The Puppet Master [One Piece]

Funesto pt. 5

~Echo’s POV~

                On the third day I packed a few things from the house into a small bag. I stopped in my room to collect a few photos and my notes on devil fruits. Perhaps I’d make one for Shanks, a healing or regenerative fruit to fix his arm, not that he needed it, he was still the most intimidating man I’d ever met even if he did only have one arm. I sensed his approach from the stairwell and smiled to myself softly. My father had a work journal about all the fruits he’d cultivated and I was having a hard time remembering where he kept it.

                “Captain?” I asked softly wondering if he’d be happy to know I could repair the damage to his arm, or just shocked.

                Faintly, I could see him smile in the back of my mind, “What is it, Echo?” He replied.

                “I can cultivate a devil fruit for you, if you want.” I said nervously.

                “Then who would teach you to swim?” He chuckled.

                “I’m sure the sniper would love to volunteer for a chance to watch me drown myself.” I giggled softly as I finished collecting my notes and turned to him.

                Shanks smiled a heartwarming smile and approached me, “I have a confession to make.” His voice was barely more than a whisper and the way he said it caused my heart to flutter insanely in my chest before racing sporadically as his dark gaze latched onto me.

                “Wh-what?” I mentally kicked myself for letting my voice crack.

                He cleared the space between us in a few long strides and I jumped at our sudden closeness only to find myself cornered between the desk and the wall. My heart felt like it was going to explode right out of my chest it was pounding so hard it almost hurt as he caught a lock of my silken white hair and tenderly placed it to his lips breathing in the sweet smell of coconuts deeply. “I’m selfish.” He smiled causing my heart to skip a beat.

                What exactly did he mean by that? “I think you’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met.” I countered.

                “Not when it comes to you.” I felt a spark of electricity jolt threw me where his fingers touched my skin as he tenderly caressed my cheek.

                “Boss!” Someone called from outside causing Shanks to chuckle and step away from me leaving me breathless and in desperate need of air. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath until I was almost out of oxygen.

                He reached into his pocket and pulled out a semi-tattered black leather bound journal and extended it to me. It was my father’s work journal! “He had it on him.”

                I nodded slowly and hesitantly reached out for it, “Thank you.”

                “Boss!” The front door flew open and one of the rookies raced inside.

                Shanks shook his head with a soft chuckle at the rookie’s impatience and called out, “Upstairs!”

                Thundering footsteps pounded on the steps as the rookie barreled up the stairs, “Rockstar is back!” He shouted somewhat breathlessly as he appeared in front of the door and doubled over to catch his breath. He looked up after a moment and froze as his eyes rested on me.

                Because none of my clothes fit, I was once again wearing a dress; it was a deep sea stone blue with a silver scarf to accentuate my small waist. My face burned hot as he continued to stare and Shanks cleared his throat causing the rookie to jump to attention.

                “Where is he?” Shanks asked calmly.

                “At the coast.”

                Shanks nodded and caught my hand in his before pulling me out of the room and down the stairs. Our fingers laced together on their own accord and I marveled at how small my hand felt in his and how warm, tender and comforting his grip was. My hand seemed to fit perfectly in his. I started to protest as he pulled me out of the house, a lot of the crew was in town cleaning up the streets and moving the rubble.

                Ignoring my protests and enjoying my humiliation, he pressed onward to the shore with me in toe. A few of the older crew members made embarrassing cat calls and I quickly buried my face in his back as I attempted to hide behind him.

                We reached the coastal village in a short amount of time and I spotted a tall burly man with bronzed skin and spiked red hair sitting atop a large slab of brick that had once been the corner of a small general store. He jumped to his feet when he spotted Shanks and ran forward already speaking hurriedly about Whitebeard and wanting to reclaim his honor.

                Shanks gave a gentle tug on my hand and pulled me into view silencing the rookie almost instantly.

                “Echo-chan.” Rockstar gaped, “You look stunning.” He beamed.

                I scowled at this and shot Shanks a glare. He used me so he could talk calmly with the rookie.

                “What happened?” Shanks asked calmly.

                “He wouldn’t hear the message; he just ripped it up and said if you had something to tell him you could tell him yourself.” Rockstar said in a rush, “It was an insult to your name, we should fi-.”

                “He just ripped up a piece of paper, right?” I asked curiously causing Shanks to chuckle and Rockstar to stare at me, “Why would you want to fight over something so trivial?”

                Shanks gave my hand a gentle squeeze, “We’ll be leaving soon, Echo, is there anything else you need to do?” He asked me softly.

                I shook my head and everyone got ready to leave. Shanks waited on the beach with me while all the others climbed into the fishing boats and returned to the ship. After only a short while we were the only ones left on the island. Benn and Yassop waited in the small fishing boat for us to join them.

                My gaze flitted to the grave site and rested upon the grave of my father, Shanks managed to find a rock large enough to work as a headstone and someone carved his name beautifully into it. “Please forgive me.” I whispered softly.

                A strong gentle breeze suddenly whipped around me and a single tear escaped me as I heard the voices of my fallen kin on the wind. I could feel my father’s warm strong embrace and heard a faint hint of his deep booming laugh as the wind swirled around me and took off toward the grave site. And then, the island came to life. Bird’s called in the distance and I could faintly see wild deer and rabbits scurrying out of the forest. There was life on the island! It was as if the spirits of my kin had been waiting for my return waiting for the right moment to tell me they didn’t blame me for what happened, waiting to tell me that everything would be okay.

[Sorry, I rushed the ending a bit because I really need to go to work :S haha and I wanted to move on to a different arc ^-^]