"No matter how the sun shone, the sea held forth no more promises"
- Albert Camus
It all started with a single promise.
A promise that would throw an innocent child into the very depths of hell itself.
It continued with a second promise.
One fi...
A soft smile tugged at my lips as the baby transponder snail grinned at me, it's eye stalks bobbing up and down. It had been almost a week since our close call down by the river, and not much had changed.
Ace was still an asshole, and even though Luffy and Sabo were nice to me most of the time, they still treated him like their merry little gang leader. If he said leave me behind, they did as told. They were out on an adventure again, as usual, and I had finished my chores, so there wasn't much else to do other than laze about.
"They're the ones missing out. I'm fun. At least, I think I am..." I sighed, finding myself staring at the little snail. Glasses and all, it was a spitting image of Doflamingo, and I wasn't sure how I felt about it. A queasiness swirled around my stomach, but it wasn't quite fear.
Maybe he was right..?
"Oi, girly, you've got a visitor!" Dogra poked his head into the room, and I rolled to block his view. Only the boys knew I had the snail, and I wanted to keep it that way. "A...visitor?" Confused, I tucked my little friend away and ventured outside, cautious once I saw a woman carrying a large bag.
The moment she saw me she offered a friendly smile, and even though I should have known better than to trust an expression, all my caution flew out the window. "You must be (Y/N)! My name is Makino, I'm good friends with Luffy!" She reached out her hand, and I shook it slowly, unsure of the whole situation.
"Um...nice to meet you?" Sensing my confusion, Makino crouched down, placing the bag to the side. "Garp stopped by last week on his way to the port and mentioned you were staying here. It took me a little while, but I gathered some clothes for you, so you're not stuck wearing Luffy's hand-me-downs!"
Are most people just genuinely good in the East Blue, or..?
Glancing down at the shirt I was wearing, complete with stains from God only knew where, I looked back up to her. "I, uh, I don't have any berries to pay you for them..." I explained, flinching when she took my hands in hers.
"Oh, no no no, sweetheart! I'm giving them to you! I know Dadan's the only other woman all the way up here, so her clothes wouldn't fit. Oh, I really hope you like them!" There was just something about this woman that seemed so comforting. Motherly, even. It was hard to stay on guard with her.
Allowing her to lead me back into the room I shared with the boys, I removed the grubby top I had borrowed and began trying on what Makino was offering to me, if only to make her happy.
"So...you know Luffy?" I asked, trying my hand at small talk, seeing as she had been doing most of the talking. "Yep! He used to live down in Foosha Village, where I do, so I watched him grow up." She answered, smiling fondly at the memory. "I also know Ace and Sabo, but not as well. They're all charming young boys."
I stared at her blankly for a few moments before I just couldn't hold back my snort anymore.
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