The fire crackled and the warm light illuminated the odd group around it. Their faces were lit with content smiles—except for the skeleton, who had no face—as they ate, drank and made merry.

Taking advantage of the rare silence while Luffy stuffed his face with anything within his reach, Brook put down his violin and spoke.

"I've been wondering," he began. "May I ask if any of you thought what you will do after our dreams are realized?"

The other straw hats' expressions answered him. They were surprised and puzzled as they exchanged looks.

"Yohohoho," laughed Brook. "Me neither."

Chopper looked at Robin as the archeologist retained her stoic look, but her eyes glimmered.

"For me it depends entirely on what I find written in the Rio poneglyph," she said.

Usopp lay on his stomach, his elbows on the ground and his chin in his hands. "I'll go to Elbaf with my 8000 warriors," he said. "Great Captain Usopp, the bravest man on the seas," he went on, singing.

Robin giggled as Chopper looked at Usopp with admiration. "Amazing Usopp!" he shrieked.

"I'll return to the Fishman Island and spend my days with the mermaids!" Sanji said, a little blood spurting from his nose.

"What an embarrassing ambition," came a muttering from his right.

"What was it, you idiot swordsman?" Sanji began, but he was cut off by Franky.

"I'm happy as long as Sunny keeps braving the seas," he said. "Oi Nami, what about you?"

"Hm?" said the navigator after she took a sip from her tankard and crossed her ankles. "What about me?"

"Ever think of settling down, getting married, having kids?"

Their gazes were fixed on her and Sanji swooned as his imagination ran wild. Zoro stared at the fire, shifting his weight.

"We might meet someone crazy enough to marry her," Usopp said and his face met the ground as Nami's fist slammed against his head.

"It's too early for me to think about these things," she said. "I like my life as it is. I'll consider it when the time comes."

"But Nami-san," said Brook, "What if the richest man in the world promises you all the treasures there are to find?"

Chopper, Usopp and Franky turned to her, awaiting an answer as Sanji kicked the skeleton in the ribs.

"You shitty musician! As if Nami-san would ever marry someone for that kind of reason!" he yelled.

"Thank you Sanji-kun—"

"One day she'll be my queen, my angel of love…" he continued in a theatrical tone as he sighed heavily, earning an annoyed frown from Nami.

"I'm not sure if Nami would want to be a part of your mermaid harem," Robin pointed out, and the straw hats watched Sanji's face twisting as he realized the conflict.

He threw himself on the floor crying and oozing gloom as he made incoherent noises.

"You happy Robin?" asked the cyborg. "You suupeeeer broke him."

A disapproving 'tch' was heard, followed by "Moron cook."

Sanji straightened up, his demeanor transforming in an instant as he glared at the swordsman.

"I want to cure everyone," Chopper said. "If I find a cure for every disease in the world, I want to share it."

All the others looked at Chopper as they said something along the lines of "It's wonderful, Chopper." The reindeer broke into a little dance, chanting, "Compliments don't make me happy you assholes," with a wide smile on his face.

"He looks happy to me," Usopp said.

"Zoro-san," said Brook, "What would you like to do once you become the greatest swordsman?"

The group's attention turned to the mosshead.

"It's meaningless to plan the future," he said. "It's different from having a goal."

"What does that mean you idiot?" Nami snapped, sitting up and fixing her eyes on his. "Can't you just play along for once?"

"Fine," he grumbled. "Get out of my face woman!"

Nami drew back with a satisfied smile.

"I'd try to find someone who could surpass me," Zoro said.

"Does that mean you don't plan to start a family at some point?" Usopp asked as Kaya's face inadvertently appeared in his mind.

The swordsman looked down and mumbled something inaudible. He picked a branch from the ground and poked at the fire, shooting a quick glance to the orange haired woman sitting next to him.

A depressing silence enveloped them as the fire danced; casting unsteady shadows on the now pensive faces, except for one.

After a slurping and gulping sound, the last piece of meat disappeared from view and Luffy looked at his crew like a puppy with a short attention span.

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" whined the captain, his lips puckered.

"After we find One Piece, we'll keep traveling," he said. "We'll go on new adventures and we'll be together on the seas forever, freer than anyone else!"

The faces around the fire lit one by one with happy smiles once again as they looked at each other with replenished hope.

"We'll find new dreams," Nami said.

"And we'll chase after them together," Usopp added.

"I'll be by Nami-san and Robin-chan's side for eternity!"

"Yohohohoho! And my music will accompany us all the way! Going to deliver Bink's sake~"

"Supeeeeeeeeeer!" yelled Franky, standing up and posing as Robin giggled.

"Heh," Zoro uttered, bringing his bottle to his lips and Chopper stuck chopsticks in his nose.

"KANPAIIII!" Luffy yelled.

"KANPAIIIIII!" joined all the others.

Usopp, Chopper, Franky and Luffy jumped up and started dancing around the fire as Sanji prepared the second batch of food.

Brook sang and Robin smiled to herself as she watched them and swayed ever so slowly.

Nami got up. "I'll bring more sake," she said cheerfully and noticed a shadow pass across Zoro's face. She bent down and grinned.

"You don't have to worry, I'm not going anywhere," she teased.

"Like I'd worry about that," Zoro shot back. "Just try not to end up with some moron," he added with a frown.

"I'm not sure if I can promise that," Nami said as she leaned in close enough to make Zoro flinch. "You're a moron after all," she whispered in his ear, straightened up and stuck out her tongue as she winked at him.

Zoro felt heat radiating off his face as he watched her go. "That witch," he muttered and got up.

"Oi Nami!" he yelled, and the navigator turned around to see the swordsman walking towards him. She froze where she stood as Zoro stopped and reached for her hair.

"Zoro… What…" she mumbled as her heart tried to escape her chest while his fingers ran through her hair.

"This was stuck in your hair," Zoro said, a dry leaf in his hand. It was his turn to grin when the navigator breathed a heavy sigh.

"I'm not going anywhere either," he said to the mesmerized woman and walked back to the fire.