COAST - Luffy x Reader

CHAPTER TEN

Holy moly... ty for 5k reads and almost 300 votes. It's absolutely nuts to see how much this story blew up in just a couple of months. It means a lot to feel so supported :')

Coast is also ranked #1 in the #monkeydluffy tag, and #3 in #luffyxreader, which I can't even believe. Like, thank you?? So much??? I can't believe y'all love my story so much omg.

Y'all boutta be eatin GOOD fo' sho'.

This is one of my fav chapters I've fleshed out so far. I've been looking forward to writing it ever since I wrote the prologue!!

On a different note, a little tidbit for ya'; the title of this story has absolutely nothing to do with the plot!

It's inspired by the song Coast by Hailee Steinfeld, feat. Anderson Park. It's a good song, if you'd like to give it a listen :)

I just thought the song gave off really good vibes, and I guess sort of inspired some of my ideas for the story.

Once again, THANK YOU!! And happy reading!

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It's past nightfall, and the crew and I have made ourselves at home in the half-house of Mont Blanc Cricket. He had initially attacked us, thinking we were thieves coming to steal his golden treasures, before fainting suddenly from a diving disease. When he came to, after Dr. Chopper's treatment, he was entirely apologetic.

Words and motivations are exchanged, apologies are shared, and he comes to the decision that he would help us make it to sky island on something called the knock-up stream; a dangerous way of traveling to be sure, and I wasn't exactly thrilled about the idea of being thrust into the sky, just to possibly fall back down and become fish food.

I had been subtly keeping an eye on Luffy throughout the ordeal, on edge after he came back from Mocktown where he, Nami and Zoro went out for information...

A dull pain spreads across my skin; spots on my face, arms and torso seem to burn without a source. It was weird, looking down at the untouched surface, but feeling like I was covered in cuts and bruises all the same.

"Luffy, Zoro!" Usopp calls, sounding extremely concerned. I look up from where we're working on the ship; My brows furrow at the blood staining their clothes.

"W-What happened? Why are you bleeding?" Usopp prods further. They don't give him an answer.

I scan Luffy head to toe, noting the marred skin on all the same spots where I could feel the pain resonating; that answered the question, another factor of the soulmate link I suppose, but it didn't make me any less worried. They had gone into town to find some answers about sky island, not to get into fights and cause trouble.

"Luffy, what-- Are you okay?" I met him halfway as they made their way back to the boat. My hands are itching to reach out and brush the blood from his face as we stand in front of each other, but I hold back the feeling, holding them at my sides hesitantly.

"What are you so worried about?" He laughs, and my shoulders slouch.

"I'm fine. Let's go." And he walks past without another word. At the moment, it feels like he's brushed me off. Maybe he didn't like me fretting over him?

Nami is quick to unknowingly distract me as I walk up to her and ask if she's okay; delving straight into a rant about how the two men were being 'idiotic' and how she was publicly humiliated for asking about sky island.

"They all laughed at me! And those two morons just stood there and did nothing–"

At the time, I'm too busy appeasing Nami and letting her vent her sorrows, I don't notice the eyes zeroing in on the back of my head as he grins.