Alliance With An Outlaw

A Proposal

It was unfair.

Had she been like Ace and Sabo, she was sure she'd be out there doing a thousand times more exciting job than being stuck at their ranch taking dance lessons and, dare she say it, preparing biscuits with Dadan. Oh, how she had begged the old woman – she tried her puppy dog eyes and being an annoying little shit but none worked. Dadan remained firm in her decision. There was no way Luffy was going with her brothers in the cattle drive.

It really sucks.

She swore that had she accompanied her older brothers, she would have done a better job. After all, she knew her way with animals best – call it a talent, her brothers almost envied her because of it. She had been the one to tame the wildest horse they had and even the infamous Red-haired Shanks acknowledged her potential.

It was really hot.

"Dadan, why do I have to wear this dress? It's damn too hot! And why do we have to make all these biscuits? I'd understand if it were smoked meat but it's not and it's Sabo who likes these stuff a lot and he's not here... neither is Ace."

"Stop complaining, Luffy! It's unbecoming for a proper lady to swear."

"When did I become a lady?" Luffy grabbed a handful of freshly baked biscuits and stuffed them to her mouth. She spoke with her mouth full, saying it was delicious. She was about the pick more when Dadan slapped her hand and pinched her ears.

"I told you not to eat them! They're for your suitors! Don't you know how hard it is to find eligible young men these days? Be thankful I've managed to lure them out here."

"EHHH?!" Luffy unceremoniously spit the chewed biscuits on her mouth to her poor aunt. Did she hear it right? Suitors? She knew suitors are never a good thing. Her friend Rebecca had a suitor once and they married soon after. Now she's always at home taking care of her children with no time to go horse-riding or fishing anymore. She's yet to have her own adventure – she couldn't have any of those things called suitors anytime soon.

So she did what she first thought of doing and ran – she ran as hard she could.

But her aunt hadn't looked after her since she was a mere child of seven for nothing. Anticipating Luffy's course of action, she whistled and a bunch of men appeared out of the blue, blocking every exit of their home. Luffy darted her eyes from left to right, even up and down. But Dadan had been prepared, there was no exit.

++++++

"It had been... err so lovely to have met you, Miss Luffy." A man lightly bowed before the clearly bored girl and promptly placed a chaste kiss on her hand for formalities' sake. After a couple more pleasantries, the man eventually left.

Luffy stuck her tongue in a childish manner and deviously grinned, pleased at another attempt shot down.

Dadan fumed beside her obnoxious charge. She thought everything would go fine if she did this as soon as Ace and Sabo left for another cattle drive to Baltigo. They were as troublesome as their little sister and were rather too overprotective. The last time a man tried to court Luffy while they were around resulted to the three of them visiting the sheriff's office and the poor hopeful scrambling to the next district.

It's the best for the girl – she thought. Already nineteen and long of age, it was a high time she got married. But looking for a beau for an unladylike girl such as Luffy was a headache. Even without the unnecessary meddling of her brothers, she alone was a big problem. Growing up along with the two other males, she had always felt like their third brother and acted like a wild child.