#THERE WAS NO REASON WHY HE SHOULD STAY IN WANO!!!! WHEN ALL HE WANTED WAS TO SET OUT IN SEA!!!!

[edenslice]

everyday i mourn the lost potential of yamato being a straw hat. the guy proclaims like 10 times that he's joining luffy then after one (1) incident with some marine he goes "erm ackshually im staying in wano 🤓🦊" BOY BE FR RIGHT NOW

[beanghostprincess]

Not sure if you've done a post already but curious to think how Usopp would react/what role he would play if he was at Whole Cake Island and how SanUso would change and grow as a couple after?

I was planning on doing a post like this tbh but I think I've already said a couple of times that I wanted Usopp on WCI. And it's not even because of my insane obsession with Sanuso (that too, tho) but because I think his personality would have fit the story perfectly. Also, I think that Sanji being crucial to Usopp's character back in Water 7 would have helped here too, with Usopp being present in one of Sanji's most vulnerable moments.

I think that following canon he would've been a part of the Chopper/Carrot storyline because of how fitting it would have been for his personality. We would have had so many funny moments with him there and back in the forest with Nami. However, I think that Usopp, being also part of the East Blue Crew and having a close friendship with Sanji (we don't see much of that post-timeskip, sadly, but they used to have so many interactions aaaa), he would have been there for the Luffy vs Sanji fight. I'm not sure if he would've stepped in, having more of an active reaction towards everything and trying to stop Sanji (because, well, at the end of the day, it is a Lusan scene and we can't take away their moment), but he for sure would have been there with Nami crying over everything. Idk. I think Usopp, being the first one who tried to leave the crew and having fought Luffy before, would understand Sanji. He would not be angry at his behavior like Nami, perhaps just frustrated and angry at himself and Sanji's family, mostly. It's hard to know what part of the story he would have been a part of because he already has his focus moment in Dressrosa and this is kind of to make Chopper/Carrot/Nami/Brook shine too bc they weren't there, but yeah, at the end of the day the story would have ended up being the same because the focus is Luffy and Sanji's relationship.

However, like I said, I think Usopp would understand Sanji's behavior somehow (even if the reason why Usopp tried to leave the crew wasn't the same one). We would've probably gotten a scene like the one he has with Nami after coming back to them ("coming back" meaning accepting that he wants to go back with them. That scene where she's mad and tells him and they'll never let him go again etcetc). But instead of what Nami does, I think Usopp would be just happy to have him back, and yet Sanji would feel guilty for what he had done to them. A lil scene of acknowledgment and understanding where Sanji asks why Usopp isn't angry and Usopp lets him know that he doesn't understand but understands to an extent (not feeling like he fits in and ending up in self-destructive behavior like trying to leave the crew) and they would inevitably grow closer after that.

Their dynamic within the OP world would change, of course, but when it comes to the main plot and their interactions they would pretty much stay the same because they talk like fucking twice in all of Wano and I am having a very hard moment watching this without them having scenes together- Please, being a Sanuso shipper is so hard-

But yeah, all of this is me trying to be realistic. From a more fanon perspective, I think Usopp should have just dressed up as Sogeking and saved Sanji like the superhero he is with the power of love and friendship and they would have gotten married. The end.

[camels-pen]

(i haven't read Whole Cake in a while, and i never really watched it, so bear with me)

I'd love to write a fic with Usopp on Whole Cake. it'd be sooo fucking long and i'd need to refresh myself on the entire arc, but god i'd probably be so satisfied when it's done. specifically for having brought a single moment in my head to life, but we'll get to that.

On Zou, he insists to be taken along on the Sanji rescue team and has worked himself up with a whole bunch of very good reasons as to why he should go there instead of helping in Wano, but of course Luffy just immediately accepts with a "yeah sure"

With Whole Cake, I think he'd be flipping between having fun as part of the idiot trio/quartet (Luffy, Chopper, Carrot), and being terrified with Nami. There wouldn't be that many differences in the arc as a whole, though; some things would be easier/better and some things would be worse- I don't necessarily think Usopp's presence would be overall an advantage or disadvantage, just different. Like, major events would stay mostly the same, but little details would change and maybe those little details would build to a far more drastic change-

for example, maybe one of Big Mom's kids considers themself a great sniper and wants a match with Usopp, or is motivated to work harder because Usopp is around and they want to take him out and boast about it. Maybe it means Sunny takes more damage than canon, or maybe Usopp's help means less damage to Sunny. (idk if i'd really do smth like this, but it's just an example)

skjdhf fuck i'm really not equipped to try and figure this out when i don't remember shit from Whole Cake aaaa

I do know that, despite his penchant for talking and rambling, I'd probably have Usopp be dead silent after his initial shock when Sanji fights Luffy. Everything about that is the same, except Usopp is just watching Sanji the whole time- not panicking, not moving, and not speaking. He doesn't say a word the entire time, doesn't even make a sound, and that, along with Luffy's words and Nami's begging, stick with Sanji.

(Usopp is thinking of his own fight with Luffy in Water 7, he's partially wondering if this was what it was like- if it was this painful to watch from the sidelines- and partially knowing he doesn't have to say a word, because he knew, like he knew back then, that it didn't matter what was said. It wasn't quite the same, but he could tell in the way Sanji moved, in the way he spoke and held himself, that he was putting on a front, trying to be brave in all the wrong ways. Usopp didn't say a word to Sanji because there was nothing he could say that Sanji himself didn't already know. Should've known. And his quiet, direct stare, was more than enough.)

the singular moment i really wanna write, is a scene where Sanji is apologizing for dragging them into his mess- either during the big meeting in Bege's castle or some other time- and Usopp's like "I'll do what you can't, you do what I can't, right?" and Sanji pauses, a little confused, until he remembers Enies Lobby and a stupid mask and cape and-

and tears are gathering in his eyes now, fuck, but he laughs a little. It sounds wet and his face is itchy and they're surrounded by tentative allies, but he- he laughs again and he says, "Fuck, you remembered that?"

Usopp shrugs, a little smile on his face. "They were some wise words from a wise man."

Sanji laughs a third time. "You think I'm wise?"

And they banter a little more before Bege tells them to quit it since they're on a time constraint or something. Quietly, Usopp will ask, "It-it helps. On bad days. And I figured, 'what's a worse day than this?' Ah, not that you getting married would ever be bad per se-"

"Usopp," Sanji says, looking more relaxed and settled. He smiles fondly and grabs his friend in a one armed hug, crushing him to his side. "Thanks."

And yeah, don't remember much beyond that, except the whole "hiding and then busting out of the cake" bit, which would mean Usopp in a cute little tuxedo or smth- maybe with a fedora aaaaaa <- loves fedoras- helping out with the fighting and eventually sailing with everyone to Wano.

He would be so distressed about fixing up Sunny now that the whole thing with Whole Cake is over. Maybe there'd be a gag about him promising Franky to take good care of Sunny while they were gone and being confident, after being Franky's tinkering partner and learning from him over time, that he could handle minor repair work much better than he did the first time around with Merry. And so when he finally takes in all the very-not-minor repairs he has to do, he's certain Franky is gonna strangle him for not keeping his promise. Probably also try to write in some nostalgic 'repairman Usopp' vibes from pre-Water 7.

Also something something, Sanji, wanting to do more for the crew bc he still feels guilty about Whole Cake, decides to take it upon himself to help Usopp not fall into a whole anxiety spiral about the ship. In turn, Usopp ends up helping Sanji not feel so guilty- usually by handing his own words back to him on a silver platter. And, yknow, having the two of them bonding and being buddies again like they so rarely get to be in canon nowadays qwq

[rubidusmagnet]

People on the dash get to have some free Kid + Killer ficlet content because I’m back to writing and want to smother you all with more OP content.

 and Jugum, @sicklesandscythes here’s a poke from me.

Also EDIT: OP Wano spoilers down below so watch yourselves

The party looked to finally be dying down this late in the night. With Kaido and Big Mom felled, a vast air of relief and jubilation spread amongst the crowd now calming down. Given the exhaustion most everyone was in however, it didn’t seem likely that anyone would be up to move elsewhere to sleep.

The Kid pirates themselves however, kept a bubble of space to themselves towards the outer ring of party-goers. Amongst them sat their Captain and first mate who leant on each other for subtle support. The wounds dealt to them having been great enough to even keep Kid’s infamous boisterous attitude at bay, combine that with his ever watchful and suspicious gaze towards anyone who dared walk too close to his crashed out nakama and so it wasn’t a wonder why he was still up.

“ Fwafafa~” Kid grimaced very slightly at the sound, That was a problem he will have solved before they left Wanos shores.

“You kicked that old hags ass good, Kid?”

The Captain in question’s shoulder shook with his laughter at that. Oh how he wished it had been just him that sent Big Mom out. Working with the likes of Trafalgar fucking Law never failed to rub him raw and just thinking about it made his wounds surge with a pain that made him hunch forward with a choke cutting his mirth off.

“ Yeah I sure did Kil’, hopefully that big bitch is down for good this time.”

Killer hummed at this and seemed to slump a little more into Kid’s least injured side. Both of their battles were catching up to them it seemed, because even Kid struggled to keep his eyes from shutting on occasion only to startle back up when he recalled just what reason he was trying to stay awake for.

He did not feel safe even among a room full of allies... Allies, heh, look where that fucking took him even if the end result was much better than he ever could have hoped for. The only cost was that his crew got screwed with in the process and he couldn’t forgive himself for not being there for them and especially Killer when he took that SMILE fruit.

The soft thud of a familiar mask against his bandaged shoulder jolted Kid out of his thoughts that were spiraling downhill and thinking Killer had finally fallen asleep, he was swiftly proven wrong when he checked over the other with his haki.

“ I think it’s time to rest don’t you? Should be safe to close our eyes for a moment or two.”

Well shit, leave it to Killer to be a voice of reason. Kid knew he was trying to put his brother in arms at ease but still he couldn’t help but be a bit reluctant in following his crew to sleep.

Feeling his tension Killer piped up once more. “ Look all around us Kid, I don’t think anybodies in any shape to start shit.”

Again he was right, bodies now littered the floor and the air drifted with the sounds of snores from unconscious bodies. If anybody did try, Kid would no doubt be able to handle them with ease despite his own weariness, Killer too would be there to support him.

“ Fine, but if I get my throat slit open I’m haunting your ass.”

“ Sure thing buddy.”

Draining the last dregs of sake from the bottom of his cup, Kid felt the tension he’d been harboring all night finally give way and with the final closing of his eyes, he too slumped up against Killer’s prone body. Worrying about the future could be left for tomorrow, but here in the present it was time to finally sleep and find some measure of peace.

[chenziee]

At the bottom of the sea, chapter 1

I asked before how many Lawlu outsider POV fics are too many and then didn’t wait for an answer. Sorry, Kid, but you knew your turn would come eventually :)

Summary: Kid never would have believed there was a person crazy  enough to actually mate with Straw Hat Luffy, the biggest, most selfish  idiot on the seas. But seeing as the mating mark on said idiot's neck  was very real, Kid had only one question:Who the hell is Torao?

[READ ON AO3 or below the cut]

Part 3 of Until We Drown verse

[Part 1 | Part 2]

----------

When Kid had first noticed the scar on Straw Hat's neck, he had assumed it was simply yet another injury from his fight with Kaido. After all, when they had first tossed him in the cell with him, he was covered head to toe in bandages, the blood still seeping through in several places. It wouldn't have been so weird for him to have a wound or twenty still visible a week later.

But when all his other injuries disappeared only a few days later, leaving behind the one single, comparatively minor scar, Kid couldn’t stop wondering about it.

Every time the reddish patch of skin caught his attention, his eyes would linger on it, trying to figure out just why. Was it poison? Something to prevent the skin from mending fully? He’d really rather know if there was someone with a power like that among the Beast Pirates before he went back to kick Kaido’s ass. Would make recovery a real bitch.

It didn’t seem to bother Straw Hat much, if at all, however. Most of the time, he went on on his infuriating way of picking fights with Kid over the smallest things as if nothing was wrong so Kid supposed it was nothing for him to lose sleep over.

Yet, there was something that didn’t let Kid completely forget about it. Every single day in the evening, when all the prisoners were sent back to their cells and there was nothing to do, Straw Hat would inevitably end up with his hand on his neck, tracing the scar with his fingers with a complicated expression on his face. Kid would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious as hell.  

But he’d be damned if he actually asked so he simply resorted to showing slight concern over his rival's injury. Meaning, he teased Straw Hat mercilessly, riling him up as much as he could during their little competitions.

What could he say, the kid was infuriating and it wasn’t like he didn’t do the same thing to him.

Kid couldn’t wait for the day Kaido was out of the way, so he would be able to fucking show Straw Hat who was stonger, faster, better, and teach him and everyone else that a missing arm was nothing; not with Kid’s power and his crew by his side. But currently, the Emperor was the thing on the very top of Kid’s shit list so Straw Hat was safe. For now.

Unless his stupid charity would get him before Kid could. That would be a damn shame.

Kid rolled his eyes as he watched Straw Hat give a bunch of his meal tickets to the tiny, withered old man again. Seriously, what was Straw Hat’s deal? Did he not get the memo that pirates did not do charity? It was kill or be killed, in labour camps especially.

But Straw Hat didn’t seem to care how much of a joke he was as a pirate. And obviously, neither did the old man.

“Thank you once again, Straw Hat man,” the old man said, accepting the tickets gratefully.

Straw Hat grinned. “Don’t worry about it, gramps. I’ll get lots more.” As if to prove his point, Straw Hat flexed his arm, causing Kid to roll his eyes once more.

But not before taking note of how many tickets Straw Hat had in his hands and how many he gave to the old man, and comparing them to the amount he himself had amassed during the day. Kid smirked. He was pretty confident he won. Just as he did every day.

"Are they okay?" the old man asked then, voice full of concern.

"What?" Straw Hat sounded painfully confused as he replied.

The old man huffed, gesturing to where Straw Hat was once more absent-mindedly massaging his neck. "Your mate. You keep touching your mark. Are they okay?"

Kid did a double take.

Straw Hat. A mate. Straw Hat had a mate. That was what the weird scar on his neck was.

He mentally berated himself for not realizing sooner but honestly, who would ever look at Straw Hat and think, ‘Oh yeah, he's mated.’ No one sane, that's for damn sure.

"Oh," Straw Hat uttered simply before going silent for a moment again. But then his face split in that idiotic, bright grin again. "It’s just itchy. It’s fine, Torao’s strong.”

The old man didn’t look convinced but it was obvious he didn’t want to push it either. It took only a second for him to sigh, shake his head, and change the subject. Probably because he knew that even if there was something wrong with this ‘Torao,’ there was nothing Straw Hat—or anyone else in this goddamned prisoner mine—could do about it.

If Kid cared about his problems at all, he’d say it was a good thing Straw Hat was such an air headed moron. If he had any more brain cells in that head of his, he’d probably go crazy in here, literally climbing walls, trying to get to his mate. This blind trust he seemed to have in people was saving him a lot of energy—while sadly robbing Kid of entertainment. It would have been pretty damn funny watch, whether it be Straw Hat losing his mind, or the guards losing their minds over Straw Hat going on a rampage but oh well.

He’d have to make do with their little fights.

Kid did have to wonder what kind of person this Torao was, however. He didn't recall anyone called that on Straw Hat’s crew, nor did he know of anyone else by that name. Kid wanted to meet them, see what kind of person was stupid enough to bond with Straw Hat of all people; willing to deal with his insufferable idiocy and selfishness for the rest of their lives. At the very least, he'd have liked to give them his condolences.

He was… intrigued by this development. But he wasn't desperate enough for answers to actively eavesdrop, and definitely not enough to ask.  

He'd rather stay locked in this damned labour camp than do that.

But seriously, he had better things to worry about—his escape for one, then it was looking for Killer and the rest of his crew. Then it was off to beat up Kaido.

And if he knew anything about Straw Hat, he wasn't about to stick around the mine much longer either. Then he'd pick up his cozy little alliance with Trafalgar Law of all people and go after Kaido, same as Kid. So, if this mate of his was in Wano, Kid was sure it was only a matter of time before he met them for himself.

Kid hoped they wouldn’t cry once he had Straw Hat beaten. He hated it when people cried. It was so very annoying.

No, Killer, it wasn’t because seeing people cry made him want to cry, too.

Shaking his head to rid himself of the image of Killer giving him his best unimpressed look, Kid got up from the dusty ground, shooting one last glance at Straw Hat before he walked away. Having a mate didn’t matter in the end at all. What mattered was strength, power, loyalty, and only trusting the people closest to you.

Everyone else could get fucked. Especially your ‘allies.’ He was sure Straw Hat would learn that the hard way with Trafalgar, just as Kid had with Hawkins and fucking Scratchmen. Straw Hat could only hope that mistake didn’t cost him his mate, the most obvious weak spot.

Kid, for one, was done risking his partner. Done with alliances.

----------

That was what he had thought at least but of course Killer had to be the voice of reason and insist that if they were to go against Kaido, they'd better wait to join in the large-scale raid the Straw Hats had planned. Or that Trafalgar had planned, more likely. It was stupid and Kid din't want to get involved in anything where those two played a part but he could never win against his first mate and Killer knew it. Asshole.

"So you showed up after all, Jaggy?!" Straw Hat called, sounding way too happy and excited considering the situation.

"Like I'd let you have the glory for taking down Kaido!" Kid shouted back, clicking his tongue in distaste at the very notion.

Just then, someone from the Straw Hat ship spoke up, tone a mix of relief and exasperation, "Luffy, look, Torao's here! You can stop fidgeting now!"

At that, Straw Hat whipped around, making a full circle and looking like an idiot as he searched for something through the heavy storm. The 'Torao', most likely. The mate.

Kid had nearly forgotten about that. But now that the person was there themselves, his previous curiosity came back. Instead of focusing on the enemy ships ahead, he continued watching his fellow captain as he took off to run to the other end of the ship, no doubt to get a better view of the sea in the back. Kid winced when after only a two steps, Roronoa grabbed Straw Hat's collar, making the rubber man's head jerk forward from the momentum, going further from his shoulders than should be humanly possible.

Seriously, Straw Hat and his weird powers.

Shaking his head, Kid focused back on where Roronoa was dragging his own captain towards the side of the ship, pointing him towards something below, in the water. Kid's eyes inadvertently followed in the direction as well until they found Trafalgar's submarine with the pathetic samurai boat perched on top. Was this Torao one of the samurai? Would explain why Kid had never heard of them.

"TORAO! HI!" Straw Hat screamed immediately, waving his hands widely to get the person's attention.

The crashing waves and heavy rain were his only response but Straw Hat didn't seem dettered in the least. Instead, his screaming continued, "Where were you?! I was looking for you but your friends refused to say!"

"Focus on the mission, Straw Hat-ya!" Trafalgar finally snapped with annoyance.

Probably not what or whom Straw Hat wanted to hear but on the other hand, Kid was glad Trafgar hadn't gone completely crazy yet. Even though Kid had to admit he didn't have much room to talk with picking allies, he had his doubts about Trafalgar’s sanity from the moment he heard he had allied with Straw Hat of all people.

Not to mention how long the two had been working together at this point. If Trafalgar wasn't insane before, he had to be by now by association alone. But it was comforting to know he still had it in himself to rein the biggest idiot on the entire Grand Line in.

“Also I’d hate to rub salt in the wound, but today’s banquet will celebrate the official alliance between the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates!” At the taunting remark from one of the Beast pirates, Kid whipped around, immediately forgetting about Trafalgar, Straw Hat, and the mystery mate.

“Big Mom and Kaido?!!” You’ve got to be kidding. Just one of them was bad enough, an alliance between two Emperors just as they were getting ready to attack was nothing but bad news. Not like it would change the result, Kid was going to beat them both regardless, but it was complicating matters considerably.

“In the name of Emperor Kaido, get this over with and sink them!”

Kid rolled his eyes at how confident these small fries were just because they had Kaido and Big Mom backing them up. As if they would save them from getting beaten up from all the way over at Onigashima.

Raising his fists, flesh and metal, he aimed at the enemy ship, readying himself to haul himself over to show his idiot ‘allies’ how it’s done.

“Why are these underlings getting so cocky!! They’re looking down on us, stand back!!!”

“Idiot, you’re the one who should stand back!!”

Oh no, you don’t, Kid thought. “Don’t get in my way!!!”

----------

“Torao! That power's cheating!”

“Oh, Torao, where did you go?”

“Torao, move the samurai below!”

“Torao, did you guys beat Big Mom?!”

“To-ra-ooo!!”

Remembering all the times that Straw Hat had called his ‘Torao’ over the course of the night, Kid was almost embarrassed that it took him until now to connect the dots. In his defense, it was the heat of the battle and there were a lot bigger things to worry about than Straw Hat and Torao’s love life and honestly, Kid didn’t even really care in the first place. But he would have certainly appreciated a heads up before this.  

Upon hearing that Straw Hat was finally awake after passing out from exhaustion, Killer had insisted that checking up on him was the least Kid should do. So, despite his better judgement, Kid had complied and really, this might have had just been the worst advice his first mate had ever given him and that was including the stupid alliance with Hawkins and Apoo.

As he stared with wide eyes at the scene before him, he suddenly understood why all the idiot friends of Straw Hat’s were scrambling off as if running from something, even going as far as dragging a protesting, confused son of Kaido away by force. Seriously, if Kid wasn’t rooted in place as he was, he, too, would have been running from the smell of possessive pheromones and the loopy, content grin on Straw Hat’s face while Trafalgar fucking Law had his face burried in the crook of his neck, his teeth sinking deep into the flesh where Straw Hat’s mating mark was.

Honestly, Kid would rather walk in on them fucking than… this.  

“It’s okay, Torao. I’m fine,” Straw Hat said quietly, raising one shaky hand to weakly run his fingers through Trafalgar’s hair.

“When will you stop being so damn reckless? I swear one day I’ll kill you myself,” Trafalgar growled back after a moment, once he finally released his bite.

Straw Hat snickered. “Eh, better you than stupid Kaido.”

Trafalgar groaned in response, frustration with his mate obvious even while his head was still resting against Straw Hat’s shoulder. “Fuck you.”

“No thanks,” Straw Hat laughed, making Trafalgar click his tongue in annoyance.

“You know what I mean,” he snapped, making Straw Hat only laugh harder.

Kid wasn’t entirely sure what this last exchange meant but he sure as hell didn’t need or care to know. Finally breaking himself out of his stupor, he quickly slammed the sliding doors shut once more, then turned on his heel to leave as fast as he could.

As he stormed away, a few last words carried over to him from Straw Hat’s room.

“Jaggy just left,” Straw Hat noted off-handedly.

Trafalgar sighed in response. “Fucking finally.”

Assholes.  

Kid all but ran outside then, heading straight for the nearest drinks table and grabbing for the first bottle of hard liquor he could find. He could only hope that would be enough to bleach his entire brain.

[cienie-isengardu]

Zoro & Sandai Kitetsu

There is something that was bugging me about Zoro’s swords for a long time and now, the Wano arc helped put thoughts in proper perspective. Namely four out of five named katanas used by Roronoa are, in fact, a heirlooms; a burden of someone’s else dreams or ambition or honor that Zoro (consciously or not) carry on while Sandai Kitetsu is the only one sword truly and just his. Because the same as the sword was chosen by Zoro, Zoro himself was chosen by Kitetsu,

The best known Roronoa’s sword, Wado Ichimonji in fact belonged to Kuina who died the night after she and Zoro made a promise that one of them must become the world’s best swordsman. He begged Kuina’s father to gift him with her sword and to honor Kuina’s dream, he created an unique fighting style - Santoryu.

Zoro could just replace one of his swords with Wado and yet Zoro’s fighting style is a fusion of his two-sword style trained since childhood and one-sword style used by Kuina. Which is his way to stay faithful to a promise made between them and maybe a promise between him and Kuina’s father too. That way Kuina - represented by Wado - gets stronger with each of Zoro’s fights and with him, one day will become the best swordmaster. Zoro has carried on her dream since childhood and in fact, their shared promise is both a great motivation AND burden. What was noted by Mihawk  (What burdens you so?) and something Zoro himself was well aware (“I may only have three swords, but the weight of our swords are completely different!“).

Wado is as much a memento of his deceased friend as much a burden to carry on alone. It’s Zoro’s most precious sword and at the same I think it will never truly belong to him. Wado was and always will be Kuina’s. He was not chosen by the great katana - he begged for that  sword and it was given to him by Kuina’s father. Because Zoro cared so much for their vow, when Koushirou dismissed Kuina’s dream when she was still alive. Koushirou granted the precious katana to a determined boy, so his daughter’s dream (and which it, a part of Kuina) could live on.

Wado is Zoro's most precious possession, but it is a “borrowed” katana that never truly was meant for him. It was Kuina who should carry on the white katana. Zoro only carried it in place of her, because she never had truly a chance to spread her wings. Thus, Wado is a memento, a shared dream, a burden and second chance (for Kuina, and maybe for Koushiro too). 

Then we have YUBASHIRI, given to Zoro by Ipponmatsu in Loguetown

Ipponmatsu freely gave Zoro this katana as an apology for looking down on him, once Roronoa proved how well skilled and strong willed swordsman he was by testing his luck against cursed blade. The given sword served him well, up until Enies Lobby, where Yubashiri was destroyed by marine captain Su, a man with devil fruit power of rusting.

Ipponmatsu did not tell Zoro that Yubashiri was in fact his own family heirloom - something pointed out by shop owner’s wife:

but once questioned about the decision, Ipponmatsu asked back “what is wrong with a man entrusting his dream to another man?!”

what implies that Yubashiri, like Wado, carried inside someone’s else unfulfilled dream of greatness.

In Thriller Bark, Yubashiri was buried alongside remains of Brook’s first nakama while its place was taken by SHUSUI.

Shusui was a black sword that belonged to legendary samurai, Ryuma. In Thriller Bark it was wielded by Ryuma’s zombie (with Brook’s shadow) and once Zoro saw the blade, he wanted it for himself, to replace destroyed Yubashiri and was willing to take it from the enemy's dead body. Though the fight was relatively short, Zoro’s skills were acknowledged by Ryuma and in result, Shusui was given to pirate.

Zoro honored his opponent by taking sword and being willing to pretend the match never happened.

Similar to Sandai Kitetsu, Zoro both chose a sword and was chosen (accepted) by the blade. But unlike Kitetsu, Shusui, as the most precious treasure of Wano country, couldn’t truly belong to him. The katana served its master well and Roronoa appreciated it very much, but since Dressrosa arc, he was constantly nagged by people of Wano to give it back. He didn’t care for their complaints and did not plan to do so, yet once asked by Kozuki Hiyori to return it to its rightful place, Zoro finally agreed. Because in the end he respected the dead swordmaster and how much the black sword meant to people of Wano. It was a sacred symbol, a heirloom of legendary samurai Ryuma while he was an outsider. Although Zoro proved his worth to Ryuma zombie, the sword (and Ryuma’s body) was stolen in the first place and Hiyori was willing to give up memento of her late father (personal treasure) for Shusui (a national relic). Such sacrifice proved how much Ryuma’s sword meant to people of Wano and Zoro, despite his claim, returned the black blade to where it belonged - asking only to let him visit Ryuma’s grave once the battle is over.

Shusui was another heirloom, a sword burdened by past and its meaning. It served Zoro well, but it couldn’t truly belong to him.

For returning Wano’s national treasure, Hiyori promised Zoro no less great katana - ENMA.

A legendary sword given to Hiyori by her late father, Kozuki Oden that is said to be the only blade that even injured Kaido. A wonderful gift, but the same as previous swords, it is someone else's heirloom passed to Zoro. Another memento of a dead person. Another burden to carry on. 

While Zoro trained with his new sword, Tenguyama Hitetsu (the creator of Sandai Kitetsu) told him the story behind Enma - Oden’s sword and Kuina’s Wado were birthed by the same man, Shimotsuki Kozaburo. Who, ironically, is Kuina’s grandfather according to SBS. What Zoro may have known now, since he did met Kozaburo as a child.

Anyway, Hitetsu assumed that Hiyori perhaps recognized Wado and because of that offered Zoro her heirloom as a replacement for Shusui. I personally think the reason was more selfish than that. Once Zoro saved her, Hiyori said there was a prophecy that “in time of the resurgence of the Kozuki line, strong, kind samurai from across the seas would come to our aid” and Zoro fits perfectly. Even more, since Zoro’s hometown, the Shimotsuki Village is in fact strongly connected to Wano by Kozaburo no less.

Hiyori, as Oden’s daughter, wants Wano to be a free, safe country again but for this to happen, Kaido must be defeated first. Zoro already proved to be a reliable ally. He came To Wano with her missing brother and Kinemon. He saved her and Toko from Orochi’s assassin and later, from enemy attack once the fight broke out after Yasuie’s death. He is strong (something she saw for herself) and to some degree has the samurai feeling about himself. 

Above everything else, Zoro will fight in the upcoming war against Kaido for the Kozuki clan even though he (like all Straw Hats) has no real obligation to her family. Whether she believed in prophecy or not, by passing to Zoro her family heirloom, Hiyori burdened him with her hopes and dreams for victory and justice for her murdered parents and for Wano country as a whole. She gave an outsider Oden's precious sword that can injure Kaido and by that, placed faith in Zoro. She can’t use the sword, she can’t fight in battle, but Zoro will carry on Oden’s (and her) wish to protect Wano into battle. 

Was Zoro aware of such a possible burden? Who knows. Still, he accepted the blade despite its dangerous nature - and any eventual burden (someone else’s unfilled dreams and hopes) to carry on.

Frankly, Enma and Sandai Kitetsu have a lot in common. Both are dangerous blades that drive weak swordsmen into madness and/or ultimately lead to their death. Both need to be tamed. And Zoro likes them very much, despite warnings of other people. Even manga presents their “introduction” as accepted and appreciated swords by Roronoa in similar way:

Yet there are two major differences between Kitetsu and Enma, what also are true for the three previous swords too.

First, already mentioned and explained the matter of heirloom and connected to that “burden” Zoro carries on alongside. In the case of Enma, once the battle is over and Wano saved, all the faith and hopes put in Zoro by Kozuki Hiyori through the Enma should not burden him anymore. Yet since Hiyori entrusted him the memento of her father, Roronoa will need to make sure to never bring shame to her (and by extension, the Kozuki clan) in later adventures & fights he will face one day. But frankly, this is the same with all of his swords bestowed to him by people who were important to him or which he shared mutual respect. It is strictly connected at core to sword fighting philosophy; to be worth of great blade.

Secondly, Wado Ichimonji, Yubashiri, Shusui and Enma, all those swords are desired and appreciated by swordsmen all over the world while Kitetsu, as a cursed blade, was not wanted. Kitetsu was feared by people, put in barrels between low quality swords in hopes to get rid of it. Even sword maniac like Tashigi, once learning the truth about the katana, did not want that blade despite its high grade and low price on it. She was even sorry for insisting previously Zoro should take it. Kitetsu drove previous owners into horrible deaths to the point “you will not find a swordsmen who’d dare to use a Kitetsu these days”:

Zoro felt that the sword was cursed, before Ipponmatsu had a chance to explain why Kitetsu had such a low price on it. And after learning the horrible truth, he decided to take the blade. The unwanted, bloodthirsty, cursed blade that brings madness and death because no one else would dare to use it. Zoro liked the challenge. Oh, he liked it so much he decided to test his luck (fate) against the curse of Kitetsu, putting his swordmaster future at stake.

The same as Zoro chose Kitetsu, the sword chose him. Like Ipponmatsu said, the sword chooses its owner. And yes, Zoro wanted to have Wado and Shusui but these blades were heirlooms burdened with someone’s dreams and greatness while Kitetsu was the unwanted, dangerous blade with a horrible past that Zoro faced only with his own strong will. No hidden promises to carry on, no ambitions or honor or hopes passed on him by previous owners. No legendary status to live up. Like Wado. Like Shusui. Like Yubashiri. Like Enma.

Sandai Kitetsu is this wild, bloodthirsty sword that was challenged by Zoro and decided to spare this insane man who looked at it, felt the cursed nature and did not throw it away but appreciated it. Something that, I imagine, didn’t happen in years. And there is very strong bond between Roronoa and Kitetsu, because Zoro always can tell apart the cursed blade from other swords

and he kept Kitetsu usually in left (dominant) hand during fight. All those little details give the impression Kitetsu is much more spiritually connected to Zoro’s core than Wado.

In short, Sandai Kitetsu was the only masterless sword Zoro picked solely by and for himself that did not burden him with sentiments, past promises or hopes. And though the sword was “problematic child”, its demonic nature seems to suit Zoro’s own very well.

[eirist]

Little Bits and Pieces of Heaven

EASY, LOVE

One-shot #: 24

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

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

Warning: OOC possible. One shot.

Rating: T

Note: This can be a companion story to Calm Before the Storm. I rarely write one-shots with an ongoing arc timeline but the story’s much better in Wano set-up. I originally tried a different setting but it didn’t work out.

Title is borrowed from the song Easy, Love by Tom West. It has nothing to do with the story plot but when I came across it, I immediately thought it suits this one-shot best.

Summary: Since when did falling for someone been so easy?

Nami silently observed from the upper deck of the Sunny as the samurais of Wano Kuni arrived from their journey from the Ringo region.

If the merrymaking at Kuri beach—where a barbecue celebration (one of the many they had for the last few days)—was already loud and boisterous before… it turned to a total pandemonium once the group dismounted their horses to join the party.

Luffy was hollering from too much excitement; yelling Zoro’s name as he bounded towards the swordsman—who was getting off his own horse—so he could glomp him.

Her lips quirked in amusement. Idiots. Look how happy they both are to see each other.

It’s been days since the green-haired man traveled to the northern region to pay his respects to the samurai Ryuma who gave him Shusui. Few of the red scabbards went with him…

…along with Momo’s sister, Hiyori.

Nami pursed her lips at that. And it immediately turned into a frown when she noticed Zoro assisting the beautiful woman down from her own horse. Even with Luffy still entangled around him, his rubbery arms encircling the taller man’s torso, Zoro was still able to effortlessly lift Hiyori and set her down carefully on the ground.

Hiyori looked absolutely pleased. Her hands lingered on Zoro’s shoulders as Luffy continued cheering right at his ear.

Then Sanji decided to enter the scene to gripe and swear at his rival before taking the now-surprised Hiyori’s hands off Zoro to lead her towards the feasting table in a frenzy of popping hearts, nose bleed and drool.

Nami would’ve blown him some kisses for that. The look Hiyori threw on Zoro’s way didn’t escape her eyes yet the dense man was expectedly was oblivious to it; his attention was completely on his captain as he tried to pry him off his person.

She studied Zoro for a few seconds. He was being unusually nice… if not extra nice to the former oiran. Well… Hiyori was, after all, the reason why he got his hands on a new and more powerful sword.

And apparently, as Brook had gossiped to her and Usopp one drunken evening, it wasn’t just the sword. The musician had caught them in a rather… compromising position when he happened upon them in the hideaway hut back in Ringo.

Her frown deepened. The familiar sensation of something weighing down her chest came back again. Just like that night when she first heard the story.

Her hands twitched involuntarily and she didn’t notice that she was clutching the railing quite hard.

“Nami? Are you alright?”

The navigator whipped her head sharply towards the voice.

Robin was standing a few feet away from her with a questioning look on her face. She just emerge from the library and was holding a book in her hand when she spotted the younger woman so deep in her thoughts as she gaze at party below.

“Sorry,” Nami said in a sheepish tone, feeling weirdly guilty at being caught spacing out. “Got distracted for a second. What was that again Robin?”

The archaeologist smiled as she approached her, not bothering to repeat her question. She peered down below. “Ara, they’re finally back.”

“Yeah…” Nami followed her gaze. “We can now set sail… that is if our captain is finally done with all these feasts.”

Robin giggled. “I doubt that. Now that Zoro’s here, he’ll probably want to celebrate again.”

“Hmmm…” Nami smiled at her. “I don’t know why I bother with that thought when I already know what’s gonna happen.”

“Fufufu… shall we join them?” Robin asked.

Nami brushed back a stray tendril of hair that escaped her pony tail and shook her head. “You go ahead first.”

Robin nodded. She patted Nami’s shoulder lightly before heading down the galley. From the looks of it something was bothering the navigator.

But for now it’s much better to leave Nami to her thoughts. She’ll eventually share whatever was on her mind when she’s ready.

“Oiiii Nami! Namiiiii!” Luffy was shouting from the shore, waving his rubbery arms enthusiastically to get her attention. “Look! Look! Zoro’s finally back!” He started tapping Zoro’s back with enough force to earn a death glare from the surly man as he growled for him to stop.

Nami rolled her eyes at their antics.

Zoro tilted his head to her direction and their eyes met.

They held each other’s gazes. Nami willed her face to remain expressionless as they continued their stare off.

The katana wielder raised an eyebrow at her, wondering why her reception was as cold as the northern region he had just recently came from.

And just like that, Nami tore her gaze away from him and turned on her heel disappearing from his sight.

Zoro was left confused. What just happened? She didn’t even bother to greet him and just stared straight at him like he was someone she didn’t know.

Did he owe her something?

Beside him Luffy stopped his antics and blinked, also baffled by Nami’s odd behavior.

“Ne, Zoro. Did you do something?”

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

“So did you do something?” Usopp queried, raising both eyebrows as he regarded the swordsman beside him suspiciously.

They were sitting on one of the feasting tables, eating and drinking. The former pirate hunter just told him about what happened earlier.

“I just got back!” Zoro hissed at him, slamming the tankard he was holding down the table. “How can I do something when I’m not even here these past few days?!”

Usopp shrugged. “Maybe you did something before you left.” He suggested, stabbing another slab of meat with his fork and taking a hefty bite from it.

“Like what?!”

The sniper shrugged his shoulders again unable to give an answer. He had long ago learned that Nami’s temperament is as unpredictable as the New World weather. Sunny with a high chance of thunderbolts. No use trying to figure it out.

“Oi Robin,” Zoro then turned towards the older woman who was sitting beside him. He nudged his head towards the Sunny’s direction. “What’s with her?”

Robin shifted her eyes towards the empty upper deck. Nami still hasn’t come down to join them and had probably barricaded herself inside the library. She shook her head apologetically. “I honestly do not know Zoro.”

“What did I do now?” Zoro grouchily asked no one in particular and Robin’s lips quirked up at his predictable reaction.

“Ara… Are you saying you did something?”

“No.” Zoro snarled as he eyed her indignantly. “I didn’t!”

“Maybe she’s just in one of her moods?” Usopp interjected. “You know how she is.”

“She probably is.” Robin agreed. “Best to stay clear for now Zoro.”

Clicking his tongue against the roof of his mouth irritably, Zoro reached for a bottle of sake.

They were ok before he left. More than ok to be honest as he recalled their drinking session days before the raid in Onigashima.

So what happened?

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

The sound of the revelry was beginning to increase in volume indicating that it was starting to shift into full swing as cheers and singing filled the air.

Yet everything was lost on the orange-haired woman who was sitting by herself in the ship’s library. Her pretty brown eyes were fixed intently on the window just behind her mapping desk.

Oh she is in a mood alright. Ever since she realized what the heavy feeling that was settling inside her was.

By Kami, she’s jealous.

Yes indeed, she is.

She tipped her head back and groaned. What a nasty feeling.

And to think this was all because of that moronic, directionless swordsman.

She likes him. That she was sure now. That’s the reason why she was so down when she heard Brook’s story about him and Hiyori. And when he set off to Ringo with said woman in tow, not even bothering to ask if any of the Straw Hats wants to go with them.

And she’s not gonna even touch the scene she witnessed earlier when he assisted her down from her horse like he had been a gentleman all his life.

What else could have possibly happened to them? They’ve spent a lot of time together after all.

Zoro never mentioned anything about her that night she was drinking with him. And it’s not like she should be privy to it. What Zoro do or does is his own business.

She banged a fist on her mapping desk to stop the thoughts and winced when she realized that it was a damn rash action.

But the pain in her hand was nothing like the one wrenching her heart.

She smiled wistfully. And here she honestly thought there was something… between them.

Foolish, foolish thought! She chastised herself. How can she let herself be pulled in that moment with him!

And now… here she is.

Never mind that that was not the first time it happened and she realized it will not be the last.

She bit the insides of her cheeks. Now is not the time for this. She better straighten her thoughts and get a hold of herself. Some of her friends are pretty intuitive, they’d know at a glance that something’s up with her. She’s pretty sure Robin’s brilliant mind has already put two and two together.

Squaring her shoulders, she decided she’d come down to join the merriment after five more minutes.

Taking a deep breath to settle her nerves, she closed her eyes and…

The library door suddenly swung open; the heavy foot falls that followed it gave away who just entered.

Damn it! She’s not ready to face him yet!

She steeled herself when he crossed the room. She heard him grab a chair and set it down just beside her with a ‘thud’.

She didn’t even flinched at the sound. Normally she would be bitching about it. Complaining on how crass he is.

Instead she just kept quiet.

“What is it?” Zoro grunted; a bit peeved that she ignored his presence knowing full well why he was there.

“Nothing,” she answered after a few seconds, still not looking at him.

Zoro made a disapproving sound. He knows something is up. Nami cannot lie to him. He knows her too well.

“Spill.”

She remained quiet. And it was so unnerving to him. Whatever it was, he was getting the idea that it was serious. She was usually upfront with whatever she was thinking.

The silence that hovered between them was intolerable. It was pushing him over the edge.

Then Nami turned her head towards him. A determined look was all over her face.

And her lovely, brown eyes.

“I’m jealous.”

Zoro blanked at that. He heard what she just said—loud and clear.

And yet his mind cannot process what she finally decided to divulge.

He opened his mouth to say something… to blurt out an expletive, a retort.

But nothing came out.

Nami was looking at him intently, watching him. She watched as his usually nonchalant expression cracked, his cool composure completely obliterated by that phrase.

His face slowly colored.

There was no other way than to hit him with the truth. She readied herself for his outburst.

Instead he surprised her by stammering and turning into a deeper shade of red.

A chuckle escaped her.

What an adorable idiot he is.

She riveted her gaze back to the window. This is more than what she expected.

Amusing as it may seem, the heavy feeling from earlier still hadn’t left her.

Beside her Zoro continued spluttering.

That should be enough to keep him at bay. Nami thought amusedly.

She heard him took a deep breath before finally muttering a ‘damn it’.

And he suddenly leaned towards her, reaching out to grasp her hand roughly in his.

It drew her attention back to him.

He was grumbling something under his breath. She couldn’t quite catch what it was because her heart was thumping wildly inside her chest and blood was rushing to her head.

Zoro held her hand in his even as he refused to look at her. His face was so red now that steam would probably come out of his ears in a matter of seconds.

For a moment, Nami honestly thought he would combust.

But he still didn’t release her hand. Instead he held it tighter.

Nami chewed on her lower lip fighting the smile that wanted to grace her lips.

Just like that… everything felt better now.

Drat. She’s so screwed.

Nobody said a word. They remained quiet with their hands linked.

“So…” Nami began, deciding to break the silence. “Is this your way of—”

“Yes.”

“You didn’t evenlet me finished!”

“Just shut up.”

A hush fell between them again.

“So… you’re jealous?”

“Ugh. Shut up Zoro!”

[oharascholar]

Why Sanji meeting Yamato has LGBTQ+ readers on edge - Scholar’s Summaries #1

(Image originally posted to Tumblr by user Rumenta)

As the Wano arc in One Piece progresses steadily, the cast of the series expands ever more. Amongst the unique cast of new characters, we meet Kaido’s Son - Yamato, a young man who wishes to be just like the beloved ex-hero of the country, a man named Oden.

Yamato is an exciting character to see for many LGBTQ+ people like myself. He is a man who was assigned female at birth, who has plump lips, long eyelashes, and breasts. This, to many LGBTQ+ readers, and definitely to myself, brings up the idea of masculine people being allowed to exhibit traditionally ‘female’ body parts, and a comforting reminder that you can be a man without paying for gender-affirming surgery or binding your chest. This speaks to me as a transmasc nonbinary person - I, too, was assigned female at birth, refer to myself as a man, and have a traditionally female body in the same way. I do not once think of myself as a woman.

(One Piece Chapter 984, page 17 of 17. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 31)

My opinion of Yamato thus far, as a transmasc nonbinary person, has been entirely positive - I enjoy seeing a man who is openly referred to as a man in universe (for example, ‘Kaido’s Son’), who has features which are traditionally seen as non-masculine. It is how I feel about my own body - I rarely give a second thought to the fact that I have breasts. They don’t make me any less masculine, and I tend not to dwell on them at all. It makes me feel happy to see a character who I can truly relate to on such a personal level.

Yamato is a positively portrayed character in the series, and is a supporting character to our main protagonist, Luffy. He plays an important role in fighting against the main villain of this arc. He was even shown to be good friends with Portgaz D. Ace, one of the most beloved supporting characters in the series - even giving Ace the much important ‘vivre card’ which played a vital role in the Marineford Arc. Yamato is given plot importance within the story as a whole with this, linking him throughout the story.

(One Piece Chapter 1000, page 9 of 19 first published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2021, issue 5-6)

It is also easy, as a transmasc person, to read heavily into Yamato’s situation with his father. Initially, it seems positive - Kaido refers to Yamato as his son openly. To an outsider, Kaido accepts Yamato’s identity... Then enter the ‘Oden’ issue.

Yamato wishes to be just like Kozuki Oden on all fronts, changing his appearance to try and look just like him. This part of Yamato’s identity has caused contemption in Kaido, with Yamato even recounting that Kaido would beat him over it. Ever since Yamato first wanted to be like Oden, from the age of eight, Kaido has kept him shackled up inside of his residence.

Yamato states that he can’t truly be Oden until he is free of his shackles given to him by his father. To many, this strikes as a direct parallel towards living in a transphobic household.

When Luffy, a character who has represented liberation throughout the series, first tries to remove these shackles, Yamato is instinctively afraid. He explains that the shackles will explode, and that they’ve been on him for twenty years. He also ponders if he is being kept in by a lie - wondering if his father would really let his son be blown up for merely leaving the island.

(One Piece Chapter 985, page 9 of 19. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 33-34)

No matter how you put it, Yamato is transgender. Though it has not been officially stated as such, it seems to be heavily implied that he is a transgender man, without issue.

Yamato instinctively wants to keep the status quo, one which technically keeps him safe, at the expense of his identity and freedom. The danger, of course, is purely created by his father. This something which many transgender people can resonate with, the idea of staying ‘in the closet’ so as to not cause contemption within your family.

Luffy removes the shackles and throws them away, causing them to explode - this event causes Yamato to become enraged and upset, stating that he no longer thinks of Kaido as his father. This is a powerful moment, the act of breaking the ties with an abusive parent who does not accept his identity.

It is important to be aware of why Elizabeth or Tibany was so offensive, whilst Yamato feels progressive. Transgender women in media are often presented as predatory, as if they were men in dresses who only want to prey on young men, and Elizabeth is a prime example of the worst of this transmysogynistic stereotype. Had this character been on their lonesome, along a multitude of other transgender women with different body types, and had Elizabeth not been predatory, this would be a fine character. Transgender women and transfem people as a whole should not feel guilty to exhibit as much body hair as they like, and to have as deep of a voice as they like, without worry of being mocked or ridicule. 

… Or, without issue, so far.

Sanji appears to be on a direct collision course for one Young Master Yamato, which puts a lot of anxiety into LGBTQ+ readers. Rightfully so, as in the past, Sanji has been used as a vehicle for horrific transphobia in the series, as touched on by the One Piece Podcast in text and in audio. This alone brings up multiple concerns - the most worrying of all is the possibility that Yamato has been a long setup for a particularly horrific transphobic punchline. The author, Eiichiro Oda, has been more than capable of writing transphobia into his series before, such as with the character Elizabeth (or Tibany, as this character is known in the manga), a transgender woman coded character who is a walking offensive stereotype - even acting in a predatory way towards young men. There is definitely a certain validity behind such worries.

But, when the only representation in this part of One Piece is predatory people with deep voices and stubble all over, you can see why this is completely different to Yamato exhibiting breasts and such.

(Chapter 543, page 1 of 20. First published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2009, issue 26 / Chapter 994, page 17 or 17, first published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 48)

Another concerning path is that Sanji will see Yamato and fawn all over him - only for him to act horrified and disgusted upon hearing Yamato affirm that he is a man. During the infamous Fishman Island arc, Sanji had a life-saving blood transfusion given to him by two transgender-coded women - this alone was enough for him to start screaming and flipping himself around the bed in horror - a truly upsetting act of transmisogyny that many agree should never have been put in the series at all.

However, our combined worries may be for nothing. Oda has also written nonbinary and transgender characters who have been delightful to witness, and have been much accepted and adored by the LGBTQ+ community as a whole - Characters such as Bentham, a character who can shapeshift and monologues about their gender, or Kiku, a transgender woman in the current arc, who has been portrayed respectfully thus far, being in the series for almost 100 chapters. There is still hope that Oda has changed his ways from his dark Fishman Island Days.

In the most hopeful outcome, this meeting will serve as a character growth point - Sanji has matured as a character, and is ready to treat transgender people as human beings. This outcome seems tantalisingly possible to me, especially since characters will openly reffer to Yamato as male without issue.

(One Piece Chapter 979, page 14 of 17. First Published in Weekly Shonen Jump 2020, issue 23.)

Another hopeful outcome is that Sanji will simply not address it - but it certainly seems intentional that Oda has sent Sanji specifically towards Yamato, and I am certain that there is a reason. But, notably, Sanji had a meeting with Kiku in a similar vein, and nothing of note happened in that interaction.

I myself dearly hope that the day will not come where I look at this article and think, ‘This has aged horribly.’. I have a lot of faith in Eiichiro Oda to do the right thing - especially since almost 10 years has passed since his last major act of transphobia and transmisogyny. Surely, in today’s climate, and with the progressive nature of One Piece as a whole, he has learnt and is ready to write the LGBTQ+ characters that are respectful and progressive as a whole, without falling back on poor-taste punchlines.

As for now, only time will tell the true nature of Eiichiro Oda in 2021. Or, as many of us like to put it … "Who knows with this guy?!"

-

The Ohara Scholar / Róisí “Puppy” Law, 17th April 2021

[bedbellyandbeyond]

Wolfman’s Dilemma

(Story Post)

Dax was still at work when Wano called him, so he called the doctor’s office to ask if someone could check on his partner before he could get home. Reid volunteered to make a house call as soon as he heard about Nathan's incident. Nathan was still shaken by his partial transformation. He had gone to lie down after a shower like Wano had suggested, but he couldn't rest well. When Reid did arrive, he sat with him in his bedroom and Nathan had a hard time explaining to the doctor exactly what happened because he didn't want to try to remember. “Well, this all sounds like it would be pretty upsetting, so I understand this isn't easy for you,” Reid comforted, after receiving all the details he could. “But if you think about it, this could be a sign of progress.” “No, I know…” Nathan mumbled, wrapped up in a blanket. “I just don’t like the connotations. If my anger is what made that happen, then that could mean I'm very dangerous. More so than ever.”

“We don't know that,” Reid stated, rubbing Nathan's arm. “We don't truly know what caused any of this to happen and unfortunately, yourself and Wano were the only ones witness to it.” “So, then what? Am I supposed to try to make it happen again?” Nathan asked. “Well, not if you don't want to,” Reid explained. “But, it might be best to keep an eye on you for a week or two in case it does occur again involuntarily.” “So, you mean staying at APID,” Nathan sighed. “Even when I'm off wolf cycle…” “I consulted with Dr. Aias before coming here and that was their suggestion, yes,” Reid admitted. Nathan rubbed his forehead. “I guess it's not really a cycle if I start turning into a wolf thing in the middle of the day on off days…” “Again, it's your choice, Nathan,” Reid insisted. “Camilo's coming by as well to talk to you as this pertains to your case. He might make other suggestions for you.” Nathan nodded. His phone went off and he checked it. “Dax just got off work and he's coming straight home…” “That's great,” Reid commented. “And your language suggests the relationship is pretty serious. I'm glad it's working out.” “My language?” “Aye, you said he's coming home,” Reid said. “You have separate residences, don't you?” “Yeah, well… I can't handle the twins on my own, it's too much, and I don’t know what I was thinking when I offered for Wano to stay here,” Nathan said. “Dax has been…the glue keeping this hell house together and keeping me from going insane. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't around.” Reid smiled and shook Nathan's shoulder enthusiastically. “See? I knew you two would be good for each other. Aren't you glad you went for it?” Nathan chuckled lightly. “I suppose I am… I guess I just didn't feel like I deserved someone new yet… And I feel bad dragging him into this whirlwind of a life I have right now.” “Nathan, you're a bit too selfless,” Reid commented. “Dax wouldn't be with you if he didn't want to be. The people around you are around you because they like and care about you.” “I know, I know… I just...” Nathan sighed. “No, you're right.” “Anyhow, I can stay until Dax or Camilo arrives, however long you'd like,” Reid said. “Wano seems to be doing well with the twins. Is he a good babysitter?” “Yeah, they love him,” Nathan said. “I think it might be maybe the depth of his voice? I don't know. He follows instruction well enough and he loves to play with them. Maybe he'll be a good dad… Did he explain why we got into an argument?” Reid nodded slowly. “Aye… Trying to make a wee one before he's gone. I can understand your frustration. Wouldn't want that happening under my roof, if I had one.” “Right? I get that he's an adult and he can do what he wants, but also I'm partially responsible for him because I'm letting him stay here,” Nathan said. “If Jeffrey gets pregnant, I have no idea how that'll complicate Wano's case to stay here.” “Well, at the end of the day, these really are things that should concern Wano himself more than you,” Reid reminded. “You’re doing a really nice thing, letting him stay here with you but you don't have to shoulder all his problems. They're not yours and you're not his father.” “I know, you're right,” Nathan sighed again. “I just want to see him get to stay here. He's worked hard to stay. He's improved a lot.” Reid smirked as he observed Nathan. “You know, the wolf might have something to do with this. Sometimes animals who've just given birth will adopt newborns of other species, even if they're an animal they'd usually pray on, like a lioness adopting an oryx, or vice versa, a chicken adopting a kitten. Only for you, your adopted newborn is a full-grown adult alien from another planet.” “I can't help it if he has the emotional intelligence of a twelve-year-old,” Nathan said. “But it's even more reason he shouldn't be having a kid!” “You can't make that decision for him, though,” Reid said. “And you can't make that decision for Jeffrey either. At the very least, one of them has experience as a parent…” “From what I've heard though, his cousin does most of the caregiving…” Nathan mumbled. “Och, you need to stop concerning yourself with them,” Reid said. “You can put your foot down about what goes on in your house, but outside of that, you can't be meddling in their business.” Nathan nodded. “…I bet Jeffrey’s pregnant already anyway…” Reid rubbed his back. “Come downstairs for when Camilo arrives. Eat something. I’d like to see the wee twins again. How're they holding up?” “They're alright…” Nathan said getting up. “I probably should feed them, but Grace refuses to nurse unless she's a pup, but she bites me…” Reid followed him. “Do you pump?” “I do, but they refuse to take bottles from me,” Nathan said. “Dax? Wano? No problem because they have no other choice. But me, all they want is tit. Am I going to have breasts my whole life now?” “We can worry about that later, and you can take my word from personal experience that breast tissue can be dealt with,” Reid assured, chuckling a bit. “Ah, right… Yeah, I guess,” Nathan considered. “Anyway, Wano should be playing with the twins right now… He lets them bite his arms and legs and stuff because he thinks it'll toughen them up but I'd rather he didn't normalise it… I'll show you.” “Aye. Please.” They got downstairs and Nathan broke up the playfighting so Reid could take a look at the twins. They both turned to human for him which he was a bit unhappy about because he really liked to study their animal sides, but he acknowledged that it was good training that they remain human in the presence of strangers. Camilo arrived a little later and they talked in the kitchen while Wano showed off the twins to Reid in the living room. Nathan explained everything he could to Camilo about what had happened. “That is a very new development indeed,” Camilo commented as he took notes into a tablet. “We haven't seen any kind of half transformation like this… Have you asked Nari yet if he knows of werewolves like that?” “He's away on a vacation right now,” Nathan said. “I don't want to bother him with this at all until he's back…” Camilo nodded. “I understand… Well, right now since this is a one-time incident, I don't know that there's much we can do. But, now that we know it's possible, I'd ask you and those around you to video document this type of transformation if it should happen again.” “So, you don't think I should be watched?” Nathan asked. “Well, I don’t know that it's absolutely necessary, but if that's what you want, you could stay a few nights at APID,” Camilo considered. “It's up to you.” Nathan shook his head. “I want to stay home... But only if you really think it's safe.” Camilo patted Nathan's arm. “You didn't hurt anyone, you just transformed. Since having your wolf cycle nights at APID, we haven't observed any violent behaviour at all, only a bit of protective behaviour towards your kids.” “Dax said the wolf bit Dr. Aias once,” Nathan said. “Ah, well yes, but that was just because they needed to draw blood,” Camilo acknowledged. “Wasn’t that the night of Wano’s incident?” “Yes, it was…” Nathan sighed, not enjoying the thought. “Right, it’s possible you could tell your friend was in trouble that night and you were restless. Wolves have exceptional sense of smell. You might’ve smelled blood,” Camilo hypothesised. “You're really okay. Seems as long as the wolf is well fed, they don't hunt.” Nathan exhaled. “Okay… Yeah… Thanks.” “Don't worry,” Camilo assured him. “Your support system is great, and we aren't afraid of you. Everyone is here to help you.” “I get it, I just wish I knew someone else who was going through all this like me,” Nathan said. “I at least had Kent for a hot second, but now I have no one… My kids aren't even the same as me They just transform whenever they please.” Camilo pursed his lips. “Well, maybe you're not alone…” Nathan perked up. “Is there someone else? With APID? Another werewolf? Or were-anything?” “Well, no… I just meant, um…” Camilo waved a hand. “Well, you know, there's the wolf we caught on your bodycam that night.” “Oh." Nathan frowned. “But they attacked me. I still have the scars.” “Yes, but if we tracked them down, we might have answers for you,” Camilo suggested. “Well, maybe… I don't, know. I feel like we tried that lead and it got me nowhere. And pregnant.” “Yeah…” Camilo folded his hands. “But if we could find someone with a similar affliction as you willing to talk with you, you would want that, right?” “Yes, if it's possible, yes,” Nathan said. “The only person I know that's as close to my condition as me is Dax but his thunderbird situation is still very different.” Camilo nodded. “Okay. Can you come in for a meeting tomorrow? I want us to talk more about your options, but I also want to consult with Korsgaard about some stuff beforehand.” “Yeah, for sure,” Nathan said nodding. “Honestly, I talk to you so much, I forget Korsgaard’s my actual case worker…” “Yeah, he does do a lot of work behind the scenes, but he's looking into potentially retiring soon,” Camilo admitted. “I think he's holding out until Maya's grown.” “I get it,” Nathan said. “Do you think you'll take his place?” “Honestly, I don't really know,” Camilo said. “I mean, I like it, and it's been great work while I've been in school, but once I finish my PhD, I might look around… I want to stay at APID though.” Nathan smirked. “PhD classes, a job like this, and a baby at home? Are you sure you're only human?” Camilo smiled sheepishly and rubbed his neck. “I'm just trying my best…” “I could never…” He motioned to the living room where Wano was flexing with the animal twins gnawing on his arms. Reid was just sitting by, taking notes of his observations. “I can't imagine trying to get through my masters when I was your age if I had these two on my hip…” “Should we do something?” Camilo asked worriedly. “No, Wano likes it,” Nathan said. “He calls it ‘warrior play’. It's been really difficult trying to train bite inhibition and I’m so tired all the time, it's easier to just let them do whatever exhausts them…” “I see. It'll take time,” Camilo said. “Have you talked to Yori about it? They might not be exactly the same, but there's likely some issues he's had with the triplets.” “Yes, trust me, Dax has learned a lot from having the triplets in his class,” Nathan recounted. “The very first day of school, Skylar bit a kid that touched her granola bar and later Marco ate his own homework. We've been in contact with Yori's partners, because the kids just seem to fall in line for Yori without much trouble.” “Oh, I see…” At that time, the front door opened, and Dax came inside looking worried. “Nathan, I’m sorry I couldn't leave sooner!” Nathan got up from his seat and went over to hug Dax around the waist. “It's okay. Reid and Camilo have been here to talk to me.” “Ah, good! Are you alright?” Dax looked over his partner for traces of the transformation described to him over the phone. “You look okay, but are you?” “Yeah, I'm fine now,” Nathan said. “Talking to these guys has calmed my nerves a lot and the transformation didn't last more than a minute.” Dax nodded. “Good.” He kissed his forehead. “I’m glad you're okay. And the twins are alright?” “Yep, they're still their usual selves,” Nathan said, motioning to the pair now climbing onto Wano's back and jumping off like goat kids. “I think if anything, my transformation made them excitable.” “That probably makes sense, I think,” Dax said. “Reacting to your transformation I mean.” Reid got up and came over. “Nathan, if you don't need me any longer, I should probably head out.” Nathan nodded and shook Reid’s hand. “Yes, thank you for coming over on such short notice.” “Don't mention it,” Reid insisted. He patted Dax's arm. “Good to see you too, Dax.” “Likewise,” Dax said politely. “Drive safe.” “Aye.” Reid headed out the door. “I should probably get going too,” Camilo said. “Nathan, can we get you in for a meeting first thing at ten?” “Yeah, sounds good,” Nathan confirmed. “I'll see you there.” “Alright, see you,” Camilo said going to the door. “You take care of him, Dax. We're trusting you.” “Don't you worry, I'll be here,” Dax assured. Camilo smiled and waved. “Bye!” “See you tomorrow,” Nathan said as the assistant left. Dax went to see them off and then made sure the door was locked properly before going back to his partner. “Tomorrow, would you like me to join you?” Nathan looked at Dax and contemplated it. “Usually I'd say no, but if you can spare the time, I would appreciate it…” Dax smiled and kissed Nathan's forehead again. “I'll be there, don't worry.” “Thank you,” Nathan said. He took Dax's hand and squeezed it gently. “I appreciate you so much.” “Also on the phone,” Dax recalled. “Wano said you got upset because he’s trying to make a ‘legacy’ with Jeffrey.” He motioned the air quotes. “Do you want me to talk to him about that?” Nathan sighed, glancing over to Wano, now rubbing both twins’ bellies. “No… At least not tonight… Just let him be. It’s not our business at the end of the day. I made it clear though that he can’t have guests here without permission.” Dax nodded and gave Nathan a proper kiss this time. “You’re going to be alright.” “Thanks. I hope so…”

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

Some Reasons I Love One Piece

So I set up a poll to ask what I should do for my 4000 follower milestone, and something like 85% of the responses to my poll said you wanted me to do a compilation of stuff I love about One Piece! So hell yeah, get ready for me to talk about pirates for way too long (a sentence that could also serve as an accurate blog description).

Before that though, lemme just say- thank you all! Seriously! When I started this blog I figured I’d be extremely lucky to end up with like a thousand followers, and now I have four times that and it just keeps growing, which just constantly baffles and amazes me. I adore every one of you, and you’re providing me something fun and productive to do in quarantine, and I love you for that.

Anyways! Let’s talk good shit.

Let’s start with Luffy. The whole story starts with him, after all.

I love Luffy, just as a character. He’s one of my favorite protagonists in anything, ever, when ordinarily protagonist characters don’t really appeal to me all that much. I genuinely think he might be my favorite character in One Piece now that I sit down and really think about it. I love how unconventional of a main character he is- he actively shuns the idea of being a hero and is in fact the most chaotic neutral motherfucker on the planet, and yet he’s so friendly and loyal and fun that you straight up can’t not love him both in-universe and out. 

I also love the Strawhats just in general, both as a group and individually. Found family is one of my all-time favorite story tropes, and they do it better than like, the vast majority of stories out there. They’re all so completely unique from each other and play off each other so well and they really do feel like a family. I love how often Oda just shows them fucking around and hanging out. (One of my only gripes with post-timeskip is how much time they spend split apart.) I think it says a lot about them that I struggled so much when someone asked me to rank the Strawhats a few months back and had to rearrange the list like four times. I just!! Love them all!!

One of my favorite things about One Piece is that it’s the story of Luffy’s rise, and that it occurs in a world that’s so solidly scaled and well-developed that all progress he makes actually feels tangible and impactful. Some of my favorite moments in One Piece are the ones where we can see how far he and the crew have come and see other people’s reactions. His reappearance at Sabaody after the timeskip is my favorite scene in the manga, full stop. His entrance at Marineford and all of the Decks of the World cover stories delight me for the same reason.

Speaking of the worldbuilding, god it’s so good? I think one of the greatest potential strengths of a long manga is that its just got so much time to establish and build on so much information, and sometimes that leads to mangaka kind of tying themselves in knots with too much lore and explanation, but Oda just fucking nails it. 

I recently read a conversation during Zou where the Strawhats are talking to Inuarashi, Nekomamushi and the Wano folks about all their mutual acquaintances on the Roger Pirates- Brook asks about Crocus, Franky mentions Tom, etc- and I had a moment where I realized how in pretty much any other series all those connections might seem contrived, but in One Piece it works so well. So much time has been dedicated to establishing all these facts and characters and connections over years and hundreds of chapters that when they do come together, it just feels so satisfying. 

Like, at Twin Cape Crocus mentions he was a ship’s doctor and then mentions Roger as the Strawhats leave, at Thriller Bark we find out he’s Brook’s friend, at Sabaody in conversation with Rayleigh we find out for sure which ship he was a doctor on and that he joined them to look for Brook’s crew- and it all just falls together so nicely. One Piece is maybe the strongest series I’ve ever read in terms of how it establishes its characters and concepts and how they all fit into the world and cross over and connect with each other. The world of One Piece is huge, but it also feels so alive and interconnected, and that’s just wonderful. 

I love how hopeful One Piece is. I was talking to a friend a couple months ago who doesn’t watch it, and she kind of dismissed it as ‘a show where nobody dies.’ Which- setting aside the fact that that’s just not fucking true- my first response to that was, “So?” I think it’s nice that we can all know for pretty much certain that the Strawhats will achieve their dreams in the end. There’ll be a happy ending, and Luffy’s going to be Pirate King, we’ve known that from the start. The fun is in seeing how they get there. 

Aside from a few specific cases, I also really like how Oda does his character writing just in general. The female characters in One Piece generally get a bad rap, largely from people who haven’t watched the show and judge it on the (admittedly exaggerated) artstyle, but fuck if I haven’t seen such a widely varied and developed and flawed female cast writing-wise since- I don’t even know. Oda does a really good job of giving his characters, both male and female, unique and memorable personalities, which is super fucking impressive considering just how many there are. Similarly, I’m impressed by how new characters are introduced without getting repetitive or annoying, and very often those characters are really fantastic. I could talk about all the different One Piece characters I love and why, but we would legitimately be here all day. 

I also love how unlike a lot of long-running series like this, characters don’t just go away when their time in the spotlight is done. In just about any other series, characters like Buggy and Coby and Crocodile would just be gone and never to be heard from again after they’ve served their purpose. Instead you have the stupid clown villain from the second arc becoming a fucking shichibukai several hundred chapters later, and it makes sense in the context of the story! The whole concept of the cover stories works really well towards this aspect of One Piece, letting us see what all these other characters are up to without taking attention off the main story. This fits in with the interconnectedness I mentioned earlier, too. 

And I like how (and I know there are people who will argue this, I have had them in my inbox, but I do not care) One Piece has stayed so strong for so long. I’ve mentioned before that both of my favorite big arcs are pre-timeskip- Alabasta, for the civil war storyline and great supporting cast and villains, and W7/Enies Lobby, for the epic emotional highs and lowers + ANOTHER great supporting cast. But like, I’ve been enjoying the more recent arcs just as much! Honestly, now that I’ve finished Dressrosa, I think it definitely ranks up there among my favorites as well, for how chaotic and fun and high-stakes the whole thing felt when I was binging through it. I’m only a few chapters into Whole Cake Island so far but it seems very promising, and I’m really excited to get to Wano from what I’ve seen of it.

I haven’t even really touched on the art yet, either. I know the artstyle turns some people off of the series, for how kind of cartoony it is sometimes and how different it is from most other series, but honestly I just love it. I wasn’t sure about it at the start but it grew on me very fast. Hell, I have a whole tag (which I should use more) dedicated just to appreciation of pretty panels.

And the action scenes in One Piece are so fun and expressive and creative and almost always at least a little silly just by the nature of Luffy’s powers. I don’t think I’ve ever been bored during a One Piece fight. And the splash pages are frequently just breathtaking. I’m a writing person, not an art person, so I’m bad at putting this kind of thing into words nearly as well, but- yeah. One Piece Art Good. (My friend Narramin also has a really, really good series of posts about how great the visual storytelling in OP is starting here that I highly recommend, if you’re interested.)

Finally, I think my favorite thing about One Piece is that it’s all one story, start to end. I kind of touched on this above with the worldbuilding thing, but you can see what a ridiculous degree of thought and planning Oda has put into his story, and how well everything comes together. It’s the main aspect that got me to give One Piece a try in the first place- I heard how good and thought-out the long term storytelling is, and I just eat that shit up. I don’t think I’ve ever had the level of trust in a creator to handle and end their story satisfyingly that I have in Oda. It’s a good feeling. 

[whisplion]

Hi!! I really love your writhing I was wonder I you could do prompt 1 from list 1 for Zolu if you don’t mind. Hope you are having a good day😊

A/N: I’m so glad someone actually requested something and a ship I haven’t really explored yet! As it is my first time I hope Zoro is not to ooc either. This contains wano spoilers but none that are really spoilers as the arc is still happening just a little aftermath I made up.

From prompt list x - “I love you. I hope you know that.”

wc: 1,005

warnings - none just fluff and pining

The waves hitting the shore was a welcomed sound especially being away from it for weeks. Zoro sighed as he laid his current bottle of saki in the sand beside him. The liquid swished in the glass bottle as he used his left hand to wipe away the wetness from his chin. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating the beach in an ethereal glow as he watched the waves continue to crash into the shore. Three days had passed since the fight on Onigashima. Three days since they had defeated Kaido and beaten down Big Mom also in the process.

  It seemed almost like a dream since they had aligned themselves months ago. So much had happened, and now it was over; it was almost sad that this long journey was over. The sleeping bodies next to Zoro would beg to differ as the snores of his captain disturbed the silence. He sighed as he leaned back on his hands; Zoro peeked over at them. Luffy was splayed out on the yellow sand, his chest rising and falling. The small bundle of Tama nestled on top of him, she curled in on herself, a ghost of a smile on her lips as her breathing fell in rhythm with the other. 

Zoro hummed as he took another swig of the alcohol, his lips releasing it with a pop as he gasped in satisfaction. Sitting forward again, he leaned his upper body into his lap his elbows settled on his knees as he swirled the bottle in his hand around slowly. His one eye watching I closely as it twisted and twirled in its container. For some reason, he was feeling melancholy on this night. It reminded him of their early days sailing through the east blue. Back then, all he wanted was to beat Mihawk, and after that, he really had no plans.

So being here two years later, he was glad he took Luffy's offer; it was the best decision he had ever made. He smiled at the memory of the perky teen threatening him with his swords. How much has changed since then? He wasn't a person who really cared for romance. Somehow it had worked its way into his stoic exterior and burst into a brewing fire that just exploded with warmth and the feeling of home.

How this one hard-headed idiot became so much more than his captain, he had no idea. Those two years away had really come full circle when he saw that familiar sunny face. That day in Sabaody, he knew something was different. At the time, Zoro hadn't known what exactly the feeling was, but after spilting in Zou. Being in Wano away from the others had really given him a lot of free time to just reflect. He now knew that the feeling was far beyond the loyalty and friendship he had initially felt for the man. 

He knew the moment he caught Luffy in his arms that day after being reunited, and he knew it three days ago when he helped him defeat the two yonkos. A soft expression passed over his face as he looked up at the moon again. It started to wain again into a half-crescent shape as a new moon would appear in a few days. A sudden sound of shuffling made Zoro look over at the two just as Luffy sat up, yawning as he rubbed at his eye, clearing it of sleepiness.

 He looked down at the still asleep Tama, who slightly shifted into his lap, a look of recollection formed on the brunette's as he patted her head gently. Luffy looked over at the green-haired swordsman and smiled as he yawned again.

Zoro took in his appearance. He was still heavily bandaged from the chest down, and it made the man frown. Of course, he always worried about his companion, but this, all the same, seeing him injured still made his gut twist. No one as cheery as Luffy should ever be so hurt in any way possible, but it couldn't be helped; he was human after all.

"Mm, Zoro, is there something on my face?" Luffy asked, a blank look on his face as he scratched his head.

"Oh, no, nothing was just thinking is all," he replied as he returned to gazing at the water.

"Oh, well, where did everyone else go?"

"Back to the party, they didn't want to wake you, seeing as Tama was also sleeping, so I said I would stay with you both," he said as Luffy just hummed as he slumped back down onto the ground.

Zoro just snorted as he drank once again from the bottle in his hold; as he finished the last of it, he tossed the empty bottle into the sand. 

"Need more booze," he said, getting up from his seat and brushing his yukata off as he grabbed his swords and attached them to his hip.

"I'll be back. Try to stay awake until I get back, alright?" he said as Luffy just hummed in reply as he stared up at the sky.

'Hey, Zoro?"

Turning back to the man who continued to look up at the stars, Zoro waited for him to continue.

"Thanks for always looking after me," he finally said, surprising the swordsman.

A grin made its way onto his lips as he looked at his captain. "I love you, I hope you know that."

"I know that's why I am telling you!" A grin spread across Luffy's lips as he peeked over at his first mate.

Zoro just laughed as he walked back on the path towards the others. He knew it was not the same thing, at least not precisely. Luffy wasn't one to easily have romantic feelings for someone. It took time, but he knew something was there. He was a patient man, and if it took until after his captain was the King of the Pirates, well, he was willing to wait.

[kaboomatic]

Give the Devil His Due

Roger steps onto Raftel and nothing is ever the same. 

Only the souls who pledged themselves to him, from Silvers Rayleigh to Shanks and Buggy and everyone else in between, Roger Pirates one and all, know what happened on that island, only they know the truth.

(And if you get Crocus drunk enough on enough whiskey to kill a giant, if Rayleigh sees something of his old captain in you and doesn’t recoil in fear, if you pay Buggy enough money and he obliges for an island’s ransom, if you ask Shanks kindly enough and he obliges for a story and a song, they might tell you.)

Raftel twists and it shifts and it warps and it breaks as the first king in history (but not the last, never the last) to walk its shores strikes a deal with an entity older than time. And the world twists and it shifts and it warps and it breaks as history is rewritten.

(For Raftel is the present and the future and the past all wrapped up in one, the graveyard and prison and killer of the gods of time and fate and the devourer of their power).

History is rewritten, stretching back to the death of the gods, and none are more changed than those damned souls that pledged themselves to Gol D. Roger.

Rayleigh changes first. The crew always joked that he was the shadow of Roger, and now he’s that and more, a wraith of darkness and blackness and void, a being who could strip life from anyone with just a touch. The Dark King, Roger’s dark reflection. 

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, he was still called the Dark King, and while Shakky loved him with all her heart, some days the shadows in the bar became longer and sharper and inched their way to her husband and Shakky wondered what exactly had she married.)

Crocus goes second, and becomes more flower than man, a thing of plant and change and bloody bloody mutation that can turn men into hellbeasts with a thought, sustain life after death, and create ghosts of those who would never come back. 

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, Crocus was horrified by what he’d become, and, using the skill of the King’s doctor and the powers of a demon, excised his demon and tossed it into the sea. But the corruption is still around, and the Lily Carnation still hungers for blood.)

Oden goes third, and unlike all the others, while his body doesn’t change (for Wano is a place of ancient gods and ancient pacts and Raftel will honor all agreements, even the ones it was forced into), his mind, soul, and even his past are warped beyond recognition. No child can kill a bear at age four, and the red light district of Oden’s home has too much pride to let a six year old roam their streets. Oden was already immensely strong, but Raftel changed that, giving him the strength of a demon and the appetite to match. 

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, Oden was the only one to stay the same, for Wano supped from the blood of gods, same as Raftel, and it protects all its children.)

Inuarashi and Nekomamushi go fourth, even after Oden begs them not to, and become whirling death and a darkened moon and howling beasts, animals twisted into something dark, primal, and ferocious. (For the Mink tribe and their electro have existed for ages, but the sulong was a creation of Raftel.)

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, the sulong was locked behind the full moon. But while Roger lived, there was a reason why the mink tribe was the most feared group in the New World, and why no sane man ever ventured close to Zunisha.)

Scopper Gaban and Nozdon and all the others change too, into death and pain and war and battle, demons of the sea and the salt and the blood red sand, but they leave something behind and they're never the same afterwards. 

(Raftel rewrites history for the Pirate King, but nothing comes without a price, and that price is the history of most of his crew. They aren't people anymore, just tools and weapons. The world remembers nothing about Scopper Gaban and Nozdon and all the others, just names, faces, and power. A weapon needs nothing else.)

Shanks and Buggy go second to last, even while everyone else begs and pleads and threatens and bribes them, anything in order for them to stay children and not become demons like the rest of Roger’s Crew. (Because even demons have those they care about, and the Oro Jackson’s cabin boys are theirs and should never have to go through what they did). It’s the first time Buggy stands up to the crew and the first time Shanks ever disobeys their wishes. Both Buggy and Shanks change, and nobody can stop them.

Shanks changes in body, becoming blood on the wind, a keening tide of red that hungers for pain and fear and loss, a demon whose hair is made of blood. (Rookies find it odd that the epithet of one of the Four Emperors is ‘Red Hair’. The veterans hear that name and remember a man who’s every hair is a soul he killed.)

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, Shanks becomes less blood and more man, but still keeps some of that cruelty and sadism. Luffy had to learn how to destroy dreams from somebody, after all.)

Buggy’s body and soul belong to another, a foul tasting fruit sealing a pact with the Sea Devil, the last of the Old Gods. Raftel cannot change his body. Instead, Raftel changes his mind, turning it into a twisted, mad thing, a thing that allows Buggy to create cannonballs that can obliterate fortresses and destroy islands. (If CP9 had managed to get Pluton’s blueprints, they would have gone after Buggy next, for he was the only one able to make ammunition worthy of an Ancient Weapon)

(And after Roger’s death, after the crew became less demon and more human, Buggy sealed that part of him away forever, out of fear, not for what others would do to him, but what he would do to others.)

Roger, of course, goes last, not out of cowardice, but because his crew insists that they go first. He doesn’t change. Roger has always been the way he is, larger than life with a grin wide enough to split the heavens, and a darkness large enough to swallow the earth.

(And who do men fear more, the demons, or the one who holds their leash?)

Ace is not and will not be changed in the slightest, for while Raftel changes all who are related to the Pirate King, past, present, and future, Portgas D. Ace is not related to the Pirate King. He is the son of Whitebeard now and forevermore. 

(For what are the ties of mortal blood to an island who has already drunk deep of the ichor of gods?)

Ace might not be the son of the past Pirate King, but he is the brother of the future one, and when Luffy made it to Raftel, he would have become a thing of blood and flame, a demon of hellfire with a burning crown, a prince of the inferno. 

(But Ace did not live to see his brother become the King, he died in magma and war and a broken promise and a ‘thank you for loving me’, and Raftel will never reverse death. It did once, only once, and Joy Boy has been a thorn in their side for millenia)

There are other changes, of course. Garp’s fist was always strong enough to demolish mountains, but he would have never harmed a hair on a child’s head. Whitebeard was always near-invincible, but there are always pirates willing to stab someone in the back. Kaido was always the last of the true dragons, but no dragon was ever as impervious to pain as he is. Big Mom always loved sweets, but not to the point of near-mindlessness. The World Government was always ruled by the World Nobles, but once upon a time they were people, not the caricatures they’ve become now. But the changes to Roger’s crew were the greatest, and the main reason for Raftel to slumber for over a decade.

Now, a generation after its last change, its last pact, Raftel wakes up. But this time, it isn’t content with merely waiting for the King to walk its shores. The king is right there, carrying a piece of Raftel’s power on its brow, and the tendrils of the island of death (and demons and corruption and pain and loss and a hundred other dead gods of sin) stretch far indeed.

A/N: @whirlybirdwhat Well, here’s part 1 of that demon fic you wanted me to write. Been a while, but better late than never.

[purplehairedwonder]

Inside a Broken Dream Chapter 2

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen Words: 3200 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Shachi, Bepo, Penguin, Ikkaku, Heart Pirates, Donquixote Doflamingo, Monkey D. Luffy, Nami, Chopper, Robin, Usopp, Zoro Note: Story title comes from the Vertical Horizon song “Shackled.” Character and relationship tags reflect the current chapter. Obviously this is canon-divergent ;)

Summary: Two years after Wano, peace on the Grand Line is fragile. Trafalgar Law and the Heart Pirates are doing their best to help maintain the peace, but the return of a figure from Law’s past might shatter the balance of power entirely.

Previous chapters: 1

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

“I’m here to take back what’s mine.”

Law barely had time to register the words before the Marines behind Doflamingo drew their guns and started shooting. Penguin cursed loudly as Law drew Kikoku and sliced at the incoming spray of bullets, his Fruit effortlessly cutting them in half. They clattered harmlessly to the Tang’s deck.

Before the soldiers could let off another hail of bullets, Law reached out for Penguin and Jean Bart, gripping them tightly. They’d all fought together long enough to know what was coming, so Penguin and Jean Bart braced themselves as Law shambled them from the deck of Polar Tang to the deck of the Marine ship, swapping places with three soldiers. The remaining Hearts on the Tang would be more than enough to take care of those Marines.

They’d barely landed when a loud bang rang out. Law’s eyes flew wide in shock as pain erupted in his shoulder and his entire body lost its strength. Kikoku dropped from his grasp and his knees buckled, the strength it took to hold himself upright gone. His Room collapsed around them.

Not good.

His breath caught in his throat as he looked down at his right shoulder to see a round hole with blood soaking into his shirt. He reached with his left hand to the back of his shoulder and it came back dry—no exit wound. The bullet was still inside.

“Captain!” he heard someone cry as Bepo growled dangerously from what sounded like miles away.

Law forced his gaze up to see Doflamingo watching him with a smirk on his lips and that damned pistol outstretched in his hand.

Law was fucking sick of getting shot by that man.

“Seastone bullet,” Doflamingo said, gesturing with his pistol.

The one he’d shot Law with in Dressrosa.

The one he’d shot Cora-san with on Minion Island.

Law had hated guns since Minion Island—especially that gun.

“The Marines have all kinds of fun toys these days.”

If there was a bullet of unadulterated Seastone lodged in his shoulder, it was no wonder Law could barely see straight. He could only hope the bullet had stayed whole and hadn’t fractured. The last thing he needed was fragments of what was essentially poison to a Devil Fruit user scattering through his system.

Law hissed in protest as big arms grabbed him roughly from behind, pulling him to his feet and immobilizing him. Not that he was moving much on his own at the moment.

“I’m sorry, Captain,” Jean Bart ground out behind him. Law could hear the struggle in his voice, but it was no use if Doflamingo had gotten his strings on the man. “I-I can’t control myself.”

“S’not your fault,” Law murmured in reply as he watched Doflamingo’s fingers twitch as he controlled Law’s nakama. “It’s him.” A surge of anger threatened to rise in his chest at the man doing this to his people, but the numbing effects of the Seastone suppressed it just as quickly.

“Captain!”

Law blearily glanced to his right to see an immobilized Penguin watching on helplessly, his arms and legs wrapped in strings and several Marines covering him with their weapons.

Fuck. He’d shambled them right into Doflamingo’s trap.

The sounds of fighting echoed from the direction of the other ships, and Law willed his first mate and the others to stay away. This was why he’d gone on his revenge mission alone those years before—he couldn’t bear to see his nakama being used like this.

“What? No witty comebacks, Law?”

Law blinked. Somehow Doflamingo had bridged the gap between them without him noticing. Fuck, he was out of it.

“Bite me,” Law muttered with the little energy and hatred he could muster.

“Maybe later,” Doflamingo chuckled before raising the gun again.

“Law!” Penguin yelled desperately.

“No!” Jean Bart struggled behind him but couldn’t free himself of Doflamingo’s influence to let Law go.

Doflamingo swung his arm. Law’s head burst into blinding agony—and then nothing.

-----

Bepo howled furiously as Law crumpled, his hat falling from his head as he went limp in Jean Bart’s shaking arms. The larger man was clearly trying to fight the hold Doflamingo had over him and failing. Bepo could barely hear the worried and angry cries from his crewmates over the blood pounding in his ears. He wanted nothing more than to rush the ship, to protect his captain—his best friend—but the Marines that had boarded his ship once the shooting had started kept the Hearts from bolting to their captain’s aid. A quick glance at the Tang showed a similar situation.

“Let’s go.”

Bepo started as Doflamingo’s booming order rang out across the ships. The Marines jerkily started to retreat, keeping their weapons hefted and firing if any of the Hearts tried to follow. On the Marine ship, Doflamingo forced Jean Bart to carry Law’s unconscious form while Penguin was escorted by two armed Marines into the bowels of the ship. The former Warlord turned to follow but paused; he bent over to pick up Kikoku and Law’s hat from the deck.

For some reason, Doflamingo’s hands on Law’s hat made Bepo’s blood boil more intensely than the sarcastic salute he gave with Law’s sword before he disappeared into the ship, a wall of Marine rifles protecting his exit.

Bepo’s head spun as the ship made its getaway, their captain and two crewmates aboard as prisoners. Law was… He was in the hands of the man he hated most in the world, wounded and undoubtedly restrained somehow with Seastone.

The two Hearts ships were silent for a long moment before chaos broke out, curses ringing through the air.

“What do we do now?”

“We have to go after them!”

“Against him? Without the captain?”

“We have to get the captain back!”

“Obviously, but how?!”

“Bepo, what should we do?”

“Yeah, Bepo, what do you think?”

Bepo started once he started hearing his name. “Huh?”

Ikkaku stepped up to him and put a gentle hand on his arm, an anchor in the hurricane of emotion around and within him. “You’re the first mate. Without Law here, you’re acting captain.”

Bepo blinked. That… that was true. He swallowed as the eyes of the Hearts turned toward him. Bepo couldn’t afford to let his emotions control him right now; he needed to think. What would Law do in this situation?

He’d take a step back and come up with a plan that best utilized the assets available to him. He wouldn’t play by the rules of the enemy.

Assets.          

He had an idea.

“We’re going to get the captain, Penguin, and Jean Bart back,” Bepo said. “But we’re going to be smart about it, just like Law would. Doflamingo took him alive for a reason, so we have to assume he’ll keep him alive.” For now, anyway. Bepo tried not to think about what that reason for taking Law alive might be, considering their history. “And we have his vivre card, so we won’t lose him.”

The Hearts started nodding around him.

Bepo gestured to a few of the men he’d brought on his search for Shachi’s attacker, recruits who’d joined after Law became an Emperor and had needed more men as he’d taken territory under his protection. “Bring this ship back to headquarters and treat the wreck survivors.���

The men saluted. “What about you, Bepo-san?”

“We’re going after the captain,” Bepo said, turning toward the Polar Tang. “But first, I have to make a call.”

------

The Hearts gathered in the mess, one of the few spaces in the Tang big enough for all—or almost all—of them at once. Even Shachi had come up from the infirmary. He hadn’t let them keep Law’s, Penguin’s, and Jean Bart’s abductions secret, considering he’d heard the shooting and yelling. Bepo had tried to convince him to rest, but he knew in Shachi’s place, he wouldn’t rest either so had simply helped his friend out of bed and to the mess.

Once they were all present, Bepo explained what he was thinking and waited for the others to tell him what they thought.

“I don’t like it,” Clione said finally. “We should be able to get our captain back ourselves. We’re an Emperor’s crew!”

There were some murmurs of agreement, and even Bepo didn’t totally disagree, but he preferred to hedge his bets when the lives of his nakama were on the line.

“And the one Devil Fruit user on our crew isn’t here,” Shachi retorted, wincing when he raised his voice.

The Heart Pirates had never been a crew of brawlers. They were a crew who, led by a surgeon, planned every detail carefully and executed with precision. And they were damn good at what they did. Everyone on the crew was a capable fighter—some were even haki users—but Law was usually the one to handle other Devil Fruit users. Now they were looking at taking on an extremely talented Fruit user who also happened to be a former Warlord and had Marine backing.

“Why have allies if we can’t call on them for help?” Ikkaku pointed out. “They’ll come.”

“That’s what worries me,” Clione replied. “Do you think we can afford for this to get out to the public? That an Emperor was kidnapped by a suddenly-free Warlord? We’ve been working for the last two years to keep things stable. Half the time we’re smoothing over their messes! This could lead to chaos!”

“Can we afford to try this without help?” Ikkaku countered. “Maybe we can do it ourselves, maybe not. But why try if we don’t have to? Their lives are on the line.”

Clione sighed but didn’t disagree. He looked at Bepo. “I’ll follow your lead, Captain.”

Bepo started at the title. It didn’t sit right on his shoulders, like an ill-fitting coat. But he’d wear it until he could give it back to Law. “Okay. Thank you.”

“Bepo,” Shachi said quietly, and Bepo turned back to his friend. “Do whatever it takes to get them back.”

Bepo nodded. He glanced around the mess at each of his crewmates, and they all nodded back. There would be no risks taken when the stakes were so high. “Okay.” He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed the familiar number.

After a few rings, the snail connected. “Hello?”

Bepo recognized the voice immediately. “Nami, it’s Bepo.”

The snail perked up. “Oh, Bepo! It’s good to hear from you. We haven’t seen you guys in a while.”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized habitually. Shachi cleared his throat and Bepo winced. “About that, we were callin—”

Bepo was cut off as another familiar voice came over the line. “Oy, Nami! Who is it?” Luffy asked, apparently wandering into the room.

“It’s Bepo,” she told him.

“Oh, Bepo!” Luffy greeted. “Long time no see! How’s Torao?”

Bepo shut his eyes and forced himself to push through. “That’s actually why we’re calling. Captain’s in trouble.”

Though they were talking by snail, Bepo could still feel the atmosphere on the other end change. “What happened?” All traces of humor were gone from Luffy’s voice. Somewhere in the background, Bepo could hear Nami calling for the others to join the call.

“We had a… surprise visitor in our territory today,” Bepo said. “Blew up Shachi’s ship.”

“Is he okay?” Nami asked, alarmed.

“I’m fine,” Shachi said, shrugging at Bepo’s look. Mostly, he mouthed in reply.

“That’s good,” Nami replied. “What happened to Torao?”

“What’s going on with Torao?” That was Chopper.

“Is Torao-kun all right?” Robin.

“That’s what we’re waiting to find out,” Nami said impatiently. “Bepo?”

Bepo suppressed the urge to pinch his snout. It was easy to forget the comfortable chaos of the Straw Hats after being away from them for a while. Bepo opened his mouth to reply but nothing came out. Images of Doflamingo and Law staring at each other, of Marines shooting, of Law falling flashed before his eyes. He felt himself tearing up and almost jumped when he felt an arm slip through his. Ikkaku again.

“Just tell them, Bepo,” she said quietly.

Bepo swallowed and nodded.

“Tell us what?” That was Usopp.

“Doflamingo,” Bepo said around the lump in his throat. Ikkaku squeezed his arm. “Somehow he got out of Impel Down in a Marine ship.”

“WHAT?!” the Straw Hats exploded collectively.

“He showed up in our territory, demanded to see Law, then blew up my ship,” Shachi summarized.

“And Torao went,” Zoro supplied.

“Yeah,” Bepo nodded, though they couldn’t see him.

“What happened with Mingo?” Luffy demanded, voice colder than Bepo had ever heard it.

Bepo was once more thankful Luffy was an ally and not an enemy. “H-he took Law. And Penguin and Jean Bart. He, uh, shot Law, probably with Seastone, and took him.”

There were sounds of fury on the other end of the line, confirming what Bepo had expected to happen. Law might be the captain of his own crew, but somewhere between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, the Straw Hats had taken to Law as one of their own and would fight for him—already had fought for him—as such. Law would always belong to the Hearts first, but Bepo supposed he could share when the others cared so much for him. Yes, this was the right call.

“We’re coming,” Luffy said.

-----

The first thing Law became aware of was pain. His shoulder was on fire and his head throbbed. He tried to reach for his shoulder to assess whatever damage was causing so much pain, but his body wouldn’t respond. Everything felt heavy—so heavy. Law groaned.

“Captain? Are you with us?”

Even though his eyelids felt as heavy as the rest of his body, Law managed to force them open. He blinked a few times before his surroundings came into focus. He was lying on the floor of… somewhere. He was on his back, looking up at the nondescript ceiling. He tried to lift his hands to rub his eyes, but the sound of chains clanking startled him. He tilted his head down to see Seastone cuffs around his wrists.

“Captain?”

He recognized Jean Bart’s voice. And the first voice had been Penguin.

And the memories flooded back in. Shachi’s shipwreck. Doflamingo. The Seastone bullet. Strings everywhere.

“Yeah,” he croaked. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’m here.”

“Thank god,” Penguin murmured.

Law swallowed. “How long have I been out?”

“Few hours?” Jean Bart guessed. “Hard to tell down here.”

Law huffed in response. “Brig?”

“Yeah.”

“You both okay?”

“We’re not hurt,” Penguin said, not quite answering the question. But Law knew what he meant; there was something demeaning and violating about those strings taking away your agency. He knew that feeling well.

“Captain, I’m sorry.” That was Jean Bart. “I couldn’t…” he trailed off.

Law wished he could see the larger man’s face, but at the moment it was taking all Law had just to stare at the ceiling. “I told you before, it’s not your fault. He made you grab me.”

“I know, but…”

“You have nothing to apologize for,” Law cut in sharply, “got it?”

A pause. “Yes, Captain.”

Law sighed. They would probably need to address this again later, but it would have to wait. Law turned his head and had to wait for his vision to stop spinning before he could see the bars locking him in. He could feel the oppressive energy of Seastone emitting from them. Between the bullet in Law’s shoulder, the shackles on his wrists, and the bars of the cell, Doflamingo was really taking no chances with Law’s powers. Smart. The last time he’d seen Law’s abilities was Dressrosa, and a lot of time had passed since then.

He still needed to get a better sense of the space he was in, to see where Penguin and Jean Bart were, but the prospect of sitting up seemed like a herculean task. The trio lapsed into silence for several minutes as Law worked himself up to move. Finally, he took in a deep breath and slowly started to sit up. He felt unsteady and, without thinking, put his right hand on the floor for balance but hissed as pain jolted from his wounded shoulder down to his fingertips.

“Captain?”

Law grunted but didn’t otherwise reply, his teeth clenched against the pain. He listed to the side, but he’d sat up far enough that he could collapse his left shoulder against the wall. After a moment, he shifted until his back was flush against the wall. He dropped his head back and shut his eyes, sweat rolling down his neck.

He really needed to get the bullet out of his shoulder.

Once he’d caught his breath, Law opened his eyes and let his vision adjust to the dim lighting. Now he could see the space; it was more open than he’d expected. There were several cells, each enclosed by Seastone bars, likely in case the Marines had to transport multiple Devil Fruit users at once. Jean Bart sat in the cell across from Law, and he nodded when he saw Law’s eyes on him.

“Captain.”

Law nodded tiredly back then continued to inspect the room. There was an empty cell next to Jean Bart, and Penguin was in the cell next to Law.

“Hey,” Penguin greeted when Law met his eyes.

“Hey.”

“With all due respect, you look like shit, Captain.”

Law snorted. “I can imagine. I can’t exactly use my Fruit to get this Seastone bullet out of my shoulder. Cuffs and bars are one thing,” he said, lightly shaking his shackles. “The bullet is the real problem.”

“What can we do?” Penguin asked.

Law considered. He might be the Heart Pirates’ doctor, but he made sure each member of his crew had working medical knowledge so they could assist him and wouldn’t be completely reliant on him in case he was out of commission. Penguin had been with him longer than anyone other than Bepo and Shachi, so he’d been helping Law in the infirmary for years. If he could guide Penguin in removing the bullet, that would be an element of surprise they could use against Doflamingo. Law always carried a small surgical kit with him in case he needed to perform field medicine, so if he hadn’t been stripped of that…

Law’s thoughts were interrupted as the brig door slammed open and light flooded in. Law squinted against the sudden onslaught of brightness, expecting to see Doflamingo outlined in the light, but the figure that stumbled through the door was too small. A Marine, moving jerkily—still being controlled, Law noted—shoved the figure forward toward the empty cell. By the time Law’s eyes adjusted again, the guard’s back was blocking Law’s view of the figure that was shoved into the cell.

As the soldier walked back toward the door, he threw a pained look in Law’s direction. “Help,” he mouthed before the strings pulled him out of the door and shut the door behind him.

Law raised an eyebrow before turning toward the newest prisoner… and his eyes widened as the man straightened.

“White Chase-ya?”

[chikabika]

I wanna talk about Whole Cake Island too!

So, I’m reading Whole Cake Island right now. And I have THOUGHTS about Sanji and Luffy’s “”””fight””””. And it’s probably nothing anyone hasn’t said before but I’m gonna write it out anyway.

(TL;DR Sanji and Luffy fight and it hurts because they both go for the throat. Also Nami has been through this shit I am surprised she’s putting up with Sanji trying to leave in the slightest.)

So first, yeah, I’m screaming into a pillow because this shit is rough. Let’s get those personal emotions out of the way first. 

Sanji’s whole thing is that he cares and serves, right? His love language is acts of service and that’s primarily shown through feeding people. When we meet the Vinsmokes (I shall not be referring to them as his family) we see pretty quickly that they are the antithesis to everything Sanji is. 

The men are literally said to lack the ability to sympathize or empathize. Not only do we see this is the case, but Reiju says so herself:

They do not value cooking nor food. Judge tells Sanji to never cook again, Niji wastes food.

And, of course, the brothers have no qualms about hitting women. The whole chivalry/won’t hit a women thing is a huge can of worms I don’t feel like unpacking in part because I don’t feel like I could talk about it without discussing women’s power levels and roles in One Piece. And I’ve already digressed too much.

So yeah, the Vinsmokes are the opposite of Sanji and hold none of his values. In fact, they may be why he holds some of his values, because they are as far from the Vinsmoke’s values as possible.

Okay so the two chapters in particular when Luffy and Nami find and confront Sanji! 

Pretty immediately we see that 1. Sanji was not expecting them, 2. He’s distressed that they’re here, and 3. It complicates things for him.

Like, that is not a face of someone happy to see his friends who have come to save him. That is an “oh fuck” face. (And as a sidenote, yeah, it’s a whole lot harder to sacrifice yourself when you’re confronted with the people you’re leaving behind, HUH, SANJI????)

Luffy’s all happy to see him, feels like they’ve accomplished their goal, doesn’t question that Sanji would want to come back. And he’s got things to do! Like save Wano and beat up Kaido! Chop chop Sanji let’s go on adventures! Plus, I would think that Luffy would also have the expectation of his crew that they understand that no one gets to leave if they’re doing it to sacrifice themselves. He’s already shown he’s gonna come get you and Sanji knows this. Sanji’s first arc with them after Baratie was going to save Nami from Arlong and her self-sacrificial bullshit! Luffy’s modus operandi is saying “Oh, you thought you were in a lose-lose situation and the only solution was to sacrifice your happiness and well being? Fuck that! You’re my nakama, let me save you!”

Both Luffy and Nami aren’t questioning Sanji’s wanting to come with them. They’re here, it’s time to go!

And so then we see the surface level reasons why Sanji would say “No, I can’t go with you.” And we also see that he knows Judge is watching him.

I don't think Nami's buying it either. She's done this. She knows what it's like to be trapped by circumstances, to have your loved ones held hostage. And she did this shit too! She fuckin laid it down, lied to her nakama about it all being a farce in her efforts to keep them out of her dangerous situation! Maybe the words sting, but I think this face of hers is even more from her thinking about how they all know eachother so much more, and know how Luffy wouldn't leave one of them behind. So Sanji must be under some real duress right now. Like, I feel like she could extrapolate a lot from what he's saying because she knows that's not who he is. And because she's tried the same shit. And, I wonder if she’s hurting for him because she knows what it’s like.

Every chance she gets, she reiterates that there was nothing between them, that she doesn’t care about them, that she tricked them, and even uses her supposed killing of Usopp as support of her betraying them. She is desperately trying to get them off this island. Arlong is well covered, we all know what’s up.

And, the parallels are pretty clear for Sanji. He’s got family being held hostage (Zeff, and the Strawhats too), and he couldn’t leave anyway because he’s got explosion bracelets on. Plus he’s got his own self-sacrificial streak (which I could guess comes from being raised in a household where you’re told you don’t have any value and everything you do is wrong-the fact that Sanji still cried at Judge’s rejection of him right before his escape speaks to how as a child he still wanted Judge’s approval and love as a father).

So, he comes out swinging with the thing that we previously established would be the shittiest thing to say, that Luffy rejected the possibility of him saying.

And then he starts on this buckwild speech that is so fucking hammed up I almost questioned if Sanji meant for them to understand the opposite of his words, and was just putting on a show for the Vinsmokes.

Nami only says he’s going too far when Sanji starts insulting Luffy’s dream, which the whole crew believes in and supports. 

Also, as a side note, it doesn’t really make sense to me that Nami would just take on the role of “you’re going too far, you can’t believe what you’re saying!” Maybe Chopper would do that cuz he’s gullible and shit. BUT NAMI FREAKIN DID THE SAME SHIT. I would almost expect a “...” speechbubble from her and later her saying something like “He really tried his best to make that look convincing, didn’t he? He’s not very good at it.”

Nami’s savvy!

But anyway, yeah, Sanji tries to go for the throat to push thme away saying shit about Luffy not being able to become the Pirate King. My first reaction to this whole thing was: 

“WOW HE'S REALLY DOING IT, HUH? HE'S LYING THROUGH HIS TEETH TO SAY THE MOST HURTFUL SHIT HE CAN TO HIS LOVED ONES SO THEY'LL STAY AWAY SO HE CAN SACRIFICE HIMSELF TO STOP ANYONE FROM GETTING HURT”

Usopp has tried to leave too, but his situation was different. His reasons were stated clearly and he didn’t try to pretend that all the shit they’ve gone through together and the bonds they’ve formed were fake. Nami, Robin, Sanji? They try to do the “ah, I never loved you” bullshit. 

But Sanji’s is the first time that from the get-go, the audience knows before the confrontation everything that’s going on for the crewmember trying to fake betrayal. With Nami and Robin, we didn’t learn their backstories until after they tried to push people away. With Sanji not only did we get it beforehand, but when Luffy and Nami show up, we are shown the three pieces of information that Sanji thinks about and that motivate him to push his crewmates away:

His hands (his treasures) are bound and threatened.

His nakama are threatened.

Zeff is threatened.

He’s backed into a freakin corner! And he know’s Luffy’s track record on crew members trying to leave! So he goes for the throat and when that doesn’t work (or for the whole performance he’s putting on for the Vinsmokes) he attacks Luffy.

Luffy says he won’t fight Sanji, and I wonder if this is because of Water 7 and Usopp. That fight was so fucking painful, I wonder if Luffy vowed to never fight someone like that again?

Clearly he isn’t getting through to Sanji, even though, to him, Sanji should know what the deal is by now.

So he goes for the throat himself! Which is honestly just heartwrenching on Oda’s part and pretty unfair on Luffy’s part. Though, when has Luffy ever been fair lol. His whole crew agrees his selfishness levels are above emperor!

This page pretty much sums it up:

Also, throughout this entire encounter we get glimpses of Sanji thinking about the crew and meeting Luffy, which is cool to see his internal world somewhat.When Luffy first shows up. I mean. Look at the pain on his face.

This is not a “we have a difference in ideals and are fighting over it and I’m thinking about how we met because I regret that it’s come to this.” fight. It’s not even a fight. It’s Sanji desperately saying “Please leave before you die because of me!”

Actually, maybe it is kind of a fight of ideals because Sanji is fighting to say “leave me behind I’m not worth it” and Luffy’s saying “yes you are.”

For all the extremely clear things going on emotionally for people in this scene, I’m surprised Oda just left Nami’s responses at this. But, since he did, it means I get to interpret them how I please!

This could simply be read as her feeling betrayed and shit. But again, they all know the history of the crew. This could just as easily be her saying “You went too far.” or “I can’t believe you wouldn’t believe in Luffy enough to come back with us.”

I said she could probably guess at him feeling like he’s stuck, backed into a corner. And if I remember correctly she is aware that the Strawhat’s lives are threatened if Sanji doesn’t comply with Big Mom’s wishes. But she probably wouldn’t guess at the bracelets being bombs and doesn’t know (but might guess) at the Baratie being threatened too. Nami knows all about people who claim “family” as an excuse to hurt and bind you.

But basically, I would think for her, it would be a situation of her feeling like at this point Sanji should know Luffy well enough to know he won’t give up, and to trust Luffy enough to take Sanji home. So why the fuck would he try to play this game when they’ve all seen that it doesn’t work? Why say the most hurtful things he can think of? And why not just come home now?

I don’t think she’s angry at him for the betrayal he’s trying to act out, I think she’s angry at him for the betrayal he’s committing for not trusting the crew to get him out of there.

(Again, haven’t read past this part but I could absolutely see later Nami saying “do you think we acted hurt enough for them to buy it?”)

And then of course, the last four pages of the chapter where Luffy clearly calls bullshit on Sanji, saying Sanji felt the pain of his kicks more than Luffy did. And Sanji is just starting to fucking lose it. (panels from right to left)

Like, Luffy. Chill. It hurts so much! But no, he can’t just call Sanji out. He’s gotta go for the kill, present Sanji with an unacceptable situation he knows he can’t refuse. Or at least hopes he can’t refuse. Because for Luffy, Sanji leaving is an unacceptable situation.

Not only will he not eat (which, god, using that against Sanji is almost too much, fuck, Luffy), but he won’t even fucking move so get your ass back here soon before I starve, Sanji.

To use the two very deeply entrenched facts about these characters this way is sure something, huh?

Sanji will feed anyone who is hungry. He cannot stand hunger, almost.

Luffy eats all the damn time and lots and never refuses food. For him to say “i’m going on a hunger strike, I’m not eating until it’s from you” IS JUST SO MUCH.

Also side note god what cruel people to laugh at Sanji’s pain as Niji and Yonji are doing.

Sanji thought he could get away with thinking he’s expendable (just like Judge has said in every time period we’ve seen him on the page) Luffy flat out rejects that. Sanji is essential, an required part of the crew and a required part of Luffy’s dream. Just like the crew have adopted his dream as a part of all of their own ultimate goals, so Luffy is saying that they are all part of his ultimate goal. He has adopted them into him becoming the Pirate King.

And goddamn if this arc isn’t about found family. The blood of the covenant is thicker, don’t cha know.

[lunnamars]

prompt: cold

Quick note: it's supposed to be for the Cold prompt from our ZoTash discord, but mine has a cold-ish theme, so forgive me anyhow. Your gal here is having a writer’s block, but I wanted to inspire myself on the LuNa fic from HerPrettySmile. If you're into LuNa, you should definitely check it out. It's one of my favorites fics!

The first time Sanji noticed them was back in Loguetown. When they were fleeing, Zoro was having a fight with a pretty lady and the cook had been outraged. The mosshead had never shown any interest in any woman whatsoever, so seeing him having a fight with one was absurd.

She was a swordsman, the blonde noticed. A perfect match, he thought. He never knew if the first-mate even had any interest in relationships, but if he does one day, the cook thought someone like that pretty lady would fit. 

Sanji had never known what was the result of the fight though. He wanted to stay at the time, but it was raining and so fucking cold, his clothes soaked, and he couldn’t even light his cigarette. So he trusted the Mosshead wouldn’t do anything stupid and went on his way. Zoro didn’t say anything when he came back to the ship and the cook never asked. 

However, he didn’t seem happy about something, and Sanji wondered what happened to the pretty lady.

Well, it’s not like we’ll meet again.

—

The first time Nami noticed that there was something odd with the relationship between Zoro and the Navy Lady was way back in Alabasta. She had never seen the green-haired man so agitated and flustered (and it wasn’t because of the fucking heat from that freaking country), not even when he was dealing with Sanji. That woman was definitely weird and also dangerous with her unceasing wish of chasing them. 

He had run away from the woman with glasses and Nami was stunned. She remembers him saying “She’s the only one I can’t fight” and the surprise hit her hard as a punch from Luffy. The only one he can’t fight? There’s no such a thing in Roronoa Zoro’s vocabulary — he’d never back down from a fight. Ever! Especially against a marine, even if she’s was a woman. 

She tried to drag the truth out of him, but to no avail. Zoro simply ignored her at the time and all the other times she had questioned him. Sometimes, he’d even give her a cold shoulder for poking her nose in too much.

Well, whatever. She doesn’t seem like she can pose a threat to him anyway.

—

Robin was almost sure there was something between the two swordsmen and she figured it out on Punk Hazard. She had seen how it was a really complicated and strained relationship and probably Zoro had his reasons. It was not like him to lose his temper over simple words and with strangers. 

She noticed how Zoro tried to act cold as that God-forsaken island towards the marine lady, but his efforts proved to be fruitless. He did lose his mind with her during the battle, but wasn’t able to leave her behind to die from Caeser’s gas. He had even bandaged her almost frostbitten shoulder! 

But there were two reasons she had been led to believe they were not strangers to each other: while running with the kids and the G-5 sailors, she heard them gossiping how the “Swirly Brow bro” had said the “Sword bro” was a softie inside and they didn’t need to worry about “Captain-chan”. Robin agreed, it was very well put. That was the first.

The second was when they were at the victory celebration, pirates and sailors together, she saw Tashigi fetching a glove for Zoro because his hands were cold. They argued in the end, yes, but she didn’t miss the looks they gave each other when they thought the other wasn’t looking. 

Both seemed curious, but Tashigi had a longing in her eyes and he had recognition in his good eye.

Oh my, something did change.

—

Usopp had never paid attention to that Navy Lady that Sanji and Robin would talk about sometimes. He just knew she was Smoker’s subordinate, she was not that strong and had a weird rivalry with Zoro. He didn’t know why she even bothered considering their gap in strength was huge. 

Until he saw her fight in Wano. She was not strong as Zoro and Law yet, but she stood her ground pretty fucking beautifully in order to protect the Strawhat’s swordsman. Which was odd, taking into account her past behavior and the way she acted towards him when she first landed on the Samurai’s country. 

Tashigi had been straight up cold towards Zoro, full of icy remarks, and indifferent looks. But that was before their swordsman almost got himself killed. Zoro was on the floor and Tashigi protected him, fighting tooth and nail. She had won and it had been a pretty impressive battle, but, in the end, she ended up badly hurt. 

Chopper took care of her, of course, but the other strange thing was that Zoro did not leave her side. He even stood up to Smoker when the older man demanded him to get the fuck out of her bedroom. 

Zoro did not obey. And Usopp was flabbergasted.

She was just a marine and initially, the sniper thought Zoro was just doing that out of obligation. The woman had saved his life, after all. But then, he seemed pretty fucking happy when she woke up (even if they got back to yelling at each other) in his own peculiar way and for some reason, started to follow her around.

Her frigid demeanor was no more and she would even send a smile his way sometimes. They’d go back to arguing in the end though.

Those two are really troublesome.

—

Brook was old enough to spot correctly the moment when the pretty Navy Lady stopped being Zoro’s enemy and became his friend. He also knew they were a step away from being lovers, but not yet. Their established friendship was recent, but they weren’t able to hide the looks they gave each other all the time. 

Only when the other wasn’t looking, of course. He had a strong longing in his good eye and she had recognition in hers. In Brook’s opinion, they were two kids dancing around each other, without the courage to stop. 

It wasn’t just the looks. It was the small gestures — the way he would wrap a scarf around her neck when she was shivering because “you’ll catch a cold and fuck everything up, so take care of yourself, woman”, the way they’d always stay or fight together or how he would sulk in the corner when she was giving Law more attention than necessary.

Or, especially, how he gave one of his earings to her before the girl left to end the revolution she, Smoker and Aokiji started in the Navy. She had looked at him with surprise and he was asking for a promise in complete silence. Tashigi smiled and nodded, and maybe that was the step they needed. 

Yohohoho, young love. Always an adventure.

—

Smoker had always known how that brat was special to that silly little girl. He knew since she had let the Strawhats go in Alabasta, when she had blushed when that fucking boy carried her in Punk Hazard, when she had stood between death and the Pirate Hunter in Wano, risking her life for the sake of that punk.

The Vice-Admiral also knew that, from the brat’s part, Tashigi has always been equally special. He knew when he saw him saving her in Punk Hazard and when he stood up to him in Wano. He noticed when his cold demeanor turned into a friendly one and their bickering stopped being full of hate and poisonous only to become something amicable. Or even when he had cuddled with her in a freaking frozen night.

When all was said and done, he saw her run to the pirate and hug him, face full of relief and happiness for seeing him alive. The brat had been fucking hurt while protecting her with all his might. Smoker had to admit that the boy would hunt anyone who would hurt her. 

They had mended their wounds, one never leaving the other’s side. Smoker was okay with it, what could he do? The heart wants what it fucking wants. He just didn’t need to catch them in a lip-lock in the middle of the party, kissing like there was no tomorrow and fucking oblivious to the people cheering around them. 

The G-5 men, the Strawhats, and the Revolutionary Army all screaming. Smoker didn’t know why they were so surprised, he has always known to be honest. And it was the same reason why he was not stupefied when she handed her resign letter followed by a wedding invitation. 

Her smile had been radiant as she was on the day of her marriage. It was extremely simple, it had quite some people and they were dressed in traditional Wano clothes. It almost didn’t have any ceremony, they both didn’t believe in any religion after all. It was supposed to be just a party, considering that parties are the Strawhat’s specialty. 

Everyone was drinking and dancing when he approached the fucking brat (now a full-grown man, to be fair, but Smoker would still consider him a punk), nodding and glaring at him. The pirate returned the glare and the now-Admiral just smirked. He didn’t want to play the father figure there, but someone had too. 

“I’ll kill you if you hurt her. I don’t fucking care if you’re the greatest swordsman in the world or any of that shit. I will kick your sorry ass, pirate,” Smoker used his most menacing tone to get his point across.

Zoro nodded and seriously, replied, “I won’t. You have my word.”

Smoker eyed him, taking all his features, from his stern and determined look to his strong posture. The brat-turned-man seemed to be speaking the truth.

“But aren’t you too old to be threatening people, Admiral?”, Zoro tilted his head and showed his usual cocky smile.

Smoker only rolled his eyes and turned his back to the current greatest swordsman in the world. What the hell that silly girl was thinking when she decided to marry that pirate?

Nevertheless, he had to admit the boy had some balls and in the end, Smoker admitted she’d be okay. They’d be okay. He’d miss her, but people always say that letting kids go is hard as fuck, right?

He snorted and lighted a single cigar. 

Fucking brat.

[strawberrypiratenin]

Kanzashi (Ornamental Hair Pin)

Disclaimer: One piece owned by Oda. If I owned it, wouldn't really change a thing other than it would be updated faster and ASL bros will forever be protected. This is my take on Nami’s Onigashima raid attire from ch 975 in the manga, and my first ever fic.

This is also posted on my ff.net account by the same username if some people use that site :)

Word count: 3k+

Rating: T (for a tiny tiny coarse (?) language, but mostly K)

Genre: Romance, Friendship, Humor, Just pure fluff... i think.

Pairing: Zoro/ Nami

Note: Italicized words in ' ' are thoughts. The part where everything was italicized was a recollection of the past.

* * *

He extended his right hand once again. Tightening his grip on his new sword. That feeling of sucking his ryuuou is no more. The crows nest is also still intact, testament to his now control on this 'cursed' sword. As he moved to place his sword on its scabbard by his waist, he felt something shift in his haramaki. And stuck his hand in to take out the offending object.

'Oh.'

He thought, staring into the dainty object on his calloused hand.

* * * * *

A few days earlier…

"Momo was sent 20 years into the future… and stayed 8 years old. And that's why his younger sister is 26 now…" Zoro said recalling the perverted brat's face.

'That would mean that brat should technically be 28 by now!' He thought, his frown deepening as he remembered how that pervert snuggled into a certain navigator's chest.

He tried to shake off the disturbing thought of a fully grown man with his face on Nami's chest as he listened to rest of Hiyori's story.

* * *

Zoro tried to rest after his conversation with Hiyori, but can't seem to take off his good eye from the girl's head. Noting the bright color of her hair, he can't help but think of another troublesome girl with bright colored hair. How that hair was so short when he first met her, and how long it has gotten when the whole crew got back together after 2 years of being separated. He never seemed to remember if said girl ever adorned her hair with such trinkets as that on this girl's hair. Sure she would sometimes tie it up, or put in a 'pig tail' as they call it, but never with such decorations. Save for that time in Zou, with that beaded thing draped on her hair and shoulder… and that… dress. Noticing where his thoughts were dangerously heading, with his face almost scowling, he steeled himself to look at the blue haired girl's head once again, staring at the ornament placed on top of it.

"Beautiful." He thought. He was never one to be interested into such things. He's not that damned love cook after all. But for some reason his eye seem to fixate itself on that ornament. And no, it has nothing to do with how he imagined it adorning a certain orange head. At least that's what he kept telling himself.

"Eeeh!" His thoughts were broken by the sound of the older girl accompanying him and a tiny laugh from the younger one. Shifting his gaze to her face, he noted she was holding her palms to her cheeks in apparent shock, and… flattery?

'Wait. Did I say that out loud?' The swordsman frowned.

'No sense to keeping it to myself then', he sighed as he sat up.

"OI, where do you get those things?"

"Huh? I mean… pardon?" The girl said, obviously not expecting what he said and losing her 'lady like' manners for a moment.

"That thing. On your hair. That flowery thing? Where can I get one of those?"

The girl stared at him for a moment then brought her hand up to one of the ornaments on her hair. "You mean this kanzashi?"

He nodded. Not really bothering what it's called.

"Well I have a lot of these back at the flower capital, being an oiran and all. You can buy them there too, but they come at a price." She said, bringing up her index finger to her lips as though in thought. "Why? Are you interested in getting one Zorojuro?"

Zoro frowned, 'back at the flower capital? And with a price?' His frown deepening. 'So much for hoping to maybe get one.' With the witch always seeming to find ways to rack up his debt, he never seemed to have money on his person. 'Heh, see what you get for being money hungry, witch? Can't even give you something nice even if I wanted to.' He thought with an almost smirk then caught himself. 'Why the hell am I even bothering to get something for her anyway?' His almost smirk turning into an irritated frown as he scratched the back of his head.

The older girl observed as the swordsman changed facial expressions as if having a conversation with himself. "Zorojuro, if you want I can give you one. I have one still with me after all, they seem to put a lot on my head and had to remove some when I left. They tend to be uncomfortable after all when there's a lot." She said with a smile.

"Really? That would be great thanks!" He said eyeing her.

"Of course. It's the least I can do. You saved us after all." The older girl smiled, thinking it weird why a man would want a Kanzashi. 'Could other men be wearing this outside of Wano?' She thought. As far as her memory serves her, no men on the ship they were on back when she was very young had such thing on their heads. She even tried picturing a certain pineapple headed boy with a floral kanzashi on his head but quickly pushed the thought out as it looked really weird. 'Unless…' She laughed softly as she thought of the other reason why a man would want a beautiful ornament.

'That witch's luck never seem to run out after all huh?' He thought. Then he heard soft giggling from his two companions and grumpily tried to get back to taking a nap.

* * * * *

Back at the sunny, present day…

"Luffy you can't put that there! It's not gonna fit! I'm not going to tend to that after you ruin it over something so dumb." Nami scolded their ever so childish captain as she found him, along with Chopper and Usopp in front of the women's quarters. The boys were trying out the Samurai gear for their upcoming battle and Luffy was trying to put a helmet on top of his strawhat.

"Eh! But Nami! I need to look cool for battle too! I mean look at them!" He gestured to the other two Strawhats who were busy gushing over their attire with Chopper in a Samurai Helmet and Usopp in an armor and a forehead protector.

Nami sighed. "Well you have to choose just one! Either your hat or the helmet."

"Wha- No Nami! I have to wear my Hat!" The rubber boy said, as if what she said was just impossible.

Nami felt a vein popping on her temple. "Then don't wear the helmet! Why don't you just wear the armor? That way you will still look, uh, 'cool'."

"No way!" the stubborn captain said with a pout. "I won't be able to stretch freely with that!"

Nami sighed heavily, this boy won't drop this until he's satisfied he's wearing something 'cool'.

It was then that she remembered something. "Wait here." She ordered her captain as if ordering a child and went inside the women's quarters.

* * *

After a few minutes, she emerged from the room, relieved to find that Luffy actually stayed put instead of trying to find some kind of way to both wear his hat and the damn helmet. The other two boys with him have now run off to admire Franky who is also now, in a samurai helmet.

"Will this make you look cool?" She said as she handed him a black coat. She can't really remember when she got the garment but does recall thinking it looked fitting for a captain.

Luffy eyed the coat, seeming unconvinced that it would actually make him look cool. But as he grabbed and unfolded it, a grin slowly crept up his face. "Hey this looks like the one Shanks wore!" He said as he eagerly put the coat on. "Ooooh! You're right, this does look cool! Thanks Nami!"

Nami smiled back, glad to have pleased their stubborn Captain.

"Here, now you can have this! Shishishishi!" The boy excitedly pushed the samurai helmet and armor towards her.

"Ehh! I'm not gonna wear that! That would just cover my beautiful body!" The navigator protested as she hugged her curves. "And I won't be caught dead looking so ridiculous!" She barked at Luffy. But then a thought came to her… she does need to protect her 'beautiful' body after all, maybe it won't be so bad to try at least the armor? So she did.

"Oooh! Looks cool Nami!" Luffy effusively praised.

"You think so captain?" Nami smiled as she can't help but to be enthused as well. The armor doesn't look bad, it actually even hugged her figure. "Guess I'll wear it after all", she said smiling at her captain.

"Now the helmet!"

"Wha-?!" Nami's smile immediately dropped as she tried to fend off Luffy's hands as he tried to put the helmet on her head himself.

"No way am I going to wear that!" She screeched as her hand connected to her captain's head fast.

"No cool, Nami." Luffy pouted as he nursed the now enlarging bump on his head.

"You're all 'cool' now captain. Now go bother someone else!"

She sighed as she watched her captain run off laughing towards the rest of the Strawhats who were gushing over their new battle gear.

* * * * *

Inside the women's quarters, Nami adjusted the armor on her body as she inspected herself on the mirror. 'Now what to do with my hair? Keep it up maybe?' she thought.

Then there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." She shouted, not really paying mind to whoever was knocking as she started to gather her hair.

* * * 

On the other side of the door, a certain moss haired swordsman tried to maintain a straight face, not really sure what he's doing knocking on the women's quarters.

"Come in." He heard her say.

He sighed and went in, thinking what he's doing is not weird.

No, not weird at all for him. He tried to convince himself.

* * * 

"Hey."

"Hm?" Nami turned her gaze towards the door as the person she was least expecting to come over to the women's quarters walked in.

Zoro's gaze ran over the other occupant of the room. Noting the short…uh, kimono (?) dress and the armor on top of it. Can you really call something so short a Kimono? Never mind, he need not to boggle his mind over women's clothing anyway. Nothing new with her and seemingly shrunk clothes after all. Not like he disliked it but that's not saying he's obsessed with it like a certain perverted dartboard brow. It does looked good on her though, anything probably will. 'Wait what?' He caught himself with that thought. He shrugged the offensive thought and distracted himself with the armor instead, now that's new.

Nami watched as Zoro walked towards her. As he closed in on her, she decided to break the silence.

"What?"

He stood in front of her and frowned slightly with his gaze stuck on the navigator.

"Zo-" She was about to say, as she noted his gaze, the slight frown, and how he seemed to be in some kind of deep thought but was cut off by one of his hands suddenly being held towards her.

She looked at said hand then shifted her gaze toward his face. "Uhh… huh?"

Seemingly embarrassed, he looked away then opened the hand extended towards her.

Still confused, her gaze was back to his hand and was surprised to see a flowery ornament there. She paused, trying to grasp what's going on.

"Wha-?"

"Just take it." He said as his gaze shifted towards her face for a quick moment then away from her again as he tried to look annoyed.

'What's with him?' She thought as he observed him. This is the second time he cut her off in the few minutes he's been in the room. If this was any other situation, she would've nagged at him already, but... there is something different here, she felt.

"Uhm… okay?" She gently took the ornament from his hand all the while suspiciously eyeing him. He then immediately retracted his hand after.

Bringing the ornament closer to her face, she inspected it with interest with the fingers of her other hand. It's a hair ornament. She noted. A flower, with petals dangling below it. 'And it's pretty, no, it's beautiful. It looks expensive too. Wait, is Zoro… giving this to me?' Her cheeks seeming to heat up as she mulled on the idea.

She looked at him, a smile helplessly growing on her lips. "It's pretty! Where did you get it?"

Hearing her cheerful tone, his gaze was drawn back to her and was taken aback when he was greeted by a smile.

"Eh?" His previously 'annoyed' face softening. "Uh... some girl?" He replied.

"Some… girl?' Her eyes narrowing on him. "What girl?" Oh she's really curious now, not really sure why it mattered who this girl he got this ornament he's giving her from is.

"The girl with the blue hair, that pervert brat's sister." He answered coolly.

"Oh, that girl." She said in a soft voice. 'He got this from the most beautiful girl in Wano? Why? And… how?' The idea unknowingly consuming her thoughts as she tried to wrap her head around how Zoro ended up giving her such a beautiful hair ornament from the 'most beautiful girl' in the current country that they're in.

He can see as the gears on Nami's head start to be turning now and continued to observe her face as she seemed to be lost on her thoughts.

A good few seconds passed and he decided to end this slightly awkward moment. 'Look at me for once finally shutting up the ever so loud witch now', he snorted inwardly.

Then he sighed. "Just-"

She was broken from her trance as she looked up to meet his eye.

"Just thought it might look good on you." He declared, easily.

She stared at him for a while, noting his relaxed, earnest face. 'Did he just say?-'

Seeing the gears on her head turn again, he realized what he just admitted. Lone eye suddenly enlarging. If his left eye could, it probably would too.

Her mouth opened, about to speak, when he beat her to it.

"W- witch! I meant you might like it! The hell I care what looks good on you!" He said hurriedly, a little loudly, and almost choking. Then he gritted his teeth. 'Not that anything would look bad on her anyway' some invasive voice muttered in his mind, startling him. 'The heck was that?!' He thought, mentally kicking himself.

Amber eyes enlarged. Caught off guard. Boy was she caught off guard by that. She refocused her gaze on him, noticing the inner struggle he seem to be now in. Turning her gaze on the object on her hand, the very thing that brought this situation upon them, a smile once again began to blossom on the navigator's lips. 'It IS really pretty' she admitted to herself, with a slight blush powdering her cheeks and that smile she no longer can seem to fight off from reaching her eyes.

"Thank you, Zoro."

The swordsman halted his inner struggle and met her eyes. Now it's his turn to be caught off guard.

She's smiling. Not the mischievous trademark cat thief smile. But that smile. That smile he didn’t know until now he really liked seeing. That smile she has whenever they succeeded fighting off a great enemy. That smile she had when they all got back together on the Sunny after 2 years of being apart. That bright, genuine smile that sometimes makes you forget it's the same girl that can rob blind anyone she wanted or hit you in the head so hard that bumps would grow ON TOP of bumps. Not that he would have her other way, truthfully.

The swordsman's lips can't help but turn ever so slightly upwards. "Ah."

He can't tell how long they were smiling at each other like that. But he can't say he didn't like this moment of change from their usual banter. Not that he would really deny liking those too, at least to himself, but not to others. 

Unsure of what to say next, now satisfied with his 'mission', he turned to leave.

As he turned his back, the navigator brought up the ornament to admire it further. 'He really thought to give me this huh?' Their resident, lazy ass, always napping, can't find his way out of a box, swordsman. 'Turns out he's not just all, steel, muscle, and devilishly handsome face after all." Her face about to break into a grin once more. 'Wait. Handsome face?' She blinked. Her face now again starting to heat up. 'Wait no! This is Zoro we're talking about! Why am I suddenly like this?' She silently gasped, wide eyed, her other hand resting on her cheek while the other still grasped the hair ornament.

Zoro was about to push the door open when she suddenly spoke.

"But hey! Don't go thinking this means your debt will be reduced!"

He cringed, one hand resting on his swords, the other still plastered to the door knob. So much for thinking they actually had a nice moment there. He sighed, turning to look back at her, a scowl starting to form on his face.

"… s- so don't go injuring yourself or even getting yourself killed out there! Or I'll have to electrocute you back to life and drag you back from hell to make sure you can pay me back!" She blurted looking a bit flustered.

"Tsk." He said, bringing a finger to his ear. "Yeah yeah, not like you can drag me back from hell anyway. I'll be the one dragging you down there after all." His previous almost scowl now an amused- trying to look annoyed look.

Her hands are now on her hips as she puffed her cheek and stared at him.

… "So make sure you don't go down there on your own just yet, witch." He said staring directly into her eyes, now smirking. He then proceeded to turn and walk out the door and was about to close it behind him but not without hearing a sigh and the word "idiot".

* * * * *

Once alone in the room, Nami looked at the ornament in her hand once again. 'Well that was… nice', she thought, a soft chuckle escaping her.

"Guess I won't be putting my hair up after all."

** End.**

.

.

.

Bonus:

With her new hair ornament now fixed near her right temple, Nami headed out the women's quarters. Shutting the door on her back, she noticed the samurai helmet their captain previously tried to put on her head. 'See if I had that on, I won't be able to wear this.' She sighed with a smile as she tucked her hair on her right ear.

A sudden thought hit her then. 'What if…' She held out her climatact. 'He would be really helpful, might as well have him fit the theme'.

"Oh Zeus~"

"Woooh! The inside of your tact really is the best!" a delighted cloud exclaimed.

"Hmm, I wonder if it will work? Hey Zeus, I was thinking, how 'bout we replace that cap with this?" Nami suggested as she picked up the helmet on the ground.

"Huh?" The cloud said, curious but complying after remembering how her new 'master' can be when ticked off. "Okay I guess…", the cloud said as he lowered his position to allow the girl to put the helmet on his head.

"Oh, not bad after all!" The navigator commented, cheerily.

'Someone’s in a good mood.' The cloud thought looking at his new 'master' and smiling himself as he looked up at his new hat.

"Hey, the cloud is now looking cool too! Shishishishi." An amused laugh can now be heard from across the deck, followed by the cheer of a certain Tanuki, 'Almighty God Usopp' who once lead and entire army of samurais back in one of his adventures, and a 'superRR cool' robot samurai.

* * * * *

There you go. My first ever fic. Wow the last time I actually wrote a story was maybe a little more than 10 years ago? I was but an awkward teen back then. Now I'm but an awkward adult.

Just had to headcanon this after chap. 975 came out. Was lying in bed at 1 am and just thought ‘hey what if?...’. So here I am, trying to be productive by putting my daydreams into writing.

Hope you like this. If not, then it's cool too. :)