ONLY | Monkey D. Luffy

I THINK WE'RE LIKE FIRE AND WATER

                       𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 6

                  𝙁𝙄𝙍𝙀 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙒𝘼𝙏𝙀𝙍

"We really gotta stop meeting up like this, kid." Shanks said as he ruffled his hair, the straw hat he normally wore had been taken off and placed on his desk. He leaned back on his chair as an audible groan left the old wood. "Every time we meet, you're trying to attack me!"

"We've only met one other time." Yorei deadpanned. "And can you blame me? Both times you approached as a threat."

"I'm starting to think you have it out for me or something." He ignored her quip. She sighed tiredly under her breath when he feigned a sad expression.

Two years and he hadn't changed.

He was still weird.

"Whatever," She said before adding, "Old man."

"Old?" Shanks jaw dropped. He seemed highly offended, to Yorei's amusement. Not only did she feel comfortable around him to let her guard down, but she also seemed to lose her manners. How odd. "I'm only--"

While Yorei wouldn't say it out loud, she was grateful for the man's presence. Shanks, the same man who fooled Aishi and raided his island for loot with his pirate crew, was the same captain of the ship she was led to for safety.

After Shanks had recognized Yorei, the rage he once admitted cooled down, though she did notice the sharpness in his gaze when he looked at Luffy, who turned away immediately. He quickly took in Yorei's state, her dirty clothes and scraped knee.

Pirates were much nicer than she initially thought, or at least this crew was. She had been taken to what she presumed to be Shanks' room, and given new clothes to change in to. Much more comfortable and cleaner than her stained kimono. Shanks later walked in with a handful of bandages and helped her wrap her scratched up knee.

She currently sat in the captain's bed, considering the pristine condition the room was in compared to the hammocks outside she passed as she was led away.

The man explained why he was at the island when Yorei asked why he came back to the place he literally robbed. He told her that the crew was just passing by, but needed to make a small pit stop for some food. To be discreet, he and a few men from his crew had used an ordinary sailors boat. Regardless, Mubushi Hikari was heavily watched, so Yorei was surprised they weren't caught.

"Who was that boy from before?" She thought back to the kid that brought her here. As she was led away by one of the kinder looking pirates, Shanks had stayed back to scold him. She had looked back and saw the sour expression on the boys face. The same pout he had on when she bumped into him.

Her lips twitched at the thought of his face as Shanks looked up from his desk, momentarily forgetting Yorei's teasing. "Oh, you mean Luffy? Trouble maker, that kid, I tell you." He seemed to age at the pure mention of that boy and Yorei raised a brow.

"He wasn't supposed to come with me, but he snuck on to the boat when we weren't lookin'. He didn't stay quiet for long though, he can't go an hour without eating something. He was supposed to stay on the boat while we got what we needed, but he left when I wasn't paying attention. Damn kid."

Yorei spoke before she could stop herself. "He saved me."

She couldn't explain it, but the air around Shanks was nothing but trust worthy. When she was around Aishi, her instincts were on high alert and her fingers fiddled nervously. She was always tense and ready to run when she was dismissed from his presence.

But being around Shanks was completely different. She didn't feel the need to dash off when he came close, her mind didn't scream danger at her when he spoke. They hadn't even known each other for a day, yet she felt safer by him than she ever had around anyone else.

The look in his eye was sharp, yet the truth it held had her losing tension before she even realized.

Shanks seemed to perk up at her words. "Luffy saved you?" He asked and then rubbed his chin. "Speaking of that, I've been meaning to ask. What happened to you?"

When Yorei tilted her head, he continued. "Luffy told me a guard was chasing you. It's what led him to bring you to me. But why were you being chased?"

That was when Yorei hesitated. She had been running on adrenaline the whole night, and only now had it hit her what she did, what she escaped. Not only had she attacked Aishi, but she then proceeded to burn his whole house down. She realized she was basically a criminal.

Slowly, she explained what had happened. The man in front of her eagerly listened, which she found amusing. The sparkle in his eye seemed to grow at each event she explained. She skipped any involvement with Kuina, that was a story she decided to keep to herself.

When she finished, she had expected him to whistle and tell his crew to throw her off his boat at the next port to avoid the trouble.

But he surprised her by barking out a loud laugh.

"Talk about giving him something to remember!" He let out a chuckle of amusement. "I wish I saw the look on his face. Never liked that bloke. And fire as a distraction? You're a smart one, Kid."

Yorei didn't expect praise of all things from her actions and played with a strand of her hair. "Don't you want me off your boat? I mean, it's safe to assume Aishi will send people after me. I'll just bring trouble to everyone here."

Shanks waved away her worries. "Ahhh, don't worry about that. You think you're the only trouble maker here? I'm the captain of a pirate ship!" He seemed to boast, it didn't exactly make her feel better, but she was glad she wasn't being tossed away immediately.

"So, where are we going now?" Yorei asked the question that has been bugging her since she stepped on the boat. Escaping Aishi's island was the biggest problem she faced, but with that out of the way she now had her next problem. Where she would go next.

"Windmill village. It's where Luffy lives, and where we normally stop there after we find some loot. That, and the liquor there is--" He paused at her unimpressed stare and cleared his throat, "I mean, the people are nice."

Yorei looked down at the bandages on her knee. Since it was taken care of so quickly, it wouldn't leave a scar at the thought. If only her hand had been taken care of just as quickly, it'd would be void of its story. She fought the urge to scratch her hand at the reminder, and looked at Shanks hesitantly. "Is it ... really alright for me to stay?" She couldn't help but ask again.

Shanks must have seen her worries, and just smiled warmly. "We'll take you in. Troubles and all. Like it or not, you're one of us now, kid."

She didn't have a problem with that.

It had been two days since then. Apparently sailing back to Windmill village from Mubushi Hikari took about three, she was told they'd be there the next morning.

Yorei stayed in Shanks' room the whole time. She had offered to sleep outside like the rest of the crew, but Shanks denied her quickly. "A young lady like you should only sleep on clean sheets! Besides, I can handle a little wind." He waved her off.

She spent most of her time resting. That night had taken more of a toll on her than she realized. The pain in her scalp was still apparent, and her knee wasn't any better.

She wasn't sure what time it was when she woke up with a gasp, the sound of his voice echoing in her head.

I'll find you. No matter where you go, I'll find you.

Breathless, she scanned the room for his figure. She knew he wasn't there, but her mind believed otherwise. The two nights that passed were anything but peaceful.

Countless scenarios of Aishi conjured up in her brain and had her waking up in fear. The fear of being found, the fear of being caught, the fear of what would happen afterwards.

Reality had yet to fully hit.

(Reality felt too good to be true.)

Yorei stepped out of the bed and made her way to the door. Judging by the quietness of the ship, everyone was probably asleep. She opened the door as quietly as she could, a small cringe on her face when there was still an audible creak! noise.

Luckily, it didn't seem to wake anyone and before she realized she was gazing at the sea at the stars above gave light.

Despite being in the middle of the ocean on a boat for the first time, at night of all times as well, Yorei didn't feel fear.

She felt freedom.

Being there was different than gazing out from the beach. The wind felt more alive, the water was more fresh. She had never experienced such feeling before. The books she read were nothing compared to the real thing.

The cold air flowed through her hair before meeting the dark ocean. Yorei could barely make out the sea from her place in the ships deck, but the sound of small waves guiding the ship to its destination suppressed her curiosity from squinting any longer.

Was this was freedom felt like?

"What are you doing?" A voice asked from behind her. She looked away from the mesmerizing dark sea to see the boy, Luffy.

He stood behind her with half lidded eyes and a blanket over his shoulders that he clutched tightly in his fist. He seemed more tired than annoyed. The small pout on his face and the constant rubbing to his eyes gave that away.

"I was hungry." She lied, not feeling like disclosing to him she had a nightmare and needed to walk around to assure her mind she was safe and away from danger. She had shown enough weakness already. "Sorry. Did I wake you?"

It seemed she said the right words, though, as the tired look in his eyes immediately disappeared and was replaced with an excited one. He looked happy at the mention of food. "No, I was hungry too! Let's go look for something!"

Luffy didn't seem to have any knowledge of personal space as he casually grabbed Yorei's hand and began dragging her away, much like he did when they first met. The strange thing was, Yorei didn't mind his touch. She felt no need to pull away like when Aishi touched her cheek, it was different. Despite the cold breeze, he felt warm.

Like the sun.

The boy hummed a small tune under his breath as he walked past the sleeping crew, uncaring if he made too much noise. As Yorei let him take her to the lower deck, she passed a snoozing Shanks on the ground, right under what was probably the hammock he slept on. She almost snorted when she saw the unbothered expression on his sleeping face.

Down the stairs the two went and soon she was met with the sight of barrels and crates of what was probably whatever Shanks' crew needed and some supplies to last them the trip.

Luffy let go of Yorei's hand and motioned for her to stay in her spot. Yorei raised a silent brow as he excitedly dashed off like a puppy and quickly returned with a small crate.

"I don't know how to cook so we're just gonna have to eat this." He explained when she stared at the scene confused. "Sometimes, when no one's looking, I steal some fruits and hide them away for later."

One hand held the crate to his side and the other grabbed Yorei's hand again. He led her back to where they met, passing the sleeping pirates, and soon they were standing at the front of the boat again.

He sat down and patted the spot next to him before opening the crate. She followed his example hesitantly, watching as he pulled out fruits and set them between the two.

"This is an apple." He explained to her like she was a toddler. She knew what every fruit was, she was basically a walking dictionary, but she didn't have the heart to break it to him and let him continue. "You peel it like this." He then showed her how to peel with a wooden knife he pulled from his pockets.

She raised a brow at the dull thing, remembering how Shanks mentioned Luffy wasn't allowed to have any real weapons, because of what happened last time, whatever that meant.

The knife had no effect and he soon turned frustrated. "Stupid thing," he muttered under his breath. "Why can't Shanks give me a real knife?"

"May I try?" Yorei asked when his face grew a little red. The pout was soon back on his face as he begrudgingly handed it to her. Holding the apple in both hands, she pushed all of her strength into her thumbs.

Faster than the eye could see, she broke the apple in half with her bare hands. She ignored the sticky juice that ran down her wrist and held out a piece for him. "Here." She said simply.

Luffy stared at her hand in amazement and carefully took the slice from her like it would break if he wasn't careful. "Woah," he breathed out. His eyes visibly brightened like stars. She always liked stars. "That was awesome!"

He looked up from the slice in his hand and into her eyes with determination. "You are so cool! You should join my crew!"

Yorei blinked in confusion. "Your crew?"

"Mhm!" He nodded in an animated way. He brought the apple slice to his mouth and chewed on it. "My dream is to find the One Piece, and become king of the pirates!"

He suddenly stood up and raised his arms along with the apple slice, determined. "I'll find my own crew, and get a wanted poster with the highest bounty!"

Luffy then plopped himself down like nothing happened and looked at her curiously. "Can I have another?" He asked, pointing at the slices still in her hand. She handed him another absentmindedly, attention elsewhere.

The three healing stitches under his eye, to be exact.

"What happened to your cheek?" She couldn't stop herself from asking. Then she inwardly cursed. Curiosity had gotten the better of her mouth, but she could be potentially opening a sore topic.

"Oh that," To her relief, Luffy didn't seem hurt by her bringing the recent stitches under his eye. In fact, he seemed slightly proud as he puffed his chest out with a grin. "That is my manly scar! I got it to prove to Shanks that I am ready to become a pirate!"

His shoulders deflated a bit and a huff of air left his nose. "He still doesn't believe me though. And he banned me from having any real weapons." To that, she nodded in understanding. That explained the wooden knife.

"It's not fair! I can't get hurt anymore anyways." Luffy whined out and rubbed his cheek. This skin was fresh and still healing, but he didn't seem to be bothered by any pain. His complaint caught her attention.

"What do you mean?" She asked and watched his eyes light up again.

"Oh yeah, you do not know this, but I ate a Devil fruit!" He boasted and seemed to wait for her to respond with just as much as excitement, but he quickly titled his head when she stared at him in confusion. "...Do you know what that is?"

"No, I don't." Something Yorei found very peculiar considering she knew many things. She had read hundreds of books, she knew hundreds of healing methods, what plants were safe to eat, what poison would instantly kill. Hell, she even knew what fish venom that could fully paralyze a persons body.

But all those books, all that knowledge, and Yorei had never heard of Devil fruits. She's read about strawberries and coconuts, but a Devil fruit?

Luckily for her, Luffy quickly explained. "Remember when I punched that guard guy? How my arm stretched?"

Yorei nodded with interest, remembering how Luffy's arm seemed to stretch over her to hit the man that chased after her, in a way that definitely wasn't human.

To think a simple fruit gave him such abilities was fascinating.

Without thinking, Yorei grabbed his hand and stared at his caramel skin. Her eyes trailed every callous and scratch that carved into his body with attentiveness. His skin felt normal, warm and soft, yet it was able to stretch at his will just like that!

Luffy didn't seem to mind her sudden touch and continued, letting her study him when he noticed how focused she was. She didn't seem to even realize her actions, overcome by curiosity. "Eating a Devil fruit gives you an ability! I ate the stretchy one, I think it was called the Gum Gum fruit?"

"How did you find it? The Devil fruit." Yorei asked curiously as she lightly tapped on his wrist to signal him to turn it around.

Luffy followed without question. "It was in Shanks' treasure." He confessed before adding with a hint of red to his ears. "...And I was hungry. Heads up, do not try them. They are not very tasty."

It was then that Yorei realized she had grabbed his arm without permission, and she quickly set it down, uttering a small apology that Luffy easily accepted.

A red hue touched her pale ears. She was glad he wasn't upset, in fact he didn't seem to mind at all, but she felt completely embarrassed that she had got so lost in her thoughts and wonders, absentmindedly studying him.

"You have a nice dream." She said a bit awkwardly, never having really complimented someone, to direct focus elsewhere. "I think you can do it. Become the king of pirates, I mean."

Luffy perked up at her words with a surprised look. "Really?"

Yorei nodded when she saw how excited he seemed by her words. The growing grin in his face had her mesmerized at his natural glow. "Yes."

He quickly finished his slice and grabbed another. "Shanks doesn't think I'm ready yet. But I'm gonna prove him wrong!" He continued as he took a bite of the apple slice, uncaring of the juice that ran down his chin.

Yorei didn't hesitate to use the back of her sleeve to absent mindedly wipe his chin. Though she quickly froze when she realized what she had just done, and watched as Luffy blinked at the contact.

She had done it again! Caring about his well-being without second guessing her actions. Just like when she stepped in front of him when she heard someone was mad at him. She doesn't know why she did it, but at the time his nervous look triggered her instincts, her mind filled with nothing but protecting him.

They had just met, but why did Yorei feel the need to care for him so much?

She watched him gaze at her and braced herself for his reaction.

"Your eyes," He pointed out randomly and effectively caught her off guard. He brought his hand up and subconsciously rubbed his face near his eye. "They look different from mine. They are..."

Her mood quickly dropped as she looked away, already sensing his next words. Comments about her looks was something she grew used to. She knew she was different from other people. Her features were foreign, as it had been kindly pointed out.

She braced for his words. Her eyes were different. They were small, weird, and-

"-really pretty."

Wait, what?

He stared at her without blinking and asked, "Are you a siren?"

"...What?" She couldn't think of any other response. Her brain seemed to turn off. She had never been rendered speechless like this before.

But how else could she react?

"Shanks told me," He started to explain, "that sirens are...cap...capi...capter..."

"Captivating?" She helped when he began to get frustrated again. Luffy could be quite the hot head, Shanks had informed her.

"Yeah, that!" He snapped his fingers. "Shanks told me they have pretty eyes that can hypnotize you. They're also really smart and strong. They have taken down pirate ships of all kinds! They are very powerful." He suddenly leaned forward, looking right into her eyes, like he was scanning her for evidence.

"Are you a siren?"

"N—No." Yorei found herself oddly flustered. She could just imagine Kuina laughing at her flushed state. Burning cheeks, wide eyes and stuttering words. Yorei reached up and touched her face, rubbing her skin. Feeling her features.

She had been called many things, different, obedient, a doll, anything derogatory.

Never, had she been referred to as pretty.

"I am human." She assured him after gathering herself and trying to fall back into her normal blank face.

"Hmm..." Luffy hummed as he squinted his eyes at her, scanning her for proof, before ultimately giving up with a shrug. That was quick. "Ok, I believe you."

A sigh left Yorei without her knowledge. This boy was an interesting character. She had never met someone with so much energy. It was quite the change, compared to Kuina, who mostly made snide jokes.

She could see Luffy stare at her from the corner of his eye, looking for her to crack and reveal that she was in fact a siren, and there was a small twitch to her lips when he didn't seem to notice how obvious he was.

The boy suddenly looked up and gasped, causing Yorei to follow his line of sight. He had a small attention span, she noted

"Look!" He smiled and pointed outwards. He looked more excited than when he was eating, something even Shanks said was impossible because that's how much he loved food. "The sun is rising!"

Her eyes widened.

The light of the sun slowly peaked over the once dark ocean and gave it life. Vibrant rays shined and reflected. The deep sea was painted bright blue as the world began to wake up from its nightly slumber.

Seagulls flew over the ships sail as silver fishes raced against the boats movements. Warmth spread through Yorei's body as the sun rose.

It was beautiful.

Yorei watched besides Luffy as the sun got higher, faintly hearing some members of the crew get up and move around, later shouting about seeing land as they finally reached Windmill village. Bringing the trip to its end.

Yorei didn't pay attention to any of that. Instead she watched her first ever sunrise with Luffy next to her.

Faintly, she glanced at him, taking in his happy grin and wide eyes.

The sun wasn't the only thing brightening the world with its light.

Makino was a very kind woman.

When Yorei had shown up in some hand-me-down pirate clothes and a bandaged knee and some eye bags, Makino had all but scooped her up in her arms and rushed her to her small home without needing an explanation.

Shanks, who had been by Yorei's side before the girl was basically kidnapped, had rushed after them to explain the situation.

Yorei smirked as she remembered the woman scolding Shanks for the condition Yorei was in. Scolding him for making her wear such "brutish clothes". Saying he should have bought the girl a pretty dress and some cute heels or something. He just sighed exasperatedly.

"Men, honestly." The woman seemed to shake her head in utter disappointment.

Shanks just shrugged at Yorei, given up on defending himself.

Though Yorei saw his jaw drop in the corner of her eye when Makino turned to Yorei sweetly, a complete contrast to the glare she gave Shanks moments ago. "Well then, I'll go and draw ya' a bath, my dear."

"Noticed ya' watching the sun set with Luffy." Shanks commented after the woman left the room. He smiled. "How was it? Beats seeing it on any old shore, I bet."

The girl turned to the window she sat near, gazing at the white fluffy clouds that hovered above. One looked awfully like a bunny. "It was the first time I've ever seen a sunset. I quite liked it a lot. The fruits Luffy brought to eat were really good too."

Shanks paused at her words. "Fruits?"

Yorei nodded. "Yes. We got hungry, so he gave me some fruits he had stored away for himself."

The man hummed at her explanation. To her confusion, he looked puzzled."Hm. That's...odd."

"What is?"

"Luffy never shares his food with anyone." He revealed.

Yorei titled her head at that. The boy seemed very willing to share that morning. In fact, he seemed quite happy to be eating with her, or at least, she believed so.

"I'm serious!" Shanks said at her unconvinced face. "The boy loves to eat. He'd fight the Marines if it meant not sharing his food." He thought for a moment before nodding to himself. "You must be special to him."

The young girl looked down at that. Her? Special? She was nothing to glance at. She had been told so before.

What was so special about her?

Before Yorei could continue the thought, Makino came back into the room, towel in hand. "Come now dear, the water is warm." She gave Shanks another glare, to Yorei's amusement. "And you! Get out of my house! The one who needs to bathe is you."

She then quickly shoved the man out of the door despite his protests. Yorei was surprised at how easily she was able to move him, the man was a pirate after all, but then she saw the small glint of amusement in his eye.

Hm.

After Yorei had taken a bath, she had been given cleaner clothes and a new bandage on her knee. She fiddled with the edge of her purple shirt as Makino sat behind her and brushed her hair.

"Ya' have very beautiful hair, dear." She complimented sweetly. "I wish my hair was this long and soft! Oh, to be young."

"Thank you, Miss Makino." Yorei replied, feeling bashful at her praise. It felt different than when Aishi said it to her. It felt genuine.

"Now, Shanks tells me you're going to be staying with us?" Makino checks in with Yorei. The young girl nodded at her words as she scanned the color of her shirt with a small light in her eyes. It was a really pretty color.

"Yes." She confirmed. "If that's alright with you?"

The woman just wistfully sighed at her words. "I wish everyone had your manners."

Air left Yorei's nose at her confession. She assumed by that, that it was alright.

"Well then, if you're up for it dear, why don't we do a little shopping? I have this friend that makes the cutest dresses."

It was definitely alright.

Later, Yorei had come to realize that she preferred pants and shorts over dresses and skirts. They were easier to move around in, and she felt like she had better balance wearing them. They also cost less.

Yorei had expected disappointment from Makino after finding out her revaluation. Instead of opting for stylish and cute clothes, the girl had preferred clothes that could get dirty and move around in.

But the woman has surprised her. After analyzing Yorei's preferences, she took the girl to someone who specialized in making such things with a smile.

She dressed up Yorei to the girls own liking, noting what made the girl uncomfortable or scrunch her nose in distaste. It felt different than what Yorei was used to. When it came to such things, it was always the choice of what someone else wanted. What they thought would look good on her, regardless of her own opinions.

Shopping with Makino, Yorei felt like her own person. She was allowed to speak with her own voice. While the woman did dress Yorei up, it was different. Yorei didn't feel like a doll.

She felt like a daughter.

"Purple looks very nice on you, dear." Makino said as they walked back to her home. "Is it your favorite color? I noticed how much clothes you picked were purple."

Yorei nodded at her words. "Yes, I think it is a pretty color. It's similar to the color of lavenders."

"You like flowers, huh?" Makino mused as Yorei nodded in confirmation. "I don't know about Lavanders, but there are some flowers growing in the fields down by the shore line. When you're feeling better, would ya' like me to take you there?"

Yorei really liked this woman.

"Yes, please."

Makino had earned Yorei's respect. A few weeks had passed and she learned more about her, and about the island she currently stayed on. She learned that Makino owned a small bar all on her own. She was one of the few business women on the island, and her bar was quite popular.

Yorei was in awe of the hard working woman. She didn't know any back when she lived with her family, nor did she meet any when she came to Aishi's island. All the women she met were wives of a business owner, not one owned their own.

Miss Makino was very cool.

After learning that Makino was the only employee, Yorei volunteered to help her. The woman denied it, saying it wasn't necessary and that Yorei was just a child. Yorei argued back that it was the least she could do. After some wearing down, Makino found out how stubborn Yorei can be, Yorei officially worked at Party's bar.

She was in charge of cleaning the floor and tables, sweeping and mopping. The sun was hot in Foosha village and Yorei spent more time wiping her forehead than she wiped tables.

Her life was much different than it used to be. What was once a life of money, comfort, and indoors had to turned into cheap clothes, unpredictable weather, and dirt. Everything Yorei watched other people live through. It was a change, but a change Yorei was willing to adapt to.

"Rei Rei!" Yelled a booming voice.

Yorei looked up from the wooden table she scrubbed at the call. She watched as Luffy busted through the two small wood doors at the bars entrance and looked around excitedly. When he saw Yorei's form, he darted towards her with a jump in his step.

Wait, did he just call her Rei Rei?

"There you are!" He said as he bounded to her. "Guess what, Rei Rei? Shanks just got back from another trip! Wanna go see him with me?"

Luffy was another addition to her new life. He had quickly become Yorei's new friend, and hung out with her at every chance he got.

She had learned of his desire to become King of the pirates, something he shared so often the whole village knew of his plans. His parents weren't in the picture, another thing she quickly learned.

For a while it had just been Shanks and Makino. But the gap was apparent for Luffy, who had no friends his age. Makino was always taking care of her bar, and Shanks was barely on the island for a day before he was planning a new trip.

"But you're here now." Luffy told her after disclosing such information, "Now I don't feel alone anymore."

Yorei never let her walls down so quickly.

Monkey D. Luffy was loud and brash, the change from Kuina's presence to his was vast, yet Yorei found herself adjusting to him in no time, to her own surprise.

He had become her new friend.

Currently, he bounced on the tip of his toes as he waited for her to answer. Like a puppy waiting for it's owner. Fighting the urge to smile at the thought, Yorei turned to Makino.

The woman noticed her look and waved her off. "Ya' finished everything ya' needed here, dear. Go ahead."

"Yes! Let's go!" Luffy said, grabbing Yorei's hand and pulling her away from the table she just cleaned. She followed after him silently, apron still tied around her waist, but she didn't find herself caring.

Luffy dragged her to the islands dock, where she saw Shanks' crew loading crates off the ship and into the port.

"Shanks!" Luffy all but belted out as he dashed past crew members. "Shaaaaaaanks?"

"Luffy?" Yorei heard Shanks after a beat. The man popped up from behind one of the larger crates with a raised brow once he saw Luffy and Yorei. "Ah, you too kid? Whatta ya two doin' here?"

"We're here to see you!" The grinning boy explained. He looked over the crate Shanks was by. "And I'm ready to become a pirate!"

Shanks stood with a groan, an audible crack coming from bones that had Yorei almost snorting. Old man.

"I'm sure you are, Luffy." Shanks dismissed him, easily ignoring Luffy's huff. From what Yorei was told, it was a common occurrence for Luffy to try and convince Shanks that he was a pirate.

The man with a straw hat opened a box and pulled some odd looking fruit. Shanks tossed it up in the air with a smile. "Found some mangos on our trip. Why don't ya' two go and try them, eh?"

Immediately forgetting Shanks' dismissal, Luffy let go of Yorei's hand and took the Mango's with wide eyes. "Woah." He breathed out as he examined the color. Bright orange and nicely tipped red.

Yorei glanced at the fruit with a slight interest. "Mango's are normally found in tropical regions." She said at the top of her head as she tried to remember everything she'd read about them. "Where did you go for your trip?"

Already used to her smarts, Shanks gestured to his ship. "Not too far from here, actually. The island we went to was loaded with 'em. Thought I'd bring some back and see if Makino could make somethin' outta 'em."

Yorei grimaced at his words, already seeing his intentions, as the man was quite an alcoholic even if he denied it. "Like alcohol."

Shanks coughed in his fist at her stare and decided not to answer her. "Why don't you and Luffy go try 'em? Five star review, if I say so myself!" He scurried them off the port before heading towards Makino's bar with an innocent whistle, ignoring Yorei's burning stare at the back of his head.

Luffy, who had zoned out of the conversation after being given the mango, looked up from his hands and scanned the area with confusion. "Huh? Where did Shanks go?"

"To do old man things." Yorei said simply, taking her gaze off of Shanks and turning to Luffy. "Lets go to the shore and try the mango."

Luffy easily forgot about the man as his face lit up at the remainder of food. "Alright!" He exclaimed, bounding to the beach with the mango pulled tightly to his chest.

Mango was much sweeter than Yorei expected, but in a good way. It wasn't overwhelming in flavor, nor was it to bland. Yorei really liked mango, and it seemed Luffy liked it just as much.

"Hey Rei Rei?" He mumbled after finishing his piece of mango. Yorei, who had accepted the new nickname, hummed to signal she was listening. "If you were a fruit, what fruit would you be?"

"...Huh?"

"I think I'd be a mango!" Luffy continued his thought. " 'Cause of the bright colors."

Yorei took a bit to respond. "I don't know. I've never really thought about what fruit I'd be...?" Saying it out loud made it sound more ridiculous. Was this what all children her age thought about in their free time? What fruit they'd be?

"Hmm," Luffy stared at her while holding his chin, contemplating answer. Yorei wondered if she should be worried about how serious he seemed to be taking the topic. "I think you would be...a blue berry!"

"A blue berry?" Yorei repeated with curiosity. "Why's that?"

The boy simply shrugged his shoulders and took another bite of his mango slice.

Yorei began to realize that such random bursts of energy and ideas was a normal thing for Luffy. He seemed to get distracted easily, losing focus of something he was previously talking about. He would also randomly bring up things or ask odd questions, such as '"If you were a boy, what would your name be?" or "If you had a pirate ship, what color would you make it?"

(Purple was the obvious answer.)

It had barely been 24 hours since she has officially met Luffy. He was a strange boy. He got easily heated, yet also easily distracted. All he cared about was food and becoming a pirate. He was loud and very reckless. A brain full of ideas, yet sometimes Yorei was convinced at times he didn't have a thought in his mind.

It was... endearing.

"Hey, Rei Rei?" Luffy suddenly asked. They had been in silence, other than the brief rants Luffy randomly went on. But something was different this time, his tone was more serious. "What is your dream?"

"My dream?" Yorei repeated his words. He nodded.

"I told you my dream, remember? I am going to become King of the pirates and find the One Piece! But what about you?"

She thought for a bit, staring out at the ocean from the sandy floor she sat on comfortably. It was different than gazing at the ocean from Mubushi Hikari. She hummed. "I don't think I have one."

A heartbroken gasp left him as he gaped, she almost felt bad about her answer as Luffy seemed utterly hurt by it. "You don't have a dream? But that is impossible. Everyone has a dream!"

Yorei shrugged her shoulders. "For the longest time, I just wanted to leave Mubushi Hikari. But now that I have, I don't really want anything else. What more could I ask for?"

Luffy squinted his eyes at her and then nodded to himself, silently coming to a decision. "Well, I guess we will just have to find you one!" He declared with determination before taking a bite of the mango.

Yorei stared at him oddly. She didn't understand why it was such a big deal to not have a dream. She never had a need for one. She escaped and now has a life of her own. She could dress, act, eat, speak, and live as freely as she wanted. She met kind people like Shanks and Makino, who took her in when she had nowhere to go.

And she had Luffy. The boy with a bright smile and an unbeatable amount of determination. A kind soul who had freed her and had become her friend.

What more could she ask for?

(Better yet, did she deserve more?)

Yorei's eyes trailed to her lap and before she could think about it, she lifted her hand up. "Can I ask you to do something for me?" She asked instead of responding to his claim directly.

Luffy nodded wordlessly, sparing glances at her hand as well. He noticed it too, then.

The still shining ring on her finger. Yorei's wedding ring.

She remembered vividly the day she put it on, the overwhelming feeling of fear and anger, the tears she shed. This shining diamond was a reminder of the day she vowed to give her life to someone else, for someone else.

It was a reminder of the name she was born from, and the name it transferred to. A reminder of the identity she gave up that was never really hers in the first place. It was a carbon copy of the woman that lived in her place, the role she was being to follow.

This ring was a chain.

She twisted the jewel off of her finger with a small tug before holding it out to Luffy.

When he gave her a questioning tilt of his head, she explained. "Get rid of this for me."

"...Huh?" Luffy blinked at the request, probably baffled that Yorei wanted to throw a literal diamond away like it was nothing. Yorei didn't explain any further, instead she just nudged her hand towards him.

But luckily for her, Luffy was a simple boy, and just shrugged and took the ring from her hand. Without wasting another second, the boy used all his strength, combined with the power of the gum gum fruit, and threw it towards the ocean with a small grunt.

The ring was out of sight as soon as it left his hand and a weight Yorei wasn't aware of, had lifted off her chest, a lively sigh unintentionally leaving her. The girl felt impossibly lighter, as if she had been freed from a threatening curse, as if cured from a deadly disease.

As if her chains were cut and she could move freely.

"Alright then." She finally agreed to Luffy, regardless of how she felt about having a dream. She thought it was pointless for someone like her to want more, but if Luffy wanted her to have a dream, she'd spend the rest of her life looking for one. "While we accomplish your dream, I'll find mine."

She'd find a million more if Luffy asked.

"Have you ever made a flower crown before, Yorei?"

Makino was a hard working woman, Yorei deducted not even a day after meeting her. Wether at the bar, or at home, Makino was straining her muscles and wiping sweat off her forehead with a tired sigh.

Yet that tired sigh was always paired with a proud smile.

Makino never complained about her life. Even after a particularly hard day at work, she made drinks with a grin, cleaned glasses with nod. She worked hard for the life she has, and she showed every day just how much she worked for it.

It had been about a few weeks since Yorei had come to the island. Luffy was off pestering Shanks for the day, and due to the lack of costumers Makino had closed her bar for the lack of costumers. With nothing left to do, it was the perfect time to take Yorei to the small field of flowers Makino told her about when she first got there.

To her disappointment, there were no Lavenders at Windmill village, but Yorei wasn't too deterred. There were many other pretty, colorful flowers present, and that was enough for Yorei.

The breeze was fresh and full of natural fragrance. The Tulips had a slight honey smell, if that was even possible, while the small Cornflowers dropped pretty blue and pink petals that littered the grass. A few sunflowers bloomed near the shore and Yorei made a mental note to give one to Luffy when she had the chance.

Sunflowers just screamed Luffy.

"No." Yorei shook her head at Makino's question. A crown made of flowers? That sounded pretty. Yorei had never made anything like that before. "How do you make one?"

" 'm glad you asked dear!" The woman beamed as she quickly picked a few flowers and passed some to Yorei. Daisies, she remembered, petite white petals with a bright yellow in the middle. "Cause I am an expert!"

The concept of crown flowers wasn't too difficult once Yorei got the hang of it. Tuck, fold, twist, repeat. It was a slightly messy process, and Yorei may have broken a good few daisies in the making, but it was pretty enjoyable.

At first.

Halfway through was when Yorei began to grow annoyed at herself. The flowers weren't cooperating at all. They didn't bend enough to weave together, or bent too much and fell apart. She stole a glance at Makino's and almost didn't stop the drop of her jaw. The woman's creation definitely fit the crown part, it was down right beautiful.

Yorei continued to fiddle with one of the crooked stems, a light prodding feeling in her chest, she was reminded of the lessons she had with her mother.

The woman had taught her how to do a lot of things, such as write and speak. Yorei had to push herself every lesson, she had to copy her mother to the T. Steady and straight, poised and perfect. If Yorei's work wasn't exactly like her mothers, the woman would thoroughly express her annoyance and utter disappointment in Yorei.

(The prodding in her chest was always apparent then, reminding her that it wasn't good enough, that it needed to be enough. She needed to be enough.)

The Fujita family expected nothing but perfection.

The girl glanced up at Makino's flower crown again, noting how every flower had it's petals, and how every stem was still together. Hell, even Makino's hands were clean instead of being covered in the green pigment from the plants she played with.

Yorei frowned without meaning to. Her flower crown was far from looking like Makino's.

Would Makino be disappointed in her too?

By the end of it, Yorei's crown flower was finally done. Makino didn't seem to mind Yorei's sloppy work, and examined it proudly from her spot.

"You did great, dear." Makino reassured her, and Yorei barely stopped herself from flinching at the compliment.

Great? Yorei didn't do great. It was jumbled, and quite obviously made by someone with no idea as to what they were doing, stems stuck out in odd places and a few daisies didn't have any petals from Yorei rough grip.

"It's crooked and messy." Yorei interjected, obviously disappointed in herself. She just couldn't understand. Great? It didn't matter if it was great. It wasn't supposed to be great, it should be perfect. She should be perfect. "I didn't do it right. It's nothing like yours. Its-"

"Perfect." Makino stopped her. "The end result doesn't matter, dear. You worked hard to make it, and had fun."

Makino took the girl by surprise by removing the ugly flower crown from her lap and placing it on her own head, just above her yellow bandana. "You tried your best and put your heart into it. And because of that, it's perfect."

...Huh. Yorei never thought of it like that.

To Yorei's mother, Hiromi, there was no such thing as doing just good, or just great. It was just perfect. If you couldn't be perfect, then what was your use? What was the point of existence if you couldn't be the best?

She pointed out every flaw Yorei had. If Yorei walked too quickly, she'd berate her. If Yorei ate too much, she'd scold her. If Yorei wrote too crooked, spoke too loud, blinked too slow, Hiromi was right there, pointing it out and pushing Yorei to get rid of whatever mistake she made, giving it no chance to linger.

Hiromi couldn't afford mistakes. Mistakes weren't perfection.

But Makino was nothing like Hiromi, as she simply smiled, the crooked flower crown on her head tilting just a bit, and grabbed more flowers. "Now, why don't we make some for future customers? I think it'd be a nice surprise."

Yorei stared at the flower crown she made atop the woman's head, the scar on her hand began to itch, but she ignored the feeling and grabbed the one Makino made and placed it on her own with a small nod.

"Alright."

Makino didn't ask Yorei about her weird habits. Nor where she was from, the life she lived before she came to Windmill village, who her family was. No one seemed to prod her for information, actually, it was a silent agreement to just take in whatever abandoned child Shanks found and take them in without question.

Makino seemed to notice Yorei's odd behavior whenever she made one. Wether it was missing a spot while wiping the bar's tables, or getting a stain on her apron she wore while working, Yorei would get visibly frustrated with herself, and Makino made a point to remind her that mistakes were normal.

"You're only human, Yorei." The woman's voice was always gentle and soft as she reminded Yorei that it was alright to make mistakes.

In fact, mistakes were what made her perfect.

"I don't understand." Yorei blinked at Makino after she told her that. It didn't make sense to her, how could her mistakes, her failures, make her perfect? Wouldn't it be the exact opposite?

Makino just giggled behind her palm at Yorei's baffled expression and lightly bumped her hip against the girls, being mindful of her hate of being touched suddenly. "Mistakes make you human, Yorei. It's a part of life, it's how you learn.

"Human..." Yorei mumbled, vaguely noticing Makino go back to her spot behind the counter and prepare a drink for her new costumer after there was a small ding! She stared at the rag in her hand, then switched her gaze the small spot of dirt on the table.

Human.

Everyday, when Yorei wasn't sweeping the Party Bar floors, or watching the sun with Luffy, Yorei would be sitting in the flower field, making flower crowns until her hands grew tired. The next one was made better than the last, and soon, Yorei could make crown flowers faster and neater than ever.

But for some strange reason, she didn't feel triumph in being so good. No, she felt happy whenever Makino smiled and praised her for her small talent. She felt happy when the two would talk while weaving stems, she felt content when a few petals fell and left a few flowers lacking color and Makino would giggle.

Human.

And when she did make mistakes, big or small, they didn't pick at her chest until she got it right. There was no voice screaming at her to get better. When she made a mistake, she simply did that, made a mistake.

Human.

Yorei was human, even if, up until now, she hadn't been treated like one.

Sitting on the shoreline and watching the sun rise and set had become a small tradition for Yorei and Luffy.

It would be late in the day or early in the morning. Yorei had always beaten Luffy to the beach, barely hiding her eagerness at seeing the sun wake the earth off or it to sleep.

When Luffy had asked why Yorei felt the need to witness the sun rise or set everyday, the girl fiddled with the paper of her fan a bit shyly.

"They're just so pretty." Yorei cleared her throat and looked away to hide the small blush that cored her cheeks. Saying it out loud made it sound more childish. How embarrassing, she thought. "I don't want to miss another one ever again."

The sun had become a symbol. A reminder that Yorei was free from her old life. Chains no longer held her down, bars no longer shielded her from the world.

Yorei was free. And the sun helped her remember that.

'It was also because...'. She trailed off in thought as she watched Luffy go back to playing with the sand as they waited for the day to come, the sun reminded her of him too.

She had told him he didn't have to watch the sun with her all the time, noticing how Luffy wasn't the happiest person in the morning, but the boy quickly waved her off with a sleepy grin.

"I don't want you to be alone." He said simply, quickly being distracted by a nearby crab and not seeing the way Yorei grow slightly flustered at his words.

So, every morning before the sun rose, or every evening before the sun set, little Luffy and Yorei sat together on the sand, talking about their dreams or the day they had. Slowly they fell into a routine. Yorei would bring a book to read, while Luffy would bring a fruit to snack on.

"Where are the..." Luffy made a cutting motion with his fingers and shut his eyes to think. He had recently discovered origami and had brought some supplies to pass the time as they waited for the sun to wake. It was early, not even the birds were chirping. "The...thingy. Uhh, Tesoura..." He muttered to himself with furrowed brows.

"Scissors?" Yorei quickly understood him after searching her brain. She instantly perked up at the brief language change, remembering how Shanks had told her Luffy was Brazilian.

Tesoura, Portuguese for scissors, she quickly deducted.

"Yeah, that!" He snapped his fingers in triumph. "Scis-sor-s." He tested on his tongue before he looked up at Yorei with jutted lips, a familiar pout in his face. "Did I forget to bring them with me?"

"Luffy," she said with a raised brow, "you're sitting on it."

Luffy blinked and reached for behind him blindly, quickly coming in contact with the scissors he brought. "Oh!"

It was about four something in the morning. The sky was still a dark blue and the air was a swift cold breeze. The only source of light the two had was the small candle Luffy stole from Shanks ship when he wasn't looking.

"I'm trying to make a bird." Luffy explained with a whine as he held up the paper to the scissors. "But it's really hard to do it by just pictures."

Yorei looked up from her lap and glanced at the instruction book he used. "Aren't there instructions?"

At her words, Luffy's pout dispersed into a frown, something Yorei saw as very odd looking on someone like Luffy. He seemed to turn shy, embarrassed even, and looked at the ground silently as his hands prodded the crinkled paper.

"Luffy?" Yorei tried a bit slowly, not used to the sad frown he wore.

"I... can't really read." He admitted to her hesitantly. Yorei stayed silent as he revealed something he probably didn't tell many people. "Not in english. I know some things, but the rest is just a bunch of squiggles for me. The drawings are the only things I really understand..."

"Oh," Yorei said softly. It made sense. Some words Luffy said were pronounced oddly, and some ways he'd said a sentence was a little awkward. And it wasn't like Luffy grew up in a with tutors and daily lessons like she did.

Like Kuina, Luffy lived to survive.

Yorei didn't know everything about Luffy, just that it was only him for the most part. The only family he had were Shanks and his crew, along with Makino. (There was a distant grandfather he had, but Luffy didn't seem to like talking about him) And Yorei didn't think there were any schools nearby. "Then," she started a bit hesitantly, "would you...like me to teach you?"

Luffy's head snapped towards her with worrying speed, though her worry died down when she saw the bright look in his look as his coffee eyes met her darker ones. "You would do that?"

Yorei nodded, feeling a bit shy from having his full attention on her, to confirm it. "Ahm-, Yes."

"Ok! Then I will teach you Portuguese!" Luffy grinned excitedly, pumped to learn. He pulled the origami book between them and shuffled closer to Yorei, practically floating with excitement. "Let's do this!"

Yorei knew the basics of Portuguese. It was in one of the many lessons she learned, language. Being able to communicate with multiple people was a required skill the Fujita home believed their children needed.

The main languages Yorei learned were Japanese, and English. Japanese was the native tongue of her family, and English was the most used language and deemed useful to learn. It was due to her grandmother, that Yorei kept an open mind and learned just a little bit more than the others.

The two grew closer. A year had passed of watching the sun rise and set, a year passed of communicating and understanding each other in ways no one else did.

Luffy's words were less fumbled, and Yorei's words were more open. Since communication was key, it became their own secret. Messages and inside jokes only they could inturpret, something Shanks was the number one victim of.

"Rei Rei!" Luffy shouted from his spot on the docks. Yorei looked up from the table she cleaned and raised a brow when she noticed Shanks holding the boy up by his shirt and shaking him with an annoyed expression. "Não conte ao Shanks, mas escondi a bota dele!"

'...He hid Shanks' boot?' Yorei translated with a small twitch to her lips. She thinned them to hide her amusement and nodded before going back to cleaning the Makino's table.

"I know you guys are talking about me!" Shanks said with a deepening deadpan when Luffy stuck his tongue out. The captain's eye twitched when Yorei followed his example, though with a more blank expression, both unafraid and effectively annoying him more. "You're lucky I can't understand you!"

Of course it wasn't always just used for pranks, it was also a safe space of sorts.

While Luffy wouldn't say it out loud, Yorei could see how much less tense he became now that Yorei could understand his mother tongue. She could tell it put him more at ease, now that someone could understand him, and not in just terms of language.

His smile had turned brighter, something Yorei didn't think was possible. Every time the girl spoke to him in his familiar language, Luffy would visibly grow happier.

It became this familiarity, this safe space, for him, and for her as well. A way of talking as if no one was around. As if they were the only people in the world.

"Clean up on table 3, dear." Makino said without looking up from the glass she cleaned. Yorei nodded, cloth in hand, and quickly headed for the table.

It was another hot day in Windmill village. Another day Yorei spent cleaning up tables and sweeping dirtied floors. Yorei tugged on the collar of her shirt as sweat collected in her hair line. The sun's heat was something she still has not grown used to.

Yorei was 13 years old. She had spent a year at Windmill and cherished every second of it, heat and all. She had grown close to Makino, someone akin to a mother figure, who took care of Yorei like it was nothing. She was a kind, hardworking woman, who still got bashful at how polite Yorei spoke to her, never missing a day to work, or scrub, or sweep, or serve.

As she scrubbed the wooden furniture, Yorei briefly heard the doors to the bar open, followed by a familiar ding! Signaling that new costumers had arrived.

"I'll take the strongest drink you 'ave!" A man said as he walked into the bar, a few men followed from behind, Yorei noticed as she counted their steps without glancing up.

"Here ya go," Makino muttered a few minutes later after putting together a few drinks.

The first man gave her a scan before sending a smirk to his friends. "What's a gal like you workin' in a bar like this?" He had black hair and a light stubble on his chin.

Makino sent him a strain smile as she went back to cleaning a glass she previously wiped down. "Just runnin' a buisness."

One of the men that followed rose a brown brow in surprise from his spot beside the black haired man. "Oh? You mean to tell me someone as pretty as you runs this little joint?"

Makino nodded, looking unaffected. "Mhm."

"Well, I'll be!" The final man spoke up finally, a small stumble in his left arm that Yorei took note of immediately. "I would have neva' guessed a beautiful gal like you owned somethin like this! I could have mistaken you for a princess, love."

Ew.

Yorei's lips almost curled at the pet name as she watched Makino handle the unwanted compliments like a boss and just nod. "That'll be 10,000 berry." Makino revealed the price to them as Yorei prayed the men would leave soon.

But it seems black haired man didn't like that, as he quickly frowned at her dissmissive nature. "Seriously sweetheart, can't you cut us a little slack? After all those compliments, we still gotta pay?"

"Actions speak louder than words." Makino responded, like the cool woman she was. "Either pay or leave."

The man with brown hair groaned at her words and attempted to smooth talk again by giving her a friendly smile before reaching over counter and grabbing Makino's wrist. "Aw, c'mon. You-"

A shoe hit the man square in the head.

He grunted at the contact and held the back of his head. "The hell?" He yelled with surprise as the other two men stared at their friend with wide eyes.

"You alright, man?"

"Who threw that?"

Makino raised a brow and lifted her gaze over the man's shoulder.

"Get out, trash." Yorei glared at the men while putting her arm down, her foot noticably missing a shoe. "Don't you dare touch Miss Makino just because you're poor."

"Hah?" The man with black hair turned around. "It's just some brat. Who let this kid in?"

"This kid has a stable life and a job, unlike some freeloaders." Yorei pointed out. She watched as him grit his teeth from her words. "If you can't afford something, don't get it in the first place."

"Who the hell do you think you are, brat?" The brown haired man asked gruffly. The black haired stood off his seat and cracked his knuckles with a taunting smirk.

"I think someone needs to teach this kid a lesson."

The last man stood from his seat with a glare and soon, the three began stepping closer to Yorei.

"Hey!" Makino snapped at them and fumbled with the glass hand and rushed to step from behind the counter. "Stay the hell away from her!"

"Stay out of this, broad." The man with a stumble pushed her back by the shoulder and she barely caught the counter to avoid falling over. Yorei felt her anger spike at the scene and her jaw clenched as the men grew closer.

Then, rapid footsteps approached and a familiar voice filled the tense silence.

"Gum gum-"

"What the-!?"

"--Pistol!"

Just as the man was in close range of Yorei, he was suddenly punched in the face with great force. His body soared in the air before loudly crashing into the bar's wall. Everyone in the bar gaped at the sight.

"Rei Rei," Luffy ignored the men shouting at him and turned to look at Yorei with a slight sternness in his eyes she hadn't seen since they first met. He scanned her from head to toe briefly before meeting her eyes. "Seguro?"

She knew immediately what he was asking.

Safe? He asked. Seguro, a word they'd use to check up on eachother. Whether in moments of danger, or in moments of other things. It was their way of discreetly making sure the other was alright without raising alarms to others.

His voice was tender when he turned to her. A silent look in his eye that read multiple things. Are you happy? Are you angry? Are you hurt?

-Are you safe?

Yorei nodded, feeling her anger fade away at the sight of his face. If anyone could calm down Yorei, it was Luffy.

"Seguro." She responded with a nod and watched his shoulders loose slight tension.

The noise caught attention, and before long Shanks bursted in followed by his crew, who quickly took care of the problem before anything else could happen. He squared away the three men, since they really didn't have money he forced them to mop the floor and scrub the tables for the week to lay off their debt.

The men, who were much more cowardly than Yorei thought, quickly agreed to such terms at the sight of a Shanks sword. Makino also gave them quite scolding and Yorei swore she hit them with her own shoe a few times.

Yorei and Luffy were also scolded for stepping in, but she didn't regret it one bit, and Luffy definitely didn't either.

"Little partners in crime, aren't they?" Shanks said with a shake of his head as he watched Luffy grab Yorei's hand and pull her to the beach, mentioning something about the sunset. They didn't even same phased by what happened moments ago.

"Little headaches, more like it."

"You risked your life," Yorei stated incrudiously, "to save him?"

She crossed her arms, eyes staring at Shanks with clear suspicion before asking the question that bubbled at her throat for hours. "Why?"

Luffy had been known to be one to run his mouth. He was a hot headed child, with a heart of gold, and a mouth to back it up. He was stubborn, never really knew when to stop talking.

Yorei didn't know all the details, she had been back at Makino's house when Luffy had been taken by a pirate the boy mouthed off to a while back, looking for revenge when he thought Shanks wouldn't be there to stop him.

Yorei lost her shit when Makino told her that the man had the balls to set his crew to fight Shanks' own, and proceeded to run away with Luffy in tow when no one was looking. The woman had to hold her back from sailing on the nearest boat and getting Luffy back herself. It was Shanks who convinced her to stay and let him get Luffy, but after a small (it was not small) argument, Yorei backed down and agreed to wait at the docks for him to get back.

So, Yorei waited.

And waited, and waited, and waited.

She sat at the edge of the islands port the whole time, eyes on the shoreline. She refused to leave until she saw Luffy back, safe and sound. It felt wrong to kick back lazily, not knowing if the boy was injured or worst.

She didn't want to think about that.

When Shanks promised to get him back, she didn't necessarily believe him. She had nothing against him, he was a man of his word if there ever was one. But in a matter of life or death, people change. Was he lying? Would he turn back if things went sideways? If Yorei had been in a better state of mind, she would have probably been able to tell for herself if she looked into his eyes properly.

When a small boat started floating in, two noticeable figures resting inside, Yorei never felt her heart beat so fast.

Luffy was soaked to the bone, shivering with a small huff as he exited the boat in a puddle of coean water.

"Luffy?" Yorei quickly rushed to get him away from the damaged boat, filled with small holes, and, were those teeth marks? The boy was breathing hard, gasping for just a small gulp of air. A panic attack, she realized, she frowned with sympathy. "Breath, Luffy. What—"

"Shanks!" Luffy barely got out past his blue lips, he clutched the back of Yorei's shirt with abandon, fingers twitching numbly from the cold. His words were rushed with a slight slur as he forced them out of his throat, choking on his own saliva. Yorei felt shaken, she had never seen Luffy so afraid. Fear wasn't in his vocabulary. "H-He— he lost...I...-I can't—, Rei, Where is-"

Yorei felt a few of Shanks crew members rush past her with thundering footsteps, rushing towards Shanks' body on the boat. Shit, she didn't even think about Shanks' state, when she saw Luffy, walking and breathing, she had lost all composure. It was weird, any other day Shanks would have been skipping out the boat with a smug face.

Just what happened out there?

Yorei made sure to give Luffy space has he tried to regulate his breathing. In and out, she'd remind him when his breath would stay hitched for a second too long. A small squeeze to his hand whenever his eyes grew dazed. When the suffocating feeling passed, Luffy shuddered out a sigh and slumped against Yorei tiredly.

Yorei pulled him up to her neck, looping her skinny arm around his back and facing him away from the sight of the crowd surrounding Shanks. Makino soon came dashing down the port, a big blanket in hand that she threw over the two children.

Briefly, she could hear Makino asking her questions Luffy didn't seem coherent enough to answer, but she couldn't bring herself to answer either as she stared at the frozen body that was dragged out of the boat.

A pool of blood painted the wooden dock, it dripped and spread like fire, coating whatever laid in its wake, waiting to be devoured by it's thick warmth. And there, in the middle, was Shanks.

Bleeding out from the left bicep.

Yorei swallowed harshly when she felt her throat hiccup at the sight. God, what happened? She felt Luffy fall limp against her body, head hiding in her neck as his legs twitched. She pulled him closer blankly, trying to give him warmth she never had, watching as Shanks soon followed after unknowingly, head lolling to the side with a deathly still clunk against the ground.

That evening, Luffy passed out from the cold, and Shanks passed out from blood loss.

It had been a few days since then.

Yorei never once left Luffy's side, not that the boy would know that, as he had been out cold since he came back. She waited, and waited and waited and waited. Every time his hand twitched, every second his nose wiggled, she was shooting up from her seat and scanning for a sign of anything, anything she could help with. Yorei moped beside him, feeling useless. Eyes more empty than normal. If she had just been there when Luffy was taken...

Makino had finally been able to convince her to leave Luffy's side for some fresh air as she went to wipe his forehead down. So, Yorei took the chance to see the captain.

Shanks shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, as though he didn't just lose a limb. He didn't seem to be too bothered, to her complete surprise. Not a hint of regret. "I care about him, obviously. I might be hard on him, but it's because I want him to be safe." He shuffled in his spot to face her better. "I'll do whatever it takes."

"Why?" Yorei couldn't help but ask. She just couldn't understand. "Why risk so much for him? For someone you don't even share blood with? It's not like you can get anything out of this, just what are you expecting in return?"

Shanks rubbed his mouth with a tired sigh and Yorei stepped away out of shame, stressing out the man who almost died saving the life of her best friend, what was wrong with her? She should be greatful, and she was! Luffy was still alive, and from what Yorei heard while totally not evesdropping, it could have been a lot worse. Shanks saved his life.

But since when did people do something and not expect something in return?

Kito did. Hiromi did. They brought her into the world, and believed she owed them for that. Her parents didn't sacrifice anything for her, not like Shanks did for Luffy. It was the other way around. She was just like Luffy in a way, so what made everything so different for Shanks?

Shanks didn't seem the slightest bit put off by Yorei's words, as rude and pushing as they were. In fact, he looked oddly amused. Yorei stared at him in disbelief from the corner of her eye. What the hell was he amused about?

"Kid, if I had berry for every time I gave something up for Luffy, I'd 'ave Gold Roger beat in terms of riches." He scoffed. "Yeah, he might not be blood, but he's still family. He became family the day we took him in. Besides, he's just a kid. The last thing I'd ever do is expect something in return for letting him live his life. Just what kinda monsta' do ya' take me for?"

Yorei didn't answer. In fact, she stood silently. But when he looked up, he could tell. Her eyes said it all. Yorei had met some real monsters, but no, Shanks wasn't one of them.

Shanks would never be a monster. A bit odd, but he had his charm. He had his own way of approaching things in a silly, upbeat fashion. He wasn't like most pirates, or people, for that matter. Violence was never an immediate option, it was a last resort, even. Shanks was the embodiment of unpredictable, a bit of an idiot at times (in Yorei's opinion) but he was always a step ahead. He had power, influence, but not once had he ever used it with ill intent. Shanks was kind and selfless.

But not everyone was like Shanks.

Shanks saw the look of apprehension on her face and frowned, but it wasn't aimed at her, oddly enough. More at the situation. Why did it feel like he was sad for her, instead of at her? "Look, I don't know what kinda stuff your family put ya' through, and I don't expect ya' to tell me eitha'." Shanks watched her shoulders flinch at his words but he continued, "All I'm sayin' is, things are different here. It ain't a crime to be a kid, Yorei."

Shanks sat back against the wall behind him, head bumping into it lightly and he winced a bit at the pressure. "Yeah, I got hurt. I lost something that I'll neva' get back. But I'd lose my arm a thousand times if it meant saving Luffy's life."

Then he said something that shook Yorei to her core. Something she'd never thought she'd hear be directed at her.

Yes, Shanks was no monster. Because, a monster would say all the kind words they'd want, only a human would mean them.

"And I'd do the same for you in a heartbeat, kid."

With that, the two sat in silence, but it was far from uncomfortable. Though her posture was still straight, and her face was still blank, Yorei had never felt more at ease. The tension in her shoulder had been reduced to nothing, like it was non-existent.

Her heart was no longer heavy. No. It was full, full of warmth she never thought she had, full of care she never thought she'd feel, and full of a certain feeling she never thought she'd ever experience.

Love, her heart was filled with love.

Because the world was filled with selfish people, it always would be. But not everyone out there will give you up for the world. Some people, like Shanks, Makino, Luffy, and Kuina, would give up the world for you. And that was enough to put Yorei at ease.

Because they were her world too.

Yorei Fujita was 15 when she truly realized her worth.

It had been late at night when she was awoken from yet another nightmare. She tried to go back to sleep, tossing and turning, but the attempt was futile and soon, she found herself at the usual spot her and Luffy would watch the sun together.

Waves crashed into the sand before pulling back, Yorei sighed. Recently, she had been having dreams that had her waking up with a gasp. A vivid vision of Aishi standing before her, his evil smirk and trapping presence. Her stomach would drop, her hands turned clammy, and her breathing hitched as his hand grew closer and she could do nothing but watch.

She would also dream of her mother. While the woman was far from comforting or loving, she was present. Way more present than Yorei father, who she had only met two times in her life. She would dream of what happened the day of her marriage, the same scenario, the words her mother fed her.

Her mother was manipulative, evil, yes. But Yorei couldn't help but crave the attention she gave her.

Ugh.

Yorei's dreams had gotten so realistic, it'd take hours for her to realize that was all it was, a dream. Dark circles had definitely formed under her eyes as she would spend the rest of the night telling herself that it wasn't real.

She doesn't know how long she was out there, but soon a familiar voice was heard.

"Rei Rei?" Luffy asked tiredly from behind her. "What are you doing up?"

"Luffy." Yorei looked up to him and nodded. The boy rubbed an eye tiredly, blue blanket around his shoulders and slightly dragging against the floor. She watched as he moved and plopped down next to her with a yawn leaving his throat.

"Why are you out here so early?" He squinted through his eye lids. Early? Had it become morning already? She didn't even realize. "I thought I heard Makino's door open a while ago, was that you?"

"Yes." She ignored his other questions. There was still a lot Luffy didn't know, and Yorei planned on keeping it that way. "You can go back to sleep if you want. It's still too early for the sun."

The boy shook his head and caught her off guard by throwing half of his blanket over her. "Naaah, it's ok."

The two sat in the sand, listening to the sound of waves. Luffy's head would drop from time to time, before snapping up and looking around widely, to her amusement. Yorei shuffled to give him more room only to groan when she leaned on the ends of her long hair and pulled it by accident.

She huffed. Her hair had been long before she came to Windmill village, and it was only growing longer. She hadn't touched it since a bit before she moved to Mubushi Hikari, about 5 or 6 years ago. It was long, and frankly, annoying.

"Why do you not cut your hair?" Luffy asked with a tilt of his head, eyes toned with curiosity as his eyes trailed down her long hair. It had reached to the back of her knees when she stood up, and often got in the way.

Yorei touched the tip of one of her strands of hair and shrugged indifferently, not knowing how to explain why to him, because for some reason, not even she knew why.

She just...couldn't do it.

"Once...a man told me my hair was beautiful." Yorei spoke before she could stop herself. Luffy immediately looked up in surprise, but he said nothing, opting for just listening intently. Yorei never talked about her life before she met him. It was unexpected, but not unwanted. "It....it was my job to make him happy. So when he told me he liked how long it was, I kept it that way for his sake."

Luffy didn't know about Aishi, nor did Makino. And Yorei planned on keeping it that way because she didn't feel like it was necessary information. She didn't want their looks of pity, nor did she want that as her past. Her past was to be unknown and forgotten. Only Shanks knew of the man.

"My mother," she continued, watching Luffy look wide eyed at the mention of someone from Yorei's family, "she also had long hair. As did every woman in my family. I think I am afraid. If I cut my hair, it will feel like I am betraying my mother more. More than I already have."

Yorei may have been born as a pawn, but the woman that birthed her couldn't leave her mind. She often thought about Hiromi when she was at Mubushi Hikari, and she still did now. Hiromi may have hurt her, she may have never treated Yorei like she should have, but she had done more than most of Yorei's family, even if not a lot.

At the end of the day, she was still her mother.

Or at least, she was supposed to be.

"How did you betray your mother?" Luffy lightly proded. Had it been anyone else, Yorei would have already given them a black eye. But the gentleness in his eyes that told her she didn't need to answer him if she didn't want to, if she didn't trust him.

But she did, she would always trust Luffy.

"Before I left her," Yorei licked the dry skin on her lips as she thought of what to say, she had to be as vague as possible, "I told her how I felt about leaving. I thought that it was unfair, because it wasn't my choice. She told me that I was being selfish, that it was my job as her daughter to make sacrifices for our family. But I thought to myself, why am I the only one sacrificing something? Why do I have to give up everything? And why am I a bad person for wanting something different?"

She looked down and fiddled with her fingers feeling shame as her eyes grew a bit glossed. Here she was, again, crying pathetically at nothing. "She felt embarrassed and betrayed by me, and before I knew it, she had me tossed out like it was nothing. That was 4 years ago. She never visited me, never sent me letters, it was like I never existed. I never saw her again."

It was silent after she spoke, the only thing being heard was the ocean crashing into the sand. Yorei's neck soon began to hurt from how long she looked down, but she refused to show Luffy her tears. She refused to show the vulnerable side of her again so freely. Not after the last time she did, the last time she did, she was thrown away like a broken toy.

Then Luffy spoke up, cutting through the silence.

"I don't know what you were running away from when we met, and you don't have to tell me." He said with a serious voice, effectively catching Yorei's attention. Luffy was never serious. Loud, talkative, outgoing, yes. But never serious. "I don't why you wanted me to throw away a ring, and you don't have to tell me. But in both of those times, I could see something in you change."

Hesitantly, Yorei lifted her head a bit when he continued. "Something in your eyes lit up, and your shoulders were more relaxed. It was like something heavy had been taken off of you."

Yorei almost gulped, Luffy noticed that? She never thought of him as dumb, but the boy was undeniably brash and hotheaded and loud. Maybe he was just more observant than anyone took him for.

"And I think there is still some weight on your shoulders." Luffy snapped her out of her thoughts as he brought a hand up and let his fingers thread through a few strands of her hair. Luffy always liked her hair, he had never failed to tell her so, it was smooth and straight, thin and flowy. It was different from his unruly messy curls, and it was so, well, Yorei.

When her hair completely fell out of his grasp, he looked at her with intensity she didn't know he possessed. "How your mother treated you, someone who loves you wouldn't do that."

Yorei's hand flinched at his words, something he surely took notice of as he continued.

"Can you imagine Makino or Shanks leaving you like that, just because you upset them?"

Makino, a kind and hard working woman who took Yorei in with no questions asked. She didn't ask where Yorei was from, she didn't ask why Yorei had run away (yes she knew that, since Shanks can't keep his mouth shut). She didn't care about any of that. No, instead she fed and clothed Yorei, bought her things just because, picked her flowers whenever the girl looked particularly down. Makino had done so much for her.

Shanks had undoubtedly saved Yorei as well. He could have kicked her off his boat the second he found out she was trouble, but instead he took her in with open arms. While he liked to tease and drink until he dropped, he was a very caring man when he needed to be. He may be harsh sometimes to Luffy, but when it comes down to it, he'd be the first person to sacrifice something for him. When she had explained to Shanks that she had married Aishi, as well as his plans for the girl, she could see the twitch of his brow and click of his tongue. It was subtle, but she could see it. His anger. She even remembered him reaching out to a few old friends that lived both on and near Mubushi Hikari, to keep an eye on Aishi and make sure he never got any clues as to where she was.

"No." Yorei answered. Over the years, she learned, they would be the last people to ever hurt her.

Luffy tapped her cheek lightly to get her to look away from her hands and up at him. When they met eyes, he smiled. "You deserve to live life too, Yorei." He said her full name with such softness that it had her breath hitching.

Yorei looked into his eyes, biting the corner of her lip to keep it from trembling. No one had ever told her her worth, as far as she was convinced, she wasn't worth anything. A tear ran down her face and she went to catch it, but Luffy quickly caught her wrist. Then, with his other hand, he wiped her cheek.

"Hair holds memories." Luffy said to her. "Shanks told me that once. I think it's time you make some new ones."

Before she knew it, she was cutting her hair.

Hair holds memories, huh? Yorei thought as she watched Luffy bring a dagger to her. How he got his hand on that after his ban of having any real weapons, she didn't know. When he went to pass the dagger to her, she pushed his hand back.

"I trust you--to cut it, I mean." The last part was added on hastily when she realized how vulnerable it sounded, luckily he didn't seem to notice her stumble as he grinned and held the sharp knife with a tight grip. She would probably regret this, but oh well.

That morning, as the sun rose and the birds chirped, Yorei lived as a new person, feeling lighter than ever before. That morning, as Shanks raised a brow and Makino gaped, Yorei walked around with her hair to her shoulders, and a small smile on her face.

Luffy walked next to her with a noticeably crooked and short curl on his head, a hastily decision he made before she could stop him. After Yorei's hair had been cut, Luffy brought the dagger up to a chunk of his own hair and yelled "For new memories!"

Luckily, Yorei had caught him before he could cut off all his hair, and convinced him to only trim a singular curl. It stuck out of his curls from how short and crooked it was cut, but he didn't mind at all. When she asked why he cut his hair at all, he simply grinned.

"So you don't feel alone. Now we both have new haircuts!"

That was the first time Yorei ever really smiled rather than a small twitch of her lips. Because the thing was, Yorei never felt alone. Not when Luffy was with her.

Hair holds memories, and her first memory would be the loud boy with a bright smile and a crooked curl.

this is so messy but k 😭

THIS DOESN'T FOLLOW THE EXACT SHOWS TIMELINE! Shanks had lost his arm when Luffy was like 7 but I wanted to write Yorei there for her development n it just didn't match what I had planned so I moved it, nothing will be changed from the og plot since it's all small so dw

YES I DID USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE, SORRY IF ANYTHING IS INCORRECT

It's def not written as well as it could be, but these small moments all show a part of Yorei growing from her childhood trauma. She learns that it's ok to make mistakes, that not everyone is selfish, and that family isn't always bound by blood. She's growin y'all💕 my lil pookie bear

14k words

.

.

.