Gangland // Shanks x Reader (AU) (Pt. Two)

    Heading to The Freebooter, you were working Koala's shift once again; she called you earlier in the day and told you that she had the flu, and that it slipped her mind yesterday to bother letting you know. You forgave the poor woman and told her you would cover her shifts in her stead, which she was extremely grateful for. You always were a very compassionate, understanding person, and you always acted selflessly when others were in need. Though these were good attributes, they sometimes brought you troubles; often times your selflessness led to recklessness. In this case, taking Koala's shift would mean you were going to overwork yourself.

    However you paid no mind to these facts, humming to yourself as you pushed open the doors and walked behind the bar. A hand suddenly clapped your shoulder, making you jump in surprise and turn around briskly. You sighed in relief upon noticing that it was only Nami, however your relief became anxiousness when you saw the stressed look on her face. 

    "Nami, what's wrong?" You asked with a frown. The nervous woman's eyes darted around behind you as if to make sure nobody was listening, before looking back at you frantically.

    "(Y/N), you need to be really careful tonight... We have a few guests." Nami said, her voice slightly shaky.

    "...Guests? Who?" Your frowned deepened as your anxiety grew.

    Nami leaned towards your ear and whispered, "The Kid Gang. Eustass Kid and his right hand man, Killer, are here; they're sitting in the lounge area. Killer approached the bar awhile ago and requested us to wait on them, rather than him and Kid having to come up here to order." 

    The news made you pale significantly, a sweat forming on your brow. The Kid Gang was one of the most dangerous gangs in East City right now, and Eustass Kid was known to be a ruthless, vicious man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted. You knew that you were the one who was going to have to serve them; there was no way in hell you would let Nami be put in danger like that.

    "...Alright. I'll do it." You sighed, preparing yourself mentally for what was to come.

    "What?! (Y/N) you can't do that!" Nami gasped with wide eyes. 

    "Nami, it's okay... I'll be fine. All I have to do is take their orders and serve them; I don't have to speak to them or anything. It's better me than you." You said, your self-sacrificing nature taking over.

    Nami's eyed you in worry, before sighing and closing her eyes. "Be careful, (Y/N). I'll handle the customers at the bar." She turned away and began taking the orders of a group of giggling, drunk women. 

    You snatched a pen and paper off the bar counter, erasing any signs of tension from your face and body as you made your way over to the lounge area. You easily spotted Eustass Kid and Killer; they were the only two in the entire lounge, because everyone was avoiding them like the plague. You could feel nervous eyes following you, watching as you approached the two intimidating men. 

    Your (E/C) eyes met with Kid's feral amber ones, making you gulp out of nervous habit. You could also feel Killer's eyes on you, however you could not see them due to the white and blue mask he was wearing. "What would you two like to drink?" You asked, hiding the shakiness in your voice.

    You watched anxiously as Kid smirked in your direction, looking you up and down. "I'll have a Jack Daniels on the Rocks, gorgeous." He said slyly, leaning forward with his elbow on his knee. You clenched your jaw and nodded, writing his order down. You said nothing in reply and turned to Killer, who ordered Bourbon and requested that you bring a straw (which you assumed was so he could drink through his mask). After writing Killer's order, you swiftly turned on your heel and was about to walk forward until Kid's voice stopped you in your tracks. 

    "You aren't going to say thank you, sweetheart?" Kid remarks, a devilish tone to his voice. You gulp again and pivot, looking him in the eyes. 

    "My apologies." You said curtly, your neck growing damp with nervous sweat. 

    "I don't think that's going to cut it. How about you come over here for a second?" Kid requested, though you knew it was no request; it was a demand. Regardless, you stayed rooted in your spot in defiance.

    Kid's smile dropped at your clear disobedience. "Listen here, sweetheart. I really think you should listen to me and come over here." His playful, sly attitude was replaced with an irritated one. You finally obeyed and shuffled your way closer to him, until you were within a few feet from him. 

    Kid's hand suddenly shot out and snatched your wrist, dragging you closer to him until you were standing between his legs. You gasped in surprise with wide, terrified eyes. Your eyes darted to the front of the bar, taking notice of Nami's horrified eyes, as well as the shocked faces of a few customers. You shuddered and turned your head back around, coming face to face with the scarred visage of Eustass Kid. 

    "I don't like defiance." Kid snarled, squeezing your wrist roughly. That's gonna bruise later, You thought. "I can definitely tame that opposition of yours." He stated, his smirk returning. He unexpectedly let go of your wrist, which you quickly brought to your chest and rubbed. You took a few steps back, eyeing the dangerous man cautiously. He chuckled at your actions, before saying something that sent a chill down your spine. "Expect to see me later on, gorgeous."

    Without replying you hurried back to the bar, pale and sweaty. In the corner of your eye you saw Kid and Killer stand up and exit the building. You let out a sigh of relief and threw out the sheet of paper that you had written their orders on. Nami rapidly walked towards you, engulfing you in a hug. You sighed and hugged her back, wiping the sweat from the back of your neck.

    "I'm so sorry, (Y/N), I should have done that instead of you..." She frowned in pity.

    "Don't worry about it, Nami; I'll be fine. I'm sure he'll lose interest within a few days." You said, reassuring yourself.

    "If you say so... You should go home, though. You've had a long day, I can take over from here." Nami said, rubbing your back. You nodded, agreeing with her.

    "Alright then, I guess it's for the best. Call me if you run into any problems, or need any help." You smiled weakly at your coworker and friend, before leaving to exit the bar.

    "Same goes for you!" She called after you, and you responded by giving her a thumbs up.

     You retreated to the dark, empty streets of East City and began making your way towards your apartment building. You felt extremely anxious and unsafe, for various reasons. For one, it was nighttime and you were walking alone. Two, you had just had an encounter with the gang leader Eustass Kid, and you caught his attention. Three, Kid said he would be seeing you later. Just what exactly did he mean by that? And when was 'later'?

    As you were caught up in your thoughts and not paying attention to your surroundings, you did not take notice of the heavy footsteps following behind you, and the wild, amber eyes of a certain redheaded man eyeing you down. The redhead easily caught up to you, and all of the sudden you could sense it.
    
    There's someone here. You thought with wide eyes, before increasing your pace into a half-jog. You heard the slamming of feet into pavement, and it was then that you realized you were in serious danger. Out of the corner of your eye you spotted a head of spiky red hair, and you immediately knew Kid had followed you out of the bar.

    You broke into a full-on sprint, your eyes catching sight of the apartment building a few yards ahead. However, Kid easily caught up to you. He snagged you by the waist and pulled you into an alley to your right, before slamming you against the wall. You yelped as your head hit the brick harshly; you could feel a migraine coming on already.

    You glared up at Kid, a scowl set on your face. Kid smirked at this, placing his hands at either side of your head and effectively trapping you. He leaned his head down, his fowl breath ghosting over your face and making you cringe. "What the hell do you want with me?" You snapped, your anger getting the best of you. You realized your mistake, quickly biting your cheek to keep yourself from saying anything else to the powerful gang leader.

    "You interest me." Kid snickered, surprisingly not annoyed at your outburst; instead, he was amused. He reached down and gripped your jaw between his thumb and pointer finger roughly, making you wince. "I've been looking for a woman." He added, making your eyes widen in shock and horror.

    "Absolutely not! Find someone else!" You couldn't help but shriek at the man. Eustass Kid glowered at you in rage, his face darkening. Clearly, it wasn't often that women denied him. Whether that was out of their fear or their attraction to him, you were not sure. You felt uneasy under his furious glare, and for good reason too. Your reaction time was too late to stop the rough hand that came down upon your cheek in a harsh slap. You gasped at the pain that blossomed in the left side of your face, your mouth gaping open like a fish.

(A/N: Please keep in mind that Kid isn't a good guy in this story, he's one of the more evil/dangerous characters. Like I stated before, he'll do anything to get what he wants. He doesn't really care if it isn't 'morally right' or anything, the guy basically has no morals.)

    You were speechless as you reached up a hand to rest on your aching cheek, matching Kid's dark glare with scared eyes. "I don't give a shit if you don't want it. I want you, so I'll take you." Kid snarled, his hand reaching down to squeeze your hip painfully. You winced, and it finally dawned on you just how vicious Eustass Kid was. Tears pricked the corners of your eyes, a deep sense of dread filling your entire being as Kid moved a hand up your shirt.
   
    Your lip trembled in fear, and in a last ditch effort, you opened your mouth and shouted as loud as you could, "HELP ME!"

    Immediately, Kid snarled in rage and slapped you once again, before bringing a hand to your throat and squeezing. It wasn't enough pressure to strangle you, but it was more than enough to keep you quiet and leave a bruise. You let a few tears escape the corners of your eye, before you closed them. You knew what fate lay ahead, and there was nothing you could do on your own to stop the man. 

    All of the sudden, you heard slamming footsteps and a loud grunt and felt the pressure disappear from your hip and neck. Your eyes flew open in surprise, gasping at the right before you. Eustass Kid was sprawled out on the ground, blood dripping out of his mouth and a large red mark on his cheek. You blinked in shock, looking up to see a familiar face standing in front of you with a bloody fist. The fury in Shanks' eyes disappeared and was replaced with concern as he took notice of your disheveled state.

    You gaped up at your neighbor in astonishment, feeling completely overwhelmed with the situation. Your vision began to blur and you felt extremely dizzy as your shock subsided, and the effects of your encounter with Kid began to weigh you down.

    Faintly, you could hear Shanks worriedly ask, "Are you alright, (Y/N)?" However his voice sounded fuzzy and distorted to your ears. Your frowned and tried to take a step forward, but your knees quickly buckled. You felt extremely weak and before you knew it, your vision went black.

    Shanks caught you with his arm as you fell and unconsciously slumped in his hold, becoming a ragdoll. Shanks frowned in concern, before slinging you over his shoulder. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, dialing the number of a friend of his, saying, "There's something I need you to pick up, Yasopp," and hanging up after receiving an 'ok' from the man on the other end. Shanks exited the alley and headed into the apartment building, taking you back to his own apartment to get you some rest.