Robin waited, her eyes gleaming with quiet amusement. When Takuya looked at her, she simply said, "I want twenty-four hours. Exclusive. Just you and me. No interruptions, no other women.
You cook for me. You pour my wine. You feed me with your own hands. You tell me things you've never told anyone. You hold me when I sleep. And for that entire day, I don't share you with anyone."
The deck went silent.
Vivi's eyes widened. Mira's jaw dropped. Nami felt her face flush crimson—but beneath the blush, a sharper feeling pricked at her chest. Jealousy. Robin was already the one who obeyed Takuya the most, the one he favored above the others.
She was the one he touched most often, the one whose head he patted, whose quiet words he praised. And now she was asking for an entire day with him. All to herself.
Takuya raised an eyebrow, but there was no surprise in his expression. Only a knowing look, as if he had expected something like this from her.
"That's a very bold request, Archaeologist."
Robin's smile didn't waver. Her voice was calm, deliberate, utterly unashamed. "You've been generous with your attention toward me, Teacher. I've noticed. The extra glances. The softer tone. The way your hand lingers on my shoulder a moment longer than it does with the others."
She tilted her head, her dark hair falling over one shoulder.
"I am not blind. And I am not one to let an opportunity pass. You've been pampering me, Takuya. I want to know what that pampering looks like when no one else is watching. For a whole day I want you to be just mine."
Nami's stomach twisted. Robin was right. Takuya did treat her differently—more gently, more attentively. Nami had told herself it was because Robin was the oldest, the most damaged, the one who needed the most careful handling. But hearing Robin name it so openly made it real.
And then another thought hit her, cold and sharp. 'If I don't start being bold like her, she's going to leave us behind. She's going to become his favorite, and we'll just be the ones who were too scared to ask.'
Vivi bit her lip, her earlier confidence crumbling into ash. She had asked for a story. A single story. Like a child asking for a bedtime tale. Meanwhile, Robin—his 'wife', just like her—was asking for twenty-four hours of exclusive intimacy. Acting like a wife should.
What was wrong with her? She was already married to him. She should have been the boldest one. She should have asked for something that solidified her position, something that reminded everyone—including Takuya—that she was his princess, his wife, not just another girl in the harem.
She felt stupid. Worse than stupid. She had wasted an opportunity. She had been given a chance to ask for something meaningful, and she had asked for a story.
Mira, oblivious as ever, whispered loudly, "Robin-sama is playing to win!"
Takuya studied Robin for a long moment. The air between them felt thick, charged with something unspoken.
"You're not asking for a story or a book," he said slowly. "You're asking for something I haven't given anyone yet. Not even close."
"Yes," Robin said simply. "Because you've already given the others their firsts. Their first lap. Their first kiss on the lips. I want more than I've gotten. As many opportunities as you provide me, I'll take as much as I can. I want as many things about you that belong only to me as I can. Starting with a full day."
He was quiet for another beat. Then he smiled—not his sinister smirk, not his teasing grin, but something softer. Something that made Nami's heart ache because she recognized it as the look he gave Robin when he thought no one was watching.
"Twenty-four hours," he said. "No interruptions. Just you and me."
"Yes," Robin breathed.
"And what I do during that time is entirely my choice," he added. "Within reason."
Robin's smile deepened. "I would expect nothing less."
He nodded slowly. "Observation Haki first. Then we'll talk about the calendar."
Robin's eyes glittered with satisfaction. "I look forward to it, Teacher."
Nami stared at her, heart pounding. 'She knows what she wants. She has no shame. And she gets what she asks for because she's not afraid to reach out and take it.'
Beside her, Vivi sat very still, her hands clenched in her lap. Her mind was racing. 'I'm his wife. I have the same rights as her. Maybe more. I'm the future queen of Alabasta.
And I asked for a story. A stupid story. While she asked for a whole day of him. I need to be better. I need to be bolder. Next time, I definitely won't waste my chance.'
Mira, oblivious to the heavy thoughts around her, whispered to herself, "I should have asked for a piggyback ride and a lullaby. Double the reward. Next time."
There was no malice in Robin's request—just a quiet, confident woman claiming what she had already been given pieces of.
Vivi let out a small breath, her hands folded in her lap. She wasn't angry. She was learning. Watching Robin, she realized that asking for something small got you something small. Asking for something big got you something big.
All eyes turned to Nami. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks again. "What? I didn't ask for anything."
"You didn't have to," Takuya said. "Your reward is already waiting. Finish your homework, and I'll give you something Robin doesn't get."
Nami's breath caught. "Like what?"
He walked toward her, close enough that she had to tilt her head up to meet his eyes. "You want to be the best navigator in the world, right? The one who draws the map of everything?"
She nodded, unable to speak.
"Then I'll teach you something I've never taught anyone. A way to read the currents not with instruments, but with your skin. With your breath. With the salt on your tongue." His voice dropped. "When I'm done with you, you won't need a log pose. You'll feel the way home."
Nami's heart hammered. She glanced at Robin, who was watching with calm interest, no jealousy in her expression—only a quiet acknowledgement that Nami had her own path, and Robin was content with what she had asked from Takuya.
"That's... that's not a night of wine and stories," Nami whispered.
"No," Takuya agreed. "It's something only you would want. Because I've been paying attention, Nami. To your dreams as well."
The jealousy in her chest loosened, replaced by something warmer. He hadn't forgotten her. He wasn't favoring Robin in everything. He was just giving each of them what they truly craved.
She looked down at her hands. "Okay. I'll do my homework."
"Good girl." He ruffled her hair—quick, almost casual, but the touch sent a shiver through her. Then he pushed off and walked toward the cabin. "Now, homework starts now. Clear your minds. Feel the sea. And tomorrow, I expect progress."
He paused at the door, glancing back. "Oh, and Nami?"
"Yeah?"
"Those tangerines? I bought half of them. So technically, some of them are mine. But I'll share. Because I'm a generous teacher."
Nami's mouth fell open. "You—"
He disappeared inside, the door clicking shut behind him.
Mira burst out laughing. Vivi covered her mouth, her eyes sparkling. Robin simply smiled, closing her eyes again—but not before shooting Nami a small, approving nod.
Nami sat there, torn between outrage and laughter, her cheeks burning. She grabbed a tangerine from the nearby bowl—'her' tangerine—and bit into it aggressively.
"Fine," she muttered around the fruit. "But I'm still the best navigator."
"Of course you are," Robin said serenely, eyes still closed. "And now you'll have the skills to prove it."
Nami finished her tangerine, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes again. The warmth of the sun. The whisper of the waves. The quiet presence of the women beside her.
She thought about the promise—to read currents with her skin, to feel the way home. It wasn't a night of wine and whispered secrets. It was better. It was 'her' dream, handed back to her with interest.
She would do her homework. And then she would surpass every navigator who had ever lived.
She closed her eyes again, returning to her meditation homework as if she had just asked for a cup of tea.
The Dune Serpent sailed on, and the silence that followed was filled with unspoken thoughts—and two women already planning how to be bolder the next time they were given a chance.
Nami was the first to settle back into position. She sat cross-legged on the warm wood, her back straight, her hands resting on her knees. She closed her eyes and breathed. In. Out. The sea whispered against the hull. The sun pressed gentle fingers against her eyelids.
She thought about the promise. 'Read currents with your skin. Feel the way home.' No log pose. No charts. Just her and the sea, speaking a language only she would understand. That wasn't just a reward. That was her dream wearing a new face.
She let the thought settle deep in her chest, anchoring her. Then she let it go. The cup had to be empty. She breathed again, and this time, she didn't think about rewards or jealousy or Robin's boldness. She just listened.
Beside her, Robin sat in perfect stillness. Her eyes were closed, her lips curved in a small, satisfied smile. She had asked for twenty-four exclusive hours. She had named what she wanted without shame. And Takuya had said yes—'after' she earned it.
That was fine. Robin was patient. She had waited twenty years for safety, for trust, for a place where the little girl who was fascinated with history could breathe. She could wait a little longer for one day of having him all to herself.
But waiting didn't mean being idle. She deepened her breath, letting her awareness drift outward. The creak of the mast. The ripple of water against the rudder. The soft rhythm of Nami's breathing to her left. The flutter of Mira's skirt in the wind. The distant call of a seabird.
She didn't try to grab any of it. She just let it wash over her, like waves against a shore. The cup emptying, drop by drop. She had all the time in the world.
Vivi sat on Nami's other side, her hands folded in her lap. Her mind was not quiet.
'Stupid. Stupid. A story. I asked for a story.'
She clenched her jaw. She was a princess. A wife. The future queen of Alabasta. She had fought in a civil war. She had faced Crocodile. She had stood on the execution platform without flinching. And when given the chance to ask for something from the man she loved, she had asked for a 'bedtime tale'.
She wanted to kick herself.
But then she took a breath. And another. And another.
'I can't take it back,' she thought. 'But I can make sure the story is worth it. Not just any story. Something that matters. Something he's never told anyone. Something that will make him look at me the way he looks at Robin when he thinks no one is watching.'
She opened her eyes for a moment and glanced at Takuya's cabin door. Then she closed them again.
'Fine. A story it is. But I'll listen like no one has ever listened. I'll remember every word. And when it's over, he'll know that I didn't waste the chance. I'll make it count.'
Her breathing slowed. The frustration didn't disappear, but it settled into something useful—a quiet determination. She let the sounds of the ship fill her ears. The lap of waves. The groan of timber. The distant hum of Mira humming to herself.
She would do her homework. And when she earned her story, she would earn more than just words.
Mira sat slightly apart from the others, her legs stretched out, her head tilted back. Her eyes were closed, but her lips moved in a silent, tuneless hum. She wasn't meditating the way the others were. She was just... being.
Her mind was already empty. That was her gift. She didn't have to empty a cup—there was nothing in it to begin with. No jealousy, no regret, no complicated plans. Just the wind on her face and the sun on her skin and the happy thought of a piggyback ride around the whole ship.
She felt Takuya's presence somewhere behind her, leaning against the railing. She didn't open her eyes. She just smiled wider.
'Master said I could do this fast. That means I'll get my piggyback ride sooner. Maybe I'll ask him to run. That would be even more fun.'
She hummed a little louder, not caring that she was breaking the silence. The others didn't mind. They were too focused on emptying their own cups.
Behind them, unnoticed, Takuya watched from the railing. He had not gone inside. He stood with his arms crossed, his eyes moving from woman to woman.
Nami, brow slightly furrowed, fighting her own thoughts.
Robin, serene and patient, already halfway to empty.
Vivi, tense at first, then slowly relaxing, her jaw unclenching.
Mira, effortlessly blank, humming like a contented cat.
He smiled to himself.
'Good. They're trying. That's all I need.'
He turned back to the sea, letting the wind fill his lungs. The Dune Serpent carried them toward Jaya, toward sky islands and ancient gold. But for now, there was only this—the sun, the waves, and four women learning to listen.
The homework had begun.
A/N: If my story made you smile even once, that's a win for me. That's what I want to live for—brightening dull days and reminding people that joy still exists.
My dream is to make a difference in someone's life through my stories, to someday reach a legendary level of storytelling, and spread as much happiness I can in this world, before I take my leave from this world.
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