Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 20 | Punch

You step out of the room and let Merry check your attire. He wipes a single tear away with a handkerchief. He hands you a tray with a beautifully crafted tea set and a plate full of biscuits. You walk down the hallway holding your balance and careful not to drop anything. You place down the tray next to the door in order to knock. Before you could knock on the door, you hear Kaya shouting.

"That's enough Kurahadol! Apologise to Usopp-san at once!"

You immediately slip into the room and stand with your back faced to the closet, hiding. Kaya is obviously upset with someone. You decide to listen in on it while taking small peeks out the window.

"I feel sorry for you. You hate your father, don't you?" a man with glasses, dressed in black says. "Because he's a dumb treasure hunter who deserted his family and village!"

"Kurahadol!" Kaya cries out.

The face of Usopp darkens. He grits his teeth and intensely stares at the butler. "I won't let you say another bad thing about my father!"

Kurahadol pushes his glasses up with the root of his palm and smirks. "You should have just told your usual lies and say that your real father is a travelling merchant or that you and he are not blood-related–"

"Shut up!" With a bam, Usopp punches the butler in the face. "I'm proud that my dad is a pirate! I'm proud that he's a brave warrior of the sea!" He clenches his fists once again. "You're right that I like to lie, but I don't have to pretend that I don't have a pirate's blood in me. I am proud to be the son of a pirate!"

That's it.

His words spoken with such conviction made your insides boil with heat. You are about to jump out the window and stop this fight at once but the moment you move, someone grabs you by the wrist.

"What do you intend to do?"

It's Merry. He's holding you back on storming out there, confronting the pirates.

"Let go! Kura's insults have gone too far." You squirm your arm out of his grip.

"Don't be hasty! Kurahadol is a good person, he's only doing that to protect the young mistress!"

"Protecting her from who? A person who makes her laugh so sincerely?" You watch him avert his gaze from you. "Good or not. Being a pirate has nothing to do with it." With that you stomp out of the room, leaving a speechless servant behind.

You walk into the kitchen and grab a glass of water to cool you down. You snatch the ruffled headpiece from your head and clench it in the air, about to throw it across the room. But with your arm held high, you think back on Merry's disheartened expression when you spoke so harshly to him and soften your hand. You glance down at your neatly prepared outfit and think about when he acquired it.

He couldn't have sent me out because of this, right?

A soft smile appears on your face.

You're the good person here.

You properly put on the headpiece again and decide to make it up to him for your sharp tone. On your way back to Kaya's room, you walk past the man with a bruised face and a scowl. He bumps into you lightly and curses under his breath. You ignore the touch and continue walking straight ahead. He glances over his shoulder. 'Who in the world is that?'

ஐ

"I'll do anything you want." You bow your head down. "I apologise for my tone but I won't apologise for my words. Everything I said, I meant."

You flinch slightly at the sudden touch of your shoulders. Merry lifts your head. "I accept your apology, don't worry about it anymore. I'm sorry you had to witness something like that."

You smile softly. "Is Kaya okay? She sounded pretty upset."

"The young mistress calmed down. Kurahadol talked to her."

"That's good," you reply. "Now, is there anything I can help with?"

Realisation strikes him and he hurries to find another envelope. "I almost forgot! There's an important errand I have to go on!" He pants as he runs up to you. "This is the shop." He shows you a page of a magazine with the picture of the shop, which sells glasses. "Do me the favour and pick up a special order the young mistress placed. It's in the neighbouring town, so please be quick, she needs it before tomorrow."

"I'm on my way!" You raise your arm in a salute.

// { Nami and Zoro leaning against a fence }

"Do you think Luffy found Y/N?" Nami asks.

"Who knows."

"Maybe she ran off for good." She sighs.

"...Oi, you will jinx it."

"Didn't know you cared so much," she teases while Zoro just huffs. //

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