Summary: What starts as a quiet meeting by the shore turns into a warm, joyful bond, filled with laughter, small moments, and a siren who would rather make you smile than enchant you.
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You loved walking on the beach. The fresh sea air, the sand beneath your feet, and the peace you found there.
You went early in the morning when the sun was rising above the horizon and sparkling on the sea's surface. You went exactly then, when the beach was still deserted.
There was a huge low tide, so you could wander further than you normally would. The rocky reef was now exposed, a path usually submerged and inaccessible due to the waves.
You crossed it and walked on. You looked around and realised there was no other path. As you walked further, you noticed a small island just a stone's throw away.
You decided to take advantage of the low tide, where the water was at most knee-deep, and headed towards the island. And even though it seemed like no one could get out of there, you saw three figures near the shore of the island.
As you approached, they noticed you. Two of the three figures disappeared into the water, and you didn't see them resurface anywhere. The last one dove under, but you could still see it in the clear, shallow water.
You reached the island when you noticed one of the figures peeking out at you. You saw black hair and curious eyes.
"Hi," you waved at him. He widened his eyes before immediately diving back under. It disappointed you a little, but you understood.
You reached the island when you noticed a head with black hair peeking out at you. You suspected it was the same boy.
You smiled at him and sat down in the sand. You watched him slowly swim closer to you until he stopped in the shallows, where he could probably walk on his hands. He sat there and finally surfaced up to his shoulders.
To your surprise, he was very kind and, most importantly, curious. Once he realised you weren't a threat, he was constantly at your heels. You found out his name was Luffy, and he was a siren with a beautiful red tail.
You immediately befriended Luffy, and his cheerful mood was very contagious, along with his curiosity, as he constantly asked you everything about your world.
Since then, you have visited him there regularly. You learned that he had two more brothers, but they didn't trust land dwellers.
You never saw Luffy swim in deep water. You would have expected him to wait for you in the shallows near your island, but the truth was you never saw him swim in deep water. You always found him in the shallows. This intrigued you, and you decided to ask him why.
"Why don't you swim further? Into the deep like your brothers?" you asked him one day as you sat on the shore, watching a group of dolphins swimming and jumping around.
"I... I can't swim," he replied awkwardly after a moment. He constantly heard from his brothers that he was the only siren who couldn't swim.
You thought he was just joking, but his sincerity was proof that he was serious. He even gave you a small demonstration, just flapping around like a fish out of water without moving from the spot.
"What if I helped you?" you suggested gently. As soon as your words reached the siren's ears, his eyes lit up with excitement.
"Are you serious?" he asked, reminding you of a small child promised a reward. You knew you wouldn't take your words back, so you smiled and nodded in agreement.
And so, your training began. First, you showed him on land how to use his arms and how to swim at least with his hands.
As you trained like this, you started to notice two heads always discreetly watching you from the water, or hidden behind a rock.
You knew that merfolk and sirens were forbidden from communicating with humans, which was why they were distrustful of you.
However, with each day you spent with Luffy and his swimming lessons, you felt like they were slowly getting closer to you. Every day, they watched you from a smaller and smaller distance.
"I don't know why he trusts you, but it is what it is," a black-haired merfolk with a tail colored like wildfire swam up to you during one of the lessons.
"He swims like a brick, doesn't he?" his blonde brother with a royal blue tail also swam up to you. "We tried to teach him so many times that we gave up."
These few sentences changed your entire relationship. It was as if a strong wall between you and Luffy's brothers broke down, and you finally clicked. Eventually, you found out they were great guys, just like Luffy.
Days passed, and you were still teaching Luffy to swim. He was doing a little better in the shallows, so you decided to try in deeper water. The siren tried, but he constantly sank like a brick. He tried his best, swimming with his arms, but it was in vain. Every time he went under, you had to pull him back to the surface.
"Again!" he shouted, so you repeated it several more times.
That same evening, as you were returning home, you got an idea and stopped at a store on the way. There, you bought an inflatable ring. It seemed like a great opportunity for him to stay afloat while learning to swim.
The next day, you brought him the ring. As soon as you took the box out on the beach, he was interested in what it was. His eyes lit up even more when you told him it was a gift for him.
"What is it?" he asked, watching with interest as you inflated the ring.
"It's for you," you smiled and handed him the inflated ring. The ring was shaped like a boat with a small painted pirate flag.
"This is amazing!" he exclaimed excitedly and immediately put the ring around his waist. He hugged you enthusiastically before heading deeper into the water with the ring.
It was funny watching him try to swim with the ring. He even flipped over several times, with only his red tail and blue fin sticking out of the water. But he seemed to be having a lot of fun, and that's what mattered to you.
Ace and Sabo swam nearby, watching the entire inflatable ring scene. From a distance, you could clearly hear their laughter when Luffy flipped over, spun around and acted silly.
"That's the best thing I've ever seen!" Ace laughed excitedly, watching the ring from afar. Both of them immediately swam over to you.
"We want a ring too!" "We can't just let Luffy be the only one with such a cool gadget." "Please, please," both merfolk pleaded, and you couldn't say no to them.
The next day, you got them two more rings. One was black with flames for Ace, and the other was pale blue, almost transparent, with red, yellow, and orange glitter inside that reminded you of fire.
Both brothers were thrilled with them, and for a moment, they couldn't decide who would take which ring. But eventually, they agreed, you helped them inflate them, and without a word, they put them on and plunged in after Luffy.
You also bought one for yourself, in which you could comfortably sit and enjoy the water with them. Laughter and splashing filled the entire shallows. The merfolk tried to do somersaults over their rings but always ended up headfirst underwater. Every now and then, they would grab your ring and pull you across the water's surface.
When you finally returned to shore, you were all exhausted from your water games, but happy. Luffy sat next to you and rested his chin on his ring.
"Thanks for helping me," he told you, smiling warmly.
"It's nothing," you replied and smiled back. You felt that these moments, the laughter and closeness with Luffy and his brothers, were some of the most beautiful you had ever experienced.
One of the best moments, however, was when you were alone with Luffy. He often entertained you with his songs, which he made up himself and were usually completely absurd and incredibly funny. He sang about crabs that lost their legs, or a fish that danced with a crab. You laughed so much that your stomach hurt.
"You're unique," you told him once when he finished a song he called "Moron Song." It sounded like a story about sea creatures doing the silliest things – and you were convinced he had just made the whole thing up on the spot.
"I'm the best!" he grinned widely, looking completely satisfied with himself.
"Hmm, do you know any other songs? I mean, a real siren song that people only hear about," you asked him out of curiosity.
"Well... I guess so," he replied a little awkwardly after a moment's thought. Then he closed his eyes and began to sing. His voice was suddenly completely different – softer, melodic, full of emotions that struck you right in the heart.
The song was beautiful, as if the sea itself was speaking to you. Its tones were etched into your memory, and you kept humming it long after. You felt as if the song took you by the heart and pulled you closer to its source, even though it was almost impossible since you were sitting right next to him. When he finished, he opened his eyes and grinned at you.
"Did you like it?" he asked innocently, as if he didn't realise what he had just done.
"It was... amazing," you replied, still stunned. "Why didn't you sing something like that to me before?"
"Well, mostly I want you to laugh. But when you wanted something else... I tried it." Luffy shrugged. His answer was so simple and honest that it brought a smile to your face.
