Zoro shifted slightly on the bed, making it creak under his heavy muscles and ripped body. Burying his face in Nami's luscious hair, Zoro hid from the glaring sunlight shining through his window. It was only eight am in the morning, Zoro noticed from checking the alarm clock, yet the sun's warmth had the heat of the afternoon sun.

"We should probably get up..." Zoro murmured into Nami's neck. She only replied with a grunt and didn't seem to acknowledge the world outside her own dreams. Rubbing his eyes awake, Zoro yawned again and prepared himself to get up and face another day when their bedroom door suddenly burst open.

"MUMMY! DADDY! WAAAKE UP! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TODAY!" came the roaring voice as the little girl did a graceful leap onto the couple's bed. She held three swords in her hands and waved them around. "WAAAKE UPP!"

Zoro's eyes grew large when they saw his most treasured swords in the hands of his slightly unreliable daughter. "What the-" his oncoming swear words were immediately cut off by his wife's hand, which had been slapped onto his face. Zoro raised an eyebrow at Nami. She began to sit up, almost like a zombie as she glared at the father and daughter.

"Zoro," she began to scold first, "No foul words in my house. Not anymore." Then she turned to her daughter. "Haruki-chan, what do you think you're doing with Daddy's swords?"

"How does that count as a foul word?" Zoro muttered as Haruki began making up an excuse.

"Well... I figured that both of you wouldn't wake up unless I did something really dramatic. I've always wanted to play with Daddy's swords too," Haruki said to her parents innocently as she started to cuddle between them. She handed the swords back to Zoro instantly. "Sorry, daddy."

His heart burst with warmth as Zoro met his daughter's pure, innocent eyes. How could he get angry at that? "... Alright," he patted Haruki's head and nodded, "You're a good girl. Unlike your mother."

Haruki giggled and found herself a spot on Zoro's lap as she poked a tongue at her mother. Nami gaped at the two who had seemingly turned against her. "You know what? I don't care. I guess both of you won't be getting breakfast," turning her head away from the two nuisances that had spoiled her morning, Nami jumped out of bed and stomped all the way to the kitchen. Zoro could feel the angry vibes from where he sat, and he shivered.

"Alright," he carried Haruki by her armpits and put her on the floor as he got off the bed himself. "We better go and apologise to your furious mother. Or else we're gonna be hungry for the rest of the day."

Haruki looked up at him, "You can cook, daddy."

Although he wanted to agree to that, he knew Nami could hear them from the kitchen. Zoro sighed and shook his head, "Not as well as your mother."

Holding hands, the father and daughter walked out of the room and to the kitchen. Zoro and Nami had bought a house in Foosha Village by coincidence as they were travelling around the world for their honeymoon. Both of them had liked the peaceful yet boisterous atmosphere of Foosha Village and had found a house for a sale near the edge of town. They barely put any thought into buying the house but haven't regretted it yet. A year later, they had their first child. Their lives had changed instantly with an addition to the family.

"WE ARE INCREDIBLY SORRY!" both Zoro and Haruki exclaimed, getting down on their knees and bowing to the queen of the house.

"Pfft," Nami giggled at the pair as she flipped a pancake and transferred it onto a plate. "Alright then. Grab a seat, breakfast is almost ready." Nami knew that she would never be able to be angry at both her husband and daughter for such a long period of time.

Grinning, the pair took a seat at the kitchen table and waited patiently for the pancakes.

Even though both Nami and Zoro could cook, Nami usually took on most of the house chores as well as looking after Haruki if she wasn't outside playing with the village kids. It was no secret that Haruki's parents were crewmates of the late pirate king, so that boosted her popularity among a lot of kids, as well as created enemies of course. Zoro, on the other hand, had started up his own school for swordsmen again and was training nearly thirty students of all ages every day. He was determined to pass on his skills and knowledge to a young apprentice who had the same heart as he did when he was younger. Apart from teaching at the school, Zoro usually found himself helping out with a lot of labour work around the village. He also often spotted Nami helping the older citizens of the village too.

Breakfast ended on a happy note. Some of Haruki's friends had invaded the house in search of their friend and once they had found her, the group of children - Haruki included - had rushed out to the village to continue their adventures. Nami adored them all and loved the fact that Haruki would be able to have such a good childhood among a group of friends who were going to stay with her for most of her life. As a child, Nami had missed out on things like friends.

"Our life is good, Zoro. I'm so happy. We don't even have to steal from other people to have all the things we need," Nami joked.

"I do miss cutting up people though. Bad guys, I mean," Zoro grunted. "But it's a good thing that I don't have to do that anymore because I want Haruki to have a good and safe life. We've met too many people who have had their lives broken by a terrible childhood. I don't want that for Haruki."

Nami nodded, "I know what you mean... I love that Haruki can have a normal life without having to face the hardships that we had, you know? I want her to love life. Do you think she'll become a pirate one day? I mean, it's in her blood and history."

"Would you stop her if she became one?" Zoro replied.

Nami chuckled and looked away as if reminiscing the past. "No, I suppose not. I might nag her about it but I would never stop her from achieving her dream. Though it's almost expected that she will become a pirate if she inherits both our dreams and wills. Even if she doesn't, I will still be proud of her."

"It's true. I want her to be free on the seas, to experience the adventures we had, but I also want her to do what she wants," Zoro nodded. "I just hope that she doesn't get lost on the seas as I did."

Laughing, Nami agreed with a nod. "I'm going to blame it all on you if she ever gets lost. Even in the village." She walked around the kitchen table and wrapped her arms lovingly around Zoro from behind. "Yo Zoro, are you excited for your second child?"

"What are you talking about?" Zoro looked up at Nami and then to her rounding stomach before he realised. He blinked.

Nami shrugged, "Chopper came around the other day and had another check-up. He confirmed that I'm pregnant again."

Zoro's face lit up instantly with a beaming grin, spinning around and holding Nami's shoulders. "Are you serious? You're not kidding?" Nami nodded brightly. Laughing with immense joy on his face, Zoro hugged Nami tight and then kissed her softly on the cheek. Then he blushed. "You're the best."

"No problem, boss," Nami smiled. If Zoro was happy, then she was happy.

That night, the couple told Haruki the news and she could not be happier to have a younger sibling. The little girl danced and jumped before exhausting herself and sleeping. Even in her dreams, she seemed to be telling everyone about her new little sibling - concluded by what Zoro could hear from her sleep-talking. The family could not be more glad to prepare for the new baby, and it would be another excuse to see the crew gather again for their child.

Zoro and Nami sat under the stars after they confirmed that Haruki was asleep. Occasionally, they liked to pull out deck chairs and a couple of bottles of sake and just drink under the beautiful night sky. It reminded them of the nights they slept like drunk idiots on the ship with their crewmates. Now, even though it was just the two of them, it was still fun.

"I'm thinking of naming the new baby Luffy, if it turns out to be a boy," Nami said, taking a gulp of sake.

Zoro nodded. "Good idea. It will be like Luffy is still with us. Reborn again after a few years of being dead. It seems like what Luffy would do, right?"

Nami's laugh echoed lightly in the night. "I wish that was possible... I don't even remember the date he died."

"Me neither, because sometimes it feels like he isn't really dead. I always feel like one day, I'm going to open the door and find his stupid grin right in front of my face before he chokes me to death with that hug of his," Zoro finished his first bottle of sake and threw it on the ground. "I wouldn't mind that."

Nami nodded with a quiet smile. "I would love to see his face again."

ACT SIXTEEN
Finish