𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 ➳ 𝐋𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐀𝐭 𝐒𝐞𝐚 (one piece fanfic)

Chapter 5

Shanks has encountered all types of people throughout his journey. Enough to know a dangerous person when he meets one.

When he first saw her, sitting in the far corner of the bar, his instinct blared. He could smell death on her. He could tell he wasn't the only one, though he was more discreet: his hand didn't directly reach for his weapon. If not for his gut feeling, he would have never thought, this smiling young girl would represent any danger, she didn't even have any weapons on her, nor any armor of any sort.

But he didn't let her appearance deceive him and when he sensed Luffy hidden on her, he felt scared. He had grown far too attached to the silly brave boy.

Walking toward her with heavy feet, he let out a relieved sigh when she bent down to whisper to his little anchor. When Luffy came out and immediately hid behind her back, he wanted to tell him he wasn't mad and get him away from this unknown person.

"It's not permanent," Luffy whispered, still hidden behind her.

Raising a brow at the mischievous boy, he dragged him away, before announcing his punishment, 'no meat for the rest of the week'. He didn't expect the soft but amused voice to interrupt, "we're Sunday...".

When Luffy rushed back to Konan's side, he started to let his guard down, maybe she wasn't so bad? Shanks decided to trust Luffy's eye for good people and his ability to befriend just about anyone.

Drinking while keeping an eye on them, Shanks' ears perked up at Luffy's question, maybe he could learn something about her from this impromptu questioning.

"Where are you from?"

"Somewhere far away and you?" question masterfully avoided...

"I don't know, here I think? Are you a pirate, like Shanks?"

"I guess I could be considered one." again... Shanks quickly concluded he wasn't going to learn much. Except maybe that she herself didn't consider herself a pirate and that she liked to speak cryptically.

"How strong are you Na-chan?"

"Not much," Shanks snorted at the answer, right. As if, his instinct hissed. The answer reeked of lies. He wouldn't believe it until he saw it.

"It's okay, I'll protect you!" This time, he let out a laugh, it was most likely to be the opposite for quite a long time.

"I'm counting on you then." He let out a smile at the indulgent answer, it was at this moment he decided he could trust her, enough to let Luffy be with her.

At the end of the day, she was still shrouded in a thick veil of mystery. From what he had observed, she didn't harbor any bad feelings toward Luffy, at the very least, and instead seemed quite fond of the boy she had just met. It was enough for Shanks to know that.

When his trusted second-in-command came to him with a wanted poster, he wasn't sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't that.

[Paper Angel : 30,000,000 beri]

It was quite a reasonable bounty for a rookie, even if he would have given her a higher one just based on the aura she gave off.

From the picture, he could see her cheek disassemble itself into paper? Plus the papers floating behind her, all indicated toward a devil fruit user. But he couldn't quite fathom how sheets of paper could be dangerous, water and fire could both easily render them useless, no?

"Can I call you Ko-chan?" When Luffy asked Konan that, they all saw her visibly flinch.

"I would prefer not." They all knew why; Ko was a name they would rather not have Luffy affiliated to. Due to the extensive amount of information Ko held, all types of people were after her, and not the good kind.

"Na-chan then?" When she nodded in acceptance, Luffy went to hug her. Shanks decided to put it under the coincidence name, Ko couldn't be short for Konan.

When the rude bandit smashed the bottle on him, he didn't feel anything, it wasn't worth getting angry over something this petty. What he didn't expect was to see Konan practically appear out of thin air with a knife pointed to the bandit's throat, her face devoid of any emotion, blank like a white piece of paper. Shanks stiffened at the sheer bloodlust rolling off her in waves, Luffy was probably the only one not sensitive enough to detect it, his bright eyes could only see this amazing sister of his beat a baddie.

Shanks was right. She wasn't a rookie in any way. More like a lying snake waiting in the shadows. From her trained steps to her masterful hold of a paper-knife that was apparently as sharp as a normal blade – if the trail of blood on his neck was anything to go by – she fulfilled every part of the perfect assassin. An appearance that could easily deceive, silent steps, and a carefully hidden bloodlust that proved her ability as a master of her art. She was young, far too young to be this able. He wouldn't give her more than 17, yet, she was as quick as the wind and as silent as her shadow.

After that, she quickly returned to her kind attitude, as if nothing had happened. Not like they could ever forget the feeling she gave off.

When she finally decided to leave, he finally understood her epithet 'paper angel', she truly was like an angel, ethereal, and detached from anything. And though he was curious about the flower she left to Luffy, he soon dismissed it as a make-shift lucky charm. And oh boy was he proven wrong.

When he saw Luffy about to be eaten by a sea monster, he was prepared to sacrifice his arm for him, what he didn't expect was for Luffy to take out a pressed flower from his short and to tear it in two, mumbling for his beloved sister to save him.

Shanks was about to console Luffy, only for his mouth to clasp shut as he saw papers materialize into a familiar form, Konan. Despite not having her wings, she was floating above them and it took only one second for the sea monster to be sent back to where it came from with papers held tightly around his mouth.

It was at this moment he realized, how right and wrong he was about her, he was only glad she had come to accept Luffy as her brother. With a sister like Konan, he had less to worry about Luffy's nature to attract danger.

Handing her Luffy in his stupor, he watched as she walked on the water as if on flat ground, even if he wanted to ask how she did that, he didn't want to direct her unbridled anger toward him so he stayed silent, swimming after her.

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So, Konan is 16 (17 in a few months).

She arrived at 10, spent 5 years of training, and 1 being Ko.