Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

I didn't dream.

Whether we're talking about the type of dream you have when you nod off in class or the type of inspirational dream you have in life. I just didn't dream. I couldn't. I shouldn't.

But…

They made me want to with their dreams, their aspirations, and their adventures. They made me want to explore and grow. They made me want to dream. I had never wanted to dream before.

But my dreams were still empty, foggy, like I was wading through tar that was always pulling me back; pulling me down. They were unreachable and unattainable.

Yet, as I drowned, as I suffocated in my emptiness, someone's hand grabbed me and pulled me up.

Up and up and up.

Until suddenly, I saw the sun.

Wake up.

It's time for you to become more.

So

much

more,

It’s a clear sky’d, sunny day when it happens.

The sky is cloudless, reflecting the flat ocean as if they were one in the same. Even the horizon didn’t help to separate their melding.

Far above the sea, something metal glitters as it plummets from the sky. The water ripples gently when it hits, barely heavy enough to make any impact.

Yet the ripples grow into waves.

Yet the ocean starts to churn, bending in on itself.

A whirlpool begins where the object had fallen. Violent and furious, gauging down to the bottom of the sea at the same time the water rises as if reaching back towards the sky.

A body floats to the surface in the center.

There's no movement from her. Her eyes stay shut, her face gentle as if asleep.

The angry waves are kind to her, guiding her up and over the edge of the maelstrom, as if hands were rising out to gently push and carry her body away.

Something metal glints in her palm, held firm by her white, unconscious fist.

The sea carries her away.

If there were any witnesses, they would swear the whirlpool’s crashing water sounded like whispers of promises and songs of hope.

If there were any witnesses, they would swear the ocean had just birthed its own child.

I heave salt water. It burns the back of my throat, my nose, and my eyes. I shiver afterward even as sweat beads down my forehead and the sun presses against my back.

"You okay?" The boy asks and I nod, but then shiver again, and I feel his eyes on me. I hear him snicker.

I sigh and fold back, my stomach clenching around nothing. The bobbing of the boat really wasn't helping my nausea. My head rolls to the side to look at the boy again. My chest clenches this time.

"Thanks," I say, the word sounding sharp with how it scratches in my throat. The boy just smiles and shrugs as if saving me from drowning wasn't such a big deal. To him, it probably wasn't really.

To be fair, it wasn't much to me either.

"Why were you in the sea?" He asks. There’s an accent there, just barely, and I feel like maybe I should recognize it. It makes his words a little sharp, a little slow.

"Dunno," I reply with a sigh, leaning back to rest my head on a barrel.

"You don't know?" He asks with a tilt of his head. I watch the wind blow through his short black hair. I shrug again.

I try to trace my steps. I try to think of anything before this moment. Yet my head throbs and recoils at the effort, and I come up on a blank slate. I know hazy things, of course. I know my name and my age; I know what I look like roughly and where I came from. There's general knowledge of the world in there, too. Yet, I can't remember specific events or anything that would lead up to me being fished out of the middle of an ocean. At least the boy before me spoke English.

"Where are we?" I ask, rubbing my temple to find some relief from my headache.

"East Blue." He chirps.

I blink. I look to the sky. I look at the boy.

"I'm sorry, East Blue?" I ask quietly. "East Blue of what?"

"Of what?" His brows furrowed together so hard they looked like one. It was a confused scowl I could only describe as childish. "The East Blue Sea."

"Is that like… a nickname?" I ask and I sit up when he only continues looking at me. "Like the Pacific? Atlantic?"

"Did you hit your head?" He asks plainly.

"I mean, maybe, but I know the oceans I-" I pause, sighing, reeling back on the bite in my annoyed tone. Maybe he was younger than he looked, and didn't know the right names for the seas around him. He wouldn’t be the first kid I knew where school had failed them and they barely knew geography. It was weird if he was telling the truth, that there was a place anywhere named East Blue, like the sea from ‘One Piece’. As if. ‘One Piece’ was famous, but countries didn’t go around naming bodies of water after Anime. At least, not that I knew of. There was an eastern sea or something, right? Maybe that's what he was trying to say.

“What’s your name?” I ask instead, dropping the location questions for now. When we got to land I could dive deeper.

“Monkey D. Luffy.” He says with a big smile stretching his face.

“Well, I’m-” I stop. I stare. “What?”

“My name.” He repeats. “Is Monkey D. Luffy.”

There's an uncomfortable moment of us simply staring at each other.

The boy wore a closed, dusty red vest and sun bleached blue frayed shorts down to his knobby knees. Now that I was looking for it, I could see the faintest of scars under his left eye. He even had a pale yellow straw hat with a red ribbon wedged over his hair.

“Right. Monkey D. Luffy.” I repeat. I nod, as if I didn’t suddenly feel like throwing up again.

“Right.” He mocks back, still grinning with all of his teeth. As I open my mouth to tell him my name, or scream, he jumps up suddenly, rocking the boat. “Oh! I forgot!” He turns towards the haphazardly thrown to the side supply of food and roots around until he finds what he's looking for. He makes a little noise of exclamation before turning to me and holding out the handle of a pistol.

"...um?" I say dumbly, not sure why Monkey D. Luffy had a gun. The boy waves it at me again until I take it from him.

"You had this in your hand when I first pulled you out. I threw it to the side when I realized you weren't breathing."

"Oh," I mutter, eyes finally looking away from him to the revolver.

He hadn't mentioned I was dead when he fished me out. Did he resuscitate me? Also, a gun? In my hand? I'd never touched a gun before in my life. The idea I even had a gun with me before I mysteriously wound up in the ocean made my stomach flip. Nothing made sense and it was starting to make me anxious.

The gun was old-looking. Definitely like an old-style revolver that I'd seen in a museum featuring pirates. The kind that sat next to old cannons and swords. What was it… a flintlock pistol? That's it. This one had a body that was silver and polished, with what looked like to be clouds engraved along the black glinting barrel. On the black handle was a name etched, "Nova".

I look back to the boy claiming to be Monkey D. Luffy. He looked, well, not like the Luffy I'd seen drawn and animated. To be fair the one before me was alive. Breathing and everything. He looked so real that I knew that this all had to be a dream. He didn’t have pencil drawn lines for eyebrows, though they would still be considered thin. His skin was tanner, like it came from days under the sun rather than the white of a page or old anime stereotypes. He was still thin, sure, but had the lanky body of a swimmer who had corded muscles hidden in his lax form. Which was almost ironic enough to make me laugh.

Though the laugh may come out more like someone breaking down then the one of someone appreciating irony. I force it down with a grimace.

"What's your name?" Luffy asks. He'd sat back down during my silence. He rocks forward, as if excited for my answer. I look from him to the gun in my hands.

I feel a sudden flood of anxiety.

"Nova," I say quietly. The name is foreign on my tongue. It's not mine. I meet his eyes. "My name's Nova. Thanks for saving me, Luffy." He grins wide at my words.

"Nova huh?" He stares then, and he gets a look in his eye. "Wanna join my crew?"

"...Your crew?" I ask, feeling myself flush.

"Yeah!" He jumps up again, the dinghy rocking wildly. "I'm going to cross the Grand Line and become King of the Pirates!"

From where I sit, and he stands, he blocks the sun, creating a halo around his head. For a moment I can't breathe, a weird feeling washing over my shoulders.

This was all too much and too soon.

I feel saliva build in my mouth, another wave of nausea crashing into me.

"You fished me out of the middle of the sea and you want to ask me to be a part of your Pirate crew?" I ask in morbid awe.

"Yes." He says with a mocking serious nod. He sits down again, grinning.

"No," I say, leaning back against the barrel. I stamp down my childish excitement and the wave of fear. "That's stupid. You don't know anything about me."

"That is true." He hums. Rubbing his chin as if the thought just crossed his mind. I watch the way the motion makes his jaw stretch a little too much. It’s almost uncanny-valley-esc and it makes me wonder how no one knows about his Devil Fruit until he’s fighting in front of them for the first time. “Well, what's your dream?”

”Huh?” I frown at the abrupt question. He somehow smiles wider.

”Your dream! Everyone has one. I'm going to become the King of the Pirates!” He reiterated. I gave him a look.

”I-” I pause. If this was real, I'd tell him that not everyone can have such a grand motivation. Some people just wanted to get to the next day. In fact, the majority of the populace never spoke about dreaming to be anything past the age of ten. It was childish. It was impractical.

But this wasn't real, this was a dream.

This had to be a dream.

Because in what world, universe, reality, would I wake up in front of someone I watched on TV for the last ten years of my life? A person that was drawn and animated. A person that was not real.

And I was talking to the Monkey D. Luffy.

I could be a little bit selfish if it was my own dream. Not too selfish, like joining his crew, though, even if it would just be for a few moments before I woke up. No, even in a dream I couldn’t have some kind of want like that.

”I'm a writer.” I say instead of shooting him down. “One day, I'm going to write the world's greatest story.” I say with as much conviction as my salt covered lungs can muster. Even the idea of it feels like a lie on my tongue. At his bright smile I can’t help but tease, “Writing about the sea's next King of the Pirates doesn't sound too bad.” I tack on. I can’t tell if I’m poking fun at him or myself.

Luffy looks like he's near glowing at the idea.

There's a sound then, that draws my attention away from his face. It’s like dull static and for a moment I wonder if I’m waking up. I’m washed with an odd sense of nostalgia as I look out to the ocean, searching for the source of the noise.

Was the dream changing?

Was I going to find myself as a child again, in front of my old TV? The screen covered in static and a VHS tape sticking out? It wouldn’t be surprising, since I often dreamed of my parents back when they were together; back when I was a kid.

Yet I see in the distance the way the waves are bucking against each other and I’m reminded of the moment Luffy’s sent through a whirlpool in the show. My vision doesn’t change, the dream doesn’t end, and I look back to Luffy. He hums in wonder, still smiling, eyes leaving the maelstrom to shoot me a naive smile.

”Who’d have thought there were whirlpools out here.” He says casually.

I wait a moment, calmly looking around even as the dinghy draws closer to the violent hole in the water. I assume something in the dream is going to change. I assume that right before calamity strikes, it’ll whisk me away to a new view, a new memory.

Nothing changes as the whirlpool gets closer and louder.

A small sliver of fear finally permeates my chest.

”Um… Luffy? Aren’t you worried?” I ask weakly.

”I mean…” He drawls, nodding his head back and forth again in thought. “We could use some help, but there’s nobody around.” He says with a sagely nod. “And I can’t swim either… Oh! But you can!”

”It’s a whirlpool. I don’t think being able to swim changes anything.” I deadpan. He frowns.

I glance from him to the large barrel behind him. I looked to the roaring whirlpool that had now reached our boat. We’ve begun circling it at near frightening speeds.

Luffy wasn’t going to do anything. Wasn’t he supposed to get in the barrel before his boat capsized? He still was looking at me, smiling cheerily without a blink of fear or worry.

I felt my own crash into my chest, seizing my limbs. I stumble to my feet, nearly falling as the boat continues to jerk around.

”Th-The barrel,” I stutter out, unable to process how real this dream felt. “Get in the barrel!” I snap, shoving him with me as I wobble over to it. I pop the lid off and nearly throw him inside. He yelps but quickly laughs as I teeter over the edge and wiggle in behind him. I struggle with the lid, which he only helps with when I curse with too much heat and fear in my tone to be funny. In the darkness I swear I can still feel his smile on me, though.

I hear nothing but the droning sound of crashing water. Wood splinters and breaks and then-

Nothing.

Muffled silence fills the void and, in the dark, I’d almost believed I was finally out of the dream.

But the barrel is humid now with two bodies squished together. Rubber flesh presses in and curls around my own, making it the only way we’re both able to fit in such a cramped space. Soft short hair brushes the underneath of my jaw and I hear quiet snickering. Luffy’s body, warmed by the sun, shifts against mine until I feel the top of his head bump into my chin. Arms curl around me and he forces me to move with him as he struggles to find a comfortable position under my weight.

This…

This was a dream.

This was a dream.

It wasn't real.

It couldn’t be real.

The barrel breaches the surface of the water again, my only tell being the pressure I’d felt clamped over my ears finally lessening with a pop. We bounce along in the waves before the barrel decides that it’ll stay a float even with the weight and even after being held underwater.

”I’m gonna nap.” Luffy abruptly announces from under me.

I can’t answer.

He doesn’t wait. Almost immediately after his words I feel his body relax suddenly and a soft snore erupts in the enclosed space.

No matter how hot and humid and crushing and pressing and-

No matter how, the position he’d shifted us into is somehow comfortable.

My fear pulses through me along with my heart beat, leaving a chill on the nape of my neck as I force my tight shoulder to relax. I lean more into the rubber body and find that it gives just enough to let me rest.

Maybe if I slept, the next time I opened my eyes I’d be awake. Or, at least be in another part of my dream.

So, even though it goes against everything that I am, I settle down in the darkness of the barrel. I let the sea rock me until I feel sleep draping over my shoulders. Even though I’d almost died, and found myself in this morbidly impossible world, I’m able to drift off knowing that without a doubt this wasn’t real.

I know this isn’t real.

I wake up slowly.

So slowly, that I don't bother opening my eyes. It's hot in my room and I feel an uncomfortable layer of sweat coating my body. I shift against my pillow, scowling when it doesn't give immediately when I try to turn just a little. In fact, it's harder than the feathered one I usually slept with.

Maybe I'd fallen asleep on the couch, then. I often napped there. Especially when it was humid like this.

A faint memory of a dream brushes against the wisp of my growing consciousness. I'd been unceremoniously whisked away into the opening scene of my favorite anime. I'd never lucid dreamed before, no matter how many times I tried. It had been fun, for the moment I had, even though I'd been too shackled with my real world fears and insecurities to actually lean into it. It would've been fun letting go and chatting with Luffy, without the usual burden of my usual anxiety weighing me down. It wasn't surprising that it was so engraved in me that I even had it while asleep.

I shift again and find that when I try to roll, I'm locked into place. I reach out blindly to shove at whatever was at my back, but find it hard and immovable.

My eyes snap open as claustrophobic fear hits me so fast that my chest feels like it freezes over. It was like I had never opened my eyes, as I'm still bathed in darkness. My quick breath echoes back too fast and I realise, even though I couldn't see, I was in a very small enclosed-

I was in the barrel still.

My mouth feels dry as I lean off of my pillow- off of Luffy. The boy is still sleeping, unaware of the panic that overtakes me.

Why was I still dreaming?

Why was I not in a different part of my dream?

I hear muffled voices, making my head snap around as if I had any possible way to see their source in the dark. I could probably make out their words if I focused, but it felt like someone had their hands over my ears. I was sure if I actually could see anything, the world around me would be melted down to only shapes and colors. I can only make out my own fast breathing and thudding of my heart.

Could I dream of having a panic attack?

Probably.

Had I ever before?

I had many nightmares, but having panic attacks hadn't yet met the roster.

I slid a hand around my own throat, curling impossibly closer to Luffy as I tried to calm myself down.

This felt so real.

Everything felt so real.

From my emotions trying to eat me whole to the feeling of the sweaty rubber skin pressed against mine. I squeeze my eyes shut, the same darkness there as if I hadn't.

Luffy moves against me.

His arms rise up, past me, and for a dreadful moment I worry he's going to hug me, to comfort me-

But that was so out of character, the thought brings a spark of hope for just a second. The action alone could be proof this was still a dream-

Then the lid of the barrel goes flying and blinding light floods my eyes.

Luffy surges past me, flattening me into the side of the barrel as he rockets up with a loud gleeful yell.

I hear scrambling feet and yelling voices. They are much clearer now, with the world spilling into the barrel we survived in. Yet I can't make the words out as I press the heels of my hands hard into my sockets and gulp in fresh air.

In terror, as a cool breeze fishes out the humidity we'd been swimming in while we slept, I can't help but think this is real.

I hear a loud growling shriek from a woman and then Luffy is lunging back into the barrel and my stomach flies into my throat as the barrel is sent flying. I scream as I’m free floating for just a moment - or at least as close as I can get to the feeling still stuck to the rubbery boy who’s started laughing into the wind.

The barrel hits the ground hard and rolls and I have to swallow vomit that hits the back of my throat. I bury my face into Luffy’s chest as the world stops spinning.

There’s a pregnant pause as I listen to the sound of sea birds. My vision swims when I try to open my eyes and I shut them again hard, trying to put myself back together before I can try opening them again.

It's a long moment before I hear a repeating sound. Suddenly, it clicks. I'm hearing the word ‘Nova’.

“Nova!” Luffy grouches, for maybe the third or fifth time, I couldn't be sure. I look up, seeing Luffy looking down at me with his chin on his chest, seemingly annoyed I hadn’t been listening to him. It’s not really a glare, but the usual childish scowl that made him look too young and too innocent.

I stare at him numbly, feeling too raw and too open.

”What happened?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

”Dunno.” He says, his face back to the usual grin. “We got sent flying though!”

”Are you okay?” I hear a voice call out. Luffy pops his head out, looking around before I see his smile stretch further at whoever he sees. “You were hit pretty hard and flew pretty far-”

”Yeah! We’re fine.” He chirps. “My name’s Luffy! Where am I?”

”Oh, uh, okay…” The voice trails off, sounding as stunned as I felt. It was honestly surprising that we were okay after being sent flying. Well, surprising for myself and the barrel, maybe not Luffy. “This island is the hideout of Iron Mace Alvida, the lady pirate.” Then the shaking breath is sucked in, “‘We’re’?” It asks.

Luffy starts wiggling then. He jostles me as he tries to pull his limbs out from around me and all but worms his way out of the barrel. He jumps up off the ground and I stare at his feet for a moment before I sigh and follow suit. It’s much easier for me to crawl out and onto the sandy ground.

My knees wobble a bit when I get my full weight up onto them. I worry they’ll collapse under me. Either due to being in the same position for too long or the way I was drained from my minor melt down.

Luffy is the first thing I focus on, as he's still in the same spot he'd been since he hadn't seemed to see the need in backing up after I stood. His face takes up the majority of my vision, and this close I can almost see the pores on his face.

We're on land now, if the weeping trees and sand on the ground said anything. Just behind him, only a little ways away, is a very familiar face.

Koby looks nervously between luffy and I. There wasn’t fear there, though, more so just heavy confusion. He looks from the barrel to us and I realise he was trying to figure out how we had both fit.

”This is Nova!” Luffy states. I realised then that I was supposed to have introduced myself and I had taken too long for Luffy’s liking. I lift my hand in an aborted wave. Koby only smiles. His somewhat calm but awkward demeanor was throwing me off.

”I’m Koby, Alvida’s cabin boy.” He says with a small dip of his head.

I remembered vividly that Luffy's barrel was opened up on the passenger ship Alvida's crew had boarded. Not on an island. And Koby had been almost immediately fearful of Luffy and his wild statements and eccentric entrance. Maybe… this was in the manga?

It plants another seed of doubt, among many others so far, about my dream theory. I hadn't read the manga personally. I'd seen panels or I'd read some of the chapters due to community hype, but I'd never sat down and gone through it.

Meaning I wouldn't know this scene and I wouldn't be able to dream it.

Something cold sits in my stomach. Even though my feet were on solid ground, it felt for just a second like it's sinking under me.

“Well, I don't really care about all that.” Luffy says nonchalantly. The toneless response seems to shock Koby a bit. “You wouldn’t happen to have a dinghy, would you? Our’s got sucked into a giant whirlpool.”

”Y-You got sucked into a giant whirlpool!?” Koby shrieks, looking from me to Luffy.

”I don’t know how we lived either.” I mumble.

”Yeah, it was super surprising!” Luffy says with a laugh.

”You’re lucky to be alive!” Koby gasps in morbid awe. “But I do have a dinghy you can have-” He pauses for just a moment, shyly looking away. “Or, well, I sorta have a boat…” He trails off, his cheeks turning pink. Koby awkwardly waves us to follow him, quick to step off the trail we’d landed on to head further into the woods. Luffy almost immediately follows and I robotically tag along.

The supposed boat Koby had wasn’t a boat. Not really. It looked more like one of those school projects where kids had to build a structure out of toothpicks and marshmallows. From where I stood, I could see multiple obvious holes.

”I built it myself. It took me two years…” Koby nervously explains, twisting his fingers together.

”It looks like a coffin.” Luffy deadpans.

”There’s no way it’ll float.” I tack on quietly.

”If it took you two years, don’t you want it?” Luffy asks.

Koby’s face tightens into something sad and he looks away from us both. “I… don’t really need it anymore. I built it to escape but… I don’t have the courage to try.” He does this pathetic laugh then, that tugs at my heart in a familiar way. “I guess it’s my fate to be a cabin boy for the rest of my life.”

”Forever?” I ask gently. Koby’s eyes meet mine, as if startled by my question.

”I… I had a dream, once.” He all but whispers.

”Just escape.” Luffy says with another deadpan look.

”N-No way!” Koby shrieks. “Just thinking about what Alvida would do to me if she caught me- th-there’s no way! I can’t risk it!”

”Not all pirates are like you.” I say, glancing at Luffy’s bored expression. He tilts his head like how a puppy would. “Would you hurt your crewmates?” I ask, already knowing the answer.

”Of course not!” He barks, scowling again. I snort and wave my hand in a way to say, ‘see, that's my point’.

”I just wanted to go fishing.” Koby mumbles. “But I got onto the wrong ship by mistake. That was two years ago and now I’ll forever be a cabin boy.”

”You’re kinda clumsy and dumb!” Luffy blurts and I hide my snort behind my hand. “You’re kinda the worst!”

”You’re being mean.” I say, forcing myself to frown at Luffy’s antics.

”He’s right.” Koby mutters. “I don’t have the guts to float around at sea in a barrel like you two…” I swallow my instant response of ‘well, it really wasn’t by choice’. “Why did you two go out to sea, anyway?”

”Oh!” Luffy shouts, finally excited by the conversation. “I’m gonna be the King of the PIrates!” He announces with his usual glee.

”K-King of the Pirates?!” Koby shouts, reeling so far back he almost trips on his poor excuse of a boat. “You’re after Gold Roger’s lost treasure! Do you want to die!? Every pirate in the world is after the One Piece!”

”And?” Luffy drawls. “So am I.”

Koby devolves into a rambling shouts of despair, then. Luffy and I watch on as the boy’s face seems to get redder and redder as he monologues of the dangers that await and the impossibility of being the one to find it. Watching him spiral in front of me is somehow so abruptly grounding that I feel myself take in my first deep breath since I crawled out of the barrel. Koby was so normal. He was reacting that same way about Luffy’s dream as I would have about finding myself here. Yet, my break downs had always been internal, ever since I was a kid. Usually, I couldn’t talk while my thoughts pounded away in my head. Koby seemed to do the opposite, as everything spilled out of him.

I reach up suddenly and grab Luffy’s wrist before he can punch Koby, stopping his fist inches from the other’s face. Luffy and I both stare at my hand before we make eye contact, both seeming surprised I’d reached out. I blink and release his hand, not knowing how I’d even noticed in the first place.

Either way, Koby had stopped rambling, having fallen down after flinching so hard he’d stumbled over his own feet. Luffy huffs and turns a determined frown down at the boy.

”I’m not afraid to die.” Luffy says. “I’m going to become the King of the Pirates and if I die trying, then at least I tried.” He states.

”Y-You’re not even afraid to die!?” Koby wheezes.

”I’m pretty sure I’m gonna do it though.” Luffy adds as an afterthought, reaching up to thumb at the brim of his hat.

”Nova?” Koby wetly whispers. I flinch at the tone. “Wh-what about you?” He asks. I hear the thin thread in his voice. It was just a hair from snapping, tears already gathering in his eyes. I knew this moment. I knew what this scene was in the anime, even if it was playing out differently than I remembered.

I knew if I brushed it off, I would ruin this moment. I felt a sudden pressure then, looking from Koby’s weepy eyes to Luffy’s waiting stare. If I said anything that wasn’t close to Luffy’s proclamation, reminding Koby of the normal people in the world, he’d cling to the normal and stay the same as he was now.

But I had no grand dream. I didn’t have Luffy’s courage and I had a really healthy dose of the fear of dying.

I did have wants though.

I wanted to go home.

I wanted to be dreaming.

I wanted to wake up and not be a part of this world.

I knew what I didn’t want too.

I didn’t want to know how much my words would affect this moment. I didn’t know how I knew, but I did.

I didn’t want this to be real. Because if this was real, then I was in the world of One Piece and I wouldn’t survive. Because if this was real, then I’d have to ask how? Why me? Because if this was real, what happened to me in my original life? Was I dead? In a coma? Could I go back?

I feel Luffy’s eyes boring holes into the side of my face. They probe at me and I feel my hands start to shake. I knew what he was thinking. ‘You already told me your dream’ and ‘why aren’t you telling him?’

I did have wants.

I wanted to be a writer.

I wanted the kind of unconditional love that I saw while watching One Piece.

Once, when I was little, I had wanted One Piece to be real.

Now that it maybe, probably, sorta, hypothetically was real-

For a moment I see a smaller version of myself on the ground instead of Koby.

”I want to be a writer.” I blurt, feeling my face flush. Koby sniffles. “I want to write about the next King of the Pirates. I want to write the greatest story in the whole world, one that everyone will read.”

”I want to write a story like One Piece!” A younger me chirped. ”I want to write a story that makes everyone laugh and get excited and dance and cry and-” She babbled, eyes looking up towards Luffy. I slowly turn to look at him and, for just a second, it’s not Luffy standing there but my older brother and-

The thread snaps.

”Maybe I can be like that!” Koby blurts.

Luffy’s standing next to me, hand still on his hat as he turns a funny look onto Koby.

”If I’m willing to risk my life, maybe it’s possible!” Koby continues, unaware of me trying to rein in my shaking breath. “Do you think I can join the Navy!?”

”...The Navy?” Luffy asks as tears start to run down Koby’s face.

”It’s been my dream since I was a little kid! I’ve always wanted to join the Navy and fight the bad guys!” Koby continues to shout, scrambling up to his feet in renewed vigor. “Luffy, Nova, do you think I can do it?”

”Of course you can.” I reply immediately, seeing a much taller, more confident version of him for just a second.

”How would we know?” Luffy laughs. Koby’s face screws up even harder.

”Well, I’m gonna do it!” He barks. “I don’t want to be on Alvida’s crew as a cabin boy for my whole life! Better to risk my life trying to achieve my dream! I’ll join the Navy and then I’ll capture Alvida and her whole crew!” He shouts.

The moment his words leave his mouth I’ve violently reminded of this exact scene. I feel the presence before I see it and dart around Luffy to grab Koby’s shirt and haul him back towards us. Just in time, too, as a sudden mass crashes through the trees and lands on Koby’s boat, shattering it. I throw an arm up to shield my face from the flying splinters of wood.

”M-My boat!” He wails, instantly clinging to me.

”You little runt!” Alvida barks, throwing her iconic iron mace onto her shoulders. “You really think you could escape from me!?”

She’s much larger and much more imposing in person than I thought she’d be. She was quite tall and her shadow seemed to loom over us. Though her features were rounded by fat, there were sharp scowl lines cut into his flesh between her brows and around her lips. Her eyes snap over the three us us before she snorts and starts to laugh cruelly.

”Are these the bounty hunters you hired? They’re certainly not Roronoa Zoro. They don’t look like much of anything!” She cackles.

”Hey, Koby, who’s the old hag?” Luffy asks boredly, pointing a childish finger at Alvida.

There’s a pregnant pause as she, and the rest of her crew that had followed through the trees, stare in absolute silent shock. I throw a hand up to cover my quiet laughter. Seeing it on a screen is one thing, but watching the chaos of Monkey D. Luffy in person was an entire other clusterfuck I hadn’t been prepared for.

The crew, and Koby, erupt in a cacophony of disbelief. It was so shocking that Koby even had the guts to try and reach around me to shake Luffy into understanding the mistake he’d made. Instead I block him with a subtle wrap of my arm.

”You’re no better Nova!” He squeaks when he sees me still fighting to hide my laughter. “T-Take it back Luffy! Say that Alvida is-”

”Why would he?” I breathe, interrupting him with a lopsided smile. “Luffy just said he wasn’t scared to die, so why should he be worried now?” Koby’s face slackens, then. He looks from me to Luffy before the released tension coils back around him but for another reason. He whips back around towards Alvida with a new, shaky, courage. After all, he was still flattening himself against me. As if I’d be able to protect him in any real way if Alvida aimed for us.

”Alvida is … is the ugliest old hag of the sea!” He belts, screaming more towards the sky than the female pirate in front of him.

”Good job, Koby!” Luffy laughs. Alvida snarls and lunges just as Luffy gives a small push to my abdomen.

Just like in the anime, Alvida slams her iron mace down, crushing Luffy’s head. He squishes a bit underneath it, sinking with the momentum but not falling.

”That didn’t hurt!” He snickers. “‘Cause I’m made of rubber!” He says just as he bucks up, sending Alvida stumbling.

Within the minute Alvida is on her back, unconscious. Luffy’s rubber fist snaps back into its rightful place. Koby and Alvida’s crew stare in horror, looking between the rubber boy and their fallen captain.

”Give Koby a dinghy!” Luffy tells the crew. “He’s gonna join the Navy!”

”And we’re getting the hell out of here.” I add impishly.

We're let go with little fanfare, surprisingly. Alvida's cowed crew sets us up with a dinghy just a bit bigger than the one Luffy had originally set out on. It was a gaudy pink with yellowed white paint. But we were beggars so we weren't choosers and set sail as soon as the vessel was dropped down into the sea.

Koby keeps nervously staring at Alvida’s anchored ship, as if worried the crew would take chase the moment we felt at ease. It, again, was such a normal reaction that it made my own tension slip from my shoulders. I got comfortable, knowing that it would be a bit before we got to Shells Town, where Zoro was.

The sun is warm and blankets me as I stretch my legs out. Luffy sat just a little bit away, carving out a place for himself on the very edge at the front, mimicking the pose and seat he would eventually take when he was on Merry or Sunny. It reminded me of a cat that would make itself fit in any box it found, no matter the shape.

“What you did back there Luffy…” Koby broaches quietly, finally turning his gaze away from the pirate ship in the distance. “Could it be that you… did you eat a devil fruit?” He whispers. As if saying the words “devil fruit” on the open sea would immediately spell doom for us.

If I remembered correctly, most people in the East Blue saw Devil Fruits as nothing more than a myth. It was a whisper added to heighten ghost stories and wild tales of all the impossibilities of the Grand Line. How different this sea was. How sheltered they were, compared to the rest of the world.

“Yeah, I ate the gum-gum fruit.” Luffy says with a shrug.

“Incredible!” Koby says, his eyes almost shining in awe. “Then you… you're really serious about finding the One Piece.” He mutters. “But to do that, you'll have to go to the Grand Line.” He hedges.

Luffy climbs off of the bow to all but flop himself on my legs bisecting the hull. I raise a brow at him but he ignores it to send Koby a big grin.

“Yep! I'm going to assemble a super strong crew!” He says, kicking his feet back and forth behind him.

“B-but they call it the Pirates graveyard!” Koby whines, as if begging Luffy to suddenly gain self preservation.

“Hey, that Zoro guy,” Luffy continues, unhearing. “Who is he?”

“Zoro?” Koby asks hesitantly. “He’s a bounty hunter. Last I heard about him, the Navy had captured him on Shells.” He says, a shiver of fear visibly racing through him. I watch Luffy hum, a look in his eyes. It's the same one he'd turned on me when I first woke up.

“How far is Shells Town?” I prompt. Leaning my head back on the edge of the boat.

“How far?” Koby mumbles. He looks around and then at how much wind was in our sails. “A few hours, I guess. Give or take.”

“Great! If he's a good guy, he'll join my crew!” Luffy announces. Koby gawks and looks so pale so suddenly I'm worried he's going to fall into the sea.

“You can't be serious!” He shrieks. He started another spiraling rant, then, about how dangerous a bounty hunter must be if the Navy stopped them.

Luffy looks up to me, ignoring Koby.

“Hey, join my crew.” He says plainly.

“No.” I shoot back immediately. I cross my arms and shimmy in my spot to get comfortable.

“Boo.” He whines, climbing further into my lap so his whole chest is draped over my legs.

I wouldn't join Luffy's crew. I knew all the trouble they got into and I knew I would be absolutely no help. I'd probably die in the fight in Shells Town, for all I knew.

But that did bring up the question of what I would do or where I would go.

If I didn't join the Straw Hat's, who were the main characters of this story, where would I go? If this was real, then I'd have to find out how and why. If I was brought here, then there must be a way to go home. Right?

Because I wanted to go home.

...I wanted to go home?

That's…weird.

I stare up into the blue sky.

There's no sense of homesickness in my chest. Maybe I was still in shock. Maybe it was under all of my tempered fear and anxiousness.

Did I want to go home?

Home wasn't… I didn't really have much of a home.

There wasn't a “home” to go back to. There was an empty single bed apartment. There was a job I had only to get by. There were bills and small talk and a loud city and rude people and-

I hated my life.

How did I forget that?

I hated my home and the people and the place and the everything.

I didn't have friends, I didn't have a family, I didn't have anything back home.

Had I really been so scared of this world, that I had idolized my own world so quickly? I hadn't even realised that I had done it until now.

A sweet familiar melancholy laces itself between my ribs like fingers against my own. I didn't like my life. It was a blur of colors and sounds and time. I had wanted nothing more than to break out of the cycle of my day to day and now-

I was in One Piece or a coma and I had the open sky over my head and a vast ocean at my feet.

I didn't have to join the Straw Hat's, sure, but what would I do? Would I get off at Shells Town and find another job just “to get by”? Would I find myself in another apartment, living half of what life could be?

I looked down to Luffy, who was still pouting in my lap. I remember his fearless words to Koby, on the island, said all too easily.

Could it be this easy?

Could I join him?

I would be a burden. I didn't know how to fight, or shoot the gun I woke up with. I didn't know if my body was as fragile as the one in my world or if I now too followed anime logic. I didn't know if I had the bravery to fight or the courage to stand my ground. I'd always frozen in the heat of a moment rather than fight or flight.

Maybe I could join a different pirate crew. Yet, I had a feeling I'd have even less of a chance of survival. No one else had plot armor like Luffy and his crew.

Something flicks my forehead. I flinch and slap a hand over the spot.

”You're thinking too much.” Luffy says using his offending fingers to fix the brim of his hat over his head.

”Am I?” I mutter, rubbing the sore spot between my brows. He snickers and then perks up, looking back at Koby, who was still spiraling.

“A demonic beast?” He asks. He must've commented on something in Koby's ongoing rant, as the other boy pauses and sucks in a much needed breath. He wilts.

“Roronoa Zoro is his real name.” Koby grumbles. “But everyone calls him Zoro the pirate hunter. He's blood thirsty, Luffy. They say he chases after his targets like a bloodhound.”

I snort, trying to imagine a world where Zoro could even follow a straight line. This build up to meeting him had always been so funny to me. They spoke about how he hunted pirates but, with his sense of direction, I was sure it was his luck alone that led him to his bounties rather than him actually being able to track them down.

”Why did the Navy capture him anyway?” I ask. “You’d think that a pirate hunter would work pretty well with Marine’s.”

”If the Marine’s don’t like him he’s basically a pirate.” Luffy concludes. “That means I can make him join my crew. Ya know, if he’s a good guy.”

”What? Luffy, no! A pirate hunter’s not going to mix with a pirate! And he can’t be a good guy if the Marine’s arrested him!” Koby complains.

”I haven’t decided yet.” Luffy states.

”But Luffy-” Koby starts again.

”There’s no use trying to talk to him.” I interrupt, sending Koby an empathetic smile. “Luffy’s only going to make up his mind after he meets Zoro.”

Koby huffs crossing his arms as he sits back. He doesn’t look like he’ll be able to sleep off any of the coiled tension in him. Especially since he learned that neither Luffy or I knew basic naval navigation.

”You napping?” I ask, glancing down to Luffy still pouting in my lap. He huffs and flips over to make himself comfortable on his back on my thighs. He crosses his arms behind his head.

”Yep.” He says, grinning like a cat in the sun. I roll my eyes with mirth, tipping my head back and relaxing at the sound of the sea and the feel of the breeze.

I bury all my worries and fears for just a moment, letting myself soak in the moment. I was quickly coming to terms that I liked being on the sea. The breeze, the salt spray, the sounds the ocean made, it was lulling. Relaxing. At least I knew I wouldn’t have to deal with any more whirlpools until we got to the Grand Line.

We docked a few hours later, as Koby had expected. I stretch the moment my feet hit solid ground. Nothing truly beats land.

A rubber arm coils around mine and begins to pull me forward toward where Koby had already started. I raise a silent question to Luffy but he just smiles on, not acknowledging the touch.

Luffy was handsy, I was coming to realize. In a good, not weird way! Which was fine. It was new. I hadn't been prepared. Maybe it was the whole almost dying in a barrel in the middle of the sea? We'd been crammed against each other for hours and I suppose that ruins most physical barriers between people. Trauma tends to. Or maybe he was putting a physical leash on me so his "only crewmate" couldn't run.

Usually, people touching me without asking or giving me a warning first gave me hives. But this, Luffy, who could never do wrong, his sudden unwarranted touches sated something deep in me that craved physical touch.

Weird.

The town was busy, multiple people milling around the open market laid before us. I shield my face as I look up at the massive tower in the center of town donning the Marine crest. Its shadow cast over half the town and felt a bit foreboding. I couldn’t tell if I felt that way because I knew how awful these Marines were towards their citizens or if it was a genuine bad feeling.

”We made it!” Luffy says, looking far too happy. “We actually made it to our destination!”

”Of course.” Koby says, turning an annoyed look towards Luffy. “That’s the bare minimum for people sailing on the sea.”

”It’s fine, he’ll get a navigator eventually.” I say, waving off Koby. The kid frowns, looking at me as if he should be as worried with me as he was with Luffy. I try not to feel insulted.

...I feel insulted.

”Yeah, don’t worry about it Koby.” Luffy adds. “C’mon, let’s eat!”

”I’m not hungry,” I say, gently slipping out of his hold “I’m going to look around the market while you two eat.”

Luffy frowns, looking from me to town. I have a feeling he felt like I was running away. He looked like he wanted to stop me, but the idea of food eventually won out.

”Okay. We’ll meet up later.” He promises before taking Koby’s wrist and marching the boy away. Koby sends a look at me over his shoulder and I smile and wave until they’re out of sight.

I feel something hot curl in my sternum at watching Luffy's back fade out of sight. For a while I stay there, staring down the road while listening to the chatter of the citizens around me.

The town was nice, ignoring the power hungry marine captain. For just a moment, as I walk through the market, I can fool myself into believing I'm at one of those farmers markets I used to visit. I bathe in the normality of it all.

This was real.

So obviously and painfully real.

People give small nods and smiles as they politely walk past me. They were just people, going about their day to day.

I wonder how it would be living here. Luffy would take care of Captain Morgan and then there would be a more just Captain taking over. I was sure this little island in the East Blue would prosper with actual protection and care, as the Marines were supposed to do.

I could work at one of these stalls, and find a small apartment to call my own. I could sit on a balcony and write about the stories I knew the Straw Hats would create. I could do it all safely and far away, tucked away in an ocean no one expected to have anything peculiar living within it. I could explain away my knowledge with an air of mystery and send all my papers to the news for them to publish under an anonymous name.

However…

It was easy.

Too easy.

Not the kind of easy like with how Luffy proclaimed being okay with dying for his dream, though. The kind that felt like cowardice and taking the easy way out.

The kind that made me stop my stroll.

I had no right joining Luffy's crew.

Yet…

Yet… I craved it.

I could feel the yearning in my chest throb next to my heartbeat. It was a familiar feeling I had fostered in my old life.

I remember feeling that want every time I laid to sleep, doing nothing with my life for another day in a row.

Plus, an easy life wouldn't lead to answering any questions towards why I was here in the first place. I knew that if there was anyone who knew, had any idea, or was the reason for why I was here, they weren't in the East Blue. They would be in the Grand Line.

The me who was content wasting away in the town, just like she did in her past life, was the same person who didn't care for finding answers. I wasn't sure if I was still her or not. What would come out of me finding this person? What was the point if I didn't care whether I went home or not?

I hear Luffy's laughter long before I see him. Koby notices me first and I feel warm when he lights up and waves at me. It draws Luffy's attention and he almost immediately runs over to me, practically throwing himself onto my back.

“You're still here!” He proclaims as I squawk and struggle with his added weight. I stumble and accidently throw him off. He just laughs, lunging back almost immediately so he can retangle our arms together.

“Of course I am.” I say automatically, knowing it was an easy lie. I send him a bemused look and he just smiles, immediately turning on his heel to start tugging me towards the Marine base.

“You should've come with us,” Luffy says excitedly. “Everyone at the bar was so funny!”

“Funny?” I ask, glancing at Koby.

“Yeah!” Luffy laughs. “They kept jumping around every time we said something.”

“They were scared, Luffy!” Koby complains. He jogs up to my other side, sandwiching me in between the two of the boys as he leans in. If I had truly wanted to leave Luffy, my chance was gone now. I couldn't tell how I felt about it. “Every time Luffy brought up the Marines or Zoro, they flinched!” He whispers to me.

“That's weird.” I comment breezily. Koby frowns as he crosses his arms.

“Yeah, I don't get it either. I mean, sure, a criminal… but to react that way about the Marine's…” He sighs when he trails off.

“It was fun.” Luffy says with a sure nod.

Just like the shadow that was cast over town, the Marine base is massive. Like a massive skyscraper kind of level stupid big. I annoyedly wonder how many tax dollars went into the monstrosity.

“It's so big!” Luffy shouts. I snort at his childish excitement. “Well, go on in Koby.” He says, gesturing to the massive doors.

“Wh-what?” Koby squeaks. He looks from us to the Marine base before ducking his head low. “I-I haven't mentally prepared myself yet… and I still wanna know why those people reacted that way…” He mumbles to himself.

Luffy had started to ignore him halfway.

“Hey, Nova,” He says, pointing up at the tall wall. “Let's see the demonic beast.” He teases. I snort as I watch him jump and scale part of the wall, dragging himself up over the ledge. “Oh! There’s someone over there!” He yells out.

“Luffy! What're you doing?” Koby whines. Luffy hops down and snakes his hand around my wrist.

“I wanna see Zoro!” He calls back as he makes us jog along the wall.

“He's not going to be out in the courtyard. They probably have him in the bowels of the base in their brig.” Koby says with a thin, sure smile.

“Well, someone's out there!” Luffy says just as he stops and suddenly grabs at my waist to throw me up. I yelp as I scramble to grab at the wall edge, cursing as I dig my feet into the wall to get an easier hold. I turn a glare onto Luffy as he hops up on my right, ignoring me. “There he is!” He shouts, pointing. Koby struggles next to me and I shift my weight onto my right arm so I can grab the back of his shirt and help haul him up higher.

I follow Luffy's finger and squint against the sun bearing down on us. Just like I knew there would be, there's the hazy image of a man strung up on a cross in the middle of the sandy courtyard.

Koby whimpers at my side and almost slips off the wall. I grunt, my hold faltering a bit on the wall as I try to keep my grip on him. Luffy leans over, scruffing me by the back of my shirt to make sure I don’t fall.

”What’s wrong?” Luffy asks him with a tilt of his head.

”The bl-black bandana and the haramaki sash! I-It’s really Roronoa Zoro!” Koby says, shuddering as he hides his face on the ledge. “He looks so menacing!”

I raise a brow and look from him to Zoro’s hung head. Menacing was… not the word I would use to describe the scene.

”So it is him.” Luffy chirps. “Anyone could just go over and untie those ropes.”

”Most people don’t wander onto a Marine base and check the ropes on a criminal.” I comment. I then smirk at Luffy. “Which gives us the perfect opportunity to.”

”That’s suicide!” Koby yells, grabbing at my sleeve and shaking my arm since I was the only one in reach. “If you let him loose, he’ll kill us and then wreck the town!”

”I think you’re paranoid.” I deadpan, making Koby almost choke on his spit.

”Hey! Kids!” The three of us perk up, all turning to look down towards Zoro. He spits to the side before raising his head. I’m unnerved to see trails of dried blood running down his mouth. “Come over here and untie me.” He drawls, smile too wide and too sharp. “I’ve been here for nine day and I can’t take anymore.”

”Hey, hey, he’s smiling.” Luffy says, elbowing me.

”Nine days?” I ask in reply, batting away Luffy’s arm without taking my eyes off of Zoro.

”I’ll make it worth your while.” He continues. He pauses just to heave a breath that rattles in his chest. “I’ll capture someone with a big price on their head and give all of the bounty to you. You can trust me. I’m a man of my word.”

”D-Don’t do it Luffy!” Koby cries immediately. “Don’t let him Nova! He’ll kill us and then run!” He wails.

”He won’t kill us.” Luffy says. “He couldn’t. I wouldn’t let him.” I can’t help the small soft smile that creeps onto my face. Koby looked horrified.

I flinch at the sound of wood on stone. I turn and see a ladder had been set up on Koby’s side. The three of us watch in quiet surprise as a little girl climbs the rungs and then looks out towards the courtyard. She turns to us, only holding a finger to her lips, before she's climbing over the edge and dropping down. I immediately recognized her from the anime.

”You guys, do something! She’ll be killed!” Koby says, frantically pointing down at Rika.

”Why don’t you do it yourself?” Luffy asks boredly.

”You didn’t even try to stop her.” I tack on. Koby gulps and then pouts. “Plus, what’s that guy going to do? Bite her head off?” I tease.

Rika speaks quietly to Zoro. Barely any of the conversation between the two actually makes it back to us other than a few of Zoro’s terser words. Yet, I knew it by heart. Which meant I was already looking towards the large doors at the foot of the Marine base, waiting for them to open.

Almost as it was waiting for me to look, the doors creaked open and a small group started to walk into the courtyard. At the head is a lanky blonde boy with a too-short mushroom style haircut. He wore a two piece suit like a 60’s movie gangster.

”Roronoa Zoro! You shouldn’t pick on little girls. I’ll tell my father on you.” Helmeppo sings out.

”Who’s that weirdo?” Luffy asks.

”He must be some high-ranking naval officer. Now that little girl will be safe-”

”He gives me a bad feeling.” I say, ignoring the way Koby turns a look at me. I make eye contact with Luffy and he nods, refocusing on the scene unfolding. That was probably as close as I could get to warning him about what was about to happen to Rika.

We watch in silent contempt as Helmeppo shows his true colors. From stealing the onigiri Rika had made for Zoro, to throwing it on the ground and making the small girl cry. Then, Helmeppo forces one of the Marines to grab her to throw her over the wall and I’m shoving my hand into Luffy at the same time he’s already kicking off to catch her. I sigh out in relief as Koby jumps down to scurry over to the still weeping child. I watch as Helmeppo and his crew turn and leave with only a few more words to Zoro.

I heave myself up higher, scraping my knees just a little. I swing my legs over and slid down into the courtyard just before Luffy scales it. He smiles wide when he sees i'm already there and shoulders me as we make our way over to Zoro.

”You’re still here?” Zoro grumbles. “Better not let Helmeppo see you two.”

”What if he does?” I ask with a shrug.

”Doesn’t matter.” Luffy agrees. “Look, I’m looking for good men to join my pirate crew.”

”Pirate crew?” Zoro asks. “You think I’d lower myself to that level?” He scoffs. “No thanks.”

”What’s wrong with being a pirate?” Luffy asks with a scowl. “It’s more freedom than what you have now.” He childishly complains.

”You think if you untie me that I’ll just join your crew?” Zoro asks.

”I haven’t decided if I’ll ask you yet.” Luffy says with a shrug, which gets a roll of Zoro’s eyes. “You’ve got a pretty bad reputation, you know?”

”I don’t need you’re help.” Zoro bites. “All I have to do is last for a month out here. Then I’m a free man.”

”Helmeppo promised you that?” I ask. Zoro’s narrowed eyes dart to me and I try to repress the involuntary shiver. Even tied up, unable to move, covered in dried blood, sweat, and dirt, he had a feel to him that made my stomach roll. If I didn’t know Zoro, I would actually be a little scared of him.

”Yeah, that idiot son.” He snarks. “All I’ve got to do is survive, then I’ll be free to pursue my dream.”

I elbow Luffy at the word ‘dream’, being used, knowing it was one of his trigger words. Almost immediately the boy's smile grew and I knew right then and there Zoro was destined to be recruited.

”A months a long time out in this sun.” I say, shielding my eyes to glance at the cloudless sky. In fact, in the real world, it was impossible. Dehydration and starvation, sure. However there was also the sun exposure which would sure burn him. If it rained he could get too cold and become sick. That or even if the sand kicked up too much with the wind it could get in some of his wounds and cause an infection. It was impossible.

But also, this was Zoro.

He alone made me think that if he was determined enough, even the weather could be damned.

”I don’t think I could last one week without food.” Luffy mumbles.

”You and I are different. Go look for a new crewmate somewhere else.” Zoro says. Luffy shrugs and turns to leave. Zoro’s head jerks my way and I pause mid step. “Grab that for me.” He says, nodding down towards the ground.

Luffy pauses and turns around, watching as I gingerly pick up the smashed onigiri. There wasn’t a way to separate much of the sand out from the sticky rice and I know I pull a face when I show it to Zoro.

”This may kill you before exposure to the elements.” I say wearily.

”Shut up,” He says. “Just feed it to me.” He opens his mouth and I sigh as I cram most of the ground-onigiri into his mouth. I smear my hands on my shorts afterwards and flinch when I hear his teeth crunch into the sand.

”That was mostly dirt.” Luffy comments with a wrinkle of his nose.

”Tell her I said it was delicious.” Zoro grumbles, coughing. “Tell her I ate it all.”

”Okay!” Luffy chirps, beaming. I see the gleam in his eye and decide not to take another step.

”Why don’t you go tell Koby and Rika.” I say with a nod. “I’ll keep an eye on him.” Luffy nods, looking ecstatic, before running off.

”The hell you doing?” Zoro growls out at me. I ignore him for a moment to fan myself, feeling the heat.

”Keeping an eye on you.” I intone.

”What the hell for?” He snaps.

”Gotta make sure no other pirates come around to untie you before Luffy decides if he’s going to ask you to join or not.” I say with a small grin. Zoro snorts, deciding he had enough of everyone, letting his head drop. I watch him close his eyes before subtly inspecting the knots tying up his arms.

I didn’t exactly have a reason for why I had stayed behind. Other than the fact I was already tired and hot and didn’t want to climb that stupid wall again. Or run through town just to come back here. Plus, I knew that I’d leave Luffy to storm the Marine Base by himself too.

The ropes were dirty and old. A lot of them were already fraying, which was probably why they had used so many. It felt like a rush job on their part, or Helmeppo’s side, which wasn’t super surprising.

”You can try and fight it as much as possible, but you’re going to join him.” I say, side eyeing the pirate hunter. He doesn’t reply, obviously ignoring me. “When Luffy sets his mind to something, it most definitely happens.”

”Is that why you’re with that kid?” He grunts out.

”I’m not.” I say, which finally gets Zoro’s attention. He glares at me and I can’t stop the small smirk on my face. “Seriously, I’m not.”

”Then why the hell are you with him?” He asks and I shrug.

”We got stuck together.” I mumble. He eyes me for too long and I end up looking away, unable to hold the gaze.

”You’re a hypocrite.” He suddenly says.

”What?”

”He asked you, didn’t he?” Zoro says, smirking with too many teeth. I frown and cross my arms. Without a reply, Zoro’s laugh is rough and derisive. “I’m not joining a pirate crew. I have my own shit to do.”

”You can do it at the same time.” I comment, wiping sweat off of my brow. “I mean, what do you want to do anyway? There’s not a lot of dreams in the sea that are harder while being a pirate.” I pause and then snort. “I mean, unless you want to be a Marine like Koby.”

”What? Like hell.” He bites back. “Why would I tell you anyway?”

”You don’t need to.” I say, waving my hand around. “Most people don’t talk super openly about their dreams like Luffy. But I mean… Being a pirate means being free to sail and explore anywhere you want. Kinda feels like unless you want to be a Marine or, like, a shop keep, there's not really a reason not to be a pirate.”

”...Shut up.” He eventually gripes, heaving a sigh. I feel a small sting of victory.

”Oi! Nova!” Luffy calls out, popping up at the top of the wall. He happily waves at me before he jumps down and then jogs the rest of the way over.

”No pirates came to snatch him up.” I say with a mock salute. Luffy snickers.

”Good job Nova.” He says.

”You’re back.” Zoro grumbles. “If you’re about to ask me to join your crew again, the answer is still no.”

”Call me Luffy!” He says. “I’ll untie you if you join my pirate crew.”

”What- I just told you-” Zoro gripes, sending Luffy a truly frightening snarl. “I’ve got my own mission to do and it doesn’t involve becoming a fucking pirate.”

”What? You’re too good to be a pirate?” Luffy asks with a snort. “You’re a bounty hunter that everyone thinks is some sort of demon.”

”Honestly, you sound more like a pirate than Luffy does.” I mutter, which gets a squawk from both boys.

”I don’t care what people think!” Zoro snaps. “I live by my own code. I’ve never done anything I regret and I don’t intend to in the future, either. I’m not joining you.”

Luffy purses his lips and looks at Zoro for only a few seconds of silence before he scowls and crosses his arms. “Sorry, but I’ve already made up my mind. You’re gonna join my crew!”

”I don’t care that you’ve decided!” Zoro barks.

”Are you a swordsman?” I ask, interrupting the two. Zoro grits his teeth before huffing.

”Yeah, how’d you know?” He grumbles.

”You look like a swordsman.” I deadpan, refusing to explain. “I mean, even without your swords. Where’re your swords, by the way?”

”I don’t know.” He spits. “Helmeppo took them.”

”How important are those swords to you?” I prompt with a too cheery smile.

”They’re important.” He snaps. “They’re my life. Those swords are my treasure.”

“Well,” I begin slowly, stepping around him to gently bump Luffy with my elbow. “What if Luffy gets them for you?”

”Yeah!” Luffy says with too much excitement, nearly colliding into me. “If I get your swords back, you’ll owe me, and you’ll have to join my crew!”

”You little rats!” Zoro yells, looking from Luffy to me with venom in his stare.

”Okay! I’m off!” Luffy says, patting my shoulder as he sprints away. I roll my eyes in amusement, watching him go before meeting Zoro’s poisonous glare.

”You set me up.” He grinds out.

”Dude, if anyone set you up, it was Helmeppo.” I say with a shrug. I step closer to him running my fingers over some of the knots. “He’s not going to keep his promise, you know.”

”Luffy?” Zoro asks.

”What? No.” I snap. “Helmeppo.”

”And how the hell do you know that?” He asks. “He's the Marine Captain’s son.”

”So?” I ask with a laugh. “Helmeppo is like the classic rich kid trope in books. He doesn’t give a shit about honor, not like you or Luffy.” I pull at one of the ropes and begin untying it.

”What’re you doing?”

”Getting you out?”

”What? Why? You just told Luffy-”

”I’m pretty sure Helmeppo plans to kill you way before a month is over.” I say with a shrug. “I know Luffy’s going to get your swords, but I rather already have you free to use them before shit hits the fan.”

”The what?” Zoro asks before struggling a bit as he tries to turn and look at me in his bindings.

”The shit hits the fan.” I intone and try and keep my face blank even as laughter bubbles in my throat.

”You’re both crazy.” He finally admits.

”N-Nova!” Koby calls. I glance up to watch the poor kid slip off the wall and land face first on the ground. He scrambles to his feet, sprinting over and kicking up sand as he stops. “What’re you doing?”

”Untying Zoro.” I say blandly. When I’m met with silence, I glance again and see him looking at me with an expression I don’t immediately understand. Yet, before I can ask, he smiles and starts on the other side.

”Where’s Luffy?” He asks.

”In the base.” I say with a tip of my head.

”Wh-what?” Koby gasps. “Why is he so reckless?”

”Reckless? You two are the ones untying me!” Zoro snaps, annoyed. “If they see what you guys are doing, they’ll kill you!”

”Probably.” I mutter.

”They imprisoned you unfairly!” Koby remarks. “I can’t stand it. I’m going to become a proper sailor. Just like how Luffy’s going to King of the Pirates and Nova’s going to write the world's greatest novel!”

My hands slip on the knot I’m working on as I turn a startled look onto Koby. I feel myself flush at being included.

”I-What? King of the Pirates?” Zoro asks, struggling in his ropes. “Does that kid even know what that means?”

”I was shocked too!” Koby says with a bright smile. “But he’ll succeed or die trying!” He says with a voice of pride.

I feel like something clicks for me then. I pull another rope free and feel my throat tighten. Luffy would become King of the Pirates or die trying. It was the same for every future crew member of the Straw Hat’s.

It was the reason they'd drawn me in so much when I was first introduced to the Anime. They fought and they cried and they laughed and they yelled and they dreamed and they won and they inspired. I wanted to have that. I wanted to be that. I wanted to have them as friends and family. I had wanted everything they had and I had been convinced as a child that I could give up as much as they did in return to have the love they fostered.

Yet, the real world had been awful to me. It had taken and taken and taken from me until I had nothing and no one left. I had been a husk walking through every new day.

I had given up.

But now I’m here.

I was here in the world I had dreamed of being a part of and I was giving up before even giving myself a chance.

I had to give myself a chance.

One day, you’re going to be so much more,

I had to give myself freedom.

Suddenly, I feel a spark in the air. It was like something sharp just digging into the edge of my senses. I know whatever it is, isn’t actually going to hit me, just like I had known Alvida hadn’t been aiming for me, but for Koby.

I’m moving before I realise it.

I grab Koby’s shirt, ignoring his shout of shock, as I shove him to the side just as a gunshot rings out.