Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Sometimes, days on the open sea tended to blend together. Franky didn’t mind, of course. He wouldn’t trade the freedom of sailing for anything in the world. And yet, his mind aways felt a little grey on the long stretches of endless blue between islands. The Strawhat Pirates could occasionally go days, weeks, months between destinations; he was never quite sure how long it took in total.

A dull mist was present in his mind when he woke up slowly. The shipwright groaned as he waded into consciousness, much too aware of all the other boys sprawled out around him. He’d made bunks for a reason, dammit, but that didn’t stop the ball of fur from itching his eyes, the scaly palm from pressing his cheek, the bony hand from poking his ribs, and the long nose from snoring right into his ear. Franky sat up slowly, elbowing Jinbei off of him. One of his big metal hands rose to nudge Usopp back into his hammock, and his other picked Chopper up off of his face. Brook rolled to the floor with a rattle of ivories.

The sun was shining bright through the windows, but it wasn’t particularly late in the morning. The cyborg’s internal clock read close to seven fifteen, day three thousand seven hundred forty. Ten years since he installed his calendar counter in his many enhancements, eight hundred sixty days since he joined the crew, one hundred seventy two days since getting to the New World, thirty three days since leaving Wano. He wasn’t sure how many consecutive days in a row they’d been at sea, but the tick of the mechanical device helped him to keep steady time. The metronome in his heart nudged him to his feet and out into the sunny morning.

Franky took a moment to rejuvenate himself and scrub the rust of sleep from his eyes in the bathroom. He then passed through the galley, trying his best to not get in the way of breakfast preparations, and picked up a cold beverage to properly wake himself up. The rest of the crew slowly shuffled into the kitchen for food not long after. Thick bacon and spiced sausage were the only primary motivators in waking their captain up this early in the morning. Sanji had apparently been in a bit of a baking mood; steaming muffins and puffed up pastries were piled in the middle of the table. He ladled hollandaise sauce and gooey poached eggs onto fresh biscuits for the ladies, but slapped away Luffy’s greedy fingers.

Chopper and Usopp talked excitedly through mouthfuls of waffles about their adventure the day previous. The boys, accompanied by their captain, had gone hunting for cicadas on the beach and brought a number of them back onto the ship. Wait, had that been yesterday? Franky could have sworn it had been at least a week since they’d made landfall, but he’d also spent the day before down in his workshop. Everything felt grey and fuzzy as he attempted to recall where they had gone, but specific details escaped him.

Luffy hopped up from his seat and sprinted away from breakfast with a slap of his sandals. They must be some super fascinating bugs if he was willing to leave his bacon behind in order to retrieve them. Sanji did not look pleased when the rubber man returned with a mesh cage of large, screaming cicadas.

“No bugs at the table!” The cook shouted and pointed for their captain to return the critters to wherever he had brought them out from.

“But look how cool this one is!” Luffy opened the hutch’s door to retrieve one, but accidentally released all the insects in the process. The small swarm flew from the open hole and scattered around the kitchen.

Nami shrieked, “ew, ew, ew get them off!”

“See?!” Sanji frowned, “this is exactly what I was talking about! What the hell, you’re freaking the ladies out!”

“They resemble locusts, devouring our crops and leading to a mass famine. I wonder if any of these cicadas are infected with the fungus that turns them into zombies?” Robin mused as she bat one away from her coffee with an extra hand.

“Zombie cicadas?!” Luffy sparkled.

Jinbei made a gesture across the room for Franky to help him start collecting the bugs. The precision hands came out and each jeweled creature was painstakingly returned to the hutch. As they worked, the engineer considered improvements he could make to the insect house so that they would not have to experience the issue again. The re-catching process was slow going, but the rest of the boys helped to make it as easy as it could be, given the circumstances. The navigator took her plate of food out to the deck to eat alone without bugs in her hair, but the archeologist stayed behind to lend an extra eye and a hand or three. Robin laughed and pointed to a cicada climbing up the wall behind the big cyborg's head, but he grew too enraptured by the sound to catch the critter in time. Brook managed to pluck it out of the air as it flew away, returning the bug safely home.

Franky had lost much of his appetite by the time all the cicadas had been located, so he excused himself and disappeared down into the hull. Days ending in a round multiple of ten meant it was time for body maintenance. The sooner he started the process in his day, the sooner he could move on to more fun activities. His initial diagnostic check didn’t pull up any red flags, though one of the relays in his left leg didn’t seem to be operating at its full capacity. The cyborg re-soldered the wires under his knee cap just to be certain, then turned his attention to the more standard routine. Oil was dabbed on his elbow joints, coolant was refilled in his fridge, and the pins in his right hand were tightened into place. The fine detail work was probably overkill, but a guy could never be too sure.

He had just started to work on replacing the light bulb in one of his nipples when the ship’s intercom system screamed to life. The helmsman announced that enemy ships had been spotted off the starboard stern, gaining quickly. Franky had just barely put his tools down and closed his hood when the first wave of cannon fire rocked his ship. He ran down the hall and up the ladder with haste.

The deck was already busy with the battle by the time he poked his head out of the hatch. Jinbei shouted orders from the bow and Nami had a storm brewing overhead. The cook and the swordsman took turns returning the cannonballs, pausing in between shots to bicker. Franky ran to the cannons as he surveyed the scene. The attacking ship seemed to be a crew of bounty hunters, though they didn’t look particularly threatening for the fight they had just picked. Where the combatants lacked in quality of fight, they excelled in annoying quantity. Too much time was sacrificed to mowing down leagues of goons, and the entire crew’s focus stayed locked on the crappy warship.

It wasn’t until the next cannonball cracked through the opposite taffrail that Franky noticed the approaching marine vessel. He spun and gave the command to divert attention off the port side. Cannon fire was returned in ample measure, but the military was clearly packing heavier artillery than the band of bounty hunters. Luffy and his wings few off in the direction of the first ship to finish the job quickly, while the rest of the crew defended against the soldiers. The initial fight had drawn too much attention, and the faster they could wrap this up, the better. Sunny was already looking a little bruised, and the shipwright’s whole focus shifted to minimizing the damage further.

Jinbei sent a signal from the helm that they’d need to get a Burst ready to go for the moment the Monsters returned, and Franky was all too happy to oblige. He ran through the lounge and into the cola storage room to ready the barrels. Another hit rattled his ship, but he trusted his friends to take retribution in his stead. It wouldn’t be too many fixes, just some railing and a bit of patchwork to the side shiplap. A window was smashed in the galley, too, but it wouldn’t be too tricky of a fix.

Wait. No, that couldn’t be right. He hadn’t passed through the galley, and he hadn’t seen the glass get taken out. Maybe he was imagining things, but the list of repairs felt exceedingly familiar. Now wasn’t the time to linger on the idea. The shipwright shook his head and snapped the final barrel into place. His machine whirred to life, pumping pent carbonation through the intricate tubing. He couldn’t stay long to watch it in action and admire his own handiwork. There were others relying on him.

By the time he sprinted back onto the main deck, the captain, the cook, and the swordsman had already touched back down on grass. Everyone gave final approval, Zoro tossed the navigator a well sized bag of gold and jewels, and Franky sent Jinbei the signal that it was time to fly.

Everyone could finally relax once a good distance had separated the Strawhats from their aggressors. The women disappeared up into the library, the swordsman left to take a nap, the cook started lunch preparations, and the doctor made his rounds checking that everyone had escaped the battle without too many scratches. Franky grabbed his materials from below deck and conscripted Usopp into helping him patch Sunny up. The work would probably not have taken long, if not for the cyborg’s meticulous eye for detail. The two labored until the sun was low in the sky and the lacquered wood sparkled like new. He wasn’t about to let some marine assholes dent up his baby in a petty skirmish like that. The sniper was never a super huge fan of the bosun’s chair over open water at top speed, but the other man was not nearly as scared. Franky hung off the side of the ship in his harness watching the orange sunlight glimmer through the waves as he hammered new boards into place. Usopp repainted the railing with little complaint.

Just before supper, something could be heard shattering in the galley. Zoro’s laughter floated out over the deck and all eyes snapped to the commotion. Sanji’s screams followed, insults flowing from his lips. The cook’s tone only prodded the swordsman further. Aggressive jeers volleyed back, until the two had devolved into a maelstrom of equal rage. They collided, bouncing off of each other, landing kicks and blows. The two men had always fought, but their latest bouts had escalated in hostility. A meat tenderizer crashed through one of the galley’s windows. Franky blinked as he realized he’d need to fix the glass after all. Super weird.

The whole crew gave the two space until the cook had called them all to dinner. Zoro stayed slumped in the corner, nursing an extra bottle of sake or two. No one seemed particularly happy as they ate quietly- the third meal of the day to carry an odd atmosphere. The tension was palpable. Chopper kept looking around hoping that someone would give a reassuring word, but no one offered any. Jinbei seemed like he wanted to say something, but never offered his thoughts.

Luffy looked to be sick of the fraught air and declared that they’d be having dessert out on the lawn. He egged Brook into playing for everyone, though the bard needed no such additional encouragement. He was always happy to perform. The starry night gave the crew a chance to breathe outside of the humid dinner. Franky offered to do the dishes after the cook’s arduous evening. His precision hands did their best to handle the ceramic plates with care and he smiled at the tune that wafted through the open door.

“Hey!” Nami shouted from the ladder above, breaking the cyborg out of his own head, “the hot water in the bath house isn’t working, can you come look at it?”

“Hot water? That’s super strange, I thought I just fixed that. Yeah, I’ll be up once I’m wrapped up with the-.”

Sanji was already at his side, shoving him out of the kitchen. “If the lady needs hot water for her bath, go and fix it for her. I’ll finish washing dishes. You help Nami!” The cook declared with a sharp point.

There was no reason to argue, so Franky lumbered up the ladder to look at the hot water system. His brain had already proposed a solution to the issue before he’d even seen what was wrong. Sure enough, his first instinct was correct. One of the valves had gotten a little bent out of place in the fight and it just needed a minor adjustment for the hot water to start flowing again. The navigator gave him a big hug before she kicked him out of the bath house and locked the door behind him.

Franky climbed down into the library, only to meet the bemused chuckle of the ship’s archeologist on his way out the door. The big man spun with a smile.

“What’s so funny?” He asked as he leaned against the doorframe.

“The whole crew’s kept you busy all day. You never have time to relax,” Robin smiled without looking up from her book.

“Eh, that’s every day though. Super normal. Someone needs somethin’ from me all the time. It ain’t a bother. You need any help while I’m here?”

“Mmmm, not at the moment, no.”

“Aight. Totally get’cha. I can tell when I’m not needed,” he sighed with overdramatic dejection and a low laugh.

“Well, I wouldn’t say that. Ask me again tomorrow, I may have a different answer for you,” her bright eyes finally snapped up over the top of her book.

“Lot can happen in a day. I might be a whole new man tomorrow!”

“Oh? Then we’ll just have to see what tomorrow brings.”

“Hopefully not more marines and big bugs. I mean, I ain’t scared of either, but I can see how both might be super harrowing for someone else.”

“Then that makes two of us. I always enjoy when something exciting happens to spice up the open sea doldrums. Maybe tomorrow we’ll encounter even bigger insects, that could be fun.”

“Oh yeah, super good target practice. I’ll squash ‘em super flat,” Franky laughed with a nonchalant flex of his mechanical arms.

“If you cover the ship in cicada viscera, you’re cleaning it up. And you’ll be the one to console the captain when he sees your pile of bug corpses.”

“He’ll be super devastated, but at least we’ll be safe to sail another day.”

“Very true,” she laughed. “Goodnight, Franky.”

“Night,” he waved and left her alone to read in peace.

The cyborg joined to rest of the crew for remnant wafts of music beneath the night sky. He briefly considered breaking out his guitar, too, but the toil of the day had already begun to pull at his remnant human parts. Peaceful violin drifted on the sea breeze and relaxed his iron shoulders. These sorts of days were stressful, but he liked the routine of them. His nakama gave him a structure that helped him to feel like part of a system. Even as days greyed one into the next, they were never truly rote. It was fun. They always kept him on his toes.

Maybe she didn’t need him now, but he was welcome to ask again tomorrow.

Days like today always made the sweetness of adventure taste better.

Brook’s tune shifted into a magical little lullaby, and the iron man lowered his guard enough for sleep to lap at his ankles. Tingling relaxation massaged his human bits, and everything else shifted into low power mode. The summer air wrapped the cyborg in a tight blanket, and his ship rocked him soundly into slumber.

He’d ask again tomorrow.

Franky floated comfortably into the still of the night.

It was super wild how days on the open sea just faded from one day to the next. Not that it totally mattered to Franky. He wouldn’t ever give up the freedom of sailing for all the cola in the world. Still, on some days in the interim between destinations, he couldn’t help but feel a little dull. His nakama sometimes went long stretches without making landfall, and the waiting period made him antsy.

That gnawing sensation chewed on his brain when he woke up to sunlight pouring into the boy’s bunks. Half the damn crew had fallen on top of him in their sleep, and he sighed in his efforts to free himself. Usopp’s nose had pressed right against his ear, Brook’s skeleton hand prodded his side, one of Jinbei’s webbed paws smacked right in the middle of his face, and Chopper was practically choking him under all that fur. None of the men seemed all that bothered as the cyborg peeled them off of him, though Jinbei blinked awake.

It was a super clear day, not a cloud above to dampen the stark beams of sunshine. Franky’s clock in his machinery read a little before seven fifteen, day three thousand seven hundred seventy. Ten years since he installed the counter in his enhancements, eight hundred ninety days since he joined the crew, two hundred two days since getting to the New World, sixty three days since leaving Wano. Had it really already been two months? Damn, time flew. They’d been at sea for a few weeks now between islands, but the metronome of his internal calendar helped the cyborg to keep time with the rest of the band. He’d crafted it back on his four years alone in the warship as he rebuilt himself, just to serve as a reminder that time was moving, even if it was a struggle for him. It had been a total lifesaver in Vegapunk’s cave. He rolled to his feet and stumbled out into the bright summer’s day.

Franky made his way up to the bathroom to take a quick piss, brush his teeth, and pick out the day’s hairstyle. He really needed to program something new, the salon’s variety was starting to feel a little stale. After he’d refreshed, he made his way down into the kitchen to top up on his energy supply. The women were already at the breakfast table, receiving hot drinks from the cook. The shipwright waved to both ladies, though his eyes lingered on one for just a fraction longer than the other. Crap, he had something he had been meaning to ask Robin, but he couldn’t remember what it was. Whatever, he’d recall it eventually. The rest of the crew filed into the galley in a few short minutes. Luffy burst through the door demanding steak for breakfast, but the massive glazed ham was enough on its own to appease him. Sanji had apparently been in a bit of an eggs mood that morning; fluffy custards and steaming omelettes were plated along the bar top.

Luffy sat at the head of the table recounting the tale of his previous day’s adventures. Usopp angled next to him, providing color commentary about all the bugs they had caught on the beach. Hold up, had the shipwright really been so focused in his workshop that he’d missed them stopping at an island? He knew he had a tendency to get in the zone, but he didn’t think he was that focused. The crew hadn’t made landfall in over a month, and it would have been nice to get out and really feel the sand between his toes, y’know? They’d gone long stretches between ports before, but this journey was starting to push it.

The captain, the doctor, and the sniper grew titillated as they spoke, and soon they ran out of the mess hall to retrieve their buggy treasures. Those bros always got like this, riling each other enough that the rubber boy was even willing to walk away from his honey glazed ham. The sound of boots, sandals, and hooves signaled their exuberant return.

“What’s the rule? No beetles when we’re eating!” Sanji snapped his dish towel over his shoulder.

“They’re not beetles, we caught cicadas,” Luffy shook his head. “Beetles are an entirely different type of bug.”

“Actually,” Robin spoke up from her seat, “cicadas in the Hemiptera order are the only technical ‘true bugs.’ Beetles are insects, but not bugs.”

“No whatever-the-hell-that-is at the table!” The cook repeated.

“Not even this one? It’s really cool! Look!” The captain reached into the bug cage to pick one up, but the rest of the insects used the opportunity to fly out the door. The hoard filled the kitchen, scattering all over the breakfast table.

“Oh my god!” Nami screamed as she bat the cicadas away from her food.

“You’re scaring the ladies!” Sanji shouted with a flap of his towel. “This is what I meant, do you know how unsanitary this is?!”

“Plenty of cultures eat cicadas a variety of ways, we could have them stir friend or candied for breakfast?” Robin offered with a laugh.

Luffy looked at the bugs intently, weighing the desire to play with his creatures with the desire for a snack. One of the cicadas landed in the archeologist’s dark hair, but Jinbei pulled it off with a gentle palm. She smiled and thanked him as he returned it into the hutch. Not to be outdone, Franky stood and started to carefully collect each jeweled critter. It’d be super bad if one of ‘em fell in the syrup and got all sticky. The faster they contained the mess, the happier everyone would be. Nami was already long gone, declaring she was going to finish eating in the lounge downstairs. Robin, on the other hand, stayed behind to help catch as many as her phantom appendages could pick up. Fingers began to blossom to capture the cicada behind Franky’s head, but he spun quicker and snatched the iridescent bug before she could grab it. She laughed as he turned back, probably because she definitely though he was super cool for catching it himself. He didn’t know how he’d known the insect would be there, just that it would be. Maybe he was developing midlife clairvoyance.

The cyborg’s refrigerator of a stomach didn’t have much need for food after all the bugs had been cleared away. Everyone else began to disperse, too, so he felt fine with retreating into his workshop. It was a day that ended in zero on his counter, which meant it was maintenance time. He didn’t like getting into the under-wiring with an audience around. Nothing seemed super bad on his initial check, though his joints were starting to feel a little funky. Wapometal didn’t rust, but he still couldn’t shake the strange feeling in his limbs. Franky realigned a few receptors in his calf, then recalibrated the pins in his left pinky just to stay in peak form. He topped off his fluids and lathered himself in gun oil to keep everything flowing nicely. It was the little things about maintenance that he liked the most, even if today’s session took a little longer than it had in the past. Just a part of getting older, he shrugged.

He had just turned his attention to drafting up a new weapon design when the buzz of the intercom interrupted his thoughts. Damn, bounty hunters. Again. They’d been swarming worse than cicadas ever since Onigashima. A cannonball hit his baby, making the walls shake. Oh, those assholes were in for a beatdown now. The cyborg readied his weapons and climbed the ladder onto the deck with haste.

Everyone was already doing what they did best by the time he’d arrived. Jinbei dove off of Sunny’s starboard side and used the sea itself to overwhelm the annoying troop of bounty hunters. The fishman’s direct nature was growing quickly on Franky. That meant he had more time to fend off the marines. Marines? What marines?

“Marines to port!” Usopp shouted from the roof.

Oh, those marines. Damn, the fight never ended, did it? Another cannonball splintered debris over the deck. Just more to fix, like the other hole and the window that was going to break later. Another flash of the dull fog crept at the edges of the cyborg’s mind. His head swam, and the boom of cannons made his ears ring.

“Franky! Focus!” Someone screamed, though the voice sounded a thousand miles away. He needed to be doing something. He had a job. What was it?

They needed to fly.

Yeah, that was it. Time to run.

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji made their way to the marine ship to take it out quickly, and the shipwright ran as fast as he could to the fuel storage room. He had a job to do. He could do this, he could do this. The barrels were locked into place and the machine prepared for whenever Jinbei got back into position. The fog in Franky’s brain still toyed at his periphery. They’d fought thousands of inconsequential fights against bounty hunters and marines before, so why was this one feeling so strange? It didn’t matter. The shake of his carbonation machine centered his wandering mind back into his body. His nakama needed him focused.

The cyborg made his way through the aquarium bar and back out onto the deck. Everyone turned to him as he emerged through the door into the bright afternoon light.

“Franky! Can you set the Burst up? We need to escape!” Jinbei bellowed from across the deck as he got in position. The captain, the cook, and the swordsman all landed back on the grass with arms full of dry supplies. Everyone looked to be present and accounted for.

“Already on it, brother! Pull that lever as soon as you’re ready to rock!” He answered.

“Excellent fore thinking!” The fishman’s wide grin flashed.

Time to fly.

The entire crew relaxed substantially the moment they hit the water a kilometer away from the marines. Nami and Robin both left to take naps, the doctor began to patch a small wound on Usopp’s forehead, and Brook sat down to pluck out a jaunty tune on his guitar. The cook and the swordsman were still running hot from the battle, and snippy comments soon festered into an all out brawl. Jinbei was able to intervene and separate them out before it got ugly, but the argument was only postponed. They’d be screaming again by dinner. Franky shook his head as he readied his tools.

Usopp tried to use the cut on his brow as a reason he couldn’t help with repairs, but Chopper immediately sold him out and said he was fine to work. Not even a little concussed. The shipwright put his little bro on rail repainting duty, knowing there was no way he would agree to getting in the bosun’s chair with a cut on his head. It wasn’t a battle he was itching to start, either. Franky spent the whole afternoon on the details, making sure his dream ship looked her best once more. He smiled out at the setting sun. He’d never get tired of the sunsets out at sea, that’s for sure. It always looked super stunning, and there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky for a long, long time. Super great luck for the infamously fickle New World.

Right before dinner was ready, a glass shattered in the kitchen. The swordsman wasn’t taking the incident particularly seriously, and that only served to enrage the cook. Soon, as predicted, their argument boiled over with a fury. Both men screamed insults back and forth at each other in the galley. The rest of the crew tried to look preoccupied as they mulled around the deck. A nasty tension lingered in the air. Then, something heavy was thrown through one of the kitchen’s portholes. It was bound to happen sooner or later, Franky shook his head. The strangeness of his prediction took backseat over his worry for his fighting crew mates. Arguments had risen in frequency and hostility over the last few weeks. They were probably starting to feel a little stir crazy, too.

The aura of animosity remained even after dinner was served. Nami and Robin did their best to try and brighten Sanji’s spirits; Luffy and Chopper aimed to help Zoro. Jinbei was attempting to shoot Franky a look for advice on how to assist, but if he was being honest, the cyborg wasn’t sure if this was a bitterness he could help alleviate overnight. It’d probably be best to talk to the dudes in the morning, once everyone had had the chance to sleep on their feelings a bit. Probably.

The cook brought out dessert, but the captain insisted they eat their treats on the deck. The cyborg and the fishman both hung back to help clean up dinner. They couldn’t fix whatever was going on between the other two, but they could help in little ways. Jinbei washed dishes, while Franky dried the plates one by one and put them away in the cabinets.

One sticky fork needed a second rinse, and the shipwright dropped it back into the suds of the sink. Warm bubbles. The hot water worked down here, but it wasn’t working in the bath house. He’d need to fix that once he was done with the dishes. It was always breaking. Damn, he thought he did better work than that.

“Hey big brooooo?” Nami poked her her head down the hatch from the upper floors of the ship. “The hot water isn’t working in the bath. Do you have time to take a look at it?”

“Yeah, totally! Just gimme a minute to wrap this up and I’ll adjust the valve!” He shouted back.

“It seems you already know the fixes you need to make!” Jinbei laughed next to him. “Go, I will be fine. There are not many more to wash, and I would very much like to take a warm soak later tonight, as well.”

Franky conceded quickly and ran upstairs to get the valve dealt with. His brain puzzled over what he could make to keep this from being more of a reoccurring issue. Fixing the same valve so often was starting to blow, but at least it was always a quick repair. Nami expressed her thanks, ruffled his hair, and then promptly kicked him out of the bathroom.

That wicked sense of deja vu steeped into his mind. The grey fog of confusion enshrouded the big man. He stared down at the tile floors of the library, lost in a sea of his own thoughts. The damn pipe kept breaking. It’d need reinforcements. Had he already tried that? He’d install something stronger in the morning.

“What are you thinking about?” A dark voice asked from her reading nook.

“Hot water keeps breakin’ at the same time every day,” Franky mumbled in answer, not really thinking his words through.

Robin couldn’t help but smile. “How strange! It was working when I took my bath this morning. I’ll keep my eye on it tomorrow. Perhaps it has something to do with the way our navigator bathes?”

“Eh,” the big man shrugged as he dusted the cobwebs from his brain and head to the door, “I don’t think it’s her. But it’d be a super big help if you’d let me know if it’s workin’ okay in the morning, yeah. Thanks.”

“If you wanted,” the devil woman shifted to cross her legs, “it might be easier if you joined me yourself? That way I could know what exactly I’m meant to be looking out for. And you could have the opportunity to see all that hot water and steam in action?”

“Me? You want me to join you? In the bath?”

“If you wanted.”

He laughed crisp and clear in the night, “don’t joke like that, Nico Robin.”

“I’m not joking.”

Franky froze halfway out the door. Her offer sliced right through his hazy thoughts. They’d bathed together with the rest of the crew in mixed company before, sure, and they were known to playfully flirt for as long as they’d known each other. It had never meant much, just witty banter between close friends. Yet, something just a little different hung in the proposition.

“Uh, sure. Okay. I’ll check out those pipes myself in the morning. Come find me when you’re ready, yeah? I’ll be, y’know, around. Wherever, I guess,” he shrugged in an effort to try and play the advance off in a cool fashion.

“I’m looking forward to it. It’s a date,” she hummed and returned to her book.

“It’s a date,” the big man echoed before leaving out the door.

Robin called after him as he departed, “Goodnight, Franky!”

“Night, Nico Robin! See ya in the morning,” he waved back before leaving the library behind.

Most of the crew still lingered on the grassy field doing their own activities while Brook noodled on his guitar. It looked so fun that Franky couldn’t help but break out his own instrument and join in. The two guitars played in harmony, even if one wasn’t nearly as precise as the other. Each little missed note of off-rhythm beat kept him feeling human. Despite the fights and the maintenance, it had been a nice day. Tomorrow’s plans were already shaping up to be super, too. He knew it was most likely nothing more than two friends checking out some questionable pipes in the hot steam, but the idea still made him grateful for the big acoustic guitar that covered his thighs.

His nerves and the excitement got the better of him and he tapped out of the jam session early. Franky escaped into the boys’ bunk room to try and get some shut eye. The sooner he fell asleep, the sooner he’d wake up, the sooner he’d get to take that bath. Despite his best efforts, slumber stayed elusive. No matter how tight he shut his eyes, the cyborg simply could not relax. Ideas and inventions and his own imagination betrayed him and kept his brain spinning. Dull fog attempted to pull at his brain’s grey matter, but it didn’t mean much to him.

Tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

Hopefully the streak of good weather would last.

Maybe the summer sun would last forever.

There’d be worse fates.

Franky finally drifted into slumber with a big smile across his face.

The future was lookin’ good.

He had a steamy little spa date tomorrow morning. 

Chapter Text

Damn, some days really started to blend together out on the open sea. And everyone was always laying all over him. Don’t get him wrong, he loved a good cuddle, but the deer’s fur  practically suffocated him in his sleep. Franky bolted upright and stumbled out the door. He’d made it halfway across the grass before he realized he still held Chopper in his hand.

“Oops! Crap, sorry, bro!” The cyborg exclaimed. He wandered back into the bunks, stepping over his snoozing nakama, and tucked the little doctor back into his hammock. Franky’s locker held the rest of his supplies, and a bright tank top was stretched over his shoulders as he got dressed for the day. Every hairstyle looked so boring these days, he couldn’t decide which one to go with. It didn’t matter, as long as it was out of his face. There was a lot of work to do today. Like every day, he supposed.

Maybe he’d do his tinkering out on the lawn, the weather was super clear today. Franky’s clock in his machinery read that it was a little before seven fifteen, day three thousand nine hundred twenty two. Ten years since he installed his counter in his enhancements, one thousand forty two days since he joined the crew, three hundred fifty four days since getting to the New World, two hundred thirteen days since leaving Wano. Wait, that was definitely wrong. They’d just left Wano. Sure, the crew had been at sea for a while, but it surely hadn’t been the better part of a year. Had it? He’d have to fix his odometer next maintenance day. That wouldn’t be for another week though. It was probably fine.

The cyborg ran to take the shower before anyone else had really woken. The hot water felt nice on his back. It was going to be a damn shame when it broke later that night. At least he’d fix it quick. Next time they made landfall, he’d have to remember to pick up a higher quality valve. Not that he knew when the next time they’d find an island. It’d been so long since he’d seen any green hills or sandy beaches. Something ached in his heart.

Franky made his way down the ladder after he’d rinsed and wandered into the kitchen to top off his cola supply. Sanji bustled around the galley finalizing breakfast preparations while he entertained the ladies at the bar. Robin turned to greet the big man as he sat down on the sofa. Her warm smile immediately shook any lingering drowsiness from his limbs, though he couldn’t fight the fuzzy sensation that he’d forgotten something. Something important. Something about her. Eh, he’d remember eventually.

The rest of the crew joined them as they awoke. The smell of hot fried steak and sausage gravy immediately enticed the captain. Everyone else was delighted by the big bowls of fruit, yogurts, and whipped creams. Super crazy how they still had good produce after being at sea for so long. Franky had assumed it would have all gone bad by now. He gave himself the credit of a stellar refrigeration system.

Chopper stood up in his chair as he recounted the story of the boys chasing cicadas on the beach the day before. He waved his hooves excitedly as he described how the captain snagged each critter and stored it in their little bug hutch.

“Hold up, we stopped at an island yesterday? Why didn’t you dudes tell me? It’s been ages,” the shipwright interrupted.

“It’s not their fault you don’t leave that damn workshop,” Sanji shook his head from the kitchen island.

“Huh,” Franky frowned out the floor.

Luffy jumped up and ran out of the kitchen without another word. The way Chopper and Usopp jittered, there was only one treasure he’d gone to retrieve.

“Where’s he going?” Nami cocked her head, “he didn’t even finish eating yet. He better not be bringing those gross bugs back with him”

Oh, crap. This wasn’t good. Those things were going to get out and fly everywhere. Franky got up off the couch and made his way to the galley door before the captain could return. He stood outside on the upper deck, arms crossed in front of his chest, barring reentry into the kitchen. Sandals hit the hard wood, and Luffy came skidding to a stop with his bug holder in his hands.

“What gives, Franky! C’mon, I just wanna show everyone all these cool cicadas!”

“Nope. No bugs at the breakfast table. It freaks the cook out, and it’ll get super messy when they escape. Do you really want cicadas crawlin’ all over your steak?” He shook his head, steadfast in his refusal.

“Please? They won’t escape, promise! Look at this one, it’s really cool. I-,” Luffy opened the latch but the dozen or so screaming cicadas all took the opportunity to fly out the entrance and into the summer air. They scattered around the ship and landed on walls and barrels.

Franky sighed, but at least it was better than bugs all over their food. “‘Kay, here’s my offer,” the craftsman relaxed his posture, “I’ll build you a big cage today, one with a door that you can walk around in and everything. And then when it’s done, you and the guys go bug hunting around the ship. We keep the cicadas in there and you can show them to everyone if they want to see. Sounds good?”

The captain was delighted by the idea and cheered with overflowing exuberance. Rubber squished past the wall of iron in his way and he ran back into the galley to tell the rest of the crew about their plans for the afternoon. Franky followed shortly behind, brain already whirring with how he was going to assemble the container. He had the mesh, he had the scrap wood. It wasn’t going to take all that much time or effort, and the opportunity to hang out with all the boys sounded like a good time.

The rest of breakfast was filled with laughter, unspoiled by the cries of a dozen cicadas. Before he even fully digested his food, the captain had already drafted half the crew into the bug cage project. While Franky appreciated the help, this was way too many cooks in the kitchen. It was just a box, it wasn’t going to take that long. Jinbei and Nami excused themselves to do work elsewhere on the ship, and the cook lingered to clean up the morning’s mess. To the surprise of many, Robin elected to lend a few hands to the endeavor. The cyborg wasn’t about to turn away her company.

Everyone soaked up the sunshine through the late morning. Every can of paint in the rainbow had been retrieved so that the captain, the doctor, and the archeologist could paint scrap boards while the craftsmen framed the hutch. Zoro fell asleep in the grass, and Brook scored the scene with a playful tune. Franky smiled as he stapled wire mesh over the windows. It was a nice change of routine. He’d been wanting to build an exclosure for the bugs for months, and seeing the project come to fruition felt super great. Through, wait. No. Luffy had said they’d only caught the bugs yesterday.

“Hey, Nico Robin, how long do cicadas live for?”

“It depends on the species. But in general, only a few weeks to a month once they’ve emerged. Why?” She answered as she handed him a dry board.

The carpenter shook his head and returned to installing the mesh. It didn’t matter. That strange grey mist pulled at his brainstem and eked through his wires.

“They crawl out of the ground and eat and eat and eat for weeks!” Luffy prattled bug facts as he painted little crude insect pictograms on his chunk of scrap lumber. “Then, they scream at each other to try and find more friends. And they lay eggs and die.”

“Why do they scream?” Chopper asked as he pressed pink hoof prints into his painting.

Robin laughed with a flicker of bright eyes in the cyborg's direction, “to mate.”

He missed his mark and would have stapled straight into his thumb if his hands hadn’t also been made of metal. The clasp pinged and fell into the grass. Franky turned around to hide his hot cheeks, hoping that the summer sun would be excuse enough. He’d broken a light sweat already, and the fight with those bounty hunters hadn’t even started yet. Damn.

Wait.

The cyborg dropped his staple gun and ran to the starboard railing. Yup, there it was. Outside of firing range, but definitely gaining quick. The warship was physically imposing, sure, but quantity of crew did not equal quality of a fight.

“Oi oi oi, captain! We got company! Bounty hunters on the five o’clock.”

“They better not hurt my cicadas!” The rubber boy flared. He grabbed the napping swordsman as he sprinted down the deck, taking the fight to the enemy before any shots could be fired. Franky considered his options. He could ready the Coup de Burst, but rocket propulsion would probably splatter every single bug on board. A frown grew across his lips, but the rattle of the exploding warship in the distance snapped him out of his mind. No need to formulate an escape, the bounty hunters were already disposed of.

Luffy and Zoro were back on the deck before anyone could really notice they had departed. Their little doctor let out a sigh of relief that no one had been hurt in the scuffle.

“Didn’t even need Curly,” the swordsman laughed as he sheathed his bloody katanas.

Franky readied his guns. “Don’t get cocky, the marines’ll be here any minute.” 

Robin stood, suddenly tense. “Marines? Where?” She asked.

“Marines to port!” The helmsman announced.

A cannonball came barreling towards them, but the captain was able to deflect it with ease. Jinbei ran down the stairs and readied to dive into the water. Franky called to go with him, a little jealous that he hadn’t gotten any proper action in weeks. He was sick of manning cannons, his hands itched to really shoot something. The fishman grabbed the scruff of his collar and jumped in the sea. A torrent of bubbles lowered visibility, but swirling currents quickly urged them toward the marines ship.

Franky was tossed onto the deck to open fire while Jinbei attacked the hull. Pauldron cannons aimed at the main mast. For as quickly as the shipwright could build, he could demolish twice as fast. Wood cracked and burned under his attack and fire poured from his lips. Something snapped deep below. The ship immediately began to list hard as it took on water. A strong right destroyed the helm, a rip current simultaneously shredded the rudder. Sails hit the deck when the mast crumbled under the assault.

The fishman called from the water and gestured for the other man to jump in when he was done. The sinking ship wasn’t going anywhere now. They’d successfully taken it out before it could even fire a second shot. Franky let off another round of bullets just for the fun of it and dove into the water.

“Excellent teamwork!” Robin called when both men had climbed back on the deck of the Sunny. Each looked bashful to receive the praise, but equally had to admit she was right. Jinbei returned to the helm in an effort to sail the crew away from the two burning enemy boats as quickly as they could. Franky slipped his tank top off and rung it out over the railing. He draped it over the wood to dry but did not seek out a replacement article. Their archeologist’s eyes lingered just a little too long on the massive, naked chest. The shipwright chuckled to himself as he found his tools.

“Oi,” he slapped Usopp on the should, “c’mon bro. We can finish the bug house after we do repairs. You wanna take the bosun’s chair today?” It was a rhetorical question. The other guy never wanted to take the bosun’s chair, he was always too scared. Franky knew that.

“What needs repairing?” The sniper asked with a frown and a look around.

“The rails and the siding and all that crap! Not crap. I didn’t mean that. Sorry, baby,” the shipwright rubbed the intricate taffrail in apology to his ship.

“But we weren’t hit,” Luffy shook his head. The captain plopped back into the grass and pulled out more paints, getting back to work.

“O-oh. Huh. Super weird.”

Robin joined her companions in the grass and began to decorate her plaque with intricate vines and pink petals. “How did you know we were going to be under attack?” She asked to the man that stood several meters over her.

“Eh? Oh, I dunno. Feels like we’re gettin’ attacked every day lately. Everyone wants a piece of us since we left Wano. Super crazy, huh?”

“Hm, how odd,” she frowned in response and focused on her art.

Usopp pulled the carpenter back to the frame of the hutch. They worked in silence for a while, air occupied by the skeleton’s soft violin. That fog still swirled around the cyborg’s brain, more familiar and more distant than it had ever been. They’d done this before. Not the hutch, but the whole of the day. He was certain of it.

“Hey, bro,” Franky finally broke the spell, “you ever feel like you’re living the same day over again?”

The storyteller dropped his hammer and held his chin in thought, “like, do I think every day feels like a purgatory of endless fear? Yeah, of course. The horrors won’t leave us alone! Does your chronic infinite-inescapable-terrors-plague-me-constantly disease flare up for you, too?”

“Nah, not really like that… uh, never mind.”

“You feeling okay, big bro?” Usopp asked more seriously.

“Yeah… yeah I’m fine. ’S nothin’.”

His little bro and Chopper shared a quick look but shrugged in acceptance. Soon, the bug house had been completed. It was big enough to comfortably house many critters, and the lightbulb on the ceiling was sure to attract even more. Luffy fit in the door with ease, but Franky had made the entrance small enough that he couldn’t comfortably make the squeeze himself. It was fine. He didn’t want to risk accidentally squashing any of the bugs.

The boys broke out the nets to begin rounding up the scattered cicadas. Everyone else elected to give them a wide berth, not really wanting to involve themselves in the hunt. Robin disappeared up into the library and Franky took the absence as a queue to retreat into his workshop. The insect hutch project had been fun, but he’d had to constrain his construction pace for the sake of the others. There was always more to make, though.

He quickly sketched out a plan for a new system that should, if everything went well, solve the issue with the bath house’s hot water. The machine was built in a matter of moments, though the time always slipped away from the craftsman as he shifted into the flow state.

Something shattered overhead in the galley. That meant the window was going to break next. Muffled screams bled through the floorboards. The cyborg had hoped that a fight could have been avoided since the cook sat out from the skirmish with the bounty hunters, but it seemed to have only made the issue worse. Damn. The incessant daily bickering was starting to get on his nerves. Couldn’t those bros go a single day without breaking something? Especially a damn window. Franky briefly considered confiscating the meat tenderizer next time.

Next time?

Something was going on. The dull feeling began to overwhelm him, but the gears in his brain pushed through. He was missing something, something big. It hadn’t rained for six months despite the New World's supposedly strange weather patterns. The fruit was still fresh. The cicadas never died. The window broke at the same time every day. The hot water broke at the same time every day. He was supposed to ask Robin something. Something important.

She had something to tell him tomorrow. She wanted something tomorrow. Why did tomorrow feel so far away? It was practically dinner time. Maybe his infinite-inescapable-terrors-plague-me-constantly disease was flaring up after all.

Franky still stewed in his thoughts, even as autopilot took him to the galley for dinner. He dreaded the tension that lingered over the table. Everyone else chewed uncomfortably, but the big cyborg couldn’t even be bothered to consider the odd atmosphere. It all felt so familiar, even on a day where everything had felt so different.

“Oi, captain,” he spoke up.

“Yeah!” Luffy jolted, excited to have a break from the uneasy air.

“When did we leave Wano? How long ago?”

“Uhhhhh,” the rubber man thought hard, “two weeks ago?”

“Fifteen days,” Nami nodded in agreement.

That couldn’t be right. His ticker read that it’d been over six months. But six months at sea surely couldn’t be right either. Nothing made sense. Something tight gripped Franky’s iron superstructure.

The tension of supper between the cook and the swordsman was quickly replaced by everyone’s concern for the cyborg having a silent breakdown at the table. A phantom hand squeezed his knee under the table, but he didn’t have much feeling in his prostheses.

Luffy soon declared that they’d have dessert under the stars to lighten the mood. Usopp and Jinbei offered to do the dishes while Brook tuned up his violin for the evening’s serenade. Franky excused himself and slid down the ladder to his workshop. He grabbed the new device he’d been tinkering with and picked up a few specialty tools to install it. The big man waited awkwardly around the gardens for Nami to emerge and let him know that the hot water had broken, but she never appeared. After a while, he gave up and climbed the ladder to the bath house himself. Metal fingers rapped on the locked door to the bathing space.

“Get out of here, Brook!” Nami screamed from the other side.

“Nah, sis, it’s me. You need the hot water fixed?” He called back.

“What? No, it’s fine!”

“Really? O-oh. Okay. Uh. Super cool. Yeah, alright. Later.”

He lowered back down into the library but stared out the window in deep thought. The plumbing was fine. Something had changed. Cause and effect. Constants and variables. Was it the battle? The bugs? The dinner? What was he missing?

“Did you just get chewed out for getting too close to the bath house during our navigator’s private time?” Robin laughed from her favorite reading nook.

She was always in here, the same time every night. She was always in that corner. She was always reading the same book. Breakfast was always different. His hair was always different. The music was always different. Her book was always the same. She usually never read the same book twice, especially one that small for six months. But she hadn’t put that copy down.

“Nah, just checkin’ if she needed anything. What about you? You need any help, Nico Robin?”

“Not at the moment, no. But if you ask me tomorrow, I may have a different answer for you.”

“Ha, you said that last time,” Franky laughed through the ache in his belly and the fog in his brain.

“Did I? Then I supposed that would make today tomorrow, wouldn’t it?” She shifted to sit upright. He crossed the room and sat down on the bench next to her, big mechanical hands bracing his knees.

“Yeah, guess it does. So, you need anything from me while I’m here?”

Robin squinted as she thought hard. “Mmmm, I don’t think so. But what about you? You look like you’ve needed something all day.”

“I-,” he hesitated. “I don’t know. The hot water isn’t broken. Why isn’t the hot water broken?”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Yeah, guess so. Just feeling super confused, I guess. My head keeps feelin' all cloudy.”

“You could be concussed after the fight? Or dehydrated?” She scanned him with such worried eyes. Her intimate gaze made him shiver.

“Uh, I dunno. Hey, have you been getting super bad deja vu lately?”

“No. Have you?”

“Kinda constantly.”

“Are you feeling it right now?”

“Yeah. You’re always in here after I fix the water. We always talk, and then we say goodnight and I go to bed.”

“What do we talk about?” Robin puzzled. She twisted to face him even more directly. Her knees bumped up against his cold prosthesis.

“I think it changes every night, but I can’t remember. Feels sorta like a dream.”

“Oh,” her eyes turned away, almost a little sad that he couldn’t recall the finer details.

“But it’s always my favorite part of the day,” he rushed to smooth over the rough statement. “I like saying goodnight to you. We’ve been at sea for months, so it’s a good part of my routine. Thanks.”

“We haven’t been at sea for months, though,” she frowned. A spare hand blossomed off of the cyborg’s big shoulder and tucked a strand of his hair behind his ear. “We left Wano two weeks ago, and we stocked up at an island yesterday. I spent last night at a cantina with Nami and Sanji. You were on the ship with Brook, Usopp, Jinbei, and Chopper. You tried to teach the doctor how to play the drums. You said that the five of you were starting a band.”

“Wh-what? Robin, that was ages ago,” Franky paled.

“No, it was last night. Here,” the historian stood and walked over to the desk. She retrieved the latest navigation log and pointed to the most recent entry. “This was yesterday’s report. We stopped at an island and restocked. Once Nami’s out of the bath she’ll write about today. Nothing of consequence happened, and both fights were quickly resolved. She’ll probably charge the boys for the broken window and send you the expense report for materials.”

“They keep breaking that thing,” the repairman shook his head.

“Do they?”

“Yeah, feel like I’ve had to fix it every damn day for the last six months. Just like the water… Wait.”

Franky stood abruptly and ran to the woman’s side. He squinted close at the newest entry. That couldn’t be right. Gears picked up speed in his brain. His systems ticked.

Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.

The fruit was fresh.

Cicadas lived for only a month.

The hot water hadn’t broken because the ship wasn’t hit this time.

He’d known the marines were going to attack. He beaten them to the punch.

Franky’s infinite-inescapable-terrors-plague-me-constantly disease flared.

“Are you alright? Do you need something? I’ll go get the doctor,” Robin tried to make eye contact. Her real hands squeezed his forearm, but he couldn’t feel it.

“N-nah. I’m all good. Ask me again tomorrow,” he shook his head as he inched closer to the door.

“Alright. If you say so. I’ll check again in the morning.”

“Yeah. In the morning,” Franky mumbled. “G’night, Nico Robin.”

“Goodnight, Franky,” his crew mate frowned as she sat back down in her nook. Robin didn’t seem particularly pleased to watch him leave. Hands opened her novel back up, but her eyes stayed trained on the massive mechanical man.

He wandered through the tangerine grove as he tried to recalibrate his senses. Stars in his sights, orange blossoms in his nose, music in his ears, cola on his tongue, wind on his back. Every artificial sensor returned the stimulus for his brain to process. Grey fog engulfed him. He was so sleepy. Super sleepy.

Franky slumped against the garden’s railing, floating away in the still of the night.

And he woke up with a mouth full of reindeer fur.

The cyborg was on his feet in a flash.

No, no, no, no, no.

Seven thirteen in the morning. Day three thousand nine hundred twenty three since system installation. Fifteen days since they left Wano. Sixteen, now? Two hundred fourteen days, according to his internal counter.

The cyborg sprinted through the ship and up the ladder into the library. Nami’s last entry lingered in the log. They’d left Wano fifteen days ago. They’d made port on a small island to restock. No, that was forever ago. Half a damn year, if his calendar was to be believed.

Franky needed air. He blinked and found himself standing in the grass. Autopilot carried him without his knowledge. His sense of time was eroding. Everyone else slowly passed as they stumbled toward to thrall of breakfast.

“Bro!” The big man bellowed through his fear.

Usopp turned before entering the galley, “eh?”

“Where’s the bug hutch? The super big cage we made for the cicadas?”

“Oh!” Luffy leapt over the railing and ran back into the boy’s bunks. “Here they are!” The rubber man held the original container over his head as he returned. The mass of winged creatures screamed. He presented them for a brief moment in front of Franky’s face before sprinting into the galley to show everyone else.

“No, the bigger one we all worked on together yesterday,” the cyborg clarified. His hands definitely remembered building the other enclosure.

“Sorry, big bro. Don’t know what you’re talking about,” Usopp shook his head. The storyteller pushed the door to the kitchen open, just as a dozen cicadas were accidentally released at the breakfast table.

Nami screamed.

Sanji screamed.

Usopp screamed.

Chopper screamed.

Brook screamed. 

The cicadas screamed.

Luffy laughed.

Nausea and grey fog filled Franky’s insides. He was thankful that he had replaced his stomach with a refrigerator three thousand nine hundred days ago.

Chapter Text

Franky lay in the infirmary, staring up at the ceiling. His brain needed a single thought to focus on. He was a man of science, dammit. He could figure this out. Weirder shit than this had happened to him before; he’d body swapped with a sentient reindeer. He needed to figure out the exact parameters of what was happening to him, then why it was happening. Once he knew the specifics, he could formulate a solution to get him out of the mess.

But no matter how he looked at the issue, the reality was clear. The entire crew was living the exact same day on a loop, and he was the only one to feel each repetition.

Theory one- New World shit. Wacky crap happened all the time, maybe time bubbles were just a common occurrence. He’d ask Robin if she’d read anything about reported instances of fuckery like this in any of her books.

Theory two- Devil Fruit shit. It was the more solid of his ideas, but that meant he’d have to find a user. He didn’t know of anyone who could do anything in this vein. It was an effective tool for keeping the notorious band of pirates trapped, he had to admit. But if six months had passed, and the world was moving around them, then any number of things could have already gone wrong. They couldn’t stay in this time pocket forever. Luffy needed to become King of the Pirates. Maybe one of the bounty hunters had the power. Or maybe it was the marines. Either way sounded bad.

Dammit, how was he supposed to even start fixing this? It was his job, but he seemed to be the only one that noticed. Why him? His internal clock ticked. Eight thirty seven in the morning. Memories of the day before felt hazy. Tomorrow felt like an infinite distance away.

Chopper knocked on the door and plodded in carrying a plate of breakfast and an extra cola. He ran a quick diagnostic check but couldn’t find anything immediately wrong with his patient.

Prognosis one- anxiety from over-caffeination and lack of sleep.

Franky was ordered to rest up and perhaps drink a glass of water. He chugged the offered cola regardless of the warning. The doctor was kind enough to let him relax down in the workshop, so he quickly packed up his food and took it to go.

He was a scientist. Which meant today was his Control. No interference, beyond the preemptive bug release at the table. The cicadas still scattered. Breakfast was different, but always made with the same ingredients. It wasn’t maintenance day, but Franky took the time to install a little digital log system into one of his arms. The simple circuit board connected to his clock, his day counter, and a keyboard for his little hands. If his mechanical systems were unaffected, then it meant he could record the passing time himself. Nami’s logs were useless to him now. The system was crude, but if it remained tomorrow, then it was tangible proof that the fabricated portions of his body weren’t affected by the loop. His day counter provided the hypothesis, he just needed secondary data now as evidence. A tangible record would also hopefully help keep his mind from fogging.

Cannon fire shook the walls of the lower decks. That was the bounty hunters, which meant the marines weren’t far away. The big man trembled, unsure if he should get up and help the fight, or if maintaining the Control experiment was more important. He felt a little guilty, but he knew his bros could handle everything.

Another round of cannonballs hit his baby. He was momentarily glad to be stuck in the loop so that he could take his revenge again and again for what they did to his ship. Shooting the assholes the day before had felt incredible. There’d be a second chance. And a third and a forth and a fifth…

Franky took a quick note of all the things he had remembered through the grey mist. He didn’t know how to label repetitions of the loop. It’d been about six months, but he had no way of knowing how long they’d been stuck exactly. He could use Nami’s journal to do the math, but the battle was still raging on the upper decks. Later. He settled on naming the previous day Zero and his control day as One.

Two dual explosions rocked the waves outside his porthole. Loud cheers erupted from his nakama on the deck over his head. Good for them. He didn’t doubt their victory for a second. Guilt clawed at his wires for not lending a hand, though. He’d help out tomorrow. There was plenty of time. If anyone was mad, they would forget it by the morning.

After the fight came the hours he normally would have spent fixing Sunny back up. The icky sensation of leaving her in a state of disrepair made him feel just as bad. He needed to know if damage lingered, though. If the ship reset, but his body didn’t, then he could eliminate a theory or two. The bug hutch had disappeared. So had his hot water machine. Ugh, damn, the hot water heater was going to be broken by tonight again. Fixes could wait, it would probably sort itself out.

Once again, the doctor came to check on him. Everyone else had been treated after the fight. Usopp had allegedly gotten a pretty serious gash through his eyebrow. Franky made a note on his keypad to check and see if injuries reset in the morning. He thought they surely must, but the days were so foggy he couldn’t remember. Chopper made him drink a glass of water for his troubles. Gross. Water Franky was a loser. Water Franky had no sparkle, no sugar, no spice.

Fitting, for the Control.

Lunch was quiet. The cyborg finally left his workshop for a breath of fresh air. He sat in the grass and observed everyone else go about their day. A day they had lived over and over and over again already. They didn’t even suspect anything was the matter. Something about his perception was different, though.

Theory three- his enhancements kept him from fully falling into the fog that pried at his mind. Whatever was keeping them stuck didn’t understand the perfect synthesis of man and machine. Very few did. He didn’t blame them.

“How do you feel?” A cool voice ripped his thoughts from the ether.

“Eh?” Franky looked up to see Robin blocking the sun.

“The doctor said you were feeling under the weather today.”

“Oh, yeah. Don’t worry about me. ‘M fine. Not contagious or nothin’. I’ll be super come tomorrow. Promise.”

“Alright,” she chuckled, “I’m holding you to that.”

“Good to know you’re watchin’ out for me.”

“Someone has to be.”

Robin took a seat next to his big body, though she lounged in the grass a comfortable distance away. Her attention locked onto their sniper as he readied the pulleys for the bosun’s chair. The young man took a series of deep breaths to quench his anxieties before lowering himself over the bannister to make immediate repairs.

“What the hell’s he doing?!” Franky jumped to his feet. He ran to the edge to stare down at Usopp. “Bro, don’t worry about that!”

“No! I’m fine!” The other man lied.

“C’mon, dude. I’ll do it. You hate having to use that thing.”

“Chopper said you were sick today, just relax. They won’t be perfect fixes, but you can clean it up once you feel better. I don’t want Sunny to be hurt overnight. What if a storm appears?”

“Bro, just come back up here. I’ll do the fixes, I’m already feeling better!”

“Don’t you lie to me!” Usopp pointed up.

The commotion caught everyone’s attention and soon half the crew was pushing the shipwright to sit back down and relax. He settled, begrudgingly. The rest of the late afternoon was spent recording everyone else’s habits. Robin stayed by his side, reading the same book she’d been reading every time he’d seen her.

Everything else played out exactly as he’d predicted. Near dinner, the cook and the swordsman provoked each other into a screaming match. A cup shattered. The window was broken. Franky noted the argument but did not move to replace the glass. Dinner was tense. Dessert was eaten under the stars. Which meant…

Nami ran out onto the rooftop garden and looked like she was about to call down to him. Before she could open her mouth, Chopper turned her away. Her attention shifted to Usopp, who could not help but give in to her pleading eyes. Franky would have preferred for his Control phase to just remain as unaffected as possible, but he knew there was no way his little sis would ever agree to a cold bath- or skipping the daily routine all together. The usual repair man shouted basic instructions up to his bro. Soon, hot steam filled the windows of the bath house once more. Just like it did yesterday, just like it would again tomorrow.

Another wave of dull fog and nausea rolled through Franky’s body. He got up to start getting ready for bed, but his shadow followed him into the boy’s bunks. She lingered just a few paces behind, watching intently as he made his way to his locker.

“Uh. What’s up?” He frowned.

“You’ve been unwell all day, I’m just making sure nothing happens. Do you need anything?” Robin took a seat at the kotatsu in the corner.

“Hey! You asked me this time around! It’s usually the opposite,” Franky laughed.

“What?”

“Eh, it’s nothing. ‘M fine. I don’t need supervision while I get ready for bed.”

“You still look quite pale,” she squinted.

“And you’re still staring. If you don’t look away now, I’m gonna start changin’ and then you’ll be scarred for life.”

“It’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” the devil laughed but averted her eyes down to her book.

He winced as a memory of phantom pain radiated between his legs. The cyborg didn’t need a reminder.

“Why ya so worried about me?” He continued as he slipped off his button up for a much more breathable t-shirt.

“I’ve never seen you of all people sick before. Is it a crime to be concerned about my friend?”

“Guess not. Okay, last warning. Which one’s worse to accidentally see, back or front?”

“I don’t care and neither do you,” Robin laughed. Her eyes flickered up to meet his gaze right as he started to change his swimsuit out for trunks that would chafe less in his sleep. His massive forearm blocked everything from sight, and he tried to not read too far into the disappointed look that flashed over her eyes.

“We never had that bath date, did we?” The cyborg finally remembered. How many loops had passed since she’d proposed the idea?

“The what?!”

“Oh, uh, crap how do I phrase this without sounding super insane. Uh. Nope, can’t think of a way to explain it. Never mind. Forget I brought that up.”

Franky wandered over to the little sink against the wall and started brushing his teeth.

“You want to take a bath? Together?” She raised an eyebrow. “As a date?”

“No, you shaid you wanted to take a baf ash a date,” he talked through the foaming toothpaste, “‘cosh I needed to fixsh the pipesh. You wanted ush ta bof check the shteam out togever.”

“I don’t remember having this conversation.”

“Yeah,” he spit into the sink, “I know. That’s why I said forget it. I can’t explain it, and you won’t remember the explanation anyway. So just let me go to bed and you’ll forget we had this conversation by the morning and it’ll all be fine.”

“What?”

“It’s nothing. I’m goin’ to bed. Super sick over here,” Franky fake coughed.

“Tell me.”

The cyborg sighed and sat down at the kotatsu across from her. “Fine, but you’re going to think I’ve lost my damn mind. I think the whole crew is stuck reliving the same day on repeat, it’s been six months since we left Wano, and you and I keep having these flirty little late night convos but they never go anywhere because we both forget in the morning.”

“Hm. Why are we stuck in a loop?” She leaned over the table.

“Dunno. I got a few hypothesis I gotta test. You’re taking this super well.”

“I’m not going to remember tomorrow, if what you say is true. I have no reason to think you’d lie to me.”

“That’s… wow that’s really rad. Thanks,” Franky smiled.

“Is that why you’re sick? Some form of time sickness?” A limb blossomed on his shoulder to take his forehead temperature with the back of her hand.

“Nah, I’m just having breakdown panic attacks. Probably because I just realized I’m stuck living the same day over and over. I’m fine. I just gotta go to bed.”

“So that you can wake up this morning again?”

“Exactly! You got the spirit!” He laughed, but the reality of the situation hung heavy.

“Well,” Robin stood with a stretch, “I’ll let you rest. I’m glad you’re not sick with a highly contagious life threatening disease. Please find a solution soon, I don’t know how many times I want to pick drowning cicadas out of my morning coffee.”

“You’ve already done it two hundred times, what’s a few thousand more?”

“That,” she paused, “that’s a good point. Two hundred? Really?”

“I think so, but I still got a ton I haven’t figured out. Sorry to dump this all on you.”

“Well, I won’t remember either way. I’m glad you could talk through your troubles. Do you need anything else before I leave?”

“Nah, but I’ll let you know if I think of anything tomorrow.”

Robin laughed as she rounded the table. Her many hands wrapped his head to her stomach in a warm hug, though the contact didn’t linger. “You’ll be alright. You’ll figure this out. Whatever this is.”

“What is this?” He looked up at her.

The devil laughed, “ask me again tomorrow.”

“I’ll be sure to do that. G’night, Nico Robin.”

She leaned down low and pressed a quick kiss to his temple. “Good night, Franky.”

Before he’d fully processed the action, she escaped out the door and into the night. He didn’t have the energy to follow. A drowsy, grey ache pulled at his eyelids. The cyborg typed out a quick synopsis of his day before he could forget. He made a note of their conversation in his bunk, but did not include the finer details about the peck.

Hypothesis one- she was a very caring friend who was just happy that her crew mate was not incredibly ill, even if he had gone mad.

Hypothesis two- she wasn’t. Maybe she was something else entirely.

Franky woke up and immediately lifted the fur ball off his face. The doctor was dropped onto Jinbei’s chest where they proceeded to find a new cuddling position without waking. The big cyborg made his way out the door. The ticker in his systems had clicked up another day. The keypad he’d installed had remained attached, and the notes he’d left the day before were easily retrieved. Super. That proved… something. He wasn’t sure what, but it was a first step.

The shipwright ran to the patched spot on the port railing, but Usopp’s handiwork had disappeared. Whatever was cycling them through the wash could revert the ship, but couldn’t revert his body. Huh. More questions surfaced all at once in his mind, but they could wait.

He sprinted through the galley, noting that the port hole still remained intact too. Up the ladder, through the library, into the bathroom to check the hot wa—.

Robin stepped out of the spa with her towel wrapped tight to her chest. She bumped into the massive man but did not stumble backward.

“How’s the steam?” Franky asked with a quick nod of his head.

“Steamy.”

“Super.”

“Why?”

“Makin’ sure it ain’t broken. Hey, you remember what we talked about last night?”

“You told me that you think teaching Chopper the drums will help with his teen mood swings.”

“Rad, yup. And I stand by that. Thanks.”

He quickly kissed the top of her head before dropping back down the ladder. Nico Robin stood shellshocked in the middle of the bathroom.

Last check was back in the boys dorm. He leaned over Usopp’s bunk to inspect the young man’s face closely. Sure enough, the gash in his forehead had miraculously healed. It was like he’d never been hit in the first place. Because he hadn’t. Bodies healed, ships healed, big arm machines still ticking. Huh. Right as Franky was about to leave the boys’ room, he stopped and retrieved one last treasure. The little cage of cicadas was gently lifted out of Luffy’s locker and carried down into the hold. He left the bugs on Usopp’s desk. Hopefully it was a believable enough location that the captain wouldn’t be devastated, but still kept the critters from making an appearance at breakfast.

The engineer grabbed a pad of graph paper at his desk and brought it with him upstairs. He cozied into the corner of the big galley couch and started to draft out exactly what all needed testing. Variables demanded isolating.

The first step was simple. He played through the day as he had hundreds of times without realizing it, but worked carefully to avoid the major pitfalls. Luffy didn’t find the cicadas at breakfast. The warships were disposed of before any attacks could hit the Sunny. Franky picked out a book from the library and spent his afternoon pouring cover to cover. There was plenty of time to wait. He tried to relax into a nap just to see what would happen, but the sensation of slumber never arrived. He’d tried to pick out the dullest tome they owned, too. His apologies to Nami and her boring textbook on naval business accounting. A shame. There’d be plenty of better reads in his future. Next time he’d pick something more fun.

Zoro and Sanji’s fight broke out just before they supped, but Franky had swiped the meat tenderizer from the kitchen when he’d offered to do dishes after lunch. Nothing flew through the window. It wouldn’t have really matter if they had ended up breaking it, though. One of these rotations, he needed to sit in the room to watch what they were properly bickering about.

Dinner wasn’t the greatest vibe, but it was fine. He did his best to make Luffy laugh, which generally tended to cover over any lingering ill will amongst their nakama. If the captain was happy, his wings were happy. And if his wings were happy, then that meant they weren’t repelling like two north poles. The rubber man declared that they’d have dessert out on the grass to celebrate such a fun day. No one was going to argue with him on that.

As the moon rose and the stars brightened, Franky made his way up to the library. The hot water didn’t need fixing, but he’d started to really enjoy the routine. His accounting book found its home back on the shelves and he scanned the next row for something more interesting.

“Are you looking for a specific book?” Robin called over from her nest.

“Trying to stay awake all night, lose myself a little. You gotta rec for something that’ll have the power to do that, right?”

She perked right up, “oh, of course I do. Hmmm. Yes, I think you should like this one. It kept me up for three nights straight when I read it a few months ago. It’s got everything you’d like. Speculative technology, a war torn country, a karaoke dive that moonlights as a rebellion command center. There’s a romance, but it’s interwoven in a way I think you won’t mind.”

“I can handle a cheesy romance or two, okay?”

“I never said you couldn’t. I just don’t know your preferences.”

Franky grinned and plopped down on one of the benches, “Thanks, Nico Robin. I needed help, and you were the exact right person to ask.” He opened the book to page one, but waited a beat to see what she said next before he properly started reading.

“You’re staying?” 

“I can go read in my workshop if you want to be alone. Don’t wanna get in your way, it’s just super cozy in here,” he shifted to stand up.

“Oh, I don’t mind at all,” Robin cleared her throat.

“Cool. And hey, if it looks like I’m noddin’ off, can you give me a little shake? I can’t fall asleep tonight. It’s for science,” Franky smiled. His shoulders relaxed as best they could against the wall.

“Would it be easier if I sat over here? That way I could be certain you aren’t dozing.”

“Yeah, if you want. Thanks for the help,” he couldn’t help but laugh. Of course she didn’t need the proximity to keep an eye and a hand on him. It was nice to feel her curled up on the other side of the bench regardless. Franky had read only about a page and a half when the silence was broken once more.

“Why did you do that this morning?” Robin asked in a soft voice without looking up from her book.

“Just felt like the thing to do,” he answered.

“But why?”

“Don’t really know. Got a few hypotheses I’m workin’ on. Ask me again tomorrow.”

“Hm,” she nodded. Her legs tucked in tight beneath her. Comfortable silence engulfed the library.

She was right, the book recommendation was a good one. Everything grabbed his attention by the first chapter and he couldn’t wait to keep going. The more pages he turned, though, the heavier his eyes grew. A phantom hand grew from the wall to occasionally jostle him awake, but it did not take long for her to join him in the drowsy twilight before slumber.

Franky fell asleep with her curled tight against his chest.

When he awoke, he could still feel her close. Hand on his face, hair tickling his brow, long nose snoring right in his ear-.

Ugh. Nope. He pushed the boys off and got right back to work. The plan to stay up all night was struck off his list. Whatever was keeping him in this loop wasn’t going to let him just walk into tomorrow. He’d have to try harder than that.

New ideas were tested over many, many, many cycles. Any little idea he could think of, he tried. He knocked himself out early on sleeping pills from the infirmary and woke right back up in the boys’ bunks. He jumped into the sea and watched his ship sail off without him, but greyed into slumber before Sunny could disappear over the horizon. A pile of boys met him when he regained consciousness. He let a marine land a shot to a non-vital spot on his back, but the bullet wound was gone as soon as he reawakened. He felt super guilty the loop when he intentionally squashed one of Luffy’s cicadas during the commotion at breakfast. The bug reappeared the next day and washed all that guilt away.

That didn’t mean he was itching to try the hypothesis out on himself, though. The gun shot and the hours of treaded water left him to suspect that trying to court the other side would more than likely result in the exact same conclusion. No afterlife awaited him, just another very uncomfortable morning of four dudes in his personal space bubble.

No idea was left on the table. He set fires, he scared his crew mates, he watched Zoro and Sanji’s brawl from the front seat. Evey loop, every rotation, he tried to test what he could. Nothing was ever different, even when small things changed. Breakfasts were organized into repeating patterns of hero ingredient. It seemed the cook followed his in-the-moment instincts rather than an intricately laid out schedule. Robin always read the same book; she said it was because she was halfway through, but she’d have it finished by tomorrow. Any machine he built always disappeared by the time he woke again. Futility didn’t stop his hands from needing to tinker, though. Any changes he made to his body, however, stuck around. He had to fight the primal urge to commit to a full rebuild. This wasn’t the time for Battle Franky Thirty Nine.

He talked Zoro into a shitty stick and poke tattoo in one rotation, but the mark disappeared by the next day. No one agreed to getting a cyborg upgrade “for science,” so he couldn’t test if the enhancements were a true variable. He pissed everyone off one loop, he gave everyone a hug on another. Franky checked every bit of hardware throughout the ship, but nothing looked radioactive or infected or a little glitchy. He made Chopper run checkups on the whole crew, but no one appeared to be sick.

Everyone was interviewed as discreetly as he could manage. The cyborg spent his copious days with each member of his nakama, trying to build a picture of what every single one of them had done the night before. Well, hundreds of nights before, but none of them realized that. He learned how to cook the dinners that they ate each night. He practiced his guitar with the bard, then learned piano, then drums for the hell of it. Hitting something helped with his time loop mood swings. Days and weeks and months passed in the open sea.

No matter what he tried, he couldn’t pop the bubble.

The bounty hunters didn’t know anything, the marines didn’t know anything. Interrogation went nowhere. He was at a loss. 

Franky read. He read and he read and he read and he read. He started with books on Grand Line Phenomena and time travel. He couldn’t believe that Robin already had tomes on the subject in their library, but the shock wore off quickly. She helped him find relevant volumes and kept him company as he poured over each one. Sometimes the archeologist asked questions, sometimes she let him work in peace. Every few dozen cycles, she would ask for a full explanation and sat patiently as he raved like a madman.

Nico Robin always believed him, though. That was super nice of her.

After he had completed every book they had on possible anomalies, he shifted to adjacent topics. Whole months were lost reading up on histories of devil fruits, West Blue cryptids, unsolved mysteries, and astronomy. Nothing too helpful came up in his search, but he kept plenty of notes.

Each time she recommended a new book to him, he sacrificed a few loops to reading it. They’d stay up late discussing everything he’d learned and what to read next. Grey mist would send him right back to the boys room to repeat his morning, but he’d always wake up with a wide grin across his cheeks.

He tested and he learned. Franky tried altering little details each round of the carousel, but nothing ever changed the full outcome. He dug further, tried to connect the dots. Nothing made sense, and he was starting to feel the corrosion in his bones. Time passed. It rolled like waves on the sand, but never once progressed.

-

Books only offered scraps of possibility here and there. He splayed them out as he poured over the volumes on the table in the middle of the warm library. Some reports were close to what they were experiencing, but nothing on the Grand Line fit the exact parameters. This puzzle frustrated him to no end.

“How many days has it been?” Robin asked from her nook. She’d wanted a full explanation this cycle. The archeologist received the account well, as she generally tended to do.

“One thousand eighty six days since I realized we were stuck.”

“Franky, that’s over three years.”

“Yup. I know,” he didn’t even look up from the sea of books.

Robin digested his words for a moment before asking her next question. “How many times have we been here doing this?”

“Whuduya mean?” The engineer finally looked up.

“How many times have you already explained this phenomenon to me?”

“Oh, a whole bunch. You always wanna know more. I couldn’t even make the little crack of progress I’ve accomplished without ya. You pick it up fast, it’s nice.”

“But I never remember?” She stood and walked over to peer down at the many tomes.

“Nah, but it’s okay. No one on the crew does. Sometimes I don’t, I gotta go back and read my notes.”

“And how often are we here in the library together in general?”

Franky rubbed the back of his head, “oh, uh, almost every night. Is that super weird?”

“Not at all,” she laughed, “I am here most nights, regardless. At least from my perspective. Your added company makes a lot of sense. It’s a logical progression.”

“Yeah, nothin’s really changed in your routine, has it? Oh! I finished that murder mystery you recommended a few days ago. I mean, you didn’t, but you did. If that makes sense.”

“Oh? I’ve got excellent taste, recommending it to you. The one I bought recently, yes? With the tea house and the pregnant woman?”

“Yeah! Loved the third act twist, totally didn’t see it coming. And, oh my god, that scene on the balcony. I was cryin’ my eyes out. I mean. Uh, metaphorically. I wasn’t- I wouldn’t,” Franky stammered.

The archeologist laughed and leaned a fair amount of weight against the center table. “I’m glad you liked it,” she hummed.

“I’ve totally liked all the stuff you’ve recommended so far!”

Their chat flowed back and forth as they discussed the books she’d had him read. He’d had the essence of the same conversation with her in dozens of reoccurrences, but that just meant he’d had time to refine his jokes. Robin always glowed when they discussed her collection. Any opportunity to soak up her rays of moonlight was welcome in his books.

They talked through the night in ways they had before and surely would again. The conversation moved to the plush seat. At first, Franky tried to stay in his corner, as respectfully far from her as he could, but it didn’t take long before he had migrated into her personal space. The closeness felt natural, if not a little encouraged by the bulk of his structure. The devil had a choice between sitting four feet away or right up against his chest.

She chose to stay close.

“Franky?” Robin mused. Her voice cut through the tendrils of dull grey mist that signaled the reset of cycle. “I’m not going to remember any of this after I fall asleep?”

“No,” he muffled into her hair.

“But you will?”

“Yeah.”

“Then I’m about to do something very, very cruel. I’m sorry,” she twisted to look right at him.

“Eh? Wha-.”

Robin wrapped two real arms around his neck and pulled herself in close. Her lips whispered faint, hot air along his face for just a breath before she kissed him. One massive, mechanical hand rose to cup her waist. Skin danced in soft harmony, though she never opened the contact up any deeper. It was warm and comfortable, a continuation of their countless cozy nights in the library. Fog beaconed to Franky from behind his closed eyes, but he dared not ruin the moment by opening them.

“I’m sorry,” she repeated against the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t be,” he blinked sleepily. “I just wish I wasn’t out of time.”

“You aren’t. You have all the time in the world. If you were to ask me again, I’d say yes. Every single repetition of whatever this is.”

“Yeah, whatever this is. That’s super good to know, Nico Robin. I’ll be sure to ask you tomorrow. Don’t lemme forget.” The cyborg ran his huge hand over her head and through her long, dark hair. He brought her close for one final kiss before the fading dusk of sleep pulled him into the great void.

Franky woke up crying. Or maybe it was all the deer fur in his eyes.

Chapter Text

Franky didn’t move an inch. He lay under the deer and the fish and the man and the skeleton. His brain fought to go back to where he’d just been. He could go to the library again that night, but that didn’t mean things would be entirely the same. She was such a woman of routine, and yet every evening with her was different. Why did he have to fall asleep like that? Why couldn’t he have stayed with her in his arms, kissing her in every way he'd always wanted to?

Nico Robin said he could ask her again tomorrow. Today. Again. Start from scratch. A first kiss on replay, forever.

The rest of the pirates began to wake up and get ready for breakfast, but he remained supine on his air mattress. Thoughts ran faster than the speed he could wrangle them at. She was all he wanted out of this loop. He needed to pick up where they left off, but it was impossible. The kiss was just as cruel as she had promised it would be. Those devilish lips haunted him.

Franky was the last to arrive at breakfast. Everyone greeted him with lethargic smiles. Her dazzling eyes met his across the table in an expression she had sent him thousands of times before. Nothing had changed for her. Everything had changed for him.

He didn’t notice the commotion at the table until it was too late.

“No insects at the breakfast table!” Sanji screamed.

“But look at this one! It’s so cool!” The captain joyously exclaimed as he threw open the door to the little bug house.

Dammit. Franky had gotten distracted, he hadn’t made the necessary preparations to avoid the attack. Cicadas filled the air and landed on every available surface. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t tear his eyes off of her.

Robin laughed and pointed to the wall behind him. He’d played this game enough cycles to know there was a bright, jeweled bug crawling in his proximity, but the big man didn’t care to turn and nab it. A silly grin stayed locked on Franky’s face. Everyone else had scrambled, but the cacophony didn’t concern him. She laughed a second time and crossed her arms in front of her chest. Two hands blossomed from the wall. One snatched the identified cicada herself, the other ruffled his hair. He didn’t even care that she messed up his ‘do.

The lovestruck machine was absolutely useless in the scramble. Before he’d even realized it, the table was clear. The cicadas were gone, and half the crew had escaped the war zone. Jinbei and Brook both shot him looks on their way out the door, but Franky didn’t have the mind to be bothered.

“Are you feeling alright?” Their doctor asked in a diminutive voice.

“Wha-? Oh. Yeah. Super fine. I just, uhhhh, I had a good dream last night. Sorta feels like I’m still asleep,” he answered, phantom of the smile still lingering.

“Oh?” Robin paced over, refilled coffee in hands, “what was your dream about?”

“Uh, can’t say or else it won’t come true. Super sorry.”

“I thought that was birthday candles and fountain wishes,” Chopper frowned. 

Franky nodded, “yeah, like those. And also dreams you want to come true.”

That didn’t seem to satisfy the doctor, but he relented nonetheless. Hooves clopped away in the direction of the infirmary.

“Will you tell me about your dream?” The devil woman asked with a coy smile.

“Ha,” he laughed, “yeah, you can know. Ask me again tonight, I’ll see what I can remember.”

“Not now?”

“Not here,” The cyborg shook his head. Dark eyes gestured to the cook squinting from the island countertop, elbows deep in the washing.

“Tonight, then. The usual place?” Robin subtilely bit her lower lip. A flash of color crossed her cheeks.

“It’s a date.”

“It’s a date.”

Franky made the first move, breaking himself away from the conversation before he messed it up. Not that it mattered. He’d landed flat on his face in plenty of cycles but picked himself back up and tried again in the next. The sensitive microphones in his hearing aids still picked up the song of her chuckles as he escaped down the ladder into his workshop.

He briefly considered hiding away for the rest of the day, getting lost until it was time for their usual late night talk. The kiss replayed in his head again and again and again. Big hands needed to tinker on a futile machine that would not exist tomorrow, just to have a task. After a few minutes, though, he packed his things up and made his way onto the deck. It was a beautifully sunny day. Just like every damn day in this loop.

“Captain!” The shipwright yelled as he dropped his sack of scrap and components on the grass.

“Eh?”

“Bounty hunters on the five o’clock,” mechanical hands pointed. “Jinbei!”

“Yes?”

“Marines to port.”

Both men turned in the indicated directions of the threats. Sanji joined Luffy in dispatching the first warship and Zoro joined the helmsman in eliminating the second. The matter was settled within just a few minutes, but the cook and the swordsman still fell into an argument over who accomplished more in the fight.

Nami and Robin made themselves comfortable in the deck chairs just before lunch. Franky tried his damndest to stay focused on the weapon he was absentmindedly crafting, but his eyes kept wandering. His mind played out how he planned on talking to her. Hey Robin, so I know I’ve told you this a few hundred times already, but you never remember and that’s fine. So we’re all stuck in a time loop and I’m the only one who knows it. You kissed me yesterday with the full knowledge that you’d forget and I just needed to know if you meant it or if you only did it because you knew you wouldn’t remember. Also can we do it again?

She usually believed him, she probably wouldn’t think it was a lame pickup line. Probably. His hands moved of their own accord. His eyes stayed locked onto a totally different subject. She looked so cool reading in the sunlight. The same book she always read. He hoped one day she’d be able to finish it.

Wires twisted, but he was too distracted to notice he hadn’t capped the container for the ignition liquid. Safety off, switch flipped. Big smile across his face, attention on the other side of the deck.

Sparks landed inside the puddle of lighter fluid. The chain reaction spread to the densely packed dynamite strapped to the makeshift weapon.

Uh oh.

Boom.

Franky woke up in the bunks screaming. Chopper screamed too as he was catapulted across the room. Usopp, Jinbei, and and Brook all jolted into consciousness at the sound. The cyborg was up on his feet, running to the little hand sink. He splashed himself with round after round of water until his pulse had settled back to a more regular rhythm.

Well, that answered one hypothesis he hadn’t bother to test in all one thousand loops.

He’d gotten too distracted. He’d died. And he was back again to live the same day once more. Ugh.

No, no more distractions. The explosion blew some of the dust from his brain. Robin was great and all, but he had a problem to fix. It had been years of cycles, and he was still no where closer to figuring out why or how this was happening. He had work to do. It was time to focus.

It felt wrong, toying with her memory. She was cruel for kissing him, but he would be cruel for playing out the scene time and time again all for his own pleasure.

So he pulled back, retreated to his workshop more often. The library dates stopped, the iron man forged his mind to a red hot point. He ran his experiments. He poked at the parameters. He skipped meals and stopped refueling. Weeks passed in the blink of an eye. What was a few extra ticks of the meter after so many cycles?

He wrote everything down on the computer in his wrist. Sometimes he still forgot details. Luffy let the cicadas out at breakfast if he was too slow in the morning. The bounty hunters and the marines were a pain more often than not. The cook and the swordsman were always, always fighting. That never changed no matter what Franky affected. It was unavoidable. The source of the issue had to be deeper than what he could perceive, something laying in the abysses of their souls. He kept having to fix that damn hot water valve.

Time passed, and yet it didn’t. It made him angry, so so so angry. He couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t push it. The machine that trapped them would not be stopped, but it always just repeated. The machine that kept him alive always needed so much maintenance. It was the only reminder that things were changing, things could change.

Franky practically growled at the books in front of him. He’d accounted for so many details, but the variables didn’t budge. He was alone, despite being surrounded by his nakama.

He missed her.

It’d been two months, by his best estimate, but they hadn’t spoken much since the day he’d blown himself up. Night fell once more. Distinguishing time was becoming a real challenge. Everything felt grey constantly. The fog was getting worse.

He sighed and snapped her copy on the Rainbow Mist Reports closed. The cyborg had read it a hundred times, and yet he kept checking for new details. None ever arose. The problem was always easier when he talked it out with Robin, but he didn’t have the energy to explain everything again tonight. The thought brought him to the verge of tears.

This was ridiculous, he thought. There was no reason to avoid her, and it was inescapable on a ship this size. So Franky collected his things and climbed the ladder, up up up into the library. Robin sat in her usual spot, book against her knees. A phantom hand raised to wave as he hoisted himself into the room. The big man wandered to the bookshelves he’d more than memorized and slid his borrowed volumes back into place. A frown creased his lips as fingers traced the cavity on the shelf.

“Ay, have you seen the Grand Line Encyclopedia of Phenomenon?” He called over.

“I’ve got it here,” she answered, lifting the tome out of her lap.

“Oh, okay,” Franky nodded and turned to leave. If she was reading it, he’d just come back tomorrow. Today. Later. “How’s your novel going?” He asked before he left. It was an inquiry he’d made countless times. He already knew her answer- it was an intriguing second act, but she wasn’t sure how the ending would go.

“Hm? Which novel?”

“The uh, the one with the flower shop owner mob boss in the fight with the bank. You picked it up when we stopped on that island yesterday.” Yesterday for her, years ago for him. The idea of how much time had passed exhausted him.

“Oh, I finished that book months ago. The ending was alright, if a little predictable. Was that island trip really yesterday?”

Franky froze in the doorway. “What?” He croaked.

“I- hm,” Robin started. She closed the encyclopedia and stood up. “Franky, can I tell you something? I think everyone might think I’m mad if I brought it up at the breakfast table, but I trust you, quite a lot.”

He paled and turned slowly back into the library. “‘C-course you can, Nico Robin. You need something?”

“Yes, I think I need some help. Something strange has been happening to me lately, it’s difficult to describe. Do you ever feel particularly bad deja vu?”

The floor dropped out beneath him, his pulse quickened. What the hell was she saying? He’d spent years of the loop trying to get anyone to feel what he was feeling. Franky moved to sit on the closest bench, worried that his knees would give out.

“Y-yeah I do,” he whispered. “Do you?”

Robin brightened, “really? Oh, what a relief. Perhaps this is just normal, then. I don’t know. Something has been pulling at the back of my mind for a while now. May I?” She gestured to the spot next to him on the plush seat.

“Yeah, totally. You can tell me what you think might be goin’ on. I can handle it, promise.”

The archeologist sat, but her posture wasn’t nearly as relaxed as when they normally shared the seat. “We used to do this. Quite a lot, yes?”

“Y-yeah. Well, sorta. It’s complicated. What are ya thinkin’ about, Nico Robin?” He trembled.

“How do I put this? Franky, a few months ago, I watched you… you die. I saw it happen, I remember it clearly. That whole day is seared into my brain. I remember crying, I remember holding everyone. I remember holding you, or the piece that remained. I spent the day mourning you. We all did but I- it doesn’t matter. I remember crying myself to sleep, until I fell into a dense fog. But then I woke up the next morning and you were alive. You got up, we had breakfast, and you went back to work like nothing had happened. No one seems to have remembered it, either, but I didn’t know how to bring it up with you. I though I’d simply dreamed it, but other oddities have occurred since. Franky, I- I think I keep living the same day over and over again. I don’t know how, I don’t know why. I’ve got a few hypotheses but I don’t quite know how to test some of them just yet. Do I sound absolutely mad? Have I lost my mind?”

He stared at her, mouth agape. “No,” the cyborg whispered, “no, no, no. Not at all.” His brain cycled through a stream of thoughts once more. She saw it. She felt it. Massive mechanical arms rose with fervor and hugged her tight to his chest.

“You believe me?” Robin muffled between pectorals.

“You believed me every time I told you, ‘course I believe you right back.”

“W-what?”

“I feel it, too.”

She choked against his skin, a weight visibly lifting off her shoulders. Tears prickled in the cyborg’s eyes. He let himself curl in and kiss the top of her head. His thumbs stroked through her hair as he held her for a long, long time.

“I’m afraid to fall asleep,” Robin quavered against him.

“It’s alright. It’ll be okay. You don’t have to figure this out on your own any more. I’m so sorry that I disappeared.”

“How long have you been stuck here? Has it been longer than two months?”

“One thousand, one hundred, forty four days, least by my count.”

“Franky, that’s years,” she pulled back, eyes wide in horror.

“I know. But it’ll be okay. We can figure this out, talk it through now. What made you realize you were stuck in the loop? Was it me dyin’?”

Robin frowned as she pulled back, scanning his face from a distance, “I don’t know. Possibly. That’s the first thing I remember through the fog. Did anything happen before that, to your recollection? Had something changed the cycle before, perhaps?”

Franky choked, blush covering his cheeks. “Oh, uh, well,” he stammered.

“Is that a yes? What shifted?” She moved onto her knees and leaned in with curiosity.

“So uh, yeah. We used to hang out in here a lot, but I stopped because something changed. It’s uh, I dunno if I can say it. Phew,” he flushed.

“Please, tell me what happened,” Robin pleaded. “If you can’t say it, can you show me? Were we in here?”

“Yeah, in here. On that side of the benches, though,” mechanical hands pointed.

“What were we talking about?”

“We weren’t talking. Well, we’d been talking about all the books you’d recommended for me to read, but then we stopped, I think. Some of the details are hazy.”

“Oh? And we were sitting like this?”

“Well, uh, no.”

She inched forward on the seat, gaze locked to his. “Could you show me how we were positioned, then? There may be a clue if we were to recreate it. I want to remember.”

“Yeah. Yeah. Alright. So, uh, I was kinda sittin’ like this. But you were closer. Can I touch you? Just to move you around, of course. Not to- I mean- uh,” he couldn’t help but blush again.

“Of course. I was closer? This close?” She leaned against the outer hemisphere of his shoulder.

“Not exactly. More like this,” Franky rolled his arm around her and pulled her in against his chest. Her knees naturally came to rest on top of his thighs, and her cheeks burned into the synthetic skin that enshrouded his heart.

“Oh, much closer.”

“Yeah, super close.”

“And we talked? We’ve sat like this before? Even when I forgot every day?”

He nodded, trying to keep his face a respectable distance away. One big hand cupped her hip and kept her form close, though. “Not every time. But a few times, yeah. Sometimes we would fall asleep like this,” the big man practically mumbled.

“It’s comfortable. And very warm. I can see how we could drift off in this position, especially with the potency of the spell. I can already feel the fog returning,” Robin craned her neck up.

“If you’re tired, we can figure this out in the morning.”

“No, I want to remember. So we talked like this and then we fell asleep?”

“Something else happened first. You…”

“I-?”

Franky squeezed his eyes shut and willed his inner machine to slow down. Creaks and groans and whirs leaked from shaking steel regardless of his wishes.

“What’s wrong?” She brought a tangible hand up to his cheek.

“I don’t know if I can do this if you’re consciously trapped here, too. I disappeared because I need to focus on how we get out of this thing we’re stuck in. I’m tired of living the same day. I want it to rain again, I want to feel the ground under my feet. But I don’t know if I can trust myself to have forever alone with you. If this is what woke you up, then I don’t know what that means for everyone else. There’s so many variables, I just—.”

“Franky,” the devil cut him off.

“Yeah?”

“Show me what I forgot. We’ll figure everything else out second. I need to know what I did. What changed things?”

“But you said it was cruel.”

“And was I right?”

“You always are.”

“Then show me what I changed,” Robin murmured.

He gulped and took a deep breath. His free hand rose slowly to meet her hand on his cheek, so large in comparison. The steel made her hiss as he dragged his caress up her arm, her shoulder, the side of her neck. The massive palm held the back oh her head, thumb to her temple.

Franky twisted her around as he leaned in close. Robin’s nose locked into place against cool chrome. Many hands wrapped to hold his waist, his shoulder, the side of his neck.

“And then, uh, well you’re smart enough to guess what happened next,” his breath fell hot and sweet against her skin.

“Remind me.”

“You sure?”

“Remind me.”

It was not an action he had dreamed of actually getting to repeat in all the cycles since he’d died. Franky kissed her just as cautiously as she had kissed him on the exact same night, so long ago. The pattern was familiar. Deja vu overwhelmed all other thoughts. Lips, not fully strangers but not yet formally acquainted, already knew just how to caress. The golden glow of the warm library washed over them, bathing both creatures in burning filament. Insects to a flame. 

“Oh, I see. I think I may be remembering more clearly, now,” Robin sighed against him. “It was like this.” She kissed him again. Her many arms wrapped even tighter.

“Sorta. But it was a bit more like this,” Franky hummed as lips danced over flushed skin.

“Mmmm are you sure it wasn’t like this?” She turned to bring herself higher in the seat. The contact opened with the even height. His hand on her waist gripped tight, afraid to lose her to the fog again.

“Well, it definitely wasn’t like this,” he laughed, risking a messy swipe of tongue across her lower lip.

“Ew,” Robin pulled back, wiping her mouth with the back of a phantom hand. The man between her arms froze for a second, grimacing at his own overstep. After a beat, though, she laughed and cleared the stress from the air.

“Sorry,” he shook his head with a bashful grin.

The devil woman chuckled, cheek to cheek. “Do you really think this is what changed things?”

“I don’t know. We got variables to test. But I know that this happened, and then I accidentally blew myself up the next day. If that’s the first thing you remember, then something around that time changed. Maybe it was this,” he kissed her softly again.

“Why did you blow yourself up?”

“I was thinkin’ too hard about things that were distractin’ me.”

“Things like this?” Robin’s lips glanced against his once more.

“Yeah, things exactly like this.” He mirrored the movement.

“Why did you wait to try again?”

“Felt bad playin’ with your memories. I wanted to wait until you could carry it with you into tomorrow. I wanted you to know it happened, too.”

“Thank you.”

They shifted from the bench to the cold tile floors of the library, holding tight until the fog descended on both of their minds. Lips met one final time before eyes fluttered shut and breaths stilled. The rock of the sea swayed the beacon through the calm of the night. The round room spun, the earth turned, the moon set.

And the cycle began anew.

Franky awoke to a soft hand caressing his sideburn. A second blossomed limb lifted Chopper off his face, a third and forth returned Jinbei and Brooks palms to their rightful owners, and a fifth pulled Usopp back into his hammock. The bright light of day streamed in through the open door to the boys’ room. A figure stood in the void, simply a backlit shadow.

“Good morning,” Nico Robin called into the bunks. “Did you sleep well?”

“Oh, super great,” Franky rolled onto his feet. “Best night of my life in years.”

“That’s wonderful to hear,” she answered. Even more hands tossed him a frosty beverage. Glass clinked against metal prostheses as he caught it and pried the cap off with a pop. Fizz washed down his throat, bringing the whole world into focus.

“So what now, Nico Robin?” The cyborg asked as he followed her out the door and into the grassy lawn.

“Now?” The devil kissed his cheek, “we have quite a lot of work to do.”

“I’ll break out the notes, you break out the chalkboard. Oh!” He jolted, as if electrified by an invisible current. The giant man turned in his toes and ran back into the boys’ room. He’d only been gone a moment when he returned with the screaming cicada container in hand.

Robin drummed her fingers against her chin. “What are you about to do with those?”

“If we don’t hide ‘em now, they’ll be drowning in your coffee by the end of breakfast,” He laughed.

“Saving us both the torture, how kind!”

Franky winked, “anything for my crew.”

Chapter Text

Breakfast went off without a hitch, leaving the morning free for the crew to do as they standardly pleased. Franky and Robin commandeered the library, pulling every relevant volume off of the shelves and onto the center table. A small chalkboard had been retrieved from storage, and an extra hand had written the word ‘kiss?’ on the surface, but no other notes were made.

Very little work was being done, in fact.

A cannonball rumbled, making the glass windows of the library shake.

“Oh crap, I forgot about the bounty hunters,” Franky gasped for air.

“Hmmm? Oh, we’re under attack,” Robin blinked. An extra hand rose to wipe her lips as she clambered off the table and took a closer look out the window. “They do this every day, yes?”

“Every day,” the cyborg sighed. He similarly stood up from the edge of the surface, briefly adjusted his briefs, and lumbered to the door. “Luffy! Bounty hunters! Jinbei! Marines!” He yelled down from the gardens.

“Should we help?” The archeologist poked her head out from behind him.

“Uh, if you want. They’re never mad if we sit the fight out, ‘specially you. I might take some heat. Our time may be better spent, uh, actually workin’ on this, though. Ha. They got it covered, no one ever gets seriously hurt. Sometimes lil’ bro scrapes his eyebrow, but it’s always gone when we wake back up.”

“Fascinating. So injuries heal and we can’t die,” she nodded as they returned to the task at hand. “Have you tried staying up all night?”

“That’s the first thing I tried. Tried it a few times, actually. Never works, we always get tired around three in the morning at the latest. All of us. And we can’t physically get super far from the ship, either. I tried swimmin’, the waver, the Mini Merry, and the Shark Submerge. All bust,” he shook his head.

Robin folded her arms and thought deeply. “But why did kissing break me out of it the next day? Was it brain signals? Hormones? Or is it something about you in particular?”

“Eh, I don’t think there’s anythin’ all that special about me, at least not with kissin’,” Franky winked as he dropped down in one of the spare chairs.

“I’d disagree,” she smirked, sitting once more on the table with her legs crossed. “And we can’t eliminate any stray variables.”

“Fine,” the cyborg leaned back. Another cannonball rattled the ship while he tried his best to not look bothered over the damage. “So theory one is, what, I have super magic kisses that wake people out of time loop fog brain? I ain’t kissin’ the whole crew. I’d only kiss maybe like, two, possibly three of ‘em. Four if ‘m drunk. No way on the rest. We’ll be stuck here forever.”

“Well, maybe it isn’t you in particular, then. What if it’s just the general concept of kissing that begins to break the spell?”

“What, like fairytales?” He laughed.

“Why not? All fairytales have a root truth to their stories. Maybe this phenomenon is one of them.”

“So what’re ya suggesting?”

“Well,” Robin cocked her head in thought. An extra hand rose to adjust her reading glasses, “we could make two crew mates kiss and see if that wakes them up. Two birds, one stone. If that doesn’t work, we move on to a more personal touch.”

“If I walk out there and go ‘hey dudes, who wants to play spin the freakin’ bottle,’ they’ll call me a dirty perv and laugh me into tomorrow. Today. You know what I mean,” Franky quirked a brow.

“How is that different than any other day?”

“Eh, good point.”

“In any regard, they may be harder to convince than a simple game. Well, some of them. I’d want a lab rat we can keep an eye on, just to isolate as much information as possible. Someone we can… study. At least for the time being.”

“You got anyone in mind?” The cyborg asked as he chewed his lip and considered the crew’s roster. Outside the window, the bounty hunter ship exploded in a plume of black smoke. A scream of terror floated up from Sunny’s deck.

“Someone who could easily be persuaded into an arrangement with any number of other crew mates? Someone everyone cares for?” Robin shot a look out the door.

“Noooo, we can’t do that to him!”

“Why not?”

Franky stumbled as he looked for a compelling answer. “Uh, I dunno. It’s mean, he’s sensitive.”

“He won’t remember tomorrow.”

“Unless the hypothesis works and he does!”

“But then he’d be happy, right?” She grinned wickedly.

The cyborg drummed his fingers on the table. “But who do we set lil bro up with? He cares a lot for the captain, but I dunno if we can get Luffy kissing in just a day. He could probably be convinced, but there’s gotta be easier ways to start testing theories.”

“And Zoro’s not in any state to get affectionate, either. Similarly persuadable, but it would take some effort to crack that exterior. Getting him incredibly drunk would only add to the variables,” Robin shook her head.

“Well,” Franky shrugged, “Nami would do it.”

“No, she wouldn’t. They’re best friends, but I don’t know if she’d kiss him willingly like that.”

“Whadduya mean? She drunk kisses him all the time, and there was the thing on his birthday a few years ago.”

“The- the what?”

He froze, realizing he said something he shouldn’t. “Wait, you seriously don’t know? I thought you two talked about everything together. There’s no way I know about this and you don’t,” the big man quirked a brow with incredulity.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Nami’s never mentioned a birthday incident to me.”

Franky whistled low. His look of shock twisted into a delighted grin. “Oh, then you’re gonna have stellar talk with her later tonight. Yeah, for his birthday way back before. She took- y’know what? Not my place to say. Bro code.”

Robin’s jaw dropped, putting the pieces together herself. “How did I not know about this?”

“Dunno! I thought you did!”

“But he told you?”

“Had two whole panic attacks about it to me. One before, one after.”

“What’d you do?”

“Hell, I don’t remember!” He threw his hands up, “gave the kid the talk best I could. He’s fine, she’s fine, it’s all super square.”

The archeologist seemed to still be processing the revelation. “So,” she began slowly, “you’re saying you think she could be convinced to kiss him.”

“Eh, maybe,” massive shoulders shrugged, “but they kind of go through like, moon phases about each other. Ever since she got to Wano, they’ve been attached at the hip. But more in like a partners-in-crime kinda way. I dunno if it’s romantic at all right now. If we locked ‘em in a seven minutes in heaven type situation, ‘m pretty sure they’d just rob the closet at this point. They could kiss if we asked them, but I dunno if they’re coming to that conclusion on their own.”

“So I was right to begin with,” Robin laughed. A spare hand ruffled his hair and she rolled her eyes, but the smile meant no harm.

“Well, duh. You always are.”

“But that only leaves Sanji,” she frowned.

Franky thought about it, frowned, but started to slowly nod. “He told me Sanji was his first dude panic. I get it, we’ve all been there. And I don’t think they’ve talked much since he came back to the crew. You heard lil bro when we were living in the Flower Capital, he was so worried about the wedding. I dunno if they’ve hashed that out yet.”

“What are you suggesting? Couples therapy?”

“Hell nah, we just lock ‘em in the weapons factory and see what happens. And if they don’t, you ask Nami kiss him goodnight as a backup plan. Sounds good?”

She seemed to like the pitch. “Alright. I’ll talk to the cook, you talk to Longnose. We prime them just a little-.”

“-But don’t totally blow the therapy load-.”

“-well I wouldn’t phrase it like that, but sure,” the devil laughed. “And if they accidentally set off all the gunpowder in the hold, then they’ll just wake up again next cycle with no memory of anything and we try again tomorrow.”

“Sounds like a plan!” Franky hopped out of his seat with surprisingly spry knees and moved to high-five her with his more manageable hands, but Robin twisted her fingers into his and pulled him down close once again.

“Ay, bro! You wanna take the bosun’s chair?” The shipwright asked as they began to patch up the dents in Sunny’s siding.

“No way!” Usopp waved both hands and grimaced, “Chopper said I may have some brain damage after this injury! Look, I’m bleeding! I may have a concussion, swinging off the side of the boat would only make the swelling worse. Doctor’s orders!”

“He’s fine, it’s just a cut,” the little deer called over without looking up from his herb preparations. “It bled a lot because it’s on your skull. Your brain isn’t swelling.”

“O-o-oh,” the young man shook. “Well, I-I…”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, dude,” Franky pat him squarely between the shoulders. “But ya know, there’s gonna come a day when you’re going to have to take that leap.”

Usopp stared at him, squinting. “What are you talking about?”

“Eh, not talkin’ bout much. Just been masticatin’ on some ideas lately, thought I’d share the wisdom. Sometimes, the bosun’s chair looks scary because you’re swingin’ out over the side of the ship while we speed along, but you’d be harnessed in tight. We’re all here to help you out, support you if you wanted to give it a shot. I’ve seen you do it before, I’d help you do it again. We gotcha, lil bro.”

“I don’t know if I want to hear about your mastication habits,” the sniper’s nose crinkled.

“No I- what I mean is, uh,” Franky floundered. “So sometimes, in life, there’s a moment when we realize we’re not being honest with ourselves. And we gotta take a step back and think about what we want and how we want to go about gettin’ it. Does that make sense?”

The young man looked even more confused. He blinked down toward the grass, hammer frozen mid swing. “No,” he answered eventually, “I’m being honest about not wanting to use the bosun’s chair.”

“It’s a metaphor, bro!”

“A metaphor for what?”

“Uhhhh. For like, stuff. You know. Super scary stuff. A leap of faith.”

Usopp sat down on the turf and stared at his fellow craftsman. “What?” He asked with maximum confusion.

Franky cringed at his own crap advice and readied the harness for himself. The rigging was sturdy enough to support all his bulk, but the ropes still strained in the pulley.

“Never mind. Forget that. Hey, super unrelated, have you talked to team Wedding Crashers after they got to Wano? I know you were worried about ‘em. It’s been a bit, you all catch up, yet?”

“Oh yeah!” Usopp perked back up. “Nami told me everything that happened. Went over all the wild details. I’m glad I wan’t there,” he shook, “that forest sounded terrifying. And I had my wash out day with Brook last week. He told me, er, different things than Nami told me. But it’s good that we were able to get the crew back together. All that business with Big Mom is far behind us. It’s a freeing feeling to not have her on our backs any more.”

“You, uh, talk to anyone else, bro?”

“Luffy mostly just focused on how the cake tasted. And he said he ate a lot of stale biscuits and unflavored mochi,” he blanched at the idea of the flavor.

“Right, no one else, tho?”

Usopp thought to himself for a moment. “Oh! Carrot and I had a really nice talk about Pedro before we left Wano. I think it was one of the first times she’s really lost someone like that. We talked about my mom, about staying strong for people who aren’t with us any more. It was a good conversation.”

The galley door slammed open and the cook came spinning with a round of smoothies for the ladies. His coos and devotion filled the atmosphere, somehow more potent since he’d returned to the Strawhat crew. The liar’s eyes flashed across the deck, but he kept his back to the ladies’ tanning chairs.

“No one else?” Franky prompted again.

“No. No one else,” his little bro averted his eyes.

The shipwright turned to throw his legs over the railing, but sat on the surface for a moment. He caught Robin’s gaze as she said something to the chef and pointed over in their direction. Sanji frowned but nodded, turning to pace toward the workmen. He held a single remaining smoothie on a tray, unclaimed by its recipient.

“Hey!” The romantic called, though he was much harsher than when addressing the ladies on the crew. “Robin didn’t want her drink, she said she was still full from lunch. She didn’t want it to go to waste, though, because she’s thoughtful. Does one of you want it?”

“Nah, dude. I’m all set,” Franky pat his belly fridge. “But you should take it, bro.”

“I- I- I- well,” Usopp stammered, suddenly very hot under the brilliant sun, “if no one’s claiming it, I could be convinced. It’s, oooh, it’s so warm today. A cold drink might be just the thing to inspire me to finish up all these repairs.” He stood up with a stretch and a flex, though he was not subtle in his approach.

The cyborg chuckled both to himself and the woman on the other side of the deck. She looked most amused over the top of her book.

“You’re not doing anything, lazy ass,” Sanji shook his head, but his eyes couldn’t help but soften a fraction.

“That’s Captain Lazy Ass of the Lazy Ass pirates, to you! And I’m doing plenty, I was just about to get in the bosun’s chair and make the side repairs once I had taken my break!”

“Oh really?” The cook laughed, “That bosun’s chair? The one Franky is currently sitting in?”

“I was just gettin’ the harness warmed up for him, lil bro’s definitely got it from here,” Franky swung his legs back onto the deck and peeled the restraints off his hips. He gestured with a flourish for their storyteller to strap in.

“Well I… uh… I’m enjoying this delicious smoothie first! And then I will. No need to stick around,” Usopp pushed the other young man back toward the galley. A bead of sweat, unprompted by the sun, rolled down from under his bandana.

Sanji cocked his head with a disbelieving grin, “no, I want to see this. You won’t.”

“I will! But yuuuum this smoothie is so delicious. It’s giving me a brain freeze! Ah!”

“See, I knew you wouldn’t,” the cook shook his head and turned to go.

Franky turned to his little bro and raised his brows. “Leap of faith, dude,” he grinned.

Usopp chugged the rest of his smoothie with a fist to his cold brain, handing the glass off to the much bigger man. “I can! I can totally do this, you’ll see!” Shaky legs slid into the harness and he readied himself to lower over the edge. Churning sea swirled below, but he lowered his goggles and did his best to focus on the damage.

A curious Sanji couldn’t help but lean over the upper deck’s rail and watch the young man get lowered into the ripping ocean breeze. The chair swung with the speed of the ship’s movements, but Usopp held firm and began to patch the ship despite his fear.

“He’s very brave, I wouldn’t want to be in that position,” Robin materialized over the cook’s shoulder.

“Honestly, I don’t know if I would want to either. I barely like having to stow the sails,” he shook his head.

“And that’s with the power of flight on your side. If he were to slip now, our dear sniper would be consumed by the sea and dragged under the ship. His mangled body wouldn’t resurface until we were leagues away.”

Sanji chewed his cheek as he watched the chair sway again. The young man hammering boards yelped with each gust. “Is he safe?”

“I don’t know,” Robin shook her head.

“Do you get worried when you see Franky use it?”

“Now, I don’t know what you’re insinuating.”

“I think you do. Do you worry?” He tried his best to look over at her through his long fringe.

“No, I don’t. I trust him to do what needs to be done and hold on tight. Our dear sniper isn’t entirely like him, though. He’s fragile in a different sort of way. He needs more… direct direction.”

They both watched the boisterous cyborg holler instructions down to the man in the chair. Usopp couldn’t hear over the roar of the waves. He fumbled and almost dropped his hammer into the sea. Franky called again and waved his massive arms to mime the phrase he was attempting to convey.

“I don’t know if I can be direct with him. I don’t know what direction to go in,” Sanji shook his head.

“You won’t know until you try. It’s… a leap of faith. Like flying,” Robin smiled. One phantom hand blossomed and tucked a strand of blond hair behind his ear.

“Or like falling,” he grumbled, pulling out his pack of cigarettes. The cook though hard as he lit the next, but melted a little more with each pass of her hand over his head.

“Or,” the woman offered, “maybe you simply float in the middle.”

“Hmph. Maybe.”

“You’re hair’s getting long,” she mused. Her fingers gently played with the long strands that poked out at the nape of his neck.

“It is?!” Sanji’s hand shot up to feel the length of his own hair. “Do you like it better shorter? Longer? Which way is sexier?”

“Whichever way makes you feel more comfortable, my dear cook,” Robin laughed as her fingers dissolved into spring flowers. “Cut it, or don’t. It’s up to you. However you’d like to be, that’s yours to decide. But it has been growing regardless.”

She waved and began to walk away back down toward the grass. Sanji remained on the upper deck, cigarette between his teeth, free hand feeling how shaggy his hair had grown.

Dinner that night was shockingly pleasant. The cook had not engaged with the needling of the swordsman, doubtlessly due to some degree of meddling on Robin’s part. Everyone was in high enough spirits. The captain coaxed the majority of the crew out onto the deck for desserts with ease, leaving Franky behind to wash the dishes.

He’d just begun to dry the cups when Robin slipped back into the galley with two parfaits and her notebook in hands. She hurried to the island countertop and took a seat. One dessert was slid to the cyborg with a gesture of offer.

“Wha’s this?” He asked with a toss of his dish towel over his shoulder.

“Strawberries.”

“No,” laughter lightened the space, “I mean all of this.”

“Mmmm,” she hummed through a bite, “the cook just escaped down the hatch, and Usopp is in his workshop. I think they’re going to have a talk.” More hands sprouted to help speed up the drying process.

“Ooooo,” Franky danced, “you’ve got eyes and ears on the situation?”

“Oh, of course.”

“That’s my girl.”

Robin blushed around a mouth full of strawberries and whipped cream. Red compote lingered on her lips as rouge spread over her cheeks. Her eyes moved off to the side, distracting herself by her spy work, but he never looked away.

“What’s he doin’?”

“I made vague implications that a haircut would benefit him,” she smiled around another bite.

The big man’s brow scrunched with confusion, “but it’ll just be back tomorrow. Why?”

“Because it will get them close.”

Sanji knocked on the door to the weapons factory. He shifted nervously in his loafers, tapping the toe box of one on the heel of the other.

“Yeah! Come in!” Usopp called from the other side.

The cook steadied himself and pushed through, into the little workshop. A wall of bushy foliage under indoor ultraviolet lights made the space feel more lively, if not a bit cramped. Usopp stood in the midst of them, halfway through his nightly watering routine.

“Hey,” Sanji waved from the door.

“What’s up? Need something?” 

“Well, uh,” he stammered, “y-yeah. I was realizing my hair’s been getting really long since we left Wano, and Robin said- never mind. You’re busy, I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“No, no,” Usopp set down his watering can and pulled up his desk chair. “I’ve got plenty of time. Have a seat, relax! You’ve just stepped into Master Stylist Usopp’s Premium Salon! Finest haircut of your life!”

“Thanks,” the chef mumbled, suddenly a little shy. He crossed the workshop and sat in the chair, spinning slightly from side to side as the other man found his supplies. This had always been the routine, ever since the East Blue. Usopp had always been their go-to guy for a quick haircut. It wasn’t always perfect, but it was always what was needed. That routine had been disrupted after Dressrosa, though, and hadn’t found its rhythm again since. Sanji wasn’t sure if it would have changed with everything else in his life.

“Shirt!” Usopp ordered as he found his comb and scissors.

“O-oh. Right,” the other man hesitated. Back to the old routine after all. He slipped his coat off and let it drape over the workbench, followed by his tie and button up. Pale muscles and straw-like hair caught the purples of the plant lights. He sat back down and took another steadying breath.

The sniper walked back over, picking up a plant mister on his way. Crafty fingers carded through the blond hair and twisted pleasantly into the segments at the base of his neck.  Nails ran gently over his scalp.

“I thought you were growing it out?”

“Nah, I just didn’t have time for a cut. We’ve been too busy,” Sanji tried to shake his head, but the hands held him in place.

Usopp frowned, “huh. When was the last time you got it cut?”

“Some asshole tried to shape it up before the wedding. It didn’t look good, and I need the memory gone. It was that, or let my family have me get married with the dumbass Germa style,” he scoffed.

“It looks good long, but I totally get why you want to cut that all away. Like how hair’s got memory, yeah? It’s easier to just put the past behind you,” the storyteller nodded with a faux sense of sagely calm. He let go of the golden tresses and began to spritz his subject down with the plant mister. Water clung to each strand, until the comb brushed everything flat.

“How the hell am I supposed to do that? I don’t know if I can put it behind me like I used to. It’s all catching up, I don’t know if I’m fast enough to outrun this.”

“Why do you want to run?”

Sanji rolled his eyes as the scissors took their first snip. “You of all people should know.”

Usopp took a step back, stung with the insinuation of the comments. He didn’t say anything and let the cut of the scissors do the talking for him.

Snip, snip, snip.

Silence fell between the two men. The cook shifted uncomfortably in his chair, but first hands clamped down to keep his head steady.

“I’m sorry. I just meant,” he took a deep breath in, “I’m… I’m scared to face this thing head on. I faced off against my family before, but I don’t know if I’ll have the strength to go it again. I don’t want this thing to k- to kill me. Or kill the parts of me that I like, at least. I don’t want to become someone I’m not.”

The scissors paused. The barber stared at the back of his client’s head, fingers to his nape. Silence filled the explosives factory. Plants sizzled under ultraviolet light.

“How’s it lookin’?” Franky asked. He put the final few glasses away on the highest shelf of the galley cabinets.

“Not good,” Robin winced.

“Eh? They fighting?”

“No, not a fight per se. But they’re having a hard time opening up. Usopp’s distant, and Sanji’s on the defensive.”

“Oh, that’s super bad. Yikes!” The cyborg’s hand squeezed, accidentally snapping a wine glass in two at the stem. He shrugged and tossed the goblet in the trash, emboldened by the knowledge that it would be fixed again in the morning. “Should we intervene? Call it off? Abort mission?”

“Not just yet. I want to see how this plays out,”

“Well,” Usopp eventually found the words, “then it sounds like you need to nurture those parts of you that you like, right? If a piece of you needs to be cut off, the least you could do is propagate it so that it grows new roots and becomes its own plant.”

Sanji blinked in confusion. His head was pushed down by his barber so that all he could see was the swirling pattern of the wood grain on the floors. “What the hell are you talking about?”

“What are these parts? The ones you like?”

“I- never mind. Forget I brought this up. I don’t have any,” the cook frowned. His brow and nose scrunched tight, though the other man’s hands held him firmly.

“Don’t lie to me.”

“I like,” he sighed, “I like doing things for other people. I don’t want to stop giving myself to the ones I care about. I feel good when I know someone else is happy because of something I did for them. I’m not comfortable when the roles are reverse, I don’t like taking. Hell, I don’t think I like that I can’t cut my own hair! I hate making you do it for me.”

Usopp laughed. “I mean, I could teach you if you want. You could practice on Franky, he doesn’t mind having a crap haircut. He can just regrow it, or however that thing works.”

Robin laughed in the kitchen.

“What’d they say?” Franky leaned over the counter. Finally finished with the last of the dishes, he pulled his parfait over and filled his mouth with the sweet.

“Don’t worry about it,” she stifled her giggles and ran a phantom hand over the back of his head.

Snip, snip, snip, snip. The scissor got back to work, a little jauntier than before. Both men laughed, taking the weight out of the air. Splintered ends of straw hair fell to the floor in little piles. Time dropped away.

“This, I like this. I like when I smile with everyone. Is that weird?” Sanjis tried to look up through his bangs.

“Breaking news, local man- uh- feels good when he’s happy? We’ll be investigating this phenomenon further,” Usopp joked in a fake, deep voice. The tone caught the cook’s attention and his smiled faltered in deeper thought.

“Did…” he started, “did putting on a mask help you feel braver?”

Snip, snip… snip… … … … snip.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Shut up, yes you do,” the cook took the next long interval pause to swivel around in the desk chair to face the other man head on. He raised his brow in expectation.

Usopp looked away, but tried to disguise the action like he was just looking for his other supplies. “Yeah, ‘course it made me feel braver. I got to be anyone when I’m not me,” he mumbled under his breath. “Don’t you feel braver when you put it on, too?”

“Nope,” Sanji shook his head. “Not even a little bit. Bolder, maybe. But not braver.”

“Well, you’re already brave enough. I guess you don’t need the boost.”

“Are you serious?! I’m scared shitless every time I have to put that mask on. I’m so afraid that I’m going to not be able to wake back up one day. Each time I do it, it’s a sacrifice. I can feel myself slipping away,” the cook sighed. The comb was raised once more, now focusing on brushing out his bangs.

The barber thought to himself as he absentmindedly brushed through the hair. His mister raised to dampen the strands. “Then why put the mask on in the first place? If it isn’t serving you, then why use it? Like, it looks cool and flashy, but you don’t have to utilize the suit.”

“Because even if it doesn’t serve me, I can serve others with it. I’m stronger, faster, my defense is higher. I can take a hit in it. And if that means taking a hit that would have normally been meant for Nami or for Robin or for y- or for anyone else, I’ll take it head on. That’s my sacrifice. I’ll give up all these pieces of me, that’s fine.”

The next spray from the bottle squirted onto the exposed half of his face. Water dripped from his curled brow and lashes. Pure offense etched itself all over the cook’s expression.

“That’s stupid,” Usopp shook his head and misted the other man a second time.

“What?! How the hell is it stupid?!” Sanji flared. 

“You’re doing the thing you love most about yourself, but you’re sacrificing that part in order to do it. You’re burning up! You’re burning out. It’s a self fulfilling prophecy!” Usopp combed through the soaked fringe. “Okay, I’m just going to take the bottom few centimeters off, right? Nothing too high. Unless we go for something new…”

He raised his scissors up to pretend like he was going to cut the bangs above the brow. Sanji yelped and clamped both his hands over his hair in protection.

“You’d better not,” he warned.

The storyteller just snickered and brushed the cooks hands out of the way. He lowered his tools and used his own fingers to pull the hair taut and even.

“I’m not burning out,” Sanji started again as the trimming began.

“So when was the last time you let someone else do something for you?”

“Uh… you’re cutting my hair right now does that count?”

“And before that?” Usopp quirked a brow.

The other man stammered, eyes looking in any other direction. Crafty fingers pulled gently on his follicles. His barber had to stand so close, lean in so far to trim his fringe. The closeness felt nice in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. The touch was comforting.

“I can’t rest. If I’m not there to help other people, then no one will be. I’m liked here because I have a role to fill. If I’m not filling that role at all hours of the day, then I’m useless to you.”

The water bottle raised in a flash, spritzing him before he had a chance to blink.

“Wow, that’s rude,” the sniper frowned, “you don’t think a single one of us will show up to care for you? You don’t think any one of us can take that on for just a little while? We like you for more reasons than just that you cook for us. Really. Think a bit higher of your crew, dang.”

“Think higher of you?! I think the world of you, that’s why I want to make these sacrifices for you!”

“But it’s pointless if you lose yourself in the process!” Usopp finally snapped. “You’re going to become your own worst nightmare, and then you won’t be useless or even dead weight. If you go down a path where you lose yourself, then you’ll become something even worse! You’ll be an enemy, Sanji. Which means you’ll be hurting us. Is that what you want?”

“No! That’s why I said it makes me so fucking afraid!” Sanji screamed through his frustration.

“Oh, oh no. This isn’t looking good,” Robin stared off into space with a wince.

Franky cleared the last bites of his parfait, licking the spoon clean. “Want me to go down there and interrupt before things start goin’ boom?”

“Yes, we might have just lit a flare in a powder keg. Get ready, I’ll give you the signal.”

The cyborg nodded at her words and walked out of the kitchen. He dropped down the ladder swiftly. The nosy archeologist, however, remained seated at the island with her extra eyes open wide.

“So if it scares you so much, you need to protect it! Which means letting others help you nurture that love inside of you! You can’t do this alone!”

Sanji fully stood, but his barber didn’t let go of the most recent strand of fringe. “But look what happens when I’m gone. You got hurt in the fight today!” He gestured at the single bandage over the other man’s split eyebrow.

“This?! You’re freaking out because I got cut?! I know I was bitching about it earlier but I’m fine. A little bit of blood’s nothing I can’t handle! I’m still recovering from that concussion from the raid, the brain damage and my broken nose are way worse than anything those bounty hunters could have done to me. I’m fine!” Usopp tried to cover his own anxieties with an attempt at a joke.

“Don’t lie to me!”

“I’m not lying, it’s a damn paper cut! I’m not a kid any more, I can take a hit! I don’t want to get hurt, but I’ll still survive if I do! It’s not worth you hurting yourself further and saying it’s for me! For- for us, I mean. The crew. I don’t- I don’t want you to go. I don’t want you to burn out. We’d be worse without you- we were worse without you. I thought you realized that already!”

Sanji blinked once and dropped back down into the desk chair. On the other side of the workshop door, Franky leaned in close to try and hear what was being said. Voices lowered, nearly too soft for his own super hearing. His hand hovered just above the door nob, waiting for the signal from Robin upstairs.

“Sometimes,” Usopp continued, still upset but not nearly as angry, “you need someone to help cut your hair. You can’t care for all of us all the time. It’s impossible. It’d be like trying to poop after not eating anything for days, it just won’t happen. You can’t pour love out into others- especially at the rate you do- without bringing some in for yourself. Let us help you, please. Let us love you right back. I know we’re not all the girls, but surely care from the rest of us isn’t poisonous. Would you settle for that?”

“I can’t hear them. Now?” Franky whispered quietly.

“No, wait. Something’s happening,” lips on his ear whispered right back.

“Settle? What do you mean settle?” Sanji chewed his lip.

The other man nervously started to snip at the end of the fringe again. Memories locked in golden locks felt to the ship’s boards. The more he carded through, the more the barber could see of his subject’s other eye. The eye he used to see all the time when they were naive boys just starting their voyage. The eye that used to have so much excitement for the endless possibility of the world. The side of himself he had locked away in his years on his own.

Usopp stumbled through his clarification, “well, I just mean… I know we’re not Nami. Or Robin. But it doesn’t mean that Luffy or… or myself- that we don’t have ways of showing you we care for you. Who you are, right now. Especially the parts you love about yourself. I’m grateful for every time you’ve helped me. You help me survive at least three times a day- with snack breaks and dessert. That strawberry thing was good, by the way. Really tasty, were there any leftovers? I’d have more. I liked it a lot, I mean it.”

“Oh,” the cook blushed at the compliment to his food. It hit him in his heart, ignited his favorite parts of himself. “I’ll see if I have any more but the captain may have already found them. I… I’m not settling. I know you and Luffy care. Mosshead can get fucked, but I know you do. But it feels different on the inside when you say things like that. Different compared to when the ladies do it. I can’t explain what the difference is, though. I just feel it. It’s hard to put into words but the sensation in my chest is… just warm.”

Snip, snip, snip, snip, snip. A silly grin swept over the marksman’s face with each inch of hair that he took. “Another casualty to my overflowing charisma. I know, it’s irresistible. The masses can’t help but fall for my charms. I don’t blame you for being left speechless. It’s the feeling poets try to put words to when describing their muses. I get it. It’s my mmmmf—.”

Sanji had shot up fast enough that the desk chair clattered backwards onto the floor. Both his hands clasped the sides of the other man’s face, cutting off his humorous boasting with a tight lip lock.

The kiss was firm, direct yet warm. A conveyance of information. A conveyance of care. Tender but still respectful, like a picnic in the park. Usopp stared in wide eyed shock at the other face directly against his. His busy hand was still wrapped around blond bangs, but quickly relaxed to push the hair out of his way.

A quiet little cheer escaped Robin’s phantom lips on the side of Franky’s neck. He took the signal and the immediate silence on the other side of the door as his indicator to retreat. The big cyborg slowly wandered up the hall, trying to do his best to not make a sound. At least his baseboards never creaked.

The cook took a quick gasp for air. His eyes stayed scrunched tight, as if he was trying to not look at what he’d done. The other man’s crafty fingers leafed through the abundance of fringe as they pulled away. Usopp bit his lip and waggled his eyebrows in a silly fashion, but kept his eyes in locked contact as Sanji slowly opened his own. Warm skin pressed shoulder to shoulder in the glow of the plant lights.

“See?” He laughed with performed confidence, “you couldn’t resist the overwhelming charm of Kissmaster Usopp.”

“Why the hell did I just do that?”

The expression on the sniper’s face immediately dropped. “Wh- what do you mean? Did you not… I mean, uh… I mean, I get it if you don’t…”

“I- I think I left something in the oven. I need to go check on it. Now,” Sanji blinked rapidly as he looked for his shirt.

“Oh. Okay. Sorry.”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” the cook snapped. “I shouldn’t have— I shouldn’t have come to get a haircut in the middle of baking. That was stupid.”

“But- but I didn’t finish your haircut yet!” Usopp tried to call after him.

“I’ll figure it out on my own!”

He was out the door and down the hall in a flash. Franky’s back blocked the direction that led to the dock rooms and the deck above, so he turned in his squeaky loafers and ran up the ladder to the bar and the galley. In a matter of just seconds, he was back in his kitchen, panting in panic, shirt still unbuttoned and tie loosely draped over his shoulders.

Sanji slammed his forehead hard against the refrigerator. He leaned back to hit it again, but an arm blossomed from the cool exterior and caught him before he could dent the appliance.

Downstairs, Franky checked over his shoulder with a grimace. The blur of blond left a ghost down the hall. He could faintly hear little hiccups from the explosives factory. The cyborg quickly pivoted and closed back in to check on his little bro. The young man sat in his desk chair in the middle of the workshop, head in his hands.

“H-hey, bro. Is- uh- is everything going okay? You’re no looking so su-.”

“I don’t know what I did wrong!” Usopp sobbed.

Sanji sat at the island counter with an ice pack to the bump on his forehead. Four hands pat his shoulders in comfort. “He hates me! What’s my problem, why did I have to go and fuck it all up! I just threw away one of my closest friendships for- for- for what? I just couldn’t help myself. Stupid, stupid, what the hell’s wrong with me?!”

“Maybe,” Robin hummed with a sympathetic frown, “it might be best to sleep on this? You can rest up, think things through, and talk about it in the morning with him? He can’t possibly be mad about this. It makes a lot of sense that you’re feeling conflicted. It’ll be alright,” she hugged him close.

“Yeah. I’ll sleep on it and we’ll talk about it. Later,” he nodded into her shoulder.

“And then maybe you can get the other half of that haircut finished.”

“Okay, I’m callin’ it. No more guinea pigs, at least for now,” Franky crossed his arms in the library the next night. Thankfully, neither Sanji nor Usopp had woken up with any memory of the night before. The half-completed choppy haircut had regrown to its normal shag. The loop had gone as it usually had, with efforts made to keep bugs out of breakfast and the bounty hunters at bay. Both the shipwright and the archeologist had done some mild poking after lunch to see what their test subjects could recall, but both came back without findings.

The kiss was only remembered by Robin- its sole witness.

“But why didn’t it work? Was it because Sanji ran? Was it the matchup? Why did it work for us but not for them? There’s something we’re missing,” she thought to herself as she paced back and forth around her sanctuary, hand to her chin.

“There’s a ton we’re probably missing! But I don’t want to keep making bro cry like that on repeat. Like I said, he’s sensitive. We can’t keep setting him up and breaking his heart. It’s super mean,” the cyborg commented from his seat at the desk.

“So, then, what do you suggest we do next? How should we proceed if we can’t test on other crew mates?”

“Well,” he cocked his head as he thought aloud, “we could keep an eye on them for a few weeks. You and I took a minute to realize something was wrong, yeah? Maybe it’s still a slow process for them waking up, too. I kinda doubt it. They’d have told us if anything felt immediately familiar. Though, if we’re going to keep going with the kiss hypothesis, then it should be just you and me, until we have more info on what’s going on.”

Robin slowed her pacing and traveled to sit on his thigh. Her hands wrapped around the back of his dense neck in a way that felt comfortable, even though it had only been a few days since they’d grown more intimate. “Just you and me?” The devil woman smirked.

“I mean, just you and me… trying to kiss other people. Maybe your hypothesis from yesterday was right, maybe this is because of me for some reason. Or it’s like a pass-it-on thing and you have to kiss the next person,” he theorized as he pulled her closer. “How does- uh- how does that make you feel?”

“I’ll be honest, there’s only a few other people on the crew I’d be willing to kiss, at least right now. I’ll sleep on the idea and we can plan out the next steps in the morning. Does that sound alright?”

Franky nodded and let her sleepy form lean its full weight against his hardened exterior. “Yeah. Sounds good. Sorry this experiment was a bit of a bust.”

“That’s science. You wrote this all down, right?”

“Oh yeah, totally,” he kissed her forehead.

“Then we have nothing to worry about. And we learned at least one thing with our little lab rats,” Robin laughed, breath warm against synthetic skin.

“Eh? What’s that?”

“That this crew is riled up enough that they’ll start making out given the slightest encouragement. I wonder who else is just as close to the edge?”

Chapter Text

Seven. Freakin’. Thirteen. In the morning. Like Clockwork. Franky groaned, as he groaned every day. Checked his systems, checked his day counter. Lifted Chopper from his face in silent apology. Lifted Usopp back into his bunk with a fully verbal one. Massive mechanical arms raised to move the next two, but the sight made the cyborg pause. Every morning he awoke to to same thing, Jinbei’s hand to his cheek, Brook’s carpals at his side. But as the sun rose on this repetition, something felt a little different.

He had a choice to make, one he’d been putting off for a few cycles now. But a choice that needed to be made nonetheless.

Franky weighed the pros one more time. Then balanced out the cons. He theorized logistics but came up empty handed. It wasn’t a question to mull over alone and on low power. For a moment, he considered ignoring the quandary for another day and trying to go back to bed. Naps were pointless in their given predicament, he knew that. But the idea of putting off the problem and curling up—maybe even in the girls’ bed upstairs—was practically tempting.

There was work to do, though, and problems to solve. Things to fix, even if it was difficult. Leaps of faith to make, comforted knowing he could always try again tomorrow. He pulled Brook off of his hip first, then Jinbei’s palm with a much softer touch. Much to decide.

Breakfast was nice, despite the little knowing glances Robin kept shooting across the table. Her pressure wasn’t helping in the slightest, and comprised half of his issue to begin with. But the cicadas never made an appearance, so the morning meal passed in quotidian contentment. The tension didn’t leave his shoulders even once dishes had been cleared, though.

Robin found him in the aquarium bar after everyone dispersed. Mechanical retinas slowly followed the swarming schools of fish that rolled with the sway of the sea. Franky sighed deep, lost in his own mind, lips absentmindedly mouthing at the opening of one glass bottle. He tried to think of any hypothesis more plausible than the one they’d been working with, but none made themselves known.

“Where are you? Are you still trying to make up your mind?” She asked, soft, comforting, understanding.

“I still just don’t know,” Franky shook his head, “I feel… I dunno what I feel. Complicated. Conflicted. But not the way you'd assume. I don’t… I don’t know what it’ll mean for… Whew. I’ve liked this. The last couple of days. You ’n me. That feels selfish to say given everything going on, I know. But it’s the truth.”

She closed the gap and cuddled up close on the lounge’s bench. “So do you want to change the plan?”

“No! No, uh, I wanna get out of this loop more than I want… I mean,” he blushed, though he was unsure as to what had brought on the bashful streak. “I like you. I like tryin’ to solve this mystery with you. And I like it a hell of a lot more than when I was stuck here all on my own. And—and I know what I gotta try today. I’m doing this for the team.”

“Oh, yes,” Robin pulled him in close, one hand to his waist, one to his cheek, “you’re making an incredible sacrifice for everyone. So, which crew mate have you picked to make out with?”

He stammered, shaking his head, “I still can’t pick. I think I got a top two but… but I don’t want you to think that I don’t…”

“Whoever you pick-if it’s the two I think you’re split between-I’ll take the other. How does that sound?” She offered.

Franky pursed his lips, still thinking hard. He couldn’t help but admit that he was still torn between both strange options, despite how many times he’d thought the predicament through. The devil on his shoulder urged him to make his list of pros and cons for both once again.

“Okay, so the bottom line is that I think I can get Brook to kiss me easier, but if it works, I’d want Jinbei awake to solve this issue with us. Does that make sense?” He summarized plainly.

Robin practically snorted in laughter, “That’s a very fascinating way to think about this issue. I hadn’t really considered the factor, but I think you might be right. It would be smart to consider who we’ll be working with as we try to wake the rest of the crew. Hm. What if we flipped a coin? Heads, you take Brook. Tails, you take Jinbei? And we see where we go from there. Leave it up to chance?”

“Fine, yeah,” he nodded in agreement. Phantom palms wanted to sweat, but his real prostheses had long since lost the ability. Robin sprouted a hand in the middle of the low coffee table, hundred beri already perched on her thumb. She quickly flipped the coin into the air. Both watched it for a breath, broken the moment Franky lunged forward. One massive palm slapped the little coin to an even bigger forearm. The loud clang resounded through the bar, into the aquarium, up the mast, and out the portholes. Robin laughed, a pretty little chime high above the gong.

“Hell yeah, I got Jinbei! Oh, awesome,” the cyborg collapsed in relief against the glass wall. 

“Wait,” she tried to catch her breath through her laughter, “I thought you didn’t have a preference?”

“I-I didn’t wanna hurt Brook’s feelin’s, I dunno. Or yours, I guess.”

“Mine?”

He scratched the short hairs on the nape of his neck. “Y-yeah. Well like, I didn’t wanna seem overly eager to get with him. I know we haven’t had the DTR or whatever the kids are callin’ it these days. Things are super complicated right now a-an-and, uh, damn I cannot figure out how to articulate this. I’m into you. I’ve liked you for a long time, I’m likin’ how things have been goin’, it’s been rad. And at the same time—.”

“And at the same time,” Robin cut him off, “we are pirates. On a crew together. We all live very close, and there needs to be… honesty about how we feel regarding everyone else. Particularly since we’re stuck living the same day on repeat. It would be unrealistic, at this point in time and with the current situation we find ourselves in, to try and start start a more traditional romantic relationship. I like you, too. Quite a lot. Once we’re out of this loop, it may be nice to have an evening out? I quite miss restaurants, I can’t even imagine how much you must miss them.”

Franky’s mind fuzzed in a mirage of cheap pizza and Waterburger. He knew he tended to get overly focused, go robo-mode when the going got tough, but his thousand days of scientific repetition had revealed a bit of a problem in the programming. The skill that had helped him through the warship and through Vegapunk’s cave had been his ultimate downfall in this situation. He needed that imaginary burger more than he wanted to admit. Robin, though, was probably asking to get dinner somewhere a bit nicer.

He shook himself out of his mind, suddenly aware that she was asking him out. The cyborg smiled wide and hugged her close. “Y’now? That would be super, Nico Robin.”

“You and I, we’ll always be us. You’ve been a good friend of mine for a long time, Franky. We’ve expanded our relationship in a way I enjoy. But this kissing hypothesis is the only lead we have, so complex feelings need to be put aside while we find answers. You need to kiss someone to test if you’re a factor. As do I. We can figure out the future once we know more.”

“If I wake Jinbei up, then we get to have a fun little conversation that’ll either be super awkward or super sexy. But we can’t build that bridge till we get to that riverbank. I kiss Jinbei tonight, we wait to see what happens. But you ’n me are you ’n me,” Franky smiled down. His precision hands tucked her hair behind her ear.

“Exactly,” Robin hummed into her twist, pushing higher against his chest. She leaned in close, eyes soft, cheeks warm. Gentle caresses reminded the cyborg that he was cared for, cherished, desired, despite the tumultuous, repetitive future. Lips that would surely wander far over the next cycles connected in tender alignment.

A gasp from the other end of the fish tank snapped the both of them out of their quiet little moment. Nami stood on the opposite side of the water wall, both palms to the glass, face pressed up tight, eyes wide, breath fogging the surface. “Usopp owes me SO much money,” she cheered loud enough to scare the fish. Before the two subject adults could even shift to fully face her, she was out the door and round the ship.

“Oh, dammit.”

“Well, they’ll forget tomorrow anyways, we might as well have some fun with it while we can, yes?” Robin shrugged, keeping the close distance, “there’s no way they won’t figure out something’s up again one of these cycles. And if we’re able to start waking some of them up, they’ll figure out the methods one way or another.”

“That’s super true, Nico Robin. I’m just worried about how this rumor’ll affect my chances with Jinbei,” he winked. Big hands held her tight, not letting go even though they’d been found out.

Boots thundered back into the bar. “See?!” Nami loudly proclaimed. Neither of the bodies on the couch bothered to even move, accepting the social consequence of their time together.

“Dammit!” Usopp lowered his head, “you couldn’t have waited a little longer, big bro?”

“Wh-what are you talkin’ about, dude?” Franky stammered from the couch, shifting to sit up properly. Robin rolled off his lap. Both adults chuckled between themselves, neither finding the arrangement particularly embarrassing.

“We—wait can I tell them now?” The young man in the door turned to his best friend, brow quirked and eyes shifty.

“We had a deal for years,” Nami clapped in glee, “He told me over and over it was going to happen since before we’d even left Thriller Bark. ‘Oh, Nami, big bro’s just getting up the courage to ask, big bro just needs a week, big bro already told me that he likes her,’” she imitated Usopp in a vaguely masculine voice. “But I said no way. He won’t. So we bet. And nothing’s happened for years. He was dead set that you’d make a move after we all got back together, after Punk Hazard, after Dressrosa, after Zou.”

“I was trying to wingman when we would get lunch all together in the Flower Capital and everything!” Usopp whined.

“I thought you were just being a bro, bro!”

“I was, bro!”

“So when the festival came and went,” Nami continued, “and you still hadn’t asked her out, Usopp gave up. He changed his bet, said you wouldn’t have the balls to make a move until after Luffy found one piece. So we re-bet, with interest for how much time passed since we set the original parameters. Just for you to figure it out only two weeks later! Ha!” Nami laughed in the sniper’s face, hands on her knees, doubled over in in victory.

The two in the couch looked around the room in quiet acceptance. Franky had spent so much time thinking about the rest of his crew getting out of the loop, he hadn’t figured that they’d been watching him. Especially his little bro. “So, uh,” Franky frowned, “you got any other bets we should know about?”

Nami brightened even further, a dazzling ray of sunshine, “it’s not too late to pay into the Sanji pool! We’re waiting for when he cracks and gets it out of his system with Zoro.”

“With Zoro?! Sis, those two hate each other. Nah. No way, you just want easy money,” he shook his head.

“Well, I don’t know about that,” Robin chuckled into her fingertips. “Alright, Nami. I’ll pay in however much money you just won from Usopp. They’ll let it out sooner than later.”

The redhead grinned wickedly around the room, though the sniper at her side didn’t look nearly so pleased. “Deal! And what’s your timeline?”

“Tomorrow,” the historian smiled.

Both younger crew mates balked in synchronicity. “Tomorrow?!”

Franky could only chuckle at the ploy. Robin’s clever mind never ceased to surprise him. “Well,” he pulled her a little closer to his side, “guess you’ve got a lotta matchmaking to get to tonight.”

“It sure seems like it,” the devil cozied up.

“Ew, no. This is too gross,” Nami shook her head, back turning for the door. “Have fun with whatever this is. C’mon, Usopp. Show me where you stash your cash. Time to pay up.”

The young man looked defeated, torn just as badly as Franky had felt that morning. He flashed a congratulatory thumbs up to his big bro. His eyes, though, looked devastated that he’d lost quite a lot of money in the transaction. The two best friends rushed from the aquarium bar like a wind through the trees.

The secret was out, at least for the day. Franky felt a little pang of sadness that the relationship would remain budding gossip as long as they were stuck on a loop. Always a rumor, never a constant.

The first of the bounty hunters’ cannonballs slammed into the side of Sunny.

Time to get the job done. 

The devil worked fast, but Nami’s mouth worked faster. Lunch was casual, as it always was, but this cycle had already changed immeasurably. Franky could feel everyone watching him, watching them. He and Robin didn’t even eat with each other but he could still feel everyone gossiping about the pair. Sanji had thrown him a devastating glare across the deck. Brook insisted on some sort of romantic serenade. It only served to get under synthetic skin.

Everyone whispered quietly behind hands through the rest of the day. The cook’s jealousy was only fanned, bringing out the worst in him when it was time for his ritualistic fight with Zoro. The meat tenderizer flew though the window and into the sea, the screaming match raised significantly louder than normal. There was no reason to fix the glass when it would just repair upon reset.

Dinner was covered in the standard post-fight tension that always seemed to persist. Nami hissed something to Robin about needing to pay up, but the archeologist just smiled and said she had until tomorrow. The cyborg made a little note in his internal computer that the bet had been made, just in case either of the women needed proof once tomorrow actually arrived. He’d sat at the bar, though he could still feel everyone’s attention each time he and Robin even remotely spoke to each other. Jinbei caught his glance toward the end of the meal, deep chuckle rolling like the waves. The joviality only deepened Franky’s blush, reminding him of the monumental task that lay ahead. He once again considered putting it off to the next loop so that he would not have to swim upstream against the rumors about him and Robin.

The fishman offered to do dishes once the meal had wrapped up, providing the perfect opportunity for Franky. He ran upstairs and fixed the hot water before Nami could even realize it was broken in the first place. She thanked him, still gently ribbing over his newfound relationship. The bath house door slammed in her wake, leaving the cyborg to drop back into the library.

“Are you ready?” Robin asked in a cool voice, eyes just barely raising over the top of her book.

“Think so…” He chewed the inside of his cheek. “Got some stuff I gotta grab outta my locker, but I think we’ll take over the space once lil’ sis’s done. What’s your plan for the night?”

“I was just going to read in here,” she smiled mischievously.

“Bull, no way,” Franky chuckled. “You’re gonna spy, same as when we tried to set up the bros. Aren’t ya?!”

Robin held two palms up, though they weren’t the hands that had been holding her book. The attempt at innocence didn’t win him over. “I might take a peak, just to see how things are going.”

The cyborg immediately softened and closed the space between them. His big hand loosely cupped her sides, but the detail hands snuck from his palms to tickle her waist. She exploded in sweet peals of laughter. “You wanna see me kiss that shark, don’t’cha?! If I didn’t know any better, I’d guess this freaky lil’ devil likes the idea of me mackin’ on the rest of her crew mates. Don’t she?”

“O-only some of them,” she giggled between his hands.

“Or is she jealous that she doesn’t get a turn with the new guy herself?”

“Now, that is true.”

“Well, she can have her round of flirting if it doesn’t work out with me ’n him. Or, she can spend her night plotting how she’s gonna make the moves on the skeleton tomorrow.”

Robin shook her head, still trying to stifle the encouraged merriment, “no, he’s going to be painfully easy to kiss. There’s almost no fun to the chase. I could go get it out of the way right now, if we weren’t committed to testing this variable tonight. It’ll be the backup plan if you can’t get Jinbei to kiss you in time.”

“Uh, are you doubting my charms?” Franky gasped in mock offense, “Look, lady. I can lay it on super thick when I need to.” He pulled her into his lap, hands still moving like he was attempting to tickle her. The glances had lightened, though, into softer strokes along her blouse.

“Trust me,” Robin grinned into his cheek, “I know.”

They relaxed in the library for a while longer, happy in each other’s company but mutually anxious over this next step. Before long, though, the hatch to the bath house opened, and Nami lowered herself down from the plume of steam. She grimaced when she saw the two cuddling for the second time that day, but offered no concrete commentary. Her eventual absence meant it was showtime. Franky stood on shaky legs.

“You’ve got this,” the demon woman offered a reassuring smile. She squeezed his hand, but he couldn’t feel it.

The cyborg only nodded and left down the ladder, sliding to the main deck level. He crossed the grass with even steps. The rest of the crew locked their vision to him, quiet little snickers following like krill. He brushed off the eyes as he darted into the men’s bunks. The treasure of his desire sat in a box at the back of his locker. He retrieved the glass bottle with a happy little smile. It tucked into his fridge, though he was sure to not pop it into the intake tubes preemptively.

Franky stood in front of the mirror, checking and rechecking his current updo. “You look great,” a mouth whispered against his ear.

“You’re gonna be doing this all night, huh?” He asked the air.

“Yes,” she hummed back. “You might need advice!”

“Jealous.”

“Pervert.”

“Voyeur.”

“Shark bait.”

He gasped at the accusation. “Super mean, Nico Robin! But not wrong. Should I change my shirt? This a good shirt?”

“You’re going to be in the bath, Franky.”

“Good point. Kay. Let’s do this thing.” He clapped with both steel hands and made his way back out into the night.

Jinbei sat a good distance from the crew, quietly adjusting the helm from his bench. The first few days after they’d left Wano, the shipwright had had a tricky time forgetting old habits. It was initially hard to remember that steering wasn’t his job any more. He’d initially been thrown, but this time loop issue had ironically broken the cycle. It wasn’t his chair any more. It hadn’t been in a long time, even if no one else knew.

Large mechanical prostheses planted on the fishman’s shoulders. “Franky!” Jinbei snapped out of his quiet moment. A smile bore sharp tusks. “I was about to go find you. Would you mind taking over the helm for a short while? Unless you have other plans, I could always ask someone else to take over. The idea of a nice bath on a summer’s night has become too tempting.”

“Well, if I could tempt you further,” Franky grinned, popping open the fridge, “I got this bottle here of Ryugan Reserve ten year triple malt Seabed Rye. Swiped it ages ago when we had that banquet back in the Kingdom. But I’ve been looking for the right time to crack it open. You wouldn’t happen to, uh, to want some company, would you?”

The whale shark’s ears perked at the notion. In all honesty, Franky was waiting for a better opportunity to break the drink out, though he figured the bottle would just refill when the cycle repeated. Robin wanted to avoid alcohol as a factor, sure, but they were both big boys. It wasn’t going to make nearly as much difference for them. This was a peace offering, a marker of good will between men.

Jinbei called Usopp up to take over for him instead. He gestured for Franky to lead the way across the ship, following excitedly behind. No one paid the two mind as they crossed the lawn. It was a welcome change from the hours of gossip, the cyborg thought. A couple of crystal glasses were retrieved from the bar on their way up to the library. He tried to only casually greet Robin, blush bright in his attempt at passing through her domain. Jinbei, though, seemed to be in a chatty sort of mood. The fishman lingered while he asked her what she was reading, what her plans for the evening were, if she wanted to join them for a soak and a drink. Thankfully for Franky, she declined. Their newest addition to the crew didn’t take the rejection personally. She'd find a way of appearing one way or another, regardless of her refusal.

Water was drawn. The cyborg was sure to keep the temperature tropical and the salinity high. They didn’t need to be boiling alive. Both men made casual conversation as they stripped and rinsed. It was easy, so easy that Franky nearly forgot that he was supposed to be nervous. One sparkling eye caught his attention from the opposite corner of the bath house. Right on queue. He’d always known she was nosey. It’d secretly been one of his favorite parts of their longtime flirtationship. At the very least, she’d been offered an invitation to join. Their new friend, though, was going to have to learn the lesson the hard way, just as everyone else on the crew had. Nico Robin was always watching.

They lowered into the water as soon as the day had been scrubbed off. Franky got to work pouring three fingers of the drink into the glasses. Well, three fingers on the small hands. Not even one finger of his main ones. A second glass was offered to Jinbei. The bottle rested on the lip of the tub. Big bodies practically filled the pool, relaxing in the salt soak.

“So, where did you pick the preference up? Not many men know about Ryugan Rye,” Jinbei chuckled low.

“Psh, you kiddin’?” Franky took a smooth sip, “this was the first hard liquor my mentor ever had me try. He had a stash saved, I think his brother sent care packages whenever they’d write. One time when I was—shit how old was I—I think sixteen? I broke into his liquor cabinet, drank as much as I could till I was super sick. I really thought I invented the rye and cola for a moment there. Woke up to my big ass pet frog dunking me in the canal, tryin’ to make sure I was alive. Granny Kokoro nearly killed me and my brother was pissed I didn’t invite him to join in. But Tom just—he just laughed. Like he always did. I owed him a shit ton of cash, tho. Didn’t realize just how pricey a bottle of this was when I was young. Especially when you account for travel fees- doin’ the bubble drop, reversing back through the Grand Line,” he whistled low. “Not easy to get your hands on the stuff. I was fuckin’ stupid. And reckless.”

“You? Reckless at sixteen?” The fishman smiled wide around his own drink. “Sometimes I forget the doctor is that age. Yesterday feels a world apart.”

“You’re tellin’ me, brother,” the cyborg mumbled under his breath. Blossomed lips laughed behind his ear. Franky splashed along the skin in mechanical reflex. Salt water from the bath immediately annihilated the flash of the devil, pink petals melting into the basin.

“But,” Jinbei continued the conversation, knocking back the rest of his beverage and moving in to pour himself another glass, “you were alright in the end? I’ve known a brother or two to need serious care after a bad night with Ryugan Rye. Did your liver survive?”

“Oh, yeah, totally. Liver went on livin’ for a whole decade after that, too! But the super part is I don’t got one anymore, so I should have no problem tonight!” He couldn’t help but joke back, though none of his words were technically an exaggeration. The shark topped off both cups with a laugh.

“Well, don’t go overboard. The hangover’s still exceedingly rough.”

Franky shrugged, “eh, that’s tomorrow’s problem.” Robin’s lips giggled behind his ear again.

“Very true!” Jinbei toasted. His eyes creased in a way the other man found almost sweet, and the whale shark’s mouth opened wide with joy. “It seems to be a sentiment shared amongst nakama. I will say, I’ve never been on a crew with a spirit quite like this one. I enjoy the change of pace quite a lot, don’t think I don’t. But—.”

“But it’s a lot of twenty year old energy, ain’t it?” The cyborg cut him off.

“Yes! That’s it! I was trying to figure out what exactly was causing the feeling. You’re right, it’s the life stage. Thank you!”

“Yeah, trust me. It was worse two years ago. Eighteen’s a hell of a lot closer to sixteen when it comes to lessons learned. All these young dudes got this riled up vibe to ‘em, y’know. Makes ya a little jealous sometimes. Shit, I woulda killed to live like this when I was twenty, yeah?”

The helmsman rested the back of his head on the edge of the bath. He took slow sips as the ship rocked. “Oh, absolutely. Though,” he paused, “I don’t think you’re as far from the kids as you think.”

“Eh? Whatcha mean, bro?”

Jinbei cracked one eye open, fixing an intent gaze. “What’s this rumor about you and Robin? Are proper congratulations in order?”

“Oh—w-well she and me and we and her and us a-and but she we I mean I-I-I…”

The fishman sat up a little straighter, “oh? So there’s truth to the rumor?”

“W-well—.’

“Have fun,” Robin whispered behind his ear. A hand poked him in the blind spot between squishy shoulder blades.

“She and me… we… uh… Hey. Jinbei. You’ve been on a ton of pirate crews, yeah? So… yeah she and I have been super close for a long time. And, uh, certain situations have caused us to get… even closer. So that’s new and cool and honestly I’ve been really diggin’ it. But at the same time, these—uh— situations have also made it tricky to put it in a box just yet.”

“Naturally. Crews are complicated social webs. Relationships shift over time. It’s very understandable. This is congratulations, then. She is a wonderful woman. Brilliant, kind, terrifying,” Jinbei lifted his glass.

“You’re doing excellently,” Robin commented just loud enough for Franky to hear.

He ducked his head beneath the water, precision hands trying to keep the splash away from his drink. “Heh. Yeah, no she’s super cool,” the cyborg breached from his plunge with a flip of his hair. “I know she thinks you’re super cool, too. She read me like, your biography the night after we first met you. It was super cute, you shoulda seen her.”

“Me?” The fishman boomed with laughter, “no. She’s the one with the impressive history. I must have run into her once or twice when she was working for Crocodile, but I cannot remember her from back then. And that’s not a woman easily forgotten! You, too. I’m shocked I never ran into you. You said you were one of Tom’s boys, right?”

“Yeah I was! Did you know him? Not that—not to assume you would.”

“Well, he had already moved away before I was born. But his departure caused enough of a lasting stir, enough to reverberate into my youth. People knew of Tom. Back then, especially, It was almost unheard of that a fishman would want to move elsewhere. I did meet him once, though. Must have been thirteen years ago? The Snapper Head needed repairs, and Tiger went out of his way to work with Tom. We knew he’d treat us fair for the money, all brothers far from home.”

“I mean, yeah I woulda been there,” Franky scratched the back of his head. “Thirteen years ago. Shit, I was deep in the middle of the track installation back then. A lot of laying railroad ties in the middle of the ocean. Coulda just flat out missed you, sorry bro. Though, I also got a shit memory for faces. I blame the brain damage, it’s super bad sometimes. I—,” the cyborg burst into laughter. “I was talkin’ to Yamabro back after the raid, yeah? He comes up to me and goes like ‘you’re Franky.’ I’m summarizin’, of course. So he fanboys over the General, duh. And I’m super cool and chill and humble about it, yeah yeah all that. But then he goes ‘so what was Oden like?’ And now he’s lost me. But he pulls out this book, shows me this big ass paragraph about a little blue haired asshole making bombs on Water Seven. It’s so clearly me, bro. But I have, like, literally no memory of this guy. I felt terrible, I really did.”

“Wait,” Jinbei snorted, “but then that means…”

“Yeah, exactly.”

“You don’t remember?”

“Not even a flash of ‘stache. Couldn’t tell you a single thing about Roger, sorry. I was off doin’ my own thing. Once I get my mind set in one mode, it’s all I can think about. And that was before I had to rebuild half my brain. Problem’s only worse these days,” he laughed. “But yeah, I met a lotta dudes I can’t remember. Our paths might have crossed before, but I’d like to think that I woulda remembered you in my time around the docks.”

“And I you,” the former warlord eyed him up.

“But you wouldn’t have liked me at twenty four. The sixteen of your twenties. It was a lotta scammin’ and couch surfin’. A super gnarly mess.”

Jinbei quirked a brow, “all while laying railroad track?”

“All while laying… a lot of railroad track, yeah. Well, I wasn’t driving the train back then, so to speak. There’s been a lot of,” the cyborg gestured to his chest, “bulk added on.”

The other man sat back, a little surprised. “Really? You’ll have to show me an image of what you used to look like, if you have one to share. I cannot imagine you any other way than how you are. I’ll see if I can find a picture of myself from my twenties if I am able, as well.”

“Lemme guess, frosted tips?” Franky leaned in to check out the other man’s hair.

“You’re closer to the truth than you realize,” Jinbei’s cheeks fuzzed to a soft mauve under blue skin.

“Oh yeah?!” He rubbed one mechanical hand through the other man’s damp curls, hoping that a little roughhouse would crack away at the wall around physical intimacy. The plan took too long to formulate, though. Pistons paused for a beat. His brain thought hard, then overthought, then tripled back in on itself. He’d become too used to being the biggest guy in the room. The closer he got to the fishman, though, the smaller he shrunk. The feeling reminded him of when he was young—that squishy little prototype at sixteen, eighteen, twenty four. Franky clammed up. Ligaments barely held his sturdy shell together.

Jinbei cleared his throat and reached for the rye. His next drink was a direct swig, mouth of the bottle tiny compared to his maw. The drink was passed to Franky, who took a similarly long pull. Eyes stayed locked, nearly in challenge. A soft fuzz lingered at the edges of the cyborg’s vision, but his artificial liver was doing its job efficiently. Too much of the beverage lingered in his bloodstream, but it only manifested in a deep longing for the sea. There were worse personality traits to adopt from a fuel source.

“Is this your first crew?” The shark took the bottle back, sipping once more.

“Eh, sorta. I was a crew kid, ‘till I wasn’t. Don’t really count that, though. So yeah, first proper crew. It’s super nice finally havin’ someone new around with a lil’ extra perspective. It feels sorta like when I met Robin at first. I dunno if I would have joined this crew if there wasn’t someone else already there in a life stage closer to mine. Can’t have all twenties energy all the time. Me ’n her—and I guess the old geezer, too—it’s nice when we get a little night away from it all. Y-you could—you could come too if you wanted. I think you’d,” Franky rushed to try and build his bridge of thought, “I think you’d fit in super well. I mean, I already think you fit into the whole crew. B-but I mean, in terms of you and me, and me and her, and her and you, and I guess also Brook.”

Jinbei smiled wide, “I quite like Brook! I quite enjoy your company, as well. And her’s. I would have never expected to end up on a crew quite like this at this point in my career, but I am enjoying myself!” His rolling laugh made waves in the tub. “Plenty of crews have had these sort of clusters amongst their ranks. I wasn’t in any when I was a captain, but in my youth I grew close with many crew mates. Tides change and I find myself here, now. It would be an honor to get to know each of you better. I mean that for the whole crew, but I especially mean you, Robin, and Brook. I see parts of myself in each of you.”

“Tell him you see parts of yourself in him, too. And that I’m looking forward to spending quality time together. And that he looks very handsome tonight,” Robin whispered in the cyborg’s ear.

Franky turned over his shoulder, hissing, “I got this, I don’t need the help.” He didn’t know where exactly she had placed her ears, though. One big prosthesis slapped the floorboards. The woman’s laugh was loud enough to rise up from the library, through the wood, and into the bath.

“Is everything alright?” The fishman squinted.

“Yeah, yeah. Thought I had a fly buzzin’ near my ear,” Franky took a swig of the Ryugan Rye, cleared the burn from his throat, and shifted in the bath. He swam out to the deepest dip in the middle of the tub, a niche he’d built mainly with himself in mind. His lungs filled with a deep breath like he was readying a Vent. His emergency swim bladder, though, released its trapped oxygen so that the ton of iron could sink to the bottom of the tiled basin. The cyborg’s head dipped below the waves. Salt water made his updo swirl. Rebuilt eyes never stung. 

The world underwater was muffled, quiet, cozy. Jinbei similarly lowered himself back into his natural domain after a minute. The shark’s face peered up close. Cautious and curious. Microscopic bubbles tickled cheeks. The two men sat submerged for a long moment, eyes locked to the other. Both big bodies displaced the warm water out of the tub and down the drain.

“Are you feeling well?” The fishman asked, hand resting between the cyborg’s neck and shoulder. His voice still carried the same underwater, graveled and all encompassing.

All Franky could do was nod back. Lungs didn’t hurt, but that didn’t make talking a breeze. He wondered briefly if he could make some sort of underwater communication system for himself. Even an external waterproof speaker would probably do.

“Everything feels closer down below. Do you feel it, too? Or do men experience the sensation differently? It always reminds me of being swaddled in a mother’s blanket. A sort of return home. There’s a peace in the depths. It is dark, sure, but you’re never fully alone. That is something I quite like about this crew. You, Brook, Robin, you all know loneliness. And yet you do not succumb to it. In this microcosm, you allow your hearts to lead you. I admire that instinct. I admire you, Franky.”

The shipwright shook his head quickly, turquoise hair swirling along his cheeks. He gestured back to the other man with a sharp point.

Shark-like eyes squinted,  gills flared, head threw back in laughter. “Well, then maybe the admiration is mutual. You’re a hard worker, you’re kind to those kids. I’m glad they’ve had a man like you to help them grow.”

Franky’s cheeks glowed bright red. The dappled light only highlighted the high points of his flushed face. Neither man felt particularly drunk, but the lubricant in the bloodstream had successfully lowered a barrier or two. He allowed himself to relax further in the water, let the salt pull his worries out through his pores. The hand on his shoulder pulled him in closer for a hug.

“Thank you,” the words rang clear through the water. Jinbei brought the other man through the current. Hot and cold intermingled. Little bubbles escaped the cyborg’s lips. He let the big whale shark hold him in the warmth for just a moment. Quiet, smothered, but not alone. Just as promised.

Before the moment could evaporate, Franky closed his eyes and took the leap of faith. All the advice he’d given his little bro just cycles before were empty sentiments now. Nerves reached a breaking point. Nothing left to do but try.

Massive hands found the fishman’s side. The two big men suspended just beneath the surface tension of the bath, waves obstructing any angle of the action. Many nosey eyes on the ceiling peered to get a better view. Robin didn’t particularly appreciate that the intimate moment was left to unfold in the one realm she could not enter.

Franky clicked into position; his metal slid along smooth scales. The kiss felt nearly normal, a convenient way of communicating tender care from one man to another. It started as a chaste connection, but he could feel the shark’s hunger laying in wait. Sharp teeth bit at synthetic skin.

All the bubbles escaped the cyborg’s nose in a sudden exhale. He shifted his bulk in an effort to return to his own world. The surface tension broke. Organic, original lungs demanded fresh air. Both men sat up, hefty chuckles resounding through each body. Franky grabbed for the bottle of Ryugan Rye first.

“Heh, you’re supposed to drink it with a little salt on your lips anyways, yeah?” The cyborg winked around his swig.

Jinbei nodded, “yes, I was always told that a bit of the sea drew out the deeper flavors. Aladine always drank his with a drop of soy sauce.” He reached over, pulling the bottle back. Webbed knuckles dragged along the plates of interlocking steel. It was a shame that Franky couldn’t feel it.

The two men talked a while longer, a little about the drink, a bit about past crews. Finally, though, they landed on a topic that made both of them illuminate. The helmsman lauded dear Sunny, urging gardens of rouge to sprout across the shipwright’s face.

“No, I’m telling you, I can feel it,” the fishman practically slapped one metal shoulder, “Every detail pays off. You understand exactly what you’re doing, absolutely in synch with your own creation. This is a living sculpture working in tandem with its crew. Beautiful. I’ve never seen anything quite like it in all my years sailing. When Luffy had me sail out of Toto, oh,” his eyes rolled a little in delight, “I’ve never enjoyed settling into a new helm more. A ship like this is something of my dreams.”

Franky couldn’t resist. His hands found Jinbei’s cheeks and pulled him into another abrupt kiss. It was a quicker peck, but it landed all the same. The shark laughed. He snaked a large bicep over the cyborg’s bulky shoulders. Chests rested comfortably close. Any remaining walls between casual intimacy easily crumbled away.

“Well done,” Robin quietly cheered along the back of Franky’s neck.

“Do you hear something?” Jinbei looked over his shoulder.

“Eh,” the shipwright relaxed, “probably just that damn fly again. Hey have I shown you how the Rabbit Screw works yet?”

“No, I already know how it works,” the warlord winked.

Franky could feel himself buffer, words caught in his voice box. “I-I-I mean th-the turbine. There’s a few different modes, I bet you could get really get this ship movin’ in the right current and the engine on full blast. I’ve always wanted to see what potential a, uh, experienced guide could draw out. Since you got all that super great experience from your other crews, ’n all.” His squishy bits could feel the relaxation affecting him. Grey tendrils of rest beaconed him back to the start of the day. “Or,” he yawned, “I could show ya the Chicken Voyage. Throws ‘er into reverse. Bet you could think up some righteous maneuvers, round some tight spots. I can’t wait to see what you can do. And I’m always addin’ new stuff, just let me know what you want done and I’ll do it.”

“I can’t wait to have my fun,” the whale shark practically purred at the idea.

They relaxed a while longer, until the salt began to settle and the liquor had run dry. Jinbei thanked the other man for a night excellent company, with an explicit request to have another evening like it soon. The fishman kissed him one final time to punctuate the desire. Franky’s grin did not easily scrub from his face. Affection had bubbled up, shaken and fizzy carbonation from the heart. The ease of the night had shocked him, much smoother than trying to set up the other boys the day before. He hoped Robin liked her snippet of the show.

They stood from the bath in a torrent of waterfalls. The cyborg’s eyes did their best to stay averted, but the pervert in his soul couldn’t help but take a curious glance. So the rumors were two—no, dammit, true. The rumors were true. He caught the other man’s gaze, still so full of… admiration. And maybe he tried to subtly flex his own enhanced system as they dried off.

The men lowered themselves back into the library once they had redressed for bed. Robin lay in her usual spot on her regular bench, though her book had fallen out of her hand and her eyes had gently shut. Franky couldn’t tell if it was all an act or not. He decided it didn’t matter—even if she was faking it, she would inevitably lose herself to the grey mist. They’d talked in the bath longer than he’d expected, and he could feel the deep desire of rest beacon to him, too. Hope beyond hope blossomed, wishing that the kiss had worked on Jinbei as it had with Robin. He wanted nothing more than to explain the entire predicament right there and then. Confession sat on the tip of his tongue, though it never manifested.

The cyborg scooped the woman up in his arms. He kissed her forehead, more out of newfound habit than conscious choice. His new companion only chuckled low in understanding. Webbed hands held the library door open for the other two. Franky carried her as best he could back through the ship toward the women’s room. Robin mumbled something in her sleep, but he couldn’t hear what she’d said. He wondered for a moment if she was already living in the morning again. Maybe the loop had taken her early.

Nami was asleep, too, so he didn’t have to worry about a berating for entering their bunks. The devil looked so peaceful as she cozied into her pillow. The stress of a life on the run had evaporated from her shoulders years ago, but she fully embraced her world of freedom in rest. A mechanical hand twisted her hair off to the side. Lips whispered goodnight and good morning.

Jinbei waited patiently out on the upper deck. “Everyone else seems to have already gone to sleep. I’ll take watch, if you’d like.”

Franky checked his internal ticker. The clock read a little after one in the morning. It’d be hard to stay up, but he had an hour or two until the cycle fully reset. Just two hours until he’d know if his experiment had worked. Just two hours fully alone. “Or,” the cyborg offered cautiously, “I could tempt you with a bit more company?”

The big fishman flashed a wide smile. Webbed paws slipped around the other’s hip and over bulbous shoulders. “You know, I may take you up on the offer.”

Night’s stillness hid quiet secrets. Long shadows covered the deck. A man who had spent the last decade building himself into the biggest guy in the room allowed himself to be pressed up against the mast. Giddy little smiles couldn’t help but escape. Shark’s teeth sunk into the scarred skin of his neck.

The shipwright had always been proud of his Brigantine’s design. Two masts always left a lot of room for versatility. Especially now, with the right dude at the helm.

Franky woke with a relaxed smile, despite the phantom headache. Seven thirteen, day one thousand whatever, it didn’t matter. He pushed Usopp into his bunk and dropped Chopper on the boy’s lap. Brook was practically kicked to the other side of the bunk room. The cyborg curled dreamily around the big, blue body that always cupped his cheek every morning. He let himself swim in a smell of salt and brine and industrious men for as long as he could. Softly draped fabrics smothered the skin of his back. One large prosthesis came to rest over the other man’s belly.

“F-Franky-san?” A polite voice inquired from the other side of the room. “Is everything alright this morning?”

He blinked, making drowsy eye contact with the skeleton. Well, he would have if the guy had eyeballs. But he didn’t. It didn’t matter.

“Pardon me,” a voice much closer to his ear groaned, “but you seem to have—.” Jinbei gestured with an eye and a sideburn to their entwined position.

“W-wha? Oh!” Franky backpedaled. Full retreat, hands to himself. It wasn’t uncommon to find half the crew cuddling at any moment, but the sight of the two biggest men together had thrown the other guys off kilter.

“Room for a third?” Brook did his best to waggle his brow bone. Jinbei didn’t look like he totally minded, though he slowly stood to begin his breakfast preparations. His eyes lacked the light of familiarity when he met the cyborg’s glance. Something pinged deep within mechanical systems.

“What was that all about, bro?” Usopp asked as he awoke properly.

“Eh? Just had a good dream. Guess I was sleep cuddlin’. Sorry about that, brother!” He waved to the helmsman. Flashes of their night before couldn’t help but replay though his digital archive.

“No apology needed! You’re more gentle than I assumed you’d be!” Jinbei grinned around his toothbrush.

“Yeah, ya said that last night, too,” the cyborg grumbled under his breath.

Chopper peered over the edge of the hammock, “What was your dream about, Franky?”

“Wha—? Oh, uh. No one. Can’t say. It’s like fountain wishes and birthday candles. Super secret.”

“Bet you it was a dream about Robin,” Usopp snickered.

“Yeah? You wanna go take that bet to the chief bookie, bro? Because I heard a rumor that you actually need me to not be havin’ dreams about Nico Robin for a little while longer. That true?”

The boy paled. “Who told you?”

“I got my ways of findin’ shit out, lil’ bro,” Franky shrugged. “It’s a tiny ship. The truth’s always gonna come out in the end.”

Robin elected to wait on her plans to seduce the skeleton, just until they knew for sure if Jinbei would be joining them. She was not happy that the two men had initially kissed in a manner that she could not spy on. Her wicked smirk, though, signaled that she might have not been as asleep as she’d pretended when tucked into bed for the night. The shipwright spent most of the morning and half the afternoon with his cheeks matching his shoulders.

They both pulled the fishman up to the library in the late afternoon. Honesty felt like the best path forward, so they gave him the full summary. One thousand, one hundred forty nine days of endless sunshine, plus six-ish months of uncounted cycles before Franky had fully realized they were trapped. Cicadas, bounty hunters, marines, bickering, hot water. He summarized the parameters, explained how much he’d already tested. But then Robin had woken up and felt the loops for herself. Everything had changed in just a few short cycles. 

So they’d pursued the kiss line of thinking, simply because it was the first lead in ages. The former warlord stared, jaw agape, as he filtered through all the information. “And-and why are you telling me this?”

“B-because...” Franky flushed.

“Because you two had a lovely evening together last night. We want to know if you remember anything. The memories come back hazily, it may take some time. When was the last time you remember making port?” Robin leaned in close, hand to the fishman’s knee.

He could only shake his head, reminiscing about their day before on a quiet island with a little cantina. The captain had gone bug hunting, they’d taught Chopper the basics on the drums. Nothing about a kiss. “I am very sorry, I wish I could offer more,” Jinbei shook his head.

“It’s…it’s fine,” the cyborg mumbled. He could feel his squishy parts retreat once more, even if he always knew it was the more likely outcome.

“But if there’s any way for me to help in this situation, just let me know. I’d be happy to assist in any way you need it.”

“You two could keep taking sexy baths together ad infinitum? I won’t mind,” Robin winked.

“This does put my wakeup this morning into some context,” the fishman barked with laughter.

The devil perched on the table eyed both monsters up. “Yes, it was a very sweet position, wasn’t it?”

Just to be safe, they waited a loop. Then two loops. Franky wanted to push for three, but they could only explain the situation to Jinbei so many times. The cyborg curled up in the women’s joint bed, sad and dejected after multiple direct denials. The experiment hadn’t worked. The evening would always be a fluke, a ghost, a resealed crystal bottle at the back of his locker. The same emotion that had fermented in his chest after Robin cruelly kissed him bubbled up once more.

“It’ll be alright,” she riffled through his hair, extra hands drawing shapes on his back. “Maybe he’ll remember one day. You know it was genuine. Which means you can always try again.”

“Y-yeah,” he sniffled through his tears, “yeah. He… he said he admired me. I don’t wanna ever lose the admiration of a man like that, you know?” A sad hiccup escaped his lips.

Robin climbed over the bulk in her bed and contorted herself between his hands. A phantom limb caught his jaw, thumbing away the tears. “You have a lot of love in your heart,” she mused. Lips brushed down the fused bridge of his nose.

“Yeah, ’s cos I upgraded the storage. You can fit three, four hearts in this bad boy,” he pounded himself in the middle of one pectoral.

“Oh, good. We’ll need all the room we can get if this experiment’s going to continue. Is that still alright with you?”

“Yeah, ‘m fine with it. I'd rather me take the hit than one of those guys, least until we know more. Whatever thing I’m feelin’ right now, I know lil’ bro felt it ten times as bad that night. I can handle a couple'a big emotions, but I’m still takin’ a blow. Let’s keep goin’. We know for a fact that it’s not just anyone kissin’ anyone. And it ain’t me with the magic lips. Which means it’s your turn, lady. You ready to try and res the dead guy?”

“I’m very excited to try. He may turn out to be an ideal specimen; I think the novelty will be fun to try. I was thinking tonight, unless something were to majorly derail the rest of this loop,” Robin hummed as she brought their foreheads together.

“Look, Nico Robin, the first thing they teach you at train school is to always be prepared for a derailment. Every day’s the same, and it’s still gonna happen,” chuckled Franky with a kiss to her nose.

“Oh, EW!” Nami gasped from the door. “Usoop! Get your ass over here, you owe me so much money!”

Chapter Text

Blah, blah, blah. Franky was up, stretched, clothed (not really), brushed, and reset. He checked over his different tickers. He reread his notes. A morning like all mornings. He grabbed the cicadas from the captain’s locker and dropped them amongst the plants in the weapons factory. Up the ladder, through the lounge, past the propulsion room, into the galley for a refuel. Everyone else had landed in their similar daily arrangements.

“Mornin’!” He waved on his journey to the fridge.

Robin slid past him in an effort to reach the coffee pot percolating on the stove. A secret hand lingered out of sight to everyone else “How’d you sleep last night?” She asked sweetly.

“Eh, same as all my other sleeps,” he winked. “I wake up with half the damn crew on top of me every day, so how come I’m always feelin’ super lonely?”

“Well, we might need to find a solution one of these mornings. How would you prefer to wake up?”

“I wouldn’t mind, uh,” he let his eyes linger from the round of her hip to the curve of her waist, “maybe a bit of different company. Just gets same-y day after day, y’know?”

“Well, we’d better hurry up and find a solution to our mystery, then. The sooner you sort things out, the sooner your company will change. I’d imagine, at least,” the archeologist crooned, lips to the steaming mug.

“Company’s already changed, I’m just wishin’ it lasted ‘till the sunrise,” he couldn’t help but flirt back.

Sanji leaned over the island counter, whispering to Nami, “does Usopp owe you money?”

“I-I can’t tell,” she stammered in confusion at the crew mates on the other side of the kitchen. “Hey! You two dating?”

“Eh, it’s super complicated, sis.”

“Are you, at minimum per the determined threshold in the agreed upon qualification clause, secretly bangin’?”

“Whoa!” Franky whirled at the accusation, blush bright.

“Breakfast!” The captain kicked the galley door open, followed by a small parade of drowsy men. Usopp, Chopper, Brook, Zoro, and Jinbei all filed in and found their spots. The women shifted from the island to the dining table. Sanji had been in a bit of a grains mood this morning, setting the scene with granolas and hot cakes and crusty malted bagels.

Franky found his spot on the couch next to Jinbei. He did his best to not think about the ways their knees and shoulders bumped. Just two big guys on one couch. Didn’t mean anything. Nuh uh. An ache in his chest had not subsided over several loops. The sensation was growing tiresome; he didn’t know how the cook lived with it permanently. For a brief second, the cyborg considered just taking the damn organ out. His eyes caught Robin’s from across the room, though. The gaze was enough to remind him that sometimes the joy was worth the heartache.

Her line of sight, though, quickly shifted to the skeleton at the head of the breakfast table. He absentmindedly plucked stings on his violin, tuning up quietly as the Chopper told the story of their bug hunting adventures.

“Yeah!” Luffy jumped to his feet, “you wanna see all the cicadas we caught? They’re so cool!” He ran out of the room in a slap of sandals.

Robin raised her brows, line of sight back on the shipwright. He shook his head and made a subtle nod that he’d already taken care of everything. She smiled with a sign of thanks and returned her focus to the bard.

“Oh? What’s that?” A low chuckle from the other half of the couch sent shivers up Franky’s spine. Jinbei leaned in close to whisper, “a look like that from a woman like that? You’re a very lucky man. Are congratulations in order?”

“Nah, I think she’s got eyes for someone else today. But that’s alright. There’s always tomorrow,” the cyborg just shook his head and moved to get a second helping on breakfast. Everyone ate comfortably as they discussed their individual plans for the morning. Franky already knew what they’d all be up to generally, same as they had been in over a thousand loops.

“Brook,” Robin spoke up above the din. Her hand bloomed across the table and ran a thumb over his bony knuckles. “I was thinking of doing some drawing today. I’m in need of a model, would you be interested in posing for me?”

“I volunteer!” Sanji’s hand shot up from his place behind the countertop.

“Well, I was thinking of doing a bit of an anatomical study, actually. I think you may have too much skin on your face, my dear chef. Unless you would also like to be reduced back into your skeleton?” The demon laughed into her fingertips.

“You could flay me any day,” he swooned. Franky and Jinbei both choked on their breakfasts.

The skeleton turned to the woman sitting nearby, smile permanently wide across his teeth. “Oh, but of course, Robin-san! It would be an honor to accompany you! When will you be free?”

The pair worked out details for their morning together in hushed tones. The rest of the crew fuzzed back into their own little conversations, but Franky’s super hearing picked up each thread. Everyone had their own little plans, their own individual ideas that always shifted just slightly every loop. No one was ever quite the same, but they never strayed far either. Robin had hopefully introduced a strand of chaos into the mix, disruption woven into the banal repetitions.

Rubber hands zipped up the ladder from the hold. “Hey, Usopp, what the hell?!” The captain stood akimbo with his cicada hutch under his arm. Franky swore a little under his breath. “Why’d you hide our bugs? It took me forever to find them. I wanna show everyone!” The captain approached the table with wild excitement. The cyborg and the devil both saw the next step coming, but were powerless to stop it.

Luffy opened the latch with an announcement that he had one really cool one that everyone just needed to see. The iridescent bug he reached for crawled up his arm and took flight, landing on the wall behind Franky as it always did. The first insect was followed by an approximate dozen more to harass the breakfasting pirates.

All the shipwright could do was stand and corral the creatures as he did more often than not, starting with the one that had landed near him. A deep sigh, tired of the inevitability, couldn’t help but leak from his superstructure. Nothing ever changed. Maybe nothing was ever going to change.

Franky sat in the grass. Waiting. Mostly waiting for bounty hunters and marines. Very much waiting to see what move Robin made next. She leaned against the garden railing with a hand on her flowers, though their blooms had frozen with the rest of time. She seemed to wait too, eyes to the horizon until their pursuers arrived.

The fight was over even faster than usual. Franky always assumed she held back until absolutely necessary. Before anyone else could even realize they had company, two gigantic hands assembled on the deck of the bounty hunters’ ship. They pounded into the wood and cracked the vessel in half. Distant screams caught a few crew members attention, but the wreck quickly dropped into the sea. She looked over her shoulder with a sweeping hand toward the marines, giving the cyborg the floor for a similarly speedy resolution.

Not one to be outdone, Franky dropped below deck and stole Nami’s waver. He zipped out across the sea with a wave over his shoulder to whomever may be watching. The marines on the incoming ship started to shoot at him but he didn’t care. Rockets fired with the shrug of his shoulder, blasting a hole in the ship’s hull. He hopped the waver into the boat and immediately got to work stripping the vessel down for parts. In a thousand loops, he’d learned every weak spot in the warship’s design. Bare feet slapped on the floor as he ran through and unbolted key fixtures. Meat fell off the bone, shiplap sloughing into the ocean around him.

Once he’d gone as far aft as he could, he turned and ran back. The marines’ vessel had thoroughly taken on water by the time he reunited with the waver and made his escape. Ocean spray splashed all around him as he skirted over the top of the waves. It looked cool, he knew it. Franky mugged up to the deck of his own ship with a gratuitous flip of a longer hairstyle he’d donned for the occasion, just to see—his jaw dropped. Something pinged in his chest.

Robin wasn’t even watching.

She stood in the garden path, followed by the skeleton bringing tea and treats into her library. The pair laughed over something probably super hilarious, but it was beyond the range of his hearing. He pulled the waver back into its dock slot and got everything squared away before locking himself in the workshop to pout.

It only took about fifteen minutes of isolation before Franky caved. He tied his hair up off his shoulders in a bun, swapped his t-shirt for one of his stringiest muscle tank tops, and did a couple of pushups to work up a light sweat. The game wasn’t nearly as fun without her omniscience, and he was dying to know what she was up to up there. Only one way to find out.

He grabbed an unnecessary toolbox and a spare bandana to really sell the outfit. The cyborg checked himself in the mirror with a satisfactory nod to the look. Like a stripper in a handyman’s costume. Exactly what he was going for. He climbed the ladder as high as it went, ending up in the gardens just outside the library door. Sensors and scanners picked up Robin’s laugh, her curling form, her extra hand holding her tea. That fricken skeleton could always pinpoint her funny bone. Damn. He walked as close as he could get to the mounted air conditioning unit and shot at it with a burst of bullets. Not out of anger or frustration, simply to give himself something to fix. He knew he was being obnoxious. But she’d poked at him on his beautiful night with Jinbei, and the mischief demanded revenge.

“You’re fixing that,” extremely annoyed phantom lips frowned behind his ear.

“Yeah, duh. That was the plan,” Franky laughed. He knocked once on the library’s door out of posterity before letting himself in anyway. “Whoa!” The cyborg played to the crowd with faux-ignorance, “just saw your air conditioning blew! That totally sucks. Don’t mind me, I’m gonna fix it quick before it gets super hot. Pretend I’m not even here.”

Robin and Brook both stared at him, brows raised, tea cups frozen halfway to lips. They sat at the center table surrounded by a spread of cakes, biscuits, finger sandwiches and ever-fresh fruit. Franky didn’t know how the cook managed to find the time to whip up their smorgasbord. The devil only nodded once before turning to her dead man.

“You have such an ear for gossip, Robin-san!” Brook continued their conversation as if they’d never been interrupted.

She smiled with another sip of her drink, “well, I like to keep an eye and an ear out. I picked the habit up when I worked under Crocodile. You would not believe the nature of some of his calls.”

“Popular amongst the warlords, was he?”

“Well, maybe one day we should verify the rumors with our resident expert on such circles. Franky, dear, did Jinbei make any mention of his past affairs when you were with him?”

“Eh?” The cyborg felt his chest tighten as he loosened the screws to the air vent. “I’m not here, I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout that. That bro’s history is his own. Got nothin’ to do with me.” The dry heat of the sunshine made a drip of sweat run parallel down a sideburn.

Robin pouted at the dismissal, “well, perhaps we should simply ask him ourselves one of these days.” Her eyes lingered just a beat too long, and the shipwright could feel blank sockets bore into him in equal measure.

“Though, Robin-san,” the skeleton beaconed for her to join him on his side of the table. She brought her chair much closer, cozying up to his side and wrapping a spare arm around the small of his lower spine. He whispered low, teeth to the soft cartilage of her ear, “I have heard a number of other rumors about current affairs. Is it true you’ve been engaging in one of your own?”

She sat back a hair with a knowing smile. Mischievous eyes once again flashed across the room to the workman fixing the air conditioning. “Now, I’m not sure what you’re implying. I wouldn’t dare fraternize amongst the crew.”

“You really don’t have your eye on anyone?” Brook quirked his frontal bone in lieu of an actual brow.

“Perhaps not any one,” Robin smiled. “And what about you?”

“Me?” He laughed, a ghost in the hot air, “these old bones have made their peace with my view from here. Though,” ivory closed in again to whisper, “his backside looks fantastic when he’s hard at work, doesn’t it?”

“Oh, it absolutely does,” she whispered back, lips to his temporal bone, hoping the vibration still rattled his malleus. “The red’s a good color for him.”

“Very pretty panties, yes.”

Franky froze, halfway through removing busted parts from the unit. He’d intentionally dressed the part, but the sensation of being oggled from behind off the bat still threw him for a loop. Rather than say much, he leaned further to pull at the wires and tubes within the air conditioner. His new angle revealed even more for the audience. The cyborg kept his better ear to the machine, but turned up the mic on the one he’d lost his hearing in from the train accident. And the bomb.

“Who could have been spreading such salacious gossip about me and another crew mate?” Robin intertwined herself further around the bony body, arms like vines creeping up a trellis.

“Oh, you know. Plenty of whispers all around,” Brook hummed right back. “And some things are simply intuitive.”

“You feel it…in your bones?” She offered.

“Yohohoho! But of course! For I have no where else I could feel it!”

“That’s very true, I suppose.” Phantom hands brushed one loose kink away from his forehead, tucking it back into the rest of his afro. Her touch lingered on the worn bone and made him shiver beneath her caress.

“My, my, Robin-san. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume you were looking to fraternize with more than just one crew mate!” The skeleton laughed.

She leaned in close once more, lips fully skimming from mandible to zygomatic to his outer sphenoid wing. “What does your intuition tell you?” The words rumbled straight into his mind. Or, at least, his skull.

“I-I-I-I,” the usually composed musician stammered. “Oh, my. It is getting warm in here, isn’t it! If only that-that-that that air conditioner hadn’t passed away so suddenly! H-how are those repairs coming, Franky-san?”

“Uhhhhhhhh,” the mechanical man stalled. He yanked a core component from the unit but grimaced at the way his bullets had so effectively ripped through steel. “You know, it might be restin’ in peace at least for today. Well, restin’ in pieces.”

“Yohoho that was a good one!”

Robin’s advances didn’t cease. “Do you find peace in rest yourself?” She asked as real fingers twisted into the hair on the back of her companion’s skull.

“It depends on what you mean! I find every day with this crew to be restful, even when the seas are tumultuous. This is a wonderfully peaceful life after so many years of hurt and suffering, wouldn’t you say?”

“Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. The delectable comforts of this life are sweetened by the stark bitterness of our tribulations. The hurt of yesterday is behind us. Now we may live for the joys and the pleasures of today. And we fight in the tomorrow so that day like this may last…forever,” she sighed. Her lithe fingers caught his jaw and turned him to face her. The devil’s strong but fleshy nose settled into the void at the center of the skeleton’s maxilla.

“Miss Robin, I must apologize. I do not wish to cause any frustration or-or-or- jealousy between you and your’s. I dearly hope that I have not come on too strong, particularly if-if-if-if,” Brook hesitated. If he’d had lips, he would have bit them. If he’d had eyeballs, they would have flickered across the room to the hard working handyman.

She caught the root of his worry and gave an annoyed little cough into an extra fist. “Yeah!” Franky proclaimed entirely to himself. “I got it! Gonna go fix this bad boy up downstairs, I’ll have it back in a jiffy and more super than when I took it. You crazy kids have fun, I’ll be back to cool ya off in a little bit!” His big hands pulled the internal components out of its shell. The vent hatch closed with a bang, though neither of the other pirates noticed that the cyborg had left a baby den den mushi in the empty void. It blinked behind the grate. Audio broadcasted to another paired snail in the set down in his workshop.

“Would you like some tea and snacks for your journey?” The bard offered. He ran to fix Franky a plate, making Robin nearly drop out of her exaggerated lean.

The shipwright hesitated halfway out the door, tempted by the offer. “Nah, I’m all good, bro. You enjoy. She’s—I mean it’s—I mean she—I mean, they’re all yours, dude. Really. I can’t be hoardin’ all the sweetness to myself!” He pat his tummy fridge with a spare precision hand.

“I insist!”

Franky thought about it for a beat too long, then spun on his heels to accept the offered snack. He thanked the other man and did his best to shy away from Robin’s demonic glare. One giant prosthesis covered his mouth to blow a kiss first to the woman, then to the skeleton in a dramatic flurry. He winked, finally cracking her shell, though all he got in response was an eye roll and a microscopic smile. Brook fully blushed, somehow.

Soon after, he set himself up at his work table down in his room, treats nearby to idly snack upon. The broken air conditioner was dumped to the wayside, though he still tinkered with a busted part or two to give his hands a task. His den den mushi did its job relaying the discussion from one side of the ship to another. Spying was normally Robin’s domain, but he figured he was doing at least a serviceable attempt. The pair up in the library continued their conversation, though Robin did not seem nearly as physically close now.

He could hear her heels click over the tile floors. She opened a few of the windows in the hopes of a cross breeze cooling the enclosure. “Would you mind? It’s terribly warm,” Robin asked, voice crackling through the paired snail.

“Not at all! I was about to do much of the same. You did say you needed an anatomy model, yes? I assumed you’d desired me in my… bare bones,” Brook answered.

“Of course! I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Something rustled over the line, and it took Franky much too long to realize they were stripping. His mind wandered, wondering how far she’d taken it. For a brief moment, he considered running back up to reinstall the conditioning unit, before talking himself out of the idea. She’d been supportive of his night with Jinbei, so he would do the same. Even if the idea made him grit his teeth.

Robin’s heels clicked again through the library until she paused. “Oh! I was reading a book the other day that made me think of you. Here, Grand Line Encyclopedia of Phenomenon Volume One. I think Franky’s still borrowing volume two, I’ll have to ask him if there are any appearances. But look, there’s an entire article here about rumors of a solitary Island Whale lingering near the entrance to the Grand Line. Isn’t that fascinating!”

Brook gasped, “Laboon made it into the Encyclopedia!”

“Of course! For many, Laboon is the Grand Line. Everyone who’s entered this sea in the last fifty years has presumably met him. Did I ever tell you about my near-obsession with Island Whales when I was a little girl?” The archeologist chuckled softly.

“No, I do not believe you’ve mentioned it. Is this position alright?”

She could be heard walking back to the central table, chair moving for her to sit. Her pad of paper rustled as she settled and her pencil began to scratch along the surface. “Yes, whatever position you find to be the most comfortable to hold. Just relax, this is only meant to be a bit of fun and study.”

“Very well. Tell me more about the whales from your childhood, Robin-san,” Brook prompted.

“Yes! When I was small, maybe only six or so, we had a pod of sperm whales that would pass by Ohara in the winter on their way to warmer waters. When they migrated again in the spring, Professor Clover and a few of his research assistants took me out on a boat to study them. Oh, would you mind turning your head to the left just slightly? Thank you. Several of the whales were exceptionally large for the pod, leading the professor to postulate that the sperm whales may be nursing several baby Island Whales, though he did not know why. This led to days of research on his part.

“Professor Clover gave me a book on the topic once he was through. I read it every night for maybe six months, over and over again. I couldn’t get enough of those whales! Beautiful, massive, elegant creatures that traveled the world, filling it with song. I was enraptured. I remember the illustrations, too. Gorgeous renderings of these gentle titans, detailing their fins, their teeth, their muscle and blubber. But what I remember most was the diagrams of their skeletons.”

“They must have quite the structure, mustn’t they?” He laughed, though his voice grew strained in his attempt to be a good model.

“Oh, yes! I used to imagine climbing over their ribs like monkey bars when the other children wouldn’t let me play with them. I think I showed that book to anyone that would even look at it. Even Professor Clover grew a bit tired of my whale facts by the end, presumably since he knew all of them already. But I would hold that book up and look at him with the biggest eyes I could make and all he could do was sit back and listen again. It was always kind of him to entertain me, at the very least.”

Her pencil sketched quietly as they fell into soft silence, both thinking about those long gone and those they hoped to be reunited with. “I always wished I had visited Ohara before I left the West Blue,” Brook finally hummed low after a long stretch.

“Oh?”

“My kingdom was far on the other side of the sea, though several other soldiers I knew had been there to accompany the nobility. I heard stories that it was quite lovely, I never would have imagined the island’s fate in all my time wandering. If I had gone, I would have wanted to take a peek at their rumored library of sheet music I’d heard they’d kept.”

“Oh, we used to have some of the most beautiful compositions. I learned the piano when I was five just to be able to play some of them, though I’m quite rusty now,” Robin mused in dreamy comfort. “Perhaps, if we ever found one remaining copy, we could learn to play it together?”

“I would quite like that, Robin-san. Very much.”

“—AY!” Luffy’s voice crackled through the baby den den mushi from a third device, scaring the hell out of the eavesdropping Franky. “Usopp where are you?”

The shipwright quietly grimaced, too afraid to answer the line. 

“What was that?” Brook shifted.

Robin similarly got up, heels tapping once more, to investigate the source of the call.

“Usoooooooop! Come on out I wanna go fishing!”

“Captain?” The archeologist called into the air.

“Robin! Why do you have Usopp’s snail?”

“I… don’t,” she sighed and crossed the library to the loose vent. Franky heard it creak open before—

“Hey, Franky, have you seen my snail?” Usopp poked his head into the workshop. The words were immediately picked up by the transponder and sent up to the library.

“Usopp! Where are you?” Luffy yelled.

“I was in my factory, where are you?” The man in question yelled to be heard.

“I’m on the deck! I wanna go fishing!”

“Why is Usopp’s snail in the library, though?” Brook’s soft voice nestled amongst the shouting. “And why was it left in the broken air conditioning unit?”

Franky panicked. “Whoa super crazy uhhhhh thanks for finding lil’ bro’s snail rad awesome cool cool cool uhh uhh—cuh-lick,” he hung up in a frenzy. His burning cheeks buried in his prosthetic hands.

“Bro, what the hell was that?” Usopp cocked his head.

“N-nothing. It’s fine. Uh, go catch a super big fish for me, yeah? Yeah,” Franky threw his den den mushi to the young man and slammed the workshop door shut. He dropped to the ground and laid there for a good long while as he recovered from getting caught.

“Were you lurking?” Soft lips grew against his skin and mouthed near his ear.

“Oh, you bet, babe. Learned from the best.”

The rest of the loop played out as it generally tended to go. The cook and the swordsman were fighting by sunset, but that couldn’t really be helped. Dinner was tense, made worse by the fact that Robin and Brook never actually joined them. Blossomed helping hands dished up two plates and passed them up into the library in their stead. Everyone watched the devil whisk food away before turning at once to Franky of all people for an explanation. He only shrugged and returned to his meal. It was the same food it usually was, and cooked to perfection, yet he couldn’t shake the sour aftertaste.

When no one offered a tension relief, he stepped up and pitched the idea of playing music out on the grass.

“But Brook’s busy on his little late night rendezvous,” Nami giggled.

“Brook ain’t the only one that can play music, yeah? The point is that like…like everyone can do it! Usopp, you’re gonna sing, I can play guitar, Chopper’s been practicing his drums. Jinbei, you wanna do tambourine?” The cyborg pointed around the table, hoping that brightening everyone else’s mood would brighten his own.

The pirates tossed the idea around, but it was the promise that Luffy could play the triangle that finally got them out the door. The music wasn’t as clean as it was when Brook serenaded them, but there was something fun to the scrappy performance that had everyone dancing within minutes.

“Well look at that, you’ve already been replaced,” a dark voice hummed from above.

“Me? Oh, never. It’s hard to forget a face like this! Well, lack of face, yohoho. But that does look like quite the fun,” her companion similarly crooned.

Brook and Robin waved down from the garden. They both peered at the dancing mob, not unlike how Luffy liked to peer at his cicadas. Everyone else was too busy making fools of themselves, singing silly songs and absolutely smashing the triangle. Eventually, though, the proper bard leapt down to join them.

Music filled the night. Sanji extended his hand out, asking Nami to dance, and Usopp mimicked the same deep bow for Luffy in partial jest. Jinbei appeared next and gestured for Robin to come and dance with him. She blushed, though that didn’t sway her from climbing down the ladder.

“I just can’t win tonight, can I?” Franky muttered under his breath.

“You need to keep playing so I can ask her to dance next,” Brook jabbed back.

Before they finished the current tune, the cyborg dropped his guitar and made his way with steady intention across the lawn. He tapped Robin on the shoulder, “may I cut in?”

Jinbei threw his head back with a laugh, “be my guest, brother.” He released his paw on the woman's waist and waved for the other man to continue the dance with her.

“That’s not what he was asking,” the archeologist matched their merriment. She stepped to the size to give room for the big man to sweep the even bigger fishman into a groove. They caught the attention of everyone on the dance floor. Luffy and Usopp cheered into the summer night.

The whole crew celebrated as one for the rest of the evening. Eventually, though, the young ones wore themselves out and Jinbei declared that someone did, in fact, need to be steering the ship. That left only Brook and Franky noodling on instruments in the grass. Robin sat in the skeleton’s lap as he guided her hand over frets, instructing her on where to place her fingers with each note.

“Here, here, and—close, you want to drop your ring finger down a string. It’s conceptually very different from playing the piano, my apologies. Alright. Now strum.”

“How many hands am I allowed to use for this?”

Both musicians paused and looked at each other. “Robin,” Franky answered after a beat, “I think this may be the start of a super wonderful experimental music career for you.” She arranged four hands across the neck and strummed a chord neither of them had ever heard before. A strange, haunting tone beyond standard human capabilities pealed into the stillness.

The three played until the grey mist of the cycle resetting began to pull, as it always did. “Franky,” the devil woman sat up straighter before she accidentally fell asleep, “what did you do today?”

“Uh, same thing I do every day, I guess. Broke some crap, fixed some crap. Nothin’ new. What about you? Can I see your drawings you drew? Just incase they uh, y’know. Disappear.”

“Disappear? Why on earth would they disappear?” Brook cocked his skull.

Robin used a garden of extra limbs to bring her stack of papers over to the group. The hands handed her sketches over for the cyborg to look through. Most of them genuinely were just anatomical studies of the skull, vertebra, clavicle, and carpals. A few other poses, though, verged on a spectrum from silly to seductive.

“Looks like you two had a ton of fun today,” Franky tried to hype himself out of pure jealousy. He still strummed with his big hands while the little ones held the pages up.

“Oh, we had a great time. I knew we were similar, but I didn’t know just how similar we are! We’ve read so many of the same books, been to the same places, listened to the same music. It turns out, I’ve even been to Brook’s home kingdom in the West Blue! I was hiding in a fishmonger’s hut there when I was maybe ten or eleven. He wasn’t there, obviously, but it was still lovely to know that our paths would have maybe crossed in another life,” she beamed.

“And I’m already on my second one, yohohoho!”

They both burst into a dark sort of laughter.

“It’s just,” she cozied a little closer to the rib cage, “that it feels good to find someone who has known desolation in similar sort of way and also come out the other side. Does that make sense?”

“I know exactly what you mean, my dear,” he caressed her cheek with one bony hand.

The E string on the cyborg’s guitar snapped abruptly. “That’s super feakin’ cool to hear. Yeah. Well, uh, I think I’m gonna hit the hay so we can do this all again tomorrow, yeah? Be sure to kiss each other goodnight. Robin, you want me to stash the drawings in the toolbox to see if they make it to tomorrow? Or ya wanna hold on to ‘em for, uh, personal reasons?” 

“Oh, we haven’t tried that! Your tools always stay in your body, and the computer remained, right?” She got up off the other man’s lap and crossed the deck to help reorganize the drawings. The pages were rolled neatly and stored inside one of the cyborg’s convenient tool boxes.

Extra hands pat the cube closed, lingering on the metal. “Well, night,” he nod, eyes averted.

She pulled him in close for a hug anyway, despite his despondence, whispering, “goodnight. We’ll talk more in the morning. I don’t want to contaminate the variables, or else you know I’d kiss you.”

“Yeah. Alright. Good to know, and right back ‘atcha. Have a super night, you two.”

He let her go and started to pack up his guitar and lingering dishes, even though he knew the mess would disappear by the morning. One of Nico Robin’s hands lingered against the cool steel for just a second. She turned and walked away, locking Brook in her sights. “I think I may be off to bed, as well. I had a lovely day with you today. I hope we may have another like it, and I truly hope you don’t forget it. Thank you,” the devil sighed.

“Oh, Robin-san. I wouldn’t forget a day like today for the world! Never! One of the best days of my life. Afterlife. Yohohoho, you know what I mean.”

She wrapped many arms over the skeleton’s shoulders, pulling him closer toward her. “I really hope that is the case,” her voice sang softly in the night air. Before another word could be spoken, Robin closed the distance. She kissed first his forehead, then the high point of his cheekbone. Finally, the devil paused, thought to herself, shrugged in acceptance, and kissed him square in the middle of his teeth.

“Oh, my!” Brook blushed, pink over ivory.

“I hope that wasn’t too forward. Have a good night. This really has been an excellent day,” she said with one final caress. Before either of the men knew it, she was gone.

The skeleton exhaled a deeply held breath, even though he did not have lungs. “What a woman,” he whispered.

“You’re tellin’ me, bro,” Franky shrugged as he picked up his guitar case and turned for the boys’ bunks.

Brook chased at his heels even though it seemed obvious that the other man didn’t really want to talk. “I hope you don’t mind! Really! I don’t want to get in the way between you two.”

“Like she said earlier, nothin’ to get in the way of.”

“Yes there is! Everyone was talking about it the other day and…and I know you’ve liked her for a long time. She’s lovely and she’s beautiful and she’s—”

“Look,” Franky cut him off, big hand to the door knob, “what she and I got goin’ on is super complicated. There’s some weird shit happening, and this ain’t the life for anythin’ proper. I’m happy for you, bro. Really. I-I just need a minute. It’s been a long day, I just wanna go to sleep.”

They entered the room and quietly split off to get ready for bed in the dark. Franky didn’t even have the energy left for propriety, knowing he’d wake up with it all covered no matter what. He slung his swimsuit at his locker and let what dangled dangle as he laid down and inflated his mattress

“My intentions are pure, I swear!” Brook suddenly appeared at his side once more, whispering loudly in the dark, way too close for comfort. “Though, are you planning on fixing the air conditioning tomorrow?”

“It’ll be fixed.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. It was so hot today, we were just down to our bones up there! Purple, by the way. If you were curious. Are you curious?” The skeleton nearly cuddled up to his chest.

“No! Don’t tell me crap like that, bro!”

“Fine, fine!” They settled into the silence of the night. Franky had just about fallen asleep when his companion spoke up once more, “I’m glad the fan will be fixed, though. It’s been so hot for so long, an eternity! I can’t even remember the last time we had rain. And oh, I miss making port. Don’t you? Perhaps we’ll finally see an island tomorrow.”

The shipwright sat upright, bright sun of the repeated morning in his eyes. “What the hell did you just say?!” He bellowed, fist grabbing Brook by the collarbone.

“That-that we haven’t made port in a very long time!” Brook’s ivories tinkled in fear.

Usopp awoke with a rub of his eyes, “we just made port yesterday, dude. Spent the—” he paused to yawn, “—day catching cicadas. You taught Chopper how to play the drums.”

The bard looked between the two men, but before he could ask any questions, Franky dragged him out onto the deck. “Rob!” He shouted, knowing she had ears all over the place, “we finally caught one! It worked!”

It only took her a few minutes to properly appear and meet the other men in the aquarium bar. Robin seemed giddy, bouncing at the idea of someone else feeling the cycles, too. Progress meant data, meant they were a step closer in figuring out why they kept living the same day over and over again.

“Start from the top, what’s the first thing you remember?” She asked excitedly.

Brook looked like he wanted to lick his lips before he spoke, though he lacked both lips and tongue to do so. “Wh-what is this all about, Robin-san? Is this about our day together yesterday?”

“Sort of. You see, something’s happened to the crew. We’ve been living the same day on repeat for well over a thousand days, but not everyone on the crew can feel the loop happening. So far, it’s just been Franky and I that know,” Robin summarized as succinctly as she could.

“What about Jinbei?” The bard pointed to the third man seated at the bar top around the mast.

“What about wh—?” Franky spun, “oh, hey, bro. What are you doing here?”

Jinbei just blinked, “it sounded like something important was going on. We’re in a time loop? Really? Am I one of the ones that can’t feel it?”

“Oh, Jinbei, we’ve had to explain this to you like, six times already. The whole crew is living the same day over and over, the only way to realize you’re stuck is through kissing someone but we don’t know why or who or in what combination. You and I had a beautiful night together that you’re never going to remember. There, you’re up to speed for today. Can’t wait to do it again tomorrow,” the cyborg grumbled a bit too harshly for so early in the morning.

“Congratulations!” Brook clapped his carpals together. “So, my kiss with Robin-san last night woke me up? Hm. I guess that makes as much sense as anything else.”

She slid up close to his side on the lounge seat. “Well, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about. We don’t know if it was really the kiss that woke you up. Any details you can recall would be a huge help.”

“I-I would love to assist you in any way I could, I swear,” the skeleton gazed, sockets to eyeballs, “but I’m afraid I have a confession to make. You see, whenever we’re out on the open water…” He looked off in to distance dramatically, “I grow time blind.”

“Oh, god,” Franky buried his face in his massive hands.

Jinbei frowned, “time blind? What do you mean?”

“I do not know how much time passes at sea, even under normal circumstances. I know we left Wano, and days have passed since the weather changed last, but that’s about all I know. The sea is the sea. Beautiful, vast, endless. Quite literally endless, now, isn’t it? Yohohoho.”

The cyborg walked over to the fish tank and repeatedly pounded his head against the thick glass. “The one guy we finally wake up went crazy alone at sea fifty years ago and now he can’t even conceptualize time?! What the hell? Are we cursed?! I think we’re totally cursed,” he whined between hits.

“Yes, Franky-san. I do believe we are cursed to live the same day on repeat, as dear Robin explained it.”

“I know that! Who do you think lived the first three damn years of loops?! Robin’s been only awake for like two weeks!”

The others all stopped to turn and look at him. “Franky,” Robin spoke after a beat of silence, “why did it take you a thousand cycles before things changed?”

“W-what? I was testing variables and crap! Doing science work, okay! Super important research! This stuff takes time, I was focused!”

Brook pointed with long carpals, “you told me you went crazy isolated on a derelict warship for years once, too! You’re just as time blind as me!”

“N-no I ain’t! I-I-I—.”

Before he could cover his ass, a chorus of screams broke out in the galley above. Luffy’s laugh floated above the rest. Franky and Robin sighed in unison. Cicadas. Again.

Sanji came sliding down the ladder. He wailed in his attempts to brush the many critters off of him, but they’d all seemed to tangle themselves in his hair. Multicolored iridescence popped against his sunny locks and dark coat. The cook ran out the door and onto the deck before anyone could offer assistance.

“S-so what does this mean, going forward?” Franky tried to pivot the subject back onto Brook’s addition to the investigation team.

Robin thought through her options, “well, we could follow up either on it working like a chain, so Brook kisses someone next. Or, I’m the constant variable and I kiss the next person as well. Which line of thinking should we follow?”

Without further deliberation, Brook slapped his knee caps and stood. He crossed the bar and grabbed Jinbei by the sideburns. Teeth pressed to the whale shark’s maw in a highly effective smack. “If this works, there’s more where that came from, sir,” the skeleton would have winked if he had eyes and lids and skin. He did a little spin on his way back to the sofa.

The generally stoic warlord turned bright purple in a mix of blue and blush. “I-I-I’m sorry. A kiss from Brook, a beautiful night with Franky. This is a lot for me to take in very suddenly.”

The cyborg snorted under his breath, “it was other way around, bro.”

“And what about you, Miss Robin? Have you and I ever…”

“No, not yet. But if that kiss just now didn’t work, I’ll be seeing you tomorrow, handsome,” she winked with her proper fleshy eyeball and lid. The skeleton sighed with jealousy.

Franky settled on the sofa next to her, “oh? You’re following up with Jinbei, too? Good luck, he’s a tough nut to crack.”

“Well, actually,” Robin settled against his chest, though she put her legs atop of Brook’s knees on her other side, “I have a bit of an idea. Usually, I like testing one variable at a time, but if I’m the isolated variable, then I think I can test a few…simultaneous applications, yes? I’d like to speed this process up; we’ve already wasted quite a lot of time to various blind spots. You’ll see what I mean. Though, if me kissing just Brook made you this jealous, I hate to see what you’re like with what I’ve got planned for tomorrow.” She laughed with a final kiss to Franky’s embarrassed cheek.

“Oh! That reminds me!” He tried to shake the heat away and popped open his boxy forearm storage. Phantom hands reached in deep, pulling out a rolled tube of skeletal sketches from the day before.

“How fascinating!” Robin and Brook both sang in perfect harmony.

Chapter Text

“Gooooooooood morning, crew! And what a BEAUTIFUL day it is once again! The sun is shining, the gulls are calling, and I can practically feel the wind on my cheeks!”

“Well, brother, you don’t even have cheeks!”

“Yohoho you raise an excellent point there, my brother! Tell me, Franky, what is it we’re doing today?”

“Well, Brook, the same thing we do every damn day! For those just joining us, we are well over one thousand days deep in a never fucking ending loop of days at sea! Ain’t that just super?!” Franky turned from the bit to grimace and cough before the joking mask snapped back into place.

“Wait,” Usopp paused, “what did you just say?”

“That’s right, Franky!” Brook cheered without dropping the act. He raised an unplugged microphone higher to his teeth and adjusted his sunglasses. Franky unconsciously took the same cue, little hands using the shades to hide the pain. The skeleton continued, “yes, we’re here today to witness an absolute athlete a the height of her game. Not many can accomplish what Miss Nico Robin is looking to achieve today, but if she is successful, she’ll be taking home the gold not just for herself but for her whole crew!”

“Gold?!” Nami shouted down from the tangerine groves. “Who has gold?!”

“It’ll be a super tough face off,” Franky announced in his best commentator voice. “But if I were a bettin’ man, I’d take a super big ol’ gamble out on her!”

“Face off? But I’ve already lost my face!”

“So have I, bro!”

“I don’t think that’s the only thing you two have lost,” Robin said as she approached, chuckles just barely hidden under her breath. “What are you two do—“

“And here she is! Our super star! Care to offer an exclusive interview?” The cyborg asked with a cheeky grin and an extended mic.

“No.”

“Awwww, come on, Rob!”

“I just want to get started. The faster we get through today, the faster we get to tomorrow.”

“Ooh! Ooh! Over here!” Brook threw his hand in the air, waving furiously.

“Yes?” Robin asked, frowning, and falling into the bit regardless of her wishes.

“Yes, Brook from Us News. Do you have a plan for tackling such a monumental task in just one day?”

“Well, I think I’ve organized the crew into two categories, those I think will be easy to get a kiss from, and those that will be a little more difficult. So I’ll start with some easier, then, later in the day, I’ll chip at a few more challenging crew members. Two will provide the greatest difficulty, but I think I’ll find a work around. There’s a few extra parameters I’d like to test, since everyone will be receiving equal attention.”

“Everyone? Even previously disqualified contestants?” Franky asked, eyebrows waggling above his shades.

She playfully rolled her eyes. “Fine, yes, everyone.” The devil woman leaned in like she was going to kiss him, but pivoted at the last second to peck Brook’s cheekbone. The cyborg was left hanging in an inert pucker. After Robin had taken a second to laugh amongst the ivories, she turned and kissed Franky on his cheek, too.

“Whoa!” Usopp startled from hs seat in the grass, looking up at the two older men playing smooching sports commentator at the picnic table. “Nami didn’t see that, did she? Oh, I’m so screwed if she did. I don’t have the cash for the bet I took!”

Robin tapped the sniper on the shoulder and gestured for him to stand. He did so, willing despite the shake in his legs. “Next!” She chuckled.

He laughed nervously. “Wait-wh-wh-whaaaat are we doing, Robin?” 

“Oh! A fascinating first choice of a challenge! Unexpected!” Brook announced, “What do you think her logic is?”

“Well, bro,” Franky volleyed back to his co-announcer, “I think lil’ bro here is physically closest to ‘er.”

Usopp trembled even harder when he saw the devil in front of him start to lean in a little further. “Wh-what sort of game are you guys playing? Bro? Big bro, what are you—- did you say time loop earlier? Hey. Hey. Robin. Hi. Um. You’re great and you’re beautiful, of course, but-but-but—”

“It’s for the game, lil’ bro. Super chill, don't worry.”

“Mister Sniper King,” Robin said, eyes soft and a hand extending to grasp Usopp’s palm. He paled. “God, if you will. May I kiss you?”

“Well, well, well, well, because—you see, you just kissed Franky and I was honestly just joking about my bet with Nami—I mean, there is no bet! We wouldn’t—we wouldn’t make a bet about crew members secretly getting together. Never! And- so-so— um. I know he’s really liked you for a long time and-and-a-a- a little help here, big bro?” Usopp asked, eyes to the shipwright at the table.

“Oh! A fascinating turn of events! It seems Challenger Number One may reject her. This could be an early problem for our star!” Brook sang.

“Y’know,” Franky countered, microphone once again raised high to his lips, “if ya ask me, I think my lil’ bro should just take the free kiss. No sweat off my back. But one of the trickier aspects of this particular challenger is his way of getting super in his own head about stuff. If I had to take a guess, I’d say he’s probably remembering a few too many drunk convos we had in the past where I may or may not have felt a couple 'a super strong emotions about a crush I may or may not have had. But that was like five years ago!”

“No it wasn’t, it was like t-t-two!” Usopp tried to correct, scared side eye to the cyborg and precipitation dripping from his forehead.

“And it’ll be even more years if he doesn’t kiss her back now, dude!”

“Promise you won’t be mad?”

“Nah, bro, super promise!”

Usopp squeezed his eyes shut, nodded once, and dramatically puckered his lips. His chest rose and fell in sharp hyperventilation. Robin squeezed his palm in comfort. “It’s okay,” she said, voice low, eyes comforting, smile reassuring. “It’s just a kiss.”

With that, she leaned her head at a sharp angle to get around his nose and quickly pressed a neutral kiss to his lip. It didn’t linger, it didn’t open. The contact lacked the gravitas of full affection, yet her lingering breath on his cheek’s stubble still made the young man shake.

“Eight point five!” Brook cheered, score paddle raised to the sky.

“Eh, I only give it a seven. Nothin’ bad, but I think we all know what this master is capable of of. She’s got some rad lil’ tricks up her sleeve, this feels like the warm up,” Franky shrugged, though he flashed a thumbs up to his frozen little bro.

“That was nice, don’t listen to them,” Robin chuckled. She pecked Usopp’s cheek in departure, pat his shoulder amicably, and then turned to walk away. “Thank you, that helped. Hopefully this situation will be cleared by tomorrow.”

He blinked. His hand rose to touch the tingly spot on his face. “Wha— bro, what was that?”

“I’ll explain it all tomorrow, dude.”

“Time loop joke!” The skeleton laughed as he stood from the picnic table to spin around. Usopp plopped into the opposite bench like a man home from war, shocked stare boring holes in the grass.

“Alright, Brook, she’s on the move. Who do we think Challenger Number Two will be? She’s got a couple of strategic moves form here. She can take a super easy option, or she can try for something a little trickier than the warm up. Keep in mind, she’s also got to give her try at The Boss. He’s super difficult competition, bested both you and me in this game,” Franky laughed, back into the flow of the joke.

“Please be Nami, please be Nami, please be Nami,” Brook chanted. His phalanges crossed for luck as he sat back down.

“Shut up, pervert!” 

“You’re one to talk, sir.”

“Oh, and don’t I know it. Right, and yeah, eagle eyed viewers—“

“I don’t have eyes.”

“—Shut up, gramps. Eagle eyed viewers will see that she is, in fact, making her way up to the garden. Now, the Nami strategy seems painfully easy. Everyone knows about lil’ sis’s weakness for a milf in a bikini.”

“Franky!” Robin shouted once she’d reached rooftop garden. “Did you just call me a milf?”

“With all the affection in my heart, babe!”

Nami paused, halfway finished with trimming the brown foliage from her tangerine trees. “Whoa, hey. Did he just call you babe? You two got something you wanna share with the class? USOPP! YOU OWE ME BIG!”

“What the hell is going on today,” Usopp mumbled to himself absently.

“Do you think,” Brook chuckled, bones rattling, “that these two would possibly consider—after they’ve kissed each other, obviously— perhaps sh—“

“NO!” Both women shouted from the rooftop.

This time, Robin slunk up much closer to Nami’s side. Her smile held more mischief than it had in the first round, and an extra hand curled around the navigator’s waist. “So,” the devil crooned, her words carrying on the wind, “I have something of a strange bet going with those two today. They think I couldn’t kiss every single crew mate in one day, but I’m determined to show them. There’s a fairly large wager, and I’ll be willing to cut you in once they pay me tomorrow. Nami, dear. May I kiss you?”

“Oh, I’m about to bleed these idiots dry,” the little redhead chuckled in success before the kiss had even begun. She snapped her torso tight to the other woman’s. Something of a whine came from the place where Brook’s throat used to be.

Nami kissed Robin like she’d been waiting a century for the chance. Lips and tongue furiously lapped. The thief’s eyes opened so that she could wink down from high above without breaking the contact. Tricky hands slid over the archeologist’s torso. They stayed joined like that making out for a beat. Then a beat longer. And a minute past that. The men at the table all squirmed a little.

Robin took a big lungful when they finally, finally broke apart. Her thumb cleaned up some of the lingering spit on her lower lip.

“TEN OUT OF TEN!” Brook shouted to the heavens.

“I give it a four. Felt sorta weird and fetishy, I dunno,” Franky frowned.

“Lighten up! It was an excellent performance!” The bard clapped, bones clicking.

Nami and Robin appeared to have a quick aside, just the two of them, chatting in tones too low for the boys on the lowest deck. Both ladies smiled with great fondness as they spoke and hugged one last time before Robin turned to walk back down toward the crowd. Somewhere on the other side of the ship, a polymeric chain reaction began. Unseen momentum built. A heavy ball of entropy fell from the sky.

“What are we playing?!” Luffy shouted, his smile wide as he landed in the dead center of the picnic table. It cracked clean in half. Usopp screamed. Franky sighed. The rubber man splat against the wood chips and grass, then rebound back into shape and form on his feet. “Shishishi, sorry.”

The three men all stood as their seat disintegrated, but Franky dropped himself into the middle of the mess. Always something to fix. A genuinely normal task felt almost weird after so much time in the loop. The focused return to form made breathing easier in all the chaos.

“Hey!” Nami shouted from the grove of trees, “we’re playing the Kissing Robin game and she needs to win. Got it? Just give her a big old kiss!”

At that same moment, the archeologist in question stepped out from the interior stairwell. She hadn’t even crossed the threshold back onto the grass when Luffy came running up to her. He grabbed her by both sides of her face and delivered a wet smack in the space between her cheek and the corner of her lips. The captain ran off before she could even realize he’d kissed her. Robin remained fixed in place, eyes wide with surprise.

“Good luck! Hope you win your game!” He laughed as he zipped back to his seat at the figurehead.

She blinked twice, then wandered over to the under-construction picnic table. “I didn’t realize just how easy this would be. They’re lining up! Incredible,” Robin mused.

“Oh, yes, it seems our champion is on a hot streak! Three crew members down, just four left to go!” Brook began once more in his announcer voice.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, bro, just— one— DONE! Got it!” Franky said, flipping the doubly-reinforced table over again after only a minute of repair. He dropped back down and shot a wink to the the woman closing in. The intonation of his voice changed back into one more akin to that heard on radio snails. “Yeah, that’s right, brother. This super star’s leaving no prisoners! Care to comment?” He asked, little hand and microphone extended for a second try.

“Not really. But it is feeling nice to be on a roll,” she answered with a crinkle-eyed smile.

Someone stirred in the periphery. “What the hell are you guys shouting about?” A groggy voice asked from the grass on the other side of the deck.

Nami again assumed the position of coach, directing with a swift point to the devil now sitting atop the repaired table. “You NEED to kiss Robin, Zoro! We're all doing it!”

He sighed, stood, and swirled a sip from his flask around his mouth. “Fine,” the swordsman said. “Needed a palette cleanser anyway. Gotta clear the last shit.” Heavy boots trampled the grass lawn. He stretched his neck as he walked over, not bothering to put his robe sleeves back on over his shoulders. Pectorals glistened in the unceasing sunshine.

“Hello,” Robin smiled as the man drew nearer. Her lips pursed in anticipation. Not one commentator offered comment.

No words were spoken between the two. Zoro strode to the side of the table, his hand cupping her bare waist, knees interlocking. The lingering must of booze and sweat hung in the air. She wrapped one hand over his shoulder, one cupping the fuzz on the back of his neck, a third to his torso. He kissed her like a target, a swift action without survivor. She didn’t even realize he’d used a flash of tongue along her bottom lip until he’d re-sheathed the muscle behind satisfied lips. Physical. What it needed to be in the heat of the moment.

“Yeah, alright,” Zoro nodded once, then turned to go.

Brook cried, “well I’ll be! Hm. Eight point two!”

“Eight point two? The fuck? Nah, I can do better. Here,” the swordsman spun back around for a second try at a higher score.

He was met with a wall of hands all raised to pause him. “That was lovely, but once was enough,” Robin assured. Her cheeks burned, but she twisted and gestured with and nth limb for Franky to hand his soda over. The stewing cyborg handed her the bottle, though he looked to be thinking through a few things. The devil washed the taste of salt, sake, and something a just little stale from her mouth.

“A statement for the presses, sir?” Brook asked as he pulled the swordsman to the side. His mic pressed close to the other man’s lips.

“Uh, okay.”

“How would you rate that kiss, if you disagree with the judge’s assessment?”

Zoro only shrugged again. “It was fine. The last time was better, but we both got different preferences now. I get it. Not bad.”

“THE LAST TIME?!” Franky, Usopp, and Brook all balked in shock. Robin’s blush only grew more furious.

“Uh, yeah. There was a party, we were in the woods, I think? Fuck, where were we?” He turned to look at her in confirmation. The devil had long since averted her eyes, but one of her hands sprouted to point up at the bright blue sky. “Oh, yeah,” Zoro continued. “We were in the sky-woods-place. Big ass bonfire. Dogs were there? I dunno. We both had some crap to work out, we worked it out, it’s fine. Yeah.”

“Now this is a shock! Breaking news!” The skeleton gasped into nonexistent lungs. “And would you hazard a guess as to why things never progressed beyond the kiss?”

He waffled without commitment, slinging his robe sleeves back over his chest. “Dunno. Guess I just don’t have that weakness for a milf in a bikini. Everyone's got their own shit.” With that, Zoro lumbered away, climbing up the stairs and entering the galley. The door swung back and forth silently. At least, until the cook screamed in frustration.

“Usopp,” Robin spoke up after a beat, clearing her throat, “would you mind taking over at the helm for Jinbei and sending him here? I think it’s time for me to work up a sweat.”

“WHAT IS GOING ON TODAY?!” The sniper wailed, though he did as ordered and left to fetch the fishman.

The second he was out of earshot, Franky leaned in close, whispering, “oi! All that’s true?”

“It was one time. Not worth mentioning. He’s generally too inebriated, he hasn’t bathed in over three years, doesn't read, and besides, he's a decade younger than me. I tend to like older men,” Robin winked. “Like he said, we were at a party a mile above the sea. The altitude sickness got to me and he was weary of me joining the crew. I felt like I needed to prove myself to him before I’d even fully reconnected with my own needs. We were both much too self destructive at the time. But I think he still likes a bit of that adversarial nature. Which, speaking of,” she trailed off as she held a hand up in pause. Her shipwright was left reeling.

A phantom eye in the galley caught the beginnings of a brewing fight. Sanji stood behind the countertop, fuming, white knuckles in a vise around the marble slab. More pots and pans than average bubbled around him. “Get the hell out of here! I can’t do this again, not today,” he shouted.

“The fuck’s your problem, I’m just gettin’ a new drink. Mouth’s too damn dry.”

“And you’re too damn drunk all the time! Are we ever going to run out of booze?”

“Look, you piece of shit cook,” Zoro snapped. “It isn’t my fault you’re feeling bitchy over missing the party outside. I don’t wanna hear you complain. If you weren’t such a tight ass, you could be out there having fun, too.”

“I have work to do! Just leave me alone, you idiot! I don’t even know what party you’re talking about!” Sanji yelled, his hand reaching for the meat tenderizer on deeply engrained instinct.

“Oh, you haven’t heard yet?” Zoro grinned in a wicked gloat. “Everyone’s out there each making out with Robin. We’ve all had a turn. She even sucked face with the witch in front of everyone. Bet you woulda like to see that, perv.” He leaned in close over the island countertop. “Wouldn’t you?”

Sanji rushed to grab a dish rag, keeping the blood temporarily at bay. “Don’t lie! Get the hell out of here, you asshole, I-I-I just want to work. Why won’t you leave me alone?! Do you seriously just come in here to lie to me about kissing Robin of all people?”

“Fine, don’t believe me,” the swordsman chuckled around the next sip of his drink. “Go out there yourself, if you’re not a coward.”

The meat tenderizer flew. The window cracked. Three hours too early. Out on the deck, the shattering sound snapped Franky from his internal processing.

“Ahem—oh! Are they fighting again? Hm,” A deep voice returned the party’s attention back to center. Jinbei stood before the judges and their champion with expectant eyes. “Usopp said you needed to see me, but he began to panic when I asked why.”

“Oh,” Robin beamed, “yes! I had a karate question. I think I’m having some slight issues with my sweeping move, but there’s no better expert to show me than you. Would you mind?” She leapt off the table, practically feline, and swayed into the middle of the grass. The warlord blushed hard, as he tended to do, and threw a slightly confused glance to the two men still seated. They both threw thumbs up back to him.

“If this works I’m gonna be so fuckin’ pissed are you serious?” Franky grumbled under his breath despite the gesture and the forced grin.

“Cheer up! You had your chance!” Brook chuckled before raising his microphone back to his mouth. After a single wistful sigh, Franky mirrored him, now in character once again. “And we’re back from commercial!” The skeleton clacked. “Just in time to see our reigning champ take on The Boss. Ten feet tall, a half ton of muscle, and a heart of gold. Tell me, Franky, as one with insider knowledge, are the rumors two?”

“I made that joke like a week ago, brother. And unlike some of these bastards, I ain’t one to kiss and tell,” the cyborg chuckled, shoulders bouncing as he quickly shook off the jealousy.

“Excuse me?” Jinbei asked as he readied his stance in the middle of the field. Robin took advantage of the distraction, landing a solid palm against his belly. His attention snapped back to the task before him. “Oh, the power in that was excellent. You have no difficulty with your hands, do you?”

“It’s a specialty,” Robin laughed, flirty little chime floating as she readied once more.

“Naturally! Now, if you want to build even more power, you’re going to need to strengthen the weight in your legs. Open them up just a little more—I mean—I— I said what I mean but I don’t mean—you understand what I am trying to say,” he stumbled, not nearly so immovable when guiding a nearly-naked pupil.

Brook cheered, “oh, an excellent opener from Robin-san.”

“—So with a sweep, you need to identify a weak point in an adversary’s center of gravity. By knowing that you’re firm in yourself, you can better make a move against the other. Now, this next part is a bit counter intuitive. Once you’ve found the spot, you’re going to want to keep your attention trained to their ch- to their chest. Mine, not, well—” the helmsman continued to stumble over his words, his own center of emotional gravity thrown off kilter.

Right as Robin and Jinbei refined their flow, the sound of plodding hooves rose from behind. Franky and Brook both turned from the distracting workout, any growing tempest temporarily pocketed when Chopper jumped onto the picnic table.

“Sanji’s really busy today, he’s been cooking up a storm!” The little deer said, innocent to whatever the older crew members were up to. “You should go get something while it’s fresh!”

“Ah! And here he is! With her victory against The Boss all but assured, we find ourselves waiting with the true final boss of this competition. How do you think our star plans to approach this challenge?” Brook asked, shoving his microphone in Chopper’s face.

“I’m sorry, what do you mean, Brook?”

“Yeah, hold up, how is she gonna kiss you?” Franky frowned, mic similarly extended.

The deer screamed, “WHAT?!” 

“Cheeks!” Robin shouted from the middle of her fight. She used the power in her stance to attempt to kick, but Jinbei blocked with a solid, webbed hand.

“That was better, but it still leaves you open. See,” the fishman said as he wobbled her from his grip on her ankle. They reset so that the devil could try again.

“Are they real fighting or fake fighting?” Chopper asked.

“Fake, lil’ dude. She’s actually also trying to do somethin’ else super secret, too,” Franky replied.

“Yes, indeed!” Brook laughed, commentary returning to the spar. “My guess is, she’s trying to land this sweep so that she can pin and get him in a good position.”

Franky's announcer call bellowed, “DING DING! But can she topple a dude this super super super big? Or will the only thing she’ll be kissing be the grass?”

Jinbei caught her next strike, too, but froze to look up at the commentators watching from the table. “Did you just say kiss?” He balked in shock.

The surprise shifted his unmovable center of gravity for just a moment. A plethora of hands sprouted, sweeping as one body low along his ankles. The huge fishman fell backward. Sunny rocked hard with the impact. Extra limbs all held him down. Franky lunged to cover the doctor’s eyes with a dense prosthesis.

Nico Robin clambered to sit on the high point of Jinbei’s chest. Her legs split in an even wider stance, and she leaned in low. “Like that?” The devilish woman crooned. Her skin sparkled with the invigorating exercise.

“N-no a pin like this is not a standard karate move,” Jinbei said, shaking his head, gulping. 

“But it is effective, isn’t it, handsome?”

“Well—well, it could be, but only—“

“You’re an excellent karate instructor. We should keep this practice up regularly,” Robin whispered, leaning in. A half dozen hands grabbed his palm, placing it on the small of her back. Even more inched up his chest.

“Pardon?”

“Jinbei, I’m going to kiss you now.”

“Pardon?”

She closed the final inches, smaller lips brushing along his bottom one. The soft scales felt only slightly different to human skin. For a flash, Jinbei closed his eyes and allowed himself to enjoy the simple pleasure of a beautiful woman’s passion. They both sweat in the heavy beat of the sun and the exercise. The claw on her back curled just slightly. He relented to mild temptation, a look Franky recognized from the other side of the deck, though the opening of the kiss bore shark’s teeth. The wide maw gaped twice the width of the woman’s head.

“Oh wow,” Robin chuckled against his lip. “I could just put my whole head in here and I’d have to trust you to not chomp it off. How fascinating.”

“Please don’t do that,” he replied, pulling back. Peppered curls splayed comfortably in the grass.

“Then please don’t bite my head off,” she winked. “Unless you really want to.”

“Robin!” Chopped screamed, still hidden in between Franky’s hands. “Robin, are you okay?! Are you safe?”

“Very much so,” she laughed as she rolled off the slab of solid muscle. She gave Jinbei one final nod and a wave. The many hands released him. “Thanks for the practice.”

Upon her arrival back at the table, the cyborg finally freed the wild creature in between his fingers. Chopper shot from his prison, eyes wet, hooves shaking. He leapt into her arms and clung to her shoulder. “Oh good,” he sobbed. “I was worried you got hurt!”

“Not hurt in the slightest. Jinbei was just showing me a few moves, and then I showed him a few. But I assure you, if I were to be gravely injured and bleed out all over the deck, organs asunder and brain matter intermingling in the grass, you would be the first to know.”

“Don’t say that!” Chopper wept even further. All three large men that had gathered around them similarly blinked through the shock of her comment, too.

“Well,” Brook paused. “Six point three.”

“Six? Nah, brother, gotta disagree with ya there. Nine point one. She worked for it!” Franky countered.

“It was too simple.”

“Simple but super effective!”

“Well, we won’t know how effective it was until tomorrow, won’t we?” The skeleton gestured to the whale shark with his microphone.

Jinbei only frowned. “I’m sorry, I think I have missed something vi—“

“We’re in a time loop sitch, we gotta kiss, you ’n me, super beautiful night, blah blah blah. Rob, I need this one to work so we can stop doin’ this every day.”

She only chuckled. “That’s very true. Well, only two remain. I’ll be interested to see which of these kisses work and which didn’t. They’ve all been incredibly different in their approach. Like so,” Robin said.

The archeologist turned their little doctor in her hands, smothering his adorable cheeks in an abundant plethora of pecks. Chopper giggled hard. “Stop! Stop!” He squirmed, her extra fingers all tickling him.

“Oh, you're so cute I could just eat you up!” She cooed. Her final kiss pressed onto his blue nose.

Chopper screamed as he bounded from her arms, landing back on the table. “No! I’m NOT emergency food!” The fear turned to playful laughter in tune with all the other monsters around him. “Actually, with the rate Sanji’s cooking today, I might have to be tomorrow. I’m really worried about him. He sounded really stressed and upset about something!”

Robin cocked her head. “Really? Did he say why?”

“No, but he hasn’t left the kitchen all day. Would you mind saying something to him? Maybe it was his fight with Zoro, but I’m not sure,” the little one frowned hard, brow low in concern. “Or maybe he’s sick? I told him I want to have a check up appointment tomorrow, just to see.”

“You’re an excellent medic. I’ll go speak with him. He’s the last on my list, anyway. Actually, could I have you on stand-by? He may not survive this last round of the game.”

He agreed, and the group wandered away from their picnic table. They all followed Robin, Jinbei included, up the stairs and into the galley. Any previous assessment from the deer had been an understatement. The number of pots and pans had doubled from excessive to a complete mess in the few minutes since his spat with Zoro. An uncharacteristic disaster covered every surface as the frantic chef tried a sauce. He scoffed, throwing the tasting spoon in the sink with a clattering chime.

“And here we are, entering our final match. This champion’s been on a show-stopping streak, but can she keep it up?” Brook commentated under his breath to the man standing next to him.

“She’s got a super smart strat, saving the easiest fish in the barrel for last. All she has to is not get sprayed in blood and she’ll have her victory,” Franky said back, voice quieter but not nearly as low.

“What are you talking about, brother?” Jinbei asked at a similar volume. “And what’s this about a loop and a beautiful night?”

Robin set the little deer down on the floor and patted him toward the medical bay. He still worried, hooves cautious, but quickly moved to barely peer out of his room’s door.

“Dammit!” Sanji shouted, forgotten flambé roaring to life on the back burner. His attention split into a million directions. Sauces, batters, roasts and stews cluttered every open space in the room, dining table included. All three older men moved to sit on the couch, pushing a pile of produce to the side. They exchanged worried glances and concerned frowns, but gave Robin the space to work.

The devil woman slunk around the island and into the chef’s domain. “My dear, a—“

“ROBIN-CHWAN!” He jumped when her hand touched his shoulder. “What are you doing here? Are you hungry? Coffee? Tea? Whatever you need, I’ll get it!”

“I came to check on you, dear. Is everything okay?” A garden of hands all sprouted to turn down burning hobs and keep tipping bowls from spilling their contents.

“Everything’s great!” Sanji smiled unconvincingly. “It’s fine! Really! I-I heard there was a party!”

“Something like that. But this doesn’t seem like you. What are you making? I assure you, my dear, we’ll have enough food for any kind of festivities we hold tonight. Even a simple dinner is enough,” she assured. Both her hands slid from his shoulders to his biceps, squeezing in gentle assurance. Two more arms grew so that she could clasp his clammy palms. “Is this about the fight with the swordsman?”

“N-no. I’m not even thinking about that asshole,” he breathed, finally allowing himself to relax under her touch. A fifth hand cupped his cheek. The guidance brought his head to her shoulder, nestling in the crook. A few more meditative exhalations finally killed the adrenaline heartbeat.

“What’s troubling you?” Robin asked in a calm voice.

“There’s something wrong with the food.”

The hand carding through his blond tresses froze. A flash of her eye locked to Franky on the other side of the room. He frowned, too. “What do you mean, my dear?” The devil pressed cautiously.

“I-I don’t know. I just realized this morning, we should have run out of food ages ago. The fruit must be rotten, right? The meat should have turned. The milk should be sour. And when we were eating breakfast, all I could think about were bugs crawling all over the food. I don’t know what’s happening to me. It’s all bad, it’s all bad, it’s all bad.” Sanji shook hard. He squirmed like he wanted to break out of the hug, but the woman wrapped around him held firm.

“Oh, now there’s a twist!” Brook gasped.

The cook blinked, so bleary eyed that he didn’t even register the bosom he lay against. “Wh-what?”

“Everyone out!” Robin demanded. Even more hands pointed the men to the galley door.

“But—“

“Wait—“

“How—“

“NOW!” She ordered.

All three monsters hesitantly filed out one by one, and the door to the infirmary quietly clicked shut. Last to leave was Franky, sending her a worried glance, a relieved smile, and a huge thumbs up. Once they’d left, Robin guided Sanji to take a seat at the island counter with her. She still held his hands tight. Every ounce of his worry quaked through the chef’s fingers.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” She asked with another gentle squeeze, her mission to kiss him wholly abandoned.

“It’s… it’s so foggy. I can’t— it’s like there were two yesterdays. I got back from the cantina late after we— Why does it feel like so long ago? It was just yesterday, but also an eternity since. But then, there’s this other yesterday. Biscuits for breakfast, paella for lunch, a roast for dinner, a trifle for dessert. Right? I used the roast—that roast,” he pointed to the hunk of meat crisping in the oven. “I finished the berries. We stocked up yesterday, so everything should be fresh. It’s all fresh, but I also know it should be rotten. What sort of a cook am I that I can’t even tell if my produce is bad or not?”

“Oh, my dear,” Robin hummed, pulling him close to her again. She kissed the patch of his forehead unobscured by hair. “You’re alright. The first day feels the foggiest. You’re not alone, I promise. I’ll bring Franky and Brook back in a moment to help explain what’s happening. But I have a question to ask first, if you don’t mind. Just while the memory is freshest and we're in private.”

Sanji wiped his cheeks, then sat back in a huff. “Sorry, sorry. I shouldn’t be— Sorry,” he rushed to cover.

“Don’t be sorry. It’s very confusing, I felt the same. But, my dear, I have a very important question to ask you.”

“Anything,” the cook nodded, fully pulling back from the hug and staring with wet, adoring eyes.

“Sanji, who did you kiss?”

He paled. Another tremble rolled through his fingertips. “I don’t remember kissing anyone yesterday,” he said, hurrying through his words.

“Which yesterday?” She asked as she peered close for elaboration. He couldn’t lie to a woman’s face, she knew that, but she could also see the affectionate chef attempt to obfuscate his words.

Sanji floundered over his own tongue for a long second. His curled brow compressed. His bottom lip shook dangerously. “Robin-chan, don’t— I— it wasn’t— no. No. It was nothing. It is nothing. It doesn’t matter."

"What happened?"

"Nothing happened....”

Chapter Text

A man—one of black legs and black lungs and wandering eyes and a full, bloody, beating heart—stood on a beach. He felt the earth spin around him, watched waves lap on pebbled sand, sensed the breath that beat down his neck. His head spun. It’d been a long night of wishes and honesty and silly rumination with his favorite two women in the entire world. They’d gotten wasted in the cantina. Robin gifted him an ear. Nami gifted him a shoulder.

“And how are things going with you?” Robin had asked, chin in an excess palm. She’d initially brushed off their discussion of her love life and moved the topic along before words could linger. Not like everyone had been waiting with bated breath for the only two in their thirties to hook up after years of lingering glances. Open secrets spilled over sticky bar tops, encouraged by fermented agave.

Sanji had only blinked. “Me?!” He’d asked. “No.”

“Nuh uh,” Nami had laughed. “I saw you at the party in the Flower Capital. Who was she?!”

“I wanted to see her mouse,” he’d said.

“‘Mouse,’” Nami'd winked to Robin. All three took another shot.

“No way ‘mouse’ is hot slang for something crude! It’s true!” He defended. “I don’t—I won’t—No way. My affairs are fine as they are.”

“You finally hashed it out with your dad, what, two months ago? And that wasn’t prompted by anyone?!” The weather witch asked, two brows high to the sky. “Just spill, man.”

“There’s nothing to say!” He exclaimed. “Luffy doesn’t realize what he means to me, the old guys are a no-go, Usopp’s sweet but I don’t see it going anywhere past what it is now, Franky’s got dibs called—“ he gestured to Robin. She stammered, though she didn’t protest. “Which only leaves…”

“Which only leaves the one man you can’t stand to think about,” Nami hummed low in his ear, making a shiver run up his spine.

“And yet you can’t help it, can you?” Robin echoed. “It’s obvious that you can’t get him out of your head.”

“No!” Sanji yelped when she poked his ribs with a spare hand. “I-I-I-I-I don’t! I don’t even think about that idiot.” They’d done even more shots after that.

Which was how he landed on a beach, the world spinning below, the skies spinning above. Robin had asked if he needed a hand or two or five in returning to Sunny, but then he’d seen Zoro and some of the other men all teaching Chopper the drums for their new little band. So Sanji had run off for a few deep breaths. Solid ground had served him well, until it hadn’t. He dropped into the sand. Waves lapped at loafer heels.

“Oi, you drunk?” Someone called. The specific frequency activated a cord of annoyance in the back of his brain.

“Screw you, no.”

“Uh huh,” Zoro answered with a chuckle. “Last I remember, you’re the most fun when you’re wasted.”

“Screw you,” Sanji repeated.

“Right here right now?”

“Screw you.”

The swordsman stood akimbo over him, the cook supine in the sand with his eyes to the stars, suit wrinkled and askew. “Oh, shit. You’re actually drunk, yeah?” Zoro asked.

Sanji didn’t have the energy to give a real answer. He shifted from a spread angel stance to something much more fetal, more precious, more pure. The arm that wrapped around his waist definitely didn’t help. “What the hell do you think you’re doing? Just get outta here, you damn grass stain. What do you want?” Sanji asked. He didn’t need to know the answer. The back of his mind had been hoping for something along these meridians since… since… since maybe the day they’d entered the Grand Line, but he wasn’t about to say that out loud. It made sense. Obviously it did. The kettle had been threatening to boil over for years now. 

He’d never not been curious to know what it tasted like.

The salt, the skin, the tang. And yet, he’d never found the will to ask. That wasn’t in the cards for this lifetime. A life with him had been boxed away, next to countless other potentialities, next to every little secret desire of his heart, next to the hopes he never dared hoped to act upon.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sanji asked, feeling the lips on the back of his neck.

“‘M drunk, too,” Zoro mumbled.

“Yeah, what’s new?”

“Ha. C’mon. What are you so scared of?”

“I’m scared it’ll be another addiction,” he couldn’t help but mumble in return.

“Eh? What’d’ja say?” Zoro asked again, goading for clarity, baiting another spat, teeth barred.

“I said ‘screw you, I’m going to bed.’”

Sanji sat up to leave and head home, but a hand lingered on his coat’s trim waistline. “No, you didn’t.” The swordsman’s eyes lingered, dropping low, drawing over lips and neck and collarbone. Rough hands, calloused with work and a spitfire fight instinct, rose to trace the cook’s jaw.

“If that’s not what I said then wh—“

Zoro leaned in well before Sanji could finish the phrase. Skin glanced softer, paler, hotter skin. Too damn late. Something snapped in Sanji’s heart but it only lead to a wicked unraveling of inner tension. Tongue and teeth and wandering hands all manifested every pent frustration after many years of… of… of…

of what?

Sanji stood in his kitchen, in his domain, in his home. Robin held his shaking hands, as she had that night in the cantina all those nights ago. Or had it been last night? He couldn’t tell. “What happened?” She asked like she didn’t know, like it wasn’t definitely the night before, like it wasn’t obvious. Or had it been?

Had it been?

The day seemed like years before, yet only yesterday.

The food should have rotted.

“Nothing happened,” he said out of raw instinct after all those years. That’s how it had always been, right? Nothing. Nothing from the start. Never anything more. It hadn’t been anything, until it had been something, but that had only been yesterday. Right? Only yesterday. So he took the feeling and boxed it up as he usually did, squared it away, tucked it into that special pocket on the special shelf in the back of his mind’s dry storage for all that couldn’t be in the reality he presently lived in. The kettle wouldn’t boil over today, or tomorrow, or the day after that.

Robin nodded. She pat his hand. And then, she walked away. The look she shot him promised that their talk would not be over, but she understood when he wasn’t ready for a conversation just yet. She’d understood that night at the bar, at the very least. Yesterday. An eternity ago. The very least. Maybe more. She walked away, leaving him just enough time to breathe. That was how Robin liked to work. She waited. She watched. She was patient. He loved that about her. Nico Robin knew when to leave well enough alone.

Except that, not thirty second after she’d exited the galley, Franky came dashing back in. He dropped into the seat at the island and looked with expectant eyes. “So, who’d you kiss?” He asked.

“I didn’t kiss anyone, idiot!” Sanji snapped.

The cyborg took a deep breath. His massive prostheses rested on the countertop, fingers clicking as they tapped out a song. “Sure. Fine. You kissed ‘no one.’ Tell me about the rest, start from the top. When did you notice this happening with the days?” He asked with an excited brow.

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” The cook reached for the meat tenderizer on well-worn instinct, but it had already been thrown earlier on in the afternoon. Nothing felt right. Everything had all fallen apart so fast. Naturally, it had to be the marimo’s fault.

So Sanji did what he did best. He shut down and he got to work cleaning his mess back up. He pushed the boys away, he drew the girls in closer. Never too close. Just close enough. The costume fell back into place. The tie tightened. The loafers were polished. The sleeves rolled up. The knives were honed. He took Robin her late-afternoon drink, though he didn’t love the expectant look she gave him. She watched him, Franky watched him, even Brook seemed to watch him from behind dead sockets. They waited.

Dinner cleared the pantry out. It wasn’t responsible, but he didn’t know what else to do. The food should have rotted. He kicked everyone out so that he could prep dessert, frosting the cake and adorning it with all the fruit that should not be. Nami called from on high that the hot water had broken. Their handyman sighed in frustration and complained all the while that he’d forgotten the detail in the day’s festivities. Nami always seemed to need the hot water fixed. Maybe Franky needed a good ass kicking for not doing a better job. That beautiful woman needed her steam.

The cook served the cake, a nightly punctuation of his responsibility for the time being. Too many eyes and hands lingered on Sanji’s shoulder as he walked through the deck. The work for the day had completed. He wasn’t needed any longer. He could turn off. Something grey and dull pulled at the space behind his eyes, though it could wait as he savored one last cigarette. He’d be running out soon, having forgotten to buy more on the last island stop. The pack only had a few left with the number he’d burned through throughout the day. The empty food stores were a problem for the morning. They could do hot cakes for breakfast. Sashimi for lunch. Sea King barbecue for dinner. He’d just have to wing it. He never liked pre-planning too far in advance, anyway. The artistry and love came in the sudden inspiration.

Brook sang a little tune, plucking his guitar to everyone’s delight.

“I open my eyes

To see the sunrise

And to my surprise

You’re still by my side

As time and tide roll on

And on

And on

And on

I couldn’t imagine

This infinity alone.”

Sanji awoke to his internal rhythm hitting its mark as it did every day since he’d been twelve. Four thirty five in the morning. Breakfast prep. He climbed out of his bunk, socks light on the floorboards but eyes heavy with exhaustion. The notion of breaking out the full ensemble only dragged him down, so he settled on a pullover sweatshirt and pants that fit a little softer. He tiptoed past the pile of snoozing pirates, chuckling quietly under his breath at the sight of so many nakama once again all piled on top of the cyborg. Like always.

This hour remained his favorite—the space before all hell unleashed. A man of routine, he took his first smoke of the day in the swing on deck, almost not noticing the full pack. It must have been the weariness. He’d been under the impression that he was almost out. Fog swathed the Sunny, but he knew it’d burn off by daybreak and leave them sweltering. Perfect lemonade weather. Actually, perfect margarita weather. That would make Nami smile later. The shitty clump of algae had fallen asleep at the helm like always. Their ship sailed on. Like always.

Sanji put his butt out, pocketing the filter to toss in the burnable waste once he started work for the day. Nicotine prickled the blood. Maybe he wouldn’t make hot cakes, maybe they had enough dry spices left for coffee cake or croissants. He’d have to check the butter supply. Without any remnant ado, he pushed himself up off the swing and readied himself to deal with the mess he’d made the day before.

Except, as he unlocked the pantry, the cook couldn’t help but freeze in his tracks. His blood ran cold. His heart beat so fast it felt like it had stopped. His breath hitched.

Everything remained.

Every fruit, every sack of grains, every dried meat. His pantry bloomed full and beautiful like they’d just made port the day before. Because they had. But that couldn’t have been yesterday. Unless it had been. Sanji ran to unlock the fridge, only to realize the same. Eggs, cheeses, cold cuts, and every jar of sauce he’d been sure they’d polished off at dinner all remained on bountiful, overflowing shelves.

He had to be dreaming still.

It didn’t matter if he was or not, the result would be the same. He had the materials to play once more, not simply survive. Sanji rolled up his sleeves, a growing smile breaking through his mask of fog. And so, long before anyone else could awaken, the cook began to craft the day’s delight. Like always.

Robin wandered in at her usual early hour, close to six forty five. A steaming cup of coffee waited for her on the countertop, perfectly predicted. She thanked the cook with a quiet smile as she took her usual seat in her usual chair. She asked him what inspired such a good mood. He told her that he’d witnessed a miracle.

“Oh, and what is that, my dear chef?”

“It’s back! I don’t know how and I don’t know why, but it’s all back! Everything we ate yesterday! You’re so wonderfully smart, have you ever heard of something like that happening before?” Sanji asked over his shoulder, his eye never straying from his compote bubbling on the back burner.

She took a deep breath as her nails tinkled on the rim of her mug. “Can you tell me what you did yesterday?” Robin finally asked after a beat to think.

“I’m so sorry, I was terrible yesterday. I don’t know what possessed me. He came in, talking something about a kissing competition. It threw me off. Well, sort of. It doesn’t matter, I feel much better. Yesterday just feels like a bad dream, but the food’s back, my cigarettes are back, and he hasn’t come in to ruin my day yet. That’s more than I could hope for.” Sanji took a sip of his respective coffee to try and wash away to lingering memory of the tang on his lips. It still tasted too fresh. He needed that flavor to fade, even if he wasn’t sure if he wanted it to.

Robin pursed her lips. “But you do remember yesterday?”

“O-of course I do, Robin-chwan. It was yesterday.”

“Fascinating.

She still didn’t press, though this time he could see a look in her eye like she really wanted to. Instead, they made casual conversation over the next while, mostly about their cantina trip. Details felt so distant, but he gave credit to the number of shots they’d done at the bar. Probably. Nami came in for her morning orange juice. To his dismay, she elected to drink it in a sun chair outside. The cook had nearly completed breakfast preparations when the galley door opened once more. Franky filled the void, head and shoulders above the others. He carried a small box in his hands and scurried to hide it in the infirmary before the resident doctor fully woke up. The sound of the cicadas all screaming activated something in the back of the cook’s brain.

“Can’t use the factory, Luffy keeps finding ‘em lately. Think Chop’ll super mind if I use his closet?” Franky asked Robin. She only shrugged around her next sip of coffee.

“What the hell’s he doing with those?” Sanji similarly inquired with the beautiful woman in his periphery.

“If he doesn’t hide them now,” she answered, “they’ll escape at breakfast, ruining our food and climbing in our hair. Some are quite beautiful, I have to admit, but you never take the swarm well.”

“What do you mean never?”

“Never.”

A deeply engrained memory flashed. Crawling on his face, climbing over his skin, fluttering in his hair. In the food. In the food. In the food. “H-how many times have they swarmed?” He couldn’t help but ask, even though he knew they’d only been caught two days before. Two? They’d always been there. How long did cicadas live for?

“Oh, more times than I can count, though I think Franky’s got the exact number stored somewhere in his log. If it’s been over eleven hundred days, then maybe…five hundred times? If I had to guess.”

“F-five hundred? How—?”

“SANJI THAT SMELLS SOOOO GOOD!” The door flew open. The captain bounced in. Luffy gasped at the sight of such a wonderful display— sweet buns, spiced rolls, jammy eggs, billowing soufflés, towers of fruit, sparkling mimosas, and platter after platter after platter of grilled breakfast meats. The sudden company of the entire crew snapped Sanji out of his concern over five hundred swarms of cicadas crawling over his face. The masses all crowded his overflowing table, sending similarly overflowing praise his way. They all dug in before much else could be discussed. Like always.

Sanji started to clear plates once everyone had eaten they fill. The leftovers all funneled toward Luffy. Around this time, Franky cleared his throat and stood.

“Got something to announce to the class?” Zoro heckled. Sanji rolled his eyes at the needless annoyance.

Usopp looked quickly, first to the smiling Robin, then to Nami at his side. “Oh, dammit,” he groaned.

“You’re about to owe me so much money,” she hissed in his ear.

“Lil’ bro!” The shipwright began, pointing to his favorite assistant. “What did you do yesterday?”

“Uh, bug hunted on the island. Luffy and Chopper went with me. Why, bro?” Usopp answered.

“Yeah. Cool. Super. Lil’ sis?”

“Um,” Nami stammered, her confidence now faltering, “We restocked, and then I went to the cantina with Robin and Sanji. Why?”

The mentioned cook opened his mouth to protest. No. That hadn’t been yesterday. Maybe two days before, but definitely not yesterday. Then, he realized that he did not dare correct sweet Nami. Surely his memory had failed him. That had to be the only logical conclusion.

“Radical, sure,” Franky said, “Boss?”

Jinbei frowned. “Like she said, we went to the island, I helped with restocking supplies. Nami and I worked out some new heading changes, and then we all stayed up late playing music. Is everything alright?”

Robin deflated. “That’s a shame,” she whispered into her coffee.

“Oooh!” The cyborg threw his hands into the air, almost victorious. “That’s three strikes! He’s out! I mean, sorry, Rob.” He placed his palm on her shoulder, exchanging a squeeze and a smile.

“If it hasn’t happened between us three,” Brook rattled, “then I worry about the resolution of his smooching success, no bones about it! This situation isn’t humerus in the slightest! Yohohoho!”

“Pardon, what is this about?” The former warlord asked again.

Franky only shook his head and brought his point around to their deer. “Don’t worry about it, boss. Chopito! What’d you do yesterday?”

“Like Usopp said, we hunted for bugs, and then we played music. You taught me how to spin the drum sticks! It’s too hard with my hooves, but I was going to practice this afternoon,” Chopper said.

Luffy perked out of his work shoveling the leftovers into his cheek pocket. “Oh! Where’d my cicadas go. You still got ‘em, Usopp?”

Franky continued, glossing over mention of the bugs at the breakfast table for everyone’s sakes, “awesome, awesome, sounds about right. Zoro, bro?”

“Eh?” The swordsman roused from his recline on the couch. “Watched the ship, handled the restock, lifted for a bit. Usual. Stayed up late and then I had some fun in town. You should ask the pervert cook what he did yesterday.”

All eyes snapped to Sanji. “I-I handled the food restock, then went out with the ladies to the cantina. Like Nami said,” ha answered, gulping, sweating. Robin’s bright eyes bore straight into him.

“Oh, really?” She asked, her brow raised high with disbelief.

“Nico Robin, what’d you do yesterday?” The cyborg at the head of the table asked.

“I attempted to rouse the crew into noticing the time loop we’ve all been stuck in. It would seem that I was not particularly successful. Unfortunate. Then, the cook crafted us a lovely dinner and baked one of the nicest cakes I’d ever seen. I wouldn’t forget a dessert so delicious.”

Franky turned his attention back to Sanji. “Well, you heard the lady! Not too late to change your answer, bro. What’d you do yesterday?”

“What’s a time loop?” Luffy asked. The rest of the crew similarly broke into private murmurs amongst themselves.

Three specific crew mates, though, stared at the cook in wait. He sweat. He bit his lip. He shook his hands. His gaze snapped, first to Nami who could not possibly be wrong. And then to Robin, who also could not possibly be wrong. Sanji swayed hard, rocking on the balls of his feet, convictions floating just out of reach. His heart knew the truth. A pained expression plastered over his face. He needed a cigarette.

Before he could formulate an answer, Franky clapped iron palms together like two gongs. “Alright! Everyone not out of the galley in five seconds is on dish duty. Five! Four! Three! Two!—“

The crew all scrambled in every direction. The door slammed. Plates rattled in the sudden disappearance of the pirates. Sanji looked around at the smiling skeleton, antsy robot, and beautiful demon still at his table. And the big whale shark, too.

“I don’t mind doing dishes,” Jinbei offered.

Franky spoke, but that didn’t mean that Sanji understood the words that came from his lips. The four pirates stood on the back deck, each with a well-earned cigarette between lips (and skeletal teeth). At the very least, the cook took some comfort in knowing the pack would fill back up when the morning repeated. Repeated. Repeated. Repeated.

“I think we’ve lost him,” Robin interjected. “How are you doing, my dear? I know it can be a bit of a shock, realizing just how long we’ve been stuck. At least it was for me. Those two are time blind.”

Sanji faltered. “H-how do you know?”

“Oh!” Franky jumped to answer. He opened a compartment in one of his boxy forearms and showed off a small monitor and keyboard. “So, I gotta ticker thing, keeps track of my systems. Current hypothesis is that whatever’s got us stuck can’t meddle too much with all, y’know, this. Just too super cool for average comprehension! So the number kept changin’, until. I realized it'd been—“

“No. The time loop I get. Trust me, I understand the purgatory just as much as you, and the New World stopped surprising me a long time ago. What’s this about true love’s kiss? How do you know that’s what wakes us up?”

The two crew mates that had the capabilities of blinking did so, and Brook would have if he’d had the lids for it. “Well,” the cyborg started slowly, “uh, so, ya see, we’re not sure yet if it’s really like a true lo—“

“Franky kissed me. Well, I kissed him, but my memory of the first time is very foggy. Past repetitions will sort of feel a bit like a dream. Do you remember anything about Usopp and a haircut?” Robin asked, her head cocking and eye keen. She exhaled the next draft of her cigarette in punctuation.

Sanji stopped. He looked between Robin and Franky. He turned. He inhaled his tobacco hard enough that the rest of his roll turned to ash, then he lit a fresh one to compensate. Hip lips pursed tight. His eye wandered to the ocean’s churning waves. The atmosphere warmed from an already sunny morning to a fully sweltering day.

“Well,” Brook sang, clapping his carpals and turning so that the smoke swirled out of his sockets. “He took that surprisingly well. Maybe he simply feels the love connection in his bo—“

Without warning, a solid kick landed in the middle of Franky’s chest, sending him flying over the raining, off the stern, far toward the horizon, and into the sea below.

The cyborg awoke to five crew mates all cuddled up close. He jumped to his feet and sprinted across his ship, bursting into the galley. “What the hell was that for?!” He shouted. Robin and Sanji snapped out of their private conversation to look at him. Laughter lingered on both their lips, though the devil woman at least had the decency to pretend like she was taking the situation seriously.

“Good morning,” she greeted. “Sleep well?”

“Like a fuckin’ fish.” Franky paced through the kitchen, fridge in his sights, and downed a whole liter of soda in one needed chug. His brow stayed fixed in a chiseled scowl as he attempted to formulate his revenge.

“Well, that’s very good to hear. Now, my dear cook, is there something you’d like to say?”

“I’m not sorry. If he didn’t want to die, he shouldn’t have defiled my lovely Robin. And he didn’t die permanently, so it’s fine,” Sanji replied with a shrug.

“Screw you, you didn’t know that, bro!”

“And yet, here you are.”

Franky rolled his eyes. He moved to join in with the other two just as his brain came to its conclusion on how to get back at the chef. At the last second, he scooped Robin up in one massive hand, flashed a single finger to Sanji with the other, and kissed her with all the gusto in his heart. The two wrapped tight around each other, growing even messier with the addition of too many wandering hands.

Sanji sighed in exasperation. “Are you done?”

They weren’t. A good while passed, only measured in the clicking of impatient loafers, the lapping of tongues, and the slices of a knife. Franky carried the woman in his arms over to the island counter. He set her atop it and continued to make out until she lay flushed, flustered, and in the cook’s way. They finally peeled apart after much, much, much too long.

“Oh, it’s a good morning all around, I see! Well, I would see, but, well, you know. No eyeballs! Yohohoho!” Brook called from the doorway. He skipped past the two still heaving for air, his bony hands flourishing over the upheld cage of bugs he’d brought with him on Franky’s behalf. Before any direction could be issued, the bard hid the cicadas in Chopper’s closet as they had the cycle before.

“So, uh,” the cyborg exhaled, flushing, “what’d you dudes do yesterday after murdering me?”

Robin tried to settle back down as she hopped off the countertop. “We mostly caught Sanji up to speed on the specifics, though we told the crew you were working all night. Brook and I went over what we know so far. Or rather, what we think we know. Sanji still claims he doesn’t remember anyone kissing him, though, which throws a large obstacle in our way. I kissed his forehead the day he woke up, but he already seemed like he could feel the loop by that point.”

“I don’t remember any proper kiss,” the cook reiterated with firm conviction.

Brook returned to pluck at the basket of steaming muffins before the rest of the crew joined in on breakfast. “I don’t believe him, but Robin does.”

“You want to be murdered next?!” Sanji threatened.

“I mean, you could try to kill me, but I’m afraid I’m already d—“

“Nah, I’ll totally help ya kill him, bro,” Franky offered with just as much sincerity.

“All three of you need to focus!” Robin cut them off before the bickering grew out of hand. “We all need to work together if we’re going to wake the rest of the crew and get out of this loop. I need the childish jabs to stop. Now.” The group of men all shrunk in the devil’s scowl. “Good. Thank you. Now, the current hypothesis is the best path we have so far, even if it’s wrong more often than not, and the cook’s supposed lack of kiss breaks the pattern. All we can do is continue trying to get through to the rest of our crew. Sanji, do you have a plan for what you’d like to test in this cycle? We’re here to help any way you need it.”

The cook slowed his preparations. Before him, nearly a hundred tangerines awaited their turn for zesting, peeling, juicing, and slicing. A soft smile began to grow over his cheeks as he nodded to himself. “It’s true, isn’t it? It’s…it’s…it’s a miracle,” Sanji breathed. A quake in his hands manifested in the form of a microscopic imperfection as he separated peel from pith. “I have an infinite number of tries to woo her?”

“I mean, no. I’d love to not be stuck in the same day for, y’know, forever,” Franky said. “But I get’cha, bro. I’d be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t test to see what material worked and what didn’t night to night, if ya catch my drift.” The cyborg winked, first to the chef and then to Robin just in case the meaning wasn’t clear.

“Your jokes could still use some polish,” she answered with a laugh, a mild shoulder check, and a phantom hand determined to pick out Franky’s daily hairstyle for him.

Sanji watched them preen over each other for a lengthy moment. Some of the tension in his jaw burned off like cooking wine as he made quiet peace with Robin’s happiness. He breathed through his remnant nerves, chasing the flutter in his heart above all else. Tonight. Tonight. And tomorrow night. “How do I even get that far, though? A gentleman doesn’t kiss on the first date!” He realized.

“You’ve known her for years, my dear,” Robin answered, finally breaking her attention. “It’s a first date, but you aren’t strangers. And, if you’d like, we can talk you through each step.”

Franky grinned wide. “Yeah, just do what you did when you and Usopp kissed!”

“I SAID I DIDN’T KISS HIM—“ Sanji snapped. “I only—wait, did you say Usopp?”

“Who’d you think I was talking about, bro?”

“I-I-I-I—“

“I have a suggestion for a possible flirtatious opener, if you’d like to hear it,” Brook offered to the anxious little crowd. Everyone groaned.

Robin scurried out of the girls' room and up to the garden. “She looks great!” The devil whispered as she ran past with the library in her sights. “We’ll be on standby in case anything goes wrong. I’ve got eyes and an ears open for you. Franky’s listening, too. If you start to stall, we’ll offer guidance. Good luck!” A disembodied hand squeezed the cook’s shoulder. He still trembled with nerves, though he thanked her. Through the far windows, Franky and Brook both offered thumbs ups.

After a minute to steady his exhalations, the hatch from the galley opened and Nami pulled herself up into the gardens. “Hey, Sanji! Robin told me you needed me to— oh! What are you doing?” She startled at the sight of his presentation, nearly cracking into laughter. The cook sat on his knees in the center of a picnic blanket, an abundant bouquet of flowers in his hands, a full spread of desserts on all sides, and a hundred flickering candles burning bright over the deck. Pink petals swirled in the summer breeze.

“Oh, Nami my sweet!” He sang. “You look just stunning tonight! I-I mean you always do, but tonight you’re truly ethereal!”

The navigator hesitantly stepped though the sea of lights. She lifted the hem of her dress so that nothing would catch on fire. “Thank you, Sanji-kun, but seriously, what’s going on?”

Sanji moved to make space for her, gesturing to the spot and handing her the flowers the moment she joined him. He then pivoted to begin mixing an effervescent combination of tangerine juice and champagne. Nami took one offered flute with a quizzical brow. Once she’d been served, he poured himself the same and clinked the crystal together. 

“Nami, my love,” he began, “I have recently found myself in a new position. Actually, I think I might be in heaven.”

She finally fully laughed, her hesitance only a memory as they settled into place on the picnic blanket. “Oh, yeah? What’s this new heavenly position and does it tip well?” 

“I’m here, on this ship, not just with the crew but—but with you specifically. And in the last few days I’ve realized I have the opportunity to be express how much I care in a whole new way. Parfait?” 

He offered a sundae cup full of an orange cream and mint sprigs, though Nami lacked the available hands to take it. A phantom hand blossomed to take the bouquet and hold it so that she could indulge in the dessert. Robin’s presence only added to the overall confusion. The navigator spun to look at the library door. Her frown grew. “What the hell are you two up to?” She asked.

”We’re not up to anything! I promise,” he said, “I simply want to express just what you mean to me. You do so much, holding this crew together, running the operation. We wouldn’t have ever sailed as far as we have if it weren’t for you. You’re incredible, Nami-swan, and tonight, I want to make sure you know how much you’re loved.”

“Oi, tell him to pull back, he’s laying it on super thick,” Franky whispered to Robin. He leaned in close to his transceiver, connected to a paired snail hiding up in the tangerine tree branches over the picnicking pair.

Robin only frowned and bat him away. “Alright,” she said to Sanji, her gaze vague, truly seeing with blossomed eyes all around the top deck and secondary lips whispering to the cook. “You’re doing excellently, but Nami has a harder time accepting grander compliments that go beyond the surface level. Ease into this or she’ll shut down.”

“Has he told her she looks nice?” Brook offered.

Franky frowned to the skeleton tuning up on the other side of the library. “Bro, he told her she’s etherial.”

“And has he asked her—

“NO!” Robin and Franky both shouted in unison.

Brook raised two bony hands to the sky in full surrender. Then, he rose, crossing the room and opening the far windows looking aft. A soft, romantic melody lifted from his acoustic guitar and disappeared out over the waves. Strands of magic in the music softened both eyelids and lips for all that listened. Robin distantly watched Nami breathe, her chest rising and falling until she’d fully unwound in the swathing atmosphere.

“Sanji-kun, you didn’t have to do all this for me,” the navigator hummed. She shifted closer, just an inch. “Not that I don’t appreciate it. It’s nice, spending proper time together. I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages.”

“We had drinks yesterday,” he reminded her, even if it hadn’t quite been yesterday for him.

She nodded around her next sip, though a small frown dragged at the corners of her lips. “Well, yeah. But I don’t mean like that. I see you every day, sure, but it’s not like…” Nami faltered in her attempt to verbalize an unspoken sort of care that hid beneath all the outward devotion. “Not like how it used to be. Do you remember our morning watches together on Merry?” She finally asked.

“Oh, of course!” Sanji smiled wide, the sort of smile he saved for his most joyous of indulgences. “You were always my favorite part about four in the morning.”

“Maybe I should trade with Zoro to start taking those shifts again,” she said with a mischievous brow and a wink.

“Better you then him, he always sleeps through that damn shift anyway. I’ll take your delightful company any day of the week. Mochi? There’s a tangerine creme inside,” he offered, pointing to the next dessert around the blanket. One of many. Too many. Nervous preparation had created a surplus, emboldened by the knowledge that all the ingredients would return when the cycle reset. “I’d hate to wake you too early from your beauty rest.”

“I don’t know, maybe the dark circles could be worth it for a morning like this.”

“Damn, he’s doing super so far,” Franky said, mostly speaking to himself.

Robin slid a little closer to the machine so that she could drape her legs over his lap. “Mmm yes, but with Nami the tricky part comes next. She doesn’t let her guard down easily, even among old friends. Alright, Sanji. Can you hear me? Move your hand left to open your position up. You want to look approachable, less tight. Maybe take your jacket off. Yes, now drop your elbow, lean back just a little, take a casual sip, perfect.”

“Is the micromanagement super necessary, babe?”

“It is if we want this to work,” she said. They both peered out the windows, from the library out into the garden, lips and noses fogging the glass with anxious breaths. Sanji had relaxed considerably, as instructed, laying with more weight on one hip, his suit slacking just a little, the trees all rustling in the summer wind. “Stay like that and let her come to you.”

“Nah, he needs to make a small move first,” Franky corrected, only earning him side eye from the devil in his lap. “Tell him to wrap his arm around her.”

“It’s too big of a step, he’ll only scare her off.”

“She’s not a stray cat, Rob, she won’t realize he’s flirting for real if he doesn’t move. Nami’s super smart but she’s too used to the way he—ya know—is around her,” he replied, suddenly just a bit defensive.

Robin seemed to think on this for a second. Her brow set low and she chewed on her bottom lip. The man at her side couldn’t help but allow his line of sight to drag along the contours of her ruminating visage, finally landing with attention to her swollen skin. Any friction in their traded words slipped into the night.

“Fine,” she finally called out, “Sanji, brush her fingertips or somewhere similarly neutral. Open the door to touch, but don’t barge in. Then let her step through herself.”

Franky closed the gap with a chuckle. “See? It ain’t hard to kiss a lady. We’re super excellent coaches,” he said, just before pulling her close, closing his eyes, and making contact with soft lips for himself.

“This is really nice,” Nami sighed. A cool breeze ruffled her hair, fringe now askew. “It was so hot all day, but the juleps were perfect. What are you think of making tomor—whoa.” She froze in a quick check over her shoulder as she realized there were people nearby. “Oh my god, is that Robin and F— it is! Are they making out?!” An excited series of slaps connected to Sanji’s chest. “Usopp owes me so much money! Eek!” Her excited squeal amplified in a feedback loop between hidden snails and secret ears. The words finally reached those listening in, so that both bodies tore away from each other in their burning embarrassment. Franky pointed out the window directly at Sanji before turning away. 

“How much money did you just win?” The cook asked. His hand rose to tuck a strand of Nami’s wild hair behind one ear, his thumb lingering on the side of her cheek just long enough to communicate that he mean just a little more by the touch.

“Oh,” she sighed wistfully, a dramatic swoon that landed her head on his shoulder. Her full weight rested against him. “I’m pretty sure I just cleaned out his whole life savings.”

“And what are you planning to buy with all that plunder?” Sanji pressed, now much quieter, lingering close.

“I don’t even know! A shopping trip on whatever island we land on next. Obviously. Maybe we’ll take Robin out to celebrate, since she helped me win all this cash. We could always find another cantina? Or are you still shaking off last night’s hangover?” She laughed with a close inspection at his eye bags.

“Last—yeah, last night. More than I bargained for, that’s for damn sure. Still shaking it all away, yes. Tonight’s a perfect palette cleanser.” He sipped his mimosa with pursed lips, still tasting the tang among the tangerine.

“What would you do with all that money?”

Her question caught Sanji off guard, making him choke on his drink. Then, as he settled, a dreamy look filled his eye. “Appliances,” he finally answered.

“Appliances? Oooh, what kind?” Nami sparkled in interest.

“The steamer on the espresso maker sucks as it is. The ice maker in the freezer tends to break down; I could invest in a separate cold storage for all the meat surplus. Oh! And have you ever heard of a sous vide?”

“Ugh, I love an appliance. There’s really nothing like new expensive purchase smell,” she sighed, “only made better when I swing a great bargain. How big’s a sous vide?” He showed her with his hands spread only about a foot apart. “Oh, Sanji-kun, we don’t have to save up for one! I’ll steal it for you next chance we get! That’s easy.”

“I don’t deserve such kindness,” Sanji swooned. His head fell to touch temples, though more out of weighty humility than flirtation. They sat in such a fashion for one lingering moment. Just breathing. Music filled the air from the other room, barely muffled by the wind.

Nami finally mumbled after an elongated silence, “did you ever think you’d be in such paradise?”

“What do you mean?”

“Earlier, you said you were in heaven. But when you were a kid, did you ever think it would be possible? I couldn’t even imagine a proper meal, let alone having a live in chef. Being able to dress myself, present how I like, to fight so that other kids don’t know the same hell… When I worked for Arlong, I’d draw his maps and imagine the day I’d be old enough to make that dream come true. It used to feel so impossible. Sometimes, I still surprise myself that it actually came to pass.”

Sanji’s hand moved up her back until it took root in her hair, cupping her to his chest. His hug burst on raw instinct. Any hesitance toward touch melted in a hot welling of emotions. “Do you ever wake up too fast?” He asked through choking words.

“And your brain mixes up what’s the dream and what’s the real world?” Nami finished his thought for him. “There’s always a moment where I grow terrified that one of these days, the spell will end and I’ll wake back up in the chains.”

“Like this is a wild dream I’m having, my starved imagination caving to mania as my child-self fully loses his sense of what’s real and what’s not. Yes,” Sanji agreed. He smiled, though it lacked happiness.

Nami’s hand ascended to brush the outer curve of his wrist. “Do you still feel the chains, too?” She whispered.

“Every day,” he answered.

A long sigh escaped them; eyes wandered to the treetops and the heavens above. Her fingertips lingered on his. “But they’re gone,” she said, followed by a relieved release. “We’re free. We’re here, in heaven, in paradise, in the New World. We did it. And we didn’t even have to do it alone! Isn’t that remarkable?”

“Remarkable,” Sanji agreed, awestruck. His fingers twisted into her’s, hoping she couldn’t feel the way his nerves made his heart rate sputter. Feeling her so close, her sun kissed skin weighing against him, the smell of blossoms in her hair. For a flash, he felt the familiar twinge of something bloody and iron behind his sinuses but he willed the sensation away. He could do this. He could keep his composure. “Nami. Beautiful, perfect, resplendent Nami. I never want you to have to survive on your own ever again, if you’ll have me forever.”

She looked up at him with wide eyes, so close, her breath tickling every little hair in his goatee. Tips of noses gravitated into alignment. “S-Sanji-kun, what do you mean?”

Robin’s hidden lips just behind his ear coaxed even further. “Wonderfully done, dear. Now all you have to do is—oh, Franky wants me to tell you good job. Ah—he doesn’t—no,” she sighed, “he wants me to specifically say ‘super good job bro.’ Happy?”

“Oh, yes,” the cook laughed.

“What?” Nami asked, confused though she did not pull away.

“I was talking to Franky, sorry, Good luck!” Robin’s lips said. And with that, she disappeared to grant a moment of partial privacy.

“Nami,” Sanji said, focused once more, “I know I say it every day, but that’s because my day isn’t complete if I don’t say it. But I mean it. I—I love you.” His hand on the back of her head moved to hold the side of her face, caressing her cheek. “I love you,” he repeated.

She leaned in, threatening to connect them, shifting with changing tides that guided the navigator toward something new, something that met her every need and then some. Her lips part. “Sanji,” she mouthed.

“Was that it?” Franky asked, looking wildly around the library.

“No, not yet. What’s he waiting for?” Robin similarly thought aloud.

Brook perked, his music growing just a little louder. “Maybe he really is the courting sort? You know, taking things cautiously. Careful! I’d hate to see him move so slow that he starts to decompose! Just like me! Yohohoho!”

“He can’t court her! He’s only got a few super short hours before this loop crap all resets, bro!”

“Nami,” Sanji started. She delighted in the way her name sounded in the rustling leaves, her smile filling his world with joy. The air, thick with orange blossoms and quiet music. Her lips, dusted in a light frost of sugar. The candles, casting flickering oranges over the woman with hair like fire and the man with a heart made of propane. He’d finally found his heaven. The realization of the next step stirred something deep within, though he couldn’t name nor isolate the emotion. Everything had come to this.  “May I—may I k—“

Sanji froze.

Fully. Completely.

Hands couldn’t move. Lungs couldn’t breath. Sanji willed himself to stay in the moment, but the air had grown too thin. He couldn’t even open his mouth for a full inhale. He couldn’t close the gap. Everything spun. He dropped backward onto the picnic blanket with a loud thump. Rustling trees turned into a thick, grey fog.

“S-Sanji?!” Nami asked through her sudden worry.

“What’s going on?” Robin called in his ear. “Sanji, what happened, are you alright?”

“SANJI!”

And then, nothing at all.

Nami woke up slowly, momentarily unsure of her time, place, and context. Right. The chains weren't there. The reality, not the dream. She pat the bed like tangibility would confirm any semblance of safety. She sat up and offered a sleepy good morning to Robin. How the archeologist could be up so early after a night of tequila at the cantina, she’d never know. Robin laughed to herself as she got dressed. The morning’s cheerful mood felt infectious already.

“So what do you remember about last night?” Robin asked.

Nami thought for a long second, though her headache didn’t help much. “It was just you, me, and Sanji, right? Zoro went looking for him, I think?”

“And you don’t remember anything about the dear cook fainting in his attempt to kiss you?”

“How drunk were we?!” Nami balked.

A sudden knocking at their door ripped all attention away. Robin summoned a hand to open it, only to find their cook on his knees in the early morning fog. Tears welled in Sanji’s eyes. “Is-is Nami in there?” He asked, voice desperate.

The woman in question rose from her bed, still in her pajamas, and crossed the room. “What’s going on?” She asked in thick, sleepy confusion.

Sanji swooned at the sight of her, desperate and full of craving. “Nami-swan! Oh, oh, oh, Nami! I’m so sorry. I’m so, so, so, so sorry. I wanted to. I really wanted to! I didn’t mean to faint, I couldn’t help it, you’re just too beautiful. Please let me try again! I can do it this time, I promise. Mwah!” He pursued his lips, kissing the air. “Please? Everything we said, everything we talked about. Everything last night. The sous vide! The desserts! I can make it all again! Right? Robin! I can do it all again, right? Franky said that was how it worked. Please? Please!” The kissy faces and beaconing arms continued, unabated. Thick sobs fell onto the floorboards. “I made you breakfast in bed! Here! Please just give me another chance!” He wailed. 

Nami looked back and forth between the sobbing cook on the ground, his tray of early morning treats, and the devil woman still brushing her hair at the vanity. “Seriously you guys, what happened last night?”

Later, much later in the evening, Franky found Sanji in his usual spot, nursing a cigarette just before bed. The chef’s shoulders had fallen low. He exhaled without looking up from the horizon line. A midnight sea beaconed beyond.

“Does it ever get easier?” Sanji asked.

“Yeah, it did when she woke up.”

“Just her?”

The cyborg opened his mouth, but only faint syllables escaped him. “N-no. Someone else forgot, too. And that hasn’t been easy. I remember that night and that cycle in crystal clarity. But he’ll never know. I just have to square with that. I’m sorry. It ain’t a fate I’d wish on anyone else.”

In a moment of fragility, Sanji crumpled. “Nami, Usopp, Zoro, hell I should just make a move on Luffy at this point to see if it works. Collect all four of them. Why not?”

“They say a way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right, bro?”

“Heh. I suppose it is. So what now?”

Franky turned him, nudging with iron mitts toward the boys bunks. “Now? Go to bed. Shake off the rejection. And try again tomorrow, little dude. You’ll get ‘em next time. Whether it’s the captain, lil’ sis, lil’ bro, even—wait a sec, did you say you already kissed Zoro?”