#devil fruit reader

Was it a devil fruit ability? He glanced around, trying to see if someone looked like they were using something to hold him. Yet there was no one looking at him, no one pointing at him or even concentrating on him.

And yet the beat of his heart grew faster and louder– ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.

"Luffy!" Nami's cry snapped him out of whatever had him distracted, and he turned, seeing her glaring face from however far away she was, "Why are you just standing there?"

He didn't answer; he didn't have an answer. Luckily, she was distracted after a moment as well, eyes focused on something behind him. He turned, able to twist his body at the very least, trying to see what she had been staring at.

At first, the only thing he could see was light– soft and pale, stretching out across the ground, casting gentle shadows. Despite the evening sun still being present, it looked like moonlight was dancing into the battle. Luffy blinked, squinting his eyes to try and figure out what, or who, he was looking at. He wasn't the only one who noticed; the fighting around him quieted down, and he didn't need to look to know that people were pausing.

ba-dum

His heart lurched in his chest– the drums of liberation weren't present, not entirely, but they were close. He pushed against his chest, as if willing whatever was happening to stop– these people weren't that hard to beat.

The cause of the light stepped closer and into Luffy's view. He heard a few scattered cheers, and it took him a moment to realize they were coming from the townspeople. He didn't bother turning, eyes fixated on you.

You stepped forward, stepping forward with a soft cloud of mist forming around you. He hadn't seen you before, that much he was sure of. You stood straight, shoulders poised back as you continued walking towards the battle, steps unhurried and steady. Your hair was long, a shimmering white that was flowing behind you. The mist drifted around your legs, moving like gentle waves on the shore.

Luffy felt his breath hitch, a stutter in his chest. His attention was solely focused on you, unblinking as he stared hard. Everything about you was pulling him in– physically and emotionally pulling him forward. His fists were clenched, and his arms were trembling. Like a flip was switched deep inside him, a familiar, feral grin started growing on his face.

The ground trembled beneath him, his body stretching and twisting– muscles expanded and bones shifted. It felt like reality around him was warping for a moment.

Gear five.

A laugh broke from his chest, unrestrained and loud, loud enough to be heard by everyone present on the battlefield. He knew he'd get an earful from Nami later about doing this when it wasn't necessary, but it wasn't a conscious decision on his part.

"Yeah!" The words tumbled out with more laughter, and the sound grabbed your attention, your pale eyes breaking from the battlefield, meeting his. "Let's do this!"

He was moving once more, free and lighter than before as he zipped around. The change on their side had the enemies freezing, a few choosing to flee rather than fight. He was mowing over enemies, laughter and taunts falling just as quickly as their enemies were. His attention wasn't 100% on his fight, divided and looking back at you every few seconds.

You were ethereal– he'd heard Sanji use that word before, and it felt right to describe you as such– moving towards the fallen townspeople, crouching down by their side, and laying a hand on them. Whatever you were doing caused a light to radiate from the people, bright and white, both cold and warm– and the people you had touched sat up, faces dazed as you moved on to the next person.

You were healing them. He laughed again– you were amazing.

You were, however, so focused on healing that you failed to notice an enemy growing closer to you. The man had a double-edged sword, something that Luffy had thought was cool until he saw it aimed to strike you down. The enemy he was dealing with was launched– he wasn't sure where he threw him or how hard, nor did he care– arm stretching out faster than he'd done before, fist landing hard on the back of the man's head.

"Don't touch her!" The yell was serious, harsh, and bordering on cruel as he watched the man crumple silently, and you turn, eyes widening for a brief second, before snapping up to look at him.

For a moment, he felt dizzy, his heart loud in his chest– da-dum, ba-dum.

You nodded, quick as a thank you, before turning back to the man you'd been rushing to help. He watched you for a second, eyes glaring sharply at the fallen enemy, before he turned back, quickly knocking more people down, zipping around. The remaining enemies were scattered, and some stood too scared to fight, hands up in surrender. Robin was quick to use her powers to tie them up, hands pinned behind their backs as they were immobilized. The chaos had died down to a dull roar, and using the opportunity of knowing his crew had everything handled, he rushed over to you, floating in the air and hovering.

"You're so cool!" His voice startled you, and you turned, gaze snapping up to look at him, your mouth parting in slight shock at seeing him so close. He grinned, leaning close enough to press the tip of his nose against yours, "What's your name?"

You blinked, taking a small step back to create space between you two. The battle felt distant to him now, like a dream from days ago he was struggling to remember. You swallowed, giving him your name with a quieter voice.

"Your name's so pretty!" He landed on his feet, bouncing on his toes as he stepped into your space once more, "What were you doing?"

You weren't sure how to answer, glancing at the people you'd healed who were standing up, dusting themselves off to go help others stand, "Healing people?" It came out more like a question, the feeling of unease coursing through your chest.

"That's amazing!" His eyes held literal stars in them– a shape forming in his pupils that had your eyes narrowing slightly. Who was he exactly?

"Thanks," You could feel your ability seeping out of you, the familiar draining feeling coursing through you. Your hair was the most noticeable change, color changing back to your natural color and form. You watched as Luffy's eyes widened even more, and so did his smile.

"You're just like me!" He cried out, grabbing your hands and tugging you forward, excitement in his voice and on his face.

You stumbled, always slightly uncoordinated when you were back to normal, and lightly tugged at your hands. His grip was firm, and you had a feeling even if you pulled with all your strength, he'd still hold tight. So you did your best not to fight, sending him a small smile to hopefully placate his excitement.

"I guess so?" You glanced behind him, seeing the few remaining enemies being tied up by what seemed like floating arms. Luffy shifted, standing in front of you to have your full attention, hair still white and floating.

"What fruit did you eat? How'd you get like this? I ate the gomu-gomu no mi! I've never seen someone who can transform like I can! Gear 5 is what it's called– Nika!"

His questions came at you fast, like a constant stream of words, hands still clutching yours. "Uh. The hikari-hikari no mi? I don't know what to call this form, but some of the others say it's my Tsukuyomi model."

He looked more enamored with your words, slowly shifting to press himself forward, causing you to do what you could to lean back away from him.

"You're like my complete opposite!" He sounded thrilled, and you winced at how loud he was getting.

"It's not the flashiest ability," You explained, hoping his attention would divert away from you, "But it comes in handy during fights and stuff. I'm not a fighter, but I can heal people so long as they're still alive."

"You should join my crew!"

"I– what?"

He let go of your hands, and before you could respond, he was grabbing you in his arms, holding you bridal style as if you weighed nothing. You let out a yelp at the speed, having no choice but to grab onto his shoulders as he moved through the air quickly, coming to a stop before the rest of his crew.

"Hey, guys!" You felt frazzled, and the loudness of his yell wasn't helping, "She's going to come with us!"

The others looked confused, glancing at each other before looking back at the two of you. Once your head felt like it was no longer spinning, you bat at him, trying to squirm your way out of his arms. It didn't appear to be working, and he held you tighter, like one would hold a squirming pet.

"Luffy, who is–"

"Did you even ask–"

He was chuckling now, a childish giggle coming out of him. It was strange to see a man as powerful as him with such levels of childlike giddiness.

"Oh my," A woman's voice cut through the rest of the stammering crew, and even your attention was pulled as the taller lady, Robin, if you remembered correctly, stepped forward. She looked somewhat amused, a small smile on her face.

"It appears that you're the hikari-hikari no mi user, aren't you?" You nodded at her question, and her grin grew a bit sharper, "Do you know the history of your fruit?"

You could feel Luffy quite literally bouncing on his feet, bouncing you along with him. God would he put you down? "I only really know what I can do with it– would you please put me down– and at some point I could use that form, but I don't know the history of it or anything."

"You said your townspeople called it your Tsukuyomi model, yes?" In between trying to push yourself from Luffy's arms, you nodded, and she hummed before continuing, "In mythology, Tsukuyomi was a deity, a moon goddess. The base form of your fruit allows you to create a small ball of moonlight, and if pressed against an injury can heal them. In your Tsukuyomi form, much like our captain's Nika form, all your abilities are enhanced."

That much about your abilities you had known, but you kept your lips pressed shut. Luffy paid no mind to your continued squirming, still in his Nika form and attention focused on Robin as she spoke.

"It's said that back when devil fruits originated that the god Nika was infatuated with the goddess Tsukuyomi, a love that was described as bordering on obsession. The power associated with Tsukuyomi is said to be gentle, calm, and the complete opposite of Nika."

You blinked, feeling a faint chill brush across your skin, "That seems... a bit excessive."

Luffy seemed excited at the story Robin laid out, letting out a cheer and jumping up, taking you up with him several feet into the air. You scrambled to hold tighter to him, eyeing the ground as it seemed impossibly far from you.

"See!" He landed, hair darkening as he transformed back into his regular form, grinning at you, "You have to come with us!"

"I can't just join you!" Your yell seemed to fall on deaf ears as Luffy shifted his attention to his crew, and you started flailing even harder in his arms.

"Chopper! She can work with you in the infirmary!" His eyes were sparkling as he made decisions while ignoring you.

"Hey!"

Chopper tugged at his hat, shifting where he stood, "Uh, is that a good idea Luffy?"

"Yeah! You heard what Robin said– she can heal and stuff! Where else is she going to work?"

"Luffy, you can't just kidnap someone!" Nami stepped forward, "She has a life here! Hell, she probably has a family!"

You... didn't. But they didn't need to know that. Luffy just blinked at her, tilting his head as if he was confused.

"But you heard Robin." Nami raised an eyebrow, "Our fruits are in love or whatever!"

"That is not what she said, you idiot!" Nami pointed a finger at him, annoyance clear in her glare, "She was talking about some myth, not your actual love life!"

Luffy whined, tucking you closer as if he was afraid they'd try and snatch you from his arms. You kind of hoped one of them would. "But- but when she got on the battlefield, you saw what happened! My heart got all loud, and I could feel Gear 5 wanting to come out! I didn't mean to transform, it just happened when I saw her!"

That explanation had the crew quieting down, and the smile on Robin's face looked almost softer. "I did say it was part of mythology, Nami, not that it was untrue."

"So what– he has some sort of devil-fruit soulmate?"

Robin hummed, "In simple terms– perhaps."

Luffy grinned, directed at Nami with a teasing glint in his eyes, "See! Our fruits are in love!"

Nami just sighed, as if beginning to give up on her argument, "Okay but, still, Luffy, you can't just use that as an excuse to kidnap her," You were not a fan of how they discussed you like you weren't present, "Even if there is some deep, weird connection between you two 'cause of your fruit."

"If anything, it just means there's potential affinity," Robin continued, though for some reason, you didn't believe her words were meant to deter her captain.

"Use whatever big words you want, I don't care! She's gonna be a Straw Hat and sail with us! Hey, do you have some dream you want to accomplish?"

You just looked up at him, perplexed and puzzled and annoyed and ready to swing on this guy–

"Not... really," Was all you manage to muster, "Please. Put me down."

He finally complied, setting you on your feet, but staying so close he was practically glued to your side. You huffed. The biggest issue you were facing was that the idea of leaving and setting sail was really appealing. But he wasn't even suggesting it– he was telling you you were coming with him.

And that was pissing you off.

"Where are you planning on going?"

A few of the others looked surprised at your question, but Luffy didn't. He grinned, wide and childish and– "Wherever we want," –free.

In the morning, with the full Straw Hat crew all together again, you all returned to Coco Village to see what happened and what Arlong’s pirates left behind. The village was in an even worse state than it was before, with more of the remaining buildings turned over or burned. One small fire still burned at the bottom of a husk of a cart. Usopp grabbed a bucket of water and ran over to put it out. You did your best to help people gather up what belongings they still had and convene in the village center.

Genzo marched up to the crew with a small group of villagers behind him, Nojiko standing beside him. Genzo told Nami that Nojiko explained everything to them. That they now knew why she had left her village and worked for Arlong. He asked for her forgiveness on behalf of the village. Nami told them there was nothing to forgive, it was her home.

Then Genzo expressed the village's intentions to fight the Arlong pirates themselves. Nami tried to talk them out of it, but they were determined to retake their home or die trying. Luffy and the rest of the crew agreed. You placed a hand on Nami's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, trying to reassure her that everything would be okay.

And before you knew it, you all set off to Arlong Park.

Once you reached the gates, everyone paused. Usopp pulled out his newly made smoke bombs and passed a few to each Straw Hat.

"Okay," Usopp whispered to everyone, "They should all explode on impact, so just throw them high and far, over the walls, and this should give us some cover."

"Got it," Luffy nodded. He looked around, "Everyone ready?"

You gingerly held the bombs in your hands and nodded along with everyone else. Then, without further warning, Luffy wound up and chucked his smoke bombs over the gates. The rest of you followed suit, instantly hearing the impact of the smoke bombs and the cacophony of confused shouts from the fishmen.

Luffy kicked the doors of the Arlong Park open and the Straw Hats stepped into the smoke.

"Fishmen! Stand by to defend borders!"

Zoro's thumb flicked up on the hilt of his first sword, popping the blade up from the sheath. Sanji cracked his neck. Usopp raised his slingshot, the slightest tremble in his hands. You felt more than heard a rushing in your ears. A buzzing feeling crackled under your skin. You shook out your hands and lifted them up in front of you.

"Where's Arlong?" Luffy stared down the fishmen in front of you all. Nami quickly responded, "He's probably in the map room."

"You two go get him," you said, "We've got this."

With that, the Arlong pirates let out vicious yells and charged the Straw Hats. You, Sanji, Zoro, and Usopp split off.

A fishman came swinging at you with a fist. You ducked under his arm and threw your hand up to his face. Light exploded from your hand. He cried out, blinded, stumbling back. Your leg shot out, connecting with his knee, making a snapping sound. He crumpled, his head hitting the ground with a thunk.

You looked up to see if Nami and Luffy made it through, but pain shot through your head and you were jerked back. Another fishman had caught you by the hair. You snarled and threw your elbow straight back into his ribs. He grunted but didn't let go.

His arm wrapped around your neck. You threw your leg back to try to kick him, but felt nothing. Your feet were slipping on the wet rocks. You could feel his hot breath on your cheek and heard his satisfied chuckle.

Anger swelled in your chest, flooding your veins. The buzzing rushed back into your hands. With a feral cry, your hands shot up to grab at his face, nails unable to find purchase on his clammy skin. The buzzing intensified.

You pulled your hand back, summoning the glowing sphere to blind him, but this time, it felt different. When you released it from your hand, the glowing sphere snapped with electric energy.

Instantly, you slammed it into his face. The pirate jolted and gurgled and went limp, sliding to the ground, releasing you.

You stared down at your hands, the crackling feeling lingering in your palms. You slowly smiled to yourself. Then, you heard Sanji and Zoro arguing.

"I had that one."

"If you had him, then I wouldn't have gotten him," Sanji smirked at Zoro.

"Boys!" You shouted across the pool at them, "Focus!" You pointed at the second wave of pirates running toward them. They looked at each other and then split off, running across the stone platforms.

Several fishmen dove into the pool. Two glowing spheres of electricity gathered in your hands. The fishmen cut through the water toward you. You plunged your arms into the pool. Electricity erupted across the surface. The fishmen convulsed in the water and went still. Steam rose from the pool as the sparks fizzled out.

You pulled your hands out of the water and clapped, only a little shocked that your plan actually worked. But while you were celebrating, you didn't notice the fishman charging toward you until you heard him yell. You whirled around to see his short sword swinging down toward your head. Before you could even lift your hands to try to defend yourself, another sword clashed with the fishman's.

Zoro was there. He blocked the blade and twisted his wrist, quickly disarming the fishman. Then in one swift movement, he flipped the blade around and stabbed it into the fishman's gut.

"Looks like it's your turn to focus, new girl," he teased as he stood in front of you at the edge of the pool. Just as you were about to thank him, he grabbed your right wrist with his left hand and spun you outward, just missing another fishman's cleaver. He dispatched the next fishman, dropping your hand, and then the next. After the third, he dropped to one knee, his hand going to his chest.

Across the way, Sanji shouted at him, "You look tired!" He kicked a fishman in the chest, "Maybe you should take a break!"

"Sanji!" You scolded him, throwing an electric sphere into the chest of the next fishman who ran up to you.

Zoro just stood and stabbed the fishman behind him, growling out, "Maybe you should get back in the kitchen…"

They kept arguing, but you didn't have time to stop them. Another pirate grabbed your arm. You grunted, kicked off the nearby wall and flipped to the other side of the fishman. From behind, you crafted a glowing sphere and slammed it into the side of his face. The bright flash exploded in his eyes. He groaned and you pulled all your weight down as hard as you could, dragging him to the ground. Then you grabbed his head and bashed it against the rocks.

When you looked up again, Sanji was taking Buggy's head out of the bag he'd been carrying around. The head flew out of his hand and over to one of the park's game booths, where you saw that the rest of the clown's body was strung up. Once his head was back in place, Buggy easily escaped his bonds and hopped down to the ground outside the booth.

You stepped up beside Zoro and Sanji as Buggy gave you all two middle fingers, "Hey, so, um, I'm gonna get outta here."

"Clown…" Zoro warned, taking a step toward Buggy. The clown took a step back, "Sorry, kiddos! I'd love to make things right, but it's time for me to exit stage left…" Then he took off.

You sighed, not really surprised that he would pull something like that. Then a deep voice called back your attention, "How dare you cut down my brothers!" You spun around in time to see a very large fishman dive into the pool.

You darted forward, sparks expanding into a sphere, but just as you reached the edge of the water, the massive fishman exploded out of it. You were knocked back so hard, you went flying. Your body slammed into the stone wall, all your breath forced from your lungs.

Stunned, you couldn't move. The edges of your vision blurred, but you could see Sanji tackled by the fishman. Zoro jumped in with his sword, but the fishman blocked it with his arm, his tough skin not even taking a scratch.

Zoro was thrown across the park and landed hard. Sanji got a few kicks in, but the fishman had a drop kick of his own, sending Sanji landing next to Zoro.

The stun your body suffered finally seemed to alleviate. You heaved in a deep breath, air filling your lungs once again. You coughed, "Ow. That sucked."

"Nami is a fool to have her faith in such week compatriots," the fishman sneered. Sanji jumped up, "Don't you dare bad mouth Nami…" He stripped off his suit jacket and threw himself at the fishman.

You finally managed to pull yourself to your feet. Sanji finished off the massive pirate with a series of kicks and battle cries you'd never heard before. The fishman crashed through one of the park game booths and didn't get back up.

When you caught up with them, Zoro was begrudgingly muttering under his breath, "Yeah, you're gonna fit in just fine…" Sanji didn't seem to notice. As soon as you were close, he gently grabbed your arm, concern written all over his face as he asked, "Are you okay? You really took a hit back there." His hand found your back and you winced, but you shook your head, brushing him off, "I'll be okay, I think." You stretched your back muscles tentatively, but quickly stopped as pain shot through you. "Ah, okay, maybe it's gonna leave a bruise…" Sanji looked like he was going to say something, but then Usopp ran back into Arlong Park.

"Never fear! The Great Captain Usopp is…" He looked around at all the bodies littering the ground. "Oh, you guys did pretty good in here…"

The three of you turned to him. You threw your hands out to the side, incredulous, "Usopp! Where have you been?!"

"Um, so there was this pirate, and he was shooting alcohol like bullets, and I was running through the forest, but then I had this idea-"

Sanji interrupted Usopp's story, shouting, "Nami!" He threw up his arms for a hug. Nami blew right past him, exclaiming, "You're all okay," as she embraced Zoro and Usopp. Sanji dropped his arms to his side with a sigh. You elbowed him in the ribs and shook your head, "We just got here, idiot."

"Mm, touche," Sanji opened his arms toward you instead. You laughed and went in for his hug. But when his arms wrapped around you, you gasped, "Ow, ouch."

"Oh, right, sorry," he released you quickly.

Then a violent rumbling caught all of your attention. The ground started to shake. The huge, tiered building at the end of Arlong Park began to crack and crumble. Nami gasped, "Luffy!"

You all watched in horror as the building broke apart, collapsing in on itself. With Luffy still inside…

You shielded your eyes from the wave of dust, and as soon as it cleared, you peered intently at the wreckage, your heart clenched in your chest. You held your breath.

A fist shot out of the rubble, followed by a whole person. Luffy, jumping out of the debris and landing on top. He breathed in and then bellowed out, "Nami," his voice washing over the remains of the park, "You are our friend! We are your crew!"

With Arlong and the fishmen defeated, Nami and the rest of Coco Village were finally free. And the villagers were kind enough to host all of you for a celebration.

Sanji graciously offered to cook for everyone, and after Nojiko vouched for him, the villagers gladly accepted.

The party kicked off and you all finally got to enjoy the peaceful side of Coco Village. People chatted openly, someone played a soft melody near a crackling fire in the center of town, and children chased each other around and laughed. It was lively and joyful in Coco Village, and you were proud to have been a part of making that happen.

However, when you tried to help Sanji serve the dinner he made, he refused.

"No. No way," He took the ladle from you.

"What?"

"Take this," he shoved a plate full of food toward you, "and go sit down, yeah?"

"Why? If anyone should be serving, it should be me," you placed a hand on your hip, "Kind of trained in this sort of thing, aren't I?"

"You need to rest. You had a nasty fall today."

You scoffed, "Oh, come on, I'm fine!"

"Yeah?" Sanji's finger darted out and poked your back. You hissed and recoiled. He smirked down at you, "Totally fine?"

"Okay! Okay! I see your point!" You took the plate of food from him. "But are you sure I can't-"

"Go!" His finger kept poking at your back, sending spikes of small pains through your muscles.

"I'm going! I'm going! Sheesh, you don't have to be so mean," you whined, scurrying away. From over your shoulder as you stepped away, you could see him smiling to himself.

You looked around for a place to sit. With all of Coco Village out and about, the center square was more crowded than you'd ever seen it before. Although it was nice to see that the people didn't need to cower in their homes or flee for their lives, it did make it a bit harder to find a seat… Finally, you spotted one.

"Mind sharing your spot with me?"

Zoro looked up from where he sat on a log by the fire. He shrugged, "Sure." Then he slid over slightly so there was a bit more room on the log for you to sit.

The two of you were very close, your knees bumping against each other as you ate what Sanji made. After a bit of silence, you spoke up, "Oh, uh, thanks for saving me today." Zoro glanced at you, brow raising. You swallowed a bit of food and clarified, "Earlier? I almost got cut in half," you mimed a chopping motion with your arm. "It was a nice save."

Zoro laughed, "Right. No, no, you were doing great on your own." He gestured to your hands, "I think I caught a bit of your devil fruit in action. Pretty impressive."

You perked up, "Oh, yeah! I actually…" You waved one hand, wiggling your fingers dramatically, "Found out I could do something new."

"New? You couldn't electrocute guys before?"

You shook your head, "No, but I guess I hadn't needed to? I'm not sure…"

"Sounds like you need more practice," Zoro said, pointing at you with his fork. "We should spar sometime."

"Like, fight? Me? Fight you?" You laughed, "I'm pretty sure you'd kill me."

Zoro smiled, "I'd go easy on you, promise." You pursed your lips, pretending to think about it. Then you shrugged, "Alright. Next time we get a chance, maybe you can teach me how to fight properly."

"It's a date," he smirked and stood up. "I'm gonna get seconds."

You looked down at your food to cover your blush. You were completely at a loss for what to do about Zoro's… flirting? You weren't used to being flirted with. Except by Sanji, but that didn't count in your head. He flirted with every woman he met, so it didn't really mean anything.

You sighed to yourself, trying not to think about it, and instead finished your meal by the fire. You'll cross that bridge when you get to it. If you get to it.

When you finished your food, you got up to return your dish to the long table at the edge of the square. From there, you noticed Usopp standing under a tree, one foot propped up on a stump. He was telling the villagers gathered there about his heroic encounter in the woods, against a terrifying fishman who shot fire from his mouth.

You moved to stand at the edge of the crowd, soon joined by Zoro, who sat in front of you on another stump, then Luffy, Nami, and finally Sanji, who all stood beside you. When Usopp finished his dramatic tale, there was a stunned beat of silence from the villagers. Beside you, Luffy spoke up, raising his voice to say, "Three cheers for our fearless captain Usopp! We couldn't have done it without him!"

The villagers gathered all broke out into cheers and applause, and you clapped along with them. Usopp looked around and smiled.

But the moment was interrupted by a different voice shouting, "Form lines!"

Everyone turned around to see Marines, nearly thirty or so, marching into Coco Village, muskets in hand. You could feel the tension in the air shift, the villagers withdrawing from the celebration. They were on edge once again.

An older marine you'd never seen before came forward, commanding his subordinates to arrest you all. Surprisingly, one of the marines (a boy with pink hair) rushed forward and argued on the crew's behalf, insisting that Arlong and his pirates were to blame, not the Straw Hats.

You leaned over to Nami, whispering, "Who are they?" She nodded subtly to the older man, "Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Garp," then she tilted her head slightly to the boy, "And that's Koby."

"Luffy's what?"

"Yeah, that's what I said."

The man in charge, apparently Luffy's grandfather, didn't listen, reminding the young marine of his orders. The young man stepped in front of him, refusing. Even when Luffy's grandfather told him there would be severe punishments for defying direct orders.

"I disagree with those orders," Koby said, defiantly. Another marine stepped up next to him, adding, "Me too."

Vice Admiral Garp looked dismayed and turned to the rest of the marines, raising his voice and asking if any of them would like to follow suit. They did not. However, just as you prepared yourself for another fight, Luffy stepped forward and challenged the vice admiral himself.

You stepped back, along with the rest of the Straw Hat crew, to let Luffy and his grandfather have their confrontation. Garp gave Luffy one more chance to back down, give it all up.

"That's not really my thing," Luffy responded. Then he wound up and threw a punch toward the vice admiral's head. Garp easily dodged, and in a split second, his fist shot out and hit Luffy squarely in the chest. Luffy went flying. You gasped and flinched as Luffy crashed through two different structures. How can a normal old man have a punch that strong?

Garp kept coming at Luffy, and your captain couldn't land anything on his grandfather. All the while, Garp lectured Luffy about being a pirate and the dangers it would bring him. He couldn't possibly be ready.

"But I'm never giving up on my dream," Luffy spit out from where Garp held him in the air by his red vest. "I'm going to the Grand Line. I'm going to find the One Piece. And I'm going to be King of the Pirates." Luffy let out a half-crazed, almost maniac laugh. Suddenly, Garp dropped Luffy, turned around, and ordered the marines to stand down.

You blinked in astonishment. Garp marched past all of you, commanding his men to give chase after the Arlong pirates. Then he turned back to Luffy and explained that he needed to make sure Luffy was sure about who he was and what he wanted, to be sure he was ready for everything that would come next.

"You're on your own now," Garp told him, holding him by the shoulders. The vice admiral stepped away, but Luffy called out, "No, I'm not." Garp looked back. Luffy smiled at all of you, "I have my friends." His grandfather nodded once in acknowledgement and followed his men out of Coco Village.

You let out a breath of relief, and as the marines receded into the night, the tension melted away from the village again. Now, you could all get back to celebrating.

The next morning, you helped Sanji, Usopp, and Zoro pack up the ship. Nami was saying goodbye to her home, and Luffy was… somewhere. But that was fine, as you spent much of the morning helping the crew prepare the different surprises for the two missing crew-members.

Three tangerine trees from Coco Village were graciously gifted from the groves, carefully transplanted into pots, and secured onto the aft of the ship. Then, you all helped paint the Going Merry's sail with the Straw Hat colors, a skull and crossbones with a straw hat proudly situated on the head. It took quite a bit of time, but you were sure Luffy and Nami would love both.

Sometime later in the day, a little bit after Nami, Luffy clambered back onto the ship, excitedly waving around a piece of parchment. When you all gathered down in the galley at his beckoning, Luffy proudly showed everyone his bounty poster.

"I'm famous!" Usopp exclaimed.

"What're you talking about, it's Luffy's poster, not yours," Sanji laughed. Usopp pointed at the picture on the parchment, "Not just Luffy…" You peered closer to see what Usopp meant. You snorted, "That's just the back of your head!"

Usopp shrugged with a smile, "Still…"

"30,000,000 berry, though. That's crazy high. I think it's the highest in the East Blue," you directed at Luffy. Zoro chimed in, "With that price on your head, every bounty hunter in the East Blue is gonna be coming for you."

"Not just Luffy," Nami added, "They're gonna be gunning for all of us."

A somber hush fell over the group as you all contemplated the danger you were now in. But before things could slide into too much gloom, Luffy piped up, "Then it's a good thing we're not staying in the East Blue…"

After the crew revealed the surprises to Nami and Luffy respectively, the ship cast off, leaving the Conomi Islands behind. Everyone was up on the top deck, busy finding supplies to tie down or sails to readjust or the Grand Line map to analyze. But then, while you were in the midst of climbing down from the rigging, you heard Luffy call out over the wind, "Straw Hats! All hands on deck for a cast off ceremony!"

You hopped down onto the deck and made your way over to where the group convened, around a barrel at mid-ship. You stood in between Sanji and Zoro, across from Nami. Sanji looked around at all of you, and then swung one leg up onto the barrel, heel striking down purposefully as he said, "I'm gonna find the All Blue."

Eagerly, Luffy followed suit next to him, adding, "I'm gonna be king of the pirates."

With a small smile, Zoro put his leg on the barrel next, saying, "I'm gonna be the world's greatest swordsman.

"I'm gonna draw a map of the world," Nami said confidently, adding her heel to the top of the barrel.

As you looked around at these new friends you'd made, you couldn't believe you were finally going to do it, the one thing you'd been dreaming of since you were a little girl. You put your leg up on the barrel and said, "I'm gonna find The Lost Lighthouse."

Usopp looked around a bit nervously, "And I…" He hesitated, but then he set his jaw and shouted, "am gonna become a brave warrior of the sea!" He threw his leg up on the barrel next to Nami's.

A rush of exhilaration swept through all of you. You let out a laugh, that excitement feeling contagious as Luffy said, "This is it, crew. The Grand Line." He threw his fist in the air and bellowed, "Nothing's gonna stand in our way! Yeaahhh!"

You live on a small island somewhere in the new world. You work as an author who goes by the pen name "S".

Usually, pirates would come to your island twice a month. The townsfolk were very friendly and you sometimes stepped in when pirates crossed over the line.

One day, you and your friend were hanging out in a small secluded alleyway. Your back was against the only entrance and you were facing your friend who was already opening the mystery novel.

"Good luck," you had said.

Your friend only nodded. Bright yellow light surrounded the both of you. When the light finally disappeared, your friend was gone, and the closed book fell to the ground. You picked it up and turned around, ready to leave the alleyway.

Your eyes locked in with a black one. A 5'11 man with a straw hat was staring right at you with mouth agape from amazement.

Your eyes widened, and you were about to open the book facing his way. But his arm suddenly stretched and took your book before you could open it.

"COOL!!! How did you do that?!" The guy wearing the straw hat asked.

"Shh, don't be too loud or the others will catch us," you walked towards the man, "they don't know about my ability. And I would like to keep it that way."

You took the book from the stranger's hand and walked away. The rubber man beside you said, "That's an awesome ability. How about you join my crew?"

You stop walking and look right into his eyes. "Crew? I don't know anything about you and would like to keep it that way."

The man only smiled back and responded, "Is information all you want? Well then, I'm Monkey D. Luffy, and I will be the king of the Pirates!" He raised both of his hands and made a fist. All this while smiling.

"King of the pirates? Don't make me laugh. Plus, I decided to live here for all my life."

"Really?? But don't you want to go on an adventure? I and my crew always go on fun adventures. You will never be bored!"

Before I could say anything back, a woman with long orange hair came up to me and Luffy.

"There you are! We're gonna leave in 2 days. Next time don't dash away and wait for us, Luffy!" The tangerine girl said.

The girl who was scolding Luffy finally noticed me and apologized. She then introduced herself and dragged Luffy by the ear. I watched the scene until they vanished into the crowd and walked off. I hope that my friend is almost done with the book.

I went to different places for inspiration. Being a mystery writer was no easy task. Especially if you only have a limited view. The sun was almost setting, and my friend was still stuck. My new story really did a poll on them.

I walked into Naty's bar and ordered a drink. Luffy's sentence rang into my head. An adventure? I wonder what it'll be like...My books had always sailed the sea, but shouldn't the author, too? No. Being a pirate is dangerous. My view may be limited, but my mind is not.

As long as I have a paper and pen, I can do anything...is what I would like to say. I took a few berries, placed them on the counter, and left the bar. Today took a sour turn.

A/n: This was supposed to be a head cannon but I accidentally made it as a story...so uh... ALSO PLEASE REQUEST IM BORED AF :((( part 2 getting posted...tomorrow? BTW WHAT SHOULD BE THE DEVIL FRUIT NAME BE???

You were given some free time, holding a champagne flute, still entirely full as you wandered slowly. You were on the look out, as was your job.

Targets, is what you called them.

Future business partners is how Damarias’s referred to them.

You jolted slightly, a firm grip on your bicep startling you from your thoughts. Damarias was next to you, a well practiced, calm look on his face. To those near you the way he shifted to hold your arm may appear affectionate, but you knew it was a reminder.

He leaned down slightly, brushing your hair away from your ear. “It’s your time, my dear. Convince them I’m worth their while.”

That was all you were told. It was all you needed to hear, really. You attended these parties for one of two reasons— to be seen as his beautiful song bird, and to convince the richest and most worthwhile people to pledge their loyalty to Lord Damarias.

You stepped away from him, your movements trained. Poised. Elegant. You were told once you appeared to float when you move, rather than walk.

You easily stepped into conversations, laughing when appropriate, the same jokes you’d heard time and time again. You nodded along to the stupid business jargon explained your way, feigning interest in their every word. It took a few sweet sentences to convince them that investing in Damarias’ and what he stood for was in their best interest. Truly, you barely needed to influence any of your power into your speech.

Spineless men.

You were making good progress, and you knew that because of that you could afford a break. Stepping back, you were able to grab a glass of wine— dark red. With your back turned to most of the patrons, you grimaced. Why couldn’t they have some water here too?

With a sigh, you sipped it, ignoring the taste lingering in your mouth. Better this than nothing, you mused to yourself.

The party was in full swing, music pouring out of the open windows. The food was being replenished, guests had all arrived, stuffy suits and shimmering dresses.

You enjoyed the downtime you earned yourself on occasion, glancing to where Damarias was talking with some of your previous targets. He was grinning, large and ugly on his round head. Huffing into your wine, you took another sip, watching other patrons around. Even the pirates that he’d convinced to attend seemed to be enjoying themselves.

As your eyes scanned, it didn’t take long before your attention sharpened. A boy, he didn’t look much older than you, was stood at the food table. While that itself wasn’t super eye catching, the way he shoveled food into his mouth was.

It was almost… disturbing to watch.

“What is he a snake?” You muttered, chuckling quietly at your own stupid joke.

You shifted where you were, maneuvering yourself to stand closer as a few others joined him where he stood.

“Luffy, slow down!” A red haired women hissed, sharp nails moving to pinch the man’s ear.

“But’s it’s all free!” This Luffy whined, cheeks puffed out with the amount of food he was eating.

They began to bicker, appearing to be trying to keep their voices down. It wasn’t working, and you couldn’t help but snort into your drink. A call of your name startled you, and you had years of etiquette training to thank for not physically jumping. You turned, a smile on your face as you greeted some other guests, old businessmen you’d convinced three years ago to associate with Damarias.

“You’re gonna get us caught!” A well placed smack to the back of Luffy’s head had him whining, childish and loud.

Usopp looked nervous, glancing around like every guest around them were seconds from jumping them, “What do you think they’ll do to us if we are caught?”

Robin hummed, and Usopp regretted asking when she opened her mouth to answer. “No no no, forget I asked!”

Sanji rolled his eyes, fingers playing with his unlit cigarette. “Let him enjoy the food, a party like this plans for people to gorge themselves.”

He was watching the crowds, eyes nearly forming into hearts as he watched all the women in beautiful dresses mingling. It didn’t take long, however, for his gaze to fall on you.

Your dress, for starters, stood out. While everyone— sans them— abided by some dress code of gold and black, you wore a beautiful shade of blue. Your dress complimented your figure in a way that made him think it was almost part of your skin. Stunning was only one word to describe how you appeared, and it seemed too weak to do you justice.

However, once he stopped taking note of your physical appearance, he was quick to notice how you stood. To all those surrounding you, you seemed comfortable, relaxed. But he recognized the way you stood almost too intimately. The posture was trained, the smile on your face fake, your laughs far too perfectly timed.

His attention on you didn’t go unnoticed.

“Seems like we’ve discovered the lord of the estate’s songbird.” Robin’s voice was smooth as she came to stand next to him, her own plate of food in her hands.

“Songbird?” He turned a questioning gaze to her, but she only hummed in response, not taking her eyes off of you.

Turning back, he paid attention to the bigger picture around you. You were talking with a group of people, a group who appeared like merchants. As much as the older men seemed to be leading the conversation, it was hard to ignore how every time you spoke their gazes turned fuzzy, pausing and stumbling over their words before they smiled; large, happy, and almost empty.

You were controlling the conversation, and they were none the wiser.

“If my hypothesis is true— she’s consumed a devil fruit.” Robin continued.

“You think so?” Usopp had shifted to stand with them, appearing to do his best to ignore Nami and Luffy, “Just from watching her talk?”

He made a noise of surprise when your gaze turned, catching his eye. You smiled at the men you had been talking to, watching as they wandered off, before turning back to him and the rest of the group, making your way over towards them.

There was something off about that group, but you couldn’t put your finger on it. You made your way over, laughing to yourself at the way one of the men squirmed under your gaze.

“Good evening,” You smiled, eyes flitting around the group as the rest wandered over, “I hope you all are enjoying yourselves.”

The blonde was the first to respond, voice light and cheerful as he greeted you, “The evening’s gotten better with your presence, beautiful,” You offered your hand out, and he was quick to take it, pressing a kiss against your knuckles.

You smiled— an empty, automatic response, “You flatter me.”

The one you had watched earlier, Luffy, laughed, holding a plate piled high with food, “What are you doing, Sanji?” He was laughing some, voice cheerful.

The blonde one— Sanji— looked annoyed, eyebrow twitching as he turned to Luffy, “Greeting a beautiful lady the way she deserves to be greeted.”

You let your hand fall back to your side, “And you are?”

You had overheard his name, but you kept that to yourself. It wasn’t polite, after all. Luffy grinned, and you internally winced at the meat stuck between his teeth.

“I’m Money D. Luffy, and I’m gonna be king of the pirates!”

Oh. Oh. That’s who they were— the Strawhat Pirates. You glanced around the group, schooling the recognition that was dawning on you.

Captain Luffy. Vinsmoke Sanji. Nami. Roronoa Zoro. God Usopp. Nico Robin. There were others, but a quick glance through the group let you know they weren’t there.

Your stomach twisted.

You know for a fact that Damarias had not invited them. They weren’t the same as the other pirates he tended to associate with, so he had no reason to have them attend.

You just smiled, eyebrows raised, “That’s quite the goal.”

“Yup!” He grinned, “Hey— did you eat a devil fruit? Robin said she thinks you did. What can you do?”

You stiffened, it wasn’t common knowledge that you had eaten a devil fruit. As far as you know, there had been five people, including yourself and Damarias, who knew. One of the five was dead, and the other two had been forced into silence.

“I just work alongside Lord Damarias,” You spoke carefully, trying to avoid answering the question without raising suspicion, “I attend parties to scope out who would be good business partners for him, that’s all.”

The swordsman, Zoro, snorted. He’d been rather silent so far, “Seemed more than just scoping out earlier.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Who’s this lord?” Luffy stepped forward, eyes gleaming, “Is he a god? Is he strong?”

Zoro looked mildly annoyed at having been physically shoved aside by his captain, but said nothing. You blinked, he was so close you felt the edge of his strawhat brush against your forehead.

“Lord Damarias,” You spoke slowly, “This is his estate. You’re at one of his parties.”

“Right,” God Usopp chuckled nervously, “We knew that. He invited us, beautiful bird he sent out with the invite.”

You nodded slowly, “Right.”

Before you or any of the crew could speak, a sharp voice called out, a bark of your name. Your posture changed instantly, standing up straighter.

“My dear,” Damarias was next to you, the familiar strong hold on your arm.

His suit was the same shade of blue as your dress, you were set to be matching. He held a wine glass in his other hand, graying hair styled back and neat.

“You appear to be neglecting your duties, my dove,” He spoke smoothly, eyeing the crew, “These guests don’t appear to be interested in holding conversations regarding… business proposals.”

Luffy took a bite on one of the turkey legs stacked on his plate, “Nope!”

You could tell Damarias’ was barely holding in his distaste.

“My apologies,” You bowed your head, “I was held up in conversation and lost track of time. I’ll return.”

Damarias nodded, satisfied with your response. The grip on your arm was gone, the hand coming up to tuck a strand of your hair behind your ear. The touch was light, but the weight behind it felt like your chest was being crushed under several tons. The necklace suddenly felt tighter where it rested near your throat.

“If her duties are to find you people good for business, then I’d say she hasn’t been,” Nami spoke, her voice icy as he stared Damarias down, “Don’t be so quick to dismiss us.”

Damarias paused where he stood, turning to her, his hand dropping from you, “I beg your pardon?”

“I highly doubt you have no clue who we are,” She continued, her voice strong, arms crossed, “If anything you should be grateful she’s been such delightful company to us.”

There was silence, and you could feel and hear your heart hammering in your chest. In those seconds your mask slipped, eyes wide and fearful as you stared at Nami. Damarias didn’t notice, but the others did.

Finally, a laugh. “Of course, I do apologize,” He turned towards Nami, and the shift where he stood snapped you back into the present, your expression shifting into neutral.

“Forgive me, but see she’s— she’s family to me. I feel rather protective when she’s around pirates with such bounties as you all have.”

Family. Yeah, sure. The word coming from him made your stomach roll. You smiled though, always smile, always agree.

“She doesn’t seem very happy.”

Luffy’s sentence felt like a punch to the gut. It didn’t come out accusatorially, not harsh or biting. He said it like it was a casual conversation piece, eyes never leaving your face though his words were directed to Damarias.

You made eye contact with him, unable to look away. He was looking at you in a way that made you feel vulnerable, uncomfortable in a way you hadn’t been in years. You could feel Damarias tense next to you, but it felt like he was miles away. Luffy tilted his head, almost like was asking you— are you happy?

No, and you hadn’t been for a very long time.

He seemed to understand that, his gaze finally shifting from you to Damarias, and you felt like you could breathe again.

“You should let her leave.”

Never-mind.

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐮 𝐧𝐨 𝐌𝐢; 𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧-𝐒𝐢𝐫𝐞𝐧 𝐅𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐰 𝐇𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐱 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 (𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜, 𝐬𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫)

𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬, 𝐏𝐭. 𝟐

You glanced over, heart stuttering in your chest as you made eye contact with one Monkey D. Luffy. He was eating, looking back at you rather curiously. What— What were the strawhat pirates doing here? Kurozawa continued to speak, and you broke the staring contest that was going on between you and the pirate captain.

Chapter One (Re-Mastered)

“Forgive me, but see she’s— she’s family to me. I feel rather protective when she’s around pirates with such bounties as you all have.” Family. Yeah, sure. The word coming from him made your stomach roll. You smiled though, always smile, always agree. “She doesn’t seem very happy.” Luffy’s sentence felt like a punch to the gut. It didn’t come out accusatorially, not harsh or biting. He said it like it was a casual conversation piece, eyes never leaving your face though his words were directed to Damarias.

If You Thought It Was Real Sanji x Reader (Yandere!Sanji, (platonic) Yandere!Strawhats) Your jobs were typical: scout, seduce, steal. Berri, artifacts, maps, books, you name it, and you've stolen it. This job was supposed to be easy: Black-leg Sanji was a notorious ladies' man, gaining his trust and access to his ship was easy. What wasn't easy was escaping him and his crew. You were Sanji's, which meant you were theirs. Taglist

AO3 Version

Requests:

Scenes from Before

First Meeting

Future Scenarios

Chapters:

Was he stupidly brave or just plain stupid? Despite the easy-going smile being present, Lord Damarias was fighting to keep his energy neutral. Too many powerful guests were around for him to blow a fuse, and you could practically hear his teeth grinding.

Nami elbowed Luffy rather harshly, hissing his name under her breath. Her captain, though wincing from the blow, didn't let her aggression deter him from continuing.

"She doesn't like working for you; I wouldn't either. The food's good, but it's nothing like what Sanji makes! Plus, it smells like smoke in here," He made a disgusted face, gesturing towards the patrons standing around with lit cigarettes and cigars between their fingers, "Not even Sanji smokes this much!"

"Watch it, Luffy," Sanji shook his head, not sounding annoyed in the slightest as he moved to stand closer to Luffy's side, mirroring the way Zoro was standing on Luffy's other side.

"Why keep her here if she's not happy? Hey, why are you still here if you're not happy? Why not just leave?"

It was very rare that you found yourself stunned, let alone stunned enough not to have a response. The crew that was present was looking at you, as if waiting for a response. Lord Damarias' face was beginning to resemble a ripened tomato, and in a moment of panic, you tried doing what you'd done thousands of times before.

"I think it's best if you and your crew leave, Mr. Luffy." You could feel the familiar tingle in your throat, keeping your voice calm and even, "If you're not here to discuss business, then you have no reason to stay."

You had more often than not used your ability to convince rowdy, drunk men to leave before they embarrassed Lord Damarias; a simple suggestion, implanted in their minds, had them stumbling home. It should have been simple enough to get the crew to leave quietly, perhaps even apologize for their words. Instead—

"Nah," Luffy shook his head, "I wanna eat more food!"

"I beg your pardon?" The mask was starting to slip, Lord Damarias' voice hiking up an octave as he witnessed what you had just seen; your ability didn't affect him, or any of them.

You were truly beginning to believe that Monkey D. Luffy, one of the youngest pirate captains of the New World, someone who has defeated warlords, yonkos, and other powerful people… was an idiot.

He blinked at Lord Damarias, head tilting like he was confused, "I know I said the food's not as good as Sanji's, but food is food! So I wanna eat more! Plus, I wanna talk to her more."

He pointed at you, and you felt your heart beat pick up, sweat building on your palms.

"You have no reason to speak with her, Strawhat."

"You don't get to have control over who a beautiful woman speaks to, and who she doesn't," Sanji cut in, voice harsher as he spoke than before, and the shift all around was almost electrifying.

"I—"

"Lord Damarias," You spoke quickly, knowing he was moments away from exploding and ruining the night, it wouldn't be the first time it's happened, "Let's just get security to escort them out. We've wasted—"

"Time has been wasted because you failed to do the one thing I asked of you," Spit flew from his mouth, speckles hitting you in the face as his fury turned towards you, "Don't you dare tell me how I'm to host my own party!"

He was nearly shouting now, and the few people who had turned to watch had grown. Nearly everyone was twisting or turning to look at where you all stood. You fought to stay calm— it would be so easy to use your ability on him right now, but the consequences you'd face later never made it worth it.

You stood tall regardless of the panic flaring inside. Years of living with him trained you for moments such as this, but it was still hard to deny the fear you felt. Your stomach twisted, but you stayed calm.

"I apologize, that isn't what I mean. I was merely suggesting—"

You should have kept your mouth shut. You should have just let him say what he wanted to say to the Strawhats. You knew what his temper was like, you knew, but you kept speaking anyway.

You heard the smack before you felt it, the sharp crack echoing through the ballroom before the pain registered in your mind. It was hot and jarring, and you staggered away from where you had been standing, palm pressed against your reddening skin. This wasn't the first time he'd ever struck you, but the frequency of it happening in public had lessened so much that it came as a shock to you.

"Hey!"

Someone steadied you, the warmth of a body behind you as gentle hands rested on your arms. It took you a moment to process that the pirate crew had moved quickly. Sanji had been the one to move to you, steadying you on your feet. He looked concerned, but you could see simmering anger in his one visible eye. Zoro had drawn one of his swords, only one, and the thought that the swordsman who was known for his three sword style only considered Lord Damarias threatening enough to warrant one of them was somewhat entertaining.

"You said she was like your family," Luffy was standing as close to Lord Damarias as he could be; there was nearly no space between the two, "You don't hit your family."

Lord Damarias sneered, dropping any and all pretenses from earlier, "How I deal with my property is of no concern to you, pirates," He spat the last word out like it was venom in his mouth.

"She's not property, and she's not yours."

Watching these strangers stand up for you so intensely, so quickly, had you feeling a way you hadn't in a very long time. Your eyes, already teary from the slap, were burning now, and you had to bite your bottom lip to keep it from trembling. There was no doubt that Sanji could feel you shaking from where he held you.

"We are not property!" The door slammed shut, and the few paintings that hung on the way rattled ominously.

You blinked, blearily, as you tried to wake up entirely. The bedroom was still dark, the fire in the fireplace having dimmed down to sparks and embers. The bed dipped near you, and you sat up, pushing the blankets off of you.

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing, just…" You felt a warm palm press against your face, gently swiping your hair out of your face, her thumbs gently brushing against your cheekbones, "Just go back to sleep, okay?"

"She is mine, she's my songbird, she's my prize, she's- she's mine!" He sounded like a toddler screaming about his favorite toy— and wasn't that just an accurate portrayal?

Murmers were starting up in the crowd, and you watched as realization dawned over Lord Damarias' face. This wasn't a private spectacle; in his fit of rage, he must have forgotten the party he was hosting. The now silent party, where his guests were looking at him with shock and disgust. He scoffed, taking a step back from Luffy.

"Apologies to my invited guests, I appear to be harboring some stowaways. Guards, if you could?" His booming voice was once again calm, and you could hear swords being drawn as the security began moving upon command.

"You- you all should leave," You whispered, doing your best to make sure you weren't heard by anyone other than Sanji, who you turned to face, "This isn't worth the trouble."

The anger on his face was still visible, but he softened for a moment, brushing a stray piece of hair from your face, his palm warm and so familiar you felt your nose begin to burn, "It's no trouble beating people like this in a fight, and even if it was. You strike me as someone who is worth the trouble, my dear."

Eimi was curled in your arms, practically seated in your lap, trembling, her eyes wide but fixated on the waters surrounding you.

The group around you was talking, and they seemed to be working on keeping their voices low as they spoke. The waters were rather calm, and had this been under different circumstances, you’d also be staring out to the water. But you kept your sights on the Strawhats.

One of them, Robin, you believed, had given you a blanket, wrapped around you and Eimi. You both were still clad in your pajamas, and you had never felt more exposed than you did now.

“Captain, please—”

Your attention shifter, body tensing as Luffy bounded forward. Eimi let out a small gasp, burrowing further into you, and you let her, holding her tighter as the grinning captain stopped in front of you.

“Robin says you probably ate the meru-meru no mi fruit, did you? That’s so cool!” He was hunched over, face close to the pair of you.

“Luffy!”

You didn’t respond, not sure if it were from fear or stubbornness. Luffy didn’t seem as if he minded, still grinning even as he was grabbed by the back of his shirt, pulled backwards. Nami stood in front of you and Eimi as Sanji pulled their captain back, all his members looking a mixture of annoyed and exasperated.

“You can’t just crowd her like that!” Nami scolded, hands on her hips as she stared down the grinning captain.

“We talked about this Luffy,” Robin spoke next, her voice gentle from somewhere off to your left, “Personal space is something many value.”

At her words, he pouted, allowing himself to be let go, not rushing toward you again. His attention did turn your way, and Eimi made a noise, turning her head so it was pressed to your chest.

“I’m sorry,” He apologized, sounding weirdly cheerfully apologetic, “Everyone says I need to be better with this personal space stuff, especially with strangers,” He blinked once, before continuing, as if a thought just dawned on him, “But you’re not a stranger! That guy said we could take you!”

That… did not sound like something Kurozawa would say, nor something he would do. He had had people killed for trying to steal you away— you were his songbird.

“Luffy, shut—”

“That is not what he—”

“Well he said I could have you for one night,” He clarified, eyebrows furrowing, “But when you’re my crew you can stay for longer than just one night! Hey— you didn’t answer my question— did you eat a devil fruit? Was it the one Robin said you did?”

Oh. Yeah. That did check out. Kurozawa was not going to offer your devil fruit talents to anyone unless they offered him a very hefty sum, but he wasn’t above having others pay less for… other things.

He probably tried offering that when his deal went up in flames, probably right after you had retired to your room.

Several shouts were heard, all directed at Luffy, but the sounds were loud and jarring, Eimi was now trembling in full in your arms. You held her tighter, wishing you could merge with the floorboards beneath you.

There was some breakout of arguments, you didn’t follow it, your brain feely fuzzy, no words truly reaching your ears. You heard your name called gently, once then twice, before you turned, Robin kneeling near you two, but with enough distance to feel safe.

“Would you feel comfortable following me somewhere quieter?” The way her question fell made it really feel that you had a choice— it was an open ended question, if you refused, you had a feeling she’d allow that.

But, you didn’t want to refuse. Swallowing hard, you nodded, feeling shaky as you stood, still keeping Eimi tight in your arms. The bickering didn’t cease, as you followed far enough away from Robin that you felt safe. You could hardly pay attention as you walked, the setting suns warmth disappearing as you made your way indoors.

“I do apologize,” She spoke, and you felt yourself snap out of whatever empty thoughts had clouded over, realizing you were in… a library?

You glanced around, not sure what to say in response. She continued, thankfully, motioning to a chair, “Would you like to sit?”

Every part of your body felt exhausted, and despite knowing how powerful Robin could be, you’ve heard the stories and seen the bounty, you felt almost safe around her. So you sat. If she tried anything, you’d fight back of course, but you were hoping your trust wasn’t being ill put.

“Luffy gets excited very easily, and it doesn’t take a lot of input for others to follow suit, in their own ways. They mean well, of course, it’s just sometimes harder for them to put it into a way everyone would understand.”

You cleared your throat, swallowing hard, “You were right… I had eaten the meru-meru no mi fruit. I’m… it’s hard for me to control, though,” You glanced towards her, before looking away, studying the books you could see, “If your captain wishes to use me I’m afraid it would be—”

“I can assure you that isn’t why you’re aboard our ship,” She interrupted you, not unkindly, “Kurozawa had been on our radar for a few weeks now. His invite merely gave us a way into his home directly. We had our own reasons, but when you came to dinner, well, it’s safe to assume the stories we’d heard about him weren’t just stories.”

You shook your head, pulling the blanket around you and Eimi tighter, the young girls eyelids were drooping. She was absolutely exhausted. You don’t blame her.

“I imagined so. I won’t lie, he did attempt to offer a night with you to our captain, our crew,” She kept her voice quiet, as if hoping to ensure Eimi didn’t hear her speak, though each word was dripping with venom, “Once he had made that offer, our minds were made up. We would work to free you from his hands, as well as work on his downfall. One happened tonight, the other is to come as time progresses.”

Free you from his hands.

It wasn’t that simple.

It couldn’t be that simple.

You had stayed up nights, long after Eimi had fallen asleep, as she was close to doing now, praying to whoever may hear your pleas that you both would escape one day.

Eimi was asleep now, fingers gripping your top tightly, and you felt your breath catch in your throat. You couldn’t cry, you couldn’t wake her up, worry her. Robin gave you a gentle look, something sympathetic, something understanding.

Your free hand covered your mouth, teeth sinking into the flesh of your palm. You hiccuped once, twice, before you managed to calm your breath, dropping your hand.

“I,” Your voice trembled as you spoke.

You wanted to thank her, to offer to do whatever the crew needed of you to repay this debt. You wanted to scream at her, ask— no, demand why they freed you, what did they gain from this? No one in this world did things to be kind, no one did things without gaining something.

“He won’t let you leave with me easily,” Was what you managed to whisper, “He… I’ve been his for two years now, and I’ve… made people do horrible things.”

Admitting it felt like acid, like bile coated your throat as you spoke, “He’s unstoppable with me, but he’s powerful without me. He won’t stop until he gets me back, until he’s decimated your crew for taking what’s his.”

Robin shook her head, sending you a gentle smile, “He was only unstoppable because of you, he’s a man, he’s human. He bleeds, the same as you and I. We’ve fought with many people, many who wanted nothing more to destroy us. He’s merely a name added to that list, and I can easily promise you, he will not be the one to end the Strawhats.”

“As for making people do things,” Her eyes drifted, her gaze soft as she looked at the sleeping figure of Eimi, gentle puffs of breath against your skin, “You had your reasons. We all have done things, things we may not be proud of, but we had our reasons to do so.”

You absentmindedly brushed some of Eimi’s hair from her face— she’d need a bath soon. There were no words you could come up with to respond to Robin, but your silence didn’t seem to affect her negatively. There was a gentle knock on the door, and it cracked open, the sharpshooter, Usopp, peering in.

“Luffy’s calmed down,” He spoke, lowering his voice when he noticed Eimi was asleep against your chest, “If you’d feel comfortable coming back up, we’ll all be a lot calmer, Usopp’s promise.”

You licked your lips, unsure as to what you wished to do. You’d need to face them, sure, thank them, you suppose. But this entire day was… beyond draining. You were tired, you were hungry, and you were scared. They both seemed to understand.

“We’ll all speak in the morning,” Robin decided, “I can lay out a bed for the two of you,” She paused, studying the library for a moment, “Would you feel more comfortable if you two bunkered down here? I imagine rooming in the women’s cabin may still be a bit much. And I’m not sure I can convince Nami to room in the men’s cabin for the night.”

Usopp chuckled nervously, “We just managed to get everyone calm, I think that suggestion might make things worse.”

You nodded, the library was quiet, warm. It was cozy, it felt safe, reminding you of those fleeting memories of youth, a time that felt like eons ago.

“Usopp, if you wouldn’t mind fetching some spare blankets and pillows.”

He nodded, smiling at you as the two of you made eye contact, before turning and hurrying out. Robin sighed, a soft sound, as she turned to you.

“Tomorrow morning, I can come fetch you if you feel comfortable. Give you time to wake up, and adjust. Explain a few things if need be. Our cook, Sanji,” She clarified for you, “Will ensure to make space at the table for the two of you. Are there any allergies or dietary issues I should pass on to him?”

“Oh,” You stammered, “That’s not— I’ll be fine— Eimi, she doesn’t have allergies. But- but she doesn’t like eggs. In any way, really.”

She nodded, mentally noting that to pass along, before she spoke, “You weren’t allowed dinner when at Kurozawa’s, and our cook ensures no one goes hungry. It wouldn’t be a bother, or an issue I promise. He’ll be overjoyed to have new palettes to cook for as well.”

You swallowed, “I… I’m okay with anything,” The words sounded weak, even to you, but thankfully, Robin nodded, more than likely understanding not to press you.

There was a warning knock, before Usopp entered, carrying pillows and blankets so high that he didn’t seem as if he could peer over them.

“Nami said she would find some of her clothes that may fit you for the morning,” His voice was muffled as he moved to place everything down on the table, “Unfortunately we don’t have much that will fit your daughter. But we’re not far out from a mini town, and Nami also said she’d put some berries aside to get her some things.”

“O-Oh, she’s—”

Usopp shook his head, looking almost guilty for a moment, “She… may have robbed a few thousand berries from Kurozawa’s before we left. As well as some things she says are pure gold we can sell, so it won’t be hurting us. Besides, if Nami is offering you berries without interest, take it and run.”

You hesitated, before nodding. That… was an issue you were going to address, just not the first one. Eimi shifted in your lap, and you glanced down at her.

You suppose you’d tell your story in the morning.

“We’ll leave you two to set up,” Robin spoke, bidding you a goodnight as she left, Usopp following right after.

The couches, you supposed they were couches, lining the walls were soft. Firmer than your bed at Kurozawa’s, but didn’t that make them all the better? You made quick work, lying Eimi down, a pillow under her head, blankets tucking around her body. She looked relaxed, comfortable. You stood for a moment, simply staring at her, looking around the room you were in.

Two years and all you had seen were the walls of Kurozawa’s home.

He called you his songbird, and his home was your golden cage.

And apparently all it took was some rowdy pirates— pirates, apparently, who had kind hearts— to bust the cage doors open.

You heard a little hum as the maid left, Eimi’s golden eyes, bright and wide, staring up at you questioningly. You smiled at her, running a hand through her hair, playfully poking the tip of her nose.

“Will you be okay by yourself for tonight?”

She shrugged, and that was enough confirmation. She had her papers and pencils, the one raggedy bunny you had managed to convince Kurozawa to buy her. If you played your cards right you’d even be able to bring her back some dinner.

Though, neither of you got your hopes up for that. You changed quickly, the typical routine engrained in your memory. Golden dress, golden jewelry, hair out of your face, minimal makeup, his brand on your bicep always uncovered.

Eimi tapped your hand, pulling your attention to her. She studied your face for a moment, before smiling, signing pretty in her own little language.

“Thank you, my dear,” You leaned down, kissing the crown of her head.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” You headed towards the door, trying to keep a brave face as you turned to her, “Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

She huffed, but nodded. She never argued with your directions, brushing her teeth twice a day, bathing without complaint, never staying up too late.

The guards outside said nothing as you stepped out, locking the door behind you, and leading you down the halls. They were covered with art, paintings of the Kurozawa family, pottery far too expensive to look as cheap as it did.

You wondered who the guests this evening would be.

Marines? No, he would have made you dress just a bit more decent.

It wasn’t a fellow warlord, there would have been more gossip whispered through the halls.

You knew better than to ask the guards, the pair taking their place in the dininghall as you entered. You were momentarily surprised to see the guests were already seated, plates full of food before them.

Kurozawa was seated at his usual space, the head of the table, your seat to his left open, the plate, as usual, empty.

“There she is,” He grinned, and years of being accustom to him were the only thing keeping you from recoiling in disgust.

You kept your face stoic, head lowered as you took your seat. He continued to the guests.

“My song bird, ladies and gentlemen,” He introduced you to the group, and you could feel their curious gazes upon you.

Your eyes remained forward, the air of elegance as you sat, back straight.

“She doesn’t look like a bird.”

The sentence had you blinking, fighting the urge to look at whoever said that. Kurozawa snorted, amused yet annoyed at the stupidity.

“It’s merely a pet-name, strawhat.”

Wait.

Strawhat?

You glanced over, heart stuttering in your chest as you made eye contact with one Monkey D. Luffy. He was eating, looking back at you rather curiously. What—

What were the strawhat pirates doing here?

Kurozawa continued to speak, and you broke the staring contest that was going on between you and the pirate captain.

“Now, I am very grateful that you all have chosen to come visit. To be quite frank, your reputation exceeds you all. A powerful crew such as yourself.”

Ah, okay. That makes sense. He wanted to work with them; which meant he wants them to work for him. He’d hired pirate crews before, having them do his bidding. Pillaging and stealing, being the ones to be in trouble with the marines while he sat back and watched his gold pile up.

“With that being said; I’d like to make a deal with you.”

You watched with morbid curiosity, and mild disgust, as the strawhat captain continued to pile food on his plate. His stomach seemed like a never ending pit.

“What’s that?” Crumbs littered his mouth, and you had to fight the physical recoil.

His other members didn’t, the red headed woman, cat burglar Nami, you believe, wrinkled her nose at him, watching as crumbs littered the table before him. She looked like she was seconds away from scolding him. The blonde man, black-leg Sanji, shared an equally annoyed looked. They seemed to have manners, refraining from scolding the man for the mess he’s been making.

“I wish to hire you all, create a contract between the strawhats and the Kurozawa-family. For the foreseeable future.”

He sat back in his seat, cocky and confident as he always was, “Money is no issue, truly. You name your price, and I’ll set you up with weapons, men, and maps, so long as you do as I request of you.”

There was silence, the pirate crew all looking between each other, silent conversations being bad.

“Hey— is there any more of this stuff?” The captain waved around one of the bones from the lamb legs.

You saw the way Kurozawa’s eye twitched, his question being ignored entirely. He cleared his throat, clearly fighting to keep his temper in check.

“Of course.” He snapped his fingers, and a few servants hurried forward, more plates of food being placed on the table, taking away empty trays.

At the rate he ate there would be no leftovers to bring Eimi. That thought alone was the most disappointing part of this evening so far.

“Are you not going to serve your lady?”

“I beg your pardon?”

Kurozawa’s attention turned to black-leg, eyes narrowing at the question thrown his way. The blonde man’s head tilted your way, “Your songbird, her plates still rather empty.”

The gazes of the crew turned to you, and the rapt attention made your face heat up. Kurozawa laughed, a forced sound.

“She eats in the comfort of her own suite, she prefers her privacy. Now, back to my offer—”

The blonde man stood from his seat, the chair scrapping against the floor. He walked behind the others, who shook their heads, moving close to you. Your plate was soon filled with different items: meat and veggies, sauteed potatoes and toasted bread. The scent alone had your mouth watering.

“A lady should always be served first, especially one as beautiful as you,” His words were directed towards you, and you for once, found yourself silent, because you were unable to response.

Kurozawa slammed his fist against the table, cutlery rattling, and you jumped in your seat, tearing your gaze away from the pirate.

“Now,” He was seething, black-leg returning to his seat, “My offer. I—”

“Nah.”

The silence following the response nearly had you choking on your spit. Kurozawa was frozen where he sat. “Nah?”

Luffy shrugged, “Nami told me what you do. I don’t wanna work for you. Plus, helping you isn’t gonna help any of us get to the grand-line.”

You could see the vein popping out of Kurozawa’s neck. He wasn’t used to being told no, not so bluntly of course. Face red, he sat back in his seat, trying to force an aura of nonchalance.

“I can offer you a new ship, something better. Far faster.”

“No. I like my ship. She’ll get us where we need to go.”

He huffed, gaze turning towards you, anger and demand clear in his gaze. You held your sigh in, glancing down to your plate. You turned towards him, trying to will that feeling back into your chest.

“You won’t consider helping Sir Kurozawa?”

Luffy looked towards you, as did the others. This was the first time you’d spoken, or even looked up really, since entering the room.

“If he really needed help then sure, but he doesn’t. The only reason we came was ‘cause the invite said there’d be dinner!”

You could feel Kurozawa’s heated gaze on you. It didn’t work. That was fine, you could do it, you had to.

You tried again, “You should consider helping him, it’s rather important to him.”

“Look lady,” The swordsman spoke, voice gruff and startling, “You already have our answer.”

You could feel the panic growing in your chest, but you clamped it down. Panicking wouldn’t get you anywhere.

“You should consider helping him.”

You could see the words take effect, pausing his motions, eyes glazing over as your powers worked— finally. Kurozawa hummed, a pleased sound from the back of his throat.

“Alright,” You heard the unsheathing of swords as his crew reacted.

Oh no— you were so focused on ensuring you got to the captain your focus ignored the others. Guards in the area all stood at attention, swords and guns drawn.

“Now now,” Kurozawa spoke up, and you sat back on your seat, trying to curl into yourself as best as you could, “Let’s not act too hasty.”

Luffy’s eyes were clear now, staring at you with curiosity.

“That was so cool— how did you do that?”

“Luffy!”

“I—” You clamped your mouth shut, so fast your teeth clacked painfully.

You heard your name be called— barked almost. An order. You knew what that meant.

You stood, the same guards as earlier moving to your side to escort you back to your room. The full plate of food remained on the table, untouched. You were taken quickly back to your room, hearing voices back in the dining hall as you left.

“Hey wait— how’d you do that?”

“Luffy we have bigger problems than that!”

“Strawhat, you’d do well to not continue to deny my offer.”

You did your best to block out the noise as you got back to your room, the door unlocked and you stumbled in. Eimi was curled up on the bed, not asleep, and looked over at you curiously.

You were back far earlier than you normally were.

You smiled at her, “I wanted to make sure I got back before you fell asleep,” You hated that these little white lies came to you so easily when speaking to her.

She pouted, not entirely believing you, but she sat up, watching as you changed into one of the few sets of pajamas you owned. You slipped into the bed, her small frame hurrying to curl up in your arms. You hummed, a low tune, a simple lullaby you had made up for her.

She huffed, leaning back to look at you. You okay?

“I’m fine, Kurozawa wanted to talk business with his guests. Boring stuff.”

She narrowed her eyes at you, and you pressed a chaste kiss to her forehead, distracting her. “Shush now, it’s time to sleep, okay?”

Despite your hope that she’d nod off, she stayed wide awake, as did you. It was hard to sleep, with all you could hear. Even muffled, you could hear that fight that had started.

There was yelling, orders being barked from Kurozawa, no doubt throwing his men forward to hide from the fight himself. You could hear guns going off, the sound of swords clashing against each other. You wanted to scream into one of your pillows— but you knew you had to remain calm for Eimi.

God, you knew how greedy Kurozawa was, how horrible of a person he could be. But to go and make enemies of the Strawhats? What was his next goal— challenge Dracula “Hawk Eye” Mihawk himself? Sure, Kurozawa collected swords, beautiful and strong, but the man had never even held one.

Where he may lack in strength and brains he made up for in numbers. The amount of people under his thumb; indebted, paid, bought, rivaled almost any group you had heard of.

You felt the hairs on your arms stiffen, and though you weren’t sure for what, you sat up, hurrying to pull Eimi into your arms. She made a panicked noise, no doubt eyes wide as she stared up at you, but your attention was on the bedroom door.

The fighting sound was quieter but still there, but that wasn’t what caught your attention.

The guards outside were moving, calling out commands. Loud, metallic sounds echoed in the hall before there was silence. The door handle jiggled, and you moved quickly.

There weren’t any windows, Kurozawa was worried you’d try and escape anyway you could, just as there were no items you could use as a weapon.

Not without proper planning, at least.

You deposited Eimi in a corner, her little arms reaching for you broke your heart but you pulled away, quietly telling her to stay put. You opened a dresser drawer, frantically sorting through the stupid items before you found what you needed. It was small, and in a real fight would provide nothing for you. But in a moment of panic or surprise it could at least buy you time. A piece of sharpened, broken pottery, tied tightly to the end of a makeup brush.

Both items you had scored through “clumsy acts”, and both had resulted in punishment, but they at the very least gave you chance to form your own, mini scalpel type weapon.

The moment your fingers wrapped around it, the door flew open. Quite literally. Annoyed or frustrated with the lock, the person took to breaking it off the hinges, and you reared back, eyes wide as it fell to the floor.

Through the debris you saw him step in, hat still in place. Monkey D. Luffy walked in, eyeing the room curiously, before his gaze turned to you.

You were trembling, you could see it, less feel it, holding the sharp end of your weapon out towards him. You had moved so Eimi was behind you.

“Hello!” He sounded so childishly cheerful, as if he didn’t just knock out the guards outside your room and break the door down, “I’m Monkey D. Luffy, I’m gonna become the king of the pirates. I never learned how you did that at dinner— it was so cool! Did you eat a devil fruit?”