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Luffy had somehow managed to get separated from his crew a mere few minutes after entering the bustling town. Merchants, customers, and people going about their way made up the crowded street. Yelling and talking could be heard everywhere, along with the clicking of horses’ hooves and the bells of shop doors. Luffy walked around, looking at all the buildings and shops with great interest. He paid no mind to the crowded flow of people he had accidentally trapped himself in, taking the chance to look around the town as he walked mindlessly.
“— the annual swimming contest! Isn’t that exciting? It’s the first time I’ve been in town for it!” Luffy stopped his walking once he heard that. He looked around at the other people's attire and oh no they were wearing swimsuits and swimming trunks. Luffy tried his best to turn around but the crowd shoved him forward. He looked around nervously for a way out before shoving past a few people and thrusting himself into an alleyway.
“UGH! That was a close one… maybe I should’ve been paying more attention shishishishi!” Luffy scratched his scalp, smiling with his eyes closed before they opened when he heard a crisp footstep permeating the muffled sounds of talking and walking from the main streets.
“Woah! Who’s there?” Luffy asked, snapping around to look behind him. There was a lady with black and blonde hair, and two pigtail braids resting on her shoulders as she walked toward Luffy calmly. She was wearing a white, no-sleeve button-up with a black tie and a beige coat. Her closed-toed boots clicked against the concrete, the steel toes of her shoes clicking satisfyingly. Her black pencil skirt brushed to her knees, her eyes were on Luffy solely as she pulled off her sunglasses.
He looked behind himself briefly, but there was no one in the alley besides the two of them. Luffy blinked at her as she now stood in front of him.
“Hello dear.” Her voice was husky and calm, a pipe held in her right hand and a beauty mark under her left eye. “Hi!” Luffy smiled at her and the lady’s smile widened. “What’s a little pirate such as yourself doing in this alleyway, hm?” She brought the pipe to her mouth, inhaling before moving the pipe away and exhaling a puff of smoke. Luffy huffed a bit, fanning the smoke away while speaking.
“Well, shishishi! I got separated from my crew on accident…” The woman looked at him sadly. “Oh? Maybe I could help you find them, what do they look like?” She leaned down in front of him to meet his eyes and Luffy found himself looking behind her instead of staring into her eyes.
“Well… hmm there’s Zoro and he has green hair and three swords and umm he’s tall! And has short hair! Then there’s Sanji, he’s blonde and has one eye covered by hair and he’s wearing a suit and he’s probably smoking… and Nami has orange hair and she’s kinda tall and her hair’s long. Usopp has curly black hair and a long nose and these brown overalls and a slingshot! Then Robin has black hair and she’s usually reading and she’s tall and fancy… and she likes tea… and Chopper’s a little reindeer doctor! You’ll know when you see him!” Luffy smiled at the lady who nodded at his descriptions.
“Mhm… green hair, blonde, ginger, black hair, little reindeer…” She hums thoughtfully, jabbing a finger to her chin. “Ah! I think I’ve seen them! They’re your crew, yes?” Luffy nods, “Are you sure there isn’t another one? I saw them walking with some white, brown-haired guy with sandals on…” A frown tugs at Luffy’s face before he tilts his head.
“Mm, they might’ve made a new friend! I gotta meet him!” Luffy’s about ready to run off out of the alley, but the lady’s hand on his shoulder stops him. She looks almost
pitifully at him. Luffy hates that expression.
“Dear… there’s no easy way to tell you this, but…” She seems to hesitate on how to word it, one of her hands leaving Luffy’s shoulder as she looks to the side hesitantly. “Yeah? What is it?” He asks impatiently. The lady sighs, “They don’t like you anymore.” Luffy stared at her with a blank expression on his face. “They don’t care about you, dear. I heard one of them talking about only using you for money and others using you for power. I’m sorry you had to find out this way…” The lady trails off and looks to the floor in sympathy. Luffy blinked at her for a few more moments before speaking.
“I don’t care.” Her expression stills and she looks up at the young pirate in confusion. “Kid? What do you mean?” Luffy smiles at her a bit, “I don’t care if they use me for their own gain! They’re my nakama, and if I can be of use to them then I don’t care!” Luffy gave a closed-eyed grin to the woman who sweat dropped at his unexpected reaction.
“But… that’s a horrible way to live! Why would you be alright with them taking advantage of you?!” The woman asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Luffy merely shrugged, “I want to help them and I love them like they’re my family… I don’t mind if they don’t feel the same or just want to use me, what do you not get about that, lady?” She was speechless. She hadn’t been expecting this response, she had been trying to get the Strawhat Captain to turn on his crew, but… She didn’t know what to do, now.
“Mm, but you did say you saw my crew! Where are they?” Luffy smiled at her and she felt her jaw drop more. “They… they’re at the shopping district, at the pawn shop.” Luffy nodded and ran out of the alleyway, racing in a random direction and hoping it would lead to his crew.
The lady had a Devil Fruit that allowed her to see the location of anyone she knows the name or physical description of. She can hear conversations, see other people around the person she targeted, and telepathically speak to them. Conventionally, she would be considered ‘evil’ for her previous goals, but she was a bit concerned with the mentality of the Strawhat’s Captain. What good was he if he allowed his nakama to use him like that?! What kind of Captain did that?! She wasn’t about to try and manipulate a pirate Captain who let himself be handicapped like that!
“Roronoa Zoro,” The swordsman paused in his bickering with Sanji to blink owlishly once he heard the voice. He looked around in confusion while Sanji put his hands in his pockets and tilted his head to the side.
“Bastard, what the hell are you looking around for? Your sense of direction?” Zoro glared at Sanji who merely snickered. “Shut up Cook, I hear something… it’s so loud it’s like —“ “I’m in your head?” Zoro placed a hand on the handle of one of his swords while looking around the store, Sanji started looking around as well.
“Now now Strawhat Zoro, don’t be alarmed, I’m not here as your enemy now. Just here to tell you something.” Zoro crossed his arms and leaned against a table while Nami attempted to bargain with the cashier. Sanji stared at him with indifference.
“So… you gonna tell me what’s going on?” Zoro glanced at him before replying, “Some Devil Fruit lady is trying to tell me something, apparently.” Sanji side-eyed Zoro when he heard ‘lady.’
“…Why is she talking to you ? Why couldn’t she have talked to me instead?” Zoro smirked at Sanji, “Maybe she doesn’t like curly-browed, ugly cooks.” Sanji started yelling at Zoro while the lady continued speaking.
“I’m concerned about your Captain.” Zoro’s eyebrows furrowed and Sanji went quiet, ‘Concerned about him why, lady?’ Sanji nudged Zoro, “Hey, tell me what she’s saying!” Zoro shrugged him off.
“His thought process, for lack of a better term on my part, is a bit odd I'd say.” Zoro looks on indifferently. ‘It’s Luffy. His thought process is always weird, elaborate.’ He could practically feel the lady roll her eyes at him. “I spoke with him earlier, and he expressed that even if you all, his crew, hated him or were using him for an ulterior motive, then he would be fine with it as long as he could help you. He finds himself expendable in the face of your goals, in a way.” Zoro was tense. Sanji looked at him in confusion while Nami turned around, having won the passive-aggressive argument with the cashier.
“Score! I got these for like, 30 berry less! Now, let’s go find—“ Nami stopped her movement, “Zoro? Something wrong, swordsman?” She nudged him and he clenched his hands.
“It’s nothing.. let’s just find Luffy, who knows where he ran off to.” Usopp and Chopper, who were looking at the shop next door, met them at the exit to the shop. Zoro walked past them all and the other four shared concerned glances.
“Zoro? Hey, what’s up, man?” Usopp asked, Zoro continued walking, “Nothing, we should find Senchou. We need to have a talk, it seems.” Sanji bit down on his cigarette but nodded along. “Whatever Marimo, let me lead though. Who knows where you’ll lead us.”