ROMANCE DAWN

1

English is not my first language !
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It's recommended that you've seen the anime up to wano to avoid any spoilers, although this story won't spoil the anime in detail.

With my right hand, I grasp the cup's slender handle and bring it to my lips, savoring the last sips of the sweet hot beverage before placing it back on the plate on which it was served before standing up. I clutch my cloth bag with a firm hand before heading for the restaurant exit.

"By the way, did you say that this Zoro was a prisoner at the barracks?" A boy's voice enthuses. "I'd like him to join my crew."

I stop walking and turn in the direction of the voice. The whole restaurant stopped to look at the boy who had just spoken. A young man who must be seventeen, dark-haired with a scar under his eye and a straw hat on his head.
His pink-haired friend tensed at the customers' reactions and leaned towards his friend.

"Luffy, I think it's best not to talk about him too loudly." He sighs before resuming. "I saw a poster a while ago saying that Colonel Morgan officiates at the naval base."

For the second time, the customers start to whisper to each other, glancing at the two teenagers' table. The young waitress, too, startled by their conversation, staggers into me, then turns to me wide-eyed.

"I'm sure that waitress went right through that girl!" The dark-haired boy called Luffy says, pointing at me.

It's time for me to go. I turn towards the door and exit the restaurant, venturing into Shells Town. Luffy... Luffy... A pirate? I've never heard that name in my life. He must be a teenager with dreams in his head, nothing interesting. At least, right now he's not worth a damn.

"Hey, you! Shoeless girl! Stop!" The same voice throws down the street.

I stop again and turn to meet the eyes of the dark-haired man from earlier. He's just shouting, he's so annoying. He approaches me with a determined look, his shorter friend following, clinging to his arm. He's dressed in a red sleeveless jacket, jean shorts rolled up at the end and a pair of flip-flops.

"You shouldn't call people out on the street. You don't know her, Luffy!" Said the little boy, trying to restrain the boy.

I arch an eyebrow as I watch them approach. That boy doesn't look like the sharpest knife in the drawer. I'm already sighing just watching him approach. His friend does his best to slow him down, but to no avail. As a precaution, I throw the heavy bag in my hand behind my shoulder so that it can't be snatched away. But the boy doesn't stop, he just keeps going, and I frown. Suddenly, the boy slips and falls on his back. His friend rushed to his side to help him up.

"I haven't got time, brat."

I turn my back on them and continue on my way.

"Luffy? Are you alright?

— I slipped... on something liquid." He says. "But strangely the ground's dry now.

— It hasn't rained here, though, for a long time."

This boy is just a teenager with a head full of dreams. So young and they're already setting off to venture out to sea, wanting to form a crew. I wonder if, at that age, I was dreaming of that too.

I walk down the street, my canvas bag on my back, towards the naval base. The sun beats down on my skin, burning me pleasantly, there's no wind to soften the heat but it's bearable. The only downside to the heat is that it heats up my metal bracelets around my wrists and ankles. Arriving in front of the naval base, I contemplate the two metal doors that lock the entrance. They must be at least five metres high and weigh several tonnes. The naval base is also surrounded by a brick wall as high as the gates, preventing any intrusion. The only way to enter is to work there or to bring the head of a wanted criminal.