A Fairy's Tale (Eustass Kid X OC) (ORIGINAL)

Chapter Seven: Charming Company

By the time Loklynn's eyes were finally dry, it was well past the dinnertime Shanks had promised her. He winced inwardly at the mess of snot and tears that soaked through his cloak as he gently pulled back to look at her.

"You hungry, kiddo?" He asked. "I'll bet old Benny boy has some secret stash of snacks we could raid."

She paused for a moment before silently nodding. She scooted off his lap and allowed him to lead her by the hand toward the mess hall. They were way past late for dinner, so his crew had probably already hit the hay while he and Loklynn were out on deck.

"Well look who finally decided to show up," Benn chuckled when they arrived. "Planning to steal all my snacks again?"

To Shanks' surprise, all of his men were seated at the tables. The soup du jour was still simmering on the stove top, completely untouched.

The whole crew had waited for them.

"Thank God you're here, I was starving!" Lucky Roo exclaimed... through a mouthful of meat. Yasopp wacked the back of his head.

"You're probably the least starved out of all of us, you big bas...!" He stopped when all eyes swiveled to him. "Uh, you... y-you big... dope!"

Shanks smiled and shook his head; he should've known they would pull something like this. He lead Loklynn into the room and helped her into what was usually his seat at the head of the table. She fidgetted and shyly looked around the room, mustering up a small smile at their goofy behavior.

"There you go, seat of honor! Thanks for waiting, guys."

"Pfff, you think we were waiting for you?" Punch snorted as Rockstar chimed in,

"We just wanted to make sure Loklynn got that dinner you promised her!"

Shanks scowled in a playful show of spite as he filled Loklynn's bowl. "Hey, hey, who's the captain here?"

"Hmm, I dunno... I think the cutie might make a pretty good pirate captain. Whadaya say, kid?" Snake grinned with a soft punch to the now blushing girl's shoulder as the room filled with laughter and hearty agreement.

Shanks balked. "Wha- This is mutiny!"

There was more banter and teasing as everyone dug in. Shanks was happy to see Loklynm eventually loosen up and giggle along with the rest of them. He hoped she'd be able to laugh a lot more in the future.

The future... his mood darkened even as he continued to smile. He really didn't like thinking about it. Her life would not be an easy one; With the things that fate held in store for her, that brand on her shoulder would be the least of her worries. He knew he had to do everything in his power to prepare her for the day she'd have to face the world without him.

"Red hair!" A gruff voice greeted from the door. Shanks shook himself out of his gloomy thoughts.



He turned to see A familiar blue figure standing by the door of the mess hall and immediately brightened.

"Oh, hey Jim-"

"JIMBEI!!"

Loklynn squealed and nearly fell over her chair in her rush to run over and, to the shock of the crew, practically launch herself at the burly Fishman. Jimbei laughed as he caught her and lifted her to perch on his shoulder.

It was endlessly adorable to watch the girl interact with the formidable warrior. Little Loklynn, who couldn't even challenge the weight of one of his biceps, wasn't at all intimidated by his massive stature. The two had only met once as far as Shanks knew, yet she treated him like a favorite uncle who had popped into town for her birthday.