DOMINO - Eustass Kid x Reader

CHAPTER FIFTY FOUR: Red

It was too quiet.

My stomach was already hurting, pointed rocks jabbing into my flesh as I laid flat, elbows sure to have deep indents as I readjusted.

Kid had salvaged a sniper rifle, thankfully, because I knew damn well my pistols wouldn't do the trick at such a distance. The scope was busted, but it would do. Squinting, I looked down the length of the barrel into the canyon.

There was Kid, and the others, slowly walking down below. Seeing them all together made me realise just how exposed and alone I was, but I knew I had to suck it up. They were depending on me as cover.

*Putta putta putta!*

Pulling the small transponder snail from my pocket, I didn't take my sights off them.
"Yo." I answered casually, as though I wasn't about to shit bricks.
"How are you doing? I can't see you." Killer's voice came through the snail and I chuckled dryly.

"That's the whole point, isn't it? Don't you worry your pretty little helmet head, Killz. I can see you." I pinpointed his exact position, slightly amused to see him peering around for me.

"Do ya see any sign of a camp fire, or the bastard's crew?" Kid leaned in and I heard his voice as though he were right next to me. I wished that he was, because I'd feel a lot safer.
"Hang on." I checked again, peering left and right, seeing nothing but baron wasteland. "No smoke, and I can't see anybody yet. I'll give the signal if that changes."

I really hope this is a bust...

"That's my girl." I could hear the excitement in his voice before the transponder snail disconnected, but I couldn't understand why. I knew Kid was a wildcard, and lived for thrills, but Red-Haired Shanks wasn't fun and games.

Not much was known about his fighting style, aside from the fact that people who challenged him rarely made it back in one piece. A swordsman, and likely the best haki user in the known universe. Were we even remotely ready for this?

Back and forth, my eyes scoured the canyon for what seemed like hours, but my diligence wasn't in vain. My entire body froze when I saw movement. One, two, three, four, five...Ten men, approaching from the south.

Fingers to my mouth, I whistled sharply, the signal Kid and I had agreed upon, and I watched my entire crew stop dead. I prayed that these figures weren't related to Shanks in any way, but somehow I just knew that they were.

It doesn't look like Red-Hair...but we can't get ahead of ourselves...

I had to remember to breathe, laying there, rifle following as the unknown men grew closer. I kept my finger hovering well off the trigger, not wanting to prematurely let off a shot and screw everything up.

When they were close enough for the crew to see properly, Kid pulled back his shoulders and stood tall at the front of our group, such a dominant display for a dominant man. I felt so detached, being at a distance, but I knew it was for good reason.

I'm their eyes...I have to stay focused. There's no room for concern right now...

All ten men looked relatively plain, compared to our motley crew. No wild hair, no flamboyant clothing, just regular old humans. It was too normal. They stopped about fifteen yards away, seeming entirely unphased by our presence.

Kid spoke, and I could hear the bass of his voice, but couldn't make out the words he was saying. There were a lot of hand gestures, none of which seemed friendly, but that didn't come as a surprise.

One of the men responded, much quieter, as though it was just another run of the mill conversation with an acquaintance. No matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn't think of any names to match what I could see of their faces. It was possibly because I was so far up, but even then, I usually could have figured it out.