Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 63 | Reasons

"YYYYY/NNNNNNNN!!!"

Ace whirled around surprised when he heard someone scream the name he had in mind. Coincidentally, it was the person he was searching for who ran hysterically down the street while repeating your name over and over again. Both Smoker and Ace realised at this moment that there was a strange connection between all of you which ultimately lead to this meeting.

"Luffy!" Ace exclaimed.

"Straw-hat..." Smoker grumbled. While Ace was distracted, he took the chance to handcuff your wrist to his. Now that you two were linked together, Smoker felt he could prevent you from escaping this time.

"Who thought it was a good idea to let Luffy run ahead?!" Nami shouted as she ran towards the town.

"We have to hurry! The effect of those fish won't last much longer!" Chopper informed everyone. They hurriedly tried to catch up to their captain, but abruptly stopped in their tracks when they saw the showdown that was about to unfurl.

"You better let her go Smokey. Your powers don't stand a chance against mine." Ace demonstrated his fist to the marine. Powerful flames spread from his fist to every inch of his body. Luffy faced Smoker with the same intensity.

Even though a large number of marines surrounded the pirates, they did not budge at all and held their stances. But Smoker knew that this fight would only cost the lives of his men.

"Straw-hat!" he called out. "Let's have a duel at Rainbase," he proposed. "If you win, I'll let you have her."

Luffy was fuming at the thought of you being held captive. At that moment, Ace placed a hand on his shoulder and signalled with a slow nod.

"Deal."

Thus, both sides returned to their bases. Tashigi felt uneasy about letting the pirates go without a fight, but she remained compliant because she recognised the importance of their mission. Handing you over to the World Government was the priority.

"Were you tricking him into taking the deal then?" she asked.

Smoker placed you on a bench before saying, "No. He will get his duel." She just stared at him, completely befuddled by his plan. "We can get his whole crew. Straw-hat won't be able to touch me anyway."

Just like Chopper said, the drowsiness gradually subsided. You could make out their voices in your dreamless sleep and you felt unnerved by their words. Bit by bit, you opened your eyes just to witness what kind of a situation you strayed into.

"Awake already, princess?" Smoker said with a sarcastic undertone, his face hovering above yours.

You tried to get away from him, but you felt the tug of the chain connecting your shackles together. "What is the reason for this?" You rustled the chains and glared.

"It's quite obvious I would say," he responded. "You're not getting away so easily this time."

You sighed impatiently. "I can't be held up right now. I really need to go... to..." You stared blankly into the distance. It was there the last time you looked, you were sure of it. But now it was gone. The Mist was gone.

Your gaze moved back to Smoker. He suddenly felt disturbed by the aura you gave off. In an instant, you pressed your golden gun against his chest.

"Hey, put that down!" Tashigi shouted while pulling out her sword.

"Don't be hasty now," he warned her. Smoker grabbed the barrel of your gun, then slid down to your shaking hand which was still holding the grip tightly. He was unsure of the reason that caused you to react this strongly, but he was sure about one thing. You changed since the last encounter. Actually, he believed that the version of you he met about 2 years ago was in front of him again.

━ 22 months ago

"Since I'm a marine and you're a pirate," Smoker clarified, "I have to arrest you."

"Oh? I'm afraid I can't let you do that," you replied snarkily, your gun already drawn from your belt. It dangled mockingly from your finger.

He took a closer look at the gun. 'That golden colour... could it be?' he thought, but another glance at your belt buckle confirmed his notion.

"So you're the Silent Gunner."

You pointed your gun at Smoker after he drew his weapon.

"Yeah, that's why she's the vice commander!" another crew member shouted.

You rolled your eyes although a small smirk revealed itself. "I'd advise you not to come any closer," you said calmly. Smoker rethought his actions. He remembered the instructions of the World Government and also the various rumours he has heard about you. Being careless was the last thing he wanted.

"Listen–"

Just the slightest movement from him incited you to pull the trigger. A single bullet knocked his Seastone-tipped jitte straight out of his hands. Stunned by the force, Smoker now realised why the word 'Silent' was in your alias. Your calm demeanour was unpredictable and... dangerous.

"You can pick that up and go," you advised. "We'll be on our way as soon as commander Izo comes back." You smiled politely at the marine.

Smoker admitted that you were quite daring back then and it seemed like your sharp senses returned. Although you demonstrated how quick you could act, it was apparent that you were not in your best state at the moment. He still held onto your hand as you tried your hardest to keep your tears in.

"You'll still get to see Straw-hat," Smoker said, deciding to leave out the words 'the last time'. But your head remained sunken.

ஐ

"I'm going back!" Luffy said with determination, however, Ace grabbed him again.

"Calm down, she isn't in danger," he said. "From what I've seen, she's capable of handling this."

"And on what basis are you saying this?" Zoro felt irritated.

"I think I know her pretty well," Ace responded, "considering we were in the same crew."

Silence followed that statement. Everybody's reaction seemed to differ. Denial, doubt, astonishment and many more, but especially shock.

"W-Wait are you talking about Whitebeard's crew?!" Usopp babbled. "Whitebeard? One of the Four Emperors?!"

"Correct, my friend." Ace snickered while looking at everyone's surprised faces. "Also, I believe the reason she just suddenly left was the same as back then." He glanced up at the blue sky, recalling the events.

"Y/N told me that she joined the crew because she was searching for something. She described it as a greyish fog, an ominous mist that you can get lost in. When she was 7, she first went out to sea and that's when she first encountered that mist. That was also the last time she ever saw her parents."

✘

Hello everyone~

For everyone who wants to freshen up their memory, this flashback is a continuation of chapter 43's. You probably know that I like to sprinkle hints everywhere hehe, sometimes I myself even forget where I've left them. Looking back, I revealed core details in chapter 35 already!

It's quite amusing to read back on my own story... and be surprised about all the things I wrote  (๑꒪▿꒪)* Haha, I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter!

Until next time... ☆ﾟ.*・

~ Rin