My first foray back into the One Piece fandom in quite some time, and a little late, a Luffy x Robin type Halloween story. Not as good as it could have been, and light on Robin's appearances, but I hope you all manage to get some enjoyment out of this. Thoughts welcome as always. Enjoy.
*bring* Luffy's charcoal toned eyes weakly opened against the morning sunlight as it streamed through the thin curtain on the window. Synapses slowly began firing as he listened to the irritating sound that had drawn him from his slumber. The sound rang again, causing his eyes to open a little wider. A dull glow rang from the nearby dresser, just an arm's reach away.
Dragging his tired arm from its perch on the floor, he reached out towards the small piece of technology, grasping it in his lagging hand. Fingers fumbled with the dark plastic as it rang out again. The black haired boy silently cursed as he dropped the item, sending it thudding against the floor.
Lips opened wide as a loud yawn escaped the young man, the sound filling the large, warm room. Arms stretching above his head, he felt the covers pool around his waist, slender body sitting upright in the cozy bed. As he slouched over a bit, he reached down, grasping the sometimes irritating piece of technology.
Clicking a few buttons, Luffy checked the messages that had been left for him. Thumb clicked loudly as he read the short message.
'Robin is having a big Halloween party, so be sure you're ready before it starts. - Nami'
The young man felt his eyes widen a bit, the information seeming a bit sudden. Closing the phone, he placed it again on the nearby dresser, before settling back in the warm bed. Hands clasped behind his head, he let his mind wander, wondering how long the plans had been settled, and why he always seemed to be the last to know.
At that moment, a sense of panic shuffled through him. "Ah, what the hell am I going to go dressed as?" he asked to no one in particular, his sometimes slow mind trying desperately to think of something that would work. After a few pointless moments of thinking, he shrugged his shoulders, figuring he could think about it later.
Springing out of bed, the young man tossed on a simple set of clothes, his usual pair of jeans rolled up to the knees and a navy blue t-shirt with a stylized skull and crossbones printed on the chest. Bounding towards the kitchen, he looked through his refrigerator and cupboards, lips pursing at the disparagingly empty sight.
His stomach growled in complaint, causing the black haired boy to clasp his right hand to the unsettled organ. Sighing in depressed frustration, Luffy figured that was just something else he would worry about later. Clapping a closed fist to the opposing hand, he felt a smile tug at his lips.
A plan forming in his mind, he made his way towards the front door, being sure to grab his ever present straw hat from its perch on the hat rack. Once the familiar accessory was in its usual place on his head, he slipped on his sandals and made his way out the door. The energetic boy nearly sprinted down the street, the cool feel of rushing wind blowing against his face as he ran down the nearly empty sidewalk.
After a short run, the young man found himself at the entrance to the local gym, where he and his friends usually gathered for their various trainings. Peeking inside, he watched as Sanji and Zoro stared one another down, the staff watching from outside the ring as the two glared dangerously towards each other.
A wide grin broke on Luffy's face as he made towards the door, a small bell ringing sound echoing through the large room as he swung the door open. The staff's attention did not sway as the two antagonistic teens lunged at one another. Slowly Luffy made his way towards the ring, taking a seat in one of the spare chairs that had been set out for observing of sparring matches.
He knew that Sanji and Zoro had disliked one another for a long time, and it had gotten worse after Nami had broken up with Zoro and started seeing Sanji. The "sparring" matches between the two were as close to real fights as could be expected from two people from the same gym. Long legs and strong arms clashed, the thumping sounds sounding around the room loudly.
The match went on for a short time, longer than it usually did. Usually Nami was there to break them up, but she seemed busy with something. After a few minutes the coach broke things up.
"Alright, alright. That's enough you two," he said, smoke billowing from the dual cigars ever present in his mouth as he made his way into the ring. The combatants made hurled a few idle vulgarities to one another, before grudgingly separating. The two continued to fume as Smoker offered a few pieces of advice. He was one of the few people to whom everyone would listen, his reputation being well known around town.
After a stern talking to, the two young man made their way out of the ring, each offering Luffy an idle greeting as he sat and watched. Zoro and Sanji continued to fume as they made their way into the showers to clean off, Smoker heading towards Luffy. The distinct odor of burning tobacco wafted towards him, filling his nostrils with the odd smell.
"Ah, straw hat, you're late," Smoker said, taking a deep puff of the burning sticks of tobacco in his mouth. Tilting his head to the side a bit, Luffy waved and smiled at the coach's subordinate, the bespectacled girl shyly greeting him in return. The older man's face began to glow a slight shade of red as Luffy ignored him, his fists clenching near his waist. "Pay attention when I'm talking to you!" he shouted, sending a heavy blow to the younger boy's head.
Luffy's body responded to natural physics, his head making contact with the hard wood floor as his body tumbled out of the cushioned metal chair. Sitting upright quickly, the raven haired boy rubbed the now sore spot on his head, looking up angrily at the silver haired man. "What the heck was that for?" he asked, the pain throbbing in his head.
Coach Smoker took another deep puff of his cigars, trying to calm his frustration with the younger boy. "You are late. Just because you're the star of this gym, doesn't mean you can just skip practice," he cautioned the strong kid, cracking his knuckles a bit as he spoke. Luffy dropped his hand from his head as he clasped his feet together near his lap, sitting awkwardly as he stared at the older man.
"Sorry, I was just kind of tired," Luffy excused, smiling easily towards the gray haired man in front of him. The older man's frustration vanished as he stared at the goofy smile, something that seemed to happen to all those around the young man.
"Well, it is technically a holiday, so I guess you can take the day off," Smoker acquiesced, just as Zoro and Sanji exited the locker room. The pair of teens' jaws dropped, not believing what they had heard.
"What the hell!? Why does he get to take the day off!?" Zoro asked, his frustration nearly boiling over, with the lanky blonde right at his left.
"You never asked if either of us wanted the day off!" Sanji added, wondering what made Luffy so special. Smoker took a slow, steady puff of his cigar, the brown items seemingly able to burn forever without disappearing. Through the wafting white smoke, he stared at the two older teens, with a deathly serious look.
"Because he didn't lose his last match," he said simply, the green and blonde haired teens collapsing under the weight of the simple words. The two were then seen in a nearby corner, doubled over as they hugged their legs tightly. Luffy laughed in his usual goofy way at the two older teens, just as the bell at the entrance rang again.
"Ah, there you are," the red head said sternly, stalking over towards Luffy. The clueless boy looked confusedly towards the feisty girl, watching her black skirt sway about as she walked, her slender legs nearly shining in the dim light of the old gym.
"Oh, Nami, what's wrong?" he asked, tilting his head to the side as he looked up at the brown eyed girl, not bothering to stand from his position on the floor. The girl's eyes closed, her slender fingers rubbing at her temples as the frustration built into a pounding headache.
"You got my message right? You better be ready by the time the party starts," she said simply, exhaling the held breath as she tried to keep from exploding at the younger boy. Luffy's eyes widened in surprise, as though he had completely forgotten about the message, which Nami had really been expecting.
"Oh, no worries, I'll think of something," he responded, this time causing Nami's eyes to widen in surprise.
"Wait, when you say 'think of something' do you mean you haven't gotten a costume ready yet?" the gym's financial wizard asked, as Zoro and Sanji made their way towards the pair of teens.
"Heh, that's surprising. I would have thought he would be the first to know about it," Zoro taunted, earning a sharp elbow to the stomach from the fiery young girl. His eyes flashed with a threat of violence, but he thought better of it as he caught the warning look in Nami's eyes.
As harshly as she acted around them, especially Luffy, everyone in their little group knew how protective she could be of the carefree young man. The two had been friends since childhood, and the fact that she was able to make quite a healthy living due to his numerous victories never hurt matters either.
The girl brushed her skirt beneath her as she crouched in front of the younger boy, knowing he wouldn't try to look up her skirt like Sanji would. Sighing heavily, she wondered how Luffy had not known about it.
"Well, I guess I can help you pick out something," she suggested, watching as Luffy's eyes nearly began to water, a grateful glitter behind the damp look of his coal black eyes. The young boy thoughtlessly threw his arm around the red head, her shoulder length orange locks brushing against his forearms as he encircled them around the girl.
Sanji fought back the urge to pummel the boy to death at that moment, watching the excited smile on the boy's face. Nami felt a small blush on her cheeks as she patted the young boy's back, not enjoying the prospect of spending her hard earned money on something that he should have been more than able to handle on his own.
"Okay, that's enough," she said, feelin as though his body's heat would burn right through her tight fitting red tank top. After settling herself down a bit, the gathered members of the gym sweat dropped at the loud grumble that echoed from Luffy's stomach. "Don't tell me your fridge is empty again," she cautioned, watching as Luffy pursed his lips and turn his head in guilt.
Zoro and Sanji chuckled a bit at the boy's predicament, expecting a long lecture from Nami on how he should learn to take care of himself. But they were surprised as Nami grasped his hand, tugging him to his feet as she got herself to her feet. A heavy sigh escaped the girl's pinkened lips, an almost helpless expression on her face.
"I guess there's no helping it, but only this once!" she said, wagging a cautioning finger in the young boy's face. Luffy made no sound that he understood the warning, but instead darted past the girl, jumping up and down by the glass entrance in excitement.
"Come on, let's go. I'm starving," he said, causing a small stitch to swell on the red head's forehead. The girl's frustration reached its peak as she approached him, making her way past him as he held the door open. Zoro, Sanji, Smoker and Tashigi watched as Luffy and Nami made their way down the street, heading towards the nearby diner.
"Wow, that was surprising," Tashigi said, earning a weak nod from the others present. As their minds clicked back into action, Sanji made his way out the door, not wanting to leave Nami and Luffy on their own. Zoro just sighed heavily, a yawn escaping his lips as he made his way towards one of the cushioned chairs near the large window at the front.
Once the large order of burgers and fries was delivered to their table, Luffy started munching away, leaving Nami to enjoy her diet cola as she tried to ignore the odd sigh of Luffy's pigging out.
"So, you really didn't know about it?" she asked, wondering why Robin hadn't told Luffy about her party. Lufyf swallowed a big helping of fries, taking a large swig of his soda to wash it down.
"Nope. I didn't know until you told me this morning," he said, a seeming indifference to his voice at the prospect. While Nami was curious, Sanji simply sat next to her, leaning back against the padded bench of the booth they were sitting at.
Sanji and Nami looked to her, the blonde boy shrugging as he found himself a bit curious about why the younger boy had seemingly been left out of the loop. In too quick a span of time, Luffy had downed his large pile of food, leaving only a small mound of wrappers. The older teens sweat dropped, wondering where he managed to fit all that foot in his slender frame.
"Well, I guess we should get you a costume. Any idea what you want to go dressed as?" Nami asked, wondering what he would conceivably dress as for Halloween. The young boy's face looked oddly blank, like he had no inclination to think of it for himself.
"Eh, that sounds boring. Why do I have to dress up?" he asked, a bit of a petulant streak passing over him. Sanji chuckled a bit at the question, wondering how someone who was usually all for celebrations and merriment would possibly be opposed to donning a special costume.
"That's just for fun, Luffy. Everyone there is going to be in costume, so you have to as well," Nami said simply, sipping down the last bit of her drink. Setting the paper cup down, she fiddled idly with the straw, trying to picture something that would fit Luffy for a costume.
"Oh. If it's fun, then I guess I can try it," Luffy responded in his usual energetic manner. "In that case, I wanna go as a pirate," he responded, seemingly picking the first thing that came to his mind. Nami blinked a bit in surprise, wondering how he had come up with it so quickly.
"A pirate? Why a pirate?" she asked, echoing Sanji's unasked question.
"Because pirates are cool," he responded simply, in much the manner that a kid might answer such a question. Figuring there was not much to be done about it, Nami grudgingly agreed to accompany Luffy to search for a pirate costume, hoping she could get away without spending too much of her pocket money.
Sanji agreed to accompany them, on the surface just to give advice, but Nami knew that he was just keeping an eye on her. Whipping out her cell phone, the always prepared young woman gave a call to her acquaintance Iva who ran the local branch of the Doskoi Panda shop, figuring that would be the best method to get a good costume.
"Oh, hi Iva. I was wondering if you might have something in the way of a costume for my friend Luffy?" she asked into the phone, her tall heeled shoes clicking against the hard concrete of the sidewalk as the trio made their way down the path.
'Oh, vy certainly. I am sure ve can come up vith something for such an important person,' the well known okama's voice sounded through the phone, the sounds echoing loudly in each of their ears.
Upon settling a few small details, Nami gave her thanks before clicking the phone to end her call. "Ugh, why does he have to be so noisy," Nami complained, rubbing her ear with her fingers as the ringing slowly died down. She explained that Iva's closest subordinate Bon Clay would greet them at the entrance.
After a few minutes of walking, the trio were greeted with the tall standing panda sign that marked the successful designer clothing shop. It was one of the most popular brands in the world, and had been a big deal when the new branch had opened. Luffy wondered idly how Nami was so well connected, but shrugged it off. Sanji on the other hand simply knew better than to ask.
"Ah, if it isn't Miss Nami," a pink-clad okama shouted from the entrance to the fancy shop, his coat fluttering as he twirled over to the trio. Sanji felt an unexplainable discomfort around the man, staring at the oddly drawn make up on the unmistakably male face of the tall man.
"You are Bon Clay I assume?" Nami asked, exasperated with Iva's choice of companions with whom she had to deal frequently.
"Yes. Iva-sama has prepared a few special selections for you to choose from, so I would be pleased to guide you inside," the okama said courteously, but with an enthusiasm that Luffy found himself enjoying.
"Ah, this guy is pretty funny," the younger boy said, smiling wide at the odd man offering his greeting. Twirling past the curvy red head, Bon Clay appraised the black haired boy, noting the straw hat upon his head. His eyes widened as he placed the item, wondering if it was indeed the same one.
"I-is that, the straw hat that Shanks used to wear?" he asked, a shaky finger pointing towards the simple accessory. Luffy placed a hand to his head, his smile calming just a bit as he thought of his mentor.
"Yeah. Shanks gave it to when he retired, and he told me to take good care of it," he said, picturing the last fight that he had seen Shanks in before his retirement. It had been the reason he had decided to get into the sport in the first place.
"Well, then all the more reason we must get something special for you," Bon Clay said, his enthusiasm increasing as he set about a seemingly pointless twirlin routine. Luffy laughed loudly, watching the odd man dance.
As they made their way into the fancy store, Luffy marveled at just how expensive everything looked, the fine marble carvings and tile glittering in the bright lights. The whole place looked clean and nice, two qualities that would be hard to associate with Luffy on most occasions.
"Ah, is zat Luffy?" a loud, strange sounding voice sounded from the opposite end of the store. Luffy's group watched as another strange looking man made his way towards them, body covered in fishnets with a large tattoo on his chest.
"I'm Luffy," he answered easily, raising his hand to illustrate the words more clearly. The large okama stood in front of Luffy, seemingly appraising the young man as he looked him up and down. A large blue afro topped with a fancy crown bobbed a bit as the large man nodded, coming to some sort of decision.
"I see. A pirate costume, is it?" he asked, earning an awe struck noise from the young man and confused surprise from the others gathered.
"Wow, how did you know? Are you psychic?" Luffy asked, sparkles shining in his eyes. He watched as the older man made his way towards a rack set apart from the rest of the items, producing a rather intricate looking pirate costume.
A large red coat hung off of the hanger, covering a fine white silk shirt and black pants that looked like they would cut off around Luffy's ankles. He took the hanger from he older man, looking over the ornately woven fabric as he felt the silk fabric slip through his fingers.
"How could you possible have known, I didn't say anything about a pirate costume," Nami said, honestly surprised that someone could judge Luffy so well after only meeting him only once.
"I can just tell by looking at him zat he is ze type of person to express himself to ze fullest, and is a seeker of freedom," he said, his opinion of Luffy hitting oddly close to home for Nami's taste.
"Hahaha, you're a nice guy, mister. This is really neat," Luffy said, smiling graciously at the older man as he followed Bon Clay to the changing room to be sure that everything fit. Nami made a few last minute negotiations with the famous okama, trying to get the cost of the costume to come down a bit.
"Hey, does this look alright?" Luffy asked as he came from the changing room, the red coat hanging suitably off of his strong shoulders. Nami's breath hitched just a bit at how well the costume fit him, her frustration with the cost of the costume. The silken shirt and matching black pants fit perfectly, coming together with a large belt he wore loosely on his waist.
Even the straw hat that he wore everywhere seemed to fit it perfectly, the costume a total fit for Luffy. "Ah, as I expected, it looks wonderful on you," Iva said, catching Nami's appreciative glance at the younger boy. Luffy smiled wide, glad that it had looked good on him.
The excited young man promised that he would take good care of it, and offered Nami his gratitude as she grudgingly produced her wallet. Sanji offered to take care of part of it, but Nami waved him off. Much to his own surprise.
After the bill was settled, they decided to head to Robin's party a bit early, not wanting to risk giving Luffy a chance to mess up his costume. On the way they met up with Zoro, before stopping at Nami and Sanji's place for them to get their costumes ready.
As they waited, Luffy became agitated, wondering if Robin would like his costume. He looked over Zoro's costume, his body fully clothed with what looked like some sort of half bull half man theme.
"I'm a minotaur," Zoro said, figuring that Luffy was somewhat confused by the costume he was wearing. Luffy smacked his fist together with his palm again, the light of realization dawning on him. "Nice pirate costume," Zoro said, earning a happy nod from Luffy as he looked down at what he was wearing.
"Iva just picked it out, and it was perfect. I wonder how he knows so much about me," he wondered aloud, his lips pursing a bit as he thought about it. Zoro offered no help, not particularly wanting to get involved with Nami's friends.
"Alright, let's go," Nami said as she exited her well furnished home, a rustling of pom poms echoing in Luffy's ears. Turning his attention to his old friend, Luffy watched as the tight fitting blue and white cheerleader outfit seemed to strain against her ample chest, the skirt fluttering playfully in the breeze.
"Oh, Nami. Nice costume," he answered in his usual friendly manner, earning a small smile from the young girl.
"Hey, are we going, or what? I don't want to be late to this party," Sanji said, bandages wrapped around him loosely in a sort of mummy costume. Dark makeup sat upon his face, giving him an eerie undead type of look.
"Heh, nice costume. Must have been a pain in the ass to get so many bandages on after I whipped you earlier," Zoro offered from his position on the corner of the entryway. Sanji's brow quirked in frustration as he turned towards the green haired young man.
"Well, your costume is as mythical as your number of wins against me," he offered in return, sparkin Zoro's anger. The two came face to face, and it looked like they would come to blows, but Nami took her usual position and smacked some sense into both of them.
"Honestly, they're such children. Come on, Luffy, let's go," Nami huffed, earning a mildly fearful nod from the young man. The two headed towards the wealthy neighborhood where Robin lived, leaving Zoro and Sanji to catch up once they got over their short beating.
As the scenery changed from the bustling activity of the shopping district to the calm demeanor of the refined suburbs, Nami and Luffy noticed a few cars had already arrived at Robin's place.
Sensing that the party was going to be good, Luffy hurried ahead, dashing out towards Robin's lavish looking home. He knew that she enjoyed the finer things in life, something he certainly couldn't fault her for.
Though the sun still hung a bit in the sky, he could tell that the time was passing, as the burning sphere of fire began to descend beyond the horizon. His heart began to beat a bit faster, finding himself wondering what Robin would be dressed as. He imagined the Robin he had first met throwing such a party, finding the image a bit awkward and strange. But he had gotten her to open up more, and become more a part of his little group.
At the ornately carved entrance to her lavish home, Luffy caught what he thought was Robin, standing and greeting some of the other people in their circle of friends. The raven haired boy made his way through the small crowd towards the dark haired young woman, wondering why she hadn't told him about it ahead of time while the others all seemed to know.
As he caught the girl's garb, he came to a stop, not knowing what to think about it. The older woman offered her polite smile as she welcomed Usopp and Kaya into her home, giving them a nice greeting. Luffy was frozen in place, not knowing what to make of the situation.
Before he could do anything, Nami caught up to him, stopping as she too watched Robin's choice of "costume". Soon after Sanji and Zoro caught up, joining the little group of gawkers.
"What the hell is she wearing?" Zoro asked in his usual direct manner, his head tilted just a bit to the side before Robin caught the growing group of people. Seeing their bewildered expressions, she slowly made her way towards them, smiling graciously at the group of teens who had become her closest friends.
"Oh, how nice that you all made it to my little gathering," she said, a pleasant tone to her voice as she looked over Luffy and the others. "Such nice costumes, as well," she offered, her raven locks swaying gently in the gentle breeze that blew across the large expanse of greenery on the lawn.
"Robin, what are you supposed to be?" Nami asked, her right eyebrow quirked upward as she looked the taller woman over. The ample bust of the older woman sat barely contained within a loose fitting red shirt, the garment very nearly slipping off of her with its obvious size difference to her slender frame.
On her slender legs sat a pair of jeans, rolled up to her knees in a fashion similar to the way Luffy wore his clothes. Robin simply chuckled, wondering whether it was obvious or not what she was dressed as.
"Oh, Luffy, that was the last thing I needed for my costume," she said simply, a slight hint of seduction in her voice. The young woman casually strolled over towards Luffy, leaning against him warmly as she grasped the hat on his head. Before he could object, Luffy saw the yellowish item take its place upon the girl's head, covering the shimmering black locks of hair.
Looking at her more closely, he noticed a line of ink drawn beneath the girl's left eye, a stitch design that reminded him of his own scar. His brows knit together as he tried to think of what she might be dressed as.
"Dear me, don't tell me you can't guess what I am dressed as?" she asked, mock hurt in her voice as she watched Luffy's reaction. She could nearly hear the gears turning in his head, his concentration making her chuckle just a bit at his expense.
"Robin, why are you dressed like Luffy?" Nami asked, Luffy's eyes widening as the words clicked in his mind. He cast an almost accusatory finger at the older woman, his mouth hanging loosely open as the thought hit him.
"I was wondering where that shirt went!" he said, earning another light hearted laugh from the older woman.
"I am sorry, Luffy, and I wanted to tell you, but I wanted it to be a surprise," she said, smile wavering just a bit as he let his hand fall back to his side. The tall woman watched as his eyes ran over her slender frame, watching the billowy red fabric sway in the breeze, almost offering too much of a view of her ample cleavage.
After a moment of thought, the young man clasped his arms around the older woman's waist, pulling her body flush with his own. "Well, it sure is surprising," he said simply, as he placed a firm kiss to the young woman's pink lips. He smiled against her as he felt her do the same, the others simply excusing themselves to avoid seeing more than they wanted to.
After a moment, Luffy pulled away from the woman, licking his lips from her sweet strawberry flavored lip gloss. "Don't worry, I will be sure to give the shirt back once tonight is over," she said, earning a light shaking of the head from Luffy.
"Nah, it looks better on you anyway," he said, causing the girl to blush just a bit.
"I am glad you like it," she said, clasping his fingers with her own, pulling him into the house.
"Happy Halloween, Robin," he said simply, smiling enthusiastically as they entered the eerie and darkened home.
"Happy Halloween, Luffy," she responded, knowing he would be able to enjoy himself thoroughly.
Not sure how I ended up with the characters I ended up with here, but it just sort of came out this way. Might eventually do a sort of sequel to this, since I found the world appealing to me a bit. What do you all think? On another note, I have started submitting some stuff to my DA account, so head over there if you want to check out my submissions for Ty Luko week. Also, after this week, I am planning to get back into writing One Piece fics, namely Luffy x Robin mainly with some Luffy x Hancock thrown in. Look forward to that, good readers. Until then.
