Lucas' words tailed off as he saw the color drain from his partner's face. Her brown eyes were wide and looking at something behind him, fear evident in the slight tremor of her lips. His sniper was a vicious woman with the guts of one hundred men, he was almost hesitant to turn around. She was a braver person than he, so he knew that whatever was behind him was something to be feared. He straightened stiffly, now noticing that the whole of the grove had gone silent. Only the distant popping of the resin bubbles was herd high above. He turned, following her gaze to watch a young man calmly walking down the grassy lane. Anyone that was standing nearby swiftly moved away, giving the man a wide berth, even some of his allies that came to the new world with him. He didn't blame them, couldn't even think about calling them cowards. After all, the man walking down was wearing a straw hat. He swallowed harshly, nearly choking on his own spit, but he refused to make a sound.
The last thing he wanted was the attention of the king of the pirates, a man who blessed them with his mere presence. He continued to stare open mouthed like many others, trying to peer past the harsh shadow that was cast across his face. The only thing visible was a wide grin that sent shivers down his spine. They all watched with baited breaths as the young man drew further and further away, uncaring of the attention he received. After a moment longer, the whole of the grove let out a unanimous breath that they had all been holding. Lucas saw several captains round up their crews and scurry off to the docks, more than likely to get far, far away from Sabaody.
"Wow"
Lucas turned back towards his sniper and nodded towards her, understanding what went unsaid. For a single man to cause such a reaction with his presence, it was awe inspiring. He hadn't displayed any power nor said a word. His very being was enough, the pirate king truly was larger than life.
HCTK
Rayleigh took a swing of his sake, pride flowing through him as he watched Luffy approach. Even now, with the title of king, Luffy remained uncaring of the opinions of others. He saw when the grove went silent, how civilians and pirates alike shivered at his presence, his aura. He could almost see their very souls squirming away from something they couldn't understand. Though there was a good amount of fear, it was not all that was tangible in the air. Awe, jealousy, inspiration, and appreciation also lingered. But most of all, there was a healthy level of respect from those who knew him and from those that have heard the untwisted truths.
Luffy paused and looked up at him, his smile blinding as he waved from the ground. "Rayleigh!" His voice was cheerful and loud in the silence. "It's great to see you again!"
He felt an answering smile stretch across his own face as he nodded down at the young man from his perch on a root. "It's great to see you too, my king."
HCTK
Brown eyes stared down at the wanted poster in his shaking hands. On it, the pirate king Monkey D. Luffy was smiling at him, eyes bright and an air of cheerfulness surrounding him. He straightened the paper on his lap, making sure it was unwrinkled and completely smooth. His eye caught the trailing zeros, much higher than he could count right now. He chanced a glance at his mother, her wary expression never leaving the king from where he stood conversing with an older man. The grove was still silent, so it was harder than normal to sneak away from her, but he managed. He had plenty of cover since most adults were crowded towards the shops, none daring to walk on the street yet. It also helped that he was only up to several people's knees. Once at the edge of the crowd, he took in a big breath and made sure the marker was still in his pocket and the bounty still smooth. As quietly as he could, he broke away from the protection of the others and silently approached the king.
Gasps of horror trailed behind him as he drew closer and others noticed him, the distant plea of his mother reaching his ears. He didn't look back, he was determined to ask the man for his autograph. He swallowed when the old man and the king both looked down at him. From his view, their eyes were shadowed and only their wide smiles remained.
"Why hello little one, how can we help you?" The old man's voice was kind and gravely, so he took a hesitant step closer and extended the bounty towards the king with shaking limbs. He fished the marker from his pocket a second later and opened his mouth, only to find that words had failed him.
He glanced between the two, eyes pleading for what he couldn't say. The king tilted his head and a loud laugh escaped him, full and carefree. It echoed loudly in the silence of the grove and seemed to settle on everyone's shoulders, including his own. The man crouched and ruffled his hair, ignoring his mother's pleas in the background just as he was doing.
Now having a closer look, he could see dark eyes and black hair, the scar on his chest and his softening smile. The man smelled like wood, ash, sake and the sea.
The hand on his head retreated, grabbing the bounty and marker, signing it with his name and a smiley face.
"There, now head back to your mom. She looks worried about you." The king looked from him and off to the side. He followed the gaze and saw his mother shaking, on her knees and watching through teary eyes. He didn't know why she was so worried, after all, even his own father respected the king. He turned away from her and took one last, long look at Luffy before nodding and walking back towards his mom, staring at the king for as long as he could before his mother swept him up and ran towards their home.
HCTK
The deck of the ship grew silent, only the harsh pelting of rain against wood was heard. A rough breeze blew and his coat was whipped back, snapping taunt and chasing the howling wind. His breath caught in his throat before he shook his head and tilted his head up, squinting against the grey skies and rain. "Say that again!" He shouted towards the man on watch who was leaning out of the crow's nest, the man's features pale and eyes scared.
"Captain!" His swordsman sounded desperate. "The jolly roger, it's the king's!"
He closed his eyes, the rain stinging against his exposed skin. "Fuck" he cursed under his breath, but it may as well have been shouted. His crew reacted instantaneously, each looking towards him for orders. He ignored them and stepped up to the railing, watching as the lion figurehead grew larger and larger, the distance between both ships closing in. They had been in the new world for months now, they weren't weak, not by a long shot, but even they knew they couldn't compare to that crew of monsters. He glanced at his navigator and saw him shake his head, silently telling him that no matter what, they would be close to the king's ship even if they turned course now. He figured as much; the currents and winds were against them and the same was likely for the king.
"Captain," his navigator began, his voice just loud enough to carry over the thunder and rain. "Rumor has it that if we don't attack them, they won't attack us. I can't be sure but-" The man cut himself off with a grimace. He finished that thought for him.
"It's the only option we have." Of course, they would fight back if it came down to it, but as captain the safety of his crew came first. In a louder voice he shouted "Get everyone that can fit inside and below deck! We don't want any show of force! Make sure the canons are covered and the deck cleared!"
He watched as his crew nodded grimly and went about their tasks, none making a sound besides the squelch of wet boots hitting the deck. He sighed and moved towards the front of his ship, watching as shadows become visible on the deck of the king's ship. When the drumming of boots became silent, he gave his remaining crew one last reassuring glance before bracing himself and facing forward.
The first shadow he saw through the haze of rain was a man sitting on the figurehead of the ship. He swallowed, recognizing the captain by the hat he wore on his head. The ships grew closer to each other and he watched as the shadows seemed to cling to the king. His eyes were hidden from view from his hat, but the smile was unnerving. He swallowed and nodded his head respectfully, watching as the grin grew on the young man's face. He held his breath as he felt himself be assessed, watching with wide eyes as the hat was tilted back and curious, dark eyes were exposed. They landed on him, heavy and searching for what felt like an eternity.
Finally, the man nodded back and somehow his smile grew even wider. He let out a breath, his shoulders slumping at the apparent approval. He was glad when the king did him the favor of completely ignoring him. As their ships crossed each other he saw the rest of the crew looking down on their ship. They were the complete opposite of their captain with hard eyes and deep scowls. He recognized the pirate hunter, his one eye trained on him like the demon people said he was. He glanced away to the others, catching the eyes of black leg, his eyes drawn to the lit cigarette between his lips. Smoke curled around the blonde's face and the rain did nothing to lesson the intensity of his glare.
Up on the crow's nest their sniper was watching like a hawk, no emotion on his face, simply observing. No others were on deck, and he found himself counting his blessings. Being under the combined glare of just those three was enough, not to mention the unwavering smile of the pirate king.
He never knew such a welcoming smile could feel so dangerous.
