#surume

Even though the circumstances they met under were less than ideal…

As Luffy walked past Surume, stepping over one giant arm to get closer to the water, Surume couldn’t help but notice how far away Luffy suddenly seemed. Like the water he was looking at so longingly had carried his mind off and away, to the very end of the world. It was a strange feeling, when the young man was still right there, his fingers lightly touching Surume’s skin as if to hold on to him for balance on the unstable beach sands—or to anchor himself, to have something to guide him back from wherever the ocean had taken him.

But then, the moment was over when Luffy crouched down slightly… then jumped, throwing his arms high in the air as he cheered loudly.

Water splashed around him when he landed in the shallows. The sea barely reached his ankles where he was standing but still, Luffy swayed on his feet slightly as the sea sapped all his strength. Luffy didn’t seem to mind, however; the smile on his face didn’t waver in the slightest, the happiness radiating off of him so contagious that it made even Surume’s three hearts beat faster.

Shaking his head, Surume slowly made his way back into the water as well. 

Luffy snickered when small waves brushed his legs. “Careful, Surume!” he said in a mock-reprimanding tone.

In response, Surume dived underwater for a second, creating a bigger wave to wash over the beach.

“Whoa!!” Luffy yelped, only for it to turn into an exhausted sigh. When Surume looked back at him, he found Luffy had fallen over into the sand, tongue out, and visibly completely drained. “Not fair,” he whined, shooting Surume a dirty look.

Surume only huffed in response, poking at Luffy with the tip of an arm as if to ask if he was alive—a jab that Luffy understood all too well if the mumble of ‘I’m so going to smack you’ was anything to go by. Surume had to sink deeper into the sea to hide his amusement.

It looked like Luffy was about to protest more but then something caught his eye on the beach and he immediately turned over to his stomach, his momentary unhappiness completely forgotten.

“Wow, a hermit crab!” he said full of excitement as he crawled over to the little creature skittering across the sand, then poked at its shell with fascination—much to the crab’s displeasure.

Ignoring the way the crab waved its claws at him threateningly, Luffy picked it up with a wide grin, studying the way it squirmed and obviously cursed at him in its own voiceless way. Luffy seemed to get it though, apologising half-heartedly while also not bothering to hide a snicker. That only seemed to anger the crab more.

It was only when the tiny creature had had enough and pinched Luffy’s hand hard, making the pirate yelp in pain and surprise, that it was finally let go onto the sand.

Surume giggled at the unhappy pout that found its way to Luffy’s lips as he blew on his hurting skin. A grin still on his face, he extended one of his arms towards Luffy; he was sure the boy was perfectly fine, but he still wanted to make sure.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Luffy assured him, then scowled down at the crab, who was now sitting in front of him, glaring right back at him. “You’re a brat. There’s no need to attack me!”

The crab huffed, shaking his claw one last time before scurrying away.

Luffy grumbled to himself for a bit, then looked at Surume. “What’s up with him?!”

Surume had trouble suppressing his laughter as he shook his head, giving Luffy a look as if to ask if he was seriously clueless.

Luffy rolled his eyes at him. “I wasn’t going to hurt him!” he defended himself before he sighed, letting himself fall backwards into the sand.

“It’s weird though, isn’t it? That crab,” Luffy said, his head turning slightly towards Surume, who only tilted his head to the side in confusion, prompting Luffy to elaborate. “I mean, hermit crabs can live anywhere in the sea, right? And they can walk on land too. They can go wherever they want but they choose to stay in their little shell. It feels… stifling.”

Surume paused, regarding Luffy for a long moment. The sentiment sounded ridiculous; after all, as far as Surume knew, those crabs carried their homes with them mostly for protection, not out of some need to stay in one place. But, coming from Luffy… Surume could understand what he meant.

Lowering his head so that he was closer to where Luffy was lying, Surume let out a quiet sound of disagreement.

“You don’t think so?” Luffy hummed thoughtfully, his eyes veering off and up to the sky—or more accurately, the top of the bubble that surrounded Fishman Island, and the dark ocean above. “I suppose it is kind of like having a ship, isn’t it?”

Surume nodded, but otherwise didn’t react. Luffy still looked deep in thought, his brow slightly crinkled as he watched the merfolk and fishpeople floating in the air on their bubbles above them. Or maybe he was looking past them, at the seakings keeping watch over the island and their queen just out of sight.

“It’s just that the sea is so wide and the world’s so big. Isn’t it boring staying on the same beach and the same island forever? There’s so much to explore outside.”

Glancing up to the Fishman Island’s sky as well, Surume chirped, making Luffy glance at him.

“Maybe, huh?” he said with a laugh. “You’re from the North Pole, right?”

Surume nodded, a kind of warmth, as well as a slight ache running through him.

“Do you miss it?” Luffy asked as he stretched his arms over his head, then threw them forward, using the momentum to sit up. “Your family is still there, isn’t it? That Hody guy said so…”

With another nod, Surume smiled at the thought of his brother; how long had it been since he last saw him? Even before that fishman pirate had found Surume and brought him back here, it had been a while—Surume had been exploring the remote areas of the North Blue in the weeks, maybe even months before, curious about the surrounding seas, as well as searching for new hunting grounds.

And now, he was free to go back… if he wanted to.

It was only Luffy’s snicker that brought Surume back to reality.

“I’m sure they’ll wait for you!” Luffy declared, full of confidence. Not for the first time, Surume wondered whether Luffy could read his mind.

Whatever the case…

It didn’t really matter.

A happy laugh bubbled out of Surume’s stomach, all of his hearts jumping with joy. Luffy really was one of a kind; he was so nice and open even to someone like Surume, a creature others only called a Kraken or a monster, looking at him with nothing but fear. Meanwhile, here Luffy was, perfectly relaxed, having fun, and talking to him casually; he was treating him like a friend. He was even the one who gave Surume a name.

It was… a strange experience but Surume wouldn’t change a thing.

Okay, maybe he would change the part where Zoro cut off the top of one of Surume’s arms, and Sanji grilled another with a kick, and Luffy punched the lights out of him to top it off but everything else he was happy with.

“Okay!” Luffy called suddenly, jumping up to his feet. “Let’s go!!”

Oh.

Surume nearly forgot the reason they even met up today, the day before Luffy and his people were to leave.

Nodding enthusiastically and with a wide smile, Surume lowered his head a little more, waiting for Luffy to stretch his arms to grab onto Surume’s skin, then propel himself to easily jump on top of him. Only once Luffy settled comfortably and safely into his ‘special seat’, did Surume raise his head and turn around, making his way further into the water of Fishman Island.

“Oh, wait! Hang on a second.” Luffy tapped Surume’s head to make him stop, squirming in a way that Surume could only assume was rummaging through his pockets. “Where is it—oh! Got it!!”

A second later, something tickled Surume’s head around where Luffy was sitting—a safety bubble to protect him and allow him to breathe in the next moments.

“Okay, we’re good!”

The grin on Surume’s face widened. Nodding slightly, just enough to let Luffy know he heard him but not enough to throw him off, Surume got moving again. With each step of his arms, he sank deeper into the water, water that was much warmer than Surume was used to from either the North Pole or from his forced station by the downward current leading to the deep sea. Surume didn’t mind it, however. It wasn’t warm enough to be uncomfortable—just warm enough for Surume to feel like he was in a spa resort and for Luffy to not freeze to death after a while.

At least Surume had heard could happen. He wasn’t completely sure how humans worked.

The moment Surume fully submerged, Luffy cheered, making the kraken giggle. Was it really so exciting to be underwater? It was perfectly normal for Surume… but humans couldn’t breathe here, could they? Even without the kind of powers that Luffy had, the powers that made the sea itself despise them.

It was a pity; the sea was Surume’s home and he had to say, it could be absolutely beautiful. Not so much in the north—it was too cold and full of ice there—but in the warmer areas, even Surume kept getting surprised by the wonders of the Blues and the Grand Line. And this island was the best place to show it all off. The corals formed elaborate structures together, cute, colourful fish swimming around them, playing with each other and with the mermaids from the cafe. There was no fighting, no hunting, no running for their lives… just fun. Only the best parts of the ocean depths, ready for viewing by the occasional tourist.

It was so pretty and peaceful and fun…

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if Surume stayed here for a little longer before heading back home.

Waving at Ishilly who just passed them on her way to work at the cafe—late, by the looks of it—Surume swam deeper at a slow pace, making sure to give Luffy enough time to take in the sights on their way towards the Sea Forest.

“Those fish look so good! I bet they taste like candy!” Luffy said full of excitement, pointing at the coral reef to their left, making the tropical fish there scurry away in panic.

Surume let out a quiet, sad hum.

“Damn. I guess they are still fish,” Luffy mumbled, and Surume could just imagine the unhappy look on his face. And he couldn’t keep the giggle down. “Don’t laugh!”

With one final huff, Surume forced himself to focus on the task at hand—showing Luffy around the sea, taking him for the swim he couldn’t take himself. Maybe, they would go outside too; it might be too dark for Luffy in the deep sea, but as long as they stayed around the Sun Tree Eve, they could still both enjoy the vastness of the open water.

Or maybe they wouldn’t. Maybe Luffy would be happy to watch the whales and sea kings swimming overhead from the forest once they get there. Maybe they would simply explore the giant ship Noah together, now that it was resting in the warm light of the forest; quiet and serene, no longer threatening the safety of the people who had been protecting it for centuries. Maybe, that would be enough.

After all, having fun was the whole point.

And as long as he was with a friend, fun wasn’t a problem for Surume.

For the first time in months…