Chapter Text
You were on your morning stroll when you noticed a strange boy stumbling around in a back alley. You had spent the morning tending to your garden, but you felt a little sick, so you decided to go out into the town to get some air and maybe a bite to eat. You watched on for a moment; it looked like the boy was looking for something. You had never seen him before, but your curious nature led you to approach him.
“You look a little lost, is everything alright?” you asked, staring at the back of the boy’s head with a confused look.
He quickly whipped his head around to face you, surprised by your voice.
"Oh! Yeah, I'm just looking around for my crew... and food! Ooh, there's always food in barrels!”
You watched as the odd boy ran over to a nearby stack of barrels. You had to suppress a laugh when he reached in, pulling out a bunch of carrots. His facial expression changed to one of pure disappointment. You found him extremely amusing.
"You won't find anything in there!” you giggled, watching as the boy started to munch down on the carrots anyway. “I was thinking if I should head to a restaurant. I was planning to eat alone but if you’d like to join me, you’re welcome to!"
You didn’t know why you felt compelled to invite the mysterious boy to eat with you. You knew it was somewhat of a bad idea, but you figured if nobody found out, it wouldn’t hurt. He also just looked so sad and hungry; your kind tendencies just couldn’t let him go without some food.
"Really? That sounds great! I'll join you for sure!"
He jumped up in excitement, his eyes lighting up like a little kid. You had never seen someone so keen to eat before, he must have been starving. He rushed over to your side, where you finally got a better look at him. He stood about a head taller than you, and he wore an innocent grin on his face; he must’ve been around the same age as you. On top of his head, he sported an old straw hat, and you tried to think of where you had seen it before. You shook off the thought, not thinking much of it as you led him to your favourite restaurant.
It had been a while since you came out into the town. You despised the kingdom that you lived in. Eldridge Kingdom. To you, it was quite stuffy and overbearing, but you couldn’t deny that it was stunning to look at. It was bustling with life, drenched in an air of luxury and riches. It would have been an enchanting kingdom to many, as it glistened like a treasure trove under the golden rays of the sun. Embedded in the walls, archways, bridges, and streets, in any corner you turned, diamond was the cause of the town’s glimmering effect, the precious material casting prismatic rainbows in every direction. It really showed the status and prestige of Eldridge, but it was quite rare that you had outsiders come to visit due to the reputation that it held.
Luffy seemed to be jumping out of his skin with joy when he saw the restaurant, rushing inside before you. He barely took notice of all the people around you, who bowed as you entered. You weren’t sure if he had noticed and decided to ignore it or if he was genuinely oblivious. Looking at the way his mouth watered as he eyed the menu, you figured it was the latter (completely blinded by hunger).
"Meat is the speciality here, but order anything you'd like! It's on me- sorry, what was your name again?"
You realised you had yet to ask for the stranger’s name. You weren’t usually the one to take random individuals to have a meal, but something drew you to him. The strangeness of the situation almost made you forget your troubles.
"Meat!? ANYTHING?”
You could practically see the stars in his eyes as he heard your words, his mouth falling open. You giggled at him. You didn’t think that you could get any answers out of him at this point, not before the food came. You called the waiter over and he quickly rushed by your side. You noticed the boy eyeing the meat specials.
"Look how huge this is! Have you ever had meat this big before?" the boy asked, jumping up and down in his seat.
You gave him a grin. It was almost… cute the way he couldn’t calm down.
"Well, considering I'm a regular here, I've seen it all the time, nothing special," you mused with a lingering smile. "And if that was your way of challenging me to an eat-off, go ahead, let’s order!”
His face broke out into a huge smile, practically beaming as you ordered the dishes, plus a couple more. The waiter brought your food out swiftly, plopping down two heaping piles of meat in the middle of the table. It was top-quality Sea King, so the portions truly were humongous. You had always had a good appetite, so you chowed down, just a few beats behind the boy. He was stuffing his face so quickly that you thought he might choke. The two of you ate in silence for a while, just enjoying the food and each other’s company. Suddenly he stopped eating to look at you as if he remembered something.
“Oh, wait! Call me Luffy! And you are?"
Luffy eyed you curiously. You were surprised that he even heard or remembered the fact that you asked for his name earlier.
You told him your name, smiling softly at him, wanting to get to know him more. The name sounded familiar to you, but you couldn’t quite put your finger on it.
"You mentioned a crew? What happened to them?"
"Ah, they'll be fine by themselves. They're all more than capable to fend for themselves!"
You cocked your head to the side. He was aloof for the most part so far, but when he spoke about his crew, he was filled with confidence. He went back to eating, but you could tell that he was now paying attention to you, so you continued to speak.
"So, Luffy… what brings you to Eldridge? I'm not sure that we have as much to offer as the other islands on the Grand Line; it’s definitely a stunning sight, though! What kind of crew do you have?"
Luffy looked back at you, mouth stuffed. He swallowed quickly and thought for a moment. He gave you a bright grin, food practically spilling out of the sides of his cheeks. You had never seen someone eat with so much gusto before, and you were shocked that someone with his build could stomach so much.
"I don’t know, Nami led us here! She said something about diamonds and supplies… We’re on our way to find the One Piece!”
You paused for a moment, your whole body freezing in shock. You dropped your fork, staring at Luffy with a mix of curiosity and horror.
"The... One Piece? You're... pirates?!"
"Yeah! I’m going to be the King of Pirates!”
Luffy chuckled and started eating again casually, as if what he said was the most normal thing in the world. You were in pure disbelief. Eldridge was not known to be the safest place for pirates. The King held a special resentment towards them, and he enjoyed capturing them for their bounties. Considering his crew had gone astray as well, you were now worried for Luffy's safety.
"Luffy, hang on, it's not safe for you here... the King he is-"
Loud trumpets cut your sentence short. The odds were against you today, your eyes widened in shock, you were not expecting the King to show up so soon. He rarely came out into the town, but you knew exactly what he was looking for. You stood up quickly, forgetting about the food completely.
"Luffy, we need to leave. Now."
You attempted to tug Luffy up from the table, urging him to leave with you. He was confused by the sudden urgency of the situation.
"What?! Why? I'm not done eating!"
Luffy tried to get his hands free from your grip, annoyed that you were trying to get him to leave before he could finish his meal. He didn’t understand what was going on, or why everyone was creating a fuss around him. He just wanted to finish his meal.
Before you could move or explain the situation to him, in stormed the King. You could practically see the arrogance and displeasure radiating from his body, as he glanced around the room. His eyes finally locked onto yours and he made a beeline towards you, pushing over everyone in his path. You averted your eyes and dropped Luffy’s arm as he approached. It was too late to run now.
"And what do you think you're doing, my dear? What is my wife, the Queen, doing? Out eating with a strange man?"
The King seethed at you, spitting out his words in disdain. You didn’t dare to look at him, not wanting to anger him further. You were shaking at this point.
"My Lord, I can explain, I-"
Your words were cut off by a stinging pain. The King had landed a loud slap across your cheek, silencing the room. Your head had whipped to the side, the force almost knocking you over. You felt tears prick the corners of your eyes, but you refused to let them spill out. Everyone in the room continued to go about with what they were doing, ignoring your situation. They always turned a blind eye to their King’s actions, no matter how heinous they were.
"What's going on here?! What did she do wrong?"
Luffy was shocked by the sudden turn of events. He had no idea what was going on or who this man was. He was confused and angry as he stood up. He looked like he was ready to defend you with his life.
"Luffy, don't..." you pleaded.
You didn’t expect his tone of voice, and you definitely didn’t expect someone you had known for less than a few hours to stand up for you the way he was doing so. You had only seen him as a goofy boy up until this point, but his demeanour had changed completely.
You didn’t want a stranger to get involved and potentially get hurt because of you, so you thought quickly. You dropped to your knees in front of the King, bowing your head down, clasping your hands together in your lap.
"My Lord, please forgive me. Let's not make a scene in front of the people. Please deal with me when we get back to the palace."
You prayed that your begging and grovelling would calm him down. Your eyes didn’t leave the floor as you felt his gaze boring into the back of your skull.
"Deal with you? What do you mean by that?"
Luffy’s tone was filled with worry as he looked down at you on the floor. He was confused, but all he knew was that he was not happy with the way this man had slapped you across the face, as if it was nothing to him.
"What do you plan to do to her? I won’t let you! She did nothing wrong!”
You could practically feel the anger dripping off Luffy. You couldn’t understand why a stranger was defending you, even though he had no idea what was going on. The King paid no attention to Luffy as if he didn’t exist at all. He continued to glare at you before scoffing. He turned around to leave.
"I'll see you at home, my dear. Don't be late," he called over his shoulder menacingly.
Luffy was furious. He clenched his fist, about to go after the King, ready to attack him, but you reached up at him, grabbing his arm from the floor. He looked down at you as you turned your head up towards him. Your tears were threatening to spill over at this point.
"What is going to happen to you?..." Luffy’s anger turned into concern when he looked down at your shaking form. He could feel you trembling as you gripped his arm tightly.
You wiped away your tears quickly, you didn't want anyone to see you cry, so you put on a brave face, standing up quickly. You gave him a big smile, although it didn’t quite reach your eyes.
"Thank you for keeping me company today, Luffy! I really hope you enjoyed the food. Stay and eat as much as you like, okay? The bill is covered. It was really nice to meet you, but I must be off now."
You pulled him in for a quick hug before you walked away hastily, not giving Luffy a chance to stop you. You headed home quickly, back to the palace. You knew something awful awaited you, so you mentally prepared yourself for what was to come. Luffy stood in silence, determination ablaze within him. He knew where he needed to go, but first, where was his crew?