Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 17 | Pinocchio

"Don't ever startle me like that!" the orange-haired girl yells. She hits Luffy on the head and slaps your arm playfully.

You rub your arm while saying a quick sorry and plop yourself down in front of them. Luffy isn't saying a word, only looking at you with admiration. You tug on his shirt to get him to sit down too.

"I experienced it first hand, but seeing it like this needs some getting used to." Zoro sighs.

You chuckle and present them the fruits in your arms. "We brought back some mangoes."

"Sure took you a long time to get them," Nami retorts.

"Some other stuff happened."

"Yeah, there was a bush man, strange animals and–"

"Alright, alright, I don't need to know more," Nami interrupts Luffy's rambling. "More importantly, Y/N how are you doing this. I mean this strange teleportation thing without being a Devil's Fruit user?"

"Also, how can you heal wounds?" Zoro adds.

You let their questions sink in and look down at your hands. You know they are justified questions, a normal person would ask if they see something this out of the ordinary. The only problem is that your brain is basically a black hole when it comes to remembering your past. You can't find the right words to fill their curiosity.

"How it's possible doesn't matter! Don't you think it's good she has these powers?"

A warm feeling sneaks up your back and your chest suddenly feels lighter. You turn to see Luffy looking at his crew mates with confidence and faith. Their expressions change, the inquiring faces turn into assuring faces staring back at you. The feeling of trust lingers between you.

"Well, we don't have to know now." Nami is the first one to break the silence. "We can gather information as we go."

ஐ

After consuming all the sugar, your body felt sluggish and your eyelids kept falling shut. The moment Nami noticed, she led you into the cabin and you lied down. You quickly fell into a deep slumber, no longer aware of the things around you. Your sleep has been dreamless, today is no exception.

// { Somewhere on the Grand Line five people are gathered }

"It seems she has appeared again."

"How so?"

"She has been perceptible."

"Has her appearance changed?"

"Only slightly."

"As I thought."

"It has been a long time, Sheridgan." //

While you are sleeping, the three of them are sitting beside each other in the smaller boat. Luffy asks Nami to fix his cut up straw-hat for him, so she takes out a needle and starts mending the holes. As she is doing that, she recalls her conversation with you.

"Say, have you wondered what's really keeping her here?"

"Who? Y/N?" Luffy peeks up.

"Yeah."

Zoro uses his arms to prop up his body and sits more properly. "Not like she has anywhere else to go."

"Everywhere is better than with a bunch of pirates," she huffs. Nami stops her needlework and lets out a deep sigh. "Have you thought about the consequences? She shouldn't get involved in things like these. What if others start thinking she's bad person, a pirate?"

"Worry not, Y/N does not care about labels. A good person is a good person and a bad person is a bad one. She told me that. Besides, who knows what she was in the past." He shuts his eyes and folds his arms.

Nami ponders about ways to counter his argument, but she can't think of anything else to say, so she stays silent. All she wants is for you to lead a life away from the bad and the evil. Pirates. But on the other hand, she doesn't have the heart to get you to leave the only people you know.

Luffy frowns at the exchange. "I don't care about who or what she was! She's strong and it's good that she's here with us." No one says anything in return to his statement. He watches Nami finishing up the stitches. "Oh! Thanks, you did a great job on fixing that!"

ஐ

The sun peeks through the cabin's small window, lighting up your face. You lift your head from the bundle of cloth, your hair tumbling down your back. The sound of the rhythmic waves bring a peaceful hymn to your ears. Soon, all of this is intercepted by a screeching voice. You get up and nonchalantly pull your hair into a ponytail. When you walk out the cabin, you see the boats anchored at an island and a new face standing with your group. You raise an eyebrow at his prominent feature in the centre of his face.

Looks like Pinocchio.

They start walking further upwards the island. You quickly jump off the boat and catch up to them. Walking behind them, you peak at Luffy's straw-hat. "The marks are barely visible!" you mumble in surprise.

Your voice catches someone's attention. Luffy turns around to you. "Good right? Nami fixed it for me."

"Impressive," you reply.

"Ah, Y/N! You're awake?" Nami notices you. "You slept for over 12 hours, you must've been exhausted."

"For that long?" you ask sheepishly.

She nods and giggles. Luffy pulls you closer by your wrist, almost making you tumble forward. "Come on, we're gonna get something to eat!"

ஐ

You walk into the restaurant with a big Food sign in front of it. Even you could never be as oblivious as to miss this place. Truthfully speaking, the houses in this village all look pretty much the same to you.

Maybe that's why I'm bad with directions.

The inside of the restaurant looks simplistic. There is only one row of tables on the right-hand side. Luffy takes a seat across from Nami and Zoro. You make your way over and sit down next to him. You glance at the boy with the long nose chatting with the owner of this restaurant, then shift your focus on the menu on the table.

All of a sudden, someone plops straight onto your lap. "So, have you decided on your order yet?"

Everyone looks at him with wide eyes, while he is completely unaware of what, or rather who he is sitting on. Once you grumble a quiet sound of complaint, he immediately jumps up and stares at you completely shocked, before letting out a high-pitched shriek.

"Since when have you been here?!"

"Huh?" is the only sound that escapes your mouth.

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