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aceandurmom · 2 months

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Harlequin Hearts: The Archivist's Swordsmaster Affair Chapter Three

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TRIGGER WARNING: Toxic Relationship (not Mihawk), Morally Grey Reader

Finally calm from your earlier meltdown, you thought it better to explain from the beginning.

Mihawk’s gaze was smothering, your chest feeling as if it was closing in on itself. There was nothing compared to how you felt now, like you had to spill every secret you had to the man so that he knew. You didn’t know how to feel about that, other than knowing that right now…you felt safe. To tell him everything was the only option you had at this moment, even if Crocodile and Buggy were present.

Not even Buggy knew the entire story, just the extent of Arlong’s…orders.

Buggy looked up, also wanting to know what you were to say. He knew that not every detail was told, and he had been fine with that. He had no authority to tell you to spill every secret you carried, and as your Captain he had allowed that.

But now he was your Brother.

Now he wanted to protect you from even your thoughts that he knew still plagued you.

It looked as if you were aware of this now, on the verge of opening your heart and soul to those in the room.

To say Crocodile was a close friend was a stretch…but he had grown on you. The perpetually angry man had a kind heart, underneath many, many, many layers he had built over the years to protect himself. He had opened up a little, the two of you coping with stress by- unhealthily- drinking them away. Sipping whiskey and wine, stolen from Miahwk, and joking in the conference room was enlightening to say the least. You had managed to start to enjoy his presence, genuine excitement at the idea of getting to spend time with him after Buggy and Mihawk left.

It was fun.

So, changing a glance to the towering man, you awkwardly smiled. Accidentally choking on his spit, Crocodile laughed at the facial expression. He turned and closed the door, assuring that no one else could hear what you were about to explain.

“So, where should I start?”

“Do you care to explain your relationship with the Strawht’s Navigator?”

It had been Crocodile to start up the conversation. Sensing the unease and trying to- gently- push you to begin.

You blushed.

A response none of them had expected. Nervously giggling, your fingers started to twist at the strands of hair at your nape. Looking off to the side, you tried to think of the best way to explain.

“Nami and I were…closer than you might think. We were the only humans on a crew full of fishmen who were desperate to put humans in ‘their place.”

Fingers insinuating the absolute bullshit that was being referenced.

“She…she was always there for me when Arlong was at his worst. When he was the angriest, Nami was there to soften the blows afterwards. She would bandage me with the softest touch. And sometimes…”

Well, most of the time after the worst had passed, the two of you…would spend the night in each other’s arms. The ginger and you had a complicated relationship,best friends often bordering on more.

Crocodile picked up on your fidgeting, coughing into his fist to bring you back.

“Right, well, Nami was the only one who was on my side. She was my savior.”

Buggy butt in.

“She sure as hell didn’t act like it.”

Face falling, you smiled, solemn.

“You have to remember, she was just as much a prisoner as me, maybe even more so. He had her entire village under his thumb, threatening their lives. If she worked for him and made money on the side, he promised she could buy it back….but he lied.”

“As much as I feel bad for her, I am not concerned for that woman at the minute.”

Mihawk stated, not at all listening to the details concerning the woman. You were priority right now.

Buggy glared, trying to look through Mihawk and try to get him to back off. He wanted you to take your time, not feel pressured and rush through.

But the words Mihawk had said had made you flush harder, trying to laugh it off the best you could.

“Well, what exactly did you want to know? Specifically?”

“What did he do to you.”

It felt like the air was sucked from the room, struggling to breathe in as deep as you should. Crocodile groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

Coming forward, the large man sat down beside you instead. Leaning back, Crocodile placed a hand on your shoulder.

“Straight to the point, Hawkeyes.”

He looked at Crocodile like he was stupid, not at all pleased at the interruption.

“Forgive me if I sounded insensitive, I simply want to know who I need to kill. And how long I should prolong his death.”

Buggy relaxed, shoulders falling.

“I guess that’s fine, then. I have to admit, I’m eager to know what all happened. You’ve never told me what all he put you through.”

You grimaced, understanding what they were asking and why, but not really the happiest about it.

“I don’t know what you want me to say.”

Face darkening, you grew frustrated.

“What, you want me to describe every time he put his hands on me, ordered me, pushed me around, touched me when I didn’t want him to!? I don’t know who you all think you are, but that past is in the past, he’s supposed to be dead anyways. Gone.”

“What do you mean he put his hands on you? He was your captain, was he not!?”

Buggy was outraged. Granted, he had a guess that he had hit maybe once, but to hear you say it into existence was damning. He thought it may have been a one time thing, maybe even just making you work nonstop (that in itself was also abusive to be fair). The bluenette sobered from his rage, trying to calm himself to comprehend the words coming from you.

Mihawk wasn’t really thrilled either, frown still in place. But he tried to let you talk it out before interrupting too too much.

Without meaning to, you fell back on your time under Arlong.

–

It had been ages before Arlong showed back up. Not wanting to show his face to you just yet, letting you simmer in your rage and fear towards him. He had forced you to make a contract for a man who had wronged him. You didn’t know the whole story, but it had made you uncomfortable either way. You had told him so, not ever going through with something like this before.

He had dragged you by the hair to another room before bringing in the man. Throwing you into the barren room, you fell to the floor. Gasping in surprise, you were shocked. He had never been so rough before, always maintaining a kinder attitude in front of everyone. But to have him standing so angrily over you was intimidating to say the least. His teeth bared, he snarled at you.

“You will do as told! I don’t care about your puny human morals, you will do as I say! If I tell you to lick the fucking floor you’ll do it! If I tell you to kill yourself, you’ll do it!”

Tearing up, you tried to remain strong in front of him. Not wanting to look weak to him.

You wanted him to think highly of you, to need you so that he wouldn’t get rid of you. To feel needed. To feel wanted.

Despite your own morals screaming back at you, you sucked it up and nodded.

“Yes, sir, of course. I’m sorry I spoke to you like that, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

He backed up, grinning once again.

Lowering himself to your height, he reached a hand out to you.

Webbed hand resting on your head, he caressed the side of your face, thumb passing circles on your cheek.

“Such a good little thing. Always listening so well. So sweet and respectful. You’ll stay won’t you, never leave?”

You looked back at him, eager to please.

“Of course, sir. I have no plans saying otherwise.”

Arlong hummed in thought, continuing to give you the attention he knew you craved. You were so transparent about your wants.

The force he threw you down with had busted the back of your head. Blood seeping from behind your hair and onto your skin. Arlong had noticed, swiping some of it away. Humming, he pondered how to push you further in the future.

Hand coming back to his face, he licked it away. Groaning, the shark looked up at you.

“So sweet…”

“Come. You have a job to finish, little minnow.”

–

And you had done so.

Again and again you were pushed past your limits. And again and again you caved to his whims.

Tears falling, you tried to wipe them away before the trio of men noticed. Trying to ignore your weeping, they all struggled with trying to let you have a moment.

But Mihawk wasn’t okay with letting you stew in your sorrows much longer. He reached up, trying to cup your face.

It was too similar to Arlong, the motion almost exactly the same.

Flinching back, you did your best to restrain the yelp in your throat.

Brows furrowed, he stopped. Slowly lowering his arm to study you further.

“What are you not telling us?”

“Arlong was a cruel man, he always had been. But…I wanted to be useful. You have to understand, no one had ever needed me before. Arlong wanted me!”

Hand clutching your chest, you tried to explain.

“But there were times he pushed me to the limit, more often than not passed them. When my own values were in the way of my work he made sure I ignored them. No matter what he had to do in order for that to happen.”

Buggy finally made his way beside you, body sitting right next to yours. He pushed his side as close as to yours as he could, trying to comfort you just by being present. You had known Buggy long enough to be confident he would never hurt you, despite the facade he constantly put on for others. Leaning your head on his shoulder, you allowed yourself to close your eyes.

Crocodile broke the pause.

“What did he do, you’ve been deflecting.”

Scoffing, you nustled deeper into the Clown.

“Sorry, but I’m not really fond of speaking about these topics.”

Plucking a cigar from the dozens on his person, he lit the smoke. Breathing in, the man attempted to calm his irritation. He understood, he was only growing frustrated at the lack of progress being made. They had been here for half an hour now. They could be making progress in other subjects.

“I get that, I do. I’m just…annoyed.”

Not needing a response as you empathized with him, you opened up your eyes once again.

“Well, I’ll make this quick then. Arlong did more than simply put his hands on me. He beat me until I was black and blue, unrecognizable until I conceded. When I did, he flipped his persona. Turning kind and offering me a shoulder to lean on. He would hold me and play with my hair, and speak so softly, encouragement and praise alike. It would go farther some nights, when I exceeded his expectations that day. I tried to keep him away from Nami the best I could by doing so, but the days grew longer.”

Crocodile huffed before stubbing out his cigar. He had needed it for only a brief second before the annoyance burned away into resentment. He looked to Mihawk who had started to seethe below you.

Eyes alight with pure fury, he tried to placate himself.

Only to face back up to be met with you leaning entirely on Buggy. Eyes once again closed, except you seemed to be holding back tears once again.

It was odd seeing you cry so much. Never had he assumed he would ever see you in such a state, but the vulnerability you were allowing yourself to show was admirable. He admired you letting them see this side of you, not just the stern and hardworking face you usually presented. To have the honor of witnessing you was making him realize how much he looked up to you and your ability to emote so freely.

Mihawk was utterly enraptured with you. But you being in the state you were for him to realize such a thing was shameful.

You pulled yourself together, pushing the intruding thinking to the side. No longer focusing on the past, you sat up. Back straight, you stood. Buggy had tried to stop you, wanting you to stay where you were. Protected by him and the others that had surrounded you.

Instead, you gently pushed him away.

Standing up completely, you leaned down into Mihawk’s face. Avoiding his questioning gaze, you dipped your hand into his coat. Fishing out the previously forgotten blade, you pointed out the symbol.

“This is Arlong’s Jolly Roger, but the more I look at it, the more I see the inconsistencies. Arlong would never have let someone defile his symbol by carving it in such a crude manner. So the idea that Arlong himself is behind this is gone.”

“Then why such a big reaction over a dead man?”

Crocodile grumbled.

Snapping a glare back at him, you growled.

“Just because the man is dead doesn’t mean the memories aren’t. Dumbass.”

Buggy’s eyes widened, mouth forming words but never coming out.

Crocodile only looked away, not too bothered by your mouth at this point. He had become endeared to you due to your honesty, not familiar with the way you spoke to him. It had been a long time since someone spoke to him so easily. It was pleasant, so he did not admonish you.

Grunting, he waved an apology at his previous words.

“Fine, fine. So what were you thinking.”

“That someone on Karai Bari knows of my previous affiliation. A fact I hide to my chest closer than I do other darker secrets surprisingly enough.”

“You have other secrets more intense than this one? How interesting, little Plover.”

Scoffing, you ignored the warmth of being acknowledged.

“Yes, but being under Arlong for so long is my least favorite. To have someone know it is not ideal. The crew is from East Blue or need I remind you? And that man caused more harm than good, there are many of my nakama that have been personally wronged by him.”

“I do not see what that has to do with you.”

“The fact I was with him at all is punishable enough, Hawkeyes.”

Buggy groaned, throwing himself back onto his bed. Hands coming to cover his eyes, he tried to come up with a name that he thought might do something like this.

“So someone on your crew is actively threatening you with information. Sounds like grounds enough to kill the bastard. We can’t have our useful little Archivist being blackmailed under our watch, can we?”

Crocodile stood, done with the conversation. He approached you and laid his lone hand on your head. Lightly ruffling your hair he gave you a small smile.

“Especially one so practical and consistent.”

Leaving the room, Crocodile looked back at you one more time. Frown settling back on his face, he shot one last glare at the other two men.

“We nip it in a bud immediately. Nor will anyone else hear of it.”

Mihawk agreed with him, but refused to let his coworker know it. Buggy had confirmed it out loud, not shying away from letting the crocodilian know he thought so.

Stretching out your arms, you tried to crush the growing affection budding. You enjoyed being around them, feeling safe here.

–

Days passed and the three had been busy. There hadn’t been a meeting since the blade had been found on your carpet.

You had been busy as well, reading through all the crew records Buggy had you compile over the years. Everytime someone had caught his attention, he had you run a check on their past or criminal records. He had only a few requirements that you had to look for explicitly.

No Marines or Former Marines. Even if ‘reformed’

No Sexual Deviance

No Domestic Violence Charges

And that was about it. Granted, of course, there were a few more limits the man had. Buggy would make the final decision once he met them. He had Observation Haki that rivaled the best, could sense anyone and bend his own Will in ways you had never heard of.

Today, you were in the Records room again. You had left to get food before promptly returning. Scanning through paper after paper, you kept on coming up empty handed. You were growing more frustrated as the time continued to pass.

There had been a knock on the door, more a courtesy than anything else. There were only a few people in the area that even knew about the room. So, you turned to the entrance expecting your captain or maybe even Mihawk or Crocodile. Before you could open your mouth to greet one of them, you were stopped.

You were, truthfully, fed up by the amount of times you had been caught off guard. You had been off your game the longer you felt safe.

It was a good thing you felt uncomfortable once meeting the eyes of the stranger entering into your room.

“Who the fuck are you?”

The woman scowled, teeth bared in pure hate in your direction.

“You have some nerve pretending to be a good person after everything you’ve done.”

Her voice was wavering despite the threatening facade she was trying to put forth.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“You know damn well what I speak of. Being Arlong’s little whore and doing WHATEVER he asked without even blinking.”

“...who knows what I did and didn’t do while being under Arlong. I know for damn sure I killed or hurt no one. So whatever you assume I’ve done, you are incorrect.”

“So you didn’t force a woman into a contract with Arlong? You didn’t force her to be in his debt so he could use her whenever he so damned pleased!? So she would never sleep through the night without worrying about when he might call on her!? Yu destroyed her life!”

“You might want to be more specific. I’ve written a lot of contracts over the years, girl.”

Her eyes narrowed, tears tracking lines down her cheeks. Her pretty blue eyes were alight with hatred and fury. She was stunning as she was here.

Maybe being under Arlong really had fucked with your head. To find yourself enraptured with a crying woman that had made it known she hated you. It was thrilling to watch her there. You wanted to sink your claws into her, to tear her apart and watch her cry.

Sucking in a breath, you tried to will away the intrusive thoughts.

You knew better than this. You were a better person than this.

“I apologize about forcing her into such a position.”

“You’re a foul fucking person. I want you DEAD, not an apology!��

She rushed you, the same kind of blade in your room found in her hand. You couldn’t defend yourself against such a woman. Such conviction and bravery was deserving of your awe. You let her do as she wished, not at all concerned for your own life.

She stabbed you in the chest. Knife plunging as far as her weak arms could push. You gasped, the pain throwing you off more than you thought. You had been hit, thrown, beaten, and whatever else Arlong wanted to put you through.

You had felt pain before, but this was the first time you had been stabbed. The metal wasn’t steel, it burned far too much for it to be so simple. Looking down at the intrusion, you saw the glint of black metal, tinged with light blue that reflected back at you.

You gaped at her, unsure where such a weak woman could acquire a precious and rare stone like that.

Finding yourself growing angry, you pushed her back. Spitting at her feet, you punched her as hard as you could. There was no rational reason you were so mad, maybe all that rage from before that had been piling on itself was finally showing through.

Screaming out some choice profanities, you felt for the knife lodged there.

Pulling it out, even though there was the knowledge that this was a bad idea, you stabbed it back at her. Digging past her hand, you pushed harder until it lodged into the floor underneath. She howled in pain.

There were steps echoing by the door, shouts following. The door had been locked behind her, but whoever had been trying to get in made it known that there was no difference in the fact.

Sitting back on your heels, you watched as the woman under you squirmed. Straddling her, your face fell. Leaning forward, the back of your hand traced her jawline. Pushing back her blonde bangs, you kissed her forehead. There was a gasp from in front of you where the door was.

“I am sincerely remorseful that I hurt you so. I was under Arlong’s wicked hand, but that does not excuse my actions. Please find it in your heart to forgive me.”

Crying out, her other hand swung and smacked your face. The sound reverberated around the room.

Mihawk walked in, grabbing the wrist from the woman and stopping her from doing any more damage.

“You are the one who sent the threat?”

She spit at him, breathing harshly.

The ache in your chest grew harsher still. Grasping at the wound, you struggled to stand. Wobbling on your feet, you looked up to see Crocodile walking in as well. Chancing a look to Mihawk, he tried to gauge the rage simmering there.

“Hawk. What do you need me to do.”

“Take this woman and bring her to Buggy. I will deal with the rest.”

Pupils shrinking, Mihawk looked back to you. Glancing down at the wound in the center of your chest, he was relieved to find that the woman was an idiot regarding anatomy. Trying to hide his pure disdain to the woman, Mihawk reached you in two wide strides.

“Did she hurt you anywhere else?”

You shook your head.

“No.”

He heard you, scooping you in his arms.

“Forgive me for the position I am putting you in. But I do not wish for you to lose more blood than necessary on the way to the infirmary.”

“It does not matter.”

You huffed, trying to breathe despite the pain growing overtime. Gasping for air, you pat his back.

“It’s fine, let’s just get this over with.”

“As you wish, dove.”

#one piece #one piece x reader #one piece x y/n #buggy the clown #dracule mihawk #captain buggy #competent buggy #hawkeye mihawk #mihawk x reader #op mihawk #gender neutral reader #sir crocodile

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mega-ringsandthings-world · 2 months

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Hi, as a Mishanks expert, I wanted to ask your opinion on something. Do you think Shanks actually is a less capable swordsman now that he lost his arm? Does Mihawk actually think that? Also, would Shanks be able to match or win against Mihawk if he hadn't lost his arm?

Hope this doesn't sound weird, I hope you're having a good day! 🧑‍🦰🗡️

Hi! Not weird at all! And thanks, it's going great so far! Hm, I don't think Shanks losing his arm turned him into a less capable swordsman, but I'd say he's now certainly a more reserved one than he he was pre arm-loss. For lack of a better term he's not as flashy as he was. If we go by his left arm being his dominant one, then losing it meant he lost the ability or at least made the choice to stop using grandiose or clever moves like a lot of other characters. He's just as a good swordsman as he was with two arms, but he's streamlined his techniques after losing an arm. We've never seen him fight much when he had both arms attached, (although we get a nod to it when Whitebeard is meeting with Shanks and brings up having watched a duel between him and Mihawk with the implication that it was intense) but we have seen how he fights with only one. The recent fight against Kid is a good example, Shanks' use of his sword is powerful, direct, and incredibly controlled. Even his the name of his attack is stated precisely and intensely. And when he draws in Marinefored, there's no flourishes to it except for him taking an action stance. Shanks is no less powerful, but he's more simpler out of necessity. And...Mihawk doesn't like that. Mihawk doesn't consider Shanks less powerful or less capable because he lost an arm, but he does have a issue with how Shanks and his fighting style adapted to losing an arm. Which is honestly kind of bitchy, but that's Mihawk for you. I mean, "NoT wHen You'Re halF the MaN yoU USed to bE" says it all. He wasn't insulting Shanks' skills with that, he was poking at Shanks' physical lack of an arm. Mihawk doesn't like reserved. He's bent out of shape because Shanks is no longer drawing on techniques he is capable of in his duels against Mihawk, and the fact that Shanks is no longer physically capable of using those techniques or is choosing not to use them to consolidate his swordsmanship with his non-dominant hand is no excuse. If Shanks wants to duel with him after the arm loss, Shanks can either start re-incorporating every aspect of his skills back into his physical swordplay or grow his arm back. whichever he prefers, Mihawk won't be picky about that. (he'd prefer the arm) I think before the arm-loss, Shanks was evenly matched with Mihawk. Mihawk is the best swordsman in the world, so he surpasses Shanks in terms of power and skill with a sword, but Shanks is the only one who Mihawk can not strike a winning blow against and vice versa. In their earlier days, they were both neck in neck, but Mihawk always held that tiny lead on Shanks. And also in those days, Shanks was a lot more flashy and expressive. So he didn't just give Mihawk a duel, he gave Mihawk a show as well. Which was titillating for Mihawk. Because if it was anyone other than Shanks, the fight would always be to-the-death-matches. Other peoples' lesser skills only allowed them to fight seriously and nothing more, because one wrong move, one display of lesser skill and they were dead. Shanks, being matched with Mihawk, could play with Mihawk. He wasn't fighting for his life or reputation against Mihawk, he was fighting because he wanted to. He could challenge and provoke and give as good as Mihawk could. And Mihawk misses it. Either way, Shanks didn't lose much power or skill, just re-structured it a bit and Mihawk has been pitching a hissy fit over that for years.

#sorry this got long but I have THOUGHTS on this topic #and thanks so much for the ask!#mishanks #dracule mihawk #akagami no shanks #red haired shanks #hawkeye mihawk #op mihawk #op shanks #ask

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mvrtaiswriting · 2 years

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Hi! For the kiss event, can we get prompt 4 for either Mihawk or Zoro?

Zoro x prompt 4: speaking normally, then after the kiss their voice is hoarse

of course you can and aaah! thanks for requesting this!!! we all know now that I write better when it comes to emotionally unavailable men and mihawk was the perfect victim hehe. I absolutely adore this piece of writing and hope you will too! do let me know what you think ♡

gender neutral! sfw.

feel free to reblog, like, and leave a comment. i would very much appreciate it. if you enjoy my works, click here to read more or buy me a coffee.- from this event.

Getting Mihawk to open up about anything was probably the hardest challenge you had to endure since you decided to train with him. He was always so avoidant, so detached, so cold. He agreed to let you stay with him cause he recognised your talent and potential, but never complimented you once - not explicitly, at least.

After a year of intensive training, spending hours together, the two of you somehow grew a lot closer than you expected at first. He didn't despise you, and that was a big accomplishment - he kept his stoic attitudes around you, but he was never rude. He did over-exaggerated sometimes during training sessions, teasing you and pushing all of your buttons to exert an emotional response from you; and he always did, he was good at it. Mihawk could see right through you, as if your soul and deepest feelings were an open book to him. He flipped with the pages and rewrote some of them, instilling new fears and gifting new sensations every time.

"These." he said once, catching a teardrop from your eye with the tip of his sword. "these will get you killed." he continued, wiping your tear away and leaving you alone, in the middle of the battle field.

He didn't mean any harm, really - he was only brutal cause he cared, although that definitely wasn't the best way to show it. It was only after you snapped back at him and won against him for the first time, that he finally opened up to you. After that tremendous afternoon, he started to tell you more about him, sometimes narrating some of his adventures, others sharing his political views with you. This was his way to show you that he truly cared; he never let anyone get this close to him.

So now, during one of your usual evening chats, you were sitting next to him on the sofa. He held his wine glass in his hands, sometimes moving it swiftly to get mix his wine and get the best taste out of hit.

"This is definitely the worst generation." he said, keeping his composure.

You nodded in response, as you kept looking at him - he was hypnotising. The way he gesticulated, his controversial yet so interesting takes on everything. Putting your glass on the coffee table in front of you, you leaned back on the sofa and started to listen to him again. Your gaze slowly shifted to his lips, appreciating how his beard gracefully framed his face. Mihawk instinctively stretched an arm toward you to fix a rebellious strand of hair that was now covering your face, never losing focus on what he was saying.

"I think it's time to go to bed." he concluded, causing you to frown. You were exhausted from the earlier training, but you could have stayed there for hours. You nodded, leaning towards him and leaving a soft, uncertain kiss on his lips just before he could say something else.

Mihawk reciprocated your kiss timidly, a brief act of intimacy that lasted just enough before you embarrassedly pulled away.

Visibly blushing, Mihawk cleared his throats trying to act as if nothing happened. "Goodnight, y/n." he said, his voice sounding hoarser and deeper than normal as a new, warm emotion made its way into his heart.

#mihawk icons #mihawk fluff #mihawk x y/n #mihawk x reader #dracule mihawk #mihawk #one piece x reader #one piece headcanons #one piece fanart #one piece fanfiction #one piece fic #one piece x oc #one piece x you #one piece x y/n #straw hat zoro #zoro x reader

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nyarlathotep-thecrawlingchaos · 2 months

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Hello, I'm a humble fanfiction reader from the ancient times, when there was only a fanfiction.net, and I just came by to tell you, how much I adore your One Piece Stories. They really help me to calm down before sleeping and make me smile when my little world is crumbling. ❤️ I saw your post about the voices telling you lies and I would like to help, or at least distract you. 😉 So, here are my silly questions for you:

1. If you were a pizza, what kind of pizza would you be?

2. If you could choose a new color for the sky, what color would you choose and why?

3. If the One Piece was a cookie, do you think Luffy would eat it? 🤔

4. Captain Kid vs. Magneto, who would win?

5. Why are planets round-ish? Only wrong answers please.

6. What is your take on fake-pockets on pants?

7. If you could talk to people for the rest of your life in only one way, what would you choose:

a) rap-batteling

b) Musical singing

c) binary code

d) R2D2 beep-bops?

8. If you were a pirate, what would you call your crew?

9. Kiss-Marry-Kill: Freddy Kruger, Michael Myers, Pennywise? (I know, that's a hard one.)

10. Bite Shanks in the buttcheek or suck on Mihawks toe?

Ok, that's it for now. I hope it helps, Love. Stay strong, I'm rooting for you! ❤️

HELLO FELLOW FANFIC VETERAN ♥️♥️♥️ I still have an account on fanfiction.net. Not active in the least bit, but it's there, with earlier iterations of some of my fanfics here, from when I was in my mid-teens. Sometimes I like to go read them and have a little cringe for old times' sake.

I'm always so glad to hear that any of my work offers comfort in anyway. I write partly as a comfort to myself, and it's the same reason I started sharing it here after being inactive in the fan fiction community for over a decade. Was still writing, I just figured out over time that I garnered more enjoyment out of writing for myself than for an audience, and only started posting again once I learned that I can write for myself and still share it with others.

The asshole voices significantly settled down after I put my metal playlist on full blast and laid down with my headphones on. There's just a lot going on right now and my brain was being way too loud about it. I actually finished a chapter last night but it was just...ugh. Couldn't focus enough to edit or type my author notes.

1. New York style pepperoni, no question. I love pizza in all its forms, but being from New York (originally, and I want to go back so bad I curse my family for ever moving to this hell-state) the classics win out.

2. Green. Because planet Namek.

3. He would not hesitate for even a SECOND. And to be totally fair neither would I.

4. Magneto, particularly Ian McKellan's Magneto. You do not F around with super-villain-Gandalf, I do not care who you are.

5. The round shape of planets is a natural defense mechanism against black holes, which are far less likely to swallow spherical planets because they prefer...a square meal AHAHAHAHAAA okay sorry that was fcking awful i'll stop now

6. Fake pockets are the root of all evil. Especially fake pockets that are just deep enough for me to catch them on my kitchen cabinet/drawer handles.

7. Definitely beep-boops, no contest.

8. I am a pirate though okay, like that's my crew's jolly roger there above my masterlist, I'm just not the captain or a crew officer or anyone important, probably a janitor or something, anyway yeah Hurricane Pirates

9. Kiss Pennywise (1990 It was my first ever horror movie ♥️), Marry Freddie (he's hilarious and I love him), kill Mikey (it's not that I DON'T enjoy the Halloween movies, just not as much as other 80s slashers)

10. I cannot handle feet, but I will more than happily bite Shanks on the ass, and I somehow doubt he would complain.

This has been delightful thank you so much, I was even able to develop a gods-awful planet joke out of it that I will be subjecting absolutely everyone to ♥️ ❤️

#asks

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turtletaubwrites · 4 months

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Numbers Game Party Attire ~ Reader

Thank you, anon for this ask! "thank you for the latest chapter, a pleasure as always! I'm curious on how you envision the reader all dressed up :)"

CROSS GUILD PARTY TIME!!!

Thank you so much!!! I left out the description so that YOU could envision what your Numbers Girl is wearing to the big Cross Guild party (it probably should have a fancier name, but reader and Crocodile are so annoyed by the whole thing that I kept having them call it just a "party" 😅)

I'm trying to be more inclusive with my x reader stories, and I know I have a long way to go. Numbers Girl will probably always be wearing dresses since Croc likes them, and Mihawk enjoys the easy access (lol, me too, for smut purposes 😏).

Since it has gone on far longer than I'd planned, I'm trying to leave it as open as I can, for a fem!afab!reader at least. I'd like to write more gender neutral content after this series, but want to make sure I do it well, especially if those fics turn into giant multichaptered stories like this one.

BUT SINCE YOU ASKED...

Here's MY vision of our Numbers Girl's party attire below the cut:

ORIGINAL DRESS BEFORE THE POV SHIFTS

I had planned to have the party earlier before I started shifting POV's, so my first pick changed. This would have been before all the GROWTH our lovely boys have been doing, and it would have looked like Mihawk's sneaky way of trying to convince Buggy that he valued him, and thus convince him and reader to stay. (Or to show us that maybe he does care? We wouldn't know without seeing his POV, so reader wouldn't know if it was genuine or not). Now our boy has been growing, his feelings are all over the place, and he is trying not to be a monster anymore, so no more manipulation tactics (at least not on purpose, lol). Before the growth, Mihawk would have dressed reader up in a muted Buggy Blue dress, with red lipstick 😅💙🤡 Here are some dresses that kind of fit my brain's image:

HERE'S WHAT MY NUMBERS GIRL IS WEARING

Everyone could agree on the color black. However, our swordsman picked everything else (and no one argued with him 😅). My thoughts were a black sleeveless gown with a saucy slit up one leg, a high neckline, and lace detailing up the chest and neck. Mihawk loves lace, and had to make his little rabbit match his gothic, untouchable, vampire vibes, of course. 🐇🧛🏼‍♂️ I didn't find exactly what I'd envisioned, but here's what I found. I really like the top row, especially the first one!

Our Numbers Girl is looking fierce with her EXTRA SCARY scary dog privilege, and her "I might just murder you myself," gothic gown.

I am soooo excited to share more of the party with y'all. I'm having the best time!!! 💃🗡🤡🐊💃

I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to hear/see what your Numbers Girl is wearing! Feel free to reblog or reply to this, it's like we're playing dress up! Lol, I love it 🥰🥰

~ Lynna 🖤💃

#i don't know what to tag this with #play dress up with me!#numbers game #turtletaub responds #anonymous

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years

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The Voyage So Far: East Blue (Part One)

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

so!! hey folks. as i’ve mentioned before, to mark the upcoming chapter 1000 (holy shit!!) as well as my blog’s first anniversary this december, i decided it would be a good time to go back and put together some highlight reel posts of my favorite panels/moments/scenes from each saga and some commentary about what i think the best parts of each arc and the series as a whole are and why, as a celebration of just how far one piece has come and how many fantastic moments we've had so far!

this will be quite a series of rather long posts- they’ll all be tagged #the voyage so far, if you’d like to avoid this messy retrospective. i'll be posting one saga a day each day until chapter 1000's official release on january 3rd!

honestly, i’m opening with this panel because it has a special place in my heart: i’m pretty sure it was the first time that one piece ever made me laugh.

the entire prologue does a really good job of setting up the tone for the entire rest of the story. i think i haven’t really written much about it before, but i really love romance dawn. it hits the exact mix of humorous and serious that’s practically one piece’s trademark tone, and introduces us to some of the main themes of the series: inherited will especially, and the theme of freedom, and the idea of betting your life for what you love.

technically this isn’t the first time we see luffy as an adult- he punches out the sea king before this- but it is his formal introduction, as well as (in the chapter title) the first time he’s referred to as strawhat luffy/mugiwara no luffy.

i really like a lot of these very early panels of luffy, really. i’m a writing person, not an art person, so i can’t really explain why, but there’s something about how he’s drawn that i think is just delightful for some reason. i like the earlier one piece art a whole lot in general, even though it’s often much less intricate and more simple than the current artstyle (which is not by any means bad either!! it’s just different). i think it fits the atmosphere of the start of the story very well- a journey just starting out.

he’s going to be pirate king!!

i’ve complained before about how zoro’s backstory doesn’t really hit the way a lot of the others do, mostly because it goes so fast, and kuina’s death is unfortunately the closest the series comes to fridging, but- that said, i do really like the core of it. i really like zoro being motivated by a promise to the one friend and rival he could never beat, and i love how this moment is what he cites later on while facing mihawk: a promise to a friend.

i love all the strawhats and their dynamics, and seeing the crew grow and develop and become a family over the course of hundreds of chapters is one of the great joys of one piece, but i think i’ll always have a soft spot for luffy and zoro’s relationship. there’s never really any conflict between them after their very first meeting; there’s loyalty and dedication and understanding there that starts from this moment and never really wavers.

it makes me grin to see the two of them, here at the start of it all. they don’t have a flag or a ship or a destination, yet, but this is the start of the strawhat pirates.

this series will probably reveal that i have a great weakness for group shots, and i think oda is particularly good at them- especially in these earlier arcs, you can usually see every character’s personality and feelings coming through in how they’re placed and what they’re doing.

i had actually forgotten that usopp did this, and while i know kuro was egging him on on purpose, i feel like he doesn’t get enough credit for being a reckless idiot sometimes. there’s a reason he fits in as a strawhat, after all, even if he himself isn’t always aware of it.

this is a lovely panel just on its own, but i think it (and all the other appearances of sunrise and dawn in the story) hits different now, with all the 'coming dawn’ theming that’s been established in recent arcs.

oda often absolutely nails his use of negative space to emphasize heavy little moments like this, and i for one absolutely love it. this one in particular gets me in the heart.

i like how you can reread some of these early arcs and see nami’s affection for the crew growing in little moments like these, and it’s very sweet, but there’s also a quiet kind of sadness in knowing she’s spending the whole time knowing she’s going to have to betray and leave them eventually.

i LOVE the new crewmate toasts. they all always look so happy.

also, in my opinion, this is the first time the strawhat pirates feel like a proper crew. they have a SHIP now! and just after this, they get their jolly roger to seal the deal.

it is my opinion that sanji has one of the best character introductions i’ve ever seen. in just a few chapters we know just about everything we need to know about him: he's not to be fucked with, he has extremely high respect for food and absolutely none for morons, and the first genuine smile we see from him is when he gives a free meal to a starving man.

i think about this moment a lot, really. luffy knows almost nothing about sanji at this point. he hasn’t tasted his food- he doesn’t even know his name. but he’s seen sanji give free food to gin for no other reason than that he’s hungry and it’s right, and that’s all it takes for luffy to decide that sanji is gonna be his cook.

baratie is mostly a serious arc (and leads into the even more serious arlong park), but it has some really good funny moments towards the start and this is one of them. you know they’re friends because they all just start roasting luffy without sympathy or hesitation.

i’ve mentioned before that the zoro and mihawk fight was one of the big things that hooked me on one piece (the other being sanji’s backstory), but the way it ends, especially, is one of my favorite moments in the whole series. i love,, strawhat loyalty moments. carve “any complaints, pirate king?” on my fucking grave.

sanji has a lot of really great action panels in this arc, but this is one of my favorites mostly because his combat abilities are being revealed to the audience at the same time they’re revealed to a lot of the characters watching. i can’t remember who pointed it out but sanji’s character design (especially pre-timeskip) just really looks like he’s designed for kicking- shiny black shoes, about 70% leg- and it really shows in panels like this.

sanji and zeff’s chronic inability to communicate is kind of the emotional core of baratie, and i think sanji calling the restaurant zeff’s treasure sums up the entire conflict between them very neatly. of course zeff values sanji way more than the restaurant, but zeff will never tell that to his face and sanji has negative zero self-worth so he’s never going to figure it out on his own. so they’re basically in a stalemate.

sanji’s backstory is absolutely brutal. we spend a truly agonizing amount of time literally just watching him slowly starve to death. it’s no secret that oda is really amazing at backstories, but i think sanji’s is probably one of the most effective at driving home exactly where his very specific mindset as an adult comes from. it’s hard to even read this section and not come away with at least a little more appreciation for food.

(to be continued in east blue part two!)

#the voyage so far #one piece #opmeta #arc: romance dawn #arc: syrup village #arc: baratie #not japanese #long post

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husbandograveyard · 4 years

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A break - Mihawk x Reader

One Piece of summer challenge - week 4

part of the challenge hosted by @doctorgerth & @laws-yellow-submarine I’m attempting all 11 weeks, 11 different prompts and 11 different characters! Enjoy! I’m gonna insert a cut since this thing is SO LONG. But I kind of loved writing it, I hope you all enjoy some romance with our favorite mystery goth pirate!

Prompt: Flowers - Character: Mihawk - Word count: 2.3k

It was summer. And yet.There was not a glimmer of sun to be seen. You looked out of the window: dead trees, some not so dead trees, a dark grey sky filled with thick clouds in the middle of the day... it was quite a depressive sight. Kuraigana island wasn’t really the most beautiful island. It was calm, surely, it was quiet, and you and your husband were never interrupted by other people, which was amazing, you had all the privacy and quality time you could ever ask for. But sometimes, you just really wanted something else than grey to look over whenever you were having a bad day.

“Something wrong love?” a strong arm wrapped around your waist from behind, and you inhaled the familiar and comforting scent of your other half. You must’ve been staring out of the window for a longer period than you thought you did. “No”, you sighed, “it’s just...” He didn’t reply, waiting for you to continue what you wanted to say. “It’s just...summer outside, but there is never summer on this island? Don’t get me wrong love, I love this place and all the opportunities it’s given us, but... sometimes I miss the sun, the green grass... flowers... all the bright things from... home.”

At the end of your sentence you had gone a little more quiet, not wanting Mihawk to think that you did not consider Kuraigana home. After all, home to you now was wherever he was, and wherever you could be with him. But that didn’t take away from your statement that you missed the feeling of warm sun on your skin, of the grass tickling at your ankles and the smell of flowers when they started to bloom in spring, all the way into summer.

He hummed in response, not really engaging in the conversation about his gloomy island. He was well aware of the atmosphere that came with it, but was never really bothered by it. He had seen plenty of the world in his younger years, and could still go wherever he wanted, if he wanted to do so, he just hadn’t really thought about the possible effects of his living space on you, his wife.

You decided to change topic before he could even add onto the conversation, turning around in his arms and giving him a quick kiss on the lips. “My turn to make dinner right? Give me a few moments”. You started making your way to the kitchen hearing familiar footsteps follow you. “I will help”.

Taking turns to cook dinner, occasionally cooking together, and always eating together was part of your routine, and it was one of the things that helped you settle in so easily with Mihawk. He was a man of routine and predictability. Something not everyone would appreciate that much, but for you it brought peace of mind and way less stress. No surprises to anticipate, nothing to worry about. So as you started to chop some vegetables and Mihawk started to cook some meat, the worries from before started slipping from your mind, too focused on how happy you actually were right here, as long as he was by your side.

After dinner you continued your usual routine, drinking some wine and enjoying a good book in each other’s company, before you retreated to your shared bedroom. Mihawk stayed up a little longer but promised to join you a little later.

You had fallen asleep before he joined you, and when you woke up, much to your dismay, you found yourself alone in the bed. You were a little surprised, it was not unusual for Mihawk to be up earlier, but he’d normally bring a book and read some until you woke up so you could cuddle up a little. The very rare occasion he’d be up earlier, he usually let you know beforehand.

You got up and got dressed, looking for your husband in the kitchen, the dining room, the library, his study... he was nowhere to be seen. You were almost getting worried when you suddenly heard the familiar heavy noise of the front doors opening and closing. There he was, all decked out in his outside clothes, and you could only look at him in confusion.

“Oh I am sorry”, he said, as he greeted you with a good morning kiss, “did I wake you?” “No... I just woke up all by myself and I was looking for you... I didn’t know you were going outside.” “I’m sorry, I had to prepare for something.” He took off his coat, draping it over his arm and taking it with him as he started walking towards the kitchen. “Breakfast?”

You nodded. “Preparing for something?” A small smile appeared on his lips. “Yes”. He didn’t elaborate further, not even after you nudged his arm, encouraging him to speak more, and just started preparing breakfast. “Mihawk?” “Yes dear?” His tone was so normal and nonchalant that you were almost ready to break an egg on his hat, seeing a mischievous glint in his eyes that he almost never had.

“What are you hiding?” “Nothing much” “So something” “Patience. After breakfast.” You could only groan in response, and continued making breakfast as fast as possible, afterwards nearly inhaling the result, much to Mihawk’s amusement who was taking his sweet time eating. “No use in rushing, we’ll be too early like that.” Now you were really confused. Just what was he planning?

Your questions were finally answered when he told you to take your coat after breakfast. You were going on a little trip. The destination still a secret, and you figured that there was no use in guessing. You were already kind of excited. You got to go off the island for a bit, and it had been a good amount of time since you went on any kind of trip with Mihawk. He said it was only a day trip, so you figured that you’d know soon enough where you were going.

The trip itself was rather uneventful. Mihawk’s coffin-shaped boat was really not built for two people, but ever since the two of you had started dating seriously, Mihawk had it modified so you could have a comfortable seat as well, although you generally preferred to just sit close to him. The sea was dark and a little rough in the immediate vicinity of the island, but after a while you noticed you were entering calmer waters, the grey clouds and sky slowly transforming into white puffy clouds in a bright blue sky, with a sun that made your skin tingle a little bit and was reflected by the water, as if someone had sprinkled the smallest diamonds all over the sea.

At that point, it didn’t really matter anymore where you were going, you were already so happy to experience the sun and the blue sky as a true part of summer, looking around you and seeing some fish swim in the incredibly clear water around the boat, not even noticing how Mihawk was watching your almost childlike enthusiasm and amazement with a small smile on his face.

“We’re almost there” You looked up, surprised at the sudden sound of your husband’s voice interrupting the soothing sounds of the waves and the seagulls high above you. In the distance you could see a small island, and for a little while you weren’t sure if you were still so far away that it seemed extremely small and inhabited, or if it was just really that small.

The answer was the latter. The beach was only a few feet far before the sand already transformed into the darker ground of a forest floor. The trees were completely different from the ones you saw daily on Kuraigana, all shades of green on top of all shades of brown, flashes of colorful birds singing various songs on the branches. Your mouth was wide open in amazement. You hadn’t even properly walked around and this island was already more beautiful than any other place you had visited before.

After securing the boat, Mihawk wrapped an arm around your waist, gently guiding you through the forest. Neither of you said a word. You were too busy admiring the sights and taking in the fresh air, the sounds of the animals and enjoying the feeling of the sun on your skin wherever it managed to find it’s way through the tree foliage, and Mihawk was just relaxing, enjoying your little sounds of surprise and enthusiastic gasps.

After a little while of walking, you started to wonder whether you were just exploring the island or if Mihawk had an actual goal in mind, he seemed just a little too determined to go in certain directions, and you had no problem just following him wherever he guided you, after all you assumed he knew this place, and the forest seemed so undisturbed there was no clear path anyway. Your suspicions of a goal were confirmed as you suddenly felt the sun hit your eyes as you reached an open space, you assumed somewhere in the middle of the forest.

You closed your eyes for a bit, and opened them slowly, letting them adjust to the harsh summer light after walking in the cool shade of the threes. Then you had to slowly blink, at least five times, to really believe what you were seeing: a small field of flowers of all kinds of colors and shapes. Familiar flowers that you recognized from home, but also colorful exotic species that you had never seen before. High grass, a sea of green, with spots of yellow, red, blue, purple, pink, orange, you name it. Butterflies and bees as well as tiny birds flying around.. the sight was just breathtaking, you actually slapped your own face gently to snap yourself out of your almost trance like state. You heard your husband chuckle next to you.

“Was this what you had in mind when you wished for a more summery sight?” You couldn’t even form the words in your brain for what you wanted to say, nodding frantically in response, forgetting all gentle manners and flying around his neck, causing him to almost stumble and wrap his arms around you tightly to make sure the two of you fell onto the ground. He could make out a muffled ‘thank you’ with your face pressed against his shoulder and lovingly pat your back in response.

After you let go, you gave him a quick kiss on the lips before returning your focus on the wonderful flower field behind you. He found a nice spot in the shade, and sat down with a book he had brought along, while you walked around the field, picking some of the flowers and making a flower crown out of them, some of your fondest childhood memories coming back as your hands skillfully braided the flower stems. You watched the butterflies, giggling as one landed on your hand for a bit, and determined which flower smelled the sweetest. You picked some more and formed a nice bouquet to take home, it would look lovely on the dinner table.

It was almost getting dark when you heard Mihawk closing his book, calling your name to return home. You felt sad you had to leave, but you were also getting a little hungry, and going back home in complete darkness wasn’t ideal either. Flower crown on your head and bouquet in hand, you walked back to your husband and placed a kiss on his cheek as he wrapped his arm around your waist again. “Thank you so much... It was nice to experience some summer.” “If you ever have something like that bothering you again, you just have to tell me y/n...” “Don’t worry... I will”

The trip back was just as uneventful as the way to the island, and you felt your heart sink a little bit at seeing Kuraigana again. Looking at the bouquet in your hands made you feel better though, and you promised yourself that even if after those flowers withered, you’d keep the memories of today in your heart for forever.

The moment you actually arrived home, you immediately grabbed a nice vase to place the flowers in and set them on the dinner table, smiling at how well they fitted in and yet made the room just a little bit more summer-y. You noticed Mihawk grabbing some very thick books and setting them on a separate table as you grabbed ingredients to start making dinner. “What are you doing dear?” you set the ingredients down and walked over to him. He lifted one of the books so you could see. One of the exotic flowers from the island was being flattened by the weight of the books, perfectly laid down to not be smushed, so it could dry beautifully. You couldn’t help but smile widely. “You picked flowers?” “A few, to remember the trip by. We can go back more often, but the flowers only bloom for a short amount of time. That’s what I had to look up yesterday.” You hummed in response as he continued to explain. “So I figured we could bring a little summer to this grey island for you, and make sure it doesn’t die,” he continued, gesturing at the flowers you had set on the table. You looked over at the piles of books. “Just how many did you bring?” “Eight, one for each year...” “... we’ve been married” you added with a smile. With his usual cold demeanor you’d nearly forget how romantic this man could be. You leaned in to kiss him slowly, and turned back to your ingredients after.

“I’ll make us a special dinner, in celebration of an actual summer together.”

#one piece of summer #Mihawk #mihawk x reader #dracule mihawk #dracule mihawk x reader #doctorgerth #Laws-yellow-submarine #summer writing challenge #writing challenge #one piece writing #one piece reader insert #one piece ficlet #reader insert #personal writing

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gildedmuse · 4 years

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Room For One More

I wrote this just off the cuff, for no reason. It was inspired in part by conversations with @jhaernyl and @babblebuzz so I encourage you to blame them, even though neither of them asked for this, wanted it, or suspected they were about to get 1000+ words in their messages.

It’s suppose to be Mihawk.x Law x Zoro, but it never got so far. It features Mihawk x Law as a married couple, Zoro as Mihawk’s too young and too cute and too sexy assistant that Law finds just suspicious... And also really fucking hot.

PS: Sorry for the requests I haven’t filled, especially Go To War For You. It’s coming, I swear! I just got out of the hospital and straight back to work, and I lost my train of thought there. But I’m slowly writing it out. Because obviously I love me some MiZoLaw

PPS: See people this is what you message me/converse with me. I just write up 1000 words of nothing. You are to blame.

Room For One More: Get Him Out

Ooohh... Au where Law is married to Mihawk and one day he comes home to find his husband leaning over and around this green haired.... KID (that's what he is, he is a goddamn kid, Law thinks. He may be all of 18. Barely.) Law just stands in the door, utterly unacknowledged as Mihawk continues speaking in that low, sexy voice of his and Law is too upset to even hear what he's saying, but he sure as hell can see the way his husband's mouth is so close to the boy's ear the three gold bars hanging from it jingle together. Like a fucking alarm bell as far as Law is concerned.

Law coughs.

Twice.

That finally does it. Both of them turn as if they just noticed Law when he'd come in mid rant about a patient who just won't take his damn meds and paperwork and yet only know have they managed to notice his existence.

Mihawk smiles even as Law glares him down. "Law, you're home early."

"Actually, I'm home precisely when I was supposed to be."

Mihawk nods, brow furrowing for a mere second, thrown by the snippiness in Law's voice. Oh sorry I sound upset about walking in on your clearly private session with school boy jezebel here, honey. "Which in your case, is early. I can't name the last time you did not stay late at the hospital for one reason or another."

"I had a frustrating day, I wanted to call it an early night. I wasn't aware that we'd have... guests." Law's eyes not so subtly fall to the boy, unable to see him completely since he's still sitting there between his husband's arms. Plus he's gone back to whatever is in front of him on the table. Sure, now he feels a sense of shame.

When his gaze goes back to his husband, Mihawk has an eyebrow raised. Law knows that look. The "I am older and wiser than you and do not understand at times why you behave the way you do" look. Law hates that look, but right at this particular moment it makes him want to stab something.

Preferably something green, cute, and sitting in between his husband's arms like it's no big deal.

"I informed you earlier. Red-Hawk offices are under going heavy renovation and will be unusable for the next two weeks, forcing me to work from home." Yes, Law remembers the conversation. Although, admittedly, only barely. He'd had just gotten off two major surgeries and countless troublesome patients and a 12 hour shift. Mihawk himself had apparently been forced to run meeting after meeting, and all alone thanks to the newly wedded Shanks and Benn having both come down with some undescribed illness, that was on top of his normal work overseeing product development, speaking with potential clients, whatever he did at that office of his, the very description of which always bored Law. He knows it's something sports related, that it makes incredibly good money but also keeps Mihawk constantly busy and nearly as exhausted as Law. Just the other day he ended up sleeping over at the office and...

Oh. Oh, fuck, Law has been so stupid and naïve. And he supposes this boy's name just happens to be At-the-office.

"This is Roronoa Zoro," Mihawk continues, ignoring the narrowing of Law's eyes. "He's one of our interns. He's acting as my temporary assistant while Perona is on vacation."

Right... The pink haired gothic doll that acts as his husband's right hand.... Lolita (that wording had never sounded so wrong to Law. He'd met Perona plenty of times. While the girl gets on his nerves, she is apparently incredibly effective. He's also seen her with Mihawk and there is absolutely nothing going on there.) Her absence is part of what's been adding to his husband's recent stress at work.

Stress he's apparently found a cure for. A very new cure, apparently. Barely old enough to be out of testing.

The boy glances back at Law since the first time since he first interrupted them. His husband stands up, freeing the boy to sit up a little straighter. Law had been right. He is cute. Annoyingly so.

"Hey there," the boy says in such an incredibly causal tone it actually throws Law for a second.

"Roronoa," Mihawk's already low voice seems to dip a little deeper, more authoritative. Usually sexy as hell, goes right to Law's cock. Unless he's exhausted. Or it's being used on his fucking boy toy.

The kid actually rolls his eyes! "Sorry. How do you do, Dracule-san," Zoro says, using his schoolboy on his best behavior voice which, who knows, he may actually still have use for. His voice is lower than Law had assumed, almost expecting him to sound like a child not yet through puberty.

"It's Trafalgar, actually," Law corrects him, and it's a pointed correction. Instead of being relieved that at least the boy knows he is indeed the husband here, he's more annoyed than ever. So Mihawk told him he was married and the boy came anyway?

Zoro shrugs off the mistake, apparently entirely unaffected by Law's rather legendary bad looks. "S-- My apologies, Trafalgar, I was unaware."

Law can't help but notice that despite the still formal language, Zoro has already thrown away the honorific. Much like he already thrown away any respect for the sanctity of Law's wedding vows.

You know what, no. Law's day had been hell and this is simply too much right now. "Excuse me. I'm starving," he mutters. He moves by Mihawk without stopping for their usual kiss, not even looking at his husband as he goes to open the fridge.

It doesn't mean he misses the way his husband's striking golden eyes follow him, just like a hawk's would as it studies its prey. Nor does he miss how eventually the feeling burning into the back of his neck drops away. He hears a low sigh, almost neutral except he knows his husband. He can hear the frustration.

Good. Let him be frustrated..

"Roronoa," Mihawk says, sounding almost as tired as Law feels. "Do you remember when I showed you the study earlier, where I keep all the file logs."

Law is too busy trying to ignore the goddamn child in his kitchen to care what he replies. He does, however, get out some vegetables right at that moment, and so sees the way Zoro turns his head up, exposing a long column of his neck, stretching it above the collar of his undone dress shirt, as he gives his husband a sort of searching look, pausing before he nods.

"Could you take the papers up there, please, and finish the form as instructed. Law is trying to dig out a damn chopping block but does hear the boy say, "Yeah, sure." and the scratch of chair legs along with shuffling papers.

Just as Law has finally found what he needed, right where it was supposed to be but that's not the point, he hears Mihawk approaching. Before he even makes it halfway to Law he's stopped. "Wait."

Law looks up on instinct. Mihawk's deep voice also attracts Zoro, who had finally almost been gone. "Don't start the next form until I am there. Simply file what we've completed."

"Yeah, okay."

"That will be all, Roronoa." Zoro actually has the nerve to roll his eyes before he turns to start leaving again. Not that he gets far. "Roronoa," his husband adds with another sigh. Frustrated still, annoyed and... endeared. Yes, damnit, Law knows Mihawk too well.. "It is the other door." Zoro's shoulders go very stiff. He huffs but says nothing, making a quick turn and marching out of their kitchen. At least.

Law slams the chopping board down on the counter so hard he's surprised neither of them breaks.

"Law.." Mihawk places a heavy hand on Law's shoulder which is quickly dismissed. He picks up a knife - perhaps not the best choice at the moment... For Mihawk - and starts chopping away at some peppers. They are nice and green and easy for him to slice apart. "Law... Darling," Mihawk tries again, this time not attempt to touch him. He is watching Law chop apart the pepper, which is good. One of them should probably be paying attention to the way he wielding a sharp blade around his fingers while exhausted and enraged. "Very well, I can see that you've come to certain conclusions, but let me assure you those assumption are entirely incorrect, likely the result of your long shifts and lack of sleep.

Law ends up embedding the knife in the board. He turns to Mihawk, an aura of pure darkness. Honestly, he loves the man, bit is this the time for one of his "be sensible, I'm right" speeches? Law glares up at him, temped just storm out only that would just make Mihawk feel more confirmed in his believe that Law is over reacting.

Instead, after a deep breath, Law starts in on him, his voice low and logical while still with an edge of danger. "I walked into our kitchen to find you leaning over some boy BARELY out of high school - hopefully! - whispering in his damn ear.... Don't think I don't remember you doing that to me. I believe you later admitted to loving being able to watch my face as you slowly worked me up into a frenzy. Was the boy getting hard for you? Or had you only just started?"

Law's voice is laced with some much bitterness and maybe... Maybe some heartbreak but Law is burying that deep right now. Yet Mihawk's face gives him nothing. His husband leans against the counter with his arms crossed, watching him go off on this rant with neutral and yet somehow analytical expression. That just drives Law temperature even further. Even more than Mihawk's utter lack of an answer.

"Your reaction?" Law's voice is raising with every word, furious that Mihawk is giving him so little when Law has every right to be mad. "Once I get you attention, at least. You're very first comment when I come home exhausted and stressed and find you with some green haired, rude little brat? Surprise that I'm home early."

"I apologize, Hawk-ya, that in interrupted your time with-

Mihawk pulls Law in for a kiss. It's not sensual or deep, but it's sincere. Which... Law can't even understand. It makes no sense. It makes Law want to cry and as that realizes comes Law realized he already has been.

Why is Mihawk doing this to him? Just tell him the truth.

When he pulls back, Mihawk appears at least somewhat contrite. Still, when he finally nods it feels like like an agreement and more like he's acquiescing. "Perhaps it would have given the circumstance to give you more time to adjust to this change, but let me assure you that Roronoa is only here in an official, business capacity. "

"And what's his business? Sucking my husband's cock?" Law bites back, no longer wanting Mihawk to try and disguise what is obvious, like he thinks Law is an idiot or, more likely, so overworked and so rarely home he simply would never notice the indiscretion and would be too exhausted to bother caring if he did.

Is that... Is that how Mihawk sees their relationship?

Mihawk reaches for him again but Law has had enough. He jerks away before Mihawk even gets close to touching him, eyes fire and challenges as he stares up at the older man. “Where did you pick him up? A damn kindergarten?”

“He’s an intern for RedHawk, as I explained earlier,” while Mihawk’s words are still rather simple, straight forward in many ways, his tone is patient. Like he’s dealing with a damn child. “And he is nineteen.” Well, he probably has practice since he’s sleeping with one. “Please, Law, you are clearly exhausted. Let me finish instructing Zoro on some final matters and we’ll both of us lay down. It’s been a hard week and-”

Oh, he’s sure his husband will instruct the boy on all sorts of things. Law swings around, hunger completely forgotten. “You’re right, Hawk-ya,” he spits the old nickname with a venom, storming from the kitchen, his hunger completely forgotten. “I do need rest. And frankly I think that is more likely to happen if I don’t have to share my bed with two other people.”

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cienie-isengardu · 4 years

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The development of Law’s relationship with Zoro - Part 3: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (A)

<Part I: Before Meeting>> <<Part II: Sabaody Archipelago, The First Meeting>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard: The Alliance (A)__(B)>> <<Part IV: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (The Plan Failed)__ (Saving Law)__(Protecting Law)__ (Birdcage, Pica and Doflamingo)__ (Aftermath)>> <<Part V: Zou, The Kindred Spirits (Traveling Together)__(Searching for Nakama)__ (Reunion)__ (Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance)__(The Last Moments before War)>> Part VI: Wano, Against Emperors (The Untold Journey)__(Luffy & Zoro Means Troubles…)__(...and Law Is Not Happy About That)__(Separated Again)__(Law and Straw Hats: Clash of Authority)

(Because tumblr is bastard, I was forced to cut Part 3 into two smaller bits. Sorry for inconvenience!)

So far, the previous parts were written mainly from Law’s perspective - especially the meta about Sabaody Archipelago as he was an eyewitness of Straw Hats shocking deeds. The Punk Hazard arc did not create a lot of chances for Law and Zoro to interact, yet it allows them to learn - or at least to assume - things about the other enough to set a solid common ground for their future relationship. Thanks to the richer source material, this time the analysis can be relatively as much about Law’s perspective as about Zoro’s, which helps to show how their characters share significant similarities.

So, a quick recap:

Between the first meeting at Sabaody Archipelago and reunion on Punk Hazard, two years have passed. A lot things changed over that time - Trafalgar Law became Shichibukai, one of seven Warlords, while Straw Hats just started their journey to the New World.

Through the series of events, Straw Hats Pirates found themselves on an isolated island known as Punk Hazard and of course, got in trouble. Originally, he crew divided into two groups; Luffy, Zoro, Robin and Usopp (later joined by Brook as well) went on the island as “rescue group” while Nami, Sanji, Chopper, Franky and Brook were supposed to wait on the ship but get caught by enemy and ended up involved with saving kidnapped children. None of them knew in advance that on the Punk Hazard currently lives Trafalgar Law - Luffy’s saviour from Marineford and rival pirate captain. Law, on the other hand most likely knew about Straw Hats’ big comeback, since Monet was showing Caesar Clown the newest article about Straw Hats, thus the newspaper somehow must have reached Punk Hazard. Of course, the island wasn't an easy place to find so it’s safe to assume that Law’s proposition of alliance was more of taking advantage of the occasion than planned to the last detail scheme.

Like I said earlier, Zoro and Law did not interact much through the story arc, mainly because both were busy with their own task until the final fight united all pirates and marines against a common enemy. They did however hear about the other from various people and run into each other a few times; either they were within earshot or close enough to watch what the other was doing and on the basis of observation (and comparison to rest of characters) draw some conclusions.

The first chance was the meeting between pirate captains that Zoro (with Usopp, Brook and Robin) observed from a close distance. Even before the captains faced each other, Zoro immediately recognized the other Supernova:

Interestingly,

Roronoa remembered Law from the Human Shop on Sabaody Archipelago but did he know about Law’s position as Shichibukai is not clear. Robin for sure knew and it’s hard to tell for sure if Mihawk would tell Zoro about his fellow member of the Worst Generation getting a title of Warlord. Whatever he knew or not, Zoro did not forget about the rival captain even though he spent the last two years in isolation, training hard under Mihawk’s watchful eye. What means he saw Law as a strong (potentially dangerous?) person worth remembering. Thus it would not be too exaggerated to say that Law made a good impression that day (later on, Nami too will recall Law more from the incident on SA rather than saving Luffy at Marineford)

From the comics page, it’s hard to tell who was surprised about Luffy’s wounds, but the anime episode clearly showed it was Robin. Zoro’s reaction is hard to judge by, since we couldn’t see his face nor hear his thoughts on that matter. Still, he may know more about events at Marineford than her thanks to Mihawk’s intel about battle and what happened to Luffy there. Maybe even mentioned that Law showed up out of nowhere and helped smuggle injured Luffy and Jinbei far away? Or maybe Luffy just told him about his scars off-panel.

Luffy said he owes his life to Law. Which, for someone like Zoro, who was willing to give up his own life, ambitions and pride for Luffy, is a pretty big declaration. Saving Luffy definitely put Law on Zoro’s good side.

Despite Luffy’s declaration about Law as the good guy, the Shichibukai did not think the rival captain was indebted to him and warned that “we are both pirates. Don’t forget it”:

According to Law, saving Luffy was a whim, and the mentioned action is considered just as such. No debt, no demanding a payback, not dragging Luffy in the mess because of something that happened two years ago. That attitude speaks a lot about Law as a person and presents him in a positive light - he is a honest man that does not make excuses about kindness to emotionally influence a rival captain. On the contrary, Trafalgar warns against trusting him, because pirates can’t be trusted, really and they are both just that. A potential enemy at this point.

Law actually sounded here a lot like Zoro in Alabasta, after saving Smoker:

Both saw the good deed just as a whim (in case of Zoro, a captain’s whim) and did not demand anything in return nor saw it as something changing the status quo between them and (potential) enemy. Trafalgar reminded Luffy both are pirates - thus kindness shouldn’t be taken for granted while betrayal and deception should be expected at any moment. Saving once Straw Hat doesn’t make Law - or Luffy, for that matter - obliged to anything.

Zoro, instead of using the “debt of life” argument to secure the safety of the crew, said only “don’t think about that, Luffy is just being weird”. Like what happened between him and Smoker did not matter at all - when in truth it mattered very much. Marine officer between pirates could not expect rescue yet he survived because Zoro followed a ridiculous captain’s order despite knowing well how big of a threat the man was to the crew. Leaving Smoker to his fate was the best, the most logical and pragmatic choice to make. A choice Zoro was willing to make, a choice that was expected from him by Sanji and Smoker alike. It was the best chance to get rid of a marine officer that none of Straw Hats could beat down at that point. Yet the cold pragmatism was overruled by the captain's whim. When questioned by Sanji why he’d bring the enemy up Zoro admitted he didn’t want to do it (what Smoker most likely heard while recovering after almost drowning), but beside that did not fuse about that, did not complain, did not take credit for anything. And he could easily use the situation for crew’s benefit, could easily lie about kindness or anything like that. But the same as Law, Zoro chose a straight-forward approach and dismissed any idea of debt from the saved person. Since it is such a similar act, something that Zoro would do - and did - himself, I strongly believe in that moment Zoro took to liking Law. Or at least, gave him the benefit of doubt.

A moment later, Law used his powers that catched Zoro’s attention immediately.

Though none of Straw Hats witnessed the full fight between Law and Marines, it was clear that Shichibukai won against Smoker and in one move knocked down Tashigi. And fine, now Smoker is most likely not a big match for Monster Trio and Tashigi never was at Zoro’s level, but they weren’t the weakest marine soldiers either. Even though Luffy assured his friends that Trafalgar is a good guy, Zoro showed interest in Law’s weird abilities. Whatever was that curiosity alone or taking notes in case of future fight, Roronoa had a chance to see up close some of Supernova’s skills.

Soon after that Law and Straw Hats went their ways - but before parting, Trafalgar told the rival pirates where they could find their missing comrades. So far, the Shichibukai behaved well towards Luffy and Straw Hats.

In truth, Trafalgar Law did not have a reason to think much about anyone else than Luffy at that moment, while Zoro got some important insight into Law’s character and powers. Once in the shelter, when the entire crew gathered and discussed the latest events together, Zoro had another chance to gather information about Shichibukai. The intel though was contradictory.

The first source of knowledge was Zoro’s own nakama and the swap of their bodies. It wasn’t outright said but I think all of them easily came to the conclusion that it was Law’s fault. Why he changed Straw Hats, none could know for sure. In one way or another, they were forced to seek out Law to undo unwanted change. Law did say to Luffy before parting their ways they will meet again, which is the most logical of his reasons. The change weakened Straw Hats, but it wasn’t anything truly dangerous or threatening. Confusing as hell, sure, but beside Nami, no one was worrying too much about it.

The second source of knowledge was samurai Kinemon. Thanks to him, Luffy finally learned that Law become Shichibukai (however Zoro seems to be unfazed by the information, what could means he already knew that after all).He told a story how Law cut him in three pieces - head was taken to laboratorium and there cut into even more pieces, torso left behind and legs thrown(?) away as food for the dragon.

This contradicts Luffy’s opinion of Law, as the good guy and resembles more the Sabaody Archipelago incident, when Law cut in pieces marines and messed with their bodies. Of course, Kinemon was an unknown enemy from Trafalgar’s perspective yet samurai’s story about saving his son and the general situation of the children begging to be saved, does not put Law in good light. For whatever reason, the Shichibukai was involved in shaddy interest and there was no denying that. Also, although Zoro is far less suicidal than Tashigi with the whole “if you are going to cut / defeat me, kill me” attitude, as a swordsman (influenced by Wano philosophy thanks to his old sensei), cutting an enemy in pieces but not letting him die may be actually offending. It’s hard to ignore Law’s cruelty of messing with the human body while said person is alive and can still feel pain but can’t do anything because all the parts are thrown in different places. I mean, it’s pretty good tactics to keep enemy helpless but killing is much easier way to get rid of the problem without unnecesery torture.

Kinemon’s story brings back the reason why Trafalgar Law is called Surgeon of Death and supports all the rumors of his cruelty. He is not above messing with the human body and cutting it in pieces while keeping the owner alive and helpless. It’s not something that Zoro would do. Injuring seriously, even killing? Yes. But not torturing. It just proves how dangerous - and cruel - Trafalgar can be.

The third, final source is Brownbeard. The pirate explained what the “Worst Generation” is, told a story about Punk Hazard and Hawkins killing all members of his crew, about beloved master Ceasar Clown who helped injured and abandoned former prisoners and, finally, about another “saving god” in the person of Trafalgar Law.

On one hand, this is another proof of Law’s medical skills and specific powers used to help strangers. Brownbeard was grateful to Trafalgar, although the Shichibukai was a part of Luffy & Zoro’s generation that the older pirate hated with passion. Like he said, Law was different from the rest of Supernovas and many Straw Hats pirates were touched by the story. For Luffy it was a proof he was right, Law was a good guy.

At this point I think Zoro gets the idea that “surgeon” in Law’s epithet is no mistake. The man clearly had medical knowledge and skills and good understanding of his own powers. On another, since Straw Hats had a chance to learn a bit about Law’s powers and its effect on people, one may wonder what happened to the animals? Are they still alive, legless? Or were killed for the “greater good”? Because as much as Brownbeard’s story was touching, the fact that Law cut away from so many living creatures their lower part of body and gave permanently to someone else is creepy. And closer to some mad science than miracle healing. Franky, like always, Zoro did not betray any emotions about the situation, he mainly listened to other people’s stories without passing verbal judgment.

Out of 4 people talking about Law, Brownbeard and Luffy were adamant Trafalgar was a good guy (and were indebted to him), Kinemon testified to his cruelty and lack of mercy while Law considered himself just a pirate. Which is half on half. Whatever Zoro considered Law a good or bad man at that point, there is no denying he was capable of both great and horrifying deeds. The safest option then was to consider Law as a complex character. In truth, I feel like Zoro would put more weight on Law’s personal opinion about himself, especially since the man did not consider himself to be a hero. Like Luffy and Zoro, despite all the good deeds done over the course of their journey, they saw themselves as pirates, with big ambitions and selfish goals rather than heroes. Law’s opinion seems to be the most honest and objectively.

To sum up the first exchange between Law and Straw Hats, his main focus was again at Luffy, while Zoro in a relatively short time managed to learn important bits about Trafalgar.

Soon after that scene, Nami sent Zoro to tag along Sanji (currently in her body) and Brook in search for samurai. Zoro wasn’t pleased and frankly, it was the first time when he could be annoyed by Law’s weird abilities. Then again, he could be just annoyed by the perverted nature of Sanji and Brook that made Nami send him to guard her body from two perverts. Looking at how he and Sanji argued the whole way, I think it was the latter.

In meanwhile, Trafalgar learned that Caesar Clown hired Yeti Cool Brothers to kill Straw Hats. Soon after that he was told that Roronoa Zoro, Nami and Brook were easily killed by the assassins.

Caesar and Monet found that amusing and/or disappointing. Because of the scheme against Donquixote Doflamingo, Law could not betray his personal thoughts on that matter. He did not show much emotion either, when Monet mentioned his past connection to Straw Hats, at least until Caesar’s accusation of bringing Straw Hats comes to play. Ultimately, Law (for now) secured his position as their ally and even assured his companions to fight for them. What soon will turn to be a lie - as much as Law’s expression did not betray anything, once the talk was done, he headed straight to Luffy, saving along the way captured Nami (in Franky’s body) from the Yeti Cool Brothers.

Did the news about the supposed death of Zoro, “Nami” and Brook prompted him into action, it’s hard to tell for sure. On one hand, he went seeking Luffy to propose an alliance and came at the right moment to eliminate the enemy, so the feeling of danger wasn’t unfounded. On another, would he want to ally himself with a crew which one(s) of the main warriors got killed so easily?

The alliance was made to the horror of Usopp, Nami and Chopper while Robin was supportive of Luffy’s decision (although warned him about the danger of betrayal), while Franky was barely conscious due to injury. Zoro, Sanji and Brook were not there busy looking for missing samurai. About the Straw Hats individual reactions to alliance I will talk in a more extensive way soon. For now what is important, Law's first real interaction with Luffy’s crew was shocking and confusing on many levels. Once the emotions settled down, Straw Hats got their bodies back (beside Nami and Sanji, who was still far away) and a plan was formed - and like, Law was forced to help save the sick children - the serious talk started for good.

Law warned Straw Hats about Caesar Clown - those who can’t use haki should keep away. Luffy admitted that out of all crewmembers, he, Zoro and Sanji are the ones capable of fighting the criminal scientist. With Law, the alliance had 4 fighters that could capture the man.

So far, Law learned that Zoro is indeed a haki user. To capture gas-gas (Logia) man, he would need to use armament type. A type that the stronger of will, the harder to cut, even with Law’s abilities.

Trafalgar warned Luffy that once they capture Caesar, things will shift very fast and there will be no coming back anymore. Luffy of course did not change his mind and finally the talk turned to missing Straw Hats.

Out of 9 crewmembers, only 6 were present - Nami (now in Sanji’s body), Luffy, Robin, Chopper, Franky & Usopp, so Law could talk just about Zoro, Sanji (in Nami’s body) and Brook. The trio that was said to be killed by Yeti Cool Brothers. Which leads back to earlier Trafalgar’s (forced) lack of reaction - either

Law with premeditation omitted their supposed death, maybe to not deal with Luffy’s emotional response that he already experienced at Amazon Lily when Luffy was mourning the death of Ace. The “positive” outcome of that choice could get in handy once the truth came out, as better motivation for Luffy to get the man responsible for the death of his friends. Yet the negative outcome outweighs the positive, since Law needs Caesar alive and Luffy in furious despair could kill the scientist. Still, if Trafalgar believed that harm came to missing Straw Hats he could tell Luffy what he heard not so long ago.

Law did not believe Yeti Cool Brothers could take down Zoro alongside Sanji (did he know who was in which body or did he learn that just by switching Straw Hats bodies much later?) and Brook since all were pretty strong. What could explain why Law talked about them as alive and unharmed.

Or maybe meeting with Luffy confirmed that the missing trio is all right due to lack of negative effects between switched Straw Hats - if Law’s ability let him know who was in whose body and destroying one body affected the true owner, that is.

Interestingly, Law told Luffy to convince the three missing friends of his about the alliance between Straw Hats and Heart Pirates. Did he expect Zoro (and Sanji and Brook) to be wary of working with Trafalgar, like Robin warned? To advise against alliance, like Usopp, Nami and Chopper did? Was that assumption of a worst-case scenario or expecting an understandable or even justified suspicion since all of them were pirates and pirates can’t be trusted?

Now allied pirates proceeded with the plan that of course did not work like it should. Luffy’s group failed to capture Caesar, Law was stopped by Vergo, marines got mixed into all of this while Zoro’s group faced the danger of Slime. In the end Law, Luffy, Robin, Franky, Smoker (in Tashigi’s body) and Tashigi (in Smoker’s body) were captured and put in the same cage. For a brief moment, the captured pirates and marines could observe on big screen the struggle of people outside the facility that were used as guinea pigs in Caesar’s experiment of mass murder weapon. Including Zoro’s group chased by a toxic monster. Since Luffy spotted his friends, it’s logical that Law, laying side to side with Luffy, saw them too.

Even Caesar admitted that Luffy’s friends are quite tenacious yet in serious danger. Only those inside the building were safe and soon after that allied pirates and marines got busy with their own survival. Freed and ready to kick enemy ass, Law had a chance to see how Zoro and Kinemon made a big entrance by slicing through the iron doors.

Luffy, being helpful like always, noted the ruckus was “Zoro and others” doing, so Law couldn’t mistake Roronoa for anyone else. But as much as it was a pretty awesome entrance, Straw Hats sliced the door that was supposed to keep toxic gas out of the building nearly killing everyone and only a fast reaction of marines saved them all. Impressive act yet reckless and putting everyone in serious danger. Zoro’s reaction to what could happen to them all if G-5 soldiers didn’t repair the door?

OK. Like being so close to dying in a horrible way was no big deal.

Soon after that, marines were ready to attack Straw Hats and Brownbeard. One near death experience behind Zoro and he is up for another fight. With a sharp smile. The upcoming fight was stopped though for a moment by Law’s speech (who could pay attention to what was going on between marines and pirates or not, hard to tell but the whole screaming of G-5 soldiers must reach his ears, especially since he did hear Nami’s demands to switch her back to her body). Trafalgar explained the current situation and how much time they all have to save themselves.

On that occasion, Zoro at least can be assured that Law is not interested in mass murder weapon to gain for himself and were nice enough to tell pirates and marines alike how to save themselves. Interesting is also that Law said outright he can’t guarantee the safety of anyone who will stay in the facility after 2 hours is over even though no one was his responsibility to begin which. Even if there was no alliance (about Zoro still did not know), Straw Hats would still target Caesar for hurting children and marines were natural enemies. And yet, he gave them all important details and time to run away.

With Law’s final words, the characters split in three groups - Law, Smoker and Luffy went to fight Caesar and Vergo, Straw Hats went to look for children, marines were ordered by Smoker to save kids and find a way to escape - and, because Straw Hats are pirates, the soldiers decided to fight them on the occasion. The three groups of course will soon mix up, but before that happens there is one important moment - Zoro, after learning from Usopp about Luffy’s defeat and coming to conclusion how reckless all of them were, demanded from Luffy to pull himself together and finally get serious since this is the “New World” where the smallest mistake may bring death.

Luffy ran ahead of Law and Smoker, but he was still close enough to where Shichibukai stood to assume he too heard Zoro’s words. Roronoa may not show much worry or care for the danger before, but once he took the situation seriously, he outright demanded from the captain to do the same. No more fooling, no more reliance on luck. He was harsh on himself and treated Luffy to the same, high standard. After hours of staying close with Luffy who did not bother much by being captured or the danger, who joked and talked crazy bullshit, I think that moment put Zoro in good light in the eyes of Law. At least one Straw Hat took seriously the whole situation (without panicking like Nami, Usopp and Chopper) while not tolerating the childish behavior of the captain (like Robin and Franky did in the cage).

Of course, the Gum Gum no Ufo did spoil the moment between Zoro and Luffy, but hey, maybe at least it reassured Law that Luffy does not listen even to his own nakama and they suffer as much as he did while dealing with Monkey D. Luffy. Anyway, Law and Zoro again parted their ways. In the long run, Trafalgar with the help of Smoker finished Vergo, Zoro with Tashigi defeated Monet, Luffy beat down Caesar and sent him flying and Straw Hats saved the children.

The next time when Zoro and Law met, the toxic gas got inside the facility (this time courtesy of Trafalgar who cut the building in half with his powers during a fight with Vergo) and united forces of pirates & marines were running away from it. Trafalgar came up with a plan to save everyone but they needed to run as fast as possible since Luffy failed to capture Caesar - the main figure needed to take down Doflamingo. Despite the urgency, Straw Hats refused to go with him until the missing Chopper, Usopp and Brook would not show up.

And they did not budge at all, until all of their friends came safe and all.

Loyalty is a Straw Hats thing. That and being stubborn as hell. Not just Luffy and Zoro or Sanji (the strongest fighters) but every member of the crew.

Once all settled into a cart and were riding through the tunnel, they had to deal with a collapsing building - and the possibility of being burned alive.

Despite the grave situation, Law and Zoro did not lose their coolness even for a second. Trafalgar once again had a chance to see Zoro’s fighting skills when he cleared the path of cart of the rubbles thus saving everyone. In general, Luffy and Zoro were the main force protecting the riding cart from failing rocks. Law could do the same, with his powers but he could be too exhausted after fighting with Vergo (and all previous injuries / pain) and relied more on allies than his own powers. Which may suggest he trusted them to do the job for him.

Finally, the cart gets out of the collapsing building (Nami’s ability to create wind cleared the toxic gas for them) only to meet two of Doflamingo’s subordinates that Law declared the enemy.

Interesting detail of this frame is that, as much as Law should be a central part of the picture, he could stand close to any Strawhats beside Luffy. Even more closer to the ones he already knew and interacted with and yet he takes place between Luffy (the main ally) and Zoro (Luffy’s right hand man and fellow Supernova) he barely interacted with for the whole arc. Surprisingly, Smoker too tends to pull toward Zoro out of all Straw Hats - what is even more visible when compared to just previous interaction with Law where he clearly stood in a different place. At that point, Law and Zoro are two pirates that could kill him once yet spared his life. Okay, Luffy is actually the reason behind Zoro’s mercy yet it was Roronoa decision to carry on captain’s whim and he physically was the one to do the saving. Also, Zoro and Law are more mature and less prone to joke at Smoker's expense. Unlike Luffy.

Because Baby 5 and Buffalo get their hands on beaten Caesar (that was previously sent flying outside thanks to Luffy), Law immediately wanted to stop them with his own powers but was told by Luffy, Zoro and Nami to trust her and Usopp to do the job. Trafalgar wasn’t happy about that solution, too worried about failure of the plan to put faith in his allies.

And yet, Nami and Usopp not only took down enemies but were the one that actually captured Caesar Clown. Not thanks to haki but seacuffs. Zoro was right to tell Law to not look down on their sniper.

Once the battle was over, Law went to cure the children albeit in a way that made Chopper believe he either killed or hurt them pretty badly. It’s hard to tell if Zoro heard Chopper’s screaming (but then again, Zoro always had a soft spot for the little doctor and kept an eye on his well being), but he did not seek out what happened between two doctors and sick kids. Later, when Sanji handed out food to pirates, marines and children - and Zoro got the alcohol from G-5 - Law warned Luffy they can’t stay on Punk Hazard due to possibility of another enemy attack (that could be - and in fact, was - Doflamingo himself). What of course Straw Hats happily ignored in the favor of the great party.

Law and Smoker kept the safe distance from partying crowd of pirates, marines and children while talking a bit about put in motion Shichibukai’s plan. Despite staying far away from Straw Hats they could observe all the craziness of Luffy and his friends. And maybe see Zoro drinking with marines - the sworn enemy - like it was the normalest thing in the world. The party however did not last long and soon children bid (pretty emotional) farewell to Straw Hats.

Once the party was over, Law accompanied Straw Hats to their ship - what didn’t go unnoticed by Zoro (who still wasn’t informed about the alliance).

Interestingly, Zoro first consulted that with Usopp and Brook instead of “attacking” Law what the hell he was thinking doing. And well, Roronoa is not shy to talk to strangers and is not afraid of picking fights with strong opponents either. What shows both Zoro’s composure and maturity to check out with friends what he missed out before acting and creating unnecessary conflict. Okay, Zoro did not sound polite at all, with the just “he” instead of using Law’s name, yet I think this still falls into good impression, especially considering the fact that Zoro has the opinion of a murderous person who loves fighting yet acted rational. And really, there are plenty of hotheads between pirates who would happily challenge Law for lesser reasons. Because really, pirates like to establish dominance over others while Zoro, a beast himself, pretty easily accepted the rival captain’s presence on the ship.

(And maybe, just maybe Zoro noticed the small smile on Law’s face, once children bid their emotional farewall)

Once the allied pirates sailed out, it was time to present the strategy to everyone - even more so, since Law already told Doflamingo over Den Den Mushi his demands in return of captured Caesar Clown without consulting his allies first.

Zoro did not show any worry or fear about Doflamingo (and thanks to Mihawk he could be well informed who the man was) and was only interested in the mentioned strategy. He also finally learned about the alliance between Straw Hats (Luffy) and Heart Pirates (Trafalgar Law) and the common goal - to take down four Yonko (Emperors). Law explained in great details the situation in New World - the black market and its connection to Kaido and Doflamingo - and what must be done on Dressrosa. Zoro did not take part in the discussion yet listened closely. For the little we saw of him, he kept distance from other Supernova that allowed him to observe Law while not coming in direct interaction. Law too, kept a safe distance from Roronoa and none of them tried to invade the personal space of the other.

During the night an interesting thing happened - Zoro was seen sleeping in the bunk, with Luffy and Brook doing the same. This is very unusual, because according to SBS (vol. 74 ch. 737), Zoro slept just 3 hours at night, staying awake through almost the whole night (what brings a question, did he was on permanently night watch or did he just keep company to the weaker crewmembers to make sure they and ship will be okay?).

What makes sense - Franky, Usopp, Chopper, Sanji and Kinemon stayed awake, the first three on the deck, the two latter inside the ship, in case of a Doflamingo attack. Law slept (or kept vigilant?) on deck, so if an enemy attacked there was a strong group to defend the ship in the absence of Luffy and Zoro. Similarly, in case of Law betraying Straw Hats, the ship was still protected by Sanji (one of Monster Trio), Franky (middle group of fighters) and Kinemon (great swordsman himself).

Still, the uncommonness of the situation is that Zoro does not trust easily. Him sleeping when the crew could be under attack at any moment speaks how much faith he had in his nakama and maybe in Law too, who so far proved his reliability.

In contrast, Law did not allow himself to relax much on Luffy’s ship. He spent the night on deck (probably making sure Caesar will not try to run away), with sword at hand. Law too, seems to not trust easily, even the allies.Though it may be less about lack of trust in Straw Hats and more stress that accumulates over months (if not years). Especially when all he could do was wait for morning paper to see what Donquixote Doflamingo decided to do - fulfill Law��s demands or not - and how it would affect the plan.

And with that moment, the Punk Hazard arc can be considered completed.

The part B is going to cover in extended way the possible Law’s impression of Zoro based on comparison to other characters.

#one piece #The development of Law’s relationship with Zoro #roronoa zoro #trafalgar law #zoro & law #straw hats #straw hats & law #my analyze #my meta #stupid tumblr and its limit #PH set up interesting ground for law and zoro relationship #talked more in second part

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op-law · 3 years

Text

One Piece {Warlord Imagines} When You're A Marine

*Warlord's Pov*

~~~~~~~~

Trafalgar Law

Now becoming a Warlord would never have crossed my mind before since being a Government dog wasn't ideal but it needed to be done as part of my plan. Though right now some young Marine decided it would be a good idea to approach me. "Hello! You must be Trafalgar Law, right? I recognize you from your wanted poster. You're here for the Warlord meeting, aren't you?" They were cute that much was clear but they weren't anything more than my enemy.

"Yes, that's why I'm here. Who are you Marine-ya?" I didn't see a problem in finding out this Marine's name since I'd most likely forget about it after the meeting concluded. "Oh, you want to know who I am? I'm Captain (Y/n)... The meetings about to start come on I'll take you there personally!" When the Marine grabbed my hand, I was a little surprised but allowed them to lead the way until we reached a set of double doors. "All the other Warlords are already here. It's a very strange occurrence when they all gather like this. Come on"

As they pushed the large set of doors open, I was taken back by the Marine's strength though when I noticed my hand was still held by theirs, I tried to pull it away but it wasn't working. "I found the missing Warlord!" When everyone's eyes shifted to us, I felt like burying myself in a hole but kept a straight face as the Fleet Admiral began stared daggers at me. "(Y/n) get your hand off of that Pirate right this second and you better have finished all your paperwork for the day!"

"Alright, Dad... See you later Law" Even almost an hour after the young Marine had left the room, I couldn't help but think of them. They were Sakazuki's kid and somehow, they were the complete opposite of him. "Maybe I'll have to come back here just to see them" It was said under my breath though Sakazuki had managed to hear it. "Did you have something to add Trafalgar?"

"No"

Dracule Mihawk

"Who's the pipsqueak?" As Doflamingo spoke up from across the room I tilted my head back to catch a glimpse of the Marine he was referring to. "That is Captain (Y/n) and they are not to be bothered by the likes of you Donquixote" I could care less if my statement angered the other Warlord since that man was not at the top of my list of people I cared for. "Are any more Warlords coming to the meeting?" There were only two members currently present although that never bothered the young Marine since they weren't particularly fond of having more than three in the same room as them.

"It would appear that will only be the three of us (Y/n)-chan" As the sound of rustling papers reached my ears I turned towards the door and saw another Marine was standing there. "Captain (Y/n) your father has requested that you discuss the following topics with the Warlords. Where should I put these documents?" I wasn't sure why (Y/n) was left alone for this meeting but I knew they were quite strong and if Doflamingo stepped out of line I would simply put him down.

"Why are you staring at me Mihawk?" I knew (Y/n) often hated when people gave them a lot of attention but I couldn't help it. They were one of the only reasons I attended these meetings although I highly doubted the Marine was aware of that fact. "Okay let's get this meeting over with so I can go have my afternoon nap. Although Doflamingo please sit in a chair like a normal person and Mihawk remove your feet from the table"

I respected (Y/n) enough to remove my feet from the table but Donquixote clearly didn't and as he replied I felt my eyes start to narrow. "Fufufu. You got guts kid but keep it up and I'll have to rip them out~ Fufufu" Donquixote would often threaten Marines or anyone that ticked him off though I drew a line when it came to (Y/n). "That Marine is off-limits Donquixote. If you threaten them again, I will kill you"

"Hm, I changed my mind I'm leaving... Say Little Marine do you know if Snow is on the base? I didn't see her earlier but I have some business to discuss with that one" Was Donquixote still trying to win over that girl's heart? I thought he had long given up that hopeless endeavor after Captain Ember had made it clear that he wasn't to go anywhere near her sister. "Vice Admiral Snow? I believe she is conducting training exercises in the northern courtyard. Hey, you can't leave! I'm not done with you yet!"

It was better if Donquixote didn't sit in on this meeting any longer so I did nothing to stop the man from leaving. "Fufufu. Your barks much worse than your bite Little Marine~ Now if you'll excuse me, I have a girl to find" That look on (Y/n)'s face caused me to question what they were thinking but if I had to take a guess it was probably that of disappointment. "Are you going to leave as well Mihawk?"

"No, I wish to hear what you have to say (Y/n)-chan. May we begin?"

"Hehehe. Alright, my Swordsmen let's begin~"

Bartholomew Kuma

As I walked through the Marine base, I eventually came across the quarters of the Marine that I desired to see. They were normally in charge of writing notes on the Warlords meetings but when they didn't arrive on time, I was requested to bring them up. Without knocking on the door, I entered though that might have been my first mistake. "Good afternoon (Y/n)-san"

The Marine was still changing into their uniform but I caught a glimpse of a new scar just below their shoulder blade. It definitely wasn't there the last time I seen them exposed like this though the chances of them telling me who was responsible were slim. "What do you want?" Our relationship could never see the light of day but this level of hostility was not the norm for the Marine. "You're late for the meeting. I was asked by the Fleet Admiral to retrieve you"

"Hm, is it that time already? Alright, I'll be there shortly" Their shirt was quickly pulled into place followed by that cape but as I closed the door, they turned to face me. "Is something wrong (Y/n)-san? That scar is new" There were numerous scars that littered their skin though I made it a point to memorize all of them. I cared greatly for them after all. "Don't worry about it Mew"

I respected them but this life was only going to end their life if I allowed it to continue any longer. (Y/n) deserved better than this so as I removed a single glove, I asked them a question. "If you could take a vacation, where would you like to go?" They knew what was going to happen next and the fear within their eyes was ignored as my palm connected with them. "Wait Kuma! What the hell are y-"

"I'll see you shortly (Y/n)-san"

Sir Crocodile

There they were giving out orders to the rest of the crew as the ship sailed towards Marineford and I couldn't turn my attention away from them. Pirates and Marines were much like water and oil but that didn't deter me from developing feelings for them. "Croco-man why are you staring at that Marine?" Of course, Doflamingo didn't have anything better to do than bother me throughout the trip although killing him wasn't an option. "It's none of your damn business Doflamingo"

"Hm, it that so? Oi Captain (Y/n)! Crocodile thinks you're fucking hot!" Thankfully the young Marine could be as clueless as a little kid but it didn't help that the other Marines acted in a way to protect them. "I'm not hot it's quite cold today Pirate... Wait Snow is that what Doflamingo meant?" That Vice-Admiral was equally as childish though she knew the games that Doflamingo played. "Yeah, that's what he meant (Y/n). Come on let's go eat lunch"

"Oh, lunch sounds great. I've been dealing with the Warlords all day and they're annoying as hell. Smoker, watch the prisoners for me I'll be back in a few hours" They could call me a prisoner as much as they wanted to but the other Warlords didn't appreciate the insult. Well, it was mainly Doflamingo who had the problem though. "Who the hell are they calling prisoners?"

"Doffy, can you help me reach something on the top shelf in my bedroom? I can't reach it and really want it" Those two were rather odd but Doflamingo made it very clear that Snow was his. I wasn't sure why he liked that Marine though the same could be said about my feelings towards (Y/n). "Coming Snow! We'll discuss this later Croco-man~"

"Great who's going to eat lunch with me now... Crocodile, make yourself useless and follow me" As my eyes trailed after their retreating form, I didn't follow right now since that would only make me seem weak to the Marines on board the ship. "Why?" Their face remained the same as it always did but I noticed a few others were staring right at them. "You're going to eat lunch with me. Hurry up before it gets cold"

"Fine" Standing up from the crate I began to walk towards the Marine but something they said caused me to pause. "And just so you know I'll be eating and you'll just be watching me... Oh, I'm also going to call you Croco-chan from now on since I think it's quite cute. Don't you agree Croco-chan?" Were they really teasing me in front of the entire Marine fleet? "You're walking into dangerous territory (Y/n)"

"My Mama always told me not to smile at a crocodile but you're cute so I think that warning can be ignored this one time" That was definitely teasing although when I got a look at the rest of the fleet, they didn't seem to be bothered by their follow Marine flirting with a Pirate. "Right... Whatever happened to hurrying to the mess hall?" Keeping them on task would be difficult but now that we're walking towards our original destination I relaxed. "Shit! Come on Croco-chan and don't slow me down!"

I really should figure out why I like this Marine as much as I do since I couldn't remember what first caught my attention about them. "At least they're cute" It wasn't meant for (Y/n) to hear but when their head turned back, I knew they picked up on it. "I thought I was hot? Although I'll take it~ Hehehe"

Donquixote Doflamingo

For someone so small (Y/n) always seemed to be able to keep a fair amount of distance between us. I could have used my strings to make them slow down but that would only lead to me getting attacked by the Marine. "Stop following me Doflamingo!" They were known to be quite hostile towards me though I found that to be a wonderful trait since not many were that brave. "Fufufufu. I'm not following you on purpose (Y/n) we're just both heading for the dining room"

It was the truth I didn't purposely seek them out during this trip but I couldn't pass up the opportunity to follow behind them when I noticed they were walking by. Many of the other Marines just ignored my fondness of (Y/n) but for whatever reason, I'm sure (Y/n) didn't want anything to do with me. "Fine, I'll just eat later then! Move your feathered ass out of my way!" Something must have set them off since they would only grinded their teeth together like that on special occasions. "You're rather feisty today (Y/n)~ Did someone upset you?"

"Yeah, you did!" At this point, I just accepted that being difficult was just in (Y/n)'s nature but it was a little discouraging that they weren't telling me the information I wanted to know. "I haven't even been near you for more than five minutes. How about you tell me who upset you and I'll take care of them?" They seemed to be less mad than a few seconds ago but I knew that wouldn't last forever. "Oh, so you'll off yourself if I say you're the person who upset me?"

"No, but I know someone in this base other than myself has hurt my tiny Marine and for that, I'll kill them~ Give me their name (Y/n)~ Please"

"Vice Admiral Vergo"

Boa Hancock

"Alright, these will be your quarters for the next week. I'm sorry that they suck but blame Admiral Sakazuki for that since he doesn't think the Warlords deserve anything nice. Well, enjoy your stay and if you need anything don't ask me" I liked this Marine but something about them seemed different. Hopefully, the brutes weren't pushing my love past their limit. "Thank you (Y/n)-san! These accommodations will be more than enough!"

"O-Oh, you're welcome Hancock! Excuse me I need to be somewhere else!" (Y/n) was about halfway down the hallway but a certain male decided he had the privilege to speak to my love. "Fufufufu. Look at the ass on that one~" It was true that (Y/n) had a nice figure though this man didn't have the right to make such comments about it. "Don't you dare talk about my love in such a disrespectful way you beast!"

"Ah, now I see why you two shouldn't be kept in the same space together. How about you stay in my room Hancock? You'd need to sleep on the floor but at least you and Doflamingo won't be at each other's throats" They were being more than kind and I wasn't going to pass up such an opportunity. "S-Stay in your room with you!? Of course, my love!"

"Yeah, I'll come to get you later but right now I have drills to conduct with my little fleet. See ya later Hancock"

"Don't work too hard my love!"

Jinbei

That Marine must have been quite exhausted since they fell asleep almost immediately after the meeting had begun. I would never disturb the young one's slumber but their fellow Marines didn't seem to have the same mindset. "Captain (Y/n) wake up! It is not professional to fall asleep during meetings!"

"I'm up!" The poor thing looked like their heart was about to give out but after the Marine was awoken the meeting continued as normal. It didn't take long to conclude though I had noticed the same Marine had fallen asleep. "Can't this brat stay awake for more than five minutes?" This was a pitiful display and, in a way, I felt sorry for the young one. "Hahaha. Just leave them be I'm sure if they miss training again Sakazuki will take care of them permanently"

"Big talk for such a little man~ Hehehe. Why don't you go and run a few laps around the base? I'll escort (Y/n) back to their room shortly" So, the Vice-Admiral was friends with them? That must offer them some protection but clearly, that didn't stop the others from waking them up earlier. "Y-Yes, Vice Admiral Snow we'll do that right away!"

"Fufufufu. You're getting better at intimidating the other Marines my dear. Shall we head down for lunch now? I need to leave the base shortly but I have a few hours" Doflamingo did make a good point I should really head back to the sea before the tides picked up too much. As I was heading for the door Snow had called over to me. "Yeah... Jinbei do you mind taking (Y/n) back to their quarters? It's just down the hall with the others look for the one that says Admiral Sakazuki"

That was concerning but I didn't ask about it until after (Y/n) was safely within my grip. "Admiral Sakazuki?" I didn't attend these meetings often enough to know much about the Marines here but Sakazuki wasn't someone I could see tolerating this young Marine for long. "Yup they're his kid. He's most likely not even in there"

"Very well. Goodbye Snow"

~~~~~~~~~

'Knock' 'Knock' 'Knock'

I didn't want to face Sakazuki today but as a voice called out from the room, I realized there wasn't much of a choice on my part. "Who is it?" There was some hesitation with my response though after I had finished, I heard some movement from inside. "Jinbei... I was asked to bring (Y/n) back to their quarters" When Sakazuki threw the door open the loud bang caused the sleeping Marine to awaken from their slumber. "Ahhh!"

"Put them down now... (Y/n) go take your medication" With the Marine on the ground I watched them stare up at their father but they didn't appear to be bothered by the man's murderous mood. "Didn't I already take it?" Hmm, I wonder what illness they had? "No, it's still on the table" The emotion on their face changed into understanding though I could see they were staring at me but it only lasted for a few seconds. "Oh, that's why I'm so tired. Thanks, Pops"

At least I did my job and escorted them safely back to their quarters. Although Sakazuki looked to be holding back his anger towards me. "You can leave now Pirate Scum"

'Slam'

"What an interesting Marine... Hopefully, I'll see them again someday"

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mega-ringsandthings-world · 10 months

Note

Oh Rings—can I call you rings?— with every Analysis and au you post my mind becomes intrigued you really understand and get to the heart of are favorite sometimes divorced most times fight couple that is Mishanks. I adore it and your post make you day.

But this Loguetown AU... now, that's some sadness and angst waiting to happen. And genius, truly. It makes sense to draw all these pirates and people to the execution and snap them up as they come rushing in. I'm guessing a lot of Marines and civilians died, but I’m sure that was a sacrifice the World Government was willing to make. Did Doflamingo get caught? He’s got friends or at least blood high up, so I assume he wasn’t caught for long.

And I’m certain just as how Shanks isn’t our fun-loving, calculating Yonko, and Mihawk isn’t our ever-bored, apathetic gardener warlord, as we know and love them in the future. Familiar faces will definitely have differing personalities, yet to face the horrors of paradise and the new world, yet to have their Sabaody arc(or maybe this is their Sabaody) and oh Mihawk you ambitious, vicious, little teen you. I can’t wait for you to earn your new epithet, i’m sure it will be… bloody. And I’m also assuming in this timeline that whoever decides to bring him the offer becoming a warlord is laughed at and then bisected for the gull.

Also total forgot Dragon. Mans is in his prime.. I’m sure he got away maybe he even run into a blue haired red nosed clown? Maybe not we can only guess but ahh that’s the fun of it! Who lives who dies who becomes a revolutionary? pirate? who gives up? that’s what it is really all that aren’t they?

All that to say, I love this au I will now place it delicately into my one piece brain au folder we’re it will be chewed on like a pit bull with lock jaw.

Rings is great! I have to say, I'm thrilled my mishanks posts are such a hit, with you and everyone else enjoying them! I was having fun putting my random thoughts on them out there, and now it's even more fun. Angst and sadness is the key! Maybe it's horrible (and I'm not apologizing for that, lol) but I love drama and discord and awful high-stake situations. And what can give more angst than messing with Shanks right after Roger's death? And throwing Mihawk in there for the ride? The entire pirates-are-captured-by-the-World-goverment-at-Roger's-execution is one big excuse to get Shanks and Mihawk into Marine custody together, where they have only themselves to rely on. And since they are going to meet and fall in love in Marine captivity (they will be there a while) their dynamic will be more intense from the start. Their natural connection + the trauma bond. There's going to be a huge fight and many dead for sure, because none of those pirates are going quietly, but the marines had a plan from the beginning, of course. If they didn't they wouldn't have been able to take anyone. And I will say that they were also gunning for Shanks specifically. For reasons. The marines/admirals/world goverment will certainly be the villians of the story. Doflamingo knew enough to get out of dodge before anything went down, as did certain other people. Coincidence? Well, maybe not. I do love young!mishanks, so Mihawk and Shanks being earlier versions of themselves is half the appeal about this AU. You can see their older selves in them, but they are younger and there's everything that comes with that. They are not quite the men they will become. (and that goes for all the other characters too!) Which means they can be hurt much, much more easily.

I said this was one of my darkest wips because Bad Things are going to happen to them, it won't just be threats or easily patched wounds. This being their Sabaody is spot-on! Everything will be All Right in the end, but they're going to go through things to get there. Mihawk's rise will be bloody. (so will Shanks') and maybe it's too early to talk about this plot, but they're also going to get revenge. through some interesting means. After what Mihawk suffers in the time spent as a captive, the very idea of him becoming a Warlord would be nothing but the highest insult. (That's not to say that becoming one is off the cards, but that's a different story) Ahh, Dragon. He's one of the ones who gets away, with someone else important. Buggy having got away is crucial, because him being free comes into play later. I don't plan on killing many people, but making them suffer is fair game. And this entire scenario is going to change the course of the future for sure. All that is too say, I have all this I need to write and get out there to you guys already, lol. I love how much you love it!

#one piece #op #opla #dracule mihawk #akagami no shanks #hawkeye mihawk #red haired shanks #mihawk one piece #shanks one piece #mishanks #mihawk x shanks #op marines

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shikkearu · 4 years

Text

Part 24: Anniversary

- "Come to Buu!" Moria cheered. - "No Mamma!" Hancock clapped her hands. - "You gotta choose, Pappa." Shanks shouted from the side.

Mihawk sighed loudly.

They stood in a row just waiting for Perona release Zoro. She had come up with the idea while they waited for the rest of the people to show up to their little gathering on a beach she had gone a lot to with her husband. Mihawk had thought it was a stupid idea, have a competition like this of who was Zoros favourite grandparent. It was demeaning to call him like a dog so he took no part other than stand there. Everyone else had gotten excited by the idea. They had actually bet on who was the favourite. Most money went onto Mihawk since he spend the most time with him, but Moria was a close second.

- "Ok, Zoro. Just go to your favourite grandparent." Perona softly whispered to him and released her hold of him. Zoro toppled forward and looked at the cheering adults. Then he started to walk. Morias and Hancocks cheers got even louder whilst Mihawk rolled his eyes. Zoro walked and then he turned and walked away from all of them. Everyone held their breath. He walked a bit forward and then stopped. He looked around confused.

- "Where are you going idiot?" Ace ran to Zoro and turned him around to face the adults again.

But Zoros pride had gotten hit and he sniveled. He ran straight back to Perona and hugged her. Everyone pretty much laughed. Zoro had inherited his bad sense of directions from his father.

- "Zoro just got distracted. He's got a lot on his mind." Perona hissed protectively. - "Did anyone bet on Perona because she is clearly the winner here." Shanks laughed loudly.

Everyone shook their heads and Shanks laughed even louder.

- "Just me then. Okay, pay up."

Mihawk glared at Shanks. Even if the thing had been stupid he should have bet on him.

- "Sorry, Hawky. Nothing personal."

Muttering people paid up. Hancocks sisters drove to the parking lot. They had picked up Chiffon, Lola and Absalom. Absa rushed out of the car as quickly as he could, followed by Lola. She would have chased him around, but was stopped by Chiffon, who just shook her head. The two Boas were visibly bothered by the car trip. Another car drove up. From the passenger side stood up Cindry. She rushed off to hug Perona who had let Mihawk take Zoro from her. It had been awhile since the last time they had seen each other. Her acting career was sky rocketing at the moment so she was very busy most of the time. From the drivers side stood Law which surprised Perona.

- "Oh, you know Law?" She wondered outloud. - "Yes, but we're just friends. I was gobsmacked when he told me you two had gotten into contact." She looked at Perona and petted her hair slightly. "Are you jealous?" - "Of who?" Perona looked at her in a bit of disbelief. - "I came here with a dashing male and you wont even lift a brow." She smirked. "Quite cold." - "Well I came here with a dashing male as well." Perona tilted her head towards Mihawk. - "Perona, I didn't know you were into dilfs." Cindry gasped dramatically. Perona laughed and shook her head.

- "Seems like everyone is here. Let's head to wards the beach." Hancock announced excited. - "Is that the Empress?" Cindrys eyes glittered and she headed towards Hancock.

- "Hey." Law came to Perona. - "So you and Cindry are friends?" - "Sort of." He smirked. "She didn't seem too excited of our relationship." - "There is no relationship, stupid." - "Oh we aren't friends?" He was amused. - "I didn't mean it like that." Perona snarled and blushed slightly.

Law patted her head and started to go down to the beach with the others. Absa came to Perona quickly.

- "Why is he here?" - "We are friends. I've been messaging him this spring." - "I don't really like him." - "Because he is not a womanizer like you?" - "Ouch. But he definitely is one. He's just sneaky about it." His face went a little disgusted. "Not very sure if he's even trying to hide it." - "Well good thing I'm not planning on a romantic relationship with him." Perona huffed. "He's ok if you get to know him, just has a little bit of a jerkish side to him." - "Jerkish is mildly putting it."

- "C'mon you two! Don't keep us waiting." Lola shouted loudly.

- "In a bit!" Perona shouted to her, before looking back at him. "You need to turn her down properly." - "I've tried." he groaned. - "Not in a joking banter way. Proper sit down way." - "Yeah, I'll try." he sighed and started to moved down to the beach.

Perona looked the scenery over and sighed. - "Is there a beach like this where you're at?" She wondered in her head as she trekked down

----

They were sitting at a small wooden dock with their feet in the water. The tadpoles nibbled their toes. There was a gap between them, large enough for a person to sit between them with ease and maybe a little space to spare. Anxiously he kicked the water and looked at her coyly.

- "I- Can I hold your hand?"

She looked at him wondering. Any other guy she had dated had never asked permission for such a thing. But he was shy and kind.

- "Why?" She teased him. - "I don't know- Or I do but- Aargh!" He blushed and covered his eyes with his hands. "I've been thinking all day how pretty your hands are."

She blushed slightly. He couldn't even look at her. What a cute and sweet boy.

- "Never mind. I don't think I'd be able to. You're too much for me. Gotta built up my resistance." He looked far into the ocean.

He set his hands on his side. What she could see of his face, was deep red in color. She slowly inched closer to him. He was shaking. He knew she was moving closer, but didn't turn or say anything. She took his hand into hers and he started shaking uncontrollably. He curled into himself. His face was even deeper red.

- "Horo horo horo! You're so cute." He looked at her in agony. - "You're the cutest!"

She too blushed and looked away. It must have looked silly to a passerby. Two people barely holding hands and dying out of embarrassment.

He was the kind of guy she never imagined she would fall in love with.

----

That day was a bit cold and she stood on the same dock as they had been years earlier. She had wished for a finer weather, but you couldn't choose it in advance. At least it wasn't raining or awfully windy. Maybe it might get warmer as the day progressed. Mihawk walked to her only wearing a white dress shirt and long dark pants. She had to wear a cardigan over her shirt not to feel cold.

- "What are you doing here by yourself?" - "Just reminiscing the first date." - "What did you do here?" He looked down at the murky waves thrashing against the poles of the small dock. - "Just sat and talked. You know he was awfully shy back then. Couldn't even hold my hand properly." - "Sounds like him." Mihawk hummed.

They stood there on the dock and for a moment it all was serene and calm.

- "The others have set the things already. They're wondering where you are." - "It's a bit... suffocating." She sighed "To be there surrounded by so many people... Dunno. Maybe I'm just being sensitive today."

Perona started to swallow tears. The idea had been so good, but right now it felt weird. Weird to be happy and talk of all the memories of her husband. After all it was the day he had died a year back.

Mihawk pulled a tissue from his pocket and offered it to Perona. Grateful she took it and blew her nose. At least Mihawk knew how she felt and even if he didn't, he was there and that mattered the most.

- "Please." She whimpered and moved towards him, lifting her hands as a sign for him.

He met her halfway and closed his arms around her. She grabbed onto his shirt and sniveled. Heavy tears fell onto his shirt as she pressed her cheek against his chest.

- "Let's go back to the others. I don't think he would have liked us to wallow in grief like this." - "He probably wouldn't have." Perona snorted squeezing against him. - "No, he would have." he let out a short bitter laughter. "I've told you how much he was like Hancock. He would have died of a broken heart."

Perona separated from Mihawk and looked at him. How could he say such things?

- "He was stronger and better than me." - "Well he was better than you in many ways, but..." Mihawk slightly brushed her cheek. "He could have never been as strong as you have been. Such mental strength doesn't run in the family. I hope Zoro got some of that strength from you." - "But I've been leaning onto you all this time. You've lend me your strength." she insisted.

Mihawk shook his head. He had quickly found it to be quite the opposite. He lend strength from Perona more than he wanted to admit. He turned and started to walk away.

- "Let's head back."

She rushed to his side and took a hold of his hand, but he shook it off. Perona pouted unhappily.

- "Just today. Please, Mihawk." - "I don't want people to make false assumptions of our relationship." Especially one certain red head." he scoffed. - "So mean." Perona huffed and tried to grab onto his hand again. - "I'm not your personal comfort pillow." he grunted, "Didn't you invite that Law-guy here for that?"

Mihawk hadn't meant to say it. It just slipped. He didn't understand why he felt so angry and jealous thinking about that man. When Perona had said they should invite Law too, the surge of pure hatred, that filled his heart, was unreal. He didn't know this man enough for such hatred to be righteous, though he could remember what Absalom had said of him of him during Christmas and it had been concerning.

- "I've told you there's nothing going on between us." she frowned at him. - "Sorry, I'm just worried that's all." - "Ugh, don't be. I can handle myself."

She took a couple of skips to make some distance and went to talk to other people, some of her husbands friends were there too, which was nice considering how they hadn't really been in touch the past year aside from the funeral. Law was the only one, so Mihawks reaction just angered her more. Stupid old man, she can handle herself just fine. Didn't need him sticking his nose to everything.

Zoro rushed to Perona and demanded to be picked up. The amount of people was starting to tire him and Buu or Mamma were not as good as Mommy. Perona lifted him up and sat down at the table. Law came to her.

- "You want something to drink?" he asked politely. - "Oh yes, please." she sighed still bit annoyed by Mihawks antics.

Law quickly returned with two beers.

- "Aren't you driving?" - "I won't tell, if you won't" he held a finger to his lips. - "Please don't. You know how I feel about alcohol these days." She chastised him. - "It's because of him, isn't it?" Law nodded towards Mihawk who was drinking some juice as he talked to Shanks. Shanks had volunteered to take pictures and was showing his equipment to him. - "Or maybe it's because of you." Perona rolled her eyes. - "Fair point. Alright I go take these back. Would you rather have some juice then?" - "Yes, please. Oh and some for Zoro too."

Law quickly returned with some juice. Dragon was busy barbecuing and soon there would be some real food.

- "You seem close to him." Law remarked as he handed her her juice. - "Well Zoro is my wonderful little bean." she looked at the child on her lap and smiled. She did not want to take part in what Law was insinuating. - "No, your father-in-law." he kept going. - "Today is some sort of weird jealousy day, instead of a day to commemorate my husband." she groaned and threw him a glare. - "Hmm? I'm not jealous. It just seems weird." - "Nothing weird about us being friends." - "Does he know that? I saw how he hugged you back there at the dock." He cringed. "I was coming to get you and saw that." - "Can we talk of something else?" She looked back down at Zoro. "All these people rather talk about relationships than your daddy and it's quite tiring." she kissed the top of his head. - "Daddy?" Zoro looked at her confused. - "Umm here." She picked her phone and showed a picture of him and his father. "That's you and that's daddy."

Zoro fumbled a bit with the phone, carefully looking at the picture. But as he did, he accidentally swiped the picture away. Zoro didn't really understand why it made him feel so distressed and he started to sniffle.

- "Oh no, Zoro. Please don't cry." she tried to calm him.

Law sighed and picked up Peronas phone and put the picture back.

- "There's your dad. He went nowhere."

Zoro calmed down and looked at the picture again. Looking at the man made him feel happier, but he just didn't remember ever meeting this person called Daddy. Maybe he would meet him someday. Mommy at least liked him a lot.

----

Soon the food was served and everyone started to converse as a group. They listened to stories, cried and laughed remembering this person who had touched all of their lives, even if by little. Once they were done and it was starting to become a bit darker, they decided to go to the grave yard. Most people had brought something to the grave and it looked similar to the way it had been during funeral. Perona felt like crying. Mihawk was beside her holding Zoro and she tried reaching for his hand, but before he could react, it was Law who grabbed and squeezed her other hand. She looked at him confused, but then smiled. She whispered a small thank you and looked back at the grave. Mihawk felt like his heart had suddenly been eaten by a black hole. He shouldn't be so jealous, why was he like this?

They bid everyone a farewell and everyone left as they had gotten there. Mihawk and Perona were the last ones to leave.

- "This day was really good after all." She sighed. "My heart feels somewhat lighter."

Mihawk hummed in agreement.

- "You know it's nearly been a year you two started to live with me." - "It's been good even though the circumstances were not." Perona smiled a little bit. "I don't think we should hold a party for that."

Mihawk smiled and he took hold of her hand as a sign of solidarity. It felt so warm and good to hold it, but she shook herself off way too soon for his liking.

- "I'm tired. Let's go home."

#dracule mihawk #mihawk #perona #one piece #OP #onepiece #ミホペロ #mihopero #mirona #Irreplaceable #fanfic

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jasontoddiefor · 5 years

Text

Title: The Hat Stealer Pirates Summary: Portgas D. Rouge was a strange Captain, mainly because she kept claiming that Brook was going to be the musician of the future Pirate King. Not the one of the first Pirate King, but the one after. For now, he was pretty happy to be part of her crew though and help her on her search for a good hat. (Or: Monkey D. Luffy doesn’t do normal. Not even reincarnation.) AN: Inspired by that one scene in film Gold where Luffy wears a dress and a hibiscus flower. I blame this on literally everybody who said “go write!!” on my “pls stop me” tumblr post. This is for you. Behold. The plot of this is that Luffy/Rouge wants a hat. That’s it. That’s the story.

Brook didn’t know anyone stranger than his Captain. Portgas D. Rouge was a force to be reckoned with. She was bright, loud and vibrant, never really slowing down. In her own way, she forced people to go along with her pace, never really just inviting them to join her. No, Rouge managed to draw people in, attracting all kinds of attention, by merely existing. Not everyone could stand it though, which was why Brook supposed their crew was so small.

They were barely ten members, Captain and cabin boy included in his count. Brook hadn’t thought Rouge would let a nine-year-old join, but she had shown up with little Mihawk a few weeks ago and the kid had stayed ever since. He was a stubborn little brat, demanding sword lessons from Brook every day and Haki lessons from their Captain right after.

“He’s like a more serious Zoro!” Rouge had chirped, squishing Mihawk’s cheeks to his protest.

Brook didn’t know what a Zoro was, but he trusted his Captain’s word.

She tended to be right about all things dear to her.

Kureha hadn’t wanted to join a pirate crew. She had been quite content on Drum island, but then that D. had shown up and Kureha hadn’t been able to say no to the charismatic woman kicking down her door. Not when she had talked about the future with so much sincerity.

“Is it a good place?” Kureha asked one morning.

“The very best! You’ll teach the doctor who can heal any sickness!”

Kureha, despite her appearance or attitude, was an old woman in the sense that she had lived a long life already. Perhaps too long. Sometimes it was difficult for her to look back at the age that was and still believe that the future will be any better.

But in the meantime, if she was supposed to mentor a doctor as kind as this Chopper her Captain described, Kureha should better brush up on her knowledge on sicknesses all beyond Drum. It wouldn’t do if her apprentice weren’t prepared well enough for the storm Rouge betted on.

“What about this one?” Heracles said, stealing the hat of the captain of the crew they had just captured.

He handed the orange barrett hat to Rouge.

“Oooh, I like the color!” Rouge exclaimed. “Ace will have one just like that!”

Cheerfully she picked the pink hibiscus flower from her hair and carefully stashed it in the pocket of her red vest. Heracles was reasonably sure that the flower should be dried out by now, but it was still as pretty as the day he had met Rouge for the first time.

Then again, this was the Grand Line.

Their musician was a talking skeleton.

Heracles should stop wondering about all the strange occurrences in these waters.

Rouge tried the hat on, moving it around a few times with a thoughtful expression.

“What the fuck- Urgh!”

Heracles glanced at Mihawk, but the cabin boy didn’t even bother to look apologetic as he pushed Rouge’s kairoseki staff even deeper into the rival Captain’s stomach.

“How do I look?” Rouge asked, semi-content with how the hat was positioned on her head.

If there was one thing Heracles had learned in the past year traveling with his Captain, it was that Rouge valued honesty. No matter how ugly and terrible, she couldn’t stand lies.

“The color fits your freckles,” Heracles replied. “But it’s not your kind of hat.”

Rouge sighed and dropped her arms in defeat. “I knew it. I’ll never find a proper hat!”

She then placed the hat back on the head of their hostage and held out her hand for her staff. They had started confiscating Mihawk’s sword a while back in hopes the kid wouldn’t immediately jump into every battle they faced, but the kid had just opted for stealing an enemy’s sword, building quite the collecting, or Rouge’s staff since she started favoring her fists when the fights became too dull.

Most of their battles had been beneath her level so far.

Heracles had stopped believing she was from a tiny island in South Blue a while ago.

“Did you know you can coat your weapons in Haki?” Rouge asked Mihawk.

The boy nodded eagerly and Rouge grinned, then she took a step back from the captured pirates.

The men whimpered.

“Take good care of your hat!” Rouge shouted and sent them flying with her black staff.

They watched as the other crew landed a couple hundred meters away in the water, their one devil fruit user being held up by the rest of the crew.

“So!” Rouge spoke up again and put her flower back into her hair. “Party now?”

“Mihawk,” Rouge said, drawing out the vowels. “You’re not supposed to go on an adventure without me.”

The fourteen-year-old tried to escape Rouge’s hug, but the Captain wouldn’t let go of him. Rouge was an annoying woman, always touching people and trying to make them smile. Mihawk really wasn’t the kind of person who did either and Rouge had seemed to make it her personal mission to shower him in affection.

Thankfully, he had learned how to distract her.

“I brought you a hat!” Mihawk declared and presented Rouge the straw hat he had liberated from a red-haired brat.

The kid had almost made him lose his match with his distracting shouts, he’d had it coming. Besides, Mihawk had needed something to make Rouge forget he’d taken off on his own again. While Rouge had never cared what exactly everyone was up to when they went exploring a new island, she at least wanted to be told when you took off. Mihawk may have ignored that in favor of racing to a sword tournament. He just hadn’t been able to wait! He had won plenty of money too and was willing to buy himself his quiet hours by bribing Rouge with meat.

“That’s a good hat,” Rouge agreed. She looked almost nostalgic. “Where did you get it?”

“I-“

“HEY!”

Mihawk looked past Rouge to see the scrawny red-head from before approach at a rapid speed. So Mihawk hadn’t been able to get rid off the kid.

Damn it.

Portgas D. Rouge had been a strange child, always talking about places and people she shouldn’t know of, but had seen in her dreams. The village that had raised her had simply accepted the oddness of the little girl and had moved on. The circumstances under which she had come into their care had already been weird enough, there was no need to question her further.

Rouge herself hadn’t known the truth behind her dreams and the Voice whispering so sweetly in her ears until she had almost drowned at the beach one morning, playing with the other kids.

Baterilla had been so full of adventure before Rouge had choked on saltwater.

Afterward, it had appeared much too dull, simple, and gray for the late Pirate King.

Monkey D. Luffy had lived his life. He had fulfilled his own dream and watched his Nakama reach their goals one by one, joyful smiles spread over their faces.

He’d died in battle like he had wanted, and now he was back again.

And Bored.

Luffy, Rouge, hadn’t wanted to become Pirate King again - and, yes, she would have been King still. That was the proper title and the name Rouge wore now didn’t change that. But without her dream to go chase or her Nakama to support, Rouge felt empty. What was there to do when you had already fulfilled the dream you had pursued all your life?

She and her brothers had sworn to live a life without regrets, so Rouge tried her best to look forward, even if she had a hard time seeing anything interesting at all.

She missed her friends and her family.

And she missed her hat.

Shanks had let Luffy keep it in the end. The Mugiwara Pirates couldn’t really be Straw Hats without their signature symbol after all.

Rouge, on the other hand, didn’t have a hat and had become used to sticking flowers in her hair. They were pretty cool and smelled nice, but they were no hat. The women in the village had called it a shame to cover her beautiful locks with anything. Naturally, Rouge disagreed with that sentiment. Everything was better with a hat, even the hair the women and girls loved to braid. They adored doing that almost as much as they liked sticking her into wide and frilly skirts.

Luffy had only worn skirts and dresses a couple times, they hadn’t suited his fighting style then with his rubber powers. But Rouge hadn’t eaten the Gomu Gomu no Mi, so no rubber limbs were getting tangled in the skirts’ fabric.

Rouge had no devil fruit powers, no hat and no crew and no idea what to do.

Setting sail again had seemed like a good idea. She didn’t know these waters, so maybe there’d be new adventures for her. Rouge would be a horrible Captain if she didn’t make sure that her family would get to live in freedom a little earlier if Rouge pushed the storms in the right direction. Brook was already waiting for someone to hear him play, and she might not be his Captain anymore, and never would be, but she couldn’t let Brook suffer loneliness any longer if she could prevent it.

And somewhere in-between the waves of the sea, Rouge learned how to appreciate swimming, picked up a crew and goal: she wanted a new hat.

And now she was finally looking at it.

Monkey D. Luffy had lived and died, but Rouge was a pirate and pirates were selfish.

And she really, really wanted her hat.

“You can’t have it!” Shanks protested, pointing accusingly at the straw hat. His voice was much too high and he was much too short. “It belongs to my Captain!”

Rouge hadn’t really spent a lot of time thinking about the not yet Pirate King. The Roger Pirates seemed like a fun bunch, though, and she had been meaning to find someone strong to fight.

It had taken a while to adjust to limbs that didn’t stretch endlessly, but once she had managed that, all battles became slightly disappointing. At least Mihawk was on his way to become the World’s Greatest Swordsman (until Zoro took his title) and training him was fun.

“If it belongs to your Captain, why do you have it?” Rouge asked Shanks.

Shanks crossed his arms in front of his chest, blushing red. “Well- I’m holding onto it for him right now! But that doesn’t matter! You have to give it back!”

Rouge twirled her hat in her hands, then tucked her flower behind the hat’s red ribbon and put it on her head. Its weight was familiar, it fit well.

No way she’d give it back now.

“Tell your Captain if he wants it back, he can come and fight me for it!”

“What!? You can’t do that!” Shanks shouted but made no move to attack her.

“I’m a pirate, I can do whatever I want.”

Smiling happily, Rouge turned to walk into the direction of her ship, Mihawk following her. It took only a moment, then Shanks rushed after them, still demanding the hat back. If he made it onto her ship, he’d have to come with them. Heracles and Brook had caused some trouble in the city, the marines would chase them out soon.

Oh, well. Roger was almost at his strongest right now, wasn’t he? He should be able to pick up on Shanks’s disappearance.

Rouge would get to fight the Pirate King. This life had undoubtedly turned out to be an excellent adventure.

Ignoring Shanks and Mihawk’s shouting behind her back, Rouge wondered if defeating him meant that she could take all his supplies too. He was a D. after all, he must have lots of meat on his ship. And if not, she’d make him invite her to the matches between him and Ace’s old Captain. She never got to fight him either!

“Rouge, can I get rid of the brat?”

“Don’t call me a brat, you creepy vampire!”

This life had really turned out to be a great adventure, and it was only getting better.

#one piece #monkey d. luffy #portgas d rouge #dracule mihawk #shanks #brook one piece #op fanfic #fanfic #don't ask me what this is

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piratewriterrose999 · 7 years

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Heyyy!! Can I have a s/o with a daddy kink for Mihawk, Lucci and Shanks? The h/c or scenario (you decide) doesn't have to be necessary NSFW

Hey! :D Sorry for taking so long! And I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what Daddy Kink is; I have only a vague idea so I’m kind of relucant to do it. However, I hope you like and enjoy what I did instead. (I originally did parts of this in scenario form. If you want, feel free to request it and I’ll post them.)

Warning: Some parts are sadder than the rest.

Dracule Mihawk:

You arrive on Kuraigana Island, but find out Dracule Mihawk’s not there. Instead, you run into Perona and wind up in a similar situation of living in the castle while he’s away and become friends.

He eventually returns. You try to tell him why you came, but he brushes you off, treating you as he does Perona.

It takes several more attempts before you give up, chosing to suffer in silence.

You become accustomed to life in the castle with Perona and Mihawk, though there’s never a moment where you wish you could tell him.

Then one night, you break down crying which leads to Perona asking what’s wrong.

You slowly tell her who you are to Mihawk as well as explain how you couldn’t bring yourself to reveal it to him.

Perona then drags you to his room and commences to bang on his door. (Her way of encouraging you to tell him).

It takes a good while of her hitting the door and you standing nervously to the side before Mihawk opens it.

You jump when he asks in annoyance what Perona wants. She’s quick to say that you have something to tell him and leaves before you have a chance to deny it.

Mihawk asks you what is so important that couldn’t wait until morning.

“Did… Did you know I became I pirate so I could look for my father?”

He raises an eyebrow and answers he did not and further questions you if you came here to avenge him. You’re swift to tell him that’s not the case and admit you ran into him a while back. With great hesitance, you tell Mihwak his name.

The silence that follows is nigh unbearable with him giving nothing away. To you, he seemed indifferent about this newfound information which doesn’t help your nerves at all.

He breaks the silence by saying he knew and how you were too much like your mother to be otherwise.

You release a breath you didn’t realize you were holding; it felt as though a weight had been lifted from your chest.

“Um, you don’t have to treat me differently. I, uh, just wanted you to know, but it looks like you already did. Through… can I say it at least once?”

Mihawk raises an eyebrow in curiousity, wondering what it could be.

“I’m glad to have met you, Dad.”

Rob Lucci:

After endless years of begging, your mother finally relents the infomation you so desperately sought from her only because she is on her deathbed and knows very well he’s the only person you have left.

When she passes away, you’re all alone in the world. With your mother’s last words in mind, you set out to find your father.

The days quickly bleed into weeks, the weeks into months, and before you know it, they turn into years. By then, you journey finally takes you to a city called Water 7.

You ask around and learn of a man whose name and description which almost matched the one your mother had given you. However, you didn’t recall your mother mentioning he was a shipwright.

Despite that, you go to Galley-La and take a look around. You spy him at a distance and begin to wonder if you have the right man as you watch him. Your mother had told you he was a dangerous man and had a dangerous job to go along with it. So how could this man be the one you were looking for after all these years?

Rob Lucci catches you staring at him and it’s only then you break your gaze from him and leave in disappointment. However, you’re unaware how his eyes momentary glint with suspicion.

You later find yourself in a tavern called Blueno’s Bar and quickly find a table for yourself. Even though you buy your favorite drink, you couldn’t bring yourself to take a sip and rest your head in your arms. That had been the first lead you had in months and for it to be a dead end, well, lets just say you start to wonder if you were ever going to find your father.

As these thoughts linger in your head, you hear someone pull up a chair and seat themselves across from you. You look up to see the other Rob Lucci from earlier. The companion on his shoulder brought the memory of your mother mentioning how your father had a pigeon that hardly left his side. However, the man in front of you didn’t have the same vibe your mother had described to you. You try to write it off as a coincidence that not only did this man have the same name as your father, but also had the same type of pet too.

Though you start to second-guess yourself as he stares into you with cold eyes. Unnerved, you can barely ask him if he needed something, your own voice barely above a whisper.

Not to your surprise, the pigeon responds (you had seen Lucci use ventriloquism before you had left) and in turns demands why you were at Galley-La.

Giving only the name your mother gave you (you weren’t quite ready to give your surname away), and tell them you were looking for something.

Lucci raises an eyebrow and has the pigeon (you think someone called him Hattori) ask you what it was. You swallow quickly and only say you were searching for someone.

The man’s gaze hardens into a glare and leans forward in his chair to harshly whisper, “Do I look like a fool to you, girl? Did you not think I wouldn’t pay any attention to you spying on me today? Now who are you and what do you want with me?”

Soon pieces of the puzzle begin to fit in place as you remember some other things your mother had told you.

You take a deep breath and all but blurt out, “You had a wife once, didn’t you? But she had to leave and hide somewhere, right? ‘cause it wasn’t safe for her to be with you?”

Lucci stares at you for several seconds and questions how you know that.

You respond by telling him that he didn’t know she was with child when she left.

Several moments of silence pass before you slowly stand up and sofly say, “I know you’re on a job right now, but you don’t have to worry about me interfering. I’ll leave the city as soon as I can. I just wanted to meet you, that’s all. If this is the last time we meet… please let me say this this one time.”

You take a deep breath and speak the words you had started to doubt you’d ever say aloud. “It was nice meeting you, Dad.”

“Red-Haired” Shanks:

You leave home a week or so after the funeral, beginning a journey that lasts a good year or two.

When you finally find him, you try to tell him who you are, but he brushes you off before you have the chance.

You try again only to be brushed off and invited to join his crew.

Seeing as you have nowhere else to go, you accept. In the back of your mind, you wonder if you’re ever going to tell him.

As the years roll by, your attempts of revealing the truth to him becomes less and less. Not entirely because of him though. Eventually, all efforts to tell him are non-existent. You instead vow to tell him when you get strong enough so he could be proud to call you his daughter.

This mindset lasted a good couple of years later until the day came when you bit off more than you could chew.

Were it not for him and the rest of the Red Hair Pirates, your days would’ve come to an end.

After the long battle, you finally give in and go to tell him.

Shanks’ not angry or upset about the fight, which he assumed you were coming to him about.

You take a deep breath and explain why you became a pirate: to look for your father and tell him that’s who he is to her.

Shanks is shocked to say the least. You take his surprise the wrong way and try to leave, only to be stopped by a hug.

He tells you he was devastated when he heard his wife had died, but had no idea he had a part of her this whole time. He questions you why you didn’t tell him sooner and you answer how things kept coming up, but also that it doesn’t excuse it.

Shanks then asks you if you could give him a chance to be a loving father. To which you respond with a smile, “Sure, Dad.”

Later, he enthusiastically introduces you to the crew as his daughter and throws a big party.

#dracule mihawk #hawkeye mihawk #rob lucci #red haired shanks #shanks #mihawk headcanon #dracule mihawk headcanon #rob lucci headcanons #Shanks headcanon #red haired shanks headcanon

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missmungoe · 8 years

Note

Soulmate AU - Hancock and Mihawk. Tattoos with the first words they say to each other. Bonus if Hancock says something about her beauty and Mihawk scoffs and/or says she's not *that* beautiful. Bonus x2 if she's secretly terrified of the prospect of a soulmate and giving herself to someone (hence why she's into Luffy who's totally uninterested in her sexually.)

UNWRITTEN (also how dare you prompt me one of my biggest weaknesses, I love you)

She hates the mark.

She didn’t, at first. When she was young and had seen nothing of theworld she’d been enamoured with the idea – the romantic notion, if notnecessarily the thought of there being a person out there withher words to match, somewhere on their body. Although she’s often wondered whatthey are, her words – something charming or profound, maybe. Hopefullysomething better than the ones she has, curving in a gentlearc at the base of her neck.

Beauty is a relative concept, it says, in a neat, cursive script – notelaborate, but elegant in an efficient sort of way, a pen belonging to someonewho wouldn’t bother with flourishes and grand gestures, but then she could havededuced that from the words themselves. And they’re curious things, or at leastthey were, in the beginning; an odd remark for someone to offer anyone, andthat it should be the first thing they’d say to her doesn’texactly provide her with any clues, not to what kind of setting or conversationwould naturally spark such a debate, or to whoever would feel the need tointerject with such a statement.

It’s no one on Amazon Lily, and it doesn’t take her long to determinethat much, which leaves the wide open sea, and a world she can’t wait toexplore – until she does, and the sea shows her no mercy, only hard touches andleering looks. And beauty isn’t relative at all; it’s acondemnation, a sentence and a curse, and in the end it’s a far uglier brand tobear than the one they burn into her back.

She returns to the home she knows a little harder, a little colder, andwith another promise etched into her skin. And there’s nothing to be enamouredwith now. Instead what she feels is dread, and fury, the latterpreferable because it gives her some control, at least – some semblance ofbeing allowed to choose, her feelings if nothing else.

But the years pass and she braves the sea again, and there’s no one toclaim that part of her – thankfully, although she feels ready to put up afight, should anyone step forward. Because she’s had enough of men laying theirclaim on her body and this – this fiercely privatething, her soul–

No. She’s yielded a lot – pride and dignity and bodily autonomy, but shewon’t yield that; not to anyone. And for twenty-eight years the world allowsher to keep it, that last vestige of herself that’s survived without a singlescar to show for her struggles.

Then – a briefing from her new employers, a cold conference chamber withsterile walls and floors and the windows thrown wide open, the sun warm on herback where her hair falls, a physical shield to keep eyes from lingering–

“You are a credit to the myths that surround your people,” the Governmentofficial says; the one who’s been sent to oversee that her inauguration intothe Warlord ranks proceeds without a hitch. “Truly. A remarkable beauty.”

The compliment slithers across her skin, then off it, leaving no trace.It’s entirely familiar, and she’s heard it spoken a hundred times – the same promisewrapped in different voices, different words. But there’s relief, too,Hancock finds, because it’s not those words, and so it’sanother soul off her list; another man she doesn’t need to worry about.

“I am aware,” she says, not sparing him a second glance, and doesn’t carethat it’s cold or unwelcoming; they didn’t invite her to make friends. Althoughshe’s still careful to keep her voice level; she’s not there to make enemies,either.

A scoff then, somewhere off to her right, and she inclines her head intime to catch the gleam of a pair of sharp golden eyes, and a gaze that passesover her once, an entirely perfunctory sweep, before it leaves her, theshortest glance a man has ever offered, and–

“Beauty is a relative concept,” the man called Hawk-Eyes says, andbreezes past her without another word, entirely unmindful of the way the remarkfalls, not hard like a slap but damning all the same, although for Hancock it’snot the way he speaks it but that he speaks it at all thatleaves her rooted in place, her earlier irritation forgotten and nothing evenresembling a coherent response to offer in turn, although she has no mind tolook for it.

And it would have been kinder, she thinks later, heart scraped hollowwith her newfound knowledge and the strings of fate tightening like shacklesshe hasn’t felt in a decade – if he’d simply unsheathed his sword and run herthrough.

She doesn’t tell her sisters – can’t tell her sisters,finding the words wrapping around her tongue, holding it down. Because shedoesn’t know how to even being to explain it – to explain him,when she doesn’t know what to think, or what to believe.

He’s – hard. Like her, but in a different way. It’s not the hardness of ashield, rough-hewn from a life of blows and scrapes; it’s a blade’s edge, sharp and cutting, andshe doesn’t know what to make of him. He doesn’t even look at her, and doesn’t treather with anything but the same indifference that he shows the rest of theircolleagues. And it should be a relief but it’s isn’t. Not when she knows.

She looks for a mark – to see what they are, the words she’s meant to sayto him. They haven’t exchanged a single utterance since his first words to her,but maybe…maybe if she knew what she’s meant to say, she can twist fate – canbend it to her will and bidding. She’s good at that – bending wills.

But if her mark is on him somewhere, it’s nowhere she can see – notwithout resorting to drastic measures, anyhow. And of course she knows thetricks, and if he were any other man it would be an easy enough ruse to pulloff. But the fact that he isn’t – that he probably wouldn’t have accepted ifshe’d offered, ruse or no ruse…

She doesn’t know what to make of that, more than anything.

But with no way of knowing what she’s meant to say, Hancock makes a pointof avoiding him altogether – of not exchanging so much as a single word,because if she can’t force fate to do her bidding, perhaps she can circumventit somehow.

And it’s…surprisingly easy, she finds. And it might have rankled had itbeen anyone else, but he seems as set on ignoring her as he is on ignoringeveryone else around him, and so she doesn’t have to strain herself to avoidspeaking to him, or worry that he’ll find her actions at all suspicious. Ifanything it becomes a mutual understanding, a thing of kindred spirits, and shemight have laughed at the irony if she hadn’t been quite so frustrated.

Because the most infuriating part is that she’s curious, andenough so that she grows careless – tempted to the point where she no longermakes an effort to leave the room first. Instead she lingers after the fewmeetings they’re summoned to attend, to her sisters’ collective surprise,although she has no explanation to offer when questioned.

And she doesn’t know what it is she expects will come from her actions,other than disaster, but if Mihawk notices her poorly concealed interesthe doesn’t let on, and nothing has changed in that regard. He offers hisremarks sparingly, saying only what’s strictly necessary, but his voice dragsher eyes whether she likes it or not. And it’s not until he’s striding out,gazed fixed on anything but her, that Hancock realises what it is that she’sdoing.

She catches a glimpse of the mark in the bath later, the reflection inthe full-length mirror tossing back the ugly truth in red and scarred flesh,and above it, curving in that neat scrawl–

She breaks the mirror, watching the pieces shatter against the tiltedfloor, and pretends she can’t still hear the cadence of his voice wrappedaround the words, like the mark has etched itself into her memory as well asher skin.

And it doesn’t matter that he’s not what she’d expected, she decides – ithad never once mattered, not before she knew, and it doesn’t haveto matter now. She’d made a vow never to be bound to another being again, andeven if fate won’t allow her to live in ignorance, it doesn’t mean he needsto know. Barring the occasional meeting there’s a whole sea between them, andshe’ll keep it that way – will live out her life, free of this as she is of anyother shackles, real or imaginary, and he’ll be none the wiser.

Because who would tell him?

The battle at Marineford brings with it a curious sort of peace, if onlybecause she’s taken the space he’s started to take up in her mind and offeredit to someone else.

She loses track of Luffy in the chaos, but her heart sits, a calm weightin her chest – calm, because this is a choice she’s made forherself. No brand will ever decide her fate, not again, and even if her soulcould never be his she still has her heart left to give.

But, thoughts elsewhere, she doesn’t notice the attack before it’s too late tododge it, an oath tearing loose as her heart lurches into her throat–

The shadow thrown by his sword hits her before the realisation of whathas happened, the effortless swing of the massive blade leaving a keening wail,a death-knell before her opponent crumbles to the ground, and the spray ofblood is such a violent display for a moment all she can do is stare.

Then he’s sheathed it again, the smooth arc it makes through the airleaving a small rain of red droplets in its wake. The obsidian seems to suck upall the light, the polished gleam of it without so much as a scratch, and inthe second before he turns Hancock catches her reflection in the metal, andfeels something recoil within her at the sight.

Mihawk doesn’t offer her so much as a glance, let alone a comment – not areprimand for leaving herself open, or anything more condescending, the sort ofthing she might have expected from any of their colleagues. But – it’sstill infuriating, his silence somehow more condemning, as though she isn’tworth the effort of a single remark. And if he’s so indifferent he might as well have minded hisown damn business, she decides, and before she can stop herself–

“I can watch my own back,” she snaps, and would have followed up with awithering glare, if it hadn’t been for his reaction.

She realises all too late what she’s done – sees it in the sharp turn ofhis head, this too eerily like a hawk’s, before his entire face shifts, hardexpression yielding for a single second, to make room for genuine surprise.

It’s the first thing she’s ever said to him, and he recognises the words.

Realisation hits her like a physical blow, and the dread that follows isenough to make her knees feel like they’re about to give out from underneathher. But she’s held her head high through worse situations than this, and it’sthat stubborn thought that keeps her from crumbling completely, under the damningknowledge that in her moment of inattention she’d left herself open in moreways than one.

A distraction arrives before he can open his mouth to speak, the groundtilting beneath their feet, and she grabs the opportunity and doesn’t lookback, pushing through the rubble and the bodies strewn in her path, her stridescertain and eating up the ground and her back so straight it feels like herspine might snap from the pressure.

Co-ward, her heart beats, an unsteady rhythm to the drumming sound of the battleraging around her, the din drowned by her own thoughts. And she feels themoment his eyes leave her, feels the physical reprieve of his gaze, a relief so great italmost makes her stagger. Although if it’s of his own volition or because she’sslipped out of sight that he lets her go, she can’t say, but thinks it might bethe latter – fears it, and the promise that accompanies thethought, cinching tight and unyielding around the last sliver of freedom thatshe’s held onto for so long.

Twenty-eight years, and fate has finally decided that she’s out of time.

He watches her disappear amidst the fighting – the sable curtain of her hairthe last of her that holds his gaze before he loses sight of her, and it takes effortto drag his attention back to the battlefield; away from the memory of thosedark eyes flashing, and the barbed tongue that had lashed out so unexpectedly.

I can watch myown back, and how many times has he considered those exact words? The sharp,no-nonsense lines of the handwriting, like a whip’s lash, and the mark as much a partof him as any one of his limbs. But in all his years he’d never once considered that the one those words belonged to would be her.

She’d known – he’d seen it on her face, the dawning realisation that hadmade her anger bleed away so suddenly, leaving the briefest flicker of fear chasing across her features before she’ddrawn her shields back up from where she’d let them slip. She’d known of the connection, even if he hadn’t had the chance to utter a single word, although he must have at some point, sealing her fate as surely as his own, although unawares.

And when she’d retreated he’d felt it – that curious tug, as though at something just behindhis breastbone; as though the spoken words had solidified something he’d only everspared half a thought –the final piece to an age-old puzzle sliding into place, although he’d always thought it an antiquated concept. Soulmates.

But the thought won’t leave him now that it’s taken root. Instead itfollows him, a shadow all the way through the last leg of the battle, until the war is over, brought to an end between one breath and the next and leaving a grotesque tableau of unnecessary loss of life. And how many bonds were severed on that battlefield,he catches himself wondering, watching the number of casualties rising with every new head counted, and the bodies wrapped and laid out along the broken shoreline. How many had been born with words ontheir skin that would be the last they ever heard?

It’s not something he’s offered much consideration, in the four decades he’s carried the words that turned out to be hers. It had never been a priority, but it’s hard toshake the thought of her now – the rigid curve of her spine and the elegantlyraised chin, as though she’d look down her nose at fate itself if given thechance.

And it’s…not impossible, he concedes after a while, and with amusement rather than displeasure – to see what might havebeen fate’s intention, in stringing two souls as different as theirs together.

Although, remembering that hard gaze, and her stubborn defiance – perhaps the truth is that they’re not as different as he’d first thought.

“Holy shit,” Shanks declares, before Mihawk has even had the chance to openhis mouth. “You finally figured out who it is.”

He doesn’t bother asking how he can possibly tell, knowing already that he’s about tobe given the answer, even before Shanks says, “We’ve known each other over twentyyears, Hawk-Eyes. I’m pretty sure I can recognise all three of yourexpressions by now. Well – four. What would you call this one – ‘pensively smitten’?”

His grin is eating up his whole face, but Mihawk considers him where he stands, features a little harder than whenthey’d seen each other last, before the war, but then the world had been a different place, and he hadn’t had quite so much to lose. Now with a wife and child on the way there’s a new wariness in the way he holds himself, although his delight is, as always, a staggeringly genuine thing.

“The war changed many fates,” Mihawk says at length – the most he willreveal, he decides, even if he can see by the way Shanks’ expression practically lights up that it’s by no means the last he’ll hear of it.

And as though on cue – “C’mon,” Shanks groans. “You have to give me more than that. I tell you things all the time!”

“Yes,” Mihawk agrees. “Against my wishes, usually.”

“I told you when I met mine,” Shanks counters.

“And I offered her my condolences, if you remember.”

“Hah! She laughed when I told her that, you know.” He grins, expression yielding some of its harder lines to softer, laughing ones, no doubt at the object of conversation. “But seriously, it’s only fair. Sharing is caring, Hawk-Eyes. I promise it won’t kill you.”

Mihawk offers a raised brow. “Where your assurances are concerned, I am usually inclined to disagree.”

“You have the driest sense of humour this side of the Red Line, you know that?”

When he doesn’t answer, Shanks pouts – an expression better suited a man twenty years younger, but knowing he’s just as likely to stick his tongue out at theinsinuation that he’s getting old, Mihawk keeps the observation to himself. Twenty years ofrivalry-turned-reluctant-friendship has taught him a thing or two as well. Unfortunately.

The sigh he lets slip carries his reluctance with it. “She is–”

When he pauses, Shanks’ expression turns expectant. And entirely too amused. “Is…?”

He’s never been inarticulate, for all that he’s known for saying little. But it’s suddenly difficult, coming up with something that would do hercharacter justice – that would say more than just the usual platitudes used todescribe her. The fabled Pirate Empress, regarded by so many as the most beautifulwoman in the world. Not a falsehood by any means, and yet–

“Singular,” Mihawk says at length, but where he expects laughter, allthat greets his admission is a widening grin – although it’s a disconcertingly knowing thing now.

“That’s like love poetry coming from you, isn’t it?”

A snort. “I doubt she would welcome the gesture, if that were the case,” Mihawkdeadpans.

“Ah. Hard woman to please?”

At that, he smiles. “Hard woman.”

Shanks laughs. “He says, sounding entirely happy about it. Sheesh – lookat you! You look ridiculous.” Then with a sigh, entirely dramatic, “I’m so proud.”

“I am leaving.”

“Hey– wait! You still haven’t told me who it is!”

He doesn’t seek her out at once.

It’s partly for her sake, remembering her reaction at Marineford, and knowing enough of her history to understand the likely reason behind it. But it’s also because he finds himself…otherwise occupied.

“Hey, where are you going?” Roronoa asks, glancing up from his squats, asheer ludicrous number of which he insists on completing every morning.

“I will be away a few days,” Mihawk says simply, pausing in the doorway. “You will continue yourtraining in the meantime.”

“You been called back to Headquarters? Or what’s left of it, anyway.”

“I expect to see improvement when I return,” Mihawk adds, ignoring the question, andsees from the grin stretching along Roronoa’s mouth that it was the wrong thingto say.

“Oho. Not Headquarters, then.” And, arms crossed over his chest and squats forgotten, “Where are you really going, Master?”

There are few in his acquaintance who can get away with that amountof shameless cheek, and he must be getting old, Mihawk thinks, because he’s inclined tolet him.

“A personal engagement,” he says at length. “That is all I will divulgeon the matter.”

Roronoa’s grin doesn’t slip so much as an inch, but, “Mah,” he says, rotating his shoulder lazily. “I don’t really care, either way. Just make sure you’re ready to fight when you get back.”

“If I make it back,” Mihawk says, the wry remark slipping out entirely ofits own volition, although it’s lost on the boy, along with the reason behind it – the particular destination he has in mind; a foolhardy venture for any man to even consider who values their health.

It is a small relief, Mihawk concedes wryly, that Shanks is not around to offer his thoughts on that.

“What was that?”

“I said do not get lost. I might not make it back in time to collect youbefore you perish from neglect.”

“Oye!”

In the aftermath of the war, she does her best to avoid him – makes sure theirpaths don’t cross as she takes her leave at first opportunity, unwilling to linger for several reasons, but his presencebeing the most prominent. And once again there’s a whole sea between them, althoughdespite her efforts the distance seems shorter than it used to, the knowledgethat he’s no longer unaware greeting her with every furtive glance in themirror, remembering her reflection caught in the dark metal of his sword, andthe words that had pulled from within her where she’d so long kept themburied.

She arrives on Amazon Lily and she can breathe again. And as the dayspass and the rest of the world begins the slow process of picking itself backup and dusting itself off, Hancock busies herself with more pressing matters –Luffy, and it’s a desperately welcome distraction, allowing her some peace ofmind, at least during her waking hours. And as the days slowly crawl into weeks, then into long months, her dread softens into something kinder, brought on by the sudden realisationthat she might not be the only one displeased with fate’s arrangement; that,given his reclusive nature and general indifference, Mihawk might be happy tojust leave her be.

It gives her some comfort, and she begins to wonder if perhaps that wasfate’s intention all along; that her soul should find its familiar, and withit, the mutual understanding to leave it at that. Because there has to bea reason – that of all the souls on the seas who’ve covetedher, body and soul, her own soul’s mate should be one that desires neither.

Her heart settles somewhat with that, and it’s not animosity she feelswhen she considers him now, the few times she allows her mind to follow thatline of thought. Instead it’s something almost kindred, and that makes herwonder how he feels about it – that it should be hers, of all the souls in theworld. But she doesn’t count on ever getting an answer.

In hindsight…she probably should have given him more credit.

Arriving in her private quarters one night, hair drying from her bath and her feetbare, it’s a testament to how comfortable she is within the promised safety ofher home that she doesn’t even notice the presence at once.

And he doesn’t even make a point of hiding, or to turn around at herapproach, standing casually-as-you-please in the middle of her bedchamber, asthough it’s not a blatant and outrageous violation of one of the oldest laws ofher people.

And it’s entirely redundant, because she can’t imagine that he doesn’tknow, and if she hadn’t been quite so taken aback Hancock might have saidsomething different, but–

“No man is allowed to set foot on this island,” she says, and is relieved that atleast her voice falls with command, even as she tries to calm her heart fromthe somersault it had proceeded to make at the sight of him in her quarters.

He turns towards her at the declaration, every movement deliberate andmade entirely without haste, and there’s something infuriating about his apparent ease thatmakes her hands clench, although – anger is better than fear, and she latchesonto it now with every ounce of strength and stubborn defiance she can dredge up.

“How did you get in?” she asks then, when he’s made no move to respond,although given his usual economy of speech she’s not surprised she has todemand answers, even if he is the one trespassing.

A dark brow arches, and Mihawk spares a glance to the balcony at hisback, the doors thrown wide open; a freedom to keep them so that she’s neveronce questioned, before he declares coolly, “Your royal retinue leaves something to bedesired.”

Something lurches within her, and her breath almostleaves her, fury making her voice a whip, “You didn’t–”

“I am quite capable of stealth,” he tells her, cutting her off before shecan put words to the accusation, the remark holding an odd sort of dryness shewouldn’t have thought him capable of, even as she finds a promise there – thatshe’ll find no blood on his blade if she were to check.

Heart having settled from its leap into her throat, she’s suddenlytempted to tell him that you wouldn’t think it, garish outfit taken intoconsideration, along with a sword that shouldn’t allow for even a modicum ofstealth. But she swallows the remark before it can take shape, because sherefuses to meet his infringement of her privacy with anything but absolutecontempt.

“What are you doing here?” she asks instead. She hasn’t moved from whereshe’d come to a stop in her surprise, just beyond the doors to her quarters, but then neither has he, and there are several steps left yawing between them.If she were to call for her guards, Hancock doubts he’d be able to cover thedistance in time.

Or – at least she hopes so, pitiful as that feeling suddenly seems,considering his apparent ease at infiltrating both her island and her palace.Although he doesn’t seem inclined to make any advances towards her, regardingher calmly from across the chamber, and Hancock doesn’t know what to make of it– the fact that she can’t seem to read his intentions. If he’d come with themost obvious thing in mind, he would have taken out her guards, and whoeverelse had crossed his path. And he wouldn’t be wasting time talking, unlessshe’s completely underestimated his arrogance.

“You are a difficult woman to get a hold of,” he tells her then, offeringa fleeting glance to the opulent chamber around him, as though only now makingnote of it. It’s a magnificent room, but his gaze only lingers for a moment,before he’s turned it back on her.

And it lives up to its reputation, she decides – that hawk-like gaze.

“I make it a point to be,” she shoots back. Her initial surprise havingrelented its grip, she’s steeled herself now, bare heels planted firmly and herback straight. If he does make a move towards her, it won’t be to find hercaught off her guard.

She thinks she might have caught the corner of his mouth lifting, butdismisses it as a trick of the torchlight. And he still hasn’t moved – not somuch as an inch, his entire posture speaking of an ease that makes her attemptedshow of authority seem awkward at best, for all that it’s her private quarters,in her palace, where she is Empress.

The moisture from her hair has begun to seep into the silk of her robe,making the fabric cling to her skin, but his gaze doesn’t even slip from whereit’s focused on hers. And there’s an incredulous sort of laugh threatening atthe base of her throat, because she doesn’t know what to make of any of it –not the words on her skin or him, his character and sudden presence, orhow it all fits together.

“I can see what you are thinking,” Mihawk says then, the remark draggingher attention back from where she’d let it drift, despite her efforts atkeeping her guard up. “It’s not why I am here.”

“Then why are you?” And she doesn’t care that she sounds more tired thanangry now, and that without her anger her shoulders sit, slack beneath theheavy weight of her damp hair. She’s not wearing any jewels, and she doubts shelooks the part of Empress now, clad in nothing but her sleepwear. Perhaps thathad even been his intention, in seeking her out here of all places –to catch her at her most vulnerable, or at least what a man might assume would be her most vulnerable.

Those strange eyes are still holding hers, as though searching forsomething, and she wonders how many have cowered before that look.

Well. She won’t be one of them. And she wonders if he finds thatconviction on her face, because she has the distinct impression that he’spleased, even though his own hasn’t so much as twitched.

“Call it curiosity,” he says at length, voice entirely level, althoughthere’s a hint of that wryness from before that she can’t seem to reconcilewith what she knows of his character.

She sniffs. “What a perfectly human weakness. And here I thought someonelike you would be above those.”

He looks at her, and for a moment it’s like he knows –like he sees her for someone else than what she is; or at least, what shepretends to be, and, “I could say the same,” he offers back.

She doesn’t dignify that with a response, although he doesn’t appear tobe expecting one, and, “You know why I am here,” he says then. “You have knownfor some time.” But his expression lets nothing slip of what he thinks aboutthat, even as he asks, “How long?”

Part of her thinks she should feel insulted that he doesn’t remember thefirst words he spoke to her, but she’s beyond trying to make sense of what shefeels when it comes to this man. And she’s too tired for games, and to keep upa charade of pretending to be ignorant. There’s really no use – not when she’sstanding before him, clad in her sleeping robe and with no shields left to putup that he wouldn’t see through in a second.

And so she doesn’t say anything – only reaches up to push her hair overone shoulder, baring her neck as she turns to let him see.

And it’s a momentous gesture, she realises a secondlater. Not just drawing her hair away, leaving her back with nothing but thethin material of her robe to cover the brand sitting further down. But ifthat’s significant for her, turning your back to a swordsman holds an entirelydifferent kind of significance for him, and she feels it, inthe weight of the gaze that lands on her back.

But she doesn’t question the reason for her decision, or the certaintybehind it, even as she hears the footsteps approaching, his presence almostpalpable, and she ignores the shiver that shoots up her spine, and thegoosebumps rising on her skin. The torchlight throws his shadow large againstthe floor, and she’s acutely aware of her own heartbeat, steady and loud in herears.

He doesn’t reach out to touch her, although he might as well have for howshe feels the caress of that gaze, but she forces her breath to sit still inher chest, and for her shoulders to relax.

A sound that might have been a laugh escapes him, but it’s slipped fromher grasp before she can catch it. “Ah,” he says, and he’s so close the deepbaritone of his voice resonates within her. “Not words you are used to hearing,I take it.”

Turning back, it’s to find him less than an arm’s length away, andsomething like amusement has kindled in that sharp gaze as she gives a restlesstug at her hair. “Anyone would be hard-pressed to expect flattery from you,”Hancock counters. Then, nose lifted, “And your opinion doesn’t change what Iam.”

His features remain entirely unreadable, and she doesn’t know what sheexpects his response to be, but, “Good,” he says. “It shouldn’t.”

The purse of her mouth gives away more than she wants to. “If you thinkyour indifference to my appearance rankles, Dracule Mihawk, you are morearrogant than I thought.”

Oh, there’s definitely amusement there now, sitting inthe quirk of a single, dark brow. “I never claimed I was indifferent.”

Hancock sniffs. “Your aversion, then.”

Something like a scoff escapes him at that. “A laughable notion.”

“Oh? Singing a different tune now?” The look she offers is appropriatelywithering. “I don’t know why I expected anything else.”

She tries not to think about the fact that she is disappointed– that he should turn out to be like every other man. And what’s worse, thatshe’d actually considered the possibility that he might not be – that he mightsomehow be different.

“Not a different tune,” he says, and before she can protest, “And notbecause of the mark,” he adds, although not defensively; just a calm statementof fact. “I’d be a fickle man if that were the case.”

“I’ve yet to meet one who doesn’t fit that description,” Hancock retorts,even as a name sits, perched on her tongue – Luffy – but shetucks it away before she can speak it.

Mihawk considers her a moment – not the leering or openly appreciativeconsideration she’s used to, although it’s no less intimate.

“Our first meeting,” he says then. “You carried yourself with confidence,although I had yet to find the reason for it. When I gathered that the reasonwas your appearance, I was surprised. Perhaps a little disappointed.”

The pause that follows is laden, and she wonders if he expects her toanswer, and if so, what he expects her to say.

But even if he doesn’t expect anything at all – “A woman with confidencein her strength stands out more than one confident in what the world perceivesto be her selling attribute,” she says.

The word selling is deliberate, but then she has nodoubt that he knows about that part of her past.

“They believe what they want to believe,” she adds with a shrug. Then,and with a flicker of self-satisfaction, “You did.”

His smirk is a brief thing. “An effective strategy,” he agrees. “If youdon’t stir the waters, your tribe avoids unnecessary scrutiny from theGovernment.”

She studies him for a moment, her next words heavy on her tongue. Then,carefully gauging his reaction now, “Some would call that cowardice,” Hancocksays.

“You are no coward.”

There wasn’t a second of hesitation before that remark, and she doesn’teven bother to hide her surprise this time.

But, “No,” she says. “I’m not.” Another shrug, and she pretends itdoesn’t feel as heavy as it does. “I am Empress before I am a Warlord,” shedeclares, and offers no further explanation, although something tells her shedoesn’t have to. Duty is not a foreign concept to him, although for the life ofher, she can’t even guess at what might be his.

Then, because his words had sparked something old and defiant within her,“But I am beautiful,” she adds, with another tug at her hair.

Mihawk is quiet, and there’s an old fear that tells her to be wary – thatall her work will have been for nothing if he brings this to their employers.Although watching him now, Hancock can’t let go of the strange certainty thathe won’t.

“Beauty is a relative concept,” he says then, and inhearing them a second time, she feels the echo of the first – an almostphysical reaction, and she fights down the shiver it prompts. “But I never claimedyou were anything else. I simply don’t find it in the arrangement of physicalfeatures.”

Part of her doesn’t want to ask – doesn’t want to admit that she iscurious, even if she knows he can probably tell. And it’s not like there’s anyuse trying to go back now – to that mutual agreement of existing withoutacknowledging each other’s presence. It’s too late for that, although shedoesn’t know what they are now – or will be, after this.

And it’s probably not making things any easier for herself, she knows,even before she asks, “And what is it that you find beautiful, Hawk-Eyes?”

The epithet makes the corner of his mouth lift, the barest hint of goodhumour, but she has the sudden thought that he might smile more often than hisusual reticence suggests.

“An unbending will,” he tells her, and despite herself, Hancock feels herbreath catch.

Then, dryly, those golden eyes never leaving hers, “A stubborn streak,”he adds, and it’s an effort not to let her reaction show this time, even assomething keenly pleased curls up behind her ribcage.

“A short list,” she retorts, and doesn’t know why she makes it sound likea challenge.

His gaze doesn’t drop from hers, and she’s acutely aware of her breath,the lightness of it, and the laden weight that’s settled between them.

“A quiet soul,” he says then, and her traitorous heart proceeds to skip abeat in her chest.

But she releases a laugh – a curiously hard sound, given how breathlessshe feels. “Mine is hardly that.”

She doesn’t think she imagines the smile this time, brief as it is. “Mostsailors know the heart of a tempest is usually quiet.”

And whatever it might have been, her response dies on her tongue. And shedoesn’t know what to say to that, because she’s suffered her share of flatteryin her life to recognise the intention behind it, but from his entire postureto his inflections, he doesn’t appear to be asking for anything.

“You are remarkable,” he tells her then, and once again there’s nothingin his voice that hints at flattery; instead it’s just spoken as fact, simpleand without embellishment. “But not for your looks.”

The silence that pools between them on the heels of that assertion leavesher short of breath, and there’s a moment where she wonders what she might havedone, if she’d been a different woman – if she doled out her trust aseffortlessly as some people, and looked for good things in the hearts of othersbefore she looked for the bad.

It’s impossible to ignore just how close he’s standing, the warm weightof his presence unavoidable, and with her thin robe and the evening breezecreeping in from outside it’s an entirely compelling warmth, when she’s beencold for so long.

“I will see myself out,” Mihawk says then, and the moment shatters withenough force that it leaves her reeling.

The words are out of her mouth before she can drag them back, flung outwith enough force to bounce between the pillars of her bedchamber, “Just likethat?”

The fact that he doesn’t mention her reaction is a smallrelief. “Were you expecting a serenade?”

“I’d have your tongue cut out before you hit the first note.”

A laugh – a short but starkly genuine thing. “A threat I’m inclined tobelieve,” he says. But he’s moving towards the balcony now, and Hancock doesn’tknow why she doesn’t just let him go – why her instant response is to grapplefor something that would prompt him to stay a little longer.

“You won’t get far.”

He stops, and she catches the edge of his smirk when he inclines hishead. “Are you issuing a challenge, Pirate Empress?”

“A fact,” she retorts. “If I alert the guards.”

“And will you?”

The fact that it’s a genuine question makes her pause, and for a momentshe doesn’t know what to say – doesn’t know what she wants tosay.

“I don’t have to,” she says at length, righting her shoulders. “I aloneam more than capable.”

The look he gives her hints at a private joke, and, “So you’ve told me,”Mihawk agrees. “Although not in those exact words.”

She has the sudden urge to ask – to demand to see his mark; her ownwords, written on his skin. She wonders where it is, and what it lookslike, and if it feels different now that he knows who she is. She wants to ask,but doesn’t, suddenly afraid of what his response might be – that it might bewhat she hopes; that her soul has left a lasting impression on such anunflappable creature.

And she doesn’t know why she cares, or what it will bring her to pursuethis. Nothing good, if the world has taught her anything about what happens tothe needlessly curious.

Her sigh falls then, heavier than she would have liked, and, “Just go,”she says. “I won’t stop you.”

But he doesn’t go – not at once, and for a moment she wonders if he’sabout to speak, but shoves down the sprig of anticipation before it’s had timeto take root.

“I had wondered,” Mihawk says then, the words musing, although theglimpse she catches of his face is unreadable as ever. “Who it would be.”

She can’t tell what he means by that – if the remark suggests displeasureat the discovery, or something else. And his response doesn’t so much as hint atwhere his mark might be hidden, and the implication doesn’t exactly help –the realisation that it must be somewhere it would require a far more intimatesetting to discover.

And she should just let him walk away, but once again her curiosity getsthe better of her, and before she can stop herself she’s asking, “And is yourcuriosity sated, now that you know?”

The look he gives her could almost be called teasing, if she didn’t findthe notion completely ridiculous, but, “Is yours?” he asks. And without waitingfor a response he’s making for the balcony again, leaving her where she is,standing in the middle of her bedchamber.

It takes her a moment to realise that she’s gaping, and then another toclamp her mouth shut. And she doesn’t know if it’s a frustrated shriek that’spushing against her throat or a laugh, or even which is the preferablealternative, given her otherwise tongue-tied state.

But her heart sits, curiously light in her chest, and he hasn’t made itto the balcony yet when the idea strikes her – a curiously playful impulse, andshe seizes it before she’s had time to question where it comes from.

“Guards!” she calls, the word bouncing off the pillars and the farwalls of her quarters, the command sitting in it ringing loud as a bell, andwhen he glances over his shoulder it’s a wicked smirk that greets him.

“It’s a long way to the shoreline,” Hancock says, turning on her heel,damp hair fanning out, and lifting a single hand in a parting wave. “I wouldstart running if I were you. Although they leave something to be desired, theentirety of my retinue should pose a challenge. Even for you.”

She catches the muttered oath disappearing under his breath, and he’sgone when she glances over her shoulder, not so much as a footstep to mark hisdeparture. But it’s not her imagination, Hancock thinks – the deep sliver of alaugh that drifts back towards her through the open doors, and that stays longafter he’s gone.

He escapes, slipping past her guards and an entire island of trainedhunters like a shadow, much to everyone’s bafflement, but Hancock isn’tsurprised, although it does take a surprising amount of effort to feign herdispleasure with her retinue.

They tell her to close her balcony doors in the future, just to be sure.They’ve never had this problem before, but first it was Luffy-kun, and now astranger, and who might it be next?

“You must be careful, Hime-sama,” one of her retainers tells her, tonecaught between chagrin and unease. “The world is changed, after the war. Justthink about what could have happened!”

Oh she has, and at length. But she nods along, and assures them she willbe careful, even as they make arrangements to increase the number of guards around thepalace. That he’d find a way around it she doesn’t doubt for a second, but it’snot fear she feels at the prospect now – rather the opposite. And she thinksabout his parting words – Is yours? – and the invitation she’dfound in them, offered with a challenge, although she probably shouldn’t haveexpected anything less, coming from him.

And that it is in fact an offering and not an expectation is something elsethat doesn’t surprise her, mulling over the words, like she’d once used to withthose written on her skin, although this is different – the choice taken out offate’s hands, and put into her own. And it’s more freedom than she knows whatto do with, after a whole life spent expecting something quite different.

And even if it’s not quite her heart – not yet, at least; maybe never –she finds she’s not beyond giving him a chance. And so she leaves her answerunspoken, knowing he’ll recognise it for what it is.

A palace full of guards, and her balcony doors thrown open, as wide asthey will go.

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