Pocket Thief [Katakuri x Reader]

6. Chasing a Thrill

A lone carnival-themed ship floated in the new world sea, the lights coming from the lamps reflecting on the ocean waters as it comfortably sailed through the night. Unlike the calm ocean currents, the deck of the ship was bursting with life and energetic fun, it's crew members partying and drinking without a care in the world. After yesterday's fight, it feels like you're on a high. The thrill. The adrenaline. The fun it brought. Even when the doctor in your crew warned you about overdoing yourself you couldn't stop trembling with excitement, unable to shake it off even after you healed up.

Your first mate however didn't share your feelings, after being caught by the Charlotte he's been rather tense lately, it's a close call he doesn't wanna run into anytime soon. The two of you are chilling inside the fishman's cabin, sitting on a comfy while Val downs a bottle of whisky behind his desk.

"Charlotte Katakuri, the man with over a 900,000,000 bounty- heavily regarded as the perfect man and an unstoppable fighter." Valentin talks into the room, crumbling up a piece of paper and tossing it in your direction.

You uncrumble the piece of paper, holding on the bounty poster in your hands. "Let me tell ya Val, the man has a stick, no, a pole far up his mochi ass."

Valentin laughs at the statement, "Oh yeah, you met him beforehand didn't you? How's he like?"

"I mean, yeah as a fighter he's unapologetically strong, but as a man he's really stern and boring. Guess that's why it's fun to toy with him, watch him tick..."" you roll to lay on your back, dropping the poster to the ground but yet you eyes linger on the picture. "I wanna fight him again." Val almost spills his drink, thrown into a coughing fit. "Are you mad!? did you see how easily he ruined our plans today?"

"What don't you have an faith I can stand up against him?" you remark.

"Of course I do, but i don't want you getting sidetracked," the fishman sets his drink on his desk, almost scolding you like a kid. "We have plans, we have priorities."

"But I still want to have fun along the way," you defend. You could keep the conversation rolling but you don't wanna upset your friend any further. "Fine i'll forget about it." you pocket the wanted poster, already leaving the room.

You could've gone back to your bakery, but you decided against it, choosing to crash inside your personal quarters aboard the ship you're meant to lead. Although you intended to get some sleep, something about the argument left a bittersweet taste in your mouth, following you into your dreams.

It's dark, cramped and cold. The metal chains bit on your ankle and collar clinks within the empty room with each step you take, you feel weaken, hungry... Numb.

Just a little more. You keep telling yourself.

You're left alone to push the machinery on your own, a punishment for trying to talk back to your jailers.

There's a creaking sound coming from a door, it's too dark to tell from where but you know it opened up just to toss someone inside with you. You flinch as the door shuts again, leaving you with this stranger. They grunt and groan, a deep voice. A male. He's probably in the same condition as you are- Weak, starved and most likely broken.

"Push and we'll get out eventually." you suggest with a coarse voice. And he does that, pushing another compartment of the machinery. Whatever it does is unknown to you, but you know it just needs physical labor.

You've grown used to the silence, so hearing something besides it is unusual of itself.

"A-alone... at the edge of the universe... Humming a tune... "

Is he, singing? A suprised noise gets caught up in your throat, causing the man to quit his tune.

"Sorry, please don't stop..." you beg, but he remains quiet. You desperately try to think of a way to get him to keep singing, it's been so long since you've plead for anything besides screaming. "If I tell you a joke will you keep singing?"

It takes him a moment to respond. "Depends on the joke." he replies, just as strained as you are.

"Knock, knock..."

"Who's there?"

" Boo- " you said simply, feeling your eyes sting despite your faint smile.

"Boo who?"

"Don't cry, it was just a joke," you chuckle at your own joke, happy to know the other laughed as well, as weakly as he sounds. Ironically, you're the one who started crying despite the dehydration. This is the most you've interacted with someone in years.

You gasp awake, finding your room still enveloped in the dark. You rush to the nightstand, lighting up the oil-lamp beside your bed as fast as you could, unconsciously sighing in relief to recognize the room as your own. But even after that you twist and turn in bed, unable to fall asleep after that nightmare.

Valentin is fast asleep in his own cabin, his eye perking open when he heard his bedroom door opening up before closing it softly. And yet he didn't say a word, not even when you placed the small lamp on the floor and crawled in bed with him, keeping your back to his. "How long has it been since the last time?"

"Probably a month." you suppress a sniffle.

Valentin sighs, readjusting himself to accommodate you better on your side of the bed. "Around the time you left Wheat Island." Val doesn't ask you anything after that, trying to recover some shut eye after a long day. "Do what you want, just don't get us caught."