long time ago.  And one of them ended up with a couple kids after we split.  And yet, he said he didn’t want kids with me…”

“Shanks,” Nami got things back on track, “I’m sorry to hear about your ex not wanting kids but ending up with kids, but shouldn’t we be figuring things out?”

“You’re right,” Shanks agreed, “I’m sorry.  A little swept up in nostalgia.  That’s on me.  I’m sorry.  It’s just…”

Shanks got a little closer to Zoro.  Almost too close, “Can I help you?  Do we not have personal space anymore?  Is that something we stopped doing and I missed the memo?”

“It’s strange,” Shanks backed off.  But only a little, “You look too much like one of Mihawk’s babies.”

“Nope,” Zoro shook his head, not needing that to get messy, “Never met the guy.  I don’t even know who Mihawk is.”

“Seriously?” Shanks looked at him strangely, “You’re getting into the idol business and you don’t know who Mihawk is?  He’s one of the biggest designers in the world.  Also a damn good looking specimen of a man…”

“Nope,” Zoro pulled Luffy a little closer and put a hand over his mouth, “I love you, Luffy.  And I don’t think we express that enough.”

“You’re absolutely right, Zoro,” Nami praised.  Good call, Zoro.  You and I both know Luffy wouldn’t have been able to keep his hole shut, “We all love you, Luffy.”

“Mmmm…” Luffy melted inside, still not entirely sure what was going on.  Wait.  Isn’t that Mihawk guy Zoro’s dad?  Yeah!  That’s Zoro and Perona’s dad.  And it’d make sense since Shanks said Mihawk had two kids after they got divorced. 

“So, Shanks,” Nami refocused him, “Instead of getting more caught up in nostalgia, maybe we could get back to work.”

“Right, right,” Shanks nodded, “So, let’s see.  We got your choreo down, we got your vocal coach down.  Publicist?  You need one of those?  I can get you one of those.”

“Nope,” Nami shook her head, “I’m about to nail one of those down the second we leave this building.”

“Oh, yeah?” Shanks wondered, “And who are you thinking?  You got a name?”

“Silvers Rayleigh,” Nami told him, “I met him the other day while Luffy was…”

“You’re getting old man Rayleigh?!” Shanks’ eyes doubled in size, “Really?  He’s coming out of retirement?”

“It seems to be the rumor,” Nami figured, “I mean, I knew he would for Luffy.  And he’s driving Shakky nuts, so…”

“Damn,” Shanks leaned back in his chair, “So, this is what it takes for the old man to come out of retirement.  All because Shakky said so.  I shouldn’t be surprised.  There’s not much he wouldn’t do for her.  Still.  It’s nice that he’s coming out of retirement.  He’s the best in the business.”

“And your dad!” Luffy breached containment.

“Thank you, Luffy…” Shanks held his face in his hands, “Good to know.”

“Really?” Sanji wondered, “Our publicist is your dad?”

“Well…Kind of,” Shanks clarified, “More like my mentor.  But Rayleigh was more of a dad to me than my own biological dad was.  Kind of like the guy I told you about last night, Nami.”

“I feel that…” Sanji groaned.

“But you’re lucky to have him,” Shanks cracked a little smile, “It’ll be good to see him again.  It’s been a while.  I should call him and catch up.  I’m sure he’s worried.  He always was like a mother hen with me.  But back to the five of you.  Because by the sounds of it, you guys just need a songwriter and a studio.  Or do you have some of them already?”

“We don’t,” Nami chirped, “Those are the only things we don’t have.”

“Well then,” Shanks laughed to himself, “I don’t feel totally useless here.  I got you.  I’ll set you up with someone soon.  Keep your phone on, Ms. Manager.  I’ll be giving you a call and you’ll be my direct line to the boys.  Professionally anyway.  I’ll still be popping in your texts, Luffy.  Just to make sure you’re doing ok.”

“Ok,” Luffy didn’t think twice about it.

“Hey,” Sanji wondered, “What does he get special treatment for?”

“I had a small hand in raising the kid,” Shanks pointed out, “I’m going to keep in touch with him somehow.”

“That’s right!” Luffy nodded, “Because Shanks was dating one of my nannies.”

“Yes, I was…” Shanks sighed out, “Damn…I miss Makino.  Have you heard anything from her recently?”

“Not recently,” Luffy shook his head, “I’m surprised you weren’t talking about Dadan.”

“Noooooooooo…” Shanks backed off, “I wouldn’t touch Dadan with a ten foot pole.  She scares the shit out of me.”

“But it’s funny to watch her get scary.”

“Luffy,” Law stared him down, “We really need to get you evaluated, don’t we?”

“Evaluated for what?”

“If you have to ask,” Law figured, “You should be evaluated for everything.  And you never should’ve stopped taking your meds.”

“No!  My sparkle!”

“Alright,” Nami hushed them both, “That’s enough.”

“So, there’s another matter,” Shanks added, “Whenever you guys go on tour, you’re going to need a crew, too.”

“We got one of those, too!” Luffy decided, “Because you can’t tell me Franky and his brothers wouldn’t be more than ok with helping us out.”

“And we’ll already have Robin with us anyway,” Nami thought it over, “So, Franky would probably already be with us.  He can’t stand to be away from her for long, let alone for months at a time.”

“You guys really know how to make my job easy,” Shanks clutched his chest, “And today of all days when I feel at my shittiest.  God, you have no idea how much I appreciate that.  The mythical idol group that’s actually low maintenance.  So, we pretty much have everything all buttoned up here.  Good.  Because I might need a nap.  And painkillers…And breakfast…BECKMAN!”

Beckman apparated in the doorway, “You ring, my liege?”

“Can you go get me some breakfast?” Shanks asked softly, “Please…?”

Beckman just let out a heavy sigh, his face in his hands, “I spoil you.  You do realize that the odds of anywhere still serving breakfast at one o’clock are slim?”

“I know…”

Fortunately, they had an insider in the local restaurant scene in that office.  Sanji cracked a little smile, “Go to the Baratie.  Ask for Zeff.  Tell him you need a morning after special.  He’ll set you up and it’ll definitely cure what ails you.”

“Ooh…” Shanks perked up, “Secret menu?”

“More like something he’s made for me before,” Sanji explained, “You were talking about Rayleigh being the dad you always needed?  Well, I got one of those, too.  And it happens to be Zeff.  Like I said, order the morning after special and you should be fine within the hour.”

“Thank you, obvious eye candy of the group,” Shanks gave him a pat on the shoulder, “You’re a real one.  And thank you, Beckman.  I appreciate it.”

“Again,” Beckman rolled his eyes, “I spoil you, boss.”

“Yes, you do,” Shanks awed, “That man is a godsend.  Nami, do you have an assistant?”

“I do,” Nami confirmed, “Why?”

“Because,” Shanks teetered a bit, holding back another wave of nausea, “They’re wonderful.  Because life is going to get a little hectic from here on out and you’re going to need one.  If you didn’t have one before, I would’ve totally suggested one.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go throw up again.”

“Thank you, Shanks…” Nami backed away slowly.

“Go make me proud.”

Nami ushered the boys out of Shanks’ office and tried not sympathy puking with him.  Beckman wasn’t kidding when he said he could hear Shanks throwing up in his office.  But still, Nami kept her own breakfast down and the five of them were back on the sidewalk.  Nami made it through her first official meeting unscathed.  The boys would be well taken care of.  What more could she have possibly wanted?

“Hey, Nami?”

“Yes, Luffy…” Nami could finally breathe again, “What is it?”

“Can we go get lunch now?” Luffy begged, “I’m starving.”

“You know what?” Nami smiled, “Yeah.  Let’s go get lunch.  Law’s buying.”

“What the fuck do you mean, Law’s buying?” Law squeaked.