(df) = two-syllable devil fruit name, such as Yomi, Hana or Gomu (can be any fruit you wish)
You were alone on the deck, and the rest of the Straw Hat crew was eating dinner. A small, uneaten piece of bread fell out of your hand and into the churning water below.
Your (e/c) eyes stared off into the distance, your elbows leaning on the Thousand Sunny's railing. The grass tickled your bare feet pleasantly as you reminisced about the past. To be honest, you loved your crew. The Straw Hats were the kindest, most human pirates you had ever met, and that was saying something, considering that you'd been on at least five ships already. Each had kicked you out after you said a couple opinionated words about the captain or a certain sighed deeply, and your (h/c) hair fluttered in the breeze. Words from a close friend floated into your mind.
"Hey, (f/n)! I hope you join the Whitebeards! It's the best crew on the seas!"
A pang shot through your heart as you whispered his name to the wind. "Ace."
You hadn't thought about him for a while. A small smile crept onto your face as you remembered the only crew that you hadn't been expelled from...the Whitebeard had joined the crew through unconventional means; it was all because of a chance encounter.
Actually, you lived on one of the islands under the Yonko's was a perfectly normal day. As usual, you had been walking on the paved street. Suddenly, a pair of men in black had sprung out of an alleyway you had just gone past. No one was nearby, so the taller one hit you in the head and pinned you against a building wall. You had struggled halfheartedly, but gave up as soon as you were punched. The other one swiftly snatched your purse, which was the signal to let you fall to the ground with a thump. You lay there motionlessly and watched the bandits disappear back down the alley from whence they came.
Not minutes later, a tall boy with an ugly orange cowboy hat and no shirt on ran by. For some reason incomprehensible to your muddled mind, he stopped and knelt down by you. A deep frown was on his face, and you looked away in fear that it was meant for you. However, it was not, as you would soon discover.
"Hey. Hey! Are you okay? What's your name? What happened? Who did this to you?" He put a warm hand on your shoulder, a concerned look in his dark eyes. Silently, you picked through his rapid questions and answered the most important ones.
"I'm (f/n)(l/n). Robbed. They...left a minute ago. Down that alley." You pointed weakly, and he nodded. With a hasty motion, he yanked the flamboyant hat off his head and placed it on your own.
"Wait here. I'll be back with your purse in, say, five minutes." You nodded with nothing else to say, and he sprinted was true to his word. Approximately five minutes later, he came back with both your purse and both of the thieves. He set your purse down on the ground beside you, then banged the mens' heads together.
"Hey, idiots! Apologize to (f/n)!" The still-unknown aide glared down at the aforementioned bandits. You watched as the two bowed down and muttered a low "Sorry..." with unapologetic looks on their faces. As the cowboy-hat guy reached down to smash them together again, you waved a hand frantically and stood up.
"Um...thank you, that's enough. And I never got your name?" you said quietly.
The tanned boy grinned brightly at you.
"I'm Portgas D. Ace, Second Division Commander in the Whitebeard Pirates!"
You grinned at the memory. Afterwards, you had joined the crew, even if it was for a short time. That was your first time as a pirate, and also where you had eaten your devil fruit, the (df)(df) no mi.
When Ace was at Marineford for his execution, you were horrified. The thought of not being able to help your savior was beyond belief, so you stole a boat from the island you were on and sailed there yourself. (At the time, you hadn't joined the Straw Hats yet.)
You arrived just in time to see Ace punched through the chest.
Never in your entire life had you cried as much as you did that day. However, that day was also a blessing, for you met the young man called Straw Hat Luffy, Ace's younger 'brother'. Together you bonded over the experience of losing one of the most important people in your life, and eventually you joined his crew, allowing some of your emotional burden to be lifted.
Now here you were, lost again in the ocean called life. There was no log pose to direct you or to tell you where to go. No compass, no map; and you didn't know if it was worth living for. Slowly, you dropped your arms to your sides and hooked one leg over the railing, then the other, until you were sitting on the edge of the rail. Your (h/c) hair blew painfully into your smooth face, leaving red marks behind. In your head, it was as if the wind hated you too, along with the sea...
Suddenly, you heard the noise of booted feet running. You didn't turn your head; nothing could change your mind now, when you were so determined to do this to yourself...
"(y/n)!"You shook your head, a small smile gracing your features.
"(y/n), wait! Don't do it!"You didn't know who was speaking, and you didn't really warm arms were wrapped around you, pulling you back. You fell clumsily onto the speaker, letting out an "Oof!" when you got the wind knocked out of you.
You rolled over, and a face filtered into your vision. A long nose was the first thing you saw, and you realized that the interloper was locked gazes with him, and your steady glare made him flinch.
"H-hey, (y/n)...don't go around throwing yourself off the ship, okay?" His voice trembled a little, and a small crack appeared in your shell of self-pity and depression. You didn't think that people would miss you much..
.Usopp's face became determined, and he sat up to look at you.
"(f/n), we need you. You're a part of the crew. You're our nakama, and I - I mean we - care about you." A small blush spread over his face, which you saw clearly. Another crack appeared.
"Don't ever do what you were about to do again. Think about what others will feel! What we will all feel!" He was practically yelling now, and your expression froze into a shocked stare.
"Never, ever leave us! I know what you've gone through before! Most of us have felt something similar in our pasts too! So let us be your family, be your friends!" You noticed that he was shaking, with fear or passion you did not know.
You watched Usopp shut his eyes tightly and clench his fists.
"(f/n), I love you!"
Your mouth dropped open, and you gaped at the long-nosed sniper.
"...really?" you asked tentatively.
He blinked in surprise, and you realized that he didn't think that you would answer. He recovered and nodded adamantly.
"Absolutely. (f/n)..."A huge smile broke out onto your face. It felt as if you were free, free from the bonds of Ace's death and from the pain that you had encountered. Someone cared about you, wanted you alive instead of dead.
"I love you too, Usopp..."
