Sorry it took me so long! I got stuck and busy and just... GAH! Anyway, final installment is now up. Hope you enjoy! Oh, and the italics section is a flashback.
Disclaimer: I would be lying if I said I own One Piece. So I won't.
"But how?" Sanji finally managed to splutter out as Nami dragged him by the hand back through the halls in the midst of the crew. "Where's the real Kaigan?"
"I'm glad you asked that, cook-san," Nico Robin said with a faint smile. "When navigator-san heard you were getting married, she came straight to me. Coincidentally, I had just heard some interesting information about the princess, and immediately set about confirming its validity…"
"What?" Luffy interrupted, looking confused.
"She means she started spying," Zoro said with a sigh and a light blow to the back of Luffy's head.
Robin nodded slightly, and continued. "The rumour I had heard stated that Kaigan-hime eloped with one of her father's staff as soon as she heard that she was to be married. Unlike cook-san, she was not given a choice. Between us, navigator-san and I came up with a plan to blackmail her father, the King of Shima. If he promised to allow navigator-san to take his daughter's place, we wouldn't tell Ariki-dono and cook-san the truth about Kaigan-hime's whereabouts."
"So, the real Kaigan has been gone for days?" a stunned Sanji asked. "Then the girl I met the other day was…"
"Me!" Nami said with a wide grin. "I bought a wig in town, and Robin used some make-up to change my face a little, but I was so scared that you were going to recognise me and blow the whole plan!"
"But your voice didn't sound anything like you, Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed.
"That's because we used a Voice Dial to record one of the servant girls," Nami said. "We told her what to say, then recorded it. Oh, and Sanji, I think you can drop the title now. After all, we are married!"
"Why didn't you tell the rest of us any of this?" Usopp finally asked, flabbergasted. "We went to all that trouble while you…"
"We expected you'd do something stupid," Nami said casually. "And it was quite useful. Having you lot sitting around plotting made it look as though the entire crew was in on it, and was the perfect cover for the real plan."
"But Nami, how come you did all this?" Luffy asked, puzzled.
"Because!" Nami snapped, not making eye contact with anyone.
"Because why?" Luffy persisted.
"Because, you rubber-brained idiot, she's in love with the stupid ero-cook!" Zoro growled.
"Isn't it romantic?" Chopper sighed happily as Nami went bright red.
"Ah, my Nami-san, you look so beautiful when you're blushing in embarrassment!" Sanji wailed as his eye became a heart. "Is it true? Do you truly love me as much as I love you, my gorgeous blossom?"
"This may be a good time for us to leave cook-san and navigator-san to talk alone," Robin said as a vein above Nami's eye began to twitch.
"How come?" Luffy whined.
"Baka! You don't understand anything, do you?" Usopp raged. "A secret confession of…"
"What was that, Usopp?" Nami asked sweetly, her voice dripping menace.
"Um… I think my 'said-too-much' disease is coming back again!" he cried, and took off down the hall wailing. He was followed at a slower pace by the rest of the crew, leaving Nami alone with Sanji.
"Do you love me, dearest flower?" Sanji asked eagerly, going down on one knee and clasping her hand between his own.
She pulled her hand free and sighed. "I-I do love you, Sanji," she said quietly. "But do you love me?"
Sanji's mouth dropped open. "How can you think that it's possible that I don't?" he asked in astonishment. "Every day, I shower you with praise and the best dishes I can create. I would willingly be your slave merely to be near you…"
"But so many times, I've watched you do the same for Robin, or Vivi, or any other pretty girl that you've become love-struck over," Nami interrupted, her voice trembling. "How was I supposed to know that you really loved me?"
A slow look of understanding came over his face. "All of it was an act," he said quietly. "Ever since the first moment I laid eyes on you, my heart has been yours, and yours alone. I only behaved as I did to try and find out if you had feelings for me without getting my heart crushed."
He took a deep breath. "I would give up the light of the world for you. I would fight the entire world to protect you. And even if we were within sight of it, I would turn around and sail away from the All Blue if you asked me to. I love you, Nami."
Nami was silent for a moment, then a wide smile spread across her face. "It's a good thing we're married then, isn't it?" she said brightly, and grabbing a handful of his hair, yanked his head down for a kiss.
x
"Ariki-dono, you will not believe what San-chan has done now," Sora said, bustling into his sickroom and twitching aside the curtains, letting the early morning light stream through the window. "He and those ruffian pirate friends of his took off last night without a word to anyone!"
"Not again," Ariki said, but his voice was mild, and his eyes were far away.
"Ariki-dono? Are you feeling all right?" Sora asked hesitantly.
"Hm? Oh, no, Sora-san, I'm fine. Just thinking," he replied. "Please leave me now. I wish to sleep awhile longer."
Sora left the room with a backward glance over her shoulder. Ariki was staring into space with a contented smile on his face.
x
"So, your mind is made up?"
"Yes, Father," Sanji answered, sitting on the side of Ariki's sickbed. "Nami and I will be leaving with the rest of our crew on the evening tide."
"I admit, I regret that you will not stay," Ariki said sadly. "Robin is remaining here with her husband, and I will be returning home alone."
"But you'll be going home to your other sons, and their wives, and your grandchildren," Sanji reminded him. "Besides, we have things we still need to do before we settle down."
"Like what?" Ariki asked.
"We still have our dreams. Every one of us has a dream, and we all swore to help each other achieve them. We've all got a long way to go, but it doesn't matter as long as we're together."
x
"He looked so happy when he came to visit yesterday," Ariki murmured to himself. "He has good friends, and a good woman to stand beside him. And that's all I ever wanted for him."
x
"Do you think your father will be all right with us just taking off like this?" Nami asked.
Sanji put his arms around her and held her against his chest so they could both look out and watch the sunrise. "Of course. After all, he wanted me to have someone to care for me so I'd never be alone, and now I have the most wonderful woman in the world. How could he not be happy?"
"Well, he'd better be," Nami said, snuggling deeper into his chest. "Besides, we're entitled to a honeymoon, aren't we?"
A cry and a clatter behind them followed by the angry yells of Zoro broke the silence, and Nami sighed. "It would be nice if we had it alone, though," she muttered.
"Let's see if we can make it special anyway," Sanji said, and leaned down to give her a kiss, which she eagerly returned.
Hope you all enjoyed! Over and out