Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 61 | Name

"You've been staring at the sky an awful lot!" Nami shouted from her orange fields below. "How long are you going to stay in the crow's nest?"

You turned to take a glance at her. Nami has been trying to find the right timing to talk to you under four eyes but since it is the straw-hat crew, there were always situations arising which required the attention of everyone on board.

The day after the welcome party for Chopper, someone ate all the leftovers and you ran out of reserves. At that point, an emergency fishing team was formed. A few days later, a Baroque Works' officer, Mr. 2 was caught by the talented fishing team but unfortunately, Vivi only realised his identity after he left, even though she just recently explained the whole Baroque Works system...

You would be lying if you said all this commotion was not draining the energy out of you. It didn't help that the fishing team was rather unsuccessful after catching Mr. 2.

"Looking at the clear sky is pretty calming," you answered. "The crow's nest is the closest place to it after all. You should try it too."

"Well, it's no wonder you're there so often since you can reach it easily." Nami proceeded to grab the strings and climb up to you. She jokingly wiped some sweat off her forehead and complained how big the effort was to get here.

"Ahh~ I can feel it now!" She took a deep breath. "The feeling really is different up here." You watched her hair softly being brushed back by the wind. A small smirk spread across your face as Nami's contagious smile shone brightly in the sunlight.

"It sure is," you whispered and leaned forward.

"So... Y/N... may I ask you something?" she asked cautiously.

"Hmm?"

"This might sound weird, maybe it's a bit out of the blue," her eyes were focused on yours as if she was trying to read your feelings, "but I noticed a few... things."

You continued to stare at her curiously.

"Well, the air around you to be exact." A sly grin spread across her lips. "Or rather the way someone has been looking at you..."

You perked up, blinking confusedly at her statement. At first, you wanted to ask her what she meant by it, but after a few seconds, you realised what she was hinting at. Your face flushed red. You were sure that you looked like a tomato.

Nami could not hold in her laugh anymore. "Aww, Y/N! No need to be embarrassed about it!" She squeezed your shoulders. "Unless... you're interested too."

You avoided eye contact with her. "Wha- what's that supposed to mean?" You held up your hands defensively. "Who are you talking about anyway?" You gulped.

"Oh, I'm more curious about who you are thinking of right now!" Her voice suddenly got louder. You instinctively looked around to see if anyone heard that.

"Shhh, what if someone hears you?"

"Doesn't matter! Come on Y/N~ who's your ideal type?" Nami's eyes were sparkling at this point. She inched closer to you.

"Eh..." you muttered nervously, "maybe there is someone."

"I KNEW IT!"

You quickly covered her mouth with both of your hands. She struggled to continue talking while you were too busy trying not to sink into the ground out of shame. Honestly speaking, you regretted ever starting this conversation.

Nami! Why are you doing this to me?!

You knew you had to get out of there fast or else this would never end. Once you let go of her face, you thought of a place on the ship and disappeared right in front of her eyes.

You could hear her yelling all the way from your hiding spot. Your back hugged the wall as you slowed down your breathing. These teleportation abilities were more versatile than you thought. The pace of your heart steadily slowed down.

"Ohw! When did you come in?"

And it started beating rapidly again.

A stuffed faced Luffy cradled several pieces of smoked fish. He chewed nonchalantly as he looked at you with innocent eyes. Your own stomach rumbled at the sight of food that has been lacking for the past week, but you were still embarrassed by the girls talk.

"You're not getting any," he said as he held the fish protectively. You just stared at him, a little baffled and at the same time amused by how oblivious he is to everything. Even more oblivious than you.

"Hmm... but if you're that hungry..." Luffy presented a piece to you, "You can have this."

At this point, you just slid down to the ground and started chuckling profoundly. You were once again reminded of why you chose to stay with this captain. His silliness and heart-warming smile are reeling you in.

"Thanks."

As you two sat there together in the storage room, Luffy kept eating without a care in the world. He would sometimes take a glance at you between bites. You tried to pretend not to notice, but you were not even sure if he looked at you or the food in your hands. Before you could think of anything to say, he already leaned back and started snoring.

Just at that moment, the door swung open and in came Nami with the most annoyed expression. Your body started shaking when you saw her face, but as soon as she witnessed who you were with, she seemed... satisfied.

"I see, I see..." she whispered to herself. "You don't have to tell me any more, this is enough evidence." She winked and left triumphantly, leaving you speechless and alone with a snoring captain. You could not believe that she just went away without yelling at you two for eating rations again. Maybe it was Luffy's lucky day.

Now that you thought about it, seeing him fall asleep after eating reminded you of someone. Someone who... was a good friend during hard times. You quickly pulled out your knife from its sheath and flipped it to see the side with the engraving. The letter 'A' shone intensely.

A... you ruminated. A... A c e ?

Memories came rushing back. Thousands of images flashed through your mind in the seconds of remembering his name. You clutched your chest as you breathing became irregular. You needed to calmly evaluate these memories. They were overwhelming.

You remembered your childhood, the reason you went out to sea. The people you met on your journey and the time you spent alongside Ace. But a chunk was still missing. The origin of your abilities was still buried deep inside you.

You slowly walked out to get some fresh air. In the distance, you could see the desert island Alabasta and you spotted something else too. Your eyes grew wide. There it was, the Mist. It was unmistakably sweeping over the ocean, heading towards Alabasta, ready to devour the island whole.

Now you knew what you had to do.

You softly shook Luffy's shoulder. In his half-asleep state, he heard a faint voice. "There's somewhere I need to go, I remember now. Thank you for everything. I hope I'll see you again."

Not long after, he fell back into a deep slumber while you sneaked off the ship unnoticed.

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