Luffy grinned, completely unfazed. "That's fine. As long as they remember me."
Shakky laughed, shaking her head. "Cocky little thing, aren't you?"
Kuina sighed, rubbing her temple. "You have no idea."
Shakky took a slow drag of her cigarette, exhaling a delicate cloud of smoke as she smirked at Luffy. "Talking about women, that girl you saved—Hancock, wasn't it?"
Luffy raised an eyebrow, already sensing where this was going.
Shakky leaned forward slightly, amusement twinkling in her sharp eyes. "She's grown into quite the beauty, you know."
Kuina, sitting beside Luffy, subtly shifted her attention toward him, watching closely for his reaction.
Luffy sighed, swirling the drink in his glass.
"I know," He admitted. "How could I not know?"
His fingers tapped against the counter absentmindedly. "But I've got no intention of getting tangled up with her."
Shakky exhaled softly. "No?"
Luffy shook his head, his voice carrying a rare hint of solemnity. "I just hope she can be happy… that she can move past everything and not let it chain her down."
A moment of silence settled over the bar, only broken by the faint crackle of Shakky's cigarette.
She sighed, tilting her head as she regarded Luffy thoughtfully. "That's not so easy, you know."
Luffy let out a small, exasperated chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I know."
Kuina glanced at him, something unreadable in her eyes.
Shakky gave him a fond smile. She leaned in, voice dropping into something more amused. "But if I recall… Hancock was completely smitten with you by the time she left. Oh, the way she looked at you—"
Luffy groaned, rubbing his temple. "Shakky, don't start."
Kuina, raising a brow, turned toward him. "Wait… Boa Hancock liked you?"
Shakky snickered, swirling her drink. "Oh, 'like' is putting it lightly, dear. The girl was head over heels. It was cute."
Luffy exhaled, running a hand through his hair. "She was just grateful, that's all."
Kuina hummed, unconvinced. "Right. Sure."
Shakky smirked. "You underestimate the effect you have on women, Monkey-chan. Not that you mind the attention, do you?"
Luffy grinned devilishly, tilting his head. "Depends. Are you jealous?"
Shakky let out a slow laugh, eyes gleaming with playful mischief. "Oh, please. If I was twenty years younger, maybe I'd have been the one throwing myself at you."
Kuina nearly choked on her drink, coughing into her sleeve.
Luffy, on the other hand, grinned wider. "Damn, Shakky. You know how to make a guy feel special."
Shakky winked, leaning back. "Oh, Monkey-chan, you have no idea."
Kuina shook her head, finishing her drink in one go before slamming the glass down. "Alright. That's enough of that. Can we talk about literally anything else before my brain melts?"
Luffy chuckled, pushing his empty glass forward. "Alright, alright. Where's the old man anyway? He not here?"
Shakky sighed dramatically, flicking the ash from her cigarette. "Rayleigh? Hah. Like he ever stays in one place. He's probably wasting his money at the casino or getting drunk at some shady bar."
Luffy made an understanding noise, nodding. "Figures."
Just as he was about to stand up, the door to the bar swung open with a loud creak.
CREEEAK
The door swung open.
And in stepped a man whose very presence commanded the room—his coat draped over his shoulders, his silver hair gleaming under the dim lights, a carefree grin stretching across his face.
"Speak of the devil," Shakky mused.
"Well, well!" Rayleigh's voice rang with warmth and amusement. "Look who it is!"
Luffy's eyes lit up, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Rayleigh!"
Rayleigh laughed heartily, walking forward with the ease of a man who had long since discarded the weight of the world. "Been a while, kid!"
He clapped a heavy hand on Luffy's shoulder, giving him a firm shake. "You've grown."
Luffy smirked. "Of course I have."
Rayleigh's grin widened. "And from what I hear, you've been causing quite the stir."
Shakky, intrigued, blew out a slow puff of smoke, eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh? What did he do this time?"
Rayleigh chuckled, shaking his head, though his eyes gleamed with something close to pride. "The brat shot up the Slave Auction Houses."
Shakky's eyebrows lifted, and for once, a genuine flicker of surprise crossed her face. "Oh? The Auction Houses?"
Rayleigh smirked, taking a sip from his drink before dropping the real bomb. "Even the ones backed by the World Government."
Shakky let out a low whistle, tilting her head. "Well, well… reckless and brave. That's quite the combination, Monkey-chan."
Luffy merely waved a hand lazily, as if the entire ordeal wasn't worth the energy of discussion. "Eh, it was nothing."
He grinned, leaning back. "If it causes trouble, I'll just dump it on the old man's head and let him deal with it."
Rayleigh barked out a laugh, nearly spilling his drink. "Pffft— That old man Sengoku's gonna have a stroke when he hears this."
Shakky smirked, tapping her cigarette against the ashtray. "Oh, I'd pay to see that. I can just imagine the poor man turning different shades of red."
Luffy snorted, crossing his arms. "Tch. My old man's been annoying me since I was a kid. Kept beating me up daily. This is just payback."
"Garp?"
Luffy scoffed. "Yeah, the crazy old man thought punching me through mountains was 'training.'"
He rubbed his jaw as if recalling some ancient pain. "So what if I caused a little chaos? I learned from the best."
Rayleigh grinned, clearly entertained. "Garp's going to lose his mind when he hears about this."
Shakky smirked. "Oh, absolutely. But let's be real—he's probably going to be more proud than pissed. The old war dog loves carnage."
Luffy huffed. "Oh, I know. If anything, he'll be mad he wasn't there to punch some Celestial Dragons himself."
Rayleigh and Shakky exchanged glances before turning back to Luffy. Their expressions were nearly identical—amused, pleased, and undeniably impressed.
Shakky leaned on the counter, grinning. "I have to say, Monkey-chan… I'm really starting to like you."
Rayleigh smirked. "You've got guts, kid. Not many people would walk into the heart of Sabaody and set the world on fire."
Luffy grinned wide, stretching his arms behind his head. "Eh, fire's fun. I might set a few more things on fire before I leave."
Shakky laughed, exhaling smoke. "Oh, now you're just teasing me."
Kuina, who had been quietly observing, finally chuckled. "No, no. He means it. That's the scary part."
Luffy grinned wider. "I never joke about causing mayhem."
Kuina smiled, her voice softer than usual. Her gaze was deep, filled with something warm, something proud.
"This is why I follow him," She murmured.
--- ✦ ✦ ✦ ---
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