One Piece One Shots

Bully in the Alley [Shanks x Reader]

Notes:
-Modern AU.
-I've been listening to a lot of sea shanties recently and they're so good. This one is inspired by Bully in the Alley!

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The red-haired man was a frequent visitor at the pub, and the fact that you knew that was saying a lot about him.

Despite working as a bartender at Bob's Bar for over 5 years, you'd think that you would grow accustomed to having regular customers and improve your memory of them. Alas, faces and voices blended together as customers repeated the same old drunken stories to you.

This man, however, caught your attention the very first time he ordered. The scar over his left eye, his constant flirting with men, women, across the spectrum, his cheerful attitude.

Goddamn his cheerful attitude.

Nothing seemed to get him down. In fact, you don't remember seeing him frown or scowl for more than two seconds at all, and it probably wasn't because of your poor memory of people. Even when an unruly group of people started jeering at him and his friends (who you didn't remember, of course you didn't, how could you?) and went so far as to spill a whole glass of alcohol on him, he remained passive as ever, laughing it off.

What made him stick in your memory was that very next day. You had definitely remembered him having two arms, and when he came back with one less, you couldn't help but stare and wonder how he lost it and how he was still cheerfully oblivious the very next day?

Having caught you staring, or anyone else that might have noticed him, he explained offhandedly with a grin.

So having committed this man to your memory and the drinks he liked, you were rather surprised when he came in with a less energetic smile one night.

What was even more off was that he was alone. When you served him before all those other times, he was always with someone, whether it was that Ben Beck man, the Hawk man who looked like Dracula, or some shirtless guy with freckles. (How did he get acquainted with that guy?)

"What'll you have?" you asked anyway, sliding yourself in front of him behind the counter. "Shanks, right? The usual?"

"You're the usual, I'll have you," he said smoothly with a grin, almost immediately as if he practiced that line.

"I'll get you some beer," you said flatly, turning to get a mug. It was a weak drink, and not his usual.

"No wait!" He laughed. "Something stronger. I'm feeling it tonight."

"Aye." You rolled your eyes, going over to the farther shelf for the right rum. Bob was very organized with his sorting, but also very inconsistent, which led to different arrangements of drinks every few days, much to yours and your coworkers' annoyance.

Having found one of the stronger rum, you returned with the bottle and a shot glass.

"Slow night?" Shanks asked, taking the glass as you poured him some.

"Yeah. Usually it's very busy at this time." You looked around at the bar, taking note of the amount of people. There were two or three small groups of people and a couple possibly flirting with each other as a coworker played the third wheel. You poured him another shot when he downed the first. "Bad night?"

He raised an eyebrow, surprised, but flashed you a grin. "Not with you here."

"You're usually more cheery," you said, ignoring his answer. "And with someone."

"Aw, you remember me that much?" He chuckled, downing the second shot. "What if I said I just wanted to be with you?"

"You don't even know my name," you scoffed. You poured him another shot again.