New Shining Star |『 Male Reader 』• One Piece

Cover Story 1: Tales of the Red Cinders - Part 4

The fire crackled softly as the Red Cinders and Eleonor sat in the clearing, the jungle's mysterious energy humming around them. Eleonor wiped her mouth, looking much more lively after her meal.

Hinote watched her with amusement as he tossed another log onto the fire. "Alright, Eleonor, you can't just name-drop the people chasing you and then go back to eat normally," Hinote said with a grin. "Who exactly are those Astro Hunters?" he wondered, making Eleonor pause before her eyes flickered toward the dark jungle around them.

"The Astro Hunters..." she began slowly, her voice tinged with unease. "Honestly, I don't know," she said, making the Red Cinders chuckle at her confused expression. "But there were about ten of them when I first met them," revealed Eleonor.

"It was on an island called Volusia. They found me, asked me basic questions...like my name, where I was from, nothing too alarming at first," said Eleonor, taking another bite. Homura, listening intently, furrowed her brow in confusion. "Wait," she interrupted. "You just...answered them?" she wondered.

"Right? I don't get why you just let them approach you," added Naoki, just as confused. "A group of strangers in masks starts asking questions, and you just go along with it? I would've been out of there in a heartbeat," he said, making Rekka scoff. "Or we just beat them up," she said, making Naoki chuckle.

Eleonor shifted, hugging her knees slightly, feeling the scepticism from the group. "Look, they didn't seem hostile at first," she defended herself. "The guy who seemed like the leader gave me food. So, I thought they were friendly," she defended, looking sheepish.

Rekka blinked in disbelief. "You let your guard down because of food?" she asked, bewildered. The rest of the crew exchanged looks of bafflement before Hinote chuckled, breaking the tension. "Well, food can be pretty persuasive when you're starving," Hinote said with a grin, lightening the mood slightly.

Eleonor smiled at that, but her expression quickly darkened again as she continued her story. "But after those basic questions, things took a turn," Eleonor said, her voice lowering as her gaze shifted to the fire.

"The leader...he suddenly asked if I had eaten a devil fruit. And when he did, the air around us changed. Everything felt tense, like the whole room had shifted. That's when I realised something was seriously wrong," explained Eleonor.

"What did you do?" Homura asked, her eyes narrowing slightly as she tried to piece together the situation. At her question, Eleonor smirked, the mischievous glint returning to her eyes. "I gave him a cryptic answer, teasing them a bit about whether I had eaten one or not, and then...I bolted," revealed Eleonor.

"I knew that they wouldn't ask this question for no reason...so I knew that they had more information on me than they would let on," she added before leaning on the tree behind her. "That's when the chase began, and I've been running ever since," she finished, her voice trailing off.

Yakeru leaned forward, eyes narrowing with suspicion. "So...did you eat a devil fruit?" they asked, making Eleonor's lips curl into a playful grin and nod. "Of course I did," she said before chuckling.

"I ate the Horse-Horse Fruit: Model Sleipnir," she revealed, her voice brimming with pride. Rekka raised an eyebrow, barely containing a laugh. "Wait...so you're a horse girl?" she asked bluntly, causing Eleonor to chuckle.

"In a way, yes. But not just any horse," Eleonor said, her grin widening. "I can turn into an eight-legged hybrid horse!" boasted Eleonor. "So you got the power of a zoan, huh?" said Hinote before chuckling. "That explains why I could feel your strong animal spirit," he added.

Hearing this, Eleonor paused as if something clicked in her memory and tilted her head. "Wait...who are you guys anyway? You don't exactly look like normal travellers," she asked, her eyes scanning each crew member.

Hinote smirked, tossing another log onto the fire. "We're pirates," he said casually. Eleonor blinked at the admission but didn't flinch. Instead, she nodded slowly as if that answer made perfect sense. "Pirates, huh? Okay, fine by me," she said.

Yakeru raised an eyebrow, studying Eleonor closely. "You don't seem scared or worried about us being pirates," they noted. "Well, you fed me, so that's good enough for me," Eleonor said with a grin. "You're good people as far as I'm concerned," she added before chuckling.

"Besides, even if you weren't so nice, I would've been fine regardless," Eleonor said. Understanding the implication behind her words, Rekka's eyes narrowed. "Don't underestimate us," she warned, her tone laced with challenge. Eleonor smirked, her gaze locking with Rekka's. "Right back at you," she replied.

The two exchanged a heated glare, the tension building in the air as the rest of the crew watched with mild amusement. Sitting back and observing, Hinote found himself entertained by the growing standoff.

*Whizz*

However, his amusement was cut short when his sharp ears picked up a distant whizzing sound. His eyes darted toward the trees. "Did anyone else-" Hinote began, but before he could finish, Naoki sprang into action.

*Crack*

*BOOM*

Naoki summoned a massive wooden trunk, blocking the path between the crew and the incoming attack. A powerful bullet slammed into the wood, shattering it into splinters. The force of the impact sent debris flying, but Naoki had successfully shielded his captain from harm.

The crew's laughter and banter vanished instantly, replaced by focused tension. Rekka's hands glowed with fiery energy, Homura's sword was out in a flash, and Yakeru had already reloaded their grenade launcher.

Naoki stood tall, his body tense but ready, as he glanced back at Hinote. "Kikiki...looks like we've got company," he said with a grin. Hinote's eyes scanned the dark jungle.

A flicker of flames danced in his palm as he prepared for what was coming next. "Yeah," he muttered, his grin matching Naoki's. "And it seems like they're not here for a friendly chat," he added.

To be continued