Hero
By: Liete
Disclaimer: Still not mine.
As a girl her dreams had been much like those of damsels in fairytales. A knight on a white horse would come and save her and the other villagers from Arlong's clutches and then she'd be carried off into the sunset and live happily ever after. As she grew older, she realized that such a thing would never happen. She had to save herself, and earn the money that would set her and the ones she loved free. Nevertheless, somewhere deep down, she held onto that childish hope that a hero would appear.
You can imagine her disappointment when the knight on a white horse was replaced with an annoying and persistent boy in a straw hat. It was true that Luffy had done amazing things when faced with Buggy the Clown and the infamous Captain Kuro, but he was no match for Arlong, Devil's Fruit and monstrous strength or not. Eight years of work would be lost in an instant if he interfered.
But then Arlong had betrayed her and the promise he had made. Eight years of work were lost, but not because of Luffy. The villagers were going to die and she had to stay the cartographer of the one she hated most. The knife in her shoulder was nothing; all she knew was her rage towards Arlong. That is, until Luffy's hand stopped hers. He was too annoying, too stubborn. Why hadn't he left? What did he hope to accomplish? The dam broke inside her.
"Luffy, help me," she weakly managed. Everything was lost anyway, what would it matter if she finally surrendered her fate? His expression was unreadable as she felt something set roughly on her head.
"DAMN RIGHT!" He had yelled and marched off to where the others had been waiting. The reality of what he had placed on her head set in and she felt suddenly overwhelmed. All she had to do was say the word and he would have torn Arlong apart the moment he set foot on that island. She sobbed and watched as he and those other guys made their way to Arlong Park, until their silhouettes faded into the distance. The straw hat, Luffy's treasure, rested comfortingly on her head as she remained collapsed on the ground. Crying would do her no good, not when everyone else was fighting. Not when Luffy was fighting for her sake, just because she had asked.
She braced herself and ran to Arlong Park where she would surely see the knight from her childhood dreams dissolve into the strong, reliable figure of the future Pirate King.
