reunions can be bitter... or sweet
The closer the islands got, the more she felt her heart sinking into her stomach. She couldn't even begin to think of the possibilities of what was to happen now that she's headed back, back to where her own two parents had betrayed her.
However, she didn't let any emotions show as she sat on the tiny little boat with the others. Nami constantly sent her looks, which did nothing but intimidate the brown-haired girl. She just cowered further into her spot on the boat, avoiding any conversation or eye contact with anyone until they got to the island.
As they arrived, Finn stuck with Zoro and Luffy as Nami went to figure out where to find a new ship. She didn't know what the plan was or how long they were going to stay here, but she hoped it was a short enough visit to not be seen by her parents.
She stood in front of a wall with Wanted posters, ones she'd seen multiple times before leaving the island. Some were in the same place, whereas a few new ones had shown up.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Zoro said as they looked at Buggy's bounty poster. "That clown was worth 15 million Berry. We should've stuffed his head in a bag and brought it with us."
Finn's nose scrunched at the thought of a head in a bag, before looking at the other posters on the wall. Some bounties were small whereas some were huge, intimidating her enough to not speak on the matter.
"What Marine would pay you that bounty anyway?" Luffy asked. He lay with his back on the ground, legs propped up against the wall holding the Wanted posters. His hands were behind his head as he stared up at the sky, seeming to not have a care in the world.
But then again, maybe he didn't. Finn noticed he was quite careless, but not in a bad way. He cared for the things that mattered to him and didn't seem to worry when it came to things that didn't.
Zoro looked down at Luffy, who just smiled bigger. "You're kind of a wanted man yourself now."
"Huh," Zoro said as he looked up, his jaw clenching for a moment. "Didn't think of that."
Luffy sighed as he rolled backward, standing up straight with little to no struggle. "All the more reason to get to the Grand Line. Fresh start!" He slapped Zoro on the shoulder, who just continued to stare at the Wanted posters.
"Right."
Finn glanced past the boys, seeing Nami heading their way. She looked less than pleased, but Finn noticed she looked that way the majority of the time.
Luffy noticed Nami around the same time, a huge grin growing on his features. "Hey! You get us a ship?"
Finn watched with a hopeful eye, hoping that she'd somehow managed to get one. She wasn't a fan of thievery or violence, but if Nami could manage to snag a ship in any way she could, the girl wouldn't complain.
The less they were here, the better.
"Working on it." Nami smirked, "Did you push the sloop out to sea like I told you?"
"Yeah! No Marines are going to be following us here!" Luffy spoke excitedly.
Finn felt slight relief as Nami said she was working on the ship, but not much since they were still needing to stay there. Just because she was working on it didn't mean she had it yet, meaning they'd be here for a little longer than Finn hoped they would.
"Well we're not going to be here for very long," Nami said, causing relief to wash through Finn. "Turns out Syrup Village is known for their shipbuilding. Lots of options."
"Well, what are we waiting for then?" Luffy asked, looking between the group before walking off.
Nami's smile fell, glancing back in the direction she'd just come from. "Uh-" She glanced at the other two before quickly following Luffy, leaving Zoro and Finn on their own.
He glanced at her once before ripping the Wanted poster off of the wall, wadding it up in his hands. "Stupid clown." He muttered.
Finn couldn't help the smile that escaped, earning a look from Zoro. She then laughed a small laugh, earning an eye roll from the boy with green hair.
After getting redirected by Nami, the four of them made their way to where all of the ships were. Finn stayed hidden behind Luffy and in front of Zoro, ignoring the odd looks from both Nami and Zoro himself.
The group already stood out, the last thing she needed was to be recognized by someone she knew before leaving or someone her parents knew.
Who knows what was said about her sudden disappearance?
"How much do these cost?" Zoro asked as he walked alongside Finn, glancing around at the people who were working on the ships.
"If you have to ask, you can't afford it," Nami responded from next to Luffy.
"Okay, so we need to get one with a very, very impressive figurehead!" Luffy explained, "At least two... No - no, three masts! And a really high crow's nest!"
"We're not going to be able to sail a ship anywhere near that size," Nami responded. "There's only four of us."
"Four of us right now," Luffy corrected.
"Well, unless you can find another weird, desperate soul to help us," Nami commented.
"Speak for yourself," Zoro muttered.
"Besides, even if eventually we get more people, it wouldn't change the fact that right now that's still too big for us to work with." Finn chimed in softly.
"Listen," Nami said, "We're going to need something a little less flashy if we want to sneak out of here."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Luffy stopped walking. This caused Finn to trip over her own feet to prevent her from running into him, and Zoro stopped immediately after.
Nami was last to notice, stopping to look at him.
"You want to steal a ship?" Luffy asked.
"How else did you expect us to get one?" Nami questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"I don't know. But we can't steal one." Luffy shook his head.
Finn bit her lip as she shut her eyes, going over her options. It seemed Luffy was adamant about not leaving with a stolen ship, and they most certainly didn't have enough Berries to pay for one good enough to travel.
This meant they were going to be here longer, whether she wanted to or not. This also meant a higher chance of running into people she knew and having to explain the truth about why she'd really been gone.
And her parents.
"What kind of pirate are you?" Nami softly asked, causing Finn's eyes to cast up to Luffy.
"A ship is not just a ship. It's a part of our crew. We need to find the perfect one, and we're going to get it the right way." He explained.
"Okay, pitch that to the salesman. I'm sure that'll win him over." Nami sarcastically responded.
"Exactly!" Luffy exclaimed with a smile. He then walked off, leaving the other three alone.
It was silent for a moment, Finn staring at her shoes as she thought about what to do. She knew someone to go to but was unsure of what their response to seeing her would be.
"So what are we actually going to do?" Zoro asked, breaking the silence.
Nami sighed as she stared off into the distance, a slightly stressed look on her face. "Find a ship and see how lax the security is around here."
"Got it," Zoro muttered.
Finn stayed silent for a moment, trying to think of her words carefully. "I think-" Stopping in her tracks, she looked up to see the other two had left her.
She glanced around, failing to see Nami or Zoro anywhere. This left her by herself, and thankfully she knew Syrup Village well enough to know where everything was.
Taking her time, she made her way to where all of the ships would be. She didn't know if that's where the others actually went, but she could only assume so as that's the whole point of being here in the first place - to get a new ship.
By the time she found Luffy, Nami and Zoro had found him first. They were talking to someone who was out of sight, hidden because of Zoro's build.
"Do you even work here?" Nami suddenly asked as Finn was in earshot.
"Of course I do!" The person responded. The voice sounded awfully familiar, but Finn hoped more than anything it wasn't anyone her parents knew.
"I'm Chief Technician in charge of encrustation removal and aviary waste eradication."
At the explanation of the name, Finn realized who it was. She glanced around Zoro's shoulder to see it was just who she'd expected - none other than Usopp. Someone she'd known for the majority of her life, someone she considered to be one of her best friends and hadn't seen since the day before she was taken.
"Encru what?" Luffy asked.
"He scrubs barnacles and cleans bird shit," Zoro dumbed it down for Luffy.
"He can't help us," Nami then said.
"Yes he can," Finn softly said. This caught everyone's attention, and she cleared her throat as she looked between the other three before back at Usopp. "He can help us."
Usopp glanced from Luffy to Finn, his expression changing completely. His eyes went wide and the tools he'd been holding in his hand fell to the ground with a thud, earning looks from Luffy, Nami, and Zoro. "F-Finley?" He asked, his brows bunching together in confusion.
Finn's eyes watered as she looked at the boy in front of her, her throat seeming to close in as she struggled to find the words to say. She had no idea what was spread through the village after she left, but she had no doubt that her parents made up some bullshit story so they didn't look guilty. "Hi," She struggled to say, her voice coming barely above a whisper.
"Finley," Usopp said again before moving forward.
This caused Finn to move forward as well, meeting the boy halfway. Grabbing each other in a bone-crushing hug, Finn held him as if her entire life depended on it. She'd missed his affection, Usopp being one of the two people she actually would let touch her before everything happened. It was a platonic type of touch, one she admired and adored so much - it felt like heaven to feel it after believing she'd never experience it again.
"Where have you been?" Usopp asked, his voice muffled from her hair.
"What did you hear?" She asked, pulling away from him.
"I'm sorry, do you know each other?" Nami asked, looking between the two.
"Your father-" Usopp stopped for a second, ignoring Nami's question. "They said you ran away, left a note saying you no longer wanted anything to do with them, this town, or- or Kaya and I."
"I-I would never, Usopp, I-" Finn stopped, wiping her tears away. "Usopp-"
"I don't mean to interrupt this reunion but we have very important matters to discuss right now." Nami interrupted again, looking around suspiciously.
"Right," Finn said with a nod, turning back to Usopp. "Usopp, do you think Kaya will let us have that ship?"
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Short but sweet update <3 Sorry for lack of updates lately, a lot's been going on. Hope all is well!