They finally boarded their beloved Going Merry, the familiar, comforting creak of her timbers a welcome sound after the chaos of Drum Island. Soon, they left the icy port behind, the dark water parting under her bow as they sailed into the moonlit night. A true, raucous party erupted on the deck, a celebration of survival, escape, and their newest crewmate. The air was filled with the clinking of mugs full of ale and the irresistible aroma of snacks Sanji had whipped up from their remaining supplies.
The noise was deafening and wonderful. Even Mario, usually more reserved, was in the thick of it, engaged in a ridiculous game with Usopp and Luffy that involved making the most grotesque faces possible while Chopper, crying with laughter, had two spoons sticking out of his nostrils. It was chaotic, unrefined, and utterly perfect.
Even poor Karoo, who they'd found shivering in the water after a misguided attempt to "rescue" a training Zorro, was being plied with a bit of strong liquor to warm him up—a act that earned Vivi's swift, if half-hearted, reprimand.
For Mario, it was pure bliss. This simple, loud, messy party was everything. He felt a wave of profound contentment wash over him, so strong it was almost dizzying. His eyes kept drifting towards Nami, who was laughing at Usopp's antics. She noticed his gaze, and a faint, pretty blush colored her cheeks before she looked away, a small, secret smile playing on her lips. It was clear; whatever was blooming between them would remain their secret for now, a quiet understanding amidst the crew's boisterous family dynamic.
As the party began to wind down and satisfied exhaustion set in, Mario slipped away into the cabin to get a drink of water. That's when he saw it: the door to the food locker was slightly ajar. A cold dread, entirely separate from the Drum Island chill, trickled down his spine.
He strode over and pulled it open.
„For God's sake!" he groaned, his voice echoing in the suddenly-too-quiet room.
He stormed back onto the deck, where the crew was lounging in various states of post-celebration lethargy. „Didn't anyone take on any provisions back at the village?!"
Blank stares and confused blinking greeted him.
„Well, we kinda left in a hurry…" Usopp offered weakly, gesturing vaguely back towards the receding, snow-capped island.
„And you were out cold!" Luffy added, as if that explained everything.
Mario brought a hand to his face, dragging it down slowly in a gesture of pure, unadulterated exasperation. „You know we were running low! Why didn't anyone at least tell me? And you, Zorro! You were on the ship! You could have stocked us up while we were on the mountain!"
Zorro, who was polishing his swords, didn't even look up. „I was training."
Mario felt his anger, so recently absent, begin to boil over. „Training? TRAINING?!"
„What's the big deal?" Sanji interjected, blowing a stream of smoke into the night air. „We've got more than half our supplies left."
„More than half?" Mario repeated, his voice dangerously calm. „You do realize we have two additional mouths to feed now, right? And we have Luffy!" he said, pointing an accusatory finger at their captain. „Or have you forgotten his bottomless, reality-defying stomach?"
„Hey! Wait, is that an offense?" Luffy protested, sitting up. „It felt like an offense! Anyway, HEY!"
„Don't you 'HEY' me, mister!" Mario shot back, his quartermaster instincts in full, furious swing. „From now on, we ration! And I hope to God your fishing skills are up to the task, because we're going to need them!"
Nami stepped closer, placing a calming hand on his arm. „It's going to be fine, Mario."
He let out a long, weary sigh, the fight draining out of him slightly. He looked at her, his expression grim.
„Nami, we have five days of sailing to Alabasta. You really think it's going to be fine with them?" He jerked his thumb towards Luffy, who was now trying to see if he could fit his entire foot in his mouth, and the rest of the happily oblivious crew.
Nami followed his gaze, her confident smile faltering just a bit. „Probably…?" she said, her voice now laced with the same uncertainty Mario felt.
The joyous mood of the party was officially over, replaced by the looming, grumbling specter and the first true test of Mario's quartermaster authority. The journey to Alabasta had just gotten a lot more complicated.
***
The following day, the tension over the food supply reached a boiling point. Sanji, having taken a formal inventory, stood on the deck with his hands on his hips, a storm cloud over his head. Before him, Luffy sat on his knees, doing a terrible job of looking innocent.
„Soooo," Sanji began, his voice deceptively calm. „Did anyone, and I mean anyone, take any food from the stock that was not supposed to be eaten until tomorrow?"
Luffy's eyes darted everywhere except towards the furious cook. „What? Food? Nooooo way… I have no idea what you're talking about," he waved a dismissive hand, his voice a full octave higher than usual.
„Strange," Sanji mused, leaning in dangerously close. „Then why are there very distinct meat scraps clinging to the corner of your mouth?"
Luffy's hands flew to his face. „CRAP! LEFTOVERS…!" he yelped, trying to smudge the evidence away.
„SO IT WAS YOU!" Sanji roared, his leg becoming a blur as he delivered a swift Collier Strike to the side of Luffy's head, sending the rubberman tumbling across the deck.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ship, Usopp, Chopper, and a very determined Karoo had fishing lines in the water, but they were also chewing furiously, their cheeks bulging with stolen cheese and dried fruit.
„Nami-swan!" Sanji pleaded, his anger instantly transforming into heart-shaped eyes as he turned to their navigator. „Please, I'm begging you! Get me a bigger fridge and a lock! A big, heavy lock for these idiots!"
Nami pinched the bridge of her nose. „Sigh… I'll see what I can do when we make landfall."
From his chosen spot, Mario let out a weary, „I fucking knew it." His prediction had come to pass with stunning speed.
Frustrated, Mario had retreated to the one place on the Going Merry that offered a semblance of peace: the small grove of Nami's tangerine trees. He sat cross-legged between the pots, the sweet, citrus scent a small comfort as he tried to meditate. But finding concentration was a battle. The deck was a symphony of chaos—Luffy's dramatic groaning, Usopp's exaggerated fishing tales, Chopper's gleeful exclamations, and Karoo's confused quacks.
He had been right. The secret raids on the fridge had already happened twice since his warning, and their supplies were now plummeting to dangerously low levels. With Luffy's bottomless appetite, Usopp and Chopper's mischievousness, and Karoo's newfound gluttony, the ship was a floating buffet for his crewmates. With Vivi and Nami often staying in the cabin to avoid the madness, the small sanctuary between the orange trees had become Mario's only refuge. He closed his eyes, trying to block out the noise and feel for that inner silence, the "breath of the spirit" Roger had described, but the grumbling of his own stomach and the shouts of his crew made the task feel nearly as impossible as scaling the Drum Rockies.
Rustle.
A soft sound came from the tangerine trees behind him. Mario didn't move, didn't even open his eyes. The gentle rhythm of her steps and the faint, sweet scent of citrus that always clung to her were more familiar to him now than his own heartbeat. Nami sat down beside him, her shoulder lightly brushing against his.
„What am I going to do with these idiots?" she sighed, the exasperation in her voice laced with a deep, underlying affection for their chaotic family.
Mario finally opened his eyes, a wry smile touching his lips. „Sigh… we'll make it work somehow. It's only been two days," he said, just as his stomach let out a loud, plaintive rumble, betraying his calm facade. He flushed, embarrassed.
Nami laughed softly. „It's fine to eat, Mario. We still have some food left…" she reassured him, her smile kind.
„Kough! It's fine. Feasting is also part of the training," he joked, his gaze lingering on her. The dappled sunlight filtering through the leaves caught in her orange hair, and he was struck, not for the first time, by how truly beautiful she was.
She stood up and plucked two ripe tangerines from the branches. Sitting back down, she began to peel one with practiced, careful movements, her brow slightly furrowed in concentration. Once the bright orange fruit was freed from its peel, she separated a segment and, without a word, brought it to his lips.
„Eat something. I know you haven't touched anything all day," she said, her voice firm yet gentle.
Mario leaned forward, his lips closing around the piece of fruit, his skin brushing against her fingertips. A jolt, sweet and electric, passed between them.
Nami's smile widened. To Mario, the tangerine was the most satisfying thing he had ever tasted—bursting with sun-warmed sweetness, but it was her gesture that truly nourished him. She fed him another piece, and then another, until almost the entire fruit was gone. Mario said nothing, utterly hypnotized by the simple, intimate act.
For the last piece, she placed it between her own lips, leaving half of it protruding playfully.
„Take it…" she murmured, her eyes sparkling with challenge.
She didn't have to ask twice. Mario leaned in, closing the small distance between them. Instead of taking the fruit with his fingers, he kissed her, his lips capturing both the piece of tangerine and a taste of her. As they parted, the shared sweetness lingering, a triumphant, blissful smile was on her lips.
"MARIO! HELP US FISH OR SANJI WILL KILL US!"
Luffy's desperate scream shattered the moment, echoing across the deck.
Nami rolled her eyes skyward, a mix of annoyance and resignation on her face. „Well," she said, standing up. „Break is over, I guess." With a final, lingering look, she disappeared through the trees back towards the main deck.
Mario was left sitting there, a stupid, irrepressible grin plastered on his face, the taste of tangerine and her kiss still on his lips.
"MARIOOOOO! HELP! ZORRO DOESN'T KNOW SHIT ABOUT FISHING!" Usopp's cry joined Luffy's, this time tinged with genuine panic.
The grin still firmly in place, Mario pushed himself to his feet. „I'm coming!" he yelled back, his heart feeling lighter than it had all day. The food crisis was still looming, but in that moment, with the memory of her touch and the shared sweetness, he felt like he could face anything—even teaching Zorro how to fish.