Chapter Text
Chapter 1 : A Yonko in Town
It’s a been a few months since you’re working for Mazel, the well-known former pirate who now owns a tavern downtown; his golden retirement after many years sailing the seas. The job isn’t the most entertaining, but at least, you’re having enough money to pay your studies. There’s a lot of people who comes in and out of the tavern, most of the time travelers, all of them coming back from different islands, stories about treasures and beasts for everyone to listen. Somehow, you like it deeply. It’s always crowded and warm inside, and you feel just at home whenever they all tell you about what you have always craved in life. Yes, it’s a dream for you. One day you will probably get on a boat and disappear far away from this island, chasing after your wishes of freedom and adventures. It’s a hidden promise you made with yourself a long time ago, when you’d be bored enough to stop your studies and run away. But from now, you appreciate hearing the many stories of those strangers, looking at them with fire in the eyes, your heart racing slightly faster than usual.
Speaking of your heart, yours is entirely free, but also hurt enough to be closed forever. At 24 years old, you have lived enough drama in your life to wish not to have a boyfriend anymore. You’re afraid of this cursed feeling which slowly paralyzed every of your brain functions, all of your instincts almost numb, as you’re unable to think anymore. You don’t want to end up in your bedroom again, giving yourself to someone who’s not that honest nor worthy, offering a piece of your tender heart, looking at them crushing it days after days, using your kindness as the tool of your own desperation. That’s also why you like this job. Being the waitress gives you all the reasons to turn down every man who tries to seduce you, pretending that your boss, Mazel, wouldn’t be that pleased if you abandon yourself to such a delusional passion while you’re paid to work for him. Convenient, indeed… Until the day your life has been shattered for good.
The first thing your saw about him was his charming smile, quickly followed by a powerful and genuine laugh. It was like hearing thousands of angels and demons bursting into an impossible chorus, all of them singing for the glory of this man’s aura. You almost dropped your tray that night, unable to focus for a few seconds, absolutely mesmerized by him. With his own presence, he was enlightening the all area, all the eyes of the tavern lurking at him with a visible curiosity, as if they were all panting for more. More of his laughter exploding like a firework, more of his jokes and stories… More of his name whispered on every mouth. You learnt it after a few days ; he was Shanks, the famous captain of the Red Hair Pirate, one of the four emperor of the sea. You couldn’t believe it, at first. This man, this charming creature, was that fierce and dangerous figure. It felt as impossible as his visit in this tiny tavern, and for months, Shanks never showed up again. That night when you first encounter him was like it has never happened at all, and somehow, since that particular moment, you always feel an odd pinch in your heart whenever the door of the tavern opens up.
“Ah, Name! Did you get lost?” Mazel greets you as you come in, wiping your forehead after a long day of sun. “I was expecting you earlier!”
“Sorry, I needed to work for my exam next week; I told you it was a big one.” You barely answer, closing the door to catch some fresh air. It’s 5pm, but the place is empty for now. “Why do you need me? There’s no one…”
Mazel rolls his eyes and simply puts a few barrels on the bar.
“We are expecting a large crew tonight. I heard in town that there were several pirate ships anchored in the arbor and they will all probably visit the place.”
You frown, not very reassured nor pleased by what you have just heard. When there are different pirates gathered at the same place, it’s not always easy to control them, especially when they are drunk.
“Do you really want to have them all here?” You sigh, walking behind the bar to help him securing the barrels of beer and refill the gallons.
Mazel looks at you as if you have just insulted him, clicking his tongue impatiently.
“Of course I want to have them all here!” He snarls and shakes his head. “And you better be ready to work quickly tonight! I need you to be focus.”
“Fine.” You snap as well, not really enthusiast about the future events.
“Here.” Mazel plasters a notebook against your chest, along with a pen. “Go to the basement and make the all inventory. I need to prevent any burglar, so hurry up to be done before the opening!”
“What?” You catch the notebook before it falls on the ground. “It’s impossible, you have dozens of shelves, barrels and stuff you’re hiding everywhere!”
He grabs your shoulder and pushes on it, forcing you to start walking into the direction of the basement.
“Then you better move your ass, minx!”
When you get back from the basement, of course, the place is already crowded as hell. Dozens of pirates are here, loudly joking and yelling, almost half-drunk already. You make your way to the bar, using your tininess to pass them all, finishing your race behind the counter where Mazel abruptly throws to your face your usual apron. You put it on without a word, exhaling for a second, before you look at your first client and give him your most polite and welcoming smile.
“A beer miss,” the man says as he puts some money on the bar. He’s very tall, a few scar crossing the side of his face, a long grey ponytail falling behind his back. He’s looking behind him for a second, and then put another coin on the wooden counter. “Make another one; my captain has his jug almost empty.”
He gives you a polite smile and you just nod, feeling comfortable with this stranger. At least, he’s having manners, and it’s more enjoyable for you. You put two pints of beer on the counter and grip the money, counting them mentally.
“Sir, you gave too much!” You point out before he would disappear in the crowd, putting yourself on your tiptoes to wave at him.
Another smile, almost imperceptible, but real and truly warm.
“Keep the change.”
You giggle and turn your head to serve another client, a strange feeling of happiness blooming inside of your guts. You don’t know why, but there’s something very enjoyable tonight. Despite the many yells and shouts, people are acting civil, and it’s not always the case when the place is all crowded like this.
“Hurry up!” Mazel shoves a tray in your arms with snacks, sausages, cheese and a jar of beer on it. “Bring it to table 41, would ya?”
You don’t argue, gripping the tray with all of your strength, silently praying that no one will make you fall during your journey to the farthest table of the bar. You apologize a multiple times, bumping into everyone, avoiding some intrusive hands trying to steal some slices of cheese right from the tray. After a moment, you finally spot the table 41, and recognize the man with the ponytail, who’s peacefully drinking on his beer. You put on your best “commercial” smile, coming closer, until you hear something, which paralyzed you entirely. You feel your heart suddenly racing into your chest, pounding so hard that you’re feeling dizzy. The man with the ponytail moves slightly on his chair, and suddenly, it’s all of your vision which goes entirely blurry. It’s him . That man you have seen a few months ago. That man who’s known to be Shanks, one of the emperor of the sea. You gulp and slowly start to walk again, feeling the dark stare of Mazel on your back. You promised him to be quick tonight, after all, and your boss isn’t someone you want to piss off.
Shanks is occupied telling stories to his people, a bunch of mesmerized women invited as well, all of them looking at him as if he’s just the most appetizing treat they ever seen. You make your way to finally reach the table, securing the tray with your hands as you put it down slowly.
“Here, let me help.” The man with the ponytail says as he grabs the different plates and starts to dispose them on the table to ease your work.
“You don’t have to!” You gasp, looking over your shoulder. If Mazel sees that, you’re going to have a really hard time later.
“Benn is always ready to help, you can’t change his nature, miss.” Another voice chuckles, tearing your guts into millions of butterflies.
As the tray isn’t there to hide your face anymore, you feel the piercing eyes of Shanks looking at you with interest. You’re thankful that the tavern is really hot right now, otherwise, it would have been obvious that the reason why you’re blushing is only because he just started to talk to you.
“Are you new? I don’t remember Mazel having a young girl serving here…” Shanks asks, scratching his beard with his eternal charming smile.
“No, not new, sir.” You shake your head. “I’m just usually behind the bar. I think it’s a gift from the house so my boss wanted me to bring it to you.” You point at the dishes with your fingers.
“See,” Shanks sighs as he looks at Benn. “I should always be the one to order to the bar. I almost missed this one.”
You furiously blush, managing not to shake on your legs. You politely smile, deciding to run away before your embarrassment would become too obvious.
“Hey, miss!” Shanks shouts as you are already turning your back. “Can’t you stay for a second and have a drink with us?”
This time, you’re ready. Turning men down has been your business for a little while, and you know exactly how to proceed. You look over your shoulder, your eyes finally meeting his for the very first time. But you don’t blink, you don’t blush anymore. For a second, it’s like time itself has stopped its race. His deep blue eyes are inviting you to say yes, as if millions of mermaids are singing in a pool of sapphires, trying to convince you. But before you would drown yourself in his irises, you curl your lips into your most beautiful and self-assured smile.
“No, thank you sir. I have to work.”
Shanks tilts his head, his expression changing. If before he was playing his role of playboy, perfectly wearing his mask of seduction, now, for a second, you see something different. Your answer, somehow, has tickled something within him. As he’s still looking at you, he grabs the handle of his pint and smirks, not even adding anything. You quickly turn your head, your legs walking back in the direction of the bar. Something happened. You don’t know exactly why, but you’re sure that Shanks would never looked at you the same from now.
For the rest of the evening, you have been too focused to actually take a look on Shanks’ table. The many pirates gathered in the tavern have been rather active, and before the all of them would actually reeling to the door, ready to find a place to crash, you have never stopped working. Sighing behind your bar, you are cleaning the many empty drinks in front of you, tired and sore after such a tremendous and busy night.
“You don’t serve anymore?” A charming voice calls in front of you, and you don’t even have to lift your stare to know that Shanks is there. But you do it. You want to see how he looks after a night of binge drinking.
Handsome. You can’t help but smile.
“Care for another one?” You ask as you already put an empty jug near the beer’s barrel.
But Shanks shakes his head, while he sits on a stool and massages his temples.
“No, thank you. It wouldn’t be reasonable, I have to deal with some business tomorrow and I need to have a clear mind.”
You smirk and he notices it. He raises an eyebrow, giving you an amused look.
“By any chance, are you mocking me, miss?” He giggles, resting his head against the palm on his hand.
“A bit.” You blush, and quickly looks down, suddenly so fascinated with the dirty pints disposed on the counter. “It’s just… You don’t seem someone really reasonable in general.”
You hear a genuine laugh escaping from his throat, his voice slightly broken because of the booze, and maybe the tiredness. You act before you even think about it ; without a word, you pour some fresh water into a glass and add a slice of lemon, sliding it on the counter.
“Here,” you point with your nose. “For the headache.”
Shanks grabs the glass and smiles, winking when he lifts the glass up to his face, before he immediately drinks it in one breath. You look at the drop of water hurtling down his beard, wishing that you could follow all of them with your tongue, before vividly shaking your head innerly because it’s definitely wrong. Your eyes can’t get away from his moving Adam’s apple, feeling your own mouth become dangerously dry. When Shanks puts the glass down on the counter, he notices your shifty stare, and that obvious blush on your features. But as a gentleman, he doesn’t say anything about it.
“Thank you.” He gives you his most genuine and seductive smile, his mesmerizing eyes always watching your movements. “I was about to say miss, but… I’d rather know your name, if you don’t mind.”
You furiously squeeze the handle of the pint you’re cleaning, feeling your heart racing.
“Why?” You can’t help but ask. It’s useless after all… He will certain forget about you tomorrow.
He shrugs, locks on his red hair tickling his nose as he seems more serious.
“I want to be able to greet you properly, next I will come in town.” He says with a deeper voice. “I like this place, I need to do business not so far from here so… I will certainly be back sooner or later.”
He sounds so careless, but somehow, you feel something hidden in the tone of his voice. Is it a sort of promise? Does he really wish to see you again?
“Name,” you say a bit abruptly, as Shanks frowns again. “My name is Name.”
A bright smile appears on his lips, certainly bigger than usual with all the booze he had tonight, but sincere. He nods and gets off his stool, placing his coat around his shoulders.
“Name.” He repeats, turning his back. “That’s pretty.”
You can’t even talk as you look at him waving at you before he walks to the door, joining his first crewmate, Benn. You don’t know how to think anymore. You don’t know how to breath.
But what you know is that you desperately want to see him again.