Freedom & Fate | One Piece x Reader

Chapter 64 | Trapped

The marines headed to Rainbase. Smoker walked amongst his men and you followed quietly beside him. Along the way, you wondered how you should face Luffy and the others. Leaving out of the blue without even explaining anything... you realised how inconsiderate you were.

Your heart sank to the ground when you approached the meeting point. You knew that they could not afford to waste any time. The importance of helping Vivi and the people of Alabasta was clear. Yet you were helplessly waiting for them to free you.

"Y/N!!!"

You finally raised your eyes from the ground. The voice that called out to you belonged to the person you so desperately wanted to see again yet were anxious to encounter. When your eyes met his, you realised that you had nothing to worry about. He never intended to let you go. And he would fight anyone who tried to lock you away.

"I'm here," Luffy said. "Take off the shackles and let's fight!"

Smoker did not budge. "Don't worry about that, Straw-hat." He tugged at the chain, pulling you closer and causing you to bump into him. "I just don't want her to get away."

Embarrassed and frustrated, you quickly shifted away from Smoker. That is when you noticed something softly brushing against your ankles. You looked down to see a sheer layer of sand floating around you. Confusion painted your face as you tried to move your legs but the particles stuck to you like tape.

Smoker felt your movement and also looked at your feet. "Is that-"

Before he could finish the sentence, you were pulled. And this time not by him. The layer of sand suddenly tightened around your legs, pulling you to the ground. You were caught by another patch of the desert's gold. You let out a faint scream as it carried you away, followed by the sound of Smoker tumbling to the ground. He got swept up by it as well.

Luffy, the crew and the rest of the marines stared at you with widened eyes. Nami tapped the captain's shoulder, "Maybe we should chase after them." With that, they bolted after you without knowing where they were headed to.

"What's happening?!" you shouted at no one in particular. You shut your eyes tightly to keep the tiny grains of sand out. Even though you could not see, you felt that you were being carried away at a very fast speed. Smoker tried to brush the sand off his face. When he saw the building ahead of him, he cursed under his breath.

"The building with the crocodile on top! That's the casino that the Shichibukai owns!" Vivi pointed out. The crew looked at each other knowingly. They were headed in the right direction after all. But they realised they could not reach Rain Dinners that easily. Marines and Baroque Works were following them closely.

"We should scatter," Sanji suggested.

"Okay! Meet you there!" Luffy said as everyone split up and disappeared into the busy streets.

ஐ

You felt your head pulsating. Something shifted underneath you. Your eyes shot open and a giant purplish room came into view.

"Welcome to Alabasta, Silent Gunner."

His voice sent shivers down your spine. You recognised it immediately.

"You finally made it."

You stared at the huge scar stretched across his face. He had pale skin and slicked back black hair but the most noticeable feature was his large golden hook replacing his left hand. Like Smoker, he seemed to enjoy cigars. Speaking of Smoker... where did he go?

"Can you get off of me?" He grumbled from beneath you. You tensed up from embarrassment and quickly got up. But you could not move too far away from him as you were still bound together by a chain.

Once you stood on your feet, you felt lightheaded and drowsy. The air around you turned stuffy, your breaths becoming faster and shorter. You fell down on your knees and started shivering from the uneasiness you were sensing. You felt trapped, not only physically but mentally as well. The confinement of this cage weight down on you, dragging you into the dark parts of your past that you did not want to relive again.

"I guess the information was true, he didn't lie to me." Crocodile smirked cunningly. "Let's get you out of the cage."

Suddenly the chain snapped and crumbled to the ground. Smoker could only watch as the Shichibukai separated you from him. And once again you got away.

"Here we go. Are you feeling better now?" Crocodile held you by the waist and brushed his thumb across your cheek. Finally, you took a deep breath but you could not control your movements yet. You were defenceless and vulnerable, and he enjoyed this sight of you.

Without a choice, you let Crocodile lead you around a dining table where he sat you down right next to him. Your head dangled forward dejectedly, hair messily covering parts of your face. You almost did not notice the Straw-hats falling into the trap.

"Y/N!!! We're here!" Luffy screamed as he tried to bend the bars of the cage. But he quickly became weak from touching them. He could barely move and sank to the ground. It felt the same as falling into the sea.

"The bars are made of something called Seastone," Smoker explained. "All the Marine Headquarters' prisons are made of that stuff to keep criminals with 'the power' from getting away. This metal is still a mystery to us, but we know that it emits the same kind of energy the sea does."

"Then we can't get out?!" Usopp shouted in disbelief.

"Can't you all be a little quieter... you're disturbing our rendezvous."

Smoker grimaced and mumbled the Shichibukai's name.

"So you're Crocodile, huh..." Luffy propped himself up from the ground. "What did you do to Y/N?!"

"Haha, we're just enjoying ourselves after finally meeting each other," he replied with a provoking smile and put his hand around your shoulder.

"Touch her again and I am going to cut you into pieces." The swordsman who has been silently watching this whole time made this bold statement. Nami's and Usopp's jaws dropped. But the Shichibukai just continued laughing.

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