COAST - Luffy x Reader

CHAPTER THIRTY

We are so back ;)

Chapter is a lot longer to make up for my absence. Like, as long as chapter 10, which was about forty pages. This one's forty-six, lmfao.

I put a lil extra seasoning in this one, too, lots of emotions (with an abundant lack of sleep and a ton of red bull). Just for y'all, since I've been gone for so long.

Happy reading!! <3

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"Usopp! You have to keep running or they'll catch you!"

"Oh, sure– Easy for the person being carried to say!"

The leftover crud from the explosion mires our skin uncomfortably, gritty as my arms wrap around Luffy's neck. I watch the sweat streaks form on Usopp's exhausted and panicked face, dark-splotchy marks beginning to fade as each one trails down his face. Zoro races ahead of Luffy and I, while Sanji stays just behind. In the distance, marines are shouting for us to 'halt' or 'surrender!' Neither of which will be happening any time soon.

"C'mon! We gotta' find the Merry and get outta here!" Luffy commands in his excited manner, speeding along through the halls, leaving laughter in every step.

"Wait, but what about the others?" I ask, concerned for the girls and Chopper, "We still don't even know where they are!"

"At this point we may just have to get to the ship and hope they have the same idea." Zoro responds, barely sparing a glance. "We don't exactly have time to wait around."

"You shut your mouth, mosshead!" Sanji roars, distraught. "My sweet Nami and Robin are probably terrified, waiting for their knight in shining armor to come to their rescue!"

Zoro grimaces, disgusted by the swooning chef. "A knight? More like a shitty-cook wearing an aluminum foil suit."

"What did you just say?" Sanji gruffs at the ridiculous quip, glaring daggers at the swordsman who bore a snarky-smirk. I practically sweat in my spot, the tension simmering between the two.

Luffy slides to a stop suddenly with a breath of interest, catching all of us off-guard and finally allowing Usopp to catch-up. I can feel the delighted jitters wrestling under Luffy's skin, the captain clutching his hat. He's gaping at the oncoming hoard of soldiers beelining for us.

"What?" Usopp snaps, on-edge. "What is it?"

"Shit." I murmur. Stuck at a four-way in the halls, my ears pick up on the clinking of weaponry not just ahead of us, but also surrounding us. Peeking around Zoro, then Sanji, my suspicions are confirmed – We were cornering us. "It's the marines!"

"This is bad, very bad!" Usopp cries, nervously hopping from one foot to the other. "We're trapped like rats, you guys!"

And Luffy giggles, because of course he does. There's a wide smile spreading on his cheeks as our enemies close-in.

"Things are finally getting interesting!" He rallies, eyeing the marines with such fiery anticipation that one might have mistook it as malicious-intent.

"...What?" Usopp whimpers, trembling on his feet. The sharpshooter's eyebrows were furrowed in hopeless disbelief watching the captain crack his knuckles. Once Luffy got that sort of gleam in his eyes, the same one that always sparked before something he deemed as fun was about to happen, there would be no chance of retreat for him or his crew. Usopp swallowed his next cries down. The painful welt had been growing in his throat since they had run from the prison cells.