Wind Demon (One Piece x Male Reader)

Trial Of Balls

The gentle lap of water against the Karasu-Maru filled the silence, the boat creaking softly under their weight. Sanji sat on the edge, his arms crossed, his brows furrowed in thought. His cigarette burned slowly, the ash growing precariously long before he finally flicked it into the clouds below.

"Will Conis be alright?" he asked, his voice tinged with worry. The usual flirtatious lilt was absent, replaced by genuine concern.

Y/N leaned back lazily, resting his feet on the edge of the small crow-shaped boat. His eyes scanned the endless white around them. "Well, that strange knight didn't look like a bad guy," he said nonchalantly, though there was an undertone of caution in his voice.

Sanji clenched his jaw, his teeth gritting audibly. "We have no choice but to trust him. I'd protect her myself if I could... but we can't bring her with us. She'd only get hurt." His hand balled into a fist, and he stared off into the distance, as if willing himself to believe his own words.

"This thing is so slow!" Luffy complained, squinting at the sluggish movement of the boat. His hands rested impatiently on the small rudder as he tried to steer.

"This boat is a few times heavier than a waver! It can't be helped! Don't be so picky!" Sanji snapped, his patience fraying with every word.

"Hey, look!" Usopp suddenly called out, his voice rising with excitement. He pointed ahead, where a colossal forest loomed in the distance, its enormous trees reaching toward the sky.

"Cool-Is there a forest like that on the map?" Luffy grinned, his eyes sparkling with childlike wonder.

Usopp squinted at the old map in his hands, flipping it over and back again. "Not really... There's a forest marked, but it's not specially labeled. Just says it's a normal forest," he muttered, scratching his head in confusion.

Sanji leaned over slightly, his eyes narrowing as he observed the towering trees. "The guy who made that map was here over 200 years ago, right? And it was probably already old back then. It probably took more than 1,000 years for these trees to grow so big," he said thoughtfully.

Luffy's grin widened. "I wanna climb one!" he declared, already steering the boat closer.

"It's the entrance..." Y/N pointed ahead, his tone shifting to something more serious. The group followed his gaze to see a shadowy pathway leading into the forest. The trees formed a dense, almost impenetrable wall around the narrow opening. "This'll probably be our last chance to turn back. Are you prepared, Usopp?"

Usopp froze, his face paling. "Eh? Then, if we could, I'd like to go back..." His voice wavered, but he trailed off as Luffy shouted over him.

"Let's go!" Luffy's voice rang with excitement, completely ignoring Usopp's hesitance.

"You're not even listening to me!" Usopp groaned, throwing his hands in the air.

As the boat drifted closer to the entrance, the air grew noticeably cooler. Shadows danced across the water, and an eerie silence replaced the soft sounds of the river.

"...!!!" Usopp's eyes darted around, wide with alarm. Strange shapes emerged in the dim light-half-submerged wrecks of ancient ships, their hulls shattered and worn by time. Broken masts jutted out like skeletal fingers, reaching for the sky.

"Kaw kaw!!" An ominous bird perched on a nearby tree squawked, its beady eyes glinting in the gloom.

"Uwa... There's something out there!" Usopp yelped, pointing toward the shadows.

"That's cause this is a forest," Y/N replied flatly, though his eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings.

"No! Just look around us!" Usopp's voice climbed an octave as he gestured frantically. "Those are wrecked ships, right? Right?!"