Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 16 | Fruit

You are following Luffy deeper into the forest. A piglet with a lion's mane is walking beside you, mimicking your every step. The moment you notice it, you speed up your walking pace, but the piglet starts walking faster as well, not willing to be shaken off. You stop moving and sure enough, the animal does the same. It is now circling your feet.

"What's up with you?" You bend down to look at the piglet more closely.

Luffy turns around, seeing how far behind you are and runs back to you. He looks at you and the pig curiously, before picking it up. "Did you lose your parents, little fella?"

In a heartbeat you are squeezing his shoulders, looking at him with wide eyes. "Say that again."

"Uh, did you lose your parents? Little fella?"

A dull sound of thunder could be heard and the flash of a lightning tears the sky. The piglet squirms around in Luffy's hands. He loosens his grip, the animal manages to jump back on the ground and disappears between the trees. 

Seeing how your expression doesn't go back to normal, Luffy grabs both of your wrists and holds them up tightly. You gasp at the warm touch and snap back into your normal state. When you look up, you could see an unusually soft smile forming on his lips. For a minute you could do nothing but stare at his face. Once you realise in what kind of position you two are, you try to tug your arms out of his grip, but he doesn't let you move away. Instead, his fingers slide between yours and lightly pull you along with him.

"We'll search for some sweet fruits! Eating them will make you feel better."

You couldn't say anything in reply, feeling overwhelmed by the situation. Your heartbeat increases at the soft touch of his hand intertwined with yours. Once again, all other thoughts besides your current one fade away. You silently let him lead you as you glance at his back.

It's like I'm walking behind the sun.

ஐ

The two of you arrive at a clearing. You identify a patch of blueberry bushes to you right. Your positions switch and now you're the one pulling Luffy along. On your way over to the berry bushes, you also see a row of mango trees. First, you walk over to the blueberries, picking out a few particularly blue ones. Luffy does the same and ultimately you let go of each other's hands. While he rushes and stuffs a handful of the berries into his mouth, you take your time and cautiously nibble on a single one. You grimace and stretch out your tongue.

These aren't ripe yet.

You turn to see Luffy happily wolfing down the sour fruit and let out a chuckle. "Those aren't sweet at all."

He gulps down the blueberries in his mouth and laughs. "You're right." He runs towards the mango trees and you stroll after him. With ease, Luffy picks a single mango from the tree and hands it to you. He then grabs another one for himself. You fumble with the fruit in your hands, not sure how to handle it. Almost reaching your hand to your knife, you start having second thoughts.

Juice will make the blade rust.

"You take good care of it." His voice makes you look up again.

Your expression softens, a small smile appearing on your face. "I feel like it's important to me."

Luffy sits down on the grass and sets the mango next to him. He takes off his straw-hat and traces over the cut marks his previous opponent left. You kneel in front of him and watch his movements.

"Hey, maybe you can patch it up like you did with Zoro's wound!" His eyes lighten up and he looks as cheerful as ever.

"You saw that?" you ask a little surprised.

He nods strongly and hands you his hat. You take it, this time with more confidence. You move your right hand over the three breaches. To your disappointment, the moment you uncover it, the marks are still there.

"It doesn't work," you mumble and give the straw-hat back to him. "Sorry, I can't do it," you say.

"It's fine!" His smile is still wide. He grabs the mango from the ground and starts peeling it.

You let out a laugh. "You're just going to open it like a banana?"

"Why not, it's easier this way." He laughs as well.

After removing half of the peel, he passes the mango to you and picks up the one next to you. As he's peeling away on that one, you ask if he's sure about letting you have it. He nods and says you should eat first. Although you could start enjoying the sweet fruit, you wait until he is finished with his. When he asks you why you are waiting, you simply say it's good manners.

ஐ

You ate another two mangoes while Luffy was done with his fifth. The sun drowned in the horizon, its rays of light glimmering in the darkness of faded clouds. Both of you got swept up and didn't realise how much time has passed. You stand up and wipe leaves of grass from your shorts. Luffy picks as many mangoes as you two can carry and you make your way back to the boats. In the middle of leading the way, Luffy turns around to face you and looks at you excitedly.

"Zoro told me you can teleport, that's so cool! How does it work?"

"I think back on an image of a place I've seen before and envision myself there. That's how it works, it's actually pretty simple," you explain.

"Then can you teleport us back right now?"

You stiffen up at his question. Thinking back on the consequences of using your ability makes you not keen on using it again. But seeing how excited Luffy got over it, you give yourself a push and want to experiment with your limit.

"I'll give it a try," you say softly. "In order to take you with me, you'll have to be off the ground." You shakily reach out your hand to him, but he firmly grabs it, making you feel even calmer than you usually are. You breathe out and give him a nod, signalling you are ready for the port.

"Jump."

poin

You slowly open your eyes, anticipating the pain to come, but there is none. Underneath your feet, you could feel the slight movements of the waves rocking the boat back and forth. In front of you, two people are staring at you with shock written all over their faces. Next to you a rubber boy is looking at you with gleaming eyes.

"...We're back."

✘