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iamnot-crazy · 3 months

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Chapter 8

Trafalgar Law x Fem!Reader

Info: This is my first time posting a story on Tumblr and my first time writing a x reader.

Summary:

The reader is a slave to a nobleman due to her devil's fruit ability which allows her to control the emotions of the people around her. She flees to bump into Trafalgar Law and boards his ship.

This is a slow-burn-type story with a sad ending.

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11

The law showed you the office where he had made a bed for you next to the window. He had the crew bring in all the gifts they had bought you to decorate the office to help remind you of who you were. It did not work as you barely glanced at the items.

Over the next week, Law tried everything he could to help remind you of who you were by showing you your favorite books or telling you stories of your time together. Each time you would respond with, "Master Law I sense you are feeling sad would you like me to help you feel happy." and show your glowing blue hand.

Law began to feel guilty for locking you in the office for so long but he was afraid of the crew's reaction to your current state. After a week of hiding your condition from the crew Law called everyone to the cafeteria for a meeting.

When everyone arrived they eagerly awaited Law's message. The captain stood up in front of everyone, "As you know y/n has returned however she is not how you all remember her. 8 months after y/n went to Amazon Lily she was captured by DoFlamingo." upon hearing that news everyone gasped and ruptured of questions filled the room. Law coughed to regain everyone's attention. "the good news is y/n is safe and will never be pursued again. The bad news is she has lost her memory and DoFlamingo has conditioned her into..." his words paused trying to get the words out. "a slave."

The room burst into concern at the word Law couldn't help but form tears in his eyes but quickly sucked them away before continuing. "I am telling you this because the y/n that you once knew is gone. I don't want any of you trying to push her into remembering who she was or forcing her into doing anything. She will also offer to change your emotions if she notices you in distress I ask that none of you accept that offer."

The entire crew had so many questions for their captain but he refused to acknowledge them, "y/n will be returning to the crew tomorrow." the captain then stormed out the door and into his bedroom where he locked himself in for the remanded of the day to avoid the crew's questions.

The next day you came out of the office following closely behind Law as he went through what used to be your daily routine. First going to the shower before anyone else woke up, then checking around the sub to create a chore list for the day. Then eat breakfast with the crew. That was the hardest part for everyone as you sat quietly next to Law eating as little as you could and when Law finished his meal you jumped up and collected his dish asking if he wanted more. All eyes avoided looking at you too sad to see you acting so different.

You and Law then sat on the bridge ensuring that the sub was on track for the next island. During lunchtime, you and Law stayed in the office so he could work on paperwork while he encouraged you to read one of your favorite books but you chose to hover over Law while he worked.

Dinner was the next hard task for everyone again watching you sit unnaturally next to Law awaiting his commands.

This routine continued for weeks and the crew never became accustomed to it and would tear up whenever you sensed their emotions and asked to fix it. For the most part, you never left Law's side except for at night when you would sleep in the office so Law can finally have his break to cry himself to sleep in his room missing your space on the bed being filled.

One day Law ordered the crew to drop him and you off at Punk Hazard before Bepo took everyone to Zou. This was all a part of a master plan to take DoFlamingo down and while the crew was upset to be parted from their captain they were excited for Law to destroy the man who hurt them. Law sent them away to protect them from Flamingo knowing if he got his hands on another crew member he could never forgive himself. The only reason he took you with him was because he still hoped that he could fix you.

Law was still concerned for your safety and made a base on the island slightly away from the lab for you to stay whenever Law felt unsure about the people he shared the island with. One day the island was filled with chaos as the straw hat pirates arrived. The moment Law saw the Straw Hats he retrieved you from the lab and escorted you to the base where he locked you in with a book to read. When asked about your location Law would simply state that you were working on some paperwork.

It didn't take long after Law's betrayal for Caesar the gas gas devil fruit owner and the person in charge of the lab to send his men to your room to retrieve you as leverage to only find the room empty. Law was relieved he had the intuition to create that base for you and to bring you there today.

With Straw Hats' help, Law was able to successfully destroy the lab, free the trapped children, and capture Caesar. The first part of Law's plan has succeeded, and now with an alliance established with the pirates, he can continue his plan for revenge on the flamingo monster.

The Pirates and the Marines were celebrating their victory while Law disappeared to retrieve you.

He opened the door to see you patiently waiting carefully reading your book. As soon as Law opened the door you jumped up into a bow to welcome him back. Law sighed coming in and grabbing a bag, "How far did you get in your book?" He asked calmly as he gathered the small amount of belongings that the two of you had stored in the base.

"I successfully read 10 chapters of Master Law." You responded and Law hummed.

"And what happened?" He asked looking at the book you were reading. Your eye had the smallest of shifts to the lightest shade of yellow before you responded explaining what used to be your favorite character did in a monotone but Law did not miss the shift of color in your eyes before they returned back to the white they have been since you returned. He smirked happy with your answer as he finished packing. It has been a hard battle to break you out of the emotionless barrier Flamingo has placed you in but a small glimpse of your eyes. shifting gave him hope no matter how small it was.

"We are leaving the island y/n," Law stated swinging the bag onto his back and handing you a fluffy jacket. Which you took and nodded.

The two of you returned to the ships where the Straw Hats and Marines continued to party. When you arrived the heads of the Straw Hat crew turned to you, all the things the crew thought the scary surgeon of death would return with you were not what they were expecting. Law immediately saw the eyes on you and whispered in your ear to go get some food for yourself and him. You turned to face Law, "Yes Master Law." You said bowing your head before turning toward the bowl of soup that the cook Sanji had made and the Marines who sang holding their bowls.

Sanji was the first to notice your actions and jump onto the captain of the heart pirates, "Did that lady just call you Master!" He grumbled getting into the face of Law who snarled at the cook's reaction, "Is she some sort of slave to you!"

"I heard rumors of him picking up a slave after he became a warlord but I didn't think it was true," Robin noted now walking up to the forming fight. Nami, Chopper, and Franky stayed back watching the scene unfold while Luffy and Brooke continued to enjoy the party and Zoro remained happy in a corner drinking away.

Law shoved the cook out of his way which resulted in the cook grabbing the captain's arm and holding him back, "I knew you were some kind of messed up creep the moment I saw you at the human auction But actually holding a beautiful lady as your slave is disgraceful!" The cook growled.

Law shoved the grip of the cook off his arm, "She is not a slave!" the captain growled in return. "She was my girlfriend."

Sanji's jaw dropped allowing his cigarette to fall from his mouth. "What's that supposed to mean!" The cook snapped.

Luckily Robin seems to notice, "Sanji hold on a moment. Let Traffy explain." Robin held her arms in a cross ready to use her powers if needed.

Law looked at the woman understanding if he didn't explain then he would have to deal with more drama than he would like. Law sighed and went to sit down as he was followed by the crew awaiting the story, "y/n was a slave because of her powers of the feel feel fruit before she became a part of my crew three years ago While part of my crew I protected y/n from her master but he kept sending hunters after her. y/n left for Amazon Lily for protection and to control her observation Haki. But Doflamingo got her." Law's jaw clenched while recalling the story, "He turned her into that."

Sanji observed the single tear that threatened to fall from Law's eye as he gazed over at you waiting patiently in line for some soup. Sanji's jaw clenched, "So this Doflamingo guy is who we are going after next." Sanji watched as Luffy excitedly ran up to you. The rest of the crew seemed to agree that this flamingo guy would be the next victim of Luffy's rampage.

They all watched as Luffy ran up to you, "I know you!" He shouted shoving food in his mouth. You apologized bowing your head and saying you didn't know who he was. "No, we met before it's y/n-y right??" Law's full attention was on the interaction between the two of you, The only time Luffy met you was on Amazon Lily when he was completely insane and not cognitive of your presence. "You were with the Amazons when they visited the island during my training." Luffy smiled, "You look different."

Of course, when you were with the Amazons you probably assisted them with Luffy's care Law thought while you stared at Luffy with your blank white stare. Luffy's silly attitude shifted to a serious one and grabbed your hands, "You can read emotions right?" he asked before placing his hand on top of yours. Law immediately stood up in defensiveness and started to push his way over to you.

"Can you read my emotions?" Luffy asked placing both his hands on yours. You nod before closing your eyes and you take in his emotions.

Law now grew concerned and was about to shout at the straw hat captain when Robin grabbed his shoulder, "Wait a moment." She held him back as your eyes bolted open showing the brightest color orange that Law had ever seen Law gasped as your smile returned. Both you and Luffy began laughing but tears started to flood out of your eyes despite your joyful look.

Your eyes began searching and your head yanked around until you landed on, "LAW!" You shout cheerfully. Law gasped you didn't call him master and you looked at him with a smile you hadn't shown since the day you were taken from him. You started to lean towards Law wanting nothing more to run to him. You let go of Luffy who was flooding you with the feeling of freedom in a way you have never felt before. you start your run toward Law with tears flowing down your face but the longer you are away from Luffy's touch the more the white emotionless shield covers your vision.

Law ran up to you while watching the color drain from your eyes again and you slowed down. By the time you and Law met you returned to your previous state standing still with your hand held in front of you. Law grabbed onto your stiff body and pulled you into a hug with tears flooding into your shoulder.

"Interesting," Robin spoke up while the rest of the straw hat crew held their mouths closed while they teared up over the scene in front of them. "It seems that Luffy's never-ending feelings of freedom and joy were able to overwhelm Doflamingo's conditioning."

"Traffy hold her down!" Luffy shouted surprising everyone. Behind you, Luffy had a serious look on his face and his hand was covered in Haki as he held it up threateningly. Law looked at the pirate captain with wide eyes as the boy slammed his hand onto the back of your neck. That's when Law realized what was happening. On the back of your neck, Luffy was pulling a piece of string out from your neck, as he pulled more string came out pulling out of your body.

You start to scream at the feeling of the string being yanked out of your body but Law holds you tight pressing the top of your head into his shoulder to keep it still. Law was beyond upset with himself how did he not see the strings that Flamingo probably used to control your brain and was probably the reason for your amnesia.

When the end of the string popped out of your neck you stopped screaming and collapsed in Law's arms.

Luffy used his Haki to destroy the thin string before turning back to his stilly attitude and back to the party shouting his hurrays while he ate more. He didn't even acknowledge the miracle he had just performed in Law's eyes as he held you close.

"Law" you mumble quietly and Law looks down at your eyes which return to the normal color of your natural eyes. He cupped your face gently before you pushed yourself upwards and into a kiss which Law gratefully returned holding the back of your head in support.

---

Next Chapter

#one piece #one piece x reader #trafalgar d law x reader #trafalgar law #fem!reader #trafalgar d water law #writing

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get-hamilton-on-your-side · 10 months

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I've been seeing posts like these going around lately, and I don't want to start Discourse™️, but I do think it's an interesting conversation to be had.

OP mentions that this is a sentiment occurring in younger viewers, and I think there are lots of reasons for this response. I'm in my early twenties, and growing up, romance was pretty much guaranteed for any book/movie/TV series with a YA audience, even if it wasn't specifically in the romance genre. There were largely popular romance series, of course, (Twilight, The Selection, etc.), but romance was also integral to several series NOT centered around romance. The Series Which Shall Not Be Named ends in a hetero utopia, where basically every member of the original crew grows up, marries each other, and all have kids. Almost every main character of Rick Riordan's series experiences a committed romantic relationship, with the exception of Reyna, (although she's mostly a side character throughout HoO) and Meg (who is a god, and an actual child). The Hunger Games has fewer romantic pairings, but the marketing for those movies were very dedicated to the "love triangle" narrative between Katniss, Peeta, and Gale.

The dedication to establishing romantic relationships does appear somewhat differently for male/masculine and female/feminine coded characters well. For example, I've seen multiple series have a sort of "7th wheel syndrome" where one member of a friend group is made fun of and/or left out in some way because they're the only one not in a relationship. Shows like The Big Bang Theory majorly have this problem, where every character's main goal in life is to fall in love and have a family. In TBBT, Raj has major dating troubles and actually ends up settling for an arranged marriage because his friends are all married and he doesn't want to end up alone. Riordan's HoO series, once again, paints Leo as a tragic figure for being the only single person on the Argo II, but his self worth is finally in tact by the end of the series when he saves the day and gets the girl. Fez in That 70s Show is regularly made fun of for his inability to get a girl. It's not lost on me that many of the male characters in these situations are POC.

While male characters are set up with a last-minute shoehorned romance, female characters (particularly white women) are often given a love interest planned from the beginning. I love Marissa Meyer's Lunar Chronicles but I was kind of dumbfounded by the end because every one of the 8 major characters ends the series in a committed relationship. Every single Disney princess up until 2012 had a prince (although, this has since changed---the only princess post-2012 with a prince is Anna).

And then, of course, you have the plethora of sitcoms that end with every character (or at least every main character) happily in a relationship. New Girl, Parks and Rec, Friends, The Office, The Good Place, Ghosts (US). Even shows like Phineas and Ferb assure the audience that the couples stay together when they're grown up. Almost every Marvel and DC superhero has a love interest, and most action heroes have a girl to save.

Don't get me wrong, I think many of the romances in the media I've talked about so far are good, well-written, and well-established. But based on the previous track-record of shoehorned romances, that is a concern I have about shows like Stranger Things (I won't talk much about The Bear because I haven't seen that show). Stranger Things has highlighted friendship as a major theme in the show, but as the characters have grown older, they've explored various romantic relationships as well. Many people online have already discussed how they fear relationships will be shoehorned in at the end of Season 5, since it is the final season. Ships like stancy, where it's clear that they wouldn't really work well together. I agree with Maya Hawke's sentiment about delving deeper into her friendships. It has been established that she has a crush on Vickie, but we've barely seen them together, and in a show that has to balance SO many different characters, I'm not sure it would serve the show well to put Robin in a romantic relationship. (There is, of course, another conversation to be had about how minority characters are presented in romantic relationships in media. Lesbian relationships are less commonly found in media and they can be really important to some viewers. My agreeing with Hawke is just my 2 cents as an ace lesbian. Other users have also mentioned that when it comes to The Bear, it can be harmful to perpetuate that a Black woman character shouldn't be in a relationship with the main white guy. I haven't seen the show and I myself am not Black, so I won't weigh in on that aspect, but it is another thing to consider in this conversation).

With romance so prevalent in media, it makes sense that our generation is taking a steep turn in the other direction. We've been shown all our lives that romance and sex trumps friendship in importance, but that's not how many of us actually live. Younger people are having sex less. I'm 22 and I'd say half of my friends are not currently in a romantic relationship, and many of them aren't looking for one. I know plenty of adults as well who are happily single, not looking for any more romance in their lives. Even the way people are experiencing romantic and sexual relationships is vastly different from what is shown on TV as there are more openly queer individuals, queer platonic relationships, and polyamory is becoming more prevalent.

I'm not an expert by any means, so take everything I say with a grain of salt. This is all based on my own observation and there is still a lot of media out there that don't have romance as a focal point, media like The Lord of the Rings, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Letterkenny, Bob's Burgers, Reservation Dogs, What We Do in the Shadows, Derry Girls. Shows like Doctor Who have characters in romantic relationships, but the romance is never placed above friendship with the Doctor. The amount of romance in a piece of media also relies on the genre it's in. I've mainly been discussing comedies, science fiction, and action, but other media such as horror, for example, treats romance and sexuality differently.

Still, showing romance, sex, and innuendo in media isn't counterculture, as is suggested by that second Twitter post. It's almost everywhere you look (and lots of kid shows/movies even include those kinds of jokes, as is shown by the amount of videos I've seen titled "I Didn't Get This Joke as a Kid.") I know we're on the internet so people don't care if they hurt other people's feelings, but acting like people who want a little less romance are immature or stupid can be hurtful. There's room for all different types of relationships.

TL;DR, I think a lot of people are just tired of media treating romance and sex as the most important relationship you can have with a person. We're not saying no media should have romance or sexuality or innuendo in it. It's just that as media diversifies, I think it's important to diversify the types of relationships highlighted as well. There's room for romance, sex, and friendship in media, and I don't think people should judge others for wanting positive representation of friendship.

#romance #aromantic #asexual #i'm just tired of shoehorned romance #tv #media #books #movies #bringing this convo over from twitter because that site is a hellscape i don't have enough characters there and i hate making threads #also tumblr understands me better than twitter #let's keep this conversation respectful though #multiple things can be true at once

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misqnon · 7 months

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Royal Blue

A gen Sanji fic, around 6K words. also on ao3, here

“Hey, guys? The News Coo just dropped off a letter with the paper, but I think it was a mistake. It’s not addressed to any of us.”

“Who’s it addressed to?” Robin asks.

“Vinsmoke.” Nami says simply, and Sanji actually staggers in his place on the deck.

-----

Five times Sanji’s secret past as a Vinsmoke almost got revealed to the crew, and one time he can’t help but tell them.

AKA I love dramatic character revelations and I’m bitter not everyone was there to react to Whole Cake Island.

Disclaimer- I’ve never actually written for an active fandom before, nor have I finished reading/watching One Piece. Please forgive any blatant errors. I’m currently in the middle of Water 7 and I skip around a lot. 90% of my knowledge comes from secondary sources.

pls enjoy!

The first time it happened, it was less of a danger to his cover, and more a painful reminder that he had anything to hide at all.

After all, he’d left that history behind him so long ago that by now, more than 10 years later, he was sure he wouldn’t ever have to reveal that history. Hell, not even Zeff knew. As far as he was concerned, Sanji was just an orphan boy who’d ended up in that unlucky cruise ship kitchen, and he didn’t need to know how he’d gotten there.

So when they’d all been traveling through the Alabasta desert, Luffy and Nami and Vivi and all the rest of the crew, Sanji hadn’t been thinking about it much at all. When they’d found out Vivi was a princess, well, it had put a little ping into his mind. That little, “You’re technically a prince, too, remember?” But he had quickly squashed it. Not anymore, and never again, so he didn’t need to dwell on the commonality between them.

That was, until weeks later, during that boundless desert trip, when they’d all been sitting around the campfire, resting up for the night on the cool desert sand. It was so much more pleasant than the heat that’d been oppressive over their heads all day. Everyone was chatting, idly enjoying the soup he’d made for everyone. Luffy had downed two bowls of it, and was now snoozing with his hat over his head to the right of them all. Zoro seemed to have a similar idea, though it wasn’t clear if he was actually asleep, or just leaning back with his eyes closed in his usual introverted manner.

Nami and Vivi were sharing stories over the meal, shawls pulled over their shoulders, and Usopp and Chopper were messing around beside them, occasionally joining the conversation to interject one of Usopp’s grand adventures or Chopper’s impressed gasps.

He decided to stroll over to the two women, now with his own bowl carefully balanced in his hand. The chef always ate last, after all.

“Hello, Vivi my sweet! And Nami, my swan! How is the soup?” He asked, practically floating through the air to slide in beside them both. Usopp silently rolled his eyes.

Vivi just smiled, answering for both of them. “It’s delicious, Sanji! Thank you for making dinner again.”

“Why of course! It’s my job as the chef, after all!” He sang, still balancing the soup in his hands that he has yet to even touch, now distracted.

Then, he continued, “You know, this recipe is sometimes called ‘Marry Me Soup.’ They say it’s so good that it’ll convince you to marry the chef.” He said, wiggling his already swirling eyebrow.

Vivi just giggled. “I’m flattered, Sanji, but I don’t think my father would appreciate me getting married right now. Besides, I’ve always been told I’m expected to marry a prince.” She didn’t seem particularly happy about this, nor did she seem very enthusiastic about marriage, period- but Sanji still deflated at the undercut of a rejection. For multiple reasons.

The hopeless flirt within him almost blurted out, ‘Well, it’s your lucky day then, Princess Vivi!’

Except it didn’t, at all, because even for Vivi’s hand in marriage he wouldn’t let that secret slip.

Instead, he just clamped his jaw shut, sat down beside them, and took a sad sip of his soup. Usopp and Chopper laughed, unaware of the true reason for his melancholy. Nami reassured Vivi he’d be fine after she momentarily worried she’d offended him, before scooching closer to inquire further if she really had to marry a prince someday, against her will. They began chatting again, Nami looking fiercely protective all of a sudden.

Sanji only had a couple more spoonfuls before he stood, silently, and walked off a few feet away from the group for a smoke.

A certain green-haired swordsman poked an eye open to glance over at him as he walked by.

That was odd. Sanji didn’t usually smoke while people were still eating. Especially the ladies. It was inconsiderate, he said, cigarette smoke wafting into people’s faces while they tried to eat, tainting the taste with the smell of nicotine.

But there he was, huffing away at the cigarette a bit too fast, in Zoro’s opinion. Then again, he didn’t really know anything about smoking. Nor did he care. He shrugged, shut his eye again, and went back to resting.

Now that Sanji thought about it, looking back, maybe it’d been on his mind more than he thought. After all, why else had he used the codename “Mr. Prince” while he impersonated Mr. 3?

—

“Liar Noland?”

“You know it, Sanji?” Nami asks, peering at this book that she’s never heard of. “But it says it was published in the North Blue.”

“I was born in the North Blue.” He says, and actually smiles, wide and true. His memories of back then are anything but good, but…

“Didn’t I tell you?” He tries to play off, though he knows he’s done no such thing. “It’s where I grew up.”

“No, I thought you were from the East like the rest of us.” She muses, and Usopp agrees.

Sanji continues. And a smile comes to his face again, for the same reason. “My mom used to read me that book when I was a kid.”

For a moment Nami and Usopp both think this is the first Sanji’s told them much of anything about his childhood- they know he had a pretty rough going when he met Zeff, but that’s about it. They’re too focused on the task at hand, though.

Nami opens it and begins to read, the rest of the conversation forgotten.

—

The seven of them stood around the ancient stone door as if peering at it would do anything.

“WHY WON’T THIS STUPID DOOR OPEN!?” Luffy yelled eventually, stomping his feet with impatience.

Robin stepped forward, looking closer at the intricate carvings of winged creatures and giant serpents. Most compelling was the small bowl that seemed to be carved into the center, right below a sharpened bit of rock in the enclave.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before…” She said, hand to her chin in thought. Unlike Luffy, she wasn’t upset, only engulfed in academic curiosity. She stepped back then, walking away to inspect the other parts of the carvings, further down the wall.

“Can’t we just break it down?” Zoro asked, poking at the old stone with little regard for its value. Nami frowned at him, slapping his hand away.

Robin didn’t waste any emotion at his comment, still looking at the newfound bit of text she’d found behind some ivy.

“This stuff is ancient, you idiot! It’s irreplaceable!” Nami growled, scowling as Zoro narrowed his eyes back at her. For a moment, Robin felt a bit of appreciation for the navigator. She was definitely the most levelheaded of this group so far.

“It could be booby-trapped! Besides, it’s probably worth a ton of Berry.” She said, eye’s suddenly aglow with a mischievous shine.

Nevermind, Robin thought with a sigh.

Sanji, Usopp, and Chopper stood back with little to contribute. Usopp seemed to be trying to think of a way to get them over the impossibly tall wall, while Chopper distracted Luffy with the sighting of a big beetle.

Sanji just stood there, a lit cigarette lazily lilting smoke between his teeth. They’d probably figure it out between Usopp, Robin, and Nami. Meanwhile, he could continue to plan out what to make for the rest of the week with the meager rations of fruit and meat they’d gathered.

That was, until Robin finally stood, hand still on her chin but a look of accomplishment dancing on her features.

“Here. It says that to open the door, we must provide a drop of royal blood.” She explained, pointing to the ancient language inscribed on the ivy-covered wall.

Everyone rose their eyebrows at that, including (and especially) Sanji.

“Royal blood?” Usopp asked, confused. “Like a king or something?”

“Aw, man!” Luffy cried. “If only Vivi was still with us!”

“That doesn’t make any damn sense.” Zoro said. “How does the wall know whether the blood is royal or not?”

Robin shrugged. She was an archaeologist, not a scientist. “Who knows.” She said simply.

“I’ll just try it.” Luffy said, rolling up his sleeves and stomping over to the little enclave that held the bowl and the piercing rock.

“Wait!!” Chopper yelled. “You can’t just go stabbing yourself with ancient rocks! Especially ones that have already had other people’s blood on it!” He cried, now trying to pull Luffy away from the wall. He continued to drone on about bacteria and blood-borne diseases as Sanji began sucking a little harder on his cigarette.

Honestly, he didn’t really see the need to get into the old temple anyway. He was starting to think they should just leave. For completely unselfish reasons.

“For once, I agree with the marimo. Let’s just break the damn thing open.” He said, stretching his leg.

“No, damnit!” Nami said, stomping over to him. “You could set off a trap!”

He frowned at that, putting his leg down obediently.

Usopp was next to Robin now, looking between the inscription she’d found and the spot where Chopper was still frantically pulling Luffy away from. “I don’t get it.” He decided finally. “Besides, what do they mean by ‘royal blood,’ exactly? Will any royal blood work, or only the royal blood of whoever ruled this nation?”

Robin found it to be a very good question coming from the teen. She nodded in agreement. “True. The inscription doesn’t clarify.”

As soon as Usopp said it, he began to wonder the same thing. And it made him more nervous. His poor cigarette was almost spent now.

Would his blood work? If it did, would they suspect anything? Should he put it in now, and claim the door was just stupid, like Zoro had claimed earlier? If so, he’d better do it before Luffy, in case the rubber man’s didn’t work-

“HAHA!” Luffy exclaimed, finally pricking the tip of a rubbery outstretched finger on the rock. Chopper deflated in resignation, now joining the rest of them in peering at the bowl as Luffy’s blood fell into it.

The drop of blood fell into the bowl, sat momentarily on the bottom, then was suddenly absorbed by the porous stone as if it was dying of thirst. Everyone looked on in various states of amazement and fear as they waited, one second, two seconds, three seconds, five, ten-

“...I don’t think it’s doing anything.” Nami finally grumbled.

“Well, the good news is, it doesn’t look like it set off any traps.” Replied Usopp, looking around anxiously for any sign of movement in the jungle around them.

Robin was peering at the bowl with curious blue eyes. “Intriguing…”

“Aw, man!” Luffy huffed. He turned suddenly to Usopp. “Usopp, you try.”

“WHAAA? WHY ME?”

“You like Kaya. And Kaya’s kinda royalty. That’s close enough, right?”

“KAYA ISN’T A PRINCESS, LUFFY! SHE’S JUST RICH! AND I’M NOT EVEN HER! THAT’S TOO MUCH OF A STRETCH.” Usopp yelled in frustration.

Zoro, Chopper, and Nami were various degrees of frustrated and fed up listening to the two of them bicker. Sanji was still anxiously tapping his foot, hoping the captain wouldn’t systematically make them all try. And if he did, hoping that his didn’t do shit.

That is, until they heard the familiar call of Marines from up the path behind them.

Sanji turned, eyes wide with panic. “Shit-” He said, lighting another cigarette.

“Marines? All the way up here? How?” Someone said. Sanji wasn’t even paying attention anymore.

“HURRY USOPP! C’MON, GO!”

“NO, LUFFY! MINE WON’T BE ANY DIFFERENT!”

Zoro started unsheathing Wado, ready for a fight, though even he seemed to realize that that was far too many Marines and they were far too close to be able to run.

As the group devolved into arguing, panic, and frantic attempts to prepare for a fight, Sanji looked back one last time at that stupid door and its stupid little blood-sacrifice bowl.

The Marines were visible now, charging from the bottom of the hill and quickly approaching- the path they’d used to get here- the only path out- now blocked.

Sanji cursed, pushing through the mess of the crew and jabbing his thumb onto the rock.

The group went quiet as the giant stone doors began to shake, then pulled slowly open into a dark, but open, temple.

They all looked in surprise to Sanji, who bit down on his cigarette and began running through the opening.

“C’mon, idiots! The Marines are right behind us!”

The group took one look back and followed, sighing in relief as the giant stone doors began to pull shut again just as they’d all made it through.

Everyone was still running, unsure if the Marines would be able to power through, though Luffy had bound up beside him to ask,

“WOOOAH, SANJI! ARE YOU ROYALTY OR SOMETHING?”

“No, idiot. The door’s just stupid. It probably just didn’t work for you ‘cause your blood’s all rubbery and shit.”

Luffy frowned at that, though he seemed satisfied with that answer.

Sanji didn’t turn around after that, but by the feeling of several pairs of eyes boring into the back of his head, he got the feeling the rest of the crew wasn’t quite as convinced.

—

Luckily for him, (and quite unluckily for everyone else), the temple was indeed filled with booby-traps. No one had any time to ask him why the hell his blood had worked because they’d spent the next hour or so of their lives trying not to die.

When they finally made it out the other side, sweaty and beat-up and a few crewmates still a little bit on fire, it was the last thing on everyone’s minds. Especially considering the map they’d found as spoils for their trouble.

Later that night, though, when they’d made it back to the Going Merry and everyone had feasted on grilled pork and pineapple and rice, Zoro stayed behind after dinner, arms crossed and leaning broodily against the doorframe, all despite the drinking that was now taking place out on the deck.

“What do you want, Marimo?” Sanji spit, though he had a feeling he might already know what it was.

“Why did your blood open up that door?”

“Like I said, I don’t think that hunk of rock can actually differentiate between royal blood and not. We just got lucky.”

“Luffy’s blood didn’t work.”

“Yea, and like I said, it’s probably because his blood’s all fucked up and made of rubber.” Sanji bit back, emphasizing the fact that he’d already explained this.

“He’s still human. And I’m pretty sure I heard the Marines trying to prick themselves on it too after we got through.”

Sanji shrugged. “I guess I got some royalty in my family line somewhere, then. Like I said, lucky for us.”

Zoro glared at him. ‘Like I said, like I said.’ It was suspicious.

“Whatever, shit-cook.” He finally replied, shoving off the wall and heading back out to deck to join the party.

Sanji bitterly lit another cigarette.

—

“Newspaper’s here!” Someone calls from the front deck of the Sunny. Sanji’s already walking around with a tray of drinks, currently stopped at Zoro, who takes it without much of a thank you aside from a glance.

He rolls his eyes and moves on, wanting to take a peek at the paper anyway. Nami has it at the moment, so he heads over, even though he’s already given her her drink- first, as always.

“Anything interesting, Nami?” He asks, forgoing the swan~ that got him an eyeroll earlier. He’s also just genuinely curious, which has him distracted just enough to act normal around women.

She skims it and frowns. “Nah, not much. Unless you consider Buggy interesting news.” She says, throwing the stack of parchment to the nearby table without a care. She takes her drink and leaves, presumably to go work at her desk.

Sanji does not find Buggy the Clown to be worthy of his attention, but the damn weirdo happens to pop up way more than he or any of the crew seems to think reasonable.

Regardless, he takes a peek at the newspaper anyway, since he’s already there. Nami’s right, nothing’s of interest- save for the stupid comic strip they’ve included on the last page.

Sora, Warrior of the Sea.

Sanji frowns, his face twisting up into the kind of gangster-like grimace he reserves for Zoro when he’s most exceptionally pissed him off.

He’s not nearly as bothered about it as he should be, but the comic is included in almost every issue of the paper they’ve received since they hit the Grand Line. The first time he’d spotted the Vinsmoke name he’d nearly had a stroke, but apparently, the few crew members who actually read that bit of the paper seemed convinced it was all fictional, the villainous Germa 66 army included.

Sanji was quite fine with leaving it that way.

It’s just a shitty attempt at Marine propaganda, and the fact his family’s been written in as villains as if they aren’t a real royal family kinda does make him laugh. They’ve become so synonymous with evil that they’re written as cartoon villains by the same news company that works with them in the crime underworld. Sanji’s surprised they don’t see it as a slap in the face- maybe they do, but the strips continue to come out unchanged.

On the best days he laughs acridly at the insult it does his biological father, on the worst he bites his lip in anger that he and his crew have to be exposed to their existence.

Though…

He reads the title over again.

Even if it’s just some bullshit marine propaganda, the way they’ve named the main character who beats the evil Germa family again and again brings a small grin to his lips.

—

All in all, the various times his past had almost come out had been relatively easy to cover up.

The closest call, however, had been when they’d landed on an unsuspecting Spring island, a little too close to the North Blue for his liking.

Franky had stayed behind to work on the ship, but the rest of them had gone ahead and went inland to restock supplies, stretch their legs, and find what this island had to offer.

And for once, they'd decided to stick together instead of splitting up. Mainly because some signs around town had said something about a big festival taking place in the square, and Nami, Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper had convinced the last few less sociable crewmates to come along.

Despite the proximity to North Blue, Sanji wasn't actually that worried. He'd never heard of this island before, and he doubted his father would be anywhere near it either. Germa may be a wandering country, but it hadn't left the North Blue in a while as far as he knew, and at the moment they were still in the Grand Line.

So when they all walked up the brick path to the town square, finding before them a wonderful spread of tents, stages, and food stalls, he actually found himself a little excited. Good food, good entertainment, and- he squinted his eyes at the closest stage, where a group of women in traditional garb were performing a folk dance.

Beautiful women? Hell yea, maybe this pit stop would be worth it after all.

“Wow, this looks amazing!” Nami cried, clapping her hands together. “I wonder what it’s all for?”

Usopp jutted a hand over his shoulder. “I think one of the signs we passed said it’s somebody’s birthday. Probably one of the kingdom’s rulers, if I had to guess.”

“Usopp, look!” Chopper interjected, pulling lightly on the leg of the sharpshooter’s pants. “They have cotton candy!”

“Cotton Candy!?” Luffy grinned, patting his hat. He ran off like a cartoon character, leaving a trail of smoke and guffaws of laughter behind him. Usopp and Chopper followed behind.

“Wait! You guys don’t have any money!” Nami said, jogging after them with her Berry pouch already half-opened to loan some out (with interest).

Eventually, she’d caught them, and handed out a bit of Berry to the rest of the crew, too. She sent Zoro back to the ship to grab Franky, both so he wouldn’t miss out and so that Zoro wouldn’t get lost on his own. (If he could even make it back to the ship, anyway).

Then she and Robin began making rounds to all the shops and stalls while they waited, leaving Sanji to do whatever he liked by his lonesome.

And he had absolutely no problem with that.

Obviously, he went straight over to the dancers, making obnoxious heart-eyes in the audience while he watched.

Soon enough, though, he calmed down and ended up wandering the food stalls, trading recipes with the vendors and even picking up some local produce from others.

He'd spent nearly an hour doing so, occasionally running into another Strawhat or two, when a man stopped him near one of the textile stalls.

Sanji had been about to head back to the ship, looking over one last fancy gourd with a scrutable eye, when someone called out his name. Well, a name.

"Young Master Vinsmoke?"

Sanji felt his blood run cold. He snapped his head up, his eyes meeting a man he didn't recognize.

He looked friendly enough- actually, he looked quite pleased to see him. He was posed nervously, as if he couldn't believe what was before him.

Now that Sanji thought about it, he did look somewhat familiar- the frilly outfit and the pins, bobs, and needles stuck into his pin-cushion bottoms. Some measuring tape hung loosely from a pack on his side, and bifocal glasses sat atop his head.

Not familiar enough, though. And Sanji didn't care who the hell he was, not after calling him that.

"Are you talking to me?" Sanji asked, cold anger already growing, though at the moment he was trying to keep his cool.

The man shook his head in amazement. "It is you, isn't it? Young Master Sanji? Why, they told me you'd died!"

Sanji just gaped at him, his latest cigarette falling gracelessly out of his mouth.

He suddenly grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and dragged the two of them behind the nearest stall, to an unoccupied alleyway nearby. The man squeaked in surprise, which Sanji ignored.

"Who the hell are you?" He gritted out, suddenly realizing his friends could be nearby. He prayed nobody had heard them. After last time, there'd be no way he'd be able to sweep it under the rug again.

"O-Oh, you don't remember me! My apologies, sir. I'm Taloose. I work as a royal tailor. I worked for your family when you were young, Mr. Vinsmoke.”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT.” Sanji growled, resisting the urge to pull the man up by the lapels of his frilly suit. He knew the other man didn’t know any better, but it still pissed him off.

Taloose squeaked again. “I’m sorry, sir!”

Sanji let out an irritated breath. “And stop calling me sir.” He grumbled, though with considerably less bite.

“I don’t answer to that name anymore, and I’m not a prince either. So just Sanji is fine.”

The tailor seemed hesitant to comply, but he nodded, silently.

There was a long and uncomfortable silence then. Sanji did recognize him, now that he thought about it. He barely saw the guy- maybe every couple months when he was really young, coming in to fix up little suits for special events for him and his siblings. At that age Sanji was still quite friendly, despite the abuse, but he didn’t form close bonds with the various workers at the beck and call of the Vinsmokes. If anything, he was too focused on his mother’s health and his failings in training. Any memories of this guy were quick snippets and stills of standing on a platform with measuring tape around his waist, and little else.

Realizing the silence had stretched a bit too far, Sanji figured he should probably say something. He had dragged the guy back here, after all.

“Tell me…If you worked for my family, then what are you doing here?” He tried not to let his anxiety seep into his question.

“Well, I’m a traveling tailor. I serve many royal families, including the family here. I helped craft the princess’s dress for this party, as well as some of the other family members. Once I was done, I decided I’d stop by and peruse the textile booths around the market- quite a fine selection if I do say so myself-!” He watched Sanji’s face become irritated and decided to shut up. “But, yes. Just here for the event, really.”

Sanji eyed him carefully. “Do you…still work for my family?”

Taloose shook his head. “No, actually. I don’t mean to flatter you, but you were always my favorite of the Vinsmoke children. Miss Reiju was alright, but the other three boys were quite rude, and with age they only got worse.” He made an unsettled face, as if to imply ‘rude’ wasn’t the full extent of it.

“It became increasingly difficult to work with them, and my work reflected that. I was on the verge of quitting anyway when your father fired me. I wasn’t qualified to be sewing raid suits anyway.” He scoffed.

“So you don’t have contact with them any more? You won’t tell them that you met me here?” Now his voice was betraying his anxiety, but he didn’t care.

Taloose just shook his head, smiling kindly. “No sir. I wouldn’t go back even if they paid me a million berries!” He said, standing tall and adjusting his frilly collar with pride.

Sanji felt himself relax a bit. He nevertheless pulled a new cigarette from the pack in his front pocket.

“You wouldn’t happen to know where they are nowadays, would you?” He asked after a drag. His fingers twitched ever so slightly despite the coolness he now desperately attempted to front.

Taloose was luckily a man without judgement. He shook his head gently. “No, I don’t have a clue. Hard to tell with the place always on the move.” He paused then, looking over Sanji with keen eyes.

“...I can tell you don’t wish to see them again. I apologize if my presence here made you uncomfortable. I assure you, I haven’t had contact with the Vinsmoke family in years. Should for whatever reason I come into contact with them again, I will not reveal your presence.” He says, bowing. “I promise.” A smile graces his face within the bow.

Sanji grumbles as he grabs Taloose by his collar, yanking him up to stand again. “Ya don’t gotta bow to me, idiot.”

“...But I appreciate that. Thanks.”

—

Sanji and Taloose part ways after that.

He’s glad to be rid of the reminder of his past, glad to have the reassurance the Vinsmokes aren’t actively searching for him or anything- but still troubled to have these memories brought back yet again. Running from your past is easy until you’re traveling the world with infamy, and suddenly the spotlight seems to put you back on the radar of harm long thought dead.

Make no mistake, Sanji didn’t regret his choice to join the Strawhats in the slightest. But he was beginning to wonder how much longer he could conceivably keep this secret.

It’s two years before it finally comes back to bite him in the ass.

—

“Hey, guys? The News Coo just dropped off a letter with the paper, but I think it was a mistake. It’s not addressed to any of us.”

Everyone’s heads pop up from their respective locations around the ship, peeking at Nami and the stack of papers now held in her hand. Luffy swings over from his spot on the figurehead.

“What’s it say!? Open it!” He yells excitedly, now looking down over her shoulder at it himself.

“You can’t open someone else’s mail, Luffy, it’s against the law.”

“We’re pirates!” He retorts, and for once Nami feels silly, realizing he’s right in this matter. She purses her lips and eyeballs it again, some recognition starting to come to her face.

Sanji has come down from the galley by now, hands in his pocket as he and most of the rest of the crew approaches the only entertainment they’ve had so far on an unusually boring day of sailing.

“Who’s it addressed to?” Robin asks.

“Vinsmoke.” Nami says simply, and Sanji actually staggers in his place on the deck.

“Strangely enough, isn’t that the villain from that popular comic in the newspaper sometime? Why on Earth would someone try to send a fake character a letter? And how’d we end up with it?” Nami continues, though Sanji doesn’t hear her. He’s too busy falling into the depths of a panic attack here and now.

He’d say that his stomach dropped when he heard her say the name, that his blood ran cold, but with his worst trauma suddenly cropping up in front of him in real life, truly occurring and unable to be stopped, right before the gaze of his crew, his family- he just feels nothing. A switch flips in him and all he feels his nothingness, and then pure hot fear.

“...Sanji? Are you okay?” Chopper asks from beside him, his kind face full of worry at the cook’s near instant reaction. He looks pale, his face is staring straight down at the deck like if he doesn’t look up it isn’t real, and from this angle Chopper can actually see both of his eyes for once, and they’re both blown wide and full of fear.

But he doesn’t answer, because as Chopper asks this Nami slips her thumb under the fold of the envelope and is about to rip it open, and Sanji lurches forward and has to stop himself from Diable Jambe-ing Nami’s hands and burning the letter to ash. He still does something quite out of character for him when it comes to the redheaded woman- which is that he actually yells at her to stop.

Nami, and everyone else, for that matter, freezes.

“Sanji?” Nami asks, incredulous, and a little worried.

He settles for taking it from her hands, as gently as he can manage, which is not at all.

“Don’t.” He says darkly, even though he already has the letter safely in his own hands.

Everyone is silent. They all expect someone to break the silence and yell about not being rude to Nami, but the person they expect to do so is standing right in front of them, doing exactly that. Sanji sighs, and without looking at his crew, slowly rips open the letter.

He looks it over, eyeing it as if he’s in his own pocket dimension at the moment, and no one else is there. Then, when he’s read the contents, he pauses, folds the letter, and sticks it in the pocket of his slacks.

Everyone is waiting with a question on their lips when he finally looks up again, but no one says anything, even Luffy.

Then Sanji sighs, and crosses his arms. He looks all of a sudden more nervous and unsure of himself than they’ve seen him since before Saboady, maybe even since they’ve met him.

“Do you guys remember…back in Skypiea, when we found the book Liar Noland?”

It seems an odd place to start, but they all give various sorts of a nod.

“And I told you all how I was actually born in the North Blue.” He says, reaching an arm up to rub awkwardly at the back of his neck. He really wished he had a cigarette right now, but he didn’t want to interrupt by lighting one.

They nod again, aside from Franky and Brook, who hadn’t been on the crew yet at that time.

“Well…” He can’t help it anymore. Quicker than they’ve ever seen him do it before, he slips a cig from his pack and lights it with ease, pulling some smoke out of it like he’s thirsty for it. They’ve all started to put pieces together by now, or at the very least, realize he’s about to open up to them about something quite big.

“My real name…No. My birth name is Vinsmoke Sanji.” He says, wincing at the words put together outloud. “And I’m…I was a prince.”

Everyone’s eyebrows raise at that, eyes widening; save for Zoro and Luffy, who stay relatively straight-faced, listening intently.

“I left when I was 8. I snuck onto a cruise ship, and then Zeff found me.” He continues, mincing the more ugly details that he doesn’t quite feel ready to tell them yet. He doesn’t want this to become a sob story.

“Basically, I’m a runaway prince. Though my father told everyone I was dead anyway…” He sucks in another breath full of smoke. He keeps stuttering and trailing off in his words in a way that so isn’t like him, it’s making him sick. He just wants to get this over with.

“The point is, this letter…It’s for me. I’ve been invited back…”

For a moment, Sanji considers not telling them the truth. He doesn’t want to put them in danger, he doesn’t want them to pity him, he doesn’t want them to feel the need to help him, to do so because he’s too weak to do it himself.

But he also trusts them. More than anyone else in the world, save for his father. His real father.

“For an arranged marriage to one of Big Mom’s daughters.” He grits out, biting down on his cigarette with distaste.

Usopp looks ready to burst with questions, Nami and Robin are incredulous, and even Zoro looks vaguely emotive. Franky and Chopper and Brook are just waiting for someone else to say something first.

But Luffy is, strangely enough, smiling. He adjusts the position of the straw hat on his head, ensuring it’s nice and tight. Then he gives Sanji a grin.

“I’ve been waiting for a reason to pick a fight with Big Mom.” He says.

And somehow, that’s the most reassuring thing he could have heard Luffy say to all of that.

#one piece #one piece spoilers #i am a new fan from the live action. but if u are a new fan from the live action. dont read this unless ur okay with spoilers #sanji #black leg sanji #vinsmoke sanji #op #my writing #fic #fanfiction #one piece fanfiction #one piece fanfic #whole cake island #whole cake arc #whole cake spoilers #kinda. barely #strawhat pirates #the pacing in this is a little off and the ending is Eh but otherwise im pretty happy w this. yippee #cross posted on ao3

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blacklegsanjiii · 3 months

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Hey! How are you? I have been thinking about your All Blue!Sanji too much, this is one of the best au's with the good Vinsmokes that I have read!

And I thinked about this au with a little plot twist: Sora is a 'guardian' of the All Blue. Like, this sea is extremely hard to find and would make sense if it has a guardian. The guardians of the All Blue are almost like humans and have the lifespan of one, but they can breathe in the water (and even control it).

So like, Sora meet Judge while he was running from his shitty family and decided to help, giving him a house on the All Blue. The water in the All Blue kind of have life and helps their guardians even if they don't ask/need. (Y'know the mother of Ponyo in the movie? This is kind of how the guardians are when in their more "Guardian" mood)

Everything in the All Blue!Sanji happens, except the Vinsmoke siblings have control over the water (they hide it).

(Also little thought, but would be very funny if this au just- mix with the ASL+S au and now Sanji has brothers again — yay!)

I love this so much honestly. So much. ASL+S with Blue!Sanji. Love the idea that basically Sora is Ponyo's mom and 01234 are Ponyos. So much love. Also I'm glad you enjoyed the other one!

The cruiseship drops him off at Foosha where Sanji is accepted as another brother by ASL. They notice he likes to be on the beach or near the river. Sometimes he makes sounds like a bubbling creek or water drops but they think he's just copying the sounds of the water not understanding that he is part water, part of the sea, part of the All Blue. When they ask him about it Sanji says he's from an impossible place. ASL all shrug it off.

If it's late and Sanji is keeping watch he'll play with the water in his cup. Swirl it in the air around him and have it cover his hand like his mom's used to. He hides it because of his parents stories. Of Guardians giving their lives to protect their home. Sanji wants to be a guardian one day. Wants to see his home again.

Then Sabo dies and they cry and cry until they're so dehydrated they can't cry anymore. Then they stop crying and grow up. Ace eats the flame-flame fruit and Luffy already is a rubber boy. Then Ace sets sail, then him and Luffy do. They collect the swordsman and first mate, then the navigator, the liar and sharp shooter, the doctor after they agree to carry a princess and her guard to her kingdom and help take it back.

Niji is with Ace again. Sanji convinces everyone to stay on deck so he and his brother can talk below deck while he cooks. He and Niji make the burbling noises back and forth and laugh quietly at the fact that it's been so long to have someone understand again. They get through Alabasta and Marineford again. Yonji defects again.

Ace and Niji and Yonji join the crew which is hilarious for the crew because 234 just spend hours in the water when they're docked and have nothing to do. They'll disappear under water for a while which concerns Ace and Chopper who constantly think they're drowning. They still Reiju and Sabo in Dressrosa, they collect Ichiji in Wano.

Laughtale is different, Shanks and his crew, Sabo, Koala, Reiju, Buggy and Rayleigh are there and Rayleigh didn't meet Judge or Sora. 01234 ask if they can steer the ships and when they're stuck in the calm belt, Nami and Buggy start yelling at them as Shanks promises to get them out by bullying a seaking or two when the ships start moving again.

"That was fast! Cool!" Luffy laughs.

"That's not me, Luf." Shanks says as he looks at Rayleigh who shakes his head.

"Hey Sanji, go see how far out we are. Can't be too much further now." Ichiji says as Sanji grins and sky walks away, bolting away from the ships quickly.

"Huh, where are we going?" Sabo asks.

"Holy shit we're going to the impossible place!" Ace yells as he takes off after Sanji. "Wait for me!"

"The impossible place?" Nami and Koala ask.

"It's where Sanji said he was from when he arrived in Foosha." Sabo explains. "Reiju, where are going?"

"The All Blue." Reiju smiles as everyone stares and blinks.

"How are we moving? We are not being pulled by a sea king and are in the calm belt." Robin asks as she looks at them.

"That'd be us." Yonji says as he, Ichiji, and Niji are just waving one hand each lightly. Back and forth in a smooth motion. "We aren't exactly all human." Yonji smiles.

"So you ate devil fruits?" Luffy asks.

"No, we are children of the guardian of the All Blue." Reiju answers. "You'll see soon."

About twenty minutes later Sanji and Ace land back on the Sunny, the Red Force close behind and in the loop so far of what's going on. Ace looked excited and Sanji looked pleased.

"Not too much farther to the cave. The rapids in it are insane." Sanji says.

"Well that won't be a problem, will it?" Niji smirks.

"Guess not " Sanji laughs.

"Ace, they're guardians!" Luffy yells as he rubber bands to Ace.

"Huh?" Ace looks.

"I'll explain later." Sanji promises. They hear the rapids from the cave leading into the Red Line before they see it. Reiju and Niji head to Red Force as the numbered siblings begin to manipulate the water to let the boats enter and pass through. The crews looking over the sides and to the siblings. Brook plays his violin as the acoustics were too good to pass up. The light shines from the other side of the cave is so bright. Blinding really as the ships make it to the mythical ocean.

Sanji keeps a hold of his captain so he doesn't fall overboard. A huge rush of water makes everyone look at it as everyone but 01234 ready to fight and instead run to the front of the boats as a giant figure made of water looms over the ships. The noise it makes sounds like seafoam popping on the sand and in return it receives a variety of noises back. The figure stops and blinks and drops back into water, splashing the decks and onlookers but leaving a woman on the lion mast head of the Thousand Sunny.

"Cook, what the fuck is going on?" Zoro demands.

"That's his mom, Zoro! Duh!" Luffy laughs. Ace is blinking and pointing at Niji and Sanji and the woman as Sabo and Koala are trying to pinpoint what's going on as Jinbei bows to the woman. She curtsies deeply back.

"The First Son of the Sea, Jinbei, an honor." She smiles.

"Indeed, Guardian." Jinbei says.

"Sora, please." She smiles. "It's been a long time, children."

"Okay, well, to be fair: we were eight and Reiju was eleven." Yonji says.

"Is Dad at the house?" Ichiji asks.

"Oohh, Sanji! We should have a feast since you're back home!" Luffy cheers.

"Yes, your father is at the house. That is fair. And a feast is in order, correct." She smiles at Luffy.

"Is it because you're both gods you want to have food all the time?" Buggy asks.

"Don't just tell people he's a god!" Zoro scolds.

"I've heard the drums for a while now, the waves also hold a lot of stories and tell the news." She says.

"Oh that's so cool!" Luffy cheers. They make it to the house where a man Sabo, Koala, and Reiju claim is the dead prince of Germa before Reiju's brain reboots and she tackles the stunned man and cries as he holds her.

"Reiju, boys?" He asks as the woman watches their sons tackle their sister and dad.

"Joyboy and I think a feast is in order." She calls from the boat.

"I think we can feed the gods, though we might need to do some gathering and fishing." The man nods. "Sora, come join before they dive into the water and don't come up for hours!" The woman laughs and dissolves and reforms next to her family and does join the hug.

Luffy and Buggy watch Jinbei and the others swim for hours without resurfacing while they gather ingredients. The other fruit users will watch too occasionally. Chopper cries about the drowning but Sora picks him up easily and consoles him.

It's the best food Luffy thinks Sanji ever made that night.

#black leg sanji #monkey d. luffy #portgas d ace #revolutionary sabo #asl+s #blue!sanji #the vinsmokes #strawhat pirates #koala one piece

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cyber-streak-2 · 11 months

Note

Headcanons about IDW Pipes, IDW Vos and IDW Rung finding out their Cybertronian SO was domesticated

I told you the angst was coming :)

IDW1 Pipes, Vos, & Rung with a Cybertronian S/O that had been domesticated:

Vos

[He immediately knows that you’ve been domesticated- he and the others had been around at the time to see it. And even if he hadn’t, they’d all still know.]

[He... doesn’t know the reason for why you were domesticated, though. He assumes, though, that it had to be something bad- like something similar to the reason the former Vos was domesticated, but he’s still not certain.]

[Eventually, he does actually learn the reasons, and... he still loves you.]

[He knows you did bad- and being domesticated is bad- at least for you, but he’s just glad that you weren’t killed, instead.]

[Vos doesn’t treat you like a pet like how the others start to- like how they’ve treated... well, The Pet. You’re still his S/O. He cuddles you (although that was already typical), and may give you a pet sometimes- but he still treats you pretty much the same, mostly.]

[Hes a good DJD member- he’s loyal to the ‘Cons, but... he also wants to help his S/O, but this mech doesn’t have a clue on how.]

Rung

[You’d been missing since all of you landed on a somewhat abandoned but still lively (in some way) planet. Despite a search actively going on, nobody had been able to find you.]

[Although... there seemed to be some sort of creature onboard the LL. Someone even got attacked- which everyone learned when a panicked Tailgate arrived in the medibay with a wounded Getaway.]

[Getaway had informed Rung and everyone else how it looked— and Rung immediately thought that it reminded him of your beast-mode.]

[A search for the hostile creature was set in motion—and while Rung had been in a therapy session, he was called down by Rodimus.]

[He finds Rodimus and some of the other crew with the creature—which he quickly learns through the others that it doesn’t just happen to look like your beast-mode—it’s you.]

[Rung is horrified. Nobody knows who did this to you or even the reason. You’re hostile—practically to everyone, except towards Rung himself.]

[So, he decides to have you with him, while the others try to think of how to basically un-domesticate you. Rung is also setting up some sessions for you- being like this probably wasn’t the best experience.]

Pipes

[You were his S/O that hadn’t joined the quest, but still kept in contact with Pipes pretty often. Which is why he felt confused and concerned when you stopped talking to him... it was going on for several months now.]

[He was in trouble with some strange creatures on the planet that the ship had landed on- he gets blasted, like, once, before you appear—and he witnesses you attack the creatures, but not him.]

[A stray attack from whatever you were fighting hits him—and Pipes wakes up in the medibay—Rodimus, Ultra Magnus, and Rung are there—alongside the medics.]

[Pipes is confused at first... until he turns to his side, and sees Drift- who promptly explains what was figured out, and that confusion is quickly turned into horror and concern.]

[While everyone tries to figure out how to help you, Pipes stays with you the entire time, hoping that you’ll be okay.]

[He wishes that this had happened to him, instead—you didn’t deserve something like this.]

#Requests #X Reader #Headcanons #Nightace12 #IDW1 #MTMTE #Pipes #Vos #Rung #Asks #Answers #Anubis’s Chatter #Cyber’s Chatter #Save tag

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aces-fav-husband · 2 years

Text

Straw Hat Pirates Halloween/Autumn Headcanons!

Tags: SFW, GN! reader, can be read as platonic or romantic (minus Chopper’s part, which is purely platonic), literally just what the title says.

Warnings: None!

A/N: Happy Halloween! I think I wrote a lot more for Franky and Robin than I did for anyone else, but please enjoy my silly little headcanons. <3

Luffy

This boy loves everything about Halloween. It’s easily his favorite time of the year.

Him, Sabo, and Ace would work on their costumes for days on end, using whatever they could scavenge up in Grey Terminal, Dadan’s shack, and random shit they found in the woods.

Absolutely went as Shanks at least once.

Makino would always insist on making costumes for the three of them, but would always get turned down. This was something the brothers bonded (and competed) over and they wanted to do it without help.

If she finds their costumes, though, she will do her best to touch up their shoddy stitching while they were away.

Luffy, Ace, and Sabo have definitely tried to trick-or-treat in High Town to get the best candy. It’s the perfect time to sneak in- no one would question a couple of little kids running around in masks and shitty costumes, right? It’s just part of the spooky Halloween aesthetic, isn’t it?

Yeah, they stood out like sore thumbs among all the store-bought, clean, not-spooky costumes.

Luffy still makes his own costumes every year, and he has the weirdest and most poorly-made costumes you’ve ever seen. He puts in a ton of effort, though. Every costume is made with his own blood, sweat, and tears, and he takes a lot of pride in them.

“What are you supposed to be, Luffy?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

It isn’t. He’s supposed to be a vampire, but looks more like a starved, mangy gorilla.

He throws a mandatory costume party on the Thousand Sunny every Halloween. There is no getting out of it. If you try to get out of it, Luffy will whine your ears off until you agree and then drag you back to his room so you can help him with his costume.

He still sucks at sewing.

Help him make his costume and he will love you forever. He’ll try to help you with your costume in return, of course.

If you bought a costume, he’ll try to “upgrade” it. How he thought werewolf fur would be an upgrade to what was supposed to be an angel costume, you had no idea. It’s the thought that counts, I guess.

He also eats all the candy and sweets Sanji prepares. Sanji has to prepare extra batches in secret just so you and the rest of the crew can eat.

Knocks himself out pretty quickly, though. He parties hard and crashes even harder after all that sugar. Will fall asleep on you and get clingy.

I feel like his favorite Halloween treat would be caramel apples, especially if Sanji goes the extra mile to make them Halloween-themed. A caramel apple that looks like meat on the bone, completed with some “scary” blood (red food dye), is something he will go insane for.

Zoro

Zoro also loves Halloween, but for all the wrong reasons.

Any holiday used as an excuse to drink sake, and Halloween is no exception. This man gets absolutely plastered during Luffy’s party.

You will have to pry the bottle of sake out of his cold, dead hands after his liver fails.

Chopper is so concerned. Please babysit Zoro so he doesn’t actually die.

This mf cannot be trusted around kids during Halloween. If the Sunny is docked at some random island, he’ll find a way to sneak off (probably intending to buy more sake) and end up terrorizing the trick-or-treaters. Will scare the shit out of them and laugh.

Will scare the shit out of you and laugh.

No one is safe, except for Chopper (unless he’s really drunk).

Tells super shitty scary stories.

For the love of god, don’t let Zoro leave the ship. You will not be able to find him for the rest of the night. Don’t let him go alone, at least.

If you go with him, good luck.

If there’s some sort of haunted house close by, you guys will end up going in there.

Huge plus if you scare easily. He feels strong and dependable when you cling onto him. And he’ll poke fun at you for getting startled by the jump scares.

If you don’t scare easily, then you can both make fun of the shitty jump scares.

Zoro puts in no effort when it comes to his costume. Either buys a really shitty mask from the store or goes crazy with the fake blood. Sometimes both.

Always incorporates his swords into his costumes, too.

“What are you, Zoro?”

“A zombie swordsman.”

“All you did was put fake blood on your old clothes, though.”

“And?”

Compare him to a used menstrual product and he’ll kill you. Possibly already got into a fight with Sanji over that.

He’s probably one of the last people awake, even if he is extremely drunk. You’ll have to drag him to bed while he mutters nonsense.

His hangover the next day is horrible. He will not be able to do anything. Either tries to sleep it off or complains about it endlessly. He wants you to stay with him in both circumstances.

Zoro isn’t a big fan of sweets, so I don’t think he has a favorite Halloween treat.

Nami

Nami loves all things autumn, Halloween included! Just not the scary shit.

Hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, fall festivals- she loves it all (except for carving pumpkins because they smell like ass). If she gets the chance to go to any of those, she will take it and drag you along with her.

Will also drag you along with her when she goes shopping. Although that activity isn’t a fall-exclusive one, she still loves it. Will try to get you to buy a matching outfit.

Also makes Sanji get pumpkin spice as soon as it starts being sold again. In a modern AU, she would get that Starbucks pumpkin spice shit all the time.

She loves baking. Bakes an excessive amount of pies and cookies and pumpkin breads (just another reason for Luffy to love autumn).

Bellemere absolutely went all out during Halloween/autumn for Nami and Nojiko (to the best of her ability), so October is a super nostalgic and a slightly melancholy time for her. Especially since she couldn’t celebrate for a long time because of Arlong.

She wants to spend as much time with you and the rest of the crew as she can and go all out with decorations. Will absolutely talk about old memories of hers if you give her the chance.

But onto the actual Halloween headcanons.

Nami would take you to go costume shopping with her, but would buy it behind your back and keep her costume a secret up until the night of Luffy’s party. Her and Usopp would try to do a group costume theme, likely dragging you and Chopper into it while they’re at it.

Either works perfectly or everyone’s theme ideas are too different, so you scrap the plan.

You know that one quote from Mean Girls?

“In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it."

This 100% applies to Nami. She will pull out the sluttiest costume you’ve ever seen.

Like… you’ve seen lingerie that covers more skin.

“Is this supposed to be your costume..?”

“Obviously. I’m a cat- didn’t you see the ears?”

She’s just wearing lingerie with a cat ear headband.

Loves Luffy’s mandatory costume party. She’s the one that decorates for it, helps Sanji with the food, and plans out all the activities. She wants everyone to have as much fun as possible, so there are lots of party games and themed sweets.

Will get into a drinking competition with Zoro if you and the crew place bets on them. She’d do it for some extra cash.

Will get fucked up and you’ll have to send her to bed early, but she’ll have no regrets (if she won). All smiles and happy that she got to spend the night with the people she loves.

I feel like her favorite Halloween treat would be fruit flavored gummies, but her favorite fall treat would be peach and berry cobbler. She also hates candy corn.

Usopp

Similar to Nami, Usopp loves autumn and all the festivities that come with it, but he lowkey hates Halloween.

Like, he enjoys the pumpkin carvings and the costume making, but he hates all the scary stuff that comes with a holiday like Halloween. Haunted houses? Spooky decor? Monsters? No thank you. He could barely handle Brook.

A victim of Zoro’s scares. </3

Will get upset with you if you purposefully scare him or set him up to be scared. Be nice to him please.

Swamps himself with personal projects for October. You’re always invited to hang out with him in his workshop as he distracts himself with his creations (and hides from Zoro).

Make sure you drag him out every now and then to do non-spooky activities. I suggest a petting zoo or some sort of farm. Maybe a nice hike to take in the beautiful scenery.

Absolutely loves bonfires and making s’mores. Just don’t tell any scary stories, okay? His heart can’t handle that.

He also loves autumn candles, cinnamon brooms, and scented pinecones. Him and his workshop smell so goddamn good.

This man is the king of carving/painting pumpkins. He makes the coolest designs every year and he has a lot of pride in that. He wins any competition having to do with aesthetics. He always harvests the seeds for Sanji to roast.

He makes the autumn decorations for Nami. Wreathes, cute scarecrows, little paper leaves to string up around the Sunny- that kind of stuff.

Also this man totally crochets and knits shit for you and everyone else on the crew. Expect a sweater when it starts getting cold.

Him and Robin work together to make Chopper’s costume. With the two of them collaborating, they make literal art for the reindeer. Will make you a costume if you ask.

Obviously makes his own costume. He’ll go as less scary versions of classic monsters or heroes from whatever comic books he finds in the New World. Asks for your input when he hits mental roadblocks.

“Hey (Name), do you think my costume would look better if I added this to it?”

Shows up fashionably late to Luffy’s party. Which is completely intentional and not because he started questioning some of his design choices for his costume and had to make some last minute changes.

Spends a lot of the night eating and dancing.

Is super proud of himself when he wins a game and gets smug about it.

He knocks himself out pretty early, but not as early as Chopper. Wakes up glad that Halloween is finally over and still feels some residual pride after winning.

Usopp’s favorite Halloween treats are pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. He’s festive like that. Keeps a jar of them in his workshop so he can snack while he works.

Sanji

Sanji did not give a shit about Halloween for the longest time. He couldn’t really celebrate it with his family (“you’re above that”) or on the Baratie, so Halloween was just another day for him.

That is, until he found out about slutty costumes.

Now he goes crazy for Halloween every year.

Other than that, he doesn’t really have any interest in the holiday.

He is, however, very interested in the farmers markets that always pop up at this time.

He’ll invite you to go with him and help him pick out the best seasonal ingredients.

Corn, apples, potatoes, squashes, sweet potatoes, eggplants. Also snags some spices so he can make a pumpkin spice blend for Nami.

Like this mf gets everything. You struggle to keep up with him as he explains what dishes he’s going to make with all the produce.

Would also go apple/berry picking with you. He finds the ripest, sweetest fruits ever.

Him and Nami exchange new dessert recipes all the time.

The kitchen has seasonal decorations, but nothing flammable and nothing close to the stove/oven. (Luffy tried to hang one of Usopp’s wreaths above the stove and almost caused a fire.)

Doesn’t really give a shit about his own costume, but he always looks really good in whatever he picks.

He goes for simple costumes that don’t heavily alter his appearance. Think butlers, vampires, devils, cowboys, etc.

He does buy a ton of accessories for his costumes, though.

“Do you really need this for your costume?”

Yes he does.

Spends all day working on the food for Luffy’s party, with the help of Nami and you. Super spent at the end of it, but very proud and happy.

Makes the food Halloween themed and tries to give it some nutritional value.

He also makes actual food and snacks and not just desserts/candies.

Sanji definitely wasn’t the biggest fan of the Halloween party at first, but it very quickly grew on him (totally not because of the sexy costumes).

Absolutely shits on Zoro for the insane amount of fake blood he uses on his costume. Zoro shits on him for picking a boring costume.

He has a ton of fun at the party though.

Doesn’t get as wasted as Zoro, but does drink.

Drunk Sanji is super funny tbh. Cracks some really funny jokes and manages to tell some really good stories.

Is complete ass at some of the games, but he doesn’t care. He can have fun without winning.

Another person who goes to sleep kinda early.

Sanji’s favorite Halloween treat would be chocolate covered pretzels, maybe peanut brittle. He loves the combination of salty and sweet. I also feel like he would enjoy black licorice.

Chopper

Chopper had never heard of Halloween. Well, he’s heard of it, but never really knew what it was.

Whenever he and Dr. Kureha traveled around Drum to help people in October, it was all the children talked about.

Dr. Kureha would always brush him off when he asked about it, saying that it wasn’t anything he should preoccupy himself with (she didn’t want him to get hurt again).

But once that he’s with the Straw Hats and they explain the concept to him? He goes fucking crazy for it now.

Not for the horror aspect of it, but he adores the costumes and the trick-or-treating.

This mf also goes crazy for fall festivals.

When you finally stop at an island that has a fall festival, Chopper practically drags you off the Sunny to go.

Agua frescas, funnel cakes, donuts, cookies, fried chocolate bars, huge ice cream cones, cotton candy, milkshakes, etc. He loves all the shit that you can eat/drink there as long as it’s sweet.

Ends up getting a bad stomach ache though.

Gets kinda frustrated and sad when he struggles to win any prizes.

You have to explain to him that the games at the festival aren’t meant for you to win and he gets mad at the people running the games for scamming.

You finally win (or steal) a massive stuffed animal for him and he loves it. He shows it off to everyone when you finally get back to the Sunny.

He is in awe of the color of the leaves. They’re just so pretty and he’s never seen anything like it.

He likes stepping on the super crunchy ones.

That gives you the idea to make a massive pile of leaves for him to play in.

He loves it. Makes leaf-angels, throws leaves everywhere, buries himself.

He invites you to play with him and you both have a blast.

He never has to worry about his costume, since Robin and Usopp always make it for him.

His costumes are always adorable, even if he’s supposed to be a monster or something spooky.

“Your costume is so cute, Chopper! Are you a bat?”

“It’s supposed to be scary!”

Him and Luffy party so hard on Halloween night.

Eats almost as much candy as Luffy and passes out in a similar way.

Dances with you and plays as many games as he can before the sugar crash takes him out.

You have to carry him back to his bed before he falls asleep on the floor. He has a smile on his face and thanks you for making everything extra fun.

Chopper’s favorite Halloween candy would be candy corn and those pumpkin-shaped sugar cookies.

Robin

As a kid, Robin used to love Halloween and go all out for it.

All the archeologists would decorate the library inside the Tree of Knowledge with things like fake spider webs, paper ghosts, and small pumpkins to make it fun for Robin.

She always had the cutest costumes. She would dress up as her favorite book characters or archeologists she looked up to.

She wanted to stay inside and continue studying, but the professors managed to convince her to go outside and be a kid.

Would share her candy with Professor Clover and everyone else and end up passing out at the library.

She has not celebrated Halloween once since the fall of Ohara.

Not because she didn’t want to, but because she couldn’t. She either couldn’t go out without fear of being recognized or whoever she was working under at the time wouldn’t let her.

Fast forward and she’s with you and the Straw Hats. She’s finally able to celebrate it again and she is lowkey excited.

Reads scary stories and gothic novels all October to get herself into the spooky mood.

She’ll invite you to sit next to her by the campfire as she tells everyone the most horrific scary story you have ever heard. Usopp dies inside.

Her morbid sense of humor really comes out at this time of the year, which is occasionally directed towards Brook.

If there’s a haunted house/hay ride, scary maze, escape room, or anything else like that, Robin will going and will be taking you with her.

Chuckles if you get scared and tries to warn you when there’s an upcoming jumpscare (she can see them coming from a mile away).

Out of all of the scary activities, escape rooms are her favorite. The majority of the time she can figure them out easily, but once every blue moon, there’s an escape room that requires more effort than usual.

Always let’s you help out with the puzzles. Escape rooms are really boring if only one person is doing all the work. She wants it to be fun for both of you, not just her.

Bonus points if you both are actively being chased/hunted while in the escape room. The added tension is so exciting for her, even if it isn’t particularly scary.

She would also love petting zoos. Her favorite animals are the goats. They’re just so goofy and she can’t help but love them.

Robin makes her own costumes and they are always beautiful.

Definitely goes for a classic gothic vampire for her first Halloween with you and the Straw Hats.

Goes the extra mile with accessories.

“Wow, Robin, your costume is gorgeous! I love the fake bone jewelry.”

“Thank you, but these are real.”

You can’t tell if she’s serious or if it’s her sense of humor.

In a modern AU, she would try to get you, Franky, and Chopper to all go as the Addams Family. Chopper is Pugsley and you and Franky have to fight over who’s going to be Gomez and Wednesday. Robin serves cunt as Morticia.

She’s always the first one to show up for the Halloween party.

Wins quite a few of the party games that Nami set up, much to Usopp’s chagrin. She lets him win a few to boost his ego.

Takes you to dance with her when Brook plays slower songs, listening to you talk about whatever you’ve been up to leading up to the party.

Drinks a lot of red wine, but doesn’t get plastered like Nami and Zoro. Looks elegant as hell while she’s drinking in her costume.

She’s the last one to go to bed. If you stay up with her, she’ll tell you a little about her past Halloweens and forgotten traditions.

Robin’s favorite Halloween treat is sour gummy worms. She loves sour candies and the fact that they resemble worms makes them perfect for Halloween.

Franky

Franky fucking loves Halloween. Always has, always will. If Halloween has 1,000,000 fans, Franky is one of them. If Halloween has 1,000 fans, Franky is one of them. If Halloween has 1 fan, it’s Franky.

Loved going Trick-or-Treating with Tom, Kokoro, and Iceburg. Halloween was something they all loved and they celebrated it with gusto.

He still competed with Iceburg, though. Who had the better costume? Who got the most candy? Who could finish their work in time to go Trick-or-Treating?

Iceburg usually took that last one.

But the sentiment carried over after Tom’s death and Franky grew up.

The Halloween parties that the Franky Family would throw were insane. Nobody outside of the Family was invited, but tons of people turn up anyway.

Like, Franky knows how to throw a party. Tons of food, booze, and cola were present, along with good company. These guys would go crazy for hours.

No one in Water 7 gets sleep on Halloween because the Family will be blasting music into the early hours of the morning.

He is always so hyped for Luffy’s Halloween party. He will talk your ears off about all his plans for October and the party.

He loves going apple picking. There’s something so very therapeutic about being in the orchard and finding the best apples with you.

He makes his own homemade cider with the apples you both picked, which is pretty damn good.

He’s also a sucker for cookouts. Sanji usually handles all the cooking, but Franky will be on the grill. Don’t argue with him.

It isn’t on par with what Sanji makes, but he puts his heart into those hotdogs and burgers.

Makes a really good steak, too. Once again, not Sanji-levels of good, but the man knows his way around a grill.

Would go into shock if you asked him for a well done steak. Why would you do that to a perfectly good piece of meat?!

Always helps to set up for the bonfires.

Makes the most s’mores. He always sets the marshmallows on fire, though. He claims that charred marshmallows are the best.

You can hear the crispness of the poor mallow as he bites into it. That mf is fossilized.

Builds animatronics for the party and they are the coolest things ever. They look so realistic and scary and they’re amazing.

Modern AU Franky would recreate FNAF as per Luffy’s request. The Bite of ‘87 will happen.

Franky also makes his own costumes.

Well, he makes the accessories. He has to buy the clothing part of it. It’s not that he can’t sew- he can -it’s just that he sucks at making clothes.

He prefers to go as traditional monsters like Frankenstein, werewolves, ghosts, etc.

He also will put on Halloween makeup. Will gladly let you apply it for him if you’re good with makeup.

One of the only times he will put on pants is if he’s wearing a costume. Even then, he tries to think of ways to still achieve the look he’s going for without wearing them.

He loves matching/themed costumes. If you match with him, it’ll make his year. He gets so happy and excited.

“We look super good, (Name)!”

Goes so hard during Luffy’s party. He has been looking forward to it for weeks and he is not afraid to let the world know that.

He drinks a ton of his homemade cider and cracks a bunch of jokes.

Loves everything about the party. He wants to do everything he possibly can.

He’s the first to start dancing and convinces you and your crewmates to get out onto the dance floor with him.

He’s really good at dancing tbh. Dancing with him is a blast.

Gets wiped out after a while and has to sit down and recharge with a cola. There’s a 50/50 chance that he will end up falling asleep before he can get to the cola.

Franky doesn’t really have a favorite Halloween treat, but he loves anything homemade. He destroys all of Nami and Sanji’s baked goods. If you make him something, he will gladly eat it and tell you it was super delicious.

Brook

Brook feels pretty neutral about Halloween. He hasn’t celebrated it since he was a kid and doesn’t have much interest in celebrating it now (unless partying is involved).

His favorite part about this Halloween is that no one bats an eye at him being a skeleton. And that he gets to make 10x more skeleton jokes than usual.

(And the sexy costumes.)

He loves autumn, though! His first autumn outside of the Florian Triangle makes him really emotional.

Gets pretty melancholy when he thinks about how much of his life that he missed, but is very grateful to be alive in that moment.

If you really like Halloween, he will gladly participate in Halloween activities with you.

He’s not a huge fan of haunted houses or corn mazes.

He has gone to haunted houses with you before and he ends up scaring the actors when they realize he’s a real skeleton.

He has to turn down multiple job offers.

He really likes pumpkin patches and fall festivals, though!

They’re so lively and colorful and they make him feel happy to be alive. Especially seeing how excited the other people (and you) are to be there.

Speaking of colorful, he loves going on nature walks and taking in the color of the leaves changing. He’ll collect any leaves that he thinks are especially pretty and show them to you.

Being out in the wild with all the natural beauty inspires him.

He writes multiple songs while he’s out there. The majority of them are rock and roll, but there are some more classical songs mixed in there.

You’re the first one to listen to all his new songs.

He’ll whip out his old fiddle and play hauntingly beautiful music, then switch to his guitar and put on a Soul King performance.

He also loves walking around and looking at all the Halloween decorations with you. Brook loves seeing people be passionate about things, even if it’s something he doesn’t have much interest in.

When it comes to costumes, he usually just buys something related to the dead/undead.

Ghosts, zombies, the Headless Horseman- that kinda stuff.

You could throw a white sheet over him and recreate that one Spongebob Halloween special.

BUT, if he finds a really good silicone mask that looks mostly human, he will wear it for shits and giggles.

“I’m just bones underneath! Yohohohoho!”

Thinks that it’s peak humor.

He always parties hard and Luffy’s Halloween party is no exception.

He’ll bust out the new rock songs he wrote earlier that month and preform them for everyone.

Drinks a lot of booze and gets wasted.

Also gets a lot more vulgar.

But he keeps the mood lighthearted and cracks just as many jokes as Franky.

At some point does stand up comedy when he gets drunk enough.

It’s not bad.

Ends off the night with one final song before heading to bed.

Brook would say that his favorite Halloween treat is candy bones, but it’s really anything with peanut butter.

Jinbe

Jinbe is also really neutral about Halloween.

It isn’t really celebrated by anyone in the Fishman District, excluding a few young children who were fascinated by human culture.

It is celebrated in Ryugu, though.

When he first returned to Fishman Island, he was asked to participate in some of the Halloween activities.

He gave out either the best or the worst candy and didn’t dress up for it.

He doesn’t know what the point of Halloween is.

Doesn’t really get the appeal of the horror aspect of it, either. Why would you intentionally scare yourself?

He’ll still go with you to haunted houses and listen to you talk about anything horror-related, of course.

He prefers the Trick-or-Treating and costume aspects of the holiday. It’s kinda strange but cute.

Since this is his first time celebrating Halloween with you and the Straw Hats, you have to explain a few of the traditions to him.

In exchange, he shares some of the Fishman Island traditions with you.

Pumpkin carving/painting becomes a favorite activity of his quickly. Not only is it fun, but he likes the idea behind it.

He likes the outdoor activities, like picking out pumpkins at the pumpkin patch and bonfires.

Jinbe tells the best bonfire stories ever. They aren’t scary (that’s Robin’s job), but they are super entertaining and funny.

He sets a few marshmallows on fire, but not intentionally. Eventually he gets the hang of it and roasts golden brown marshmallows every time.

He gives them to you, Chopper, and Luffy since he isn’t the biggest on sweets.

He also likes going to the fall festival with everyone.

He goes on a few of the rides with you, but they aren’t his favorite things in the world. He prefers the games.

He is godly at carnival games. There isn’t a game that he can’t win.

When it comes to costumes, Jinbe doesn’t put much effort into them.

He usually just throws something together with whatever’s in his closet.

Doesn’t overdo it with accessories either.

Tbh he doesn’t know what he’s going for, he’s just throwing shit on that’s vaguely Halloween-esque.

“What are you, Jinbe?”

It’s whatever you think it is. You gotta use your imagination.

He participates in all the party activities, but he spends most of his time drinking with Zoro and talking to you about life.

He will start dancing once Franky gets on the floor. He’s a good dancer tbh.

He participates in a few of the games and activities at your request, but usually sits out.

Wins any card games.

He makes sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be and alive before he goes to his room.

Thanks you for a fun night before he goes to sleep.

Jinbe’s favorite Halloween treat isn’t much of a “treat”- it’s pumpkin soup. He likes how smooth it is and loves the taste of pumpkin.

352 notes · View notes

pine-needle-shuffle · 4 months

Text

Riptide AU Notes 2

Info post 1 here

RIPTIDE has the Highwind from the beginning, Barret and co met Cid whilst both were attempting to steal it from ShinRa before they meet Cloud. Common goal, fuck up ShinRa's shit. Cid figures they'd need a pilot AND he gets the Highwind back. This got nixed, Cid and the Highwind will be relevant later in the story

Jessie and Cid bond over mutual love of explosives and engineering

Zack escaped with Cloud, but they were separated shortly after by a really nasty storm. Cloud ends up landing on a ship, and is captured by RIPTIDE, the team thinking maybe they could either get info from him, or use him as a bargaining chip. But! Lo and behold that's Tifa's childhood friend! Even if...he looks kinda different...she'll ask later(he asks her not to tell, she complies, concerned as she may be). For an on the spot cover up, she does a convincing job, as much as she hates lying.

Cloud hasn't lost his memory, at least not to the extent he did in game. His brain is still a bit foggy from all the experiments, and that storm didn't do him any favors. Remembers Zack(vaguely? he knows someone helped him out and he remembers Zack as a friend, but doesn't put 2 and 2 together till they meet up again), doesn't bring it up to anyone but Tifa, he's not exactly open with everything he knows, even if he's against ShinRa now, he has his reservations regarding the crew.

Zack is kind of all over the place, he's looking for Cloud too. Staying the Hell away from Gongaga is what he's doing, actually. Not only is that the first place they'd go looking for their missing test subject, it'd also force him to confront the parent's he hasn't talked to in almost a decade.

Fort Condor acts as a refuge for the harpies that left after they found out about the corruption, again poor Gen. A bunch of them had packed their stuff, grabbed as many child harpies as they could, leading to about 500 of them to flock to the Fort in hopes of safety. The Fort is a widely known opponent to ShinRa, able to hold their own even out at sea. That and they have a giant bird. They know how your supposed to take care of birds, right? please, there's so many kids with us, help.

The Cetra are actually not doing to bad in the modern day. They're pretty spread out, but it is more than just Aerith left. Ifalna was captured and suffered under ShinRa, and she did pass away, however she did live with Elmyra for a couple years longer than in canon, and she got to see Aerith grow up outside the companies walls.

RIPTIDE stops in Midgar both for intel and to demo some reactors. During the intel bit, Cloud just kind of has to keep a low profile away from the group, during which he runs into Aerith, whom is trying to get away from the Turks. He helps her out a bit, and they go their separate ways after Cloud reconvenes with the rest of RIPTIDE for the destruction of the reactor. Except, someone stowed herself away on the Highwind, and oh well, they've already left Midgar! Guess she'll just have to stick around.

When they get Yuffie to agree to go with them, they practically had to drag her onto that ship. She has regrets. Like what she had for lunch that day.

Oh! Speaking of weak stomachs, Cloud had to get over that Real Fuckin' Fast. Flying is not fun if you want to hurl every time you do it. Still claustrophobic, it might actually be worse now because of how much space his wings need. He has since developed a taste for fish. He's not sure how to feel about it. Yuffie knows how she feels about it however(yuck).

Jenova has nothing to do with anything. Yet. She's still buried and deep under the sea. Hojo eventually gets a hold of her, this time with no illusion that she's Cetra. Just that she is very, very powerful.<-all a BIG maybe atm

Zack and Cloud's harpy forms are closer to Genesis post corruption than the other harpies, having the animal like limbs, larger wings and tails, feathers in more places, as well as developing other bird habits.

Corruption notes here

#ffvii #pine.log #riptide au #long post #midnight ramblings #now i sleep

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squishablesunbeam · 2 months

Note

Your last answer got me thinking… How long was Quinn kept as a prisoner by the crew? How long did it take for Collins to not be able to tolerate what was being done to him? 🤔

If you have the time, I would love to see a post about Collins in the beginning of Quinn’s captivity or even right before he decided he couldn’t take seeing Quinn suffer anymore. Maybe not really realizing what’s happening right away? Or maybe not being able to leave the room immediately? Possibly the Captain ordering everyone to stay put to see “the show”? 😈

Thank you for the amazingly angsty smut, as usual! I always look forward to your next post! ❤️

So, they wanted to answer this instead! lol and it became more guilt ridden angsty comfort instead of smut, I'm sorry!

But honestly, it would have to be an au for that sort of scene because he was very good at not being around when Quinn was out of the cage. I think it was right there on the surface and he knew if he actually saw what was happening, he wouldn't have been able to stop himself from getting involved and getting them both killed. BUT I might write one with Collins in the beginning! Plus he did voice a tiny bit of his concern early on that's worth acknowledging... I'm going to have to think about this but I think that would be really interesting!

Anyway, here's their answer...

(also, this was damn near fully written before the anon ask about Collins apologizing😂)

---

"Five and a half weeks."

Quinn's head whipped around to look at Collins.

"That's all?" Quinn asked, his eyebrows meeting in the grove between his eyes.

"That was far too long," Collins said, meeting Quinn's eyes, his voice thick with a sudden mix of emotion.

Quinn frowned, pushing out a long breath before pressing his shoulder against Collins' and intertwining their fingers.

Collins stared down at their joined hands while he continued, "Once I stopped, uh, "tolerating"- I suppose that's as good a word for it as any. Once I stopped tolerating what was being done to Quinn, Prim breached the ship and rescued him about a week and a half later."

"Hey," Quinn chided, pressing his lips to Collins' shoulder, "Pretty sure you helped." Collins turned towards him, a tear slipping down his cheek as he lightly kissed Quinn's forehead.

"I'm sorry I took so long," he whispered into his hair.

Quinn leaned up to look him firmly in the eyes, "Stop," he whispered back, "We've talked about this."

The muscle in Collins' jaw jumped and you could swear that he'd stopped breathing. He opened his mouth to try to speak but closed his mouth shut tight and he turned his head away.

"Collins, hey," Quinn reached up a hand and guided him back around to face him again.

"I'm sorry-"

"I know," Quinn hushed him, pulling him down and placing a kiss at the corner of his eye, "I forgive you. You know I forgive you." Quinn peppered kisses into Collins' hair until the man started to breath properly again, "I forgive you everything. Always."

"Now, come on- they have more questions," Quinn said, rubbing his thumb through the tears that had escaped down his face.

Collins sniffed and took a deep breath.

"Yeah, fine."

Quinn smiled at you apologetically before continuing, "As for the other question, he was never there, for any of it. I saw him passing by in the hall a few times, but he was never there when they hurt me. Not once."

"Except," Collins barely managed to find his voice but he was looking firmly into Quinn's eyes, "That time, Thompson-"

Quinn's mouth dropped open, "Oh, yeah, huh, I forgot about that," he huffed in surprise before rushing to clarify what Collins had said, "It's not what you think. I was, um, with Thompson, when he got called to the bridge because of some malfunction in the receiver, funnily enough-"

"Quinn," Collins gently admonished the playful tone Quinn's voice had taken on.

Quinn just nudged his shoulder again and laughed softly, continuing, "It's funny because I was the communications officer. We'd lost communications. Anyway, instead of putting me back, he dragged me up to the bridge and just shoved me into the corner until he was done."

He turned to look at Collins, "You almost tripped right over me."

Collins was gripping Quinn's hand almost painfully, holding onto him for dear life.

"I didn't see him. At first. I didn't think to look for him, but I came onto the deck and there he was, naked, on the floor, just watching and- waiting, quietly."

Collins swallowed hard. He couldn't seem to look away as Quinn took up the story.

"It was the first time something- else- was happening in what felt like a very long time. And I really did think it was kind of funny," he leaned towards you, a little smirk playing at his mouth, "I could see what needed fixed, plain as day. But it took Thompson over an hour to figure it out. Plus I got a little break."

Quinn shrugged, leading back again, "Anyway, Collins came in with a completely new receiver in his hands and froze. I remember, now. You looked at me for a long time. I remember being scared that, maybe, you'd want to hurt me, like the rest of them. You were the only one that hadn't yet."

Collins dropped his head as if he'd actually done what Quinn had feared in that moment.

"Quinn-" Collins' voice broke over the name.

"Hey, stop, you didn't. You never hurt me."

A look passed over Collins' face and he sucked in a sharp breath, straightening his back, looking right into your eyes.

"I did hurt him," he stated, with no room for argument, "I didn't help him. That was enough. I can never forgive myself for what I allowed to be done to Quinn. Never. How could I?"

Quinn wiped an errant tear off with his sleeve.

"Collins, come on-"

"No, you shouldn't forgive me," Collins abruptly stood and paced the three steps to the door and back again, "They need to hear it, Quinn. I walked right past you, bruised to hell, naked, kneeling on the damn floor. It wasn't right! I was a fucking coward for leaving you there."

He locked eyes with Quinn for long enough to make the room tense.

Quinn lifted his eyebrows, "Are you done?"

Collins swallowed hard, "Yeah," he said as he leaned his back against the wall and slid down to the floor, his eyes never leaving Quinn's face.

They just stared at each other for a while, seemingly allowing one another to take a minute to process and giving it time for the tension in the air to clear a bit.

"This, um, this look," Collins said, softer now, gesturing to his own face, "This look would pass over your face every time anyone came near you. Like a fog, or a wall, it would go up and smoother out all your light. Jackson came up and, he-, you shut down until he stepped away. And then it was like you slipped right back into your body again. I remember thinking it was so brave that you'd come back at all."

Quinn stood and walked over to Collins, sliding down to sit against the wall with him. He threaded their fingers back together again.

"I remember," Quinn began, "It felt like that, like a fog, but I was still there. I felt it when Jackson slapped me and shoved his fingers in my mouth. I could taste him. I felt the Captain move my hands and put them on my thighs. He did that so I couldn't cover myself. It felt, less, when the fog was there. It helped soften it all, just a little."

Collins dropped his head against the wall and watched Quinn carefully. They both suddenly looked painfully tired.

"I looked away. When the Captain came over to you. I didn't see what he did."

Quinn swallowed thickly. He was rubbing his thumb back and forth over the top of Collins' hand.

"I still forgive you," he whispered.

Collins sighed deeply, "I knew, Quinn. And I did nothing."

"There was nothing you could have done," Quinn squeezed his hand gently, "You know that. The Captain would have-"

"I could have killed them all in their sleep," Collins stated definitively.

"Well," Quinn huffed out a laugh, "I supposed you could have done that."

Collins' shoulders relaxed slightly as he looked into Quinn's smirking face. He let himself smile, just a little, at the sight of him.

"It's not funny," Collins grumbled, "Quinn, I-"

"I swear to god, Collins, I don't want to hear 'I'm sorry' come out of your mouth for at least a week. I forgive you. I love you. Deal with it."

Collins snapped his mouth shut and breathed out a defeated breath, a slow blush creeping into his face.

Quinn just smiled at him as Collins brought his hand up to touch his chin and leaned forward.

"I love you too," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

He pulled back and looked at you sideways, settling in just a little more comfortably against Quinn's side.

"Were there more questions?"

#ocs answer question they weren't asked #lol #they do what they want!#seriously though #Collins would honestly be coping a little better if Quinn hated him #he'd understand that so much more #I'll try to write a early Collins chapter soon!#collins asks #quinn asks #coa asks #reference to past noncon

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thewillofdeez · 8 months

Text

50/50: A Shanks/OC (and Beckman/OC) Romance - Chapter 5: Strength and Love

Summary: A twenty year journey of friendship, love, and heartache between Shanks and the woman he loves.

Chapter 5 word count: 6746 (another long one, sorry!)

Notes: Enter: baby Luffy! And some romance (finally).

The last part of this chapter required me to learn the names of different parts of a sailing ship. So in order to make it easier for you to visualize, I made a diagram which you can find here.

Enjoy! The story will be in Foosha Village for 1-2 more chapters.

I also finally got a job after 9 months of unemployment, and so am going to do my damndest to get this and my other WIPs done or close to it before I start!

The celebration of Shanks and Riley’s reconciliation went on well into the night, but Riley excused herself from the party around eleven o’clock - she had to be up early tomorrow, after all. She was grateful when Shanks snuck into her room less than an hour later and wrapped his arms around her, planting a kiss on her shoulder and falling asleep behind her in a matter of minutes.

At the party, she and Shanks had been back to their old selves, affectionate, laughing, and once again comfortable in each other’s presence. Shanks and Snake had let her know that they’d be looking for a nearby island to settle down in while she trained, somewhere quiet and out of the way where they could dock for about a year. He felt she’d have better resources at her disposal on land, and it would allow the crew to focus on training her with less interference from Marines or other pirates. Here in the East Blue, the calmest of the seas, they’d find something in no time. Riley had expressed concern about how the rest of the crew would feel about being on land for so long. “Don’t worry about it,” Shanks had said with a sly grin “I’ll tell them to think of it as an extended vacation for everyone except you.”

The next morning, Riley rose from her bed, careful not to disturb Shanks who grunted and rolled over when she removed herself from his grasp. Energy was coursing through her body. She was finally going to get what she wanted. She was finally going to be stronger, a fighter. Maybe not on the same level as some of the guys who had been doing it for years, but that’s not something she cared about. She cared that she was getting to do it at all.

Riley dressed and readied herself for the morning, donning comfortable, workout-friendly clothes, then made her way to the mess hall. Beckman was already there, as were Lucky and some of the kitchen crew. Beckman placed a plate overflowing with bacon, eggs, and sausage in front of her, the single piece of toast on the side almost looking out of place. Riley’s eyes widened - he wanted her to eat all of this? What?

“If you wanna get stronger, you need more fuel for your body. You eat like a bird.”

“Actually, birds eat quite a lot. Ya know, so they can fly,” she responded with a smirk.

“Then you eat like something that doesn’t eat a lot. Chow down, get some protein in you.”

Over breakfast, Beckman filled Riley in on what his plan for her would be over the next four months. When she was full to bursting with meat and eggs, Beckman took pity and helped her finish the last few slices of bacon. They then made their way to the upper deck to begin Riley’s training.

They began with stretching, then moved onto conditioning exercises. Beckman would tell her what they were going to do, demonstrate good form, and give her a number of reps to work on, noting where her body strength was good and where it needed work as he got an idea of what her baseline capabilities were. Her legs were decently strong, and her core wasn’t bad. Improving her upper body strength was going to take a hell of a lot of work, though, he mused as he watched her struggle to get a quarter of the way into a pull-up.

By the time most of the crew was making their way onto the deck to begin their duties for the day, the two had finished up their workout.

“So,” Beckman asked, “How do you feel?”

“I feel great, actually!” Riley responded, the endorphin rush making her feel light and energized.

Beckman chuckled and lit up a cigarette. “Give it time. You’re gonna be in the most pain you’ve ever felt in your life tomorrow morning. I’ll give you the day off to let your body rest, then we’ll resume the day after.”

“What?!” Riley objected, “But we just got started! I don’t want to take a day off already.”

“Trust me, you’re gonna need it.”

And Beckman was right. The next morning, Riley awoke and tried to make her way out of bed - key word being tried. Every muscle in her body was sore and stiff and required incredible effort to move. Just getting dressed was an ordeal.

Riley slowly made her way to the mess hall, where Shanks, Beckman, and the senior officers were gathered around their usual table. She braced her hands against the edge of the table and slowly lowered herself into a seat next to Shanks, her face grimacing at the burn in her thighs. The surrounding men couldn’t help but laugh.

“So glad you guys find my anguish amusing,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Awww Rye, we’re not laughing at your pain!” said Yasopp.

“I am!” said Shanks. Riley swatted him swiftly, then winced at the movement.

“It’ll get better, Riley. Promise,” Beckman said, pushing a plate in her direction. More meat and eggs, and that lonely piece of toast, the sole carb amidst a mountain of protein.

“By the way, we think we’ve found a good place to dock for a while,” said Snake, unfurling a map before Riley. “We’re approaching Dawn Island, home of the Goa Kingdom. There’s a small village on the outskirts of the city. It’s quiet and out of the way, and hopefully the people there won’t give us any trouble. We should be there by this evening.”

Riley examined the map, noting the small windmill drawings surrounding Foosha Village on the southeast side of the island.

“Sounds perfect,” she said. After breakfast, she slowly lifted herself from her seat, wincing in pain. “I’m going to go take a very long, very hot bath.”

That evening, just as predicted, the crew arrived on Dawn Island. Standing on the deck as the crew worked around her to furl the sails, Riley noticed the townspeople stopping to stare at their imposing ship, by far the largest at the docks. Some people ushered their children into their houses, while others closed and locked their shutters. She figured they probably didn’t get a ton of pirates around here, and couldn’t blame them for being scared.

The crew stepped off the ship and walked through the town, led by Shanks, Beckman, and Riley, seeking out a place for dinner and drinks. Riley was still in pain, and desperately craved a beer.

As it always was with the Red Hair Pirates, landing on a new island was cause for celebration. So was leaving the island, and just about any day in between where they could find an excuse to do so. Shanks, at Riley’s insistence, had instituted a rule several years before after she’d had one too many instances of being unable to sleep off her own hangover because everyone else was also hungover and wanted her to help them: no partying without a cause for celebration. Unfortunately for Riley, Shanks accepted just about anything as a cause for celebration, and he exploited this loophole constantly. He’d made it up to her by instructing the crew to get their own water and painkillers from the med bay if Riley was also too hungover to assist.

Finding a small pub called Party’s Bar, the crew filed in. The green-haired woman behind the bar had a shocked look on her face - whether it was because there were now 60 people crowding into the small building or because they were pirates, she wasn’t sure.

Riley approached the bar with a smile. “Don’t worry,” she said, “We’re not here to cause trouble, just have some food and a few drinks, and I promise we’re paying customers. Are you able to accommodate so many?”

The barkeeper was taken aback for a second, then nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, of course! Please, make yourselves comfortable.” If what the female pirate said was true, she was set to make more money in a single night than she had in ages. She ran to the kitchen and ordered the whole crew to come out, distribute menus, and begin pouring drinks. She was grateful for the timing of the shipment of rum and beer they’d just received that day, and made a note to put in another order tomorrow.

The barkeeper introduced herself as Makino. Riley, Shanks, and Beckman introduced themselves and the rest of the officers as the drinks began to flow and the smell of cooking food permeated the bar. Makino was surprised that these pirates, as opposed to others who had visited her bar, or, more commonly, some of the fouler bands of mountain bandits, were actually quite kind and fun, if a bit rowdy. She found their red-haired captain to be particularly charming, and blushed as he flirted with her.

As dinner died down and the drinking began in earnest, Riley found herself deep in conversation with Makino. She always pounced on any opportunity to talk to another woman.

“So it’s just you and 59 men?” Makino had asked, amazed.

“Yup,” Riley replied, taking a sip of her beer. “We’ve yet to find any other women who want to join, but I’m still holding out hope.”

“She tolerates us,” Beckman said with a smile.

“Honestly, they’re not a bad group of guys,” Riley said, wrapping an arm affectionately around Beckman’s waist. His arm rested around her shoulders in return. “I’ve met much worse men who aren’t pirates. I mean, sure, they’re loud and gross and –”

“Devastatingly handsome,” Shanks cut in, bringing his face close to Riley’s with a smolder. “Sexy. Muscular. Well-end–” Riley placed her hand on his face and pushed him away.

“Most of them aren’t bad,” she continued. “This guy, however, needs to be kept on a leash. And perhaps a muzzle.”

Makino giggled and poured them another round.

“Stop it, old man, let me GO!” The crew turned towards the commotion as a small child burst into the bar, an older man in tow. “I wanna see the pirates!”

The small boy with a mop of thick, black hair ran towards the bar.

“Luffy, get out of here!” Makino admonished. “You can’t be in here so much past your bedtime!”

Shanks laughed and lowered himself to his knees, closer to the boy’s level.

“Hey there, kiddo. What’s your name?”

“Luffy,” the child responded, a finger up his nose.

“Nice to meet ya, Luffy. I’m Shanks, and this is my crew, the Red Hair Pirates. Say hi to the kid, boys!”

“Hi, Luffy!” the crew responded in unison, raising their mugs.

Luffy burst into a fit of giggles. The older man who had been pursuing the boy stormed in and grabbed him by the arm. “Luffy, if your grandfather knew you were in a bar with pirates at six years old he’d have my head! Come on, let’s go!” He then turned to Shanks. “And as for you, I don’t take too kindly to pirates in my village, but I also won’t turn you away as long as you don’t cause any trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir," Shanks responded in his most diplomatic voice, "We’re not here to cause trouble, just to take a nice long rest. I promise, you’ll barely notice we’re here.”

The older man, who they later learned was Woop Slap, the village’s mayor, narrowed his eyes at Shanks but accepted his response. He turned and dragged Luffy from the bar.

“Bye Shanks! Bye Red Hair Pirates!” the boy cried. “See ya tomorrow!”

The crew laughed and waved as they left.

“He’s a sweet kid,” Makino said.

“No parents, I take it?” asked Beckman.

“Not to my knowledge,” she replied. “He does have a grandfather who’s a Vice Admiral with the Navy. He’s not around a lot so we all sort of take care of Luffy as a community. If he bothers you, just let me know.”

Shanks only laughed in response.

Over the next months, the crew grew quite comfortable in the small village. Riley was approaching the end of her four months of training with Beckman, Luffy became a common presence among the crew (much to the mayor’s dismay), and the Red Hair Pirates were a normal sight at the bar and around town. True to Shanks’s word, they didn’t cause any trouble, and the townspeople began growing used to their presence. They did have a way of endearing themselves to others, Riley found herself musing one day as she watched a few crew members help a family in town fix a broken window. Luffy swore he had nothing to do with it.

At Party’s Bar one evening, Riley sat at a table with Bonk, Snake, and Limejuice, but found her eyes wandering towards the bar. Shanks was flirting with Makino, who was loving his attention and returning it in kind. She knew they’d become something of an item over the last few weeks - how could she not, her bedroom was right next to Shanks’s and the man had never been known for being a quiet lover. They did appear to be keeping the relationship somewhat quiet, however, and she wasn’t sure if it was for Makino’s sake or Shanks’s. He’d never been one to hide his lovers or help them sneak quietly off the ship, so either he was trying to protect the barkeeper’s reputation or there was something different about this relationship. Riley wasn’t sure which, but she was grateful for the nights he stayed at Makino’s, for no other reason than she enjoyed her sleep, and it made keeping her own secret a little easier.

Shanks had always been a flirt and was constantly the center of female attention. She’d seen him leave bars with dozens of women in their time together, but this one seemed different somehow. Perhaps it was the increasingly long-term nature of their situation, or it could be something else.

Of course, Riley had had a number of situationships of her own over the years. The life of a pirate wasn’t built to be relationship-friendly, and so they all needed to enjoy what they could when they got it, and there was no judgment amongst the crew over whatever that was. Riley allowed her mind to wander, remembering some of those men from over the years.

First, there had been the swordsman friend of Shanks’s, Mihawk, back in the early days of the crew. She had found the golden-eyed man to be irresistibly charming, despite his otherwise cold exterior, and he’d found himself quite taken with her in turn. It became the closest thing to a loving, serious relationship Riley had ever had - Mihawk had only intended to hitch a ride with the Red Hair Pirates until they reached his destination, but what should have been a few weeks wound up being the better part of a year, with much of the man’s time being spent either clashing steel with Shanks or in Riley’s bed. Eventually, though, they’d had to part ways. Mihawk wasn’t interested in joining Shanks’s crew (though Shanks had tried to convince him more than once), and Riley wasn’t interested in leaving the crew to travel with Mihawk. The split was painful for the both of them, but it was amicable, and when their paths occasionally crossed over the years, they’d still have some fun together.

Then there was Marco, the captain of Whitebeard’s first division and the crew’s doctor. Whenever the Red Hair Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates met, Riley never knew what she was going to get. Whitebeard and Gold Roger had been bitter rivals, but also held immense respect for each other. Shanks’s relationship with the enormous man was much the same - though they often steered clear of each other’s path, occasionally situations would bring them together. Sometimes it was tense, and Shanks received his now-signature three scars over his left eye from Marshall Teach on one particularly rough occasion. (Incidentally, Yasopp had thought his captain’s new scars were so cool that he had immediately re-designed the crew’s jolly roger.) But sometimes it wasn’t and the two crews were able to intermingle peacefully.

Riley had always enjoyed her occasional interactions with Marco - she didn’t get to meet other doctors very often, and so jumped at the opportunity to trade stories and knowledge with one whenever she could, even if they were technically an enemy. Marco was intelligent and funny, and she could talk to him for hours when given the chance. One night aboard the Moby Dick as the two crews mingled, Riley and Marco had sat together talking animatedly over their shared interest in medicine and exchanging stories of their crews. As the night grew later and their bodies inched closer together, Marco eventually captured her lips in a kiss, which Riley returned with enthusiasm.

“My room?” he’d said, to which Riley nodded, a sly grin on her face. As Marco grabbed her by the hand and led her into the ship, she could hear Whitebeard’s thunderous laugh.

Then there was Beckman. She had never intended to start anything with Beckman, it had just sort of happened. The two had always been close, and the time they spent training together every day brought them even closer. Perhaps there was something about the way he’d touch her gently, correcting her form, or how proud he looked of her when she pushed herself to her limits. When she’d successfully completed her first pull-up, he’d brought her a beer to chug in celebration, then promptly made her do nine more.

Riley knew Beckman had been thrilled with her progress so far, and could see it in the way he looked at her. But it wasn’t just pride, there was something else there, too. And one day on the beach as he held her feet down and coached her through a set of sit-ups, he couldn’t help but kiss her as she brought her body up towards her knees. Riley had been quite shocked at first, but quickly returned the kiss, looping her arms behind his neck and dragging him back down with her, his body over top of hers.

And that was how it began. With Makino keeping Shanks occupied and their location seemingly safe, he hadn’t been joining her to sleep as much. Instead, Beckman had taken his place in her room, or her in his as the case sometimes was. It was just sex, at least at this point, and the two didn’t feel the need to announce it to the crew, so they kept it quiet. But they also felt a little guilty about their secret, especially when it came to Shanks.

On the other side of the bar, as his crewmates chatted boisterously, Beckman found himself musing over much the same kind of thing Riley was. He watched her with a smile on his face as she laughed at a stupid joke Bonk had made. He really, really liked seeing her laugh. Beckman was sort of terrified of the way he was beginning to feel about her. He’d been with a lot of women, but never like this.

The issue was Shanks. Not that he thought the captain would have a problem with his second in command and doctor being in a relationship on principle, but there was an unspoken question. Or, more accurately, a question Beckman had tried to broach with Shanks before but had been shot down: he still wasn’t sure where Shanks stood on having feelings for Riley. He knew his captain well enough to know that it was probably more than platonic, but all Shanks had ever done was avoid or deny it. And now that Beckman found himself developing feelings for Riley, he wasn’t sure what to do with that. And Shanks was spending quite a lot of time with Makino, so did he even still harbor feelings for Riley at all, or had he moved on? It was getting complicated, and he desperately wanted to figure it out, if only Shanks would just be fucking honest with him.

Deciding to step outside for a cigarette, Beckman caught Riley’s eye and nodded in the direction of the door. She understood and excused herself from the table, grabbing her drink and following him onto the porch. The night was warm and still, and the lights in the houses along the street began slowly switching off as the residents of Foosha Village turned in for the night.

Riley leaned over the railing, drink in her hand, and Beckman settled in next to her, his lighter illuminating his face for just a moment.

“You think we should tell Shanks about us, don’t you?” Riley said.

Beckman nodded. “I do. I don’t like keeping secrets, even if they’re harmless. He’s our best friend, and our captain, and he should know if two of his senior officers are…doing what we’re doing. But I also think we need to figure out what us is first.”

Riley knew he was right. They knew they were friends. They knew the sex was amazing. But they also knew that there was something much, much more there. “What do you want us to be?”

Beckman exhaled smoke into the air, then turned to look at her. “Long-term, I don’t know. But I do know you’re more to me than a friend at this point. A lot more.”

Riley couldn’t stop the grin that split her face. “I feel the same, Beck.”

Beckman smiled and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to plant a gentle kiss on it. “Don’t think this means I’m gonna go easy on you in training” he said with a mischievous grin. “If anything, I’m just gonna push you harder.”

Riley laughed. “I’d expect nothing less. Let me close out our tabs and we’ll get out of here?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. And hey, do you mind if I’m the one to talk to Shanks? I got a few other things to bring up to him as well.”

“Not at all. Tomorrow?”

Beckman nodded. “Tomorrow.”

Riley disappeared into the bar and returned a few minutes later. She grabbed Beckman’s hand, and the two walked back to the ship, together.

The next morning Beckman found Shanks drinking his coffee on the upper deck and went to join him. Much of the crew wasn’t up yet, and he’d decided to give Riley the day off from training as he’d kept her up awfully late the night before. “‘Morning, cap.”

“Beck,” Shanks acknowledged with a smile.

For a moment the two stood in silence, the sun creeping over the horizon. “Shanks, I need to talk to you about something.”

“Is it about you and Riley?” Shanks replied with a knowing grin. Beckman was taken aback. Shanks laughed. “Come on, man, your rooms are right next to mine. You really think I didn’t know?”

Beckman blushed a little. “We’ve…been trying to keep quiet. I’ve got the bite marks on my shoulder as proof.”

“Nahh, it’s not about noise,” Shanks assured him. “I can hear sometimes, sure, but mostly I’ve just seen you sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms.”

“I’m sorry, Shanks. We didn’t want to keep it from you any more. We both felt bad about it honestly, and thought you needed to know, especially now that it’s becoming….something else.”

“You’re in love with her,” Shanks said softly.

Beckman sighed, a smile crossing his features. “Yeah, I am. And I think she loves me too.”

Shanks patted his friend affectionately on the back. “I’m happy for you, man. And for Riley. Can’t say I didn’t see it coming.”

“So you’re okay with it? I mean, from a captain’s perspective?”

“Of course!” Shanks said, almost offended at the implication. “Beck, I trust you both more than anyone else in the world. I know you’d never do anything to jeopardize your positions on this crew and your relationship with each other as friends and crewmates. And yeah, you technically have authority over her, which has the potential to get dicey, but I’m here to help with that if it ever becomes an issue. And look, if it works out, great. If it doesn’t, I know you’ll both handle it appropriately and things would eventually go back to normal. That’s not a concern for me at all.”

Beckman remained silent as relief washed over him. Shanks knew. He was okay with it. Hell, he was downright supportive. Now for the hard part.

“Shanks, I’m gonna ask you something and I need you to answer me honestly this time. Not just as your second in command but as your friend. Okay?” Shanks nodded. He knew what was coming. “Do you have feelings for Riley?”

Shanks let out a sigh. The time for denying and avoiding was over. “It’s complicated, Beck. The simple answer is yes. To some extent, at least. I won’t deny that the feelings I have for her are more than just friendship.”

“Then I’m gonna call it off with her,” Beckman said decisively. “I love her, but if you have feelings for her too I’m not gonna do anything that will cause problems between us.”

“Beck, no, just….just listen,” Shanks replied quickly. “The complex answer is that I would never act on those feelings. I know she doesn’t feel the same, and even if she did I’m her captain. We couldn’t be anything, and I have no intention of ever pursuing her. At least, not unless I knew she wanted me to. Which she doesn’t and probably never will.”

“And Makino?”

Shanks huffed out a laugh. “I like her. A lot, actually. I wouldn’t say it’s love for either of us, but it’s been…really, really nice. She and I both agree that this is a temporary thing, and we’re enjoying our time together while it lasts. Honestly, I think having her around has really helped with the whole ‘unrequited feelings’ thing. She knows that too.”

“And what about after? When we leave here for good? Do you think it’ll be a problem?”

“Nah. I’ve been silently pining over Riley for like a year now. It’s just a state of being at this point, and I’ll get over it in time. I want her to be happy and I want you to be happy. If you’re happy together, then I’m happy for you.” Shanks looked a little sad, but Beckman knew he was being honest.

Beckman sighed. That was about the answer he expected. He couldn’t deny he felt a little weird, being with the woman his best friend also harbored feelings for, even if Shanks claimed to be okay with it. But Beckman trusted Shanks at his word, and knew Shanks would never jeopardize their friendship.

“Got it. Thank you, Shanks.” He clapped the younger man on the shoulder, then turned and walked away.

“Hey,” Shanks said, grabbing his attention. Beckman turned. “You take care of her, okay? Make her happy.”

Beckman smiled. “I will.”

Just a few months later, Riley was about ready to finish the first phase of her training, getting stronger with her now-open boyfriend Beckman. The crew had taken the news of their relationship well, and she was thrilled to not be sneaking around anymore.

Of course, Beckman couldn’t consider her training complete without testing her. He took the role of her trainer seriously, and before he could allow her to move onto hand-to-hand combat, he had to make sure she was not only strong enough, but was able to use the skills he had taught her. Their training hadn’t just been about physical strength, though that was certainly a key component. But it also involved balance, agility, and being able to think quickly on her feet. He’d designed her training keeping in mind the numerous unlikely physical dangers he’d found himself in over his years of piracy: being chased by wild animals, dodging arrows, climbing rock cliffs, and so on. In order to make sure she was adequately prepared, he’d tried to factor in a variety of challenges without having to actually shoot at her with arrows.

The best way to do that, he figured, was to make her use her skills in facing one of her biggest fears: heights. Beckman knew Riley had always been terrified of heights, but the fact was that being comfortable in high places would one day come in handy for her, if not be outright necessary for her survival. So he came up with a plan.

On the last morning of this phase of her training, Beckman brought Riley onto the upper deck. She was surprised that not only was the whole crew there, but a number of people from town had gathered on the docks below. Luffy had a place of honor with Shanks on the captain’s chair. Whatever was going on, she was sure it was a big deal.

“You ready?” Beckman asked.

“I think so?” Riley replied, looking around. “What’s going on?”

“It’s your final test.”

Riley grinned. “You didn’t tell me there would be a test. I didn’t even study.”

Beckman leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Not that kind of test. It’s a test of your strength and skill.”

“All right then. What are we doing?”

Beckman looked up, and Riley followed his gaze. “We’re gonna climb it.”

Riley did a double take. “You mean the ship?”

“Yup,” he said with a grin. “First we’ll take the rope net up the main mast. Once we reach the middle crow’s nest you’ll have to climb the rest of the way with just your body strength and a belt for support. Then from the upper crow’s nest, you’re going to jump to the yard of the top mizzen sail. You’ll climb halfway down the ropes, jump onto the lateen, and run up the rig.”

“And then?” she asked, her voice shaky. “How do we get down?”

Beckman only grinned. “You’ll see. Ready?”

“Beck, I don’t–”

“Hey,” he cut her off, placing a comforting hand on her face. “Trust me. I’d never let anything bad happen to you, and I wouldn’t have you do this if I didn’t think you could handle it. I’ll be with you the whole time. Okay?”

Riley smiled and leaned into his touch. “Okay.”

“Then let’s get started. You wanna go first, or should I?”

“I’ll start, at least for now.” Riley brought herself to the rope netting leading up the main mast. This part she could do. She’d been on them before. Never all the way up, sure, but this part she could do.

She took a deep breath and began the climb. A series of whoops and cheers broke out from the crowd below, and echoes of “You can do it, Riley!” Riley smiled and took the first step onto the rope net. One hand up and one foot up, then the other side. She kept her eyes on the crow’s nest above her, and before she knew it, she had reached the platform. That wasn’t so bad, she thought. A few minutes later, Beckman joined her.

“Good job, darlin',” he said, bending down to give her a kiss.

“Can I get one of those after every part?” Riley said with a grin.

“If it’ll help,” Beckman replied. “But you gotta earn it. Here,” he handed her a wide leather strap, with the ends wrapped in string for a better grip. “We’ve done this on trees before. Get the strap around the mast, high as you can go. Jump and get your legs around the mast as much as possible, using your legs to put pressure on it. Get yourself steady, move the strap up, and repeat. It’s about twenty-five or thirty feet to the top.”

Twenty-five or thirty feet from where she was, meaning it was about sixty feet from the top of the mast to the deck. She’d possibly survive that fall if she needed to, if she didn’t break her spine on the crow’s nest on the way down. Bracing the strap around the mast, she began the climb. Move the strap up, pull her body up, wrap her legs, and repeat. She found that as long as she kept looking up, she was fine, though she couldn’t deny she was aware of the ever-increasing height. The wind was stronger up here than it was on the deck, and it whipped through her hair, which she really wished she had thought to pull back.

She didn’t know how long it took, but she made it. Riley took the opportunity to look out over the sea before her, as well as at the town below, seeing dozens of people on the ground as well as the pirates on deck cheering. She couldn’t deny their support felt good. Looking out to sea, she saw that it was really quite lovely from up here. She allowed herself to enjoy the view as she waited for Beckman, not wanting to think about the next obstacle.

Beckman’s head poked up through the bottom of the crow’s nest a minute later. She offered him a hand and helped him up, and he took the opportunity to pull her into a kiss. “Two down, three to go,” he said.

“Three? The jump, running up the lateen….then what?”

Beckman only smiled. “Do you want me to go first?”

Riley looked out towards the mizzen mast, then brought her gaze to the deck below. It was a long drop.

"Yeah," she said, her voice small with fear. "Please."

Beckman grabbed one of the ropes for support and stepped up onto the edge of the crow's nest. "Remember when we did this up in the mountains over that crevasse? Bring all of your weight into your feet and bend your knees, then release it into your upper body and jump, stretching your legs wide. Just focus on me, okay?" Beckman then did exactly that, leaping widely and landing in a crouching position on the sail's yard. He moved to the side towards the crow’s nest to allow her room to land. Riley had remembered that crevasse, all right. It was barely three-quarters the length of what Beckman was asking her to do now.

Riley gripped the rope and took a shaky step up, balancing herself on the edge of the crow's nest. In attempting to look at her feet's positioning, she looked down. Below her she saw Shanks with a soft smile on his face, and Luffy perched on his lap, neither of them seeming particularly concerned about her falling on them. "YOU GOT THIS, RILEY!" Luffy called up to her. I got this.

Riley bent her knees and forced all of her energy into her legs. She met Beckman's eyes on the other side. Focus on him, she thought. Springing up from the crow's nest, she leapt, legs spread wide. It couldn't have possibly taken more than a few seconds, but for Riley the time she spent in mid-air with no support to speak of and the deck so far below her felt like forever. But it was getting closer. She saw Beckman. She saw the yard. She was going to make it.

The goal was so close, and her stomach dropped as she realized her feet were dipping below the top of the sail. Reaching out an arm, she managed to grasp the yard with one hand. She felt her body collide with the furled sail as her fingers gripped the rounded wooden support with every ounce of energy she had. It was probably fortunate that she was too scared to notice the crowd's gasp.

Beckman walked towards her, balancing so easily on the narrow purchase it was almost annoying.

"Beck, help me up," she said, trying to extend her other arm towards him.

Beckman, the man who supposedly loved her, crossed his arms. "Nope. You can do it."

Riley's fingers were slowly slipping, the sweat on them causing her to lose friction.

"Beckman, I'm not fucking kidding, please, help me!"

He crouched down to be closer to her. "Riley. Remember what I said. There's nothing I'm asking you to do that I'm not confident you can handle. Trust yourself." He pushed a loose chunk of hair behind her ear, then rose and walked back towards the crow’s nest.

Trust myself. Okay. Step one, get a better grip. The furled sail pressed against her, but she could use its folds and ropes for support. She brought a leg up into the folds of the sail, then boosted her body up, allowing her to grab onto the support and loop her arms and legs around it, like a right side up sloth.

Okay. I did it. Now to stand up. Riley slowly brought herself to all fours, carefully placing her hands and knees on the narrow beam. She slowly rose to a kneeling position, then standing. The wind was strong, and she instinctively bent her knees for stability, bringing her body weight into her legs. The crowd below let out its biggest cheer yet. She looked up to see Beckman beaming at her, his hand extended. She walked towards him and he brought her in for a kiss.

"Great job, baby. I knew you could do it," he said with a smile.

"I'm probably going to be very, very angry at you later," she replied, her heart pounding in her chest.

Beckman chuckled. "I'll take that risk. Come on, we're almost done."

He guided her around the crow’s nest and together they descended the rope net about two-thirds down the mast until the lateen was a short leap away.

"I'll go first," he said, "Remember, you need to run. Knees bent, feet facing slightly outward. Back straight, don't look at your feet so much that you lean forward." With one more quick kiss, he leapt from the ropes and onto the support, then made his way leisurely up the rig. When he reached the far end, he stopped and turned towards her, waiting.

Compared to what she just did, this would be easy. Riley turned so her back was to the ropes, then made the leap onto the beam. Both feet landed and she swayed back and forth for a moment, catching her balance. The crowd on the ship and in the town was going wild at this point. Looking towards land, it seemed almost the whole town had turned out for the show. She could even see Makino and Woop Slap in the crowd, cheering her on. She allowed the cheers of encouragement to wash over her. This was it. She was going to make it.

Getting her feet and knees into position, Riley began to run up the steep angle of the rig. She reached Beckman in a matter of seconds, and he brought her close, lifting her off the beam and kissing her passionately.

"That wasn't so bad, huh?" he said.

"Compared to jumping onto the mizzen sail and almost dying? Easy."

Beckman chuckled. "We're almost done. Ready?"

She still wasn’t sure what she was supposed to be ready for, but at this point it didn’t really matter, did it? "Ready."

Beckman released her from his grip, then turned away and walked to the edge of the rig. When he leapt into the water below, she had to laugh.

Riley brought herself to the edge. It had to be at least seventy-five feet to the water. If she landed wrong, it could easily kill or paralyze her. She watched as Beckman swam out of the way, and she found herself remembering when they first met, his body soaked and with a half-dead Shanks in one arm. What a long way they'd come. Six years ago, she never would have thought this would be where they were, not in her wildest dreams.

She'd come this far. She couldn't back out now. Riley shut her eyes tightly and held her nose shut with two fingers…then she leapt, pointing her toes to break the water's surface pressure. The cold water shocked her as her body submerged deeper and deeper, before releasing its hold and allowing her to swim to the top. Breaking the surface, she pushed her wet hair out of her face with both hands and looked around for Beckman. He swam up to her and brought her in for a long, wet kiss.

"I love you, Riley," he said. "I'm so proud of you."

Riley laughed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"I love you too, Beck."

Previous - Chapter 4: Rescue and Reconciliation

Next - Coming soon

#akagami no shanks x reader #akagami no shanks #red haired shanks x reader #red haired shanks #red hair pirates #red hair shanks #benn beckman #benn beckman x reader #one piece fanfiction

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triflesandparsnips · 2 years

Text

So I saw this post by @ipomoea-batatas about Stede Bonnet becoming "a competent pirate by fully understanding and harnessing his own particular brand of lunacy" -- and I went a bit feral.

Because I think we've already seen the start of it.

Okay. Izzy Hands, right? And his very first meeting with Stede.

All anybody knows about this Bonnet guy is that (1) he and his crew have run aground, and it evidently wasn't on purpose because (2) instead of doing repair work or cleaning the hull while beached, the crew are just running around blowing shit up and loudly listing fish--

AND YET (3) these same people, lead by the unknown, untested Captain Bonnet, have managed to capture English officers.

You know who else Izzy knows who can pull off that kind of bullshit? Who looks mad as a hatter and half distracted by whether the clouds look more or less like lunch foods, and is nonetheless "legendary" and the "most brilliant sailor" he has ever met?

Yeah.

But there's only one Blackbeard out there, so whatever this Captain Bonnet's deal is, it's probably accidental, or they're just not getting the whole story, or whatever. It doesn't matter much. Izzy and his landing party don't even bother to engage beyond asking Buttons for some info-- they just buy the officers out from under Bonnet and head back to the ship, and that should've been the end of it until they all ran into each other at the Republic or, failing that, the gallows.

And then.

This fuckin' dude.

Who is wearing half of an incredibly expensive tailored outfit in the middle of the fucking jungle. Who's clearly got no fucking clue what to do with a blade, since he's got his knife brandished off to the side, leaving his center completely unguarded, and also it's a fucking knife. Against three professionals with swords and fucking guns.

This guy. Has just jumped pigeon-toed into Izzy's path and essentially proclaimed himself to be the elusive Bonnet.

(There are bows on this dick's unscratched high-heeled shoes, Izzy thinks. And he's just said the word "trifle" five fucking times.)

So yeah, Izzy figures he can cross "secretly clever" off his list of possibilities and chalk up all of Bonnet's successes so far to blind luck and a rich man's fancy. And that being the case, Izzy has the time and inclination to have a bit of fun and give this idiot a warning while he's at it. He spends a happy minute seeing if he can make the fop scream, faint, or blush his way back into the bush with a bit of swordplay and a lot of bared skin.

The man does, in fact, gasp. But he doesn't run. And instead of screaming or covering himself up-- or, fuck, even relying on some gentrified insult that would give Izzy the excuse to just kill the guy-- this absolute asshole raises his eyebows and fucking compliments him.

And Izzy's mouth is running on automatic, already going with the tee'd up line he'd had ready for this fuckwit when he inevitably said something classist about peasants or whatever-- except that's not what Bonnet had said, was it? and-- the fuck was that noise?

"Do you hear that?" says Bonnet, cocking his head and looking wide-eyed in the opposite fuckin' direction of the sound and just, like, electing to ignore the sword pointing at his chest. "I didn't know this isle was haunted."

It's clearly a diversionary tactic, just as it's clearly one of Bonnet's crew out in the forest. Izzy knows how this shit goes, he's seen Edward do it often enough.

(A strange thought slouches indistinctly into view behind Izzy's other, more pressing concerns.)

But for all that it's definitely a crewmember out there, Izzy can't deny that Bonnet's-- weird. Compliments. Sticking his ground. Those fucking shoes.

It's distracting.

(The thought is starting to make its way to the forefront of Izzy's mind, but its trenchcoat and enormous polyester wig are preventing him from identifying what his hindbrain has figured out well before his conscious brain has.)

Out in the real world, Izzy's sword doesn't drop, but his eyes do turn away for a moment, even though he knows he fuckin' oughtn't. He course-corrects-- goes with his gut, and decides to call Bonnet's bluff.

"It's obviously one of your men," Izzy says. If Bonnet had enough people for it, he wouldn't have stuck himself as bait. Fuck, he probably wouldn't have bothered with a fuckery at all, just surrounded the landing party and been done with it. The only logical scenario is that Bonnet doesn't have the resources to actually overpower Izzy's party--

But then--

Then why try at all?--

(The strange thought has started to use its elbows to ruthlessly shove its way to the front. The wig is lost in the shuffle.)

Captain Bonnet raises his brows again, eyes now tight on Izzy's. "But is it?" he says.

(Away goes the trenchcoat. There's leather underneath.)

"Yes it is," says Izzy.

Bonnet, despite Izzy's sword still pointed at his fucking chest, actually leans forward.

(Closer now, the thought says, "Izzy, Izzy, Izzy.")

Bonnet's eyes are wide, unblinking as he says, "But is it?"

("You know me," says the thought, and it sounds amused, and bored, and it's walking right past him and moving until it's looking out of this new captain's eyes, and--)

Izzy breaks. And after a bit more theatre, Bonnet wins.

Which could be fine, maybe, if Izzy'd been bested by another Blackbeard... but he wasn't. Stede fucking Bonnet is nothing like Blackbeard. Never mind the fuckery-- that was amateur theatricals, that's all. And certainly never mind the madness-- just a pampered rich boy who managed to make Izzy Hands blink.

Reason enough to hate Bonnet right there. Because if Izzy Hands has to confront the idea that someone silly and stupid with more money than sense can do exactly what Blackbeard does, but backwards and in heels with bows on them, then he'll have to confront some grim fucking truths about how exactly Edward has become a "legend" and what it means that Izzy was fooled by it for so very, very long.

#our flag means death #stede bonnet #izzy hands #s01e02 #a damned man #I wanted to talk about how Stede has the ability and the drive to be an absolutely bananas pirate #but then I accidentally wrote a whole-ass breakdown of Izzy and Stede's meeting from Izzy's POV #whoops

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sliceroftpeirweirisles · 4 months

Text

Whumpuary 2024 Day 7

7. (Jan 13-14) "I didn't know where else to go" / Bruises / Drugged

Davenport understood the dangers of exploring each new planar system. A new challenge with every landing of the ship. Some planar systems ended up being nicer than others. Some, however, were too dangerous to explore.

The crew had been so lucky to find The Light this time around, but it did not come without some challenges. They lost Merle and Barry while managing to bring The Light to the Starblaster. The rest of the party made it out relatively unharmed. Except for Davenport. He’d managed to save face until everyone had finished winding down from the expedition, but the wall he’d put up was crumbling by the minute.

His small gnome body wasn’t built very sturdy when it came to danger. He was currently nursing some bruises and a possible cracked rib, but he could tell there was a bit more damage on his back. He couldn't see or reach anything on his back, so all he could go off was the level of pain he was in. Davenport wandered down the hall of the barracks and stopped when he reached Lucretia’s room. A gentle knock on the door later, Lucretia emerged and was surprised to see their captain.

“Oh! I’m sorry, did you need me for something?” Lucretia asks before she notices how fatigued her captain is.

“Can I come in?” Davenport deflects with a question, and Lucretia steps aside to let her captain inside. He gracefully makes his way in and takes a long moment to sit down on the stool by her vanity. “I-I didn’t know where else to go… I just need someone to look at my bruises, and I trust you.”

“Davenport…” Lucretia sighs before kneeling by the stool. “I can take a look. I also have some healing potions left over from our last cycle, if need be.”

He nods and starts unbuttoning his captain's jacket. It’s easy to unbutton, but taking it off was something else entirely. Davenport manages to keep silent as Lucretia helps him struggle out of his jacket, and then his shirt. A quick visual scan of his body determines that he isn’t bleeding from any open wounds. On his back, however, there were some particularly nasty bruises and a mark that looked more concerning than others. It looked like he was bleeding just under the surface layer of skin.

“How badly did you get hit?” Lucretia asks absentmindedly while she examines the bruising. Davenport flinches with a hiss of pain when Lucretia just barely puts pressure on it. “This looks like it will heal with a couple of potions, but you’re definitely bleeding internally.” Lucretia stands and smooths out her slacks. “Just give me a moment to find them.”

“I’m not going anywhere soon, Luce,” Davenport smirks, although he finds it increasingly hard to stay upright. He picked the stool because it was the lowest chair he managed to climb into while injured. That being said, balance was key on a stool, and he could feel his balance slowly deteriorating.

#whumpuary2024 #whumpuaryno7 #bruises #I didn't know where else to go #taz #the adventure zone #taz balance #davenport #captain davenport #lucretia #the stolen century #whump

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soleilnomoon · 2 years

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can i have sorbet and licorice with poppy seeds with side menu #1 zoro?

hiii, thanks for being patient 😊💙 i love writing angsty zoro <3

1.1k words, gn reader (no pronouns), sfw, slightly suggestive, 18+ mdni, a lil bit of angst, hurt/comfort; zoro means well, he does, but he's also bad at dealing w. irrational people.

a light dusting of snow settles on the expansive deck of the sunny, an accompanying gust of wind — bitter, sharp, inescapable — making it nearly impossible to stand outside for longer than ten minutes. chopper is in his element, smiling as he collects snowflakes on his extended tongue; luffy follows suit, encourages usopp and brook to play along with them — with brook lamenting that not having a tongue makes it difficult to feel the same sensation that they do — before complaining about the cold weather.

you watch from the second floor, breath coasting against the glass of the window in the library, laughing softly. the others seek refuge inside the warmth of the various rooms around the ship, with the exception of one, who sees the cold as an opportunity to train intensively.

zoro makes his way onto the upper deck, sequestering a small area for himself so he can work out. it pains you to look at him — he’s left his shirt on a nearby lawn chair and, for some reason, is also barefoot. you’ve tried countless times to understand his line of thinking, have even offered him various solutions that don’t require him to be half-naked all the time — not because you dislike seeing him like that, but because it’s hard to focus on the things he says — but it’s all the same. he’s stubborn, refuses assistance, and thinks your cause for concern is entirely misplaced.

with a sigh — one full of melancholy and anxiety — you tread outside, tugging a scarf around your neck closely as you try to stay as warm as possible. growing up on a warm island means you’re not equipped to deal with weather like this; no matter how many winter islands you pass, you’ll never get used to the cold. zoro’s in the middle of lifting weights, barely registering the low temperature as his body’s natural warmth keeps him steady; you sometimes wished you could be like him — unattached, steadfast, vicious — and sometimes you feared the intensity that surrounded him.

you’ve never been the type to shy away from voicing your opinions, but for some reason, after watching the way the muscles on his back flex, those words fizzle and cease to exist.

not that anyone asked his opinion, but it is really fucking cold outside.

still, no amount of extreme weather could make him oblivious to your presence. he’s quite apt at differentiating the sounds of his crew mates footsteps. even in the snow, your steps are light and hesitant — as if you don’t know if you should stay or go. he doesn’t acknowledge your presence for a moment, but since you keep moving around, he can’t focus on his work out.

“what is it?”

he inhales deeply through his nostrils, places the large dumbbells on the floor and stretches his arms a bit. his voice scratches against your skin, his irritation palpable as your words continue to evade you. when you still don’t say anything, he finally turns to face you, lone eye searching your face for something — you don’t know what. it makes you nervous, the way his eye sweeps over you several times before he settles on your face.

“i’m waiting,” he says a little impatiently, the air nipping at his skin, flushing his cheeks and nose.

you know if you don’t answer him then it’ll be that much worse, but you can’t say anything — if you do, you know you’ll just mess things up further. but with the way he’s looking at you, you know that if you don’t say anything soon, you’ll never get that opportunity again. “i…” your throat dries as you try to imagine the apology sliding off of your tongue and infiltrating the air between you; in a perfect world, you’d both laugh your foolishness off, but this world is far from perfect, and zoro isn’t inclined to find things like that funny.

his brow quirks upward, but when you don’t make any move to continue, he starts to walk past you. his silence slaps you repeatedly, making you numb to the cold, and when the sounds of his heavy footsteps start to get further and further away, you panic. “wait,” you call out, pivoting around so you can look at him properly. “don’t leave.” it’s pathetic, really, the way the tears well up in your eyes, the way you try to blink them away — fruitless endeavors as they spill down your cheeks regardless.

hesitation stills his movements, which allows you to catch up with the stubborn swordsman without issue. you bite down on your lip so hard you’re sure you’ll draw blood, legs carrying you towards him quickly. he never turns around, but it doesn’t matter; you wrap your arms around him, warmth radiating off of his body the moment you make contact. you press your cheek against his back, closing your eyes and willing your mind to settle for five seconds so you can tell him what you need to say.

“i’m sorry,” you say quietly, voice coming out in shallow puffs, his own breathing a little uneven at your proximity. “i should’ve listened to you.”

the excuse is one you say often, which is partially why he’s agitated. while he knows you’re not totally incapable of defending yourself in battle, he’s always, always told you to not wander off on your own, especially with enemies who are particularly tricky to deal with. you’re prone to falling and somehow attract danger without trying. this time, you nearly got yourself killed — which would’ve also resulted in a few of your other crew mates being critically injured too.

you’re well aware of your mistake; you miscalculated, tried to overcompensate for your shortcomings, and put your crew mates at risk. he has every reason to be upset, you know that, but it still doesn’t hurt any less. it’s not that he means to intentionally not talk to you, but there’s no other way he can deal with it, particularly because you’re hard-headed and sometimes don’t see reason. you do now, though. that was a little too close for comfort, and the guilt has settled on your chest heavily, making it difficult to breathe most days.

the argument had escalated between you, resulting in you saying things you didn’t mean, and him walking away without resolving the issue with you. he knows he should pry you off of him, should shake you and hope that sense finds you quickly; but he doesn’t. instead he sighs and simply says, “okay.” it comes out quietly, but you hear it. and when you do eventually let him go, he pulls you towards him so that he can properly hug you. it’s not that he wants to stay upset with you, but the fear of losing you — of losing anyone that’s close to him, really — grows stronger with time. he knows you didn’t intend for anything bad to happen, but he hopes that maybe now you’ll think a little carefully before you make rash decisions; and while you’re not 100% certain you won’t be hit with another impulsive whim of yours, you do know that you’ll think a little more before doing something like that again.

#fic request #one piece x reader #one piece imagine #one piece angst #roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x reader #roronoa zoro x y/n #zoro x reader #zoro x y/n #zoro angst #zoro is surprisingly tame and mature; love that journey for him #milestone event #500+ followers event #🍭✨🍨sticky & sweet event🧁✨🍭

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humbletumblecrudi · 2 years

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I have an incredibly specific prompt (so feel free to disregard if it’s too much), but I was curious to see how you’d write Jade pining for a Male MC that likes someone else and is unaware of Jade’s feelings? Thanks in advance!

Oh, this is perfectly okay Anon, don't you worry! (☆▽☆) Jade is my favorite character... if not my absolute favorite with no questions asked! And this gave me feels, because I'd date him and be his boyfriend any day! (人 •͈ᴗ•͈)

Synopsis: ❝ You lead on Jade unknowingly, and he has really affectionate feelings for you... ❞

Ship: Jade × Male!Reader

Disclaimer: This is not Yandere, just Jade being his secret slimy self. You also break Jade's heart and lead him along (unknowingly).

❌ Warnings: Fem Aligned [She/Her, She/They, She/It] do not interact with my Male Reader works, or you will be blocked. Please request GN works if you want to see similar writing for you. (Only one exception has been made)

🇯‌🇦‌🇩‌🇪‌‌ 🇱‌🇪‌🇪‌🇨‌🇭‌

→ Jade is an enigma to almost everyone who truly looks at him and his actions, he's a man of mystery in an unpredictable way. Jade Leech has an aesthetic he keeps of a meek and reliable person, one that tricked Trey into thinking he was subservient to other's whims…

→ But beneath the mask, there is a predator lying in wait. His thin and charming smile hides sharp, razor teeth. His eyes hide his feelings and are shaped so nicely for makeup. His clothes are so formal and properly worn because it fits his right-hand man status (and he genuinely likes being put together, make no mistake).

→ He does as Azul's right-hand needs to do, and he's not afraid to crack his aesthetic to make a person get what he's laying down (most likelyーat that pointーit's threats)... But he felt his mask crack in the opposite direction with you for the first time…

→ You had been in the Monstro Lounge to meet Azul, filling out your points card for something you didn't want to share, and Jade was curious as ever. You, in your uniform done up formally, drinking something from the specialty menu as you look at your points card had caught his attention… And like clockwork, he became nosey.

→ "Oya… you're here again, drinking the same item, and looking at your ticket. My, whatever could drive you to drink like this?" Jade had come to a stop just within range of your table, and he smiles just as normally as always. His smile showed worry, but he felt mirthful at your patronage. "Are you alright?"

→ You look from your ticket and smile at him, your smile guarded equally to his own masked smile. You greet each other and he truly does want to know why you need Azul's benevolence, and what concerns you so…

→ … If you had only asked Jade, he'd do anything for you within reason. Surely, after all you've made him prove his friendship, he'd think you'd use it… ?

→ You never seem to crack, but Jade has seen how you give into niceties and genuine wonder; the crew you have that follow you around secretly fear you for it, after all. When he gives you a wondering, wistful gaze and bats his eyes just right, he sees you sigh and finally give in.

→ "It's… for his opinion. Maybe I'll ask for help if it's near impossible alone, but I'm not key on giving up so easily."

→ Oh, that is indeed interesting. Buying all this, for a question? Now he's curious. "If it's not personal, you don't have to answer, but… may I ask for what?"

→ Jade, having leaned down to keep the conversation to yourselves, felt you turn slowly and into his ear, and speak quietly. "For love."

→ Just those words, coupled with the warm breath against his ear and neck, had him flustered. Oh dear, excuse him a second! You might have cracked his mask enough to make his blush, and you have turned back to your card. You look so determined at it, and he looks so stunned you actually had an effect on him.

→ His mask had slipped, and his feelings had been so open… ! It was frighteningly attractive of you to do that so easily, and then turn away like that. The tease! He didn't know you were that type of man, and he liked it. His favorite mask of causing fear and putting another in their place just didn't sound right for you, you deserve…

→ … meek, subservient, and lovestruck…

→ And he really wants to use it upon you, as you make him feel strangely pleasant and he wants to be on your "level" of playing field. Land dwellers really like being on equal footing, if not feeling above another creature naturally…

→ And oh, how the idea of having you feel the need to protect him, the poor and calm Leech twin, makes his smile widen and his face heat. Maybe he likes the thought of another man, a potential boyfriend, being his dear prince charming… or his bad boy protector; he really likes the thought of both!

→ … Maybe he likes that bad boy protector image a bit too much, he might have daydreamed about it more than once (Floyd obviously noticed, as well)...

→ Everyday you come to fill out your ticket, you smile as he personally serves you (he did pull strings for you to be his personal customer), and he smiles back. Everytime you get it filled, he staples it with gusto as you hold it out, it's like clockwork. Everytime you come, he's ready with a new topic to ask you about and to drop hints he'd love to take you out (... romantically, he assured)!

→ Everytime, you leave with a laugh or leave with a smile. Everytime, he's no closer to getting your heart…

→ Until he finally staples the last slot, and you're practically vibrating in your seat! He teased you, of course…

→ "My, you must have been waiting for this day for so long! It's been nearly a month since you told me what you wanted from Azul." He teased, before he straightened himself out to give you the news. "Thank you, valued customer, for filling out your ticket. I, as senior staff, have acknowledged your efforts and your eligibility for a meeting with the manager. At any given time, please specify when you'd like to meet with Azul Ashengrotto."

→ And upon the time and day, Floyd allows for Jade to personally escort you in and give you (disguised) congratulations for your efforts in the Lounge, and even jokes you must be tired of their beverages at this point…

→ And taking his stance with Floyd behind Azul, they stand at attention as Azul gets the meeting underway, and you bring up your reasons for coming here. They have not changed since you talked with him a month ago.

→ Azul speaks rather frankly, but he still sounds pleased to be here (it'd be rude not to, as Jade had been noted by Azul to fancy you), "My opinions, and if needed, my assistance in love? I am glad you think so highly of my judgement, sir. But, love is a fickle and malleable emotion, it is not guaranteed to work or fail on simple whims alone." Azul warns. "But, it can be achieved, I assure you. Please, speak the name of the one your heart desires."

→ If Jade could feel colder than when icebergs hover and block the sun from the sea, and bleed out freezing whisps into the tides of his home…

→ … It's when you name a name that isn't his.

#Twisted Wonderland #TWST #Fem Aligned Do Not Interact #x Reader #Twisted Wonderland x Reader #TWST x Reader #Jade Leech x Reader #Twisted Wonderland x Male Reader #TWST x Male Reader #Jade Leech x Male Reader #Twisted Wonderland Angst #TWST Angst #TWST Imagines

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anakinskywalkerog · 2 years

Text

The Jedi and the Loth Rat (Episode 8)

Kanan Jarrus x Padawan!Reader

Link to Episode 7

Warnings: death (and mention of grief), fighting, a fun lil canon swap

Summary: In search of your parents, you and the ghost crew infiltrate an imperial mining facility on Lothal.

Word Count: 4.7k

Kanan stood on top of the Ghost as it sat parked, looking out over the grassy plain of Lothal, deep in thought. The crew hadn't been back here in a while, not since before you'd been taken by the Grand Inquisitor. So much had changed, since then. Almost all of the change had been good—you'd grown in your power, strengthened your abilities, and become significantly wiser in the ways of the Force. You'd also admitted that you'd been in love with him. Kanan smiled. Sometimes he still had a hard time believing it—that he was free to adore you, to kiss you when he wanted, that you wanted him to—that you loved him too. He knew he would always be there for you, always be ready to be whatever you needed, whether that was in a romantic capacity or not. Still, now that you had opened yourself to him in that way—now that he knew what it was like, to lay beside you as you slept, to touch your face, to feel your body against his—he had to work hard to push down the fear he felt deep within himself that you'd eventually grow tired of him, or develop feelings for someone else. He knew he would never grow tired of you.

And then there was the issue of the emperor, just one of the secrets he still kept from you. Kanan worked hard each morning to clear his mind of this particular worry, to make sure you couldn't intuit this truth through his moods, his presence in the Force. Kanan had never lied to you, except perhaps by omission. The fact remained that you were hunted, that the emperor and those closest to him knew of your abilities and desired to identify you, and destroy you—or worse. Kanan wished he were stronger in the Force, wished he were more enlightened, enough to dislodge these worries permanently, to live in the present. The best he was able to do was push them to the back of his mind, and he did so forcefully, packing them up neatly and hiding them from view. He'd come up here to the top of the ship to find you, and he saw you now, your back to him, seated as you were in a meditative position on top of the cockpit. He stood, quietly, waiting for you to finish.

"What worries you?" he heard you ask, as you turned around, looking to him. Of course, though he had packed up certain thoughts, his mood was still heavy in the air. It was hard to get anything past you, these days. As the two of you had grown closer, romantically, emotionally, and...physically—Kanan felt himself getting distracted, only for a moment—your Force connection had grown even stronger than before, stronger than any Force connection Kanan had known in his life. It meant that keeping things from each other was difficult, if not completely impossible.

Kanan sighed, walking forward on the ship to sit down next to you. "Plenty," he told you, reaching for your hand, pulling it toward him to kiss your fingers. "But nothing you need to be concerned about." You narrowed your eyes at him, ever suspicious of secret-keeping.

"Kanan," you said, and he felt you adding a level of Force command to your voice, a habit you had perfected almost unknowingly. "You can tell me. We need to trust each other, you and I. It will make everything easier from here on out, if you treat me like your equal."

"Equal," Kanan repeated, laughing. "You are far above me in many ways, Y/N. You know this."

"But not in how in love I am," you responded, your voice growing softer, more vulnerable. "Right?" You stuck out your chin, resting your face on Kanan's shoulder.

Kanan laughed. "Right," he said, leaning in to plant kisses all over your face, holding your cheek with his free hand. "I am the most in love. One of the only areas in which I surpass you, I'm afraid." You smiled, and he knew you thought he was wrong. He'd let you believe it.

"So, if you're the most in love," you said, imploringly, sending shivers through Kanan's whole body as you crawled, moving your body closer to his. "Then..."

"Yes?" Kanan asked, looking into your eyes in anticipation. You looked up at him through your lashes, angling your face up toward his, brushing your knees up against his knees.

"Then you'll tell me what's worrying you," you finished, plopping back onto the metal of the ship. Kanan moaned, laughing. The fact was that you now knew how enchanted Kanan was at your very being, how little he was able to refuse you, and you'd begun to use it to your advantage. It was annoying, and adorable. Kanan turned his body to face yours, keeping one of your hands in both of his.

"The truth is," Kanan started, and he felt your body go still, your eyes on his face, because you'd felt the tone shift more serious. "I'm not who you think I am, Y/N." You leaned forward.

"Can I ask, now?" you probed, your eyes wide, your tone tentative. "Can I ask you about Caleb Dume?" Kanan inhaled quickly. As always, you had surprised him.

"How do you know that name?" he asked, though he thought he already knew the answer.

"When we...connected," you said, tenderly, trying to communicate through your eyes a sense of loving acceptance. Kanan felt this forgiving, calming feeling surround him, and he knew you were pushing out with the Force, trying to dispel his anxiety. "When I learned of your feelings for me, when I saw your memories of us through your eyes...I heard and saw other things, as well." Kanan nodded. This made sense.

"Caleb Dume is my name," he said, looking away, out at the plains. "My given name. I shed the name Caleb when I fled Order 66—when I fled my past. My true identity." You were now stroking his hands, cupping them in your own. "There are things about me that you don't know, Y/N. Things you wouldn't like. Things I don't like." Kanan heaved a deep breath. Underneath his voice was his worry, and he knew you felt it. His worry you would leave him when you found out who he truly was—when you found out that he had betrayed his master, that he had run away from those who needed him. That he had deserted his ideals. That he had been a coward.

"I don't need to know everything you've done to know who you are, Kanan," you said, pushing Force calm over him once again. "Some things in the past—they don't matter anymore. What matters is who we are now." Kanan nodded. This sounded very wise, but he didn't fully believe it.

"Did you discover the answers you were looking for?" he asked you, changing the subject for the time being. "Do you know where we should start, in looking for the truth about your parents?" He felt your discomfort at the changing direction of the conversation, but you didn't push it with him.

"I keep seeing flashes," you said. "Memories, I guess. Of the same place."

"Well, we should start there, then," Kanan said, standing up, reaching out his hand to you. You took it, allowing him to help you up. "What place are you referring to?"

"It's a lake," you said, as you turned to walk back in the direction of the upper hatch of the Ghost. Kanan placed a hand on the small of your back. It was a slight gesture, but one that mattered. You felt the care he meant to communicate. He smiled. "A lake my parents took me to, when I was young. I keep seeing it—the way it looked when my parents and I swam, the sun shining on us." Kanan felt the shift in your tone, and began stroking your back with this thumb.

"We'll find out what happened to them, Y/N," Kanan said, and you turned to look at him, your eyes full of anxiety.

"What if they're alive, Kanan?"

"If they are," Kanan said, turning to face you, "I won't rest until we've found them, and brought them home."

"Should we go over the plan, again?" Hera asked, sitting in cockpit of the Phantom.

"We know," Zeb said, rolling his eyes from the co-pilot's chair. "We drop Kanan and tiny a half a mile out. From there, we fly around the rocks to the southern side of the lake, scouting as much as we can from above."

"Then we wait for...well, who knows," Sabine added, standing with you and Kanan near the back of the small ship.

"Just be ready for anything," Kanan told them, and at his words, you felt your insides squirm. Kanan put his hand on your arm. He could always feel your fear, now.

"Coming up on the drop point," Hera told you, as she lowered the ship, but didn't land it. Sabine pressed the button to open the ramp.

"Good luck," Sabine said as you and Kanan jumped the remaining meters to the ground below. The jump was a long one, but, given that you and Kanan had a knack for manipulating the Force, you landed comfortably.

"Whatever happens," Kanan told you, "I'm with you."

"Right," you said, pushing aside your fear. You didn't know what you expected to find here—the place had been calling out to you through the Force, but you were wary of what that might mean. You lead Kanan as you headed in the direction of the lake. It was surrounded by rocks on the western and southern sides, and you'd decided those rocks would be a perfect place to scout out the area, should you run into any unexpected visitors. You began to climb.

"Careful, Y/N," Kanan told you, as he watched your foot slip an inch or two on the rock. He climbed beneath you. Though it wasn't as if you were climbing a cliff, the rocks were sharp and hard, and falling would not be pleasant.

"I've got it," you told Kanan, feeling his hand on your ankle, trying to make sure you didn't fall. Your mind was racing. Why had you seen this lake in your visions? What might you find here?

The two of you climbed on. You pulled yourself up to a landing in the rocks, close to their peaks, a spot that gave you just enough cover to hide, but held a view of the lake below. You heard Kanan pull himself onto the landing beside you.

"Um, Spectre 6? Are you seeing this?" you heard Sabine ask you through the comm attached to your belt. You peered through the rocks at the lake.

It looked nothing like the lake from your memories. The place of your childhood had been remote, surrounded only by natural beauty. The lake you looked down on now was surrounded by buildings, low bridges built over the water in multiple directions. Everything was metallic, built, and disrupted. The water, you saw, had turned an unfamiliar color.

"It's an imperial mining base of some kind," you heard Hera say through the comm. "It looks like they're extracting some kind of raw material."

"But what?" Kanan asked through his comm, his eyes on your face as you beheld the monstrosity below you.

"Will they stop at nothing? Will they leave no stone unturned?" you asked, turning to Kanan, your eyes widening, desperate with an ache for your home world. "Will they destroy every last bit of Lothal?" Kanan had no words of comfort to offer you. He couldn't tell you it would all be all right, nor could he tell you that Lothal might be spared the imperial tyranny you all had come to know so well. Instead, he pressed his lips against your forehead, pulling you close to him, communicating instead that he understood your pain, that he wanted to bear it with you.

"It's the water," you heard Zeb say through the comm. "What they're mining for. It's in the water." You puzzled through this, looking down again at the bridges running over the lake. When you squinted, you could see large, metal devices moving beneath the surface of the lake.

"But what about the fish? The plants?" you asked, feeling the aching pangs in your middle. At this admission, it clicked into place in your mind. You turned to Kanan.

"It's the barinnium," you told him, speaking quickly. "That's what they're mining for. Barinnium."

"What's barinnium?" Kanan asked, keeping his eyes on your face.

"The mineral that colors Lothal's atmosphere. In large quantities, barinnium can be made into explosives." Your eyes clouded as you remembered your parents voices—how they had explained to you what the colors meant, the ones you had seen in the sky when the Empire attacked. "Powerful explosives."

"What does this all have to do with your parents?" Kanan asked, feeling anxious as he looked back down at the facility.

"I don't know. But they knew about the barinnium," you said slowly, thinking hard. "What if the Empire took them because of their knowledge of Lothal's natural resources? What if...what if they're being held prisoner, here?" You scanned the facility beneath you, frantic.

"Y/N," Kanan said, tugging at your arm, trying to get you to look at him. "We wouldn't even know where to begin to look. Maybe we should end this scouting mission now, and come back later, when we know more of what we're dealing with. We can make a plan." You shook your head quickly.

"Kanan, my parents could be down there," you told him, pleading. "Turn back if you want. But I'm not leaving." You scanned the buildings beneath you, looking for a weak point. You didn't see any guards, but you assumed the facility was rigged with other traps—imperial probes, at the very least.

"I'm not leaving you," Kanan said quietly. "I will follow your lead." You nodded, looking back up at him, pure gratitude in your eyes.

"There," you told him, pointing beneath one of the bridges. "See what I see?"

"A vent," Kanan responded, nodding, understanding your train of thought.

"Exactly," you said, your eyes zeroing in on your target. "That's our way in."

You hung on for dear life, the bridge above you, you clinging underneath it with your arms and legs like a spider monkey. Slowly, you crawled, hanging underneath the bridge, Kanan crawling behind you.

"Almost there," you told him, looking at the vent ahead of you, and he nodded, slowing his crawl as he too clung to the underside of the bridge.

"I can...I can feel them," you said, stopping your crawl, distracted by a murmuring in your head.

"Y/N? What is it?" Kanan whispered, his voice sounding uneasy.

"I...my parents," you tried to say, but your vision was starting to cloud as you concentrated on the voices in your head, feeling the images again, the faint impressions of memories. "I can feel them." The Force tugged at you, and you looked up, past the bridge you hung from, up to one of the higher ones. You shook your head, trying to clear your mind. It couldn't be.

"Y/N," Kanan told you again. "Y/N, what's going on?"

"I see him!" you said suddenly, your eyes going wide. "I see my father!" You crawled out from under the bridge, pulling yourself up onto it.

"Y/N, no!" Kanan said urgently, following you up onto the bridge.

"I can hear him speaking to me," you said, turning back to Kanan, your eyes still clouded. You broke into a run, leaping from the bridge you were on to the adjacent one, and then up onto the higher one you'd seen. You were sure. You felt his presence. You couldn't believe it.

"Y/N! Wait!" Kanan yelled frantically, running to jump and follow you up onto the higher bridge. You let him catch up to you, standing up on the upper bridge, whirling around.

"He was...he was just right here," you said, confused. In the back of your mind, you noticed that there were no alarms sounding—no probes coming in to detect your presence, no security of any kind. In your distracted state, you registered this, but it was not your main concern.

"Father!?" you yelled, and Kanan grabbed your arm, shushing you.

"Y/N, we need to leave," Kanan said, his voice filled with dread.

"We can't! I saw him, Kanan! We need to find him—them—they're here! I just..." You shook your head, feeling some of the clouded-ness fall away, fear taking its place. "Where...?"

"Ah Jedi," you heard a familiar voice say, and the clouds in your mind left you completely, the feeling of ice filling your veins. "So easy," the voice continued. "You Jedi always hunt yourselves." You turned to face him, the presence you had sensed too late. The Grand Inquisitor.

Kanan stepped in front of you, lighting his saber. "You will never touch her again," he spat, and you felt the anger pulsing through him, the rage he felt for the inquisitor in front of him. You too lit your saber, pushing aside your fear.

"Always the gentleman," the Grand Inquisitor mocked in his eerily calm voice. "She is but the bait, Kanan Jarrus. And so easy to manipulate," he said, looking at you as you peered from behind Kanan's stance. "The quality time I spent with your apprentice gave me much to work with." The inquisitor smiled a wicked smile.

"Where are my parents?" you asked, and you hated how small your voice sounded, how much fear you had let slip from your vocal chords.

"Quite slow on the uptake, your padawan," the Grand Inquisitor said to Kanan. "They're dead, young one. Killed, years ago. And yet, you still search for them." The inquisitor laughed. "You Jedi truly underestimate the weakness that is compassion." You swallowed hard, pushing aside all of your feelings, concentrating on the Force. You and Kanan needed a way out of this, and you sensed that the only way out was through. You held your saber high.

"You underestimate the strength," Kanan said, his voice a commanding volume in his anger, "that it is to care for another." He walked forward, ready to attack, to defend you to the end.

"Such heroics won't be necessary," the Grand Inquisitor said slowly, as if he wanted to draw this out—as if he were enjoying it. "Your padawan is already well acquainted with pain."

It was quick as a flash. If you'd blinked, you might have missed the movement, Kanan rushing at the Grand Inquisitor, closing the gap between them instantaneously. At the same time, you felt all of your muscles stiffen, felt yourself held in the Force, unable to move your arms or legs.

"Kanan!" you shouted, wanting to run to his aid, wanting to help him in this fight, but you remained still as you watched Kanan and the inquisitor swing their lightsabers, fighting in the world's most perverse dance.

"I won't let him hurt you!" Kanan shouted as he fought. "Not again!" You watched as he pushed with the Force, the Grand Inquisitor thrown back a few steps. You knew Kanan was holding you here, using his effort to keep you out of the battle, and you hesitated to use the Force to push back against him to free yourself. You didn't want him to waste any of his energy on you. Not when his opponent swung at him, again and again.

You watched with horror as the battle continued. It was difficult to see who had the upper hand, both fighters very skilled. You reached out with the Force, trying to sense a way out of this mess. The battle seemed to be taking place in slow motion. And then—instantaneously, with a gasp—you felt what would happen before it did. The Grand Inquisitor reached up with the circular hilt of his blade, hitting Kanan across the face, using the Force to push him back and off of the bridge.

"No!" you yelled, as you felt the Force bind break, you falling to your knees. You looked over the side of the bridge, looking for Kanan, for his body, for anything—but you saw nothing. You reached out with the Force, trying to feel his presence, but felt only blankness, only cold, only lack.

You couldn't move. You couldn't breathe. It couldn't be real. The pain rocked you in waves as you searched, frantically. You felt your vision closing, closing into blackness, your line of sight narrowing to the size of a pin. You took ragged breaths, trying to get oxygen to your lungs, but you couldn't seem to feel your body. It couldn't be. Kanan couldn't be—

"Dead," the Grand Inquisitor finished for you, triumphantly. You cried out, not able to stop yourself, falling onto your hands on the bridge, your lightsaber at their side. You knew it was true. You knew, looking down at the large metal devices churning under the surface of the water, that there would be no resurfacing for anyone who fell into those depths. You tried to keep the sobs inside of you, but they came out of their own will. Your wonderful and perfect Kanan, your guardian, your protector, your teacher, your everything. You couldn't handle the weight of the coldness you felt descending upon you. It was all your fault. You'd brought him here—you'd said you needed to continue, you wouldn't let him turn back—all because of a trick. The Grand Inquisitor had tricked you again, and you'd been stupid enough to fall for it. It was your fault. Kanan was gone.

"Yes," the Grand Inquisitor said, feeling your anger, your fear. "Let it in, padawan. Let in that anger. Let it fuel you." The sound of the inquisitor's mocking voice brought back your vision, but not your breath, not your feeling. All you felt was an immense cold through the Force, as if everything around you—air, water, sky—were ice, were nothing, were the vacuum of space. It was heavy. It was uncaring. But somehow, you could move through it. Somehow, the cold gave you strength. Your eyes turned cruel. You stood up, taking your saber in hand, feeling the darkness flowing through you.

"That was a mistake," you told the Grand Inquisitor, and even you didn't recognize your voice. You saw the villainous being falter at the sight of you.

"Why? Because you have no one left to die for you?" the inquisitor asked, pulling back his wicked smile.

"No," you told him, raising your weapon, your eyes zeroing in on your target. Your kill. "Because I have nothing left to fear."

You felt, for the first time, the Grand Inquisitor's fright as you rushed at him, your weapon moving faster than light, than sound. These moves were not the lightsaber combat variations you'd learned in your training. These moves didn't seem to be coming from you at all. Rather, as you fought, you felt the current of the coldness around you lashing out, fueling your power, all of the energy of this entire place working to destroy your enemy. You wanted blood.

Kanan came to slowly, his head swimming. He felt blood on his face, wiped it out from under his nose, trying to sit up. His vision was blurry. He felt the coldness before anything else—the depth of it startled him. Y/N, he thought desperately. Where were you? He must protect you, he must—

The Force tugged at him, and he looked up. He saw, far above where he had fallen onto one of the lower pipes snaking under the bridges, two lightsabers, one red, one blue, flying through the air. As he focused in, he watched as you fought the Grand Inquistor, and felt out through the Force.

Y/N he thought again, this time in fear—for he recognized the source of the coldness that surrounded him. He felt it emanating off of you, felt your fury, your anger, your grief, felt it all as you channeled every bit of strength you had at the being in front of you. As he watched, he caught a glimpse of gold cross your face, a dark, amber color that froze his insides. He wouldn't have thought it possible, that this current in the Force could be in your presence. He needed to get to you.

Kanan climbed, pulling himself up onto one of the lower bridges, working with his injured muscles to get closer to you. Miraculously, his lightsaber had remained in his hand despite his fall, and he hung it from his belt as he climbed. He watched as you fought, watched as you took out one side of the Grand Inquisitor's lightsaber.

"Such heroics," he heard the Grand Inquisitor say to you. "They won't bring him back."

At these words, Kanan felt a tidal wave in the Force, an energetic bomb rock through him as you screamed. It was the most horrible noise Kanan had ever heard, the coldest, most painful sound. He watched from below as you swung again, breaking the other side of the inquisitor's saber, the force of your anger pushing your opponent off the bridge entirely, compelling him to hang off the side, gripping with his gray hands.

Kanan jumped. He had to get to you. He must make sure you didn't do anything you would later regret. He pulled himself up onto the bridge you were on, too far away from you for you to see him.

Kanan watched as you looked down at the Grand Inquisitor, hanging beneath you. A fall from this height would be fatal, Kanan knew, and you seemed to know it too. Kanan saw you lower your saber to the inquisitor, hesitating.

"You have no idea what you've unleashed here today," Kanan heard the Grand Inquisitor say. Your eyes were locked on the villain's. The two of you seemed to be communicating without speaking. You lowered your lightsaber.

"There are some things far more frightening than death," the inquisitor said, softly, and, stunned, Kanan watched as the gray dark-sider let go of the bridge, falling willingly to his death.

Shock rippled through the air, through Kanan, and through you. He watched you as you stood, saw your eyes trying to parse the meaning of what the Grand Inquisitor had said. Kanan felt the cold lessen in you, felt you fighting back against it, with the Force. He hurried toward you.

"Y/N," Kanan said, calling out to you as he closed the gap between you. You looked up in disbelief, gasping. You made a sound, half cry, half wail as Kanan reached for you, pulling your body into his arms as it fell limp against him.

"It's okay," he told you, pressing his arms around you tight. "It's all okay now."

"I thought you...I thought..." you choked out, but you couldn't finish your sentence through your sobs. Kanan pushed Force calm toward you, expelling the coldness, creating an energetic bubble of light around the two of you.

"I know," Kanan said, understanding the source of the cold feeling, but pushing away his own fear for now, his thoughts only on you. "I know."

You looked up, the tears streaming out of your eyes, grabbing onto Kanan's face, onto his head. You kissed every inch of him you could reach, and he leaned down to meet you, your arms around his neck pulling him closer, pushing your cheek against his. He cherished this reunion more than you could ever know, but in the back of his mind, as he wiped the tears from your face, was the image of you, a golden glint in your eye, commanding a great cold in the air. Kanan pulled you to him, feeling your cries grow quieter and softer, your hands grabbing onto his arms, as if you needed to make sure he were real.

"We're okay," Kanan repeated, and he stroked your hair, looking up at the Lothal sky, wondering if he had, for the first time, told you a lie.

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The Jedi and the Loth Rat Episode 1 Episode 2 Episode 3 Episode 4 Episode 5 Episode 6 Episode 7 Episode 8

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