Luffy leaned back against the well-worn wooden counter of Shakky's Rip-Off Bar, his usual lazy smirk tugging at his lips. The dimly lit room smelled of old liquor, cigarette smoke, and the faintest hint of sea salt drifting in from the harbor. It was nostalgic.
Shakky, ever the picture of calm amusement, set two glasses down in front of them with a knowing grin, the smoke from her cigarette curling in the air.
"Here," She murmured, smoothly sliding a glass toward Luffy before turning to Kuina. "And something a little milder for the lady. Can't have her knocked out too soon, now can we?"
Kuina narrowed her sharp blue eyes at the drink, giving it a suspicious glance before ultimately taking it with a small nod of appreciation. "Thanks… I think."
Luffy, already grabbing his glass, took a deep swig, letting the burn of the alcohol trail down his throat before exhaling in satisfaction. "Damn, that hits the spot."
Shakky chuckled, resting her elbow on the counter, cigarette lazily dangling between her fingers. "Oh? Been drinking since you were a brat, huh?"
Luffy licked a drop of liquor from his lips, his grin widening. "Nah, but I worked in the bar back at home, so got to taste a bit. How are you... Been, what… six years now?"
Kuina, seated beside him, tilted her head slightly, curiosity flickering in her sharp eyes. "You seem… familiar with this place."
Luffy laughed. "Of course I am. I've got a bit of history here."
Kuina raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how exactly did that happen?"
Luffy set his drink down, tapping his fingers against the wooden counter.
"It's kind of a long story," He admitted. "But basically, I ran into Hancock and her sisters back then. They were stuck in a cave, in a really bad situation."
Kuina frowned, intrigued. "Stuck? Because of what?"
Luffy's smile thinned slightly, and he rubbed the back of his neck. "Can't really say. Not my story to tell. Hancock would be pissed if I went blabbing about it."
Kuina narrowed her eyes, sensing that whatever had happened to Hancock, it wasn't just 'some tragic accident'—but Luffy clearly wasn't going to spill.
Shakky, meanwhile, smirked. "So you saved three terrified little girls and brought them here, huh? That sounds like you."
Luffy shrugged. "They couldn't go home by themselves, and I figured you and Rayleigh could help."
Kuina's expression shifted the moment she heard that name. "Wait. Rayleigh?"
Luffy looked at her, grinning like an idiot. "Yeah."
Here's an extended and exaggerated version with more depth, fun, and playful dialogue!
Kuina's expression shifted the moment she heard that name. Her brows furrowed, and she leaned forward slightly as if she misheard.
"Wait. Rayleigh?"
Luffy grinned like an absolute idiot. "Yeah."
Kuina blinked.
Once... Twice...
Then she crossed her arms. "You mean… the Rayleigh?"
Shakky exhaled a puff of smoke, lips curling into an amused smile. "Oh? You know him?"
Kuina scoffed, throwing her hands up. "Who doesn't? There's only one man who goes by that name! It's not like there are two 'Dark Kings' running around, right?"
Then, her sharp gaze locked onto Luffy, filled with disbelief. "And you're telling me that you just… casually dropped off three girls… with Silvers Rayleigh?"
Shakky chuckled, clearly enjoying this. "Well, he's not exactly running a daycare, but yeah. That Rayleigh."
Kuina looked like she was processing something profoundly absurd. "That's like saying you left them with a dragon and just hoped for the best!"
Luffy smirked, clearly having way too much fun. "What? I trust him. He's a good guy. Also, he likes me."
Kuina threw her hands up again. "That's not the point!"
She inhaled deeply, rubbed her temples, and then turned back to him with eyes narrowed. "Hold on. You just said Rayleigh likes you?"
Shakky's chuckle turned into a full-on laugh as she took another drag from her cigarette. "Oh, sweetheart. Everyone likes Luffy. It's a little annoying, really."
Kuina groaned. "No, no, no. That doesn't make sense! Rayleigh is picky about people! He doesn't just go around liking people!"
Luffy grinned wider. "What can I say? I'm charming."
Shakky snorted. "That's one way to put it. More like an unstoppable force of chaos that people just give up resisting."
Kuina crossed her arms, skeptical. "So you're telling me that the man who was Roger's right-hand, the 'Dark King' himself, the walking legend—likes you?"
Luffy nodded sagely. "Yup."
Kuina stared at him. "Like… as in… 'Oh, I respect this young man' or 'I'd have a drink with him'?"
Luffy scratched his cheek. "More like… 'Hey, kid, let's go gambling, and if you win, I'll teach you something cool.'"
Shakky burst out laughing. "Oh, that does sound like him."
Kuina just gawked. "Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable."
Luffy patted her on the shoulder with a grin. "It's okay, Kuina. You'll get used to it. Happens all the time."
She swatted his hand away, sighing. "I hate that that's probably true."
Shakky exhaled another puff of smoke, still grinning. "You have no idea, dear."
Luffy just gave her a shit-eating grin.
Shakky exhaled another slow puff of smoke, her gaze turning curious as she leaned forward. "You know, I was surprised when I saw your name in the papers. Didn't take you for a Marine."
Luffy snorted. "Didn't take me for one either."
She smirked. "I figured you'd be a pirate by now. I mean, wasn't that the plan?"
Kuina turned her gaze to Luffy as well, smiling as she already knew the answer.
Luffy grinned widely, completely unbothered. "Oh, my goal hasn't changed. I'm still gonna be Pirate King."
Shakky raised an eyebrow. "Then what's with the uniform?"
Luffy waved a hand. "Got stuck in my training for a while, y'know? Hit a wall. So I figured, why not join the Marines? Grandpa's always trying to get me to enlist anyway, and there are plenty of strong people there to fight. Good practice."
Kuina frowned slightly. "So you're just using the Marines to get stronger?"
Luffy grinned, raising his glass. "Exactly."
Shakky let out a low laugh, shaking her head. "You're really something, kid."
Luffy smirked. "And let me tell you, if not for the cute and beautiful women hanging around, I wouldn't have lasted a day in that cold-ass place. It's so suffocating there."
Shakky's eyebrow quirked up, her lips curling into an amused smirk. "Oh? That so?"
Kuina rolled her eyes. "He means flirting is the only thing keeping him sane."
Shakky chuckled, exhaling another slow drag of her cigarette. "Well, well. You've grown up a lot, Luffy."
She let her gaze run over him playfully, tilting her head. "And a bit more… brazen, I see."
Luffy just shrugged, entirely unbothered. "What can I say? I like having fun."
Shakky leaned her cheek against her palm, smirking. "Careful, kid. With that attitude, you might just break a few hearts along the way."
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Spoilers for the next three chapters!
Chapter 100: A Little Chaos
Chapter 101: A Grandfather's Pride
Chapter 102: Climbing the Ranks
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