'Hmmm…' Luffy had a contemplative look on his face as he sat in the patient's bed that night after having slept the entire day. He thought back to the conversation he had had in the morning and wondered if he had said too much. When he had seen them flinching just by him suggesting they tell Leah about their brands, he had felt bad for them and just decided that he would do something about it.
He was also thinking of its effects on all the slaves that were with him, Kell, all the slaves in the story, the Sun Pirates, Hachi and even Koala, and so had decided that he would do something about it. He already had plans of helping Sabo and Dragon with taking down the Celestial Dragons, so it wasn't anything completely new he had decided upon.
He sighed letting go of that topic and pondered on how Hancock had treated him. She was like a friend mostly instead of being crazy in love like in the story. He had punched a Celestial Dragon in the story before he met her and it was one of the main factors that had led to her falling in love with him, so since he hadn't done it yet, she hadn't fallen for him. He had even joked around with her like he would with a friend and she also had responded casually too.
Either way, he was going to make sure their relationship stayed like that and not worry too much by comparing what happened in the story to his reality. Even if she did end up falling for him, he would deal with it and have a proper conversation with her.
He stared out of the porthole and saw the reptilian Sea King still following them from a distance and knew he would have to deal with it soon. Currently though, he was more worried about what was happening in Hancock's room. Sonia had actually called Leah into Hancock's room right after dinner and six hours had passed with no sign of her coming out. He didn't know if they were confessing about everything to her or just telling her not to pry and keep quiet about the lie, so he just waited for her to come back.
He trusted that Hancock wouldn't do anything after giving him her word, but it wasn't her that had him worried. It was Leah. The way she had reacted when Sonia invited her…something about it was off and it bothered him a lot.
Finally, after more than six hours, he sensed her coming out of Hancock's room and a minute later, she entered the doctor's office with puffy eyes.
"Hey… You good?" he asked noticing the tear streaks and damp shoulders.
She didn't say anything as she slowly sat down next to him on the bed before pulling him into her lap and hugging him tightly. "I heard what you did for me…"
"Hmm"
"Thank you"
"What happened?"
"Oh nothing much" Leah sniffled slightly loosening the grip around him but still holding onto him tight, "Sonia and Hancock told me they were going to kill me"
"Ooh calling them without honorifics? How scandalous, Leah?" Luffy joked getting a giggle in return.
"Well you don't give a shit about titles, so at least when I'm with you, I'll be laxer"
"It's too tiring to be so formal all the time though"
"Yeah, that's true. But I'm a citizen of the country you know. I need to show respect to the Empress"
"I guess… So, you're not leaving?"
"Nope" Leah buried her head into his nape. "They were so…distraught…and said sorry with a lot of tears, especially Sonia. They told me about their pasts too… I had no idea they had gone through something so horrible…"
"Wait what? They actually confided in you?"
"Not intentionally… Hancock had already told me to keep silent about their lie back on the island… but tonight, they made it more official I guess. She again told me the same thing and asked me not to pry too much and I agreed. A bit later, Sonia asked me about you…your back and if I knew about your brand and all… They asked if I looked down on you, and I said of course not… and seeing their expressions when I said that, recalling them not wanting to show their backs… I kinda figured it out. They could see that I figured it out too and when I verbally asked for confirmation, they actually flinched… like a physical full-body flinch. Like you know how an abused dog flinches and lays down shivering if you just raise a hand around it? They had the same reaction too. It was horrible… they're so scared of people finding out…"
"Yeah…"
"After that, I started crying realizing how horrible it must have been for them…" she shuddered thinking back on it. "Spent a few hours assuring them that I don't look down on them, I don't think any less of them…I still respect them a great deal and I'll keep it a secret and never mention it again…"
"I see. Good then" Luffy smiled. He was still going to talk and check up on them the next day.
"For the record, I really don't look down on you, you know"
"Shishi I know. I don't need comfort Leah" he said smiling at her and she giggled.
"You're a strange enigma Luffy. You're not at all scared about it huh?"
"It's okay. Amazing things happened afterwards, so I'm kinda glad it happened"
"Sasasa you're way too optimistic and see the bright side to everything huh? I wish I could be like you… By your logic, I should be happy that they tried to kill me because now, they've shared their secret with me and trust me more than anyone else in the Kuja tribe"
"Does that not make you happy?"
"I mean yeah… I completely understand why they almost killed me. I understand and sympathize with them… but it still hurts you know. Can't move on from it so easily like you do… I don't hold a grudge against them… but still, I need some time to come to terms with it you know…"
"But you already knew didn't you?" Luffy asked sternly, "I realized it this evening when Sonia asked you to come to her room. You looked almost…happy and sad at the same time. That's when it hit me that you were way too nonchalant and clueless before whenever Sonia seemed uneasy around you… You were pretending not to notice her unease"
Leah pinched his cheek and in an admonishing tone said, "You're way too perceptive for your own good Luffy. Don't out people's secrets like this…"
Luffy looked at her seriously, "Why didn't you do anything?"
Leah sighed burying her head into his nape and tightening her hug. "…a small part of me did know that they wanted to get rid of me but… They're all I have left. I lost everything a couple of years ago, got betrayed a lot by people I trusted…I came looking for Sonia and Amazon Lily as a last try to form a connection with someone… so if they betrayed me too, I wouldn't have the will to live on anymore… So if they did kill me, I'd have been happy"
"Idiot! You have me now, don't you?! I'll take you away"
Leah gave him a soft smile as she caressed his bandaged head, "Honestly, the thought did cross my mind… but I just didn't know the extent to which you went for me before I walked into that room tonight. You got so hurt for me…you almost died protecting me, idiot. Why did you go that far for me? I only met you a couple of weeks ago and you don't know anything about my past…"
"You're my friend. Everything else is irrelevant"
"…You're the strangest person I've met in my life Luffy…" she trailed off ruffling his hair fondly. They sat in silence for a while before Leah spoke up "Cuddle with me tonight? I need some comfort"
"Sure"
They both laid down with Luffy snuggling her head against his chest while she put her arms around him and relaxed completely. They had ended up in the same position back on the island when Luffy had gotten drunk and had latched onto her. Leah had woken up the next morning feeling relaxed and well-rested in his arms, and thus, she had learned how good it feels.
"I still can't believe how amazing it feels to cuddle with you. What's your secret?"
"Everyone likes hugs and cuddles no matter who gives them"
"Hmm yeah…but something with you is different"
"I have a hypothesis"
"Ooh tell me"
"With me, you know what you're getting. A cuddle and that's it. So, you don't have to feel awkward and just relax not worrying about things like if this means anything or if I'm expecting anything more… and so, you feel more relaxed and rested"
"…Wow…you're right! I think that's exactly it!"
"And also" Luffy smirked as he started running his fingers through her scalp, "This…I don't know…head massage technique? I guess. It sends tingles down your spine, doesn't it?"
"Yess~" Leah purred feeling the tingles.
"Shishishi Ser- someone I knew liked this too, so had to do it a lot and it became a habit I guess"
"Hmm I'm gonna ignore the name slip-up just now and not pry into who the girl was"
"It's complicated"
"Hmm"
"…"
There was a brief lull where Leah just enjoyed being with him and after some time whispered, "I wish my brother was like you…"
"…So you do have a brother huh? Is that why your mom left the island with you?"
"You figured that out too? You're way too perceptive"
"Want to talk about it?"
"Nope"
"Okay… you know, I have three brothers and none of us are blood-related. We all chose to become brothers… So, if you want, I can be your brother too"
Leah separated a bit and stared at him with surprise, "You really mean that?"
"Yep! Let's exchange sake cups and we'll become siblings"
Leah teared up giving him a small smile, "I appreciate the sentiment. I really do…" she trailed off burying her face back into his chest, "…but the word 'brother' comes with a lot of bad memories for me, so I don't want to associate that with someone amazing like you"
"I see. Well, we'll be close friends then"
"Yep. Besides," she smirked mischievously, "I've had fantasies about you that would be inappropriate if you were my brother"
"Ummm" Luffy slowly tried to separate from her but Leah hugged him closer laughing, "Don't worry, don't worry, it's just fantasies. I won't act on it. I know you dislike relationships and all"
"Okay good"
"Hmm"
"…"
"…"
"Hey, I can't believe I'm only thinking of this now," Luffy suddenly said, "But won't the other women learn of the outside world whenever they go on trips like now? Lots of women over the years have left the island to get pregnant right? Hasn't anyone ever found out about the lie?"
"You're asking that now?" Leah said amused. "Wow, you really are stupid huh?"
"Yes yes, I'm stupid" Luffy sighed, "So?"
"The islands we pick every time are also kinda isolated too" Leah began explaining, "Not completely like Amazon Lily, but kinda isolated. Callipe island is at the edge of the Grand Line and the Calm Belt, so only rarely do log poses lock onto it. Other islands where the women usually go to are the same too…"
"What about libraries and all?"
"Did you even visit the library on Callipe? If you stopped stuffing your face in with food all the time, you would have learned of all the ways the island was isolated. Libraries had nothing but basic textbooks and had no information about anything outside their own island. The ships that came in were just cargo ships from the Blues, and the World Economic Newspaper also doesn't get there much"
"Hmm yeah, I guess I didn't see stuff like that"
"Yeah, and the people aren't that well-informed either. You should've seen some of the men the women hung out with. They told tall tales that made no sense and unbelievable stories to impress them…I get why the women on the island have so many untrue myths about men"
"Shishishi that makes sense yeah"
"And also, many of the islands we cycle through are in the Blues, so those islands are even more ignorant… And even if someone does find out about devil fruits or other things, it would get muddled in with all the other untrue myths and thus, none will be the wiser"
"I see. But the mayor was knowledgeable… and so were a few we met at the gala"
"Those are influential and rich people who have dealings with things outside the island, so yeah they know a bit more. But do you really think the women get a chance to meet influential people or get invited to galas? This time was an exception because of you, but usually, the women go to an island, quietly pick random men from taverns, spend a night and that's the end of it. We don't have huge parties or become the talk of the island like we did this time… also because of you, we can't visit this island for quite some time. Too much attention"
"Hmmm makes sense" he nodded sagely. He sometimes forgot, but the masses in this world were way too ignorant about how the world actually works. With the only source of information being the newspapers, and islands being kinda isolated, the normal masses usually don't know much of anything that happens outside their island. Only in the New World would the general masses be slightly more knowledgeable, but in the Blues and Paradise, they were way too ignorant. In the story, the crew usually ran into influential people like Princesses, so they learn of secrets and find the truth, but if they just met random and normal citizens, they would learn absolutely nothing, or only hear rumours and embellished stories.
"There are other factors too" Leah continued, "Like the women are told not to bring up Amazon Lily while talking with anyone, and so, they learn nothing about it. It doesn't normally come up in conversation you know"
"I see"
"That satisfy your curiosity? All these are secrets by the way"
"My lips are sealed"
"Sasasasa"
"…"
"…"
"Hey"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks… I know you're trying to distract me from thinking about the…'almost killing me' and all"
"Hmm"
"…"
"…"
"Hey"
"Yeah?"
"Keep talking"
"Sure" Luffy continued caressing her head as he began thinking of a topic to talk about. "Hmm… What do you call a factory that makes okay products?"
"What?" she asked confused at the random question.
"A satisfactory"
"…such a lame joke" Leah said shaking her head but had the faintest hint of a smile on her lips.
"Why is it so cheap to throw a party at a haunted house?"
"Stop with the stupid d-"
"Because the ghosts bring all the boos"
"…So stupid…Pfft~"
"I wondered all night what happened to the sun, but then it dawned on me"
"Pfftttsasasa stop! These are all so bad!"
"You're laughing at them though" Luffy giggled, "What's the difference between a well-dressed man on a unicycle and a poorly-dressed man on a bicycle?… Attire"
"SAsasasa! Stop stop!"
Luffy chuckled as he continued making her laugh long into the night until she fell asleep.
******