𝓒𝓸𝓶𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓽 (one piece x reader)

Chapter 70: Stay

After exiting the medical room and patching up my injuries as best as I could, I walked around the huge castle trying to familiarize myself with the unknown place. The carpeting on the floor was discolored from how old the cloth was, bits and pieces were ripped off from—what I can only assume—animals and insects. The stone walls had obviously lost their once new look as mold and bacteria began to find shelter in the crevices of each stone. As I ran my fingers across the walls, I became slightly sad at the fact that the texture was so rough, smaller and shriveled up due to the polish that had been put on it before eating away at the natural resource.

A loud, stern voice reaches my ear from a few rooms away from me as my attention was previously on the tinted windows of the hallway, partially cracked yet beautifully designed. I allow my feet to guide me to the voice, eavesdropping as the words get clearer. Had I not still had a bit of a limp, my approach would've been quieter and I was sure whoever was in the room had heard me.

Based off the quality of the voice, I could tell they were speaking through a transponder snail. The other voice that barely responded back was Mihawk as he spoke in the form of a few words with every response.

"With that being said, you are to report to Headquarters where the rest of the Warlords will gather as well to prevent the Whitebeard Pirates from interrupting the execution of Fire Fist Ace," The voice from the other side of the snail spoke out.

I froze.

Mihawk sat in the silence for a second, probably aware that I had some sort of reaction to that statement before speaking in an uninterested tone, "Very well."

I'll save it for when I see you again.

Ace's words echoed in my head and my brain replayed the recent events of my friends disappearing in front of me one by one. It replayed how I reacted and what I did instead of what I should've been doing.

Weak.

Mihawk's strong voice bounces around in my head even if he didn't mean it in this context when he said it.

I know my crew-mates are okay. They were sent somewhere and as long as those who had devil fruits didn't land in the ocean then that means they're alive. I have faith that they will be able to survive in whatever place that they ended up in.

A few days ago, back on Sabody, I acted like a coward. As a naive princess who was caged on an island, I had never felt such fear in my life. I realized then that, that fear, that hopelessness and that desperation was what it truly meant to be a pirate.

I wasn't going to act like that again. I wasn't going to curl up and cry for my mom again. I can't let the same thing happen twice.

I have to be stronger. I need to be stronger. I'm not a caged up princess anymore.

You're in the pirate world now, Princess.

The red haired captain's words reminded me of the harsh reality I faced and I realized that the Supernova was right. I could recognize what he was saying back then, but I never really understood the weight it held.

I snapped out of my daze when I realized Mihawk was standing in front of me. He looked down at me, his eyes observing and taking note of my reaction. I would've felt intimidated had I not been possessed by a new found courage.

"Take me with you," I spoke out bravely, projecting the voice I had used to other authorities along with the people of my kingdom.

Mihawk stared back at me, his eyes and energy that radiated off his body almost challenging me, seeing if I would back down.