In this world, pirates weren't exactly the good guys.
Vivi was a princess. She had come aboard his ship so resolutely—never mind what it did to her reputation. There was so much at stake.
Luffy didn't think of his crew as pirates in the conventional sense. But he had brought Vivi onto the ship, and as captain, he was responsible for her—body and mind.
He valued his nakama above all.
Anyone who didn't was no better than trash.
His simple, direct words warmed Vivi like a current of warmth.
Her nose tingled. She let out a long, pent-up breath.
"I've been so worried. Father says he'll handle things."
Vivi's voice was small. "The World Government might still take their anger out on Alabasta because of me. The words on my bounty poster changed. They might think I wasn't forced, or that the princess has become a pirate."
And as they kept sailing, Vivi couldn't always hide on the ship.
How could she stand by while her nakama were in danger?
Her voice carried worry and confusion.
"Then leave it to me."
Luffy turned to look at her, his eyes clear and steady in the starlight. "I won't let anyone get hurt. Any enemy comes, I'll knock them all flying!"
It was a classic Luffy answer.
Vivi looked at him, her eyes growing hazy—but somehow, she felt calmer.
This must have been hard for him.
This kind of delicate emotional support—Nami was better at it.
But Luffy had come anyway.
Doing something he wasn't good at.
"Can I leave it to you?"
Vivi's expression softened. She leaned forward slightly, her voice starting to draw out, a soft dependency in her tone.
Luffy felt a tingle at his scalp.
Here it was again. All too familiar.
It was like Alabasta all over again—that same atmosphere returning.
"Can I leave it to you?"
She asked again, her voice softer, her eyes expectant.
The air seemed to thicken around them.
Vivi in the starlight—dazed eyes, flushed cheeks, the faint scent of her bath still clinging to her.
Normally, he would shout: Leave it all to me!
But that would only make her condition worse.
But if he refused, or said nothing—he couldn't do that.
His nakama's problems were his problems. And he had just said those words. To deny them now would be contradicting himself.
Treat the big problem or the small problem?
Pick one.
He'd treat what he could.
Luffy steeled himself, trying to sound as normal as possible: "Of course. Leave it to me."
Vivi's smile bloomed—radiant in the starlight, as if she had caught the brightest star in the sky.
The world was silent. He could hear both their heartbeats.
Something was taking root in her heart, starting to grow. In this moment, who could refuse?
"It's so quiet here," Vivi said suddenly. Her voice was a little husky.
"Yeah. Quiet."
Luffy's throat felt dry.
Vivi pressed closer.
Her soft, warm body was almost in his arms.
She tilted her face up. Her blue hair spilled across the stone. Her eyes were bright with unshed tears.
"Then... should we do something else?"
"Something else?" Luffy's thoughts stuttered.
Vivi's blush deepened. Her hand slipped to the hem of her shirt, like she might lift it. Her voice was barely audible: "I put on that..."
She meant the delicate lace undergarments.
Before she could finish, Luffy's hand shot out, covering her mouth. Cold sweat broke on his forehead.
"Don't do anything weird," he said, his voice low—exasperated, warning.
Vivi had been mortified enough. Being stopped like this—remembering her boldness—she wanted to sink into the ground.
But Luffy's reaction stung a little. She mumbled, "Why can you and Nami do weird things?"
"Huh?"
Luffy was lost.
He and Nami did weird things? Since when?
His confusion, to Vivi, looked like evasion.
"So..."
Vivi suddenly found her courage. She pressed closer, her chest almost against his arm. She looked up at him with the look of someone with nothing to lose.
"Do weird things with me too."
Things she had never done before.
Her breath was hot against his neck.
"Don't you like me?" She asked the question that mattered.
"Of course I do!" Luffy said without thinking.
Vivi puffed her cheeks. "Not like a nakama!"
There was no talking around this.
Luffy knew if he told her to sit still, she would—but she'd look at him with that wounded, about-to-cry expression. The thought alone made his skin crawl.
"Is it because of Nami?"
Vivi's voice trembled almost imperceptibly.
"Of course not!"
Luffy shot back.
He liked Nami. He liked Vivi. In his heart, it was the same—they were both important nakama.
But Vivi's bluntness was forcing him to think about things he had never considered before. He had been oblivious. Now, some lines were blurring.
His brain couldn't process. In his panic, he fell back on the classic line: "You're not in a good place right now. You know that. So I can't—this is for your own good!"
It sounded evasive. It sounded like something a scumbag would say.
Vivi's brow furrowed.
"You're brushing me off?"
Her voice was sharp now. The obedient, dependent look had faded. The princess—perceptive, persistent—had resurfaced.
"No." The denial was weak.
"I like you anyway."
Vivi took his hand. Her fingers laced through him, holding tight.
"Not like a nakama. Deeper."
The moment was built. She wouldn't back down.
She took a breath, using all her strength, her eyes half-lidded as she said: "I don't care how you see me. You can't just leave me behind."
Like a stray cat who had found her home.
***
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