One Piece One Shots! Request are open!

Shifting Horizons

(This isn't my favorite pairing but I agreed LEGAL is fine!! SOOO I'm doin this one today. It's Katakuri x Luffy. If you don't like this one you don't have to read it! It's completely fine! Requested by @EllisGarcia590! Enjoyyy! 😼😼✨✨)

The Thousand Sunny swayed gently on the waves as the Straw Hat crew settled into the rhythm of their post-adventure lives. The aftermath of Whole Cake Island was still fresh in everyone's minds, but they had made it out alive. Sanji was back, safe, and the crew was reunited. For most of them, it was enough to relax and prepare for the next island, the next adventure. But for Luffy, something still weighed on his mind.

He couldn't shake the feeling that there was unfinished business between him and one particular opponent—the man who had pushed him to his limits in the Mirror World. Charlotte Katakuri.

It wasn't just the fight. Luffy had fought strong opponents before, and he had been beaten down plenty of times. But Katakuri was different. He wasn't just a strong enemy. He was someone who, by the end of their battle, had earned Luffy's respect in a way that was hard to explain. There was an understanding between them, unspoken but undeniable.

One evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, casting an orange glow across the sea, Luffy sat on the deck of the Sunny, staring off into the distance. His fingers absentmindedly traced the scar on his chest. He had to go back. He had to face Katakuri again, not for a rematch, but for something more. What that "something" was, he didn't know yet, but he felt it tugging at him like the pull of the sea.

Without any warning, Luffy stood up and marched straight into the kitchen where the crew was gathered.

"Oi, Luffy, you're late for dinner!" Sanji called out, flipping a pan expertly over the stove. The rest of the crew was seated around the table, laughing and chatting.

"I'm going back to Totto Land," Luffy announced, his voice cutting through the din.

The room fell silent. Nami dropped her fork, Zoro raised an eyebrow, and Sanji nearly let the food in his pan burn.

"What?!" Nami yelled, standing up so fast her chair nearly tipped over. "Are you out of your mind? We barely escaped from Big Mom's territory, and now you want to go back?!"

Luffy crossed his arms, his jaw set in that stubborn way that told everyone he had already made up his mind. "I've got something I need to do. I'm going to see Katakuri again."

The crew exchanged uneasy glances. Zoro, who had been leaning back in his chair with his arms behind his head, cracked one eye open. "You're going for a rematch?"

Luffy shook his head. "No. Not exactly. I don't know how to explain it, but I feel like I need to see him again. There's something... unfinished."

Nami threw her hands up in frustration. "You can't just waltz back into Totto Land like it's a vacation spot! Big Mom is still out there, and she's not exactly thrilled with us right now."

"I won't be long," Luffy said confidently, as if that solved everything. "I'll go alone. You guys don't need to worry."

"You're being reckless again," Sanji muttered, lighting a cigarette. "You're going to get yourself killed, Luffy."

But they all knew that once Luffy had his heart set on something, there was no stopping him. Reluctantly, Nami sighed. "If you're going, at least take a Mirror with you so you can call for help if things go bad."

Luffy grinned. "Thanks, Nami!"

The next morning, without any further explanation, Luffy was off. He used the same mirror network that Brûlée had once used to trap him and his crew. Now, it would serve him as a covert means to slip back into Totto Land. He entered the Mirror World and navigated through its twisting passages, each reflective surface leading to another location.