Chapter 10: Epilogue 2

"Coby, I'm this close to strangling you," Helmeppo growled. "Either man up and go or I'm dragging you there by the ear!"

"But wouldn't that defeat the purpose of strangling me?" Coby asked just to stall. He ducked to avoid the kukri thrown at his head.

Coby knew that his indecisiveness was aggravating his lieutenant, but he couldn't help it. He was too nervous, and thinking about meeting Reggy made him even more so.

When Coby had been a young boy, he had romantic fantasies about being an adult. He had dreamt of becoming a strong and reliable admiral who would lead his men into the sea, fighting and taking down villainous pirates, and making the world a safer place to live for all innocents.

Yes, he had also thought about falling in love with a lovely woman and making a family with her. However, given how hectic his life had turned out to be, marriage took a backseat in his mind. Well, at least, that was until he got to know Garp's granddaughter.

When the Pirate-Government Global War had exploded, his former mentor had assigned him and his crew to protect Foosha Village. Helmeppo had expressed his frustrations in not participating in the battles that were going on past the Red Line, and, admittedly, Coby had felt the same way. He had believed that they were capable of fighting alongside everyone, but orders were orders.

Besides, he had known the implied "And protect my granddaughter" in Garp's gruff command. With Luffy making his declaration of war and becoming an evident inheritor of the Pirate King title, he had essentially caused his sister to become a target for marines and pirates alike. Although, in Luffy's defense, no one had known that he had a twin until Akainu had leaked the information to the public.

Coby hadn't thought that anyone would bother to go after her given how large the war was, but, to his surprise, there were nearly daily attacks on Foosha Village. Apparently, these attackers had figured that they could get an upper hand on Straw Hat Luffy if they held his sister and any of the villagers as hostage. Unfortunately for them, Coby had been stationed on the island.

"Look, Coby, this is the last day we have here until we're assigned elsewhere. Do you want to miss your chance?" Helmeppo asked exasperatedly, lowering his knife.

"We might get sent here again! I mean, we're here since last time," Coby refuted weakly.

"And how long has that been? Are you really willing to wait for another six months until you get to see her again? Are you really okay with just pining from afar with her not knowing your feelings?"

"B-but what if she rejects me?" Coby stammered.

"Then confessing is just a chance that you'll have to take!" Helmeppo shouted, throwing his arms in the air. "It's been five years since the end of the war and it's been five years that you've done nothing but moon after her! If she rejects you, then you'll just learn how to move on. It's better than just wasting away like a hopeless idiot!"

Coby shrank back, which was an unbefitting thing to do for a man of his height and build. Yet the truth that Helmeppo lashed out hit hard. Coby had already known what his friend said a long time ago, but he never wanted the truth to surface as the forefront of his mind. He was just too afraid to acknowledge it.

Helmeppo stared at him hard before releasing a long-suffering exhale. "Coby, man, do you like this woman or not?"

"I do," Coby answered promptly, the words spilling out of his mouth without a thought.

"Are you satisfied not being with her?"

"I…" He looked down at the floor. "No," he sighed.

"Then…?"

"It's just—what if she's happier with someone else? Someone who'll be with her instead of leave for long periods of time? As a marine officer…I can't stay for long." With a hint of panic, he added, "And what if, when I'm gone, someone else woos her? She might leave me for him!"

He fixed him a deadpan look. "This is Monkey D. Reggy we're talking about. That's not going to happen."

"I fell for her, so who's to say that someone else won't?"

"You're a freaking oddity, Coby."

Coby pursed his lips and shrugged. Perhaps what Helmeppo said was right. Reggy wasn't exactly what people would consider to be…girlfriend material, to put it frankly. He hadn't exactly gotten a great first impression from her when they first met.

"But I guess that's why you like her so much."

He blinked and looked up at his friend. "What?"

"Reggy isn't one to mince her words and put up with anyone's nonsense. She's reclusive and cold, but she's intelligent and has common sense. You, at times, lack either and have too much heart and can be a sensitive crybaby." Coby gave a halfhearted protest, but Helmeppo kept going.

"One might think that you wouldn't like someone who is such an opposite of yourself, but you saw something in her that you didn't have that you came to admire. Don't argue with me, Coby. I know because I've been with you for these past five years, okay?"

"O-okay."

"Anyways, the point that I'm trying to make here is that, if anyone, you and Reggy would make a good couple. If you like her, then chances are that she might feel the same about you."

Coby swallowed. "You really think so?"

Helmeppo nodded. "Of course. I'm your righthand man, so I know what's best. Therefore—" he dramatically pointed a finger in the direction where Foosha Village was "—go to her and confess your feelings to her!"

Suddenly invigorated by Helmeppo's impactful words, Coby straightened his back and clenched his fists. "Y-you're right, Helmeppo. It's high time that I let Reggy know!" With that said, he bolted out of his office to the deck.

"Go for it, Coby!" Helmeppo hollered after him.

"Is that the commodore?"

"Where's he going?"

"Oi! Sir!"

Ignoring the calls of his crew, Coby ran past them and to the nose of the ship. He tightened the muscles in his legs and, with a powerful push, he vaulted over the waters and landed on dirt. He straightened up from his crouched form and spun around to face Helmeppo, who had the curious crew crowding up behind him.

"I'm going to do it!" Coby exclaimed, raising both fists above his head. "Five years and I'm finally going to do it, Helmeppo!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Helmeppo cried out. "Don't just stand there! Go!"

"Oh my gosh—could this be…?"

"The commodore's gonna confess!"

"Good luck, sir!"

Coby grinned from ear to ear, pivoted on his heel, and ran straight for Reggy's house. His heart pounded hard against his ribs as he was filled with a new sensation that he hadn't felt before—excitement laced with fear. It was like the time when Garp had decided to take him as his apprentice or when he had been promoted as captain, but, this time, he was taking the reins and steering his path on his own.

He was going to do this. He was going to confess.

The villagers, upon recognizing him, greeted him cheerfully; Coby greeted back breathlessly. Houses and other buildings disappeared and all there was before him were rolling hills and a meandering path that led to long grassy pastures.

He stopped short in front of a small blue house. There was a rusty car parked under the tarp awning, indicating that the owner was home. The wooden fence that wounded around the house and the yard was decaying, and Coby made a mental note to help replace it afterwards.

He took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

After thirty seconds, the door opened, revealing a short woman.

"Sorry about that. I had to—Coby? Your face is turning purple."

Coby opened his mouth to speak, but instead inhaled the air that he forgot to breathe in. "I-I-I—" He paused and focused on steadying his breathing. His thoughts were shooting off in every direction. He wouldn't be able to talk to her if he couldn't concentrate! He had to take one step at a time. So, Step One: Breathe!

"Now you're red."

That was because he was embarrassed.

Okay. Step Two: Salutations.

"Hi," he wheezed.

Reggy looked up at him with a raised brow. "Hi. What do you want?"

He forced the gears in his brain to come up with a charming line that would save him from this predicament, but all that resulted was just blankness.

As usual, Reggy didn't have the patience to put with nonsense.

"Coby, spit it out. I don't have time for your dawdling," Reggy said, looking at him flatly. "I got a client who submitted his tax files a day before the deadline, and if I don't finish this—"

"I like you," he blurted.

"Okay, so what…?" she trailed off, and then her eyes widened. "Wait, what?"

"Um."

"Is this a confession?"

He nodded fretfully.

"You asking me out?"

"I, uh, technically haven't asked you anything…yet."

"Yeah, yeah, okay." Reggy pressed a hand against her forehead and looked off into the distance behind him. Coby's anxiety was burgeoning.

The excitement—the thrill—vanished and all there was left was the constricting fear. This was what he was afraid of! This was why he was reluctant to tell Reggy how he felt! Seeing her right now, he could tell that she was caught off guard by this unexpected news and now she was disturbed.

He didn't want to dwell on what about him liking her disturbed her. His heart wouldn't be able to take any more of this distress.

Was it because he confessed too soon? He skipped too many steps perhaps? But would that matter either way? Wouldn't she not like his confession in the end?

"Are you crying?"

"N-no!" Coby turned his head and furiously wiped away the tears that surged from the corners of his eyes. "I j-just got something stuck in my eyes."

"Coby…" He heard Reggy sigh. "I'm…. I'm not rejecting you."

"You're not?" He whipped his attention back onto her, astonished.

"No, I… I was just shocked to hear that you liked me." She fixed him a hard stare. "Romantically. You like me romantically."

"I do…"Coby tugged on the collar of his suit. "Helmeppo always said that I was rather obvious…"

"Huh." She shrugged. "I really didn't know."

He had an inkling that she was unaware given how she made no sign that she knew about his feelings; otherwise, she would have been upfront about it. Yet to solidify that speculation with Reggy's admittance was nevertheless surprising. Despite how sharp she was, it seemed that she was rather unobservant when it came to people's feelings towards her.

"Honestly, I never thought this would happen, but I guess it isn't so bad." Her stare became considering, causing him to hold his breath again. He watched her lean lazily against the doorframe and cross her arms. "I know that I said that I have a deadline to meet, but I could use a break."

He gulped. "Y-yeah?"

Reggy smiled. "Would you like to come in for tea?"

AN: This is gonna be the last… I swear!

This is so self-indulgent and cracky. I don't think that there's a guy who will actually fall for Reggy, but considering how this is One Piece… Anything can happen, I guess. After all, if a canon character can have a gazillion children (who are her biological kin, if that's really true), then why not have someone like the asocial and bland Reggy?

I hope some of you won't be dismayed by this second epilogue. I don't know how many of you are there who liked Reggy's solitary status, but, like I said, this is self-indulgent for me.

Anyways, thank you for those you read and liked my story!