"loosen up mossy, i'm alright."
⚓︎
at the dining table, i found myself seated between usopp and zoro, with nami and luffy sitting across from us.
i felt a lingering gaze upon me, and when i turned my head, i found myself locking eyes with renji. he stood gracefully behind nami's seat, his intense gaze fixed upon me.
is he in love with me or something?
noticing this, zoro subtly shifted his chair closer to mine. he leaned in, his lips hovering tantalizingly close to my ear, his warm breath sending shivers down my spine.
"if you're uncomfortable, just let me know. we can leave," zoro whispered, his voice carrying a comforting reassurance.
i glanced over to see nami and usopp sharing the same smug expression. i shrugged them off.
"loosen up, mossy, i'm alright."
zoro slowly backed away, nodding, and reached out to grab a glass of alcohol.
"i'd love to try the fish tonight," kaya turned to face sham with a gentle smile, her eyes filled with anticipation.
"i'm sorry, miss kaya, but that is not possible," klahadore announced, walking up to her.
kaya's smile faltered slightly, but she tried to hide her disappointment. "maybe just a small piece?"
though it was disappointing, it seemed as if kaya already knew the answer to her request.
"now, you know that certain foods can affect your constitution," klahadore turned to buchi, who entered the room carrying a marbled white bowl resting on a tray.
"here, buchi has prepared your special soup," klahadore announced, presenting the soup that had an odd blue hue.
"come on, kaya, don't listen to edward scissorhands over here! It's your birthday, not a dietary exam," i said with a small smile, taking a sip of my drink.
usopp turned to me, a look of confusion on his face. "who?—"
"you wouldn't know."
"kaya, (name)'s right," nami interjected, her tone firm as she expressed her sympathy for the birthday girl. "it's your birthday. you should be able to eat whatever you want."
"miss kaya's medical condition necessitates that i closely monitor her dietary needs," klahadore explained.
"does it mean you also speak for her?" nami's tone remained unyielding as she questioned klahadore's authority. silence fell, tension thick in the air before i intervened.
"the point is, no matter how important her dietary needs are, her wishes and happiness matter too. as someone who has been with her for a long time, you should consider that," i stated firmly, setting down my glass, crossing my arms, and staring at klahadore, unwavering in my resolve.
"don't act like you know miss kaya better than i do; you just arrived here today, while i have known her for years. with the help of usopp, who doesn't even—" klahadore rambled on.
"doesn't even what?" my eyes narrowed at his comment. sensing my anger increasing, zoro placed one of his hands on my thigh in reassurance. the heat of his palm could be felt through the fabric of my clothes.
"(name), thank you, but it's okay. he's doing this for my own good," kaya smiled weakly at me.
"i'll take her fish!" luffy raised his hand, completely unaware of the current tension brewing.
usopp glanced back at me and klahadore, anticipating that i was about to say something. he quickly interrupted and turned to face the straw hat boy.
"luffy, isn't there something you wanted to discuss with kaya?"
"oh, yes!" luffy's grin widened as he turned to kaya. "usopp told me that you own the whole shipyard."
kaya chuckled softly. "well, actually, my parents founded the shipyard, and merry's been running the business since..." she gestured towards merry, who sat just across from her.
as the conversation continued, zoro leaned in again to whisper in my ear;
"are you still up for a conversation after this?"
"of course," i replied, my voice barely above a whisper, "i never break promises."
"good..." zoro's voice trailed off, and his gaze lingered on me for a moment before he shifted his attention back to the ongoing conversation.
luffy took a sip from his glass and then, with his typical nonchalance, dropped his revelation. "nope, not sailors."
all of us stared at him, our expressions a mix of surprise and confusion.
what was he planning?
"we're pirates."
i couldn't help but grimace at luffy's candidness. 'luffy, you adorable little dumbass.'
usopp choked on his drink, and i leaned closer, whispering, "you okay, man?"
he hastily nodded in response.
yeah, he's not okay.
"this ought to be good," zoro mumbled, taking another sip of his drink.
kaya looked unconvinced and uneasy at the same time.
"pirates?"
"yep. we haven't sailed together for long, but we've already defeated an evil clown, raided a marine base, and taken down a captain with an axe for a hand! although (name) wasn't there for the last two events," luffy exclaimed enthusiastically, gesturing at me.
my lips curled upwards as i gave our captain a two-finger salute.
"these sound a lot like your adventures, usopp!" kaya exclaimed happily.
"yeah, that's... that's crazy," usopp replied, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"oh, yeah, and we're just getting started!" luffy climbed his way onto the dining table, his excitement evident.
"he's going all the way..." i snicker under my breathe.
"what are you doing? get down from there at once!" klahadore scolded.
"being a pirate has been my dream for as long as i can remember, and i'm finally making it a reality," luffy declared, his foot landing on a pot, thankfully avoiding any damage to the flowers.
renji, however, couldn't help but curse the straw hat boy in his mind, wishing he wasn't held back by the other workers.
kaya slightly flinched.
"we're heading out to the grand line, where even more adventures await us," luffy declared with a determined look on his face. he began walking towards kaya, casually stepping on the tablecloth, his hand holding a glass of... water?
nami and i look at each other, judging the scene unfolding in front of us.
"and at the end of the journey, i'm gonna find the ultimate treasure, the one piece, and become the king of the pirates," luffy proclaimed, taking a sip and looking down at kaya.
"you're serious?" kaya's smile dropped.
luffy handed over his glass to klahadore, who unwillingly held onto it. the straw hat boy leaned over and held kaya's shoulders. i watched usopp watching the scene amused, while nami and zoro were judging every ounce of the man.
this time, i had to side with usopp.
this is fun.
klahadore burst out, "that will be quite enough!"
we all stared at him, not expecting him to burst out like that.
"i should've known usopp would bring riffraff to our doorstep."
"klahadore, it's okay. i—" kaya defended, her voice weakened by coughing.
"now look what you've done. you've upset miss kaya," klahadore's glare hardened.
"all of you, out of this house at once!"
i couldn't resist rolling my eyes, raising both of my hands in a dismissive gesture. "shut up, old man, geez," i muttered under my breath.
"especially you!" klahadore pointed his finger directly at me.
"no, it's late. let them stay the night," kaya intervened, still coughing, her voice filled with determination.
"as you wish, miss kaya. but they leave first thing in the morning," klahadore's tone softened as he guided her towards the exit, showing a more caring side.
talk about duality.
i exchanged a look with usopp, who appeared concerned.
"that went pretty well. don't you think?" luffy questioned with a smile.
i shake my head.
"define well."