Luffy x isakai Girl

Skip - A Small Gesture

It had been a couple weeks since I started journeying with the straw hats. We stopped at an island and I was able to pick up some clothes that were a little more my style (no offense to Nami). Both for the warm and the cold. I tended to run cold at the end of the day so it was definitely good to make that stop. And thank goodness Nami didn't hit me with any excessive lender fees. I would have just gone without if that had been the case.

Luffy noticed my sweater and grinned, making me blush a little.

"Bet you're nice and toasty warm now." He snickered, making me grin back.

"You betcha!"

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Luffy didn't tend to pay attention to a lot of things, but he always noticed how cold M' was. If even the slightest breeze brisked at her skin, it would make her bristle and even shiver. Even when she got her new clothes with Nami, he noticed she would kind of shrug her shoulders. Her hair was short, and with the sea air, it started to bunch up even shorter into waves, making it easier for the chilly breeze to brush against her neck. Those big blue eyes would always squint a little into a grin as she noticed him watching. Sometimes, something weird would happen in his chest, and he felt himself looking away.

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I had become pretty good friends with everyone. Jolly ole Jimbei the fishman was a riot. And Nami and Robin and I were especially close. I loved talking with Robin about books and really just liked being on Nami's good side.

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M' loved books. Though it wasn't really Luffy's style, he had a tendency to seek out her attention whenever he noticed her reading. It wasn't like he was bothered by it or anything. She would always get so focused, flipping the pages as her expressions would endlessly change to whatever was happening in the book. It almost made him want to read along with her. Almost. Reading wasn't really his thing, but M' made it look... almost like it was fun or something.

"Hey hey, M'! Whatcha reading?" He said, making her raise an eyebrow. He pouted a little as she refused to look away from the page.

"It's nothing you would like, Luffy." She said softly, almost apologetically.

"How would you know what I like?" Luffy whined, grabbing his ankles as her expression changed.

"I... uh... it's a book about a girl and a guy." She said, sheepishly.

"And?" He pressed, hoping for a little more context.

"And I mean.. um... I don't know. The guy just got the girl a necklace." She lamented, a bead of sweat forming on her forehead.

"Why'd he do that?" He asked.

She tilted her head a little, her eyes fluttering shut as she thought. "To show appreciation I guess? A small gesture to show he cares."

"Yeah, but a necklace? Who needs junk like that? Unless the girl's like Nami? Is she gonna sell it?" Luffy asked, slowly realizing he may have asked too many questions. Despite that, he decided to wait for a reply anyways.

"Maybe she just likes necklaces." She said after hesitating for a moment.

"Do you like necklaces?" Luffy asked. He noticed her face flush red as she buried her nose further into her book.

"I mean, I like jewelry but only if it is sentimental. You won't catch me with a million different choices." She said, the pitch of her voice getting higher. Luffy grinned at her.

"Then why would the girl want a necklace?" He asked.

"Sometimes it's just... you know... like a small gesture to show someone cares."