Not My Monkey, Chapter 7 -- Oh, Sweet Child O' Mine (Reverse Isekai trope, reader / SHP, reader x Jinbei)
18+ MDNI | on Ao3 | the other chapters
Thank you for your patience! I know I don't update this frequently but this fic really is one of my favorites to write.
“So you can breathe under water and on land, swim at an extremely rapid pace, use the water as a weapon, are ten times stronger than a human, have various attributes of the fish you are, and can communicate with aquatic life? Damn, being a fishman is better than being a human,” you said, sitting side by side with Jinbei on the deck of the 1000 Merry.
The night sky was clear, giving you a perfect view of the milky way above. Well, you assumed it was the milky way. You had never really done that much naked eye astronomy before your death so you couldn’t confirm whether it really was or not. Maybe the stars were the same, maybe they were different, but either way they were absolutely stunning. You’d never seen the night sky without light pollution the way you could in this world, the night sky shimmering like diamonds were scattered in the night.
“Hmm. That is not always the general opinion of humans, but I am proud to be a fishman,” he said with a laugh, resting his hand inside his kimono. You kinda wanted a kimono yourself, it seemed so comfortable to wear and be able to stick your hands inside to rest. Though, you weren’t quite sure of the connection between traditional Japanese wear and fishmen, so perhaps it was best to err on the side of caution and not appropriate their culture. Unless maybe the kimonos were just a Jinbei thing? Would it be cultural appropriation since Japan didn’t exist in this world? You’d ask Usopp what the general attire of a fishman was later.
“I have some questions. That is, if you don’t mind,” you hedged, unsure what would constitute rudeness regarding his physical condition. Jinbei inclined his head, his eyes shut.
“Please. I cannot imagine anything more… interesting than Robin’s questions,” he said. You laughed lightly, Jinbei was a lot funnier than you initially thought. His humor was a little dry and you had to read between the lines but even so he was making you laugh. You wanted to ask him about what Ace had told you but it probably wasn’t a good idea during your first real conversation together.
“Ok - and please let me know if these aren’t appropriate or I’ve made a faux pas - but can you breathe in fresh water too?” you asked, stretching your legs out in front of you.
“Hmm. I don’t know that I’ve ever been in a large enough body of fresh water for long enough to test it extensively but generally I would say yes,” he said, nodding his head. You nodded your head along too. That would make sense. Or not, but it didn’t really matter.
“Do you have lungs as well as gills? You must, right? Since you can breathe on land and water?” you asked, continuing on in the same thought thread. Some of the logic in this world wasn’t quite adding up - how could Zoro lift those comically large weights but not have a devil fruit? How did Sanji cook that fast? Were some people just…like that here?
“Yes, I do. The same as yours,” he said, still nodding. You paused for a moment, considering the biological implications.
“So then, how do you sink in the water? Wouldn’t your lungs be filled with air? Or does it double as your swim bladder? Do you have one of those too? Oh wait, sharks don’t have that. So does your oily liver help or make being on land more challenging?” you asked, musing out loud. As a kid you had a long shark interest phase and you remembered a lot of the facts from the PBS specials.
“Wait, do you sleep?” you asked, cocking your head. “Like, can you not sleep if you’re in the water? Because if I remember correctly, sharks don’t sleep, right? They have to keep moving in order not to die. But is that true on land? How does that work?” you wondered, tapping your chin. Jinbei laughed, his eyes closing in mirth.
“It is no wonder you and Robin get along. She asked me a few of the same questions, though not about the swim bladder. You seem to know a lot about fish,” Jinbei replied, though you noted he wasn’t answering the questions. You had so many more questions, and you really wanted to know about his anatomy but your first private conversation together didn’t seem like the time.
“Yeah, I really like nature documentaries. Learning about different animals, different places…the world we live in - er, well the world I live in - well, lived in I guess,” you said, finishing with a hum.
“We do not know what happens after twenty one days,” Jinbei said softly, the deep timbre of his voice a pleasant balm to your growing anxiety.
“It’s what, eighteen days now? But still, that’s true. It just seems like…I don’t know…” you trailed off, not wanting to think about your impending doom while talking with a sexy, funny, double donged, blue fishman. It was quiet between you for a few moments as you studied the celestial bodies above your heads.
“We are departing the island at dawn. Did you get to do everything you wished?” Jinbei asked after a few minutes, changing the subject. You let your thoughts drop, there wasn’t anything to do about what would happen. Either you’d die or go back to your regular life, it wasn’t like you had a choice.
“Yeah, I got some clothes, a sun hat, a few little things, nothing crazy,” you said, thinking back to some of the items you’d gotten. You had also bought a crochet hook and some yarn, planning on making small things for the crew if you had the time. And if the ship was sailing for a few days and no one needed much aesthetic help, you might.
You hadn’t really had this kind of down time in a long stretch, with nothing hanging over your head. In some ways, being with Luffy was freeing – you didn’t have to worry about bills, or your job, or the future, or anything. You could just focus on living in the here and now and doing what you directly wanted and needed. You needed money, so you made some. You wanted to crochet, so you would. It wasn’t real life – if you lived in this world you’d also have worries and troubles and issues to deal with. But for now living in limbo was rather nice.
You were going to ask Jinbei about being a filter feeder and what his tusks did since whale sharks had hundreds of small teeth, but the sounds of Nami laughing hit your ears. Looking over, Zoro was rowing a small boat back to the ship while grumbling something to Brook. Despite Zoro’s overt annoyance, there was an easy familiarity between the bunch. Even if this wasn’t the way they met on the show, maybe they were all meant to be together.
Not all of them had been drinking – it seemed like Chopper, Usopp, and Brook were all sober. Still, watching Brook tease Chopper and Nami laughing with her arm around a smiling Robin made you feel a pang of loneliness for your own friends back home. You’d made some great friends over your years. You’d lost touch with some, some got busy with life, some had moved away, but the memories remained. You wished you could reach out and chat with some of them right now. These kids were great, but they weren’t your friends.
“Sounds like everyone’s back,” you said easily, resting your head on your palm. Nami and Zoro clearly been drinking, the familiar smell of booze hitting your nose long before you saw the telltale shade of orange hair. Zoro was scanning the deck for something (or someone, you thought) and his face fell into a deep frown when he realized it was just you and Jinbei.
“C’mon Misty! Let’s head back to our room for some girl time!!” Nami yelled happily in your face, her cheeks flushed red. Your private time with Jinbei had come to an abrupt end, but that was alright. You had around eighteen more days to chat with him and if the ship was sailing maybe you’d have a chance since there was nowhere else to go. You smiled as Nami hauled you to your feet, she was surprisingly strong for such a lithe woman.
“C’mon Big Sis! I got soooo many questions for ya!” Nami beamed at you, linking her arm in yours. She was carrying a few hat bags on her arm, her other purchases being carried for her by a scowling Zoro.
“Sorry, Jinbei, I think it’s girl time,” you said with a smile. Jinbei laughed at the antics and nodded.
“Very well. It is best to answer Nami’s questions when they arise. I will see you at the latest tomorrow evening for the continuation of Dorothy’s story. And perhaps additional conversation,” he said. You couldn’t remember the last time you spent so much time looking at the sky, but you wanted to sit under the stars with Jinbe and chat tonight and every night until…whatever happened.
“Haha yeah! I’ll meet with you - er you and Luffy - tomorrow too! I had a lot of fun chatting,” you said, a flush rising to your face unbidden. You felt like you were at the front door of your house, not wanting a date to end but needing to go inside. You had so many more things you wanted to know about Jinbe but Nami was tugging on your arm insistently and pulling you to the door that led to the women’s quarters.
“I did too,” Jinbei said with a smile, his wrinkles crinkling with the movement. You smiled back at him with a dopey grin until Nami gave you a brow raise.
Nami did not have many questions for you. She had one main question, which was if you would change her rounded nails for stilettos and if they could be orange red instead of red orange. Nami then strong-armed you into changing them while she continued drinking from a bottle she’d somehow hidden on her person. It was impressive – you wondered where it had been since she was only wearing a bikini top and a mini skirt. Maybe it was one of those unknowable things about this world that just didn’t add up.
Robin was not back in the room yet from bathing and doing her skin care routine, but she was giving her opinion here and there via dismembered mouths and ears. Usopp was sitting on the bed, carefully painting his goggles a new shade of yellow. The four of you were chatting, Nami catching you up on the crew’s antics on the island before turning pensive for a moment.
“D’any women in your world like girls?” Nami asked as you removed the last of the red orange from her left hand. You kept your expression neutral, trying to ensure you understood her completely before answering. She was opening the boxes to her new hats with her free hand and placing them one after another on her head.
“Sure. Lots of women like other women. You mean romantically and sexually, right?” you confirmed lightly, now nipping her cuticles before starting on the next part of the routine.
“Yeah. A lot - some of the other Readers said I was s’posed to be with Vivi, but since we didn’t end up staying a long time in Alabasta, I didn’t really get to meet her that well,” Nami said, stretching out her other hand in front of her face. She hummed in approval, bringing her nails closer to her face again. You didn’t know who Vivi was, but if the other readers had known her surely she was a somewhat important character.
“Mmmh. I don’t know anything about Vivi specifically as a person, but it’s perfectly normal for a woman to love another woman. Love is love, you know?” you replied. Nami hummed in reply. You weren’t sure what the social mores around homosexuality in this world were. Maybe Nami’s insecurity was an expression of being so young. Either way, you didn’t want to shame her for her orientation, no matter what it was.
“Can’t you go see her?” you asked, now filing the nails on Nami’s other hand.
“No, she and Cobra have solved the issue of water in Alabasta and quelled the rebellion but Crocodile got away. They need to rebuild their country,” she said absently, watching your work intently. You’d heard about Crocodile a few times, he sounded a little like Captain Hook from Peter Pan.
“About that,” you said, applying a base coat to Nami’s nails, “do the bad guys know the timeline has changed?” Nami shook her head. Usopp looked up for a moment before continuing to paint his goggles, while filling you in on the details.
“Not as far as we know. We’re trying to keep the reader’s information away from the bad guys, which includes the Marines. Everyone who’s going to the island knows, along with the Revolutionary Army and a few allies like King Cobra, Wyper, King Neptune, people like that,” he explained as if you knew who any of those people were.
“So what I don’t get is why you don’t go and still fight those bad guys. If they don’t know what’s going to happen, why can’t you still fight them and get stronger? If you’re not strong enough to beat them, wouldn’t it help you especially since you know their weaknesses?” you asked, tugging Nami’s hand closer towards you. It was silent in the cabin for a moment as you continued painting, setting Nami’s hand down to work on the other.
“That is an intriguing idea. I did leave Crocodile when I was convinced that Luffy was telling the truth about our destinies. Allegedly Crocodile did help Luffy later on in the original timeline and some readers have even suggested that he is Luffy’s mother,” Robin said, leaning on the doorframe.
“Perhaps Luffy could go fight him, especially knowing what we do about his weaknesses versus our own. I am not certain where he is in Alabasta, but I imagine he hasn’t completely left the country. He is still searching for Pluton,” Robin continued, nodding. Of course! Pluton! you thought. Whatever the fuck that was.
“I’ll bring it up to the Captain. It would certainly be more helpful for our growth than fighting crews we are allied with. I am certain the melee is a means for the boys to show off to one another.”
“A pissing contest?” you guessed, now unscrewing the cap to the polish.
“Correct,” Robin agreed with a smile.
“Men are the same the world over, I guess,” you replied. “So maybe after this you can see Vivi at some point,” you said to Nami. She flushed as she drank a swig from the bottle of liquor on the table.
“Would be better than watching these idiots fight,” Nami muttered.
“And then we don’t have to fight either,” Usopp said triumphantly with a broad smile. You smiled back, you didn’t want to fight anyone either. Not that you were going to, but still, you understood the vibe.
“Careful, you’re gonna smudge my hard work,” you griped. Nami hummed and put the bottle down, giving you her hands back.
“Aren’t you gonna fight too?” you asked, noting that Nami’s hands were more calloused than you suspected at first glance. You could feel the nub on her hand where she gripped her pencil but her palms were rough too. “I thought Luffy said everyone was fighting?” Nami laughed nervously as she and Usopp exchanged glances.
“Y-yeah, that’s true. I’m supposed to fight. And I have my clima-tact, but -”
“She’s part of the Cowardly Trio,” Robin said happily, sitting down on her bed across from Nami’s.
“The what?” you asked.
“The Cowardly Trio,” Nami said with a sigh. “Which – I don’t like fighting! I’m a cat burglar, I try and make my exit quickly and quietly, you know?”
“And I don’t wanna die. Have you seen the kind of people we’re up against? “People” is a generous word when someone can cut you apart and leave you alive,” Usopp remarked, biting his lip. Who could do that? You wondered. Maybe Zoro did have a fruit and no one told you.
“I can’t blame you for not wanting to fight, I’d be scared too. You can put me in the trio. Who else is in it?” you asked.
“Chopper,” they said in tandem.
“But he can fight well, he has several forms he switches between,” Robin said, picking up an extra nail file and beginning to file her nails. Hmmm….if Robin painted her nails, would it show up on the blossoming ones? Maybe she’d test that thought with you…
“We can be the cowardly quartet then. Not that I’m on the crew or anything,” you said, raising your brow. “Everyone’s so strong and has swords and enhancements -”
“You’d be in the elderly trio,” Robin said, her chin on her palm. You narrowed your eyes at her jokingly.
“Ha, ha. Very funny. I’m not that old,” you snarked.
“You are here. It would be you, Brook, and Jinbei,” she explained. You rolled your eyes but paused.
“Yeah, and what’s going on with you and Jinbei?” Nami interrupted, her smile like a cat who’d caught a mouse. Usopp’s ears perked up as he shared a look with Nami. Oh no they didn’t. You didn’t need one more person who wasn’t able to drink at a bar giving you grief about Jinbei. Ace had been too much already, you weren’t gonna let these teens bully you too. You quickly changed the subject to something you had been pondering occasionally.
“Wait, how old is Brook? I know he’s a skeleton but -”
“Brook is almost 90,” Robin replied, allowing the subject to drop. You’d thank her later.
“What the fuck?” you whispered under your breath now thinking about the gigantic skeleton. He almost reminded you of those massive ones people used as Halloween decorations. “Did he get taller when he died? Or -”
“No, his skeleton didn’t change. He merely reanimated without his flesh once he died the first time,” Robin said with a smile.
“So he’s always been 9 feet tall and looked like Slash?”
“Who is Slash?” Usopp joined in, now flipping through a magazine he’d bought on the island.
“Doesn’t matter,” you said with a wave of your hand. Even so, the opening riff of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” started playing unbidden in your head. Maybe you’d get Brook to play it with you and make the vision fit your current reality. You had seen an incredible shark guitar that he had that would be perfect for the occasion. Maybe you could convince the Strawhats to play it as their theme song when they convened for the melee. “Welcome to the Jungle” might be an even better fit. You didn’t realize you were humming until Usopp interrupted your thoughts.
“Hey, where’s Luffy? Usually he’s banging on the door trying to get into girl’s nights,” he asked, folding his magazine carefully. You didn’t remark on the fact that Usopp was also at girls night – it was all about vibes and he fit in great. While painting a topcoat on Nami’s nails you replied with a shrug.
“Oh, uh, he said he was tired went to sleep not long after you guys left-”
“WHAT?! YOU LET HIM GO TO SLEEP BEFORE 9!?-” Usopp screamed, his hands on his cheeks.
“Whoa, chill out-” you set down Nami’s hand and raised your own. If there was a rule about Luffy sleeping, no one told you. Usopp hung his head.
“If you let him sleep before nine, he’ll be up by four in the morning at the latest. Occasionally he goes back to sleep for a few hours but usually not. And Sanji starts cooking around five so someone will need to be up to keep him entertained to keep from bugging Sanji while he cooks. Zoro can’t because he’s on watch and Jinbei will be at the helm and Franky isn’t a morning person and oh my godddd tomorrow is going to suck it’s gonna be me who has to play with him in the morning. Don’t get me wrong, I love our Captain but not before the sun rises,” Usopp whined, his head in his hands.
“I fucked up, I’ll deal with it,” you replied, giving Nami’s nails a once over before setting them down.
“Really?” Usopp perked up immediately. You nodded.
“Aw, you shoulda charged him for it,” Nami said, looking at her nail set.
“Ha! Next time. Yeah, you can send him my way if he wakes up early,” you said, packing up your tools. Hopefully the kid slept in after the long day in the sun.
The kid did not sleep in.
Just as Usopp said, you heard a soft knocking at the door just before 4 AM. For someone as loud as Luffy, you were surprised he was capable of being so quiet. Then again, you’d also seen what happened when he had disturbed Nami napping on the deck before and it hadn’t been a pretty sight.
“HEY! MISTY!” Luffy whisper yelled from outside the door. You yawned and looked out the window – it was way too early for this shit. Though you were determined to take a morning meal away from Sanji, even he wasn’t up at this hour. You shuffled to the cabin door, opening it softly.
“H’Lu,” you whispered back, yawning once more. “S’ early,” you said as Luffy gave you a sunny smile.
“Yeah! But I’m ready-”
“Well, I’m not. C’mon in, let’s chill in bed for a little,” you said, opening the door a little wider.
“Ooooh, I’m never allowed in here,” he whispered, his head turning in a full circle like an owl to look around the room. You didn’t bother reacting, at 4 AM that got filed under “whatever.” You wanted Luffy to go back to sleep, so you were going to treat him like one of your little nieces when they got scared in the night.
“Luffy, get in my bed-”
“But I wanna-”
“Shh. Don’t wake Nami and Robin. In the bed,” you whispered, opening up your sheets and covers for him. Luffy gave you a blank stare but took off his shoes and wiggled into the bed. You got in after him, pushing him against the wall. That way you’d know if he got up and left again and you’d go chase after him. Probably.
“C’mere,” you whispered, putting your arm under his neck. You pulled him closer to you, so that he was snuggled right against you. You laid his head on your boobs and ran your fingers through his short, messy hair. It wasn’t sexual – the kid really felt like a nephew to you – but he seemed most attuned to physical touch. You wrapped yourself around him and allowed your eyes to drift shut. He started to wiggle but you just continued to stroke his hair and started to pat his back.
“S nice. Feels like ‘m a kid again with Ace ‘n Sabo,” he whispered. You hummed back to him.
“You are a kid, now shush,” you said, giving his scalp scratches with your nails. Luffy practically melted into a puddle under your touch.
The melee was on your mind, but between the rocking waves, Luffy’s warm body around yours, his even breath on your neck, and the gentle creaking of the ship, your anxiety slipped away from you. The two of you fell back asleep, only waking with Sanji’s call for breakfast.
Seventeen days left.
