Moon's Harvest (ASL X Reader X Various! One Piece)

Who's the Liar?

*3rd P.O.V.*

The entire bakery seemed to shake as Katakuri brutally smashed the batch of mochi he was making, growling to himself as his already imposing figure seemed to emanate a dark and menacing aura.

It wasn't at all normal to see Katakuri so openly frustrated. Honestly, the siblings that were present were beginning to get worried about their brother. Although, every one of them was hesitant to approach their brother due to how angry he seemed.

"Er... are you alright, big bro?" One of his brothers, Daifuku, questioned him curiously while he was taking the mochi that was already prepared and adding different fillings in them.

Katakuri's response was immediate, though his tone was as dark as the waves of malice that came from his body.

"I'm perfectly fine."

"A bit too fine... I can hardly keep up with you, big bro! There's just so much mochi I can handle at one time! Somebody had to have been bothering you, so who is it?" He persisted, not believing that he was fine at all.

When Katakuri got mad, he liked to distance himself from everybody. If not that, then he would be very grumpy.

"No one. I told you I'm just fine." Katakuri replied as he passed a glare to his brother, "If you can't keep up, you can either switch with someone else or just leave it to me."

"You say that you're fine, but you look like you're trying to murder the mochi! We've known you forever, and we can tell when you're trying to push an issue aside! So, who was it that made you this angry? Was it that Vinsmoke kid again?" Oven, another brother, chimed in just as he was removing some pastries from the oven.

The bakery shook even more than before as the mention of "Vinsmoke" caused Katakuri to hit the mochi harder.

"No. Like I said, there is nothing wrong. No one made me angry, so just leave it alone."

"Maybe it has to do with Noire?" Pudding interjected as the brothers sweatdropped at Katakuri, who visibly flinched at the name of the raven-haired woman.

"... No. It has nothing to do with her..."

"But you flinched, so it does! She hadn't visited the bakery in a while, after all... do you miss her, big brother?" She asked with a tilt of her head.

"... No. Besides that, she's obviously busy spending time with... other people." Katakuri grumbled, eyes flashing for just a moment.

"...Other people like... the Vinsmoke kid...?" Oven questioned, since the very mention of him also evoked a strong reaction from him.

Katakuri stopped and slowly turned his head to glare at his brother before slowly turning back to continue his current task of abusi--making mochi.

"... No."

"...That's a yes..." Daifuku sweated, continuing his own work.

"But where would this anger stem from? Those two seem relatively harmless, no?" He questioned, confused at the situation as Pudding smirked.

"I heard that Noire is now a chef at the Baratie, so it's only natural she gets acquainted with Sanji...! I think I smell a bit of jealousy from big brother!" She giggled as the two brothers paused in shock.

"Reall- OW!" Oven hissed, accidently burning his own self in shock.

"But why would Katakuri be jealous over that stupid kid? Our big bro is better than him in every way! Any girl worth her salt would obviously choose him over that pervert that nosebleeds at every pretty lady he sees!" He pointed out, looking at Katakuri expectantly.

"What Pudding is saying is not true... right, big bro...?"

Katakuri was now completely silent, flat-out refusing to even respond to such questions that only made his blood boil even more. Although, his lack of a response was a bit of a dead giveaway.

"...A-and that's another yes!" He gasped, accidentally overfilling the mochi he had in hand as Pudding went to giggle some more.

"I knew it! Big bro is fond of the new human!" She chirped before turning to the brothers.

"Did you guys know that Noire would also give him stuff? And she would always wear really cute clothes whenever she was around him! The girl is crushing hard on him!" She gossiped as the brothers continued to be in utter shock.

"Hee hee, I wouldn't be surprised if she wraps herself in a ribbon, and gifts herself to him one of these days!" She chuckled, the brothers gawking at Katakuri.

"...Why does Pudding know all this, and not us?!" Daifuku complained, Oven nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, we could have backed you up!"

"Pudding knows because she's too nosy for her own good." Katakuri hisses as he gave said sister a pointed look, "And I don't need help with anything. I'm perfectly capable and I can handle things on my own."

"But how can you handle something you never experienced? This is new territory!" One of the brothers pointed out as Pudding nodded with a pout.

"And if Sanji is trying to win her over, you need to think fast! If he really puts his mind to it, he could be capable of charming her pants off!" She frowned with folded arms, the brothers glaring at her.

"Don't put ideas like that in his head, Pudding! Clearly this Noire human sees our big bro for the perfect being that he is! Why would she ever be interested in that stupid chef?" He questioned as Pudding huffed.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that... She was having dinner with him alone last night..." Katakuri grumbled as his blood boiled at remembering the incident.

"They're probably just friends... for now, at least. They do work in the same place!" Pudding hummed before turning to him.

"And I am a hundred percent sure that she's still madly into you!" She confidently stated, hands on her hips.

"Just one look at you, and her whole attitude changes!"

"... Perhaps." Was his reply as he tried to focus on the mochi, making it faster as a result.

He didn't know if Noire liked him anymore after witnessing Sanji in her house. He didn't want to admit that he was jealous, but it was so hard to ignore this feeling that tugged at his stomach and pumped anger through his veins.

"...Did you by any chance meet her yesterday, big bro?" Pudding questioned.

"And if you did, was she like," Pudding then clasped her hands together, going to bat her eyes at him, while also having a dopey smile on her face.

"This? And did she also do this?" She asked as she began to sway her body, "And were her eyes shining brighter than the sun?"

Katakuri sweatdropped at the imitation and slowly turned back to the mochi.

"Yes, something similar to that but not exactly." Katakuri replied as he took quick glances at his sister, internally comparing Pudding's behavior to Noire's.

He wouldn't be sure unless Noire happened to come by, which he doubted she would--not after he stormed off the way he did.

"Oh, come on, Katakuri! The girl likes you bad!" She whined while tugging on her ponytails, folding her arms yet again.

"I bet when you showed up, she completely ignored Sanji's presence altogether! Am I right, or am I wrong?"

"She did ignore him, but I think that was because he had passed out from a nosebleed or something similar in the kitchen if I had to guess from what she said to him."

"...What she said to him? What did she say...?" Daifuku questioned, interested in this whole tale of events.

The more Katakuri began to think about what Noire was saying in her drunken stupor the more he remembered the specific things she had said to him, including some of the more intimate implications she made.

"She... actually said many things to me... Many things that could be taken as more than just friendliness..."

At that, all his siblings went to grin at him, with Pudding looking the most smug. "See? I knew it! And I told you, didn't I, Katakuri? That she wanted you bad, right?" She cackled in victory.

"... She even said that she... loved me..." Katakuri mumbled in a quieter voice, hoping that none of his siblings heard him.

"You lucky son of a gun! I wish I was in your position!" Daifuku snickered, as Oven nodded.

"Yeah! I think Pudding is right, big bro! The human seems to want more with you!"

"She was quite drunk when she said all of those things, so I have to take them with a grain of salt. I don't know how much of what she was saying was really her own words."

"Now that's just a cop out because you can't believe that she likes you! When people get drunk, they're at their most honest state of mind! If she told you, for example, that she'd do anything you ask her to, chances are she's serious when she says that!" Oven pointed out.

"...Or if she yells: 'Take me, I'm yours!'" Pudding teased with a giggle.

Katakuri fought back a blush as he gave a pointed glare to Pudding for that last statement.

"Pudding, shouldn't you be out looking for Sabo?"

At that, she perked up for a moment, before snickering at him.

"Ah, don't try to pull a fast one on me! I am determined to get you two together!" She giggled as his brothers agreed.

"Yeah, us too!"

"Besides, after I am confident you're on the right track, then I'll get to looking for him. You must take her away, big bro!" Pudding cheered as the rest of the siblings went to join the cheering.

Katakuri had never felt so embarrassed in his life. He was supposed to be perfect--someone who could do anything, but here he was being coached by his brothers and sisters on how to get over his "lady problems".

"Okay, fine, she likes me. Can we drop the subject now?" Katakuri admitted as his ears burned from the embarrassment.

"Nope!" All the siblings chirped in unison as Pudding then smiled brightly.

"And by the end of today, we'll make sure you're the one at her house for dinner, and not Sanji! And even more!" She rallied, the other siblings cheering in agreement.

"I do not need your help with this. I'm perfectly capable of doing this on my own." Katakuri rolled his eyes as he tried to ignore his siblings' cheers, though he did appreciate the support.

The door to the bakery suddenly opened, which signaled that somebody was now in the shop.

"Good morning! It's me, Noire!"

Katakuri jumped at Noire's sudden unexpected entrance, not at all expecting her to drop by today.

"N-Noire... Wh-what are you doing here...?" Katakuri asked, trying to hold himself back from stuttering.

"I came to see you and give you something!" The raven-haired woman chirped from outside the kitchen, all the siblings standing quiet, though they all had big grins on their faces.

Katakuri gave a sharp look to his siblings peeking over at him and Noire before turning his attention back onto her.

"What exactly are you here to give to me?"

"Two things! First," She hummed, before presenting him with a simple crepe that had a big heart-shaped strawberry on it.

"I found this little cute mutant alongside the other strawberries, and thought it'd be perfect to give to you! It looks like a heart, see?" She giggled as all the siblings tried their hardest to hold back their giggles.

Katakuri felt his face burn as he glared at his siblings to keep them quiet, tentatively taking the crepe that he was so kindly offered.

"Th-thank you, Noire. That was very thoughtful of you." He complimented, "It looks good."

"And also, this!" She chirped, going to hand him a slip of paper.

"It's the number for my transponder snail!" She grinned before going to clasp her hands together and bat her shiny eyes at him.

All the while swaying her body, much like Pudding demonstrated earlier which caused his siblings to giggle more.

'I swear, if they don't shut up...' Katakuri thought as his entire face began to burn.

"O-oh, I see. Thank you. I'll be sure to call you later." He nodded before pausing.

"N-Noire... What was Sanji doing at your house the other evening, if you don't mind me asking...?" He questioned.

"He was having dinner with me! It was as thanks for showing me the ropes at the Baratie... it's funny though, I don't remember what happened after that..." She frowned before smiling again at him.

"Why do you ask? Do you want to come over for dinner too?" She questioned.

"W-well, I was just curious since you were drunk and alone with him when I was there to drop off (Y/n)'s schedule. I hope he didn't bother you too much in (Y/n)'s absence."

"I was...? B-but I don't remember drinking anything... I don't think we even had any alcohol in the house!... This is rather... strange..." She murmured, thinking deeply about it before shaking it off.

"From what I remembered, though, Sanji was quite respectful to me. He even came with a bouquet of flowers. He's quite the considerate dork..." She chuckled as the siblings sweatdropped at that tidbit of info.

Uh-oh, it looked like the blond chef was already making his move!

"Just a bouquet? I'd given you a whole garden that looked like you from a bird's view!" Oven quickly replied, trying to pretend that he was Katakuri speaking.

"R-really?!" Noire swooned, buying the act as her cheeks burned pink.

"Why, that's rather sweet of you~!"

Katakuri felt his blush burn hotter as he glared fiercely at his brother before turning back to Noire.

"It would be a pleasure to have dinner with you, by the way." Katakuri added, giving a warning glare to his siblings over his shoulder.

"When do you have time off? We can have it tonight, if you'd like!" She chirped.

"I do have tonight off, so that would work just fine with me. What time would you like me to come over?"

"6 would do it!" She grinned with a nod as his siblings silently cheered in the background.

"Very well, I'll be there." Katakuri nodded as he glared at the peanut gallery in the background once more.

"Great! I'll be sure to bring out my best! Can't wait for tonight!" She giggled before going to send a kiss his way, which just caused the siblings to cheer a tad bit louder to the point it caught Noire's attention.

"Uh, what are they so giddy about?" She asked him.

"Don't mind my siblings. They can be... a bit much sometimes." Katakuri sighed, glaring harder at his brothers and sisters.

"Oh, so this is a family run bakery? How wholesome!" She grinned before tilting her head to look at the siblings, who just awkwardly stared back at her.

"How many siblings do you have?"

"Eighty-four." Katakuri replied without hesitation.

"... I'm s-sorry, I think I heard you wrong. You said... eighteen, right?" She awkwardly laughed, not thinking she heard him correctly.

"No, you heard correctly. I have eighty-four siblings; thirty-nine sisters and forty-five brothers."

"...WHAT?!" Noire gasped before she went to scan the kitchen, where the siblings awkwardly waved at her.

"I-I heard of those peculiar families with like 20 or so kids, but EIGHTY-FOUR?! God bless your mama, cuz DAMN!" She gawked before excusing her mouth, not wanting to come across as rude.

"S-sorry, this is just a first for me... I think your family may be the biggest family in the world! I'm talking like HUGE!" She stretched out her arms as the other siblings sweatdropped at her.

"It's fine, that reaction is pretty standard for everyone when they hear how many of us there are. I wouldn't doubt that we are the largest family in the world." Katakuri simply waved off the reaction.

"Y-yeah... wow, it's just... wow..." She gawked as she then went to take a seat before she fell over.

"I'm just amazed... just... wow..." She repeated, fishing out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiping her face.

"I'm just thinking if I had that many children to take care of... whew... you nearly knocked the breath out of me when you said that!" She chuckled weakly as she looked at him again.

"I hope you all get along regardless of your big numbers! Family is all that you got, at the end of the day." She smiled as she continued to wipe her face, some of the siblings aweing.

Katakuri smiled slightly at her words.

"Yes, we may fight sometimes and there is never a moment of peace, but we still look out for each other and stay loyal to our family."

"I am like that with (Y/n)! We may not be blood related, but we grew up together, so we might as well be!" She grinned before sighing.

"Though, it would of been nice to have some siblings... that's why when I have my own family, I plan on having a lot of kids!" She informed him, earning a mixed reaction from the siblings, with some going to 'oo', to others giggling.

Katakuri snapped his head to his siblings and glared at them before looking back to Noire with a blush on his cheeks.

"That is a nice thought. You and (Y/n) must have been through quite a lot together to consider each other siblings."

"Yeah, we've been through hell and back again..." She sighed before holding her cheek, "How about you guys?"

"That and so much more..." Katakuri sighed as well as he couldn't help but think of his mother, who not even he and his siblings were safe from if she got angry.

At his response, Noire frowned and approached him to give him a hug.

"When I wanted to have something in common with you... I wasn't hoping it'd be this..." She murmured, a bit sad at the thought before trying to quickly change her tune.

"But, tonight there will hopefully be more."

Katakuri was stunned for a moment, not at all expecting the embrace, but gently patted her head as a blush burned on his cheeks.

"I know for a fact that we have more in common than that. But... I look forward to tonight, regardless."

His siblings all awed at that as Noire grinned brightly at him.

"Likewise!" She chirped before blushing slightly, "If you weren't so tall, I'd kiss your cheek..."

Katakuri lightly coughed into his fist and looked away, well aware of his siblings watching attentively and hanging on every word that was said.

"Y-yes, it's.. It's too bad I'm so tall..." He stammered, "N-Noire, are you working today, by any chance? It's already getting closer to noon, I would hate for you to be late because of me."

At him reminding her, she went to pale before nodding.

"Y-yes, and I-I almost completely forgot! Thanks!" She told him, giving him one last hug before rushing out the bakery.

"WOO! MISSION COMPLETE!" The siblings cheered in unison, giving each other high-fives.

"Get back to work, or else." Katakuri growled to his siblings, completely done with them for their behavior.

"R-right!" They all agreed in unison again before continuing what they were doing prior to this incident.

They were happy for Katakuri, though.

*Earlier That Morning*

*With (Y/n) & Noire*

(Y/n) groaned as she rolled over in her bed, her eyelids forced to crack open from the rays of intense morning light that shined on her from the bacony's french doors.

Glancing over at the alarm clock on her nightstand, she groaned once more.

"... Overslept..."

She slowly willed herself to get up out of bed and stretched her body with a yawn. Looking over to the other side of the room, she spotted Noire tucked within the covers of her bed. She was also still sleeping without a care in the world.

"Noire." (Y/n) called sleepily as she stumbled to her friend's bed.

"Noire, wake up. It's almost nine in the morning." She called, gently shaking Noire's shoulder through the blankets.

Noire murmured softly, her brows scrunching up in annoyance.

"Ugh, already? ... Man..." She frowned, as she begrudgingly started to wake up.

"Yeah, I know. I didn't know I was that tired, but I guess my body needed it." (Y/n) hummed as she suddenly remembered what she saw when she walked into the room.

(Y/n) gasped and looked around wildly for Sanji and abruptly ripped off Noire's covers when she saw no trace of the curly-browed man, leaving Noire without her blankets in her underwear.

"W-what the-?! What has gotten into you, (Y/n)?! I-I'm up, I'm up!" Noire whined before quickly pulling the blankets over herself.

"I could ask you the same thing! Or rather, who?!" (Y/n) demanded as she pointed at her, "Noire, Sanji was sleeping with you in your bed last night when I walked in! What happened between the two of you--I may have been joking when I told you not to have too much fun, but still!"

Noire went to hold her head, her hangover making her brain throb as she tried to process what (Y/n) was saying.

"H-hold on, hold on... Sanji... was sleeping with me last night...?" She questioned as she rubbed her forehead.

"Yes. In your underwear. And your lipstick is super smudged right now, so either you rubbed it a lot in your sleep or...!"

Noire's eyes widened at her words before she went to take a peek at herself, and sure enough...

"AAAHHHHH!"

Noire started to tremble like crazy before looking worriedly at (Y/n).

"(Y-Y/n), I don't remember anything past a certain point! W-what the hell happened to me?!" She cried, freaking out.

After a long pause, (Y/n) slowly asked, "... Noire, you didn't drink any alcohol, did you...?"

At her pounding headache, Noire went to nod.

"Based on my horrible headache, I would say yes... but how? We don't have any alcohol in the house...! O-oh my god, (Y/n), what the hell is happening right now...?" She gritted her teeth as she held her head in agony, "F-first, I need to calm down... and second, I need a damn aspirin, and some chicken soup..."

"Noire-swan! (Y/n)-chwan!" Sanji suddenly burst into the room and looked around wildly as he looked to be prepared for a fight, "What's wrong?! I heard screaming!"

"I-I seem to have a case of partial amnesia right now... after a certain point, I don't remember what happened to me..." Noire frowned, utterly conflicted right now.

She didn't think Sanji was capable of doing anything bad to her, so what was she doing like this? Did she lose her mind?

Sanji, upon seeing Noire's current half-naked state, quickly turned away with a fierce blush coloring his cheeks.

"You two didn't actually..." (Y/n) trailed off as Sanji immediately replied.

"O-of course not! She acted like she wanted to but I refused! I would never take advantage of her while she's in such a state!" He stammered.

"I-I did?!" Noire blushed just as heavily, covering herself up with her blanket.

"I-I'm so sorry!"

There was an uncomfortable silence that filled the room as (Y/n) shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Um... I'm just gonna... go get some aspirin so you two can talk alone..." She cleared her throat and quickly excused herself, leaving Sanji and Noire alone.

"... You don't have to be sorry, Noire-swan." Sanji spoke up after another long silence.

"I-I can't help but be! I don't remember exactly how I acted, but by the sounds of it, it sounded like I was an emotional trainwreck! A-and if I tried to do anything with you, I'm sorry! T-this all is no way to treat a friend!" She shook her head.

"Truthfully, I didn't mind at all, Noire-swan. The only reason I refused is because I didn't know how much of what you were saying or how much you were doing was really by your own will." Sanji sighed, "I didn't want you to wake up without any regrets, nor did I want things between us to be destroyed just because of a few too many glasses of wine."

Noire stared at him fondly for a few long seconds before looking away.

"That's... really considerate of you... any other man would've definitely tried to take advantage of the situation..."

"I know. You told me as much last night... before you started crying and showed me your scars..." He replied in a softer tone.

"I-I... did all that...?" She gasped gently, lowering her gaze.

"Really...? I-I'm sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. You have no reason to be sorry about that." Sanji spoke, "We all have our scars, both physical and emotional. Yours just happened to be extra sore last night after our conversation about the Donquixote Family and the incident with Katakuri."

Just at the mention of that name, she instinctively flinched, though she didn't really know why.

"Incident with Katakuri...? But, Katakuri wouldn't do anything to me..." She looked at him in confusion.

He nodded, "Katakuri showed up to drop off (Y/n)'s work schedule, but when he saw me he got angry and stormed off. You... didn't take it very well."

She chuckled softly at herself.

"I was drunk as hell for sure... that's nothing to be mad about, since you two seem to have beef anyways." She giggled.

"Which I explained to you somewhat. But that does bring up another question." Sanji looked over to Noire, "How much of our conversation about the Donquixote Family do you remember...?"

At the mention of the name again, her body flinched.

"Uh, nothing I guess... but knowing me, if it's really important, I would have written it down in my notepad..." She hummed before going to fish for it and, sure enough, the details were written in there, albeit a bit sloppily.

"You stopped writing when I mentioned Bellamy... Who you've already met, which is why I'm going to be walking you to and from Baratie from now on." Sanji explained.

"Oh, ok..." She nodded, wincing again instinctively.

That name in particular had her jittery and she didn't like it one bit...

"Um... I hate to intrude..." (Y/n) slowly leaned into the doorway, "Totally haven't been listening to you or anything... but, what's this whole thing about Donquixote?"

"S-stop saying that name... I-I don't know why, but everytime I hear it, I just feel... terrible..." Noire shuddered before tossing her notebook to (Y/n).

"I wrote those weirdos there, though, so read it at your leisure."

"To make a long story short, the Donqui--that family..." Sanji corrected himself for Noire's sake, "... is run by Doflamingo. He and his large group of followers are cold-hearted bastards who love to get their hands on mainlanders like the two of you. They already know you're here and because of Bellamy's run-in with Noire, they know the general area you're in and they will try to get to you when no one's looking."

(Y/n) paled and swallowed hard as she skimmed the information on the notepad while she listened to Sanji's words.

"If I knew about these punks beforehand, I would have been more careful..." Noire sighed, frowning deeply as she held her head.

"I'm sorry, (Y/n)..."

"No, it's not your fault. If anything, it's mine; I'm the one who convinced you to come here with me." (Y/n) replied with a shake of her head.

"Regardless, I have advice for both of you. It might even save your life." Sanji said, glancing between the two.

"And what's that?..." Noire asked, going to shift herself so that she was laying down.

"If you see Doflamingo or anyone from his group, just turn around and walk away as naturally as you can and once you're out of sight run as fast and as far as you can. If you can, try to find either me, Luffy, Sabo, Ace, or Marco. We can protect you from them--or at the very least hold them back long enough for you to get away." Sanji advised, "And, whatever you do, stay away from Dressrosa Street here in New District. That's Doflamingo's territory and he rules it with an iron fist. Pretty much everyone around that area is in his group."

"...This literally sounds like some gangster shit from some sort of spanish soap opera..." Noire shook her head, running her fingers through her wavy hair.

"Oh lord, do I wish this was just some television program..."

"H-how will we know what Doflamingo looks like or who his followers are for sure?" (Y/n) questioned as Noire's drunken shorthand was less than legible.

"Doflamingo is very tall and is always seen wearing his pink-feathered coat on his shoulders. Trust me, when you see him you'll know it's him." Sanji explained, "As for the rest of them, being part of one of the strongest groups on the island they're not very subtle about hiding their affiliation to Doflamingo."

"And, believe me, Doflamingo is no joke. He's one of the strongest on the island. He nearly killed Luffy and Law, and they were both teaming up to fight Doflamingo at once." He continued.

"...G-give me a second, I just need a second..." Noire groaned, as she held her head.

She just woke up with a hangover a few minutes ago, so being fed all this information...

"(Y/n), do you have the aspirin?" She asked her.

"Yeah, I have it right here." (Y/n) said as she crossed the room and handed Noire the strange purple off-brand pill, "And... Law... You mean the Surgeon of Death that I'm going to take Noire to see for a doctor's checkup?"

Noire instantly paled at hearing (Y/n) refer to this Law guy as "Surgeon of Death".

"O-oh hell no, there is no way in hell I am going to let some mad doc check me up!" Noire protested after she took the weird pill, going to wave her hands frantically.

"But he works with Marco and he seemed nice when I spoke with him. You have an appointment with him the next time you're free and you're not missing it."

"Y-yeah, nice because he's eager to get another test subject! T-there's no way in hell I'm going! N-no way, no how!" She cried, shaking her head vehemently.

"Not even if I said that he was really handsome and totally your type?" (Y/n) asked.

"... (Y-Y/n)... you just called him the Surgeon of Death!" She pointed out, "I don't care how cute of a guy he may be, I am not letting him slice my chest open and rip out my heart!"

"You're called Noire the Grim and you're totally nice, so what's your point?"

"T-that's not the same at all! That's just the personal nickname you gave me!"

"Law is a good doctor. Despite what his title is, he's very good at what he does." Sanji added, "He actually got his title for reasons not related to his skills as a doctor..."

"I-I don't know... I don't want to die prematurely..." Noire continued to cry, beyond freaked out.

"He just said he wanted to give you a checkup personally so he can make sure that your fever is all better and that it was just a fever. He even offered to give the medicine I picked up for us for free. He's a nice guy and I get no bad feelings from him." (Y/n) said with a nod of approval.

"...If I die, I am haunting you for the rest of your life, and even the afterlife after that, (Y/n) (L/n)!" Noire frowned.

"So you can be with me forever? Promise~?" (Y/n) replied, batting her eyelashes at Noire as she swayed her body in a cute fashion.

"Ugh, I can't stand you sometimes! I'm going to go make my damn chicken soup and coffee!" She hissed before getting up, still not fully dressed.

"I've already made breakfast for you two and the coffee is ready." Sanji said as he looked away from Noire once more, "I made the coffee extra strong for your hangover. You'll need it since we have work today."

Noire blushed at his very considerate behavior once again, turning away.

"Uh, gee, thanks!" She awkwardly smiled before she went to get some clothes and headed to the bathroom.

"I am going to take a quick shower first..." Noire muttered, turning to (Y/n).

"And I know you- don't eavesdrop on me, either! My shower time is my own personal time to relax!"

(Y/n) smirked as she walked with Noire out of the room and sang softly, "L is for the way you look at me ~. O is for the only one I see~. V is very, very extraordinary~. E is even more than anyone that you adore can love~."

"S-shut up!" Noire hissed before she entered the bathroom with a slam, going to make sure to lock it as well.

"(Y/n)-chwan." Sanji caught up with her as she went downstairs.

"Yes, Sanji?"

"I'm going to tell Luffy about the Donquixote situation if I see him today. If you see him, Sabo, Ace, or Marco, you should tell them too." Sanji replied as he went to the kitchen to make sure the food was all ready.

"O-oh, right! Of course." She stuttered, shuddering at the looming threat that was probably after her and Noire.

Five minutes later, Noire emerged from the bathroom, now fully dressed, as she went downstairs towards the kitchen. Her mind seemed to be somewhere else, which is common for her after she takes a shower.

(Y/n) was enjoying her eggs benedict that Sanji had so kindly prepared as she studied the schedule that Katakuri had left for her.

"Hi, Noire. Apparently, I start working after tomorrow, which is super great~!"

"Is that right...?" She murmured, her eyes looking distant as she went to get her coffee and mumbled something under her breath.

"What'cha thinkin' about?" (Y/n) asked as she took a sip of milk.

"Tune in to the next episode the next time it rains..." She murmured lowly before snapping out of it, "U-uh, nothing!"

"... You thinking about Katakuri?"

"N-no, no! J-just, let me be, alright?" She sighed, pouring herself some coffee.

"Apologies for the short episode today, but our host has to go to work today!" Noire mumbled again, but this time in a very exaggerated voice, almost sounding like a TV host.

"Noire-swan... Are you feeling alright?" Sanji questioned as he slowly slid Noire's plate to her.

"Y-yeah, yeah, I'm fine!" She waved it off, thanking him for the food as (Y/n) smirked at her.

"Oh, I know what you were doing... you were playing with the rubber duckies, weren't you?" She teased as Noire slammed her fist down on the table.

"NO I WASN'T!" She answered a bit too quickly, coughing a bit before she continued to just eat her food.

"You really were playing a soap opera roleplay with your rubber ducks~." (Y/n) smirked behind her glass of milk.

"A-absolutely not!" Noire quickly replied again, laughing nervously as she looked at Sanji, "D-don't believe anything she's saying, I totally don't do that! I totally did not roleplay a soap opera scenario with that family, or about the main protagonist stuck between two gorgeous guys! N-nope, not at all!"

Sanji sweatdropped and decided not to comment as (Y/n) giggled.

"Yeah, two gorgeous guys name Katakuri and Sanji~." (Y/n) whispered to Noire so only she would hear.

"Y-you be quiet! I don't even have any rubber duckies that look like them; they're too unique looking!" She whispered angrily back, beyond embarrassed.

"Sure, whatever you say~."

Breakfast was quickly finished and it was nearing the time that Noire and Sanji should be on their way to Baratie. (Y/n) cleaned the dishes with Sanji's help before looking to Noire.

"So... Are you going to go see Katakuri?"

"Yup!" Noire chirped as she was cooking a crepe with a grin, "But just for a few minutes."

"Maybe you should make him something to apologize for last night." She suggested before approaching Noire and whispering in her ear, "It sounds to me like he was jealous. Just like you said Sabo was."

Noire blushed happily at the thought of Katakuri being jealous over her, which caused her to squeal a bit.

"I am! I am making him this crepe, and pairing it up with this cute mutant strawberry that looks like a heart!" She chirped, holding up said strawberry to show her.

She then tilted her head to Sanji.

"Hey, want me to make you a crepe, too?" She asked him, just as she was finishing up making the one for Katakuri.

"Sure, I'd love one. I'll just eat it on our way." Sanji nodded as hearts appeared in his eyes, "Thank you so much, Noire-swan~!"

Noire gave him a soft smile.

"No problem! It's my way of apologizing for my beyond unprofessional behavior last night." She told him before she started making him one as well.

When his was done she served it up for him, "Here you go!"

"Thank you, Noire-swan~!" He cheered, happily accepting the sweet treat.

"It's delicious~!" He praised, wiggling as he danced about the room.

Noire couldn't help but giggle at this little display, her aura brightening up a bit, before she shook her head. "C'mon, you dork, let's get going." She chuckled, waving goodbye to (Y/n).

"Bye~! Have a good day, you two!" (Y/n) waved, "Be safe!"

"We will, (Y/n)-chwan!" Sanji called back as he held the front door open for Noire, "You be safe too."

"And remember; I have a spare can of pepperspray in my top drawer if you need it!" Noire informed her before thanking Sanji as she left the house with him.

With that, (Y/n) found herself all alone in the house.

If she was being honest with herself, she was a little nervous given the information she was just told about the Donquixote Family not too long ago. All she could do was try to find some way to distract herself until Noire came back or unless she was visited by Ace, Sabo, or Luffy.

Oh, she hoped someone pleasant would visit...

*Meanwhile*

*With Ace, Sabo, & Luffy*

Sabo hummed to himself as he jogged downstairs, a slight pep in his step as he was filled with hope for what he was planning for the day.

"What're you so perked about?" Ace questioned as he was in a bit of a sour mood himself.

"To see (Y/n), of course." Sabo answered honestly as he fixed the collar of his light blue dress shirt.

Upon taking a second look at Sabo, it was hard not to note how casually he was dressed. Other than his shirt, he just wore a pair of dark wash jeans and skater shoes. Another oddity about his current appearance was the fact that he was wearing neither his top hat nor his goggles. This casual look was very rare to see on Sabo and it was quite strange indeed.

"Uh... have you forgotten about yesterday? We are suppose to go kick Marco's ass today!" He reminded the blond, angrily running a hand through his dark locks.

"Correction; You are going to kick Marco's ass today. I'm going to go visit (Y/n) and spend some time with her." He smiled, trying to hold himself back from smirking instead.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I think I made a little mistake," Ace chuckled before going to walk up to him.

"I'm going to kick yours and Marco's ass, and then I'll get some dinner!" He snickered as someone simply ran past them.

"Good luck with that!" The straw-hatted boy waved as he left in a flash.

"Oi! Where are you off to, Luffy?" Sabo called after him as he ran past.

"I'm going to hang out with (Y/n) while you two fight! You two had your turn, so now it's mine!" He complained as he was soon vanished from sight.

Sabo blinked before addressing Ace, "Call a temporary truce while we kick Luffy's ass?"

Ace nodded at him. "Deal."

Ace and Sabo immediately rushed out the door and gave chase to their younger brother, determined to stop him and beat him for trying to pull such a fast one on them.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

In the end, Sabo and Ace had indeed caught up to Luffy and managed to beat him into submission. Now, Sabo was making sure that Luffy behaved himself while Ace was now off to work.

"I-it's no fair... you two are such jerks..." A swollen up Luffy spoke through his bruised lip, glaring at Sabo.

"We're your big brothers. It's basically our job to be unfair to you." Sabo pointed out as he grabbed an ice pack from the freezer and tossed it to Luffy.

Luffy caught it, continuing to glare at Sabo.

"I don't know what hurts worse... this, or a punch from Nami..."

"A punch from Grandpa... The answer is always a punch from Grandpa." Sabo shuddered.

Luffy shuddered at the very thought of a punch from his grandpa, "But that's a given! I'm talking about... second worst!"

"Us, because unlike with Nami you can't outrun us and there is nowhere you can hide where we won't find you." Sabo grinned.

"I'm talking about specifically the punch, Sabo, clean your ears some more!" He frowned at him.

"We also punch harder than her. Want me to demonstrate again, smart-mouth?" Sabo asked with a raised brow.

"Oh, I don't know... I'd say it's pretty even..." Luffy hummed, going to stroke his chin in thought, really considering it.

"Maybe... I can call Nami, and we can have a contest!" He chirped.

*BONK*

Sabo delivered a hard punch to the top of Luffy's head, creating another sizeable bump there.

"Are you still sure about having that contest?"

"Y-yeah, I want to see whose punch is worse!" Luffy continued to insist as he rubbed his head.

Sabo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose before walking out the back door, "I... I'm not dealing with this anymore today..."

"What'd you mean? Afraid Nami might beat you?" Luffy smirked, despite looking quite awful in his beaten up state.

"No, I know I hit harder than her." Sabo said over his shoulder with a smirk, "Besides, I'd rather spend the rest of the day with (Y/n). See you later, Luffy~. I'll tell (Y/n) you said hi~."

"SABO~!" A girl's voice spoke up out of nowhere in the distance, "Where are youuuu~? I hear that you're nearbyyy~!"

"Shishishi, sure!" Luffy chuckled before running off in one direction.

"But you have to lead her away from our place, first! If she finds this place, you're finished!"

Sabo paled at hearing Pudding's voice and scowled, "Dammit..."

He took off running in the opposite direction from Luffy and Pudding's voice, leaping into the underbrush and dashing through the thick vegetation.

'Now it's my turn, shishishi~!' Luffy thought with a grin as he ran to the direction of (Y/n)'s house.

"I swear, I will kick your ass even harder, Luffy!" Sabo shouted as he ran through the forest, desperate to lead Pudding away as fast as possible so he could beat his brother to (Y/n)'s place.

"That's not very nice to say to your brother, Saby baby~!" Pudding chirped, unfortunately now on his coattails; it seemed he ran right into the area she was at.

Sabo's eyes widened as he skidded to a halt before changing direction and darting to the side, running even faster as he swerved around the trees.

"Dammit! Pudding, take a hint and leave me alone!"

"By my mama, I will never! I will make you love me if it's the last thing I do! Don't make me do something bad, please, Saby!" She begged him.

"Do something bad like what?! Tell on me to our parents?! Like I care about pissing them off!"

"N-no... something worse!" She fake teared up, "So please, make this easier on both of us, and just accept our situation! I promise to treat you good!"

"Threats are only useful if you actually describe what you're threatening to do! I can't take your word for anything!" He shouted as he zigzagged around huge trees in an attempt to break her line of sight.

"W-why would I tell you what I am going to do? If you just played along with me, then I wouldn't have to be jumping through all these hoops to get your affection!" She growled as she continued to chase him.

"N-Noire... she really likes my big brother, doesn't she?" She questioned.

"What does that have to do with anything?" He asked, sliding down a slope and taking refuge behind a big boulder to take a breather.

"It has everything to do with it! If you just play along with me, then I don't have to play dirty! She's really good friends with (Y/n), right? The girly that you have your eye on?" She said, though with the mention of (Y/n), she sounded pissed.

Sabo froze, his muscles tensing as she mentioned (Y/n).

"... Keep her out of this, Pudding. She has nothing to do with it."

"You were the one that brought her in! I wouldn't have to be playing hardball if you just accepted me, Sabo! I tried every trick in the book to get you to accept me, but you still reject me!" She fake cried.

"I wouldn't accept you whether she was here or not! I don't like you that way and I don't want to do anything that our parents are forcing on us just because it's what they want! Think for yourself for once!" Sabo shouted before he continued to run.

"I-it's pointless in this situation, so we must accept it! You must accept me, Sabo! Don't make me have to be the bad guy, I really don't want to do it!" She continued to fake cry as she continued to chase him down.

Sabo skidded to a stop and whirled around to face Pudding with a scowl.

"Do. Not. Threaten. Her." He snapped, "If you touch her..."

"I won't, I am well aware of the conditions for the humans... but, that doesn't mean I can't do something to hurt you, Sabo!" She warned, wickedly smirking at him as she approached him slowly.

"Go ahead... hurt me, Saby... see where it'll lead you..." She hissed at him, her body trembling.

"I'm not going to hurt you... But if (Y/n) gets hurt because of you, then I can't guarantee that anymore."

"Your threats mean nothing to me, Saby. I'm a Charlotte; you should be the one scared here."

"It's not a threat, it's a warning. I don't give a damn about your family nor do I care about my parents. They can do what they want as long as they don't try to keep me from doing what I want. "

"But how can you do that if you're dead?" She suddenly asked him, her smirk widening.

"I'm trying to play nicely here, Sabo... but, if you don't start taking me seriously, and at least try to work with me, then I promise you will regret it big time..."

Sabo smirked and leaned down to be slightly closer to Pudding, "If I die for doing what I want to do, then fine. I die. At least I'll die without any regrets."

"Are you sure about that? You're deceiving your girly friend the most here, well aware that her and her friend's fate has been sealed the moment they stepped foot on this island... or are you going to defect...?" She tilted her head.

"That's up for me to decide, isn't it? That's what freedom is about." Sabo pulled away, "I don't want my life to be decided for me and I've decided that my future doesn't involve you. So get lost."

"No, I don't think so... But now I'm pulling the gloves off, Sabo... And I warned you, but you didn't listen..." She chuckled darkly.

"I warned you too."

"But my warning actually holds merit, and you'll see the affects soon enough..."

"Goodbye, Pudding." He turned to leave, not even bothering trying to run anymore.

The only way that he would start running again is if she tried jumping him again and she wouldn't be that desperate...

"More like hello~." She purred before pouncing on his back as she wrapped her arms tightly around him with a giggle.

"Despite you being such a pain in the neck, you're quite cute~." She pointed out before sighing against his ear and pouting, "I just wish you weren't so feisty and resistant!"

"Argh! P-Pudding, get off of me!" Sabo tried to shake the woman off of his back and ended up tripping on a root, causing them both to fall to the forest floor.

"You're so clumsy, Saby baby." Pudding frowned at him as she laid on top of him, playfully poking his cheek.

"Get off of me!" Sabo protested, trying to push her off with one hand while the other tried to block her view of the scar on his face as he wasn't in the mood for hearing any insults.

"Maybe if you start being a bit nicer to me!" She hummed as she stood stubbornly on his back.

"You're so warm~." She purred with a smile.

"I am literally made of fire." Sabo grunted as he turned himself over onto his back.

Pudding still clung tightly onto him, not letting go for a second as she cuddled into him. She may look petite, but she had the grip of a harpy eagle!

"I know~. You and your brother, right?" She questioned with a smile, getting herself in her own little fantasy, if even for just a second.

"Yeah, now can you please stop fantasizing about me and get up? I have things I want to do!"

Ignoring him, she simply went to nuzzle his blond head.

"Did you know that Noire stopped by the shop today? I think her and my big brother will do something before the full moon!" She chirped.

"And I hope so, because my big bro deserves it! He works so hard for all of us, that I would like to see him enjoy a pretty lady like Noire!"

"Speaking of doing something, I have to do something and to do that you need to get off."

"Do something like what? See (Y/n)?" She hissed, her grip growing even tighter.

"What does that matter to you? Why do you care about what I do?" He scowled.

"Because you're mine, Sabo!" She complained, "I was here all along, and I am not going to let some human take anything away from me!"

"I'm not yours." Sabo spat.

"Yes you are, whether you like it or not. Or do you want to end up like that poor little princess from Dressrosa street?" She giggled.

"Because that'd be pretty pathetic, especially for you."

Sabo removed his hand from his scar, not caring if she saw at this point, and started to forcefully push her off of him.

"I am not going to be yours unless I'm forced to and at that point I would rather die. Now, get off!" He hissed, trying to get her off of him, successfully getting her off of his back even though she still stubbornly tried to keep hold of him.

"Y-you're going to have to hurt me if you want me to let go of you!" She shouted, still holding onto him for dear life.

"O-only then, will I let go!"

"I'd rather not have to resort to that."

"Well, you will have to!" She stubbornly persisted, tears in her eyes.

"Your fake tears do nothing for me. Nothing you can do will have an effect on me." Sabo scoffed.

"H-how could you be so cruel to me, your one and only?!" She continued to sob, still holding tightly to him.

"I gave you my everything, and yet you still treat me so cruel, and try to cheat on me with that girl!"

Sabo rolled his eyes, "You are not my one and only, you have given me nothing, and I can't cheat on you because we aren't bound to each other."

Little did he realize that they were not alone. In fact, they were pretty close to a clearing, where two shocked bystanders stood, who couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"Y-you son of a BITCH!" A familiar ravenhead growled, glaring at him.

Sabo tilted his head back to look at the source of the voice and sighed.

"Great... This is just what I needed today..."

"I warned you, Saby baby~." Pudding whispered to him through her fake tears.

"S-Sanji, please hold me back, before I beat the dog shit out of this bastard!" Noire hissed.

"For what, Noire-swan?" Sanji questioned, glancing to Noire.

Sanji was well aware of Pudding's fake tears by now and, being well-aware of the situation between Sabo and Pudding, he knew she was trying to manipulate someone. That didn't mean he didn't feel bad for her though. It was just in his nature when he saw a beautiful girl cry.

"Nevermind." Noire hissed, beyond pissed, since she didn't know the truth of the matter.

"I-I shouldn't have given you and your stupid, manipulative, pretty boy brothers a chance! How dare you try and rope my best friend into this mess?!"

"Wh-what?! That's not--You don't understand what's going on! This girl is insane! She's always trying to chase me down to get into my pants no matter how much I tell her to buzz off!" Sabo protested as he tried to shove Pudding off of him again.

"Noire-swan... I explained it to you last night. I was supposed to be set up with Pudding from my no-good family. Things fell through and now Pudding's mom and Sabo's parents are trying to force him to be with Pudding instead and he doesn't want it at all." Sanji whispered to Noire.

"I-I just want what you want with my big brother, Noire! I just want to be happy, too! But it seems that no man can accept me for who I am..." Pudding continued to cry, still clinging onto Sabo.

Sabo felt anger bubbling in him, "You are the last person who should be saying that bull! You're the one who always makes fun of my scar and call it ugly! You have no problem making me feel awful about myself all the time!"

"I-I only do that because you can't accept me for my flaws, either!" She made up as Noire was both angered and confused; she didn't know who to listen to.

"A-all that these guys want is a good time! They don't truly care for girls like you and I, Noire! The only good man here is my big brother, Noire! And you're lucky to have caught his eye!" Pudding sobbed, putting an extra emphasis on the word "big brother".

"That's not an excuse! Everyone aside from Ace and Luffy have made me feel horrible about my scar which is why I try to cover it with my bangs! (Y/n) is the first person to actually accept me and I'll be damned if you try to ruin our relationship by manipulating (Y/n)'s friend to make her hate me!" Sabo shouted, actually using his true strength to push Pudding off of him so he could finally stand.

"Ow!" Pudding screeched as she fell hard onto the floor, holding her arms in pain, as Noire was just even more confused.

"I-I envy you so much, Noire... you'll have something that I clearly will never have..." She smiled weakly to her before she continued to cry, a bit genuinely this time.

That shove actually did hurt.

"I tried making myself prettier, more appealing, everything to land a man, and what do I get...? This..." She sputtered as her words hit Noire a bit too close to home.

"Are you being serious...? You literally tackled me to the ground! I have been asking you to get off of me for fifteen minutes now! You have no right to try and play the victim! Especially since you do this to me several times a week!"

"I-I won't allow you to keep talking to her that way!" Noire shouted with a harsh glare as she ran over to help Pudding up.

"I-if you weren't interested in her, then why are you dragging her around with you, huh?! She clearly sees there is something worth fighting for!" She hissed at the blond.

"I'm not! She's the one stalking me everywhere I go!" Sabo protested.

"B-because you gave her no choice! D-do you realize how hard it is to even try to find a good guy?! Huh, pretty boy, do you?!" Her voice cracked a bit, angry tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"To find love in a hopeless place?! To keep fighting a war that's been lost, because you still have hope that there's still something to fight for?!" Noire shouted.

"N-Noire, you don't-" Pudding started before the ravenhead halted her.

"No, I won't allow this to stand."

Sabo was looking beyond frustrated and was getting angry with Noire as well.

"Are you really sympathizing with her?! She doesn't give a damn about me! She's only doing this because her mom told her to!" He snapped, "Don't project your own personal issues onto a situation you obviously know nothing about!"

At that sentence, Noire just mentally snapped, going to lunge herself at him in utter anger.

'I have the high ground here, Sabo~. You have already lost~.' Pudding thought internally with an evil grin.

"N-Noire, no, don't fight him! H-he'll hurt you! If Katakuri sees you hurt, I-I don't know what he's capable of!" She continued to cry, just trying to plant the seed of doubt further and further into Noire's head.

"S-Sanji, you have to do something!" She turned to the chef, just as Noire went to pepperspray Sabo's face.

In an instant, Sabo dodged the liquid with inhuman reflexes as he jumped back several paces to keep his distance.

Sanji just gave Pudding a cold look. He knew her game and he didn't appreciate her manipulating Noire in such a way at all. He would not step in and get Noire angry with him as well.

"If you really think Pudding is oh so innocent, why don't you just ask around about her?" Sabo hissed so only Noire would hear, "She playing you like a fool and you're falling for it like one too."

"You can go shut you fucking mouth, you damn no good, two-timing son of a bitch! You and your brothers aren't getting your dirty hands anywhere near (Y/n), you hear me?! I won't let you hurt (Y/n) the way you're hurting this poor girl! I am sick and tired of pretty boys like you getting your damn way all the time!" She growled before flipping him off, "So, you and your stupid ass brothers can go fuck yourselves for once, instead of trying to fuck over innocent girls who don't know any better about your sick, demented ways... your kind disgust me..."

Sabo's eyes widened for a moment before they flashed and in the blink of an eye he was right in her face.

"I would never hurt her intentionally."

"That's what Jason told me! And what Bryan told me! And what Steve told me! Your kind can't fool me, and I won't let your kind fool the only one I have left in my life!" She hissed at him, staring at him with such hate.

""Your kind"? You're delusional."

"I'll be the delusional one today. I don't give a fuck what you say, and not you, not any one of your brothers, are getting anywhere near my friend!"

"That's not your decision to make. I care about her and I will keep seeing her unless she says otherwise."

"Sure, I heard that hogwash a million times as well! Can you pretty boys say anything original? At least be a good lying bastard while you're at it?" She yawned.

"You're such a terrible judge of character. Honestly, I can see how so many people have fooled you so much--you can't even tell the difference between the blatant truth and an utter lie." He hissed as he brushed past her.

"Is that right?" She rolled her eyes, not even listening to him anymore.

"Go on, go ahead with your bad self! But I will protect those who I care about, and I don't care if the baddest motherfucker up in here tries to stop me."

"I will too. You can say what you want about me, but you've got the wrong idea. And when you find out, you'll be kicking yourself for not attacking Pudding instead of me."

"Sure, sure..." She frowned before turning to Sanji.

"Tell head I won't be coming in today. I need to have a good talk with (Y/n)." She patted his shoulder before walking off.

"What a coincidence, I'm on my way over there now. That is, if Luffy's not already there." Sabo hummed.

"No, you are not! And if he's there, I will simply kick him out." She told him, "It's my house too, and I can also have a save in the rules."

"Yes, I am. And you can't stop me."

"Are you done yet? My word has more merit than yours." She smirked to him.

"Let's see... the one she grew up with versus the two-timing pretty boy she just met, when she already went out on a date with somebody who is surely much better than you'll ever be. I heard he's a doctor, and handsome to boot." She chuckled.

"Are you done? I already tried defending myself and you just decided to throw out everything you knew and thought about me because of a girl you don't even know. Because it's obviously the man who's lying to you, right?" Sabo scoffed.

"I promised (Y/n) I wouldn't judge you too harshly, but I have to say you're acting like a complete idiot by allowing your past experiences to influence how you see every guy around you. I wouldn't be surprised if you immediately thought of Sanji or Katakuri as trash if our positions were reversed. You just have it out for me and my brothers, or that's what it feels like at least." He growled as he walked down the road in the direction of (Y/n)'s house.

"Got anything more to say, pretty boy? Perhaps you'd like to call me some more names, like an imbecile, whore, whatever floats your boat?" Noire laughed bitterly.

"C'mon, let it all out! It's quite clear I hate your guts, so you might as well show your true colors, oh-so-gentlemanly Sabo." She mockingly smirked just as a familiar bird past them by, who chirped in a laughing manner at Sabo.

"Nope, just idiot will do. But I don't hold it against you; you've been damaged quite a bit, after all." Sabo also gave a bitter laugh.

"No, no, keep it up! You're doing so well incriminating yourself!" Noire grinned wickedly before going to strut away from him.

"It's like you want me to be a bad guy. Is that what it is? You can't accept the fact that a legitimately decent guy has popped into existence?" Sabo wondered aloud.

"No, I can accept a decent guy. What I can't accept is a manipulative bastard that tries to spin everything to benefit him." She smirked, before going to show him her phone and tucked it away in her purse.

"And that's what I am to you? A selfish and manipulative bastard?"

"Yup! If I'm an idiot, then you're that, pretty boy!"

"Honestly, Pudding is playing you. She doesn't care about me. If anyone is being abused in our so-called "relationship", it's me. I tell her to leave me alone and that I don't like her and she won't stop trying to force herself on me." He sighed in frustration.

"..."

"My parents are trying to force me to be with someone I don't care about. Not only that, but someone who constantly makes me feel inferior and ugly. And for what; so they can get more money and status. I'm being used like a chess piece and being pawned off to the highest bidder like a piece of property." Sabo hissed, "(Y/n)'s the first person outside of my brothers who actually accepted my scar and made me feel... like I could be me."

That last sentence hit Noire a bit, as she still stood a bit quiet, not as snappy as she was earlier. .

"And who are you, exactly...?"

"... I am myself, the person that I want to be and not what someone else wants me to be. No more, no less."

Noire stood a bit quiet for a few seconds longer, before crossing her arms.

"...When I saw you, that scar of yours by your eye was the first thing I noticed, other than your blond hair, and fancy top hat," She admitted.

"Yeah... It's a pretty ugly thing to be on a pretty boy, isn't it." He laughed bitterly.

They hadn't realized it, but they were now standing at (Y/n) and Noire's front door.

"Let me finish." She snipped at him.

"I never thought your scar was ugly. Actually... I was indifferent to it, it didn't bother me. After all, it's similar to mine..." She sighed, her tone a bit more softer now.

"...But what I did take notice in was a handsome man suddenly popping into (Y/n)'s life, getting all friendly with her out of the blue, which has never happened to her before, ever. No other man has ever seen the beauty that is (Y/n)..." She frowned.

"...And it did a number on her self-esteem. She always kept asking me what she could do different to make herself seem more..." She then glared at the next thought, "...appealing to guys. She just wanted someone to love her, like in those ridiculous fairy tales..." She chuckled lightly.

"So, pardon me if I am not at all suspicious of not just one, but three cute guys just suddenly popping in and taking an interest in her. Life is not a fairy tale, and it just seems like some sort of sick joke..." She then clenched her fists.

"Playing devil's advocate here, maybe I am wrong in this situation, and maybe you three are just a very strange bunch that don't fit with the reality of every other guy I've seen." She held her arm.

"...But, it's too much of a risk to let my guard down, and let (Y/n) go through the same shit I've gone through..." She admitted.

"... First of all, don't compare us like that. I don't unfairly judge people based solely on my past experiences. Second, you lost the right to sympathize with me the moment you decided to automatically put all the blame on me without trying to understand the context and trusting the words of a girl you truly know nothing about. Third, those other men must have been completely blind not to have seen (Y/n) for the amazing person she is." Sabo spoke in a cold voice as he refused to look at Noire, "I'm not going to hurt her. I just want her to be happy."

"I don't care for your sympathy, anyway. It's never done me good to begin with... I'm just explaining myself a bit more to you. (Y/n) hasn't always been this chirpy, you know..." She hummed.

"And I find it impossible to trust you, or your brothers. Statistically speaking, it wouldn't be wise to. For all I know, you could be making this all up as you get along, because messing with girls like (Y/n) is your M.O." She shrugged.

"We're not talking about statistics!" He snapped, "This isn't a game of chance! I'm not after her for her body! I'm not out to hurt her! I legitimately like her and I want to know more about her and spend more time with her! So, stop judging my brothers and I based solely on your own past experiences. Judge us for who we are and how we act--not by how we might act on the off-chance we're nothing but a bunch of bastards!"

Noire simply shook her head.

"...I don't trust you guys, and I never will."

"Then that's your problem, isn't it." Sabo turned to the door and knocked on it.

"Actually, it's your problem," She scowled at him, pushing him away from the door before she unlocked it, rushed in, and quickly locked him out.

"O-oi, wait!" A familiar brother panted as he stood next to Sabo.

"N-no, let us in!" He whined, going to knock harshly on the door.

"Don't bother trying to talk to her, Luffy. She's gone crazy. The only way we can get in is if (Y/n) lets us in." Sabo scowled at Noire through the door.

Luffy went to glare at him.

"N-no, shut up, Sabo!" He barked at him before continuing to knock harshly on the door, which simply earned a 'Go away' in response.

"Comi--Noire? What are you doing back home so early?" (Y/n) asked as she walked down the stairs.

"L-let's just say I saw something quite questionable having to do with one of Katakuri's sisters, and the blondy. He didn't look good at all." She frowned deeply, still near the door so the other two brothers could hear her.

"Katakuri's sisters...? She's not talking about Pudding, is she?" Luffy questioned his brother aloud as Noire didn't bother addressing him at all.

"She is. She completely misunderstood the situation, actually believed Pudding's lies, and immediately thought of you, me, and Ace as complete garbage." Sabo sighed.

"Noire... What in the world is going on? Who is at the door?" (Y/n) asked with a furrowed brow.

"The guilty party in question." Noire simply replied in response as Luffy banged against the doornin objection.

"We're not guilty! Pudding is using your feelings against us! It's what that bastard does; she did the same thing to Sanji!" He argued as Noire softened a bit at the mention of the chef's name.

(Y/n)'s eyes darted to the door at hearing Luffy's voice and frowned, "Noire, let them in. I don't know what in the world is going on, but at least open the door for them."

Noire, despite not wanting to, did what she asked. After all, she was confident the truth was on her side.

Immediately, Luffy grabbed her shoulders, and shook her.

"Pudding is playing with your mind! If you don't believe us, then ask Sanji! I know you'll believe him!" He told her sternly as Noire tried to bark at him to stop touching her.

"Luffy. That's enough, let her go." Sabo said as he stepped inside and grabbed his brother's shoulder to pull him away from Noire.

"No, I won't let go until Noire knows the truth! I refuse for her to believe her lies!" He told the blond, continuing to shake Noire.

"You can even ask Katakuri yourself, and he'll tell you the same thing! Or do you doubt even him? Are you afraid of us even being near you guys, or what?!" He yelled as Noire tried to get him to let go of her, though her attempts weren't as strong now.

"Wait, wait, wait! What truth are you talking about?! What about Katakuri's sister?!" (Y/n) questioned as she was getting even more confused.

"Okay, before she..." Sabo pointed at Noire, "... decides to start filling your head with Pudding's lies too, let me explain."

"Pudding's mom and my parents are trying to force me and Pudding to be together. I want none of it but Pudding won't leave me alone. She follows me everywhere and whenever she sees me she tries to chase me down so she can force herself on me. I try to be nice about it, but it gets so irritating--especially when I actually have to ditch half of my clothes just to get out of her grasp. Ace, Luffy, and I even have to live in a secret location in the middle of nowhere just so I can avoid her because she wouldn't stop stalking me otherwise." He explained, "She's not even doing any of it because she actually likes me, she's only doing it because her mom is telling her to. That's how all Charlotte's are; they blindly do what their mother says just because she told them to."

"And their mama is mean and ugly!" Luffy added, that last bit catching Noire a bit off guard with how he said it.

"What Sabo is saying is the truth! Sanji and Katakuri can back him up on it!" He informed both Noire and (Y/n) before chuckling awkwardly.

"...Just, uh, when you go see Katakuri, don't tell him I said that his mama was ugly, ok?" He laughed sheepishly, which caught Noire even more off guard as she sweatdropped at him.

'Is this clown for real...?'

"Anyway, did Pudding by any chance keep mentioning Katakuri for no real reason?" He questioned her, as she simply stood quiet, which just made him smirk at her.

"I'm right, aren't I?" He giggled before turning to Sabo, "Did she?"

"I think she did, but I was a bit too angry at the moment for being treated like the villain." Sabo shrugged.

"Okay... What exactly happened between you guys?" (Y/n) asked, her head starting to spin.

"Well, you got to understand Nora, Sabo! She's afraid of us! That's why she doesn't want us near her and (Y/n)!" He pointed out as she glared at him.

"I am not afraid of some pretty boys like you." She frowned.

"We have names, you know." Sabo frowned back.

"So do I, and it's not Nora!" She pointed out, causing Luffy to pout at her.

"Hey, I'm really trying over here, Nelly, but your name is hard to pronounce!" He complained.

(Y/n) sighed and turned on her heels, tired of being ignored as she rushed up the stairs to the bedroom to retrieve something that would help maintain the peace. The other three didn't even seem to notice her absence.

"Didn't he tell you, though? I'm surprised he didn't tell you!" Luffy continued to huff and Noire rolled her eyes.

"N-no, keep your eyes on me, Nory! This is serious business right now!" He told her as she continued to try to break away from his grip, but to no avail.

(Y/n) came back downstairs and slowly put on her pair of wireless noise-cancelling headphones before raising the air-horn in her hand into the air. She pressed down the nozzle and allowed a long and high-pitched screech to pierce through the air and into the three arguing people's eardrums.

They instantly stopped their bickering and looked to (Y/n) in shock.

"O-ow, that hurt, (Y/n)!" Luffy whined.

The (h/c)-haired girl slipped her headphones down to let them hang from her neck and frowned as she lowered the air-horn.

"Do I have your attention now?" She asked.

They all nodded in unison.

"Good." She nodded, "Now, explain what happened to make you so angry at each other."

"Well, when I was walking to work with Sanji, I saw Pudding crying over Sabo, looking absolutely devastated." Noire stated before Luffy pressed his forehead against Noire's.

"I object, your honor!"

"Fake crying. She was fake crying. That's how she manipulates people into getting her way." Sabo corrected.

"Yeah, what Sabo said! And Sanji was there, you said!" Luffy told Noire, forehead still pressed to hers.

"He's also a witness!"

"I was trying to push Pudding off of me because she tackled me to the ground and wouldn't let go no matter how many times I tried asking her." Sabo continued, "Noire showed up with Sanji, got the wrong idea by calling me a "cheater", and Pudding started to spout some bull to get Noire to hate me so I wouldn't be able to be close to you anymore because she wanted me for herself, ignoring my own wishes."

(Y/n) frowned and looked to Noire, "Is that what happened?"

"...Not exactly how he said it did..." She said lowly as Luffy continued to stare at her, having no concept of personal space.

"...Your honor, I think Norella here is afraid of me and my brothers, which is why she is denying the truth of what happened!" He pointed out as Noire continued to glare at him.

"Pudding started saying things about me being mean to her and not accepting her for her flaws even though she's the one who's always making fun of my scar and calling it ugly. I got mad because I knew she was trying to manipulate Noire, so I pushed her off of me and Pudding over exaggerated it to help her case." Sabo said, a deep frown on his face.

"Why would you care what this "idiot" as you said thinks, though? You said yourself you'd do whatever you wanted, me being damned!" Noire hissed.

"Because I would rather get along with (Y/n)'s family than have them hate me, for her sake. And I only called you an idiot because you were acting like one; No matter what Sanji said and refused to step in, no matter what logic I gave, you immediately jumped to Pudding's defense even though you don't know her at all. You projected your own personal problems onto another problem you knew nothing about and automatically painted me as the villain because obviously the guy was at fault, regardless of the fact that you know me better than the supposed "victim"."

"You're wrong. (Y/n) may know you, but I don't." Noire corrected, as Luffy poked her cheek.

"Then get to know him! Get to know me! Get to know Ace! It's not fair at all that you're super nice to Sanji and Katakuri, but not us, and Katakuri is way scarier!" He pointed out as Noire continued to struggle against his grip.

"And this is all before she tried to attack me, by the way." Sabo pointed out.

(Y/n) looked to Noire with wide eyes, "Y-you... attacked Sabo?!"

"Yes, and I don't regret it. I saw what I saw, and reacted. N-now, let me go!" She hissed at Luffy, who shook his head.

"Nope!"

"She attacked me because she couldn't handle me telling her that she was projecting her own issues into a situation that she didn't know about. Before that, I told her that Pudding wouldn't stop stalking me no matter I said. And Noire said, and I quote; "B-because you gave her no choice! D-do you realize how hard it is to even try to find a good guy?! Huh, pretty boy, do you?! To find love in a hopeless place?! To keep fighting a war that's been lost, because you still have hope that there's still something to fight for?!". Yeah, like it's my fault for rejecting a girl who won't leave me alone, no matter how many times I say no." Sabo quoted, mimicking Noire's voice.

"Then she started referring to me, Ace, and Luffy as "your kind". "Your kind can't fool me. You're all the same"." Sabo added, mimicking her voice again.

(Y/n) frowned even more at Noire. Was this all true? Did she really say things like that? After taking the side of a girl she didn't know over a guy she told Noire to trust?

Luffy stood quiet for a few moments, before speaking up.

"I think this was all apart of Pudding's plan, Sabo..."

"I know it was. She practically told me so herself."

"...What a bastard..."

"...Noire... You didn't really do or say all that, did you...?" (Y/n) asked in a soft voice.

Before Noire could speak up, Luffy interrupted her.

"We're all being played for a fool right now! Nora, (Y/n), and most of all, you, Sabo!" He pointed out.

"Pudding is far too evil to just stop at a big misunderstanding... the big misunderstanding was just the first part of her plan to make us hate each other, and be at each other's throats! And look at us, all being idiots and falling for it; her plan clearly is working!"

His words stunned Noire to silence, who now stopped struggling against his grip.

"Her goal is to make me and Noire mad at you two, but it's not working on me!" (Y/n) said before looking to Noire, "Now, answer me. Did you do those things."

"Yes, I did." Noire bluntly replied, lowering her head.

"But now you're mad at Noire, right? So it is working! She's trying to divide us; it's what she does best!" Luffy continued to argue.

"This isn't about that anymore, Luffy." (Y/n) narrowed her gaze at Noire, "The bottom line is, Noire of all people should have known better than to fall for such obvious lies. I told her that Sabo could be trusted and she promised me she would give you guys the benefit of the doubt. She broke her promise to me... She wanted to actually destroy our friendship because of her paranoia and inability to trust handsome men."

"Well, I don't see it like that." Luffy continued to speak, much to Noire's confusion.

"Are you actually... defending me right now...? B-but why? Any other guy would watch this with glee!" She pointed out as Luffy spared her a glance.

"Well, I am not any other guy. I am Luffy; Monkey D. Luffy. My brothers are Sabo and Ace." He informed her, as she continued to stare at him with utter confusion.

"Would she, though, when she is clearly afraid of us? Doesn't she have a history of being fooled by evil people?" He asked her.

"She's been tricked by seventeen guys now, but she's not afraid of you. She's afraid for me. I understand and I appreciate the thought, but... This just feels like a slap to the face for me..." (Y/n) slowly shook her head.

"And I understand. But when people get desperate, they do anything they can to protect the ones they love. If that includes hurting people, or breaking promises, then that's what they'll do if it helps them achieve their wish." He told her as Noire continued to look at him with bewilderment.

'Why would Katakuri respect that bonehead?!' She remembered herself asking Sanji all of a sudden as the pieces started to slowly fall into place.

"It just sucks..." (Y/n) clenched her hands into fists, "Seventeen times now, I've warned you about the guys you've liked. Seventeen times you've ignored my words. Seventeen times I've given those guys the benefit of the doubt because you asked me to. Seventeen times now, I've been forced to trust those guys that I knew weren't right. Seventeen times now, I've had to watch you get hurt both physically and emotionally all the while you've given the excuse of "But I love him. He can change". Seventeen times, I've watched you beg me and/or Cerise to let them back into your life despite the unforgivable things they've done to you and the things we've said to you."

"But now... The one time--the first time I asked you to give someone the benefit of the doubt for me... You don't even bother for more than a few days... It's like you want them to be awful people..."

"I-I don't want them to be awful people, (Y/n), but there's always that risk that they could be hoodwinking you... a-and that risk..." Noire lowered her head even more.

"I-Is just one I-I can't take... y-you're all I have left... I-I wouldn't forgive myself if I slipped up, and you got hurt as a result!" She trembled.

"And how can we prove that we're not being the way you think we are?" Luffy questioned as Noire shook her head.

"I-I... I honestly d-don't know..."

"How do you think I feel, Noire?! I've lost absolutely everything before! I had nothing, felt like nothing, and had no one before I was found by you and Cerise. Then, I felt like I had a family again. And then I had to watch as you threw yourself at guys who clearly didn't deserve to even be speaking to you. Then I had to be the one to pick up your broken pieces as you kept begging me to let you go back to them so you could be hurt again. Do you have any idea of how frustrating that gets after years of going through that over and over again--watching as you changed into someone I hardly even recognize anymore?! It's soul-crushing!" (Y/n) snapped as tears of frustration beaded her eyes.

Luffy jolted a bit at the last word as Noire looked at her, feeling utterly awful at being the reason behind her tears.

"(Y/n)..."

"No!" She snapped, "I don't want to hear any stupid excuses! I have never tried pushing anyone away from you unless they proved me right without a shadow of a doubt, because at the end of the day I wanted to trust your judgement! But the one time I beg you to trust my judgement, you can't do it!"

"...You're right, (Y/n)... I can't do it..." She admitted.

Luffy stood quiet, looking back and forth between the two girls.

"...Can you learn to do it...?" He asked her as Noire kept her head down.

"I-I don't know..."

Sabo looked slightly panicked as he watched tears start to trail down (Y/n)'s cheeks.

"You can't do it...? Even after all I've done for you and all the things we've been through... you can't even try? Not even for me?" (Y/n) slowly shook her head as her body trembled.

"...I-I don't know how to..."

"... You're... You're awful..." (Y/n) let out a small sob and backed away from Noire, "... You're so awful...!"

Noire continued to keep her head down as Luffy closed his eyes tightly.

"... And this is exactly what I was afraid would happen." He mumbled quietly.

"Noire, whatever doubt you have about me... I'm going to get rid of it." He told her seriously as Noire kept her head down, not even going to reply back to him, despite him finally pronouncing her name correctly.

"And (Y/n)..."

She barely even acknowledged that she was being spoken to as she turned away, trying to hide her tears.

"Stop crying. I hate seeing you two like this because of this situation. Enough is enough." He told her firmly, before glaring at Sabo.

"If you or Ace go against me... I swear, I will kick both of your asses." He warned him, slinging Noire onto his shoulder, who didn't even resist him.

"I'm taking your best friend, (Y/n). I am going to help you fix her." He told her before turning towards the door.

"I don't know how long this will take, but I am going to do it, and no one is going to stop me. Not Noire, not Sabo, not anyone." He stated, his tone still firm.

"And I am going to give Pudding a piece of my mind..." He hissed, clenching his fists as he opened the door.

"I know you may think she's crazy or whatever, Sabo, but this is (Y/n)'s best friend. It's worth fighting to fix this situation, no matter what." He told him before leaving with Noire in tow.

"... I never argued otherwise..." Sabo muttered with a frown, watching his brother leave before he stepped forward and pulled (Y/n) into a tight hug.

"I'm sorry... I let my frustration take over and now this happened..." Sabo said in a soft tone, gently rubbing soothing circles into her back.

(Y/n) didn't reply. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Sabo and sobbed into his shirt.

"Take all the time you need. I'm here for you, and so is Luffy and Ace." He informed her, going to hold her tightly.

(Y/n) buried her face further onto his chest as she tried to force her tears to stop flowing.

"I'm sorry..." She hiccupped, "I'm sorry Noire did and said all those things to you..."

"Don't worry about it, it doesn't bother me at all." He told her softly, as he rested his head atop hers.

"...What does bother me though is Pudding... she told me if I didn't "play along with her", that she'd try to hurt me..." He gritted his teeth, his eyes narrowing at the very thought of her.

"And she did... you're crying right now because of all this confusion she stirred up. I really felt me and Noire were getting somewhere until she did all this bull to make me look bad..."

'He's... He's hurting because I'm crying...?' (Y/n) thought, her cheeks starting to feel warm as she felt a peculiar tug on her heart.

"... I'll... I'll protect you from her, then..." (Y/n) whispered, "Anytime she starts chasing you, you can come to me and I'll protect you from her..."

Sabo's cheeks flushed at her sweet words, before he smiled softly at her.

"...Thank you, (Y/n)." He murmured, before going to kiss her forehead.

Her face burned a darker shade of red at the gesture and tried to hide it in the fabric of his shirt.

"You're welcome..." She squeaked as her tears stopped flowing completely.

"How about you and I go out for a walk, hmm? I think what we both need right now is just some fresh air." He pointed out, before he went to hold her chin softly.

The gentle touch made her skin tingle as she could swear her heart fluttered for a moment.

"S-sure..." (Y/n) whispered with a slight stutter.

Sabo gave her a bright smile, before going to gently take her hand. "Then let us be on our way." He grinned.

(Y/n) allowed Sabo to lead her outside and down the street. She glanced down at their hands. Even though her hands were so much smaller than his, they felt like they fit together perfectly somehow. Blushing at the thought, she tentatively interlaced her fingers with his own.

He did the same, also going to stroke the back of her hand with his thumb, as they walked towards a meadow.

He was beyond happy to see her tears be no more.

"I didn't know there was a park around here." (Y/n) said, her eyes brightening at the sight of so many colorful tropical flowers.

"There are many parks throughout the island. This just so happens to be the closest, and my favorite spot to go vent to with my brothers sometimes..." He admitted with a soft blush.

"Really?" She hummed as she looked out at all the beautiful flowers.

"I can see why you like places like this. It's so pretty and peaceful." She smiled and gave his hand a gentle squeeze, "Thank you for sharing this with me."

Sabo blushed more, giving her hand a squeeze back.

"I-it's my pleasure." He grinned before started hearing something... odd.

"Why do I hear somebody quacking...?" He quirked a brow curiously, turning his head to the source of the peculiar sound.

(Y/n) looked up at Sabo with a furrowed brow, "Quacking? Like... someone is imitating a duck...?"

He nodded at her.

"Yeah, but who would do such a strange thing?" He murmured, sweatdropping at seeing who it was.

In the distance near a pond, was his brother with Noire, holding onto a spotted duck. Of course, his brother was the one doing the quacking.

'Figures...' He sighed, 'But what are they doing here...?'

"... Is that... Luffy and Noire...?" (Y/n) wondered aloud as she leaned forward and squinted her eyes to get a better look.

Sure enough, it was them, and Noire was staring at him with the most conflicted look on her face, like she didn't understand what he was doing.

Sabo couldn't help but approach closer, so he could hear what they were talking about.

"...And you said you rescued Spot?" Noire questioned Luffy, who nodded.

"Yeah! The poor little guy got stuck in some bushes, and I helped him out. You can hold him, if you want." He told her as she blinked, a soft smile forming on her face.

"Y-yes, I would love to!" She chirped gently as he gently passed the duck to her.

You said that rubber duckies were your treasure, right? So I thought maybe you should meet Spot, shishishi!" He chuckled.

(Y/n) internally awed at the interaction, but she still wasn't at all ready to forgive Noire just yet.

"So, how's the friendship? Over, I'd assume?" A snarky voice yelled out of nowhere that instantly soured Sabo's mood as he protectively held (Y/n) to him.

(Y/n) jumped at the sudden close contact, her cheeks flushing. Though, by looking at Sabo's expression, she knew that something was terribly wrong.

"I warned you didn't I, Saby baby? There's many ways I can hurt you, and one of them was using you as the force to tear two good friends apart! You got the girl, but look at the cost you got her in! Girls are so stupid when it comes to men, that they would literally sacrifice a life-long friendship just for a piece of man." Pudding cackled madly.

(Y/n) frowned at the words and looked to the approaching speaker. Slowly, the (h/c)-haired girl's expression began to darken as she glared at the girl.

"Sabo." (Y/n) spoke without even looking at him, "Is this that Pudding girl?"

He nodded. "Yes... that's her..." He frowned deeply.

"Just mentioning my perfect big brother instantly got Noire to my side. Obviously, me being his sister, she wouldn't doubt me like she doubts you, pretty boy." She mocked him with a cocky smirk.

(Y/n) slowly pulled herself from Sabo's arms and stood in front of him, acting as a barrier between him and Pudding as she glared at the brown-haired girl.

"(Y-Y/n)?..." Sabo questioned, unsure if she be in the position that she is.

She ignored Sabo and closed her eyes, taking a slow and deep breath as she looked inside herself and searched for that hidden part of her. The girl she used to be before she met Noire and Cerise. The dark and uncaring girl who would have no trouble dealing with a witch like this without mercy.

(Y/n) wasn't aware of it, but the properties of her soul began to change. It shifted from warm and comforting to cold and imposing. Any light that was there quickly began to shift to an abyss of endless darkness.

Sabo was shocked at this change, having no idea that this was even possible.

The shock was also on Pudding's face, but she quickly tried to brush it off.

"Yeah Sabo, I used you all against each other, and now, you're responsible for setting it off!" She continued to giggle.

"Shut up." (Y/n)'s voice had changed drastically, her words coming out sharp and uncaring like sharpened knives.

Opening her (e/c) eyes, they were now... empty, lifeless, and held nothing but darkness, as if she had died a long time ago.

"Yeah, I don't think I will. My plan worked flawlessly well, and I couldn't be happier." She snickered.

"Tch. You're so annoying. It's no wonder it sounds like no one likes you." Came (Y/n)'s terse reply, "It doesn't really matter, though. As long as I'm around, you won't lay a finger on Sabo."

"Then I wouldn't have to wait long at all." She muttered with a sick grin.

"Oh, Sabo... if only you played by my rules..." She then started to fake cry like before.

"I-If only you were nice to me, then I wouldn't have had to get my hands dirty!" She sobbed before cracking up into laughter.

(Y/n)'s glare darkened into something that screamed death, "Stop that. Right now."

"When your bestie Noire starts liking the brothers- Oh, what's that? You're no longer friends? Oops, my bad!" She continued to cackle.

(Y/n) slowly began to approach Pudding, her steps confident as her soul began to radiate malice. It was almost as if she had become a completely different person.

"S-so I guess I won't stop in that case! It's going to be really awkward working for my brother with Noire by his arm, don't you think?" She mused with a smirk.

"But that's assuming her disgusting self is even good enough for my perfect big brother."

(Y/n) stopped right in front of Pudding and stared into her eyes, unblinking, before a small smirk tugged at her lips as a dark chuckle resounded from her throat.

"What, not going to say anything in her defense? I thought so!" She continued to laugh.

Before Pudding could even react, (Y/n) suddenly punched Pudding directly in the trachea with all her strength, abruptly cutting off her oxygen supply.

Pudding fell back at the impact in utter shock as Sabo paled at (Y/n).

"(Y-Y/N), NO!" He tried to warn her, but the damage was already done.

"I don't give a damn about the consequences. I can be fired from the bakery for all I care, but I won't allow anyone to say such things about my sister or boast about manipulating her through her past suffering." (Y/n) spat, all emotion gone from her once again.

"Sabo may have a problem with hurting you, but I don't. In fact..." She stepped closer to Pudding, "Ignorant, selfish, spoiled, icy bitches like you really piss me off. You think you're so untouchable on your golden pedestal, princess? Well, think again."

(Y/n)'s soul was now giving off a suffocating amount of murderous intent, to the point it was actually visible to any islander that might have been looking.

"I-I would be afraid for your safety if I were you, stupid girl. No one lays a hand on a Charlotte and gets away with it unharmed." She hissed at her as Sabo watched this all go on in horror.

"I've already got the Donquixote Family after me. I don't see what I have to lose at this point." (Y/n) stopped in front of Pudding, glaring icily at her through a deadly gaze.

"Honestly, I don't care about my own safety. You should be more concerned about yourself at the moment, while you still have some teeth left to lose and bones that are still unbroken."

"Keep digging that grave deeper, stupid girl, I am not worried about anything." Pudding smirked, going to get up.

"I would be very worried if I were you, since I have the whole truth all on video!" A voice shouted across the park as Sabo turned to look at the source of the sound as well as Pudding, who turned as white as a sheet at seeing the phone in the air.

"H-hey, Noire!..." She awkwardly choked out, wanting to kick herself for not having noticed her sooner.

'Oh shit, t-this is bad!' She thought worriedly.

"What was that you were saying earlier about having nothing to worry about?" (Y/n) asked blankly, tilting her head.

"Oh, well... By the way..." (Y/n) abruptly elbowed Pudding across the face as hard as she could, sending her back to the ground.

"I never told you you could get back up. I suppose you can just call that payback for forcing yourself on Sabo, ignoring his lack of consent like the filthy pig you are." She hummed.

Pudding groaned in pain before quickly turning to Noire, "L-look, I can explain everything! H-he's-"

"Right? Yeah, I suppose he is." Noire nodded firmly as she clicked her finger against her phone.

"I have proof here that you were lying to your brother. I don't think he'll protect you after hearing how you're also trying to manipulate his own feelings for your own benefit." She shook her head as Pudding started to sweat nervously.

"N-no, Sabo is the liar, not me! T-this is all just a big misunderstanding!" She tried to backtrack.

(Y/n) abruptly brought her leg back and kicked her across the jaw with all of the force her leg could muster.

"Don't ever call Sabo that again, or I'll just kick you until you swallow all of your teeth." (Y/n) said before seeming to have another idea, "Or maybe I should just save myself the effort and just carve your tongue out instead so you won't be able to spout anymore bullshit."

Pudding glared fiercely at her, as her attention still stood on Noire.

"Y-you and I are much more alike than you think, Noire! The brothers are all trying to deceive you, they're-" At that point, Noire wasn't even listening to her anymore.

"If you hop on my back, we can get to the bakery faster!" Luffy suggested with a grin, positioning himself as Noire was on his back in an instant, which caused Pudding to freak out even more.

"W-why is she going along with this?! I-I thought she hated you guys!" She gasped aloud.

"She does. Kinda. But she loves me more and that's something you don't understand." (Y/n) said as she stared at Pudding with cold and emotionless eyes, "True families fight, but no matter what we say to each other we still love each other and learn to forgive."

"Love. Y'know, the thing you've never been given or actually experienced. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually pity you..."

(Y/n), a human, pitied an islander--a Charlotte, no less.

Pudding completely froze at her words, as did Sabo, before she realized that two people were now gone from the scene, which quickly got her up and running.

"N-noire, don't show the video to my brother, PLEASE!"

Pudding suddenly fell face-first on the ground as (Y/n) tripped her as she passed.

"Where do you think you're going?" She asked, planting her foot firmly on the back of Pudding's head.

"If you truly want to save face, then beg." (Y/n) ordered as she grinded her heel into her skull, "Beg for forgiveness."

(Y/n), a human, was ordering a Charlotte to beg for forgiveness.

Pudding, fed up with trying to play the dainty act with (Y/n), activated her inhuman strength and grabbed onto her leg before flinging her off of her.

"Never." Pudding hissed before scrambling to her feet and running away.

Sabo would have got her for that, if not for running to catch (Y/n). He was still in shock at what had just happened.

(Y/n) squeaked as she was suddenly thrown off and ended up landing directly on top of Sabo, their noses almost touching as (Y/n) snapped to attention. Her eyes were now back to normal as was her soul.

"Hehehe, sorry~. I got a little carried away, didn't I?" (Y/n) giggled nervously, not quite noticing how close her face was to his.

Sabo instantly noticed, blushing at the close contact before trying to casually brush it off.

"Y-yeah..." He then coughed awkwardly.

"...Should we meet up with Luffy and Noire?" He questioned her.

"S-sure." She nodded, their lips almost brushing together as she quickly stood and brushed off her clothes.

Sabo blushed even more as he also got up, going to do the same thing as Luffy.

"Wanna hop on my back? I'll get us there faster." He grinned to her, happy to see her back to her old self again.

She nodded and wrapped her arms around Sabo's shoulder, pressing her body against his back as she hooked her legs around him with a blush heating her cheeks.

Sabo was blushing madly as well before he took off running in the direction of the bakery.

(Y/n) was quiet for a minute before she buried her face into Sabo's neck, "I'm... I'm sorry you had to see me like that..."

"It's fine. It's understandable to get mad. She was making us all out to be fools, like Luffy said," He pointed out

"I wasn't just mad, I... I allowed myself to revert back to a person that I used to be... Someone that I'm afraid of... But letting that side take over was the only way I could think of protecting you and Noire..."

Sabo gasped softly at her words, his face burning a deep red.

"...I can see why Noire is so overprotective of you. If sweetness was a person, it'd be you." He grinned softly.

(Y/n) blushed at the compliment, "You'd be surprised, but... I never used to be like this. I was... a completely different person when I was a kid."

"But you're this way now, so it doesn't matter if you were more uptight than Noire; what matters is now." He told her, skidding to a stop at the bakery doors.

"Oh boy... This is going to be... interesting..."

"I'm... going to mentally prepare myself to be fired now..." (Y/n) muttered as she buried her face deeper into Sabo's neck.

"I'm sure you'll be fine..." He patted her head as they then entered the bakery together to see a panicked Pudding, a more than entertained Luffy, and Noire who went to fish out her phone.

"Katakuri, I don't know if this is normal behavior for her, but something needs to be done about this." Noire tried to politely state before going to play him the video, much to Pudding's horror.

Katakuri blinked as he watched and listened. Three things caught him off-guard. The first was (Y/n)'s change, right down to her soul. The second was hearing what Pudding was saying, mostly about manipulating Noire's feelings for him. Third, he was stunned when (Y/n) actually attacked Pudding. Honestly, it was unheard of for a human to dare attack a Charlotte--not even the other people on the island did, but (Y/n) didn't even hesitate. He didn't like seeing it, but (Y/n) earned his respect for standing up for her family regardless of the consequences.

"Pudding." Katakuri turned a fierce gaze to his younger sister.

"Y-yes, big brother?..." She squeaked as Luffy was enjoying this a bit too much, as evident by the smirk on his face.

"You used me as a pawn in one of your attempts to have Sabo all to yourself." His stare pierced straight through Pudding's soul.

"I-I didn't want to, big brother, but you know mama's orders are absolute!" She shuddered in fear as Luffy suddenly fished out an apple from his pants pocket and ate it like popcorn.

"She didn't order you to use me or take advantage of my relationships to get what you want. Am I wrong?"

"O-of course not, big brother, you're never wrong, but I was desperate!" She sputtered.

"Desperate or not, that's not excusable. You're grounded." Katakuri said in a dark tone.

"Y-yes, big brother..." She hung her head sadly as Luffy cheered in glee and started to clap his hands.

"Return to the chateau and go to your room. Now." Katakuri ordered.

"Y-yes, big brother..." She sulked, before going to leave.

As Pudding passed by, (Y/n), still clinging to Sabo, subtly stuck her tongue out at her.

"I-im sorry to have to be the one to show you that, but that girl caused us so much trouble, i-it's-" Noire began before suddenly shutting her mouth.

At the end of the day, that was still his sister, after all.

Katakuri shook his head, "No, it's okay. I understand. What Pudding did was completely out of line and I apologize for the strife she caused you all."

Noire smiled softly at him before turning to Sabo.

"And I'll gladly kick myself now, if you'd like... I'm so sorry, i-it just all looked really bad..." She hung her head.

"No, it's alright. I understand how it looked and sounded to you." Sabo replied, "I'm sorry for the things I said to you as well. I shouldn't have let my frustration and anger get the best of me."

"... And I'm sorry to you, (Y/n). I know it'll take you some time to forgive me, and I'm willing to deal with the consequences. No coffee and all that." She sighed, though it was clear she visibly shuddered at the very thought of no coffee.

"Hm... No punishment this time." (Y/n) said, "But, if you want me to forgive you, the price is this; No more calling the guys pretty boys! Refer to them by name and name alone!" (Y/n) chirped from over Sabo's shoulder.

"Deal." Noire nodded as soon as she finished, smiling brightly now before she turned to Luffy, who blinked curiously at her.

"And thank you for all that you did today. Even if I was in the wrong, you still stood up for me, when I clearly didn't deserve it. Thank you." She grinned, going to hug Luffy tightly, who stood frozen for a second, before returning the hug.

"Shishishi, it's no problem!" He chuckled before warily looking at Katakuri.

Katakuri sighed and looked away, "I'll overlook my sister being hurt. This time. Don't let it happen again."

"So... I'm not fired...?" (Y/n) asked.

"No, you're not."

"...Are we still on for tonight?" Noire asked him, no longer hugging Luffy.

"Of course." Katakuri replied.

"Ahem... Should I try to be somewhere else for the night...?" (Y/n) asked softly, glancing between Katakuri and Noire.

"Yeah. You should be on a date with Sabo." She grinned as Sabo gawked at her in shock.

"After all, it's clear as day that he likes you." She winked at (Y/n) before giggling.

(Y/n) stared between Sabo and Noire before she turned bright red, hiding her face in Sabo's back with a squeak.

"A-are you being serious?!" Sabo gasped, still not believing that he heard her correctly as she nodded.

"Yes, Sabo, I am being serious. But, before that can happen, I want to go clothes shopping with (Y/n); I want to be her fairy godmother again!" She giggled excitedly.

"Noire, I swear I'm going to hide all your coffee one of these days..." (Y/n) grumbled from embarrassment at Noire basically setting her up on a date.

"That's a risk I'm willing to take." She chuckled, though internally she screamed in fright at the thought before turning to Katakuri.

"Do you guys sell coffee? Just in case?" She whispered to him.

"We do." Katakuri nodded.

Noire now stood more confidently.

"Okay, Cinderella, we have a lot of work to do for tonight, so let's go!" She chirped, being the most upbeat she's ever been in a while.

"W-w-wait! Sabo hasn't even agreed yet. A-and I don't even know where we would be going!" (Y/n) protested, nearly losing her grip on Sabo.

Sabo stood quiet for a moment before nodding.

"I agree to this date." He grinned brightly.

"And I know the perfect place for tonight, but it'll be a surprise. I'll pick you up later tonight." He told her as Noire clasped her hands.

"Splendid! Now let's go, (Y/n), I want you to look dazzling! And me too!" She added quickly with a giggle.

"W-wait! I-is there something specific I should wear? Formal? Casual? I don't want to be over or underdressed."

"Casual." Sabo informed her with a smile.

"Is it even possible for you to be casual, Sabo?" Luffy questioned as his brother shot him a glance that quickly piped him down before he slid next to Katakuri.

"...Oi, think I can have a few of those delicious desserts?" He questioned him.

"What do you think, Straw Hat?" Katakuri asked, glaring at him sharply.

"...Yes?" He smiled widely.

"No." He snarled, "Get out."

"What do you want, Luffy? I'll get you only a little bit, since I'm not rich, and as thanks for what you did." Noire spoke up, turning towards Sabo and (Y/n).

"Do you two want anything?"

"I'm okay. I just want to get something cute to wear for tonight now." (Y/n) admitted, feeling a bit excited about spending more time with Sabo.

"I'm fine too, thank you." Sabo nodded as Luffy then slid up to the display, practically pointing at all the desserts.

"I want everything." He told Noire, who sweatdropped at him.

"W-what does 'little bit' mean in your mind?!" She asked in shock as he pouted at her.

"But this is a little bit!"

"She should've known better than to offer, huh...?" (Y/n) whispered to Sabo, her lips brushing against his ear.

Sabo nodded, though he blushed at the close contact.

"Y-yeah, but I am just happy to see her finally starting to accept us." He grinned softly as Luffy turned to Katakuri with a pout.

"If you guys split up the cost, can I have everything then?" He asked him with a blink as Noire pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Noire, if you don't hurry up, I'll go shopping without you and who knows what kind of tacky outfit I'll choose without your help~." (Y/n) called out to her.

At the words 'tacky outfit', Noire panicked.

"O-okay, I'll have this and this!" She ordered quickly, as Luffy whined at her. "B-but that's not everything! Katakuri, help me out!" He frowned childishly.

"No. You get what you get." Katakuri rang up the desserts and handed them to Noire, taking the money that was practically thrown at him.

"I can't wait for tonight, Sabo~. I'll see you later." (Y/n) said softly, hopping off of Sabo.

"And you don't get upset!" Noire completed with a playful grin, handing him his sweets and grabbing (Y/n) before blowing a kiss to Katakuri.

"I can't wait to see you tonight~!" She purred before she and (Y/n) were out the door, Sabo still blushing from what (Y/n) said.

"...Are you sure you don't want to give me everything? I helped Noire!" Luffy pointed out.

"I'm sure." Katakuri glared at Luffy, "Unless you plan on buying something with your own money, get lost. And take the Revolutionary with you."

Luffy hung his head at not being able to persuade him, before slowly turning to Sabo.

"Oi-"

"No, so don't even ask." He quickly replied.

"Aw..."