Request by Monkey D. Anea
(The Art of Lying)
In his life, he's lied
About a lot of things
From what color his hair really was
To how many toes
Are on his left foot
.
But there's one thing
He'll never lie about
.
When it comes to his captain
He both loves and hates him
He loves him for who he is
Bravery and trust and happiness
All wrapped up
Into one person
He finds it funny
That if he described his adventures
To the people
In the town where he grew up
The thing they would find most unbelievable
Would probably be his crazy, wonderful captain
(After all, what kind of man
Saves country after country
Yet despises the idea of being a hero?
'You're slipping' they would tell him)
.
He hates his captain
Because he's Brave and trusting and happy
Sometimes all at the wrong time
Where, in the face of danger
That would make any other captain
Run with their tail between their legs
(Or at least a strategic retreat),
His captain laughs and yells with glee
.
(Okay, he did lie.
He doesn't hate his captain at all,
They just sometimes… disagree
About the gravity of the situation)
.
He does worry about his friend, though
Because even he knows how outrageous
Some of his lies are
(Even if it is all about the delivery)
And yet his captain hangs
Upon every word
That, in itself, doesn't worry him
Not in the slightest
(In fact,
It does wonders for his ego)
But what it means
Does make him second guess
Because if this boy- his best friend-
Believes every word he says
Who's to say he doesn't believe
Every word another person says?
(The possibilities are endless,
He would say,
If he were the villain of this story
But he isn't;
He's not even the main character
And his captain's trust terrifies him
He only wants his friend
To never be hurt)
(Sometimes, he tells extra unbelievable lies
The ones that the swordsman
Sitting in the corner
Rolls his eyes at, even when sleeping
Just to see
Yet the boy just laughs
Crying and holding his stomache
Insisting he finish the story
And he never knew bananas
Could be used like that)
He pastes on a smile
And continues
.
His worry is not relieved
Until they come across a man
Who demands to see the captain of the ship
When his friend comes out
The man tells a story of woe
And sadness
And lost friends
Begging to help
He is about to speak up
Because the man is a liar-
A very, very good one-
One that his captain
Would never be able to pick out
.
Until the boy-
His wonderful, gullible friend-
Declares the man is stupid
'Cause there's no way that story is real-
And before the guy
Can pull out the gun
Tucked in his holster
His captain's already sent him flying
.
When he asks, the boy laughs
Just like he does
At all his stories and lies
That he never seems to notice
And says that he's Nakama,
And the lies Nakama tell
Do not hurt him
So he doesn't bother finding them
.
He's lied a lot, in his life,
But there's one thing he won't lie about
(At least, in the future,
When they've all achieved their dreams)
He won't lie
About who his captain is
What kind of man
He sails under
Because that boy
Is reckless and crazy and wonderful
And the best friend in the world
.
There are a few things
That are so completely true
It's impossible to lie about them
Even if people think you're lying regardless
.
His captain is one of them