Makino walked out of the cabin drowsily rubbing her eyes and saw that the sun had just risen. She yawned taking in and appreciating the peaceful scenery but froze when she saw Luffy sitting at the bow of the ship writing something in a notebook with a couple of files strewn around him.
She slowly walked up to him wondering if Luffy was writing an official log book when Luffy noticed her.
"Mornin'"
"Are you writing a log book?" she asked incredulously.
"Ehh that's too troublesome," Luffy denied it before giving her the notebook, "It's a gift for someone"
Makino curiously went through the notebook and her eyes widened with shock before she looked at the open documents around him, "So this is what you do with all the documents you steal from every Marine Base we come across…"
"Yeah"
"What are you going to do with this?"
"Give it to someone I guess. Not sure who yet, but I'll figure it out"
Makino slowly closed the book as she stared at Luffy with confusion.
"What is it, Makino?" Luffy asked seriously, "Ever since we started, you look like you want to tell me something, but you never do…"
"It's just…just…" Makino stuttered looking like she was unsure of what she wanted to say but finally decided to say something uncaring if it made sense or not, "Just…What happened to you, Luffy? I haven't asked much of what happened during the two years but… You've changed so much… Many of them have of been good changes sure but…" she put a hand on his cheek, "I can't explain it properly but your smile… it's still bright, yes, but it isn't as wide as it was before… Not physically wide…ugh…I can't explain it properly…but…but it seems… I don't know, darker, like you're forcing yourself…"
'Can't fool people who knew me before huh…' Luffy nodded slowly and she continued.
"You don't eat as much as you did before…and at one point during the celebration back at Foosha, you just stopped. Like you were eating one moment and the next you got this sad look on your face and just stopped eating! That genuinely terrified me…"
Luffy sighed when he saw that she was about to start crying so gently patted her shoulder to calm her down, "Is that why you came with me?"
"Yes," Makino nodded as she wiped away her tears, "I wanted to ask what was happening with you but you suddenly announced that you'll be leaving… I had no choice but to come with you…"
"I see… Well-"
They were suddenly interrupted when Zoro cleared his throat and they both looked towards the mast and saw him awkwardly pretending to be asleep. He heard the whole thing until then while Nami was still sleeping inside the cabin.
Luffy chuckled standing up, "Let's move to the dinghy. Someone needs their beauty sleep"
Zoro's hands twitched and his brows furrowed slightly but he had to act like he was sleeping, so he didn't react. He slowly opened an eye after a few minutes and saw Luffy and Makino get into a dinghy they had tied to their boat and drift far enough so that no one could hear them. Makino had decided to go back to her home island and Luffy didn't want to visit it again, so they had brought along the dinghy so that they could drop her off close to it.
'Luffy's smile is dark and forced?' Zoro would have scoffed at that if someone other than Makino had said it because Luffy had the widest, happiest, and most carefree smile he had ever seen on a person before…but if someone close to him like Makino said it, then there had to be some truth to it. He sighed wondering if this was gonna cause some problems but didn't give it much thought as he drifted off to sleep.
Meanwhile, Luffy rowed far enough so that no one could eavesdrop on them and sat across from Makino, who had composed herself.
She began before he could say anything. "I thought that your journey would have been a lot different, you know… No exact plans of what you're going to do except to gather a crew and head to the Grand Line… but it has been so different… you've already picked your crew, somehow without even them knowing, which, by the way, is a whole other mystery! You have plans, you have enemies already, you taunt people like Sengoku, you're doing this," she pointed at the notebook, "You have goals other than becoming the Pira-"
"Okay relax," Luffy cut her off when she started becoming hysterical. "To be honest, I'm a bit peeved myself for that. A part of me wishes I could go on my journey with no plans, no idea of what's out there and be surprised by everything… but I can't… It's honestly a contradiction of emotions of hating my knowledge and loving it at the same time because I can do so much more… and my smile being forced? Yeah, it's true. Sometimes, it happens… I have so many things running in my mind that it's sometimes a bit overwhelming, and I mask it with a smile…"
He saw that she was looking confused, so sighed. "Guess it won't make sense unless you know the full story"
"What's the full story?"
"You'll have an existential crisis if I tell you"
"…An existential crisis?"
"Yeah"
"…I don't care. Just tell me!"
"Well, alrighty then! It all started two years ago after I kinda sorta died…" Luffy began without any warning and Makino became the first person to learn of his secrets.
A few hours later, Luffy was leaning against the side of the dinghy while Makino was lying down with her head on his lap in a daze. She had said 'I need to lie down' at one point during his story, and had been that way ever since.
"So… you have 22 years worth of memories and experiences of another man who lived in another universe, which is very different from ours… and on top of that, we were all characters in a comic book there…"
"…"
"And you met a higher dimensional being… basically, a god…"
"…That's like the fifth time you've repeated the same exact words, Makino"
"Well, forgive me for taking time to process a bombshell revelation like this!"
"Shishishi okay okay, take your time"
Makino sighed deeply and took a few more minutes to come to terms with everything. "So, you already know things that will happen to you for up to 2-3 years from now?"
"Yeah"
"So that's why you look so bored sometimes…"
"That's partly it, yeah, but I'm also bored of this place you know. The Grand Line is so much more amazing than anything I had ever imagined before and I can't wait to go back there. This East Blue Sea in contrast is kinda boring"
"I see… and the reason you don't eat as much now and your smiles being forced?"
Luffy sighed, "It isn't just one thing… I get worried sometimes about so many of my crew and friends who are in trouble right at this moment and I can't do much for them until I get there… Sometimes I want to give up and go on a completely different adventure, but at the same time, I don't want to… I already know that the One Piece definitely exists and also know some clues as to what it could be, so a bit of mystery is gone… I sometimes see news of other supernovas, my rivals basically, in the newspapers and feel like I'm cheating… I also sometimes feel like I'm manipulating people, like Coby for example, because I know exactly what to say to make them react a certain way…" Luffy went on a long rant about things that were bothering him and Makino realized that for someone like Luffy who enjoys mysteries, having foreknowledge was like a curse.
Before she could pity him though, Luffy shifted his tone to a happy one and started listing the things he loved, "At the same time, I'm so glad I have this knowledge. Sure, it spoils some stuff but reality is just so real. Take Nami for example. She has this cute dimple whenever she smiles, she has a writer's bump on her finger, she really smells like tangerines, she gets this messy bed hair in the mornings, she snores a bit albeit softly, she likes to use flavoured toothpaste rather than bland ones… All these little things might not mean much, but when everything is added, she is so much richer in character than I could have ever imagined from seeing her in a comic book… I know what she'll say or how she'll react if I say or do certain things from the story, but it's just a few instances. You must have noticed that I have so many pointless and silly conversations with them, and that's because I don't know how they'll react to those things and it's honestly refreshing for me. Like Zoro piling on whenever I tease Nami, I love that he does that!…"
"The same goes for my adventure. It's just the start, but I've already met people like Silk, Ann and Lizz, who didn't exist in the story and now that they're out in the world, I'm excited to see what they'll do. I know some parts of my adventure will be the same, especially at the beginning, but I'll keep affecting and changing things whenever I can and a few months later, I'm sure the butterfly effects would have piled up enough that even I'll be surprised by stuff that happens. Rather, I'm even more excited to see what kind of changes I can make… I also know the history and lore of this world that no one could possibly know, and that just adds so much richness to my journey… So many unanswered questions and mysteries are out there and I'm dying to find out what they are, and without my knowledge, I don't think I would have appreciated it much… Just in the story, this world seemed so amazing, but now that I'm going to visit all those places, I know that they'll be so much more amazing even though I know what to expect…"
Makino's mind was filled with dread when she heard Luffy talking about all the things he didn't like because of the foreknowledge, but it quickly changed to one of ecstasy when he started talking about the things he loved. She saw his eyes shine, heard his voice tinged with happiness and excitement, saw his smile being the brightest she had ever seen on him… and her heart calmed down knowing that her Luffy was still the happy-go-lucky rascal she had known even though he had changed so much.
"So Makino," Luffy concluded as he caressed her hair, "There are good and bad things that have come out of this, but I'm much more excited about the good things. You don't have to worry about me, okay? I'll do great!"
Makino softly nodded knowing he was being honest and sighed in relief, feeling a weight lift off her chest.
"Tell me about this other life of yours"
"Ooh their world wasn't as great as ours, but they had some pretty amazing things too! Like phones and the internet! I miss them so much…"
They spent pretty much the entire day in the dinghy, with Luffy feeling happy that he could finally talk about these things with someone and Makino had a mind-blowing experience learning about this whole other world and also some things about their own world.
———
Three days later, Makino stood on the dinghy as Nami hugged her goodbye while the two men stood waiting for their turn. Luffy didn't want to go back to Dawn, so they were leaving Makino around 30 minutes away from said island, and that was also the reason they had brought the dinghy along with them in the first place.
"You sure you can't come with us?" Nami whined, "I'll have to look after these two moronic children all by myself now…"
"Hehehe I'm sure you'll do great," Makino patted her back gently before they separated.
Zoro just waved at her and she smiled amusedly at him, "The cool, no-words goodbye huh?"
Zoro faltered clearing his throat, "Ehem… It's been fun having you around"
"I'll take what I can get," Makino giggled patting his head before turning to Luffy.
"Take care, Luffy" she said hugging him. "Don't do anything too reckless now"
"You know I can't promise you that"
Makino sighed patting his head, "Just be safe okay?"
"Yeah yeah"
The other two didn't know what had happened between them and they didn't pry either knowing it was something private between them. After the day where they had spent the entire day on the dinghy, Makino was in a sort of daze, lost in her own thoughts and over the past three days, she would many times just get close to Luffy and the two would converse in very hushed voices. Zoro, especially thought that some drama would occur between the two after what he heard about Luffy's smile, but contrary to what he thought, they only seemed to have grown closer.
"And you two," Makino said looking at Zoro and Nami, "Please keep an eye on him. He's going to be too reckless sometimes"
"We'll try" they said and Luffy instantly followed it with, "And they'll fail." earning him a couple of smacks. Makino giggled knowing Luffy was in good hands… and soon found herself alone on the dinghy watching the three setting sail. Just before they did though, Luffy turned to her looking serious and asked, "What's the scariest plant in the world?"
"…huh? What?"
"BamBOO!" Luffy yelled the 'boo' part and Makino slightly flinched before she started giggling.
"Again with the stupid jokes," Nami sighed as she unfurled the sails and the boat started moving away.
"Eh I actually liked this one," Zoro said approvingly.
"Oh! If you liked that one, I got another. What do ghosts use to wash their hair?"
"Let me guess, Sham-Boo?" Nami deadpanned.
"…No… Are you stupid, Nami? Ghosts don't need to wash their hair at all…"
"Yeah, ghosts don't bathe in the first place," Zoro added and both men shook their heads as if disappointed in her, earning each of them a bump on their head from an irate and blushing Nami.
"BYE MAKINO!" Luffy yelled waving as they got further away and Makino waved back laughing at their silly banter. She kept watching them as they got smaller and smaller and sighed when they disappeared on the horizon before slowly heading back to Dawn. The silence was deafening as all she could hear was the gentle sea and winds, in stark contrast to Luffy's usual noisiness that she had become used to for the past month. She sailed silently until she spotted Foosha village and when she got closer, she saw fishing boats… saw people at the shore just hanging around… saw people walking about in the village… Everyone just going on about their normal daily lives…
She suddenly furled the sails stopping the dinghy just a few hundred meters away from the island, and just sat there staring at the peaceful normal scenery for a long time with a blank look on her face.
"He was right… I'm having an existential crisis…" She sighed softly massaging her face. Chaos and excitement were always a factor when she was with Luffy over the past month and on Clockwork Island, leading the people to safety while taking out pirates along with Silk and the others had been a lot of fun. And then she had learned about the existence of multiverses, higher dimensional beings, the whole other world and life Luffy had experienced… heard about some of the crazy islands in the Grand Line, heard about Roger's reaction when he saw the One Piece and why he named the island 'Laugh Tale', heard about some of the mysteries like the Will of D. and the Void Century, heard about creatures big enough to hold an entire island on their backs, islands made out of food… and after all that, after learning that the world had so much to offer, after hearing Luffy talk about all those things with bubbling excitement and becoming interested and excited herself… She now had to go back to her normal life on Foosha… in a normal, unexciting, small part of the world where she was a normal barmaid…
She sighed deeply thinking about her life choices. She had never aimed to be something else, had always been content with building a family for herself, having kids, raising them… just the normal life. But that was all in the past.
The first six months after Luffy disappeared, she had always gone out to sea to search for him, and even when she stopped going out, she always went to the Goa Kingdom's Marine Base to call Garp or Sengoku and shout at them to search for him. She had felt so helpless all those months and the need for power grew in her so that if something like that happened again, she would be in a position to help and not feel so useless.
She knew she physically couldn't get strong, so all that she had left were her connections. Connections to people like Garp, Sengoku and also Luffy, who might not be influential currently, but he would soon. But she had no idea what exactly she could do with connections like that other than telling Sengoku about corrupt Marines bastards like in Flint and have them removed, but that's all the power she had.
The thought of going with Luffy on his journey did cross her mind, but she knew she would be nothing more than a burden. She knew she couldn't go on a grand adventure knowing how weak she was, but she still wanted to do something. She felt, in the grand scheme of things, insignificant and she wanted to change that, especially knowing that the world would soon turn chaotic.
She kept thinking about it and sat in the dinghy staring at the village for hours without moving. Only when the sky darkened did she finally go back, hoping the helpless feelings she had would soon go away.
A week later, the feelings still hadn't gone away.
Two weeks later, she didn't bother opening the bar anymore and people started to worry for her.
A day after that, Luffy called asking how she was doing and she faked a happy voice and told him that everything was great. Just a couple of hours after that call, however, she received another call that changed her destiny.
It was from Silk who was calling to ask for a favour. She and her townspeople had apparently moved to Clockwork Island and were facing some issues with pirates, which she hoped Makino could do something about. Silk had apparently received a call from Luffy asking how she was doing and when she confessed that they were having problems with pirates, he had told her that Makino could help them, and thus she was calling her.
Makino didn't hesitate for a moment and jumped at the chance. A week later, she was back on Clockwork Island. And she stayed there.
Under the influence of Makino, along with her contacts like Garp and Sengoku, and also sometimes Luffy, along with his endless contacts, Clockwork Island exponentially grew like no other island before. And Makino eventually became its Queen.
~~~
A very short few months after Clockwork Island gained freedom from the tyranny of pirates, it became extremely popular in East Blue and people from all over visited it as a tourist destination. It soon grew to become the most famous island in East Blue, earning the title of 'The Crown Jewel of East Blue' and even started attracting people from the other Blues and even the Grand Line.
The scientists/engineers on the island led by Silk, Chrissy, Lestrade and a secret fourth member made massive technological advancements and turned Clockwork Island into a technological haven.
A few months later, a major event involving Pirate Strawhat Luffy and a certain Float-Float Devil fruit user caused Clockwork Island's fame to skyrocket and it gained titles like 'The Technological Haven of East Blue', 'The Grand Line-esque Island of East Blue', 'The Impossible Floating City', 'Ally of Amazon Lily', 'Land of the Dragon' and a few more official titles. And in small secret circles, there were rumours that the island was an ally to the Revolutionaries and was also Pirate Strawhat Luffy's secret base, but these were never confirmed.
By the time the next Reverie arrived, the island had grown too powerful to not be offered a seat. Thus, Makino, the Queen of Clockwork Kingdom, along with Silk, her Second-in-command, and a few of their cohorts, found themselves attending the Reverie at Mariejois among the other Royal Families of the world.
But all this… is a story for another time.
~~~