Stars Align (One Piece x Reader)

Chapter 16

The temple around them began to crumble, y/n hating the feeling of being so useless. She stood up from where she sat, albeit a little wobbly without using her hands. She then ran towards Crocodile, jumping up before wrapping her legs around his neck. She yanked her body backward, lifting Crocodile off the floor before throwing him back once he reached the peak of the swing. Y/n grunted as she landed on her stomach, Crocodile crashing into the floor a little ways away.

"Y/n!" Luffy called out to her as the warlord quickly got up, swinging his hook down. Y/n yelped as Luffy stretched out his arms, grabbing her and bringing her over to him, away from Crocodile. The hook just barely scratched Luffy's arm as he pulled y/n back. The hook then embedded itself in the ground from the force of Crocodile's swing. While Crocodile was occupied with yanking his hook out of the floor, Luffy quickly untied the rope restraining y/n's hands, allowing her to bring out her sword. She sliced her shin, coating the blade with some of her blood.

"You'd slice your own body to coat it in blood?" Crocodile grunted, dodging one of Luffy's kicks, scratching the rubber man's shin with his hook.

"Because I can't coat it in yours unless it's coated in mine, of course." Y/n smirked, lunging forward, Crocodile just barely avoiding being stabbed. Suddenly, a large column broke, falling down between Luffy, y/n and Crocodile, blocking their view of each other. Luffy kicked through the column, breaking it before running through. Crocodile blindly swung his hook, not being able to see through the dust. Taking this chance, y/n grabbed onto his arm, throwing the large man into the far wall. Crocodile began to stand up, blood trailing down his face from different wounds.

"You may have lived through being skewered and withered, but this is it. The poison will soon pass through your system." He began to chuckle. He then jumped away as Luffy threw another punch. He continued to dodge each attack, unable to throw an attack of his own.

"Don't sound so sure about your win." Y/n huffed, running forward. "You're on the defensive!" She swung her sword, just barely slicing Crocodile's side.

"Don't you get it?! The poison that entered his wound is spreading. His body is numbing." As he said that, Luffy began to stumble. "Whether you win or not, you will die! What's the point of dying if it's not your goal?! If you just ditch a friend or two, you can stay out of trouble, alive!"

"You don't understand. Vivi..." Luffy coughed, trying his best to stay on his feet. "She tells others not to die, but she's the first to lay down her life for others. If we don't help her, she'll die!"

"That's why I'm telling you that you can just ditch that burden!" Crocodile growled, watching Luffy struggle.

"We don't want her to die! That's how friends are!" Luffy shouted out.

"She won't stop fighting, so neither will we. Do your best to understand that this pirate crew doesn't know how to give up." Y/n pointed the tip of her blade in Crocodile's direction.

"Even if you end up dying?" The warlord questioned.

"If we die, we die." Luffy muttered. He moved to attack, but his body wouldn't have it. Luffy fell to the ground, y/n's grip on her sword tightening as Crocodile laughed at her captain's state.

"Even if you talk big, your body doesn't respond, huh?" He jeered. "You look pathetic, Straw Hat." Luffy fell flat, unmoving. Y/n bit her lip and glared at Crocodile. "The end is now. The day that my enormous ambition starts...This country is mine!" Y/n ran forward, slicing at Crocodile, but to her shock, he turned to sand. "Looks like your blood has run dry, Celestial Being." The man turned around and gripped her neck, making her drop her sword as her airways were cut off. "Just sit and watch as everything falls! You'd be lucky if I kept you alive even after you attacked me." Crocodile threw her against the wall, knocking the breath out of her, her head colliding with the stone.