"Hmmm," Lucas groaned as he woke up late after the party. "Damn it, I ended up staying here for two months. The women here sure are something," he said, glancing at one of the village women sleeping beside him. "It's been a while since I've done it. I kinda feel weird for leaving so abruptly," he mused as he quietly got up and left the room.
"Oh, you're up already," the innkeeper said, giving Lucas the side-eye. "You know she's my wife's younger sister, right?" he said tauntingly.
"I usually would take responsibility, but I've already decided on being a pirate," Lucas scratched his head, feeling a mix of guilt and determination.
"Hahaha. Life's like that, kid. Sometimes you'll come across completely unexpected things that might force you to change your plans," the innkeeper said, his tone both understanding and teasing.
"I know that," Lucas replied, considering his desire to enjoy his life here in the One Piece world and live it to the fullest. He had a plethora of ways to get around this, but this was tied to his feelings. He wasn't drunk since he didn't drink, so he was well aware of what he was getting into. The thought of simply pushing this under the rug wasn't how he was raised.
"You sure you're a pirate?" the innkeeper asked, a hint of disbelief in his voice.
"It's rude to mock your customers," the woman in question came downstairs, her voice trembling slightly.
"It's alright. You don't have to worry about me. I don't want to hold you down on your dreams," she said, clenching her fist by her heart as she suppressed her desire to be with him. Lucas saw this and felt a pang of sadness.
"Go! Please go. Live your dream," she cried, tears streaming down her face as she dashed out of the inn.
"Haaa. Thanks for everything. And the directions too," he said, leaving the inn, his heart heavy. He went after her, finding her by the mountain.
"The view here is pretty nice," he said, hovering above her. She was slightly shocked by this, but since he had displayed some supernatural abilities when saving the village, she wasn't that surprised.
"I bet you've seen better," she said, her voice tinged with sadness.
"How about I come visit every now and then?" he said, sitting next to her on a big rock.
"Didn't you say something about heading to the Grand Line?" she replied, her eyes filled with a mix of hope and resignation.
"Well, yes, but I have my ways," Lucas smiled, giving her a golden necklace with an azure blue gem in it. "With this, I can always find you," he said, placing it on her. "It'll be easier since," he said, opening a portal to the room in the inn he was staying at. Her eyes widened in amazement as she saw this; she couldn't believe her eyes.
"With this, I'll be able to visit you," he said gently.
"Fine then. If you insist. You at least have to visit once, no, twice a month," she said, her voice wavering with emotion.
Lucas chuckled a bit. "Sure. But I won't always be able to meet that quota," he said, chuckling softly. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand and jumping through the portal, ending up back in the inn.
"It's kinda like magic," she marveled, thinking Lucas probably had devil fruit powers. Hearing a bunch of noises, the innkeeper rushed upstairs, finding Lucas and Lilian, his sister-in-law, in the room Lucas was staying in. He stood perplexed, knowing they had left but now were back. Lucas said his farewells as he flew east of Greenhaven at mach speed.
"I don't know whether she's lucky or..." the innkeeper sighed, seeing Lucas fly off.
Lucas soared through the skies, his heart pounding with excitement as he neared the Polestar Islands. He needed to see if the Straw Hats had arrived. "Damn, it feels good to fly this fast," he mused, a wide grin spreading across his face as he accelerated, leaving a thunderous sonic boom in his wake.
"Omnitrix, change my outfit to my sentry one," he commanded, his voice filled with anticipation. "Copy," his watch responded, a purple light enveloping him and transforming his clothes. He relished the sensation of the superhero cape flapping behind him as he sped through the air. "Oh, I'm here already," he noted, his eyes widening as the tiny dots of the islands grew larger.
Using his super vision, he scanned the islands, pinpointing Loguetown. "Phew. I made it. It seems the prosecution started not long ago," Lucas muttered, a mix of relief and urgency in his voice.
"Sorry. But it looks like I'm dead," Luffy said with a defiant smile as Buggy swung his sword. Just as Buggy's sword began its descent, a deafening burst echoed through the skies. Lucas crashed down in a flash, reducing the execution stand to rubble. The crowd stood in stunned silence, their hearts racing with shock and awe. How could Luffy be so lucky? It wasn't lightning, but whatever had crashed moved as fast as a lightning strike.
As the dust settled, they saw Buggy the Clown lying unconscious, and the Straw Hat standing unscathed beside a caped figure. "You saved me," Luffy said, his voice filled with gratitude and wonder. "Thanks a bunch."
"Well, I'll be," Sanji remarked, his eyes wide with surprise.
"Can we leave already? This town is just full of trouble," Zoro said, his voice tinged with frustration, with the rest of Buggy's pirates defeated.
"We're leaving? See ya, strange caped guy," Luffy waved, his smile bright and carefree as they ran off. Lucas chuckled, his heart swelling with joy at finally seeing the Straw Hats in real life. He was a huge fan of Luffy, and joining them was one of his main goals. Sure, Luffy was hard to handle, but Lucas wanted to live his life with little restraint and thought it would be fun.
"Weird. I wonder why he's laughing," Sanji remarked, a puzzled look on his face as they ran off. Lucas followed them, his excitement bubbling over.
As the Straw Hats ran, they encountered Major Tashigi. Zoro stayed behind, letting the others go ahead. Not long after, Sanji and Luffy came across Smoker and confronted him.
"It seems I won't need to interfere," Dragon remarked, his voice a low murmur as he watched from the shadows.
"Bind," Lucas muttered as he approached, determination in his eyes. A magic circle formed under Smoker's feet, chains emerging to restrain him. "What's this?" Smoker struggled, his voice filled with frustration and confusion.
"It's the cape guy," Luffy said, pointing at Lucas, his eyes wide with recognition. Zoro came running, picking up Luffy and Sanji.
"Who are you anyway?" Sanji asked, his voice a mix of curiosity and suspicion as they ran together with Lucas.
"Oh, I'm Lucas. Nice to meet you. And I wanted to request to join the Straw Hat Pirates," he said, his voice filled with hope and excitement as he ran alongside them.
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