SIKE! IT'S NOT IN A MONTH BUT IN A FEW DAYS! YOU HAVE BEEN TRCIKED!
Seriously tho, I did not expect to gain this much attention. This gives me motivation to continue this fic, which, again, is a guilty pleasure fic. Bear in mind that I'm still somewhat freestyling, and I would love some feedback or any information if my story is starting to get nonsensical or spiral in the wrong way. Or plot holes.
I'm still kind of pissed that this fic almost exceed the numbers in favs and follows just with one chapter than my marmalade fic, which has more words and thought put into it. Oh well.
I don't and never plan to add pairing in this story. Everything is pure platonic. Sure some characters may have a 'crush' on her, but I mean, who wouldn't when they're a literal mermaid. But of course development will happen and everyone is friends. Except enemies.
If you know, there's already another fic of fem mermaid luffy. While it has a nice story (and gorgeous arts), I dislike the 'harem' aspect, or polygamy relationship. I don't have anything personal with it, it's just not exactly my genre haha
He may be insane right now.
"I told you guys, there's this kid on the water and they sang the most wonderful, heart-aching, beautiful song I've ever heard! C'mon, the whole ship heard it, right?"
Benn sweats dropped, not believing anything Shanks said. "Captain, do you want some fruit to get rid of that hunger of yours? Is getting out of hand."
"I'm not imagining things!" He still tried to convince them, but no one believed and he's not so surprised by that. Of course, if one of his crewmates were to say, 'Hey so I heard this awesome singing voice by a kid in the middle of the ocean, head just popping off the surface of the water' He would probably not believe them as well.
"Yeah and the five elders are wearing dresses. C'mon, I think an island is near and I hope they get a restaurant there or something."
Shanks only concedes as he dejectedly looks at the sea. He did not expect the kid to show again, be he silently hopes they would appear, or maybe even meet in person.
Lucy rushed to the bar, not bothering to answer Makino's question and concern for her. She went upstairs and locked herself in her room, sitting against the door.
'W-what have I done?' She frantically thought. 'I, I sang and a… a ship appeared out of nowhere, I guess I was too busy enjoying myself singing and not paying attention, but…'
Her mind went back to the red haired person she locked eyes upon. He looked shocked, which is understandable. She hoped the person didn't remember her face, they were pretty far away from each other.
'Maybe I shouldn't sing after all… I'm glad he only sees my head.'
She stood up and walked to the mirror in her little room. Her appearance looked dishevelled, and very wet – but she didn't pay attention to that. 'Maybe I should change my hairstyle…' She paused. 'Would he even stay on this island? He may just be sailing randomly. But, it doesn't hurt to be cautious.'
She decided to take a shower, the salty ocean smell still stuck on her, not that she minded but Makino would scold her for that. She went to the bathroom and prepared everything. The lukewarm water washed all over her body, and she tried to focus on the feeling and try not to think too much of the man.
Speaking of which, why is he on a ship? It doesn't look like a trading ship, nor marine or sailor. The ship looked fearsome too, is it the pirate her grandpa always complained about?
She wore her casual clothes and wrapped a towel around her shoulders. When she reached downstairs, Makino immediately ran to her. She crouched to get on her eye level.
"Lucy, what happened? You just went upstairs so quickly, does something matter?" She asked, worried.
She shook her head, and tried to mouth an 'It's okay.' Makino doesn't look convinced, but doesnt press on further on the subject.
"Alright… if anything bothers you, you could always talk to me, alright?"
Lucy nodded.
"Land ho!"
Shanks raised his head, taking a swing of the bottle of alcohol in his hand before wiping his mouth sloppily. "Alright! Go wherever that land is!"
Benn quietly walked to him and gave him a glass of water. He murmured "Thanks, Benn." And drank it slowly.
The Red Force makes her way into the island, which seems to be peaceful. The simple and quiet village in the distance, and the gentle waves across the sandy beach.
'Might be our base, actually," Shanks thought. He placed his hand on his forehead, trying to see the island from far away.
He noticed there were already people waiting on the shore. He already prepared himself for a lot of shouting and yelling of protest. He sighed, all he hoped was that they're welcoming. Maybe he needs to look more friendly and make a good first impression. What, holding a white flag? No, that would destroy his crew's dignity. Give them free stuff? No, all of their stuff belongs to them only.
That leaves Shanks with… communication. Well, it's not really his forte, he had to rely on Benn for this one. He could already hear him groaning in the background.
When they finally arrived and dropped the anchor, the main crew stepped foot on the island, The rest stayed in the ship, trying not to show too much in number to appear less threatening.
A grumpy old man with a bucket hat moved forward dauntless, he slammed his cane into the ground. He cleared his throat.
"I'm the mayor of this village. Now, what does a pirate crew have in business for us?" He asked, suspicion clear in his voice. Some villagers behind him stared at the crew cautiously.
"Relax, we mean no harm to this village nor the villagers. We just want to rest and stock our supplies," He explained calmly.
"How should we know that you're not lying? For all I know, you could be lying and stab us all in the back," His voice is getting more suspicious.
Shanks almost groaned out of frustration. Why is it so hard to convince them that he's not going to hurt them? Oh, wait, he's a pirate.
"We swear we would never do that. Betrayal is the thing we hated the most, we treat 'trust' very seriously. Even if we are a pirate, we still have standards," Benn took the conversation and he's relieved. Shanks might make the situation even worse.
The villagers whispered to each other, and the old man only eyed them. After a while, he spoke up.
"...Alright, we'll test that 'standard' of yours. Just so you know, this village is guarded by the most powerful marine. We could call him in seconds and he'll come after you," He threatened them.
Shanks sighed, happy that they're accepted, even if they're on thin ice at the moment. "I swear on Davy Jones, old man."
"My name is Woop Slap!" He yelled. Shanks laughed as he waved to some of his crew members. They began scrambling off to the ship.
"Let's not cause any aggravation, captain. We just got accepted and we don't want to be expelled immediately," Benn warned. Shanks tried to calm down and stifle a quiet laugh for the last time.
"By the way, do you guys have any bars here? Or any place we can eat?"
Just as he asked that, a pretty woman came forward. Her short green hair kept up with the kerchief on her head. She gave a gentle smile, "I just happen to own a bar here. I'll guide you to the place."
Shanks felt tears streaming down from his face, getting some concern and bafflement from the villagers.
Finally. Food.
The bar is full of Shanks crew, but no villagers dare to step inside, afraid of the pirates. What they don't know is that the 'ruthless' pirates they're talking about is celebrating a party and getting drunk inside the bar, whilst doing stupid stuff.
Makino served many people, but never had she thought a group of pirates to be so fun. She found herself laughing and feeling happy with the pirates. This is certainly a new experience for her, and she's glad she served them.
"Another glass, Makino-san!" One of the men said. She gave them another bottle before continuing cooking more meals for them.
It was still noon, and they're already partying and getting drunk like there's no tomorrow. She chuckled at that, before she suddenly thought about Lucy.
'Lucy is still upstairs… She should be taking a nap now.
'I wonder what happened before, running past me like that in such a tardy manner… something must've happened.'
"Why the sad face? Something is bothering you?"
She snapped out of her thoughts and saw Shanks staring at her with amusement. She gave a reassuring smile and continued cutting the vegetables.
"It's nothing. I'm just worried for someone, but she's fine right now."
"Oh? A friend of yours?"
"Something like that."
The bar was loud, the loudest and crowded in her life and time being a bartender. But soon everyone on the crew got tired, they left with a good amount of supplies they brought back to the ship.
She sighed, feeling and tired but satisfied. She continued washing the dishes and mopping the floor.
When Lucy woke up, it was already evening. She yawned, stretching her arms. Thankfully when she gets out of bed, her legs are still intact. Oddly enough, sometimes she would change form while she's sleeping. It's annoying, and she's trying to work on it. She opened her drawer and grabbed a bobby pin, applying it to her hair.
She went downstairs, stomach growling in hunger. She saw Makino wiping one of the tables, the rest of the bar was empty.
She walked so quietly to her, already used to making little to no sound when walking. She tugged her dress, Makino startled for a moment before realising it was Lucy.
"Ah, Lucy! You're awake," She stopped wiping the table and face towards her. "Did you have a good nap?"
Lucy nodded her head, before pointing her finger to her tummy.
Makino chuckled, "Alright, alright. I'll prepare the food, fish as usual?"
She gave her a huge grin, indicating a clear 'yes.'
Makino grabbed some fish from the fridge, relieved that there are still leftovers despite the amount of food she just served to the rambunctious pirate previously.
Usually, she cooks the fish for her, but Lucy would sometimes eat it raw – in a form of sushi. So she does exactly that, another reason is she's extremely tired. She cut the fish into neat pieces and wrapped it in rice. Adding a few seaweed and egg here and there.
By the time she's finished, Luffy had already changed into her mermaid form. Her tail occasionally swung around, visible behind the counter. Her fin on the side of her face fluttered slightly.
"Here you go," She placed the plate of sushi in front of her.
"Thanks for the food!" She exclaimed before digging in the food.
Makino smiled to herself as she watched her eat. Something caught her eyes, however.
"Lucy, since when did you decide to use a bobby pin?" Makino asked, curious.
Lucy stopped eating. Sweating, trying to come up with an answer on the spot.
"Uh.. um… I thought I'd like a different hairstyle today?" She smiled nervously. "...And uh… My pony gets in the way when I swim. So I thought maybe I should just pin it y'know?" It's half truth, or, a quarter of it. It gets in the way, sure, but she doesn't mind it.
Makino, again, not convinced. Lucy has been acting strange lately, she thought.
"..If you say so. Lucy, I'm still open if you want to talk about anything. Come to me whenever you need someone to talk with, whether you want to vent or ask for help, I'm always here for you, alright?"
Lucy felt extremely guilty now. All she can do is nod, not trusting on speaking up. Maybe she'll say something that makes her more suspicious.
She continued eating the sushi at a slow pace now, with Makino preparing to close the bar. It's not midnight yet, which is usually the time the bar's closed. But again, she doesn't think her body is capable of staying up that late – even if there's almost no customer.
Lucy finished her food, and she excused herself upstairs yet again, changing her form.
"You're not going outside, Lucy?" Makino asked. She had a habit of spending most of her night playing outside, not tonight it seems.
She shook her head.
"Alright. I'm kind of relieved you don't plan on going outside tonight. A group of pirates decide to stay on this island – they're nice, but I can't help but worry what they can do to you..."
Lucy was surprised by this. A pirate? The group that gramps hate and goal is to exterminate them all.
But Makino said they're nice, yet warned her about them. She's confused, but for Makino, she followed along.
She went to her bedroom, and decided to spend her time doodling some pictures. She grabbed sheets of papers and crayons, and started to draw.
Some meat, she drew a fish swirling around it. Her mouth waters again at the thought of food. She drew Makino, barely recognizable if it weren't for her signature green hair and kerchief she always wore everywhere. She drew a beach environment, some corals and seashells on the sand, and a very… abstract looking seagull. Which is just a wide 'v' line.
She paused. She hasn't drawn herself in the paper.
Odd, she had drawn for many years, yet she never once drew herself.
'I'll try to do it today.'
She drew her face, her hair, and her clothes. But she stopped midway, just on her waist.
How should she draw her… bottom part?
Her fish tail? Or her legs?
She's facing probably the hardest dilemma in her life up until now. Drawing herself out of all things. But it's important for her, and she's having a real hard time here.
'I'm a mer… but I can be human as well… What am I?'
Mind empty, the room is quiet. But not a few minutes later, she shrugged it off.
'I'll just draw both!'
And so her self portrait is Lucy with a leg, and a tail of a fish. The seagull's abstractness rivals this one for sure.
Shanks yawned, feeling the familiar hangover he experienced countless times.
Yesterday was such a blast, getting treated by a pretty, and a kind bartender at that one too. Such a rare occurrence for him, since most bartenders just gave him either a frightened look or disgusted one. But this woman was so different. Of course he knew what a kind person is, and he met many of them.
Though, this one bartender lives on a small peaceful island. Surely she's bound to be terrified of something like pirates? But now she acts like it;s an everyday or normal thing for her. Or, perhaps, it is normal for her after all.
He stopped thinking too much, trying to get rid of the hangover first. When he stepped outside his captain quarter, he could already sense all of his crewmates having the same problem as him.
Except Benn, somehow, Despite him drinking a large amount of alcohol, his tolerance for it was just that good.
"Rise and shine, you drunkards," Benn clapped his hand twice, earning a lot of groans from the crew. Shanks included.
"Can we stay here for a while and get our senses back for a moment," One of them whined. Benn sighed and just waved off and left the room.
Shanks grabbed a bottle of water and went upstairs to the deck so he could feel the fresh air. He stared at the village in the distance, though his attention went more to the bar.
He planned to go there again.
Makino woke up earlier, preparing the bar. Lucy is still sleeping, she doesn't want to disturb her. Cleaning her bar on the outside, getting rid of some of the dust that has been collecting on the wooden surface.
She stopped dusting off when she noticed a tall figure approaching her bar in the distance. Realising the prominent red hair, she felt slightly calmer.
"Good morning, Captain. You're awfully early for someone that drinks non stop yesterday," She greeted.
"Is that really what you say the first thing to me for my hungover?" He pouted. "Also, just call me Shanks."
Makino laughed, "Sorry. Anyway, would you like to come inside my bar?" She offered.
Shanks immediately accepted it, they both went inside the place. It was quiet as he expected. He sat on the stool.
"What would you like?"
"Meat. Any kind. I just want some food."
She nodded and started cooking a simple steak.
"... We haven't really talked properly, haven't we?" Shanks started.
Makino raised an eyebrow to him. "I mean, once we got inside your bar we immediately just started drinking and partying. Not much real conversation," He elaborated.
"Oh, right." She flipped the steak. "Do you want to talk?"
"Why not," He shrugged. They continued chatting, giving out each of their information, albeit vaguely. Both don't seem to like sharing their past, so they talk about the present – even in the future. Shanks continued eating the steak and slowly regained his balance as the conversation continued.
In the middle of it all though, he heard a footstep coming somewhere at the back. He stopped chewing and went to look at the door behind the counter.
It opened, revealing a little girl. She wore a t-shirt and pants, just normal clothing. What made him curious is that she looks awfully familiar. Her bangs were pinned by the little bobby pin, showing most of her forehead.
"Didn't know you had a kid, Makino-san."
Makino looked behind her and saw Lucy. She was about to say something before realising the look on Lucy's face.
"Lucy…?"
It's fear.
NOW expect new updates in a month or so.