Not Strong Enough [One Piece| Luffy X OC]

01: Mana and Luffy

It fit her well, that comparison. More than well, some would say. It had become part of her signature look, much for her amusement.

....

"I'm Monkey D. Luffy," the annoying brat introduced himself with the biggest smile she's seen, more than that weirdo she'd met a few weeks ago. The one who couldn't stop smiling. "I'm the future King of Pirates!"

He stared at her expectantly, almost as if he was waiting for her to mock him about his impossible dream. She didn't because she knew the kid in front of her. Not in this life, but the one from Before.

"...Mana," she replied, trying to understand just how in the hell did she happen to land in front of the goddamn-main-character. She'd been trying so hard not to get involved with the main characters, and yet, the girl kept failing in her own determination. The thought irked her.

She'd been especially intent on avoiding Monkey D. Luffy and his future crew members at all costs, she scowled. I blame that bastard. (Somewhere in the New World, a certain man sneezed, looking around before thinking nothing of it.) If it weren't for him, she wouldn't have had to enter East Blue in the first place. The weakest Sea of them all, and the symbol of peace to the Marines. Yuck.

"Just Mana?"

"Yup, just Mana."

...

"Say, you said that you fell from the sky, right?"

Somehow, over the years, Mana had forgotten things. Her life from the Before quickly fell into that category for which she was incredibly thankful. Mana didn't want to remember things that would only get in the way of her living new life. She didn't want to remember anything from Before, including the kid in front of her. And yet, she often found herself knowing specific faces, names, or places - not always but in certain situations, a lot like this one.

Monkey D. Luffy was an exception. His face had been imprinted into her memory over everyone else, always wearing that damn D smile. Ever since Mana was little, she'd been able to recall every single detail about Luffy as if he was standing right next to her. He was the only one whose presence refused to fade away into a blissful obliviousness. This meant that Mana didn't quite know how to react to seeing him in person. Her thoughts were all muddled up. Plus her body was aching, painfully.

"Does this mean that you're a pirate like Shanks?" Luffy looked excited at the idea that he'd met someone who was just like his personal hero, never mind the fact that Mana was no older than ten. Although she looked a lot older due to her height, she easily towered over him, even when she'd somehow managed to crawl over to the tree next to her.

She crossed her arms, leaning against the old-looking tree, crunching her face at the mention of being a pirate. She couldn't help but wonder how he'd drawn such a conclusion from her telling him that she fell from the sky. She bore no visible signs of a Jolly Roger, the only thing she had was in her pocket, safely tucked away. "No, I'm a merchant."

"What's a merchant?"

"A businessman, well, a businesswoman."

"Why not a pirate?"

"I don't like them, the pirates, I mean."

"You don't like me?"

She face-palmed. Was it too late to pretend that she hadn't just made acquaintances with the brat? Would he let her simply walk away?

....

Her life wasn't tragic.

Mana would stress that to anyone who asked, even though it was a big, flat white lie. It just took people a different amount of time to realize that she had just lied to their faces with a frighteningly innocent-looking babyface. And that smile she flashed them, made her lies even more believable. And scary.

She knew things that no one should know, even if the memories were practically gone - the older she got, the harder it became to gain access.

It was for their protection and her own.

Sometimes, Mana wondered if there was a reason why she, wasn't allowed to die, no matter how close she'd come to dying. Her violet eyes glanced at the Strawhat Luffy, who was sitting in front of her. He'd copied her stance (crossed legs and arms) as she absent-mindedly played with her shoulder-length blonde hair.

She glanced down at her torn and dirtied, black-and-pink Gothic Lolita dress, making a mental note to change her outfit as soon as it was possible. For something cleaner and less...pink. This would be the last time, she'd allow them to try and dress her up.

"Ne, Mana," Luffy's voice snapped her out of her thoughts, and she hummed to show that she was listening. The kid sounded as if he'd just come up with the best idea ever, so excited and innocent and naïve that Mana swallowed in slight fear. "Join my crew!"

"...HUH?!"