The Elementalist Lucia [One Piece x OC fanfiction]

XXXIII - Vela

The four fugitives resumed their race when Luffy suddenly stopped, followed by Lucia, Zoro and Sanji who then understood the reason for this unexpected event. Luffy took a deep breath before shouting:

"RAYLEEEEIGH !"

From the top of a hill, Ray contemplated the four young people, a smile on his lips. He addressed Luffy:

"Don't waste any more time, go back to your friends !"

But Luffy preferred to put his bag down and come forward, standing in front of the man, who had been his mentor for more than a year and a half, before saying loudly and clearly:

"Rayleigh... I promise you... the next Pirate King, it will be me !"

At these words Lucia's throat tightened, why did she feel like she was saying goodbye too? She was torn on all sides, not knowing what to do. Her eyes met Rayleigh's. She couldn't tell what she was doing. She couldn't tell what was going on between them. She couldn't tell what the former pirate was thinking. She seemed to perceive a background of nostalgia, tinged with pride and sorrow. She brought her hand to her face, pulled at the cloth... and then let it fall again. No. No.

"So Lasso, what are you doing here? We have to go, I'm telling you!" grumbled Zoro.

"Ah... sorry, yes I'm coming! Your boat is at grove 42, I suppose you already knew that?"

"Yes," confirmed Sanji, "but it's not next door."

"I know..." Lucia answered. "AND BY THE WAY, MY NAME IS HELIOS!"

"By the way Lasso," Luffy continued, "why exactly are you helping us?"

Lucia put a little time before answering. Her gaze fell on Luffy's right wrist, which was still holding his backpack tightly, and a lump formed in her throat when she saw what was glinting on his wrist. It was her bracelet. He had kept it. She swallowed before replying:

"I'll just tell you that I'm honoring a debt. You don't know it, but I owe you my life, Straw Hat. So it's the least I can do."

"Is it? Yet I don't remember you!"

"I'm not surprised," laughed Lucia. "I'm easy to forget, believe me."

"Shall we go?" asked Sanji. "We've got the Navy breathing down our necks."

"Well, see you around!" shouted Luffy to Rayleigh. "We'll see each other again, but right now I have to run!"

The three men left without asking for help. Lucia took a few more moments in front of Rayleigh, not knowing what to say, what to do. Then she turned her face away and ran after the crew members. She glanced behind her to see Ray who had come between them and the Navy soldiers, threatening them with his sword. As they ran towards grove 42, they were caught in the crossfire of the soldiers who were still trying to block them.

"We don't have another way through," Lucia explained. "We'll have to get past this."

"We'll take care of it," Zoro replied.

He didn't have time to draw a sword before a translucent ghost passed through the bodies of the soldiers, causing them to fall to the ground, heads down, spirits low. Before them, in a pretty black strapless dress and under a pink parasol stood Perona, the ghost girl.

"I knew it was you guys, because of the commotion!"

Lucia then realized that because of the fake Straw hat crew, she no longer had her snail phone and she had not been able to make contact with her accomplices on the archipelago. Perona's gaze passed over her for a moment:

"I'm never late for an appointment."

Under her mask, Lucia nodded without saying anything.

"You'd better get underway, there are Navy warships approaching! You have to hurry!"