✦ ©️-KANEKISKEN 2023   / 🏴‍☠️   OPLA   🏴‍☠️

(   𝔰𝔦𝔯𝔢𝔫 𝔬𝔣 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔢𝔞 / 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦    )

"They say that sirens could walk among us." Makino recited ominously to some of the kids on the island. Some days, a bunch of kids around Foosha island would visit Makino after she took a break from the bar sometimes and she would tell them stories. A tradition she has kept on for some time now.

    Luffy and Sapphire were always amongst the crowd when those days came. Always up front and excited to listen to her stories about different creatures, figures in mythology and more.

    "They were creatures of unfathomable beauty and power. Their deadly song could lure even the most powerful people to their watery graves and, if you are lucky enough to encounter one, they may bring eternal luck for those who even gazed upon one."

     Luffy and Sapphire gasped in awe with the other kids as Makino continue to speak. But none more than Sapphire, who has always held a love for stories that involve sea creatures.

   "My mom says that sirens are dangerous." A small little boy said amongst the small crowd of kids in pure curiosity. "Is that true?"

    "Hmmm....they can be." Makino said carefully, thinking about her words. "But I don't think they are. I believe they are misunderstood beings. But who knows, really."

      "I think it would be cool to meet a siren." Sapphire spoke up with a bright smile on her tiny face.

     As some of the other kids voiced their agreement with her, Makino couldn't help but smile at the black haired little girl. Sapphire had always been a child of wonder. And a child of nature, apparently.

     It was like the island and the ocean around it loved this little girl. And she loved it just as much. And the only reason why Makino thinks that is because she's never seen a little girl be so one with the nature or the ocean ever in her life. A little girl that can talk to the animals that inhabits this village and they would actually listen to her.

"Can you tell the story about the pirate who took over Hadal cove?" Luffy perked up excitedly. All the kids around them started following along with cheering and begging for Makino to tell that story again.

"Please? Please?"

"I love that story!"

"I wanna hear it again!"

"I'm afraid our time is up." Makino chuckled out through the disappointed sounds the kids made. "But next time, I promise. I gotta reopen the bar now. Why don't you all go and play? And stay out of trouble."

She watched as the kids began to run off, smiling softly at their youth and energy. "Oh, to be that young again," she mumbled before she left to open up her bar.

       "Sapphie!" Luffy quickly walked by her as the two of them followed the group of children as they made their way through the village. "Look what I found today at the shores."

    Sapphire looked to see a big and shiny conch shell in his hand. Luffy had a proud smile as he presented it to her. Her light oceanic blue eyes widened in excitement and wonder as she carefully picked it up from him.

     "Wow! That's so beautiful~" she gasped as she examined it.

    Ever since Sapphire came into his life, and he found out that she had a love for sea shells, he had made it his mission to find the best and the biggest sea shells to give it to her. And every time she got excited for it, he would feel a level of pride rise in him. Also, because her attention would be on him.

    "Hey, Sapphie, look at this clam shell I found." Another boy, around their age, ran up to her. Holding a pearlized clam shell in his hands.

    Luffy frowned as she suddenly turned her attention to the clam shell. The light of the shell reflecting on her face and eyes.

    "How beautiful~" she gasped in awe.

     As the boy smiled in pride, Luffy quickly interjected to avert her attention back to him. "Well, I found this near the cliff this morning." He said, referring to the conch shell. "Dadan helped shine it for me."

     "Dadan did?" Sapphire turned back to him, suddenly curious. Much to the other boys dismay.

    "Well, I found this one near the sea." He quickly added, making Luffy glare at him. To which he glared back. "Nearly got my fingers chopped off by a crab, too."

    "Please, that's nothing. I almost fell from the cliff near the shore to get this for her."

    "You're such a liar, Luffy!"

     "Nuh uh!"

     "Uh huh!"

     As they began arguing, Sapphire looked at the both of them and blinked. She didn't know why they were so hostile to each other. But she did try to stop them and the only way she could get them to stop was by singing.

    "How about I sing a song?" She proclaimed, interrupting their argument.

      "A song?" Luffy said, suddenly forgetting about the argument and turned to her. Excitement shined through his big and round eyes.

    As soon as she said those words, every kid around them suddenly crowded around her. Sapphire made a bit of a reputation on the island for her singing. She had the best singing on the island and whenever she sung a song, all of the kids on the island would gather around to listen to her music. Songs that told stories about pirates, mythical creatures and other adventurous tales. And no one loved them more than Luffy.

    "Okay! Okay!" She chuckled before breaking away from the crowd.

    She looked around the street and found an empty box nearby and took it. They were by the beach so she quickly took the box and made her way to the beach shoreline with the others following behind.

    Sapphire sat the box where the sand met the grass and the palm trees. All of the kids quickly sat down on the grass around her. Luffy made sure he was front and center as he was most excited about her singing.

    Sapphire smiled as she stood on the box, clasped her hand a together and faced her audience.

   "Okay, this one is about a swordsman, a poet and a king." She explained to them. "Miss Makino gave me a book that had this song in it."

    Sapphire took a deep breath and began singing:

    "There will come a soldier who carries a mighty sword,
     He will tear your city down, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord
    Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord
    He will tear your city down, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord~"

    Luffy always thought that her songs had a way of prophesying thing into reality. Like they could tell the future. And often or not, he would sometimes envision himself as the characters as she continued to sing.

    "There will come a poet, whose weapon is his word
     He will tear your city down, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord
     Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord
     He will tear your city down, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord~"

     Luffy, along with the other kids, all began to clap and dance to the song. Which gathered some attention from the other villagers.

     Sapphire hopped off her box and began dancing a little, picking up the skirt of her dress and everything.

    "There will come a ruler, who's brow is laid with thorn
      Smeared in oil like David's boy, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord
     Oh lei, oh lai, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord,
     Smeared in oil like David's boy, oh lei, oh lai, oh lord~"

     Soon, the other kids began singing with her as they all began to dance and have a good time. It was like Sapphire was hypnotizing them into feeling happy and joyous with her. Almost like magic.

     She sung and swung around with Luffy, who was laughing and smiling the entire time. Some of the adults of the village couldn't help but to watch with smiles of their own. Happy to see a group of kids having fun together.

     This was the effect Sapphire had on them. She was able to lift any mood she's surrounded by just with her singing alone. Which has earned her the nickname 'island princess'. Because of how sweet she is and how her singing seemed to work on everyone who heard her.

    Later on that afternoon, Luffy and Sapphire sat together on a dock near the ports, watching the sunset over the coastal line. After the other kids left, her and Luffy made it a tradition to watch the sunset together. Something they have kept up ever since they first met.

    "What do you wanna be when you grow up?" Sapphire asked, swinging her feet as they watched the ocean together.

     "Well, I want to be a pirate, of course." Luffy answered enthusiastically. "But not just any pirate. I want to be the king of pirates!"

    "Grandpa Garp isn't going to be happy about that." She chuckled out, looking at him with a comical grin.

    Luffy's grandfather, Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, was very adamant about him being a marine. But Luffy was a big dreamer and super adventurous. The Marine life was never something he wanted. Not that she thinks Luffy would make a good marine, of course. She thought he would be too outspoken and hyper to listen to orders. But be that as it may, Garp hated anything that had to do with piracy. Or at least he hated it when Luffy kept bringing it up to him.

    "Ehh, what does he know?" Luffy waved off lazily. "Can't you see it? Me, Captain Moneky D. Luffy, the founder of the One Piece and the crowned king of the pirates! I'll be the most fearsome pirate in all of East Blue! Maybe in the world, too! And you'll be with me on this, right?"

    "And what will I do in your pirate crew, Luffy?" She asked, curiously.

    "Well, you can share your songs to the world. Sing about my tales, get people to know who I am through your music." Luffy grinned, leaning back on the dock, looking up at the colorful sky. ".....you know....I never asked this but....what is your dream, Sapphie?"

    Sapphire thought about it for a few seconds. There was one thing she wanted to achieve in the world. Sapphire had always wanted to travel beyond the grand line. Where they say there's a new world beyond it. Uncharted islands and waters, all of the sights she could see and the people she could meet.

     "....I want to see the world." She mumbled quietly, looking at the sunset.

      Luffy lifted himself back up right and stared at her longing expression. If there was one thing he always remembered about Sapphire, it was that she wanted to see all of the world. Beyond Foosha Island. And it made him realize just how much she had longed for that type of freedom. Luffy wanted to give it to her.

    "Then I'll take you." He promised, causing her to look at him. "I'm serious, Sapphie. If you want to see the world, I'll make sure that happens. I swear it on my life."

    "Luffy, that's a dream too big for even you." Sapphire said, giving him a small smile. Admiring his spirit. But going past the grand line....that was a dream too far from her to reach.

    "The world is bigger than Foosha, Sapphie." He relented, sticking to his word. "Think about it. You and me, sailing together on the big and great blue ocean. All of the sights, the islands, the treasure we can find......Captain Luffy and his First Lady, Sapphie.....we will be unstoppable!"

    "First, we have to get off this island," she reminded him, tracing her finger on the wooden post next to her. "And we don't have a boat or a ship."

    "We'll find a way. I know we can." Luffy replied back, sticking his pinkie out. "With this promise, Sapphie....I promise to show you the world....no matter how hard it may be, no matter how....we will get off this island and we will see the world together."

     Sapphire looked at his pinkie and back at him as she felt a small smile etch on her lips. Luffy had a way of making anyone believe in his words and determination. Maybe that's why they've been friends for so long. Her loyalty to Luffy was due to the fact that he believed in himself and in her so much. It made her love him a lot.

    She hooked her pinkie with his as they held each others together, solidifying their promises of achieving their dreams by each others side.

    "I promise....to always remain loyal and be a good First Lady.....Captain Luffy." She promised, smiling at him.

    Luffy smiled back as they held pinkies together. It was special moments like this that the two will always cherish. Even as years pass by, these promises will be fruitful and will come true. Luffy swears it.