"Reality is often cruel to those who dream, as how the seas, too, are often cruel to those who call themselves pirates."
A seasoned merchant of the New World drifts in the weakest sea of all, and finds a dream in the form of Luffy, adventures, and p...
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OR, you are not a swordsman
It's the next day and the sun is high in the sky, a perfect day for sailing through the East Blue.
Mari sways gently with the waves, you stood up and begun to wave your arms freely. "Hey, Mochi, Sweet Rice, Rice Mom! Thanks again!"
The little girl in front of the mother and Coby waves back just as frantically, a big smile on her lips as she hops in place. "Say hi to Big Bro for me! And to Bro-captain as well!"
"Have a safe trip!" The mother calls out a second later. Coby waves back meekly, almost as if the world will burn him alive if he says goodbye.
You weren't having any of that, though, heavens be damned.
"Oi, Mochi!"
He perks up at your shout, probably sweating bullets by now and wondering what he did wrong. You grinned and raised yourself by the gunwale, Mari almost tipping over at the sudden shift in weight.
"Let's meet again somewhere in the Grand Line, ya hear?!"
Your shout carriers across the increasing distance between you and them, but he hears it perfectly well. At least, you had hoped so.
"Of course..!" He shouts back, with a slight crack in his voice, but just as loud.
"We'll be waiting!"
The island by then looks tiny, but you guessed you and Luffy have a friend to meet in the Grand Line in the future.
- ❐ -
"Now then..."
You turned to the seas that stretched on for miles into the horizon. Your grin is that of someone who will eventually die a stupid death.
"Which way did Coby say they headed for, again?"
- ❐ -
It was a beautiful day, honest to Davy Jones, it really was.
So, pray tell, how the fuck has it come to this?
You were on your boat, right, minding your own business like usual, securing a new set of bombs to replace the ones you've used, tinkering with your gloves to make them more resilient, digging through your bag to look for things you thought may have been lost forever when suddenly-
shiing
- you're face to face with a man who has a sword drawn to your neck, which was only stopped by your escrima sticks, and honestly, it was only 10 in the morning and you already wanted to burn the whole world down.
So yes, it was a beautiful day until it wasn't.
The boat rocks as you steadied your stance, the familiar pattern of a technique you tried to leave behind falling into place. You tried not to, but God decided that today you'll fight a swordsman of all things.
