𝒞𝑜𝓃𝓉𝓇𝑜𝓁𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑔 (𝒾𝓍)
𝒮𝓊𝓂𝓂𝒶𝓇𝓎: Political tensions in the kingdom reach a boiling point as you and Prince Luffy draw closer. Will you join his crew or stay behind? Will the uprising be successful, or will everything come crashing down? This is the final chapter. What does your future hold? ~4.5k words.
Part 9 of 9 - (read part 1 here) Pairing: Luffy x reader CW: NSFW - sex scene with Luffy. MC uses she/her pronouns. MDNI!
To see the map of the geopolitical situation discussed in this chapter, check out the last chapter (scroll to the bottom of that post).
✦ Chapter 9: I dream of you with a ship ✦
You were familiar with it now—Luffy’s bed. It was plush and large, the covers were a deep red color, and the room smelled comforting and musky, just like Luffy himself.
The sheets were heavy and cool when you first slipped into them, but that didn’t last long, because Luffy was like a furnace. Many months in the future, you’d accept that your bed needed lighter sheets and less layers, because he radiated heat. But this first night together, his warmth was something new to you. You hadn’t gotten used to it yet.
It was easy and natural, this new dynamic. It had been brewing under the surface for months, but now that it was actually happening, it was more seamless than you could have imagined.
“You feeling okay?” Luffy asked, sliding into the covers from the opposite side of the bed. “How are you doing after today?”
“I feel fine, Luffy. A bit nervous about tomorrow, but fine. Thank you for caring about me so much,” you sheepishly smiled.
“Of course,” he responded, then paused. “Can we get closer?”
You hummed out an “mhm,” and he wasted no time pulling you close to him, which made your heart soar.
“I’m glad you’re feeling okay, I was worried about you,” he murmured. His hands found their way to your waist. He pulled you in, pressing his body along yours from behind.
“You smell nice…” he whispered. “Your skin is nice. Your hair is nice. You’re nice. Makes me feel all weird inside.”
“Good weird or bad weird?” You said breathlessly, trying to soak in this moment of closeness that you had wished for, for so long.
“Good weird,” Luffy said. “Always good with you.”
When he kissed your neck, you sort of twitched in surprise, caught off guard by how forward he was being, but elated, nonetheless.
“Can I tell you something?” His voice lowered so it was almost inaudible. “I want to touch you, but I’m worried that I’ll push you away.”
“Don’t worry, Luffy,” you said, turning clumsily in the covers to face him. Your faces had never been this close before—centimeters separated your noses. You could feel his warm breath and see his eyes in the dim, muted moonlight that filtered through the curtains of his bedroom.
Luffy brought his lips to yours. He kissed you once, then twice, and then he didn’t stop. You felt connected to him, like you could physically sense the waves of energy and emotion coursing through him; his chest rose and fell a bit faster, his lips pressed harder, his fingers on your skin squeezed tighter.
He was shirtless, muscles tight and toned, arms flexed as he held himself back from ravaging you. He wanted to savor this moment. This was a moment that he had secretly thought about, a fantasy he tried not to dwell on, now fully realized.
Your fingers trailed from his collar bones to his chest, then abdomen. You ran your palms across his skin, and he shivered.
“Hey, that tickles,” he whispered.
You did it again and he laughed.
Once the giggling subsided, he asked, “Hey, can I tell you something?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“You’re so special to me.” He paused. “I’ve never felt this before. I never want to let you go.”
“Then don’t,” you said, smiling.
He peppered kisses across your cheeks and forehead. “Is it too soon to ask if we can get even closer?”
Now it was you who did the giggling. “It’s not too soon, Luffy.”
In moments, you both pulled off your respective clothing. You felt a wave of embarrassment at being so exposed before you looked him in the eyes and saw how much tenderness there was. This was intimate; everything you could have hoped.
His warms hands found their way to your chest, exploring and worshipping. They crept lower, between your thighs, treating you respectfully and intentionally. The whole time, he asked, “Are you okay with this?”
Maybe you shouldn’t have been this surprised that Luffy was so skilled with his fingers; they were warm, big, all the things you observed and wondered about before, but you hadn’t been bold enough to let yourself fantasize about (much). As they moved, you felt pleasure start to buzz from your center to your fingertips.
You reached clumsily for his erection, which was pressing on your leg. He inhaled sharply, freezing up for a moment.
“Fuck,” he gasped quietly as you moved your hand up and down. “Come here.”
Luffy flipped onto his back and pulled you on top of him, hands planted squarely on your ass for leverage. When you looked down at him, it was hard to see his face in the shadows, but his eyes caught the moonlight.
You held his gaze for a second. His eyes were bathed in longing, desire, and something else. You wondered, distantly, when, or if, he would say those three words. But it wasn’t before long that he started to move his hips, grinding almost animalistically into you, teasing you within an inch of reason.
Sounds started to trickle out of Luffy’s lips in increasing volume as he rutted into you. He found his angle just right and pushed up into you, making you gasp.
In the minutes that followed, Luffy brought you up and down, doing all the work, each movement bringing bursts of pleasure that made your vision go blurry.
Your legs started to shake from being on top, so he gently moved you. On your stomach now, his body pressed onto yours from above. He moved his hips rhythmically and slowly, letting out husky moans and the occasional whimper.
“Fuuuck.”
When Luffy started to kiss your shoulder, it dawned on you that he was making love to you. It was a level of softness and affection that you hadn’t experienced before. You weren’t aware of what you had been missing until this moment—you had an epiphany that this man really did cherish you like you were precious and special. He was showing you that with every caress and roll of his hips.
Minutes melted away like seconds as Luffy brought you closer to climax with every press of his hips in exactly the right direction.
When you finally reached the peak of pleasure, Luffy didn’t take much time to do the same. Afterwards, you laid next to each other in bed, cuddling, sticky and hot after so much exertion.
He kissed the top of your head again—just like he had in the courtyard after the confrontation. It made your heart flutter. You wondered if your heart would ever stop fluttering when receiving such earnest affection from him.
As you drifted off to sleep, he traced circles on your back and ran his fingers through your hair. It was the best sleep you had gotten in months, maybe years.
“Sleep well,” he whispered to you after you drifted off. “Big day tomorrow.” He kissed your cheek and then sunk into sleep as well.
---
Luffy woke you near the break of dawn.
“Hey, we’ve got to get going. Want to get ready and eat something before we see your parents?”
You groggily mumbled an assent and dragged yourself out of bed when you remembered what this fated day would hold. You thought of the day ahead with lots of hesitation; what if Luffy and his brothers’ attempt at liberating the country went wrong?
Shaking off your trepidation, you reminded yourself to take things one step at a time and, most importantly, have faith in the three men who you were certain could do anything if they put their minds to it.
You didn’t have any clothes to change into except the ones from yesterday, which were sufficiently soiled with the sort of sweat that only stress can conjure.
“Luffy, I don’t have any fresh clothes. I need to go grab some, and then we can eat breakfast. Sound good?”
He was pulling on his own pair of fresh robes and offhandedly offered you a solution. “Why don’t you just wear some of mine?”
“Yours? But they’re—uh, they’re special, aren’t they? I don’t think I’m allowed—”
He grinned. “Allowed? We’re toppling the kingdom today. It doesn’t matter. Pick any pair you like. They might not fit too well, but they’ll do. Unless you really don’t want to?”
“No, it’s okay. I’ll wear yours, if you’re sure.” You felt bashful at the thought that you’d be wearing his clothes, and his colors, of which only robes made for royalty were. But he had a point—there would be no royalty after today. The kingdom was headed away from the concept altogether.
At his closet, you found a pristine line of carefully hung, ruby-colored robes. They were flowy, in a few different cuts; as you passed your hand down the line of different clothing items, you thought about the fact that soon anyone could wear any colors they please.
Most of the time Luffy rocked his traditional garb, with bare chest and fabric wrapped around his waist. But upon examining his closet, he had a more diverse wardrobe than you thought. You picked what seemed like a whole bolt of fabric at random.
It had a high collar and a deep V-neck. The fit was relaxed and the sleeves were wide. The matching pair of pants had a drawstring feature instead of a belt. You’d definitely be able to make it work.
On closer inspection, you saw that the sleeves and neck were embroidered with the signature gold threads of the palace. Pure luxury. You’d never worn something like this before.
Furtively, you disrobed, hoping that Luffy wasn’t watching, still bashful after last night. You slipped into his clothes. The fabric felt as smooth as butter on your skin. In the mirror, you were shocked at how good you looked. The fabric complemented your skin, brought out your eyes, and made you feel bolder. You’d need this boost of courage to get you through this day, one of the most important days of your life.
“Ready?” Luffy asked, and you turned around to face him. His eyes transformed; a softness stole across them.
He felt like a frog was caught in his throat.
“Looks really good on you. Y’know what? It honestly makes me feel something to see you in—well, in those colors. Wanted to see this for a while.” He cracked a grin. “Will you come over here?”
When you were eye-to-eye with him, he couldn’t help pulling you into another kiss. All bets were off, apparently. This would be your dynamic from here on out. He couldn’t conceal his adoration anymore and neither would you.
You had no way of knowing, but you did suspect that this was Luffy’s first time being this close to someone. He had no reason to keep it to himself anymore, so he gave into it. This feeling—infatuation, reverence, respect, desire—whichever it was, burned like fire in the center of his sternum.
Luffy didn’t want to break his lips from yours, but he had to remind himself that you were on a time crunch. And as early in the morning as it was, it wasn’t early enough. You should have gotten started maybe an hour ago. But no matter, he figured, it’d still work out. It might just be a bit of a tight squeeze.
You packed your bags. You didn’t have much to take with you to Luffy’s ship, your new home.
A couple shabby sets of robes—you know that you’d probably end up just wearing Luffy’s. Notebooks. A scarf. There were odds and ends that you didn’t necessarily need, but you knew well that having some material things around that you associate with comfort and stability can be especially helpful and grounding in times of change. On Luffy’s ship, when you would look at these meager possessions, you’d at least know that some of home—wherever that was—was with you.
Soon, you were out the door.
---
Ace stood on top of one of the parapets of the palace, eyes downcast. He had been waiting for a while, antsy and nervous about when Luffy was going to send the first signal to get the ball rolling.
He hadn’t intentionally timed it this way, but he happened to observe you and Luffy as you stole out of the castle gates, hand in hand.
No one was there to see him let out a deep breath and bite his lip in regret. No one was there to watch him lean on the low, cobbled wall and rest his chin on the palm of his hand, with his eyes trailing the last remnants of your shadow as your figure disappeared behind a wall.
His stomach sank thinking about how he might have had a chance with you if he wasn’t such a piece of shit. But even the narrative that he was giving himself—that he was scum—was met with a voice in his head, your voice, claiming the opposite. Part of him felt like you saw through his scummy exterior, through his lust and inappropriate conduct. Part of him decided to hope that he could be a better person because there was someone out there who he wronged that knew he could do better.
A deep breath.
In.
Out.
He turned away from the parapet and began to pace.
---
Saying goodbye to your family was hard.
You were escorted by none other than Luffy himself, wearing robes that matched yours. The citizens outside stared so hard at you two that could feel their gaze boring into you.
When you entered your family’s house for the first time in months, you were taken aback by the realization that everything was exactly the same, but something felt different.
The contrast between yourself and your surroundings was stark. Everything was exactly as it was the day you left; what had changed was you. Irreversibly and profoundly, getting closer to Luffy and his brothers had changed you. For good.
The goodbye was tearful and hard. It was for the best, you thought. You had Luffy’s word that his allies would always protect them. The kingdom would be better off soon, and so would your family.
Their business, ship making, would soon resume with the ports and borders opening. There was a bright day on the horizon.
Leaving your family’s residence, you closed the door quietly and turned to gaze at the sun rising over the horizon.
A new day. An important day for the kingdom and for the rest of your life.
“You ready?” Luffy asked, slipping a hand around your waist from behind you, coming to encircle you with his arms, to take a deep breath of your hair. You wiped some tears off your cheek.
Was this grief for the life you were leaving behind?
When Luffy met your family, he had been all smiles, seemingly unbothered by the monstrous load of things he had to oversee, potential battles to fight, and his own father to depose—all in one day. Today.
Your family loved him, obviously, once the star-struck looks faded from their faces. They gathered around him and asked a series of prying and serious questions about the nature of your relationship. Luffy had no problems charming them and putting them at ease. Your family looked at you, mystified by how you pulled this off.
“You have my word, she’s safe with me. She always will be. And we’ll be back. We return frequently. And my crew can’t wait to meet her.”
Seeing him outside the bounds of his own palace chambers was interesting. This was your first time watching him interact with, well, normal people. He did it with such ease. You wondered, do his brothers do this the same way?
Luffy slipped his hand into yours, dragging you back to the present moment.
“Let’s get a move on,” he hummed into your ear. Goosebumps crept across your skin. His voice, husky and low, reminded you of the night before.
---
When you reached the port, Luffy’s ship was waiting. It was huge and glorious, colorful and sturdy. He introduced you to each member of the crew. It was hard to get all of their names down at first, but his consistent babbling about them for the past few months had primed you.
Zoro and Sanji. Robin and Nami. Usopp, Franky, Chopper, Brook, and Jimbei. They smiled warmly, hugged you like you had been friends for years, and showed you to your cabin. This would become home.
Soon, Luffy had to say goodbye. He swiftly kissed you on the cheek and deboarded, heading back to the palace. It was game time. Waiting for him was excruciating.
Would he be okay? What if something happened?
---
Five cannons at once. The barrels were empty, but the harsh booms were enough to send the message that many people across the three countries were on edge for: it was time to begin the creation of a new future.
Almost instantaneously, the signals echoed across the coast; the cannon fire was cloned, replicated by church bells, handheld flares, empty guns shot at the sky. It was intricately organized chaos, a web of voices shouting at the sky: our time has come.
Miles to the north, Luffy’s fleet members were storming border control posts. There would be no violence, if they could avoid it.
Much of what happened, amidst the blaring sound of cannon fire, happened in silence. Luffy’s comrades entered the guard posts stealthily, something he wouldn’t have been capable of. The guards stood down; while some of them were unaware of what was going to happen this day, a large amount of them knew what was coming. They relinquished their arms and put their hands up in surrender. The border opened seamlessly.
At the same time, a band of pirates under Luffy’s direction stormed the palace’s central source of income, the precious metals mines scattered off the Western coast. A scuffle broke out here and there, from countrymen and laborers who held undying loyalty to their King, but eventually they acquiesced. Now was the time to stand down, and stand down, they did.
In the northwest, the rebel uprising in the neighboring country began. The betrayal against their own kingdom wasn’t taken kindly by their own countrymen; but, although there were a handful of casualties, the government was efficiently deposed. Rebel forces infiltrated and took control, calling off their military invasion of the country’s neighbor to the east. Borders opened to the south, with Luffy’s help. The country’s era of famine was over; the trade routes would open, tariffs removed, their children and spouses fed. This was the day they dreamed of.
In the east, something similar was happening. The central government decreed that every citizen and soldier must lay down their weapons; the invasion was over, the years of scarcity would be put to rest today.
Later that evening, the new leader installed by the rebel forces in the east met with the leader to the west. They signed the peace treaty that Sabo and Ace worked so hard to bring into existence; they agreed on terms of fishing, on relations to wildlife, on ways to move forward together, to soften the tension and scarcity felt by both countries. They set out to transform the regret and strife into something bigger and better: into a new way of existing together, now that the geopolitical state of the region had vastly changed in the course of less than a day.
Meanwhile, Luffy had to go commit the final act of this whole revolution with his brothers—the deposition of his own father. He promised you that he’d return in a matter of hours and that you’d be safe with his crew. He never broke his promises.
When the three brothers advanced into their father’s study, where the old king sat next to a smoldering fire, he looked them defiantly in the eyes. He knew that his reign had come to an end.
“Father,” Sabo began, “you know why we’re here. This has to end. We’re not going to hurt you, but you can’t be king anymore. The country cannot survive this way.”
“Do you know what you’re doing?” The king whispered, seething. “Do you know how to run a country, boys?”
“You don’t,” Ace spat out, stepping forward. “You’ve starved millions. You’ve ruined lives. Your despotism, nationalism, and foolishness must end. This cannot continue. You are no longer king.”
His father sat petulantly, pouting almost like a child, helpless. He didn’t move a finger when Ace unceremoniously grabbed the crown off his head and threw it into the fire.
“We’ve had enough. The kingdom has had enough,” Sabo said. “Our neighbors have had enough. You’re done.”
“And you, Luffy?” The king’s voice shook.
“And me? I can’t wait to see what this kingdom becomes when we’re done prying your fingers off it.”
The king knelt his head. He had long since reached an age where his apathy, feebleness, and cowardice prevented him from having the strength or desire to fight for anything. “What are you going to do now?”
“You will be locked in this room until one of us comes to get you later. You will announce your resignation to the country, and then you will leave the palace forever.”
“And what will happen to the country?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“Where will I go?”
“We prepared somewhere for you. Somewhere safe, miles from here, where you can live out your days in solitude.” Sabo paused. “We’ll visit—it’s not that we hate you, father, but that your time at the helm has simply come to an end. You’ve injured and starved too many people. It’s over.”
The king nodded, crossing his arms across his chest.
Letting out a deep sigh, he murmured, “Get out of my sight.”
“Fair enough,” Ace said, shrugging, as the crown started to melt.
It was as simple as that. The ex-king announced his resignation later that evening, and word spread like wildfire through each country. The uprising was successful.
As the brothers left their father in his chambers and locked the door from the outside, Sabo threw the last venomous word over his shoulder.
“Coward.”
His voice was bathed in vitriol. This old man—so unassuming, so frail, so woefully ignorant of the consequences of his actions—would live a good life, still. He would live a peaceful one, never wanting for anything. He was lucky, Sabo told himself, that he had three sons so gracious and generous as to give him these luxuries, which he had deprived his kingdom of for two decades.
It was a long day and night. Luffy finally returned to the ship after saying goodbye to his brothers and entrusting the kingdom to them and the series of local counsels they had established.
When he finally made it back to the ship, he crawled in bed with you.
“You’re finally free from the palace,” he croaked out, exhausted. “Free from hard labor and having to bow to royalty. And so is the rest of the kingdom. It’s finally over.”
You played with his hair and traced circles on his skin, like he had done to you the night before, until he fell asleep.
---
Epilogue:
Life on the sea was hard to put into words. You adjusted quickly to the crew’s relaxed dynamic and felt more welcomed and loved than you had anywhere before. Your worries about your family and friends back home melted away, as you had frequent correspondence with them. The country immediately slipped into a stable and healthy sociopolitical situation, with the help of Ace and Sabo.
You even got to speak with both of them frequently over the transponder snail. Whenever Ace called, his voice was laced with regret, but it also carried a note of hopefulness and sincerity. You became friends, real ones this time. You truly forgave him and saw in him a kernel of sensitivity and kindness that no one would have thought was there
Every time you picked up the transponder with a cheery “Hello?” he cracked a smile. He learned to cope with the feeling of wanting something—someone—and knowing that you couldn’t be anything more than friends; he had a severe reckoning with himself about his character, impulses, and flaws. It was for the better.
Somehow, Sabo started feeling something similar. He called you more often than he could make up excuses for, just enjoying the sound of your voice. You’d ask him how his recent diplomatic endeavors were, and every time, he’d tell you he was tired but fulfilled.
One every few months, your crew made their way back to your homeland, and Luffy and Ace had since reconciled. You would spend a day with Sabo and Ace every now and then, and the two of them would exchange knowing looks seeing you and Luffy fawn over each other. And while each smile from you made Ace’s heart twist and color rise to his cheeks, he understood that having you in his life like this was far better than anything that could have happened otherwise. Even though you were at an arm’s distance, he was grateful to see you, just for a little while.
It blew your mind to think about the trajectory of your life. You started out a servant and now you were sailing on the high seas with the love of your life, a pirate and ex-prince who would do anything for you.
In no time, you learned the rhythm of the waves and became familiar with the pattern of the sun reflecting off the ocean swells. The brisk breeze of salty air that sprayed onto the deck of the ship started to feel like home, and the crewmates did everything they could possibly think of to welcome you.
Sanji made your favorite meals. Zoro sardonically teased you. Robin and Nami let you in on their inside jokes and spent quality time with you. Chopper took good care of you, Brook sung for you, and Jimbei shared stories and wisdom about his life. Usopp and Franky put their heads together to make special gadgets to make your life easier and did their best to make you laugh.
And finally, Luffy. The love between you blossomed now that there were no constraints and no palace walls to stratify your relationship.
He didn’t take long to say, “I love you.” It happened one night, only a handful of days after you boarded the ship.
That evening, following dinner, you sat alone on the empty deck of the Sunny and gazed up at the stars, trying to take in and comprehend that this was your life now.
He found you, slipped his arms around your waist, as he loved to do, and kissed your cheek.
“Do you know what I was thinking about?” He asked, softly.
“Tell me.”
“I was thinking about the fact that I’ve never told you that I love you. But I want you to know now, that I love you. In case you didn’t know.”
“I knew, Luffy. But hearing you say it makes me so happy.”
He chuckled and then kissed you on the cheek. “Then I’ll never stop saying it.”
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author's note: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! 🥹
It’s finally over! I know I overpromised on the Sabo front, since I said MC and Sabo would get more time/romance together, but in the end, I just wrote what I felt was how the story would really go. I tried to wrap things up nicely but I’m sure there’s stuff I missed. If you're unsatisfied, my apologies. I’m honestly just relieved to have the series over; it’s the longest story I’ve ever written, and it felt like a lot of pressure sometimes (not from you guys, but from pressure I put on myself). I think it was a good exercise in learning how to write long-form fiction, so thank you for participating and reading, I really appreciate it.
Finally, I drew a lot of inspiration for this story from my favorite songs in Arabic. Each chapter title is either the title or a lyric from one of those songs. For this chapter, it’s from Bahlam Maak, by Nagat Al-Saghira, the title of which means "Dream with you."
