#Robin helps Sanji through the bullying

[bidisastersanji]

Heartstopper-style ZoSan AU with Zoro as the jock who realises he’s gay because he falls in love with lanky curly haired bisexual Sanji?

[bby-deerling]

birthday cake (zoro x fem!reader)

more zoro fluff, i'm on a roll lately. recently discovered i share a birthday with brook (even though it's currently ages away), and got this silly little idea. wc 1k, zoro bullies sanji. same reader as my other zoro x reader fics!

Though it may not appear so to an outside observer, Zoro hangs onto every word you have ever said, absorbing them all like a sponge.  It scared him at first, worrying he was getting distracted from his training, but over time he figured that singularly focusing on swordsmanship left him with a lot of empty space in his head to fill.  The things you tell him; your poetic musings, all the technical aspects of the paintings you create, your darkest fears, and your eclectic range of knowledge about almost any topic all get filed away in the back of his brain.

His crew often found themselves flabbergasted when Zoro pulled this information to the forefront.  When Chopper wonders aloud how lasers work, he grabs a napkin and sketches diagrams to accompany his explanation that was at least eighty-percent correct.  When Robin comments on the ever developing impressionistic style of your pieces, she is quite amused that he has quite a lot to say about your brushwork as of late, going so far as to compare the way you hold your brush to his grip on his swords; you had stopped choking up so far on your brush at his suggestion to help increase the fluidity of your marks and seen a large amount of improvement in your work as a result.  During the two years he spent on Kuraigana, he drove Perona up a wall whenever he caught her reading a book he recognized and gave her his very strong opinions on the characters that were entirely based on a brief synopsis you had given him.

That’s why it makes him absolutely crazy when he realizes the stupid, shitty cook has forgotten your birthday, one of the most basic, mundane things about you.

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?” Zoro had asked him, leaning against the kitchen counter with his arms crossed.

“Nothing too far out of the ordinary.  I suppose I’ll make a cake despite the fact that Brook can’t really taste it; I know Luffy will want to throw a big party—” Sanji began, before being cut off.

“Moron.  Aren’t you forgetting something?” Zoro asks, voice dropping and laced with venom.

Sanji goes pale white with the realization that you shared a birthday with Brook—he had bought you a gift ages ago and forgotten about it, the exact date vaporizing into thin air.

“I can’t believe you forgot it’s her birthday too, especially after all the nonsense she did for yours last month.  I told her it wasn’t worth it, but she insisted anyways.” Zoro hisses, jaw clenched.

Sanji ignores Zoro’s hostility and begins flipping through recipes, deciding on an elaborate, three tier sponge cake with strawberry flavored icing.

“She doesn’t want that.” Zoro said, staring over his shoulder.

“Remind me what your job is here again, moss-head?” the cook asks, cigarette in his mouth snapping as he bites down on it in frustration.

Zoro goes to the cabinet that harbors his liquor stash and pulls out a small cardboard box he had bought at the last island.  “This is what she wants.  Do you have the special pan for it?”

Sanji examines the box of angel food cake mix and sighs.  “I’m not feeding her cake mix for her birthday, moss-head.  I’ll make one from scratch.” he says, swearing under his breath when he realized how much of a dent it was going to put into the ship’s supply of eggs due to the sheer amount of egg whites required.

“She wants the box mix.  It’s what she grew up having.  If you won’t make it I will.” Zoro insists, pushing the box back towards the cook.  “You know those cookies she likes from that bakery on her home island?  With tons of sugar piled on top?”

Sanji nods.  “I’ve been there. Zeff and I stole the recipe years ago.  It’s really just a basic sugar cookie—"

“They have to be in the shapes of lambs.” Zoro said.  Sanji desperately searches the moss-head’s face for any sign of him not being serious, but he turns up empty.

“Where the hell am I going to get a cookie cutter shaped like a lamb in the middle of the ocean?” Sanji snaps, secretly grateful for Zoro’s assistance but nonetheless vexed by his the swordsman’s demanding tone.

“Dunno, but you better figure it out soon.” Zoro says with a shrug, thoroughly enjoying the emotional turmoil that this entire situation was causing Sanji.  “Ask Usopp or Franky to make one for you, though who knows if they’re willing at this hour.”  Sanji clenches his jaw and nods and picks up a napkin that Zoro has scribbled a rough sketch on, making a mental note to bring it to Usopp later.

As Zoro turns to walk out of the kitchen, Sanji can’t help but throw him one last remark, despite not being in the position to do so. 

“I’m surprised you remembered all this, moss-head.  I thought all that was between your ears was empty space and ear wax.” he says, not looking up from his recipe book.

“You’re surprised I pay attention when she talks?” Zoro asks incredulously.  Sanji sighs, knowing he practically walked into that one, and prepares for another verbal lash.

“I hope I don’t have to tell you her favorite meals too.  Honestly, I don’t even see why we keep you around when you can’t even get this right without my help.  Stuff like this is why Nami doesn’t give you the time of day, besides being an idiot pervert and all—”

“Out of the kitchen now, moss for brains.” Sanji snaps, shoving his boot into his back and kicking him towards the exit.  Before he closes the door, Zoro pokes his head through the opening.

“No frosting.” he says.  “Don’t forget.”

“None at all?  You’re certain?” Sanji asks incredulously.  Zoro nods affirmatively and slams the door to the kitchen, finally giving the cook some peace and quiet, fingers rubbing his temples to get rid of the headache that the swordsman had given him.

The next day, your shared birthday party with Brook in the Sunny's kitchen is the most memorable you’ve ever had, and you’re nothing short of amazed when Sanji pulls out cake and cookies identical to the kind your mother always served you.

The wonder in your eyes at how Sanji was able to replicate the desserts dissipates and is replaced by appreciation and understanding when Zoro grins at you and squeezes your thigh under the table, a silent admission that he'd helped the cook put everything together.

No wonder everything turned out so perfect; how could it not when he pays so much attention to what you need?

[sillypiratelife]

Funny / dramatic moments between fake prince!Zoro and his equally fake royal advisor!Robin:

She doesn't advise him for shit.

What actually happens is that Robin sits to read under the shade of some pretty tree while Zoro trains (shirt on to cover his scars) nearby and they discuss their thoughts on what could be going on in the kingdom.

From afar everyone thinks they are gossiping (typical of young royals), but everyone who's near enough to listen is incredibly impressed and intimidated.

This is the trip where Robin realized that Zoro barely knows how to read and decided to do something about it.

Aka Robin learns a lot about swordsmanship from the books she picked for Zoro and Zoro includes reading in his training regimen.

Zoro baits at least half a dozen people into asking Robin for "a hand". She responds by making a third hand appear out of nowhere. Every. Single. Time.

Robin is fascinated by the amount of lies that Ussop can tell about his fake childhood as the Prince's best friend. She has the memorized just in case, but it's still entertaining to see Ussop struggle.

And also very entertaining to tease Zoro with those stories. Peak royal advisor behavior.

Robin and Zoro are absolutely bullying those old men. They pass judgemental looks during their (meant as practice) court sessions that have the (very very real) captain of the royal holding his laughter.

EKRJKFJDKDK RESTING BITCH FACES not really but those people swear the smirk and relaxed behavior means Zoro and Robin are planning to murder them. No one knows if they are being sarcastic.

When they finally leave the King laments long and loud that his court sessions will never be as funny as they were with Robin and Zoro around.

They're like three different times when Robin covers Zoro with something-turned-blanket while he naps, including one time when Zoro raised his cape and invited Robin to rest her head on his shoulder and take a nap with him.

Robin is the first to notice that a) the captain of the royal guard is the real prince and b) the dude has a crush on Zoro.

She's also the only person who notices that Zoro is in love with Sanji and that Sanji is starting to realize he's not jealous of Zoro for getting to play prince, but uncomfortable at how much it makes Sanji see a different side of Zoro that he might like. A lot.

Which means that every comment she makes is undecipherable to Zoro, but means to help him realize his, uh, situation.

The local cook thinks that Robin and Zoro are together and that Chopper is their son.

Zoro chokes on wine and Robin laughs when they hear the old cook calling someone a homewrecker in the middle of dinner.

Sanji and the real prince go red in a second, which is funny on its own right.

When the fire breaks out in the castle, Zoro is the one that saved the book Robin said she really needed for her research. The way he captured the culprit was by jumping from the library window and landing on the guy.

There's a moment when they almost go on demon mode after they find the basement full of chained children in the abandoned castle. It's only almost because the children awoke when they approached and both acted all light to not scare them.

The kids get eldest daughter!Robin and oldest brother!Zoro instead. They end up with their white suits all covered in mud + blood, but there's definitely something to see them walk in through the main gates carrying so many children, soft expressions and relief on their faces.

The glint they have on their eyes when Zoro asks about the story of that castle is enough to send the castle personnel on their knees. It's only when it's revealed that the king of that particular "castle" died a few weeks ago that Zoro and Robin turn back and everyone breathes again.

Somehow they develop a kinda dry(?) sense of humor that they share mostly with smirks and the most mysterious comments ever.

Robin takes on calling Zoro "your highness" from time to time.

Zoro takes on cleaning and sharpening Robin's knife from them on.

[anatase-7987]

Fanfic idea #01

Inspired by this idea of Vinsmoke siblings gaining emotions, here is my first take on fanfic idea: (I'm not good at writing so just throwing it out there...)

After WCI, Reiju and Ichiji rescued Niji and Yonji from Big Mom's territory, and they were quite injured on the way out. They all needed blood transfusion, especially Niji and Yonji whose blood was left at the bare minimum amount for keeping them alive (but not awake). However, the blood supplies in Germa's lab was not compatible with them, even that it was their original blood. Neither Reiju nor Ichiji's blood could help solve the situation as their own blood were modified to their own abilities. Turned out that during the fights at WCI, Sanji's blood somehow got into their veins, mixed up with their own blood and miraculously created a new kind for each of them, which Germa's lab had no control over. Judge was, of course, furious as the 'failure' messed up his 'perfect solders'. He decided to toss them and created a new batch so that they were not affected by any blood-related issues. (Judge may or may not tell the scientists to end them or let them be without any blood transfusion, and in the event that he did, Ichiji and Reiju had to fight to escape and took their brothers with them.)

Even though she was not fond of the three brothers, growing up with them did have some bonds to Reiju. After all, they were influenced by Sanji's blood, and she experienced that from the very early stage when she took care of him. So when Ichiji asked Reiju to sail with him and the two unconscious brothers on a stolen snail ship to follow the Straw Hat's ship, after knowing that they were tossed aside, she agreed.

Their snail ship caught up to the Straw Hat on Wano's land, after Wano's fights finished. Reiji spoke to Sanji about the situation while the rest of the Straw Hat stayed alerted, notably Zoro whose hand was on his swords the entire of the conversation. He did not like the presence of the cook's siblings, especially the death path that the cook asked for if he ever lost his mind by the genetics awaken. Yet Sanji, being the kindest man of himself, agreed to donate some of his blood. And Chopper, being the genius doctor of the ship, found out the compatible blood kind for each of them (meaning Reiju, Ichiji, Niji and Yonji) and utilized the facility on the snail ship to multiply the blood supplies. (And Robin being the protective mom, accompany Chopper to the ship.)

And with Sanji's blood in their system, they started to encounter things that were not registered in their systems before.

Physical pain. The pain of injuries, bruise, burns coming from the organs, from the flesh as a result of constant practices and fights.

Invisible pain. It came as the sorrow of their mother's passing that they could not express at that moment, the guilt of bullying their own brother for being different, the remorse for all the horrible things they had done that would haunt them till the end of life.

Some weird 'feelings' that could be described as 'an interesting annoyance' that centered around Zoro and Sanji.

Zoro, despite his hateful behavior towards Sanji's siblings, respected the cook's decision. After all, it was Sanji's call, not him. Instead, he presented around Sanji most of the time: in the ship's kitchen when he cooked something for the siblings (because in Sanji's mind they all needed food and Sanji fed others); he followed Sanji when he brought the food for the siblings: he may or may not guard the kitchen when Ichiji attempted to talk with Sanji... To the point that Sanji assured him that he would not run away again. Regardless, Zoro definitely threatened 124ji with Enma the moment they recovered without Sanji presence. To which Reiju actually encouraged Zoro to ask Sanji out, as she saw through his actions, while the three brothers pretentiously protested and ticked him off in the similar way that Sanji usually did. No doubt they were his siblings. (I like the original idea in the post that the 'highlight' of their awaken emotions was to see Zoro's flirting through the usual bickering with oblivious Sanji.)

The siblings were now granted a new life. Once again, they owned Sanji their lives. Sanji just dismissed that and told them to take a good advantage of this second chance to live with freedom. Sanji may or may not tell them to stay away from Germa as the kingdom would fail eventually, or if they wanted to take over, form an ally with the Revolution Army and rebuild the reputation then.

Side note: I also like the idea of the cooking competition at Wano (with the prize of all the rarest spices and ingredients to the wining party, of course, Sanji wanted it) having both the siblings and Straw Hats supporting Sanji. Like, Niji and Zoro was fighting over who would offer their sword to Sanji to handle a delicate fish or a tough cut of meat. Or Yonji and Luffy fought over who helped finished more dishes that contributed to the dominant result at the end. Ichiji, deep inside, was a little bitter on not contributing to the help while putting on the pretend modest elder brother face (he may or may not ask Sanji if he needed help igniting the wood oven/grill or roast the meat, to which Sanji refused at the risk of Ichiji may blow up the kitchen). Reiju, Nami, and Robin had a blast witnessing some comedic moments of their lives. To Nami and Robin, it was on a daily basis, but to Reiju, it was the first time. Their first time, freely enjoyed 'feelings' to their heart content.

[mytheoristavenue]

Hi! How are you? can you make a Strawhat pirates, Whitebeard, Red Hair Pirate and Mihawk with an S/O suffering from social isolation/hikikomori? If you want, thanks you!

Sure! Full discloser, I don't know too terribly much about all of the Whitebeard pirates, as I recently restarted the anime and I'm not very far yet, but I'll do my best! I also added a few characters too!

Straw Hat/Heart/Whitebeard/Red Hair Pirates + Others with a socially isolated S/O

Summary: How your S/O would hand your poor mental heath and social isolation.

Warnings: Fluff, angst, mentions of depression, anxiety, overall poor mental health.

They didn't notice at first, just thought you were probably extra tired and needed more rest to compensate.

Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Franky, Penguin, Uta, Buggy

They noticed instantly, immediately worried that something might be wrong with you.

Brook, Nami, Sanji, Bepo, Ace, Thatch, Shanks, Lucky Roux, Perona, Sabo

They noticed, but didn't act, either for a lack of not knowing how, or for wanting to give you space.

Zoro, Jinbe, Robin, Law, Marco, Whitebeard, Yasopp, Beckman, Mihawk

Once they finally realize, they'll bug you incessantly to talk to them, they're very worried.

Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Penguin, Buggy, Bepo

They always knew, but they are still going to pester you over it.

Nami, Ace, Shanks, Lucky Roux, Perona, Thatch, Sabo, Perona

They know trying to pressure you won't help. They might offer to talk once, but if you decline, they'll walk away and watch you from a distance.

Yassop, Law, Marco, Beckman, Robin, Zoro, Mihawk, Jinbe, Sanji

Days pass and turn into weeks, and your 'off day' turns into a pattern. You've let go of your hygiene and rarely leave your room. They are concerned for you greatly, no matter how they choose to show it.

Everyone

They finally bully their way into your room one day, begging you for answers. They miss you very much. They find your room in shambles, half eaten food and clutter all over. "Whoa...".

Luffy, Buggy, Chopper, Uta, Penguin, Franky, Bepo, Perona, Nami

They knock at your door lightly, pleading with you to come out, saying that they miss you and the times you'd shared. Slowly, you crack open the door and they are able to see the filth you're living in. They choose to ignore it, smiling. "There you are...".

Usopp, Yasopp, Shanks, Ace, Sanji, Lucky Roux, Sabo, Whitebeard, Marco, Thatch, Robin, Zoro, Brook, Jinbe, Law, Marco, Mihawk

They try to convince you to leave your room, to let them clean it. They're mainly focused on getting you out of your situation. They show their love through doing whatever they can to get you help.

Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Nami, Chopper, Ace, Sabo, Usopp, Buggy, Shanks, Uta, Perona

They sit in your room with you and let you vent to them, holding you and rubbing your back comfortingly. They encourage you to let them help you, but if you refuse, they won't pester.

Yasopp, Whitebeard, Mihawk, Law, Robin, Lucky Roux, Beckman, Jinbe, Thatch, Penguin,

A/N: Sorry this was so short! I guess I bit off a bit more than I could chew with how many characters I decided to include. I hope you still like it!

[1poda]

She Hates Pirates! Pt.6

Pt.1

Pt.2

Pt.3

Pt.4

Pt.5

Pt.7

Pt.8

A furrow-browed Alba stormed her way through an empty dusty town road void of any life aside from a lowly tumbleweed which quickly bounced out of danger. 

With balled fists and a quick step she hurried to a stone-walled building which was the island's largest bar, it was also the only place barrelling with loud men who were yelling and growling in celebration. A shadow cast itself over her sight as she raised a leg to kick down its massive doors from its hinges, all life stilled as navy men paused in their delicious glugs of mutton and biting off fresh food that they had no doubt stolen. 

As the intruder stood before the grumbling crowd they began shouting insults and questions, asking why a little girl such as herself was fighting her way into such a dangerous area. The seemingly largest of them all stepped forward with a grin splitting through his shabby beard, leaning close he muttered "I suggest you leave soon girly- it's been a while since my men have been in such fine.... company" he giggled lowly as the monsters around him followed and stood from their comfortable seating. 

She didn't move, nor did the shadow. 

Fists kept alarmingly clenched as the female's limbs shuddered with the rage they withheld. 

The imposing being before her chuckled again as he landed a hand on her shoulder with a cruel smile "Now now, we’re the good guys here. There's no need to be afraid" 

His men began surrounding the entrance she had bullied to the ground, many still chortling to their friends as weapons were grabbed and pronounced in her sights. 

Luffy sat in a pile of bones and plates as their contents were inhaled and soon replaced by more fresh deliciousness, the Capitan crunched and munched without much to bother him until he glanced around the area of staggering men, some his own and other the islands, and his brows furrowed with a hum. 

"Wher'd Alba gor?" he forced through his packed cheeks, a hand on his straw hat as if it would help the monkey boy see further, the chef cooking from a large pot released a smoky breath "I don't know, last I saw she speaking to Nami and Robin" he stirred the large cauldron with and even larger ladle. 

Switching his confused stare from Sanji to the ginger looking at a map on a nearby table Luffy yelled through his piles "Heeeeeeeeeey NAMI!"

The navigator growled at his rudeness as her concentration broke "What Luffy? I'm in the middle of some very important work!" 

The Capitan blinked at his crewmate before taking another bite "Do you know where Alba is?" 

At his simple question Nami halted her rage for a moment and held a thoughtful hand to her chin "Hmmm, I'm not sure where she is, the last time I saw her she asked me and Robin what was happening on the island" 

It only took a split second for the dots to meet but both female members of the infamous straw had band gasped at their revelation "You.. don't think she went...?" 

"She went to fight the Marines all on her own" Robin finished the trembling Navigator's words "By the look in her eyes Alba knew exactly what was going on. That must been why she left without us spotting her" 

"GRRRRR THATS NO FAAAIR!!" the black-haired male yelled at the top of his voice in his angriest tone "She left to fight those guys without me! And withoUT BREAKFAST!!" Luffy roared at the betrayal before grabbing a red apple and racing toward the town, leaving a string of dust with ever-speeding footsteps. 

"Huh? She hasn't had breakfast?" Sanji suddenly nipped into the conversation before bouncing from his makeshift stove's side "DON'T WORRY ALBAAAAA! YOUR KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR IS COMING TO FEEEEED YOOOOOOU!!" 

The tornado chef was quick to follow the path his leader had left behind without any thought to the treats he left uncooked, Nami sighed as she took stock of their situation with fingers rubbing her temples "Zorro! I need you to wake up and go with them!" 

At her command the hung-over swordsman slithered a dirty stare from one groggy eye before mentioning that she should go with them herself, with a louder growl and threatening fist she demanded he leave right this second. 

"Alright already! Geez, can tell you didn't drink enough last night" 

Luffy raced down the main street of the small parts of town Alba had shown him, so with very little memory the straw-hatted fool held up an apple with one hand and yelled from the other, not having much luck pinpointing a location until a bright explosion came from further inside the town. While the island shook dangerously at its strength Luffy giggled delightfully and his grin couldn't stop growing. 

"What the hell was THAT?!" Zorro yelped from behind his Capitan as the chef couldn't stop staring at the tiny yet powerful explosion. Both gasped as Luffy somehow ran faster with a louder laugh. 

"It's Alba!!"

[taizi]

Hi! I love your works! 71 + 72 for Luffy and Jinbei?

PROMPTS LIST

71. “I’m going to protect you.”

smile again

x

As a watchdog journalist, Jinbei's work takes him everywhere. He isn't always in the best position to receive phone calls. Sometimes, depending on what story his group decides to chase after and what far-flung corner of the world it leads them to, Jinbei goes weeks without internet access.

By the time he gets news of the accident, Luffy has been out of the hospital for a month and Ace has been dead just as long.

Jinbei has to go home.

His colleagues-- a group of solid, hard-working people he's known for going on twenty years, has worked with on the field and off, in smoke and fire and claustrophobic office spaces-- are entirely understanding.

Tiger drives him to a small airport, the truck bouncing along a bumpy gravel road. There's a single, hastily-packed duffel in the bed of the pickup. Jinbei isn't even sure what he shoved in there, having only made one mindless pass through his room. He would have left without his passport if Hatchan hadn't shoved it into his hands on his way out the door.

"It may be time for me to retire," Jinbei says aloud. His mind is ebbing and rising like a tide, a vast ocean of grief. Thoughts go bobbing away like loose buoys before he can get a grasp on them.

All he can think of is the last video-call he made home, over a month ago now. Ace and Luffy, pressed cheek-to-cheek so they'd both fit in-frame, competitive in all things and unwilling to take turns, even as Jinbei laughingly promised he had plenty of time to talk.

They made him promise to call again soon. He meant to.

"Don't worry about us over here," Tiger says. His eyes are on the road, hands tight around the steering wheel. He carries Jinbei's grief like it's his own. "Just worry about your boy."

His boy, Jinbei thinks. Not by blood or by law, certainly, but by something less quantifiable than that. Those scrappy kids that spilled into his yard one muggy summer evening, hiding in the hedges from their well-antagonized CPS caseworker and somehow claiming a piece of Jinbei's heart from the moment he first laid eyes on them.

Ace was so angry back then, and Luffy was so easily frightened, and they clung to each other in a practiced way, as if they were so used to the world trying to claw them apart that they didn't expect anything else, even from a perfect stranger. They didn't seem to know what to do with kindness. Ace watched Jinbei like a hawk for weeks, long after Luffy warmed up to him. His trust, when he finally gave it, felt like a prize.

Jinbei was working long, unpredictable hours, and knew it wouldn't be fair to drag two children into his household if he couldn't afford them the time and care they deserved-- but after school? Weekends? Holidays? Those he gave up freely.

His days gained some semblance of routine again, for the fist time since he finished college. His kitchenware came down from the cupboard, the pockmarked kitchen table was often set for three. He made dinner at home, more than he ate in the office with his colleagues.

Hell, his colleagues ate dinner with him at home more often, too. Within an hour of meeting the boys, each of Jinbei's friends, to a man, would have taken a bullet for either of them, no questions asked.

The sense of structure did wonders for the brothers. With a safe place to return to when they needed it, and someone to fall back on, Ace stopped looking at every potential foster home as if it was a threat. Luffy came out of his shell, bolder with each new day. He made a friend in the village, a boy with vivid green eyes, and they hardly spent a moment apart.

They were finally placed with a couple who lived nearby. Shanks was wry and good-natured, and Benn had the patience of a saint. After a few weeks, when Jinbei asked how they were settling in, his worries were soothed: Luffy clearly adored them, and even Ace grudgingly admitted they weren't so bad.

And when the time came, and Ace applied for emancipation as well as custody of his brother, he had a small army in his corner. A patchwork family collected in little bits and pieces, ready to support him through anything.

"I will always be here for you both," Jinbei had promised him, countless times. "You'll never be alone as long as I'm alive."

"Thank you," Ace said, a little bashful. But he was so pleased, and so full of hope for the future, and he said, "I'll feel better, knowing someone's around to look after Luffy if I can't."

He immediately got shouted down by his entire strange extended pseudo-family for daring to suggest they'd ever let anything happen to him, and it made him laugh so brightly, and now the memory sticks like needles in Jinbei's throat.

Tiger hugs him hard before Jinbei boards the plane. In the back of his mind, where there is a tiny corner free from drowning, Jinbei can't help but wonder when he'll see his friend again.

He keeps thinking of that last video call. He can't remember everything they talked about. He doesn't think he said enough. He almost certainly didn't tell Ace everything he deserved to hear. Foolishly, he assumed there would be another time.

He's learned from this. He won't take it for granted any more.

"Call me when you land," Tiger says. "Give the monkey our love."

"I will," Jinbei replies. His heart is so heavy he doesn't know how he manages the steps onto the plane. He doesn't know how the pilot manages to lift them up from the tarmac. It's a wonder they aren't sinking, straight through the earth.

Nami and Usopp are waiting for him at the airport, wide-awake even though it's well past two o'clock in the morning. They're familiar to Jinbei from the stories Luffy has told him, from the numerous video calls they've bullied their way into over the years, and the handful of birthdays and holidays Jinbei was able to make it home for.

"Luffy wanted to come with us to pick you up, but he fell asleep," Usopp says, apropos of nothing, as they're waiting for their Uber. "Sanji said it was a small miracle, and Zoro looked like he was going to hunt us for sport if we even thought about waking him up, so--"

"He hasn't been sleeping, then?" Jinbei asks quietly.

"After he came home, he was on some pretty heavy meds, and he slept a lot," Nami says. Her arms are folded tight against her chest in the nighttime chill, her eyes trained somewhere far away. "But he had bad dreams and he would wake up disoriented. Now he fights sleep tooth and nail."

"We've all sort of become the insomnia squad," Usopp pipes up. "Thank god I'm not taking any classes this summer."

"Sanji's gotten really good at making lattes," Nami adds with a small smile. "Wait till you see his shiny new espresso machine."

"I'm like eight-five percent sure he stole it from the Baratie."

Jinbei listens to their chatter, feeling at once anchored by them and adrift at sea. It makes sense that they would be ahead of him. They've been here all this time, practically from the moment of the accident, facing it with all the bravery and endurance of sailors in a typhoon. Jinbei, meanwhile, had been living in an unchanged world.

For the last month, Ace has been dead. How many times had Jinbei thought about him? Mentioned him to a friend? How many times had Jinbei wrongly said his name in the present-tense?

The house is warmly-lit when they arrive, but quiet. An old blue Irish wolfhound greets them at the door, wagging his tail. Robin looks up from the papers she has spread out on the coffee table and smiles. Chopper is fast asleep beside her, his head on her shoulder. Behind them, Jinbei can see Sanji at work in the kitchen, shaping dough. Something is baking that smells of cinnamon and apples.

They weren't kidding about their sleep schedules being a mess.

"Hello, Jinbei. It's good to see you," Robin says. Her voice is soft, in deference to the sleeping teenager. "Luffy is asleep, but you can see him if you like."

"Please," Jinbei replies hoarsely.

"I'll take him," Nami says. "Usopp, would you bring his bag to the guest bedroom?"

"'Course," Usopp replies, but he makes a detour into the kitchen first.

Nami takes Jinbei's hand and leads him toward the stairs. "I feel really stupid about this, but I was so angry at you," she admits as they make their way up. "It's hardly the first time we haven't been able to contact you, and I know why that is. But-- I don't know, I think I was going crazy. I wanted Luffy to have everything he wanted. I wanted everyone who loved him to be here every time he woke up. So I-- so there might be some angry emails waiting for you, but please don't hate me for it."

"I won't even read them," Jinbei promises gravely, his heart cleaved clean in two. "I can't imagine how-- how hard it must have been. I-- if I had gotten the messages sooner-- "

"I know," Nami assures him, pausing outside a closed bedroom door. "Franky spoke to you like six hours ago, and you're already here. You dropped everything to be here. We know the kind of person you are."

She stands up on tiptoe to kiss his cheek, and Jinbei bends to accommodate her, the same way he does for Koala. Then Nami reaches out and pushes open the door.

Zoro is awake, sitting against the headboard with his phone in hand and earphones in, and his eyes are as bright and sharp now as they were when he was a child. He looks up when the door opens, and seems to relax when he sees Jinbei stepping in behind Nami.

"Go to sleep," Nami whispers, pointing at the second bed across the spacious room.

"Don't tell me what to do," Zoro replies, just as quiet, but he pulls his earphones out and extracts himself from the bed with all the exacting precision of a bomb disposal technician. Nami takes him by the arm, helping him get up so carefully that the mattress hardly moves. It's such a well-practiced maneuver that Jinbei thinks he honestly might cry.

"If one of you would stay for a bit, I'll grab a shower," Zoro says.

"Sure, stinky," Nami says, nudging him toward the door. "Jinbei?"

He nods, unsure of what he's agreeing to. Now that he's finally next to Luffy, nothing else seems to exist. He sinks into the chair beside the bed, only half-aware of Nami and Zoro leaving. Their murmured conversation is cut off by the closing door. The room is silent, save for the gentle, unobtrusive sound of Luffy's steady breathing.

He's lost weight since Jinbei saw him last. There are shadows on his face that don't belong there. He looks both older and younger than he has any right to, even now, when his face is untroubled and slack with sleep.

"Hello, little monkey," Jinbei says. His voice is quiet, but it still breaks. He's crying, he realizes, thick tears rolling down his face with abandon. "I'm sorry it took me so long."

He thinks of two little boys, spilling into his life on accident, taking up room in his home and his heart as if they always belonged there. They weren't his, not really, but he loved them anyway. Loves them still.

"I'm here now," he whispers. His hands are shaking. "I'm going to protect you, like I promised. I'm here, Ace. Please believe me, wherever you are. I won't fail you again."

[one-piece-dumpster-fire]

Pudding's case is fascinating - because this is an example of a WELL written subplot, but Pudding's design doesn't match the given backstory AT ALL. Would it make sense for a young girl from abusive family who spent her whole life mocked by mother and siblings for her appearance and developing a complex because of it to turn sides because someone finally treated her like a human being and said something nice to her? Of course! (part 1)

Oh boy this is gonna be a bit long I'm sorry xD

I feel like I should preface this by saying that Pudding is one of my absolute least favorite characters in OP for many reasons, but since most of them don't have anything to do with the topic at hand I'll try to keep myself from straying too much :'D

But before I get to the issue with her design, I have to say this: although the premise of Pudding's subplot makes sense and fits in with the overall theme of domestic abuse present throughout WCI, the execution of her character is,,,, not really something I'd call very well-written, to be honest😅?

Her insecurities or inner hurt is not explored beyond the flashback/compliment, which was also not build up at all, there isn't another significant moment where she reflects more on how Sanji's treatment of her contrasts with what she previously faced, or even the many parallels between them and how they both stem from abusive households yet choose to deal with their inner pain in different ways is never explored.

I always thought it was kind of a waste that you have an arc supposedly centered around Sanji being the 'kindest', yet his kindness didn't really seem to inspire her to change her view on herself. Which, if I'll be honest, was what I was expecting after Pudding broke down- that she would get to have a genuine talk with Sanji, demonstrate her initial conflicted feelings at his comment because she was never complimented before, and go through some self-reflection and exploration by really looking at their stories of abuse and how that molded her into who she is now. But... naga. She is turned into somewhat of a joke and everything her character did before is pushed aside and not adressed again.

With the premise Oda set up there could have been done so much more with her, but in my eyes, Pudding is one of the most disappointing characters he has written post-TS and a good example of unused potential.

She had great potential as a villain too, and I won't lie, I was incredibly disappointed when she was revealed to be just another 'tragic' female character, but even then her 'redemption' or whatever it was that happened with her could have been handled so much better and just feels like a repetition of what we've already seen in this, and even previous arcs: aka, woman has man call out her problems/take care of her problems, she has a realization, her character development is done.

As far as princesses go her character breaks out of the mold a little, admittably, yet her struggles are barely explored, and given how much excitement there was for her to be an actually unexpected female villain after her betrayal of Luffy and Sanji, her suddenly breaking down crying and having that flashback felt incredibly flat and honestly,,,, kinda forced, after everything that happened? Also why did Oda first set up a vague connection between her and Lola, their shared desire of being free, but then,,,, completely switched to making her character all about being insecure about her physical appearance instead? Especially when we get Katakuri later and his position/struggles within the family are, imo, explored a lot more than Pudding's, even though she's had far more screentime and is arguably more important to BM's overall cause.

Eeeeeeeeehhh but I'm ranting again lol there is much to be said about her character, but on how that ties in with her design:

I completely agree on that, Pudding looking the way she does and being referred to as a 'monster' honestly felt like a fucking slap in the face xD I mean even some of her weird '100% human' siblings (Perospero, Opera, whatever the hell Kato is-) look more like monsters than she does. Also in her flashback Pudding was only shown to be bullied by her mother and citizens- (none of her siblings were shown to be involved, they generally seem to turn more of a blind eye when it comes to the abuse from their mother? Which is just as bad tho) but I kept wondering, "which citizen in their right mind would bully the daughter of a fucking Yonko, especially when there are so many other freaky things walking around in Tottoland xD?"

It's blowing my mind and honestly made her backstory even less believable.

The other examples you mentioned are all things I wholeheartedly agree with as well- hhhh Hancock's overplayed 'crush' on Luffy is still something that haunts me whenever it's brought up, the same goes for the unfortunate treatment of Tashigi rip

I absolutely think that Oda is partly influenced by editors, and of course when it comes to female characters, fanservice for future merch must play a big role as well- yet at the same time I can't help but wonder, when every women looks almost identical to the next one, are fans really gonna be that excited about new merch anymore...?

I mean look at this and tell me Robin and Hancock don't look the exact damn same-

My worst issue with how Oda writes women lately is that you can sometimes see what he's going for, what he could be doing, but he hardly carries through anymore and instead reverts to over-used tropes. I was really expecting Komurasaki to be this hardboiled samurai daughter who doesn't take shit from anyone and proudly stands her ground, but then he turned her around and gave us Hiyori, whose interactions with Zoro I can barely watch,,,, and let's not even talk about Toki,,,,

Kiku is like the only female character I care for in Wano so far.

Man I just wish we could have something like Otohime, Bellemere, or pre-TS Robin again :( Who were allowed to be actual characters-

Or a case like Connis, who was first introduced as a maiden-like character but then began questioning what was happening on Skypeia and ultimately had this badass bazooka moment while denouncing Enel hhhh---

[dnarez]

Chapter 4

When the text is like this someone is speaking in English.

......

Waking up to the sun on your back was the best feeling ever.

As you moved on the bed you noticed that your dad had already woken up and probably was on the run of interviews, he said he would be late since the Straw hats will give him a welcome back party, and since it's an "adult party" you shouldn't go.

After changing and going to the kitchen, you saw a note on the fridge, by the super curvy and readable letter it was totally your grandpa.

'Good writing, at least I can read it normally'

Your dad had the typical Doctor's writing, that you learned how to read with time, is like a whole new language.

On the letter your grandpa was telling you to be careful when going out, remembering you that you shouldn't use your quirk unless you felt threatened, some money and a key to the house, he told you to buy something to put on it so that you would know that it was your key.

'So good to be back Grandpa' you smiled and pocket the money and the key.

Taking a traditional American breakfast with homemade pancakes with honey was what you needed for energy.

'Let's go explore!!!'

Taking your cellphone with you, you went outside and took a deep breath.

'Maybe I could find something to do about my future if I walk around'

While walking around you saw that you live next to the train station, a park that has a huge lake, a lot of beautiful houses, and a street with a lot of commerce, a bento box business, small cinema, pharmacy, restaurant that has coffee and curry, but you don't like coffee very much.

There was a bathhouse, even if it was in Tokyo it seems like it had their own world.

You decide to venture farther, still keeping note of the streets names, you lived in New York your entire life, there was no way you didn't knew how to act and the basics of "survival" in a big city.

With a notepad in hand you made your own mini map of the area where you now lived.

After a few hours of drawing the map and walking around you were tired, it was true that Japan had vending machines every place, you wonder how the refill so many of these as you buy some weird flavored Fanta.

"Peach Flavor? How do they do this???" You glare at the can in your hand a little and decides to take a deep breath and drink it. "Oh my god! This shit is good!"

You sat at the bench and drink it happily.

'It's already afternoon! Maybe I should search for a school around here, for what I know it's the place to go to when an earthquake hit us... I hope it doesn't!' You shiver from the thought and goes back to walking after finishing the weird, but tasty peach soda.

As you walk, and ask around, you finally find the school before the sun start to set.

You see the gates open and assume that the students had gone home already, stopping in the middle of the way to add the school and a few more stores that you found while walking, you know that you could just use Google, but you like to hand draw maps, it's very calming.

Someone practically shoves you out the way, making you fall on your ass.

"Watch where you're fucking going!" Looking at the person at fault you see an angry teenage boy, that had an extremely spiky hair, and reminded you very strongly of the old Pomeranian your old classmate had.

"Are you fucking deaf by any chance?? Aren't you going to apologize? Do you even have manners?" The boy clicked his tongue at you, his voice was loud, he reminded you of Zoro and Sanji at the same time, what a weird guy.

Getting up on your own and huffing, you kick his leg. "Asshole! It's your fault too! If you were looking where you're going you wouldn't have bumped on me or is this a pathetic way of you trying to flirt?" You cross your arms and tilted your head to the side.

The angry boy snatched your textbook from your hands and looked through it.

"Hey! Give it back! You shouldn't do this type off stuff you bully!" You try to take it back, but he easily avoids your hands.

"Another damn nerd around here! You gotta be fucking kidding me... HEY!" He saw the note book 'floating' to you.

"Are you some kind of wannabe Villain? If so you are very good at that, I can introduce you to my grandpa if you want it" you say while putting your textbook on your backpack. "He likes rough boys like you"

"WHY THE HELL WOULD I WANT TO MEET YOUR OLD GEEZER??? AND WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN BY 'VILLAIN WANNABE'??? I'M GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE HERO YOU HEAR ME?!!!"

"Ouch... my ears... do you have some type of voice quirk? If so you should be careful to not hurt anyone with it" you say not caring about his attitude, your father's friends were like this one day, some even tried to kill you or your dad, so someone shouting at you doesn't really bother you.

"YOU ARE TRYING TO FIGHT ME!?" Some guys come running to him and start to rile him up, at his hand you see small explosions.

"Don't fuck with me, you useless bitch!" They get bigger, and he tries to blow your face up, but with the movement of one finger his arm is raised to the air where his explosion hoes off.

"Okay, fuck you, I'm going to another place that isn't near you" you start to go away, but he grabs your arm.

"WE ARE NOT DONE HERE!" He put his other arm down, "WHAT THE FUCK IS YOUR QUIRK?"

You scoff at him, but before you can say anything you hear someone calling your name.

You look at the school entrance and smile wildly at Robin who had some papers in hand and what looked like to be a heavy bag of books.

"Robin-san! Oh! Our would it be Robin-sensei?" You smile at her, the Pomeranian realize your arm from his strong grip, leaving a hand mark.

She chuckles and pat your head "Right now you can just call me Robin, when I'm teaching you anything you call me sensei, okay?" She ignores the boys and put her hand on your back, pushing you to her black car "Let me give you a ride, we can talk on the way to your house"

"Okay! Bye angry guy!" You say as you enthusiastically wave at the said guy "see you around!"

You get inside the car and Robin too, driving you off to your grandpa's house.

On the way she started to talk to you "You are more friendly than I thought you would be"

"There's no time to be shy, I want to make some friends around here, I know that I won't be able to go out that much after the classes start, so I want to have someone from outside to be my friend"

She smiled at you "Do you want help? Me neighbor's son is very sweet, he's also very lonely and doesn't have friends for what I know, I think you two would be friends very quickly"

You nod enthusiastically, "yes please!" Your stomach starts to ramble "oh! I forgot to eat this afternoon!"

"Let's go to the mall then, I pay"

"Woo-hoo! I also need to buy a keychain for my house key, there must be some cute ones at the mall"

...

When you get there you notice the differences between their mall and the US malls, there wasn't many, but you liked this one better.

Robin took you to eat some sushi, you both ate a lot, then she took you to eat ice cream, they looked like bunnies with the mini chocolate bars on top.

You looked around one of the shops for a keychain, until one in specific got your attention.

"So cute!" Robin chuckled at your reaction.

"I think it suits you, and you can give one for your Roci-san and other for Law"

You give her a big smile and run to the cashier to buy it.

You both spend the rest of the day together chatting and having fun.

Robin takes you home when it got dark, you kissed her goodbye and went inside seeing your dad cooking with a frown and your grandpa glaring at his phone.

Looks like something happened...

[opbackgrounds]

Alright, friends, you know the drill by now. Here’s Part III of Sarcasticles’ overblown thoughts on sexism in One Piece. If you haven’t already, go read Part I and Part II before proceeding. 

I promise after this I’ll be done. By hook or by crook, we’re getting through the point of the original question. To the Anon who originally sent the ask, sorry it took this long to get here, I hope it’s helpful.

Also, I allude to some very, very minor Wano spoilers, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing here’s your warning. 

Characterization? I Don’t Know Her

What makes a good character?

I’ve spent an awful lot of time talking about character designs, when, funnily enough, it’s one of the aspects I pay the least attention to when it comes to deciding if I like how an author portrays their characters. I personally don’t care for fanservice, never have and never will. But unless it’s particularly egregious, I tend to ignore it because there are other factors I think are more important. 

The secret sauce for building characters is hard to define, because a good writer can take a concept that has no right being any good and turn it into something incredible (Oda does this all the time) where bad writers will seemingly slot all the right information in the right holes and still have their characters come out of the developmental oven flat and under cooked. 

One of the biggest buzzwords floating around these days is agency. Is a character active in their own story, or are they jerked around by the needs of the plot? Is their voice heard? Is their voice unique, or do they blend in with the background?

This is particularly important, because the term Strong Female Protagonist has been warped into shorthand for “girl who fights a lot and looks pretty doing it”. You can have a girl strong enough to lift mountains and still have her be a shit character. You can write a girl who’s main motivation is to get married and have babies with phenomenal depth. What matters is execution. 

The Petition to Call A Group of Rescue Arcs a ‘Damsel’

Both Nami and Robin had to be rescued, their main arcs bearing similarities that are impossible to ignore. But these aren’t copies of one another as much as variations on a theme, and with the existence of Marineford and Whole Cake Island I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that One Piece’s rescue arcs are a girl’s thing. At this point it’s a feature, not a bug. 

Which makes sense given how fundamental the idea freedom is to the series. Hell, the first thing Luffy does after becoming a pirate is free Coby from Alvida’s tyrannical reign. Then he frees Zoro from an unjust authority that would have killed him had Luffy not intervened.

Notice a pattern here? 

One Piece is written like Pachelbel Canon, in that a very simple core of ideas are repeated over and over with layers of complexity and nuance added over time, examining the same themes from every possible angle. 

And when you look at the Four Big Rescue Arcs -- Nami, Robin, Ace, Sanji -- you’ll see that it’s Ace who’s given the least agency throughout his arc. Nami chose to hijack the Going Merry, repeatedly chose to push away the Straw Hats until she reached her breaking point, at which she chose to ask for help, with Luffy only intervening once she does. 

Robin is a little less obvious, but during the post-Water 7 party chapters, Aokiji makes the interesting observation that Robin could have escaped CP9, but chose not to

Remember that before Robin’s backstory was shown, Luffy specifically said he didn’t care if she wanted to die or not, so long as she was with the Straw Hats when she made her decision. No one bullied her into “I wanna live”. It was a choice she made of her own volition after realizing the depths the Straw Hats would go on her behalf.

I know there are people who disagree with me, but Nami and Robin are well-written characters. I’ve expounded enough on my reasoning both here and on my main that I don’t want to spend the time belaboring the point. What I do want is to note that Luffy wouldn’t be able to attain his dreams without them. Nami keeps them on course while also severing as a sort of moral compass for the crew -- remember she was the one who insisted on saving the giant kids at Punk Hazard -- while Robin’s ability to read the poneglyphs is what’s going to get the crew to Raftel.

Robin admittedly doesn’t have the same presence within the Straw Hat Pirates as Nami, but I would hardly call that sexism. Since Water 7/Enies Lobby she’s been pretty content to go with whatever Luffy says, and the fact that she’s literally quieter than anyone else in the crew means she doesn’t get as much focus. I think there could be more scenes with her using her specific skill set, like her investigations in Wano and the forensic anthropology scene in the pre-Jaya chapters, but I’m okay with her being a supporting character. 

The East Blue Crew have consistently gotten the most focus of any of the Straw Hats. They are the core of the crew, something Oda admits in a roundabout way in the Color Walk where they all appear together for the first time in a color spread

With the main cast as large as it is, not everyone is going to have the same amount of focus or development. Robin is given a unique voice within the story because she doesn’t overreact the way literally everyone else does. Through her silence, she stands out. I find there to be very meaningful character development when she feels comfortable enough with the Straw Hats to start calling them by name in Thriller Bark, relaxed enough with her friends to comitt her first facefaults in a series lousy with them in both Dressrosa and Wano.

In an ideal world, Oda would better rotate through his cast, much like how Brook was the unsung MVP on Whole Cake Island (where Nami was also excellent in a supporting role) but I don’t think people realize how hard it is to juggle almost a dozen different people in a story that’s bloated exponentially over time. To his credit, Oda has handled his expanding crew better than most writers. 

I also find it hard to judge this aspect of the series because the manga’s not done yet. I don’t know how Robin and Nami will be used in the future. I mean, Robin never got a chapter title declaring her “The Seventh” which I find suspicious, so Oda could very well have events in store that completely turn our perceptions upside down. It’s impossible to say.

I will acknowledge that the lack of big fights is somewhat disappointing, but neither Robin nor Nami’s dreams revolve around them getting stronger. Robin doesn’t need to use her power to make people explode from the inside out, Nami doesn’t need to fry end-game bosses with her lightning stick. That’s simply not their narrative purpose. With the exception of Tashigi, I’ve found that the female characters advertised as fighters have lived up to their billing. Hancock came out of Marineford unscathed. Carrot’s sulong form was awesome, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. The whole climax of Whole Cake Island revolved around surviving Big Mom’s wrath. Not beating her, not fighting her, it took all the Straw Hats had to just survive. Once again you’re left with a number’s game where where there just aren’t enough female characters to even pretend things are balanced.

All said, I think if you’re going to complain about the lack of Robin fights then I think you also have to complain about the lack of Brook fights, and that’s just not something you hear about, especially after Whole Cake Island. You can’t have it both ways. Either there needs to be more even distribution of major fights throughout the entire crew, or you have to acknowledge that a character’s worth isn’t dependent on their fighting prowess. 

One Piece is a battle manga, and I do think that it’s fair to criticize when a character isn’t allowed to fight when they’re perfectly capable of kicking ass. But it’s also an adventure story, and that opens up entirely new space for a character to occupy, and that’s where I think Nami and Robin (but especially Nami) really shine

That Moment You Realize Humor Isn’t A Universal Language

I’ve spent so much time defending Oda’s designs and characters that it might seem like I’m perfectly okay with everything that’s portrayed in the manga. To be clear, I’m not. If the messages and comments I’ve gotten over the past several days have taught me anything, it’s that many fans share the same sticking points I do, namely in regards to some of the gags. 

I again want to be careful here, because I’m hardly an expert on Japanese culture and it’s really hard to tell if Oda writes his jokes because he thinks they’re funny, or if he thinks his audience will find them funny. I’m again going to default to somewhere in the middle, because if Oda truly found the perviness distasteful he probably wouldn’t have included it, and I’ve read enough SBS to know the guy likes his dick jokes. 

First and foremost, one must address the culture gap. Japan ranks last among G7 nations on gender equality, In 2004 two-thirds of Tokyo women in their 20-30s reported to being groped while on public transport. There are numerous barriers that make it difficult for a woman to succeed either in the workplace or politics. 

From what I can gather, some of these trends are reversing, albeit slowly and with great resistance. Contrary to what many people seem to believe culture is not always value neutral. And I say that as an American, recognizing there are plenty of things about my culture and country that are really fucked up. 

But who gets to decide who’s right and who’s wrong?

When inside that kind of environment, that kind of culture, it’s a lot easier to understand how a character like Sanji can exist. It’s easy to understand why Momo shoving his face into Nami and Robin’s boobs might be played for laughs. It’s not an excuse, but an explanation. And with Sanji failing more often than not, being the butt of his own joke as he slowly turns into a parody of what he once was, one could almost say Oda is pointing those types of people and saying, “Look how pathetic this guy is. Now go laugh as he gets a nosebleed so bad he needs multiple blood transfusions in order to not die.”

I say almost, because Sanji is never condemned for his actions, nor does he learn from them. Instead you have this character who’s supposed to be one of the kindest characters in the series decide to immediately go peep on a woman’s bath house after gaining the power of invisibility. 

Stay classy, Oda.

As distasteful as I find it, I don’t find fanservice to be an inherently evil thing that must be eradicated at all costs, and with Oda doing things like putting his entire cast, male and female, into skintight leathers you can hardly say that he’s excluding the men. 

Everyone will have their line in the sand, and mine goes back to agency. When Nami did her Happiness Punch way back in Alabasta, that was of her own volition. When Nami and Robin dress in clothes that show everything but the nipple, that’s something they chose and feel comfortable in. 

But when Smoker and Tashigi swapped bodies at Punk Hazard, Tashigi specifically asked Smoker not to strip, and he did anyway, opening her coat and removing her bra. This is especially egregious as Tashigi is one of the very few women in the series who is always shown wearing very conservative clothing. Oda specifically showed Tashigi getting upset at Smoker’s actions, and Smoker repeatedly refusing to listen to her.   

That’s where I draw my line. 

Some Final Thoughts I Couldn’t Fit Anywhere Else 

Thought The First--Oda has an interesting habit of turning his most despicable, scummy pieces of flaming human garbage into the butt of the joke. Villains like Crocodile and Doflamingo are certainly evil, but it’s the idealized, cool type of evil that makes you almost admire them. There aren’t very many real-world Crocodiles, but just about everyone knows a Spandam, or an Absalom, or a Vander Decken. These kinds of villains aren’t scary because of their physical prowess, but their unyielding obsessions and the power they’re able to wring from the system, and -- surprise, surprise -- all three are either actively trying to be creepy sex pests or coded as such with the visual language of the comic.   

And Oda turns them into a mockery. 

While there are some who feel like not treating serious issues like sexual assault seriously are doing a disservice to people who have endured similar experiences I think there’s merit to turning them into a laughingstock. As someone much smarter than me said once, if an opinion cannot withstand mockery it’s revealed to be ridiculous, and these scummy-scum villains are certainly ridiculous.

Thought The Second--It’s hard to say how much sexism is a thing in-universe. Kuina is the only one who is explicitly told her dreams were impossible because of her gender, but with the recent reveal confirming that her family came from Wano, which in turn is based on Feudal Japan, it’s hard to say how widespread these beliefs are. Tashigi brought it up again at Loguetown and Bellemere specifically told her girls that they lived in an era where “girls needed to be strong, too”, but otherwise it’s not a topic that’s been explored in any depth

Thought The Third--The in-universe fetishization of mermaids has some implications that I think are unintended but worth discussing. Shirahoshi has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful women in the world despite not leaving her tower for over 10 years (she’s 16). Mermaids whose tails have split are worth less on the slave market than those whose are intact. Even Zoro erased Kokoro from his memory after meeting the more attractive Caime. It’s one of those odd things that when combined with the more obvious racism themes could have some unfortunate implications, and I think could have been avoided had Oda show a little more restraint with some of his jokes. Unintended consequences are still consequences. 

Thought The Forth--There are many other instances throughout the series that people bring up with talking about sexism in One Piece. I feel like a lot of these can be explained away individually -- for example, both Belo Betty and Rebecca’s stripperific outfits were inspired by other media, the painting Liberty of the People and Red Sonja respectively; Lola chasing after an obviously abusive man makes a whole lot more sense when you meet Big Mom; Hancock’s love sickness could be seen as an emotionally stunted woman experiencing her first crush, etc., etc -- it’s when they’re all put together that they begin to read as “Problematic”. 

It would be impossible to go over all these individually, but I tend to fall on the side of leniency. In the end, everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own values. I’m hardly unbiased, and my enjoyment for the series will undoubtedly make me look the other way when another might call the exact same incident The Worst Thing Ever. The thing is, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and most are convinced that theirs don’t stink. I include myself in that statement. In the end it’s a comic for kids. It’s supposed to be fun. 

Thought The Last--I have spent entirely too much of my time writing this up, but in the end I guess I have to go back to what I said when I talked about my thoughts on Sanji: Everyone has their own personal line of acceptable bullshit, and for me Oda does more good than bad. Sanji specifically gets very little leniency from me because I don’t like a lot of the gross behavior Oda passes over as a joke. But the female characters themselves, generally speaking? They’re fine. There are other mangaka that have more equal male to female ratios or have women play more active roles in the story, but Oda does a lot better than most other shonen titles I’ve read. 

It’s okay to be critical of media you enjoy. It’s okay to complain. But remember that One Piece is a very long series, and there are some fans who have been a round for literally decades. I myself started reading weekly around the time Duval was introduced, way back in 2008. Every time a new batch of fans comes in the same old arguments get stirred to the top of the pot: Sanji is a creep, Oda can’t draw women, why doesn’t Robin ever get to fight?

It can be exhausting to go through the same hoops time and time again. So if you’re someone who is being critical and feel like no one is listening, or that a bunch of fans are going out of their way to defend Oda, that could be one of the reasons why. They’re tired of having a series they enjoy be shit on. 

There are other fans who legitimately don’t think that Oda’s done anything wrong, that jokes are just jokes. If you happen to fall in that category, remember that not everyone feels that way. Art reflects life, which in turn reflects art. One Piece is a few million copies away from outselling Batman. To say it isn’t influential to young readers, both in Japan and abroad, is beyond asinine. 

I thank everyone who’s taken the time to read this so far. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how civil the discussion and my inbox as stayed. Even if I didn’t respond to your message, I promise that I did read it. 

I wrote as much as I did because I know this is a topic a lot of people care about, and also so I hopefully don’t have to write about it again. A lot of hours has gone into this project, and it’s been exhausting, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. I’m ready to put it to rest. 

I was joking with some friends that I think I’ve hit just about every hot topic issue now, so hopefully I can go back to fun questions like speculating if Wapol can eat a person and poop out a devil fruit. 

Until then, Sarcasticles, out         

[dirt-wins]

I said that I was going to post a fanfic but never did, so here it is.

See you after class.

I'm sorry if this turns out bad or if there is mistakes. This is the first fanfic I have ever made. This is a collage au. The first part is a little slow but it picks up later on. I usually write horror stories not romance, but I'll try my hardest!

Usopp pov:

I woke up to the sound of my alarm. I always set my alarm early to paint. My recent work was of a vase with dead flowers because Luffy didn't take care of them. We would sometimes buy flowers. I wasn't particularly good at gardening but I still liked it. My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of Luffy snoring.

    "Luffy get up your going to miss school!"

The boy lay there unmoved.

      "Lazy jerk." I mumbled.

Then an idea shook through my head.

         "If don't you get up I'll eat breakfast without you!" I shouted.

This got Luffy's attention, he darted around the room, getting ready left and right. Eventually he stopped in front of me.

      "Usopp I'm hungry give me meat!" He wined.

     "How about we go out somewhere today?" I said.

     "Ooh how about we go to where Sanji works!" Luffy stated.

     "Sure I'll finally get to meet this Sanji guy." I laughed.

Time skip to the diner.

Usopp pov:

We finally arrived at the diner only to be greeted by Zoro and Chopper. They seemed to be deep in conversation.

    "Hi Zoro!" Luffy said happily. Zoro turned slightly. Chopper on the other hand turned really fast. Chopper looked really red. What were these two doing?

     "Oh hi Luffy. Zoro said bored.

     "Don't forget about the great and mighty Usopp!" I exaggerated. Chopper waved slightly while Zoro didn't seem to care. How rude.

      "Law and Nami are inside waiting, come on." Zoro said.

       "Really tra-guy is here!" Luffy shouted.

Luffy darted inside.

        "Well I'll leave you two to talk." I stated.

Note: Chopper is a human in this au. I read a cute fanfic that had Zoro x Chopper. I won't add the ship if people don't like it.

Time skip they are seated at a table.

Usopp pov:

I was seated next to Nami and Law. Being trapped in between people sucked. I sat there on my phone as to drown out my anxiety. When a tall boy with blond hair walked up. He had peculiar twirly eyebrows. A fancy black suit. He holds the menus with soft warm looking hands. I couldn't help but stare at the boy. Is he this Sanji guy?

       "Hello Luffy, Law, and of course my Nami swaaan!" The man stated while placing the menus down. When he mentioned Nami he seemed to turn into a human noodle. Did this guy even notice me?

        "Sanji remember when I wanted you to meet Usopp well here he is!" Luffy said while pointing at me. Sanji's eyes turned to look at me.

Sanji pov:

I stared at the boy between Nami and Law. He looked uncomfortable and worried. I noticed the long fuzzy hair tied back into a ponytail. His skin was dark and smooth. He has an oddly long nose. The clothing he adorned was a pair of tight shorts and a baggy shirt. He has a big brown bag with art supplies hanging out. I notice a cute little keychain.

    "Nice keychain what is it?" I asked.

    "Oh um.. It's our school mascot..Sniper king." Usopp nervously said.

    "That reminds me Sanji said he was joining our school" Law stated. Everyone was shocked. Why did no one tell me?

    "Law why didn't you tell us we said no more secrets remember." Luffy wined. I felt bad for Law he had to be told to follow rules because for Luffy of all people. Somehow Law didn't mind.

     "Yeah I'll see you guys I'll see you all at school tomorrow. I can't wait to be with my Nami swaaan!"

Time skip to school.

Usopp pov:

I dashed through the halls. Eating at a restaurant made me late. While running I spotted only a few people still by the lockers. The typical make out couple, the people getting bullied, and of course the bad kids. I made sure to grab my stuff quickly. I have science first hour. My teacher Ivankov is going to be ticked if I'm late. I grab my stuff quickly. Kuma one of the seven student counsel leaders came up to me.

     "I can transport you to class if you like."

Kuma liked to make sure everyone gets to class on time. He's a little bit of a good kid unlike most other student counsel members.

     "Uh..sure Ivankov is going to kill me if I'm late. I say awkwardly. Kuma uses his devil fruit power to send me to class.

Note: Yes devil fruits exist in this world. So does haki. Also I thought the seven warlords as student counsel members was hilarious.

Time skip to after school.

Usopp pov:

I saw Luffy on my way to theater club. He was leaning against a locker not too far away from Law. Man those two have gotten close lately. I started to approach them.

    "Hey Luffy I have theater club today are you taking the bus back to the dorm?" I asked.

    "I'm staying with Tra-guy! Isn't that cool!" Luffy replied. I was surprised Luffy got Law to agree.

    "Okay well I'll see you at school tomorrow then." I laughed. I bet I seemed happy to Luffy because he just smiled and waved, while I walked away. In reality I was upset. I hate being alone, I can never sleep. I started to pick up pace how could Luffy leave me alone? Nevermind I already knew the answer, he is extremely dense. At least theater club would take my mind off of things. Speaking of which I spotted the auditorium doors. I walked in only the club leader looked up. The boy walked over he was super tall. His pink coat covering most of his body. This was Dolflamimgo, one of the seven students counsel members and the leader of the theater club. Sadly he and Brook are the only ones that talk to me in the whole club.

      "Are you ready for drama, action, and a new era of theater! He shouted. I sat down on the ground next to Brook and wait for the club activities to start while completely ignoring Dolflamimgo.

Time skip to parking lot.

Usopp pov:

School clubs have ended so the halls are crowded again. I walk fast so I don't get to close to anyone. Until a girl bumps into me knocking something out of her hands. The girl has long black hair and shining blue eyes. She leans down to pick up what she dropped. I lean down to help.

    "Why are you helping me I'm the one who bumped into you?" She asked.

    "I the mighty Usopp decided to help you that's why." I exaggerated.

     "Well that is very kind of you Usopp. My name is Robin and I wouldn't hang around me if I was you. I'm called a monster for a reason. Robin said kindly. Suddenly a string of arms lifted the pot of flowers off the ground. I was shocked I have never seem a devil fruit like this before.

      "Cool devil fruit, I admit I am a little scared but to assume you're a monster is just plain rude. I also couldn't help but notice the flowers. Do you like flowers?" I asked.

     "Thank you your words are very kind and yes I do like flowers after all I'm in the gardening club." Robin said.

       "Usopp would you get to moving we're trying to leave school!" Nami shouted. I turned. Nami was behind me with a girl at her side. I started to recognize the girl it was Vivi one of the cheerleaders and Nami's girlfriend.

     "Oh hi Robin sorry for yelling." Nami added. Robin smiled, she didn't seem to care. We all ended up walking out together.

    "Where are you all going if you're not busy you should come to Ace's party" Vivi asked.

     "I'd like to go to this party it sounds fun" Robin laughed.

     "You know I'm not good at party's." I said.

     "Don't be such a bore Usopp, Vivi asked so your going!" Nami retorted. When Nami wants you to do something you have to do it.

      "Fine I'll go." I replied.

       "Good we'll see you at eight." Nami said. I spotted my car.

        "I'll see you at the party bye!" I shouted as I ran to my car.

Note: I hope you liked it also the story isn't over. If people seem to like it I'll make more. Also yes I am working on a part 2.

[20cop]

around what years was everyone born? what are their timelines?

YE okay here’s what i have rn 

Brook: April 3, 1928 - born in The Bronx in NYC, mother died giving birth to him; his dad was hit pretty hard by the Depression so they started living with his dad’s friend Crocus Desrosier in the early 1930s. his dad joined the army in WWII to try to bring in a bigger paycheck for the family but was killed in the line of active duty around christmas of 1943. i don’t have much for brook beyond this point except that he pays his share of rent through music gigs. 

Franky: March 9, 1932 - born on the island of Molokai in Hawaii, he ran away from home, sailed across the ocean on a boat he built himself, and found Tom on the island of Oahu. Tom immediately adopted him into his family (Kokoro and Iceburg). Tom had a job for the Navy doing maintenance on the ships, and one morning in 1941, after trying to sneak on board at sunrise to help, Franky was caught in the Pearl Harbor bombing, taking away his nose and causing nerve damage in his legs. once Tom had a job secured (also for the Navy, working in a shipyard), the family moved from Hawaii to New York (i’m still working out the details of exactly how they move cross-country). Franky avoids Brook at first after moving into the apt below his, but one day after coming up to ask Brook to keep it down, they become fast friends. Some time after this, he meets Robin when her mother is killed in an “accident” which Tom is then blamed and executed for. 

Robin: February 6, 1938 - born in Ithaca (upstate New York), Robin grew up with her mother and had no friends because she was always bullied for her polydactyly and heterochromia. One day they travelled down to NYC so Robin’s mother could do some research, where she was killed in an “accident” orchestrated by the government agents there. Robin met Franky here, who tried to comfort her when he found out about her mother. Robin was sent back upstate to live with her terrible aunt and uncle, and developed suicidal ideation over the years. When she was older, she travelled down to NYC again to carry this out, but couldn’t bring herself to do it. Here, she meets Luffy (a child at this time), who talks with her until Franky comes by and brings her to his place so she has a place to sleep for the night. That’s mostly what I’ve got for her - she meets the others later and recovers emotionally at some point. 

Zoro: November 11, 1946 - born in either Washington or Canada, probably. Koshiro found him when he was like six years old. he had amnesia with no idea what his family name was (probably bc he was six) and no idea where he’d come from. Koshiro took him in and raised him along with Kuina in the countryside of northern Washington state (sort of west-central area). things proceeded much as they did in canon, with Kuina passing away due to an unfortunate fall and Koshiro teaching Zoro the art of swordsmanship. Zoro set out when he was a teenager to live on his own, and wound up utterly lost and somehow got to NYC, where he currently crashes wherever he can and makes a living as a bounty hunter. he met the others through the Baratie, and eventually discovered he had dyslexia (he didn’t know this before bc he was never taught to read or write; Koshiro just assumed he knew). he learned to read enough to get around town (if he had any sense of direction) and to read a menu at a restaurant. 

Sanji: March 2, 1947 - born in France. After running away from an abusive family (haven’t worked out the details yet lol i had this in mind before the whole backstory reveal), Sanji snuck aboard a ship to work in the kitchens. He was shipwrecked on an island in the Atlantic ocean with another survivor, Zeff, from Ireland. Sanji barely knew any English and Zeff only knew a little French, so communication was difficult, but they worked with what they had. Things proceeded much as they did in canon, and after they were rescued, they settled in NYC and opened up the Baratie. From there, Sanji learned English by picking it up from people around him, and Zeff taught him to read and write it. Sanji met the others through the Baratie in various ways: Luffy when he was stealing food, Brook when he was looking for a job, and so on. 

Nami: July 3, 1948 - b&r in southern California, adopted by Bellemere and raised along with her adopted sister Nojiko. Some time after her mother was killed by gang members (I guess???), Nami moved to NYC by herself and found it was more difficult than she’d thought to make a living. Tbh this is pretty much where I’m drawing a blank, I had an idea of her story before but I dunno if I wanna keep it that way, so I’ll come back to this at some point... 

Usopp: April 1, 1949 - born in Massachusetts, ended up raising himself when his mother passed away and his father was nowhere to be seen. Had few friends his age in town and played pretend to comfort himself, which resulted in DID when he was older. He moved to NYC as a young teen with his closest friend Merry with dreams of making it big, but ended up living on the streets with Merry when, like Nami, he found it was more difficult than he’d thought to survive when he wasn’t stealing food from the neighbors. 

Luffy: May 5, 1949 - b&r in NYC with his adopted brothers and foster mother, Dadan, and her cronies, bribed into taking care of them under threat of their drug racket being exposed by Luffy’s military grandfather. Luffy and his brothers pretty much grew up on the streets themselves and learned to take care of themselves there. I haven’t thought much about Luffy beyond this, and whether or not Sabo stays with them or not. If things proceeded like they did in canon, I was thinking maybe Luffy has to travel around the world to rescue Ace, but I haven’t thought about the details of that at all. 

Merry: May 2, 1950 - b&r in Massachusetts. Abandoned by parents after they found out their child was mute, and lived much as Usopp did, becoming close friends with him eventually. They moved to NYC with Usopp, but passed away, having always been a sickly child, just a couple years after. 

Chopper: December 24, 1950 - Adopted by Hiriluk and Kureha when he was seven. This is... about as far as I’ve thought about Chopper? He’s got a blue nose like in canon and he loves animals. Haven’t really thought about how he meets everyone else. 

[anubislover]

Examination (Chapter 4 of Heartstealers Get Jealous, Too)

“Ummm, Tora-o-kun, you know you don’t have to be here, right?”

Glowering, Law crossed his arms as he sat on Chopper’s desk. Everything in the infirmary was built to accommodate the smaller doctor’s size, making the Surgeon of Death appear even more lanky and intimidating. “I’m just making sure Tony-ya does his job right.”

The small reindeer looked offended while Nami frowned. “Ok, first of all, I just rolled my ankle, so I’m pretty sure a doctor isn’t even necessary, but secondly, Chopper’s been treating me literally since I met him. I think he can be trusted with my health.”

“You don’t know it’s just a rolled ankle because you’re not a doctor, Nami-ya. There could be hairline fractures neither of you can feel through the swelling. It’s better to let me cut the leg open so I can get a direct look at the bone. It’s much easier to see if anything’s broken when there’s no skin or muscle in the way.” He scoffed at their twin looks of horror. It was a simple, efficient procedure he did on his own crew all the time. Honestly, they were acting like he suggested amputation.

“That is completely unnecessary!” Chopper cried. “I don’t care if your powers make it easier; I can check Nami’s leg without cutting it open!”

“See? Chopper knows what he’s talking about! Now shoo!”

“And what if I’m right and there is a break? You could be walking across the deck, every step putting more and more pressure on those minuscule cracks in your bone, when suddenly your femur shatters underneath you. Tony-ya’s talented in pharmacology and internal medicine, but I doubt he has the surgical skills to repair something like that. Plus, I’ve been studying medicine for far longer. I should be the one examining you.”

Brown eyes narrowed at his flippant remarks. “Yeah, well, your bedside manner sucks compared to his.”

“You’ve never complained about it before,” he replied with a sultry smile. “Last time I even wore the lab coat with no shirt like you asked; isn’t that putting my patient’s needs first?”

Despite the blush staining her cheeks, she stood her ground. She was not going to let him seduce her to his side. Not this time, at least. “Chopper is more than capable of taking care of me without you hovering like some ominous specter of doom. Right, Chopper?”

Looking nervously between the two, the blue-nosed doctor squeaked, “Yes?”

“Checking for breaks and sprains require skilled hands, not hooves. He could easily cause more harm than good.”

This time, the smaller doctor glared, though it wouldn’t have much effect on a skittish mouse, much less the jaded pirate captain. “I’m perfectly proficient in this form, but if you’re that worried…” He shifted into his more human-like form, holding up his furry hands and wiggling his fingers.

Law just scoffed distastefully at his larger, burlier physique. “Color me unimpressed. Now you’re more likely to crush her ankle than examine it. Slender, more fragile bones like Nami-ya’s require a delicate touch.”

“You sound a lot like Sanji right now. Did the two of you switch bodies?”

“And give him the opportunity to feel up my woman? I’d kill him at the mere suggestion. Clearly, your logic and reasoning skills need work, too. Unless you’re delirious from the heat? If that’s the case, go lay down while I check on Nami-ya’s ankle. I can’t in good conscience allow her to be treated by someone not at peak mental capacity.”

“Says the insomniac,” Chopper grumbled under his breath, cowering as the full force of Law’s piercing glare fell on him.

“Says the doctor who’s been practicing medicine longer than you’ve been alive.”

“Ok, seriously, quit being an ass to Chopper,” Nami snapped. She really should have stepped in sooner, but she was hoping Law would come to his senses, especially since Chopper had actually managed to stand up for himself. “He’s an excellent doctor and my friend, and I won’t have you belittling him like this.”

“Shut up! I don’t need your help!” the reindeer replied even as he beamed at her praise.

Gold eyes rolled up to the ceiling in exasperation. “Fine, he’s not a bad doctor, but I’m still better.”

Stubbornly crossing her arms, she said, “Well, Chopper’s more cuddly than you are.”

“The hell does that have to do with anything?”

“Being more cuddly and approachable means that people actually want to be under his care. Compare a cute, fuzzy reindeer to a creepy insomniac with ‘DEATH’ tattooed on his fingers who insists on cutting people open at the drop of a hat, and which one do you think I’d rather have treating my injuries?” she huffed.

Though he should be pissed, Law couldn’t help but smirk seductively. She was damn cute when she back-talked him, tempting him to pin her down and tease her until she submitted. Getting up from the desk, he crossed the room in a few easy strides, tilting her chin up so she had no choice but to meet his hungry gaze. “Bet he can’t kiss them better like I can.”

“I’ve never understood that,” Chopper cut in, scratching his chin as he shifted back down into his default form. “It’s a placebo effect at best, and mainly just risks exposing the wound to the bacteria in your mouth.”

Annoyed, Law glowered at him. He really did respect his fellow doctor, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t ticking him off. Had it been Zoro or Sanji that had been hurt, he’d be giving Chopper his full support, perhaps even tossing in a few threats to better convince them to comply to the reindeer’s commands. But this was Nami; when it came to the welfare of the few people he cared about, Law was a total control-freak. Unless he was the one taking care of them, his thoughts would spiral with all the worst-case scenarios, making him an anxious, irritable pain in the ass. The Surgeon of Death knew it was completely irrational, but his woman was injured, and the cotton candy lover was preventing him from checking her over and assuring his restless mind that she was fine. “Well, if you don’t know that, I’m not sure you’re qualified to examine Nami-ya,” he sneered petulantly. “You do realize that if your prognosis is wrong and she isn’t given proper treatment, she could end up crippled? And if that happens, she’ll be easy pickings for the Marines or Kaidou’s men if she’s attacked. Are you willing to risk that, Tony-ya?”

The blue-nosed doctor stared at the floor, unable to come up with a good response to the blunt, cutting remarks. Of course he knew the risks of a misdiagnosis; it was a fear that haunted him every time he had to patch up or examine someone. The wrong dosage of medicine administered, a missed crack in the bone, mistaking a poisonous mushroom for one that could cure all diseases; it could all spell doom for his precious nakama.

Cold, earnest fury pumped through Nami’s veins at Chopper’s defeated expression. She knew Law was a massive worrywart and wasn’t intentionally trying to hurt her friend, but one more word out of him and she’d throw him straight into the sea. How could anyone possibly pick on such a cute little creature, especially when he was just trying to help?

Resisting the urge to cuddle the dejected reindeer and punch her lover, she instead forced a gentle smile towards the smaller doctor. “Chopper, would you be a dear and bring me my slippers from my cabin? I probably shouldn’t walk around in my high heels for a bit, no matter the prognosis.”

Despite knowing this was just an excuse to get him out of the room so Nami could have a private word with her overbearing lover, Chopper agreed, more than happy to put some distance between him and Law so he could regroup. The last thing he needed was to show weakness in front of the skilled surgeon; that would only cast further doubt on his skills.

The moment the reindeer was out of the room, Nami turned and grabbed her lover’s shirt, yanking him down so he was inches from her face. “Law,” she whispered harshly, “you will be nice to Chopper! Even if he hadn’t saved the life of every member of this crew at least once, that is no way to talk to someone who’s been screwing up the courage to ask you for some mentorship.”

Guilt mixed with surprise in the surgeon’s expression. “He has?”

“Yes! He’s a great doctor, but he’s young and hasn’t had a proper mentor since he left Drum Island. If he plans on accomplishing his dream, he has to learn as much as possible about every type of medicine, and why not learn from the best? Hell, if he plans on keeping the idiots on this crew alive, he needs to improve his surgical skills! I even told him you’d be willing to do it, or at least let him sit in on some of your surgeries, but you being such an ass is completely killing his confidence!”

“I’m sorry.”

Her eyes narrowed further, though her anger seemed to diminish. “Don’t apologize to me; apologize to Chopper, or else I’m going to tell Zoro and Luffy you’ve been bullying him. Or worse; Robin.”

Law shuddered. Normally, he wouldn’t consider her sicing her crew on him much of a threat, though he knew for a fact that Luffy was scarily protective of his friends, and the swordsman seemed to have a soft spot for the reindeer. He could probably handle the pair if they decided to attack him. Robin however…

Shoulders slumping, he rested his forehead against her bright orange hair, inhaling the mikan scent that never failed to calm him. Loathe as he was to admit it, Nami was right; he was being an ass, and Chopper deserved his respect as a fellow doctor. “Alright, I will, and he’s more than welcome to shadow me on some examinations and surgeries.”

The gentle peck she rewarded him with made his lips turn up in a slight smile. “You’re such a softie, Tora-o-kun. I didn’t even have to dress up as a nurse to convince you.”

Eyes snapping open, he stared at her, mouth agape. “Wait, I could have gotten that out of the deal? I take it back; no mentorship unless I get my naughty nurse.”

Smiling like the cat that ate the canary, she giggled, “Too late; you already gave your word.” She was glad she didn’t have to give up that particular bargaining chip; Law was a lot easier to manipulate once she found out he was really into the sexy nurse fantasy. He’d even bought her the uniform, but she was saving it for a special occasion; most likely as a reward for saving her life, or possibly getting her an entire shipload of treasure.

Growling, his tattooed hand teasingly ran up and down her thigh. “That’s hardly fair; I wear the lab coat for you all the time.”

“That’s because if someone walks in on you in the coat, no one bats an eye. I get caught in that uniform and everyone knows what kind of kinky shit you’re into.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to do it somewhere we won’t get caught.”

Mirroring his devilish grin, she slowly nibbled along the sharp line of his jaw. “Or you’re going to have to do something to earn it.”

“Mentoring Tony-ya isn’t enough?”

“Not by a long shot.”

Before Law could be tempted to “convince” her, there was a timid knock at the door, coaxing the couple to break away. The last thing they needed was for Chopper to see anything inappropriate in his own infirmary. The door opened, the young doctor looking through to check it was safe, though notably he was peeking the wrong way.

Assured he wasn’t walking in on one of the couple’s make-out sessions, the small doctor walked in, not making eye contact with the tattooed surgeon as he handed Nami her fuzzy bedroom slippers.

Guilt gnawed at Law’s stomach. Nami was right; he shouldn’t be so hard on Chopper. Not just so Robin wouldn’t tear him to pieces; the blue nosed reindeer had the potential to revolutionize medicine, and it would be a shame if all that was wasted because he didn’t have the right training.

And damn it, he looked like a miserable stuffed animal when he was sad. Even Law wasn’t that heartless.

“Tony-ya?”

“Yeah?”

Awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck. “Go ahead and check Nami-ya’s ankle. You’re right; surgery is completely superfluous unless you actually feel a break. Even then, it’s your call if she needs it. This is your infirmary, so I should respect your authority. Mugiwara-ya wouldn’t have asked you to join his crew if your skills weren’t up to scratch.”

Though the cloud of misery that hovered over his head started to dissipate, Chopper’s smile was more self-deprecating than anything else. “Luffy only asked me to join because I’m a monster, and Sanji thought I was emergency food.”

Ok, Law was going to have a serious talk with the cook later. For starters, if you’re going to eat your crew, doctors and navigators were, on principle, off-limits, even if they weren’t human. Better to start with less essential positions. “If Black Leg-ya even thinks about cooking you, I’ll transplant his mind into the ugliest person I can find. I trust you with Nami’s care. You’re a great doctor; the fact that Zoro-ya is still alive is a testament to that.”

“Shut up! An idiot like you doesn’t know what he’s talking about!” Chopper gushed, dancing about as stars twinkled in his eyes.

“Then I suppose you wouldn’t want to assist me in surgery sometime?” he asked with a smirk, chuckling when Nami smacked his leg.

“What? No! I mean, yes! I’d love to assist you! I mean, if that’s ok…” he replied anxiously.

“Excellent. Of course, we’ll need a patient. Perhaps we’ll get lucky and Zoro-ya and Black Leg-ya will injure themselves in their next argument.”

“That’s not lucky!”

“Then we’ll just break into a hospital on the next island we land on and practice on the patients there.”

“That’s insane!”

He shrugged. “I do it all the time. Honestly, it works out for everyone; the hospital gets free surgeries, the patients get excellent treatment, I get extra practice while restocking my supplies, and my crew isn’t constantly acting as my guinea pigs. Marine bases are the best, though; they’ve got the most advanced medical equipment to play with, plus plenty of wounded men in need of fixing up whose deaths you won’t feel guilty over if something goes wrong.”

Chopper looked at Nami in horror. “He’s serious, isn’t he?”

Rubbing her temples and wondering if she should have encouraged her friend to find a less sadistic mentor, she sighed, “As the plague.”

[neverwatchedonepiece]

598-600: "A Samurai Who Can Cut Fire! Foxfire Kin'emon!", "Shocking! The True Identity of the Mystery Man Vergo!" and "Save the Children! The Master's Evil Hands Close In!"

Well, well, well...

The plot thickens into a rich ragu. An intrigue ragu, to be precise. Only the best and tastiest kind, obviously.

Oda is working overtime with these reveals and I am loving every second of this arc. (The main storyline, anyway. The Foxfire Kin’emon plot I can take or leave but I’m guessing Kine’mon has to be in the story to make it work.)

And I have SO many questions about Doflamingo now, it is ridiculous.

Oh, and Caesar? Yeah, he’s a multi-car pile up of issues that have caught fire and are now raining down shards of twisted, squealing metal onto innocent passers by.

And that’s just three episodes!

That’s Mr Burger Face to You

I normally resist writing about the huge reveals until the end of a post but I cannot wait to talk about the Feathered One and his role in whatever the hell this thing is with Caesar in Punk Hazard.

I guess I’ll start with Vergo. 

Or Vergo-san, as he insists on being known as.

I spent most of episode 598 wondering, “why is there a burger on that man’s face?”  This was unfortunate, as he’s a cool character. Officious, calculating and sinister.

“Do you really think *he* didn’t know?” he said, as Law rolled on the ground in pain. “We don’t trust Caesar, either. That’s why *he* was being careful and sent an undercover agent. Monet is that agent.”

First off, Oda took great pains to ensure Doflamingo’s name was not yet revealed. He was still only the mysterious “He” at that moment, which lent the initial encounter with Vergo a creepier, more mysterious vibe.

Secondly, Caesar: the guy is definitely not working for the World Government. This is because he is working for Doflamingo. But even Doflamingo does not trust him, as Monet is a plant sent by him to keep tabs on Caesar. I wonder if Caesar knows this? If he does, I expect a gloating, “I knew all along!” moment. If he’s been hoodwinked by Doflamingo, I don’t think his massive ego will take it well.

The next thing Vergo said to Law was, “You’re a Shichibukai now, eh? You’ve done well. I just arrived in Punk Hazard. Luckily, I was at Dressrosa. I got a ride on a SAD tanker that was about to leave. It was the right move.”

First point of interest: Dressrosa! I recognise that name. It’s on the CR arc list, so I am assuming it’s a place (like Thriller Bark, Punk Hazard, Alabasta and all the other arcs, come to think of it. Duh.) Second point of interest: a SAD tanker. What are those?

Law then tried to appeal to Vergo’s better nature. I don’t think he has one. “Did I cause any harm to you guys?”

“No, but if you did, you’d be dead. You can’t fool grown-ups, Law. Oh, and you’ve got to say it properly. It’s Vergo-san to you.”

This little exchange was kind of weird, but I’m assuming Law had no clue Vergo and Monet were involved with Doflamingo/Caesar. He never realised he stepped on Doflamingo’s territory and was afraid his own plans had compromised Doflamingo’s by accident because he admitted he’d been involved with Doflamingo at one time. I’m guessing it was when Law was only a kid (and hence vulnerable?) because Vergo keeps needling Law with “grown ups” type remarks. Vergo also literally had Law’s heart in his hand and kept squeezing it. Ugh.

Vergo is not the kind of man to show mercy. He is also into punishment. Law tried to warn Vergo the G5 were on Punk Hazard. Then one of the huge reveals was just casually flung out there.

“Since you’re their base commander, I think you’ll be in trouble if you run into them.”

Gasp.

GAAAAAAAAAAASP.

Vergo was the traitor Smoker and Tashigi had speculated may have existed within the Marines. Were they right about said Traitor fudging the records to cover up Caesar’s dodgy experiment supply chain? 

Yes, they were. The action cut briefly to a random island on the New World, with Vergo’s corrupt G5 men abusing their power. The parents of the missing kids begged them to look for their kids. They were sure they were still alive. If not, could they talk to Captain Tashigi? She would look. She listens so empathetically to the people. But what? AN INSULT! Corrupt randoms had already asked Vice Admiral Vergo a hundred times. It had been investigated. The kids were dead! Get over it.

Nope. They ain’t dead. They’re on Punk Hazard, addicted to Caesar’s Smack Candy.

But why is my question. Why is Doflamingo teaming up with Caesar? Why is Vergo covering up all these disappearances? What do they want from each other?

In Which Law Thinks, “Fuck it...” and Tells Everyone

They must’ve dragged Law into Caesar’s lounge (that sounds like a casino), as the next time the action cut to him, Law had been locked in a cage with Luffy, Robin, Franky, Smoker and Tashigi.

Caesar had finished cleaning house, had delivered his captives and was off to prepare his big experiment before wrangling his smack-addicted children. Caesar isn’t a complete dumbass and ordered his minions to clap the prisoners in Sea Stone irons. As Caesar did not make the delivery personally, I’m not sure he knows Vergo has turned up. (Still not sure how he’ll take it. Mad Scientists don’t tend to like being checked in on by the boss. Then again, he did call Doflamingo earlier to get permission to kill Smoker and the Strawhats. The jury’s out on that one.)

Once Luffy established that, yes, they were all in a cage together and it was like old times (lol), Monet and Vergo realised they were awake (and Vergo finally ate that fucking chunk of burger, THANK GOD.)

Smoker and Tashigi were obviously devastated to learn Vergo was the traitor covering up for Caesar.  The weird thing was that Smoker was not surprised. “The head of base is a double agent. A characteristic of G5 but a dishonour.” Are G5 notorious for corruption and allying with Yonko/pirates?

Law dished the dirt on Vergo’s background and Vergo added a little to it, since Law had blabbed so much. Vergo was originally a pirate. Before he made his name, Doflamingo must’ve got a grip on him. Vergo joined the Marines at Doflamingo’s order. He spent fifteen years rising through the ranks. He has brainwashed his G5 men into following him unconditionally. Even if they found out his double-agent status, it didn’t matter.

Vergo also helped himself to Caesar’s booze without asking and announced that Smoker and Tashigi would have to die to keep “Joker’s” secret. Punk Hazard was Joker’s important territory. Couldn’t let those who learned about his identity simply walk away. But don’t worry. Their deaths would be processed as an “accident at sea.” Standard.

Then Luffy asked the Important Question: “Tra-guy? Who is Joker?”

Law spilled it. He once worked for “Joker”. That’s how he knew Vergo. Joker was just his alias as an underground broker (Doflamingo is a dodgy broker. That is cool. Wonder who he does deals for?) His true identity? Someone Luffy would know very well. 

Even before Law said his name, I recognised THAT COAT from the shadowy reveal.

It was so obviously Doflamingo. I mean who else rocks those feathers, leggings and shoes?

Despite all the reveals, I still have questions. The main one is: why is Doflamingo working with Caesar if he doesn’t trust him. What’s in it for both of them? For Caesar, it’ll be Doflamingo’s protection, I guess. For Doflamingo...? Caesar’s weapons, maybe? I mean, the other pirates seemed pretty damned interested in Caesar’s Big Damned Ad Broadcast at the end.

I’m guessing it’ll be harder for Law and Luffy to kidnap Caesar than they thought. 

Oh, and This Guy Can Cut Fire

This subplot isn’t the most interesting part of the arc for me, so I’ll keep this section short. 

It was kind of cool seeing what Foxfire Kin’emon can do. Useful, when Smiley is a potential threat to quite a lot of people on Punk Hazard. He can negate explosions by cutting them. (Zoro was interested in his technique. I wonder if Zoro will learn anything from him?)

The banter between Brook and Zoro was class. Zoro calling Brook a dumb skeleton, “Learn from observation!” Brook telling Zoro to stop talking to him like a bully because Brook was seventy years older! Zoro saying, “Oh, sorry grandpa!” and Brook being scandalised because he is still a lively skeleton. Lmao.

Sanji’s observation haki at work was interesting too, as was his freakish free diving ability, plus blue walking through water (useful!) There was a random comment he made that was a bit odd. Sanji was still salty about Foxfire pre-judging him harshly and accused the samurai of “hiding behind his disability” and being awful to him for no reason. Yeah, it was rubbish, Sanji, but Foxfire did have previous negative experiences with pirates, so you can understand why he nursed that hatred.

At any rate, they’re all fine and are currently hoofing it to the lab to try and locate Foxfire’s son. I hope he’s not preserved in a jar in Caesar’s lab somewhere.

Think Caesar Can’t Sink Any Lower? He is Full of Surprises

Caesar is such a flamboyantly evil trash can. I love villains like that. They’re a lot of fun. I’m also a sucker for a sly, slick manipulator, so Caesar has ticked a bunch of my villain boxes.

As soon as the fight was over and the threat neutralised, Caesar’s “Benevolent Master” mask slipped back into place. All of a sudden, his minions were “My strong soldiers!” again. And could they perform a few tasks for him? Oh, and if they could just move inside the lab? It would become very dangerous out here. But *he* would protect them.

(He is such a great example of the Faux-Affably Evil trope, seriously.)

Come Here, Crack-Babies! I Have Moar Crack!

The next time we heard from Caesar, a minion informed him his air ship was ready (an airship? That’s a new one for One Piece. Is Caesar the only one who has one?)

“Great!” Caesar said. “Now we can go pick them up.” I knew who he was referring to as soon as he hefted a large bag of candies and added, “It’s about time for them to have these.”

Oh, Caesar.... Mate, you have crossed so many lines. xD

Still not entirely sure how Caesar found the camp where Nami and Usopp were sheltering, but while they were doing their best to keep the kids safe (and dodging withdrawal rage punches) that little gaseous sound that accompanies Caesar wherever he goes crept up on them and I knew Caesar had found them.

He totally ignored Nami and Usopp, headed straight for his guinea pigs and turned on the benevolent facade. “Are you okay, children?” he simpered in faux concern. “Let’s go back to the lab. It’s dangerous out here!”

And, of course, he flashed the bag of candy. He knew exactly what he was doing. The kids flocked to him. “Master! Master!”

Nami was furious. “Are you the jerk who kidnapped these kids? How could you do such a horrible thing?”

Caesar just smirked and totally turned it back round on Nami. 

“How could *you* do such a horrible thing? Why did you take them away? The children are suffering!”

“You’re making them suffer! They said they wanna go home!”

“Oh? Where are the children who want to go home?”

The kids ran to him. They freaking ran to him. And he knew exactly how it would play out.

Ooooooooh, Caesar, you are such a snake! xD

It’s hard playing an accomplished liar at their own game. Especially when they have such a firm grip on their victims. His evil side came to the fore when he stood back and smiled, just watching, while the big kids strained at their chains. I knew he was waiting to see if they’d break free. And they did. Suddenly they were “Amazing!” and had become so powerful! Smh, Caesar.

Usopp did try to fight him. He aimed a Firebird Star at Caesar’s smug face. But Caesar nullified it entirely. And, of course, gloated afterwards. “Did you think I’d catch fire and explode? Too bad. I put out the fire before it even touched me. Poison gas is not the only type of gas. I can manipulate the air within a certain area.”

(Annnnnnnnnnd that’s when everybody probably realised what Caesar had done to Luffy, Robin and Franky. Luffy should be able to beat him. All he needs to do is land one massive hit before needing to breathe. He’s done it before. Luffy just needs to hit Caesar so hard he doesn’t get up for a while.)

He almost took out Nami and Usopp too. And boy did he not revel in the iron control he wielded over those poor, brainwashed, addicted kids. He withheld giving them the candy. “Children, I’m only giving it to the good cones who come back to the lab.” Of course the kids fell over themselves. “Then just wait a little longer, alright? Before we go back, kill these devils who took you away and tried to worsen your pain.”

And I was like, Caesar, no.

What was kind of scary was that Caesar might have succeeded in manipulating those innocent kids into committing murder... were it not for the return of Brownbeard!

Brownbeard Calls Out Pathological Liar and Is Surprised When He Lies

Sorry, I thought you were dead, Brownbeard! The Yeti Brothers’ report of your death was greatly exaggerated.

Brownbeard was beaten up but he remembered the recording the Yetis had played just before the attempted murking. Let’s just say he wasn’t pleased to be reunited with his former Master. He swiped at Caesar a few times, who had no idea who he was for a minute, until realisation dawned.

With absolute brazen cheek, Caesar attempted to engage Snake Mode. “Of course, I didn’t forget you. I just didn’t recognise you! Your body is charred and you look terrible.”

But Brownbeard had seen his true colours. “You ordered them to kill me!”

Welp, Caesar thought. This minion was a sunk cost. Let’s just bail! He ordered the kids to board the airship and was about to walk when Brownbeard asked for his crew back.

Caesar turned, his face twisted in an incredulous sneer. “Huh? You don’t have a crew. You and all your crew became MY subordinates. You’re just a shitty pirate who got beaten in the New World. They’ll keep following me thinking I’m their saviour! They’re too dumb to notice I kept them alive because they’re my guinea pigs. GASTANET!”

Ouch, Caesar. No mercy there. He goes straight for the jugular when the mask comes off, eh? Brownbeard survived the boom, which is cool. I feel bad for the guy and I hope he gets some revenge against Caesar (even if Luffy has to do it for him).

While Caesar was eviscerating poor Brownbeard, Nami and Usopp sneaked off to try and save the kids. I actually jumped when Caesar’s hands appeared and grabbed them. xD

And he Gastanetted them too. Caesar is not playing anymore. He is fed up with all the guests on his island. It’s time to gtfo.

I Have Loads of Unnecessary Screenshots of this Walking Trash Can and his Hilariously Expressive Face

But it wasn’t over, even after Nami and Usopp were secured. Caesar called Monet, informed her he had retrieved the children, and asked if Smiley’s food was ready (why do I get a bad feeling about that?)  Since everything was in place, Caesar said, “Great! Put me on broadcast!”

And this was the Big Thing for me.

Caesar has direct goddamn connections to lots of shady characters in the OPverse. 

“To all unlawful brokers, wherever you are. I’m sorry to contact you on such short notice but you are all very lucky to see this. What you are about to witness is the deployment of a poison gas weapon. I added a new feature to the one from four years ago. It’s something those government scum can only dream of creating! Today, we have uninvited guests on our island. That’s why I decided to perform the experiment now. Invasion, war, domination-- it has various uses. If it appeals to you, let’s talk business.”

And guess who was watching?

Big Mom’s henchmen, Pekoms and Tamago, and Eustass Freaking Kidd!

I dunno...

Will Doflamingo be happy about this? If Caesar is working for Doflamingo, will he be cool with Caesar doing his own deals?

I dunno, but I’m loving the way this arc is going.

10/10 would watch again.

And my Chopper theory is still viable! Little guy is the only one on the loose who can let the other Strawhats into the lab. He’s a wildcard! :D

Chopper and the Downward Spiral.

[yoshi4sushi]

(purupurupuru) (purupurupuru) (click!) (coo!) (coo!)

 Happy Monday, minna-san! Warm sun and blooming flower buds have arrived. Spring is almost here. I hope everyone is ready to ditch those heavy coats and toasty sweaters. With that said, let’s this show on the road. We got loads of fun to share. First off, last week’s episode intensity is increasing more. We first see Perospero and the rest of the siblings doing their thinking time as they figure how they can get to Wano and hope they can find their mom. At Kuri Wastelands, Big Mom is tagging along with Chopper and the gang heading to Udon as Kiku explains that it’s a long journey to reach the land.  At another hideout, Nami & the gang have finally reached to safe place to hide out for a while because of the scandal. Robin was able to find out most of the stuff she could figure out. Brook tells Robin he found poneglyph stone, but it’s not red like the one from Zou. The girls decided to go to a bathhouse to relax. At the capital, the entire country of Wano mourn for the death of Komurasaki and will be holding a funeral in her honor. Meanwhile, Sanji and the guys are hiding in some shelter and reading the news about Komurasaki and the scandal that the girls have caused. Back in prison, poor Luffy is getting spit on by a jerk gifter name Apalcaman who is half man, half apalca. He’s all bullying the poor captain and just spitting as he’s talking. Yuck! He’s all telling Luffy off that he’ll be punished if he had anything to do with Kid’s escape which that news spread out as well. At the end, Luffy notices as the poor old man Hyou, the prisoner he saved, was getting bullied again and the gifters are forcing to tell him how he got many kibidango. Old man Hyou refused to answer as he mentions a hero he looked up to back then name Hyougoro of the flowers. I guess you could say he was the samurai Robin Hood. Anyway, Luffy had enough of seeing him getting trashed around he rushed to his rescues as the other prisoners begged him to not interfere that would lead to death. At the gate, the fearsome top commander Queen arrived at prison. What in the world is he there for? Who is this Hyougorou of the flowers? Is Kyoshiro an ally or a foe? GAH! So many questions. No chapter this week so it’s a break until next week. Next, this past weekend’s episode was intense. Luffy and Sanji finally made it back to Sunny and the others. Everyone was happy, but not out of the woods. The Germa siblings are keeping the Big Mom pirates away from the gang while back at Chiffon’s island, they arrived and placed the cake on shore. They wait for Big Mom’s arrival to see this moment through hoping that the cake will stop her sugar rush. Back at sea, Judge passes by the gang as he asked Luffy if all this trouble to save Sanji was worth it. He gave no answer and instead thanked him for helping out. It made him angry to hear such answer. At the end, the gang are trapped by all the fleets when suddenly, Wadatsumi and Sun pirates arrived to help Jimbei and the others. Next time, the Sun pirates face the Big Mom pirates while Mama herself is about to enjoy the cake. Will it satisfy her? Or disgust her? Don’t miss it! Now on with the goods. Tongari-san couldn’t be here tonight since March is gonna be busy month, but we got his telegram. He mentions that yummy birthday menu to celebrate Sanji and Sabo’s birthday has been posted. First, they’ll have Sanji’s swirly sausage burger with a black burger to match his suit and yummy potato hearts with some ketchup. For beverage, they have have flambe shot’s orange tea with some whip cream and orange drizzle. You can also order a fountain drink that comes in a plastic bottle of Sanji which is yours for free. (FYI: no BD bromide card). For Sabo’s dish, they have his Night Fire Fist spicy carbonara shrimp ramen with fish cake of his hat. If you order any of these dishes, you’ll get a free BD bromide card. Next, stores will be selling these new pouches of Sunny, Heart pirates, Straw Hat pirates in orange, black, & red color. It will be available on March 12th. The store will also have new tower coins in color of the characters such as Luffy, Chopper, Zoro, Sanji, Ace, Law, & Sabo. It’s 600 yen. Next, Anime Japan will be selling these hamster buttons of the boys including Ace & Sabo for one day. Not sure if other local stores or Animate stores will have them in stock, but you can ask. But this is only sold at the event for now. Next, check out the new visual for the 20th anniversary event at the Umihotaru Passenger Ship in Yokohama. More details of events and goods will be announced later. Next, J-League has announced a collab with OP. They’re selling loads of neat buttons, t-shirts, and hand towel from popular soccer teams. If you live w/in the country, you can order it. Payment can be made by credit card or COD (cash on delivery). We’ll leave a link for those interested. Next, Ehime prefecture will be opening a temporary Mugiwara Store at the Emfiul Masaka mall. Limited ed. goods will be announced soon. It will open from March 21st to April 7th. Ehime is known for having tasty oranges. Nami goods will probably the original goods, but be on the look-out for the announcement. Next, this Saturday, stores will be selling new mugi mugi plushies. This time, East Blue Zoro, Ussop, along with a pair set of lil’ Zoro & Kuina. Very cute! Next, get groovy! Get funky! Oh, no one says that anymore right? How embarrassing. Ahem! Anyway, On March 27th, stores will be selling this 20th anniversary OP CD Best Album. It will have all the openings and endings. CD album will only have the songs, as for the special album will have Blu-ray DVD of the animation openings and endings. Relive all the songs from 20 years. Next, OP app game, Thousand Store, is having a short event of Skypiea Island. Level up & you’ll receive Gan Fall w/ Pierre & Eneru as players. Last, but not least, I hope everyone got a chance to see the new trailer of the new OP movie, Stampede. Last week, Oda-sensei & staff released new sketches of new bad guys: one is named Douglass Bullet who supposedly is a former member of the Gold Roger pirates, and the entertainment MC, Buena Festa. Trailer also released that Law, Smoker, Tashigi, and the Buggy pirates will be in the movie. SO HAPPY! I can’t wait to see them. Today, they have released new designs of the Straw Hats wearing some neat looks. For those who live in Japan, don’t forget this Friday all movie theaters will be selling tickets to the movie and buttons will be given free. Check your local theater form your area. Phew! I think we got everything. That’s all we got! Tune in next week for more news and goods. Boys! Job well done as always. Let’s call it a night.

 Soccer goods: https://jop.bestsky.jp/

[bearxclaws-archive-blog]

Arc Headcanons // PRE-SKIP PT.1

I’ve been encourages to make headcanons for each of the arcs Anita would be part of starting from Jaya, and I intend to! They’ll be under a readmore because long ;; Will also have mention of Anita x Sanji ship because I’m trash.

JOINING ARC / PRE-JAYA

— After becoming a Straw Hat, Anita is immediately met with stories about Vivi. She’s told everything, and she’s fascinated because she’s a sucker for stories. That, and they knew a real princess! She’s given descriptions and was told how Vivi was as a person, but the images in her head probably don’t compare.

— It takes days for them all to tell her what’s happened before she joined. Along with Vivi, she’s eager to meet Laboon and wants to eat at the Baratie. Big whale and good food!

JAYA

— Anita, like Nami, is skeptical about there being an island in the sky, but she’s hopeful. She likes being up high and can’t even imagine how thrilling it might be to be high above the ocean.

— Anita knows about the story of Nolan because her ringleader, Gerald Spectacle, was born and raised in the North Blue. He had no problem sharing stories about his life there, so she recognized the title immediately and is giddy.

— She totally snorts at the name ‘Knock Up Stream’ like the mature person she is.

— When the group splits to search for the South Bird, Anita goes with Chopper and Luffy. Unafraid of bugs, she too gets sucked into the intrigue of finding rare beetles.

— Anita’s already familiar with Luffy’s off-brand kindness but is surprised that he will go through the trouble of recovering the gold Bellamy stole from Cricket. Being the selfish person she can be, she doesn’t get it.

— As much as Anita wants a bounty of her own, she isn’t surprised or offended that she doesn’t have one. She only just became a pirate not long ago. But, boy, is she eager to get one. Sort of snickers at Sanji being disappointed about not having one. He’s kind of adorable when he’s not being swoony.

— Being sucked into the whirlpool before the Knock Up Stream is both thrilling and terrifying for her. She thinks it’s cool, but not being able to swim plus still being new to the whole constantly sailing thing means she’s not used to all of the awful weather yet.

— Part of what she loved about being an acrobat is the rush you get when you’re flying through the air. Traveling up the Knock Up Stream is no different. It’s one of the best sensations she gets and she wishes it hadn’t ended when it did.

SKYPIEA

— Anita’s outfit during the arc

— She’ll never be part of the Monster Trio or even up to par with those three, but she still attempts to fight Wiper with them and fails just as hard. SHE ALWAYS TRIES TO GET TO THE ENEMY FIRST! I know that probably sounds OP, but it doesn’t mean she’s super strong. The point of her role is to be the tank, to distract and take the brunt of the damage while the ones that deal actual damage do what they do best.

— Anita joins Luffy, Usopp and Chopper in screwing around on the clouds. She takes first to tackling them into the clouds in her bear form knowing the clouds are plenty soft and she won’t crush them because of it. And because a bear’s jaws are extremely powerful, Luffy asks her to try to bite open. She fails cause it’s even too hard for her, but she does leave small dents in it.

— She’d eventually get bored and want a little peace, so she’d lay out on the clouds on her own for a little bit. If Sanji gave her a flower like he did with Nami, she will be genuinely surprised and confused because no one’s given her a flower before. He’d likely run off after to find more flowers to give, but she’ll just sit there with it between her fingers and gets this weird, familiar feeling in her chest. Nope, gonna knock that shit off right now. Last person she felt that for was an asshole. This isn’t going to turn out any different. Keeps the flower. Hides it later in a little box she has in the girls’ room.

— Su ( Conis’ pet ) sniffing at Anita because she smells weird. Anita changing into a bear and scaring the poor thing. Laughs about it.

— When the White Berets start accusing them of crimes, can we please throw one in where they’re accused of not having leashes for Chopper and Anita? PLEASE? And both of them being indigent!

— To make it even, Anita joins Luffy, Sanji and Usopp in the trials.

— I realize the impressions Luffy does is likely only in the anime, but I need Anita laughing about it and being the only one not beat up for it. So when Luffy and Usopp are banged up, she’s laughing even harder.

— Laughs again when Sanji kicks the orb and it explodes even though she was hit by the sooty blast too.

— Anita attempts to fight Satori are fruitless. She can’t pull his attention away like she’s meant to. Once they’re back on their little ship, she’s oddly quiet in a fit of feeling useless.

— Only thing that breaks her silence is the fact that the plains surrounding the milky road have skulls. “Oh, I want one.”

— Side note, sort of: Anita isn’t religious. Her parents were. They were the One Piece’s equivalent of Christian, and attempted to force Anita into sharing their beliefs. So any mention of Gods irritates her greatly. She needs proof, and even then she can’t be sure that it isn’t just someone with powerful devil fruit powers.

— Thanks to her fear of fire, Anita doesn’t join in on their little campfire party and sits quite a ways off from the rest of the crew. Part of her worries that joining might have been a bad idea. She didn’t realize that they would be getting mixed up with powerful people like Satori that can predict movements. Keeps it to herself because she doesn’t like to talk about it. Not sure if anyone would notice her sitting on her own.

— Nami says Anita will join her, Usopp and Sanji when they sail Merry around to the nearest shore so they have two people to protect them. Anita doesn’t argue.

— Usopp’s request for Sanji to be his bodyguard while they sail is denied, and I bet he’d ask Anita after. She denies him too, saying she only works for food.

— Anita is highly amused when Sanji can’t break the shell when told to by Gan Fall. Is just as surprised as the rest when Sanji uses it. Immediately wonders if having some attached to her paws would make for a good attack.

— Sanji becoming incapacitated by Enel almost causes Anita to panic. Losing someone has only happened once to her and she didn’t respond well to it. Usopp getting zapped afterward enrages her, her temper flaring and causing her to attack in bear form. She is fried as well despite Gan Falls warning for her not to attack Enel.

— Nami, be glad you didn’t have to drag Anita’s bear form around. I think she’ll become mostly human when she’s severely injured or knocked into deep unconsciousness.

— Anita climbs Ark Maxim with Sanji and Usopp. She was probably told to stay and protect Conis, but she is stubborn and doesn’t want to be a babysitter. Sanji’s insistence they they save Nami is annoying. Very, very annoying. She doesn’t like being so annoyed over it, but?? It’s alright, her and Usopp can rag on him while they’re running through the ship.

— Regrets insulting Sanji when he takes another blow from Enel to help them escape.

— Feels pride for her captain for the first time when he rings the bell. She isn’t sure why, but.  .  . she feels like it might still be a good idea that she joined him of all people.

— I really want Usopp to at least attempt to make her some sort of gauntlet that Anita can wear in her bear form that uses impact dials. Doesn’t matter if he can’t actually succeed in creating them, but I want her to have asked.

LONG RING LONG LAND

— Anita’s arc outfit, except with Taurus

— Anita is excited about the games despite learning that some of their crew may be picked off and made to follow Foxy.

— She loves sports of any kind, so she’s entirely too loud and cheers enthusiastically for her crew. She’s also enraged at the amount of cheating and is probably one of the ones made to calm down before she gets them in trouble. But, like Luffy, she gets distracted by food when it’s offered.

— Is upset when Chopper is taken. Is too distracted by losing their doctor to really cheer for Zoro or Sanji during the Groggy Ring game. But laughs when Sanji is made to be the ball. What a cute dork.

— Two things Anita severely hates; bullies and cheaters. Her, Sanji and Luffy lash out the most when bogus cards are thrown out. Threatens to eat the referee.

— You bet your bippy she’s into that afro. OH, YEAH. Wishes she had one.

— Is overpowered by Aokiji but is relieved he uses ice and not fire. She has her maw frozen shut and has to soak in the water like Sanji and Zoro. Sanji’s the first to offer to support her in her human form, since being in the water weakens her. Sanji has to touch her face and rub at her cheeks / lips quite a bit to get the ice to melt and blood to flow and SHE IS REGRETTING SO MUCH. Please stop looking so concerned, it’s making her hurt inside.

— She’s far too flustered after being helped to help Zoro and Sanji find Luffy, so she says behind to help thaw Robin out. Side note; Anita’s not as close with Robin. Robin is extremely smart and experienced, and Anita knows she’s probably the dumbest crew member. She can’t even read properly, so Robin intimidated her. But she’s part of the crew and helps as best as she can.

— Robin and Luffy will get plenty of bear snuggles to keep them warm if they want.