One Piece x Reader Oneshots (NO REQUESTS)

Stay a While (Kaku x Reader)

As you made your way home from the store, hand-in-hand with your daughter, Rei, you heard a commotion in the town square. Curious, the two of you followed the sounds of applause and the delighted squeals of children to its source – a sizeable crowd surrounding what appeared to be a group of street performers and, towering above them all, a strange sight on this tiny island you called home. A... giraffe?

"Mama, a circus!" Rei shouted, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

You smiled down at her. "Let's get closer and have a look, then."

The two of you approached the crowd but, try as you might, you simply could not find an opening. Rei was tugging at your hand impatiently, but the wall of bodies blocked your way. Suddenly, a man to your left jostled you, and Rei's hold on your hand broke, and you lost her in the throng.

You looked around wildly, but she was too small to be seen amongst the mass. You tried calling for her, but your voice drowned in the cheers and applause. Before you knew it, the performance had ended, and the crowd began to disperse, but still there was no sign of Rei.

Just as you were beginning to panic, you heard a familiar voice calling you.

"Mama!"

You looked up to find Rei running towards you, a man following close behind and smiling down at her. He had kind eyes and a long nose, and there was something familiar about him that you could not quite put your finger on.

"She's yours, I take it?" he asked. His voice was soft and friendly, and he had an air of an old soul about him, though he could not have been older than his early twenties. "I found her alone and quite distraught."

"She is," you said, lifting your daughter into your arms and hugging her tightly. "Thank you so much for bringing her back to me, Mr...?"

"Kaku," he said. "Just Kaku. I belong to the performing troupe over there."

"I'm [Name]. And this is Rei." You let Rei down so you could shake Kaku's hand. It was warm, the skin callused as if he had spent years hard at work rather than performing on street corners. His grip was gentle, but you felt a strength behind it that sent a shudder up your arm.

"Wait 'til you see what he can do, Mama!" Rei enthused.

The sound of her voice jolted you, and you hastily let go of Kaku's hand. He was watching you with an amused smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. Then he crouched down to Rei's height.

"Why don't you come see us perform again tomorrow?" he said cheerfully. "Just don't get lost again, okay?"

"Okay!" Rei beamed.

He stood back up, turning to you with a smile. "We'll be here for a while so I'm sure we'll run into each other again. See you!" He turned with a wave of hand and, before your very eyes, turned into a giraffe.

You stood stunned for a long moment, before you were pulled from your daze by Rei tugging at your hand.

"Can we go see him again tomorrow? Pleeease?"

You had no choice but to agree.

The next day, as promised, the two of you went to watch the street performers. Being among the first to arrive, you were ensured a front row view, and you laughed and cheered and clapped along with Rei and the rest of the crowd. When it came time for Kaku's performance, you handed Rei some Beli to drop into the hat they were collecting donations in. He removed his hat and bowed deeply to Rei, before turning to you and winking. He laughed at the light blush that began to spread across your cheeks.

The performance left you in high spirits that day, and Rei could not stop enthusing about one thing or another. You were heading home after a short stop by the grocery store when you heard your name being called.