One Piece: Grand Endeavours

Epilogue

Kuro
Emotions, from my analysis, I used to believe they weren't worth the effort. They caused hardship and pain in the long run. Caring about Karai lead to me hurting when she died. Being scared lead to bullying. Empathy lead to being captured. I thought they were suffocating and oppressive but it turned out restricting them was. I once believed they flattened self ambition because you are too busy being distracted by feelings but now I know emotions can help you have ambition. I once feared feeling happy because of how painful it is when it is gone but now I realise it is worth it. Luffy, my eternal sunshine, prove that happiness may not be constant but is entirely worth it. I still know people will take advantage of sadness and it still suffocating but at least now I know how to deal with it and admitting when I am scared? That actually helps even if I still struggle with it. Love, how I used to think it was a mystery and how no one would love me. Like so often Luffy has proved me wrong and shown love may be a mystery but it is one that I...well. Love. No pun intended.

Hope and trust. Wow, looking back on how much I despised them given how many times they ended badly, I am surprised I ever opened up to anyone. The crew though showed how powerful and how life cannot suck for once if you just open yourself up to them just a little. I used to reject hope so it wouldn't necessarily raise expectations too high but hope now shows how I can have expectations for myself at all and become a better person. I deserve hope. I decided to suppress my emotions but opening them up? That made me feel more fragile and weak but I am glad I did. The world lost the grey tinge and I feel less inner cold. I am no longer the scared child, or the broken person restrained to an operating table, or the cold unfeeling monster I forced myself to be. I'm me. Finally. And now that I let myself be me, I often learn more about myself.

I avoided 'damaging' emotions but more to an extent I avoided relationships. I told myself it was because no one would ever care, I admit though that it was because I didn't want to care about anyone. Maybe both? But distancing myself failed and now I know relationships aren't just there for convenience or a trap. I have friendships, a best friend even, and Danni is a great friend. I had someone who hated me grow to not hate me. And Luffy. Still a friend even though we're together and I love him. I love him more than words can express and, since my emotions stopped being shoved away I somehow grew to love life for the first time ever. 

So you reached the end of the cringe fest! Again major thanks to @HunterShaz because without her this story wouldn't exist :)