Chapter Text
The worst flirtation we could have done to Perona is undoubtedly that of Luffy, who recently told her that not a single day went by without him mentally undressing her. Not understanding at all how someone could come out with such a stupid thing without being ashamed, she had stood for a moment watching him, wondering if he was even realizing how ridiculous his words were. Yet, even if she had found this attempt at seduction catastrophic, it made her want to get to know him better. After all, for him to dare to say such a thing so naturally, he must really love her. Anyone with any sense would probably have looked for a better way to hit on her, while Luffy seemed perfectly satisfied with his statement.
At first, she simply agreed to answer his calls, assuming that after all, Luffy was distracting enough to keep her company while she cooked or took care of other banalities. Even when he was telling things without any interest, he managed to entertain her, and she had eventually got into the habit of talking with him during his days. Then, over time, they began to organize several appointments, which allowed them to get to know each other better. Perona had then realized that she greatly appreciated these moments spent together, to the point of sometimes waiting for their next meetings impatiently. Finally, she felt that it was a real chance that Luffy dared to come talk to her, because she probably would never have discovered how much she could enjoy his company otherwise.
However, on the assumption that it was not up to her to declare herself, Perona had preferred to give him several hints, more or less discreet, to make him understand that she really wanted to be with him. She hoped that he would eventually understand that she no longer considered him simply a fun man to spend time with, but someone she would like to have by her side as a boyfriend. Unfortunately, Luffy didn’t seem to be particularly good at understanding this kind of thing. Perona showed him that she enjoyed their dates, but he didn’t seem to know what to do with this information. So she began to fear that they would stay indefinitely in this situation where they liked each other without ever going further. After all, she felt that since he had been the first to hit on her, it was up to him to officially ask her out.
After several weeks, Luffy finally understood what Perona was trying to make him understand. Only, he absolutely did not know how to go about asking him to become his girlfriend. After thinking for a while, he came up with an idea that seemed excellent: to make a sign on which he would write his question, with two squares so she could answer yes or no. So he had prepared his sign by writing on it: "Do you want to be my girlfriend?" before being particularly proud of her work. Convinced that his plan would work, he went to see Perona the next day with his sign, eager to know her answer.
This was obviously not what Perona expected. By seeing Luffy present his sign to her with a smile much too proud, she initially had trouble believing that he was serious. Yet, he was indeed waiting for her answer, convinced that he had found the best way to declare himself. Perona had ended up finding the situation as ridiculous as it was endearing. So she had checked the yes box before approaching him to kiss him, believing that it would be a much more pleasant response than simply returning his sign. Luffy, happy to see that his plan had worked perfectly, concluded that he should continue to give him this kind of stupid attention since she seemed to like them.
Without knowing it, Luffy had already understood something essential about Perona. She did not seek a great romance with spectacular declarations or extraordinary gestures. She just wanted a relationship in which she could be happy, with someone she loved and with whom she could be herself. Even though she would never have imagined that her next story would start with such a ridiculous sign, she was glad that Luffy had dared to come and talk to her. After all, she did not need a man who could promise her the whole world, but simply someone with whom to share her daily life.