Stars in the Sky
This is a collection of moments in time that are as numerous and precious as stars in the sky and glimpses into a character's mind. Drabble and oneshot fic. Straw Hat crew centric. Warnings: potential development of yoai/yuri pairings.
Merry! I miss you!
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Summary: The adventures of the Straw Hat crew from Merry's perspective
Timeline: From Merry's recruitment into the Straw Hat crew and Merry's "death"
Main character(s): Going Merry, Straw Hats
Dreams
"I'll find All-Blue!"
"I'll be the pirate king!"
"I'll be the best swordsman!"
"I'll make a map of the world!"
"A-And I'll be a brave man of the seas!"
A voice that went unheard to the five pirates declared:
"I'll carry the Straw Hats across the seas of adventure and beyond!"
Damaged but Not Broken, Gone but Still Present
There wasn't a day that Merry went through without requiring some sort of damage ever since meeting the Straw Hat crew, even when they were back in East Blue.
Her childlike captain had no clue how to steer her properly, often making her collide into something. Admittedly, he did try to mend her, but his aid often ended up in a disaster, both for her and the crew. His lazy first-mate and his lady-loving cook never got along with each other, and their arguments often resulted into fights which damage their surroundings. Unfortunately, her body happened to be the surroundings most of the time. Her crew's domineering navigator, while never harmed her like the "Monster Trio" did, often dented her planks by stopping the boys' fight via bashing their head against her deck or walls. Her dear creator's master's friend tried really hard to fix the damage, but he just wasn't a shipwright. All he could do was patch her up with planks and metal sheets.
Still, Merry loved them all the same.
Then, they entered the Grandline where her beloved nakama grew. They now had a daring princess and her brave spotted-bill duck, an impressionable little doctor, and a mysterious archaeologist. Together, though not with all members at the same time, they travelled to different islands stuck in different times and seasons, to their princess's desert kingdom, up the knock-up stream and into the sky, freefalling from the white sea back to the blue sea, and much more.
Of course, in such a dangerous sea and with their growing reputation, they encountered more enemies, enemies which had no qualms regarding battles on the sea. They attempted to keep her from harm, but there were always the stray cannonball or harpoon that they missed. And the crew themselves never did ceased in their antics from East Blue.
As such, the damage on her body accumulated. Merry knew that she would be unfit for travel before her crewmates' dreams could be achieved, but she wouldn't give up until her treasured Straw Hats would be able to reach an island and find a new ship. There was no way she would leave them stranded in the middle of the sea, especially since there were Hammers on board, or on an island where a decent ship wouldn't be found.
Her wish came true when they reached Water Seven.
Still, it was more than heartbreaking when her captain and his sniper fought over her when the shipwrights revealed to them what she had known since their adventure on Skypiea. In a way, she was lucky one of the Straw Hats (though he had supposedly cut ties with the rest of them) stayed by her side. Otherwise, she would've never known the trouble her nakama had gotten into with the nasty marines.
(Really, why couldn't they just leave her beloved alone and let them achieve their dreams? There were more pirates in the world than her Straw Hats. The marines should chase after them instead.)
Merry begged a shipwright to fix her damaged body as best as possible, sailed through the stormy seas where no ship dared to travel to Enies Lobby, and into the middle of the battle her crew and their new friends were having against fleets of marines. Delight filled her soul when they jumped into the ocean. They heard her call! Her crew had returned! Her crew was safe!
She strained to keep her creaking body from falling apart as they left the destroyed city. If she faltered, her family would be captured by the marines. If she stopped, her treasures would be stranded. If she failed, she would never forgive herself. It wasn't until they met the shipwright who had heard her pleads halfway back to Water Seven that she finally let go and allowed her body to be spilt into two.
Her captain set fire to her body, hoping to free her soul from spending the rest of eternity down in the dark depths of the ocean. Merry tried her best to make sure their flag was the last thing to be ablaze. After all, she was proud to be one of their nakama. None of her crewmates left her as she burned. They stood on dinghies provided by the shipwright and watched with tearing eyes. Summoning her remaining strength, Merry told her nakama how much she loved them before her body became too damaged to contain her soul.
Even though her body turned to ashes, her spirit still remained. She watched over her Straw Hats as they found new nakama and went on with their dangerous adventures. She stood guard over them when their body was too damaged to move. She comforted them to the best of her ability when their spirits were low. She cheered with them during their victories and parties.
Merry may not be able to physically carry them to reach their dreams anymore, but she would stay with her nakama as long as a piece of her still remained.
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What do you think of my drabble/one shot fic? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.
Disclaimer: Sadly enough, as much as I love One Piece, I don't own anything here but the drabble/one shot themselves and the OCs (if there are any)
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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra
