Thank you to all the people, who followed me after the last chapter. This is a secret but this chapter was meant to be part of the last one. But the discussion between Lucy and Shanks ate up all the chapter. I'm still happy with it though so. If you notice any mistakes please tell me, I have dyslexia I can't find them all. I said I would probably post tomorrow on my last chapter but I got a surprise. My little half-brother was allowed to stay over the weekend. I haven't seen him in around a month, due to COVID. So I naturally spent my entire weekend with him.
Writing is in Italics
Techniques or devil fruits are in underline
Thesonicsuperstar: Thanks! I was trying hard to get across how she felt about the situation. It seems I succeeded. Yay! As for Shanks, thank the heavens I didn't screw his character over. I would have the entire Fandom on my back for it!
SakuraS41: I hope this slightly lighter-hearted chapter can also live up to your expectations. I am new to the whole fanfiction scene. I mean I have read hundreds. But reading and writing are two different things and I really don't know the proper course of action, it's kinda hope and pray. Seems to be working out so far!
Lucky's-Dice: I don't know if the first part of your review is a good or bad thing. As for making my character human. It's a self-insert, it by design is meant to be human. I have no clue what goes through some peoples head on what an average person would do if inserted into – fic. The natural reaction would be oh hell No! Why should I do this! Her devil fruit reveal is next chapter, Its Paramecia and kinda my own invention. (This is where I learn someone else did it before and I look stupid)
I DON'T OWN ONE PIECE, and I never will
Chapter 3 start:
After their conversation in the little clearing, the two became nearly inseparable. Shanks decided to take Lucy under his wing and to do the one thing he knew best…to create absolute mischief! As well as partying and adventure of course.
As the weeks passed many of the villagers would find themselves on the end of pranks, from the simple such as their windows painted blue, to the slightly more extreme of being dropped down a six-foot hole filled with sticky weed. Luckily none were designed with malicious intent, and no private property was destroyed. The villages did not care about that though, only the annoyance it caused, needless to say, many were not happy at being tormented by the supposedly friendly pirates.
Angry and out for revenge they stormed the Party's bar to confront Red hair Shanks, the leader of the pirates 'maliciously attacking them' only to be stopped by what they saw. On the seat next to their desired target was Monkey D Lucy wearing a white dress, not an odd sight since she lived at the bar, but her facial expression surprised them. She was smiling. It was small, at best a tiny upwards slant of her mouth. But the villages had never seen her smile, not once in her life. On her face had always lied a frown at best and the rest of her facial expressions only went downhill from there. Here she was smiling at the pirate captain, who was energetically waving his hands around as he told some story or another.
At the entrance of half the village, he stopped along with all his crew and the little girl beside him. Both sides decided to simply stare at each other, the villages in surprise overseeing Lucy smile for the first time in their collective memories, the pirates in confusion. It dragged on….for a while before Red hair Shanks decided to break it by stating ''Um…Can I help you?''
This broke the villages out of their shock and they angrily demand that the captain control his mischievous subordinates. Demands to stop the 'aggression' against them and to pay for all damages done in full. Said subordinates were very confused about what was going, considering they had done nothing of the sort. They had been partying yes, but made sure to control themselves to not alienate the village that their captain had settled down in. As such, they tried to refute these claims as false…only to end up in a long debate (shouting match) over the perceived issue. Sensing the mood of the conversation was starting to overheat, and fearing being forced out the village Shanks decided to intervene by stating ''It was not my subordinates who committed all those pranks''
''Oh yeah then who did!'' cried one villager
''everyone else is accounted for, it can only be them!'' Shouted another
''Someone painted my purple tulips bright Orange and my orange ones purple!'' Shouted someone in the back. They were ignored.
Mayor Wood Slap fearing for another shouting match between the two sides, called for quiet. He was getting too old to deal with all this nonsense! But he was mayor and it fell on his shoulders to represent Foosha village in times of 'crises.' At his request all the villages silenced, understanding that they should let their leader negotiate with the pirates. When all was silent he turned to the leader of the opposition, Red Hair Shanks, who had seemed to be lounging on his stool, back resting on the bar counter. He looked for all intents and purposes without a care in the world, a grin adorning his face as he slowly sipped a bottle of sake, and stared lazily back at him. While Wood Slap would like to have some words about the man's manners later, he pushed them aside to ask ''so you know who's been terrorizing our village?''
''Know who it is? Of course I know who it is'' As soon as he said that a shadow crossed his face, his smile disappearing like smoke to be replaced by a thin line. The temperature in the room dropping rapidly, some of the villages even started shaking slightly from the sudden drop. In the air, a sudden pressure made everyone, apart from the Red Hair pirate's best, breath slightly faster as their body's activated their adrenaline glands. All were looking at the pirate captain now…waiting for the confirmation of the offender. ''The one you're looking for'' The pirate started ''is none other than the great evi-'' only to be cut off by a small voice to his side ''it was him''.
All eyes swivelled to Monkey D Lucy, the girl sat next to the man, as she pointed quite clearly at the red-haired pirate. Just like that, all the tension popped like an overfilled balloon. The man on the other end of her pointer finger floundered, all the buildup and momentum wasted. However, now all eyes swivelled back to him and in a panic he said ''No! No! It was not me! It was the great evil pirate captain 'pranking' Parson! Yes not me! Not me at all hahahahahahaaaaa''
Silence filled the bar.
Everyone looking at the sweating pirate captain, said man simply turned to face the roof of the bar and started to whistle. It was very off tune. If one could see the faces of almost everyone in the bar, they would see a wall of mouths opened comically wide and a large cartoon sweat symbol over their heads. The only ones who did not have their mouths open were Ben Beckham who was smirking behind his cigarette, Lucy who was sitting next to the man with a small smile on her lips, and Lucky Roo who was still eating meat.
The silence lasted until a large ''WHAT!?'' rocked the bar. Even the citizens of Goa city could hear the tremendous shout. After that large exclamation, silence returned. No one quite knew what was going on; even Makino behind the bar stared surprised at the reveal. The first to break the ice was Mayor Wood Slap ''Bu-t w why would you ca-cause trouble in our villa-iag?'' His shaking voice, asked the question everyone wanted to hear.
At this, the captain looked away from the ceiling and through his teeth stated ''It was the great evil pirate captain 'pranking' Parsons, well known for going into small villages and pranking everyone for fun. It was not me'' Even if it wasn't obvious, almost everyone could tell it was a lie. This was, for three reasons, he was looking none of them in the eye, his mouth was squeezed shut like he ate a lemon and he was sweating profusely. (Luffy lying face)
''Give it up, everyone knows it's you'' stated one Monkey D Lucy, looking at the man next to her with amusement in her eyes. She was clearly enjoying this. At the comment, the said man swivelled his gaze to his younger companion and animatedly stated ''only because you told them! If you followed the plan we could have gotten away scot-free! '' He then acted as if mourning and stated ''the perfect plan ruined….ruiiiinned!'' The final word leaving his mouth was said with such fanfare he could join a travelling troupe of actors if he auditioned.
The young girl simply stared at the man for a moment as if thinking 'what the hell?' before stating ''I never wanted a part in your plan'' And with that said turned back to the glass of apple juice and book on the bar top beside her. Her red-haired companion at her comment puffed out his lower lip and replied ''and here I thought partners in crime stuck together. But I have been betrayed so ruthlessly'' To further his point he adopted a sad expression on his face. Eyes brows dropping as his pout intensified. No one bought it.
He was ignored by Lucy as she favoured opening a book about the history of the east blue. She gave him a stone-faced but simple reply, before she started reading ''Yep. Now take all the blame''. At this red hair Shanks looked shocked his mouth wide open in mock surprise. His partner treating him with such indifference. And let it be known that red hair Shanks was not one to be beaten in a verbal sparring match so easily, so he retorted with ''so ~Cruel ~''. His younger advisory ignored him for a sip of her apple juice. The only reason he noticed he got through, was the slight tug of her lips behind the glass.
The villager's eyes moved between the two of them, like they were watching a game of tennis. One thing ran through all their heads 'Is…this a comedy sketch…?' It was so over the top that it had to be. All the grievances from before, were simply forgotten as the two people in front of them messed around like there wasn't a serious conversation to be had. Eventually, as silence descended from the pause in the conversation a different voice added their two cents ''Lu-Lucy you had a part in this?'' Asked Mayor Wood Slap. Never in his recollection had she gone out of her way to harm others, she had always been a quiet child, not loving, but not aggressive, the true persona of neutrality. To think that she was capable of harming others, no matter how small was an unthinkable conclusion in Wood Slaps opinion.
Monkey D Lucy simply turned a page of her book, before gesturing with a side head bob in Shanks's direction and saying ''Nope…all him'' Not even looking up from her book. Shanks not one to take a deflection so quietly responded with ''Hey! You suggested half the pranks!''
Seemingly annoyed, Lucy huffed into the book, before turning her face towards him and saying with no emotion on her face ''only because you dragged me along and I had nothing else to do'' At this Shanks once stuck his tongue out at the girl, one eye closing. In response, she simply stared back at him unamusement clear in her eyes.
Her confession had broken one of the villages out of their stunned silence. They cried out from the crowd ''so you did play a part!''. The accusation caused the room to turn their attention away from the captain, much to his relief, and towards the little girl with her back to the crowd. Silence reigned for a moment as said girl ignored the stairs, instead opting to turn a page of her book. Then she looked over her shoulder into the crowd, her eyes showing no emotion at all and stated ''…not out of malice'' before turning back to her book.
'What in the world is going on?' thought Wood Slap, the whole situation was beyond weird. He intended when he got up this morning to have a little conversation with Shanks. The mob was only there so he could be granted a private audience. All he had to do was ask nicely for the pranks to stop, perhaps make a few threats of marine vice admiral Garp. Instead, he had no idea what was going on. Was Luffy involved, and why? Why was Red-haired Shanks, a man he had grown to trust over the last few months pranking his village? 'Perhaps I should just retire in peace' he thought though before he could continue that line of thought someone spoke out.
''Hahaha so you admit it! It was all her!'' Red-haired Shanks shouted while pointing exaggeratedly at the girl to his side, a winning smile on his face. He then turned to face the crowd and his own crew and tried to put on an innocent expression while stating '' I was forced into it! She's a…Demon! A witch!'' Main word 'tried'. All he ended up doing in the eyes of most observers was to make himself look even more of a fool. Said 'witch' snorted loudly, before swivelling 90° towards the man and with her face resting on her hand stated clearly with amusement '' there's one flaw in that logic''.
Believing he had the upper hand and was close to victory he leaned in, a predatory smile on his face and asked ''Oh? And what is that? ~'' his opponent, his prey looked him dead in the eyes and then… a smirk of her own grew. Its intensity scared Shanks. It was small, like all her smiles had been, but it possessed a razor edge that set off alarm bells in his head. ''because'' she started ''you're not worth the effort to bewitch, pancake brain'' and then killed him.
To add insult to injury it was at this point in time his crew had decided to stop being observers and threw their lot into the fire.
''Hahaha she got the captain good'' Lucky Roo laughed through his meat, from one of the closer tables to the bar.
''A direct hit captain! You're taking water, mayday! Mayday! Hahaha'' Yasopp called from a table closer to the door, the other members of his table laughing at their captain's expense.
Even the usually silent Ben Beckham threw salt onto the wound, stating ''can't say she's wrong'' To which all the pirates in the bar erupted into laughter. The villagers, who may I remind you only wanted justice for the pranks, were confused and had no idea what was going on.
The great red-haired Shanks, feared pirate of the sea, bane of the marines, one of the most capable swordsmen in the world who fought Mihawk 'hawk-eye' to a standstill was pouting. He had just lost a verbal spar to a 7-year-old, and his crew was laughing at his misery. He did not know what was worse. If he acted smartly, he would've backed off the conversation realizing it was for the best. He instead commented ''Surrounded on all sides by betrayers, my own crew mutinying for a 7-year-old'' to which his crew laughed even harder at him for.
''That says a lot about you'' Said Monkey D Lucy factually, though if one looked hard enough they could pick out that even she found his situation humorous. Her mouth was once again turned slightly upwards in a faint, but a real smile. Her eyes were the real tells, brimming with mirth that one could see if the light reflected just right. Then she turned to face the villages, shocking them out of their surprise, and while pointing at Shanks declared ''He has the money you want…leave me out of it'' Then she closed her book, put it under her arm, and left for the stairs mumbling something about ''A stupid pancake and his moronic pranks''.
Everyone watched the girl, walk up the stairs, then when they heard a door slam turned and faced the only other culprit among them. Red-Haired Shanks, who at this point had been gazing at the stairs, noticed his predicament when everyone's stairs met his form. Sweating profusely he thought to himself 'Lu you'll never get away with this!'
…She did.
Months passed by quickly, and while they were banned from pranking within the village, the bond between both Shanks and Lucy grew. Instead, they went on adventures around the island. Visiting the various coastal features, Lucy reading a book in the small beaches, hidden in the many coves of the island. While less frequent, Shanks would take her to Goa, the capital city of the Goa kingdom to shop or sightsee. Though Lucy always despised the Grey terminal, so the trips were kept short and sweet. Eventually, even the crewmembers of the red-haired captain managed to worm their way into her heart in unique ways. Ben Beckham with his useful advice and laid back personality made the best conversationalist on everything from politics to gardening and everything in-between. He also to Lucy's delight was willing to trade information on the world, for small favours. Usually just retrieving an item for him. Lucky Roo with his surprising doting personality, always willing to share his food if asked. While Lucy did not interact with him as much, the almost eight-foot giant was kind and gentle. He had a personality that in her opinion should be more common. Yasopp found himself on the short end of the stick; his partying habits and constant mentioning of his son annoyed her. It took him months, and daily lessons on shooting, before Lucy silently admitted to liking his presence. He still annoyed her a whole lot though.
However, to say that everything was magically all better was an understatement. Sometimes the shadows returned to her eyes. On particularly poor days, she refused to even talk. When that happened no one, not even Shanks could open her up. The presence of said Red-haired moron helped though, it seemed to brighten the young girl up. When returning from their 'adventures' a small smile could sometimes be seen on her face. Faint…but there. Unfortunately there where large periods of time when the pirates she'd seemed to befriend left. During those times she became downtrodden, more automated. Much to Makino's amusement and Mayor Wood Slaps annoyance during these periods she could be seen lurking by the docks, watching the horizon like a hawk. When the certain crest of one particular pirate band entered view, a small smile etched itself onto her face, her shoulders relaxed slightly.
While there were highs and lows during this period. There was no doubt to all the villagers of Foosha village, that the arrival of the red-haired pirates had deeply affected the young girl in a good way. For the first time in their collective memories, she had started to smile, no matter how rarely. Once, she even laughed. Laughed! Monkey D Lucy, the embodiment of misery and pessimism laughing. The girl who acted like the world hated her, who acted like she didn't want to be born. Smiling and Laughing!
For the said girl, the months passed by too quickly. But in a way, all things come to an end. Later on in her life, she would always treasure these moments, even when she chased her dream. She recognized that even despite the great differences between her Luffy, Shanks would move on. In a way she hated that fate must take him away, to be a Yonko in the new world, so far away from her. But his words, the ones he said on the cliff which felt so long ago, never left her. That to move forward one must be willing to sacrifice even the things they love. While she would want to spend an eternity, in this moment, she knew she couldn't. So instead, she spent her time with the ones she'd grown so attached too wisely.
Until one day, a bandit kicked down the door of the Party's bar demanding ten barrels of grog, and fate once again pulled the strings.
To those wanting to see the different devil fruit…sorry. It will without a doubt be the next chapter, I promise. This chapter was meant to be the light-hearted end to the last chapter. But I made it into Its own chapter to break up the very emotional first two chapters from the next couple. Its effectively an emotional half time. Because the next chapter is the start of the story and the final goodbye to the red-haired pirates. Then we start the childhood arc, which I still have to hash out the details for (I have everything in my head it's the detail). So till next time…goodbye.