Chapter Text
Of course, the idiot didn’t warn her about the sword wielding apes. Those rapid, screaming creatures continue to chase her among the vegetation until she steps on a clearing. Her target’s location towers close by, a grand castle. The creatures stop following her. Usually when perceived predators avoid certain locations, it means there is something more dangerous than them. To be honest, she wouldn’t be surprised if the ‘long abandoned castle’ wasn’t abandoned at all.
She approaches the huge door and opens it carefully. It creaks slightly and she leaves it open in case she must make a sudden escape. The walls are lined with finely painted portraits of its previous owners. Dust particles dance around her candle as she pulls a crumbled paper piece from her back pocket. A crudely drawn map guides her way to the wine cellar where the objective waits to be taken.
The cellar is large with multiple aisles of wine. She walks between the rows and picks up a couple of the oldest ones she can find.
Why not sample one right away? She muses to herself. There haven’t been any signs of anyone living here, the table in the cellar is dusty and so are the glasses in the cabinet, so it should be safe to take a moment for herself. She picks a glass and cleans it before opening the bottle and pours herself a serving. The tangy dry taste of red wine covers her tongue, there’s a subtle taste of a fruit she cannot identify.
“What are you doing in my wine cellar?” A monotone voice interrupts her tasting session.
She takes a quick breath before she starts weaving a lie. “I’m here to drink.” She looks at the self-proclaimed owner and even in the dim lighting she sees piercing yellow eyes, boring into her soul under his wide-brimmed hat, and a huge fucking sword strapped to his back.
"So, you intrude in someone’s home for the sole purpose of getting drunk. Quite the poor decision.” His face remains solemn and unamused, his angular face could be a copy from long since carved marble statues.
“I’m not here to get drunk, and I was under the impression that this place is abandoned.” She manages to answer with a steady voice. He walks closer, holding an empty wine glass in his left hand, probably came here to get more.
"No one comes to this island without a very good reason." His voice sounds threatening. y/n goes through her head for a new plan, the main door is definitely off limits.
“I heard a rumor from a red-haired pirate that this place has a large wine cellar, filled from floor to ceiling with the best wine. He dared me to steal a bottle and offered me a prize if I succeed.” She takes a long sip from her glass, trying to be as casual as one could in this situation. The man tilts his head forward slightly, as he raises an eyebrow.
"Red haired pirate and a dare to steal wine from me?" His tone is bordering on the humorous side. He has a pretty good guess who the pirate in question is, but that doesn't mean he is letting the woman get away with this.
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's what the man said. I think his name was Shanks?” She sets the glass down and searches the man’s face for answers. When he hears her say that name a small smile appears on his face.
"Shanks... yes, your description matches him.” He sighs, what was the brash pirate thinking when he sent this woman to this island. Y/n looks at him inquisitively.
“Do you know him?”
"Yes, unfortunately."
“Oh, do tell me more~”
He stays silent for a moment before answering. "Well, he is one of the four emperors, quite strong and I suppose he considers me a friend." His face has reverted to the stoic mask of boredom and irritation.
“Didn't get that kind of an impression off of him, he was rather drunk those few days I met him.” she ponders for a moment if he’s telling the truth, she hasn’t really kept up with politics or pirate shenanigans, “Is he stronger than you?”
"I'd say he and I are very on the same level when it comes to swordsmanship. There's no clear answer that I could give you. Though..." He pauses for a moment, "he isn't stronger than me, that's for sure."
She chuckles, “Good to know.”
“Why did you accept this dare of his?"
“I was just curious to see this place. Although he didn't mention that someone lives here, let alone give me a warning about those rabid apes.” She scoffs.
"So, are you still planning on stealing a bottle of wine from me?" He tilts his head and y/n takes it as a challenge.
“I am.” She looks at him matter of factly, while raising the glass to her lips and taking a sip while maintaining eye contact.
“What makes you think you'll succeed?" His free fist clenches as a warning, but she ignores it and puts down her glass. She isn’t sure what to say, for all her plans are unusable now, but she did notice a window facing the direction she came from.
“Well, I have already consumed half of a bottle, the other half shouldn't be a problem.” She smiles sweetly, kind of enjoying poking the bear.
“That's not quite what I meant.” His expression is cold, and he is just itching to wipe that smile from her lips. Just one quick swipe, she wouldn't even register it before she draws her last breath.
“I just have a feeling it won’t be a problem” The man’s looming presence is gradually making her queasy. His unnatural yellow eyes seem to follow even the smallest move she makes. Like a hawk tracking its prey. She is starting to feel like prey with every passing second.
"A mere feeling won’t help you get out of here."
“Well, I wouldn't be here if I was scared of a challenge.” She lies with feigned confidence. One of the most important rules is to not show your fear to an opponent.
"Are you absolutely sure that you will succeed in stealing from me and getting out of here in one piece?"
She looks at him, pretending to think so she can come up with a plan that could work. “I am.” Her breath waivers.
The man stares at her for a moment, slightly surprised, before speaking. "Well... I got to say that I'm quite intrigued, to see if you're actually capable of it."
She laughs away her nervousness and stands up. “Well then, it wasn’t nice to meet you stranger, but I have places to be.” Her right hand grabs the unopened bottle as she curtsies low. His eyebrows furrow as he watches the odd woman in front of him, unsure what she is doing. She takes one last look at the yellow eyed man and dashes off towards the wine cellar's backdoor, which should lead to the corridor she saw earlier.
Adrenaline pushes her feet faster against the ground when she hears the man not far behind her. He reacted far quicker than she hoped for, slight fear of failure creeping from her bones. She sees the window nearing and holds the bottle carefully against her, even if it breaks, she can prove that she made it, but having it unharmed would of course be much better.
The man is closing in fast, and she uses all the strength she has, to take the last few steps before she jumps through the window, which manages to take the man by surprise. To his credit the fall is quite high. As her feet and left hand come in contact with the ground pain shoots through her wrist, she rolls a couple of times before forcing herself to continue running. Her body feels like it's on fire, but luckily she isn't being followed anymore. The man sighs and shakes his head as he watches the woman disappear in the jungle.
"Tch. Guess I'm going to be seeing Shanks a lot sooner than I thought…"