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imasimpforshanks · 3 years

Note

omg I am so sorry I completely forgot to put the alphabet 😅 E C J M T for Shanks for the angst alphabet! thank you and sorry for the mistake! ❤️

Angst Alphabet - Shanks

a/n: hiii! Thank y’all for requesting! To the second anon, I went with Shanks (I hope that’s ok!!!) 💗💗💗

LOLOL THIS MY HUSBANDDDDD 💍😍

A-Accident (would they blame themselves if you died in an accident?)

It would depend on how much he felt he could have prevented it. However, Shanks understands all to well just how cruel the world can be. He can’t constantly be in control of everything, so although it would be devastating, he would have to realize that this is reality.

B-Break up (How would they break up with you?)

Shanks would use the excuse that he is a Yonko. He’s no good for you, and you deserve so much better than an infamous pirate who only brings danger. While these are just excuses - ways to make breaking up with you easier - he really would be speaking from the heart. Shanks has always felt this way but never voiced it, but now it’s finally time to let you go.

C-Crying (how would they make you cry?)

He leaves for long periods of time and refuses to you along. You know he’s only doing it for your safety, but it hurts that he doesn’t think you’re strong or responsible enough to join his crew on their voyages (note: he doesn’t actually think you’re not strong or responsible – his pirate life is just extremely dangerous, even as a yonko).

D-Death (how would they react to your death?)

He’s seen and experienced a lot of death in his life so he’d be a able to cope with it a little better than others would. Even so, your death would still be heart-breaking (he would mourn privately though). Now, if he literally saw you get killed in front of him then RIP to the person who killed you because they will be the one/s to die next.

E-Emotion (what is one emotion they would try to hide the most and how would they do it?)

Shanks is quite an open book. If he’s angry everyone knows. If he’s happy everyone knows (etc.). But, if I really had to pick one… I suppose it would be sadness or grief. He feels obligated to put on a front for his crew (although they can see right through it). He tends to let out his sadness and grief when he’s alone.

F-Fight (do you two ever fight? How big are the fights? What do you fight about? Etc.)

He tends to crack jokes before your fights can escalate into anything too serious. Sometimes it’s intentional, but other times it’s just his personality shining through. And rather than serious fights there’s just a lot of teasing and taunts between the two of you.

If you were to have a serious fight, it would be about both of your safety (As would most fights with any of the One Piece characters).

G-Guilt (what is the biggest thing they feel guilty about?)

More often than not, Shanks finds himself able let go of a LOT of shit. But the one thing he can’t seem to stop feeling guilty about is his failure to show up to Marineford on time. He knows he’s not directly responsible for Ace’s death, but that doesn’t stop the overwhelming guilt. If only he had gotten there a few minutes earlier.

H-Heartbreak (what would cause them pain in the relationship? How would they deal during a break-up?)

Coming back to you after each voyage is something he always looks forward to. However, that happiness is short-lived when he realizes he has to leave again in a few weeks. It’s always so painful having to say goodbye again.

I don’t think he would be too different during a break-up. Perhaps he may crack a few less jokes, but other than that, his personality and demeanour when around others remains the same. It isn’t until he’s alone that he lets his smile fall.

I-Injured (how would they react if you are badly injured?)

Undoubtedly, he’d be concerned, but he knows you’ll pull through (you have to pull through). So, after that initial concern has passed, he’ll be feeling all types of pissed off. Whoever, or whatever, injured you will pay – and honestly, he may not even deal the perpetrator himself (his crew is already on it - you are like family to them).

J-Jealousy (what do they do if they are jealous?)

I honestly think Shanks is just the type of person to just tell you if he’s jealous. But he wouldn’t say “uhh I’m feeling a little jealous” or anything along those lines – no. Instead, Shanks puts on a little pout and does a massive fake sigh until you finally ask him what’s wrong. That’s when he hits you with the “I guess my attention just isn’t enough for you”, and you’re like “HUH?? MF WHAT?” He’s literally such a child HAHA.

But, if there’s one particular person he really does not like you being around and they won’t leave you alone, then he is not at all opposed to just shoving his tongue down your throat right in front of them. That’ll definitely get the message across.

K-Kill (would they kill for revenge?)

Shanks may be a goofy and laid-back individual, but he will resort to violence if the situation calls for it. So, it is very likely that Shanks would kill for revenge. Maybe he wouldn’t necessarily do it himself. But, if he orders it, it’ll definitely happen.

L-Loss (what is their greatest loss?)

Gol D. Roger’s death was probably one of the greatest losses in Shanks’ life. Roger is the reason Shanks is a pirate today, and young shanks was absolutely broken by his death.

(hard to write much for this one seeing as shanks’ character is still quite a mystery to us!)

M-Mistake (what is the worst mistake they ever made with you?)

One time he completely forgot a date night that you spent SO LONG planning. It wasn’t just any date night either. It was a date you planned on his final night before him and his crew had to leave again for a while. You spent hours waiting for to show up, but he was nowhere to be seen. Finally, he showed up at your place, breath reeking of booze. You just looked at him and it hit him (he was like “OH SHIT”). He started apologizing profusely. He didn’t try to make any excuses, he completely owned up to being a shitty boyfriend. But, the moment he knew he had well and truly fucked up was when you just nodded and waved good night to him, wishing him safe travels – you didn’t cry, get visibly angry you just left alone. Shanks knew that was far worse than any yelling.

N-Nightmares (how often do they have them? What are they about? How do they deal with it?)

I literally am not joking when I say this but I think Shanks practically drinks till he passes out so even if he were to get nightmares he wouldn’t wake up LMAOOOOOOOOOOOO (ok maybe I am joking with this one but also kind of not).

In all seriousness though, I don’t think Shanks has nightmares very frequently. It’s gotten to the point where any fear or things of that matter that could be nightmares for him, have become so common in his life that he almost finds it not frightening to think about.

O-Outrage (how and why would they get mad at you?)

He would get mad at you for placing yourself in unnecessary danger. He’d call you stupid and irresponsible, even though he doesn’t really mean any of those things – it’s just the image of him potentially losing you forever is replaying in his mind and it absolutely terrifies him.

P-Past (what has happened in your relationship that changed the way you saw each other?)

You saw him get serious serious once before. Like the kind of serious where he uses his conquerors haki and everything. It definitely caused a bit of a change in your relationship as it was terrifying to witness. You’ve always known Shanks was strong and intimidating when needed, but that moment really showed you what it meant when people called him an “emperor of the sea”.

Q-Quality (what is their most dangerous/toxic quality?)

Not wanting to openly express his sadness and grief in front of others can be a very unhealthy quality. Shanks doesn’t allow himself good enough opportunities to express him emotions in a safe and healthy manner.

R-Rejection (how would they react to you rejecting their confession (or the other way around))

(First of all WHY WOULD ANYONE WANT TO REJECT SHANKS ANYWAY LIKE HUBBA HUBBA I LOVE HIM ANYWHOOOOOOOOO…..) Shanks is the type to just shrug it off. He’d be a little disappointed, bc c’mon the hottest most amazing person he’s ever known just turned him down! But he knows not everything in life goes how you want it to. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose, and this just happens to be one of the things he’s lost. So ultimately, he’ll just shrug it off. (he will definitely get teased by his crew though).

S-Scars (battle or self-inflicted)

Shanks has no self-inflicted wounds. But he does have a scar across his left eye given to him by Blackbeard. He also has a missing arm which he (heroically) sacrificed as he saved lil Luffys life (does a missing arm even count as a scar?)

T-Trust (have they ever broken your trust?)

He’s never given you any reason to not trust him. He’s always open and honest with you. Well, as honest as he can be without placing you in any danger. Trust was something needed from the get-go of your relationship because he would be gone for long periods of time. The two of you wouldn’t be able to last without trust.

Oh, also if shanks ever did do anything to break your trust you best believe his crew will beat his ass (especially Benn). You’re family to them.

U-Urge (how badly do they want to see you after you guys separated?)

My god does he want to see you. He would give his other arm just to be right by your side in an instant. He’s gone for weeks, sometimes months, at a time. Shanks loves his crew, they’re a lively bunch and he trusts them with his life, and vice versa. But they’re not you. They don’t provide him with that same feeling of home that you do. Sure, this could be fixed if he let you join the crew on their journeys, but he absolutely cannot place you in that kind of danger. You’re already in enough danger as it is simply being in a relationship with him.

V-Vicious (what do they do when they lash out on you?)

Rather than lashing out at you, Shanks tends to give you the silent treatment. He looks at you without a word and just turns away. He does this in an attempt to make you feel guilty and as if everything is your fault.

W-Weak (what makes them feel weak how do they try to avoid it?)

There isn’t much that makes Shanks feel weak. But, being unable to be near his s/o is one of the few things that does make him feel weak. It’s a constant struggle between wanting to have them around him constantly, but also not wanting to place them in any danger. Ultimately, he decides that not placing them in danger is the better choice, despite how much it pains him.

X-X-ray (what do they hate and show it most obviously?)

Shanks can handle being picked on and ridiculed himself, but he will not tolerate that sort of behaviour towards his friends. The second someone goes after a friend (or someone else he cares about) they are done for.

Y-Yearn (what is one thing that they want but can’t have?)

LMFAOOOOOO WHY DID MY BRAIN AUTOMATICALLY THINK “his arm back” OOP-

I’M SORRY BUT I LITERALLY CAN’T THINK OF ANYTHING ELSE OTHER THAN HIS ARM HAHAHAHAHAH

Z-Zero (what do they do/say in your dying moments?)

He’d try to crack a few jokes to at least help you feel better. Other than that, he just tries to make the most of your final moments together.

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece headcanons #one piece imagines #red haired shanks #shanks #shanks x reader #angst alphabet #one piece alphabet

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tooweirdforyou · 4 years

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Straw Hats With A Shipmate Who Feels Useless

A/N : this was really sweet and sad to me when I thought about it so I wanted to write it. Hopefully y’all enjoy.

Summary : The Straw Hats react to their shipmate feeling useless and a burden to the crew.

You didn't understand why you were still on the ship.

The group had just left from Water 7 with a new recruit, Franky, Robin came back, Usopp had returned to join the crew once more and you all just managed to get past the marines.

Throughout the whole time on Water 7 and Ennies Lobby, the goal of retrieving Robin back from CP-9 from Lucci and the marines, you were completely of no help at all.

Literally. You couldn’t help Nami and Sanji with their separate battles with the CP-9 members, you couldn’t aid Chopper and Franky with their battles, Zoro and Sniper King with the cuffs and two CP-9 Zoan agents, and MUCH LESS, Luffy with Lucci.

You spent the whole time just struggling to get past the chaotic mess from Franky’s family, trying to find where Robin was, and let’s not even start on trying to even find your way through the maze of the building you were in.

When you found Zoro and Sniper King, you tried to aid them by attacking the Zoan agents to the best of your ability, but it didn’t take long for them to knock you out.

Then with Sanji who was completely soaped up from Khalifah and Nami currently fighting against her, you tried to help Sanji return to normal but only ended up just freaking out and growing frustrated that you weren’t able to do anything so you left him to find the others to help.

When the crew finally made it to the top, where Robin was free and Luffy still fighting with Lucci, you constantly needed to be protected by Zoro, Robin and Franky since you weren’t aware of your surroundings.

When the whole thing was finally over, getting back to Water 7, you just kept to yourself to deal with your injuries, refusing Chopper’s help with a simple smile.

“I’m fine, Chopper. Focus on the others and yourself. You worked hard.”

And then you would avoid them throughout the several days, waiting until Luffy finally convinced Franky to join them on their newly built ship, the Thousand Sunny.

Of course by then, the others got over the whole chaotic mess and were just relaxing. But the thought and memory kept eating at you and you couldn’t relax at all.

Not wanting to bother others, you only kept quiet most of the time and would offer small smiles to them so they wouldn’t worry.

So here you were.

Chopper was in the medical bay with Robin, Nami in the kitchen with Sanji and Luffy, Franky and Usopp on the main deck together, and you were sitting, leaning against the railing, continuously thinking about the events that had occurred.

Unable to stop the deep frown that forms upon your lips, you glance down to the floor of the ship, bringing your hands to your head and knees to your chest with your elbows resting upon them.

"You can stop that now."

Hearing a sudden voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you glance beside you, seeing Zoro with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Oh, Zoro.. I didn’t see you there."

Zoro opens an eye and stares at you, ignoring your comment. "You’ve been quiet ever since Ennies Lobby. If it’s about what happened, who cares. Whatever’s bothering you though, we’re here to listen. So don’t keep it to yourself and just tell us."

You purse your lips and turn back to the floorboards. "There’s nothing on my mind, Zoro. Sorry if it seems that way, I’m probably just feeling tired, so I-"

Zoro only stood up and made his way over, you watching him crouch down in front of you with a rather serious expression with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

By then, the others were all outside on the deck, staring and listening in from where they were.

No one said a word to interrupt, just listening in since they too, noticed how quiet and different you’ve been acting.

You just bit your lip before looking up at him with a smile. “I’m fine, Zoro!”

You stand up and brush off your clothes before smiling at the others who were watching. “I’m okay, I’m just feeling tired lately is all. I’ll go get some sleep.”

Luffy stares blankly at you, the others not convinced either but they didn’t say anything as they watch you begin heading to the bedroom.

When you finally close the door, you lean against it silently before biting your lip and clenching your jaw.

You were silent for a moment, thoughts running through your mind.

‘Even the others are starting to notice huh?’

Unable to hold back the tears forming in your eyes, you silently let them fall as you clenched your fists and held your head down in shame and humiliation.

‘Why did Luffy invite me onto his ship? I’m not fit for a pirate life. I much less don’t deserve to be on the ship of the future Pirate King..’

You punch the ground hard, feeling your knuckles throbbing with pain and a bit of blood forming as you continued to punch the ground in frustration.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why me?!’

You continued to sit there and cry in silence, unable to stop the flowing tears as you bask in the misery you held.

Unknown to you, the members could hear clearly of your not so silent cries and anger with punching the ship. None of them said anything.

Deciding that it was enough, you knew what you had to do tomorrow.

When you woke up from your bed the next day, you were dehydrated and exhausted. You ended up crying yourself to sleep after crawling into bed.

So you got up, made sure your face was washed so it wasn’t so puffy and red. After you deemed yourself decent, you headed up to the kitchen where you found the crew eating.

They all turn to you in silence, a few offering smiles to which you return with your own small one and began heading to the fridge. Sanji was washing dishes, Zoro and Franky sitting on the couch whilst the others sat at the table.

It was quiet.

You open the fridge and grab a bottle of water, opening it up and taking a sip before exhaling softly.

You grip the bottle in your hand after you closed it tightly and then spun on your heel to face the crew, giving them your best smile.

“Hey! So..”

They all look to you, listening closely to see what you had to say.

“Yeah?” Nami asks with her sweet smile, patiently waiting. “What’s up?”

You saw how kind they were towards you, making you chew on your lower lip at their kind expressions.

It made you hesitate on your next words, but you knew you had to.

“Um.. the next time we go stop at an island..” you awkwardly shift your weight to the other foot as you cleared your throat, trying to recollect your thoughts.

“Can..can I maybe stay there? I can stay at the island, or maybe find a trade ship that docks there and ask if they can stop at another island or something!”

Silence overtook the crew.

They certainly weren’t expecting you to say that. They did expect you to insist that you were okay, or maybe talk to them about what happened yesterday.

They never would’ve thought that you would suggest for yourself to leave the crew.

“..No.”

Everyone turns to the owner of the voice, to see their captain with his head lowered and his hat sitting tightly on his head.

“Luffy?” You furrow your brows at his sudden rejection to your suggestion. “Why?”

“You’re asking me why? I already said no, I refuse to let you leave!” Luffy looks up as he shouts, eyes narrowed at you. The outburst startling the crew.

“Why not? I don’t belong here! I’m not fit to be a pirate, much less this one! I don’t understand why you want me here when I’m of no use!”

After having dealt with Usopp’s argument and leave of the crew in the beginning of Water 7, the crew definitely didn’t have the heart to handle another situation like that.

“What the hell are you talking about, [Name]?! I invited you into my crew because I liked you and the crew likes you, so of course you belong here!” Luffy argues, clenching his fists. He didn’t want another repeat of Usopp’s situation either.

“[Name]-Chan, lets calm down and talk this over.” Sanji reasoned, Nami nodding her head in agreement. “[Name], it’ll be okay, lets—“

Usopp couldn’t say anything, the memory of his own event flashing in his eyes and the regret running through his mind.

Chopper was too afraid to interject, tearing up at the thought of you leaving.

Robin frowns slightly, closing her eyes and waited to see what else would happen before stepping in.

Franky was the newest recruit and didn’t think it was his place to stop anything happening yet, but if it grew further, he’d step in.

Zoro was just silent, his eyes closed, but you could see how tense he was.

“Luffy, please! I’m telling you, I’m just useless here! I have no place on this ship. I’m not a cook, a navigator, an archaeologist, a sniper, a swordsman, a shipwright, a doctor and I’m not a muscian!.... I.. I don’t belong here, Luffy.. please.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you drop your arms to your side, clenching your fists tightly that your nails dug into your own skin to make it bleed.

The others were stunned, unable to say anything as Luffy was growing even more irritated and annoyed with you. “Shut up, [Name]. You’re pissing me off.” He bluntly stated, shocking the others.

He widens his glare at you as he stood up. “YOU’RE MY FRIEND! IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU DONT HAVE ANY SPECIAL POSITION HERE! YOU’RE ON THIS SHIP BECAUSE YOU’RE OUR FRIEND AND WE’RE YOURS, RIGHT?!”

Hearing his words made you gasp as you shut your lips and felt your tears falling faster at it, Luffy getting ready to lunge at you but Franky and Sanji held him back.

“SO STOP CRYING AND DON’T EVER THINK OF YOURSELF AS A BURDEN! I’LL SCREAM IT TO YOU AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS EVERYDAY UNTIL YOU FINALLY REALIZE IT! WE WILL NEVER MAKE YOU CRY TEARS OF SADNESS BECAUSE WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS! ANYONE WHO MAKES YOU SAD IS GONNA FEEL MY WRATH AND I’LL KILL THEM!”

You sobbed harder at his words, dropping to your knees as you brought your hands up to your face to cover it. The bottle long forgotten as the others just stare and Luffy finally calmed down, panting heavily.

They turn to you with small smiles.

“He’s right, [Name].” Nami says softly, Robin nodding along. “Yes. We’re always by your side. You are always our friend, and always welcomed here.”

Nami stood up and began making her way over to your side, crouching down beside you and wrapped an arm around your neck. She smiles brightly at the sight of you sobbing at their kindness.

Franky started tearing up, wiping his eyes. “HOW EMOTIONAL!”

Chopper and Usopp were also sniffling, trying their best to not cry but they couldn’t help it.

Snot already running down their nose as Chopper jumped down and lunges himself into you, clinging on, with his own loud sobs filling the room.

Sanji and Zoro only smiled at their captain’s effect and your figure, knowing that you finally learned how your crew and friends felt.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on top of your head, ruffling up your head a bit and you slowly glance up to see Zoro pressing his hand down on you, a small smirk present on his lips.

"No one is at fault. No one is useless on this ship. The captain invited you onto his ship because you are our friend, someone he cares about and would risk his life for. Everyone on this ship would risk their lives for each other, even if it meant death. You are now part of our crew so that means you too. So don't ever say those words again."

Listening and agreeing with the swordsman, they all offer you their signature smiles, your eyes widening more at them as you wipe your tears.

Seeing their contagious smiles, you couldn’t help but give your own genuine smile through your tears.

"Thank you.. everyone.”

Luffy, no longer feeling the anger from just moments prior, secures the hat on top of his head before grinning widely at you.

“Of course!”

You weren’t a burden. You weren’t useless. There was always a place for you here. You were part of their family, and they’d die for you.

A/N : This might seemed a little rushed or all over the place, so sorry ;-;

#one piece x reader #one piece #op x reader #tooweirdforyou #x reader #sanji x reader #zoro x reader #luffy x reader #nami x reader #robin x reader #chopper x reader #usopp x reader #franky x reader #straw hats x reader #straw hats

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itsthemoofacewriting · 3 years

Text

It’s heaven in your arms - Chapter 2

Welcome back!

You guys, I was so nervous posting this and everyone’s been so lovely ;_;

I don’t know if anyone picked up on it, but my title has two meanings. One, because it’s a bed sharing trope and two, because Ace died in Luffy’s arms. I’m a monster, I know.

Summary: It may have been two years since Ace’s death but, for Luffy, sometimes it still felt like just yesterday. Or, sometimes, something beautiful can blossom from a place of hurt. Raining: K+

You can also find this on AO3 and FFN.

Enjoy!

It was supposed to be a one-time thing.

But when he’d shot her those excited puppy eyes and asked if they could have another sleepover, she’d found herself caving. Even more so when the thought cropped into her head that maybe he was asking because he was struggling. She’d rather know where he was if he was going to be upset than worry about him being all alone out on the deck.

She’d raised an eyebrow when Luffy had arrived with Zoro in tow but that had been quickly snuffed out when he’d smugly said, “A one-time thing, huh?”

From there on the second time turned into a third time and then a fourth and now she’d lost count of how many times this had happened. It wasn’t every night, mind you, as they all had watches and if one of them couldn’t be there, then it was an unspoken rule that the others would sleep separately. Although she couldn’t be sure that Luffy and Zoro didn’t in the men’s room, but she’d seen those bunks and they’d never mentioned it.

The point was, it’d turned into a routine that no one blinked an eye at, and she’d even got them bathing regularly because there was no way either of them were getting in without being clean.

She’d also never slept better than she did when she had those two in her bed, piled in whichever way they found themselves throughout the night. Luffy liked to be the big spoon, which was something she felt like she shouldn’t know but did, he almost insisted on it even as he climbed in first and took an end. It was a funny sight when Zoro ended up in the middle, his hulking figure being cuddled up to by Luffy. The person on the other end was hardly left out when he stretched his arm to curl around them. It was like he was trying to keep them all close.

When they weren’t being spooned by Luffy, another favourite was when Zoro would lay on his back, an arm thrown out either side and she’d naturally gravitate towards him until her head was on his chest or tucked into his shoulder. His beefiness made a nice pillow, something Luffy must have agreed with as he normally mirrored her on the other side.

She’d stopped being flustered by all of this long ago, it was easy to get over when they did it all the time and neither said anything about it.

She did, however, question whether it was right that she had a preferred sleeping preference with the both of them and that she was ranking them.

Nami was sunning herself on her lounger, it was a pleasant day with the sun out, the ocean still and the background noise of Luffy, Chopper and Usopp running around in the distance. Footsteps approaching caught her attention only to see Robin making her way over, two drinks in hand that must have come from Sanji and a third arm holding a book. She greeted the other woman silently, turning her head to smile at her before facing the sun again and closing her eyes to enjoy the warmth on her skin.

There truly was no better way to spend the day-

“My invitation to your little sleepovers must have got lost in the mail.”

Nami was ripped from her peace as she gaped, feeling heat flush through her body at this finally being acknowledged. She shot a nervous look at Zoro who was sleeping only a few feet away from her sun lounger against the railing. Just because he looked like he was asleep, didn’t mean he was, but when he didn’t move or twitch or give any indication that he might be awake, she let herself relax slightly.

And focus back on the woman next to her still staring her down for an answer. Even though it was a statement, she felt the need to explain herself.

“No- Robin! It isn’t… like that?” She could almost feel the ghost of Luffy’s breath against her skin and Zoro’s arm wrapped around waist, an unwelcome reminder to contrast her words.

Robin hummed, a look in her eye that told Nami she didn’t buy it. “You three looked adorable all cuddled up this morning.”

Of all the ways she thought she was going to die throughout her life, at the hands of Arlong, dropping from Skypiea or on Whole Cake Island to name a few, she never imagined this would be it. Embarrassed to death.

How was she going to explain that this had started with comforting Luffy and snowballed into whatever the hell they were doing now.

She didn’t have to either as Luffy came barrelling over with a chirp of “Nami!”, unaware of their conversation or her embarrassment only to make it worse by squeezing himself onto her sun lounger, ignoring how close they were or that he was practically laying over her. He chattered excitedly next to her, telling her about what him, Usopp and Chopper had been doing, at one point using her straw to take a long gulp from her drink and all the while she was very aware of Robin’s eyes on her the whole time.

“It’s sweet. I’m happy for you three,” Robin said as soon as Luffy bounded off after telling her his short story.

He was out of sight soon enough, but her eyes naturally trailed over to Zoro, only to find his eye trained on her already. She couldn’t be sure whether he’d heard what Robin had just said, but the smile he gave her before closing his eye again certainly didn’t help.

It was full of warmth.

‘It’s sweet. I’m happy for you three.’

Robin’s words replayed in her head, over and over.

The last couple of weeks washed over her. Robin’s words bringing to the forefront how Luffy and Zoro’s behaviour had changed.

Luffy was the first one up in the mornings, unable to wait for either of them to wake up as he heard Sanji bustling around the kitchen and the lure of food too strong that he’d hastily take off, plastering a hurried kiss on the cheek or forehead of whoever was closest. Sure, it’d stunned her at first, but he’d done it to Zoro too and the other man hadn’t even blinked, so she’d let it go. Even if it did take her by surprise each time.

Then it just left Nami and Zoro by themselves to wake up together. He was so casual as he stretched, murmuring out a “mornin’” as he removed his arm from wherever it was laying against her body and it lingered a second too long, brushing against her skin. It was more subtle than Luffy’s gesture, but this was Zoro. It might as well be the same act.

She felt like an elephant in the room needed to be addressed, yet neither of them acted like anything had changed.

Outside the bedroom it changed too.

Where she used to be alone in the library as she drew maps, Zoro would now be napping against her desk or on the sofa, saying how it was quieter in there and because she was so cranky, they wouldn’t be disturbed. Luffy would soon gravitate towards them, asking questions about her maps that he didn’t really listen to the answer to, or he’d go lay his head on Zoro’s lap whilst he slept, a rare moment of calm that would punish them later as he bounded around.

Luffy would find her more often too, clambering over her seat if she was sun lounging or bringing over things that he’d found and deemed ‘cool’. Kind of like how a cat would bring mice to its owner to impress them… not that she was Luffy’s owner.

They still hung out with their other friends, but instead there’d be Zoro’s arm casually thrown over the back of her chair and Luffy at her other side, a hand constantly finding a way to touch her or draw her into his chaos.

Small shifts, so subtle it had taken her this long to piece it together.

It was almost like…

Almost like they were in a relationship. The three of them.

It made her stomach churn, but she didn’t know if it was in a good or bad way, like how it did when she was dreading something or excited.

And then the final puzzle piece slotted into place.

Oh.

She was in a relationship with them. Or at least the early stages but it was all there, for everyone to see and she’d missed it every step of the way. Her thoughts were jumbled. Too many fighting to be at the forefront and how had she not figured this out sooner?

Her mind had been running for hours whilst she was squished between Zoro and Luffy, staring up at the ceiling. It was still dark outside and all she’d done all night was drift in and out of sleep. She had more hours left to sleep, but she couldn’t calm her mind enough for it.

She rolled onto her side to face Zoro, in his sleep Luffy sensed her movement and filled the slither of free space to spoon up behind her, his breath heavy against her neck. She studied Zoro’s profile, from the scar covering his eye, which when he slept like that she couldn’t tell if he was awake, to the strong line of his nose, the normal severe expression softened in his sleeping state. Even when he slept on the deck, he didn’t look that relaxed, this was something privy to her and Luffy.

There was no way around it. She was attracted to him, and she couldn’t deny looking down at his lips a few times recently as he spoke. They looked dry, like he needed a good slather of lip balm over them, but she it didn’t stop her from entertaining the thought of pressing her lips against his. Luffy’s on the other hand, looked softer and she wondered if the texture was the same as his skin, still soft like human skin but there was a hint of resistance, of elasticity there. She was attracted to Luffy too, his carefree grin and contagious enthusiasm. How weir-

What she wasn’t expecting was for Zoro to suddenly stretch and stir, making a noise of contentment before he rolled over to face her and she didn’t have the sense the clamp her eyes shut in time. She stared back into a lone grey eye.

“Y’alrigh’?” Zoro slurred out, still caught in the grasp of sleep as he settled into his new position.

“Yeah.” She sounded too awake for how early it was and too vacant, unsure, that it caught his attention.

“What’s wrong?” More coherent now.

“Zoro… is this not a bit weird?” Luffy’s arm tightened around her, and he snuggled further into her back.

Zoro had already turned to face her, his arm haphazardly thrown over her, but after her question she could feel the shift, how he was looking at her before but now she could tell she had his full attention. He stared at her, all the signs of sleep or tiredness from before gone from his face. His eye was trained on her and it felt like she was being accessed, that he was trying to look through her.

Another second passed until he answered with a shrug.

“I dunno, maybe, but when have we ever done anything by the book?”

He made a good point and when had she ever cared what others thought?

Her silence seemed to make him take a step back, second guessing the intention of her previous question, as he asked, “Do you want to stop doing this?” The arm over her waist lightened, like he was ready to remove it at a moment’s notice and if she thought she was being accessed before, it was nothing compared to now. His gaze scrutinizing, flittering around her face for any sign of discomfort.

She considered it for a second but the thought of going back to an empty bed permanently made her ache. There’d be no whispering as they tried to go off to sleep, no elbows digging her in the night, no snoring in her ears and it wouldn’t be like an oven all the time with their combined body heat. It’d be cold and silent.

It sounded awful.

“No,” she whispered and Zoro’s arm rested back over her body like before, palm splayed across her waist and squeezing slightly, like he was encouraging her to continue. “But what if- what if this…” ‘doesn’t work out’, She wanted to say.

It didn’t matter, he was on the same page. “This is Luffy we’re talking about. And it’s me.”

He was telling her to trust them. Trust that this would all be okay regardless of the outcome because it was them, and they’d been through hell and back with each other since the very beginning.

And she did, the instinct flaring up instantly to calm her down.

“Yeah, okay,” she agreed, body relaxing and mind going blissfully silent with that little piece of reassurance.

“Good, then go to sleep, you’re gunna wake up cranky otherwise.”

He was pushing his luck, but she’d let it slide right now mainly because one, she didn’t want to wake Luffy (he was almost as bad as a baby when woken) and because he’d just been very sweet just then, in his own gruff way. And she was feeling generous.

A moment after closing her eyes there were warm lips pressing against her forehead and she sensed a slight hesitation there before they were gone. She cracked her eye open to look at him, but his eye was clamped shut stubbornly, pretending that he hadn’t done anything. There was no mistaking the blush on his cheeks though.

In the morning, when Luffy performed his routine of frantically jumping out of the bed to chase Sanji to the kitchen, he placed his usual hurried kiss on her cheek but this time around, she leaned into it with a smile on her face.

Since that night, things had changed. Everything seemed easier, casual touches that she no longer overthought and, if anything, she leaned more into them.

All of it felt more natural but then maybe that was because she’d relaxed.

Like déjà vu, Nami was on her sun lounger the next day. The hot weather from the day had simmered down into a mild evening and she was making the most of the quiet before they did it all over again tomorrow. Robin was next to her too, reading with the little light naturally left, she’d be moving indoors soon to carry on.

Nami’s eyes stung a bit, from the lack of sleep the night before and she hadn’t napped, but she felt lighter after last night. So much so that she confessed, “I’m in a relationship with Luffy and Zoro.”

Robin stopped reading and turned to smile at her patiently. “It would appear you are, are you happy about it?”

“Yeah,” she said, feeling her cheeks go rosy. “We can make arrangements though, it’s your room too,” she added as an afterthought.

“As long as it stays pg, it doesn’t bother me at all.”

She spluttered, her previously rosy cheeks turning red as it spread hotly across her face and down her neck. She’d only just wrapped her head around the fact she was in a relationship with them, she couldn’t even think about that yet.

“Besides, I believe I have somewhere else to sleep tonight.”

Robin looked over her shoulder and Nami peered behind her to see Franky walking off to his workshop.

Oh.

Nami’s grin turned teasing, it was only fair with what she’d had to put up with recently, except her fun was interrupted by Luffy calling from the women’s room stopped her in her tracks, Zoro poking his head out of the frame to grunt at her. Honestly, as if it wasn’t her room.

“I believe you’re being called for by your boyfriends,” Robin teased, twinkle in her eye.

“This isn’t over!” Nami pointed her finger at her.

“I didn’t doubt it.”

She crossed the deck, on her way to her room when the thought from last night popped into the forefront of her mind and how she could actually act on it now.

Zoro’s mouth opened when she appeared in the doorway, no doubt something snarky about her being the last one present but she couldn’t hear it over the blood thumping in her ears.

She marched over to them on the bed, a woman on a mission and Luffy looked at her curiously until he yelped as her hands cupped his face and brought him into a kiss. He hesitated for a second until his hands gripped her arms and his lips responded in kind. Whilst it was clear he lacked experience, enthusiasm dripped from the kiss and it more than made up for it as his lips moved eagerly against hers. She angled her head, encouraging him to do that same and trying to keep up with the frantic pace he was setting, all the while batting down a smile. It was him all over, joyful and chaotic and she didn’t know if she’d ever get enough of it.

They pulled apart and there was a split second of relief in his eyes, like maybe he thought this moment was never coming, before it was trampled by his excitement, and he beamed at her.

“You want one too?” She teased, looking over at Zoro, eyebrow raised in challenge.

Zoro’s response was a heavy palm on the back of her neck that had them both leaning in, over Luffy, to meet in the middle for a kiss much different from hers with Luffy. Zoro’s pace was slower, more thorough as he took his time against her lips, yet it was firm. He had a bit more knowledge, he was surer in himself, and it showed as she sunk into the kiss, for once letting herself be led. She enjoyed it just as much and she knew she’d relish taking her time to pull apart the differences between them, savouring the way they both made her feel.

A daring swipe of her tongue across his bottom lip and then they broke apart, Luffy in the background demanding another kiss when Zoro smugly said, “Took you long enough.”

He wouldn’t look so smug when she pushed him off the bed tonight.

Luffy’s pleas weren’t ignored when Zoro said, “Captain,” to capture the other boy’s attention and tugged on his vest to kiss him and it made her feel warm, a flutter in her stomach because whilst she wasn’t a part of the kiss, she was a part of them. The three of them.

Luffy looked dazed and then elated when they broke apart, grin splitting his face and there was a glint in his eye that told her more kisses would be demanded before they went to sleep.

She’d get changed and brush her teeth before getting in bed, maybe check that both of them have done that already because she didn’t remember smelling or tasting mint on their breath, when something caught her eye.

There was a space in the middle for her already.

And she smiled; her boys.

-------------------------------------

It’s been a while since I’ve had a fic practically write itself, I’ve missed that.

Luffy and Zoro may be idiots most of the time, but they’re both emotionally smart, it’s been shown time and time again. Nami, on the other hand, is in some cases but she’s also a bit of a worrywart too. So yeah, they kinda eased Nami into what was developing because they didn’t want to freak her out.

As always, please excuse any errors.

If you got this far, thanks for reading, it means a lot.

#ZoLuNa #ZoNami #LuNami #ZoLu #LuffyxZoroxNami #opwriting #opfanfic #One Piece #Luffy #Zoro #Nami

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 3 years

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The Voyage So Far: Wano (Part One)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

shirahoshi seeing the sun for the first time is really a relatively minor and understated thing, among all the chaos and revelations of reverie, but it strikes me as one of the most meaningful little moments in the arc.

i LOVE the luffy fanclub. i love that a meeting of the world leaders winds up being a who’s-who with assorted friends of one of the world’s most notorious criminals, and it brings me SO much joy to see them meeting each other and being able to connect. i feel the same way about coby and rebecca meeting.

in general, and i think i said this at marineford too, i love that the one piece world is developed and interconnected and alive enough to allow for these sorts of interactions.

fucked up that this was almost a hundred chapters ago and we still have no clue what the fuck was up with this, isn’t it?

i do find the introduction of im fascinating. up until this point we’ve had two presumed final villains- blackbeard and akainu- who were first established pretty far back at jaya and enies lobby (in robin’s flashback) respectively. meanwhile, im isn’t even seen until chapter nine hundred and something. it feels very late-game, but at the same time, their existence doesn’t contradict anything previously established, and in fact jives pretty well with a lot of information more recently revealed in dressrosa.

in any case, when in doubt i do trust oda knows what he’s doing when handling his story, and i’m very excited to see what he does with this.

wano is SO PRETTY. i mentioned this before in fishman island, but i think wano is definitely the prettiest setting in the series to date. i think it’s obvious oda was both very excited to draw it and put a lot of work and research into his depiction of it, and wow does it pay off. wano is so bursting with life and detail, and frequently looks like an ukiyo-e painting come to life, and just- wow wow wow.

i love zoro and luffy’s reunion so much... i love how happy they are to see each other. it’s only been, what, a couple weeks in-universe? but luffy is pulling the full tackle-hug like he did for sabo at dressrosa. i love them.

i really like the outfits in wano, too!! zoro’s ronin look in particular i think suits him very well, and i also love luffy’s patchy yukata and robin’s geisha getup and they’re just very cool. this also applies to the non-strawhat wano characters, for the record, and kind of ties back to what i was just saying about wano being so full of detail. it has a very specific look, and everything from the outfits to the way things like the fire and the waves are drawn folds very neatly into that aesthetic.

as i’m writing this i just finished on the paramount war posts, so with that fresh on my mind, i have to say i really like the way ace (or rather, his memory) is incorporated into wano. he’s not really a major presence- that is, the fact that he was there before luffy has no real bearing on the plot. but there are people who knew and cared about him and remember him fondly, tama and yamato, and it just really helps add to this feeling that ace was a person and his life and death had real and lasting affects.

and it adds, too, to the fact that even if it took ace way too long to realize it, he was so thoroughly loved everywhere he went.

i have a lot of thoughts on the intersection of food and heroism in one piece (i keep trying to compile a coherent meta post on the subject and mostly failing). but i’ll settle for saying that in wano luffy is a hero by his own definition, as someone who shares food with others, and i doubt he realizes that, but i think it’s really interesting.

i know luffy’s fight with kaidou is kind of controversial in fandom but i love it, personally. it feels like a logical outcome for luffy to get his ass kicked the first time he tries to go up against a yonkou singlehandedly! he got wrecked when he tried to throw down with a shichibukai the first time, too, and this is just the next logical step from that.

luffy’s always been an underdog starting from nowhere and working his way up and up and up, and i love that for him. of course he’s going to get messed up the first time he tries punching an entire order of magnitude above his weight class. and then he’s going to get up and try again, and again, and again until he wins.

the act structure of wano is really neat, i think. it helps such a long and complicated arc feel a lot more structured and less interminable than it might otherwise, and it also gives specific breaks where we can cut away to the story happening on the outside world.

honestly i really like the whole udon prison segment. it’s fun! i like it for similar reasons i like the colosseum mini-arc in dressrosa, honestly, which is that there’s no real stress because we know luffy is the scariest person there by a country mile so we can just watch him go ham, and that’s fun. it consistently cracks me up that absolutely nobody is worried luffy’s in jail. they’re all just like “yeah, he’ll be fine.” and they’re right! he’s having the time of his life!

wano’s cast is fascinating, because almost nobody is who they first appear to be. almost everyone is wearing masks, whether literal or not- fitting, for an arc structured after a kabuki play. everyone is playing roles, from hiyori to denjirou to kanjurou to yasuie, and everyone lies.

this entire sequence at orochi’s party is one of my favorites in the whole arc- in fact, it was my favorite, until we reached a certain part i’ll get to in the next post. everything from komurasaki standing up for toko and slapping orochi to denjirou “killing” her to robin getting caught by the oniwabanshu and dissolving into petals to nami calling down a massive lightning bolt to cover their escape- it’s really good.

i’ve written extensively before about the smile fruits and the themes of smile and laughter in one piece and how important the freedom to feel and express emotion is. suffice it to say that for all the atrocities orochi commits against the people of wano, it’s feeding the smile fruits to the people of ebisu town that is his greatest crime, and the revelation of just what happened to those poor people ratchets up the tragedy of wano tenfold.

i do think it’s interesting to think about how if denjirou had been just a little less committed to his role, zoro would’ve killed orochi right here. it really drives home that orochi is nothing- he’s weak, he’s cowardly, he’s just lucky and clever and cruel enough to be able to get much more powerful people to do his work for him.

it’s infuriating that someone like him has been able to hold such power over the lives of the people of wano and ruin them so thoroughly, and that’s exactly the point.

wano is the arc where oda says you Will care about the supernovas and i’m like yeah

hey, another of my all-time favorite luffy panels!! i honestly just think this one sums him up as a character in a line more than almost any other- “i’m always free.”

just look at the detail on kidd’s metal hand holy shit holy shit. on occasion certain panels jump out at me that remind me that oda really is just, a genius at drawing on a technical level, even setting aside his writing and storytelling chops, and this is one of them.

oda is really, really good at creating the sense of a darkest hour- a time when all hope seems lost. the other best example in the series is in water seven, when the crew seems to be falling to pieces, merry is marked for death, robin’s gone, and the aqua laguna is coming. here, too- nobody comes to meet the akazaya nine, and the one chance they’ve waited twenty years and staked their lives on seems in danger of slipping through their fingers-

but the point of making it so all seems lost is so that when hope does appear, it shines all the brighter, and feels all the more triumphant. it’s always darkest before the dawn, and we all know how wano has been waiting for the dawn.

#the voyage so far #arc: reverie #arc: wano kuni #one piece #opmeta #not japanese #long post

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hanamiyaaaa · 3 years

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ONE PIECE HCs: Jealousy Headcanons

This has been done over and over and over and oveeeer again, but here *pushes hcs towards everyone* please have them!! Also, I missed writing stuff huhu. I tried my best so I hope you like them!!

Monkey D. Luffy

Pre-TS Luffy would be jealous whenever he noticed that you're paying more attention to something/somebody else. He'd jump right into your bubble and do stupid stuff so that he could be the most interesting person in your life again. Like a little kid, his jealousy is harmless. He'd be upset for a while, but once you’ve you given him what he wanted, he'd be smiling again and would leave you in peace. Lucky for you, Pre-TS Luffy is pure and easily distracted so you probably could handle him quite easily. This is mostly cute, but probably could get real annoying especially because you’re not allowed to pull the exact same shit on him. He’d be annoyed lol. Pre-TS Luffy is a child, definitely not yet mentally and emotionally ready for a relationship.

Post-TS Luffy is a whole level different. Even though he's still our bhabie, he matured and has calmed down. He won't be jealous over something like you talking to somebody else, or you reading a book (than watching him run around) anymore. He probably wouldn't be even feel threatened when you get close to other guys. He just have so much trust on you that you cheating on him wouldn’t cross his mind. But, of course, he has his limits. You're his. You swore, you promised to be only his so when other people start getting a little bit too touchy and you’re allowing it, he would snatch you away and he’d make sure that the fact that you're his s/o is known. There would be arguments, but he wouldn't be upset for that long. If you tried to make him jealous, you can just apologize and he'd accept it but wouldn't get why you'd want him to get jealous.

Roronoa Zoro

Despite being known to be straightforward, Jealous!Zoro is probably going to be the one to give you the cold shoulder/silent treatment mostly because he tends to bottle up stupid feelings like these. He'd try to be chill about it, but seeing you way too friendly with swirly brows (or someone he doesn’t like) will get him worked up but since he doesn't to appear like a pathetic loser in front his you and the others, he'd be like 'meh i'm cool yo'. BUT NO, HE'S NOT. He wouldn't be able to completely hide the feelings of scorn and envy. No matter how hard he tries to hide it, his irritation will bleed through his exterior in the form of spicy words, sarcasm and silence that would initiate arguments. Since he's already frustrated, things would heat up right away and the whole thing would just explode into a full blown fight whether it's in a form of verbal exchange or uncomfortable silence.

Making up is casual? It's weird because no one needs to apologize. Zoro would just walk up to you and start a conversation, and he'd know that you guys are okay if you properly replied to him, and vice versa. It's usually Zoro who'd break the ice first, regardless of the who was in the wrong, but just know that it wouldn't be anything like "I'm sorry about earlier," but be more like "Do we have still have sake around?". It's not like he'd never apologize verbally, though. He just saves it for things that are actually meant apologizing for (petty, childish fights don't qualify).

Yellow ranger Vinsmoke Sanji

Okay. So, we can all agree that this one would be the most jealous out of these four, yes? Sanji's basically like Pre-TS Luffy but a tad more reasonable. He wouldn't get mad if you indulge in your hobby more than you spend time with him, but he would get upset if you talked too much or acted too friendly with other men. Unlike the marimo, he'd be open about his feelings. He'd rush to your side right away, take you away and let the other guy know that you're taken by him. He'd be very clingy to you and would be showy as well. Definitely, he's not embarrassed to hold you in public and he's also not afraid to do more than shoot daggers at people who looks at you funny (sometimes it's just Sanji's imagination really). Most of the time, he'd be angry at those people but when it comes to you, he'd just be sad and disappointed at most, which only ever happens if he figured out you made him jealous on purpose ...or not, if you're the 'polite' type who flirts back unknowingly or something like that idk. He'd never treat you the way he treats those garbage trying to get your attention like ever.

If a fight broke out between the two of you, Sanji would always be the one to apologize first, usually accompanied with gifts like flowers and jewelry. He'd make up to you even though he's not at fault. You're the most important person in his life and he'd be willing to swallow his every ounce of pride for you. Sanji definitely is that one friend of ours who we give advise about his toxic love life but doesn't ever listen or that one friend who gets back with his ex after a pathetic apology lol. He's just like that so please take care of this baby.

Usopp

Usopp probably thinks he's no good for you. I feel like he's filled with insecurities which he hides beneath his jolly exterior; these insecurities blind him from seeing his worth causing him to feel undeserving of you. Usopp is strong; he's got his own game and he plays it real good, unfortunately butterflies don't see their own wings. Like any other man, he'd get jealous if he sees you being questionably chummy with some other guy who he views as a much better fit for you. He'd actually be really sensitive about it, and the one who's prone to overthink. He won't get upset, but he'd get really sad. He'd laugh it off, shrug it off but it's not like it's your fault if you find someone else interesting right? Despite being known as a liar, I don't think he'd be able to hide his feelings from you completely, but he wouldn't voice them out either. However, you'd easily see through him. You'd have to be the one to bring this up because Usopp would never do it. I mean he probably would try but he'd be like "You know this guy you were talking to... uhh well, umm nevermind haha," and yeet himself out of that awkward situation. But even when you confront him, he'd initially play it cool but you know that it's not okay- he's not okay.

He wouldn't argue with you about this matter even if you try to lure him into one. He'd probably be irritated if you continued to push this topic, but sometimes insisting to talk about it might be the best choice even if it hurt the both of you. After all, Usopp can't always run away from his feelings and insecurities. He'd want to apologize first, but there would be moments where you both do it at the same time and it's just the cutest and probably the calmest way to end an argument right? He'd need reassurance from time to time so make sure to be patient with him okay? He'd be more confident in time just trust him and don’t stop loving him!!

#one piece #one piece headcanons #one piece jealousy headcanons #monkey d luffy headcanons #roronoa zoro headcanons #vinsmoke sanji headcanons #usopp headcanon #one piece x reader #strawhat pirates headcanons

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physicalturian · 3 years

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Why don’t you listen to me? Law x GN! Reader - Part 6

Spoilers for : Punk Hazard and Dressrosa arcs [No gender used for the reader, no physical description, everyone is +18] Words : 5386 Archive of our own Blood, exhaustion, fighting, violence, despair, blood, flirting, tension, hope If you feel like I should put more warnings, send me a DM or an ask

… Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Before hitting the ground, Luffy blew himself large enough for all of us to bounce on his belly but I was a bit off to the side. I tried to reach him, but couldn’t. In the seconds it took for me to reach the ground, I saw my life flashed before my eyes, I heard Law yell at Luffy who reacted in no time and enlarged his hand enough to grab me in time. I hit the pirate’s hand with a loud thud and apologized to him, quickly getting off of him, stumbling as I did so. My head was feeling dizzy but I couldn’t take a break, everything was only starting and I had to be there to help.

I could sit down for a bit, it wouldn’t hurt, right? As everyone debriefed, I walked up to Law and sat by him, in silence. He was the first to speak.

“Sometimes I think you’re deaf.” He stated.

“I’m not, if that’s any reassurance.” I told him off-handedly, licking my thumb to brush some dried blood from my arms. I looked like the main character of the movie Carrie after her prom, it was a real sight.

“Then it just means you’re an idiot-“

“Exactly, but guess what? I’m an idiot because you make poor choices, so I think it’s on you.” I said in a light tone. Being next to him alleviated some of the stress my body was feeling, it wasn’t a cure at all but a small part had left and it felt nice.

He was about to answer something witty, probably, when I saw pure fear in his eyes. “It’s started… the birdcage.” He said in a weak tone. I looked up at where he was looking and saw the strings, Doflamingo’s strings, reaching towards the sky only to fall back down somewhere far away. I listened carefully as he explained what was the Warlord planning and panic came rushing back in, I hated this. I hated him, this man was atrocious and we needed to get rid of him, I was not going to say no matter the cost… but considering what was going to happen if we did not take him down… I was willing to sacrifice a few things if it meant taking him down.

We started talking about what we should do, when we heard Doflamingo’s voice all across the country. I didn’t want to listen to him, I couldn’t bear to hear his stupid voice nor see his face, so I helped Law sit up off his seat and sat across from him. “If we lost the key, it’s on Luffy.” I stated as I rummaged through my pocket to find anything that could help unlocking the cuffs.

“You’re not going to be able to pick it, stop trying.” He said as a matter of fact, his hands tied behind his back.

“I’m starting to think you like being tied up, Law.” I said jokingly, grabbing his hands to take a look at the lock. I was surprised when his hands grabbed mine, but it wasn’t to stop me, it was to hold them.

I looked up at his back, confused. But didn’t let go, instead I smiled for a moment, tightening my grip on his hands. It must have made him realize what he was doing, because soon after, he let go and uttered my name in a scolding way.

“What? I’m checking the lock. Unlike you, I would rather have you free than chained up-“ I paused and moved back in front of him, grinning, “Or do I? You are much calmer like that, it’s also a sight really.” Stop talking, god stop talking. Is this what you call flirting? Why would you flirt with him? Stop it.

He raised a brow, the faintest smirk on his lips. “I’m only calm because I lost a lot of blood, but if you’d like I can start telling you how idiotic it is to be here when I told you countless times to get out of the Dressrosa.” His smug expression was replaced by some sort of disappointment, a tinge of frustration tainting his tone.

“Right, I’m the idiot, right. Remind me who got in a fight with a Warlord a lot earlier than planned-“

He frowned and leaned forward, his face closer to mine now, and gritted through his teeth, “For the information, I’m also a Warlord, I could have handled him- But you had to be there and make things worse.”

Tilting my head to the side, I quirked a brow, it was a bit painful to hear him say that if I hadn’t been there, he could have taken him down. I knew he wouldn’t have been able to, but part of me thought it was true. “I’m sorry to hear that, I’m sure the beating you took was for the show, right? That doesn’t look like handling well, to me. But I could be wrong.” I shrugged, giving him a deadly glare as I spoke.

He was taken aback and scoffed, “Why were you even there? Why did you not follow the plan? Are you trying to make me mad?” He asked.

“Uh, not everything revolves around you. I make mistakes, ever heard of that?” I said in a defensive tone before continuing in a lower one, “I lost Zoro and Luffy, so I thought I should find you at Green Bits.” I didn’t want to make him mad per say… All my actions just happened to not be what he wanted me to do. A loud sigh escaped his lips. For a moment he let his head hang low before lifting it once more and looking at me with what I could only describe as tenderness.

“How are your arms?” He asked.

“How are my- How are my arms? How is your stomach?! You got shot three times! Don’t mind me, how are you, let me-“ I ignored his complains and scooted closer, taking a look at his wounds. I was not professional, but it was a bit strange there wasn’t a lot of blood there. He told me he was fine, that he was managing it well and had a plan but I was still worried. “You look so bad, are you sure you’re fine?”

He nodded and explained how he had made it through, and what he was planning on doing to get rid of the bullets then paused and looked at me intently. “Show me yours arms, I can’t do anything right now but I have to know if it’s bad.” He explained in a gruffy tone.

Grumbling, I rolled up my sleeves and showed him my bloody arms. Most of it was dried blood, but some cuts were deeper than others, especially the knife wound. “It’s not that bad, it just a scratch really compared to what you’ve been through-“

“Press around the wounds, does it hurt?” He asked in all seriousness.

Chuckling, I said half-jokingly, “Well if I press it, of course it hurts-“ He gave me a deadly glare and said to just do it. So, I did, and winced, but hid it the best I could.

“You probably have an infection, just from looking at it it’s not good. You’re not going to lose an arm though. Go back to the Sunny and get it treated,” I saw what he was doing, but I was not going back to the Sunny until everyone was going back. This was not over.

“You almost had me there, but no. I’ll help Viola look for the key.” I said with a mischievous grin as I stood up. Law called out my name in a warning tone, and stood up too, he almost lost balance but caught himself and looked down at me with a frown.

I asked, “How does it feel to not have things go your way? I can see you’re a bit tensed there, Captain-“ I felt a tension built between us at the words, the small fight we had before coming here came rushing back to my mind but I tried my best to ignore it. Suddenly I felt a weight on my shoulder, Law was resting his head on it and let out a loud breath.

“Glad to know I’m still your Captain,” My breath hitched at the words, what did he mean by that? Hadn’t he told me to leave, was he regretting his words?

“As your Captain, I’ll ask but one thing…” I tensed at his words, was he going to tell me to go again? I didn’t want to leave, and I was not going to. “Since you don’t want to listen to me, then… Be careful, don’t try to come for me if things go to shit.”

I gasped and put a hand on his cheek to lift his head and look at him in confusion, “I wasn’t going to- more like, I… Hey it’s for Bepo and the team that I’m doing that. They don’t know that you’re being a complete idiot right now, you’re going to get killed-“ I shut up when he stared at me, not believing what I was saying. I felt my face heat up and looked askance, my hand falling back to my side.

“The only thing that can kill me is Luffy’s stupidity, not Doflamingo,” He paused. The silence made things a bit too intense to my taste. We both know he was wrong, but I played along, just this time.

Meeting his eyes once more, I couldn’t look away. The pull I’ve been feeling this whole time came back in a powerful way and I wanted to pull him down and kiss him, but I couldn’t. He seemed to be thinking of what to say, opening his mouth only to close it again. Instead of saying anything, he leaned in and pressed a kiss on my forehead before leaving and joining Luffy’s side. I stood there in shock, how come such a simple action could make me turn into such a mess? It did not alleviate my worry of him getting killed by Doflamingo, if he went to find him in such state, but it sent a weird feeling in my stomach.

I heard Luffy yell in determination, it was quickly followed by Law’s complaints and Zoro’s questioning. Turning around I saw the way he was carrying both men, like they were weightless, two bulky men under his shoulders. The sight was a funny one to see, even more so when I heard Law’s scream when Luffy threw himself, along with the others, towards the ground. Once they were out of sight, I exchanged a few words with Viola, offering her some help to find the key. She politely refused, saying she knew where to find it and she was going to bring it to them in time.

“Then, what do I do?” I asked her, pulling my sleeves down. Both her and the two other men made a thinking face, Kyros said he was going to help people in the centre of town and did just that. King Riku said he was going to join them but was told to stay here. According to Leo from the Tontatta, help was coming and since King Riku was there years ago when they were allies with the Tontatta Kingdom, Viola said he should stay, just for that. She then looked at me and gave me a small smile, “You should stay too-“

“Hey, I’m not royalty or anything like that, I don’t need to be put on the side.” I stated, straightening my back. For some reason the look she was giving me made me think of one of pity, I didn’t like it. So, I tried to look at confident as I could.

“Look at you, you’re bleeding all over. I see the way you wince when you move, you should rest.” She said politely. I didn’t need polite, I needed this to be over with. But being told I should rest, hit my pride, I didn’t know why. I wanted to be useful.

“Luffy and Law are in a state just as bad as mine, and they’re going for Joker.” I gritted through my teeth.

“But they’re fighters, from what I gathered your devil fruit is one of teleportation. Is that correct?” She asked softly.

“Yeah.” I simply replied. I had no idea where she was getting but I was willing to listen for now.

Humming she tore a part of her dress, there was an underskirt underneath which left her still fully dressed. Approaching me, she extended her arm, asking me to show my arms. And I did.

“Then we’ll need you to rest until the Tontattas arrive. Your power will be useful to evacuate the citizens.” She explained, all the while wrapping, the best she could, the fabric around my wounds. I don’t know if it was going to be of any help, but I let her do it. When she stopped, she held my arms and looked at me fondly.

“King Riku, my dad… He’ll need a lot of help; He cares for his people. He can lead them, but he can’t save them all on his own. Please help his people, our people- we’ll need all the help we can get.”

Sighing, I supposed it was all that I could do. I was not looking for greatness, I was not looking to take down Emperors and Warlords, I just wanted to stay alive. And maybe I wanted my Captain to stay alive… if only to tell him how I felt. How egotistical was that? Moving my arms to hold her hands just for a moment, I nodded.

“Alright, but please find the key. Bring the key back to Law, if he stays chained up, he won’t survive and- and I don’t know what I’d do if he…” I couldn’t even finish that sentence, my breath hitched at the mere thought of him dying and I couldn’t bare it.

A soft giggle left the woman’s lips and she tightened her hands around mine for a second before letting go. “I’ll bring him the key, but don’t worry, I’m sure he wants to stay alive just as much as you want him to be.” I’m sure she meant something more from those words, but I ignored it and laughed.

“No, no. You don’t get it… He’s ready to die out there, and that’s what worries me.” I let out a shaky breath, but grinned tiredly, “If you see him, tell him he’s a fucking idiot and I’ll be waiting for him to come back, that- the crew is waiting for us at Zou wait no that’s too much, just tell him he’s an idiot.” I closed my eyes a moment, reflection on what I had said.

Right, an idiot but an idiot I’m worried about. An idiot that had no sense of self-preservation. An idiot that was willing to go down swinging if it meant fulfilling someone else’s will. But fuck, it was an idiot I loved.

Looking back at the princess, I nodded, “Right, right. Well, good luck with the key.” She thanked me and took off the moment we were done. I was left in the company of an old King who was believed to be dead as we waited for the Tontattas to arrive.

I didn��t know him, he did not know me, it was fair to say the mood was very awkward up until other people arrived. Viola returned after a while, and Usopp from the Straw Hat arrived too. I think I may have dozed off at some point, I did not know how, because I did not hear him arrive. However, I heard him scream when he saw the two Samurais. Then chaos ensued. I couldn’t quite follow their conversation; They were worried about someone name Manshelly but I did not know who it was except that she was very important to the Tontattas.

I tried to close my eyes once more, to rest, but it didn’t sit right with me. I wanted to move, do something. Which is what I did when I heard Viola say that Sugar was awake and that she had seen how things would happen in two minutes if we didn’t do anything. Usopp said he knew what to do, but as much as my Captain trusted the Straw-Hat crew, I had not fought with them. They owed us nothing, I did not owe them anything either. And if both Captains’ fate depended on one man, I did not want to bet everything on it. So, I jumped off the platform we were on and started making my way towards the castle, my jumps weren’t as far as they could be from one point to another but I tried to get there as fast as I could.

When I left everyone, I think I heard Viola called out my name but I ignored it, or tried to, at least, she was pretty insistent.

It’s only when it was far too late for me to turn around, that I realized I wouldn’t get there in time. I stopped dead in my track and looked up at the castle, letting a frustrated groan escape my lips as I fell to my knees. I felt like all I was doing was running around, a pointless repetition of actions that lead me to nothing. I was fucking useless.

Still staring at the sky, I saw something fly through and crash through one of the castle’s window. I could only hope it was Usopp’s plan and that it had work because at this point, I was too disheartened to go on. But screams were echoing around me, people running around, for their lives even though nothing much was happening yet.

Swearing under my breath, I placed my hands on my knees to catch my breath and sighed before turning around and making my way towards the extremities of the birdcage. On my way there, I bumped into many people, most of them were running away from the deadly sharpness of the birdcage. I let the healthy people run and helped out the one who seemed to have a harder time, or those who tumbled. I couldn’t carry many people at once, at best two or three but I was going to make a difference no matter what. The idea was to steal as much time, while keeping as many people alive, right?

I didn’t have to do much else, but run around once more. “Oh, fucking hilarious.” I thought out loud as I helped an old lady who had tripped. She looked up at me, curious and I gave her a curt smile and apologized for swearing before dropping her at a far distance from the bars of the birdcage. I did that for a long time, I did not see time fly by, not that I had any way of keeping track of it.

At some point, people joined in and started helping putting others to safety, from what I overheard they were helping in the name of King Riku. I was grateful for the help, even more so when I heard a loud crash coming from the castle.

Looking towards the building, I made sure the person in my arms was stable and stared directly in the direction of the crash. Very, very slowly, the corner of the castle slid off. Then I saw, from afar, two forms in the air. Taking a good look, I couldn’t hide the fear on my face. Someone must have seen me and understood, since I heard them say that I should go, they were handling everything. I didn’t see who it was, I was too distraught by the sight of Law hanging in the air by Doflamingo’s hands, as I started running towards the castle. I bumped into someone who held me in place for a moment before scurrying off. Not paying them any mind, I thought, I was closer than before but it was never enough, was it?

Seeing the scene from afar I was wondering where was Luffy, why was Law alone against Doflamingo? Sure, both were warlords but there was clearly a different in level between them, not that Law would ever admit it. He was too stubborn for that. I was too low on the ground to see what was going on up there, I couldn’t run and stare at the sky at the same time but when I did one last time, I saw Doflamingo raise his foot just like he did when he was going to take down the soldier. Except he was doing it on Law this time, he did not hesitate to slam it down his arm.

My heart caught in my throat and I kept running forward, bumping into people as I did so and ignoring fights, I could not participate in. Don’t do it, don’t do it, please let him live. Don’t do it. My legs were starting to feel shaky, I had to yell at myself to keep going. Exhaustion was taking a toll on me, exhaustion and stress, pure panic too. I couldn’t read lips, and even if I did, I couldn’t see well enough what was being said but I think there was a scowl on Law’s face. Now is not the time to be bitter, I thought, but I didn’t think too long on it and kept running.

He was in no state to take a beating, he had bullet wounds that needed healing. He took a beating right on the bridge, he was locked with Prism stone cuffs not too long ago. If he was to take a hit as strong as Joker’s, he wouldn’t get out of it alive, I just knew it. If he- I did not have time to finish my thought that Doflamingo pushed his leg, he slammed it into Law’s arm as he held him high in the air.

Then they were both crashing down.

I was close enough to hear to agonizing screams of my Captain.

My heart broke. It felt like a physical pain so much it hurt. He could still be alive, right? I paid attention to the moans of pain but soon enough, they stopped. No, no, he’s still alive, right? “The vivre card! I need- I need to see, if- no, not if, he’s doing great, he’s okay, he’s alright.” Patting the outside of my pockets, I desperately tried to hear the scrunching noise of paper in it only to hear nothing. “Fuck off, don’t- it’s in there, I know it.” I muttered, and pulled my pockets out, they were now upside down and out. “No, no, come on!! Come! On!!!” I cried out, my voice was hoarse but I did not realize it, I couldn’t hear much. My head was filled with a mantra, a hopeless attempt to believe he was alive.

Everything was leading to him being gone. If I did not have his vivre card, it meant it was used up, it meant he was, “Dead…” falling to my knees, I hit the ground and starting hitting with my full strength, hurting the side of my fists in the process. “Fuck!” I didn’t stop until I felt content, repeating over and over that I should have told him it was madness, I kept swearing, letting out all my frustration. The dread of the birdcage was forgotten, all I could think about was his body lying on the ground, motionless.

I jumped when I heard gunshots and paused, staring at my bloody fists. This was it. This was the only remaining proof that I needed to be sure he was gone. I scoffed, feeling gross from the running tears on my cheeks and the dripping blood from my hands. I couldn’t feel anything and yet felt soreness all over my body. I couldn’t keep pushing on, I couldn’t do anything.

I couldn’t save him. I couldn’t be of use. I couldn’t even get a hold of myself. I couldn’t fight.

I tried to tell myself that it was not the time for self-pity. I tried to shove away in the depth of my mind what I had just seen, to erase that scene from my memory but I couldn’t. I was going to sneak off to some other place, quieter, where I could gather my thoughts when I felt myself being thrown away by an explosion.

The only thing that caught my fall was glass debris under myself, and onto my hands. The strength of the blow came from Luffy and Joker’s fight. I was going to get up when I heard a loud sound. Looking around, I gasped, squinting my eyes, “Is it… moving? You must be shitting me…” I uttered; my voice shaky as I looked at the birdcage. Observing long enough, I came to the conclusion that it was indeed moving and sighed. Seconds after, I remembered that if it was closing on itself, people might be in danger. My body was telling me to stop, to get away, but people needed help.

I had to ignore my own stupid feelings and help them, I couldn’t stay here, even less so considering the intensity of the fight that was happening up there.

But I couldn’t reason with how I felt. I felt heavy, not from fatigue but from knowing I had lost him. There was no going back, I would have to survive and go back to Zou to announce everyone I had failed. I had promised to look over him, I had promised to them and to myself, but I failed.

Dusting off everything off my form, I stumbled when trying to stand up but held my ground. I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing but I could ignore it and hold back my sobs. Maybe I could replace this sadness when something helpful… like, anger, anger was nice.

Looking up I could see Luffy fighting and something sparked in my chest, it was because of him that Law was taken down. Where was he when my Captain was being held so high above the ground, he probably went rushing into danger as expected and ruined everything- “Everyone!! Get out of here!” I heard someone call out, it interrupted my inner monologue but perhaps was it for the good. I did not want to get mad at Luffy even though I still wanted to. Just a bit.

I looked around to see why did they want to move so desperately, but I did not have to wonder long. Fast enough, or was it fast? I don’t know how long I stood on that same spot, no one around me, but now I had to get moving. Fast enough, Doflamingo came crashing down somewhere in town. I almost lost balance at the quake it sent through the ground when his body smashed into the ground with full force from Luffy’s blow.

For a second I thought it was over, but as I approached the place where the Celestial Demon had fallen, I could see he was grinning. His fingers moving. Was it not enough? He looked so bad, he seemed in an ever worst state than I think I was and yet he was still up for more. Slowly, he stood up and I was not going to stay there long enough to see him standing, I couldn’t waste more time here.

As I ran away from the Celestial asshole, I almost got ran over my Luffy’s bouncing form. I used the little energy I had and teleported out of his collusion course. I could hear their fight going on, and hear it finish too. That’s when I stopped in my tracks and turned around, there lied on the floor the body of the Straw-Hat captain. Luffy, on the floor? Luffy, was defeated? I reacted out of instinct and teleported to his body, calling out his name.

“Luffy! Luffy get your ass back up, Mingo is still alive.” I shook him, at least tried to. His only response was to tell me he needed ten minutes. But we did not have ten minutes. I didn’t tell him that, fortunately someone had more trust in him than I did. He was dressed like a gladiator; I did not know where he came from but he helped Luffy onto his back and said we’d get him ten minutes.

Watching them go away, I called out, “I’ll-“ no it’s stupid, but stupid and improbable is what we need right now. “I’ll try to stall him! Even if I need to get him to the highest point and throw him off of it myself!!” I screamed from the top of my lungs.

Shuffling to my feet, I couldn’t teleport yet, I had no energy but I did start running to where Doflamingo was. He was a bit far away, but when I reached him, he was stumbling but still threateningly-so. In front of him, I could see the form Viola, she was standing right in front of him and took her cape off, showing her daggers.

I winced, highly doubting the damage she could do on a Warlord with simple daggers, then she started attacking. It was beautiful to watch, it was almost like she was dancing. When she went for his face, I smiled. The smile on my face did not stay long when Joker was now right behind her and he kicked her to the ground. I was surprised to hear a voice not far away and turned towards it. There was a girl with pink hair standing there, horrified to see Viola on the ground.

Looking back at the seer, she was rising from the floor, her hands behind her back. It was not from her free will that she was doing so, Doflamingo was pulling literal strings. “Hey asshole!!” Why did I call him out? He hadn’t seen me but now he knew I was there. Great way to use surprise as a way to get him. “You. You’re still alive. Ah, well, don’t worry. You’ll join Law soon enough,” He shrugged and moved his fingers, but I teleported out of his reach. I had to be able to get him one way or another, but since I got out of his reach, he attacked the pink-haired girl instead.

I heard Viola call her ‘Rebecca’, and calling her she did. She was trying to reassure the girl who now had her sword raised, I was confused at first until I saw the tears running down her face. She wasn’t in control; she was being manipulated by the blond fuck. I was trying to come up with a solution, anything, but I hardly believed those strings were cuttable nor did I have anything to cut them. But maybe by bringing his attention back on me, I could at least stall him or distract him.

So, I jumped from my spot, onto his back just like last time. He groaned and unlike last time, I did not have the strength the play rodeo and hold onto him for dear’s life. I was weakened, and couldn’t keep up with him. Grabbing me by the throat he lifted me, still manipulating the two women. “When will you learn to stay in your fucking place?” He grunted before slamming me into the ground.

A loud huff was all that escaped my lips, I couldn’t move anyway. The ground suddenly felt comfortable. The conversation that was happening in front of me was muffled, I couldn’t understand what they were saying but as Rebecca held back from making her way to Viola, Doflamingo was grinning. He was happy from all of this, but it didn’t last long.

The moment Rebecca was about to strike down Viola, the latter was replaced by Luffy- what? How did he get there? I was agape at what had been displayed in front of me, trying to comprehend. The only person I knew could do that was- “Law?” I sobbed in hope. Looking around to catch a glimpse of him, I felt desperate, I felt stupid. He was not here anymore, they somewhat managed to switched place- There he is. On the roof of that building.

[Part 7]

#trafalgar one piece #trafalgardwaterlaw #trafalgar law #one piece trafalgar law #trafalgar law x reader #one piece x reader #law one piece #law x reader #law x gn reader #why don't you listen to me #wdyltm #ao3 #writer #writings #fanfiction #ao3 writer #physicalturian #op x reader #reader

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danwhobrowses · 3 years

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One Piece Chapter 1006 - Initial Thoughts

Those Ls are slowly creeping in, and it’s getting me worried

After 1005 kicked off some Nico Robin hype we are back into it for 1006

So let’s run down the chapter

Spoilers for Chapter 1006, also support the Official Release

Colour spread for this chapter, Kaido and his Disasters and Tobi Roppo - including Drake which was odd, no Apoo either

Oda at it again with the perpetual cocktease, no Robin fight for this chapter

Unstoppable Squirrel SMILE Bao Huang starts the chapter announcing the disappearance of Momonosuke, still surmising that he’s with Yamato and Shinobu

It’s a little unclear whether the enemy has seen him in Yamato’s clothes or if that’s for our benefit...like Sanji may be very jealous if one of Kaido’s ranks can see through clothes, unless it’s just Haki

That truly is the face of a man with conflicting emotions in his predicament

Sanji’s hearing this though and is in a conflict; if the Akazaya knew Momo were in danger they’d want him to protect Momo over them, but Sanji still feels a responsibility to Kin’emon and while Momo is in danger he has people to defend him

He could go either way, which may mean someone else is to contend with Jack, if so Momo might be killed by Sanji anyway the moment he sees his situation with Yamato

Reminder that Onigashima is still flying in the air, looks like it’s reaching a mountain

That explosion looks like it could be quite close to dislodging that big ass sword from the ground

Carrot nooooo! The movement of the island covered the moon so they lost Su Long, giving Perospero the chance to beat her and Wanda

This Pero bastard though, lucky as ever. He’s survived Pedro’s nuking, avoided certain blinding by the minks (his wounds completely gone from that too) and when Su Long had him dead to rights the Island levitates and blocks out the moon

Carrot is still motivated to fight though for Pedro, but Perospero is just really kicking her when she’s down, ‘you’d be more suited for that’ feels like Oda painting Peros as some of the anti-Carrot OP fans too

Peros walks off but he didn’t kill them or encase them in candy, so there’s definitely chances for them - specifically Carrot - to roar back into the fight, they are warriors after all and Carrot is still close to Chopper who is on the first floor

Over with that floor and the battle of attrition is not going well, everyone exposed to the virus is running out of Stamina , and that includes Chopper, the Ice Oni is getting to him too as he stresses for the cure

I dunno why Apoo continues to fight the others though, I know Queen is watching but surely you wait until after Chopper makes a cure, he knows better than to believe that Queen is being genuine after all

Props though to Apoo and Drake to still not be infected, I mean that virus travels by touch and they still haven’t gotten it

Hyou is also in prime sumo mode here turns out the virus is bringing out his last ounces of strength in exchange for his lifeforce...I wonder if that may come into play for any other characters that get the virus

He’s also very intent on making sure that if time runs out that someone kills him before he turns, the same thing he told one of the other Yakuza bosses when they were gonna turn

No style is obsolete if you can’t block it, Hyou just wasted all them Mimawarigumi, and remember the Oniwaban are watching this while mega forehead dipped out of the entire fight

All this reflecting and speaking to Oden is the mega death flag, even if it is sweet how he was happy to find a Protégé in Luffy

But seriously Marco, what juice are you on!? He’s taking King AND Queen at the same time, and being pretty in control of the fights

King even cut off his wing and he used it as a weapon before a big knee to the face before then kicking Queen into the next room! If you can handle 2 billion-beri men what the hell is your bounty!?

He doesn’t seem to have gotten that wing back though, and damage is visible and worse yet, Perospero has spotted him...

But the Ice oni are turning back and Hyou is preparing for death, ending the chapter on yet another cockteasing cliffhanger

Another chapter, another dangling thread Oda teases us with, best bet is next time we’re gonna get Jimbei vs Who’s Who and either track back to Nami and Usopp vs Ulti and Pay-Pay or Sasaki vs Franky

But yeah, add on Hyou dying, Where Sanji is gonna go and What Carrot does next on top of the Hybrid Kaido, Robin and Brook vs Maria, Shadow person in the bushes, Shadow person with the Akazaya, Tama’s time limit plan and Yamato’s other powers list

The chapter was by design a little bleak, it was a shame that Carrot and Wanda’s fight was off-screened given its build, and that Perospero looks rather unscathed compared to the fact that his face was slashed to holy hell last we saw of him. Hyou dying would add some weight to the raid since we have yet to have a major character death as of yet, I could also see them sparing him though either way You very much have to worry about Marco, handling King and Queen is helpful but if Perospero tries to shoot him down too then we may be losing a favourite pineapple. Unless regen is taking some time he is down a whole wing which means his aerial offence has gone down, and if Marco is nixed then that means bad things for everyone with Ice oni as well as the fact that 3 major Yonko subordinates are down here and all there is on our side is Chopper and Drake.

I hope Marco lasts out a bit more (well I hope he lasts out forever but at this point it don’t look good), maybe Carrot comes back for another crack, motivated to protect those living than avenge those dead, I just don’t think Oda would leave her alive with fight still in her if she weren’t gonna come back into play. Whichever route Sanji chooses too I hope he goes full raid suit into battle

But for now Oda keeps us on our toes, swerves and dangling threads continue, but soon we will have to come back to one and then it will all happen

We’re building up to some crazy shit about to go down

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majoraop · 3 years

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Another contribution for the One Piece Bingo organized by @op-pirate-fleet: a short story from Doflamingo’s point of view based on the “heroic gesture” prompt of my card. If you’ll enjoy this fanfic or find anything to fix please comment! ^^

The Untangled Puppeteer Donquixote Doflamingo didn’t like heroes nor believed in good endings. Life wasn’t fair. When someone won, someone else lost (a loved one, freedom, a place to belong—the list could go on and on), and the ending that felt “perfect” to some might be unsatisfying to others. Doflamingo smirked even if his head still hurt as the result of his opponent's “heroism”. Usually, people root for the protagonist—the “hero” of a story—and the people of Dressrosa had rooted for that stupid monkey. They had even called him their “saviour”. How naïve of them! They were not safe nor free when they still had to pay a gold tribute to those other monkeys sitting on their opulent thrones. But they will fall too, one day. Soon. Dressrosa's people had got excited for the fighting more than they ever had for the half-hearted colosseum skirmishes. They had wanted to see the "good guys" prevail against the "bad guys". In the end, while some betrayed him (as usual), some others remained faithful. Maybe, his “family” had a real meaning after all. Doflamingo smiled. He could claim that victory at least. That Monkey D Luffy was interesting. While acting like a “hero”, he didn't consider himself one. He was different from most people: not after revenge like he and Law, but just a crazy free bullet that had only seen him as an obstacle to overcome. Sure, he had fought for Viola’s niece and the other people once he had discovered his plan, but Doflamingo couldn’t blame him: even if he had had his own rightfully reasons, he had still literally caged him and his friends. He had never seen someone fighting so fiercely to get his freedom back. Voices told the truth: Monkey D Luffy wanted to become the freest person in the world. The Pirate King. Doflamingo wasn’t surprised he hadn’t become a revolutionary instead. The Revolutionary Army fought for freedom, but its members were not free; they were too bond to their “liberty” ideal to pursue it for themselves. Pirates, instead, weren’t bound to responsibilities. Yet, that brat’s answer to his provocation (what’s the point of acting like a hero?) had still surprised him. If you cannot save everyone, why even bother? What good will bring an imperfect justice? His brother had acted upon “justice” too, but still a flawed one: he had “saved” a single child leaving the rest back with him. Maybe, it wasn’t a matter of justice but hope. However, Doflamingo had learned as a child that there couldn't be real hope in an unjust world where the winners—the “heroes”—decided what “justice” was for everyone else. Doflamingo's bitter laughter startled the guards, and he savoured the worried glances they threw at him. So-called “heroic gestures” were just the result of egoism: a “good” one for some, but still egoism. In the end, it’s just a matter of point of views. Doflamingo wondered if Monkey D Luffy, too, had felt angry, lost, or lonely as a child. Sometimes, he might have feared for his life or someone else's (nobody wants to remain alone). He must have cried—all children do—even if some only cry in secret, when nobody can see them, and people end up thinking they are fearless monsters (Doflamingo still remembered the fire, the screams, his angry tears). Why didn’t you understand, Roci? He imagined his brother smiling light-heartedly, joking, making plans for the future together with Law. Without me, your older brother. He had loved Roci so much he had killed him to forgive him. For breaking free of his cage without permission. For putting his morals as a marine—as if they weren’t assassins too, and of the worst kind!—over love for his family. For leaving him behind. Doflamingo felt irritated with Rocinante for even giving up his goal—stopping him—to stay together with Law. Someone so similar to me, not the less. Law knowing that made it slightly more tolerable, but in the end, he too became free from his past. But I won’t let it go. Victims turned into executioners had condemned him and his brother when they were just innocent children. He could not accept such injustice—such “justice” of the masses—and had fought back with his Conqueror's Haki. After that, he had tried to protect his family: he had helped Roci surviving in the streets, brought food to their ill mother. He had tried everything, unlike their inept father. Why wasting time asking for help from the same people who abandoned us in this hell? His disgustingly good-hearted, foolish father! He had betrayed all of them to follow his impossible ideals, so he had killed him. He had done it for Roci, too. To save him from a terrible life. But it had been useless: the Celestial Dragons had never admitted them back to Mary Geoise, and his brother had run away. His brother lost, Doflamingo still cared for his found family. He had mourned the death of Monet and then Vergo. He even felt remorse when they died for him, but that had been necessary in his ultimate goal to destroy the world: a world full of hate and discriminations, of prejudices and ignorance. People called him “Heavenly Demon”, and yet he had accepted in his family individuals no one wanted around. He did feel superior to the others, but he knew that they were all humans in the end, no matter how some still called themselves “gods”. No matter how he played along and claimed to be one too sometimes: it was just a game, an act. Doflamingo knew very well that his Conqueror's Haki wasn’t proof of some no-existing "birthrights". He deemed himself worthy of reigning over others only because he had earned that for himself. Despite all of that and his unshakable will to survive, though, he had lost. Now, he had no right to choose how to die anymore nor decide what “justice” was; winners did that. Yet, he still had his curiosity. What would the Riku family do from now on? Did they expect peace on Dressrosa? He laughed again, amused this time. He could see hordes of pirates invading it since the very day he had fallen. What would Law do? He hadn’t killed him in the end, so maybe he felt empty, his revenge unfulfilled? Or did he find something or someone else filling the void in his existence? And what about me? Despite lying chained on the cold floor of a cell, he didn’t feel so bad. Had his (spare) glasses shattering at the end of the fight been a catharsis? At least, he deserved punishment this time around. He could live with that. It felt strange to think that his confrontation with that crazy monkey might have been the best thing ever happening to him. Even if in a way he had not predicted, that event had broken the spiral of deceiving and violence that had entangled him ever since he was a child. For the moment, at least. He still had plans, cards to play. Maybe, one day he would also find hope again—no, better leave such useless things to guys like Fujitora (apparently, the Marine admiral had become a fan of Monkey D Luffy). He would rather keep his prudent stance, the protection of his glasses up again against that shitty world: he didn’t care if, from the outside, that may look like a last desperate tentative to keep control over his life. Probably, one day I’ll take them off myself. As much as he didn’t believe in heroes, to see the world unfiltered and not through rose-coloured glasses would be a heroic gesture by itself. How ironic! In any case, he believed that his role hadn’t ended yet. Maybe, his defeat had been a necessary step before a new beginning. He would find a way to free himself and the remaining members of his family. He would probably find new people worth his attention and time, too. He would be even more careful from now on (he would still ignore the remorse that sometimes bit him). He was still alive, meaning that he had a second chance. At worst, he would even help the revolutionaries if that meant finally seeing the World Nobles’ demise. He knew firsthand the pain they caused to people, so he may connect with the revolutionaries—or maybe not. Not on a deep level, at least. He liked to have people around but couldn’t let his guard down, ever. Unlike his stupid father, though, he wouldn't waste his potential and hide away from his fate. He would take things into his own hands. Not like a hero, but like a man. Even if nobody ever really treated him like a human being. So, why should he act like one? Abused for being a (fallen) Celestial Dragon or supported as a king by his new family, there was no middle ground. His found family had recognised his worth but eventually used him as much as he used them. Probably, only that crazy monkey had ever treated him as equal. Despite fighting Monkey D Luffy had made him relive his past trauma with parallels worth of a well-written story, it had also made him somewhat free. I can’t believe this just crossed my mind. Was that a “side effect” of his opponent’s “heroism”? After all, Doflamingo had been the one making the cage, but he had still been at the centre of it, caged himself, as he pulled strings and controlled others. But now, my threads have been cut. He could start anew.

#opbingo2020 #doflamingo #donquixote doflamingo #onepiece #one piece #opfanfic #opfanfiction #majoraop #long post #(Probably Doflamingo is a bit out of character here since I tend to mix my own headcanons with canon stuff. ^^’ )#(Sorry for not using the read more feature but that would count as a link and posts with links often don't appear in searches and tags...)#queued

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eirist · 4 years

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A Taste of Summer II

A TASTE OF SUMMER

One-shot #: 4

Disclaimer: One Piece (and its characters) belongs to Eiichiro Oda-sensei.

Reminder: I have no beta-reader. Any grammatical and spelling errors are solely mine.

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: I did say I planned to finish the prompts from the ZoNami Week 2020 at zonamievents in Tumblr. This is Day 4: Lemons and Oranges. It took a long time since it’s been hectic in work these past months, I can only manage drabbles. I have a lot of work-in-progress stories waiting for me to finish them. Anyway, enjoy my better late than never one-shot.

Summary: The moment he stepped inside it, the fruits’ fragrances wafted towards him, surrounding him. Sweet. Citrusy.

The island was idyllic… quiet even. It feels like they were the only ones who are currently there.

Which turns out to be the case.

According to Robin—and the documents she unearthed from the enormous library of the island’s dazzling villa—it was once owned by a rich couple.

It was their own private paradise but they abandoned the place for a reason most could guess… they realized how susceptible they are—living on an island which was smack right into the path of sailing pirates.

What a waste. He wasn’t a fan of summer islands but Zoro had to admit, even he was awestruck with how divine the place is.

It was utterly exquisite and amazing.

The previous owners were fools to let such a gem go. It was the perfect getaway island.

And all of his crewmates think so too. As they are spending another day docked there—exploring, relaxing and just taking everything in.

Heaven knows how the Straw Hats need a break from all that fighting.

Zoro left the others dilly-dallying in the villa’s patio overlooking the great view of the sea and the stone port with the Thousand Sunny docked beside it, bobbing idly above the blue water.

He strode towards a random direction despite protests from Usopp and the stupid cook that he will definitely get lost.

Damn them! He does not get lost. How many times do they have to go over this?!

Nami had done an ocular from the crow’s nest right after they had anchored. The island wasn’t that big, you can actually circle it in a day and a half.

How will he get lost in that? Idiots!

He grumpily trudged forward, following the graveled path that was leading away from the villa. He can hear Luffy's shouts of glee as Sanji announced a barbecue soiree some time later.

Zoro shook his head. As much as the dumb cook hates to admit it, he'd been spoiling everyone rotten in this vacation of sorts...

Not that he’s complaining. There is food. There is sake. He wasn't an ungrateful bastard after all.

The balmy breeze from the ocean swept across him, bringing in the salty smell of the sea. That, coupled with the warm temperature and the soothing rhythm of the waves crashing on the shore was enough to make him dozy.

Yawning widely, he decided to just look for a good place to nap instead of exploring the area like he initially meant to do.

He'll do it later. Or tomorrow... as it seems like everyone was still willing to stay for one more day.

The path he was following veered towards the left. He hesitated for a moment, his body unconsciously steering towards the opposite direction—one without a paved trail and bordered with thick foliage no one can pass through.

He grunted and contemplated whether or not he would cut and make his own way... but he didn't want anyone nagging him about how not to destroy everything in front you.

Especially one loud-mouthed, orange-haired navigator.

He doubts if he'd be able to take on her yapping from the way he was reacting to her as of late.

Running a hand through his hair exasperatedly, he sighed and did a double take. He didn’t realize that he was now near the villa’s wide back patio.

There were stone steps leading down to a garden below filled with trees and plants blooming with different summer fruits and flowers. A paved walkway snaked across the expanse of the area leading to a tunnel-shaped trellis with lemon and orange trees growing on them, providing shade to anyone who would dare walk into it. The branches were intertwined above, the fruits hanging like dozens of prized crystals on a chandelier—their alternating colors of orange and yellow among the green leaves were pleasing to look at.

Zoro grinned and made his way towards it. Would you look at that? He found a perfect place to nap.

The moment he stepped inside it, the fruits’ fragrances wafted towards him, surrounding him.

Sweet. Citrusy.

Just like Nami.

He made a tch-ing sound. He was thinking about her. Again.

Seems like he's been doing it a lot recently. A lot.

He couldn't understand it at first. It was all so foreign to him.

It had taken Zoro sometime before he figured out what was really happening. And it took an even longer period before he finally acknowledged it.

When they finally faced each other after their two years separation... everything just came crashing down on him.

She had greeted him with the warmest smile on her face as they ran into each other—both intending to take a break from the celebration party held at Fish-Man Island.

In that moment... he just got lost in her.

And Zoro didn't know if it was the same with her. Or if that is even possible with her.

But he can clearly see now that it is.

And that threw him off because he was honestly not expecting it.

He scratched the back of his head in frustration. All this thinking is really making his head ache. Especially after the recent events where they both seem to find themselves in that specific moment before a kiss happens.

Should it?

Fate seems to be pointing to the fact that it should, given how the two of them always end up in the same situation every time they are near each other.

He wasn't a firm believer of signs and such, but given the circumstances… it seems like it was really inevitable.

And it's not like he didn't want to kiss her. He absolutely wants to. Even more now after the whole water gun spectacle and how their lips were so close… almost grazing each other’s right after they had resurfaced from the ocean with their eyes locked on each other’s.

They were interrupted by the idiot cook yelling threats and throwing one of the water guns at his head.

Nami had moved away from him almost immediately. And the look she gave him had his curiosity piqued.

It was the same one he saw on her face while they were hiding behind the makeshift shelter in the midst of the water gun battle—a cross between understanding and acceptance.

The slight thud of a fruit dropping near him broke his thoughts. He stared at the orange globe as it rolled a few centimeters away, surprised that it didn't explode from the height of the fall.

He picked it up, toying with it for a moment, enjoying the firmness of it in his hand. He ran his thumb across its smooth surface. His lips quirked up. He always secretly enjoyed the fact that her hair was the same shade as this orange and her beloved mikans.

Damn it to hell he's turning to that aho cook now.

He casually threw the fruit up in the air and caught it. He decided to throw those thoughts aside as well for now and enjoy this little snack before settling down for a nap.

He proceeded to peel it and then did a double take again.

He didn't notice it before, but the citrus tunnel was leading to another area.

Zoro moved towards the end of it to check. His eyebrows rose and he marveled at the wide orchard of lemon and orange trees before him. It was smartly hidden from the view that you cannot see it from the villa, giving it a kind of a secret place ambiance.

A smile appeared on his face again as he took in the perfectly lined trees before him. There was an odd feeling of satisfaction at their alignment, at the interchanging colors of their fruits, their stark contrast against the swaying green leaves.

"Zoro?"

He dropped the orange he was holding.

Damn he should have known the chances of running into her are high.

Really, really high.

He turned towards the direction of her voice. Nami was standing between the rows of orange and lemon trees, with one hand on her hips as she regarded him.

“Are you my back-up?”

Zoro paused for a moment and cocked an eyebrow at her when he couldn't figure out what she meant by that. “Your what?”

Nami blew at her bangs in exaggerated exasperation. “I mean, are you here to help me?” She asked again, nudging one basket filled with fruits with her feet.

Zoro's eye hovered at the containers near her legs.

She's fruit-picking? Voluntarily???

But Nami had them for that. She can easily order every—and any—one of them to do it for her.

Especially him or that stupid love cook.

Pigs must be flying somewhere on this island.

"What is that?" He definitely and dumbly had to ask that.

"Uh fruits?" Nami raised an eyebrow at him. "Specifically lemons and oranges... shall I introduce you to them? Feels like you still haven't made acquaintances of each other."

"Very funny witch," he growled. "And no I'm not your back-up."

A frown marred her features. "Then why are you here? Usopp didn't send you? I specifically ask him to send someone to help me!"

Zoro gave her an unamused look. "Like he can order me around."

"Hmm true but…" She tapped a finger to her cheek, pondering. Then she waved her hand dismissively. "Well since you are here, I guess I'll have to make use of you somehow."

"No thanks. I need to nap now."

She gaped at him. "Seriously Zoro? Are you a kid? How many naps do you need per day?!"

He just shrugged. Sure, they may be on the verge of acting on the attraction that they had for each other and kiss somehow in the near future...

But damn if he will obey her just like that.

He wasn't ero-cook after all.

"Tell you what, I'll just go and tell your stupid cook to help you out."

"But you’re already here..." Nami pointed out, her tone turning a bit whiny. "Besides you will just get lost and never make it to Sanji-kun or back to me!"

"Oi!"

“Just help me out Zoro.”

“Why?”

“Because I can’t carry them by myself!”

“Just drag them or something. I’m not your pack-mule.”

“What’s the use of those stupid arms you tone every day? For display only?!” Nami hissed at him.

Zoro threw her a smirk, fighting the urge to flex just to irritate her more. “Yes.”

“Zoro!”

"It's your damn fault for trying to do this by yourself," the green-haired man grunted. Honestly, why didn't she ask him or anyone else in their crew to accompany her?

But him… especially.

Damn that dumbass cook is contagious!

Maybe she needed to be alone with her thoughts as well just like you. A tiny, eety, beety voice that sounded a lot like Chopper reminded him.

Nami stared at him surprised. "You mean, I should've asked you to come with me earlier?"

That snapped him into attention as his ears turned red. "That's not what I meant!"

"But you said I should've asked you," she repeated.

“I didn’t say anything like that!”

The navigator pouted. “Well I’m pretty sure you were insinuating that.”

“Temee…”

"Anyway, you were napping. Thought it'd be better not to wake you up."

There was never a time in their lives that she was this considerate of him. Regardless of how deep he was sleeping, Nami will most definitely wake him up just to order him to do something.

Her mischievous smile had his guard up.

Cheeky witch!

“I’m heading back,” he grumbled. “I’ll go tell your idiot prince that you need help.”

“Zoro!”

He ignored her screech and turned away from her.

The less time he spends with her... the better. It lowers the chance of them finally kissing until it blows over and they completely forgot it even have a chance to occur.

Because honestly, he doesn't know what to do after it. Or what will happen after it.

That is something he still doesn't know the answer as of yet.

“Why you…” Nami seethed as he started walking away. He was really grating every single nerve in her body with his no-nonsense attitude, even after everything that happened these past weeks.

She grabbed a lemon from the basket and threw it at him. Hard. Channeling all the bottled up frustrations in her on that action.

"Take that you idiot!”

It hit him on the back, putting a stop to his stride.

Nami seized another fruit and threw it again… this time hitting the stupid, lazy man on his head.

Zoro growled lowly when he saw the yellow fruits bounced down the ground after hitting him.

“Nami!” He shouted, pivoting sharply towards her…

…and promptly got hit on the side of his face, this time with an overripe orange.

The fruit splattered on contact, its juices dripping down his face and neck.

His jaw clenched as his eyes settled on a cheekily smiling Nami who had another fruit in her hand, throwing it up on the air and catching it.

And he knows, damn he knows this is her payback for ignoring her request and for his stunt a few days ago…

…and for hesitating to kiss her and acknowledging what was between them... all rolled into one.

She moved swiftly and threw the orange in her hand again.

This time he effortlessly caught it, before a sneer appeared on his face.

He crushed the fruit in his grip and threw it back at her.

Nami yelped as she tried to get away in time, but the fruit remains still caught her and splattered on her chest and face. In a split second, he had another fruit in his grasp, crushing and throwing it at her again.

She squealed when she saw him broke into a run, heading towards her looking like he was going to tackle her down the ground.

She immediately turned, but not before throwing two random fruits at him and ran, dodging the trees that lined the orchard as fast as her feet will take her. She randomly changed directions, running towards the left then switching to the right…

Knowing Zoro’s ability to get lost in a straight line, she’d be able to throw him off the chase.

Her lungs were burning, her breaths coming out in gasps. Her hair whipped wildly behind her as the ribbon she had tied on loosened and was blown away by the wind.

She should feel threatened, afraid somehow. She doesn’t know what Zoro has in store for her once he caught her.

But she was laughing.

She circled a random tree, trying to catch her breath. Carefully she peered back at the direction where she came from. The swordsman was nowhere to be seen.

It was all so crazy. Crazy yet fun. She ran a hand through her now tousled locks. The ribbon she had on earlier must’ve fallen away when she dashed along the orchard.

Oh she will make him pay for this of course. This is his fault anyway. He was the one who started chasing her.

The smell of the fruits filled her nose. She pouted a bit at the stickiness of the juices clinging in her skin and sundress. Yet, the scents brought comfort to her and she let herself relax for a moment. Zoro was probably on the other side of the orchard, given how he always ends up on the opposite of where he’s supposed to go.

Trust him to really get lost in a straight line.

It was silent now, except for her heavy breaths and the sound of the sea. The wind started to pick up from the ocean, blowing lightly along the expanse of the citrus orchard. Citrusy scent filled the air, reminding her of that it is summer.

The breeze tousled her long, orange curls and she closed her eyes as it blew stronger.

Almost immediately it stopped. At the same time a shadow loomed over her, blocking the sun and the wind as well.

“Found ya.”

Her eyes flew open in surprise. Zoro was now in front of her, grinning roguishly. She honestly thought she lost him in the maze of orange and lemon trees with all the twist and turns that she made.

On instinct, she automatically moved to ran away again. But Zoro caged her in his arms preventing her escape.

“Oh no you don’t.”

She squealed in protest when his hands—still sticky from the fruits—held her by the arms.

Nami tilted her head and laughed. There were remnants of the lemons and oranges she threw at him earlier sticking on his face and shirt.

Still chortling, she reached out to wipe them off his face. He did the same for her, plucking some bits and pieces from her hair.

They were standing so close to each other now—a sticky mess with their breaths heaving and intermingling with each other’s.

Her hands found themselves resting flat on his chest while his had slid down to both of her elbows.

They were looking at each other, painfully aware that they are in that instant before a kiss again, waiting on who is brave enough to make the first move.

It was Nami who broke the moment first.

“Ok. Ok. I give up!” She snickered and grinned at the sheer childishness of what they had just done.

They were supposedly ruthless pirates, weren’t they?

“I’m charging you for all these Zoro.”

Zoro chuckled and released her. “How about I lug your baskets back as you want then we’ll just call it quits.”

“No.”

“Damn woman!”

“Oh no, no,” Nami shook her head as she forced herself to she step away from him. “You ruined a sundress, cost me a hair ribbon and I’m not even touching the fact that you threw fruits at me and chased me all throughout this orchard.”

“Oi! You were the one who did the throwing first!” The green-haired man retorted.

“Dame.” She poked a finger to his chest.

“Fine!” He said grouchily. But to her astonishment, he smiled at her. “Let’s head back.”

Nami nodded. “Yeah. I need a bath. I’ve been here for hours. Plus I feel sticky. No thanks to you.”

Zoro just threw her a smirk.

She followed him along the rows of citrus trees. It seems like now is still not the right time for them. There was still that hesitation… an uncertainty that lingers on the air between them, mostly from Zoro’s part.

And Nami had decided that she wouldn’t make the first move. She would wait for him. Because when he does… that means he is finally ready to deal with what’s between them and everything that comes with it.

For now she’ll just bask in these little, special moments with him.

The wind blew around them again, the citrus’ scents drifting up in the air once more. She was quite amazed that he was able to make his way back to where they had left the baskets of lemons and oranges.

Zoro was about to grab one, then he stopped.

Nami stared at him with a curious gaze. “Is there a problem?”

He looked back at her. With a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, he shook his head. He had this expression on his face that clearly indicates he just realized something.

Taking a step closer to her, he watched her warm brown eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and excitement.

"Zoro?"

The swords will dull if you do the opposite of what you really feel.

Of course. He really is an idiot.

He bent down, finally claiming her lips with his. His arms went around her to pull her close so he could savor the feeling, the moment, the reality that he finally came to terms with what he really needed to do and what he wanted to do.

She sighed softly and he felt the smile tugged at the corners of her lips as her own arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer to her and deepening their kiss.

The essences of the fruits had found their way to her lips at their antics earlier. He savored the taste on her—the sweetness of the oranges, the tanginess of the lemons...

It was summer on her lips.

And he was now addicted to it.

#zoro x nami #ZoNa #zonami #zonalove #zona one-shots #zoro nami fanfiction #zonamiweek2020 #zonamieventstumblr #zonamievents

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gildedmuse · 4 years

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So I seem to remember promising more Sora: Warrior Of The Sea Beach Episode. And by "seem to remember" I mean, it's in writing and thus hard to ignore. So despite the fact that none of you care, guess what? You're getting more of this ZoLaw AU.

First off, every member of the cast and crew understands the purpose of a beach episode: to waste time at the beach. Which means that everyone pulls up with swim trunks, blankets, grills and umbrellas. They are basically there to have a beach vacation.

I say everyone. Not Law. Law does not come prepared to party, he comes prepared to be pissy. But like everyone else (Yes, even Mihawk. Though technically only due to Shank's influence. Shanks forces him is what I'm saying. "Hey, even Beckmen is joining in the fun!" / "Benn always joins in these ridiculous games." / "What? My Beckmen? No! He's usually so mature and serious." / "He only seems that way compared to you. Because you are a child.")

The resulting shoot is pretty much pure chaos. Perona and Hancock are more interested in sunbathing than acting. Killer is kicking everyone's ass at volleyball. Franky and Ace are having a grill off to see who makes the better hamburgers and hot dogs (Sanji would totally win except that Pudding-Chan is right there and in a bikini and look, at some point it's difficult to care about things that aren't that.) Zoro and Luffy, meanwhile, are pretty much exactly the children you expect them to be, much to Robin's amusement. Look, she wrote a scene where Sora and Daichi "play wrestle" in the sea, but it has nothing on the actual thing. Because Zoro can often be oblivious and because, you know, Luffy she is sure they don't mean for it to look so homoerotic. It's just a shame Nami isn't here to capitalize on this. She could definitely sell Zoro pinning Luffy to the sand or Luffy wrapping around Zoro like he's made of rubber for more than a few quid.

Law is not enjoy this shoot.

Even when Benn finally gains enough control to start getting actual work done (you'd be surprised how authoritative Mihawk can be even in purple swim trunks) it soon becomes clear that this is going to be a longer than normal shoot. Not because the logistics, just people are not even trying. Ace will just start smiling in the middle of a scene where he shouldn't be smiling, and because Zoro really takes his cues on acting from Ace he'll immediately start smiling regardless of the line. Then Sanji will get angry with them both, which Pudding will think is adorable, thus leading to Sanji forgetting the script entirely to pay attention to her. Perona will tell Zoro off and get too close in his face, which will make Luffy jump in to "protect his virtue" (on order from Nami) which will make Boa jealous because how dare another woman be so close to her Luffy. Which will make Ace and Zoro annoyed which will make Robin giggle, which will distract Franky which will ultimately lead to the effects not working like they should, which will cause Shachi, Penguin, and Ikkaku to huddle up (definitely not them just laying on the sand and enjoying the day out) which of course gets Shanks and Mihawk's attention. Shanks tries to separate Perona and Luffy while Mihawk gives Zoro and Ace The Look which, despite his still authoritative aura is SLIGHTLY less effective when he's standing there in just swim trunks. Curse Shanks. So in the end, with a heavy sigh, he has to go train instruct Zoro in what he should actually be doing in the scene which somehow ends up with his hands at Zoro's bare waist as he goes through it all yet again.

Law HATES this. Fucking. Shoot.

Which is why he is so close to just leaving, as per Robin's suggestion. They don't need him there. Clearly. They can all get along quite well without him. It's obvious now that Law's real job is babysitting and at this particular location all attempts to be an adult are fruitless.

So Law is all set to leave but then Zoro gets out of the ocean, dripping wet, and heads towards his drink which Law happens to be standing beside. Not watching. Definitely. If anything, glaring. And he tries to keep glaring out at Luffy and Ace messing around as Zoro takes a nice long drink, eyes clearly focused on Law.

Which isn't distracting.

Zoro: Aren't you hot?

Law: *Takes a second to process what that actually means, covering by his continued glare* These are work appropriate clothes, Zoro-ya. Not all of us have forgotten why we're here.

Zoro: *Snorts* RIght. You can't be seen having fun, isn't that so Torao?

Law: *Turning his glare towards Zoro which is maybe a mistake because skin and water and mouth and eyes* I'm only being practical.

Zoro: That sounds boring *Reaching out to grab the end of Law's shirt* You should come have fun with us, Torao. You might even enjoy it. *Sideways smirk that is far too dangerous in nature, anyone with self preservation instincts would run*

Law: *Doesn't run* I… *Is older than Zoro and more experienced than Zoro and always the one to make suggestive comments to Zoro so how is it Zoro has currently got his hands wrapped in Law's shirt while Law seems unable to speak?* I didn't even bring-

Zoro: *Stepping closer, raising Law's shirt up a few inches to show his intent* It's just the crew, it's not like anyone will care.

Law: It wouldn't be very appropriate, Zoro-ya…. *Come on! He's half stripping you down! Be flirty or clever or mysterious or hell just step back and make him stop if you can't come off as at least competent. What the hell is wrong with you? Fuck, he's so close. And there's this trail of water falling from his hair to his lips. Fuck.*

Zoro: Look around. No one here is trying to be "appropriate" Torao. *Steps closer, feeling safe. Feeling cocky. Today has been all sword fights with Killer and sea fights with Luffy and Ace. Can you blame him for being in a good mood? And Law needs to join in, obviously. He's standing up here on the beach looking so miserable and serious. What he needs is to be dragged into the water and force to actually have some fun.* Unless…. *Cocks his head, looking Law over* You can swim, can't you?

Law: I - *It'd be nice if he could swallow right now because it definitely feels like he's going to start drooling. That damn water is curving up on the underside of Zoro's lower lip and he's so close. Law could lap that up for him. Could pin Zoro down and just….*

Zoro: *Beaming* It's alright. Luffy can barely swim, either. *Nods out to the water where currently Luffy is splashing around, riding on Ace's shoulders*

Law: *Eyes go to Luffy and Ace for once second and when he looks back Zoro seems so much closer.*

Zoro: *Still smiling even as he starts to peel off Law's shirt* Come on. *Tugging him by the arm, despite the fact he's still in his jeans and no wait he didn't agree to this!* We'll go together.

Law: *Manages to get Zoro to stop long enough to peel off his jeans so he's down to his boxers, which Zoro flushes at and isn't that what he meant? He can't be so inexperienced. Fuck, Law just wants to ruin this boy, he really does. But then Zoro is back to shoving him towards the sea, happily announcing to Ace and Luffy that he has a fourth and what does that even mean? What has Law gotten himself into?*

It turns out to be an overly competitive game of chicken (both Ace and Zoro really take it far too seriously while Luffy is clearly there for fun but also will break Law's nose if it comes down to it). Which means Law has his legs wrapped around Zoro, whose hands are curled up around his thighs and this could not get any worse.

He thinks.

Totally unaware that Robin has her phone out and is capturing this entire magical moment. And when Franky sits beside her asking why she's filming them fighting she just gets this smile that makes him want to unask because he knows Robin.

Mihawk has to eventually call the boys out to shoot a scene. He stands at the edge of the water with his typically displeased look. Law would feel so much more ashamed if Zoro hadn't chosen to just drop him slightly so Law's legs are wrapped around his waist, and carried him out of the water like that. Law tries to give his boss an apologetic look but it's difficult when he's so wrapped around Zoro, and Zoro's hands keep finding new places on his legs to hold him up. (And maybe Mihawk shouldn't look at actors who work for him that way. And maybe Mihawk should spend less time instructing Zoro. And maybe Mihawk can go to hell because Law has called dibs on this one. This one is his.)

(Also, thank you for this opportunity, Mihawk-san)

(Also, did Zoro really need to flash that smile at Mihawk? Did Mihawk's face just soften slightly? Isn't he like twice Zoro's age? He should really-)

Then Zoro drops him on the sand, and he's leaning over Law, practically on top of him. All other thoughts basically stop.

Zoro: *Beaming* See? Wasn't that better than just sitting around?

Law: *Forgets how breathing works for just a moment, and is way too out of breath by the time he recalls the process. So his mind goes into default Defensive Mode. He frowns* You just wanted a chance to beat Mugiwara-ya.

Zoro: Well… *Shrugs, like obviously. That isn't really the point, is it? Since he chose Law?* You did well Torao. For a beginner.

Law: *Crossing his arms across his chest, which is difficult with Zoro right there. Looks to the side, determined not to give a single inch* I don't like being used Zoro-ya.

Zoro: Right. *Frowns, pushing away from Law* It was Luffy's suggestion anyway.

Law: *Carefully glancing back* What was?

Zoro: *No longer looking at Law* To come get you. Tch. Like I would ever want to pair up with you, Torao. *Pushes off the sand, stalking off towards Mihawkk and the shoot*

Law: *Pushes himself up onto his elbows, watching Zoro go. Can't help feeling like he really messed up.*

Robin: Perhaps you should be more careful with our stuntman's feelings.I suggest next time you be more honest with him.

Law: *Doesn't jump at Robin's sudden appearance next to him. Totally.* There won't be a next time. This is a pointless waste of an episode and the studio will see that.

Law: *As an afterthought* And I was honest.

Robin: *Sets a hand on Law's shoulder in a quiet moment of commiseration*

Also Robin: I have it all on tape if you wish to watch it back. *Leaves*

Law: *Hates this fucking episode*

Law: ….. *Maybe wants to examine that tape.*

#sora warrior of the sea #a redhawk production #the zolaw headcanon nobody asked for #zolaw #zoro x law #roronoa zoro #one piece #one piece au #trafalgar d. water law #trafalgar law #beach episode #the zolaw au nobody asked for #maybe people shouldn't engage me in conversation #conversations with internet people

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mooshs-crack-headcanons · 4 years

Note

Hey. Could I request headcanons of shanks' s/o feeling invisible and lashing out due to the bitterness that surrounds feeling invisible and Shanks comforting them and spending a day focusing on them to help lessen them feeling invisible? Hurt/comfort with fluff at the end? Thank you. Love your writing.

(I hope this came out okay ☺️)

It's really hard to feel confident about your strength when you're in a Yonko crew.

Literally everyone around you has unhuman-like strength, and enough power to conquer a piece of the New World.

And especially with the Red Haired crew, who had the smallest crew out of all four emperors, was considered by many in the Grandline to be arguably the strongest with that fact alone.

And also that fact the captain in his hay day was able to stand equal to the strongest swordsman in the world there's that too.

Without a doubt you had love and admiration for every single member of your crew, all of them were incredibly down to earth and especially kind, your captain being the most passionate out of all of them, one of the main reasons you fell in love with him.

But you always found yourself envious of all of them.

You weren't necessarily a fighter, sure you would willingly be ready to up arms once trouble came but not strong enough to eventually find yourself being saved time and time again.

Every time it made you sick to your stomach and disappointed in yourself, why were you a part of a Yonko crew when you couldn't even fight like it?!

So came a day when one of these fateful rescues took place.

The crew faced down some cocky group of pirates fairly new to the New World, and stupid enough to go after a Yonko (*cough cough* it's fucking Kid *cough*)

In the battle you twisted your ankle and began to tumble down and the same moment one of the pirates saw an opening, and in the moment of pure panic Shanks, who normally would stay out of your fights knowing your complex, dashed over and with a clash of his sword, he looked back at you before calling Roo over to get you back to ship.

You laid in the med ward for days refusing to speak to anyone.

The rest of the crew would pass by worried but Shanks gave the okay that you'd be okay in a few days.

Though the fact you even refused to speak to him did worry him a bit.

Then came the day you finally recovered. You made your way out to deck where the crew sat and drank and partied, you know, the normal. Shanks sat at his seat and his eyes immediately lit up as they fell on you.

"(Name)! Good to see you out of bed so soon, I was worried that 'ya'd find the bed in the ward so comfortable that you'd refuse to sleep in ours ever again!" His contagious laugh caught with the rest of the crew around him.

You shook your head as you began to make your way to your shared cabin. Seeing this, Shanks immediately rose to his feet, dashing over to you and grabbing your hand to stop you from leaving.

"Come on, love! You know I'm just joking around."

"Yeah I know, Shanks." You tried to pull your arm out of his grasp.

"Come on, have a few drinks with us. After all you've been through, you need it." A frown made its way on your face.

"I'm not in the mood, Shanks." Already aware of what's up, he gave you a small smile as his grip on your hand slightly tightened.

"Come on, I'm sure a few with the boys will make you feel-"

You finally yanked your hand from his, your cold expression already crackling with everything you held inside, the Yonko already regretted his choice of words.

"I said I'm not in the mood! I'm not in the mood to go over there and be reminded that you and all of those men would be damn fine without me! Now if you'd excuse me, I'd rather go somewhere where someone weak and normal like me can go and not need constant protection."

He watched you trudge away back to your shared cabin with a heavy smile, the soft secure smile he put on just for you quickly fading away.

"Looks like someone's in the doghouse." Fucking Yasopp. A loud blunt force echoed from his head.

“Yewouch! Benn! The hell is your problem?!"

Shanks clicked his tongue, undecidedly. He could go in there to comfort you, or (most likely) get slapped and thrown out on his ass.

“You'll never learn to shut your mouth, will you?"

The Yonko reflexively reached up for the top of his hat, but only to touch the top of his head. Oh yeah, Luffy. He turned around to look back at the rest of his partying crew, who seemed to have no clue what had happened.

He grudgingly trudged back over to his original seat, the image of your broken expression still fresh in his mind

Oh he needed to fix this.

Then the relationship saving lightbulb went off his head.

Oh he had just the right solution to solve this.

At exactly 5:02 am did the loud knocks on your bedroom door yank you out of sleep. The early morning light filled the room, but your fresh out of sleep eyes couldn't make out what the fuck was happening and what was making that ungodly noise.

After a few long waking moments did you finally piece it together and after glancing at the time did you throw your legs out of bed to get yourself up to get to the door.

"Either Yasopp better be dead or the ship's bring hijacked to be an excuse to get me up at this ungodly-"

You opened the door to meet a tall figure.

"-hour…"

Benn stood in your doorway, the vice captain scratched at his nose biting down nervously at the cigarette in his mouth.

"Benn?"

"I uh...overhead your outburst yesterday, and I uh...wanted to ask if you wanted to go out to town with me today?"

Benjamin 'I show no signs of weakness' Beckman was acting nervous.

Benjamin 'My only love is my gun' Beckman never is nervous.

"We uh...docked not that long ago."

This immediately tipped your suspensions. Something in the back of your mind told you a certain Red Haired bastard had to be behind this.

"Sure Benn, I'd love too. Around what time do you want to set off?"

Something in him seemed to be caught off guard, he looked around before biting the slightest bit tighter on his cigarette.

"Around nine." You gave him a smile and a nod.

"Well, see you then."

You gently closed the door back. You sighed as you took a step back.

Shanks, what were you planning?

At 9:15, the two of you met on deck to set off. As you went to get off ship you took note that every member gave you a warm smile and a gentle greeting as they all carried large barrels out of the ship's storage, which really wasn't all that ordinary since the barrels all contained alcohol and your crew was nothing but a bunch of alcoholics.

No what was another tip off was not only was Yasopp not being a piece of shit towards you. He actually gave you a kind hello and said something along the lines of that Shanks went off to take care of some business earlier in the morning. (That didn't stop him from making the in the doghouse joke and about the deck not being very comfortable)

Benn then took you to the small port town, Benn letting you decide to go everywhere you wanted. The two of you went shopping, saw a street performance, went and got dinner at a small restaurant, and rode on some small rides at the visiting carnival (Which Benn wasn't a big fan of.)

You might've even regretted your decision of choosing Shanks as your boyfriend (but the Red Haired bastard already had your heart for too long)

Around the evening did the two of you decided to head back to ship, the deep dark thoughts of you being an unneeded part of the crew, while still there, was pushed back to the farthest part of your mind.

As soon as your feet hit the deck of the Red Force, did another tip off went through your mind.

No one was on deck. Not a single drunk soul.

Benn lit up a cigarette next to you and shove his hands in his pockets.

"Well that's strange. Where'd everyone go?"

You looked around, looking for any signs of your lover. He had to be behind this.

Benn made his way to the door of the mess hall.

"Maybe we missed dinner?" You cocked your eyebrow. Yup, he's leading you.

You followed Benn into the mess hall.

What time of surprise party shit were you going to find yourself in?

The moment your feet left the stair and landed on the planked floor did the scene in front of you bring tears to your eyes.

Shanks stood in front of you, flowers in his hand as the rest of the crew held up their mugs of alcohol to you and a shitty made banner with your name on it in your favorite color hung from the ceiling.

Shanks walked closer to you and handed you the flowers, his only arm wrapping around your waist to press a kiss to the top of your head.

You felt your heart thump happily in your chance as he looked back to you to give you a small loving smile. Your arms wrapped around him to bring him into a kiss and you could barely hear the whistles and cheers around you as he was the only thing your mind became focused on was him.

He pulled back with a laugh and lifted you up and spun you around. He leaned close into your ear.

"I love you, (Name). I'm really sorry about yesterday and that...that you feel not that appreciated that you should be...I'm sorry." You felt your cheeks tinted as your arms wrapped around his neck, his red hair tickling your arm. You smiled.

"It's fine, Shanks...love you too."

The two of you ended up in Shanks' captain seat in the mess hall. His hand with a mug of whiskey wrapped around you, and you with yours in his lap.

The crew around you laughed as they drank.

"Oh! And there was that time (Name) saw one of Kaido's ships! If it wasn't for them we all could've been food for Sea Kings!"

"No wait, the best thing I can recall (Name) doing was saving Yasopp's ass in that territory raid two years ago!"

"If it wasn't for their observation haki, we would've never made it out of Big Mom's territory!"

"Oh I remember that! Didn't they flip off what's his face...uh…the candy cane guy! One of Big Mom's older children."

"Charlotte Perospero."

"Yeah, that guy!"

The crew all laughed and you found the big smile on your face still hadn't left as the crew helped boost your confidence.

"Men, men. We can all agree (Name) has done many great things for us all."

The Red Haired crew looked back at their captain excitedly.

He looked at you with a knowing smile, you covered your face with your hands knowing what was coming. He raised his mug in the air, whiskey sloshing out of the brim.

"To (Name)!"

The crew raised up their mugs.

"To (Name)!"

The crew broke into a loud laughter and cheers as you shook your head. The Yonko let his chin rest in the dip in your shoulder as the two of you watched your crew having a good time. He then pressed multiple kisses to your cheek.

"I just hope you know that you mean the whole world to me. Weak and normal, Love, none of that matters all that matters is that every single person on this crew sees your strength, sure that might not be physical, but you've done so much more than just battle strength wise, you've brightened up crew so much and we all can't wait to continue on with you at our side."

#one piece #one piece hcs #mine #shanks #shanks/reader #Shanks x reader

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whirlybirdwhat · 4 years

Text

flowers (still blooming)

Ace doesn’t know what his mother looks like. Makino met a woman twelve years ago.

(There are flowers in Rouge's hair.)

Read on AO3 for better quality!

Makino runs a bar – this is common knowledge to anyone who has ever visited Foosha.

She’s always behind the counter or at serving drinks, all with a kind smile and a laugh at hijinks. No one misbehaves, and there’s a shiny new gun behind the counter for any unwanted visitors.

(Rumor has it a pirate taught her how to shoot.)

She a barmaid and a bar tender and a bar owner – anything really. The Party Bar is her pride and joy.

And left over from her mother, a generation previous, it is her information hub as well.

People come in from all sorts of places for the taste of beers delivered directly by Vice Admiral hands and homebrews from the other side of the island. With them they bring stories, and tales, and wanted posters, secrets about criminals Makino has never known and praise for villains she never wants to meet. Alcohol loosens lips, and it’s an easy task to ask the right questions to get the right answers.

Makino’s smart. She knows the power she holds with all the information locked tight in her brain. She sends letters to Garp, sometimes, to warn about an upcoming raid on some poor island, and smiles at the news of the Hero of the Navy saving yet another place.

(She calls Shanks sometimes, to hear his voice, and to tell him that some upstart is planning on challenging him, to tell him that the Marines are planning some ambush but its only rookies, really, to tell him that she misses him and Luffy isn’t in Foosha much now a days, so can’t he come visit?

He doesn’t. But that’s okay.)

Wanted posters find their way onto the Party Bar’s walls, for one reason or another. A nice young man who tipped well, off to becoming a pirate, or a couple of scoundrels smacked down by Garp the Fist himself. Shanks is there, serious faced over a hefty bounty, with the rest of the crew smiling alongside him.

(A spot is reserved on the other wall for the bounty of three young to-be pirates – she can’t wait to see how high their bounties soar.)

It’s not often Makino looks through them, but then she meets Ace, whose face is so similar to one she has known before – one who smiled at her and gave her a hug when her mother didn’t bother paying attention to her.

Makino visit’s Luffy’s brothers, and cries, just a little bit, when she gets home.

Luffy is so happy but someone dear is gone.

Garp keeps secrets when he wants to but Makino knows how to get them out of him. A drop of knowledge here, a drink there, a smile, a private place with no prying ears, and the mention of grandsons is all it takes for the tears to well up in his eyes and for the words to spill out.

Ace, his first grandson’s name is, adopted or not, Portgas D. Ace –

All the information Makino wanted, really, but Garp keeps on talking –

Gol D. Ace, son of the Pirate King –

And Makino’s heart shatters.

(Like any bar, the Party Bar receives its fair share of unruly customers, those with cruel words on their tongues and hatred for people they have never met.

The Son of the King? They say, referring to the only king that ever really mattered. Hope he doesn’t exist! Should kill 'em if he does, sins of the father, right? Drown him at birth, noose around the neck, whatever works! Kid will turn out to be just as bad as his bastard father!)

Ace has demons in his eyes. Makino knows why.

Ace proudly calls himself Portgas D. Ace, so Makino has hope, and she loves this boy because he is Ace, the one who Luffy calls brother and the one who makes Luffy less lonely, and because Ace is a child and deserves love no matter what she thinks.

She works past the lump in her heart, when she gets home from that conversation from Garp, and opens the chest in her room.

(Tears drip from her eyes and the Party Bar is closed for the day, but that doesn’t matter.

Whatever has, in the face of this bloodline?)

Makino was seven when the woman came into town. She was the most beautiful woman Makino had ever seen, gliding into port with hair the color of morning skies and a dash of freckles across her cheek. A flower rose in her hair, vibrant and beautiful, and her smile changed her face into something different, something Makino wished she had. She was pregnant but didn’t stumble under the weight of her still small belly, and instead stood tall and imposing, almost as tall as Garp.

Portgas D. Rouge came into port like a storm and exited like a whisper

“Child,” she had said to the only one at port that day, Makino, playing in the waves. “Where is everyone?”

“At the bar,” Makino told her blindly, because Foosha was small and had no need for anyone to be wary of strangers.

(The era of pirates was beginning today after all.)

“The Pirate King is being executed – everyone’s watching it.”

It was strange, how people’s faces broke at the strangest things.

“My name is Rouge,” the woman introduced herself. “Will you take me to the bar?”

“Sure.” And Makino did.

(She grabbed Makino’s outstretched hand when Makino lead her to the bar, and didn’t let go when they were inside. Makino didn’t mind (her mother never held her hand anymore). Eventually, the woman, Rouge, lifted her up and placed her on her hip, so she could see the Pirate King.

(He looked big, up on that stage. Who could ever kill him?)

They stood in the back of the bar as Roger shouted his last words – You want my treasure? You can have it! I left everything I gathered together in one place. Now you'll just have to find it! – and an era was born with the death of one man.

Rouge cried when it happened, and Makino didn’t know why. She was smiling though, still smiling that beautiful smile she gave Makino, so she figured it was alright even as tears dripped from her face onto Makino’s hair.

She clung tighter to Rouge, hoping to give her some comfort.

(Hoping she could make this woman happy again.)

It worked, as they left the bar where people were cheering, screaming, at the death of a King. Rouge smiled and her tears mixed with the salt spray from the beach, as she and Makino played in the sand.

Rouge stayed for a week, playing with Makino and giving her more attention than anyone else ever did. She left a flower in her hair when she left, whispered secrets of men and women Makino had never known, and kissed her forehead when Makino went to sleep on her shoulder.

Makino loved her, didn’t you know?

(She left, and never came back.)

Makino knows the path to the bandit den like the back of her hand by now. She makes journeys up there in the middle of the week, when the bar is quiet, to give boys a well-cooked meal and some bandits some booze. Its tradition, at this point.

This isn’t her usual day, so it’s a miracle the boys are even at the bandit den (she had heard from an excited Luffy that they were hiding out in a tree house now.) They cheer at her presence and the meal she brought while Dadan gives her a curious look.

They are covered in bruises, a blessing from Garp before he visited Makino, but are still running around, screeching and wrestling in the mud.

Makino doesn’t mind, and in a quiet moment, takes Ace away to talk to him.

“Ace,” She starts, kneeling down to be at his level. “Garp told me about your parents.”

Ace locks up, body freezing as his eyes go wide. There’s terror in them, and Makino feels her heart break. His mouth opens and shuts, words not coming out, but that’s okay.

Makino knows his question.

“I don’t care, Ace, I still love you.”

His eyes well up and he bites his lip, like he can’t bear to believe it. He’s trying to stay strong, and Makino can’t help but wonder at how similar he is to his mother.

(The freckles are a spitting image of Rouge, and Makino can’t help but wonder what he would look like if he had his mother’s hair.)

Ace sniffles and she draws him in. He’s too flustered to fight back, to unused to hugs to hug back, but that’s why Makino drew him away from everyone else.

Her shoulder grows wet from his tears as she gently brushes his hair back. “Shh. It’s okay, Ace. It’s okay.” When he grows quiet, eyes dried up, just a little, she says what she truly came up here to do.

“I have a present for you.”

He lifts his head up, face curious. “More clothes?”

“No, silly.” She laughs and then laughs again at the redness of his face. “Do you know what your mother looked like?”

Ace shakes his head, stilling. “No. Shitty Gramps told me stories though…”

And by the tone in his voice, it’s probably stories of his birth – not the ones Rouge told Makino on Foosha’s beaches twelve years ago. She’s going to have to fix that.

Makino pulls the old and faded paper out of her pocket. “Here”

Ace takes one look at the poster and promptly breaks again

Two weeks after Rouge left Foosha, the News Coos brings another round of papers. Everyone scrambles for one, eager to hear what has happened since the Pirate King fell, but Makino is lucky enough to grab her mother’s copy.

Her reading isn’t the best now, but she likes looking at the wanted posters that come with them. There are so many new pirates now

The wanted poster that falls out is a new one, an updated one, with a face Makino hasn’t seen on a wanted poster before - but has seen in reality, cupped in her hands and counted the freckles of a stranger’s face

‘SEA STORM’ PORTGAS D. ROUGE - WANTED: DEAD OR ALIVE: 1.5 BILLION BERRIES

Rouge... the pregnant woman who laughed and dance with Makino as if she was her own child. is wanted? is a pirate? Why?

Makino can’t fathom it and worries for the woman who she had known for a week.

She hopes she’s alive

She hopes she comes back

(She asks Garp about the woman, once, and some strange happenings run across his face, like worry and concern and anger all at once. He curses then interrogates Makino about everything she knows about the woman, which she tells him, trembling. Her mother scolds her for being dishonest but Garp thanks her, tells her she’s keeping her safe. That Rouge will be safe.

Makino is thankful.)

Raids start for the pirate Kings son the next week. Makino stays at home, afraid and hidden as soldiers interrogate every woman on the isle, how long they been there, if any people visited port before the capture of the king.

She hopes Rouge, regnant and tall and bold, escapes it.

Her bounty comes in again with a New Coo a year later, when raids have died down, and Makino is sure she’s alive.

1.7 billion, and she’s smiling.

Rouge survived. Makino can’t wait to see her again.

(That is the last picture she ever gets of Rouge. It’s not put up with the others when Makino takes over the bar at 16. It’s much too precious for that. instead, she hides it in her chest of precious things in her room, taking care to make sure the paper doesn’t crumble or fray. It’s a treasure she doesn’t admit to having, and dream she doesn’t say to the world but keeps close to her heart.)

Makino sees ace and knows Rouge didn’t survive for that woman, who played with her when no one else would, would never abandon her child willingly.

The wanted poster is faded but the picture is still clear through meticulous care. a woman stares out from in, angled away from the camera but with her face fully visible. her hair flows in the morning light of the picture, pink against the sea in the background, and freckles dash across her face. she’s closed mouth but smiling eye amused but with one eyebrow raised. A hibiscus, pink and blooming, is nestled in her hair. Her skin is warm and glowing and she looks like an older Ace.

Its Rouge, queen of the seas.

Its Rouge, Aces mother.

In the wanted poster he takes gently from Makino, he sees his mother for the first time.

“Mom?” he croaks out, voice shaky and so, so hopeful. Makino hums, and settles in, guiding Ace to sit next to her as they stare at the wanted poster.

“Yes. When I was girl she visited this island... you look just like her, you know? I knew it was her the moment I saw you.”

“What... what was she like?” Aces voice is soft and hopeful as he traces the bounty number, so unbelievably high for someone he has never heard of.

Makino smiles. “She was kind, so unbelievably kind, to me at least. Just wandered into Foosha one day and took my hand – I think she was pregnant with you at the time, isn’t that fun?”

Ace gives a tiny smile, eyes wide and big as he stares at her. He hangs onto every word, trying to show that he isn’t lest she decides not to tell it, which she never would, but it’s endearing all the same.

“But to others,” Makino continues, “She was the storm at sea. Sea Storm Rouge, the papers called her, a legend known by the burning flower in her hair. She would appear like a maelstrom at sea, suddenly there before you could blink and taking down ships at a speed no one could rival save for a select few. She would free slaves from nobles in the same breath she took off with all their loot. She took nothing lying down.”

Sabo and Luffy sneak in to their tiny clearing and find their place next to Ace, knowing there’s a story to be told and not willing to miss it. She laughs at their curious expressions, and continues wither her tale of the woman she might have called mother as Ace pulls his brothers in close.

“She told me once of how she stared a sea king the size of an island down because he was bothering her morning meal…”

Rouge leaves in the quiet moments of dawn, when the sun is only barely rising and all is quiet save for the fishermen already out in the waters.

She takes Makino with her, out to the shore, taking her by the hand and leading her out as the girl rubbed sleep from her eyes.

There’s sadness in Rouge, Makino notes as they leave, passing by houses and towards the abandon beach half a mile from Foosha.

She doesn’t like the sadness there, but she senses it’s not her job to get rid of it – it’s the selfish kind of sadness, the kind that comes with loving some great.

(Makino’s young, but all the children of this world know that feeling.)

They watch the sunrise together in front of Rouge’s small ship, and lean into each other. Rouge’s hand braids Makino’s hair as she plays with the sword handle at the woman’s hip.

“Rouge,” She asks, quiet. It’s not the time for loudness. “Why are you leaving?”

Why are you leaving me?

(Makino’s mother runs the Party Bar and doesn’t leave time for anyone else. Her father isn’t around and the closest she has is Garp and Woopslap, and it should be enough, but it isn’t. Not next to this stranger who has told her of legends and let her hold her hand and dance under the stars. It’s not enough to the raging storm of Rouge’s love.)

Rouge smiles, face softening as she finishes tying off Makino’s braid. “I have to, to keep those I love safe. If I fight, I can win, but others won’t. And I won’t hurt them for their selflessness.”

“But what if its selfishness?”

What if I want you here for me?

Rouge rests a hand on her stomach and one on Makino’s head, and the world seems to still. There’s a pressure from Rouge, one that seems to make the light from the sun flicker under the force from it. It relents, after a moment, but Makino feels safe.

Secure.

Rouge loves her.

“Then you must live with that selfishness, like I do mine.” Her voice is soft. Makino takes the words and keeps them in her heart. It’s hers.

The sun is half over the horizon now. Rouge gets up, and lifts Makino from the railing where they sit to put her on the sandy ground. They are both barefoot, now, having run in the sand half an hour before, and their toes sink into sand as water runs over their toes.

It’s a peaceful kind of ending.

Rouge kneels, soaking her pants in the shore to look Makino in her eyes. She pulls the flower out of her hair, still immaculately pristine and beautiful, and places it behind Makino’s ear. “A gift,” she says, and kisses Makino on the forehead, “so you don’t forget me, alright?”

Makino nods and knows she never will.

No one but Makino knows the Maelstrom of the Grand Line was on Dawn Island, but as Rouge sails off into the raising son, one child left behind and one yet to be born, she finds that’s quite alright.

She was there, and that was enough.

(Never, her selfish heart whispers, never enough.)

Ace is the only one still awake by the time Makino tells the last of her few tales. He’s tired, clearly, resting heavily on Sabo as Luffy rests in his lap, but he keeps on blinking his eyes open. The sun is setting now, and Makino must really be going, but she has one last thing to show him.

“Come on,” She says, pulling Ace up and leaving his brothers to collapse on each other. “I have another gift for you.”

Ace looks at the wanted poster still held so gently in his hands, and follows into the woods.

There’s a field on the west side of the island, the cliffside above the shore half a mile from Foosha. Its filled with beautiful hibiscuses the shades of vibrant pink.

Ace had seen it before, on his ventures.

But now, Makino shows him the truth.

“Your mother gave me her flower, one of them at least, that was in that poster. It started wilting after a few days, so I found a way to replant the seeds and pressed the original… they quickly spread over the valley…”

The sun makes them burn like fire, and Makino sees the love of a mother reflected in Ace’s eyes.

Saltwater falls down her cheeks as she sees Ace take a flower like it is the most precious thing in the world (like Makino had treated the flower Rouge gave her) and place it in his hair. It’s just long enough in the step that it nestles gently in his hair, and he smiles, so happily, like she hasn’t seen him do unless he’s with his brothers.

Tears mirror hers on his cheeks and suddenly she’s staring at Rouge on the day she met her.

He gives her a flower next, and they walk under the setting sun to Dadan’s hut with Rouge’s love intertwined in their hair.

Makino is a bartender, which means she keeps information, and it means she inherited the place where she met a woman who changed her life.

She sees Ace off on the same shore she saw Rouge off, and cries and waves with joy in every moment. He sails into the sun, brilliant and bold, as flowers float around the waiting crowd, and she’s so, so happy.

She is a bartender so she gets the wanted posters two months later first: information is key, after all.

The poster is put up on the reserved wall, a place of pride for three two boys.

Fire Fist Ace, it declares, Captain of the Spades Pirates WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE!

The picture on it is a smiling boy on fire, freckled and smiling. His hat has two charms around it and a wreath of beads is around his neck, a gift from his bandit mother. Expected, for a runaway pirate.

Intertwined in the hat and in his hair, however, are brilliant pink hibiscuses – a tribute to a woman forgotten by the world.

(The rumors Makino hears tell of a boy who doesn’t care what you do to him, but if you harm his crew or the flowers on his ship and hat, there will be hell to pay from a boy made of fire.)

Makino thinks Rouge would be proud.

“Rouge? What are you going to name your baby?”

“Ann if it’s a girl. I would name her Makino, but I think the one I know is great enough!”

“Sesesese! And if it’s a boy?”

“Then Ace! That’s the name his father loved – it’s a good name, don’t you think? I love him already.”

“Can I be his big sister?”

“Of course.”

(Makino is a bartender, and that mean Makino has connections.

She asks Shanks to fill Ace’s grave with pink hibiscuses, and for Rayleigh to give Luffy a bouquet of them to give to the cracks in the Earth at Marineford.

It’s not nearly enough, but she will be selfish, just this once, and will cry about it.)

She names her child Ann and calls her my little sea storm, my little flower.

She knows Rouge would be proud.

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starswallowingsea · 3 years

Text

The Same Stars in the Sky

Vivi and Kohza looked up to the sky and made pictures in the stars together. Even while they were apart, they knew the stars in the sky were the same.

MERRY CHRISTMAS @vannahfanfics ! I kinda took your “Vivi and Kohza go stargazing at an oasis” idea and put my own spin on it so I hope you like it ^.^ Also tagging @op-secret-santa-2020

Fandom: One Piece

Characters: Vivi, Kohza, Mr. 9 (briefly)

Word Count: 1721

---

“Alright, that’s all for tonight guys,” Kohza said, standing at the front of the group. “We’ll meet again next week, but hopefully it won’t go as long, haha.”

The other children got up and cheered before leaving.

“That was a lot of fun,” Vivi said, turning to Kohza.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it, but it is getting late. Won’t your dad be mad at me for keeping you out so late?”

“Maybe a little bit, but he can’t control me!” Vivi exclaimed, throwing a fist in the air.

Vivi held the pose for a brief second before sitting down.

“I never realized how pretty the sky is away from the city,” she said.

“Yeah? Do you know any constellations?”

“Hmm… Igaram showed me a few on some old maps, but I haven’t tried finding them in the sky yet.”

Kohza sat down besides her and pointed to the sky. “That’s the Big Dipper right there.”

“There?” Vivi responded, tracing an outline of stars.

“Yeah, there. And this one is Ursa Major, the big bear.”

“I don’t really see it. Are you sure it’s a bear?”

“Well I didn’t make the constellations!”

“Who did?”

“Why do you think I know?”

“I don’t know.”

“Hmm... is this a constellation?” Vivi said after a moment of silence, connecting a few stars with her finger.

“I don’t know. What do you think it would be called?”

“I think it should be called...the Palm Tree!”

“What kind of name is that? We already have palm trees all around us.”

“I think it looks kinda like a cactus with a bird on it…”

“Ah...uh, it’s a great name for a constellation! I think this one,” Kohza pointed up at a group of stars, “should be called the Igaram.”

Vivi snorted. It did kind of look like Igaram’s hair curls.

“Uhm...this one is a rain cloud!”

“A rain cloud?”

“Look…”

“I’m just kidding, I think it looks like a cloud too.”

“This is kinda like looking at clouds I think.”

“Like making shapes out of them?”

“Yeah! It’s fun, too.”

Kohza smiled and lay down on the ground. “It is fun, especially with you,” he said, voice trailing off at the end.

“What’d you say?” Vivi said, looking down at him.

“Ah, nothing. Why don’t you lay down too? The view is better from here.”

Vivi looked back up at the sky and leaned back too. They stayed like that for a while, occasionally pointing out constellations they made up before falling asleep in the sand.

---

It was a slow day at Whiskey Peak for Vivi. They had rationed out the food the best they could, but they would have to get more soon. Their boss didn’t particularly care that much for making sure his agents survived, that was for sure. It was a wonder people still followed him despite these conditions, but the promise of Utopia could make people overlook a lot of things, she supposed.

She needed some fresh air and time to herself, though. So she went and sat outside the tavern on a small rock. The sky was clear tonight and the stars were shining brightly, blissfully unaware of what was going on below them.

This was a rare moment of peace and quiet for Vivi and she allowed her mind to wander. It had been over a year since she and Igaram had infiltrated Baroque Works and they had managed to rise through the ranks very quickly. Unfortunately, they were separated for a time, with Vivi being partnered with Mr. 9 and Igaram with Miss Monday. But now they were back together, working to keep Whiskey Peak under control and steal resources from pirates who didn’t know what they were doing.

Before they left, though, she hadn’t gotten to say goodbye to her friends in the Sand-Sand clan. The knowledge that they thought she had gone missing a year ago and was unable to be found anywhere in Alabasta haunted her, but she couldn’t tell them what she was doing. She had to keep them safe at all costs, and the more people who knew about her mission, the more in danger she could be if someone leaked that she was spying in an underground organization.

Her mind drifted further to Kohza, who was undoubtedly the most heartbroken by her disappearance. She thought back to all those nights they spent in the desert, pointing out constellations in the night sky and laughing. Vivi looked up and tried to find some of the constellations that they had made. There was one that looked like Igaram somewhere…

---

“Miss Wednesday, are you okay?” someone asked behind her.

Vivi was startled by the sudden noise and almost fell off the rock she was sitting in.

“Uh, yeah, I’m fine. I was just taking a break before going to bed is all,” she said.

“It’s been a long day, huh. Well don’t worry, tomorrow we’ll go and find more supplies and you can catch up on your sleep. I know it’s hard to get a good night’s rest in these beds but we have to make do for now.”

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said with a small chuckle. “Let’s get some rest. We have another long day ahead of us.”

Vivi turned around one last time and looked up at the stars.

Goodnight, Kohza, Papa, everyone. I’ll be home soon…

---

“...and we’ll need to send scouts for supply runs at some point. We’re running low on food and morale.”

“Understood. I’ll go out myself in the morning and see what I can find.”

“Are you sure? There’s no way you’ll be able to carry enough supplies for everyone on your own.”

“I’ll find someone to come with me on my way out, don’t worry.”

Kohza laid his head on the table as the other revolutionaries walked out of the tent to update their subordinates on the situation. Things weren’t looking good for them and he wasn’t sure what to do. His best friend had gone missing over a year ago, right around the time that things went to shit. He couldn’t help but wonder if what happened to Vivi was related to everything else that was going on.

He let out a sigh and stood up again. He needed to get some fresh air before tomorrow, and maybe it would help clear his head. Kohza pushed aside the tent flap and walked for a little while before finding a suitable rock to sit and stargaze on. Looking at the stars was one of the few things that grounded him these days. He could reminisce on his times with Vivi making constellations in the sky and laughing without a care in the world.

“I hope you’re okay, if you’re out there, Vivi,” he mumbled under his breath. He had to hold onto hope that she was alive, even if all signs pointed to her being dead. When she suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night at age 14, Kohza felt broken. Nobody knew what was going on and a huge search across the country began, but nothing turned up.

But deep in his heart, he knew she was alive somewhere, looking up at the same stars he was.

---

A year later, after a long and hard fight against Baroque Works and trying to prevent a civil war, Vivi finally felt like she could relax. She sank down into her bed after saying goodbyes to the Straw Hats and even though it was the middle of the day, she was exhausted. Vivi closed her eyes, intending to only rest for a minute or two…

---

Vivi woke up hours later, the sun had set and the stars were out.

“How long was I asleep?” she whispered to herself. She got out of bed and walked over to the window to admire the night sky. The stars were always beautiful, but there was something special about the view from her home, from Alabasta.

She wondered if Kohza was awake. After everything, Vivi had asked him to stay in the castle with them for a few days at least. Vivi very carefully opened her door and walked into the hallway, trying to remember which room he was staying in.

It didn’t take long for her to figure it out, but she did stand outside the door for several minutes debating if she should wake him up or not.

Vivi took a deep breath, calming her nerves before knocking. A grunt came from inside the room. He was awake at least.

“Kohza, you awake?” she asked, leaning closer to the door.

“Vivi? Is that you?”

“Yeah. I was wondering…” she trailed off for a second, realizing how childish she sounded. “...if you wanted to go stargazing like we did when we were kids?”

Silence.

Vivi waited for a few seconds, not hearing a response. She stepped back from the door, turning to go back to her room when the door opened up.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

---

Kohza took a blanket from his room and the two snuck out of the castle and ran out to the old stone outcrop they had used for sand-sand clan meetings as children.

“This really brings back memories, doesn’t it,” Kohza said, laying the blanket out on the sand.

“Yeah, it does. I never stopped thinking about it while I was gone,” Vivi said, sitting next to him.

“Me neither. It gave me something to hold on to during all of the planning and stress.”

Vivi chuckled, thinking about how similar their experiences over the past two years really were.

They looked up at the sky together, pointing out different shapes and making up their own, laughing together for the first time in two years.

“...and that one looks like Igaram,” Vivi said, tracing an outline of stars.

“Are you sure it’s not Terracotta?”

“I’m sure. Besides, Terracotta is right there, see?” she pointed to another cluster of stars next to the one she called Igaram.

---

The rest of the night, the two of them made constellations together, laughing together and reminiscing on their childhood.

Before falling asleep, Vivi swears she saw a constellation that looked like Luffy, and he smiled at her. Vivi smiled back and laid down in the desert sand with Kohza, just glad to be back home with him again.

#opsecretsanta2020 #op-secret-santa-2020 #one piece #nefertari vivi #kohza one piece #shay speaks #shay writes #that song in the first ask i sent u is basically what i listened to on loop while writing this jaipdsjfposd its just so soft and good <3 #anywhey. hope u like it!!!! i've been reading a few of your works and have one drafted so i can finally rb it #and u are very good at writing. bless ur soul #happy holidays vannah!

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kbstories · 4 years

Text

Signification

sig·ni·fi·ca·tion (n.) The process of assigning meaning to something.

Captain and First Mate, two years later.

(Or: Zoro adores his captain a lot, the sequel)

Tags: Reunions, Nakamaship, Late Night Conversations, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Platonic Cuddling (!)

Read Chapter 1 here. Set in Wano. Spoiler warning for the First Act of Wano.

***

The night must be scratching the midnight mark when the ambient noise of the Wasteland finally falls silent. Within Tsuru’s tea house, all that can be heard is Tama’s breathing, soft and even in her slumber, and the quiet sound of cloth on metal.

One by one, Roronoa Zoro cleans his swords, hands in constant motion and mind calm. The girl is at his back, the only entrance straight ahead.

Little has changed in the past hour.

Shusui is the last to go, its black blade speckled with blood and residue bits of straw. In the dim light afforded by the lamp next to him, Zoro’s eye runs along the sharpened edge with precision. No scratches, no tears, no damage whatsoever.

Zoro’s mouth twitches upwards. Good.

The blade sings under his care as it accepts the oil and the gentle swipe of fabric that follows it. Zoro doesn’t have to ponder each individual step – his body has executed these very same movements for most of his life – but being mindful of it… helps, on days both good and bad.

Beside him, a door slides open with the whisper of paper on wood. Shuffling steps come closer, straw against straw. Today has been an excellent day.

“Still asleep”, Zoro reports without looking up from his task. “Fever’s getting better, too.”

A hand settles on his shoulder; it’s warm, fitting the mountains and valleys of Zoro’s muscles like it always belongs there. After a bit of shuffling, a back nudges his own.

Zoro smiles and continues. He’s almost done.

“That tea really worked, huh? I’m glad.”

Leaning against Zoro, Luffy isn’t much of a weight but significant still. He sounds exhausted, now that it’s just the two of them.

“Yeah. Still, Chopper should take a look.” A beat. Zoro hums. “…Wherever he is right now.”

A huff of breath, the kind that precedes a smile. “He’s safe, don’t worry. Sanji’s with him and the others.”

Zoro sheathes Shusui and sets it aside. Hm. Luffy’s head comes to rest against his right shoulder, his hair feathering across Zoro’s skin. It’s crusty with dried salt and carries the scent of the sea.

“You’re really not gonna ask, are ya?”

Jackass. “He’s here. ‘s all I need to know.”

Luffy snickers, as he always does.

“Stubborn. Well, there’s no need to fuss. Sanji apologized and everything. He made that sea king rice stuff, you know the one?” Zoro does. Luffy’s stomach growls. “So yummy…”

Fantasizing about food won’t do them much good. Zoro lets his head knock against Luffy’s (carefully, although his captain is rubber and there’s no real need to). I’m not fussing, he doesn’t say.

They have bigger fish to fry than their moronic cook. It’s… good to know he’s back, regardless.

Luffy hums under his breath, sounding sleepier by the minute. “How’s everyone? You guys got here okay?”

“Yeah, we’re good. Got a bit cramped in Traffy’s submarine but we managed.” An amused chuckle falls from Zoro’s mouth. “Turns out the Hearts are just a bunch of dorks. Strong and loyal but… I don’t know what I expected, with a captain that cynical.”

“Hah! Traffy’s a dork, too.”

“True.”

They share a grin, quick and easy. Personally, Zoro can’t wait for the two captains to meet again; seeing Law so full of himself and not a perpetual hair’s breadth away from strangling someone was pretty boring, all things considered.

Then Luffy exhales a sigh, content. “He’s got his crew back, though. That’s good.”

And perhaps it’s because they haven’t seen each other in weeks, haven’t had time to sit like this and exist for a while – Zoro hears a touch of melancholy in there, too, and sympathy twists at his core.

“Let’s find the others tomorrow, ‘kay? Without, uh, wrecking Kin’emon’s plan.”

Luffy nods against Zoro’s shoulder, a gentle motion. “Mhmm.”

The night ticks on. The need to move builds slowly, a numb tingling that crawls up his legs like a colony of ants, and yet Zoro sits patiently. Luffy is quiet for a while, dozes off, startles himself awake again.

“It’s past midnight”, Zoro tells him.

Luffy mumbles something resembling an affirmative. Zoro raises a brow, even though the other can’t see it. Who’s the stubborn one now?

“Go to sleep, Captain. I’m on first watch, remember?”

“No… Wanna talk t’Zoro.”

Zoro sighs and he doesn’t fight the way those words that curl themselves around his heart, warm and safe. Luffy could do terrifying things with that sweet-talking of his: a downright absurd thought, given the guy can barely tell manipulation from truth even when his life depends on it.

“I’m not going anywhere, idiot. Let’s talk in the morning.”

Nothing.

“Luffy.”

“Mmm?”

“I mean it.”

A long, whiny exhale. “Fine but you gotta come with me.”

“Sure”, Zoro nods. He blinks. “Wait, what do y–?”

And just like that, Luffy’s up and wrapping an arm multiple times around Zoro’s waist. Before he can as much as squawk, Zoro is lifted effortlessly as if he’s a lazy, overgrown dog – he has to pick up his legs so they don’t drag noisily across the tatami mat floor and oh, mutiny is suddenly such an appealing concept. Zoro hisses, “Luffy”, low and indignant; Luffy’s laugh is hushed, breathed right against his ear–

My swords, it’s a stray thought, an important one if he’s to do his duty properly. Zoro pats Luffy’s hand with some urgency. One rubber-stretched grab later, the swords are clutched safely against his chest.

A few feet from where Tama’s sleeping off her fever, two neatly-folded futons wait to be claimed; Zoro is deposited on one of them (which immediately topples under his weight, only his quick reflexes preventing an ungraceful fall). He witnesses Luffy destroy Tsuru’s hard work by half-heartedly spreading his own mattress-and-duvet combination, burrowing into the covers like a hog through forest ground.

With one final huff, Luffy stills. Sleepy, half-lidded eyes shine in the dark.

“…Zoro?”

Scratching his neck, Zoro sets out to fix his own futon. He folds it out against Luffy’s, quiet hands working to smooth out the ruffles and tuck in the edges there as he goes. Carefully, Zoro reaches into the pile of blankets that is Luffy to pull out the hat that’s been haplessly smooshed in the process. It’s placed on the very edge of Luffy’s bed, within easy reach.

Eyes closed, Luffy makes a pleased noise and snuggles into his pillow. Zoro huffs fondly and ruffles his hair.

“I’m right here. Rest.”

Luffy drops off to sleep a moment after and so Zoro settles in for the night, pillow propped against a nearby wall next to his swords and a blanket thrown over his crossed legs.

The sky lightens with the tender touches of dawn and Zoro shifts, pulls away from deep meditation to hear the change in Luffy’s breathing. Snoring is followed by a sudden snort and drowsy mumbling.

Monkey D. Luffy always wakes with the sun, no matter over which horizon it rises.

Just in time, too, with how heavy Zoro’s lids feel every time he blinks. Suppressing a yawn, he rolls his neck and stretches his back, and his spine pops between his shoulders. The last remnant of battle along with the satisfying ache in his arms and hands – it’s been a while since Zoro got to draw a sword and mean it.

Tama is still snoozing and thus Zoro doesn’t bother to get on his feet properly. Half-shuffling, half-crawling, he leans over the crown of Luffy’s head. “Oi.”

“Huh?” Luffy glances up through tousled strands. His grin is immediate, a little crinkled with sleep. “Oh. My turn!”

Mhm, Zoro makes around a small smile.

It’s been awhile since it was just them and nobody else yet this routine is still familiar: Luffy grabs his hat and hops to his feet, going from slumber to fully awake in seconds, and Zoro takes his place, choosing Luffy’s pre-warmed futon over his own. He has about a minute to get comfortable before – oof – Luffy throws himself against his side, arms crossed and elbows digging into Zoro’s ribs and midriff respectively.

“Captain”, Zoro grumbles.

“Uncomfortable?”

“… No.”

Luffy chuckles. “Zoro’s going easy on me.”

“Don’t get used to it.”

“Missed ya too”, Luffy sing-songs, and Zoro doesn’t have to look to know he’s grinning, the cheeky bastard.

After that, Luffy keeps himself busy, tinkering with Zoro’s earrings for a moment before he turns to the back of Zoro’s hand to doodle mindless circles with his finger. Breath by breath, Zoro finds himself slipping closer and closer to sleep.

“Ace was here, y’know?”

Luffy says it in such a casual, pensive way, like it’s just like the other tidbits of information Zoro missed out on. Zoro’s eye opens. He’s wide awake.

“He and his crew reached Wano, years ago. Tama told me. People were starving then too and Ace helped them.”

There’s something fragile about this, about the morning light barely starting to spill into the room and the loving way Luffy speaks of his brother. Something precious, and nothing in the world could bring Zoro to interrupt Luffy now.

“Tama wants to sail to sea, did you know that?” Round and round, Luffy draws invisible lines on Zoro’s skin. “Ace promised he’d come back and take her along when she’s older. And a ninja! That’s important.”

The mental image of sweet Tama as a ruthless ninja is a little out there but who is Zoro to judge? She’s certainly brave enough for it but–

Oh, Ace. Quietly, Zoro wonders how old he was at the time. If he, too, was barely past seventeen when started leaving a trail of reckless promises in the hopes of living another day.

It’s then that Luffy pauses, his chest moving against Zoro’s with the slow breath he inhales. Zoro breathes with him, bracing for impact.

“But… Ace is gone. I told her, and she got angry with me.” Walking the line of that old heartache, Luffy laughs and doesn’t break. “She said I don’t know what I’m talking about. It’s better this way, I think.”

Finally, Luffy’s hand stills. Calmly, Zoro offers him his palm instead; Luffy continues with an amused huff, tracing along the deep creases and old scars there.

“What do you think, Zoro? About Tama.”

Years, they have known each other. For Luffy, there’s a great many things Zoro is willing to indulge in – here, at the break of a new day and with the life of a child hanging in the balance, Luffy isn’t asking for indulgence.

Thus Zoro says, “Ace was right”, voice a little raspy this long into his watch. “Children don’t belong at sea.”

Luffy hums and mumbles, “Yeah.” He doesn’t sound particularly surprised. “I want to help them, Zoro. The people of this town, this country. Nobody deserves to cry over bean soup.”

And oh, the anger that seethes within Zoro wells up at that, patiently waiting to be unleashed – an ice-blue fire that burns at his core, fed by the notion of a land poisoned to its very rivers and all the injustices he’s witnessed.

“We will”, he promises his captain, because Ace’s family is Luffy’s family and that makes Tama theirs. It’s how it’s always been. “We’ll get that shitty cook to throw ‘em a feast after, too.”

Luffy nods enthusiastically. “A big one!”

Zoro chuckles. Yawning, he turns into his pillow, eye sliding shut. “With lots of sake.”

With the sound of Luffy’s laughter in the air, he finally allows himself to drift off. That morning, Zoro’s dreams are filled with the smiles of his crew and Sunny's full sails, a new horizon coming ever-closer.

#one piece #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #zolu #fanfiction #one piece fanfiction #hello i'm still soft for these two #this fic is also on AO3!#my stuff #980 got me all kinds of emotional about this lmao what perfect timing

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