Work Text:
The room was hot and stuffy, cigar smoke blocking the dim lights of the bar and giving the illusion of an overcast sky. On a typical night, the bar was overrun by ruffians and pirates, creating more trouble than Kenzo had the energy to clean up after. Tonight, however, the usual rowdy crowd was elsewhere, leaving the establishment eerily quiet.
Mostly quiet, that is.
One of the few brave (or stupid) men who had decided to venture out for the night sat in front of him babbling loudly. The man was almost comical in his appearance. His long blue hair was pulled back in a ponytail and a thick coat of make-up adorned his pale face. It looked as if the light of day hadn’t hit his skin in years. Most obnoxious, however, was the large red nose planted directly in the middle of his face like a beacon.
Kenzo had learned after years of bartending to keep his mouth shut. He knew a pirate when he saw one and, despite how pathetic this one looked, he didn’t want to stir up any unnecessary trouble.
“That damn asshole. He doesn’t care about anything other than himself. And why am I always running into him, the bastard. Why does he have to bother with this now, can’t he leave me alone— hic !”
Kenzo had no idea what he was talking about. The others patrons continued about their evenings blissfully ignoring the clown and carrying on with their quiet chatter.
Kenzo envied them.
As the bartender, he should really cut the man off. At this point, he was well beyond one drink too many. If the bar was more packed, Kenzo would have urged him out to the street a long time ago. Unfortunately, with Red Haired Shanks in town, few people wanted to venture out to the bars, leaving just as few wallets available to keep the money flowing.
Kenzo found it difficult to toss the clown out when he was throwing money around like it was nothing.
At once, the light chatter echoing throughout the bar cut off completely. An alarming silence followed in the wake of the entrance of a newcomer. The door, still swinging on its hinges, was the only sound that broke through the silence.
All but one pair of eyes turned to the open door. Everyone’s but the clown’s distracted eyes gazed upon the form of Red Haired Shanks.
The world is going to be down one more pirate .
Red Haired Shanks, the infamous pirate emperor just walked into Kenzo’s bar. Kenzo felt the sweat on his skin turn icy cold. The man was just as intimidating as his reputation made him out to be. Even without an arm, his body radiated power. His face was stern as his eyes roamed around the bar.
His gaze landed on the clown. Kenzo felt his legs shake as the man strode forward carefully.
Shanks’ hand raised above the clown’s shoulder and Kenzo’s heart stopped.
Shit was about to go down.
The clown turned, frown still marring his face. Kenzo winced.
The man straightened up in his seat.
“ You!”
Shit. This wasn’t going to end well.
Turning around fully, his frown only deepened. His eyebrows creased in an ugly scowl.
“What are you doing here?” He demanded.
The clown’s agitated voice sounded like a gunshot in the quiet room.
Kenzo choked, trying his best to remain as silent and unnoticeable as possible. He hoped he wouldn’t be killed, too.
Then a wide smile graced the emperors cheeks. It was softer than anything Kenzo had ever seen. It was a sweet smile, full of nostalgia and precious memories.
“Buggy, I’ve missed you!”
Kenzo did a double-take. The emperor knew the clown by name?
The clown, Buggy, grumbled. He wasn’t quick enough to dodge the big one-armed hug.
If that wasn’t surprising enough, Buggy slowly returned it with the roll of his eyes.
“I saw you’ve been getting into a lot more fights lately. Why are you being so reckless? I know you think you’re unbeatable, but what if something happens? I’d beat your ass, that’s what!”
“Aww Buggy, I didn’t know you cared about me so much!”
“I don’t!”
Still, Shanks had a happy blush on his cheeks.
“How about I buy you a drink? As an apology and a promise to not be so reckless.”
Buggy huffed, rolling his eyes.
“Fine. But you owe me more than one.”
Shanks laughed, pulling Buggy close again.
“You know, I really am glad to see you.”
“Whatever.”
“I know that means you missed me too.”
“Fat chance, asshole!”
Kenzo however, didn’t miss the way Buggy’s arm tightened around Shanks. It was such a small gesture he almost didn’t notice. But the pleased look on Shank’s face showed that he caught the affectionate action, too.
Being witness to an Emperor of the Sea being scolded wasn’t something Kenzo ever imagined would happen. There were a lot of strange things that occurred on the Grand Line, but this was completely unexpected. Yet as he poured another drink for the pair, he couldn’t help but think that the odd pair suited each other, as much as opposites ever could.