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Life is what it's supposed to be.
You wake up, do your chores, and walk around your village. You talk to the other villagers and to the children and you help them as well as you can, cleaning and cooking and reading them wonderful stories about distant adventures. At night, when you’re alone, you think back to those stories and even begin to dream, but reality always pushes you back; you know what life provides for you, and all that it can ever be.
There are days when you tell the children about pirates. You tell them about their quests and pursuits, and the secrets they uncover while in the open sea. The children always cheer for those stories and you secretly wonder if their life is truly as inviting as it seems. Still, every time a new pirate crew ports at your town they act terribly, behaving as assholes and making a mess around town. You know not to mind them again.
Eventually, you hear about the Straw Hat pirates. They're coming this way, it's what the rumours said, their captain is unpredictable, is what people whisper. Yet the children tell you differently; he helps everyone in need, he saved the last island he went to, they tell you, longing for a hero. You know most pirates are jerks but God, deep down you long to meet him too.
--
One day, Straw Hat Luffy fell quite literally on you.
You and the children are hiding in the forest from the latest group of shitty pirates bothering your town when you see his ship, glowing in the ocean. You can barely think if you should alert the others when freakishly long arms are grabbing the tree next to you and what the fuck and suddenly he's there, stumbling onto you, Straw hat and all.
The children scream and yell and laugh and fuck, your head is spinning, and fuck, your butt kind of hurts, and fuck, there is a pirate boy on top of you, and his smile hit you like a gut punch.
His eyes shine as he introduces himself, Monkey D. Luffy, and if you thought all pirates were the same, you suddenly know that nobody could ever be like him.
--
You will remember this, every night, right before you fall asleep: the children, asking Luffy to join your picnic, and him staying; he then asking why would you hide so far out. Looking into his eyes, you knew you could trust him, so you told him about the other pirate crew that was in town, pillaging shopkeepers and bothering women.
You will remember him calling the other Straw Hats and repeating your story, and how they all followed him, no questions asked. Maybe you’ve made a mistake and these guys are also dangerous and --
"Hey!" Luffy calls. "What’s your name?".
You answer him, and he repeats it back to you.
"It's going to be all right - it's a promise!".
You remember his smile was bigger than the world and you couldn't help but believe him and smile back.
--
Luffy kept his promise.
He tells you that himself, running into you as the village organised a party to thank the Straw Hats for their effort. Less than an hour after Luffy and his crew had arrived, the rival pirates had left the village, even apologising to some of the women (the blond cook had demanded it).
You feel giddy; not only is everyone safe, but now there’s a party and the most interesting person you’ve ever met is telling you about the fight they got in because of you. Luffy’s eyes sparkle and you can’t say anything other than thank you, thank you, thank you as he recounts everything.
You follow him through the night as he makes his way through the party, laughing with the other villagers and running after the children. He immediately eats everything he sees, but then takes the time to ask you what each dish was, then immediately grabbing seconds after you explain how they were made.
He is so fun and so funny, you think, watching him stretch around unknowingly while perplexing others. He makes silly faces and imitations and complains loudly when he’s hungry and it should be impossible for a wanted pirate to be such a dork, but it’s all so endearing. It makes you act like a schoolgirl, giggling whenever he grabs you by the arm to take you to another food stand.
Later, when almost everyone has gone home, Luffy introduces you to his crew. You chat with them as easily as you can, eager not only to meet the Straw Hat pirates but also to meet Luffy’s friends. The girls, Nami and Robin, tell you about their adventures, and the boys, Zoro, Usopp, Chopper, and Franky make you laugh at their antics, even if Sanji's flirting is a little grating, he makes you secretly pleased when he is the only one to compliment your clothes.
You’d known they’d be amazing but they are also delightful to be with. They tell you they should spend about three weeks on the island, waiting for their Log Pose to set their next destination, and you feel shivers at the thought of being around them for three more weeks.
You haven’t made any actual plans in months, but when Nami tells you what they need to purchase during their stay, you offer to meet them the next day to help them out. They all look pleased to hear it and your heart melts, but you worry when Luffy doesn’t ask or say anything. You look around, dreading the thought of him having already left, and maybe he’s already tired of you and
Oh.
He’s fallen asleep.
“It’s more common than you’d think”, Nami explains, seeing your expression. You just hope she doesn’t notice how much the sight of the snoring pirate, snot bubble and all, feels so desperately charming to you.
--
You spend the entire day around town with the Straw Hats, helping them find what they need. In your life, there’s never this much to do, and by the end of the afternoon, you feel exhausted. You decide to rest at your favourite hiding spot when you see the familiar straw hat bouncing around and call out his name.
Luffy jumps your way, complaining that Sanji won’t let him have an early dinner. You giggle and find the courage to invite him to join you, to which he beams and accepts.
Together, you walk over to the forest, right where you met the day before. This is your favourite place on the island because it’s the best place to watch the sunset.
Luffy sits next to you and, for a while, you two just look out at the sea. Nami had told you earlier that sometimes he doesn’t pay attention to what others say, but when you decide to tell him about everything you’ve done that day, he reacts to it all, booing and whooping at every part. You do the same for him but it’s your natural reaction - he really is the coolest, even if he pushed Usopp onto a river while he was fishing with the children.
Then, he surprises you: he asks you about growing up in the village. You tell him about your childhood, about your parents, about the children and all the tourists and all the pirates. He isn’t wary of you when you return the question, and tells you the different bits he remembers from his brothers, his grandpa, his old ship and his newest ship. Talking to him is exhilarating, and as the sun sets, you are still sharing stories.
You could stay this way forever, but you don’t want to be greedy. You remind him it’s time for dinner, and he sets off.
---
From that day on, you establish a routine that stays through the following three weeks:
You wake up early and wait for Sanji, who comes by your house to make breakfast. Cooking with him is amazing, and he even stops making his ridiculous passes at you when you tell him how silly he looks. Still, he could also probably tell how ridiculous you look once breakfast is ready and wait by the door for long stretchy arms to come your way. Luffy yells as he flies and stops at your feet. He says your name, waits for you to smile, and barges in. The others soon join you and find their seats at your table as if they’ve always been there.
After breakfast, you take Chopper to see all the village elders, who are now in constant demand of his medical attention for the silliest of problems; they’ve learned to compliment him afterward to make sure he always returns. You walk with Robin to the library, where she will spend most of her day, and return later with recommendations for what she thinks you will appreciate. Usopp has taken over most duties with the children, and every so often you will see them running around, following their new captain. Franky has remodelled almost all of the village’s constructions and only stops working when you tell him maybe the children’s school doesn’t need another shark tank. Nami spends the most time around, chattering with you throughout the day as you go shopping or swimming, and sleeping over most nights. Even Zoro enjoys your presence, you think, as you take him to the town’s most secretive places to train (and nap) without being disturbed.
(Luffy's always around, too; he stops by for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and at least three snacks in between; he follows you and Nami when you go shopping, begging her for more money; he watches when you and Usopp act out stories for the children, arguing with the kids about who the best character was; he also sometimes runs by your house to bet you he can find Zoro, then returns 10 minutes later, cackling while sporting a black eye).
It’s only been three weeks, but it’s not surprising at all to realise how much of your life they have become a part of. You'd been alone for so long that you even forgot there was another option; you hadn't even remembered how it felt to be wanted by others, appreciated for your company.
You love spending time with them, meeting them for all your meals, gossiping with the girls, laughing when the boys decide to scuffle, you love what they have done to your town and how they’ve helped you and you love --
Well.
Luffy always stays a little longer after breakfast. He waits for the others to leave and tells you about his plans for the day (chasing Usopp, chasing Sanji, chasing Zoro) and asks if he can join you later. You always say yes, of course, heart jumping around your chest.
Most days when you get there he’s already waiting for you, sitting cross-legged or taking a nap. You call his name and he shouts yours back, and you think you’ve never smiled so much in your life. Sitting together, you share your news from the day and giggle like little kids from the silliness of it all.
You often feel stupid telling him about your life, as awfully boring as it is, but he finds your experiences about throwing rocks at annoying tourist boys as distressing as his about fighting sea lords; it never stops surprising you how interesting he makes you feel.
You would have loved Luffy anyway from the moment he helped your village. But you now love Luffy, every crinkle in his eyes, every laughter, every day he waits by your door and calls out your name, every time he seems happy in your presence and makes you feel wanted, every part of his being consuming your every thought with joy.
He's made of sunshine and warmth and you never want to feel cold again.
--
One night, Nami is staying over, showing you her latest drawings. She’s heard you talk about your time spent with Luffy and doesn’t comment about it openly, but you think she doesn’t disapprove of it (she always gives Luffy more berries when you go get ice cream together).
“I need to tell you something”, she says. “The Log Pose finished recording a few hours ago. We are ready to go whenever we want”.
Oh.
“We just need to organise the Sunny and we should be good to go”.
Oh.
“I don’t… I’m sorry. I haven’t told them yet but… It’s been three weeks, we really should set sail soon”.
“Nami, I know” it’s all you can reply, and it’s ok, it’s ok, it’s ok, you knew this was coming. You sit by the bed, and Nami sits next to you.
“Listen,” she says your name, “we’ve really enjoyed spending our time with you here. We’re going to miss you very much - all of us will miss you very much” she stops, for a beat, “I’m sure Luffy will--” her tone is apologetic and it hurts.
“Nami, it’s ok. You have to go. You should go, it’s all good, it’s what was always supposed to happen. I’m sad to know you’re leaving, I lov-... I liked having you guys here, but I understand” you say, as Nami grabs your hand.
“I can lie to them for a few more days, if you’d like”, she offers, and you laugh, bumping shoulders with her, “I’m pretty sure only Robin would notice”.
You spend the rest of the night talking, as Nami tells you the next plans for the Straw Hat pirates. When she falls asleep, you realise you can’t. Your head is spinning, your world is spinning. After tomorrow, the entire crew is leaving, and Luffy is leaving. You will go back to your normal life, doing the same things every day; meanwhile, they will find great adventures, and Luffy will be loved by the world.
Luffy is going to be the King of the Pirates and you won’t get to see it. He’s going to be the greatest there ever was, and you will read about it in the news and tell his story to the next generation of children.
--
The next day, Nami tells the news to the Straw Hats on the Thousand Sunny. You don’t go and decide to stay at home, trying to read one of Robin’s books as a distraction. It’s weird, not hearing them around; it’s like all the life they brought to your town is gone. You don’t even dare to look out at the sunset.
Eventually, Chopper stops by and you could cry at the sight of him. He tells you they’ve been loading the ship but he came back to do some last checkups on the villagers, and then you do cry from how nice that was of him.
Once he stops prancing while telling you to shut up, he tells you Sanji asked if he could make dinner at your place tonight. You nod as your heart skips a beat, that means you still have one more night with them.
Later, when they arrive, it feels like nothing has changed. Luffy sits next to you and immediately steals food from your plate, but then yelps when you steal some from his plate too. You stick your tongue out to him and he cackles, everything falling into rhythm again. It’s okay to pretend it doesn’t hurt if it all feels as easy as this does.
You have dinner with the Straw Hats one last time, and they say their good nights. Zoro and Sanji stay to do the dishes while Nami gathers her things, and Luffy stays behind, amused, watching his friends with a full belly.
When you join him, you don’t know what to say. Is now the time to say goodbye or is it time to open up, to tell him everything, to give your heart to the one that made it whole again?
As you sit by his side, he says your name and smiles at you. All you can do is take his hand and hold it, hoping the message gets across. His grin gets bigger, and he doesn’t let go.
A few minutes later, Zoro, Sanji and Nami come to say goodbye, but stop when they find Luffy sleeping against your shoulder. Knowingly, they turn to leave, but Nami still looks at you, her eyes apologetic. “It’s ok”, you whisper, and it dawns on you slowly that it really is all fine.
Right then, Luffy stirs in his sleep. He slumps against you, his head resting on your shoulder. You can’t help but run your fingers through his hair as he gets closer, melting against you. You cuddle for what feels like an eternity, and god, you tear up because, despite it all, you are so lucky. You’ve been given much more joy than you ever thought possible and, in the end, if that’s all you get, that is more than enough.
To love Luffy is to know he is bound to be the greatest. You wouldn’t change him for the world and you wouldn’t have it any other way.
One day he will be the King of the Pirates, but for tonight you get to hold him in your arms.
--
When you wake up, you’re by yourself. You avoid opening your eyes for a moment, not to face reality. You have no idea what time it is, so maybe the Straw Hats have already left. Maybe it’s already over.
You stretch, change your clothes, take deep breaths and step outside. It’s extremely surprising to see they’re actually here, standing in front of your house.
“Oi!” Usopp shouts, “We’ve come to say goodbye!”.
And damn, you've never cried this fast before. You run in their direction and hug each one of them, begging Usopp to write you about his new adventures, telling Nami she must come back someday to tell you everything, thanking Robin for being so thoughtful, wanting to show them every bit of love they’ve shown you, and then deciding it's time to tell Luffy that --
Luffy isn’t here.
The rest of the crew notices your reaction and falls silent. You turn to them, but they can't look you in the eye.
"Luffy's an idiot", Sanji offers.
"Why? What happened? Where is he?"
"He… he said he wasn't coming", Chopper disclaims, his voice barely a whisper.
Your heart is ripped out of your chest. You feel the earth falling and your breath leaving your body. Chopper rushes to check on you while Nami holds you up.
"I'm sorry, he's being stubborn. He said he wouldn't say goodbye to you".
"We explained it would probably be the last time, but he refuses to leave the Sunny", Robin tells you.
You feel so stupid, God, how could you have been played like this? Why would Luffy ever do this to you? Were you too forward yesterday, whispering promises into his heart while he was asleep? Did he think you were just some silly girl he met once and was happy to get rid of?
The others are still around you, their presence a comfort for you to know it wasn't all just a fabrication in your head.
"Thank you, guys", you try to say, "thank you for stopping by. I'm really glad I got to see you again, I just don't… I don't understand why Luffy would do this", you confess.
Nami, Usopp, Sanji and Chopper murmur in unison "because he's an idiot", but Zoro steps forward.
"Luffy doesn't dwell on feelings". Ouch? "Things for him always have one definite answer. I think he's known how this would end all along, even if he didn't tell you". Ouch.
The others gasp; Sanji immediately kicks Zoro for being inconsiderate, while Nami and Usopp yell at him. The scene just makes your head spin faster, so you turn to Robin.
"Mr. Swordsman's not wrong. I think Luffy has made up his mind, but I think you need to tell him yours too".
She's right, of course. Luffy has taken over your thoughts for weeks now; it's only fair he hears it back from you, even if he won't care. You nod to her and turn to Franky.
"Way ahead of you, little sis!" he says, grabbing you and putting you on his back. "Hold on tight".
Franky runs at a speed you honestly would've thought impossible, and before you know it, you are standing in front of The Thousand Sunny.
You'd actually never entered it before, always waiting outside when Luffy or Nami went in to get something to show you. The real possibility of entering a pirate ship had always seemed too elusive to you.
You barely have time to think about that when Franky throws you over. You yell "thank you!" as you fly over the railings of the Sunny and land on deck.
The ship is huge. You notice there's grass on the floor, a slide and a swing, and almost call Franky back, just for him to give you a tour.
Yet there's something you need to do.
The boat is too big for you to see him anywhere, so you shout his name.
"Luffy, it's me. I need to talk to you".
It only takes a couple of seconds, and Luffy flops in front of you. You're used to seeing his smile before anything else, but this time he's serious. You don't waste any time.
"Luffy, I was waiting for you. Why didn't you come and see me?"
He doesn't reply. You step forward, wanting to shake him.
"Luffy! Why didn't you come say goodbye? You're leaving forever and you don't want to say goodbye to me?".
"I don't need to say goodbye to you".
You hear that and sob.
"What? Luffy, stop! Luffy, do I mean nothing to you?"
"No, you stop! Stop acting like you're being left behind".
Your world stops. Luffy's leaving you and he thinks you're playing the victim. The pain you feel is immense, and the words burst out of your chest.
"Luffy, I… Luffy, you are important to me. I thought I was important to you too, you should've come to say goodbye. If I meant anything to you you would've come".
Luffy takes another step and grabs your arms, leaving you speechless.
"Stop!" he insists, "Stop saying that! I wouldn't say goodbye to you because we're not leaving you!".
We’re not leaving you.
"Luffy, don't be mean. You know I can’t go with you. I'm not a pirate like you."
"You need to come with us! We like you, you're our friend and you do good for others, and that's reason enough."
His words lift you off your feet; you feel lightheaded.
"Luffy…"
"You told me you have nobody here, but you have us now. We can be your family. Everyone will be happier with you here."
It’s too much. You fall into his arms, bawling against his chest, and he holds you there.
"Listen", he says your name, setting you up straight, "You need to come because you will be happier here and I will be happier with you here. I want to see you every day and share all my food with you and at the end of the day I want to tell you everything I thought about!"
You jump into his arms and as he holds you, there's sunlight all around you. You think you can hear the rest of the crew just outside, hollering.
You look Luffy in the eyes.
"Luffy… I love you".
He smiles and gives you the world.
"I love you too! Now, do you want to join our crew?".
--
You wake up, do your chores, and walk around the ship. You spend your day with the Straw Hat pirates, with your crew, sailing through the ocean, infinite possibilities ahead.
At the end of the day, Monkey D. Luffy calls your name and stretches his hand to you. You sit side by side at the head of the Sunny and watch the sunset. You've spent the day together, but you still share everything you've done, and he tells you everything back. When nobody's looking, you kiss him and feel him smiling against your lips.
Life is exactly what it's supposed to be.