Marine || One Piece [ENG]

16

She was so weak.

She didn't sleep again. She just couldn't fall asleep. The enormity of the decision she had to make was so overwhelming.

So she sat hunched over, her legs covered with the covers. Leon felt so weak. What was she supposed to do?

Leona wasn't weak.

Vincent knew it. He wanted believe it. After all, how could it be otherwise? She was the one who saved him. And not only him. She saved them all, she led them.

She pulled him out of hell, gave him a home, gave him a reason to live. How can someone like that be weak?

But every time he saw her in the room, in the midst of this darkness, he didn't know what to say.

Vincent looked at Leone as he quietly closed the door. What was he supposed to say to comfort her, what was he supposed to do. No one has ever shown him how to deal with people, this is something new for him.

Leona started shaking slightly. She put her bent fingers into her mouth and began to squeeze them.

Vincent moved anxiously towards her.

– Leona? What is?

He knelt down next to her, tentatively grabbing her wrists and gently pulling them to remove them from her mouth.

Leona looked at him, then looked away. She opened and closed her mouth, trying to say something, but she couldn't.

She pursed her lips and Vincent saw her eyes become moist.

"I'm sorry," she whispered hoarsely. "I'm sorry, Vin."

"You have nothing to apologize for," he said hastily, panicked.

"I'm sorry, Vin," she continued, and he could see the tears starting to flow down her cheeks. "I'm so weak. Sorry. I am weak."

"Don't apologize to me, please," he said, pleadingly, with pain. "You have nothing to apologize for."

"I have. I'm weak, Vin," she said louder, tears falling on his hands. " I... I'm thinking of doing something stupid. And I can't stop thinking about it. I'll destroy everything, Vin. It will ruin everything that was important to everyone. I can't stop thinking about it, I can't. I have to do it if... if I don't do it, I... I... I..."

She started shaking her head violently, trying to remove her hands. Vincent didn't allow it, tightening his grip on hers. The sight pained him. He wanted to say something, he wanted it to end so badly. What should he say? He pursed his lips.

What would Leona want to tell me if I were her? He did not know.

"Leo, everything's fine, look at me," Vincent was saying. " I'm here, nothing's happening. Tell me what you have in mind, I'm sure we'll come up with something, I'll help you."

"You're going to hate me, Vin," she said, crying more. "You're all going to hate me. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault, my fault. I really want to do it, I really want to, I can't, but I want to, I shouldn't, I really shouldn't. I shouldn't be thinking about it, but I can't stop. I'm afraid, I'm so afraid, if I don't do it, I... I'll die, but I can't do it, I can't, I want to die, I don't want to. Vin, I'm so fucking weak, I should stop, I should disappear, everything would be easier. Sorry, sorry."

She was shaking, tears were falling more and more down her face, she was shaking her head, her eyes were wandering around everything.

He was terribly panicked. He let go of her hands and cupped her face. He started wiping away her tears.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, I'm here," he said quietly. "I will never hate you, no one will ever hate you. I'm here for you, okay? Tell me what's going on, we'll figure something out together, All right? Look at me, Leo."

Vincent managed to keep her gaze on his. She looked at him and didn't stop crying. She looked like she was searching for answers in his eyes.

He motioned for her to breathe deeply, to imitate him.

"Ace D. Portgas is my brother," she blurted out suddenly, starting to cry again. "He's the one I'm thinking about."

Vincent paused for a moment. He started connecting the dots. Leona and Ace are siblings, the boy was sentenced to death, they are on opposite sides.

" I'm sorry Vin, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I'm hopeless. "She hit her head on his shoulder. "I'm so weak, I'm sorry. Don't leave me, please don't leave me."

"I will not leave you." He stopped holding his hands on her face and wrapped his arms around her. "Never. I promise. You're not hopeless, you're not weak. Please don't apologize to me."

He gently began to rub her back. He placed one hand on her head. His chin touched the side of her head.

"What do I do Vin," she mumbled into his shirt. "Please tell me what to do. I can't because I... I... would do something terrible."

"What would you do, Leona?" Vincent asked calmly. He knew it well. "You would go save him, wouldn't you? And what about this?"

" Sorry, I'm –"

Leona is not weak.

"You're not," he said firmly and pushed her away from him. " Look into my eyes, okay? You -aren't - weak. It is your brother. You want to save him. No weak person would think about it. Nobody. It takes a lot of strength to want to abandon everything you have achieved, to become an enemy of the whole world, all for one person."

" No it is not -"

"Leo, tell me," he interrupted her quietly. She looked into his eyes with large, wet eyes. He wiped away new tears with his thumbs. "What were you thinking about when you saved me?"

"That I want to save you," she said without thinking.

"What else?"

"Nothing. I just wanted to save you. Because everyone deserves to be saved."

Vincent smiled warmly at her. He rested his forehead against hers.

"Exactly. And your brother, more than anyone, deserves to be saved. You want to save him, right?"

"Yes, very much, but —"

"So what's stopping you? "he asked.

"I don't want to lose you," she whispered. "I'll probably go save him. Definitely. This is my brother. But it's so hard, why do I have to choose?"

"You don't have to," he said, and Leona looked at him. "I will go with you."

She looked at him in surprise. She opened her mouth but then closed it.

"And it's not just me," he continued in a calm voice. "I'm sure everyone will understand that. After all, you want to save your family member. Any of us would do that. Ace is your brother. And that's reason enough for me to go there. I'll follow you anywhere, Leo. No matter how dangerous it is, I will be with you. You do not have to worry."

He assured, still looking into her eyes. They were in tears again.

"Thank you, Vin," she whispered. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"What did I do to deserve you, my lady?"

Leona smiled slightly.

Leona wasn't weak. Not when she had Vincent with her.