"i charmspeak!"
⚓︎
"hey, guys," luffy called out to both of us, interrupting our separate tasks. nami had her glasses on, meticulously examining the map while perched on a stack of crates, while i was crafting net traps on the boat's floor.
"guys!"
"what?" nami and i responded simultaneously, our attention finally drawn.
luffy's face lit up with excitement as he unsheathed a massive cloth, nearly knocking me overboard.
"it's ready!"
"and what is it?" i inquired, unable to see what he was holding due to the cloth covering my face.
"our jolly roger! every pirate crew has to have one. and now we do!" luffy's grin widened at the thought of having their own emblem.
"it looks pretty neat," i commented, my view still obstructed by the cloth.
i couldn't see shit.
"we're not a crew, and you're not hanging out on my boat," nami retorted, unimpressed.
suddenly, a door behind luffy swung open, revealing zoro with his distinctive mossy green hair.
"zoro! zoro, check it out!" luffy exclaimed, proudly displaying the jolly roger.
zoro gazed at the emblem for a solid minute, then raised an eyebrow. "that's unique," he remarked before casually taking a seat beside me.
"nami, i think the toilet's busted," he informed, sounding quite serious.
"what did you eat?" i chimed in, teasing him. zoro ignored my comment and didn't even glance in my direction.
"we don't have a toilet," nami pointed out.
"oh," zoro deadpanned.
he shrugged and gestured toward the room with his thumb. "well, something back there's leaking."
"what."
nami promptly put away the map and dashed inside the room.
"seriously, what did you eat?" i asked once more.
zoro's response was a simple, "shut up."
luffy's gaze shifted towards me, his infectious smile growing as he posed a question."(name), what do you think about the jolly roger?"
i couldn't help but match his enthusiasm, offering a big thumbs-up and a nod of approval. "top-notch, i like it."
nami stormed back into the scene, her countenance now clouded with frustration. she wasted no time and confronted zoro. "we're taking in water, what did you do?"
quick to defend himself, he responded earnestly, "i didn't do anything."
before nami could react, i interjected with a sly grin, "he ate something."
zoro, growing tired of our back-and-forth, let out a sigh. "would you stop?"
i shrugged playfully, maintaining my smug expression. "no."
nami wasn't ready to concede, though, and insisted, "the way you're clanging those swords around, you must've broken something," gesturing toward zoro's swords hanging from his waist.
zoro looked up at her with a glare, "maybe you should've stolen a better boat."
i chimed in once more, repeating my previous claim, "maybe he ate something."
"you brat-" zoro's head turned to me in a scary speed.
nami's frustration continued to escalate, and just as she was about to unleash a colorful tirade of words directed at zoro, luffy swiftly intervened, raising his hands to calm the brewing storm.
"guys, guys, guys. okay, crew meeting."
we all corrected him in unison, "not a crew!"
i couldn't help but snicker on the side. "i can predict what you guys will say now," i remarked, only to earn a death glare from both nami and zoro.
"sorry," i added sheepishly.
"we're gonna need a better ship to make it to the grand line. a real pirate ship," luffy's expression shifted to one of seriousness, his eyes locked on the horizon, before he flashed a confident grin.
"worthy of the straw hat crew."
nami raised an eyebrow, her initial disappointment at the crew name apparent. "straw hat crew? really?"
"yeah, i thought it had a nice ring to it," luffy replied, his enthusiasm undeterred.
"'demon' has a nice ring to it," zoro chimed in, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "headgear? not scary."
i couldn't help but mutter under my breath, "and i thought cabaji was the emo clown."
zoro's sharp gaze immediately locked onto me. "what did you say?"
"nothing!" i quickly responded, not wanting to provoke him further.
luffy's determination remained unshaken as he countered, "who says pirates have to be scary?"
"the point is we need a new ship. so where do we get one?" luffy turned his inquisitive eyes toward each of us.
"take us to the nearest village! i can steal a huge ship right under the seller's nose," i offered with a mischievous smirk.
nami raised an eyebrow, "how so?"
"i charmspeak!"
luffy's tone grew serious at what i said as he issued a clear order, "no stealing."
my surprise was evident in my frown as i asked, "wait, are you serious?"
"our closest bet is the gecko islands. we can probably make it there before our ship sinks. we'll ditch this one before we get a better one," nami suggested, her voice laced with practicality.
"good. with a working toilet," zoro added, casting a meaningful glance at the toilet-less ship.
luffy grinned and praised nami, "great job, navigator."
nami remained resolute, asserting, "you're still not hanging out on my ship."
i stared out at the front deck, momentarily stunned by nami's revelation.
'gecko islands?'
my mind raced, connecting the dots. i couldn't believe it.
'isn't that where usopp lives?'
'holy shit.'
my excitement was palpable as i exclaimed, "holy shit! i'm gonna meet usopp!"
the other three stared at me, their faces blank, before syncing their words,
"who?"
⚓︎
syrup village 6 years ago -
"usopp!" i called out, bursting into his house.
"you disappeared for over a week! where were you?" usopp exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise.
i grinned and replied, "uh... i got us some fruits!"
usopp's expression quickly shifted from concern to suspicion. "you stole them from the marines, didn't you? i couldn't find your boat either!"
i didn't steal them from the marines.
i stole them from fishmen.
though the one i was searching for wasn't there.
"they deserve it," i replied with a grin, my secret hidden behind a playful facade.
usopp shook his head, a mix of admiration and bewilderment in his voice. "how do you even do it?"
i couldn't reveal the truth - that i killed them with my arrows.
"i charmspeak!" i offered with a playful wink, hoping to divert his curiosity.
"you're brave," usopp mused, studying me with a thoughtful expression. "you're around my age... yet we're so different. why?"
i took a moment to gather my thoughts before responding, "we're not different, usopp. we both fight to survive, usopp."
usopp leaned against a wall, deep in thought. "ever since my mom died, you've been the one helping me out with goods. how could i ever repay you?"
i smiled warmly at him, feeling a deep sense of gratitude. "i'm the one repaying you for saving me when i first arrived here."
usopp chuckled softly, shaking his head. "you saved yourself, (name). i was just there to see it."
i held his gaze, my appreciation evident. "no, usopp. you saved me. you just didn't know you did."
⚓︎
present time -
as soon as the boat reached the shores of the gecko islands, i sprinted towards the village, paying no heed to the three figures left staring at my now diminutive form in the distance.
"(name)!" nami called out.
"don't. let them have their moment," luffy chimed in with a small smile.
zoro's gaze remained fixed on my retreating figure.
"usopp, huh?"
cue a slightly jealous zoro in the next chapter 😋😋