Part 6 to this post. (Kuja!Buggy)
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The bar was quiet.
The last of the drunken pirates had been shoved out the door hours ago, the chairs stacked, the floor swept, and the usual rowdy energy replaced by the soft creak of wood and the scratch of charcoal on paper. In the center, where the new Barfront is, Kuja!Buggy sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the half-finished bar front.
She had changed out of her earlier clothes into a simple dark blue work tunic that left her arms free, a leather apron tied around her waist, and her long blue hair tied up in a messy high ponytail that still managed to look elegant. Several sheets of paper were spread around her, covered in precise sketches. waves, snakes, and sharp geometric patterns that somehow still looked graceful.
In her hand was a fine charcoal stick, and she was carefully refining the last details of the design before she would begin carving.
A few feet away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and a stupid little smile he couldn’t wipe off his face, Teen!Shanks watched her like she was the only thing in the room worth looking at.
Roger glanced back at them from one of the booths, his chin in his hands, staring at the red-haired boy with pure disbelief.
Roger: …You’re telling me that is the same brat who used to throw food at the ceiling when he got bored?
Rayleigh, nursing a drink beside him, looked equally impressed but far more composed.
Rayleigh: He didn’t just step in. He controlled the situation. Makes me proud of the kind of man he is becoming.
Roger: Our Shanks. The same Shanks who tried to flirt by offering juice and then almost got stabbed for it. And now he’s out here catching grown men’s wrists mid-swing like it’s nothing.
On the other side of the table, Gaban was animatedly retelling the entire market adventure to Shakky, complete with exaggerated hand gestures. Shakky leaned against the table with a small, knowing smile, enjoying a drink of her own.
Gaban: -and then the boy just moved. No yelling, no grinning, nothing! One second he’s the same lovesick idiot who’s been tripping over his own feet all day, the next he’s standing between them with this look like he was ready to sink the whole stall if the guy so much as breathed wrong. I nearly dropped my fake lute.
Shakky: And Buggy?
Gaban: Didn’t even flinch. Just raised an eyebrow like she was grading him. Then she still managed to haggle the poor man down until he looked like he wanted to cry. That girl is terrifying. I love her.
Shakky chuckled softly, glancing over at the blue-haired girl who was now carefully transferring one of her sketches onto the actual wood with a thin marking tool.
Shakky: I told you my plan was working.
Gaban: Working? Woman, that boy is already gone. He spent the entire walk back staring at the back of her head with the dumbest smile I’ve ever seen. And when she told him he was “useful”? I thought he was going to float away.
Rayleigh: I honestly was worried of the day he would fall in love blindly-
Gaban, cutting him off: As most teens do because it’s part of life and potential love story that could be sang to the ages.
Rayleigh, ignoring him: -But seeing how mature Buggy is maybe he could be a good influence on him.
Across the room, Shanks finally pushed off the wall and wandered a little closer, still keeping a respectful distance so he wouldn’t interrupt her concentration. He crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees, red hair falling into his eyes as he watched her hands move with practiced precision.
Teen!Shanks, quietly, almost afraid to break the moment: …You’re really good at this.
Kuja!Buggy didn’t look up, but the corner of her mouth twitched: Of course I am. Did you think I was just sketching pretty pictures for fun?
Teen!Shanks: No. I just… like watching you work. Your hands don’t shake at all.
That earned him a brief sideways glance. Her sapphire eyes lingered on him for a second longer than usual, almost made the poor boy faint from excitement, before she returned to the wood.
Kuja!Buggy: …And you’re still here.
Teen!Shanks, grinning softly: Yeah. Nowhere else I’d rather be.
For once, she didn’t tell him to shut up.
She just kept carving, the soft scrape of her tool filling the quiet bar, while four pairs of adult eyes watched the two teenagers with varying degrees of amusement, concern, and secondhand embarrassment.
Roger leaned over to Rayleigh and whispered, still flabbergasted: We’re going to have to start preparing a dowry, aren’t we?
Rayleigh took a long sip of his drink: …I’m going to need another double.
Shakky, wanting to tease Rayleigh: it can be arranged.
Two of the three men had a look of dread while the third had a look of absolute excitement.
Shakky: i can easily reach Gloriosa. One Den Den Mushi call and I can have the whole thing arranged before the boy even realizes he’s been claimed.
Roger nearly choked on his drink and tries to back track: I was joking.
Shakky, tilting her head with that same easy, dangerous smile: were you?
Gaban grinned wide, slamming a hand on the table: Do it! Call her! I wanna see the look on that snake queen’s face when she finds out her little firecracker already has a red-haired shadow following her around like a lost puppy.
Rayleigh pinched the bridge of his nose, but there was the faintest hint of a smile tugging at his mouth: Please don’t. The last thing we need is Gloriosa sailing here with half of Amazon Lily because she thinks we’re trying to steal one of her candidates.
Across the room, Kuja!Buggy’s carving tool paused for just a second. She didn’t turn around… but the tips of her ears had gone the faintest shade of pink. Teen!Shanks, completely oblivious, just kept watching her with that soft, stupidly fond expression.
Kuja!Buggy, blushing frustrated: if you want to still be useful to me then get your dirty pirate butt moving and get me a fresh drink with snacks!
Teen!Shanks, Startled and falls to the ground before pulling himself off and saluting her: YES MY QUEEN!!
Shanks runs out of the bar to find stores that are still open and buy what Kuja!Buggy wants. The four adults all were looking at him as he dashed away and they could almost see hearts trailing behind him. When they turned back to Kuja!Buggy she was staring at them, as if saying “I know everything” making all four try and act as if nothing strange had happened to escape the wrath of the future Amazon Empress.
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Should I stop here? I feel this is a good end for this mini series.
