Chapter Seventeen: Finally Out of Loguetown
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"Explain." Sage's eyes flickered up from the book that he was reading. The Red-haired pirates along with himself were currently inside the abandoned castle, watching over the man who had appeared last night. Sage rested his right hand on his cheek, amusement dancing in his eyes as he watched the yonko.
"What is there to explain when I already told you everything?" he asked with a smile. Shanks sighed, sitting down on a chair beside the mysterious man's sleeping body on the bed.
"Who is he? What did you mean that Euphoria is known as the bridge worlds?" Sage snapped his book shut with a sigh, placing it over on the table beside him.
"Red-haired Shanks, you're pretty intelligent. I'm sure you can figure things out yourself." Standing up, the dragon rolled his shoulders, making his way towards the man on the bed. Brushing past Shanks, Sage placed a hand over the sleeping man's forehead.
No fever... that's good.
"Are you implying that that structure was a gateway, Sage?" The dragon didn't respond, shuffling through the bedside table, searching for something.
"Have you ever wondered what persists after death?" he spoke, pulling out a small pocket knife. It had strange symbols engraved on the side that seemed to glow. Sage twirled it in his hands nimbly, a soft smile on his lips. "I'm sure you humans do. How about this, I'll let you in on a little secret."
Shanks listened intently as Sage leaned into his ear, whispering, his next words carefully.
"Death has been speculated to be a period eternal of nothingness, but that theory is simply too far from the truth." Leaning back, Sage suddenly stabbed Shanks in the shoulder. Eyes widening at how fast that movement was, Shanks jumped away, his left arm clutching his wound on his right shoulder.
He didn't even sense that coming!
Clutching his wound tighter, Shanks knew it should hurt but...
"Relax, you aren't going to die. I'm sure you can already tell that your wound doesn't hurt." Pulling a handkerchief out of nowhere, Sage cleaned his blade before setting it back down on the nightstand. "Sorry, I didn't mean for that to be out of nowhere, but I'm trying to prove a point. Why don't you take a look at that wound?"
Looking down, Shanks realized that there was no longer blood on his shirt. His wound... it was gone.
"I suppose I should explain a few things... ugh, how annoying," Sage grumbled a little under his breath.
"Ever since the last Ancient One had died along with everyone else on this island over 800 years ago, this place has been blessed with eternal life." Sage shook his head, sinking onto the bed. "Rather ironic isn't it? I know that you deduced what had transpired here centuries ago. You are quite observant. That, and the bloodstains are rather prominent. This place doesn't get much rain after all."
"Haha, thanks. But you didn't have to stab me to do that, did you?" Shanks laughed. "I bet you just wanted an excuse to stab me."
"Hmmm maybe." Sage gave Shanks a mischievous grin, before turning his attention back to the large ass man on the bed, leaving unanswered questions in the air. The blond stirred, opening his eyes blearily.
The light was bright in his eyes, and he squinted to see what was happening around him. When his eyes adjusted, he realized that he was in a bed that was located in a room with two of the weirdos from last night. Was it even last night? How long had he slept for?
"You've been asleep for 8 hours, 55 minutes, and 6 secs in counting," Sage spoke, golden eyes trained on him.
Sitting up, he could feel his back ache slightly, but his nausea and pains had ceased.
"I-I... what happened?"
"You're back from the realm of the gods and have returned, what else do you think happened?" He rubbed his eyes, shaking slightly, causing Sage to sigh. "That idiot Lunaris. I bet Mortalitus didn't even bother to remind him about the safety tips before sending you here. Humans are fragile after all."
Lunaris? Moralitus? What was this dragon hybrid thing saying? He knew those strange men?
"Well, I suppose it doesn't matter anymore, does it? Now then, care to let us know what your name is? Especially when you'll be in my care for the time being?"
"...Rosinante," he spoke, his eyes watching Shanks. Shanks watched Rosinate with furrowed brows. Why did he look a little familiar? When he noticed Rosinate watching him, he realized that he, too, should probably introduce himself. He stretched out his hand for the larger man to take.
"Shanks. It's nice to meet you Rosinante." Rosinante grabbed Shanks' hand in a tight grip, feeling his strength steadily return to him.
"Likewise."
Shanks? Why did that name feel so familiar to him? Where had he heard that name before? Regardless, the man before Rosinate seemed to be a good man. He wasn't so sure about the other man, but Shanks was definitely a respectable person.
Sage nodded at the exchange, glad that he didn't have to introduce them themselves. Too much work and he already had enough on his plate as is.
"Well then, Rosinante, now that you're awake, I can now properly tell the two of you a few things about Euphoria. Have you heard of the legend, Rosinante?" The man nodded his head in response.
"Good, this will make it much simpler. Now then, allow me to introduce myself. I am Sage, temporary guardian of Euphoria, or more specifically, the gateway. Euphoria hasn't only been a land of happiness, but the bridge of worlds. This very land that you step on connects to the realms throughout our intertwined worlds. You," he jabbed Rosinante in the chest, "Just came out of one of those realms through our portal."
So it was a gateway? Shanks thought. How was that possible? Were there really worlds far beyond the one they lived in?
"You remember what I said earlier, right, Red-haired Shanks? That death is a period of eternal nothingness? Well, what happens after death is that the soul transitions to the next realm automatically, bringing you to the realm of the dead, or the 'Spirit World'. It is governed and watched over by the gods, so it can also be considered as the Celestial realm."
Gods..?!
"I'm sure you met a few of them, isn't that right, Rosinante?" The image of a man with almost the same height as him, with long raven black locks and midnight blue streaks, came into mind. That irritated expression that was always on his face, and his constant yelling, it brought him such headaches.
"Oi, Lunaris, look what I brought," he remembered the man saying as he was pushed into the same room. His eyes connected to violet ones as he looked up, gazing at a very god like figure. Flawless sunkissed skin, calculating eyes, and long ombre blue and violet hair like canvas that was speckled with white.
His violet eyes scrutinized Rosinate's very figure, examining him thoroughly as if there were some sort of disease on him that he had yet to find.
"Donquixote Rosinante, quite a curious individual aren't you? You've been chosen by the council to be granted a... redemption. Consider yourself lucky. Or not, you can take it either way." The man Rosinante could only assume as 'Lunaris' chuckled a bit.
"He means we just pity you and we want to screw with your original realm," the man who had brought him here had spoken up. "Oi, Lunaris, hurry up and do your job or else Sage is going to be pissy with us again."
"Mortalitus, last time we sent someone over was centuries ago, I'm sure Sage wouldn't mind waiting a bit longer."
What the fuck was happening? Rosinate looked back and forth between the two, very confused at what was happening. Why was he suddenly here instead of back with his family?
Mortalitus' brow furrowed, and a furious expression overcame his face.
"Here we go again," Lunaris mumbled.
"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN HE CAN WAIT A BIT LONGER?! DO YOU REMEMBER ALL THE TROUBLE HE CAUSED US BECAUSE HE HAD AARTH AND THE OTHERS ON HIS SIDE?! DO YOU KNOW HOW HUMILIATING IT IS TO BE REPRIMANDED BY A CHILD?!"
"She's not a child, she's a teen."
"SHE IS A CHILD COMPARED TO US CELESTIAL BEINGS! AND THAT'S RIGHT, SHE'S ONLY HERE BECAUSE YOU DROPPED THE RELIC YOU SHIT OF A GOD! YOU KNOW WHAT, I'M LEAVING! TAKE THE FUCKING GUY AND GO! SCREW YOU! THIS WAS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
Ah, he definitely wasn't very pleasant, very short tempered he remembered.
"By your expression I can tell that you met Mortalitus." Sage sighed. "This would have gone much smoother if it had been Flare, but I suppose it is fate." His tail wiggled a little behind him. "Ah, right, speaking of fate, that reminds me of your own situation, Red-haired Shanks."
"My fate?"
"I'm sure you already realized who your precious Y/n is, do you not? You came to this island because you were searching for ways to change her fate, weren't you, Red-haired Shanks?"
---
"Achoo!" you sneezed, snuggling further underneath the crimson feathers of Phoenix. Phoenix cawed a little, heating himself up slightly to keep you warmer. Your hands gripped his feathers tightly as you stared into the dark clouds, riding on the back of a gigantic Phoenix (you trusted Phoenix more than Doffy, who dropped you on purpose that one time).
Phoenix thought that it would be nice if the two of you had a small flight together, before setting off for the Grand Line that is. You had found his suggestion very endearing, since he wasn't very fond of the idea of being a horse most of the time. He really was a curious old bird.
"Azar?" He paused, feeling his heart stop as he tilted his head back to stare at your serene expression. "You know I love you right?"
"You know I love you right?"
"I hope you remember what happens to you when you open yourself up like that," his voice flooded into your mind, causing you to crack a small smile. "You know I hate the weak."
"Haha.. sorry. But I know you love me too."
His eyes watched you for a second, chuckling a bit, before he turned his attention back to his surroundings.
Azar... It's been a while since you called him by his name. How nostalgic. You truly were such a curious little child, weren't you? His eyes widened when he remembered something.
You yawned, unaware, of the internal screaming that was going on inside Azar's head.
A commotion from below you to jolt, tumbling off the back of your fire bird and down into the town below. A scream escaped your throat as you plummeted to your doom.
You were probably, what, a couple hundred feet off the ground?
Waving your hands frantically, you attempted to harness the wind to break your fall, but it wasn't working. Damn bracelets. Above you, Phoenix was attempting to torpedo down towards you when he suddenly burst into flames.
Oh, I forgot today was his death day. Wait-
"I'm going to die!" you cried. "Well, I suppose I should make use of my last moments." Pulling out a tea cup, you poured some tea inside the porcelain, cup, before taking a long sip, almost forgetting why you were screaming in the first place.
Until you spat the tea back out when you realized that you were falling still.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!" The tea cup slipped from your hands as you plummeted further to your doom. "Why am I so dumb?! How could I not remember it was his death day?"
How could he not have remembered it was his death day?!
The ground was getting closer and you tightly shut your eyes, bracing for impact. You were going to be a nice Y/n-pancake. But the impact never came. Instead, a pair of arms caught you. Looking up, a clown looking pirate with a large red nose stared at you with wide eyes, looking equally shook.
"HOW DID YOU FALL OUT OF THE SKY?!" the clown pirate screamed.
"I got scared..." you mumbled out. "How did you catch me?" Yeah, you were pretty sure you were falling at an incredible speed from hundreds of feet up above. Obviously the impact would have broken the clown's bones.
Little did you know that you had been over exaggerating your fall and it was only 50ft in the air, and that you, in fact, was not falling at an incredible speed, but a speed of 3 miles per hour. Heck, you weren't even falling, you were just floating down before landing on Buggy.
Buggy is currently staring at you incredulously, with "what the fuck" screaming in his mind.
Luffy craned his head up at the sound of your voice, but it was a bit of a struggle, with the position he was in. Despite that, he knew it was you. It had to be you. But did you really fall out of the sky? What were you even doing up there in the first place? You hated heights!
"Y/n! Are you okay?!" You looked down, seeing Luffy in a wooden shackle.
"Luffy? What's happening?"
"Wait, you two know each other?!" Buggy's eyes bulged out of his eye sockets. This idiot knew such a beautiful woman like you? Wait a second, weren't you that girl he saved from before? Oh shit, did he save an enemy?! And wait, Y/n? That name sounded awfully familiar.
"You're the woman that he said he was going to marry?!" Alvida shouted from below, causing Buggy to nearly have a heart attack. Oh crap, that's why that name sounded so familiar!
"Wait- he said that?! Luffy! I thought we talked about this! I'm not marrying anyone yet!" you spoke, moving a bit before freezing, realizing you weren't on solid grown just yet. In fact, you were well off the ground on a platform. An execution platform to be exact.
You felt the hold around you tighten, and you nearly forgot that you were in the pirate clown's hold. You remembered him. Well, not his face, but his voice. You knew for a fact that he was the one who saved you from that strange woman earlier. Buggy, he said his name was.
Buggy's eyes gazed into your own with an unfamiliar emotion, and he opened his mouth. "So you're single?"
"Uh... What?" Ah, dumb and oblivious like Monkey. It was okay, he could make do with that.
"Do you want to marry me?" he whispered to your ear.
Why does everyone want to marry me?????
"Oi! You can't do that! Y/n's my first mate!" Luffy shouted, trying to free himself from his shackles. He couldn't let you get taken away! He just couldn't! It would mean breaking the promise he made to your Master!
"First Mate?! This beautiful woman is your First Mate?!"
Buggy once again screamed in your ear. "But she looks so-"
"Weak? I know, everybody says that." You sighed, leaning against the man, causing him to blush.
"I'm going to make you my mine, after I kill your captain."
You jolted, looking up at the clown. "W-What?"
"You're going to kill him?" You gave him a confused face, eyes flashing gold: a vision. "He's not going to die. Once you try to slice his head off, lightning is going to strike the tower. I'd get away if I were you." You blinked when he tied rope around your wrists, before eventually gagging you with some cloth he pulled out of nowhere.
You probably could have avoided that.
"Ha! As if I'd fall for your tricks. Try a little flashily next time, sweetheart!" Buggy took a look at his work, before immediately looking away. The view of a woman like you tied up was kinky. Just too sinful with those innocent eyes watching his every movement.
Picking you up bridal style, he chucked you off the execution platform, and you let out a muffled scream as you once again, plummeted to your doom. Hands wrapped around you, and you looked up to see a man with dark green hair, parted over his left eye. He pulled out your gag with a sigh.
"Thank you. Can you put me down please?" His eyes gazed into your face before he walked off, with you still in his arms. "W-Wait, please put me down!"
"Sorry princess, Captain's orders."
"Wait- that man's your captain?"
Before you could get a reply, you heard a voice- Luffy's voice -yelling the words, "I'm the man who's going to be the King of the Pirates!" His words echoed throughout Loguetown and you laid limp in his arms. It was going to be fine. You had faith in the fates.
Little did you know the people who controlled the fates were currently having a party.
"Stop the execution!" Two male voices shouted, and you perked up. They sounded like Zoro and Sanji!
"Shame on you! There's a limit to how much you can fool around, Luffy." Zoro spoke.
"If you're starting a sideshow, let me join you." You grinned. That was Sanji! "What we have to do for now is drive those damn pirates away?" His eyes flickered through the crowd, before landing on you. Sanji parted his mouth in shock.
You...
Weren't you supposed to be with Nami?! What happened? Why were you in another man's arms?! How dare he touch you!! Sanji let out a growl before he paused, his face beginning to burn a bright red when he saw the gag in your mouth. And there were ropes wrapped around your wrists...
How dare he. Who was dared to do that to a woman- his goddess at that!
"HANDS OFF MY GODDESS YOU BASTARD!"
Sanji yelled from his spot, a murderous aura surrounding him as a furious expression formed on his face. It took a moment for it to click into Zoro's mind that it was you that Sanji was referring to as 'Goddess'.
When he did, he couldn't help but quickly turn his head, eyes scanning the area for you.
"What? Y/n? Where?" Eventually, Zoro's gaze traveled to where Sanji was looking at, and he felt something stir inside of him. You were there: in Cabji's arms. All of a sudden a feeling of hate and envy dominated both men as they realized what was happening. First mate shall not be manhandled, and especially not be treated as such!
"Pirate Hunter Zoro, I'm afraid you're too late!" Buggy cackled, about to bring his sword down. The two raced forwards, before a voice called out to them.
"Stop. Save your strength. It's going to be fine." The duo stared at you in disbelief at how calm you were being. "Trust me."
"Zoro. Sanji. Usopp. Nami." Luffy called out with a smile.
"Luffy," You spoke, breaking your bonds in a single swift movement, and jumping from Cabaji, to his shock. You flipped into the air, landing perfectly on the ground, your dress flowing in the wind. Your eyes met, and you smiled sweetly. The entire place was quiet as the two of you stared at each other.
Smoker's eyes widened as he caught sight of you in the distance.
"So that's your captain."
You weren't going to die, Smoker knew that very well. His true love was strong. Physically. He wasn't very sure about the mental part, especially when all you seemed to care about was friendship and rainbows.
Meanwhile, the Marines who were aiming their firearms at the plaza stood in shock. They recognized you as the person who hung out with Smoker, and from the wanted poster worth 500 million berries. Not only that, they recognized that it was you.
"Y/N-CHAN!," they all yelled, dropping their weapons as they cried in the plaza. Oh innocent one with a beautiful heart, why is fate so cruel as to make you a pirate?
Luffy's eyes met your own, a million thoughts racing through his head, but one thought stood out in particular, and it made him smile.
"Y/n." the straw hat wearing boy shouted. "I trust you." He grinned.
As Buggy brought down his sword, he couldn't help but think back to your words.
"He's not going to die. Once you try to slice his head off, lightning is going to strike the tower. I'd get away if I were you."
A sinking feeling was piling at the bottom of his stomach, and he felt the electricity surging, his hair standing on end. He wanted to pull back, but he was too far into his action.
As lightning struck him, he could only wonder if you were some sort of angel, who was trying to warn him about this event. A beautiful angel that he had saved from getting killed that same day.
Strawhat sure was lucky to have you on his crew.
---
Roughly an hour ago...
"See Nii-san?" Brulee spoke as she sat down on the ground with Katakuri. Nii-sans she should say as her other brothers (+ one sister) was also present in the Mirrorworld. Oven, Daifuku, Smoothie, and Cracker were currently peering through the mirror intensely, watching you interact with some orange haired chick. "Y/n is safe, no harm has come to her."
"Who the hell is that orange haired chick?" Cracker grumbled, narrowing his eyes. "I don't like her." There was something unsettling about Nami that made Cracker squirm a bit. She looked to be the type of devil woman who would pour water all over his beautiful creations and make them all soggy and have him watch a monster eat them all.
"You don't like anyone, Cracker," Oven grumbled, narrowing his eyes as you smiled as you happily chatted away with the woman. "But I don't like her either." He especially narrowed his eyes when the waiter's hand lingered far too long on your own.
"Let's screw him over," Daifuku spoke as his eyes were also on the waiter. "Torture him before killing him. Make him pay for thinking he could have a chance at our wife." The three men and Smoothie nodded their heads in unison.
You're not married yet... Perospero sweatdropped from the side. He never really had a problem with his siblings, but seriously, this was getting out of hand. His siblings were all delusional.
Perospero watched as the waiter kept glancing over at you, and he couldn't help but feel increasingly irritated as well. You know what, screw him. His siblings could do whatever they wanted with him and he wouldn't give a shit. How dare he creepily stare at Fairy-chan?
Granted, his siblings were doing the same thing, but whatever. They were his siblings.
Brulee felt Katakuri twitch slightly beside her, and when she looked up she could see frustration in his eyes. She placed a hand on his thigh to calm him.
"Y/n will be fine, Nii-san. If anything happens the family will take care of it, remember?" she spoke softly, her eyes on Daifuku and Oven arguing with Cracker about how they should go about torturing the waiter as Smoothie was glaring daggers at the man.
Before long, she knew they were going to ask her to open up the mirror for them. Brulee bet that they would ask as soon as you left the cafe.
"You know me too well, Brulee," Katakuri said. "But I cannot help but worry when there will always be people who may attempt to harm her. I must be ready when that happens." Yes, Katakuri had to be there when you needed help. He would gladly skip merienda for you if it meant being the handsome knight in shining armor of your dreams.
Not that you ever dreamt of one, but still, he would gladly do so just for you.
"Oh hey, she's leaving," Cracker spoke, his eyes following your backside as you left with that orange haired-girl. "Oi, Brulee, open up the mirror."
A little someone was going to show up in the newspaper tomorrow.
---
"Feed my pets," Crocodile spoke, exhaling the putrid smoke from his lips that the cigar in his mouth was immiting. The man nodded his head brightly. Working for the Crocodile, the one who owned the expensive casino, was a dream come true! Even if he did have to feed the man's questionable... pets.
They were Banana Gators, quite large ones at that. There were probably ten of them in the tank, maybe a little less than that, but they had large appetites. One of such, was meat. Whether it was human meat or not, the man would never know.
"Y-Yes, sir!" Walking out of the room, the man went to fetch the buckets of meat, getting ready to throw them into the tanks. Crocodile watched him leave, before immediately pulling out the nice photos he bought from Garp this time.
His mouth twitched into a small smile when he saw those bright cheerie eyes in a nice sun-dress. You seemed to be sitting at a cafe, eating some sweets. Akainu was in the background, looking as though he was turning when he heard the sound of his name, and was unaware of the photo being taken until the last moment. He could tell by the man's expression turning furious.
The best part of the photo may have been you, but what could have been a close second was the fact that Akainu was wearing a bright hot pink bow on his head. Quite a bold fashion statement if Crocodile had to say so himself.
Garp really did sell him the best photos.
Good thing he got this before Hancock could. He wondered if he could use this as blackmail material against the Admiral. He probably could, especially with him constantly saying 'stop being a disgrace' or something of the sort.
The other photo that he snagged was the one that Bartolmew Kuma was trying to snag off the table. It was a cute little photo of you on a beach on an island with a bunch of animals surrounding you and giving you all the love and affection that you deserved.
There was a panda, a gecko on your head, a snake around your shoulders, a hawk on your arm, a giant shark poking its head out in the sea, a flamingo on top of a crocodile-
Wait, was that supposed to represent them shichibukai?
Oh dear it was. Wait a second, why is it that the flamingo is on top of the crocodile?! The flamingo should be inside the crocodile's mouth if anything! No! He will not be a stepping stool for that pink bastard! Never!
"Oh, Mr. 0. You're back so soon?" Crocodile immediately stuffed the photos inside his coat as Robin hovered over his shoulder. His head turned to face her, and he could see the amusement in her eyes.
"What ever could you be hiding in your coat that is making your cheeks all red?" Damn it, Crocodile bet that Robin already knew what he was hiding in his coat. How dare she be so perceptive? "More photos of Y/n?"
"..Yes," Crocodile huffed. Wait more? He narrowed his eyes suspiciously as she let out a small laugh. Did she...? "Did you go through my stuff again?" Robin's eyes glimmered in amusement.
"You sure do have a bunch of photos of Y/n. Makes me wonder as to why exactly you do." Robin gazed up at the ceiling in mock thought. "You obviously don't love her, so what's the point of having photos of her?"
Crocodile furrowed his brows, a menacing glare forming on his face as he stared Miss All Sunday down.
"Shut up. They're mine. And if I find you going through my stuff again, I will make sure that you suffer, Nico Robin." Robin merely laughed a little.
"That is, if you want Y/n to find out."
"...screw you."
Damn it. He hated it when Robin was right.
---
The first time Drake had met you had been twelve years ago.
But even then, he had known of your existence long before the two of you had officially met. You were almost one when he had first seen a glimpse of your face; a big smile absolutely filled with happiness. The exact same smile that you always wore.
He was always curious about you; about what a child like you was doing in Marineford, and why exactly did you show up the way you did. He heard the rumors- the rumors that Garp had found you in the middle of a storm, with the waves crashing violently against the island, but it was only until a couple months later that he actually got to see you.
Garp and Sengoku had seemed extremely over protective of you, not even letting the Admirals come near you at first. It was something that got the gears in his head turning, and making him even more curious than he was before. He probably would have made his presence known to you much sooner, but he didn't. He was far too hesitant. So as a result of his stupidity, he was left to watch you from afar for four years.
Throughout those four years, he probably learned more about you then you even knew about your child self. The way your eyes would light up whenever you saw the Admirals, or just anything that you thought was cool and loved, or the way you pouted a little, whenever something didn't go your way. And despite it never going your way, you never really seemed to complain.
Well, sometimes you manipulated your guardians to get what you wanted, but they practically gave you everything you ever wanted anyways.
He always thought you were a little stupid for a child. Especially when he sat by the docks, watching you work up the confidence to at least try to step foot near the water. You could never make it past it though, always screaming and chickening out in the end. Still though, you kept coming back.
You were either very stupid or very determined.
But Drake supposed he could see where you were coming from. He was sure that you wanted to make Akainu proud that you weren't scared of the sea anymore, and that in itself was quite brave of you.
He had to admit though he was wrong about one part of you: you weren't exactly stupid. You were just naive and just too trusting of others. You let them walk all over you, and he found that very annoying. Not you of course, but everyone else who used your kindness to their own advantage. Hell, a bunch of them were way older than you and used you, but he supposed that the people themselves weren't very aware of what they were doing.
Still though, it wasn't right to use a child like that, but he knew that if he spoke up you would kindly say that he was wrong and that you were doing it out of the goodness of your heart.
You were naive, so he had to help you.
It started off simple: telling others off about abusing your kindness, until it became intimidating and giving cold glares whenever someone would go over and speak to you. Personally, Drake just didn't really like having other people talk to you, but he did it for good reason. He had to look out for you; it just felt like his job- his role.
He actually thought that eventually somebody would take notice of his behavior, especially when Garp had called him into his office. Oh god he was so scared, but it turns out that Garp actually wanted him to try and befriend you, especially since almost everyone else was 5 times your age, and he was one of the few younger ones within Marine Ford.
To say he was happy was an understatement. He was ecstatic when Garp had told him his 'mission', since he was worried about your mental health with the lack of social interaction. He had kept his stoic facade on, nodding only in response. He may have come off as unwilling to Garp, but he was definitely the opposite of unwilling.
He just didn't know how he should be going about to approach you. What if you didn't like him? What if you found out about his father and you decided you didn't want to be friends with someone like him?
Lucky for him, he didn't need to think about how to approach you because you approached him first.
It was sometime in the middle of spring on a sunny afternoon (a few days after Garp had spoken to him) when he watched as you walked out of Marine Ford with a few plates of food in your hands. He, like always, discreetly watched as you headed his way. Internally, his mouth watered at the sight of his favorite foods: Chicken and Rice.
He shook his head a little bit. Even though you were coming towards him, it didn't mean that you were going to just come up to him and ask if he wanted to eat lunch with you. Ah, just the thought of doing something like that made his face all red and his body all hot. To share a meal with someone, someone like you- It was ridiculous and wishful thinking.
Except when you paused in front of him, watching as the sweat dripped down his body as he trained, he realized that his wishful thinking might not be so wishful after all.
"Um... Hello!" you spoke nervously, craning your head slightly to look up at the older boy (Just pretend he's like, 10 or something). "Do... Do you want to have lunch with me? I bet you're tired!"
He couldn't help but melt at your thoughtfulness, and at the fact that you actually wanted to eat with him. This had to be a first. Someone actually wanted to hang out with him? Someone like him?
"Y-You don't have to!" you rushed. "I just see that you seem a little lonely. Kinda like me!" You laughed a little before quieting down. "Oh. I guess that's not really funny is it?"
He shook his head a little, cracking a small smile at the five year-old you.
"Sure. Let's have lunch together."
He didn't know when he fell in love with you. For all he knew, he could have fallen in love with you the first time he saw you, or the day that you decided that you wanted to get to know him, taking initiative rather than himself. But he did know one thing.
He loved you, and that was all that mattered to him. If he could just protect you from this cruel and sinful world, he would be content with his life. Well, as long as he got to have you too, that is.
---
You thought that it would be a little easier now that the gang was all together (Luffy survived the 'execution' miraculously), and that all was fine and dandy.
But this seriously wasn't what you thought getting back to the Merry would look like.
"AHHHHHHH IT'S Y/N-SAMA!"
"RUN FOR YOUR WEAK HEARTS! DON'T SHOW WEAKNESS MEN!"
"I-I CAN'T! JUST SEEING HER IS MAKING MY EYES BLURRY!"
"YOU IDIOT! YOU MEAN YOU HAVE SAND IN YOUR EYES!" Smoker slapped a hand to his forehead as he watched his men all cry as Zoro had you in his arms like a doll, thrusting you outwards Simba style to show all the marines. It took Zoro a bit to realize what they were all wailing about, but when he did, he grabbed you from Sanji's arms (yes, you were in his arms bridal style as he ran through the rain), and showed you off to the world with an evil grin.
Zoro truly was a despicable pirate, that was for sure.
"DAMN YOU RORONOA ZORO! YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS!" the marines all hollered as he ran by, their vision blurred with tears as they stumbled through the rain.
"You idiots..." Smoker sighed, briefly locking eyes with you. His gut twisted inside painfully as he watched you get manhandled like a weapon of destruction. Well, you were certainly destroying his men's will.
"RUN RUN RUN RUN!!!" Luffy laughed as he sprinted past Zoro and you. "ISN'T THIS FUN Y/N?!" he laughed.
You sipped on your tea delicately, the porcelain cup in one hand and a small plate in the other. You giggled a bit.
"Very fun indeed, Luffy!" you laughed. "Oh well, except the part where I'm making everyone cry. I feel bad about that..." You let out a sigh. "I'm such a horrible person."
"Y/n-hime!! Don't say that about yourself!" Sanji scolded. "You're the most purest and beautifulest angel in the world! You're anything but a bad person! If anyone was a bad person, it would be this moss head over here." Zoro rolled his eyes at Sanji, looking back to survey the marines chasing them half-heartedly. His hands tightened slightly around your body.
"Persistent bastards..." he grumbled. Sanji squinted his eyes a bit as he saw a person in the distance. No, not a person. A lady.
"A LADY!" Sanji yelled, swooning slightly, before looking over at you. "DON'T WORRY MY GODDESS I LOVE YOU TOO!! I LOVE YOU MORE THAN ANYONE!!"
"OI SHUT UP YOU PERVERTED CHEF! DON'T TALK TO OUR FIRST MATE THAT WAY!"
"YEAH SANJI!" Luffy chimed in. "AND Y/N KNOWS I LOVE HER MORE THAN YOU!" He turned to you with a big grin. "Right Y/n?"
"OI!" Sanji yelled, completely forgetting about Tashigi who was standing in the rain. But Zoro didn't. He paused slightly in his steps, hands setting you down as he felt like he knew what was coming next.
"I didn't know you were Roronoa Zoro, as well as a pirate.." Tashigi began. It all made sense to her now. Of course you would know Roronoa Zoro because you were on the same crew! She remembered Zoro mentioning that you were the first mate, but seriously, why couldn't you have told her?
She understood that you didn't want the two of them to fight, but... Honestly, you were too soft hearted to be a pirate, or a marine.
"You lied to me." It was now that Sanji realized that Tashigi was still there.
"WHAT?! WHAT'D YOU DO TO HER?!" he yelled, grabbing your arm so that he could envelop you in a hug. "You better didn't do anything to my goddess either or you're dead!" Pushing Sanji's face aside, Zoro walked forwards.
"You just didn't ask for my name. I didn't lie to you."
"A rogue like you can't be allowed to hold that sword! I'll collect it from you!" Tashigi declared, sparing you a glance. She furrowed her brows a bit as she watched Sanji and Luffy argue, with Sanji's hands covering your ears as he swore a string of choice words at him.
You didn't look fazed as you stared into your tea cup, letting the rain mix with the tea.
Really, there was no point of Sanji covering up your ears when he was yelling at the top of his lungs. Besides, you kind of recognized some of them, having lived with Akainu for a few years. Things like that do that to you.
Sanji's eyes flickered over to Zoro for a few moments, seeing that he suddenly engaged in combat with Tashigi. He furrowed his brows.
"How dare you fight a lady!!" he yelled.
"Please don't interfere!" Tashigi spoke. "This is a fight between me and Roronoa." Zoro huffed a bit, glancing back at your distant gaze as you stared into your cup. Just what exactly was going on inside your head? Turning back to Tashigi, he put his focus on her.
"Captain, go on ahead," Zoro said. He felt that you were going to be a bit of trouble when they got to the docks. The sooner you got there, the better. Luffy nodded his head, grinning when he looked at you in the corner of his eye.
You didn't react as hands wrapped around your waist, pulling you to Luffy. You did frown when you dropped your cup, but it was replaced with a smile. Cups were replaceable after all, friends were not.
"LET'S GO!!" he yelled, running down the streets with you in his arms.
"Bye Shigi-chan! Until we meet again in Alabasta!" Tashigi whipped her head in your direction, questioning what it was that you meant by that before she yellped a bit when Zoro put a little more force to his swing.
"Focus on me, and not them."
"I see the harbor ahead! We're almost there!" Luffy yelled as you held onto him a little tighter. Feeling you tense up a little, he didn't hesitate to put his straw hat on your head. "Don't worry Y/n. I promise that nothing will happen to you," he spoke softly, patting you on the back a little. "If something does happen, I'll just have to save you. Shishishishi!"
You nodded your head a bit, resting it on his shoulder.
"Uh, who's that?" Sanji asked, raising his brows as he caught a glimpse of a figure ahead. Curious, you lifted your head to look in the front, and you widen your eyes a bit when you saw Smoker.
"Smokey?"
"You're finally here. Strawhat Luffy." His blue eyes flickered to you being held by Luffy, and it caused him to remember the times when you would do that to him. He had to admit, he was feeling like he was being replaced. It made him feel a little jealous inside. "Didn't I tell you that you can't enter the Grand Line unless you beat me?"
Luffy grinned. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that."
"You're such an airhead." Sanji looked at Smoker and Luffy, and then lastly to you who was still in his Captain's arms.
"Sanji. Take Y/n and go on ahead. I'll be right there." You felt yourself being gently placed back into Sanji's arms, him adjusting you slightly so that you'd be more comfortable. All while this was happening you couldn't help but wonder,
Why couldn't you just run yourself? They didn't have to take turns carrying you, did they?
Sanji, looking behind his back to make sure that he was wearing your backpack (quite a fashion statement if I may add), he sprinted off past Smoker. Smoker clenched his teeth over his cigar, sending his Smoke out, before hesitating to grab you. That bit of hesitation was far too long, and gave enough time for Luffy to launch at him, directing his focus away from you.
"Bye bye Smokey!" you yelled as Sanji dashed off with you in his arms. Smoker let out a frustrated huff, furrowing his brows his his stupid decisions. He.. He actually let you escape.
Damn it, him and his stupid heart. He should have known this would happen.
"Y/n-hime, don't call out to the enemy!" Sanji spoke in a hurried tone. You looked up at him with a pout.
"He's not an enemy, he's- uh..." You quickly stopped yourself from saying 'he's my friend.' Smokey didn't want anyone to know that the two of you were friends, so you couldn't say that. So what could you say? "Uh... he's definitely not my friend."
Sanji gave you a 'really' look. Even though you were his perfect goddess, it seemed that your lying skills will be on par with Luffy's. Well, just a little. Oh well, he found it kind of cute.
He sighed a bit in content, holding you a little tighter to his chest. Just everything about you was perfect. The way your eyes gazed at him, your kindness, your heart, your adorableness, just everything he could imagine. You were the perfect being, so selfless and innocent.
You sneezed a little, causing him to frown. He needed to get you back to the ship before you get a cold. Well actually, he might prefer you getting sick. Then he could take care of you all he wanted.
Ah, he might be feeling a little selfish.
Ahead, he spotted the Going Merry, and he smiled. He was almost at the docks. As you tensed under him, he couldn't help but feel as though he was forgetting something. It was only until you buried your face into his shoulder that he remembered.
Pushing Luffy's straw hat a little off your head so that he could see your face, Sanji gave you the warmest smile he could muster.
"Don't worry. I got you. Hold onto me if you feel scared, okay?" Your eyes locked onto his own, seeing the genuine kindness and concern in his eyes. You timidly nodded your head.
"Thank you," you mumbled, yawning slightly. He reached over to tousle a bit of your hair, before moving the hat so that it covered a bit of your eyes. You could already smell the saltiness of the ocean, but being with Sanji made you feel safe, secure. It reminded you of the gentleness that Mihawk would show you whenever the two of you would go out.
"Do not worry. I will not let you fall in." Those were the words he had spoken to you when you first sat in his boat with him. It was scary- terrifying even. But it was trust that eased you, the same one that helped you get through this situation with Sanji.
Sanji's eyes watched as the Going Merry began to move, and he noticed that Nami and Usopp were on the deck.
"Nami-san!" he called out, holding onto you tightly. "I'm back!!"
"Where's Luffy and Zoro?" she yelled back, before realizing that there were marines chasing after him now. "Sanji-kun! Behind you!" Sanji looked back, before lifting the strawhat from your face, revealing you to the marines. If this worked before, it should work now..
Nami and Usopp watched in confusion as the marines' movements slowed as they took in your appearance, looking very scared all of a sudden.
"Don't hurt her, you pirate scum!" a few of them called out, causing Sanji to get a little pissed.
"WHY WOULD I HURT MY GODDESS?!"
"YOU'RE A PIRATE, THAT'S WHY!" someone barked back at him. A few of the marines were sniffling, tears streaming down their faces before they started to run away.
"I'M SORRY IT HAS TO BE THIS WAY!!" they cried, running through the rain in the opposite direction like something straight out of a shojo manga, except instead of a girl running, it was fully grown men with beards and shit running from a girl. "OUR RELATIONSHIP WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE!! SMOKER-SAN WOULD KILL US!!"
What the hell was happening? This felt like a shitty knock off version of Romeo and Juliet. And holy hell, what did they mean by relationship?!
Nami, Usopp, and Sanji stared at you as you had a look of confusion on your face. Well, they probably meant like a friendship or something. All of a sudden a blast of wind engulfed the town, pushing debris and people into the air. Sanji widened his eyes as he tried to find a place to keep the two of you safe and not get thrown into the sea.
Nami and Usopp held onto the Going Merry's railing's tightly, feeling themselves being lifted up by the intense winds. Though it had only been a few seconds, it had felt like an eternity holding onto dear life; but they had pulled through.
"Alright alright alright!" Luffy yelled as he busted into the harbor, seeing Zoro, Sanji, and you together in one spot. Running to a staircase, Luffy stretched himself by his arms. "Gomu gomu no-"
"-W-wait!" Sanji yelled, quickly pushing the strawhat over your face.
"I have a bad feeling..." Zoro said.
"W-What's happening?" you asked worriedly. "Lu-Luffy?"
"-ROCKET!" Luffy laughed as he launched himself at the three of you, flinging the group to the Merry. You were screaming as you realized you were in the air and that Sanji was no longer holding you. A sob almost left your mouth until you heard a familiar laughter by your ear, along with hands wrapping around your body.
"Shishishishi! I got you!" Luffy said before he crashed into the sails, landing on the deck with you on top of him. "Sorry Y/n!" he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.
"APOLOGISE TO US TOO YOU DIMWIT!" Sanji and Zoro growled.
---
"Hmm..." Dragon's eyes were on the ship that was headed towards the Grand Line, the one his son owned, slightly paying attention to Smoker as his men prepared to sail the Grand Line as well.
Dragon knew who you were.
He had his men keep an eye on you when he learned of your existence through some of his spies within Marine Ford. It was a complete mystery to him on why you had mysteriously disappeared two years ago, showing up occasionally all around the world.
Alabasta, Dressrosa, Fish Man Island, Wano, Toto Land... it just seemed as though you were everywhere and not at the same time.
There never seemed to be a pattern in the places you constantly appeared up in, and he had to search long and hard to find what exactly you were up to. And when he did, he was rather shell shocked because, well...
You weren't up to anything actually.
In fact, apparently you were staying on Kuraigana Island with the famed shichibukai, Dracule Hawk-eye Mihawk. The sudden switch between marine and pirate left him confused. And what made him even more confused (and yet very much more intrigued) is that you somehow had connections with the most notorious criminals in the entire world.
He thought that the World Government would have put up a bounty on your head, but they didn't. No, it was only decided that you were a threat when you had shown up on Baratie, the day that you truly showed yourself to the world.
A starting bounty of 500 million was certainly too meager.
If Dragon were to estimate, he would say that your true bounty should be well over one billion. That is, if the World Government knew the information he knew. They probably only knew that you were associated with the shichibukai.
Ha. If only they knew the true destruction you held.
His hands tightened slightly around your wanted poster as he smirked.
And little did the World Government know that you were associated with the revolutionary army as well.
---
"Alright, shall we hold a launching ceremony for setting sail on the great ocean?" Sanji asked with a smile.
"Sure!" Luffy spoke, laughing. Sanji chuckled as he walked over to the barrel, his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants.
"What's the barrel for?" you asked as Sanji stood before the barrel. His eyes flickered over to you, and he grinned.
"You'll see, Y/n-hime!" With a smile, he put his foot down on the barrel, and he spoke. "In order to find the All Blue!" You blinked in confusion as Luffy placed his foot down next.
"In order to be the King of the Pirates! Oh yeah, and to make Y/n my queen!!"
Oh, so they were going to say their dreams.
Luffy could only laugh as Nami and Sanji assaulted him in a barrage of punches. You let out a small giggle as you watched the ordeal play out. Zoro sighed, before placing his foot down on the barrel, his eyes meeting yours.
"In order to become a master swordsman!"
Then it was Nami's turn.
"In order to draw a world map!"
And then Usopp's.
"I-In order... to become a brave warrior of the sea!" At Usopp's dream, the five of them turned to stare you down. Luffy gave you his signature grin.
"Well? What are you waiting for?" he asked you. "First mate?" he continued, and you placed your foot down on the barrel with a big smile.
"I want to make this world into a one where everyone is treated with respect! I want to make it a place of peace where people will feel safe," you declared. Nami and Usopp gushed at how cute and kind you were as Sanji was talking about how his 'goddess' was such an angel. Zoro ruffled your hair affectionately, as Luffy stared you down intensely, before laughing.
As always, your dream never really changed did it?
"Alright! Let's go! Grand Line!" Luffy yelled, swinging his foot up.
Even though they had their original dreams, there was a new dream beginning to stir within their hearts. A dream, a promise to you.
"YEAH!" the others called out, breaking the barrel. You blinked in confusion, stumbling a bit at the loss of the barrel, consequently falling on your butt.
"Why'd you guys break the barrel?" The five of them stared at you for a moment, and then Zoro suddenly realized something.
"Hold on." Sifting through his pockets, he pulled out your wanted poster as Sanji helped you up. Shoving the poster in your face, there was a questioning look in Zoro's eyes as he stared at you expectantly.
"Why-"
"Oh right, the poster!" Nami spoke. "Tell us the story behind the poster!"
"That's not what I was trying to say to you damn woman! Don't interrupt me!" Staring at you, he pointed to the value you were currently worth. "Why are you worth so much?" You just shrugged your shoulders.
"I don't know. Maybe I just have a lot of friends."
Ha. 'Friends'. Usopp and Nami thought.
"W-Well what's the story behind the photo?" Nami asked, leaning towards you after grabbing the poster from Zoro's hands. "This doesn't look like your average day."
"Actually, that is my average day," you spoke, before widening your eyes in regret. Oops.
"W-What?"
-----------------------------------------
Author's Note:
Well, there you have it. Mystery person solved. And please don't mind the thing about Drake, the timeline in this fanfic is going to get a little wonky. XD Also, I added Familial Interests (thanks to a suggestion in the comments), so if you wanna check that out, go ahead.
Additionally, I decided that you'll get to find out how that photo came to next chapter, so look forward to that. Upcoming story extra is a little something with the marines.
P.S. This was 26 pages this time. XD