𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Side-story : diary of a dreamer

"Hey you traveled with Konan for a long time, right?" Luffy bounced up and down, staring probingly at Sky. "How was it? How is she with you?"

Sky smiled, knowing what she had to tell probably wasn't what he wanted to hear. She would never tell him what Konan hid from him. It wasn't her story to tell.

Rustling could be heard through the paper-thin walls. The air was salty and fresh but nothing seemed to calm Sky's thoughts. She never was one to sleep very deeply to begin with and neither was Konan. Both for very similar reasons, dreams never were their allies.

She stared at the ceiling, trying but failing to ignore the sounds coming from the room next door—turning and tossing, pained mumblings. Sky knew Konan wouldn't want her to know. To know the reason she woke up at sunrise and went to sleep long after the sunset.

It was a tacit understanding between them, they would smile and enjoy each other's company during the day and pretend they didn't hear anything during the night. Like wounded animals licking their wounds in some dark corner, they both preferred the moon to be the only witness of their suffering.

Perhaps that was why they could never be together for too long; they were like two sinking ships. Together they couldn't help dragging the other down. One had learnt to live with her demons long ago while the other was just beginning to come to term with hers. They weren't a good match.

So instead, she told that person's beloved brother, "We went on a lot of adventures, we rescued a princess, slaid a dragon, revealed deep rooted corruption, we fought, saved some people, were chased and lots of other fun things you'll also live through." It wasn't false, they did go on a lot of adventures, to train mainly but also for the Revolutionary Army.

"Did you make lots of friends?" Luffy's eyes twinkled, pushing his face in Sky's.

Sky entertained him while helping Sanji cut the vegetables. "We did, some strange snake woman, we also came across-"

During one of their nightly chats—another time they couldn't sleep, they talked about that. Friendships and relationships.

"Soooo," Konan leaned forward with a smirk, "any crush?"

Sky recoiled, frowning. "Why would I have any?"

"Really?" Konan raised an eyebrow, poking Sky's arm teasingly, "are you sure?" When she didn't receive the reaction she expected, she took a newspaper out of thin air. "Not even him?"

Sky's mouth dropped, and she panicked, trying to grab the paper but failing, "where did you get that?"

"Well, I saw you staring the last time we encountered him, so..."

"He's objectively fine," Sky defended herself, crossing her arms. The man on the front cover was walking calmly away from a pile of unconscious pirates, his large cross-shaped sword in hand.

"Really?" Konan prodded, "he is a lot older than you though," she touched chin, looking like a father debating a potential son-in-law.

"Not like that!" Sky shouted, feeling red dust her cheeks. "It's just I couldn't help but stare at his abs, it's not my fault he is always bare chested..." she mumbled, face a shade of red.

"I could talk to Shanks about-"

"What about you?" Sky interrupted her, searching her mind for anyone to pair her with, "Is there anything between you and... Shanks? Or Dragon? Or Akai-" she stopped when she saw Konan's raised eyebrow, "I meant, maybe Marco? Or that guy, what was his name again, Smog? No Smoker! Yeah, what about him?"

Konan laughed at the absurdity of the thought.

"Or even Hina? If you lean that way..." Sky asked tentatively.

The name made Konan wince slightly before she sighed. "She is a friend I care for but our relationship is built upon lies, it cannot last." It's going to end up in flames. What Konan told her much later was, 'It should have ended a long time ago but I was too much of a coward to cleanly cut our ties. And now I let our relationship grow like a vine. I can't detach it without ripping both our hearts in the process.'

"That's going to be hard, you're too deep in now..." Sky knew about her friendship with Hina, she also knew there weren't many people who would be willing to forgive a decade of deceit. "All you can do is trust in the relationship you built with her and hope for the best I guess."

Sky clapped her hand, "now let's raise a glass to our messed up social lives!"

"How old are you again?"

"Alcohol has no age!" Sky retorted, already downing her glass.

Like a castle in the clouds, Skypiea was surprisingly beautiful. However, the man in front of her, wasn't.

Sky wouldn't be able to explain how, but somehow she found herself tied up in front of the final boss, who wouldn't stop yapping on and on about his superiority.

The only thing still stopping her from knocking some sense into the man was the promise she had made with Konan to try and not stand out too much. After all, if she wanted to continue accompanying Konan on all sorts of secret missions, she would have to keep on the low-side.

"Which is why you should switch sides and come serve this honorable me," Enel concluded, pointing his feet at her with all the arrogance of a wild tyrant.

Sky raised an eyebrow, staring at him dead in the eye before dropping a simple, no.

Enel simply laughed before turning around, "Your arrogance will damn you, little girl."

"Speaking from experience, mister God?" Her sharingan came alive, twirling a scarlet red. She immediately frowned when she saw the heavy crowd of darkness gathered behind him. If that was the shackles of a god... he wasn't a god but a monster.

This time that seemed to trigger him as she had to parry his kick. "Well, there goes God's temper."

Some rustling made itself heard as a part of the crew burst through, to see a fuming Enel and no traces of Sky.

While they fought, Sky simply sat in a nearby tree, legs dangling in the air as she observed. "I wonder what she is doing right now..."