Dream Seeker · one piece x reader

i know you just tried to kill me, but do you want some takoyaki?⁸

"Your presence is subdued," the man before you speaks, yellow eyes meeting yours, as if he wasn't trying to kill you, "why is that?"

Your eyebrow twitches, practically hearing the laughter from God in his cloudy throne above. "Shit, man, I don't know."

He pushes the sword further to your neck but you don't let him-redirecting the force to the side with a flick of your escrima stick, bells jingling after.

He jumps away from you, as much as he can in the dingy size of Mari, only an arms-reach away. Your grip on your escrima stick tightens.

"You did not falter, nor was taken by surprise," the man continues as he twirls his sword, a black blade with a beautiful grip studded in jewels, catching the rays of the sun, "how long have you sailed?"

His yellow eyes peer over the glint of the blade, striking you in where you stood. "You withstood my blade," he points the tip of his night bladed sword at you, "who are you?"

A shadow sweeps over as thick clouds cover the sun, the East winds seizes as an eerie silence replaced the churning of the waves.

You raise your head, a grin breaking through, and caught his golden eyes.

"It sword of seems like you've got a problem with me."

.

.

.

"You're a swordsman."

"Wha-hey! Don't just pretend I didn't say anything!"

He continues, undeterred by your offended gasp. Come on, that was one of your best ones and he just brushed it off like it wasn't even there!

"It's as easy as breathing for you, isn't it?" The glint of his sword hits you in the face and the different colored jewels sparkles. "Hands and arms of a person who's only ever known the art of the blade, the eyes of that of a swordsman birthed through the years of endless training."

"Can you like...not be so observant?" You put an escrima stick upward, pulling a face at him as you blocked the glint from hitting your face. "That's kinda creepy, not gonna lie."

"Why?"

"Like I said-"

"Why do you refuse your skills as a swordsman?"

You stop. Your hands dropping by your sides again, the grip never lessening, and your eyes never leaving the swordsman who sees a little way too much a little way too easily.

"How are you even so sure I'm a swordsman anyway?" You heaved a sigh, feeling a headache coming.

"..." He only looks at you with a neutral face above the glint of his steel blade.

"Look-" you point at him using your escrima stick "-I don't know where you were going with this or what your plan is, but let me get one thing straight!"

You then gestured to yourself with your free hand, the other escrima stick now at your back. "I'm not a swordsman! Never was one and never will be!"

Mari rocks gently with the sea; swaying but it's nothing compared to the seas of the Grand Line.

He keeps looking, then he faintly nods.

"I see."

He turns around to get aboard his ship but stops when he realized there was nothing but empty waters in front of him.

You snort, just as pieces of wood surfaces on the water, bobbing up and down like there was nothing wrong in the world.

"So, aboat your boat..."