The very next morning Hancock awoke, dazed and unsure of herself. The night before had been a strange one, meeting that Luffy person; he had claimed to be the one who saved her from those other men, but was that true? Even if it was, didn't that mean that the corpses would belong to her attackers, not him? She had no sorrow in her heart for their deaths; however she didn't think it would be a good idea to associate herself with a murderer. So, finishing her normal morning rituals, she walked out into the brisk morning air.

She decided to walk to a restaurant near her building for breakfast, so away she went. The weather was only slightly overcast, not so much that the sky was gray and telling of a coming storm. Wrapping her denim jacket around her slim shoulders and blocking the view of her white tube-top, she walked quickly over to the Baratie Restaurant. She could feel the leers of lecherous men staring at her tight leather pants, but paid them no mind. Settling herself down at a table near a window, she ordered a bacon and cheese omelet when a waiter came to her and awaited her breakfast patiently.

So many things running through her mind; too many things to keep her focused on any one thought, so she simply tried to put them out of her mind as she waited. However, the image of that man kept interrupting her thoughts.

Monkey D. Luffy. She couldn't help but be attracted to his attitude and demeanor, not to mention his boyish good looks.

But I don't know anything about him! Even in her own head, this sounded weak and foolish. It wasn't as if she were going to get into a relationship with this young man immediately.

Maybe… If I see him at the club tonight, I can ask him the questions I wanted to last night. With that, she felt content to let it finally slip out of her mind for the time being. She smiled to the waiter as he brought her omelet and suddenly realized she forgot to order a drink. As soon as the words began to escape her lips, she heard a voice behind her.

"Man that looks delish'! Mind if I join you?" Whipping her head so hard she should have gotten whiplash, she saw Luffy sitting behind her, taking a sip of some kind of dark soda.

"Wha….what the hell are you doing here?" She kept her voice low, as not to disturb the other patrons by yelling, but she managed to show her exasperation anyway. He merely shrugged and chuckled.

"Jus' thought I'd have some breakfast. This joint has some of the best food!" His grin was contagious, and it took all of Hancock's will not to smile despite herself. Luffy's effect on her was obvious to her, but it wouldn't do to let him know. "Like I asked, can I join ya'?" Breathing a sigh, she waved him over.

"…if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me, Luffy." She told him, her arms crossed as he sat down in front of her. In the back of her mind, that sneaking suspicion lay, but she would allow him to make some excuse as to why she found him here a day after they met…

"You're right! I totally am." His grin turned into a laugh as Hancock almost fell out of her chair in surprise.

"Wh-What?"

"Just kiddin'!" He raised his hands as if in surrender when he saw that she was ready to vault over the table, probably to strangle him. "I just…saw you enter this place and followed. Sorry, but I couldn't help myself." There was a strange look in his eyes. "I felt like I owed you an explanation for what I said the other night. You know, at the club?" She nodded and Luffy continued.

"I hate guys like that. Like the ones that were attacking you. I…I couldn't keep my eyes off of you at the club that night and then when I heard a scream outside later, I feared the worst. Seeing them ready to…you know…it just welled this anger and rage up inside o' me that I couldn't even believe that was there. Next thing I knew…" He leaned forward, his voice not rising above a whisper. "Next thing I knew, I was standing in the middle of a puddle of blood. I was scared, really, so I ran." He seemed to shiver visibly, as if he were imagining the scene as he spoke. "The tough act last night was just that; an act. I…I kinda just wanted to impress you, but I didn't want to admit anything in a place like that. I'm sorry if I caused you any unwanted stress 'cause of what I said." He sighed and sat back in his seat, shaking his head. Hancock hated to admit, but his words seemed genuine, as did his demeanor.

"Any way," Luffy continued, standing. "I think I've made you kinda uncomfortable, so I'm gonna go." With one last glance at her and a flash of a smile, the young man started to make his way to the exit of the restaurant.

"Wait!"

Stopping in his tracks, Luffy turned to face her. Seeing the evident shock on his face made Hancock laugh.

"Sorry, I just…" Walking over to him, she held a hand out. "Come on. I'll pay this time, if you promise to pay next time?"

"Are you…askin' me out?" Catching on, Luffy took her hand. "Because, you know, I might be busy…"

"Not playing games with you-"

"Okay! I get it. I'm free tonight, if you want." He sat down across from her as she took her own seat. "For the second date."

"Really? What, you consider this the first?" Hancock asked with an eyebrow raised. Luffy just grinned.

"You said it, not me." Earned him a scowl and gave him a chuckle.

"Let's just get through this one, shall we?" Shaking her head, she waved one of the waiters back over to her table. "We'll see where we stand after wards."

This… is going to be interesting…