rollinouttahere-writes

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Breaking Point Chapter 2

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Whitebeard Pirates x Teen GN Reader

4.9k words

Summary: You awake on an enemy ship after failing to evade them the day before. Your mind is heavy with what is to come, and the actions of the people you know to be your enemies only serves to confuse you further. What have you gotten yourself into?

Warnings: suicidal ideation, mentions of previous suicide attempt, brief descriptions of past child abuse, dehumanization, burns, drugging, being unable to move, unhealthy relationship with food

“S-S-Sir!”

Akainu whipped around to face the marine that dared to intrude upon him. He is able to keep his magma from pouring out, but just barely. “What?! Spit it out! I don't have time to be listening to you trip over your own damn words!”

The pathetic excuse for a marine stumbles back, looking like he's on the verge of pissing himself. Why people like this joined the Marines was beyond Akainu’s understanding. Just as he was considering terminating him permanently, the whelp finally finds his words, “W-We got word that the Whitebeard pirates have picked up the medicine, sir!”

“Have there been any communications from them since the last?”

“No, sir!”

The lack of communication from them was grating on his nerves. He assumed this meant that the original plan was still on, but he would prefer confirmation. He needed to see that you were still alive. Akainu releases a sigh that teeters on being a growl, then waves off the marine, “Understood. Now get out of my sight.”

Fortunately, the marine didn't need to be told twice and promptly made himself scarce. Akainu isn't sure that he would have been able to control his temper if he hadn't left. 

It could not accurately be put into words how much Akainu hated everything about this situation. The fact that a bunch of pirates got their filthy hands on his child was bad enough; that already had his blood boiling. But what was really eating away at him was what he saw in the communication feed that had come through.

Since it was of a visual nature, he could see that this wasn't a bluff. They had you in their custody. There was a horrifying moment in the beginning when he thought they were showing him your corpse. The only reason the Marine base wasn't a molten wasteland was because he saw you blink. From there, he was able to also pick up on the steady rise and fall of your chest as you laid chained to some medical gurney by one of your wrists. Sea stone cuffs, surely. 

The look in your eyes was haunting him. They were completely lifeless. As the pirate, Marco, gave their terms, all you did was stare blankly ahead at nothing. He doubted you were even cognizant of the fact that you were being recorded. 

It was clear to him that those pirates had drugged you. That was the only way to explain why you were just laying there instead of fighting. You had never been the type to give up so easily.

Now it was down to a waiting game. The pirates adamantly refused to hand you over before the medicine was on their ship. He fought hard against these terms, but he ultimately had to yield. They had the more valuable bargaining chip, and they knew it. Sure, it was most convenient to get the medicine in bulk now, but it didn't appear to be particularly urgent. They could find more elsewhere at a later date, but Akainu couldn't do the same. If they killed you, that was it. He was backed into a corner, and he was loathing every second of it. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat comes from behind him. It would have made his temper flare even more had he not recognized it. He takes a deep breath to calm his nerves- as much as they could be- and turns to face the Fleet Admiral properly.

For a moment, Sengoku just stares at him with his usual frown. He then sighs and shakes his head, “Of all the people I expected to make a deal with pirates behind my back, you most certainly didn’t make the list.”

That made Akainu’s eyebrow twitch, and his teeth grind down on the cigar in his mouth, “Do you think I’m happy about this?”

Sengoku was undeterred by his subordinate’s behavior. “I never said you had to be, but accepting those terms on your own was out of line.”

“Time was of the essence, I couldn’t afford to wait for you to get here when my child is actively in a hostage situation.” His temper is already rising despite previous attempts to calm it.

The next sentence out of his superior's mouth only fanned the smoldering flame. “A hostage situation that they got themselves into, need I remind you.”

For a moment, he's too stunned to speak. When he finds his voice, the words are forced out through clenched teeth, “Do you want to run that by me again?”

“I know you aren't stupid, Akainu. You and I both know that (Y/N) was nowhere near where they were supposed to be.”

The vein on his forehead feels like it's about to explode. “What are you implying?”

“Do you really need me to spell it out for you? Are you that blind?” Sengoku pinches the bridge of his nose and heaves a sigh, “That kid has never wanted to be a marine. You know that at least, right?”

That did it. A fiery hole was punched into a nearby wall as what was left of his short fuse burnt away to nothing. “Bullshit! (Y/N) has given everything to the Marines!”

“What they've given is irrelevant to the point. It doesn't matter if they give their all to something if they didn't actually want to in the first place.” Sengoku meets Akainu's furious gaze with one of annoyance, “The point is that they did precisely what I expected them to do.”

The anger cools and is replaced by genuine confusion. “What?” Akainu squints his eyes and steps closer, “Did you plan for this to happen?”

“Not exactly. The Whitebeard's were a wildcard, admittedly.” Sengoku walks past Akainu and stares down at the base below through a window, “I'd had hopes for (Y/N) in the beginning, I really had. They were so promising, and I knew that if they would grow into and accept their role as a marine, that they would be an excellent soldier. Possibly even an Admiral some day. But I never saw that acceptance. They were always only ever following orders. A cog placed into a machine.”

A humorless chuckle escapes the Fleet Admiral as he pushes the window open, “Did you honestly think that I was so desperate for information on Red Haired Shanks that I would send a child after him? Please. It was all a test. I wanted to see what would happen when (Y/N) was cut from their lead and without supervision. Just as I predicted, they ran off as soon as they got the opportunity. It's a shame that so many resources were wasted, but it's for the best that they left now rather than sticking around to cause problems later.”

“Now you wait just a damn minute,” Akainu seethed. “Just because that snot-nosed brat of yours went awol doesn't mean that my soldier did. (Y/N) would never go against orders like that. Something went wrong. Shanks must have caught on to the mission, so they pulled back.”

Sengoku’s reflection betrays the slight grimace on his face at the mention of Rosinante, but it's gone just as quickly as it arrived. Instead, it's replaced by a bitter scowl as he turns around to face Akainu directly, “You can't be this deluded. Not even Garp was stupid enough to force his family to become marines. You-” he lets out a hiss of a sigh, “It's like you're forcing a circle through a square shaped hole.”

“What the fuck do shapes have to do with any of this?” This conversation was going nowhere and getting more and more ridiculous by the second. 

“Just because you can force it to fit doesn't mean that's where it belongs. Was (Y/N) a damn good marine? Absolutely. No one will ever argue that, but they weren't meant to be one. The sooner you accept that, the better off you'll be.” Sengoku makes for the door, but stops just shy of it. “One last thing. If the deal you have with those pirates falls through and they don't hand (Y/N) over… I will not be permitting any further action against them.”

Everything said so far had been one sucker punch after another, but this took the wind from Akainu. His mouth opened and closed several times before he found the right words, “You want me to leave them to the mercy of a bunch of pirates?”

“Yes. They got themselves into that mess by abandoning their mission, they can get themselves out.” He meets Akainu’s shocked gaze over his shoulder, “I expect you to respect this. You're an Admiral, you have to put your position before your family ties.”

With that said, Sengoku takes his leave. Akainu stands alone in his office, thin wisps of smoke still filtering through the air from the smoldering drywall. 

—

It's the sound of turning pages that first starts to bring you out of your stupor. Bits and pieces of your memories seep into your foggy brain. 

Boats… you were looking at boats, but pirates tailed you after you left. The Whitebeard pirates. You got into a… fight? No, there was a chase, but they caught you. You were brought back to the ship and… Oh. That happened. 

When your eyes crack open, you're staring at the ceiling of an infirmary. You're still on the Moby Dick, so that's almost a plus. Definitely not ideal, but at least you haven't been handed back over to the Marines yet. 

God, your head is spinning. What happened to you? Did they drug you? Damn it, you can’t remember what happened. You try to reach up and rub your eyes, but you can't. Neither of your arms will budge. 

It takes a coordinated effort, but you're able to raise your head enough to see why you can't move your arms. Both of them are strapped to the bars on the sides of the gurney by a series of belts. You can't move them at all. 

You also take note of the picc line in your left arm. That definitely wasn't in there when you passed out. Your eyes trace up to the IV bag hanging above your head. Shit. They're probably keeping you on a steady stream of sedatives. That explains the lack of alarm you're feeling despite your current state of affairs. 

With your sleeve being rolled up for the picc line, one more thing was exposed. A large patch of scar tissue covering most of your forearm. A burn mark to remind you of one of the many times Akainu got too carried away while sparring with you. A plethora of similar scars littered most of your body, leading to you having a wardrobe consisting of shirts and pants that covered as much skin as possible. While many of your fellow marines took pride in showing off their scars, yours had always been a source of shame. Resentment. Hatred. Seeing one now only served to further sour your mood. 

“Oh!” 

The voice startles you out of your trance. When you follow it to its source, you spot a nurse sitting not far from you and holding a newspaper. You can immediately tell what her profession is because she has on the most stereotypical nurse's uniform you've ever seen. It's kind of odd to see such a sight on a pirate ship of all places. 

She gets up from the desk she was sitting at and hurries over to you with a smile plastered on her face, “Oh good, you're finally awake!”

Finally? “How-” You stop speaking and cough. Fuck, your throat is dry. Might be a side effect of the meds they have you on. 

Without even needing to be asked, the nurse fetches you a glass of water. She gently tilts your head up and allows the water to flow into your mouth at a steady pace. You greedily gulp it down in seconds. You watch the nurse closely as you drink, taking in her appearance. If you had to guess, she was in her early thirties. Coarse, blonde hair is held back in a ponytail with a few errant curls framing her round face. 

“Better?” The nurse sets your head back down and turns away from you, “You were out cold all night, we were starting to get worried about you. Well… more worried, I should say.” She coughs lightly and returns to your side with a clipboard in hand. 

“All night? What time is it?” Your voice was still a little croaky, but now you were thinking it had more to do with your brief coma than medication. You’re pretty sure it was only roughly midday when you got captured. You find it hard to believe you slept the rest of the day and through the night, but there isn't really any reason to lie about such a thing. 

“It's about a quarter till seven right now.” 

Damn. That shit really did knock you the hell out. You've always risen at five in the morning on the dot. Akainu would physically throw you out of your bed if you ever accidentally overslept, and then you'd have to run a lap for every minute. 

The nurse sat down on a nearby stool and smiled at you again, “I'm Elise. You'll probably be seeing a lot of me from here on out. Can you tell me your name, sweetie?”

Sweetie? The pet name made you cringe. You suppose you might as well answer her, though you can't imagine there's anyone on this ship that isn't aware of you and who you are. 

You tell her your name, making her hum in approval, “Very good! Now, can you tell me how you're feeling? Any dizziness or nausea? Difficulty breathing?”

“I'm… kinda lightheaded, I guess.” It's debatable if that's a side effect of the medicine or not eating for twelve plus hours, though. It could also be the result of prolonged sea stone exposure. Who knows?

Elise nods along and scribbles some notes down, “Good, good… Are you having any thoughts of harming yourself or others?”

For such a heavy question, she says it awfully casually, but the look in her eyes as she peers at you over the clipboard is anything but. You shift under her gaze. As much as you can, at least. The movement makes you realize that there are straps holding your legs down as well. 

What kind of question even is that? You're on an enemy ship, drugged, and restrained. How else does she expect you to feel right now? Especially with the impending doom of what is to come. 

Her stare doesn't let up for even a second. She isn't willing to let the question go unanswered, so you do what you have to. Lie. 

“No.”

It's evident to you that she knows that you're lying through your teeth. Mercifully, she doesn't call you out on it. After jotting down a few more things on the clipboard, it's discarded, and you're the center of her attention again. 

“I bet you're hungry after sleeping for so long. I'll ring the kitchen to bring something for you.” Elise picks up a transponder snail from nearby, “What do you like to drink in the morning? Coffee? Tea? Oh, I know! How about some hot chocolate?”

The response comes out before you can even really think about it, “I'm not allowed to have that.”

Elise gasps softly and brings a hand to her mouth, “Oh no, are you lactose intolerant? I think the kitchen has some alternatives they could use instead of milk.”

“No, I mean that it's too unhealthy. There aren't any benefits to drinking something like that.” Akainu never gave you the chance to form a sweet tooth. All of your meals were nutritionally dense with an emphasis on protein. Desserts were strictly prohibited.

At that statement, Elise frowns and puts her free hand on her hip, “Well that's just silly. Not everything you eat has to be “healthy”. A balanced diet is important, of course, but you're allowed to have treats.”

“But-”

“Ah, ah! No buts. I'm a nurse, so if I say it's okay, it’s okay.” Having made her point, Elise goes ahead and contacts the kitchen to order some breakfast for you. And a hot chocolate, apparently. 

Stubborn woman. But you suppose one has to have a firm foot and a backbone if they're on a pirate ship. Whatever. Might as well make the most of your last meal before you're sent back to hell. And subsequently executed for your misdeeds. 

The infirmary is empty, save for you and Elise. While you appreciate the privacy the vacancy affords you, it does leave you with a question.

“Where's The Phoenix?” You're honestly amazed he wasn't monitoring you directly given your perceived importance for the trade deal they had. 

Elise, having just finished placing the order for food, faces you again. “Marco? He left to supervise the retrieval of the medicine. A precaution in case the Marines try to pull something, I assume. Did you need something from him? He should be back tonight.”

Damn, they already have it? You thought you'd have more time before then. Your head drops down and your hands tighten into fists, “Oh. I'm guessing they'll be handing me over as soon as they're back…”

Genuine confusion flashes across Elise’s face, then realization, “Oh! No, no, no! We aren't going to be releasing you back to the Marines!”

Okay. You were officially lost. “You're… going to try and get more out of having me as a hostage?”

“That isn't it either!” Elise sighs and rubs her temples while quietly muttering, “Must be that medication's doing…”

“Am I missing something here?”

“Yes. One of the side effects from what we gave you initially is mild memory loss. It makes it hard to recall everything that happened right before the dose.” She approaches your bed and starts messing with the levers, “After your… outburst, Marco told you that you didn't have to go back if you didn't want to. Do you remember any of that?”

You wrack your hazy mind for the memory, but you're coming up blank. The last thing you remember is… a knife? Yeah, you got your hands on a knife and tried to stab yourself with it. Everything else seems to be lost. You aren't even completely sure if you just failed to stab yourself, or if Marco's healing abilities far exceeded Marine records. 

The lack of a response is an answer in and of itself. Elise shifts the upper portion of the bed up so that you're in a sitting position. The change makes your head spin a bit, but you keep that to yourself. 

A warm hand settles on your shoulder, and Elise speaks in a gentle tone, “No one here is going to make you go back to the Marines if you don't want to. You can relax.”

“But… if you're not turning me in, why am I still here? It sounds like you've already got what you wanted. I don't see why you'd be bothering with all this,” you nod vaguely at your body, referencing the straps and IV. 

“We can't in good conscience release someone in your state.” Her smile drops, and she stares down at you with what looks to you to be pity in her eyes, “You tried to end your own life, sweetie. That's something we must take very seriously.”

An uncomfortable lump forms in your throat, and your face feels hot with shame. You hated the way she looked at you just now. Like you were some poor, pathetic thing. Like she was looking down at some helpless rabbit ensnared in a trap. Like you were weak.

“I got this ready as fast as I could!”

You’re startled out of your thoughts by the infirmary door slamming open and the proclamation following immediately after. When you look up, you see Twin Blade Thatch entering the room carrying a tray with a mug and a bowl balanced on it. There is a twinge of familiarity in the back of your mind at the sight of him, and you don’t think it’s from seeing his bounty poster before. Did you see him yesterday? Maybe? You can’t be sure.

Thatch hurries over to you and sets the tray on the bedside table before turning to you with a smile on his face, “How are you feeling today?”

His question prompts you to look down at your restrained limbs and the- more likely than not medicated- drip bag, then back at him with an unamused expression, “Guess.”

The smile becomes visibly forced, sheepish even, and he averts his eyes, “Fair enough. Dumb question.” He clears his throat in a dramatic fashion, then recenters his gaze on you again, “I bet you’re hungry after sleeping for so long.” He picks up the bowl he carried in and tilts it toward you so you can see its contents. It’s a bowl of porridge with sliced fruit and nuts arranged on top in a visually appealing method.

But that’s not what you care about, there is a far more pressing issue at hand. You level him with a stern glare, “You better not be planning to spoon feed me. I will bite you.”

Thatch freezes and just stares at you with wide eyes for a moment, and that immediately makes you realize how stupid that was to say. You can’t even move, and you thought it was a good idea to start threatening people? What is wrong with you?! He could slit your throat right now if he wanted to, and you wouldn’t be able to do a single thing to stop him!

Instead of making your thoughts a reality, the pirate does something that shocks you. He laughs. You don’t know what to do with this. What are you supposed to do about laughter? Why is he even laughing? Did he find the absurdity of you spitting out threats despite your circumstances that funny?

“Oh, that’s a relief. You’ve got a sense of humor even after all that.” Thatch chuckles quietly and sets the bowl down before looking over to Elise, “We could take the straps off for now, couldn’t we?”

Huh?

Elise hums in thought, then nods. “I suppose we could, so long as you stick around for a bit to help keep an eye on them.”

Huh?!

They… They’re untying you? On purpose? This must be a trap. It has to be. They’re testing you. That’s the only thing that makes sense.

Your face is grabbed, and Elise makes you look her in the eye. “Do not,” she tilts your head down to look at the picc line, “try to rip this out. Understood?”

“Understood.” You knew better than to do such a thing. That’s a mistake you only make once.

After a particularly brutal training session with your father, you’d ended up in the infirmary. A regular occurrence, if you’re being honest. By the time you’d come to, the sight of the sun being high in the sky sent you into a panic. You were late, and Akainu loathed tardiness. In your rush to get out of there and beg for mercy for such a monumental fuck up on your end, you ripped the picc line out of your arm. Blood went fucking everywhere. On you, on the cot, on the walls. One of the nurses in the room fainted at the sight, followed shortly by yourself because all of your blood was now outside your body. You were out of commission for the rest of the day, and Akainu made certain that you made up for it the following day.

With your confirmation that you wouldn’t egregiously injure yourself, the two set to work on undoing the belts holding you down. Elise was making quick work of them, but Thatch abruptly stopped. You glance at him quizzically, wondering what the hold up was, only to see that his eyes are locked onto the opposing arm. You follow his gaze, and then you get it.

It was the burn scar marring most of your left forearm. Ah. This bizarre situation had distracted you from the fact that it was exposed. You can’t even cover it up because that’s the arm the IV is going into. Not that your other arm is much better. Or any part of your body, really. The skin of your face was the most intact, presumably because Akainu didn’t want to risk giving you the permanent handicap that came with losing vision in one or both eyes.

Elise loudly clears her throat and levels the pirate with a glare that honestly surprised you. How fearless she must be to behave in such a manner toward someone with a bounty like Thatch’s. This tactic, credit where it’s due, was effective. He snapped out of his one-sided staring competition with your arm and freed the other one.

Cautiously, you stretch your arms out now that they’ve been liberated from their confines. Mostly. The left arm stops short. You’d almost forgotten about the sea stone cuffs. It makes sense that they left that on, given that you’re a quite literal flight risk otherwise.

The tray containing your breakfast is carefully placed on your lap. The aforementioned bowl of porridge is on it, but so is a large mug that appears to be topped with a whipped cream. Is this the hot chocolate Elise had insisted upon? Your eyes flit up to the two people looming over either side of you. They’re staring at you expectantly.

All things considered, it seems unlikely that any of this is poisoned. They wanted you alive, that much was clear even if the particular reason behind it wasn’t. Besides, even if it was poisoned, you wouldn’t complain. Being freed from this mortal coil would be a blessing in your book.

Might as well do what they want. Maybe it’ll get them to stop breathing down your neck, if nothing else. You reach for the hot beverage first to see what all the hype is about. The mug is warm to the touch, but not so enough to burn you. Granted, that could just be the nerve damage talking. You’ll find out if that’s an accurate assessment based on whether or not this burns your tongue.

You bring the drink to your lips and sip at it. The cream is cold, but then a warmth trickles through and mixes with it. It’s very sweet. A stark contrast to the black coffee your father would drink and force upon you. The radically different flavor profile is borderline startling… but you don’t hate it. You quite like it.

Instead of savoring the hot chocolate and making it last, you continue tilting it up more and more until the cup runs dry. Okay. Perhaps Elise was onto something with allowing oneself treats such as this one.

“So it was a hit, huh?” Thatch is grinning proudly, “I made sure it would be the best you would ever have after Elise said you’d never had it before. Do you want some more?”

Mild embarrassment spreads into your consciousness at his observation of your enjoyment. This was a quirk of yours you never could really explain. Others seeing you experience contentment felt inexplicably wrong. Like you were doing something you shouldn’t be and being caught red-handed. You shake your head and set down the mug, “No. I’m good.” You promptly take the spoon on the tray into your hand and scoop up a mouthful of oatmeal in hopes of getting him to drop the subject.

The flavors of honey and cinnamon enhance the meal, making it taste far more pleasant than you’re used to. It’s all so good. You can’t stop eating it, and the porridge is gone almost as quickly as the hot chocolate was.

That familiar burn of shame reared its ugly head again. It would be bad enough to be so over indulgent at the best of times. What the hell were you doing doing so on an enemy ship? How disgraceful. 

“Good job! I’m so happy that you were able to finish it all,” Elise claps her hands together, looking weirdly elated over you eating. It’s unclear as to why that would matter to her. She continues, “Since you’re doing so well, how about we take you onto the deck for some fresh air and sunlight?”

“The deck? Like… of the ship?”

“Yeah? What else would it be, silly?” Elise moves behind the bed, clicks something, then begins to push it forward.

She’s trying to take you someplace where there will no doubt be a bunch of pirates. Some of which you may have even crossed paths with before. And you’re completely defensive. You look around at her and plead, “W-We don’t have to do that. I’m fine with staying in here.”

“Oh, hush. This’ll be good for you!” Undeterred, Elise proceeds to wheel you out of the infirmary with Thatch holding the door open.

Good for you? She’s trying to throw you into a den of wolves, and somehow thinks that’s going to be good for you? This was a set-up the whole time. They lowered your guard with a good meal just so they could rip the rug out from under you. Now you’re going to have to face the bulk of the Whitebeard pirates in your current hapless state.

All you can do is hope that pirates of all people will have the good grace to put you out of your mercy quickly.

Taglist: @twotrucksinatree @tigerstarstorm @mu5hro0m @brooks-real @one-piecelover

[rollinouttahere-writes]

You may have already thought of this, but what if Teach tries to return Liberty to get the Warlord position? It’s a lot more convenient than tracking down a pirate with a big enough bounty, he’s on the same ship as her, he can just snatch her and run. He might have more than just Ace on his tail then though. And Akainu…well, I don’t think he’ll like his child having been dragged around by that creep.

I already know what I'm going to do with him. I won't spoil it, but he's going to have a vendetta against her.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

So which of Big Mom’s kids is gonna be Liberty’s fiance? I would guess either Raisin (22 y/o) or one of the decuplet boys (18 y/o). I read the fic imagining them as about 18, so any of the others are too old or too young. I have a preference for Raisin just because I think he’s hotter oop-

And how would Akainu even find out about the “proposal”? I imagine Big Mom would be talking to Whitebeard about it, he’s the one with custody after all. Wonder if she’ll try to use Liberty’s mom like “See, her mother approves of the relationship!” Akainu gonna crash out when he finds out his ex is back in the equation and she’s bitter as all hell.

To be completely honest, I am not 100% sure about the fiancé plot line. Like Big Mom will definitely get involved, but I have a few other ideas for what she might want with Liberty. I'm still deciding.

The prompt said late teens, so you could see her as 18 if you want. I am digging Raisin's design, it's really good! But I also find the dectuplets as an option kind of funny. Big Mom can't decide which and just tosses Liberty amongst them and tells them to figure it out.

Also the idea of Big Mom not even bothering with Akainu and going straight to Whitebeard is so funny. The (very earned) disrespect. She didn't even look at him.

Liberty's mother, who goes by Ms. Edmonds, has mixed emotions about the arranged marriage. She isn't naive, she knows that being in Big Mom's family comes with risks, but she concedes to it because she feels it'll be worth it. Big Mom has treated her well and given her a stable life, and she knows that she's powerful enough to keep her daughter safe.

Akainu is already crashing out over losing control of his kid. Not just in general, but the fact that he lost her to pirates is taking him out. When he catches word of the engagement indirectly, he essentially turns into a walking volcano. Finding out that Edmonds was involved just makes it worse. Of fucking course his ex is doing this to him. She has a knack for ruining everything.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Akainu: "I RAISED MY DAUGHTER TO BE A PROPER MARINE."

Whitebeard: "You fucked up a perfectly good child. Look at them. They have anxiety and depression."

Every time they learn more about Liberty's childhood (or lack thereof), they become more irate. It's going to be on sight if they ever see him.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Akainu: This ma kid, her name be Liberty.

*proceeds to annihilate the very concept he named her after*

Lmao he has a very warped view on what liberty even is

People are totally free to do what they want with their lives! Just so long as it's what he approves of. But surely if you're a Good Person, you agree with him and his justice!

If you don't, then that's not his fault. Stopping the Bad People is for the greater good. At least that's what he tells himself.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

I dub this reader Saoirse or Liberty.

Oh thank god someone finally named them for me

Liberty definitely works as a name. I can 100% seeing Akainu choosing that name for his child.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Not that he'd be open about the specifics, but do you think Ace somewhat sympathizes with the Breaking Point MC regarding the whole "I HATE MY DAD" thing?

It does become a source of bonding between them. Fortunately, the reader has so much pent up emotions about Akainu that they are basically carrying the conversation by themselves, so Ace doesn't even need to do that much side stepping around who his father is.

I do have the funny mental image of reader assuming Dragon is his dad since he's Garp's grandkid.

Ace: I get it, you know? Having a piece of shit for a father can really mess you up.

Reader: Yeah, it really does... I guess having someone like Dragon for a father is pretty stressful, huh?

Ace, after having the most heavy pause in history: Yeah, you could say that.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

part 2 when ⁉️⁉️⁉️⁉️

Well I already started on it, but I hesitate to ever promise deadlines because that always seems to summon calamities into my life lmao

I would say within a week or two?

[rollinouttahere-writes]

I'm screaming!!!! This is so good!!!!! Thank you so much for writing this and tagging me in it!

If You Thought It Was Real...

His hair was soft.

It wasn’t surprising, but it was still nice. 

You kept your touch light, fingers barely brushing across his bangs, his lashes fluttered against his cheek as he shifted lightly. Even when he slept he was pretty, and you knew you had to move, you knew your time was even more limited, but you wanted to continue to lay here. You wanted to close your eyes and curl up against his chest, to feel the weight of his arm across your waist, the tickle of his breath against your skin.

You wanted to wake up with the crew and eat breakfast with them, to laugh at their antics and to continue to pretend like you belonged there.

But you couldn’t, the lives of three people weighed heavily on you, and the longer you took the more likely their blood would be spilled before the sun rose. Your heart felt heavy as you shifted, the bed barely moving from years of practice, and as you stood you had to fight back the tears burning at your eyes.

Everyone had told you how easy this job would be, how he was such a ladies man you’d probably only need to ask and he’d give you what you wanted. They said he was soft on women, “Even if one held a loaded gun to his head, he’d thank her!” Their boasts and jeers told nothing of his kindness, though. Their stories and rumors said nothing about the soft touch of his palm on the small of her back, helping guide her through crowded areas in town when he noticed how anxious she had become. Their taunting didn’t prepare you for the kind look in his eyes, his undivided attention on you when you told stories of antics some of the town kids had gotten into.

God, why couldn’t this crew have been as cruel as the bounty posters made them seem?

Your hands were trembling, a nervous tick you hadn’t experienced in years. Grabbing the folded note from your pocket, you flipped it open, the ink staring at you, almost as if it was taunting you, I’m sorry if you thought it was real. 

You were sorry, because you knew he believed everything between you two to be real, and you wanted it to be. God had you wanted it to be real, you wanted to climb back into bed and sleep, pretend this scenario was a nightmare. But the nightmare would only start the moment you gave up on this job, so you placed the note down, making sure he’d see it when he woke up.

You left the bedroom quietly, the door making not a sound as you shut it behind you. It was the captain’s quarters, really, but he didn’t use it. He offered it to you and Sanji, the crew laughing at the innocent implications behind his words, your face red. But you two accepted it, and for the past few days, you’d been aboard the ship, sleeping in a bed that didn’t have rips and tears, in a room that didn’t have mold and mildew growing on the walls. It was nice, and you knew this would be the place you visited in your dreams every night. 

Your footsteps were silent, and you moved like you always did— like a ghost dancing in the shadows, gone before being known. Usopp was on night watch tonight, you had timed your escape that way. Had it been Zoro or Robin your plans would have been foiled the moment you opened your eyes.

Those two knew something was up with you, their gazes weren’t entirely trusting, but they followed their captain, and they seemed to enjoy how happy you made their cook.

You hoped they set sail early in the morning before Sanji woke up and found your note. You didn’t want to risk being killed by those two.

You had been given a quick tour of the ship, but you’d easily memorized the routes and steps. That was easy at this rate, practice making perfect. Nami’s map room was dark, the moon casting eerie shadows about, and you swallowed hard as you entered. The map you were sent to retrieve was laid out, several others scattered with it, tools and pens littering the desk. She hadn’t cleaned up, probably stayed up late, and gone to bed when someone reminded her to. That had been you once, two days ago. 

You shook that memory out of your head— stepping forward, you rolled the map up, quickly, tying a string around it to keep it closed. You didn’t let yourself think after you had rolled it up, leaving as quietly as you had come. You waited a few moments, barely breathing as you listened; no footsteps, no voices. 

Leaving was quick, your feet touching the boardwalk and then you were off. Your heart was beating in your chest, a hard hammer against your skin. It took every ounce of strength you could muster to not turn around and go back to the ship, to wake Sanji up and beg for forgiveness, to explain everything that happened in this town.

The reality of not being able to do so hit you so hard that you thought you were going to be sick. Your feet, bare feet you realized with a start, hit the board as you walked, pace quick as you navigated through the dark, up the winding cobblestone roads, and back to your meeting spot. The night was still and silent all around you, the air cold and chilly, goosebumps forming on your arms. The way you held the map in your hands you were somewhat worried you’d rip it— wouldn’t that be ironic.

The door was unlocked, just like you were told it would be. You let yourself in, the warmth from the fireplace a welcome feeling against your skin. 

“You’re late.” The blunt tone made you wince.

You held the map forward, as if a shield in front of you, “Getting everyone to trust me being on the ship wasn’t easy.”

The paper was snatched from you, “I didn’t ask for excuses,” You watched as he opened it, eyes flitting around the paper, around the precarious drawings Nami had taken her time placing. 

He hummed, looking up at you, the slimy smirk growing on his face, “Nice work,.”

You felt your shoulders sag some, which meant—

“However, you wasted our time by needing as long as you did,” The relaxed feeling didn’t last long, and you felt your blood freeze in your veins, “Wasted our time, our money.” He tsk’ed you.

“You— You hadn’t given me a time limit,” You spoke up, trying to keep your voice strong as you stared at him: there was no way you just got that poor family killed by this.

He seemed to understand your panic, rolling his eyes, “Calm down, the Mitsu family is going to be fine. Their lives were only at risk if you failed to get the map, and you did manage to do that. Your time wasting, however, is another story.”

The bed was cold. Which, given the past few nights, was odd. One hand reaching out, Sanji sat up, confusion on his face as he looked around the room, the early morning sun peeking in through the window.

He called your name, low and confused, worried about working up any of the others. Maybe you had gone to the bathroom? Or went to get some tea?

But the cold side of the bed told him you’d been gone for longer than a few minutes. There was a nagging feeling in his chest, and he pushed the covers off of him, shifting to have his feet hit the floor. Pulling on a casual shirt he stepped outside, spotting Usopp coming down from his shift, eyes tired.

Sanji called out, asking if he had seen you this morning.

“No?” Usopp’s tone held confusion, and if Sanji strained his ear he was sure he held the tone of worry there as well, “I haven’t seen anyone or anything all night.”

Sanji ran a hand through his hair, “She wasn’t here when I woke up. Her side of the bed was cold.”

Usopp clapped a hand on his shoulder, “Hey man, maybe she went to the girl’s room? You know Nami always talks about stealing her away to plan some girl's day stuff.”

“Right,” He wanted so badly to believe what Usopp was saying, but the painful tug in his chest told him not to.

Still, he found himself outside of the girl's room, hoping his knocking didn’t come off as panicked as he felt. Nami opened the door, hair bedridden, eyes half-lidded as she glared at him. No doubt Robin was already in the library. 

Any normal day and he’d be swooning, begging for Nami’s forgiveness for waking her up. But this was starting to feel like a non-normal day. It felt worse when his questioning about your whereabouts was met with confusion.

“Why would she be in here?” She appeared more awake now, running a hand through her hair, “Did you two fight?”

“No, nothing like that,” Had he said something to upset you last night? You were quieter, your eyes looked sad, but you told him you were fine, saying you were just tired. He believed you— why wouldn’t he?

He let out a breath, hands itching to light a cigarette. 

“I’m sure she’s somewhere close by,” She smiled softly at him, “Maybe she woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep, so she went to take a bath?”

Sanji just snorted, a semi-panicked sound, but nodded, giving her room to head off to check the baths. He made his way back towards the bedroom, knowing he needed to change, grab his pack, and calm down before he made irrational choices.

The room appeared so normal, the covers a mess, and your side wasn’t even made, looking like you had just rolled out of it. A piece of paper caught his eye, something he had missed this morning. It had writing on it, and he moved forward, grabbing it.

I’m sorry if you thought it was real. 

You signed your name at the bottom, a simple ‘xo’ following. His heart hammered away in his chest— if he thought it was real? It had been real. It was real. What the hell were you on about?

Yelling from outside caught his attention, though his head still felt as if he were underwater. He made his way out, feet still bare, staring at your handwriting like if he looked hard enough the words would change. 

“My map!” Nami’s voice was shrill, panicked, and angry, “The— the one I had finished last week! It’s gone! I told you boneheads not to go messing around with my maps!”

“Chill, witch,” Zoro sounded annoyed, but Sanji couldn’t look up, “No one’s been messing with your damn papers.”

“Then where’s my map, huh? Did it just grow legs and walk away?”

“Weirder things have happened to us.”

“You idiot!”

“Sanji?” Luffy’s voice was quiet, and so close. He finally looked up, no doubt tears in his eyes.

“Captain.”

“What’s that?”

“A… note.” His voice felt thick, his chest hurt, and he could feel a headache forming.

Luffy frowned, taking the note away, hands gentle as he did so. Nami had stopped her tirade to wander over, looking over Luffy’s shoulder. Her curious look darkened quickly.

“What does she mean?” Luffy asked, eyes narrowed at the paper.

Nami spoke, voice quiet, “It looks like she snuck her way in here to steal my map,” She scoffed, turning away.

Luffy looked up, studying the way Sanji appeared to be holding himself together, “Sanji?”

“I’m going to get started on breakfast,” He spoke, voice quick, turning on his heel to make his way to the kitchen.

The crew watched him, no one saying anything as he left.

A/N: I had this idea based on some tumblr ask I swear exists, where OP had answered that like... if the reader broke Sanji's heart how it go down, and it had to do with yandere Luffy finding them to make sure they never hurt Sanji again. And it's stayed in my mind for days. So I wrote this one shot to set up a possible story. And thank you to @hannahbarberra162 for dealing with my asks regarding that LOL

EDIT: @rollinouttahere-writes is the original poster for the ask that inspired the fic! Thank them for the idea, as well as permission to write and post this fic! <3

Also add on cause of comments I get: should I make a taglist for this fic? or is that assuming more people care than do? 😅

Pt. II

Pt. III

[rollinouttahere-writes]

It just occurred to me that there is a continuity error in Breaking Point.... If Koby and Helmeppo are marines, Thatch should already be dead 😅

Let's just ignore that and say that it takes Thatch a little longer to happen upon the dark dark fruit in this timeline lmao

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Big Mom is connected to this? Sheesh, having a Charlotte fiancée is inevitable at this point. There’s no way that she’s hearing “Akainu’s kid that got taken in by Whitebeard” and not immediately running through a mental list of her children that aren’t engaged already. Funny enough, it may the only thing that Akainu and the Whitebeard Pirates agree on, since none of them are gonna want that freaky family near the kid.

This story is going to be so chaotic as it unfolds lmao

Akainu is having an aneurysm over not one, but TWO emperors taking an interest in his kid. And now Big Mom is trying to become his in-law???? He's losing his shit.

Meanwhile Whitebeard is trying to defuse the situation by pointing out that maybe an arranged marriage isn't a very good idea right now given reader's mental state. Also they're a child. Please stop.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Fun Fact Apparently Oda considered not killing off Ace but his editor at the time told Oda to do it because it would make One Piece sell better (I think that's the reason)

That editor is going to have to go into the witness protection program if his name ever becomes public 💀

[rollinouttahere-writes]

what do you mean he was only free for one fucking episode

[rollinouttahere-writes]

What happened to the reader’s mother after her affair with Akainu and the birth? Was she involved in their childhood at all?

Unfortunately, no. In typical patriarchal fashion, she was severely scapegoated for the whole situation.

In order to try and salvage Akainu's reputation, they court-martialed her and essentially slut-shamed her to hell and back. She was deemed unfit for the Marines, but also as a mother, so they dishonorably discharged her and awarded Akainu full custody. All of this was decided before their child was even born, and as a result, she never even got to hold her baby.

Since she wasn't allowed any form of visitation or even contact with her child because she was labeled "a bad influence", she became a drifter. Finding work was hard given how sullied her reputation was, so she resorted to working with pirates by giving them insider information on the Marines. This eventually led to her making connections with Big Mom, and then working under her in exchange for the ability to live a relatively comfortable and safe life.

She finds some solace in sabotaging the Marines, but the biggest perk that came from her alliance with Big Mom was access to her network of undercover spies. Through them, she is able to get updates on how her child is doing. It's the only thing really keeping her going at this point, even if the updates are rarely positive.

Won't she be surprised when she eavesdrops on the transmission the Whitebeard's sent the Marines.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Unfortunately for Whitebeard, even if he waits until the kid is more mentally stable, it’ll only take one “I love you” to immediately make them collapse and start sobbing. And I’m sure there will be no trouble and it will be an easy transition for them to refer to him as “Pops” instead of “Sir”. Absolutely no emotional weight behind having a dad who encourages them to be open, and is very affectionate himself, nope, no problems here

I wouldn't necessarily call it an easy transition. They've been raised to hate pirates and think that they're the scum of the earth, so there is a lot of resistance in the beginning.

Not to mention the fact that the reader is extremely unfamiliar with how real families treat each other and act. A lot of their first attempts at caring for the kid are met with blank stares and blatant confusion. Hell even within the fic, the reader couldn't recognize the expression on Thatch’s face being concern because they'd never seen it before.

Once they have been won over, the transition becomes much smoother, but it's going to take time to get there.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Akainu is very very blind to not notice his child's problems.

Yeah, but that's realistic.

I'm going to be very transparent here and admit that I heavily based Akainu's relationship with his child off of the one I had with my father. My father, despite the fact that I haven't spoken to him since turning 18, still fully believes that he's a great father. I was so beaten down and seemingly compliant that even when I tried turning him in to the cops, he never once suspected that it was me who snitched. He thought it was our nosy neighbor lmao

Similarly, when I ran away shortly after that, he thought that I had been "brainwashed" and "kidnapped" because it was just that unthinkable that I would ever step out of line to that degree.

Abusive parents can be shockingly disconnected from reality, and that's how Akainu is. He doesn't see the issues in his child's behavior because he simply doesn't want to. It's much more convenient to see his child as a success story rather than an abject failure of HIS parenting.

[rollinouttahere-writes]

Akainu: *traumatizes his child*

Child: *runs away and goes to the Whitebeard Pirates*

Akainu: *surprised Pikachu face*

Akainu is in deep denial about what really happened here. His child has always been the perfect epitome of what a marine should be, so it doesn't even cross his mind that they would ever do something they weren't supposed to. Even when it's pointed out that they were nowhere near where they should have been, he defends them and says that something must have gone wrong. Shanks found them out somehow, so they had to pull back and regroup. That's what happened.

In his eyes: they were on a mission that went south (incorrect), got kidnapped (actually correct), and now the Whitebeard's are holding onto them to try and see just how much they can wring out of the Marines with his kid as their hostage (incorrect again).