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wavytam · 1 year

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Nami, Sanji and the Sky - Part 1

For a while now, I noticed a strange symbolism that both Nami and Sanji share throughout the story of One Piece, and since the manga is coming to an end, I feel like this symbolism is becoming more evident and could eventually have an important role for the conclusion of the story.

Rather than a theory, this post is more of an analysis (and compilation) of the connection both Nami and Sanji share with the element Sky.

I will be writing two more posts: one listing every content I found about sky (specially the ones connected to Sanji and Nami) while reading the manga, I will also include some video analysis/theories I found talking about that as well (those theories will be properly linked); and the other will be my conclusion as to what all of that information could mean.

For now, I do have a feeling about what it is, but I decided to read the manga from the beginning first to see what else I could find before making up my mind.

So:

In Part 1: I will bring up every symbolism evident in Nami's and Sanji's storylines, what the Sky itself symbolises to the Universe of One Piece and what it could mean to Nami and Sanji.

In Part 2: I will make a compilation of every manga panel that talks about the Sky (it will be edited as I read through the manga).

Part 3 (last part) will be my theory on what the Sky Symbolism could imply to Nami's and Sanji's storylines and the end of One Piece - this part will take a while to be finished, as I plan to read the entire manga first.

WARNING: Although I intend to write about the characters individualy, I will make romantic connections between them as well. So you have been warned it will contain SaNami.

So let's get started.

So the first thing that is interesting to note (and everyone already knows) is that every important character in One Piece, especilally the Straw Hats, are linked to multiple symbols at the same time; be it through their names, the Devil Fruit they ate, their roles in the crew, or even the numbers assingned to them, Oda made sure that a lot of his characters had a rich background, and that is one of the reasons that we love them so much.

There is even a One Peace Wiki page that registers every symbolisms Oda created and talked about in his SBSs. And we do know that there are even more hidden symbols he leaves around the manga and color spreads and doesn't talk about or avoids to answer when questioned.

For the sake of keeping this part short, I will use three of the Straw Hats as examples (besides Sanji and Nami).

Luffy:

Monkey (SBS) and Tiger (colorspreads)

Red (SBS)

Numbers 1 and 5 (Go) 6 (Mu) (SBS)

Sun (God Nika) (Manga and colorspreads)

Crown (Pirate King)

Sunflower (SBS)

Meat (manga, SBS)

Zoro:

Tiger and Shark (SBS)

Green (SBS)

Swords/Steel (SBS)

Hell (King of Hell)

Number 2 (SBS)

Beast (manga)

Demon (manga)

Onigiri (SBS and manga)

Earth (his mother's name means Earth SBS)

Robin:

Flower - Hana Hana no Mi (manga)

Purple (SBS)

Demon (manga)

Number 7 (Na), 8 (Ha), 2 (Ni), 6 (Ro) (SBS)

Crane, Falcon (SBS)

There is, of course, many other elements related to each of these three characters alone, but let's keep it short.

This means that Oda does give a lot of attention to those details, and it might not be far-fetched to analyse the symbols he linked to both Nami and Sanji in the manga, colorspreads and SBSs, with more depth.

Now, as a shipper, I am biased to say that this could imply a romantic connection, but even if it doesn't, I feel like there is something between these two that are worth giving a look, both for them individualy and together.

So let's see the symbols Oda assigned them in SBSs, Color Spreads, and Manga (that we know of):

Nami:

Numbers 7 (Na) 3 (Mi)

Oranges (manga and SBS)

Crown (colorspreads)

Weather and Climate (manga colorspread)

Cat (SBS)

Lightning (SBS and manga)

Zeus/Clouds (manga)

Waves and sea (her name means waves)

Mermaid (past with fishmen pirates and her mysterious connection to Otohime) (manga and SBS)

Sunflower (manga)

Lions (manga and colorspread)

Money and Treasures (manga and SBS)

Sweden (SBS)

Sanji:

Numbers 5 (Ko) 9 (ku) 3 (San) 2 (Ji) (SBS)

Three o'clock (his name) (manga and colorspread)

Duck and Bighorn Sheep (SBS)

Cigarrette (manga and SBS)

Mermaid (lighter and hyper fixation with mermaids) (manga and colorspread)

Blue (SBS)

Sky (his move Sky Walk and his mother's name literally meaning Sky) (manga)

Fish and seafood (SBS)

Sea (All Blue) (Manga)

(Stealth) Black (Leg) (manga)

Fire (manga)

Demons (Ifit/Diable) (manga)

Spirals and Devil Fruits (manga and SBS)

Science and Technology (manga and SBS)

France (SBS)

Spirals (manga)

I think we can already see how many of the elements of the list they do share in common. In this post, however, let's focus on the sky elements.

Lightning

Zeus/Clouds

Weather and Climate

Sky

Down below, there are image examples in the manga and colorspreads.

So, why is it that I am focusing on that? I mean, why do I think it's worth pointing this out?

Because throughout the manga, Oda has made it clear how important the Sky is, along with three other symbols: Earth, Sea, and now the Sun.

I think you know where I am going at.

So, it's a known fact that Oda used the name of three Greek/Roman Gods (who also happen to be the name of planets) to name the Ancient Weapons.

And it has already been brought up that weirdly, Luffy's three strongest nakamas (after himself) are connected to each of these symbols.

Pluton-> Pluto (Roman name)-> Hades (Greek name)-> God of the Underworld (Hell)-> Underworld->Earth-> Zoro: King of Hell, son of the Earth (Tera) - Zoro is also connected to Wano, where Pluton is located

Poseidon-> Neptune (Roman name)-> Poseidon: God of the Seas-> Sea-> Jimbei: First son of the Sea - Jimbei is from Fishmen Island where Poseidon is located.

Uranus-> Father Sky, the personification of the Heavens (before Zeus took over)-> Sky-> Sora Vinsmoke and Sora, Warrior of the Sea -> Sanji

(Weirdly, besides Black Leg and Mr. Prince, Sanji doesn't have any other alias, much less one connected to the Sky... yet?)

(Also, since Jimbei and Zoro came from the places where the Ancient Weapons are Hidden... could it be that the Kingdom of Germa once ruled over the place where Uranus is hidden? Maybe they also had a previous connection to the Ancient Kingdom? Hmmm, theory for another post)

BUT it's important to coment that we were only able to make these connections NOW, after 26 years, because only now Oda has revealed: Zoro's mother's name, Sanji's mother's name, the name of the last Ancient Weapon, and that Jimbei (Knight of the Sea) would be part of the crew.

So why only now?

To me, it's because One Piece is coming to an end, and these elements will play a pivotal role in the Great War to come.

Following that idea, in my opinion, this also means that the connection Sanji and Nami share with the Sky is not only important to their storylines but also to the conclusion of One Piece.

And, because Oda is finally revealing more about the Void Century and the main character's backstories, only now are we able to connect the previously missing dots.

So what about Nami?

Now, if Sanji alone had a parallel to the god of Heavens, the post would end here haha but weirdly Nami also is deeply connected to it, just as much as Sanji, maybe even more than him, actually. However, we still don't know much about her... yet, so we only have small crumbs to make this relation.

First, Nami's past is still a mistery to this day. Even after 26 years of One Piece, the only thing we do know about her is that Nami and Nojiko were found in a village called Oykot.

And I have this feeling that it's because Nami's past will be a huge spoiler to the end of One Piece and is directly connected to the Void Century. I will not get into much detail as to why here because I do plan to make a post focusing only on Nami and the weird hints Oda left about her in the manga and colorspreads.

So back to her connection with the Sky.

Before, Nami's connection was related to the weather and the seas (weirdly, Sanji also has a big connection to the Seas) but, recently she acquired Zeus and, if we look back to her story throughout the manga, we can see that there were also hints of her connection with the sky through her abnormal knowledge and love for navigation (they were just a little bit hidden).

As we know, Zeus is also the God of the Sky and Lightning and... wait, what is his Roman name again? Jupiter (hold that thought)

Another interesting connection Nami has with the Sky is where she was sent by Kuma to train: a sky island named Wetheria, where wizards studied the science of weather. Isn't it weird that it's a Sky Island that has one of the most advanced knowledge in weather whilst Nami has always had this pull to learn about it ever since she was a child?

And let's not mention how in the Skypea arc, Nami was the only "disciple" to almost follow Enel to the moon (of course, she was only trying to survive and not be killed by him, but the fact that Oda chose Nami to be in that situation might be an indicative of something).

Now that we saw how the Sky is connected to Sanji and Nami individualy, let's bring up some interesting moments in the manga where the Sun/Sea/Earth/Sky symbolism appears, besides the Ancient Weapons.

There is one that caught my attention the most (although the Sea does not make part of it):

Big Mom.

More specifically, the three weapons of her own choice and creation. Who are they?

Well, we have:

Prometheus (Sun/Fire)

Napoleon (Hat/Sword)

To me, they are worth taking a look since it's very strange that Oda keeps on bringing up these same symbols again and again.

Zeus (Cloud/Lightining)

Now, I know that many might not agree with me in this, but, in my opinion, those weapons are again a direct parallel to some of the Straw Hats, but not in the way you think.

So...

Prometheus (Sun/Fire)-> Luffy (Sun God Nika)

Napoleon (Hat/Sword)-> Zoro (Swordsman)

Zeus (Cloud/Lightining)->???

You might ask: Why did I put the question marks for Zeus and not just write Sanji's name? I think that, by now, you can guess why...

My first choice would have been Sanji because, since they are seen as weapons, the only one left to symbolise Zeus would be him - and I do think they fit in many levels (the reason being what I already listed above)... but not all. Why?

Because Zeus is also connected to Nami. And that's where my confusion started, and I didn't really know who to assign Zeus to.

It gets even more suspicious if you notice that Nami got Zeus first during the Whole Cake Arc, where we also learn Sanji's mother's name, creating another big connection between him and the Sky.

And there is, of course, the servant moment (LMAO)

Which kinda implies that Sanji is also a servant for Nami, like Zeus...? Lol

Anyway, because of the Nami/Zeus interactions in Whole Cake and Nami's conection to weather and thunder clouds, we can imply that Nami would be a much better candidate to the Sky symbolism in relation to Big Mom's trio weapons and, maybe, to what it could imply to the end of One Piece.

Until Wano.

That's where I got even more confused???

You see, to everyone who read/watched Wano knows there were moments dedicated to the development of Nami and Zeus's relationship.

Zeus abandoned her because of how scared he was of Big Mom, but then he (kinda) overcame his fear and chose to be with Nami. That's another parallel he has with Nami since, in Oniagshima's arc, Nami also overcame her fears, and even at the threat of death, acknowledged that Luffy would be the Pirate King.

To me, the message Oda wanted to give was how sometimes we must overcome our fears to stand for what is right and for what we believe in, no matter the odds.

So, Nami->Zeus, right?

Well, kinda. Because in this same arc, Big Mom (with Prometheus' suggestion) had the great idea of creating a substitute for Zeus.

And, alas, we have Hera, whose name is based on ZEUS'S WIFE?

The interesting thing here is that it was Prometheus who asked for a girlfriend, but then Big Mom (and Oda) decided to give a name that connected her and Zeus romantically?? Lol

So now, we have a female cloud, and she has the same powers as Zeus, so... does it mean Hera symbolizes Nami? The thing here is, Hera's design has a... very weird resemblance... to Sanji (?????)

(I know I'm reaching, but hear me out...)

First, if we look at the manga, she has the right eye covered by a mass of clouds that resemble hair, and she also has some swirls in her "hair" to resemble curls. Until here, it could just be a coincidence... but then we find out she is also blonde?? What??

And it gets me thinking about the entire Prometheus/Zeus/Hera dynamic as well.

In short: Prometheus doesn't like Zeus. Zeus betrays Big Mom. Prometheus wants a girlfriend, so he incentives Big Mom to get rid of Zeus permanently so she can create a girlfriend for him. Big Mom creates a substitute for Zeus, named Hera (who is the wife of Zeus in Greek mythology, but has NO RELATION to the Sky besides being married to the God of the Sky himself). Diferent from her God counterpart, Hera does not have any romantic interest.

Could this be some type of foreshadowing? If it is, of what?

Maybe Sanji or Nami will leave/betray the crew (it's funny because, in a way, both of them already did)?

Why did Big Mom decide to create those weapons exactly? And what is the point of this entire stoyline anyway?

Those are just some questions that got me thinking, but the important thing to take away from this is that now, we have four weapons, while two of them have the exact same function, although one was cast aside... so:

Prometheus (Sun/Fire)-> Luffy (Sun God Nika)

Napoleon (Hat/Sword)-> Zoro (Swordsman)

Zeus (Cloud/Lightining)-> Nami (?)

Hera (Cloud/Lightning)-> Sanji (?)

Now, even if we take away the romantic connotations in the Hera/Zeus dynamic (only because of their names, and it doesn't really mean that much), it doesn't take away the fact that Oda created two weapons with the same function.

Another group connected with the Sky (and that could relate to Sanji) in the World of One Piece are the Gorosei.

A lot of people already noticed the weird similarity that the Swordsman and the Blond Goroseis have with the Wings of the King of the Pirates and that it could imply that, in the near future, Zoro and Sanji, would face them.

The funny thing, however, is that, when we finally found out the name of the first Gorosei (Saturn), a lot of people theorized that the Blond Gorosei could be Venus (because he looked like Sanji's relative and Sanji is a very... loving individual) and the Swordsman could be Mars (because he is always carrying swords).

And those were on point theories, in my opinion (I also believed that was the case), but Oda had other plans.

Shortly after, he revealed their names and... the Swordsman Gorosei is the one actually connected with Venus. And he is responsible for Finances (??)

However, these reveals still create interesting connections with both Sanji and Zoro, since Venus there is a theory that Venus stole the Gold from Wano (link to the theory) which is where is supposedly from and the Blond Gorosei, Sheperd, controls agriculture (food).

But what I want to highlight here is the planet that represents Sheperd: Jupiter.

As I mentioned before, Jupiter is the Roman counterpart of Zeus. So if he really ends up being Sanji's rival... he will have another connection with the Sky.

Now, after all of these interesting hints, what could they mean?

I honestly am not sure yet (lol)and that is one of the reasons I decided to first read the entire manga and write 2 more parts for this Analysis so I can have more data and a better understanding of the meaning of the Sky for One Piece as a whole.

So in part 2, I will collect every single moment related to Sanji/Nami/Sky I find in the manga.

Once it's done, in part 3 I will be writing my conclusion and theory about what it could mean to the One Piece storyline.

Phew! That's it for now! It got longer than I expected! I'd love to know your opinions on the matter, and if you ever find something interesting relating to the Sky in One Piece, feel free to contact me!

#SaNami #MyTheories #SaNami Theory #sanjixnami #namixsanji #sanji #nami #one piece #one piece theory

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physics-of-one-piece · 3 months

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Hiya! Just popping by to say I am in LOVE with this blog!!!!! It is SO MUCH FUN to read through your explanations and you’re incredible at dumbing it down just enough for us mortals to understand. I was never great nor really interested with anything physics or math related in my entire life haha but I’m honestly and unexpectedly having such a field day reading through your posts!

Thank you for creating this! Keep it up, I can’t wait to read on the next topic you’ll approach ✨

Thank you, anon! I'm happy to know you're enjoying the blog! I'm having fun doing this stuff!

Honestly, from an anime watcher, neither was I interested in doing calculations or physics-thinking. It never crossed my mind until recently. Blame Doflamingo. Or thank him. 🤣 I love him. He's my fluffy pink man.

One day a week ago now I woke up and was like thinking about Doflamingo's height or sth and I really wanted to just... JUST KNOW HOW BIG ARE THOSE LIMBS OF HIS, and I thought it might be fun to do some calculations! And it was! AND NOW I FINALLY KNOW THE LENGTH OF HIS ARMS AND HANDS AND FINGERS, HELL YEAH!

@fanaticsnail was really encouraging, and so were everyone, so I gathered my guts and made this sideblog to keep my geeking limited to it.

After I did some calc, I was like "oooh, so that's how big Doflamingo's limbs are" or "oooh, so that's how much kinetic energy Luffy uses" and during the weekend I went into a bit of quantum physics for Law's ROOM and got a bit bored at one point bcs it's subatomic. I will say, the quantum physics theories & principles are fun. I'll expand on them when we cover Shambles & Takt. But calculating quantum formulas... No thank you. I'll be here with my classic physics, have a great day, sir.

It makes me very very happy to hear that I managed to make it understandable. 😊

I think while watching the anime you and me and everyone, we simply take it all in and enjoy it, and we don't think about things like math (ew, math, yuckie).

You know what we humans do do?

Many people see a mountain and say "whoa, that's big" and it usually ends on that unless we google how tall the mountain is. Scaling things is hard with our eyesight, we either recognise height as "giant, big, medium, small, tiny" bcs it's how we are. We don't need to know because we can recognise it by our eyes. Not the exact numbers, but we feel and understand the size of the mountain. We do have a sense of scale, we just don't put numbers to it at that moment.

Same for One Piece.

We know the characters are FAST, we know they're SUPER STRONG. It's anime, it's supposed to be fun, you're supposed to relax and enjoy it. We don't need to think too hard on it because we recognise deep in our guts these characters would wipe the floor with us within 0.000000001 seconds just as the villains do to the poor One Piece civilians.

Seriously, I feel so bad for the civilians of One Piece. The villains need to pick on someone their own size!

And then they get beaten by someone half their size, ah, irony.

Hmm, I hope I managed to convey what I mean...

I guess I'm the "how big are Doflamingo's hands" search option now. I'm the "how tall is Mt Everest" for the people who want to know a bit more, I guess, haha.

I'm just glad it's fun for everyone! 🎉

I've been working on what I will title Doflamingo's Day Trip To Punk Hazard ie analasys of how fast that flamingo man flew to that island. Only problem is knowing the distance he travelled. Once more, another day passes without the map of One Piece's world and another day I have to wing it.

Oh, well, Luffy set out to sail with one single plan "Enter the Grand Line, become the Pirate King." and he's doing pretty well.

Also, expect Fujitora, cus I fckn love gravity. Oh, and Sanji. I adore Sanji, I can't wait to post some stuff about him, too!

Thank you for the ask, sorry that I went on a bit of a long answer. 😅 Anyway, I'm happy you like the blog and are enjoying it!

Much love to you, anon ❤️

#asks #thank you so much #happy you're enjoying the blog anon #physics of one piece

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ninjaboyjoel · 2 years

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One Piece 1073 Theory - Huge Spoilers

In One Piece Chapter 1073, we had a huge reveal- the fact one of the Five Elders was making his move, and what his name was-- Saint Jay Garcia Saturn.

This really got my brain going, as from this I believed we could possibly extrapolate the names of the other four Elders.

Indeed, they are often depicted in this order, especially Garcia and the fellow that looks like Gorbachev are usually seated in these positions. I decided to apply the order of planets to these characters, starting from Saturn and going right-to-left. which led me to this understanding:

I eliminated the ancient weapons from consideration for obvious reasons, and I also eliminated Earth because we are unsure what role it may play in the story, alongside the Moon and the Sun, indeed because the Sun is Nika to our current knowledge. You may be wondering why I have applied elements to these five figures and what they might mean (and why they are followed with ‘star’).

That’s because of this:

The Chinese elements, also known as Wuxing, or Gogyo in Japanese. As you can see, each of the planets potentially attributed to the Elders, also has other connotations.

Those being colours, which I used for clarity, and elements which I believe will have some greater significance. I think it lined up quite well, especially with the swordsman being attributed the Metal element. And let’s not ignore the key symbol of this-- the five-pointed star, Gorosei can also be translated as Five Elder Stars, and with that, in Japanese and Chinese the planets are also called stars-- their names translated as seen in my original graphic above.

This then led me to think about the missing planets- the ancient weapons and what it could mean.

That’s right, Neptune is the ‘Sea King Star’, this is when I realised I might be onto something.

But that “Hell King”, Doesn’t that sound familiar...?

Now hear me out, I know this sounds crazy but I think Zoro meeting the reaper might have something to do with Pluton, I just don’t know what yet.

We know Pluton is under Wano. We know it’s related to the King of Hell. We know Zoro claimed he’d become the King of Hell and then met the Reaper. I feel like we just need one more key piece of information to make it all click.

I think the avatars for the Sun, Moon and Earth and Uranus definitely have something to do with this scene:

We know Luffy is the Sun (Nika) but the rest is up for debate.

I have them ready to add to the spreadsheet at any time! I think Imu calling themselves Uranus ‘The King of Heaven’ would make a lot of sense, especially regarding what we just saw them do to Lulusia.

On a much less well-evidenced note, I feel like the planets I picked for each Elder fit them pretty well design-wise, the wood element being tall and lanky, and the fire one having a wild birthmark or scar on his head.

That’s all for now. I hope it was interesting and I hope to have more to say soon.

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bipherpol · 1 year

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Siblingverse anon (the one who's the catalyst) here! I love everything you've said so far! I have three questions: Since you said a child can beat up Spandam, was the real reason Lucci not stopping Chimney because he wanted to see that happen? Does Lucci threaten to finish what Robin started (take Franky's balls off) before the Straw Hats leave Water 7? You know, the whole "if you hurt her" speech. Does Kaku or Kalifa tell the other three "Also, Lucci has a brother-in-law, and a future husband?"

1: at least in this universe, it absolutely is. he thinks chimney is fully capable of beating spandam up and that it would be one of the best things to see and he wants a front row seat. granny kokoro might kick his ass after for letting chimney into danger but, like. it's spandam. the only dangerous thing about him is his sword and he can't aim for shit.

2: he does not, because he is well aware of how vicious robin can be. she was already bad when they were kids and he knows she hasn't gotten any nicer since then. if she wanted to take franky's balls off, she would.

3: lucci's shovel talk for franky consists of him looking franky dead in the eye and saying, "if you hurt her, i won't have to do anything, because you'll already be dead." as far as he's concerned, robin is the one to be scared of there. (robin, of course, just smiles and talks about things like human sacrifices and how embalming a living person would work around paulie. paulie is suitably terrified.)

4: if you think canonical gossip fukurou doesn't get kaku or kalifa to tell him about what he missed in water 7, think again. there is currently a betting pool going about whether or not lucci and paulie will get their shit together before or after luffy's become the pirate king and the world government's fallen apart. robin has placed down a very specific bet of one year, six months and five days that makes everyone question what the hell she knows. (technically, she knows nothing. this does not stop her from absolutely fucking with the rest of the betting pool, though.)

#fun fact about this verse: when pissed off lucci is the nicer nico sibling #lucci insists robin is terrifying. nobody else believes him until post-marineford where she sees the news and that he was involved #and Goes Off #hell hath no fury like a panicked older sibling #fyi the one who wins the bet on them getting together is actually lulu #nobody knows how the hell he got so close (off by only one day)#but he did it #paulie is an intelligent enough person to know that his not-boyfriend's sister is the scariest person on that ship #i do genuinely love fukurou being a gossip in canon btw it's delightful #so i fully intend to have s o much fun with it #sibling verse

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chromatic-lamina · 3 years

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cruxes and equivalencies: chapter 1036 spoilers

For me, great chapter!

Our newest pretty boy, as a pretty boy, burnt out so fast. But he’s been fighting for nearly all of the Onigashima chapters, and the folks who have been drawing the Zoro & King parallels have had them totally spelt out by Oda this week. And the whole page is important, so I’ll include it:

Ah, but it does seem that our fallen angel followed the wrong god, even if he helped him (angel/King) out (false god, icons, golden calves), and King remains loyal to him (false god / Kaidou) for that reason.

Very interesting. So, if Luffy were to turn out evil, would Zoro still follow him? Great question. Maybe not, but

Zoro might become evil in his pursuit of never losing a battle, which in turn strengthens his captain’s chance of securing the crown. Interesting that he views himself and his actions that way, and with no regret, but “If that’s what it takes...” (for me [Zoro] to not lose a battle, for you (Luffy) to be the Pirate King), then yeah, he’ll go to and rule over Hell.

A pragmatic decision, but also innate, and also part raison d'être. But, King was the same. So now the lines narrow down with fate and skill and determination, and chance always has to play a role. We’ve seen Zoro’s demon form before of course.

I don’t think that’s all that we’ll see of King in terms of past, present or future. Especially with that Joyboy reference, and it won’t be a surprise when he becomes a Luffy fanboy. (The guys on twitter and reddit must be going wild).

Really interesting to think of Bellamy who was

so loyal to Doflamingo, who treated him like shit, and King who is very loyal too, but with good reason. The quality of subordinates gradually increases. So King’s out:

But Law and Kid are still fighting Big Mom, and she’s infused the girders with the souls of the Beast Pirates that she sucked dry, I guess—or her own soul, a bit of both. The homie is attacking Kid, but he’s deflecting it pretty quickly. What’s he standing on? Is that part of his awakening?

And Usopp is going to be such a major player and is the main motif of this series in many ways.

He’s been charged with protecting Kin and O-Kiku, and they urged him (and each other) to leave them behind and save themselves. Clumsy wording, right? Read the panels below (which came before the one above).

Does it remind you a bit of this from 974?

Earlier, Momonosuke did not want the Scabbards to head out on what either he or Shinobu called a suicide mission, and of course the Scabbards have been through a lot, but so has everyone, and there’s another guy adhering to Usopp’s words in another way:

Momonosuke (looking fine there) trying to redirect the downward spiral of Onigashima onto the Flower Capital. Yamato is also running with his Giant friends (who seem to be Caesar experiments on the Shimotsuki samurai and friends who were held captive in the cave with him when he was a child, which indicates that Kaidou definitely exploited Punk Hazard for the worse once he left it, but we already knew that with the SAD factory). Yamato’s trying to stop the basement from exploding.

And of course someone who doesn’t know about Sea Hills (Usopp) wouldn’t know about Izou, and would also think his aim was to save him (which in part it was, but definitely not Izou’s main goal):

(Stripping himself for no good reason there to show his Kozuki clan affiliation (but I’m sure it pepped up our two grievously injured samurai very well. And plus, He Means Business. Hope Marco joins him)).

But Izou knows all about him!

I love, love, love that Usopp is commonly known as God Usopp now, and I love the casual way that Law and others use it, and you never know if they’re being sarcastic or not or, once someone has an epithet that’s what you use anyway.

So Usopp has the day saved for him again 😁. Love his casual passing of the buck there (above). But he is awesome!

And Oda is surely trolling the readers after maybe reading forums or having fan reactions sent his way:

I think, according to Artur from Library of Ohara, and some other writers, that these guys in the picture above (Raizo and Fukurokuju) have not been referred to for over a year (or for some time. I thought it was less, but I supplement the manga with the anime, so maybe I’m not as aware as time). So it’s really fitting that he has them using Paralysis Jutsu. That’s why they’ve been off-screened for so long. Haha (but Raizo is losing).

Also, Orochi wants Fukurokuju (the guy above) to return soon so they can escape, and he’s in a room with Komurasaki. I thought that the song that she was playing with her reintroduction was the song she played for her father, considering it was able to reach Zoro’s sword, Enma, but it seems that will be upcoming. It’s going to bring some witchery with it for sure.

Kanjuro’s empty but vindictive hate (fire feeds on air, after all) is racing to the basement, and Apoo and others are hotfooting it out of there. It looks like Drake’s out for the count now, and the extra-spooky CP0 agents are floating around the place like Mary Poppins looking for Nico Robin.

Both Apoo and Yamato seem to have a connection and fondness for the Numbers (but maybe not for Drake).

And I’m sorry to put in so many full pages, but they’re packed full of information. I am so happy that BEPO is on a page with Zoro, Sanji and Killer, directly after they mention the demise of the All Stars and that Luffy’s allies have a one in million chance of winning, but just in case they do, the World Government needs to be ready. Ben Ben! (Where’s Nami?) Also, edit in, it’s been pointed out in a number of posts that Sanji’s eyebrows have realigned themselves.

I wonder if Bepo and the Hearts will get a little more development. Maybe in the anime. They erased Bepo a few episodes back, so maybe not But wait!

These two clowns:

are having a grand old time. In the meantime, who is not human who is calling the shots? Im? or someone who only thinks they’re not human (Celestial Dragons, Gorosei, etc.) It seemed to be the first CP0 guy calling the others. Are Cipher Pol Aeigis Zero non-human?

That was the end of the call between CP0 and whoever... Ahh.

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chenziee · 3 years

Note

Cool your back.

I have a very cute LawLu prompt

Where Law is still a pirate some how becomes (little doses he know)the Fiance of the Goda kingdom's Cat God of freedom named Luffy(much to the world nobles dismay) and all of the high jinx that come along with it. And Luffy keeps popping up whenever Law doesn't/needs him. Good thing he's cute.

Thank youuu! Glad to be back :D though still super slow I’m sorry

I might have taken some liberties there with Luffy but I hope you like it! :)

----------

A Divine ball of fluff

[Read on AO3 | Request info | Ko-fi]

Law startled awake at the sound of gunfire and cannons somewhere above his head. Stepping over the lamp on the floor, he only briefly wondered just how it had managed to fall from his nightstand before he forced himself to focus. He only grabbed Kikoku, then ran out of his room to join his crew on deck, ready to murder whoever had come to disturb his sorely needed nap.

“Hand over Luffy and I might just let you go alive, Trafalgar Law!”

With the angry shout being the first thing Law had heard upon opening the door leading to the Tang’s deck, Law could only groan. Not again. “I keep telling you, old man—” Law slammed the door shut behind himself maybe more aggressively than strictly necessary before quickly striding over to the side of the ship to glare at Vice Admiral Garp— “none of this was my choice! And your stupid grandson isn’t even here!”

“Uhm, about that, Captain…” Bepo trailed off, quiet and apologetic.

Law took in a sharp breath, closing his eyes momentarily and praying for patience. “Don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”

“Sorry,” Bepo mumbled, dropping his head as if it was somehow his fault their regular ‘guest’ had invited himself over without any warning again.

Shaking his head, Law slowly looked at Garp again. The old man was fuming and not for the first time, Law marveled at the stubbornness of this entire family. No matter how many times he said ‘no’ to either one of them, they just kept coming back like a bad rash. Sometimes, Law couldn’t believe neither of the three brothers or their grandfather were related by blood. Hell, one of them wasn’t even human. But well… when it came down to it, Law couldn’t say he cared.

“Fine, take him,” he said finally, smirking at the loud crash from behind him that immediately followed.

“Torao~” someone whined before arms wrapped around Law’s waist

On reflex, one of Law’s legs shot forward as he braced for the impact of the entire body crashing into him a split second later. Why, just why did this man insist on lunging at people constantly? Law would never understand. He was lucky Law had managed to train his reactions well enough by now to not face plant into the railing anymore. “What?” he asked, smirk still shamelessly in place as he turned to look at the person who was hanging off of him.

The person—or rather, the god—in question was staring back at him with an unhappy frown and a pout on his lips. Law hated to admit he looked outright adorable then, and not just because of the cat ears sitting proudly on top of his head, alert and facing forward in agitation. Ears which were also covered in black, incredibly soft fur that Law would never get tired of petting.

Giving Law something that was probably supposed to be a glare, Luffy finally huffed before continuing, voice sounding incredibly sulky, “How could you just sell me out to gramps like this?”

“Because he could absolute keep you on his ship even if he did take you. Sure,” Law replied in a tone dripping in sacrasm while he rolled his eyes at the dramatic complaints of the literal embodiement of freedom, the person who could and absolutely did materialize out of nowhere on the Polar Tang whenever he fucking felt like it, without any warning, for the sole purpose of driving Law absolutely crazy with his ideas, only to then disappear into thin air again once he got bored. While on the open sea, with the nearest land two days of sailing away.

“That’s not the point!” Luffy cried, his grip on Law’s waist tightening.

Before Law could say anything back, a canon ball landed a bit too close to the ship, causing a wave of seawater to wash over the both of them. Law cursed loudly at the unexpected and fully unwelcome shower, just as Luffy also hissed loudly; if he was in his full monster cat form, Law could just imagine his fur raising until he looked like a huge, black ball of pure fluff.

…Now Law wanted to see it. He made a mental note to find an opportunity to scare the shit out of him at some point later, when he was in his true form.

“What was that for?!” Luffy demanded when he recovered from the shock.

“A warning shot!” Garp retorted, sounding just as angry as Luffy did. “You get off that pirate ship before I drag you off myself!”

“I’m not going back to Goa! It’s stuffy and tiny and they keep burning down my shrines, I hate it there!”

Garp growled as he grabbed another cannon ball. “As if I care about the idiot king’s orders, I’m not going to give you to those scumbags and I don’t care where you go—” he paused to aim his cannon ball at them threateningly before he continued— “but you’re not becoming a pirate on my watch, you brat!”

Law heard Luffy taking a deep breath behind him, no doubt in preparation to go off on his adoptive grandfather, and he sighed. Before either of these idiots could say anything, Law snapped, “If you’re just going to keep screaming at each other, can I go?”

“No,” Luffy said immediately, digging his claws into Law’s stomach painfully.

At the same time, Garp said, “You stay right where you are, I’m not done with you either!”

Law sighed. Every goddamn time.

“Prepare to submerge,” Law said to Bepo tiredly before raising his hand. “Room. Shambles.”

Appearing back in his room a split second later, Law took a deep breath, giving himself a moment to appreciate the blessed silence—or the alternative of, which meant only muffled rage instead of people screaming right in his ear. Not ideal but he would take it anyway. Honestly, why couldn’t these two ever do anything quietly? This whole thing could be so easily resolved if they had just sat down and talked but no, they just had to go yelling at each other while throwing cannon balls and scratching the other’s face off. And Law never had a say in getting caught in the middle of it every damn time either.

Sometimes, he cursed the day the Tang landed on Dawn Island, the place where all his problems started. But really, he couldn’t with clear conscience say that if he were to relive that day, that he wouldn’t do exactly the same thing; that he wouldn’t stop at the tiny, ancient looking shrine to talk to the young man sitting in front of it. That he wouldn’t answer every question Luffy had about the world beyond his small domain, that he wouldn’t look into those large, excited eyes and invite him to leave with him.

But, as stupid as it was regardless, if he could do it over, at the very least, would now actually know he was accidentally proposing to a literal god; one that was incredibly stuborn, selfish, and bright enough to be the actual sun. A god who also came in a package with a crazy grandfather, two over protective brothers, and the softest, warmest fur Law had ever had the pleasure of touching.

“Thanks for getting me away,” Luffy said after he made himself comfortable on Law’s bed, the anger and raw power that had been radiating off of him only moments ago replaced by his usual happy and carefree attitude.

Law clicked his tongue. “I was getting myself away. Not my fault you were clinging to me like a child.”

“Same thing.” Luffy waved him off.

Law didn’t have the energy to argue. Simply shaking his head at him, he instead bent down to put the lamp he had ignored earlier back on his nightstand.

“Weird how this was on the floor. I distinctly remember it was screwed on tight just yesterday,” Law noted, giving Luffy a pointed stare. Now that he knew this giant, ridiculously strong cat was on the ship, Law had no doubt just how the lamp got knocked off. Briefly, Law wondered whether there was even a point putting it back until Luffy left; he was probably going to knock it off again while staring at it with morbid fascination as it crashed to the floor again and again.

Law watched as Luffy’s eyes veered off to the side, his lips pursing as he mumbled, “Yeah, that’s super weird.”

Huffing out a small laugh, Law crossed the short distance between them, reaching out to ruffle Luffy’s hair. It was almost as soft as his fur was. “I know. A complete mystery,” he said with a smirk before he leaned down, pressing his lips to Luffy’s briefly.

The kiss was easily returned, a wide grin spreading on Luffy’s lips as soon as they separated, and despite himself, Law felt himself smile back. That damn smile would be the death of him. No matter how maddening this man could be, how loud and selfish, the moment he smiled like that, it was like all Law’s problems and frustrations were melting away. Luffy was simply beautiful; adorable and bright, yet absolutely terrifying and Law loved every little bit of it.

It was funny, actually. If someone had told him he would ever say ‘Luffy’ and ‘love’ in the same sentence just half a year ago, Law would have laughed in their face. Back then, Luffy was only some incredibly annoying giant cat who just wouldn’t leave him alone, someone who popped up on the Tang or wherever Law currently was just to ruin any and all of his painstakingly created plans. But now…

Now Law couldn’t remember what life was before him. He had learned to build his plans around Luffy recklessly charging forward, didn’t even bother trying to explain anything to him. He had long since stopped fighting the pull, the warm aura of power and charisma that drew people in and didn’t let go. It took a while but Law had finally accepted that he was not any different from all the other people Luffy had managed to charm without even realizing he was doing it ever since Law had gotten him out of the Goa Kingdom.

There was just something in the stupid divine cat that made people want to join and support him. Maybe it was the sense of absolute freedom that followed him everywhere; be it his own freedom, or the one of whoever Luffy thought deserved it.

“What’s wrong?” Luffy asked after a long while of them just looking at each other.

Law smiled, shaking his head at the cute, worried frown on his face. “Just hoping your grandfather won’t hit us before we sink far enough.”

“He’d never actually hit the ship, he’s a big softie,” Luffy announced, that grin back on his face.

“Good to know.” Law chuckled, finally sitting down on the bed with Luffy. “You know, I was sleeping before you two started fighting,” Law said offhandedly, glancing at Luffy and nearly snorting at the way his ears perked up in excitement.

“Wanna?” the other asked immediately, nearly vibrating in place.

Raising an eyebrow, Law gave Luffy a look. “I was going to say yes but seeing how excited you are, I’m not sure it’s such a good idea.”

“Nah, it’s all good,” Luffy decided, nodding to himself as he hopped off the bed, walking two steps towards the door to Law’s cabin before shifting into his monster cat form, then lied down slowly, watchful as to not break anything while he tried to fit his huge body into the tiny room.

Once Luffy looked back at him expectantly and Law was sure he was fully settled, Law went to join his boyfriend on the floor, careful not to step on any of his limbs or either of his two tails on the way. As he leaned back against the giant cat’s chest, he let his eyes slide shut, already feeling the exhaustion from earlier in the day settling back in. It was just so warm and soft and fluffy and Law would sooner die than admit out loud how much he loved it. It wasn’t like everyone didn’t already know by then anyway. What could he say, Luffy’s fur was impossible to resist. It was worse than Bepo’s in this aspect.

“No licking,” Law reminded, cracking one eye open to shoot Luffy a half-hearted glare when he felt his face come close to his body.

“You’re no fun,” Luffy whined.

Law could only sigh. “I’d just like to keep my skin where it is, thanks.”

“Fine.” Luffy huffed, thankfully keeping his sand-paper tongue where it should be, before he simply nudged Law with his forehead.

A smile pulled on Law’s lips, his hand raising to rest against the side of his little monster’s head. To anyone else, this position would seem incredibly dangerous, yet to Law, it was so very comforting. He had never felt safer than when he lay snuggled into into this god’s side, with the jaw which could fit his entire head inside twice over and then some positioned just inches away from his face.

Right here, Law knew he was home.

And while he gently stroked Luffy’s fur, Law’s eyelids slowly slid shut again.

~ Meanwhile ~

“What do we do?!” Shachi cried in panic, staring with wide eyes at the neptunian who looked like it was about to eat the Tang for an afternoon snack.

“We have to call the captain and Luffy, we can’t do this,” Ikkaku shouted back, trying to shoo away another two of these giant sea kings away together with Jean Bart.

A frustrated groan came from Clione in response, “I tried but they won’t answer and the door won’t open!”

“Why do they always have to sleep with Luffy’s giant furry ass blocking the stupid door! How are we supposed to get them out here?!” Shachi whined, mind slowly slipping into despair. Honestly, these lovesick idiots. What use was having a literal god around when he was never there to actually help when they actually needed him to?

This was why Shachi preferred dogs over cats.

----------

Dedicated to my cat who has the softest fur and also forces me to keep everything on the fucking floor.

[Request info | Ko-fi]

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more-than-a-gentleman · 4 years

Text

Daily life...

Valentine Special... (not really special, just wanted a chance to have a “special” post😂)

What I find really fascinating is how a lot of people don’t realize (or should I say intentionally ignore) Sanji’s impact and his influence on Nami’s life. Oda has already given us more than enough moments for us to notice just how crucial of a role Sanji plays for Nami’s happiness.

Allow me to show you what I mean....

*I am going to use One Piece Omake (Extras) again for this one. Simply because that was a direct way Oda mentions this topic.... he literally made an extra talking about the strawhat’s lives “before Sanji joined”

But of course, like always, I will be using moments straight from the manga.

First, Nami sailing with Luffy, Zoro and Ussop:

Now, as pirates it is only expected to face hardship and struggles in regards to extreme weather conditions, waves, attacks from Marines, Pirates or maybe Sea Kings so I will only focus on daily life-simple-kinda stuff (but unnecessary trouble caused by others during the struggle counts)

As we can see, she was having a really hard time managing everything she could. She had to navigate, draw maps, cook and was in charge of managing storage conditions. Basically, she was stressed.

But, with the introduction of Sanji, all of the sudden life is much easier and more relaxing for her specifically. Now people might say: “the more people join the easier life would become for everybody, that doesnt mean anything”. Well... life did become easier when Robin joined since she thought two steps ahead, right? Chopper did make life easier by having a doctor available constantly. Franky did make life easier with the functions in the Sunny. So yea life is much easier... but what does that have to do with Navigating and her dream? Sanji’s role directly affected Nami’s life in three major ways:

Made it easier for her to focus on navigating and doing her job.

Gave her way more free time for her to draw her maps the way she wanted to.

He is also considerate of storage, malnutrition and the crew’s money & budget

Yes, I agree... Robin, Chopper and Franky did make life easier for sure. I can’t possibly deny that in the slightest, if I did then I am just simple-minded and I am forcing myself to read my own version of One Piece and I will never do that. But...

You also can not deny what Sanji has offered Nami specifically since the day he joined. He took soo much off of her shoulders (on top of appointing himself as her servant willingly), unlike for example Franky who made life much easier for Ussop.

Now after the time-skip, there are three instances where the crew was not full, and Nami set sail: Twice with Sanji on board, and Once without him on board:

1) Nami with Sanji on board:

Seems to be smooth sailing... no troubles whatsoever. Like I said before, I will focus only on simple stuff, no attacks, unnecessary stuff simultaneously occurring on top of extreme weather conditions can be included because simply more trouble to keep in mind.

She can focus solely on Navigating, no one causing her issues... ALL CLEAR✅

Nami without Sanji on board:

I bet she forgot the good ol’ days of sailing with Luffy, Zoro and Ussop😅. It has been a really long time since we have seen her this stressed setting sail...

This here is Oda hammering home the impact of Sanji’s presence on the ship. Nami is having the worst time sailing ever. Read every dialogue carefully... it is all referencing most of Sanji’s influence on the ship.

Plus: I will mention this moment again

I talked about storage before didn’t I? This is another example of normal members of the crew stocking up on food supplies, but management is also another factor that plays a big role.

Plus, one quick thing... Sanji always begged Nami for a “Refrigerator with a lock” to avoid anyone (mainly Luffy) from stealing food. Of course the Sunny has one, but that is proof that Sanji was serious despite how he used to act😂

“You are all useless” (in other translations she says “for crying out loud, your skillset is so one dimensional”) let me talk about the other two first... I’ll come back to this later.

“Just watch the waves for me”. So when she is unavailable to navigate due to circumstances, she needs someone to do it for her. We have seen before how Zoro failed miserably while Nami was sick, but then Sanji was the only one doing it AND doing it right.

Going back to the summer heat biome... in Punk Hazard, we saw exactly what Sanji would’ve done in that situation. I don’t even need to speculate, Oda already showed us that.

Nami with Sanji back on board:

As we saw when they entered Totto Land range, they started to encounter hardships right? Well, when they left there seems to be no issues whatsoever. Back to smooth sailing, Nami was relaxed, happy and no problems at all✅. (this is a good chance to address the fact that the people who believe that Nami hates Sanji because how he “always” acts during hard times.... well I am sorry to tell you that you are completely and utterly wrong)

Now... going back to “You are all useless” or “one dimensional skillset” why did I leave it at first? I want to share an observation I came to:

Leaving Dressrosa to Zou: Nami Sanji Chopper Brook (+Momonosuke Ceasar Clown) ✅ -> All clear!

Leaving Zou to WCI: Nami Luffy Chopper Brook (+Pedro Carrot Pekoms) ❌ -> Stress

Leaving WCI to Wano: Nami Sanji Luffy Chopper Brook (+Carrot) ✅ All clear?...🧐🧐

Do you see what I am getting at? What Nami said basically confirms the notion that Sanji alone is too god damn useful in her eyes it wasn’t even close... him alone is enough to change the entire voyage

Personally, I just can’t see a future where Sanji has to live away from Nami, since she has been an essential part, a piece, of his character since the very beginning.

And for Nami, as you can see... why in hell would she do that to herself??

Sanji alone made Nami’s adventure move way smoother than it would have been without him or if his personality was different (aka if he was not in love with her). She knows that and she doesnt need to show it for us to realize that.

I hope all you couples out there have a happy and joyful Valentine! Too bad Sanji and Nami (mainly Sanji😂) can’t celebrate that cuz they are too busy with a war right now😅.

#nami #sanji #one piece #sanami #sanji x nami #sanjixnami #sannami #vinsmoke sanji #black leg #cat burglar nami #kuroashi no sanji #cat burglar #Valentine Special #is it special???

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years

Text

The Voyage So Far: East Blue (Part Two)

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)

this is one of my favorite little character beats in east blue. sanji and zeff have an entire conversation and then zeff mentions, “by the way, that kid can’t swim” and sanji is like “WHY THE FUCK DIDN’T YOU TELL ME SOONER!!” and is in the water in like three seconds flat.

and, of course, zeff’s fond expression once sanji isn’t around to see.

we don’t see sanji smile like this too often- and when we do, it’s most often related to food in some way (like when he feeds gin, or in his wci flashback when sora says his food is good). it does things to my heart.

kind of reiterating myself from the last post, here, but usopp really does do a lot of cool things well before his water 7/enies lobby character development, just not as many when compared to his crewmates. which is his problem, really- he can’t stop comparing himself to them long enough to recognize he’s pretty cool by any reasonable metric, he just happens to be on a ship with nine of the most badass people on the planet and so his metric is completely skewed.

anyways he shoots a fucking bomb into arlong’s face and that’s completely sick as hell.

zoro left alone in arlong park is so funny. he got nearly cut in half like two days ago, and instead of just leaving like a normal person when nami gives him the chance, he chooses to wipe the floor with all the fishmen around and then hang out on arlong’s throne. also, that shirt isn’t his. he stole it. presumably off one of the guys whose asses he just kicked.

there’s really something to be said about nami’s expressions in arlong park. she’s clearly acting to an extent in most of her scenes prior to her breakdown, but at the same time, god, it really doesn’t look like it. nami in this arc is a really great example of reread value- on a reread, all her coldness and cruelty becomes barely-restrained pain and desperation.

i really, really love one piece’s sibling relationships. and there might be a little bit of bias here, because i’m a big sister myself, but i love how varied they are, how real they feel, both adopted and biological. nami and nojiko don’t agree on everything, and they come into conflict more than once, but at the same time it’s plain they love each other so so much.

bellemere is up there as one of my favorite flashback characters, together with corazon and roger. i love her a lot.

i’m not even doing a thorough reread for this post, just skimming through volumes and picking out moments, and genzo telling nami that she’s fought well and there’s nothing more she can do still made me cry.

nami has been fighting on her own for eight years, with the lives of her entire village and her only remaining family resting on her shoulders, with them unable to do anything but watch as she runs herself into the ground for them. this is where they decide they’d rather all die than have to see her start all over from scratch for them.

arlong park is an amazingly written arc, and it pummels my heart in a new and different way every time.

i really like that zoro, sanji and usopp all follow luffy’s lead in how he chooses to handle the arlong park situation. luffy waits for nami to ask for help, and as soon as she finally does, it cuts around to show that it’s not just luffy there- all four of them were just waiting for her word. it’s the first time the crew is entirely united for a common goal, and it feels really good.

i really am never gonna shut up about usopp’s character development, huh.

i really like the way the scene of him getting up the nerve to face down chuu is constructed- him rehearsing excuses and explanations cut together with memories of his crewmates (and on the next page, later the cocoyashi villagers as well), moments of theirs that he obviously admires. the one that hits me the hardest is him thinking of nami, in the moment she stabbed herself to save his life. that’s how he gets up his courage- from his admiration and respect for his crewmates’ bravery.

i think about this moment a lot. it’s one of my favorite luffy moments, and also one of the ones i think is most representative of him as a character. he’s such a delightful, laid-back person most of the time, but he loves the people he’s decided are his so much, and god help you if you hurt them.

i think about this a lot, too.

luffy is dumb as rocks in a lot of ways, but he’s pretty damn intuitive when it comes to people. he handles nami’s situation in exactly the right way, by waiting for her to ask for help instead of just barging unasked into the war she’s been fighting alone for years, and he handles this exactly right, too- by destroying what’s effectively her prison cell in a permanent, visible way, where she can see and know that she’ll never have to sit at that desk ever, ever again.

i just- i love luffy, so much.

i talked about oda’s use of negative space to emphasize heavy, impactful moments in the last post, and this is maybe the best example of it yet in the story. look at this panel: the future pirate king, the stand where the last one died, and absolutely nothing else but empty space and luffy’s words: this is where the great pirate era began.

the theming of beginnings and endings in loguetown is so, so good, and it could almost be summed up with this panel alone. it’s at once the ending of the story’s east blue prologue and a new beginning- the beginning of the crew’s infamous reputations, of the quest for the one piece proper, of the entire wider story that opens up with the entry into the grand line. the end of roger’s era, and the start of luffy’s.

i love the atmosphere of loguetown so dearly. the thunder strike at the last moment, maybe a rescue and maybe sheer luck; the raging storm, the vow over the barrel, the declaration of dreams. i’ve said this before- there’s something so romantic about it, in the old-fashioned arthurian sense one piece uses the word.

and we’re off for the grand line!

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #long post #arc: baratie #arc: arlong park #arc: loguetown #not japanese

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charkyzombicorn · 3 years

Text

Okay but what if luffy got his devil fruit a bit younger? Like he was 4ish when shanks brought it. Garp gets pissy earlier and decides to tie some balloons to his grandson and let the sky handle him while he makes arrangements with dadan.

But then it's a particularly bad day for luffy, and a strong wind carried him away from his island, he ends up falling right into one of the newer slave trader's ships and well fuck. He tried to fight them off but one of them has a collar with sea stone that the big boss person gives to every ship, even the smaller ones. So now luffy's fucked.

Since he's got a devil fruit, he's taken to the big boss child slave distributor asshole (put that on a business card) and then eventually gets taken to judge, because of course that dickhead would buy superpowered children. Judge gets him purely because rubber boy can take a hell of a walloping and also is stronger than the average four year old.

The vinsmoke brats and Sanji end up being pitted against Luffy and luffy does not win, but he doesnt die either so that's a plus. Sanji hates beating up a four year old, his brothers seem to love being able to punch something as much as they want without them being taken away or dying.

Luffy ends up learning how to fight by force, and eventually he's dubbed Sanji's fighting partner since they're both the weakest, which sucks because if sanji loses he gets locked up and if luffy loses then judge gives the other three brothers sharp objects and free time with luffy

Eventually luffy befriends sanji because of course he does, and loving food as much as he does he becomes the taste tester for sanji's cooking endeavors, and sometimes luffy manages to limp away to talk to sanji when he's in his cell.

When they escape, they escape together, and sanji becomes a bus boy and luffy just carries shit because he cant really do anything else but he could deadlift a ship at 10 so hey

When the attack happens, sanji's trying to save luffy, but zeff has to save him. Sanji sits on that rock almost certain that luffy's dead.

Luffy didn't die tho, because no, and he got saved, idk how, this is a writing prompt u figure it out, and they end up growing up apart for a bit after that. Luffy doesn't find his island again, but he does a bit of bounty hunting to get by and ends up making a name for himself because apparently his 'training' with the vinsmokes was a little more brutal than he thought.

Sanji works hard, he feels he owes a debt to both zeff and luffy, both of which helped him in some of his worse moments, and ends up a bit more edgy than in canon because he thinks his only friend is dead (push him to the edge🎶)

But then luffy gets blamed for something that was only really half his fault and half the random bandit he was fighting's fault, and he ends up with a bounty. It isn't a big one, just about 10000 berri, he kinda destroyed a bit more marine property than is recommended. But then sanji sees the bounty in the paper and he doesnt know if he should be glad his friend is alive or angry that luffy let him think he was dead.

But then luffy comes to the baratie when hes about 15-16, and then he sees sanji again and now he's super fuckin happy because how would luffy know sanji was alive?? They both came to the conclusion of mutual misunderstanding and lack of information after a bit of angst, because its sanji and luffy. But they get over it because they were both on the bottom end of the vinsmoke hellhole and does it really matter when they're reunited?

Zeff let's luffy steal sanji because it's been over a decade but luffy still wants to be the motherfuckin king, okay? And sanji's gonna be the cook for the pirate king and find the all blue because

Sanji becomes luffy's first mate and then start a sailing. Luffy attracts friends like a magnet, they get usopp next, and luffy kills kuro because luffy isn't as not-killerish as he is in canon because tragic backstory and if you leave a kid alone to be a bounty hunter long enough with only their own brain to make the morals, what do you expect will happen? Usopp joins because 'UwU piwate' is his opinion on the matter

They get nami, and sanji's a bit more chill than in canon because growing up with a guy that was also nice along with his sister and mother had a bit of an impact. He's still a bit if a french goth and treats nami better than other people but he isn't being a douche about a lady fighting or making faces quite as stupid.

Zoro joins but Does Not like sanji, which is mutual but luffy likes him so sanji must deal. They make their way toward the grand line, going back to the baratie, or what's left of it.

Sanji gets another thick layer of angst learning that while he was gone, don krieg destroyed the ship trying to steal it, and then they go to find don krieg, postponing grand line for a hot second because luffy wont leave until he gets to personally kick the ass of whoever made his cook so extra angsty, and sanji seconds that.

They find don krieg in Cocoyashi island, after crashing there with his broke ass ship. They fight him, the ruckus brings out arlong before Nami can attempt to lie to save them.

Sanji gets off one angst and gets it replaced with another when he can barely do shit because he was cooking all this time and is no longer as strong as luffy, who was only really working on fighting. Luffy almost dies because he has to fight both those shitheads back to back, but he wins.

Sanji starts getting more aggressive with zoro, and zoro only stays because he saw the fight and respects his captain, but that's a bit of a loose thing, ready to snap with a wrong move. Or maybe zoro leaves because he needed that fight with mihawk to realise this was serious and he was a pirate now, to each their own.

They stay in the east blue a little longer because luffy nearly died and they dont have a doctor, but he's fine. Sanji gets more guilt tho because that's how he is, and starts treating luffy nicer, which leads to luffy instigating a fight between the two of them because luffy wont swallow that shit. It helps things because violence is sometimes the answer

They head to the grand line, up reverse mountain, meet the whale, the whole shebang. Sanji might catch feels by this point because honestly who wouldn't?

Nami gets sick, and luffy doesn't know how to deal with that because back when he was being carted around with a sea stone collar and 30 other starving children, they just shot the ones that got sick. Ptsd time and guess who gets to help because zoro isn't first mate/here? Sanji! Which definitely puts things into perspective because for as long as he'd known him, luffy's tried his hardest to make sanji smile, and keep him company, even though after being bought luffy's only purpose was to be a stepping stone in sanji's development. So sanji finally being smacked across the face with the brunt of bottled up traumatized child luffy, he needs a fuckin smoke.

They find drum island and then same shit as canon, except it hits a bit harder with luffy carrying a dying nami and a heavily injured sanji up sheer rock because that's the only person that luffy had when shit got rough that he's holding between his teeth.

When sanji wakes up he probably notices how injured luffy is and can estimate the ringer he's been through because Sanji had to personally find out how luffy's healing factor worked because he was a good fraction of the reason luffy needed to heal so much.

They acquire a chopper :3

This is getting long and it's pretty much the end of my idea, sorry for the long informal post.

#one piece #lusan #i will take my leave

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mugiwara-rosewolf · 4 years

Text

Alphabet Headcanons

One Piece Edition

Portgas D. Ace

SFW

A= Affection (How affectionate are they with an s/o?)

Ace is a charismatic, kind-hearted man, and with an s/o he’s the consummate gentleman. Especially in the beginning, Ace will check in to see/find out what’s okay with you and what’s not.

For example, let’s say the two of you are walking down the street at a village market. If you feel his pinky twine with yours, the motion will be quickly followed by his warm breath murmuring in your ear; “Is this okay?”

Needless to say, if you reply by intertwining your hand entirely with his, Ace will be over-the-moon and beaming for the rest of the trip. If twining pinkies is all you can handle in public, that’s okay too. Ace will still be happy knowing that you trust him with your boundaries.

Once he knows you’re okay with physical affection, little gestures like these will slowly become the norm. He’ll hold your hand everywhere if you let him. He loves kissing every inch of your face when you’re looking especially cute.

The closer the two of you become, the more he’ll want to show how much he loves you. Whether it’s wrapping an arm around your waist/shoulders, or a fleeting kiss on the cheek--if you allow it, PDA will quickly become one of his favourite things.

As for when he wants affection from you--it’s a bit of a coin toss as to whether he’ll let on how he’s feeling. He usually hides his bad moods pretty well. But what you’ll learn over time is that he often looks for affection when he’s feeling down.

Sometimes he’ll ask to hold your hand or go in for a hug (often silently, he does tend to get quiet on these kinds of days) and has a hard time letting go once you do. In public, he’ll often opt for the former, because in private he won’t have to let go of you unless you ask him to.

Other times it’s him just giving you a look. In public, he plays it off as a ‘suave’ eyebrow lift, like an open invite from Casanova. (Though the smile typically gives him away--he’s not always as smooth as he wants to be). In private, it’s the infamous sad, silent, yearning puppy-dog eyes following you around (you know it’s a real bad day when he’s just staring off into space with that look on his face).

All in all, Ace is a very tactile, and affectionate partner. But he will always be sure to confirm what kinds of gestures you’re comfortable with so as not to overwhelm you. He wants you to be comfortable and enjoy his loving gestures whenever possible.

B=Breath (What could their s/o do to take their breath away?)

Okay, there are two sure-fire ways to really impress this boi.

First is with your kickass skills. If you can match him or beat him at something, this man will definitely take notice. It could be a physical skill, maybe matching him in a fighting or eating contest. It could be verbal skill--like when you’re roasting his arse for his damned-reckless behaviour. Either way is damn sure to capture Fire Fist’s attention.

Second would be the smaller, more intimate things. Take his narcolepsy for example. When accommodating for Ace’s narcoleptic episodes, it tugs at his heartstrings when you lay his sleeping head on your shoulder, or bring him down to your lap. When he wakes up to your gorgeous smile and your fingers combing through his hair, he falls in love all over again.

C=Cuddling (Do they cuddle? If they do, how and when do they cuddle?)

Honestly, all types of cuddles are Ace’s favorite, he’s just not the type to say so out loud.

That’s not to say he’s ashamed of his tactile nature. On the contrary, Ace is especially partial to cuddling you and giving you surprise hugs.

Hugging you from behind when you’re in the middle of a conversation and stuff like that are completely fair game unless you request otherwise. Sometimes he’ll place the faintest of kisses on your forehead as you cuddle into his embrace.

No matter what though, Ace radiates heat. So even just sitting together side by side you can feel how warm his thigh is against your own. He doesn’t really bother to regulate his body temperature either unless someone else points it out.

But even then, it’s harder for Ace to relax if he has to concentrate on managing his body temperatures. So, cuddles with Ace are always hot. Which…usually means you both end up cuddling or falling asleep with the duvet shoved under you or to the side of you because the heat is too much.

Once he becomes comfortable enough (and ensures that you’re okay with it) there’ll be some nights where he’s just clingy. Sometimes draping himself over your back, sometimes clinging to your torso like a koala cub. He feels comfortable and safe when he can take a nap resting against you. It’s actually kinda cute.

The only issue is when he falls asleep on top of you and you can’t get him off. He’s basically a human furnace so you just suffer there until he either wakes up or someone comes around to help you.

When he’s having a particularly bad day he gives you The Look (as mentioned in A for Affection) and you know what it means in an instant.

D=Dream (What do they dream of doing with their s/o?)

“I’ll become a great pirate and show them what I can do!” That’s what Ace declared to his brothers as a child. And in some ways, it could be said he fulfilled that childhood dream. He became the infamous ‘Fire Fist’ Ace--known all across the world in one way or another, even before Blackbeard blabbed about his parentage. He made a name for himself, by himself just as he always dreamed he would.

Yes, his purpose did change upon meeting Whitebeard; wanting his new captain and father figure to become the next Pirate King in order to prove how great a man he was.

That being said, I can imagine Ace’s dreams evolving yet again when he meets his s/o. Both of the aforementioned goals/dreams are ambitious, but one key commonality between them is that they both seek to Prove something. Therefore it would make sense to presume that the next evolution of his ‘dream’ would share the same foundation.

At the beginning of your relationship, for example, it’s quite possible that Ace’s goal would be to prove that he is worthy of being your partner or to prove how much he loves you in some tangible way.

He dreams of all the ways he can make you smile and laugh and ensure that you’re happy with him.

He dreams of all the moments you’ve ever said ‘I love you’ and how he could find a way to hear those words again.

He dreams of all the times he’s told you that he loves you and all the possible occasions where he can hold you close and tell you over and over again.

He dreams of returning to Dawn Island, to Fuchsia Village and the mountains where he was raised so he can show you all his childhood memories.

He dreams of sailing with you and the Whitebeards for the rest of his days. He dreams of proving he can make you happy, in any way that manifests.

In other words—what it all boils down to, truly, is—Ace dreams of being alive Happy with you.

E=Effort (How much effort do they put into a relationship?)

One thing we all know about Ace is that he doesn’t do things half-assed. EVER.

This boy is dedicated. Once he sets his mind to something, Fire Fist will always follows through (a trait which can turn deadly when combined with his short temper and impulsivity).

Point being, if Ace wants your relationship to work, he will make it work. Whatever it takes.

Don’t let his playful charm fool you. Ace is a gentleman who takes your relationship seriously, always treating you with the utmost politeness and respect.

He’ll open doors for you, he’ll *try* not to swear in front of you (good luck, pirate)--and knowing him the gestures just get more ridiculous from there.

He just wants to show you that he values you and your relationship. The only other people who are of equal value to him are his little brother Luffy and his father Whitebeard.

All the same, Ace has committed himself to love you, protect you and to make you happy no matter what it takes.

F=Fear (What do they do if their s/o is scared? How do they handle it?)

Ace is impulsive and protective. Whatever it is that scares you, Ace’s first instinct is to tackle it head-on. Nothing’s gonna hurt you, not while he’s around.

At his core, Ace is worried about you. When he sees your fear, he acts without thinking, immediately responding to anything that makes his blood boil. And nothing lights him up faster than his loved ones being insulted and/or threatened.

Fire Fist (with serious effort) can learn to take a step back when he thinks you’re strong enough to handle a particular threat/fear.

But the moment he thinks you might actually get hurt, all bets are off. He can’t stand the thought of you getting hurt if he can do something to prevent it. This man will die to protect his loved ones. End of story.

G=Gifts (What type of gifts do they give their s/o? Do they want a gift in return?)

Ace is not a terribly materialistic person, especially not by pirate standards. (He doesn’t even own a shirt, for God’s sake!)

But the things he does own, mean a hell of a lot to him. (Striker, anyone? Stetson, maybe?)

So, in that way, finding gifts to give him is kinda challenging. You can’t really get away with the first little trinket that makes you think of him. It needs to be something of hefty significance.

He doesn’t expect any gifts from you, not even on his birthday. He’ll always be surprised when people get him things. He’s surprised that people value him.

Due to personal trauma, he doesn’t think very highly of himself. He desperately wants to prove himself a worthwhile part of other’s lives. He wants to be helpful--he needs to be needed.

So when he’s searching for a gift to give you--he ends up having the same struggle you do with him. He wants to give you something really meaningful. Which is why a lot of his gifts to you will be handmade instead of bought. In each one you’ll be able to see the time and effort he committed to making it for you.

If one thing can be said about Ace, whatever he goes for, he does so to the fullest.

H=Hugs (Do they hug their s/o? How often?)

He may not always initiate them, but the boi loves hugs. If you’re comfortable with PDA, he’s definitely adding ‘Hugs’ to his repertoire of affectionate gestures.

But even more than giving hugs, Ace finds love and gratification in receiving hugs from his s/o--especially when he’s having a tough time (See A for Affection).

Ace knows that he is a tactile person. It’s a truth of his personality that he knows and accepts, but doesn’t often flaunt without reason to do so. Finding his s/o, for example, gives him the perfect opportunity to express this part of himself.

The second division commander is especially partial to cuddling you and giving you surprise hugs. Tossing an arm over your shoulder, tucking an arm around your waist, Hugging you from behind when you’re in the middle of a conversation--all this stuff is fair game unless you request otherwise (See C for Cuddles).

He especially loves those full-frontal Bear-hugs. You know the kind--the ones where both of you are swathed in each other’s embrace. Arms wrapped around each other, heartbeats pressed together, chins tucked into each other’s shoulders/chests/chins--(trying to accommodate for all heights here, bear with me).

The point being, Ace loves the moments when the two of you are completely intertwined. That’s when he feels the most grounded. Certain in the fact that he is here, and he is loved.

Oh! And one more thing. Ace gets surprisingly flustered if you hug him first--sometimes to the point where part of him accidentally catches fire--he’s super careful not to burn you, though.

But when he hears your contented sigh--god forbid you nuzzle into him--the man just melts. All of his protests fall away, and he’s left standing there, tenderly wrapping his arms around you with the softest love-struck smile in the world.

I=Intimacy (How romantic are they? Do they have problems with intimacy?)

Ace is a romantic at heart, of that you can be sure.

But, he also has deeply internalized abandonment issues and fear of rejection. His father chose to die before he was born. His mother died not long after he was born. Almost everyone who’s ever become attached to him has either died or not stuck around long enough to meet that same fate.

Not only that but all throughout his life, Ace has been subject to degradation. Strangers saying that his father was a demon and that ‘the child of the Pirate King’ was nothing more than worthless spawn destined to be just as bad--if not worse--than Roger himself.

As a result, Ace thinks that he is cursed, a worthless son of a demon who will be rejected and abandoned as soon as others learn of his parentage.

So, prior to him sharing his family history with you, Ace will definitely struggle with intimacy. He’s frightened of being vulnerable in case his expectations/fears come true...that you will think just as little of him as he does of himself.

As his feelings towards you grow, the more those deep-seated fears will swirl in his mind;

‘If I tell them who I am, they’ll leave me.’

‘They’ll hate me.’

‘It’s no use, the moment I fall, they’ll either leave me or die trying.’

‘I don’t know which is worse.’

It’s going to take a lot in order to get through to him. You’ll need to be patient--you can start small and maybe ask about what he wants for the future, or sprinkle in little tidbits about the present, instead of wallowing in the past. You can pave a path forward together just by talking plainly about what you want from your growing relationship.

As your mutual trust builds, Ace will slowly start to unwind. The more time you spend together, you’ll start to feel each other ‘sync up’ with teamwork and such. He’ll start to grow more comfortable sharing his ideas and opinions, even if the two of you disagree on something. Over time it may get to the point where you and Ace are both acting or speaking at the same time. (Ace finds it endearing, don’t worry).

Once Ace knows that he can be his true self around you--that you won’t reject or abandon him because of his ‘monstrous’ parentage/lack of worth--he’ll grow more comfortable trusting you, sharing his thoughts and feelings with you. And in return, he will wordlessly swear to consistently support you and keep your secrets just as you’ve kept his.

All throughout the growth of intimacy in your relationship, if you pay close attention, you’ll see slow growth in the number of romantic/intimate moments between the two of you. As the intimacy between you grows stronger, you’ll be able to feel its presence--something that brings peace and rejuvenation to both your souls. A bond that is unique to your relationship and allows you both to relax and be at ease.

At first, moments like this are rare, probably in part because of Ace’s genuine responsibilities to the Whitebeards as a division commander. But as your relationship grows, you’ll notice Ace begin to commit himself more and more to making time for the two of you. Eating meals with you, a lingering hug and kiss at the end of each day and--if he can swing it--arranging a genuinely romantic ‘date’ between the two of you.

Ace will definitely dance with you out of nowhere. He’ll take your hand and twirl you around just to hear your surprised laughter. As mentioned many times before, Ace will take any excuse to touch his s/o affectionately throughout the day, not just when either of you wants to be romantic. He wants to give you all of his attention whenever he can. Whenever you want to talk to him, expect direct eye contact, perked ears and an affectionate smile.

Though he greatly enjoys PDA with you, Ace also likes the intimacy that comes from privacy. Those moments when he knows you are both in a safe space and can share your feelings with one another, even uncomfortable ones. Privacy also gives him the space to be truly intimate with you, so that he can learn the way you like to be held and touched. He wants to learn about you just as you took the time to learn about him.

J=Jealous (Do they get jealous? How do they act when jealous?)

Oof. Okay. Yes, Ace does get jealous. And he’s exactly the kinda jealous you’d think of when the word pops up. There are two, maybe three big traits working against Ace in this regard.

One would be his reckless and fiery temper. This is the trait that sent him on a deadly goose chase to capture Teach. His mercurial emotions lead him to make hasty, impulsive decisions, sometimes to the point of blatantly forgoing reason. This trait leads to your typical abrupt Alpha-Male confrontation with whatever stranger is trying to flirt with you.

Second would be his wolf-like protectiveness. This is the trait Akainu used to goad him to his death, first by mocking Whitebeard then by targeting Luffy. Ace can be very protective, though he struggles trying not to be overbearing. If you’re capable of handling a situation yourself, he’ll try his best to stand back and leave it to you.

But, if he feels a situation is getting out of control, he’ll come to your aid in the blink of an eye—literally guns blazing. If Ace hears someone saying lewd comments about you or notices anyone targeting you--ya’ll better believe this man is gonna say/do something about it.

Third, and perhaps the most powerful motivator in this scenario, is his deep-rooted insecurity. This is a man who has been questioning his worth, his very existence, for as long as he can remember.

Then you come along, someone who makes this life worthwhile, and he sees you ‘getting comfy’ with someone else. It makes him angry, sure. But more than that it hurts--makes him a question and doubt all over again.

Thus, we have jealousy. Needless to say, Ace will not be thinking clearly when he confronts whoever is getting too close to you. He will be angry and protective and irrational.

So, unfortunately, it will be up to you to de-escalate things and keep some sort of fight from breaking out. You’ll be the one to pull him away and get him to calm down. You’ll be the one to explain the situation, to talk him through what he’s feeling and why he feels that way. He’ll tell you the truth, you two will make amends (and hopefully plan in case of future incidents).

Fair warning, in order to fully console your fiery partner, be prepared to give a whole lot of affection and reassurances. And patience, always patience--goodness knows this man is trying his best to be good. Please, grant him grace.

K=Kiss (Are they a good kisser? Do they like to kiss? How often do they try to kiss you?)

Fair warning, it’s likely Ace would have had at least a few flings before you. He’s a handsome, charming guy—guys like him are like flypaper, attracting all the honey’s in a given radius. And with the company he keeps (PIRATES) he’s bound to have spent a night (or ten) in a brothel-esque setting.

All that to say, this man has experience. Not as much as Marco or the other Whitebeards, but still, a little experience counts for something, right?

At the very least, Ace will be a fantastic partner when it comes to kissing, 9 times out of 10, his kisses are either passionate & enthusiastic or affectionate & goofy, especially with an s/o.

Yes, Ace likes to kiss you, the frequency is irrelevant. Yes, casual PDA is pretty commonplace with him, he fucking loves it. But anything heavier than a peck? He typically prefers to keep that between you and him.

He is WAY too embarrassed to make out in public. Makino’s manners-lessons are ingrained too deeply by now, even if his s/o is purposefully driving him crazy. --He’s not opposed to a quickie in a broom closet or anything of the sort; just as long the two of you are out of plain view when snogging and such. If you two have at least some modicum of privacy in those more heated moments, Ace considers it fair game.

The only two exceptions are when he’s feeling playful ‘bet you a hundred berries I can take your breath away’ or jealous ‘you are my treasure, those damned bastards better back off’ —those are his two very different kinds of showing off.

L=Love (When do they say they love you? How often do they say it? Do they prefer to say or show it?)

Honestly? He’s a little bit of both.

Whenever Ace says “I love you,” those words are meant for your ears and your ears only. He doesn’t say them all that often, either.

The more frequent sign of his affection, you’ll realize, is his peculiarly ‘discrete’ flirtations. Murmuring little comments/compliments whenever you cross paths;

“Great job! You were wonderful back there, darlin’.”

“That a new hat? Sexy.”

“You look handsome/beautiful, my love.”

and of course the obligatory “Last night was *spectacular*”

And it only gets more endearingly ridiculous from there.

With the help of a bit of alcohol, Ace is plenty more affectionate towards you. He’ll shower you with compliments, make flirtatious jokes, and basically smother you with love. For example, say some of the crew are fawning over someone beautiful like Dracule Mihawk or Boa Hancock. Ace might joke with them, but the moment no one’s looking he’ll murmur in your ear;

“The Greatest Swordsman ain’t half as sharp as you, babe.”

or “The Pirate Empress ain’t got nothin’ on you, darlin’,”

any reaction you might have will be met with a wink and a smirk.

At the start of every day--if he doesn’t say how he looks forward to seeing you again before he leaves, he’ll always acknowledge how much you mean to him-- “I love you.”

M=Marriage (Do they want to get married? If so, what kind of ceremony?)

When he first set out to sea? Ace had no intention of getting married. Falling in love, getting married--the only thing he associated all that with was settling down. ‘Settling down’ in his mind meant the opposite of freedom. So of course none of that ever occurred to him. Having been raised in the wild with only his little brother to love, Ace always assumed that ‘Falling in Love’ was something that happened to other people, not to him.

As the years went on, Ace’s insecurities also played a role in this misconception--after all, who would want to fall in love with a demon-child like him? The son of the monstrous pirate king could never be loved by a stranger. Even if he did learn to care for someone that way, the moment they learned who he was, they’d betray him in some way. Maybe they’d leave him, turn him in, try to kill him; somehow the world would try to punish him for trusting someone, just like it did with Sabo.

So, even after he builds his own crew, joins the White-beards, even after he gains some experience pub-crawling with the WB Commanders, emotionally he keeps his distance from romance. That is...until he meets his s/o. Everything about his relationship with you is completely unexpected. He knows that you like him, he knows that you trust him. You took the time to support and get to know him--something not many people in his life had done to such an extent.

Suddenly, his entire perspective on love is turned on its head. He still doesn’t really give two shits about the institution of marriage. The whole ceremonial pomp and circumstance bit doesn’t really vibe with him. But the idea of you two staying together for the rest of your lives? That he can get behind.

N=Night out (What type of dates do they like to go on? How often do they like to go on them?)

Honestly, unless someone else brought it up, Ace probably wouldn’t think to do anything fancy for a date. If you were with him and the Whitebeards as they landed on a carnival island or something he could certainly make a date out of it. But unfortunately for your resident hot-head, he doesn’t have much of a propensity of planning ahead. He’s a lot like his little brother in that way--outside of the battlefield, he’s a little bit of a dumbass.

Like, let’s say you land on an island that’s having some sort of cultural festival. The first thing Ace would do is dive head first to plunder all the food-stands, leaving you to trail behind and pay for the mess he made. After he’s had his fill, then you can get properly dressed (if necessary) and enjoy the rest of what the island has to offer. At that point, Ace would remember something besides his hollow leg and try to make up for his embarrassment.

Good thing he has *the best* wingmen a pirate could ask for; Marco and Thatch. Marco has those empathetic sensibilities, if he’s met you before, then he has a pretty good intuition for the kinds of things you’d like. And Thatch, with that classic pompadour, knows how to put a romantic spin on just about anything. Hell, even Izo would put in his two cents more often than not. He’d be more than willing to be a co-conspirator, guiding you to through the dates they plan for you and Ace without spoiling the surprise.

Thanks to friends like that, you and Ace get the crow’s next to yourself at least once a month, enjoying a picnic Thatch made for the two of you and basking in each other’s company under the stars. After a while, you might just be able to mark the dates on a calendar. But you don’t mind, Ace enjoys intimacy that comes from privacy. Those moments when he knows you are both in a safe space and can share your feelings with one another, even uncomfortable ones. And besides, the night sky seems to give Ace a certain peace of mind, so it’s all worth it.

O=Out of the Ordinary (What’s something they don’t normally do with/for their s/o?)

As mentioned before, Ace doesn’t often plan romantic happenings ahead of time. Mostly because he’s kinds clueless in that department. The most he knows how to do is those little tender gestures; Eating meals with you, a lingering hug and kiss at the end of each day, things like that. He wants to give you all of his attention whenever he can, but he’s not always the best at those big romantic dates. That kind of stuff either occurs by happenstance, or thanks to the orchestrations of friends.

So whenever Ace does take romantic initiative--unprompted--you bet your bottom dollar it’s gonna be extraordinary. After all, this is Ace we’re talking about. When talking about elaborate activities spent away from the daily routine, the first thing his mind will jump to is Adventure. Nature hikes, scavenger hunts, stargazing on a mountaintop, all the roller coasters at a given carnival--the list goes on.

A lot of these ‘adventures’ will result in him giving you little ‘gifts’ as well; a bouquet of wildflowers he collected on your hike, a scavenger hunt ending in all your favorite things, a plush he spend God knows how many berries on to win for you. The gestures would only get more endearingly ridiculous from there. Granted, a lot of his gifts to you will be handmade instead of bought. But now matter how they were earned, in each one you’ll be able to see the time and effort he committed to making it for you (See G for Gifts).

Ooh! Ace will definitely dance with you out of nowhere. He’ll take your hand and twirl you around just to hear your surprised laughter. Ace will take any excuse to touch his s/o affectionately throughout the day, not just when either of you wants to be romantic (See I for Intimacy).

P=Playful (Are they playful in a relationship? If so, how do they play around/mess with their s/o?)

There is no doubt about it. Ace is a complete and utter goofball. Therefore, he is also the goofy-type of lover. If you ever blush at his teasing, Ace will absolutely relish in it. He’ll find it so adorable that he’s rolling around on the floor. The mental image of your flustered face would be absolutely priceless to him. In all honesty, he’d probably try to experiment from there--see what kinds of teases or compliments get the greatest reaction out of you.

He does have some empathy for you, though. When Ace was younger he’d act the exact same way. Makino would lovingly tease him and he’d get all flustered too--definitely a shy boy. He loves to joke around and playfully tease his s/o, but at the end of the day, he’s always a sweetheart.

The funny thing about Ace is, the boy loves to not only tease you but to show off. The damned pirate is always trying new tricks with his powers at the most inopportune times. Literally the first thing he thought of when he got his Fire-power was ‘Oh my god, Luffy’s gonna love this!’ Now, the same applies to his s/o. He can’t wait to show you just what he can do. Whenever you are fighting Marines, if he beats one of them up, he always looks up at you and grins.

Another thing to keep in mind is--regardless of what stage your relationship is in--Ace likes to drag you into his shenanigans. As mentioned earlier, Ace is an gung-ho adventurer. Plundering food stands, conquering roller coasters, this boy has a lot of energy. And if there’s not adventures to be had on a given day, what better way to release it than make himself and his friends laugh?

You need to be prepared for some risk, though. It’s no mystery that Ace is an adrenaline junkie and can have reckless/stupid ideas. Sometimes you both might end up hurt because of his bad decisions.

Sometimes he’s a sweetheart, sometimes he’s an asshole. But whatever ruckus you got involved in, somehow you always end up happy and smiling.

Q=Questions (Do they ask their s/o their opinion on things? Do they share theirs?)

This is an aspect of your relationship with Ace that develops slowly over time. At first, there’s that goofy, overly-polite layer of him that doesn’t think ahead enough to bother asking questions. At this stage of your connection he behaves in a way similar to the adage that says; ‘Better to ask for forgiveness than permission’. He won’t ask your opinion before he does something, but he may come to you afterwards, either to apologize or reflect on whatever he did.

After peeling back that layer, you’ll find the lingering remains of his tsundere childhood roots. That lost, self-hating child so desperate to prove his worth and strength that he doesn’t want to be vulnerable to anyone. The boy with whose expression was a stony brick wall deflecting the rest of the world. This is how you’ll know, there’s a part of him believes that showing uncertainty is a sign of vulnerability, something others can mock and degrade, just as the bandits and so many others did.

At that stage of your connection, it’s a bit of a coin toss as to whether he’ll let on how he’s feeling. He usually hides his bad moods pretty well. By the time the two of you come together, he’s mature enough to realize that scathing retorts are not the answer to everything. He’s no longer the kind to immediately lash out when someone asks him too many questions--but he certainly will if pushed too far.

But what you’ll learn over time is that he often looks for affection when he’s feeling down. Sometimes he’ll ask to hold your hand or go in for a hug and has a hard time letting go once you do. Other times it’s him just giving you a look. A lot of these gestures are often silent; he does tend to get quiet on these kinds of days. But it’s the first sign of him opening up to you.

In public, he plays it off as a ‘suave’ eyebrow lift, like an open invite from Casanova. The smile typically gives him away--he’s not always as smooth as he wants to be. In private, it’s the infamous sad, silent, yearning puppy-dog eyes following you around. You know it’s a real bad day when he’s just staring off into space with that look on his face (See A for Affection).

In short, yes, Ace will eventually come to rely on you, quite closely, in fact. He will learn that he can ask your opinion on things, that he can share his own thoughts and feelings freely with you at anytime. But it’s a long, arduous journey for him to reach that level of trust. Showing that you love and trust him; asking his opinion on things, standing by him through thick and thin--those are a sure-fire way to build that faithful trust in your relationship.

R=Random (How spontaneous is their relationship? Do they do things on the spot or plan ahead?)

Spontaneity is Ace’s middle name (lol). It comes with the territory of being an impulsive, hot-headed dumbass with a penchant for adrenaline and adventure. There are seeds of it scattered throughout his personality and his relationship with you.

Ace will dance with you out of nowhere. He’ll take your hand and twirl you around just to hear your surprised laughter (See I for Intimacy).

He’ll take any excuse to give you surprise hugs. Tossing an arm over your shoulder, tucking an arm around your waist, Hugging you from behind when you’re in the middle of a conversation--all this stuff is fair game unless you request otherwise (See C for Cuddles).

That combined with his peculiarly ‘discrete’ flirtations--never fail to take you by surprise (See L for Love).

It’s no mystery that Ace is an adrenaline junkie and can have reckless/stupid ideas. Our resident hot-head doesn’t have much of a propensity for planning ahead. Regardless of what stage your relationship is in--Ace is going to drag you into his shenanigans (See P for Playful).

And whenever Ace does take romantic initiative--unprompted--you never know what you’re gonna get. Could be nature hikes, could be scavenger hunts, could be stargazing on a mountaintop, or it could be just all the roller coasters at a given carnival (See O for Out of the Ordinary). Honestly, the possibilities are endless.

S=Sleep (How do they sleep with their s/o?)

Oh, this one varies. A lot.

First, there’s Ace’s narcolepsy, which very much affects the way he sleeps with his s/o. Hell, it affects the way he lives his life. But, one inadvertent positive of Ace’s narcolepsy, was how you could surprise him with those small, intimate moments of affection. If he falls asleep hugging you from behind, then he’d just stand there snoring with his chin propped on top of you head (depending on your height).

If he fell asleep sitting next to you, you could let him rest his head on your shoulder, or pull him down into your lap. That’s one thing he loves, waking up to you. It tugs at his heartstrings when you lay his sleeping head on your shoulder, or bring him down to your lap. When he wakes up to your gorgeous smile and your fingers combing through his hair, he falls in love all over again (See B for Breath).

Second, Portgas D. Ace is a human fucking furnace so honestly, he’s always gonna be warm. The way you sleep together is gonna depend on how much you need that heat.

If you and Ace are parked on a winter island, you bet your bottom dollar the two of you are gonna be clinging to each other for dear life. Not that Ace necessarily needs any more body heat in order to keep warm. He’s just taking advantage of this prime opportunity for cuddles. He can cling to you like a koala and you’ll actually welcome the gesture. It’s a dream come true!

If you and Ace are parked on a summer/desert island? That’s a whole other debacle. Summer islands are always hot. It’s just a matter of whether it’s dry heat or humid heat. With dry heat--you could *probably* get away with spooning? Or at least with one person lying on the other’s chest. With humid heat--everything is damp, warm, sticky and being near human skin is almost miserable. Your best bet is holding hands while facing each other in your cot/cabin/tent wherever you are. Desert islands are an exception to this because deserts often get pretty chilly once the sun goes down. This is where spooning becomes *most* likely.

Beyond those two extremes, almost any position is fair game. Ace loves it when he’s in your lap and you’re playing with his hair. There are happy days, where he loves to be the ‘big spoon’ and nuzzle himself in the crook of your neck. And there are hard days, where his mind is a minefield and he just needs someone to hold him close. He loves lying face to face, weaving his fingers between yours. Could be any kind of day, doesn’t matter to him. What matters is that he can just relax and admire you, and just how lucky he is to have you.

But maybe, just maybe, he does have a favorite way to hold you. Of all the ways in the world to hold someone, Ace loves when you lie on top of him. With your head on his chest, you can feel his heartbeat under your ear. And just like his heartbeat is to you, your weight is an anchor. I can feel you, know that you’re there, present and loving--always loving. So yea, that’s probably his favorite way to be.

T=Trust (How much do they trust their s/o?)

Given time, Ace will come to trust you with everything he has. But, as mentioned before, it is a very long, slow and arduous journey to reach that point. Luffy had to endure weeks, if not months, of Ace trying to lose his tail, if not actively trying to kill him, before they reached a point of mutual trust. From then on, Ace was willing to protect his brother with everything he had--including his own life.

But before you can get to that point, you must assuage his deeply internalized abandonment issues and fear of rejection. All throughout his life, Ace has been subject to degradation. He grew up internalizing the hate directed his way, and no one knew to contradict it. Almost everyone who’s ever become attached to him has either died or not stuck around long enough to meet that same fate (See I for Intimacy).

As a result, Ace has a lot of self-hatred accumulated in his heart. He also has a lot of problems being open about it. He’s so used to shouldering mistakes that are not his own. His blood carries all the crimes of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King. He’s frightened of being vulnerable in case his expectations/fears come true...that you will think just as little of him as he does of himself.

Ace will definitely struggle with trusting you. This is an aspect of your relationship with Ace that develops slowly over time. At first, there’s that goofy, overly-polite layer of him; he’s cordial, charming, and fun to be around. But it’s hard to get a clear read on him at that point; who he is, how he thinks, and how his thoughts influence his actions (See Q for Questions).

After peeling back that layer, you’ll find the lingering remains of his tsundere childhood roots. That lost, self-hating child so desperate for a reason to live. He tells the world that he wants to be remembered. He wants to prove that he, as an individual, is worth more than the legacy of his father. But that dream, that grand ambition, also translates itself in smaller ways. He wants to be wanted, needs to be needed.

At that stage of your connection, it’s a bit of a coin toss as to whether he’ll confide in you. He’s no longer the kind to immediately lash out when someone asks him too many questions--but he certainly will if pushed too far. Even then, he’s not likely to explicitly tell you this deep-rooted need in the core of him. So it’s likely something you’ll have to learn by observing his words, his actions, his being (See Q for Questions).

However, with you around--especially when your relationship becomes more stable and long-standing--he slowly breaks. As your mutual trust builds, Ace will slowly start to unwind. The more time you spend together, you’ll start to feel each other ‘sync up’ with teamwork and such. He’ll start to grow more comfortable sharing his ideas and opinions, even if the two of you disagree on something (See I for Intimacy).

That being said, once Ace knows that he can be his true self around you--that you won’t reject or abandon him because of his ‘monstrous’ parentage/lack of worth--he’ll grow more comfortable trusting you, sharing his thoughts and feelings with you. And in return, he will wordlessly swear to consistently support you and keep your secrets just as you’ve kept his (See I for Intimacy).

U=Unique (What makes them unique as an s/o?)

Oh, so many things. Ace is such a unique combination of character traits, sometimes it’s difficult to articulate just how they call fit together in one human being.

As an s/o, Ace is cordial, charming, and ever-the respectful gentleman. Then you get to know him, and he becomes this goofy dumbass who will take any excuse to touch you, hold you and take you on these crazy adventures exploring the world together. Dive even deeper, and you discover the utter depth of him. He is a vulnerable soul who has internalized the worst of the world he was born into--yet he stills finds reason to smile.

What makes Ace unique as an s/o? His resilience. If you two come to a disagreement, he may lose his temper in the moment. But give him time, give him patience, give him grace, and he will come back to you. No matter his fears, no matter his doubts, he will find a reason to push through. If one thing can be said about Ace, whatever he goes for, he does so to the fullest (See E for Effort).

That’s not to say resilience can’t be a double-edged sword. There are a few coping mechanisms Ace developed in order to persevere through life that actually inhibited his ability to connect with people the way he longed to. After all, how many times did Whitebeard have to deflect Ace before the boy understood that he didn’t have to fight his way through life? And how many times did Luffy have to almost-die chasing the lonely boy through the jungle before he finally accepted the company?

All the same, if you remain just as stubborn as he is, you will give him yet another reason to get back up; another reason to live. Take this hypothetical argument as an example. It may take a few tries to get through his thick skull, but he you will eventually talk things out and come to a resolution. He’ll grow from the experience and the two of you will be all the stronger for it. That’s what perseverance and resilience is all about.

V=Vulnerable (How long until they can be vulnerable around their s/o? What are they like in this state?)

If you were ever vulnerable around Ace, he would support you wholeheartedly. If you were to get stuck in your own negative thoughts/feelings about yourself, he’d hold you as close as possible and refuse to let go until you admit you’re a good person. No matter what you say about your past/insecurities, Ace won’t judge you or let you feel as though you deserve any of the trauma you went through (big or small). He knows that you are better than you think you are and he won’t let you feel the same kind of self-loathing he has.

Ace is a very outgoing man. He’s surrounded by countless friends and keeps making new ones every day. There’s something in his exceptional charisma that makes people cling to him. However, Ace does not open up easily to others. It would take a while for Ace to really open up to his s/o, just because he’s internalized all of his negative thoughts and feelings about himself from a young age.

Over time, however, he’d slowly grow to trust you and one night, when it’s just the two of you together somewhere, Ace would just tell you what’s on his mind. “Sometimes I don’t think I deserve you--your love--or anyone’s really.”

The conversation would turn into the two of you opening up to each other (equivalent exchange for the win!) Ace would tell you about all the things weighing him down; his father being Gol D. Roger, his mother dying to keep him safe from the World Government, being called a ‘Demon-child’ all his life, his time in the mountains with Luffy and Sabo, meeting Whitebeard and joining the family--all of it.

By the end of his story, tears soak his cheeks, his lips are red and raw, his voice hoarse and his words thick with emotion. He looks like a mess and you won’t know how to fix it. The best you can do is hold him, guide him through it.

The conversation would likely end with both of you promising to support each other from then on. Whenever one of you starts to feel insecure or lingers too much on the past, you’ll have a keyword to communicate how you’re feeling.

He might not acknowledge ever being in this state later on, but he will thank you quietly that night--and every night after if you’ll let him. “Thank you...thank you for loving me.”

W=Wild Card (Get a random domestic headcanon of the character of your choice)

Ace does not share food. EVER.

His narcolepsy makes him fall asleep in the weirdest situations--and in the weirdest positions. You can’t possibly count the number of times you fell to the ground because he dozed off while carrying you on his shoulders.

Or because he does it mid-kiss or hug and just leans on you. Or because he trips and accidentally knocks you down. He’s not even ashamed of it--unless you get hurt somehow during these incidents--otherwise he’ll just laugh it off, if a little sheepishly.

X=X-Ray (What would they do if their s/o got injured?)

Ace is our resident self-deprecation machine. Whatever happened, however you got hurt, the man would find some way to blame himself. Always thinking; it should have been me.

He would be terrified out of his mind. He knows you’re strong, but sometimes he forgets that you can still get knocked down. He’ll camp outside the infirmary door until he’s allowed to come in. The moment he’s given the go-ahead, he’ll charge into the room and wrap you up in his arms as close as he can. He needs to feel you and reassure himself that you’re alright.

Even after he’s been assured that you’re okay and that you’ll recover, Ace will hardly leave your side unless there’s some unavoidable responsibility he has to take care of. There will be moments when his mind will try to twist things and make him feel like a bad partner; as if he’s the reason for your injury, whether because he was the target of the attack or because he couldn’t protect you.

You’ll have to be the one who keeps those thoughts at bay. Ace will make sure you never want for anything, for as long as you’re recovering. He won’t ask for anything in return. But between him supporting your physical health and you supporting his mental health, the whole ordeal will only serve to make your relationship stronger.

HOWEVER-- once he finds out who hurt you--he’s going to be just as relentless as he was chasing Teach. The guilty party won’t even be able to hold a pencil again once Ace is done with them (if they’re even still alive afterwards).

Y=Yuck (Do they have any pet peeves about their s/o? Are there any habits that might bother their s/o?)

If you try and steal his food, he will bite you. There’s still a Little bit of that feral child energy that rears up whenever something annoys him. He does not appreciate jump scares for that exact reason. His adrenaline and danger radar will immediately be turned up to 11 and he is no longer responsible for how he responds to the perceived danger. (Though he’ll probably apologize profusely anyways, cause he’d feel horrible if you got hurt by his knee-jerk reactions).

On the other hand, there are a few scenarios when perhaps his narcolepsy can become a bit trying. If he starts snoring when you’re in the middle of telling him something important. If he falls asleep on top of you and you can’t get him Off. There could also be situations where his formality gets in the way of what you’re really trying to talk about. Once he starts apologizing for something, things can go on for a while. But the level to which these quirks annoy people, depends on the individual.

Z=Zeal (Are they passionate as an s/o? Do they want or like passion?)

Ace is, as always, full of passion and impatience. He’ll certainly appreciate a similar amount of fervor from his partner, but it’s not a criteria, by any stretch. Whether you’re extroverted, introverted, bouncy or chill AF, he’ll gladly accept you exactly the way you are.

On his end, however, there are instances where Ace’s intensely passionate personality can come back to bit him in the ass. One would be his reckless and fiery temper. This is the trait that sent him on a deadly goose chase to capture Teach. It also leads to your typical abrupt Alpha-Male confrontation with whatever stranger is trying to flirt with you (See J for Jealousy).

His mercurial emotions and stubborn determination lead him to make hasty, impulsive decisions; sometimes to the point of blatantly forgoing reason. Once he sets his mind to something, Fire Fist will always follows through--a trait which can turn deadly when combined with his short temper and impulsivity (See E for Effort) .

At the very least, Ace will be a fantastic partner when it comes to kissing, 9 times out of 10, his kisses are either passionate & enthusiastic or affectionate & goofy, especially with an s/o (See K for Kisses).

In the end, if there’s one thing we all know about Ace--it’s that he doesn’t do things half-assed. EVER. This boy is dedicated. Point being, if Ace wants your relationship to work, he will make it work. Whatever it takes.

#one piece #portgas d ace #ace x reader #One Piece headcanons #alphabet headcanon #sfw #whitebeard pirates #ace one piece #spade pirates

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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.)

Tags: Reunions, Nakamaship, Introspection, Fluff, Domesticity (!)

Post-Timeskip setting, between Sabaody and Fishman Island. Read Chapter 2 here.

***

Surrounded by tumultuous battle and the distant booming of cannons, the Thousand Sunny begins to sink. The waves churn and slosh against her hull with increasing might; glinting foam breaks across the sky in half-formed arcs and yet not a single drop touches the grass below.

The crew watches, wonder shining in their eyes. Roronoa Zoro counts, sharp gaze touching upon every familiar face, every smile that glows with shared relief, then starts over.

Nine. Nine, again.

Finally complete, the Strawhats are swallowed by the sea.

In a heartbeat, the breathless moment dissolves into the usual chaos as Nami commands their gradual descent: Usopp and Chopper screech in unison about this sea king and that monster over Franky’s good-natured reassurances at the helm and the melodic humming coming from Brook; blooming and wilting like flowers, Robin’s elegant hands crop up all over the deck where Sanji and Zoro are wrangling the sails against the ocean’s massive current–

The Sunny moves like a living thing underneath them and through it all, Luffy laughs and laughs like he couldn’t get himself to stop even if he tried.

Having his friends back is a delight in and of itself but it’s that sound that does it. Zoro can feel the rough edges of the past months knit themselves together into something nostalgic, something fond, a type of gooey-warm devotion that became second nature somewhere along the line.

Like muscle memory, dormant for a while and never forgotten. It’s good to be home.

And yeah, he’s the first to admit soft things don’t come easy to him. There is a private smile on his lips, though, one he doesn’t care to hide. There’s no reason to, not here. Above them, a school of fish swims by, silhouetted by the sun like silver-coated birds and–

“Woah, it’s huge! Is that a shark?”

–the smile turns into a grin. Zoro’s eye meets those of his captain and, before Monkey D. Luffy can utter the idea brewing in that rubber brain of his, Shusui glides out of its sheath smoothly. Luffy cackles and together they stand, with their crew behind and the vast ocean ahead.

“You ready, Zoro?”

Those three little words settle in the spaces between skin and muscle and bone and – after two long years of worrying, wishing, waiting – Zoro nods and gladly takes his place beside the man who will be Pirate King.

The reunion party takes days to run its course until, on the third night, even the most energetic among the Strawhats are turning to their spot on Sunny’s deck for a cozy evening. A bonfire burns brightly in their midst and, under Sanji’s watchful eye, all kinds of sausages and vegetables sizzle away on a makeshift grill. Curiously, the smoke it produces leaves the resin coating of the ship in small, harmless bubbles – arms crossed and leaning back against the railing, Zoro follows their path until they disappear into depths unknown like sticky shooting stars.

A bit of imagination and even this cobalt sky can yield a few constellations, though it would take a creative mind like Usopp’s to name them all. Their presence is soothing, regardless.

No need to look so glum, Mihawk had said, that first night an eternity ago, after awkwardly hovering in Zoro’s periphery for far too long.

It had been a clumsy attempt at comfort at best. There was blood on the cuffs of his shirt and the soot of cannon fire still clung to his coat; made vague by the darkness, it was nonetheless the kind of tangible proof that all those headlines in the paper lacked. Somewhere out there, the ruins of Marineford smoldered. Somewhere out there, his captain was hurting.

Zoro had just huffed and stared out into the void. There was nothing to say, nothing at all.

There had been a quiet sigh, and steps echoing in the silence. Arms crossed, Mihawk had stared until Zoro couldn’t but stare back, quietly surprised by the intensity of emotion burning where nobody dared to look for it.

Don’t grieve what you haven’t lost, kid. You’re all under the same sky, after all.

Still, Zoro muses, eye slipping shut and shoulders relaxing against the Sunny’s comfortable embrace. Around him, the ever-present chatter of the crew dulls to a low rush. This is better.

The transition between sleep and consciousness is so gradual that Zoro doesn’t bother to track down the moment he dozes off. Eventually, there is a subtle shift around him, like gravity itself bends and realigns towards a greater force – a silent force, and that is what makes Zoro glance up between sleepy blinks.

There Luffy stands, hand on his hat and his hat on his chest and a woven-straw brim barely covering the crater of a scar below it. The fire casts shadows on Luffy’s face (Is it doubt flickering there? Indecisiveness?) and yet they’re fleeting enough to make Zoro question what he sees, fractured as his vision has become.

Then Luffy notices he’s awake and it’s all gone with a smile. “Napping already?”, he chuckles as he hops on the railing next to him. Zoro shrugs and stretches with a satisfied grunt.

“We getting close?”

“Nope, not yet.” Luffy snickers as Zoro slumps right back to where he was, his back snug against warmed wood. Sandals flip-flop along with the carefree swinging of Luffy's feet. “It’s okay, though. More chances to listen to Usopp’s stories! He met the Hercules, can you imagine?”

“Hardly”, Zoro grumbles indistinctly enough to not disturb the starry-eyed marvel on Luffy’s face. “Did he tell the one about the man-eating plant turned island yet?”

“The what?!”

It’s impossible not to laugh at how wide Luffy’s eyes can get: Zoro snorts and gestures towards the shape of Usopp on the other side of deck, a silent have at him that Luffy almost follows.

Almost. Cheers and laughter carry over from Usopp’s loosely assembled audience, and Chopper’s astounded What, really?! proves the story being told is a good one. Even so, the motion to launch himself into an unsuspecting Usopp is stopped mid-way and Luffy bounces back to the railing.

Huh.

At Zoro’s questioning grunt, the man just shakes his head and lowers his hat to his lap. “Ah, y’know. We have time now, right?”, he says with a thread of serenity woven into his voice – one that wasn’t there, last time they spoke, and the realization that Luffy is pacing himself shouldn’t feel this monumental.

Zoro lets his gaze linger, this time: over the subtle lines around Luffy’s eyes and the hint of exhaustion underneath; over all the little scars dusting his knuckles, old and new, and the gentle back-and-forth of his thumb over the ribbon of his hat, a mindless gesture of comfort that aches, somehow.

Threadbare it has become, this most faithful of companions. The red is long washed out by the sun and the sea and hell knows what else. Gratitude registers as a warm glow at Zoro’s core, for it being there when none of them could. For weathering the storms and the tears and the laughter, from the instant it left Shanks’ head to this very moment.

“It’s looking good”, Zoro comments lightly as he sits up and rubs the last traces of sleep from his eye. “Feels like ages ago that Nami had to stitch the hat back together. After… Buggy, was it? The clown guy.”

The expression on Luffy’s face goes a bit funny at that, half-way to a grimace yet too fond to be one. “Hah, yeah, him. I’ll have to thank him next time we see him, him and Jinbei and the others.”

Zoro blinks. That… makes no sense at all. Then again, Mihawk did grumble about the clown becoming a warlord, so weirder things have happened. “Who’s Jinbei?”

Luffy smiles, then, bright and toothy. “A friend! Don’t worry, you’ll meet him soon. He’s all serious and talks about honor a lot, so.”

So you’ll like him, Zoro fills in for him and huffs to himself. That part of himself that is fiercely independent wants to argue the point – then again, Luffy’s instincts are rarely off the mark.

Another thing to look forward to, then. Hopefully this Jinbei guy likes to drink.

“Say, Zoro?”

In a bundle of rubbery limbs and rustling fabric, Luffy joins him on the grassy deck, legs crossed and hat back where it belongs. His head tilts curiously, the steady weight of his full attention one Zoro shoulders with ease. “Where did you go?”

Ah, that. It’s a question he’s heard a few times this week, along with How in the world were you first? and What the hell happened to your eye? and Zoro has no room to complain. He, too, keeps a list of names in his heart, and the question marks around their fates are a subtle discomfort but very much there.

It’s weird to think of adventure as something they can experience even when forced apart.

And so Zoro tells him, about the castle standing proud among ruins and the ship that wrecked before it even touched the sea and the day he bowed to become stronger. He doesn’t mention the tense days spent in-between, reading the newspaper near-obsessively for even a scrap of new information. That black-and-white image of his captain standing alone on a battlefield is fresh in his memory, and will remain there for eternity. “Took me a while to get what you were trying to say”, he admonishes without heat, and Luffy nods sagely.

“I know, right? So complicated… Without Rayleigh I would’ve mixed everything up.”

That confirms that theory, then. A whole library of those exists in Zoro’s mind, years’ worth of theories and questions gone unanswered and wild speculation and it doesn’t matter, not anymore. Not with Luffy sitting next to him, looking more at peace than Zoro expected, deep down.

“You did well, Luffy.”

The words are out before he really thinks them through. It feels right, though, to see surprise dawn on Luffy’s face; the pride Zoro places in his voice soon takes root in the square set of Luffy’s shoulders, too, and the strong line of his back.

Then, he grins, eyes alight and squinting with it. Like this, the signs of weariness melt off entirely and there Luffy is, a little older, a little more mature and scarred to hell but still the happy-go-lucky idiot Zoro chose to follow two years ago.

“We really made it, huh, Zoro? It felt like forever and I was wondering if I’m just dreaming or something but… We’re finally here.”

Zoro sighs and reaches over and pulls the hat down, the brim briefly covering the amused chuckle on Luffy’s lips before it’s righted again. “’course it’s real, captain. You think we’d all bust our asses to be on time for some dream? Seriously.”

Luffy is still laughing, “I mean, you were early! Everyone was so surprised!”, poking him in the cheek and wiggling his feet in delight. Zoro lets him have it for a second longer than he normally would have before he rolls his eye and gets up.

“C’mon, rubber-for-brains, there’s some sake I brought that’s calling my name. Oi, Usopp! What was that thing with the plant island again?”

And with the sound of stretching rubber and a not-so-distant crash, Luffy is gone and Usopp yells.

>>Read Chapter 2

#one piece #roronoa zoro #monkey d. luffy #zolu #one piece fanfiction #i love..... zoro so much.....#my stuff #this fic is also on AO3!#(lets hope the readmore works this time huff huff)

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