**Chapter 33: I Refuse Your Refusal – Dreams, Drama, and a Rubbery Recruitment**
**Sunny's POV**
The deck of Alvida's battered ship creaked under our feet, the salty sea breeze whipping through my hair as I leaned against the railing, arms crossed and a smirk playing on my lips. The sun was dipping low, painting the ocean in shades of orange and red, the waves lapping gently against the hull like they were whispering secrets. Nami stood beside me, her satchel bulging with stolen treasure, her orange ponytail still a bit disheveled from the chaos. Koby sat cross-legged nearby, his glasses fogged from the sea spray, looking like he'd just survived a hurricane. And in the center of it all stood Lucy, fists planted firmly on her hips, her straw hat tilted at a jaunty angle, her grin so wide it could've lit up the Grand Line.
"You're joining my crew!" she declared, her voice booming with that unshakable confidence, like she'd already decided the fate of the world and was just informing us of it. Her red vest fluttered in the wind, her shorts scuffed from the fight, but her energy was infectious—rubber body, rubber spirit, all bouncing with unyielding optimism.
I raised an eyebrow, my observation Haki flickering faintly as I sized her up. She was every bit the chaos I expected from a Straw Hat, but with that genderbent twist RBG had thrown in for his cosmic kicks. Her eyes sparkled with determination, and there was a faint blush on her cheeks that hadn't been there before our eyes met. *Interesting,* I thought. I pushed off the railing, stepping closer with a teasing smirk. "And if I refuse?" I asked, my voice low and challenging, crossing my arms as the sea spray misted around us.
Lucy didn't even blink, her grin not faltering for a second. She leaned forward, her face inches from mine, her big, round eyes locking onto me with that fiery intensity. "Then I'll refuse your refusal!" she shot back, as if it were the most logical thing in the world, her rubber arm stretching slightly to poke my chest for emphasis.
For a solid two seconds, the ship creaked in stunned silence, the only sound the waves slapping against the hull. I could feel Nami's eye twitch beside me, Koby's jaw hit the deck, and even the defeated Alvida pirates groaning in the background seemed to pause in confusion.
Nami dragged a hand down her face, her voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "Oh no… she's even dumber than she looks. Ara ara, that doesn't even make sense! Umu, you can't just 'refuse a refusal'—that's not how logic works!"
Koby, still sitting cross-legged like he was meditating through a storm, nearly fell over, his glasses slipping down his nose. "T-th-that doesn't even make sense!" he stammered, echoing Nami, his face pale as he pushed his glasses back up. "Y-you can't just… refuse a refusal! That's like saying 'I disagree with your disagreement'—it's a loop!"
I burst out laughing, holding my stomach as the absurdity hit me like a rubber punch. The sound echoed across the deck, mixing with the crashing waves, and I couldn't stop—the sheer ridiculousness of it all, Lucy's dead-serious face while spouting nonsense. "You really are something, Straw Hat girl," I managed between chuckles, wiping a tear from my eye. "That's the dumbest logic I've ever heard… and I love it."
Lucy puffed her chest proudly, her blush deepening but her grin unwavering. "Shishishi~! That's right! Stubborn's my middle name! Lucy 'Stubborn' D. Monkey—that's me!" She struck a pose, her rubber arm stretching out to emphasize, nearly whacking Koby in the head.
Koby ducked, yelping. "Watch it! And it's not 'Monkey'—it's Monkey D. Lucy! Wait, no, that's not the point!"
Nami groaned louder, throwing her hands up. "This is a nightmare. First, Sunny's got voices in his head arguing like an old married couple, now a rubber idiot who thinks refusal is optional. Ara ara, my life's a meme."
[Ego]: "Correction: This girl's brain is emptier than a busted sake bottle. Tch, Sunny, you're not seriously considering this, are you? Umu, she's a walking disaster."
[System]: "Fufufu, bold girls can be dangerous, Sunny-sama. Don't let her get too close… unless you want me to eliminate her. ♥ Umu, her refusal refusal is kinda cute, though—almost as cute as your flustered face."
I sweatdropped, trying to ignore the mental commentary. "Please don't," I muttered under my breath.
Lucy blinked at me, tilting her head like a curious puppy. "Eh? Don't what? Who're you talking to, Blue Eyes? You got ghosts or something? Shishishi, that's cool! Ghosts could be crewmates too!"
Nami facepalmed so hard I heard the slap. "Ara ara, this is hopeless. Umu, Sunny, you deal with her—I'm out."
**Sharing Dreams**
The sun dipped lower, casting a warm glow over the deck as we sat together on the battered planks, the sea stretching endlessly around us like a canvas waiting to be explored. The air was thick with salt and the faint smell of gunpowder from the earlier fight, the horizon glowing orange in the late sun. Lucy clapped her hands, her energy infectious. "Alright! Dreams time! If we're gonna sail together, we need to know what drives us!"
She went first, of course, jumping to her feet with a dramatic flourish. "I'm Lucy, and I'm gonna be Queen of the Pirates!" she declared, her voice booming with unshakeable confidence, her straw hat casting a shadow over her grinning face.
Koby gasped, his eyes wide behind his glasses. "Queen? Y-you can't! The seas are dangerous—the Marines, the Warlords, the Emperors—they'll crush you!"
Lucy leaned forward until her nose almost bumped his, her big eyes locking onto him. "Don't care! My dream's mine, and I'll chase it no matter what! Shishishi, nothing's gonna stop me—not danger, not bad guys, not even a giant chicken army!"
Koby froze, then lowered his eyes, his voice small but determined. "I… I want to be a Marine. But not just any Marine. I want to protect people. I don't want to be weak anymore."
Lucy's grin softened into something rare—respect. She slapped his back so hard he nearly fell over. "That's a great dream! Protect the seas, and I'll conquer 'em! We'll meet in the middle!"
Then her gaze flicked to me, her eyes sparkling with curiosity—and that faint blush returning. "What about you, Blue Eyes?"
I leaned back lazily, pretending to think, my arms crossed as the sea spray misted my face. "Me? Simple. I want to explore the world. To see everything it hides—hidden islands, forgotten treasures, the ends of the seas. And…" my voice dropped, my eyes meeting Nami's for a moment, a hint of warmth there, "to protect the people I love. Always. No matter what."
Nami stiffened ever so slightly, her cheeks tinting pink as she looked away fast, fiddling with her satchel strap. "Tch, sappy much?" she muttered, but her voice was soft, her eyes darting back to me with that mix of tsundere annoyance and something sweeter.
Lucy nodded vigorously. "Shishishi~ that's awesome! Protecting loved ones is the best! You're definitely crew material!"
Finally, Nami spoke, her tone softer but filled with quiet determination as she unrolled a small map from her bag. "I want to draw a map of the entire world. Every island, every sea, every hidden cove—all of it on one map. So no one ever gets lost again."
Lucy's eyes lit up like fireworks. "Shishishi~! You're cool! Definitely joining my crew!"
Nami's jaw dropped. "Wait—no one said anything about joining! I'm not—!"
"Too late!" Lucy barked happily, grabbing Nami's arm and shaking it. "I refuse your refusal! You're in!"
Nami buried her face in her hands, groaning. "This is a nightmare. Ara ara, I'm stuck with a rubber idiot."
Koby sweatdropped, adjusting his glasses. she's got a point—this doesn't make sense! You can't force people into your crew!"
Lucy punched the air. "Sure I can! That's how dreams work!"
**Comedy Break**
Koby, ever the innocent straight man, tilted his head in confusion. "But… Miss Lucy, why do you want Sunny in your crew? Isn't he a little… um, scary? With that blue glow thingy?"
Lucy's cheeks turned pink again, but she played it off with a laugh. "Shishishi, scary? Nah, he's cool! Like a main character from one of those memes—big Haki energy! And he's cute when he smirks!"
Nami nearly spat her water. "Cute?! Ara ara, Lucy, you've got weird tastes. Umu, Sunny's more like a walking disaster magnet."
I smirked, leaning back. "Jealous, Nami? Don't worry, you're still my favorite thief."
Nami blushed, swatting my arm. "Shut up, idiot! I'm not jealous!"
Koby, flustered, adjusted his glasses again. "This is all so confusing! It's like a bad fanfic—genderbent Luffy, Haki memes, and now crew recruitment via refusal refusal?!"
Lucy grinned. "Shishishi, sounds fun! What's a fanfic?"
Nami facepalmed. "Don't ask."
**Toward Shells Town**
By the next day, our patched-up boat skimmed over calm seas, the wind filling the sails like a gentle push from fate. Lucy sat on the bow, scarfing down bread like she hadn't eaten in weeks, crumbs flying everywhere as she laughed between bites. "Shishishi, this bread's awesome! Almost as good as meat!"
Nami studied her map with a calculating look, her orange ponytail swaying as she traced routes with her finger. "Shells Town. There should be a chart of the Grand Line there. If we get it, I'll be one step closer to mapping the world."
Koby's hands trembled with excitement, his glasses slipping down his nose. "And… and it's where I can report to the Marines! My dream… it's finally within reach! I can't believe it!"
Lucy pumped a fist, her rubber arm stretching for emphasis. "Perfect! And Zoro's there too! He's the strongest swordsman—he's gonna be my crewmate!"
Nami's jaw dropped, her map crinkling in her grip. "You can't just 'recruit' someone like Zoro! He's a demon! Ara ara, he'll slice you in half before you finish your sentence!"
Lucy grinned wider, unfazed. "Shishishi, perfect! Then he's exactly what I need! Demons make the best friends!"
I leaned back against the mast, watching their bickering with half-lidded eyes, the sea spray misting my face. "Guess fate's steering us to Shells Town," I said casually, my void-blue Haki flickering faintly as I sensed the currents ahead.
Nami huffed, rolling her eyes but smiling despite herself. "Fate? No. Idiocy, yes. Ara ara, you're all gonna get us killed."
Lucy laughed, throwing an arm around Nami's shoulder. "Same thing! Shishishi, idiocy's the best kind of fate!"
Koby sweatdropped, adjusting his glasses. "This crew's gonna be a disaster…"
Nami groaned. "Umu, tell me about it."
As the boat sailed on, the banter continued—Lucy challenging me to arm-wrestle (I let her win once, her rubber arm stretching comically), Nami teasing Lucy about her "queen" dream ("Ara ara, queens don't eat like slobs!"), Koby nervously asking about Marines. Romance sparked in the little moments—Nami's hand brushing mine as she showed me the map, her cheeks pink when I praised her work. Comedy in the chaos, like when Lucy tried to "stretch" the sail and nearly capsized us, screaming "Shishishi, oops!" as we all grabbed the rails.
And for once, even with RBG's twist, I wasn't facing God like enemy (he regretting saying this in future chapter). This Straw Hat girl, with her rubber fists and starry-eyed crush, was about to turn my world upside down—and I was ready for the ride.