I was rereading your masterpiece “fine thread between love & hate” again and something you mentioned in the comments got my attention, That there’s a lot of evidence in canon that Doflamingo was in love with Viola. Could you elaborate more on that?? I would love to hear your thoughts on the topic!
Oh I love that you reread it! That's amazing thank you! ❤️❤️❤️
Aaahhh I'm SO excited to receive this question! 😍 I'm very sorry for the delay in getting back to you, I've been so busy and wanted to do justice to the answer.
I'd tried to keep this as short as possible, but I failed 😅 Oh well, let's do this!
Evidence that Doflamingo was in love with Viola
Her title
When Viola is revealed to be working for Doffy, her men call her 姐さん "ane-san", which is a term used in yakuza settings and is reserved for the wife/lover/mistress of the mafia boss. This isn't a title that's just given out, even in a normal mafia setting, and there's no way Doffy in particular would let any woman he hooks up with have a title like that. He's so precious about his standing as we know, which means he made the conscious decision to order his men to call her that and to put her in a high ranking position in his crew. It also means that everyone knows she's Doffy's girl, it's not exactly a secret.
He compliments her
In chapter 734 he directly talks about her to King Riku. He has a bit of a whinge that Riku's family is giving trouble and says "Your family is acting up today, including Violet", to which Riku replies "You drove us to despair for the future so that's why we're fighting". Then Doffy completely changes his tone and language, and walks away from Riku, and says, "That's your view of it, but Viola is different. She's a very smart/highly calculating woman who took a gamble." This line depends a bit on translation and sub/dub, (I've put both English and Japanese below and provided my own translation above). I love the way it's done in the English cause he sounds super impressed like "that's my girl" 😍 (Admittedly he also calls her a tramp but, you know, he's mad lol)
Take note of his expression as well, he's mad but he also looks impressed with her actions. The shading and definition on his face here is no accident, especially compared to the previous panels where there's minimal defintion.
Anyway, two things about this:
He calls her Viola to talk about who she really is as an intelligen woman he knows well, not her Violet persona or who her dad seems to think she is.
He gives her a compliment He says "計算高い 女だ···!!" which translates to "highly calculating woman!!". He calls her intelligent and someone who makes a bet, which are reflections of his own personality traits and are exactly the sort of things he admires - he even says it with exclamation marks like he's impressed. It's the first and only compliment we ever see him giving to anyone that isn't to their face. His compliments are always as a means of gaining affection, like how he piles them on Trebol and Diamante (though it's shown he does actually find them incompetent), or to Law when trying to get him back. But he never compliments someone when they're not around to hear it. That's huge for him and shows he genuinely admires her
The confrontation scene
So in the anime, the scene where Viola confronts Doflamingo is done horribly and it pisses me off, but in the manga it's quite different. (Chp 788).
In the anime, he's doing his usual grinning thing, then they have a badly animated exchange, and it's portrayed as her being really stupid.
In the manga, he's not smiling when confronted by her. In fact, he's got the same look on his face when he has to kill Cora. He's genuinely PISSED.
Then Rebecca shows up to ruin their little moment (go away Rebecca!). Viola asks why she's there and not to get any stupid ideas, to which Doffy says "Then, why are you here, Viola?".
Take note again of the definition and shading on his face here, his expression is very similar to the panel above. He's angry but he's calculating, like he's waiting to see how she'll respond.
Let's quickly dissect his line as well while we're at it. じゃあ お前は 何をしに 来た ヴィオラ
He says, "お前" - omae. For a guy to refer to a girl as "omae", it basically translates to "babe" or "my girl". It's a colloquiel term a guy would use with his girlfriend. He wouldn't use that with any other girl, and would only ever otherwise use it with really close guy friends that he's known since childhood. It's intimate, it's informal, it's basically admitting they're dating.
(Note: Both Law and Zoro use omae when speaking to Robin and Hiyori 🤭)
And, of course, the most significant thing is he calls her Viola, her actual name. Here, he's talking to her as his girl, not his subordinate.
She says "Wouldn't it be too convenient for me to walk away having been an officer? Either I die or you die, Doffy". He pauses, not smiling, and then he switches into crazy mode and says "What a passionate decision, Violet".
(Sidenote, she looks so stunning in that panel. Justice for Viola! The anime ruined her!!)
When he talks about her as Viola, he has a very different expression on his face compared to when he talks about her as Violet. When he says Viola, it's calculating, it's thoughtful. When he says Violet, it's the crazy face we all know and love. It's like he's turned off the part that cares and is fully committed to seeing her as just another pawn to be killed.
Her calling him Doffy
The only people in the series who are allowed to call him that have been Cora, and his four execs who are his besties. So the fact that he'd let her say his name is wild. It shows he trusts her and thinks of her as his real family. Again he's super precious about stuff like this, there's no way he'd give his nickname to the girl he only hooks up with.
She's the only person to make him falter
The anime doesn't show this properly but in the manga it's more obvious. Right after Viola starts fighting him, the birdcage stops moving. Completely stops. It doesn't get pushed back, it doesn't get halted because of everyone pushing on it, it straight up stops.
It doesn't move for a full few seconds, and everyone wonders what's happened, including Zoro who realises something is wrong, before it then starts up again.
It doesn't stop until he's taken out by Luffy later. So, this means something happened to Doffy that affected his concentration enough to make his powers stop working. Not even Luffy decking him halfway across the country, or Law exploding his insides and ranting at him about Cora, and his descent into absolute madness made that happen.
Considering the timing of the birdcage stopping pretty much right after Viola starts fighting him, I fully believe it's her "betrayal" that causes it. The fact that he also refers to her as betraying him is very telling, too. I think this indicates that they were in a very intimate relationship for a long time. Long enough and close enough that her actions caused him to falter for the first time.
She's seen his eyes and probably memories
This is more speculation, but I think she's the only person to have seen him without his glasses. Her powers for one make that possible, so he would be more inclined to take his glasses off around her as there's no point keeping them on, thereby forging a deep intimacy with her that he doesn't have with anyone else. Also, she'd be able to read his mind and memories, breaking through his usual barriers and facades.
Proof in point in the panel below.
She's a princess and he's a Celestial Dragon
Again speculation, but as he's a Celestial Dragon I think he wouldn't believe anyone is worthy of him except royalty. She's a princess and I think he'd consider her to be the only person actually worthy of his genuine affection.
In conclusion, I believe he fell in love with her
They are clearly very close from the way they talk to and about each other. I'm of the belief that the combination of her powers and his own ability to read and manipulate people led them to forging a relationship originally based on trying to get the better of the other, that gradually became more and more intimate over the decade he was in power. 10 years is a long time to be with someone, and with her isolated from everyone she'd ever loved and known, I'm sure he would have used that to his advantage to encourage her loyalty to him. But he probably wasn't expecting to fall right back lol. Maybe the manipulator got manipulated - oh the irony.
I know there's a general view that Doffy assaulted her and they weren't in love, but I disagree. Oda said of their relationship that it was adult and referred to Dressrosa being the country of passion - that's not the phrasing you would use if it's straight up assault. And also I think when people view them in this way, they completely miss the nuance of Doffy's character and what makes him so terrifying and interesting in the first place.
When I say he's in love with her, I want to clarify that I mean in his way. I think he's capable of love, but not in a way that's kind or gentle or forgiving. It's possessive, controlling, narcissistic and destructive. I don't think he'd even realise he loved her until maybe that moment when she confronts him and his powers falter, which is why I think he then decides to use Rebecca to kill her as he knew it would hurt her the most. I think if he'd had his gun, he would have shot her like he did Law and Corazon, but as he didn't, that was the next best option.
Well I hope this answered your question and I'm sorry for this being so long. I love to dissect these kind of interesting relationships and could talk about them for far too long 😂
This is a *very* long list of my headcanons, inspirations, writing decisions, rambling notes to my Lunami fic “Some Type of Love”, scene by scene. This post will surely be confusing to anyone who hasn’t read the fic but the fic itself is self-contained.
8 Chapters, 23 scenes in total
(please excuse my grammatical errors)
Chapter 1 : Scene 1 (Nami’s POV)
Luffy was 21, having just become the Pirate King. Nami was 22.
I had no idea which island they were celebrating on. Could be Laugh Tale. Could be Lodestar.
In canon, Zoro has higher alcohol tolerance than Nami. I made him win so Nami would pass out and Luffy would take her to bed.
I like Sanji/Pudding but I didn’t want to focus on any other characters/couples.
Luffy has full control over his DF (no nika personality bleeding over/able to switch on-off gear fifth with ease) before he becomes the Pirate King
This point in EOS, Red Line is gone, oceans connected, no grand line, sea level dropped, more lands emerging, new government being established etc. Shanks didn’t take the hat back because Luffy is the Captain of the “Straw Hat” Pirates.
All SHs achieve their dreams when Luffy becomes the Pirate King except Chopper and Franky (both smoothly progressing), and Nami (starting over).
The Lunami conversation in this scene was the first thing I came up with for this story, inspired by Oden/Toki conversation on Oro Jackson in chapter 965. I wanted Lunami to acknowledge each other’s feelings and that they would always be together, and I wanted them to talk on Sunny. I tried to make it as Oda-like as I could, as in—ambiguously platonic/romantic but meaningful either way.
Luffy answering “Of course, I will.” when Nami asked if he would keep sailing with her is a callback to Arlong Park chapter 81.
Nami already realized she was in love with Luffy before this and had been more openly affectionate to him as a friend but she never thought Luffy would like her back. This scene showed her thought process when she realized he had feelings for her too.
The last sentence “Because with him, forever sure had a nice ring to it.” could literally mean ‘Forever with Luffy (romantic or platonic) sounds nice.’ and it could foreshadow Luffy giving Nami a wedding ring because I intended to end this story after their marriage.
Chapter 1 : Scene 2 (Luffy’s POV)
A flashback of the day Lunami met in Orange Town. I tried to make it obvious without using italics. It would happen between chapter 22 and 23, after they left Gaimon.
I wanted to show when and why Luffy fell for Nami, succinctly.
Luffy fell first. He wanted her to always be happy and be with him.
Luffy associated Nami with the sun because of her natural hair color and the sunset in this scene.
The last two sentences mirrored the last three sentences from the previous scene but from different times (first day/already pirate king) and different perspectives (Nami/Luffy).
I named the chapter/story after I finished writing this chapter. The lyrics just fit.
Chapter 2 : Scene 1 (Luffy’s POV)
Nami asking “Where are we going next?” was meant for both their next destination and their relationship.
Robin telling Luffy to “take responsibility” for making Nami restart her world map is a callback to when Robin asked Luffy to join the crew in chapter 217. Here, Robin meant for Luffy to take care of Nami as the Captain and as a man too.
I tried to make this Lunami conversation ambiguous too, threading between their roles in the crew and their relationship.
Nami was shy and worried because this was Luffy. Even if she knew Luffy had some feelings for her, her love for him was very real and it scared her. Nami saying “Because it’s you.” basically meant “Because I love you.”
This scene established my characterization of Luffy for the rest of the story. He was more mature but at his core, he loved freedom and his friends. He was very simple when it came to Nami. If she was happy, good. If not, he had to do something about that. I wanted to show his thought process as he realized their relationship needed to change for her to be as happy or happier. I wanted to show how well he knew her and how intuitive and confident he was despite the situation.
Nami initiated their first kiss but Luffy made it real. He knew she worried a lot so he showed her with his action that he wanted whatever this was, too. He got on her nerves. That’s the nature of their relationship. But it also made her more relax. They kissed like they were arguing. In most arguments, Luffy relented if he was wrong but not with kissing her. Nami just melted.
Nami called the ocean ‘Luffy’s kingdom’. Luffy thought it was hers too and it was also like her playground because she would be having fun doing what she loved (mapping) at every corner of the world.
Chapter 2 : Scene 2 (Nami’s POV)
The second flashback, after Luffy defeated Arlong, also without using italics. It would happen during chapter 97, possibly after Luffy talked to Genzo.
Luffy asked if Nami would sail with him because he wanted to hear her direct confirmation.
Nami fell harder for Luffy since the moment he put his hat on her head. She would be devoted to him as his navigator. She almost kissed him but held back. It mirrored the previous scene where they actually had their first kiss.
Nami also associated Luffy with the sun because of his smile and how he brought light into her life.
Luffy noticed Nami wanted to do something but he didn’t press when she stopped. Nami looked a bit sad staring at her mikan trees so Luffy suggested she take some with her on Merry, partly inspired by OPLA. He had always cared about her happiness.
Nami asking “Help me (take my mikan trees to Merry)?” mirrored her asking for help in the hat scene. In Japanese, the phrasing would differ in each situation but in English, ‘help me’ works for both so it counts I guess lol
From the sentence before last, the word “Captain” was in italics because it was the first time Nami addressed Luffy as her Captain.
After this chapter, I was considering doing two scenes switch between past/present and Luffy/Nami POVs for the rest of the chapters. I was watching some shows that inspired me—Frieren (anime), Lovely Runner (Korean series). However, the rest of this story wouldn’t work in a recurring past/present format so there was no more flashback after this point. But I kept alternating between Luffy/Nami perspectives after each scene.
Chapter 3 : Scene 1 (Luffy’s POV)
Luffy liked watching Nami’s hands when she drew maps, wrote journals, and fixed his hat. It was one of a few things that could keep him sitting still.
Sanji wasn’t against Lunami relationship at all. He was a bit wary and might not treat Luffy very kindly but he knew very well Nami loved Luffy and Luffy wouldn’t hurt her.
Nami spent a lot of time in the library after Luffy became the Pirate King because she wanted to record everything in their logs, to learn history from Robin and new technology from Franky. She didn’t have to worry much about navigating Sunny because they had Jinbe and there was no immediate danger from rapid weather changes anymore.
Luffy didn’t care about the concept of a date. He just wanted to spend more time with Nami and was willing to try different things. Nami was nervous and thought it wouldn’t end up like a date with Luffy anyway when she asked him.
Luffy liked the color red. He liked seeing it on Nami, her blush, her clothes, so he liked teasing her. He thought she was cute when she was mad or shy. He liked when she hit him even more now because of that.
Chapter 3 : Scene 2 (Nami’s POV)
Luffy was unintentionally and infuriatingly good at flirting with Nami. He just did and said whatever he wanted and she kept melting because she loved him and he was too straightforward for her heart to handle. I tried so hard to make his words and actions seem effortless and Luffy-like but also kinda flirty at the same time. I believe he’s a natural at this.
Luffy let Nami wear his hat whenever they went on a date on a sunny day.
Luffy respected Nami’s boundaries even after she told him he could kiss her when he wanted. He might complain a little but he stopped when she said so.
I made Luffy say “You’re cute when you’re shy.” and “I wanna be with you.” outright. He also said “You look pretty in everything.” and “I like red on you.” without directly saying them.
Every SH knew about and supported Lunami relationship. They were just being discreet, letting Luffy and Nami figure things out by themselves.
Luffy talked to Robin about Nami a lot more after his first kiss with Nami.
Luffy’s side profile is gorgeous, especially when he’s serious or pissed off, so I wrote that view through Nami’s eyes.
I wanted to make Nami and the readers (too many people underestimate Luffy’s intelligence, seriously) realize Luffy was fully capable of romance. He wasn’t bound by traditional concepts. He didn’t need to label things. But he knew what this was and was going to do this with Nami in their own way. He made it clear. She understood and let herself fall deeper. Thus, the chapter title was “Falling Like the Stars”.
Contrary to Nami’s belief, no one told Luffy to buy her a gift. Luffy gave her the sun bracelet because it reminded him of her and he wanted her to have something to wear even after the log pose was discarded, like a symbol that she was his navigator. He hadn’t planned to buy anything. This one just caught his eye. From this point, the sun became somewhat of a symbolism for the whole series, including titles (Midnight Sun, Dusk till Dawn, till the sun runs out)
Chapter 4 : Scene 1 (Luffy’s POV)
The Lunami picture in the newspaper is a perfect shot to draw. I can’t draw. I wish I could.
Luffy is in love with Nami’s smile as much as he’s in love with her.
Most SHs made a bet about Lunami first kiss. Zoro thought Luffy would kiss Nami first. Usopp bet on Nami. I hadn’t thought about the others.
Robin was in the library, right under Lunami when they first kissed, and she had her DF power so she was the only one who knew what happened but she didn’t tell anyone else.
Usopp said “Can’t believe I live to see this day.” because he was surprised and because I often saw people saying he was the most likely person to die among SHs.
Chopper ran after Nami because he wanted to know if she needed birth control or his help with anything else. He could smell Luffy’s scent stronger on Nami and vice versa so he knew they were getting closer physically.
Sanji asking “What did you do?” and Luffy answering “Nothing. I’m waiting.” could mean either ‘Luffy was waiting for his food.’ or ‘Luffy was waiting for Nami to open up to him.’
Writing Luffy in the first three chapters was hard but in this scene, I mostly got his characterization down just how I imagined Pirate King Luffy to be so it was easier to write my version of him onward.
Chapter 4 : Scene 2 (Nami’s POV)
Another instance of Nami thinking of Luffy as the sun.
Luffy hugged Nami and told her “Don’t go.” after he woke up because he had a dream about his childhood.
Luffy didn’t care to keep anything a secret and Nami never expected him to. He liked her so he would be with her for the whole world to see. If there was any danger or problem, he would deal with it after.
I wanted Lunami to talk about what they wanted in life, maturely but still Lunami-like. Their relationship, their journey, their dreams, and their way of life are all beautifully tied together thanks to Oda. They needed to be on the same page for everything to work.
Luffy telling Nami “I won’t die.” is a callback to chapter 63 when he fought Don Krieg and said it to Sanji. I love his confidence.
Luffy saying “You are. Since the day I met you.” basically meant “I love you since the day I met you.”
Nami was super worried and overthinking things. She had loved Luffy so much for so long. She had always put other people first since she was eight-year-old. Saying what she wanted was hard. She wasn’t sure if she had the right to. Emotions overwhelmed her and she cried.
Luffy excelled at simplifying things and making them work so they were able to talk through and get a conclusion.
Both of them referred to their relationship status as ‘being together.’
Luffy was well aware no one else could handle his recklessness and his desire for freedom better than Nami.
I believe Luffy would take being in a relationship seriously. He’s receptive to emotions especially of people he cares about. He knows what’s important and will take even better care of Nami once they’re together.
This was the first time I mentioned a tongue when they kissed. In chapter 2-3, I wanted the kisses to be more fluffy and romantic and focused more on feelings. Here, I wanted more tension because they would have sex in the near future so it was more of making out.
I don’t know if the current manga Luffy can split the sky with his haki alone, but my Pirate King Luffy can, with or without gear fifth. It sounds good for the last sentence.
Also from the last sentence, “letting rays of sunlight touch the ocean again.” Luffy is the sun. Nami is the ocean because her name is ‘wave’. Which meant he was able to touch her, physically and emotionally. They could love openly after they cleared things up, like the sky clearing after the storm. This whole scene was me trying to be poetic about Lunami finally getting together by using the weather and the sea.
Chapter 5 : Scene 1 (Nami’s POV)
Luffy happily introduced Nami as ‘his navigator’ and ‘his’ after they got together.
I wanted Luffy’s parental figure to entrust his heart to Nami (similar but also different from Genzo to Luffy). Makino’s personality fit.
Luffy liked carrying Nami around—by her waist, on his shoulder, like a princess etc. They were even more touchy now. It annoyed Nami sometimes but she mostly liked it too.
Luffy’s shameless in general. He would say and do sexual stuff with a straight face and enjoy it. But he got a bit shy with affectionate, heartfelt gestures from her. Nami blushed no matter where Luffy kissed her. Luffy blushed when Nami gave him a gentle kiss on his forehead or his cheek.
Nami had always been interested in Luffy’s childhood and wanted to visit his hometown for a long time.
I wanted Luffy and Sabo to reunite on Dawn Island and wanted someone to do something about Gray Terminal.
Chapter 5 : Scene 2 —NSFW— (Luffy’s POV)
I chose the song ‘Best Part’ for the chapter title because Lunami first time happened here and the lyrics fit too.
This was the first ever smut scene I wrote. It was from Luffy’s POV because I wanted to show so many things about him.
Luffy learned about sex before Ace set sail. He knew things. Never had experience and never been that much interested until kissing Nami unlocked something in him.
Luffy saying “I know how to be gentle.” was meant for drying Nami’s hair but of course I made him say it because they would have sex too and in the end, he wasn’t gentle lol
Luffy asked Nami “Can I kiss you?” in chapter 3, “Can I touch you?” in chapter 4, “Can I have you?” in this scene.
Nami answering “You already have me too.” in this scene was a reference to Luffy saying “You already have me.” in chapter 4.
I wanted this scene to transition from emotional intimacy (Luffy opened up about his childhood and Ace, and Nami cried for him and embraced all of him) to physical intimacy (Lunami first time). I wanted intimate and sweet, not the most explicit but hot and Lunami-like, so I didn’t mention body parts but wrote a whole lot of actions. Which worked well because Luffy’s brain kinda short-circuited after he saw Nami naked. He thought and spoke less. He just went for it.
I think Luffy would dominate in bed. He knows what he wants. He’s direct and impatient. He leads and acts. His primal desires to protect Nami and to fuck her senseless were clashing. He knew he could literally break her but he loved her so he was being as careful and considerate as he could, which wasn’t a lot but he tried.
Unlike many other people, I think Nami didn’t have experience, just like Luffy. She knows how to take care of herself since she was young. She’s confident in her appearance and easily charms men who don’t matter, but she was all shy and innocent when Reiju kissed Luffy and when she was naked in Wano bathhouse.
Nami wasn’t totally submissive but she loved and trusted Luffy completely and she liked when he took charge. She wanted to give herself to him. She called him “Captain” during their second night together in the explicit oneshot (Dusk till Dawn) and he went feral.
Nami loves Luffy’s eyes. His gaze is warm and powerful. She likes staring into his eyes even if it makes her blush sometimes. Luffy stares right back of course.
I focused on Lunami eye contact a lot especially when I wrote their (emotionally and physically) intimate scenes like this one.
Luffy laughing after he finished felt right to me. He was happy.
Luffy is way stronger than Nami physically. His stamina is insane too. He needs more rounds.
Chapter 5 : Scene 3 —mildly NSFW— (Nami’s POV)
I wanted the morning-after to be cozy and wholesome.
Nami would take a very long time before she stopped getting shy when they were intimate. She wanted it but she couldn’t help but melt and Luffy enjoyed melting her.
Both Luffy and Nami realized they wanted to wake up like this every day.
The other SHs knew Lunami had sex last night. It was kinda obvious.
Chapter 6 : Scene 1 (Nami’s POV)
This scene was similar to Nami-Nojiko scene in chapter 76 but with a completely different tone and feeling. It was like a closure and confirmation for Nami that her home was with Luffy on Sunny now but Nojiko and this island would always be important to her.
Nami was very grateful for Nojiko’s presence during the hardest years of her life. Sometimes she felt guilty that she had left her sister and her home behind. She wished she could share happy times with Nojiko more but she wasn’t the type to stay in one place and her heart was with Luffy now.
Nojiko liked teasing Nami. She knew her little sister very well, adored her, and was very proud of her.
Nami realized Luffy didn’t fully know about her past and her love for him grew even more.
Chapter 6 : Scene 2 (Luffy’s POV)
This scene was similar to Genzo-Luffy talk in chapter 95 but their conversation was more explicitly about Lunami romance here.
I wanted Luffy to say “‘Course, I did more than touch her!” so I built the whole scene around that sentence.
Genzo actually respected Luffy and was thankful for him but he couldn’t accept that his little girl was all grown up and with a man now lol
When Luffy reminisced about Nami, I specifically included a Skypiea moment (“her bubbly laughter when Merry soared into the sky”) because it’s the arc that embodies romance (in both ‘love’ and ‘adventure’ meanings) the best. Orange Town and Arlong Park moments were a given.
Luffy realized his feelings for Nami had always been love and he wanted to protect Nami’s smile as a man, not just as her Captain. Before, he had wanted her to be happy. Now, he also wanted to be the one who made her happy.
The last sentence was the pinwheel because it fit.
Chapter 6 : Scene 3 (Nami’s POV)
The first time Nami fully recounted her childhood to someone, and that person was Luffy.
I just love Luffy saying “My Nami.”
Normally when I write, I keep imagining every detail until I can see a scene play out in my mind like a movie. In this story, this scene was the most movie-like and the most intimate, probably my favorite scene. Nami chose to open up and be vulnerable. She had silently carried these feelings deep inside her for a long time and Luffy helped lessen that burden from her.
If it hasn’t been obvious, I LOVE serious Luffy. People often focus on Luffy’s goofy side especially in a romantic setting in fanworks, but I fell in love with Lunami because of the help me scene so I’m always going to focus on serious Luffy to balance things out.
This scene was similar to the hat scene. Luffy listened to Nami’s story without saying anything because he couldn’t fix the past, but he would do his best from this moment on.
Luffy saying “Next time I’ll find you sooner.” was mostly inspired by Oda’s various prototypes of OP, so many versions of what had become Luffy and Nami. They always meet. Their stories always intertwine. I could also write other related AUs based off of this Lunami conversation. This different lifetimes concept fit Luffy’s mentality too. His determination was strong enough to dictate the universe.
This scene also had their most intense eye contact. Luffy loves the sea even if he can’t swim. At this moment, he was gazing at Nami like she was the sea. (I also compared Nami to the sea in the last sentence of chapter 4.) His love for her was evident in his eyes. It overwhelmed her. Their feelings were laid bare for each other.
In the previous scene, Luffy didn’t make a new promise to Genzo. In this scene, he made a new promise to Nami instead, the most important one to him.
Chapter 6 : Scene 4 (Luffy’s POV)
This scene put the feelings from the previous scene into words. They had sex, cleaned up, cuddled, were about to sleep, and Nami finally told Luffy “I love you.”
I was considering having Nami confess while they made love but it could feel like she said it in the heat of the moment so I made her confess when they cuddled instead. I wanted it to be obvious they were utterly in love at this point.
Again with Skypiea reference, I compared Nami’s confession to the sound of the Golden Bell because chapter 298, where Luffy rang the Bell, was named “Love Song” then Luffy and Nami were talking on the cloud alone together in chapter 299. That was romance.
Luffy decided he would give Nami a ring before he said “Love you more.” He started considering marriage after his talk with Genzo and Nami’s confession but he didn’t think they have to do it. He just wanted her to know how he felt. He wanted to give her everything.
In canon, Luffy himself and Doc Q have alluded more than once that Luffy is a lucky guy. I like that idea so I emphasized ‘lucky’ in Luffy’s narration and I made Nami say “You’re lucky I’m too happy to argue with you.” as the last sentence.
This chapter is my personal favorite and “Birds of a Feather” is a perfect song for its title. Luffy and Nami’s dreams and lives are tied to the sea the most out of everyone. They share a home. They will always be together, even in another life. It’s all in the lyrics.
Chapter 7 : Scene 1 (Nami’s POV)
A domestic fluff scene to show their daily life together.
Luffy liked when Nami fussed over or took care of him so he acted like a spoiled baby sometimes and Nami mostly gave in. She was so soft on him because he was cute.
I love Nami’s hair in Elbaph.
In canon, Nami has said she was cute a few times so in this scene, I made her say “I’m always cute.” because it fit her character and it showed that she was better at handling compliments from Luffy now, even if her heart still raced and her face still warmed.
Chapter 7 : Scene 2 (Luffy’s POV)
I wanted to write a sunflower field scene. One field existed in canon so I made Lunami visit Dressrosa instead of creating a random island. I took this chance to show Luffy and Nami interacted with the world as the Pirate King and his (queen) navigator.
I like Baby 5 and Sai/Baby 5.
Luffy didn’t get jealous that easily but he was threatened when another powerful pirate captain wanted to steal his (woman) navigator from him. Law was perfect for the role and the place.
I blurred the line between Lunami roles in the crew and their romantic relationship to give more weight to Luffy’s jealousy so it made more sense that his haki went a little crazy and he was ready to throw hands right there.
Sanji liked peace and wanted to protect Viola’s castle. Zoro liked chaos lol
Nami said “Please, I’m a navigator.” but she was actually happy that Bartolomeo called her “Queen” and Luffy noticed.
Bartolomeo was so fun to write.
Chapter 7 : Scene 3 (Nami’s POV)
Nami likes sunflowers because Oda said twice that it’s her flower. She’s also like a sunflower because Luffy’s the sun and her eyes are always drawn to him.
Luffy had been willing to share his food with Nami since they got together.
Like Luffy, Nami didn’t get jealous so easily. Luffy was desirable for many but she knew he loved her.
I think it was very Luffy-like of Luffy to propose to Nami within hours after a potential threat appeared. He also knew Nami was happy to be addressed as a queen so that was another reason that prompted him to make it official now.
I wanted to show that Lunami could talk about anything. They were willing to listen to each other. They wanted to make being together work.
Many people think Luffy wouldn’t want to get marry because he loves his freedom and marriage would tie him down. So Luffy was basically disproving that in this Lunami conversation. He’s freest when he’s with Nami. His attitude toward love, relationship, and marriage has been changing as he gets older. I tried to portray that throughout the course of this story and Luffy put it into his own words in this scene.
Luffy knew how people had treated Ace as the Pirate King’s son firsthand. He asked Robin about Rouge. I assumed Robin had learned the truth somehow. Luffy was determined to never let Nami and his future kid(s) go through that.
Nami wanted to get married and have kid(s) someday but it wasn’t a must. She would stay with Luffy either way and she was focusing more on her map and their journey together at the moment but she was very happy that Luffy wanted the same thing.
Chapter 7 : Scene 4 —mildly NSFW— (Luffy’s POV)
Another domestic fluff scene.
I like the idea of Luffy seeing people in colors when he sensed them with his haki. Nami was orange, like her hair, like the sun. He felt her like their souls were connected and it was the most intense when they made love.
Luffy had already put his giving-Nami-a-ring plan in motion after they left Cocoyashi. Luffy told Usopp, Sanji, and Robin and they helped him. The other SHs might have some idea too. But Nami didn’t know.
Nami liked teasing Luffy and making him pout too.
Chapter 8 : Scene 1 (Nami’s POV)
I was gonna make both rings pure gold but then I thought Nami deserved her diamond. She’s such a queen.
I wanted a Lunami with Tama scene like chapter 1056. Tama’s childish curiosity was also perfect for Nami to open up about how her relationship with Luffy came to be. Nami had fallen for him since the flashback in chapter 2 and she put her feelings for Luffy into words here.
Nami thought about her future kid(s) but pregnancy hadn’t been in my original plan. Lunami would eventually have one in a few years though. Maybe I’ll write more chapters or a sequel about it someday.
After Luffy proposed to her, Nami’s attention had been drawn to white dresses whenever she went shopping and she bought one eventually.
Luffy is the type to casually ask “Wanna get married tomorrow?”
Nami mentioned the last time she had a conversation with Luffy after he defeated Kaido. I already posted that scene as a prequel oneshot. (Midnight Sun)
Luffy saying “It’s nice you’re smiling this time.” was a reference to that prequel. Lunami relationship and the way they treated each other had completely changed from then to now.
Chapter 8 : Scene 2 (Luffy’s POV)
Luffy was 22 and Nami was 23 when they got married.
I love Lunami in Japanese attire. I’d decided from the start they would get married in Wano because of that and the rings. But a traditional wedding doesn’t feel like Lunami. A casual one with the crew on Sunny fit them the most. (I’m also bad at writing many characters in one scene so I basically focus on Lunami.)
Nami is gorgeous and she would be the most beautiful on her wedding day because she would be glowing with happiness. I wrote this scene from Luffy’s POV so Nami’s beauty would be thoroughly appreciated.
Of course, Luffy was wearing his hat and the red-Pirate King-Captain-jacket.
I love Brook. I made him officiate the ceremony because of his voice, his artistic expression, his life experience, and his connection to souls. Also, Jinbe walking Nami down the aisle felt right to me.
I focused on Lunami eye contact in this scene too but it was more warm, gentle, and affectionate, not as intense and intimate as the different lifetimes scene in chapter 6.
I thought hard about how to write their vows. Luffy’s would be short and to the point. Nami’s would be emotional and exasperatedly loving.
Luffy saying “I’m happy I found you, too.” was a reference to Nami saying “I’m so happy you found me, Luffy.” in chapter 6.
Chapter 8 : Scene 3 (Nami’s POV)
I couldn’t end the story without having Zoro call Nami a witch.
Zoro had always known from the start that Luffy and Nami loved each other. One of my drafts is a Lunami fic from Zoro’s POV.
At this point, Lunami were just being sickeningly in love and sweet on each other. Luffy was even more openly possessive and affectionate and Nami helplessly dissolved into a puddle of happiness.
I was considering writing the wedding night smut but it would be too long and out of place in this chapter. I have a plan to write more smut chapters and add them to “Dusk till Dawn”. Each one, including the wedding night, will be different as their relationship progresses and they’re more familiar with each other. Still just a plan though.
Since chapter 3, I’d been dying to write Luffy telling Nami that the bracelet meant she was his navigator and the ring meant she was his.
I included “Nami did not believe in fate.” because despite everything, Luffy and Nami chose to love each other of their own free will.
Chapter 8 : Scene 4 (Luffy’s POV)
I also couldn’t end the story without Luffy on his special seat, filled with joy while gazing at the sun and the ocean.
It was Luffy’s turn to tell Nami how he felt during the Orange Town flashback in chapter 1. The flashback happened during sunset. This last scene happened during sunrise. Everything came full circle.
Nami was a bit upset because she had held back her feelings for Luffy for a long time and she hated that Zoro was right.
Nami saying “From now on, I’ll never let you go either.” was a reference to chapter 1 when she realized Luffy never let go of her, which is also the summary of this story.
I’d decided a long time ago that the last chapter would be called “At the Beginning” because the lyrics fit Lunami perfectly. Because Luffy fell in love with Nami at the very beginning. Because their marriage is the beginning of their life together, just like Nami said in this scene. And because their story never truly ends.
The last word was “beautiful” because that was how I wanted the readers to think of Lunami relationship.
If you’ve read to this point, thank you for spending your time on my unnecessarily (5.5k words) long post. This story has been with me for two years and I feel like I’ve already written 90% of everything I want into it. I haven’t felt a spark to write or read anything much since. This year I want to write and read more though. I love Lunami and I appreciate all Lunami writers/artists/content creators.
Again, thank you, Libra, and all my commenters and kudos-ers for encouraging me to write.
I’m ending this post with the visual. These two fanarts are the closest to how I imagine Luffy and Nami in this story.
annaxmalina
romaincrisis
janainaart
izzy806
yousharknotpass
origamiaround
