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Shanks was glaring at the teen talking to Buggy. She didn’t even seem to notice the guy was hitting on her. She’s already told the guy to buzz off and seems about to stab the guy, but he wasn’t getting the hint.
The thing was, Buggy was hella dense and oblivious. Which was also a good thing, because he liked her. He knew it was more than ‘like’. What he felt was much more raw. Much stronger. More dangerous. She was used to his flirtatious antics and obsessiveness over her. She brushes it off and thinks nothing of it, so it’s easy for him to hide his feelings for her when she sees his behavior as ‘normal’. He knows it could be considered normal, but deep down, it was much more. It wasn’t your normal obsession and protectiveness. Sure, it’s normal to a degree, but he’s far surpassed it.
He would do anything for her. Anything. He didn’t care, as long as she was happy. As long as he could please her and could stay by her side. He wants all of her attention, hating it when it goes to other people. He didn’t mind her obsession with maps and treasure. It made it easy for him to give her gifts. If he gave her a map or some type of treasure, she would always hug him and sometimes give him a peck on the cheek if she liked it, which can be hard since she is picky. He doesn’t mind, though. He loved seeing the way her eyes shone and the big smile that was plastered on her face.
But right now, he wanted to cut the guy's hands off for touching her delicate skin. Scoop out his eyes for even looking at her, and rip out his tongue for speaking to her. Probably even pulled a couple of teeth out. He had no right to talk to such a goddess. No less touching her and being in her presence.
His hand gripped his sword handle, trying to hold back the urge to kill the teen. His jaw was clenched so tight his teeth hurt from the pressure.
“Would you just leave me alone? Your being annoying,” she snapped at the guy with a glare, annoyance clear in her voice. “I’m just trying to go shopping.”
“I can help you out. You're going to need help carrying the bags,” the older teen told her.
“I don’t need help. I’m here with my crew,” she told the guy.
“Oh, you're a pirate? But aren’t you too dainty to be one?” he asked, seeming to try to flirt.
“The hell you mean dainty?” Buggy glared at him angrily. Shanks would agree and say she was dainty, but she compares the word to being weak, so he doesn’t call her that. In reality, it just means she’s small and pretty, which she is, but she isn’t delicate like glass. She can take a hit; she’s just cowardly. He doesn’t mind, though; he’ll always protect her.
“How about you buzz off like she’s asked you countless times already?” Shanks sneered at the guy, finally having had enough of his horrible flirting.
“And you are?” the guy asked with a glare.
“Oh, Shanks, I was wondering when you were getting back,” Buggy smiled at him. Shanks had originally gone off to another stall to get something they forgot, while leaving her to get what they needed from the stall they were at. It only took about five minutes to find a stranger talking to his goddess.
“You know him?” the guy asked Buggy.
Buggy glared at the guy, “Yes, he’s part of the crew I’m on and he’s the one helping me so fuck off.” She smiled at Shanks as she picked the bags up by her feet and walked over to him. Shanks had the backpack that they carried their groceries in, so it was easier for them to carry it all. He was stronger and bigger than her, so he carried the bag. He would have even if she were bigger than him. He’d gladly be her mule. He took off the bag and helped her pack the two bags into the bag that was already fairly full.
The boy didn’t leave, seeming to have more to say. “How is he going to help you carry everything? He looks like a twig,” the guy taunted. Shanks, in fact, did not look like a twig, but with the loose clothes he wore, it covered any muscle he did have, which was a lot for a thirteen-year-old. If he wasn’t goofing off or doing chores, he was training. Buggy was the one who lounged around in her free time doing one of her hobbies.
“How about you fuck off before I make you take back those words?” Shanks hissed at him.
“I’d like to see you try, little boy,” the guy taunted with a grin. Before Shanks could even do anything, Buggy held onto his arm. He looked down at her. She went up to his eyes in height.
“Come on, he isn’t worth it,” Buggy told him. “We need to get back to the ship now that we've got everything on our list.” They had a small list that the crew entrusted to them to go get while they got the rest.
“Oh, do you not want your friend to embarrass himself?” the guy asked her teasingly.
“No, I’d rather him not break another guy's jaw because of me,” she glared at him. The guy scuffed, clearly not believing Shanks had done that. He has, multiple times. And he isn’t afraid to do it again to another guy who decided to hit on Buggy.
“As if he could break my jaw,” he laughed shortly.
Shanks popped his knuckles as he said darkly, “Ok, how about we find out then?”
“Go ahead then. I’ll beat you up afterward,” the guy grins. He didn’t even get to beat Shanks up afterward. It took one hard punch to the jaw, and the guy was out like a light.
Buggy sighed, “Seriously, again?”
“What? He had it coming,” he defended himself as he grabbed the backpack and slung it over his shoulders effortlessly.
She shook her head, “Come on, let's get back to the ship.” He simply nodded and followed after her. “Is your hand ok?” she asked as they walked to the ship docks.
Shanks looked at his hand. It was a bit bruised, but that was it. It didn’t even hurt. “I’m all good. It’s just a little bruised,” he told her. She slowed down to walk beside him. She grabbed the hand that he punched the guy with and looked at her, stroking her thumb over his knuckles. A light blush dusted his cheeks.
“I wish you would stop doing that,” She told him as she looked sadly at his lightly bruised hand.
“He was bugging you anyway. He was asking for it,” he grumbled. She sighed as she lightly shook her head.
As they walked to the docks, they came across Gaban, who had bags in his own arms. “You guys heading back to the ship?” he asked them.
“Yeah, plus Shanks is picking fights again,” Buggy told him. Shanks looked at her, betrayed.
“Shanks, you really need to stop that,” he scolded the redhead.
“He was asking for it. He wouldn’t leave her alone,” he defended himself.
“Sure, buddy,” he said, not believing him. Shanks sighed. He knows they won’t believe him, seeing as they’ve seen him death glare at anyone who got close to Buggy. He knows they were waiting for him to start fights once he hit preteens. They had even bet on it when they got to the islands, for when he’d finally punch a dude for speaking to her. Rayleigh had won the bet and every other one that came after it. They still made bets for when they got to the islands since he didn’t punch a guy at every island they stopped by. “At least Rayleigh will be happy he won the bet again,” the man sighed.
Buggy rolled her eyes. She moved her hand to where she wrapped her arm around Shanks’s. He blushed at the contact, along with her small boobs pushing up against his arm. “Let's just get back to the ship. I want to shower to get his dirty hand prints off of me,” she said, disgust in her voice. The guy had touched her arms, face, and hair. Shanks had watched the guy do it while he walked back to Buggy. She’d slap his hands away or jerk away from him while telling him to stop and leave her alone. He should have had his hands cut off for harassing her.
“Of course,” Shanks smiled softly at her.
As Buggy said, once they got back to the ship, she left to go bathe, leaving everything to Shanks. He didn’t care, as long as she got that asshole’s touch off of her body. The rest of the crew was already on the ship, helping out with unpacking. “Where is Buggy going?” Roger asked as Shanks walked to the galley.
“Some asshole was hitting on her again. She wanted to get his dirty handprints off of her,” Shanks told him, annoyance and anger edged into his voice.
“Seriously, again? Do guys not know what ‘no’ means anymore?” Roger questioned with a frown.
“I guess not, seeing as she told him multiple times to fuck off and he didn’t. Should chop his damn hands off for touching her,” he grumbled.
“You can’t chop people's hands off, Shanks,” Rayleigh told him.
“Then they shouldn’t be touching Buggy to begin with,” he replied. The man knocked him upside the head. Shanks glared at him.
“What are you going to do when she finds a guy to get with, huh?” Spencer asked him.
“I’ll just kill him,” Shanks replied simply. Rayleigh punched him on the head again. He rubbed at the sore spot as he glared at the man again.
“You never know if she’ll ever reciprocate your feelings. The best you can do is let her be happy,” Rayleigh told the small redhead.
“I am letting her be happy,” he argued. “I make her happy.”
“Yeah, for now,” Rayleigh told him. Shanks glared at him once again. “Until you become who she calls out to when in danger, you’re no more than a simple friend to her.” Shanks frowned as he knitted his eyebrows together. He knows that’s alter BS because she only calls out to the men on the crew when in trouble. After all, they are stronger than him and would be more capable of saving her in those times of need.
“Yeah, I doubt that will happen anytime soon,” Roger grinned with a laugh.
“I’m strong!” Shanks told his captain.
“Yeah, say that again when your voice stops cracking,” Crocus teased. Shanks pouted as he puffed his cheeks. The crew laughed.
“It’s completely normal for my voice to crack!” he yelled at the ship's doctor, his voice cracking, making it sound high-pitched. The crew laughed harder while Shanks’s cheeks heated up before storming off to the galley to unload his bag. The crew had only laughed louder while he pouted and grumbled under his breath as he put the food away.
When he finished putting the food up, he went searching for Buggy since she hadn’t joined him yet. He went to the shower room first to see if she was still in there. When he got there, he knocked on the door as he called her name. “What Shanks?!” She called back.
“I was just checking in!” he told her. The door then opened for Buggy. She wore new clothes and her hair was braided into two pigtails. She wore one of her plain pale red shirts and mid-thigh length light jean shorts. She had on her black flats with knee-high white and red striped socks.
“Sorry, you probably had to put all the food up by yourself,” she said sheepishly as she walked past him.
“It’s ok. I don’t mind,” He smiled as he followed her. She rolled her eyes as he followed her like a loyal servant.
When they got to the front deck, Crocus called Shanks over and looked over his bruised hand. Buggy was being doted on by Roger while he got scolded again for punching another guy. No matter how many times they scold him, it doesn’t change anything. They know it changes nothing, but they still scold him, even though it's become half-assed at this point. Once Crocus was done scolding him, he went over to Buggy and Roger. She was sitting in his lap while holding jeweled earrings. Their captain always got her jewelry when on the islands, while he got chocolate. She’d rather get jewels than chocolate, while he was the opposite.
“Shanks,” Roger called to him before pulling out a chocolate bar for him. Shanks grinned as he took it.
“Thanks, Captain!” He told him. Roger smiled. Their captain loved to spoil them, unlike Rayleigh. He spoils Buggy more than he does him, but everyone spoils hers, even Rayleigh on occasion.
Buggy put on the dangly earrings. They were gold with circle crystals at the top, and red rubies dangled from them on a small chain. Roger pulled out a small pocket mirror and handed it to the clown. He carried it around for her since she didn’t have the pockets to. She opened it and looked at herself in it.
“Do you like them?” Roger asked her as she observed herself in the small pocket mirror.
She smiled at the mirror before smiling up at him and saying, “I love them!”
Roger grinned, “That's good to hear.” Buggy wasn’t shy when it came to giving her opinion on a gift, even if it was from their captain. It just made it more challenging to find one she likes, and when she does like it to any degree, it makes it more worthwhile. Everyone was also aware of the rivalry that was going on between their captain and the redhead when it came to giving her gifts. It was one-sided at first before Roger noticed and decided to actually make a rivalry out of it. Shanks hated that he did that because now they were fighting for her attention, and it was hella easy for Roger to get her attention, unlike him.
Roger gave a knowing grin to the redhead who glared at him. “Would you two stop being so childish?” Rayleigh told them as he whacked them both on the head. Buggy was too busy gawking at herself in the mirror to pay attention to them. “Plus, you both know I give better gifts,” he smirked at them. They both glared at him. The blonde crouched down in front of Buggy, who finally looked away from her mirror. He dug into his pocket, pulled out a box, and handed it to her. She smiled giddily as she snatched it from him and opened it.
She gasped after opening it. It was a bracelet with large green emeralds and small diamonds circling each one in sections. Buggy’s eyes shone brightly. “It’s gorgeous!” she squealed. Rayleigh also liked to participate in their little rivalry.
“You’re no better than those two,” Crocus told the blonde. Rayleigh rolled his eyes.
“You just like to show off,” Roger glared at his first mate.
“How is it my fault I always chose the best ones?” he questioned them tauntingly. Buggy took the bracelet out of the box and put it on. It was too big for her, but she didn’t seem to care, only looking at it in full awe as she examined it on her wrist.
“You three need to stop spoiling her so much,” Crocus told them. Crocus actually didn’t spoil her that much or very often. He was easier on her than Shanks, but that was about it. Rayleigh spoiled her more often than the doctor did, but was as hard on her as he was on Shanks. Buggy often got the princess treatment from everyone on the crew, and of course, she loved every bit of it. She was very spoiled, and they didn’t really care. She was hard to please even without them spoiling her. She has always been that way. Them spoiling her just never helped her princess complex.
“You’re setting her expectations in a guy high as hell,” Jackson told them with his arms crossed. The other nodded. Buggy wasn't paying attention, her attention on the bracelet.
“You guys can’t say shit. You guys are just as bad,” Roger told them.
“Yeah, but you guys are worse,” Sunbell told him.
“Her expectations would be high regardless,” Rayleigh stated. “And if they weren’t, I’d be worried.”
“Yeah, Buggy deserves the best,” Shanks stated.
“Yeah, and that’s not you,” Crocus told him. Shanks huffed with a pout.
“She’s too young to be dating anyway,” Roger declared.
“Yeah, just be glad she is only interested in treasure and maps,” Rayleigh said. Buggy hasn’t once shown interest in boys, but they know it’ll eventually happen.
~
The next island they docked at was deserted. The village that was on the island was crumbling apart from age and the overgrown wildlife. Buggy walked close to Shanks as they explored with the rest of the crew. Well, technically, Buggy was floating while Shanks held her detached feet in his sash as he chopped at vines with his sword.
Shanks dealt with any bugs, since she was absolutely terrified of them. She would scream bloody murder whenever she saw one before clinging to him, crying for him to kill it. Did he hear the muffled laughter from the crew and feel the amused looks, yes, but he ignored them while his cheeks were flushed every time she clung to him. It usually involves her chest against his head since she's floating around.
When they got to the rundown village, they had all split up to look around. The two teens stayed together as usual as they looked inside the buildings. He pushed through the rubble so she didn’t have to and made sure it was safe for her. “Buggy, I doubt you're going to find anything that involves treasure,” he told the clown as he moved some rubble out of her way to get into a room.
“You never know, one of these houses might have a treasure map,” she told him with crossed arms. He sighed. He opened the broken door and looked inside. It looked like an office. Buggy looked over his head before floating inside. He followed her inside and looked around while also keeping an eye on her. She went over to the desk and looked through it. “Ha, I knew I’d find one in here!” Buggy cheered. Shanks walked over to her. She showed it to him. It was a map to something.
“Are you sure it’s a treasure map?” He asked. He knows she’s aware that not all maps lead to treasure.
“You never know until you follow it,” she grinned at him. “Come on, let’s see where it leads,” she said as he floated out of the room. He sighed but quickly followed her out of the house.
Should they have told the crew they were going to be following a random map? Yes. Buggy was known to follow maps whenever she could, no matter where they led. They’ve gotten into trouble multiple times for going off and doing just this and have even gotten injured because of it. Did they ever learn? Yes, but did that mean they were going to tell them? No.
Shanks followed her around the island while she followed the map. They found themselves in a cave at the bottom of a mountain. “We’re going to need light,” Shanks told her as he looked into the pitch-black cave. There was no telling what was in there. She then pulled out a light snail and turned it on.
“I always come prepared,” she grinned before shining the light into the cave. He looked more into the cave. It didn’t seem like anything was living in it. Buggy started going in first. Shanks quickly followed close beside her. They looked around what seemed to be an endless cavern. If anything was living in the cave, it would have tried to attack them by now.
They then came up to a wooden door. They raised a brow as they looked at each other. The two gulped before pushing the door open. It creaked open slowly before just falling to the stone ground with a loud thud that echoed. They both flinched before looking inside. Buggy shone the light inside as they huddled up by the entrance to look inside the room. They didn’t see anyone inside, so they walked in. With the little light the small light snail gave, they saw a desk, a twin bed, and a circular carpet in the middle of the room. There were cobwebs and dust everywhere.
“It seems to be a hidden room,” Shanks commented. She hummed in agreement. “But why would they need a hidden room with a map that leads to it?” He questioned aloud, confused.
“There could be many reasons why. Just help me look around,” Buggy told him as she walked around the room. She walked over to the bed and flashed the light on it. “It seems the person died down here,” she grimaced. Shanks looked at the bed and saw a human skeleton lying under the blanket.
“Fuck, that’s disturbing,” he said as he scrunched up his nose. It’s not the first time they’ve seen skeletons or dead bodies. “I wonder why they died down here? It seems more like a hideout than a living space,” he commented.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” she said before flashing the light under the bed as she floated on her side. “Nothing under the bed. Try the desk,” she told him as she floated upright. She detached her hand to shine the light at the desk. He walked over to it and looked underneath it, and saw nothing. He then checked the drawers to see if anything was in them that they could use. Buggy floated over and looked with him. “Wait, doesn't that drawer have a fake bottom?” She asked as she pointed at the drawer Shanks had emptied.
“Does it?” He questioned as he looked closer. He gave a soft knock to it, and it sounded hollow. He raised a brow. He then looked to see if he could find how to open it. “How do we open it then? There doesn’t seem to be a tab or anything to open it,” he told her.
She hummed before pushing him aside with her hip. She grabbed something out of her bag before sticking her hand back into the drawer. “Ah ha,” she said as she pulled the fake bottom out of the drawer. “There was a magnet you could use to pull it out,” she explained.
“Wow, you're so smart,” he praised with a grin.
“Of course I am,” she huffed proudly before pulling something from the drawer. “A key?” She questioned.
“What would that go to?” He questioned her.
“There has to be a secret door somewhere,” she told him as she looked around the small room. “Move the rug,” she instructed him. He nodded and did as he was told. Under the rug was a square wooden door. “I knew it,” she said to herself before detaching the hand with the key to unlock the door. When they heard the click of it unlocking, Shanks opened it. Buggy hovered over him, shining the light into the darkness.
“It looks like another room,” Shanks commented.
“Go check it out,” she told him. He sighed. He looked to see if there was a way down. A ladder was nailed to the wall on the right side of the entrance. He moved to it and carefully started his way down. Buggy shined the light into the room so he could see inside. Buggy detached her head to follow him down and look around.
The room was small, around half the size of the room above them. The light then hit something that reflected back at them. They went over to it and saw it was a treasure chest. Their eyes widened. “It’s a chest?!” Shanks said in shock. Buggy handed him the light before her hand went to her body and came back with her other hand.
“Shine the light over here so I can pick the lock,” she told him.
“Got it,” he replied as he did as told. Buggy carefully picked the lock before opening it. Shanks shone the light into the chest. There was only a simple jewelry box inside. Buggy’s body came down to join her head and hands. She reached in and grabbed the box.
“A jewelry box? Why would they hide a jewelry box?” She questioned, confused. Shanks was confused as well. The room then started to rumble and shake; their eyes widened.
“Shit, we need to get out of here,” he told her, panicked. She nodded as she put her locker picker and the jewelry box in her bag before picking him up and carrying him under his armpits out of the room. She sat him down and they quickly left the room as the whole cave started to collapse.
“It must have had a self-destruct leveler in the chest!” Buggy told him as they went as fast as they could to the entrance of the cave.
“But why?! It’s a fucking jewelry box!” He said, annoyed as he dodged falling rubble.
“There’s probably something important inside it!” She told him as she weaved through falling debris. He groaned. This isn’t the first time they had to book it because a chest was booby-trapped. This was the main reason Roger and the rest of the crew told them to tell them if they were going treasure hunting.
As they got closer to the entrance of the cave, they saw that rubble was starting to block the entrance. Shanks cursed under his breath before grabbing Buggy’s wrist and running faster, dragging Buggy behind him. She yelped in surprise.
When they got to the entrance, he scraped his leg against some of the rubble that blocked the entrance. He tumbled to the ground, Buggy following after him. Their bodies collided as they rolled away from the crumbling cave. Shanks instinctively pulled her close to his body to protect her. His back collided with a tree, making him curse in pain.
“Shanks?! Are you ok?!” Buggy asked as she lifted herself to look at him. Her feet left his sash and connected to her ankles.
“Yeah, I’m good,” he grunted out as he moved to sit up. His back throbbed in pain. At least he didn’t hit it any harder; he could have broken something. Buggy frowned.
“Let me look at your back,” she told him. He raised a brow at her. “To inspect how bad it is,” she explained. He simply nodded. He wasn’t going to get out of it. She helped him sit upright. He pulled the back of his shirt up to his shoulders. He then felt a small hand press against his back making him suck in a breath in pain. “Your whole back is bruised,” she told him. He looked over his shoulder to see her chewing at her bottom lip and her eyebrows pinched together.
“Hey, I’ll be fine. Let’s head back to the ship, and Crocus can look at it,” he told her. She frowned deeper before meeting his eyes. Her blue eyes were full of concern. He turned his body to her, groaning in pain as he did so.
“Let me wrap your torso first, then,” she told him. He nodded. She helped him out of his shirt since it hurt too much to do it himself. She pulled a medical wrap out of her bag and started to wrap his torso, not too tight but not too loose. Once she was done, she helped him put his shirt back on and helped him up. They then started their way back to the ship. His back hurt, but he fought through it.
When they got to the village, they came across some of the crew. “Shanks, Buggy, where have you two been?” Their captain asked them.
“Where do you think?” Shanks questioned with a raised brow.
“Were you two treasure hunting again?” Rayleigh asked with a frown. The two looked away from them, making the man glare at them.
“Did either of you two get hurt?” Gaban asked them worriedly.
“Shanks hurt his back,” Buggy replied.
“How?” Roger asked. The two teens looked at each other before explaining what happened. The adults sighed. “Let’s get back to the ship so Crocus can look you over,” their captain told them. They nodded.
“Where’s the jewelry box you found?” Rayleigh asked Buggy as they walked to the ship. Buggy pulled it out of her bag. “That’s not a very fashionable jewelry box for the chest to be booby-trapped,” he commented.
“Yeah, but that just means there’s something inside it,” she told him as she examined the box. There was a lock on the front, so she pulled out her lock pick and started to pick it. Once it was unlocked, the lid cracked open. She grinned as she bagged her pick and opened the lid the rest of the way. Shanks looked over her shoulder to look inside.
There was a letter at the top covering whatever was inside. She picked it up, and underneath rested a necklace with a large pendant. “A pendant?” She questioned with a raised brow. “Wait, it’s a locket pendant,” she said as she saw a latch.
“A locket?” Shanks questioned.
“The thing looks ancient,” Rayleigh commented. The others nodded in agreement. It definitely didn’t look like it was from their time.
“Open it up and see what’s inside,” Roger told her. She nodded before attempting to open it.
“It won’t open,” she said with a frown. She then placed it back in the box and opened the folded piece of paper.
“What’s it say?” Shanks asked.
“I can’t read it,” she replied.
“Let me see,” Rayleigh said as he stuck a hand out. Buggy placed it in his hand. The man looked at it. “It seems like it’s a love poem,” he told them with raised brows.
“A love poem?” Roger questioned.
“Well, that explains why it has hearts put into the design,” Buggy commented. Besides hearts, it looked like a pocket watch.
“Well, what does it say?” Shanks questioned the man.
Rayleigh cleared his throat before reading it off aloud, “Here’s my heart, so hold me close to yours so I can feel the rhythm in your chest. Hold me under the full moon on a clear night when the stars light up the night sky. When the clock strikes midnight, tell me your feelings and let our hearts become one.”
“That kinda sounds like a riddle,” Gaban said.
“A cheesy one,” Roger commented.
“Buggy, I know you like treasure and all of that, but this one gives me a bad feeling,” Rayleigh told the clown with a frown.
“Yeah, and it sounds like this is for someone,” Shanks agreed.
“Whoever this was originally for is most likely dead,” Buggy replied.
“But this makes it sound enchanted,” Rayleigh explained. “How about you let us do some research on it, and if it seems harmless, we’ll let you have it?” He asked.
Buggy looked at the pendant, her eyebrows pinched in thought. “Fine, but the next full moon is about two weeks away, so you better decide by then,” she told him as she handed the box to him. Rayleigh nodded as he grabbed the box, put the note inside it, and closed it.
“I think I saw a library somewhere in this village. Do you guys think there'll be anything on it there?” Gaban asked.
“We can go check,” Roger answered.
“You two can go check it out, I’ll take the two brats to the ship to get looked at,” Rayleigh told them, handing the box over to their Captain. The two nodded before heading back to the village to the library.
“Why can’t I go with them?” Buggy asked with a whine.
“Because you also have scraps that need to be patched,” the man answered. Buggy frowned. Shanks looked her over and saw that she did. She probably got them from the tumble out of the cave. She let out a whine before pouting and crossing her arms, clearly unhappy. Shanks found it cute.
When they got to the ship, Crocus patched them up and made sure nothing was broken. He wanted Shanks to lie on his stomach and use an ice pack on his back. He didn’t mind. He just lay on the infirmary’s bed, and Buggy put the ice pack on his back since Crocus ordered her to take care of him as punishment for not informing them about finding a map. It wasn’t really a punishment in Shanks’s eyes, but to Buggy it was. She sat in the chair beside the bed with her arms crossed and a big pout as she slumped in the chair.
“Hey, the punishment could have been a lot worse,” he told her. It honestly could have. They’ve been given much worse punishments.
“I’d rather be looking in on that pendant than looking after a dumbass that tripped,” she grumbled. He let out a small and short laugh.
“At least we weren’t crushed,” he grinned at her. She rolled her eyes, unimpressed. “Also, you’re going to try and unlock that pendant even if they tell you not to, aren’t you?” he questioned her knowingly.
“Of course,” she grinned. He sighed.
“You know they’re not going to be happy with you if you do that,” he warned her.
“Don’t care,” she told him simply. He should have seen that coming.
~
Roger and Gaban got back a couple of hours later, along with the rest of the crew. Buggy and Shanks ran up to them. “Did you find anything on it?” Buggy asked excitedly as she jumped on her heels.
“Calm down,” Roger told her with a chuckle. “But yes, we did find things out about it. It’s an ancient relic.”
“Is it dangerous?” Rayleigh asked their captain.
“How about we all sit down and I’ll explain what we found?” Roger told his crew. They all nodded before sitting in a circle. Buggy took her place in Rogers' lap like always, while Shanks sat beside them. “Ok, from the story we read up on, it doesn’t seem to be dangerous,” he started. “But it’s related to a tragic love story.”
“A tragic love story?” Buggy questioned.
“Yep,” Roger smiled.
“The story starts out very typical of star-crossed lovers,” Gaban said.
“What are star-crossed lovers?” Shanks asked.
“It is basically where a couple’s relationship is doomed to fail due to external forces beyond their control, often interrupted as fate or destiny,” Rayleigh answered.
“That’s horrible!” Shanks gasped.
“Yeah, but it’s very basic when it comes to love stories,” Rayleigh said. Others nodded.
“What happened to them?” Buggy asked Gaban and Roger.
“Well, the man was a jewelry maker and often sent jewelry to the women with love letters to express his love for her since they were unable to be together,” Gaban started. “The guys then became sick with something with no cure. Before he died, he made an amulet with something special inside it for the women. He had gotten it enchanted by a witch, so only certain words could open it, with instructions attached to it so the women knew how to open it.”
“So the riddle was instructions?” Rayleigh asked. The two nodded. He hummed in thought.
“Did it say that’s inside it or what needs to be said to open it?” Buggy asked them.
“No, but it did say what type of spell was put on it,” Roger said.
“Oh, what type of spell is it?” Taro asked.
“Well, Gaban kinda took out some details about the amulet,” Roger said. They raised a brow. “The man told the witch to attach his heart to it after he died before sending it to the women,” he told them.
“The hell does that mean?” Crocus questioned.
“He wanted the women to continue to feel his heartbeat after he died, so he had the witch put his heartbeat into the amulet. By holding it close to a heart full of love, you can feel the heartbeat attached to it,” Roger explained.
“That’s oddly romantic,” Shanks said. They all looked at the red head with an odd look. “What? It is.”
“No, it’s just gross,” Buggy told him.
“What you said interlines with what the riddle said,” Rayleigh said.
Roger nodded, “Yes, because it’ll only work with a heart full of romantic love.”
“So not just anyone can open it,” Jackson commented.
“Yep, the amulet is used to connect two hearts that yearn for each other,” Gaban said.
“Which means Buggy won’t be able to open it,” Spencer said.
“What does that mean?” Buggy asked defensively.
“Your only love is treasure, and that isn’t going to work,” Sunbell told her. She frowned as she glared at the fishmen.
“Shanks could open it, though,” Bankuro said.
“Me?” The redhead questioned as he pointed at himself.
“Yeah, your heart is full of love,” Mugren said. Shanks blushed.
“Hey! My heart is full of love, too!” Buggy yelled.
“So you like someone?” Roger asked her.
“None of your business,” she huffed as he crossed her arms.
“Buggy, it’ll only open if you have romantic feelings for someone,” Rayleigh told the girl.
“I know that, I’m not deaf,” she sassed.
“Also, I highly doubt there’s anything in there that would suit your interests,” Crocus told the clown.
“And who knows if there is anything still inside it. Someone could have already come along and taken it out,” Ganryu said.
“And the only way to find that out is to open it,” Buggy said.
Rayleigh rolled his eyes. “Was there anything else on it?” He asked the two men.
“Well, when looking more into it to see if it’s been used by others before, we found a study,” Roger said.
“A study?” Rowing asked.
“Supposedly, the people of this island had found it hundreds of years ago and found the story. They wanted to see if any of it was true, so they had multiple people who had romantic interests in people to wear it. After a week of wearing it, they would feel a slight heartbeat when holding it. The people who led the study wanted to see if the heartbeat was that of the man's heartbeat told in the story or the person they liked's heartbeat,” Roger explained. Everyone looked at him in interest, wanting him to finish. “The heartbeat they felt was the heartbeat of a person they claimed to be someone's soulmate.”
“Soulmate? Isn’t that cliche?” Yui questioned.
“Well, yeah, but the reason they thought this was because they’ve done it with couples as well, and some of the couples didn’t have the heartbeat of their significant other, but some that had different heartbeats show up for them, were couples in love and have been together for over twenty years,” Roger explained. Their eyes widened. “And the couples that had the heartbeat of each other felt like they could feel each other's heartbeats when the other wore the amulet.”
“Wow, that’s just wow,” Spencer said, speechless.
“Yeah, I’m not sure what to say to that,” Rayleigh said in astonishment.
“Then what about it opening?” Crocus asked.
“Only the couples that were ‘soulmates’ could have it open, but it said nothing about what was inside it,” Gaben said.
“So the person wearing it and the person the heartbeat belongs to have to have the same feelings?” Millet asked.
“It seems like it, which means it's probably hopeless to even try to open it, Buggy,” Roger said before speaking to the small clown in his lap.
“Still going to try,” she said.
“When did the people who felt their soulmate's heartbeat start feeling it?” Shanks asked.
“Around the same time, the person wearing the amulet could feel theirs,” Roger told him. “They said it felt like having a second heartbeat.” They knew why the boy was asking. They hoped that when Buggy did start feeling a heartbeat and it wasn’t his, it wouldn’t devastate him all that much.
“Well, we can’t stop you, and it’s not dangerous, so you can try and see if you can get it open, but don’t be surprised if you can’t,” Rayleigh told the clown.
“Wait, didn’t you say certain words opened it?” Crocus asked.
“Oh, yeah, but even in the study, it never said what those words were,” Gaben replied.
“I guess we’ll find out if Buggy can open it,” Roger said as he handed Buggy the jewelry box. “But if anything weird starts happening, you tell us immediately. We don’t want you to get hurt,” he told the girl.
“Got it,” she said as he opened the box, grabbed out the locket amulet, and put it on. They were pretty sure she didn’t.
“If that’s all, I guess we should go ahead and set sail,” Rayleigh said.
“Yeah, let’s get going,” Roger said. The men then got up to get the ship moving. “Buggy, how about you go observe yourself in a bigger mirror to see how it looks on you since you’ll be wearing it for a while,” he told the girl on his lap.
“You’re right! I need to make sure I have clothes to wear with it as well!” she exclaimed as she got up and ran to her and Shanks’s room.
Once Buggy was in the ship, Roger turned to the redhead and placed a hand on his shoulder. The boy looked up at him. “Shanks, even if your not her soulmate, it doesn’t mean you can’t be with her,” he told him.
“I know, Captain, but for it to even work, she has to like someone, and for her to still try means she probably likes someone, and I’ve never seen her show any interest in anyone on an island, and there’s no way it’s me since she treats me more like a brother, as you’ve guys said. I guess I’m just hoping I’m her soulmate so it hurts less,” he rambled before looking down sadly.
“If she were to have feelings for someone and it wasn’t you, it would hurt even more if you were her soulmate,” he told the boy as he pulled the boy into his side. “And even if you guys were soulmates, it doesn’t mean you have to be together romantically. You guys could just be platonic soulmates, since those are also a thing,” he explained.
“But I want us to be romantic soulmates. I want her to like me and be able to call her mine. I don’t want her to be someone else's,” Shanks said, his voice shaky as he clenched his fist over his knees. Roger rubbed his forearm to comfort him.
“I know,” Roger said quietly with a frown.
~
Throughout the week, nothing really happened as they traveled to the next island, only the norm. They asked Buggy if anything new had happened with it, but there was nothing to report. She was still waiting for the heartbeat.
As it got closer to the seventh day, Buggy held the amulet in her hand, hoping she would be able to feel the heartbeat of her soulmate. Shanks also kept a close eye on his own heart, waiting to feel if he would feel a second heartbeat in his chest.
Shanks was mopping the deck with Buggy when his chest started to feel weird. He stopped mopping and put a hand to his chest over his heart. He focused, and it felt like another heartbeat. His eyes widened as he looked over at Buggy. She wasn’t holding the amulet, so it seems she hasn’t noticed the heartbeat coming from it. He could feel his heartbeat pick up as he clenched his hand over his chest.
Buggy then looked at the amulet around her neck with a raised brow before picking it up. Her eyes then widened. “It’s a heartbeat!” She yelled, gaining everyone’s attention on deck. They all came over, but Shanks stayed back.
“You can feel your soulmate's heartbeat?” Roger asked her in astonishment. She nodded and held the amulet out to him. Roger held it in his hand. “Wow, there’s actually a heartbeat,” he said, amazed.
Shanks pushed his lips together. If she could feel the heartbeat, that means she likes someone. There was no way she liked him. He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. Buggy then looked at him with a huge grin and was going to say something, but closed her mouth before opening her mouth again. “Shanks? Why are you crying?” She asked.
He quickly wiped his tears, but they kept falling. He couldn’t get them to stop. His heart ached, hammering against his chest.
He then felt a hand on his chest. He moved his hands to see Buggy. She stood in front of him, one hand holding the amulet. “Two heartbeats,” she said under her breath. His breath hitched as he pulled away from her, stumbling over his feet. Buggy grabbed his wrist, stopping him from running away. “Shanks, calm down,” she told him, gently.
He was confused about why she was telling him to calm down until he realized he was breathing heavily and his heart felt like it was going to burst. He was panicking. He felt heartbroken. It wasn’t even that Buggy had said she didn’t like him. He was just guessing. She’s never treated him any differently to show she did. He then felt the over heartbeat in his chest spike up. He looked at her. She also looked panicked, but why? She didn’t have a reason to be.
“Shanks, you're hyperventilating,” she told him. Her voice sounded far away, and he felt fuzzy in a weird way. His chest felt tight. He gripped at his chest as he steadied his stance. He felt small hands cup his face, and he looked in front of him to see Buggy. She looked at him with soft and caring eyes. “Clear your mind and focus on me,” she instructed him, her voice soft.
He looked at her. Just at her. Felt the warmth coming from her hands. He looked at every detail on her face. He never really did look at her for long since she’d snap at him. She looked so cute up close like this.
He was then pulled into a hug, pulling him out of his thoughts and catching him off guard. He then realized he wasn’t breathing as heavily and his chest didn’t hurt. He felt more at ease.
Buggy hugged him around the neck, his head pulled down to rest on her shoulder. “I’m glad it’s you,” she mumbled. His eyes widened. He put his hands on her shoulder and pushed her away, looking at her with blown wide eyes full of shock.
“Wh-wha…,” he tried to say, but his voice failed him, caught in his throat.
Buggy blinked before laughing and smiling at him. He was so confused. Did she like him? But how? And when? And why? “The person I like is you, dumbass Shanks,” she grinned. His eyes widened even more, if that was possible.
“What?!” The crew yelled in shock and pure disbelief.
“What? Is it really that surprising?” She asked them, looking back at the crew.
“Yes!” they yelled at her.
Shanks wasn’t sure what to think. It felt like his brain was short-circuited. The last thing he remembers before everything went back was Buggy looking back at him and catching him.
~
Buggy looked down at the passed out redhead in her arms. She must have really shocked him for him to pass out. “Buggy, you're going to kill the poor boy,” Roger told her as he walked up beside her.
“I thought it was obvious,” she told him.
“It really wasn’t,” Rayleigh stated. The others nodded.
“Let’s get him laid down,” Crocus told them. They nodded. Roger picked Shanks up and they took him to the med bay, laying him on the bed.
“Do you know of Shanks’s feelings?” Gaban asked her.
“Yeah. It’s not like he hides them,” she told them as she sat down on the bed beside the redhead.
“But you’ve never shown any interest in him,” Taro commented.
Buggy raised a brow. “Yes, I have.”
“No, you haven’t,” Rayleigh told her, his arms crossed.
“Oh, was I supposed to act like the women who hang off of you guys?” She asked, a hand to her chest. They cleared their throats and rubbed the back of their necks. “One, if I ever did that, Shanks would die from a heart attack, and two, I would never go that low to get a guy’s attention,” she told them off.
“Yeah, it’d be best if you didn’t,” Spencer told her as he scratched his cheek. Buggy rolled her eyes. She never hit on him, but she showed her interest; she guessed it was too subtle for anyone to pick up on. Though she doesn’t understand how kissing him on the cheek when he pleases her as subtle. She only did it to him. You’d think they’d pick up on it.
She sighed as she rested her head on her hand. “I guess I was too subtle. Well, not like there's anything I can do about it now,” she said.
“At least the dumbass got his wish,” Crocus said with crossed arms.
“True,” Rayleigh stated.
“Wait, so the heartbeat you felt was Shanks’s?” Roger asked her.
She looked at her captain as if he was stupid. “Yeah,” she said as if it was obvious. Roger hummed. “This is going to make him worse, isn’t it?” she asked them.
“Oh, most definitely,” Sunbell told her. She sighed
“We don’t need more drama,” Rayleigh said as he rubbed his forehead.
Roger patted the man's shoulder. “It’ll be ok. It probably can’t be that bad, then he already is,” he told him, not sounding too sure of himself.
“I’m sure he will. He already threatens to kill people. Maybe those threats won’t be threats anymore,” Gaban commented.
“Then they should leave me alone,” Buggy told them as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. She didn’t care. She finds it hot when he gets possessive of her. He’s like a guard dog, protecting what’s his. She might as well put a collar on him so people know he belongs to her. He’d look so cute in it, too.
“I guess we should wait until he wakes up. I doubt he’s going to wake up anytime soon,” Jackson said.
“Yeah, might as well let him rest,” Spencer said. The others agreed before leaving the med bay. Buggy stayed. She watched them leave and once the door was closed, she looked at Shanks. She ran a hand down his face before running her hand through his hair.
She wasn’t expecting to confess like this but she can’t take it back. Well, she could and tell him she was lying but she wasn’t going to. She’s pretty sure they’ve liked each other for the same amount of time. She was originally going to tell him when they were a bit older, like sixteen to eighteen, but it’s fine. It doesn’t matter all that much.
~
Shanks woke up about an hour later with a headache. He sat up on the be,d holding his head with a groan. He looked around and saw he was in the med bay. He then felt movement beside him. He looked down and saw Buggy sleeping on the bed beside him. He blinked before blushing, remembering everything that had happened not the long ago. She had confessed her feelings to him in front of the crew as if it were the easiest thing in the world. As if she knew he liked her.
He ran a hand through his hair as he lay back down. He turned his head to look at her. She lay on her side, facing him, curled into herself. She looked adorable. He turned to his side to face her, an arm under his head. He was so happy that she liked him back.
He knows they’ll have to talk to see where they want to go with this, but he hopes they start dating. He doesn’t see how they won’t end up dating, but this is Buggy. She might not be ready for it, which he’ll understand and wait for her. He won’t force it, even though he really wants them to be together.
Buggy’s eyes then fluttered open with a yawn before their eyes met. Red meeting blue. “I see your awake now,” she said simply. He nodded, unsure what to say. “Do you remember what happened?” she asked. He nodded again, his cheeks turning rosy. “Having nothing to say about it?” she questioned with raised brows. He blushed darker as he looked down. “So?”
“Well, um, I don’t know what you’d want me to say,” he said, stumbling over hsi words.
She sighed as she sat up on her elbow. “What are your thoughts on me liking you?” she asked.
He moved his arms in front of him and messed with his fingers. “I, um, well, ng, I’m glad you like me back and wouldn’t mind us being more than friends,” he told her shyly. She hummed in thought.
“Then ask me,” she told him. He blinked, confused, as he looked at her.
“What?” he questioned, confused.
“Ask me,” she repeated.
“Ask her what?” he thought before his eyes widened. She wanted him to ask her out. To ask the big question. His cheeks flushed as he sat up. Buggy sat up, crossing her legs.
“So?” she said.
“Buggy, um, will yo-you be my girl-girlfriend?” he asked her, stumbling over his words and face red, not looking at her. She grinned as she cupped his jaw, making him look up at her.
“Seas, your adorable,” she teased. He flushed deeper, making her giggle. “I will be your girlfriend, which means you’ll be my boyfriend,” she told him. He nodded happily with a stupid grin. “I guess I’m stuck with you now,” she said as she let go of him.
He chuckled as he said happily, “Yep!” She sighed with a small shake of her head. He couldn’t wait to see where this new development would lead them.