Zara: Luffy x OC

Chapter 1

"Don't worry about me. I'm pretty strong, you know," he said, pulling up his sleeve, showing her his non-exciting muscles. The girl turned to look at Luffy, grinning. "Oh, I know," she was pretty, he thought, blushing and looking away, having never thought about a person's appearance in that way before. "You know my name, but I don't know yours. Also, you don't look like you're from here." Luffy added as an afterthought.

Zara was surprised by Luffy's question. He didn't seem very perceptive, as far as the stories about him went. Not that it was hard to tell in this town. Almost everyone's complexion was darker than hers, and their hair was brown. But Luffy was said to be far dumber than that.

"You're right, I'm not from here. I'm from a small town in the East Blue called Shimotsuki Village. The name's Zara," she replied.

Luffy found that familiar but didn't know from where. "Oh hey, I came from the East Blue too. You a pirate or something?" he asked, grinning.

Zara smiled at that, noting that he hadn't mentioned her brother after hearing her name. It told her that he didn't talk about her or the village he grew up in. Maybe she shouldn't seek out her brother, as it seemed he would rather forget about her.

"Sort of. I don't really have a crew, you see. I'm looking for a relative of mine. I wish to speak to him and hopefully reconnect—"

"You should join my crew," Luffy interrupted.

Zara was taken aback. She had only just met Luffy. He knew nothing about her and wanted her to join his crew? What kind of captain was he, inviting anyone to his crew like that?

"LUFFY!" Nami suddenly appeared, looking angry. "We've been looking everywhere for you!" she exclaimed, punching him on the skull.

She must be part of his crew as well. So she just punched her captain. What kind of crew was this, where the captain went around inviting random people to his crew, and his crewmates hit him like that? What a weird crew this was. This was where her brother wished to be?

"Oh, Nami, this is our new crewmate, Zara," Luffy said.

Zara raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded with his statement when she never said a single word about joining—or a word at all, for that matter. Nami looked at Zara, fear immediately in her eyes.

"Nami?" Luffy asked, perplexed by Nami's unexpected reaction to their new companion.

"Luffy, do you know who that is? That's Pirate Hunter Zara. She's known for tracking down pirates and using the bounties she collects to hitch rides. She's got quite a reputation and an 80 million bounty to match," Nami explained, her expression tinged with caution.

Luffy's eyes widened in excitement, as if he had just stumbled upon a hidden treasure. His newfound crewmate was astonishing—an 80 million bounty from hunting pirates. It was a feat that demanded respect and admiration. How had she managed to accomplish such a feat?

Zara glanced at Luffy, a sense of resignation settling over her. It seemed that her time with him was coming to an end, which disappointed her as she found him remarkably intriguing. However, seeing the sheer joy on his face, she couldn't help but wonder if she was truly worthy of such an elated expression. "I'm not his crewmate. I just met him, and it's not like I was going to turn him in or anything. I was just taking him to get food," Zara clarified.

Luffy's face fell a little upon hearing that, feeling like rejection, but he didn't fault his new crewmate too much.

"Joining my crew is an honor, not to mention we have a ship, so that's free sails with just joining," Luffy suggested eagerly.

Zara stared at him. Did he not realize that if she joined, he would just be getting taken advantage of? Did he really want her to join that bad? It didn't matter because it seemed like her father left this town a few days ago when she entered, which meant he was a few log posts away by now. Joining his crew now would save her time and money, but was she really below using someone like that?