COAST - Luffy x Reader

58. Puzzle Pieces

Hihi

Something major happens in this chapter – HUGE character development – y'all ready?? ;))

Hope you enjoy it! Happy reading <3333

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They weren't moving fast enough.

That was the sole thought on Luffy's mind as he stared off into the distance, where dark skies and raging seas merged into one, as if it were painted on a flat canvas... Blue stretched as far as the eye could see.

Sat at the fearsome, shark-esque figurehead of Rocket Man – a second sea-train that Monster Granny had revealed to the crew, offered as a suitable vessel for their intended rescue mission – The Captain rarely took his gaze from what lay ahead. Although the scene had remained unchanged, he was hoping that if he stared long enough, this unrelenting expanse of foreboding indigo would eventually falter. From the gloom, the Puffing Tom would appear.

Even the tiniest spec, a mere hint that his half of the crew was gaining on the other... That would be more than enough to reduce the antsy jitters raking down every one of his muscles, to reduce the strain behind his eyes and the tension in his clenched jaw.

Still, that deep, purplish-blue hue never wavered, so Luffy was left to his contemplations – desperate to keep an eye out for anything that might approach in the meantime – unwilling to go inside with the others, too impatient to sit idly by.

How long has it been since he first came out here? Since they left? Probing the midnight air, he traced the train tracks for what must've been the thousandth time. The Captain had made it a habit... A ritual, even. Maybe if he kept tracing the path ahead of them, then the other train would eventually appear.

He wanted that dumb train to show up. He wanted it so bad, like a craving he couldn't satiate... Because Luffy could feel you, pulling him in that same direction.

You were there. And so was Robin, and Sanji – Even Usopp, apparently.

To recap... The crew had their morals back. And that he was thankful for. Their drive refueled, now aware of the facts; how Robin hadn't actually betrayed them, rather, The Archaeologist was aiming to sacrifice herself for her friends. The Government was behind the entire scheme, threatening him and his crew's lives if the woman didn't comply with their demands. They didn't give her much of an option, taking full advantage of the situation.

Nami took it a step further, relaying her insight and a well-thought theory on where the marines would likely be taking Robin; someplace called the 'Gates of Justice.' According to The Navigator, if the marines managed to get Robin to those gates, the other woman would never be seen again.

Despicable. Luffy detested the whole thing; coercing and intimidating one of his friends, his crewmate, to do the unthinkable. The Captain wasn't sure which was worse – The Government concocting their plans in the first place, or that Robin had felt she wasn't able to fill them in on what was happening... Did she think that Luffy and the crew wouldn't help her or something?

That aside, according to Rope-Guy (Paulie, who'd saved the Straw Hat's skins earlier), it was too dangerous to take a ship out on the ocean, given that Aqua Laguna would easily be able to obliterate the vessel given the opportunity. Noting The Captain and crew's determination in spite of the shipwrights warnings, Monster Granny lended a hand, as did Ice-Pops. Everyone was boarded on a secret sea-train – a mismatched gang of pirates, thugs from the Franky Family, and a handful of shipwrights – and they were all headed for Enies Lobby.

(That was where the Gates of Justice were located, apparently. Luffy hadn't paid much attention past what he thought were the important parts.)

Rocket Man was unstable, based on the way Ice Pops and Monster Granny had insisted on it, but Luffy didn't care much. The train was fast, and fast was exactly what they needed right now. They needed to catch up to the others as soon as possible, for it was likely that Robin wasn't the only one whose life was at stake.