#and realizing he has always said he will become pirate king not that it's his dream

[reitziluz]

just read the newest chapter of one piece and i'm having a moment because "the first one to be called pirate" made think like huh. that puts some... emphasis on the word. and oda does do kind of hyper-literal worldplay sometimes. and pirates in one piece don't really function like irl pirates. is... is there something going on?

so.

i knew kaizoku is "sea robber"

i just learned zoku is also rebel/insurgent.

like. of course. of course. of course that's what that is.

the first revolutionary on the seas

goddamn

[penkura]

where you belong [1/10]

Summary: As Luffy's big sister, you've viewed it to be your job to see him become King of the Pirates in place of your absent parents, even as you try to find where it is you belong in the world. You never really expected to draw the attention of Trafalgar Law in the process.

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x Fem!reader

Warnings: Discussion of feelings of abandonment, age gap relationship (four years), brief secret relationship, mentions and heavy refences to sex, mentions of alcohol, typical One Piece stuff. Other warnings to be added if needed.

Notes: Hi, it's me again! Another fanfic here for you all! When this goes up, I'll be on my last day of vacation before I fly home, so I hope that you'll enjoy this! I know Straw Hat Reader x Law is popular, and I wanted to write my own, but with the Reader being Luffy's biological older sister. So for this, Reader is three years older than Luffy, 20 at the start and 22 after the timeskip, making Law four years older. I personally like older men, and age gap fics are just delicious reading material for me (within reason, nothing illegal).

Note 2: This is NOT the Law with vitiligo series. That one is actively being planned but will be separate from this one.

“And I’m gonna be King of the Pirates!!”

Luffy standing your tiny dingy boat worries you a little, but you still grin at him and nod.

“Hell yeah you will be!”

“Your turn! What’re you gonna do while we sail??”

Rolling your eyes, you make Luffy sit down while you stand up.

“Easy. I’m gonna chronicle your journey and write the greatest story ever told!”

Your younger brother watches you, tilting his head when you don’t continue. He believes there has to be more you want out of life, and tries to make you say what else is in your plans, what you have on your mind.

“And?”

Taking a breath, you nod. Of course he knew you had more, it’s Luffy, he’s been by your since he was just a few weeks old. Things you’ve said over time, to him and Ace, they’d both known for a long time what you’ve always wanted to find once you went out to sea.

“And find where it is I belong.”

+!+

Your arrival in Sabaody was a trip, in more than one way. You'd been excited to explore the place, hoping you could pawn your younger brother off on Camie, Pappag, and the others so you could have some time on your own to shop the stalls, maybe with Nami and Robin, turn it into a girl’s day. Of course, though, nothing could be so easy when your brother is the captain of the Straw Hats. You all find yourselves at the human auction hall, Nami willing to spend all the money possible to save Camie, but it makes you itchy while being there. You cringe to think about the things that happened in this place, how many people had been sold to Celestial Dragons. Your and Luffy's loss of Sabo due to the actions of one had severely soured your opinions on them.

You scan the crowd in the auction house, scratching at your arms which never seem to calm down while the rest of your crew discusses their plan to save Camie, and you end up locking eyes with another pirate captain there, unknown to you at that moment but somehow familiar.

A furry white, spotted hat, dark hair you can barely see, oddly enough you think his facial hair is attractive, and those yellow eyes that you almost would believe see right through you.

Trafalgar Law simply stares at you, realizing you’re a Straw Hat when he recognizes the rest of your crewmates. After a moment of fidgeting slightly you give him a nervous smile and a wave, which he returns with a nod before turning back to the auction stage as they continue to call bids on people.

Weird girl.

Strange guy.

Although she’s busy watching for Camie to be brought out, Nami still leans into you when you pull on her sleeve and start to whisper. “You see that guy in the white spotted hat?”

“What about him?”

“I think he’s Trafalgar Law, captain of the Heart Pirates. He’s more attractive than his poster makes him.”

Rolling her eyes, Nami pulls her arm away from you. “I don’t have time for you to be horny about some guy.”

“Wha—Nami!! I’m not! I’m just saying.”

She doesn’t listen to you anymore, focusing back on waiting for Camie and sending you to watch for Luffy, just so you don’t get distracted by the attractive enemy captain and defect to another crew.

You swear you never will, but do as you’re told to watch for your brother. Maybe one day you’ll get to properly meet Law, you’re quite curious about the young man.

+!+

“Another one?! Are you kidding me, Dragon?!”

You’re three years old when you wake up to your grandfather yelling at someone in the middle of the night. Normally Garp is sure to keep things quiet so you, his sweet little princess angel granddaughter, can sleep peacefully. He’d leave early in the morning once your nanny showed up for the day, returning before dinner so he had the evenings with you before you had to be off to bed, to do the day over again the next morning. It’s rare for you to stay up late or wake up early, but the few mornings you’ve woken up before he left were some of Garp’s favorites.

You quietly slip out of your bed, blanket in your hand as you rub your eyes and go to the door, opening it just enough to see what’s happening. Garp is there with someone in a green cloak, you can’t see the other person’s face, but listen anyway.

“He’s the last one, there won’t be anymore.”

“You said [Y/N] was going to be the only one!”

“Things happened.”

“Obviously something happened, babies don’t appear out of thin air!’

You tilt your head, the man in the cloak catching your eye, which makes you shy away behind your doorway, glancing away before back to him as he looks to Garp again.

“Take care of them.” He goes to leave and is gone before Garp can even stop him.

“Dragon, wait--! That…damn idiot.”

“Grandpa?”

Garp is surprised to hear your voice, turning around once he closes the door, giving you a smile while you start to focus on the bundle he's holding.

“Hey there, princess, what are you doing up?”

“I heard yelling…”

Nodding, Garp apologizes as he picks you up, letting you settle on his free arm. “Sorry about that, angel. Just… an unexpected visitor.”

“Oh…”

Garp sees you staring more at the bundle of blankets in his arm than at him, and he sighs a bit, taking you to the living room and setting you on the couch, before showing you how to position your arms as he sets the now squirming bundle in your arms.

“[Y/N], this is your baby brother. His name is Luffy.”

How unexpected! You’ve never thought about having a sibling, just enjoying your childhood and life with your grandpa, but seeing this tiny little boy in your just as small arms makes you grin while you look at him. Dark black hair and just as dark eyes, scrunched up little face and tiny hands in fists while he starts to fuss and whine.

“Luffy…”

+!+

Luffy…

You hope your prayers aren’t going unheard, that Luffy will return to you safely. Ace’s death has long passed, but you’re more worried about your little brother than anything else right now. You’d both been sent off to Amazon Lily by Kuma, but after they’d all agreed to let you both stay, and Boa Hancock seems to have fallen in love with him, Luffy left you there to go rescue Ace, that was nearly three weeks ago now, you think. You want him back, both of them, but want to see Luffy more than anyone else.

“Luffy’s returned, [Y/N]-san!”

“He has?!”

Marguerite nods and you quickly get up from your seat and run after her to wherever Luffy is. The newspapers kept implying he was dead, you were terrified you’d lost him and Ace that day, no updates from anyone apart from the papers cheering for the Navy’s alleged victory, for the deaths of Ace and Whitebeard. The Amazons, all so kind to let you stay while Luffy went to try and rescue Ace, were unsure of how to help you the last two weeks once Ace’s vivre card burned to nothing in your hands and made you nearly inconsolable.

Despite that, your prayers hadn’t gone unheard.

Once you’re at the beach that Luffy should be at, you notice immediately the big yellow submarine with the word DEATH on it and it freaks you out more than anything. You don’t know who owns it, but when you catch sight of someone you’ve only seen in person once, you worry that he’s done something to Luffy. You don’t say a word, but someone in a jumpsuit (boiler suit you think?) calls out “captain” just in time for him to turn towards you as you shove the older boy to the ground, placing yourself on top of him and your knife to his neck.

Part of you wishes it was poisoned right now, just in case this Trafalgar Law has done something to your brother.

“Where’s Luffy?!”

The knife you have at his neck doesn’t phase Law even a tiny bit, it’s the fact that someone so much shorter and smaller than him was able to catch him off guard and shove him to the ground the way you did. You’re angry for some reason, giving him a nasty glare but look like you’re about to cry on top of it, as he just stares at you, his crewmembers shouting for you to get off their captain before he raises a hand to stop them.

“Who—”

“Tell me, where is my brother?!”

Oh so that’s what’s wrong, that’s who you are. Whether you’re related to Luffy by blood or by ritual cup like Ace was, Law doesn’t know, but he’s sure you want reassurance you haven’t lost two brothers in one day.

“Are you [Y/N]?”

You turn your head to look over your shoulder at Jinbei, still glaring. “Who’s asking?!”

“I was friends with your brother Ace, he told me about you and Luffy while we were in Impel Down.”

“He…did?”

You’ve calmed down so quickly hearing Ace’s name, retracting your knife just slightly, while Jinbei explains things to you. You don’t move off of Law though, listening quietly, fighting the desire to cry more. You’ve done enough of that, you don’t want to anymore today.

Law doesn’t even try to move you off, knowing, like Luffy, you’re emotionally hurting right now. He doesn’t want to risk you slicing his neck either, even as Jinbei finishes telling you everything Ace did, and you still don’t move or look at Law.

“Ace hopes you find what you’re looking for.”

You clench your jaw a bit at first, before smiling sadly and nodding, thanking Jinbei for the information before Law speaks up.

“If you get off me, I can take you to Straw Hat-ya.” 

You blink, finally looking back to Law, and you feel your face burn with a blush when you realize your position and scramble to get off him, apologizing the whole way while he shakes his head. Once he’s on his feet, Law let’s you onto the Polar Tang and leads you down the hallway to the infirmary, updating you on Luffy’s condition the best he can with the knowledge he has.

“If he pulls through this, the most you’ll have to worry about is his mental health.”

“Mm.” You nod, grabbing Law’s arm as he stops to open a door, making him look back at you. “I apologize for shoving you down.”

“I’ve been through worse,” Law shrugs, you could tell just from looking at him, though he does smirk a bit at you, “Never had a girl push me down and hold a poisoned knife to my neck before though.”

“It wasn’t poisoned,” you almost shout, but keep your voice down to not wake Luffy, “…this time…”

He almost laughs, but when you see Luffy finally, you’re instantly but his side, taking his hand and trying to keep yourself from crying seeing him in such a state. He’d been injured badly before, but never like this, never this close to death.

“Luffy…oh Luffy, I’m here, Lu,” you brush his bangs away from his face before kissing his forehead, “I’m so sorry I wasn’t there, I should’ve come with you…”

Law doesn’t bother you for the next several minutes, stepping out so you have some privacy while you make sure Luffy is all right, your quiet prayers that he wakes soon and heals quickly don’t go unheard by the surgeon of death, who thinks back to his own sister and the prayers he’d once prayed for her health as a child.

As an older sibling, he gets it. While he still doesn’t know yet if you’re related by blood or sworn siblings, he does see how much you care for Luffy, and for your sake he hopes your captain wakes sooner rather than later.

+!+

You spend the next two weeks in and out of the Polar Tang, checking on Luffy and praying over him to wake soon, Law being the one to take you in and lead you back out most of the time, even though you’ve memorized the path already. The next time you leave Luffy to continue recovering, the friends you and Luffy have made from Amazon Lily have shown up in the time you’ve been with him, bringing food and drinks for you all. As you walk over to where he’s seated, Law offers you a drink that you reject with a shake of your head, sitting on the other side of the tree and bringing your knees up to your chest, hiding your face in them.

“Any signs he’s waking up?”

Shaking your head, you sigh and lean back, looking at the people around to distract yourself from worrying over Luffy.

“That your crew?”

“Yep. All twenty of them.”

You smile a bit, watching the Heart Pirates goof off while some have their meal and share drinks. It almost reminds you of the Straw Hats and makes your heart ache from missing them deeply.

“You have a nice group there.”

“They can be a handful.”

It makes you laugh a bit, nodding before you decide to stop wallowing and get back up, standing beside Law where he stays seated.

“Think you should hold this for now.”

Law tosses Luffy’s straw hat to you, and you grit your teeth a bit while you stare at it. You had wondered where it was, seeing it wasn’t around when you were with Luffy. You hold nothing but the highest regards for Shanks, he'd been an inspiration for you and Luffy when you were children, he helped end the war and helped Law save Luffy, but how you wish he’d shown up sooner. Maybe he could’ve helped Ace too.

“Thank you, for holding this.”

“Seems important to him, he’s not Straw Hat-ya without it.”

Smiling a bit, you nod. “He’s certainly not.”

“How do you—”

“I’m his big sister. I was three when our dad dropped him off with me and grandpa. We’ve been together almost every day since.”

“I see.”

You’re not entirely sure you trust Law, despite his saving Luffy, but you’re willing to give him a shot. At least let him know a bit about your history with Ace too, since he'd been there when you hadn’t been. Where Luffy asked you not to go.

“We met Ace and another boy when I was ten, and become sworn siblings with them soon after. The other boy died a few months later,” you grip the straw hat a bit tighter, but loosen your hold after being stabbed in the hand by sharp bits of straw, “a Celestial Dragon did it, we’ve not been fans of them since, so Luffy punching that one in Sabaody felt like some payback.”

“That makes sense.”

After a few minutes of silence, you finally realize something and turn to Law, sticking your hand out for him.

“Never introduced myself. Monkey D. [Y/N]. I don’t really use my last name though.”

Law takes your hand after a moment, nodding. “Trafalgar Law.”

“Thank you for saving my baby brother.”

“Don’t thank me until he wakes up.”

As if almost on cue, the door comes flying off the Polar Tang and you both whip your heads over, Law running ahead of you as you follow, and Luffy’s the next thing to almost fly out of the ship.

“Luffy!!”

You’re about to run to him before Law grabs hold of your arm, pulling you to himself and holding you still, even while you thrash around and listen to Luffy call for Ace. It breaks your heart to see him so upset, and you just want to console him, have him do the same for you, while you both continue to grieve for Ace. But Law won’t let you go to him, fear or concern your brother might hurt you while he fights through pain and raging emotions, before he disappears into the forest.

“Luffy, come back!!”

You barely register Jinbei asking what’ll happen if Luffy continues to flail and run off like that, before Law speaks and your heart almost drops to your stomach at the thought.

“If he continues to move around like that he could reopen his wound and bleed out. He’ll die.”

Quickly you turn around and Law isn’t at all shocked to see the tears welling up in your eyes as you grip his shirt, still holding Luffy’s straw hat.

“Don’t let that happen!! Please!! He’s all I have! Luffy is my whole world, I can’t lose him!!”

Unsure of what to do, especially once you lay your head on his chest while you cry, Law hesitantly wraps his arms around you and watches Jinbei go off to Luffy. Maybe he’ll be able to calm your brother down before he really hurts or kills himself.

You’ve both been through a lot the last few weeks, losing Luffy would break you more than losing Ace did to him.

+!+

“I’m sorry I got snot on your shirt.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’ll wash.”

You glance away and keep your eyes averted while Law changes shirts, having taken you onto the Polar Tang while Jinbei attempts to calm Luffy down. He didn’t fully mean to bring you into his room, but he never let go of your wrist while he led through the ship, making you sit down to hopefully calm you down. You do catch sight of his tattoos, wanting to say something but you don’t want to sound like a creep or a pervert at the same time.

“Why don’t you use your last name?”

Law surprises you once he’s changed shirts, this one almost the same as the yellow one he’d been wearing, but now a dark blue with a furry, feathery collar that you really want to pet, it looks soft. But again, you don’t want to seem like a creep.

For a moment you’re quiet, before you cross your arms and lean against the wall, shrugging.

“Why should I use the name of someone who abandoned me? I only have one memory of my father, and it was when he dropped off Luffy.”

“Your grandfather is Garp, isn’t he?”

“I love my grandpa like he’s my dad…but I don’t want to use my last name.”

Law nods a bit, seeming to understand. You felt abandoned, and wanted nothing to do with your biological father, instead viewing Garp in that light, which makes sense.

He'd viewed Corazon in the same light at one point.

“Your mother?”

“I know nothing about her. It’s like…” You start to bury your head in your knees again, almost digging your nails into your arms, “Like I don’t know who I am half the time…”

He gets that too, the same feelings after Flevance, after losing Corazon and leaving the Don Quixote family, leaving Doflamingo behind. Many times of looking in the mirror and asking “who the hell am I”.

Law is about to respond, before one of his crewmembers yells for you both that Luffy and Jinbei have returned to the beach, and you’re out the door so fast he isn’t able to believe it. He follows you out, not all surprised to see you and Luffy hugging each other tightly once he exits his ship.

Your bond with Luffy would be on full display the next few days, Law truthfully does wonder if he and Lammy would’ve been the same.

+!+

“I met some people who are friends with our dad.”

“You what?”

Luffy nods, giving you this information during dinner one evening, while you stare at him with such a blank look that Law thinks you’ve completely shut down. You didn’t say too much about your dad while you relayed some of your childhood to him earlier that day, apart from your perceived abandonment, but the look you have isn’t a very happy one.

“They’re were some cool people! They helped me escape that prison and…tried to help me save Ace.”

“So they were revolutionaries.”

“Yeah, they…they said they didn’t even know we existed.” Luffy scrunches up his face a bit while you frown, then pat his head.

“I’m not surprised, Lu.”

Luffy makes a face now, one that’s almost disgusted but annoyed but upset maybe. Law swears he isn’t trying to eavesdrop, you two are sitting too close to him anyway, you’re practically pressed up against his side. You both appear to have problems with your father, after the little bit you’ve told him and how you confessed to feeling abandoned by your parents. He wonders briefly is Luffy feels the same, even as your younger brother leans against you, pushing you fully into Law’s arm and making you glance up at him apologetically. He doesn’t move, once again doesn’t push you off, instead shifting his arm enough for you to be comfortable.

When Luffy falls asleep, you finally speak again.

“Luffy met our dad once, in Loguetown”

“Oh yeah?”

“Neither of us knew until grandpa told us…he didn’t even stop to say anything to me…”

“…I’m sorry.”

You shrug, watching Luffy. It still stung to know that, to know that Dragon didn’t even seek you out when he must’ve known you were on Luffy’s crew, that you’d never leave him to do this alone. When Garp told you he’d been in Loguetown that day, it felt like a knife in your heart that you didn’t even get to see or speak to your father.

Law, while he watches you start to drift off to sleep yourself, thinks about his own dad and Corazon at the same time. He had two fathers in the end, who both cared about and loved him deeply, both wanting to protect him as long as they could. He had his mother and Lammy too, you had Luffy and Garp, but it wasn’t enough for you, and it makes sense. To not have that connection with the people who gave you life, Law can’t even imagine how difficult that must be.

He ignores the slight snickers and comments from his crew when they see you leaned against him, even has he slightly tilts his head towards yours, not going all the way to lay his against your own. Even when Shachi makes a small comment about ‘love’ being in the air at Amazon Lily, Law doesn’t open his eyes to respond or even Shambles his friend away.

You won’t see each other again for a long time after this, most likely, so he’s willing to give you some comfort and allow his crew to see him a little softer than normal.

+!+

“Bye, thanks for your help, Traffy!”

Law tries not to grimace at the nickname Luffy’s given him over the last few days, nodding to you both as his crew also shouts goodbyes and wave to you both, you personally sad to see them leave. You’d spent so much time getting to know them while taking care of Luffy, that it felt like you were losing friends again. You’d probably see them one day, maybe as friends but maybe as foes, yet, you’d like to see more of Law and learn about him like he had you.

Luffy notices your face, the sad look it has, then looks back to the Heart Pirates as they start to disappear below deck. You’ve already chosen to stay on Amazon Lily the next two years and learn from the women there how to fight, but even watching you the last couple days, he could see your heart wasn’t in it. You more so loved using your knives and making poisons, he remembers the one he and Ace mistakenly drank thinking it was lavender tea from Makino. You weren’t an archer or a swordswoman, you much prefer close combat and paralyzing your enemies. Your work during Enies Lobby earned you your $25 million berri bounty, the Navy having trouble recreating antidotes from the one you’d left with a knocked out marine, they knew you’d be trouble one day.

With all that in mind, Luffy sneaks up behind you, wrapping his arms around you in what you first believe to be a hug, before he lifts you up and you look at him. He’s got a grin that concerns you greatly as the color drains from your face.

“Luffy.”

He giggles a bit, nodding at you to brace yourself.

“Luffy, don’t you dare.”

“Have fun with Traffy for two years!!!”

He doesn’t give you anymore room to argue, flinging you towards the Polar Tang, making you yell for Law to pay attention, and he barely does in time to catch you, knocking both of you to the ground, several Heart Pirates making sure both of you are all right and that Law didn’t hit his head on anything.

You’re up and holding onto the railing, yelling at Luffy, “You’re an idiot!!!”

He pretends he can’t hear you, waving widely and shouting another goodbye, but to you this time.

Once Law is sitting up, realizing what the hell has happened, he sighs a bit while you look back to him.

“I’m sorry, Trafalgar. You can turn back and I’ll beat some sense into him!”

One of his crewmembers, you’re pretty sure it’s Shachi, leans down to ask him, “Should we? Kinda seems like Straw Hat wants us to take her along.”

He sighs, taking his hat off and running his hand through his hair, shaking his head.

“You can stay.”

“…huh?”

You tilt your head in confusion, Law doesn’t think it’s cute at all no matter what that weird feeling in his chest is, while he stands up and nods at you.

“The Amazons might get angry if we return without permission, so we’ll just…take you along…and then bring you to Sabaody.”

Blinking several times, you’re still confused while some of his crew laugh, Penguin coming up to pat you on the back.

“You’re a temporary Heart Pirate! We’ll take care of you!”

Nodding, Law turns to go below deck.

“Say your goodbye, we’ll be going under shortly.”

While the rest of them follow after their captain, you turn back and see Luffy still waving at you, which makes you sigh and shake your head. You do smile though, you had wanted to continue getting to know Law and his crew, this was a perfect opportunity, and maybe he could help you with creating effective antidotes for your poisons.

“Luffy! Love you, see you in two years!”

“Okay!!!!”

Once you go below deck, Penguin being the one to wait for you in order to close the door properly, he starts to show you around a bit, the rest of the crew happy to see you’re staying with them for now, while Law keeps a slight distance unless he’s asked about something. You looking around and being so impressed by the submarine caused another weird feeling in his chest, and he fights to ignore it, especially when you thank him for letting you stay with a smile, which he waves off with an “It’s nothing”.

It's going to be an interesting two years.

[pholla-jm]

Red String

IMAGINE: RED STRING ~ LUFFY X READER GENRE: FLUFF cw: soulmate au! luffy is a bit ooc. *************

The day when a red string attached itself to his left pinky, he didn’t really care for it. Luffy didn’t have time for finding his soulmate, or even having time for a soulmate. He had a mission- to become the King of the pirates.

Most of the time he ignored it. However, when he was bored he would tug on the string, swing it around, or try to tie it to things. Sometimes he would get annoyed that the string wouldn’t come off. 

Most days, he doesn’t even realize that it’s there. 

Until one day, the string tugged, and tugged hard. Tugged so hard that it jerked his hand downwards. 

This has never happened before, and he was confused as to why it happened. What did it mean? 

“You ready, captain?” His crewmate, Robin asks him. 

He looked up at her, noticing that she was holding a bag on her shoulder. That’s right, they were leaving the ship. Going on an adventure on this new island. 

Excitement fills his veins, and he only takes one glance at his left pinky before looking back at Robin with a large grin. The red string is now long forgotten and he is not worried by the slight movement. 

However, Robin notices the glance that Luffy casts down at his hand. Robin is smart, and it didn’t take her long to figure out what he was looking at. She has seen Luffy play with the string multiple times. Granted, she couldn’t see the string but it sure looked strange whenever he played with air. 

“Yeah! Let’s go!” He shouts before he jumps off the ship. 

It isn’t long until the both of them were walking through town, looking for food since his stomach was rumbling. 

Suddenly he got a whiff of something delicious. It smelled warm and sweet, he was immediately drawn to the source of the smell. 

Luffy was soon standing in front of a small building. The windows were open, and it was clear that the source of the smell was coming from the small building. He bursts through the doors, ready to devour it all. 

However, he stops short when he goes through those doors. The string on his pinky felt tighter and it was like his sight zeroed in on the person in front of him. 

The person who’s hair was tied up, and out of the way. Wearing an apron over simple clothes that were lightly dusted with flour. 

“Hi, welcome-” Your voice stops when you feel the tug on your pinky and your vision zeroes in on him.

You already knew what this meant, but for some reason this made you nervous. 

You cough slightly, trying to ease any nerves that coursed through your body. 

“Welcome, how can I help you today?” 

Luffy blinks a couple of times, processing the words that you had just said. He didn’t know what to do in this situation. How were you going to react? 

Robin tilts her head, looking at the two of you. A small smile makes a way on her face as she realizes what is happening.

“Can we have two of everything, please?” She spoke up and you were taken back. “Two of everything?” “Yes please.” 

“Right! Of course.” You walk around the counter, starting to grab the pastries. “Oh, togo or for here?” 

“Here, please.” Robin says with a smile and pushes Luffy over to one of the two tops. “Of, course. It’ll be out shortly.” “Thank you.” 

“Are you okay, Captain?” Robin asks. “Huh? Yeah! Why wouldn’t I be?” Robin giggles, “well if I didn’t know better. I would say that person over there… is your soulmate.” 

Luffy’s eyes widen, and a slight blush covers his ears. Was he being that obvious? 

“Here we go. Two of everything.” Their conversation is interrupted when you bring them their desired pastries.

You lingered by the table, unsure of what to do. Should you say something? Make the first move? No, that’s too embarrassing. 

“Uh, I hope you enjoy.” You mutter before scurrying to the back. You put a hand over your chest, trying to calm down your racing heart. Why were you so nervous? 

Well you knew why you were so nervous. You always wondered what your soulmate would be like. You wondered if he was a kind person. Would he even like you? 

You suddenly hear a shout. It wasn’t one of panic, but one of joy. 

You peek around the corner, “is everything okay?” slight worry traced in your voice. 

The boy looks at you with wide eyes and a large smile on his face, “these are so good!” He shouts holding up one of the pastries. 

You smile at him, “thank you.” “Did you make these yourself?” He asks. 

His question washes away the nervousness and you're soon making your way to him.  

“Yes! I made them myself. It’s my own recipe, and I have more recipes I’m working on as well.” You start to ramble on, a little embarrassed because you tend to fangirl over baking. “Can I try them?!” “Of course! I would be honored if you liked them.”

Luffy starts to laugh, happy that you were willing to give him more of your delicious pastries. 

However, it dawned on him that he wasn’t going to be staying on the island long. And he really wanted to try more of your food. 

“You should join my crew then!” “Huh? You’re crew?” “Yeah! I’m gonna be the king of the pirates!” 

You were silent for a while. Thinking about what you should do. You didn’t have any family on this island, and nothing wasn’t holding you back. Except for one thing, 

“Well… I’m not strong enough to join the future king of pirates.” Luffy’s smile falters a little bit. Sure he needed his crew to be strong, but he didn’t really care if you were strong or not. He just knew that he needed you by his side. 

It might be the fact that you were supposed to be soulmates, but the strong urge to have you by his side was just too strong.

“Don’t worry about that! You’ll always be safe on my crew.” 

His words caused your heart to skip a beat. You didn’t know him, but you trusted the words that came out of his mouth. “Yeah… yeah, okay! I’ll join.” 

Luffy’s grin is as big as ever now. 

“Can I have the name of the future king of the pirates?” “My name is Monkey D. Luffy.” “(l/n)(y/n). It’s a pleasure to meet you.” You say with a slight bow of your head. 

Luffy looks down at his pinky, seeing the red string now tied in a bow. He looks over to your hand, seeing the same thing. He never thought this day would come, but he is happy that it finally came.

[beanghostprincess]

It still amazes me the number of people who see the juxtaposition between Nami and Usopp during Wano and their fight against Ulti as "Nami's devotion to Luffy is unmatched, unlike Usopp's" when she isn't able to say he won't be the king of the pirates but Usopp is telling her to lie.

I think most people don't have in mind, either, that Usopp isn't the one being directly asked. He is looking out for Nami and begging her to lie to keep her alive because he is scared to death they might lose her for something as insignificant as lying. For him, lying is a form of survival and it is not that big of a deal because he trusts Luffy enough to tell Nami to lie about her feelings. It is something that will only stay between them because he knows it is better to lie than to die and Luffy would want it that way too.

And that doesn't mean he isn't loyal to Luffy or his dream. He is just looking out for Nami's safety. And as I said-- He isn't being asked directly, either. It is easier to tell others to lie about something of the sort than to do it yourself, and if the roles were reversed I personally think he'd have the most awful of times with it too.

Nami refuses to say Luffy won't become the king of the pirates because for her, even if lying has gotten her out of messes, she puts her trust and loyalty in Luffy before her own instincts of survival because lying is what got her to push them away when they first met and this is the one thing she can't lie about because it would hurt more than death.

Then again, I think she would do the same exact thing Usopp did if she wasn't being the one asked. It is the whole point of the scene, actually. They both know the most rational thing is to lie so the one witnessing the scene will always be cold-headed about it, but the one having to lie is the one suffering the bitter realization of how lying about this and saying it out loud is way harder than it seems from an outsider's perspective.

So I am tired of seeing people criticizing Usopp for his decision during the fight against Ulti as if it were that easy for him to see Nami being about to get killed if she doesn't lie. Sorry for the guy to actually want to protect the people he loves instead of letting her be reckless and basically kill herself freely for telling a truth even Luffy would tell her to lie about if it meant living.

[goddessofroyalty]

So this was based on a silly joke I have in my head about hormonal birth control not working for omega!Sanji for (spoilers) reasons and him and Zoro then ending up with 3 kids on the pirate journey because they keep breaking condoms.

Anyway this is just them finally making it back to the Baratie and having to face up to Zeff about it (from Zeff’s POV)

Pairing: Zoro/Sanji

Tags: omegaverse, mpreg

---------

Zeff will admit he is slightly surprised at the swell in Sanji’s stomach when he showed up again as part of what seems to be the new Pirate King and crew’s Victory Tour.

It’s not that Eggplant had given him no indication of it – he had been getting more and more jittery every damn time he’d gotten in touch as the Strawhats made their various stops before reaching the Baratie. Saying how some things had happened during his travels and that he’d needed to talk to Zeff about them in person. But Zeff had assumed it was to do with his damnable family. Not that his woman-obsessed omega son had gone and got himself knocked up. By an alpha, going by the new layer of scent clinging on top of the one he remembers to be Sanji’s.

And, because wonder’s don’t fucking cease, they’ve only just gotten through their tearful hug when a little green-haired girl comes running over. Clinging to Eggplants leg and staring up at Zeff with curious, familiar, blue eyes.

“I thought you were staying on the ship Princess?” Eggplant says, brushing a hand through her hair. And Zeff is equally sure that actually Sanji told her to stay on the ship as he is that his boy was as much a pushover to his daughter as he had been any woman who had stepped foot into the Baratie before he left.

“You know she wasn’t gonna’ as soon as she found out this was your old home.” And there was the newly minted World’s Greatest Swordsman and apparently sire to Zeff’s grandkids walking in like it had been his home as well and not the place he had gotten nearly cut in half by the former owner of the title.

And, fucks sake, there was another little one resting on his hips as he does it with that same matching green hair.

“I do remember teaching you about the importance of making them wrap it,” Zeff grumbles, because going by the age of the older one the two it hadn’t been all that long after Sanji left that he had gotten himself knocked up. “I know you said you weren’t planning on getting with any alphas but I know you were still listening.”

Eggplant goes red at it before glaring at Roronoa who gives a grin back that is entirely too filthy and leaves Zeff sure that he doesn’t actually want to know.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Zeff asks more to move the topic away from his kid’s sex life before he finds out more about it than he wants to.

They had been exchanging letters and calls on and off the whole time and never once had Eggplant mentioned that he was going to be or had become a granddad in any of them.

“I did try to but I couldn’t say anything too direct in case it got intercepted,” Sanji explains, resting a protective hand over his middle while the other curls around the girl at his side.

It makes some degree of sense. Best way to keep the two, soon to be three, pups from being a target is to have nobody know they exist in the first place.

Maybe Zeff should have guessed something like this was up when Sanji had asked him how he had dealt with the stress of raising a kid in the dangerous world they lived in. But he had just assumed his boy had finally matured enough to realize how much of an antagonistic dumbass he had been at times.

“I did want to tell you though,” Sanji continues, his voice guilty.  

Roronoa has moved close to his mate’s side, not touching though. Which is probably what Sanji actually wants – always had been a bit funny about any too direct an offer of comfort. Something Zeff’s probably as much to blame for as anything else in his life.

“You have no idea how many times I nearly did.”

“Probably for the best you didn’t,” Zeff says because he can’t have his kid feeling guilty for doing the smart thing. “I don’t know if I’d have been able to keep away if you did.”

Neither he nor his ship these days are made for the journey to the Grand Line. And it wouldn’t have been good for Sanji or the rest of the crew of his to have an old pirate getting underfoot while they were making names for themselves on history’s pages.

“Hell, I’m gonna’ struggle letting you sail off with my grandkids with you now. You better come visit more than you have been!” He doesn’t actually hold it against them and damn well know the reason why this is the first time he’s seen them since Sanji left to join a pirate crew. But he still missed years of his grandkids lives as a result and they had better make up for it.

[biscuitboba]

Yall, another zoro-centered article from CBR just dropped!!

I just love how zolu truthers always talk about how zoro's relationship with luffy is different from the rest of the strawhats, but we are not alone in this as some op male fans think so too!!!

Like, you said it man!!!!

💯💯💯

Personally i think i've talked a lot (i'm talking about my previous posts) about zoro being luffy's anchor or luffy being zoro's compass, but "Zoro serves as luffy's compass" (even with his questionable sense of direction) is actually such a nice perspective from a non-zolu person, and i think that yes, he is right.

I just love how the author keeps on emphasizing zoro's loyalty to luffy, cause it's very clear to see how zoro's loyalty to his captain is so different, you just need a basic reading comprehension skills, and you will be able to see it

This right here.... ofc i've talked about this particular topic before (in fact i think every points written by him, i've made a post about it somehow😭) but yea, he's spot on. Couldn't have said it any better

"By the time of the TB arc, zoro came to a realization about his dream. More than anything, he wants to help luffy to become the pirate king and to do just that, he must become the strongest for his captain instead of just himself" oh zoro... the first mate that you are

"Zoro is the vice-captain", exactly

And ughh.. i just love how he can't stop bringing up the importance of the captain and the first mate's relationship??

"Zoro met luffy and his whole life changed" ,"He has been with the future pirate king the longest", et cetera...

Last but no least, of course you cannot talk about the relationship between zoro and luffy without talking at length about thriller bark and zoro's sacrifice

[maximumqueer]

I have so many thoughts about Koby because of the most recent chapter (even though he was only present for three panels - one of which was a flash back). It's just that I have always been hopeful that Koby would realize the corrupt nature of the marine system he is working for, and leave it. (Yes Koby's dream is/was to join the marines, but the core of that dream is a desire to help people, the marine system is not conducive with actually helping others in the way in which Koby wishes too). Afterall he is still friends with Luffy, so he has some idea that not every pirate is horrible, and he has also met marines that have done horrible things, so he knows that not all marine are good. His thinking, while it still leans more black and white, is not nearly as stark as the majority of marines. But his moment this chapter

Has me thinking that might not be the case anymore. And I do think, looking back, that there were signs. Koby apprenticing under Garp - a man who is aware of the corrupt nature of the marines but chose to stay any way, as well as more recent switch from simply an officer to a member of SWORD - a system of marines who on paper put in their resignations but for all intents and purposes are still marines, now with less restrictions placed on them. Both of these (in my opinion) point to Koby becoming more entrenched within the marine system - rather than questioning it. Koby did stand up to Akainu during Marineford, but he also stood in Luffy's way - participating in the system that was trying to execute Ace for his bloodline.

And this most recent declaration from his, claiming that he has to stop Luffy from achieving his dream, from going after the One Piece, has made me realize that Koby has bought into the propaganda of the marines and the World Government more than I had previously thought. Because I don't know how else Koby could have heard Vegapunk's speech - where he said that the World Government had been deliberately hiding and erasing a part of history - and deciding that the course of action to take would be to prevent Luffy from uncovering that history via stopping him from achieving (what Koby views as) his dream of becoming the King of the Pirates, instead of questioning WHY the government found it so necessary to hide a part of history in the first place, unless of course Koby has (unfortunately) bought into, to a degree, the propaganda of the World Government.

This line from Koby as me thinking that he is being set up as a proper antagonist to Luffy, and no longer a more neutral agent in the story. Also, I feel the need to point out that antagonist doesn't equal villain. I'm not suggesting that Koby is somehow evil or unredeemable now, but just that with this statement - as well as a slow build-up from earlier in the story - that Koby is now more explicitly opposed to Luffy in a way that could lead to a confrontation between the two of them.

And while I do still hope that Koby will still come around, I do like the idea of Koby "falling" in a way, and ending up more completely buying into the marine way of thinking - something that earlier on he was shown to be opposed to (in the form of his confrontation with Captain Axe-Hand Morgan). It would work as good commentary on how no one is immune to propaganda, and that includes people trying to do good like Koby.

[screeching-bunny]

Yandere! One Piece ASL

Warnings: Obsessive Behavior, Yandere Thoughts, Bad Writing, Stalking, Possessive Behavior, Reader is Referred as ‘You’

Yandere! Monkey D. Luffy

🌟 Would be super clingy to the point that it’d be unbearable.

🌟 Luffy is already protective of his crew mates but with you it’s 100000 times worse. If he so much as sees a paper cut on you he’s going to act like you’re dying and the world is falling apart. He would immediately bring you to Chopper for a check up.

🌟 Whenever you’re around he acts like a lost puppy. He likes to follow you around a lot even around the ship. When you guys explore an island he makes sure to always hold your hand.

🌟 In order for him to sleep comfortably he needs to be coiled around you like a snake. His hold is very tight, there’s no way your getting out of that.

🌟 You most likely met him when he was a child. He probably saw you in town with some tasty food and you ended up offering some to him. Gradually over time, he kept coming back to you and before you knew it, he’s beside you 24/7.

🌟 Made a promise to you that when he becomes pirate king he would make you his pirate queen. Even after you repeatedly told him that you don’t want to become a pirate.

🌟 Definitely kidnaps you off of Dawn Island so that you can join him on his pirate adventures.

🌟 No matter how strong you are he always worries about your safety and fights your fights for you. When Luffy encounters his first battle at sea, he makes sure to lock u somewhere safe.

🌟 Will surprisingly share his food with you and makes you sit next to him when it’s dinner time. You’re the only person that he does not steal food from.

🌟 Everything that he owns is basically yours too. He is willing to share anything he has in order to make you happy.

🌟 You’re the only one on the crew who he actively listens to. Which delights Nami most of the time. Will listen to your words like it’s a lifeline. The only thing that he ignores is when you pleads to leave.

🌟 Is an attention whore and enjoys when your eyes are on him. If their not he will actively whine until he gets your attention. “Awhhh come on pay attention me”

🌟 If you ever try to run away he would just lock you in a room until he thinks you learned your lesson. Won’t ever hurt you physically, he can’t bare to see you in pain.

🌟 Over all compared to other One Piece characters, Luffy is not the worst Yandere to have. He loves you with all his heart besides what would a king do without HIS QUEEN.

Yandere! Sabo

🌟 Is 100% a manipulative little shit. He knows exactly what he wants and how he’s going to get it.

🌟 He wants you to have exactly zero communication with anyone but him. Koala is the only exception though, he’ll allow you to have her as your only friend.

🌟 Is the type to kill anyone he views as a love rival instantly in broad daylight. Like why are they talking to you don’t they know you’re his?

🌟 He imprisons you in a room so that the only one you can see is him. He gets so thrilled knowing that you’re depending on him to bring you food and other necessities.

🌟 You’re only allowed to eat if he hand feeds you. You just look so cute sitting on his lap while he spoon feeds you your lunch.

🌟 If you ever tried to escape he would be so furious. In retaliation, he would drag you back and break both of your knee caps so that you won’t ever run away again. Don’t you know he’s doing this for love? Why won’t you just listen?!

🌟 I can see you being a normal civilian he met in a village while stocking up for supplies. He falls in love the moment he sees you smilie, it’s just so mesmerizing. From then on he approaches you to get to know you better and is completely smitten over your personality.

🌟 He decides to kidnap you when he realizes that he needs to leave before the marines catch him. He believes that everything he does is justified because you simply just belong to him. Would definitely gaslight you if you said otherwise.

🌟 At night, he sleeps while holding you in a possessive hug. Whenever you need to get up to use the bathroom or drink some water you can feel his eyes linger on your body.

🌟 To be honest he’s probably just waiting for the Stockholm syndrome to kick in already. All he wants is for you to love him, why won’t you understand that?!?!

🌟 Enjoys listening to your voice, it’s the only thing that can get him to relax and calm down after a long day. You’re basically his lifeline.

🌟 Wishes to one day grow old and have children with you. It’s one of his biggest dreams and he just couldn’t imagine a life without you at this point. You just mean so much to him.

🌟 Does not care if anyone criticizes his actions. He’s going to continue to do his thing not matter what anyone says. Besides if they ever tried to do something to stop him he could easily just kill them.

🌟 Over all compared to the other two he’s probably the worst yandere to have due to how possessive he is. With him as your partner you most likely could never run away.

Yandere! Portgas D. Ace

🌟 Is the most touch-starved out of the three. Please hold this man he desperately needs a hug (and a shower).

🌟 Loves to be near you and talk to you. You don’t even have to do anything he just likes hanging around or being with you.

🌟 Whenever you guys visit an island your not leaving empty handed. Ace loves spoiling you with trinkets and goods.

🌟 I could definitely see Ace falling for a nurse who’s a part of the Whitebeard pirates. After Ace gets defeated by Whitebeard, he wakes up from his mini coma and sees you, the nurse who’s been taking care of him.

🌟 When he meets you for the first time he thinks that you’re really pretty but won’t admit that out loud. You found it very amusing when Ace would try to assassinate Whitebeard and fail miserably every time.

🌟 Due to this, it becomes a common occurrence for Ace to visit you to get treated. Each time he goes to you he can’t help but think that you’re extremely charming and enchanting.

🌟 It takes him a while to actually realize his feeling but when he does he’s head over heels for you. He’s probably the only one who realizes his yandere tendencies and tries to change them but fails to each time. He wants to be the best version of himself for you it’s hard sometimes.

🌟 He gets jealous of other people really quickly and hates how they take away so much of your attention. Ironically, Ace hates resorting to violence against love rivals and will instead try to guilt trip you into hanging out with him. “Please spend some time with me, I’ve been so lonely”

🌟 Ace is a simple man, his mood most of the time depends on your mood. If you’re happy he’s happy, if you’re mad he’s mad. The crew honestly thinks it’s really weird but ignores it most of the time.

🌟 He goes absolutely feral whenever you put on his hat. He swears to God that he feels time stop and believes you’re the cutest thing in existence.

🌟 If you ever decide to reject his affections he’ll emotionally manipulate you into thinking that you’re a terrible person and that he’s just doing things that are in your best interests.

🌟 Loves it when you play with his hair. It’s so therapeutic to him and will whine once you take you hand off of his head.

🌟 Due to his narcolepsy, Ace sleeps very often and whenever he feels the urge to fall asleep he grabs you. He basically uses you as his personal teddybear. He has an extremely tight grip that you can’t seem to get out of no matter what you do.

🌟 Even though he acts dumb most of the time, he’s surprisingly smart when he needs to be. You can always count on him to be by your side when you need to fix a problem. He makes sure that he is as reliable as possible. Only the best for his bbg.

[cauqhtz]

Luffy & Zoro thoughts

so I saw a post about how if Luffy asked zoro to kill one of the straw hats Zoro would do it. (Oda confirmed)

The majority of the comments were all like oh yeah Zoro would, but he also knows Luffy would never ask him to do such a thing, at least without a good reason or if he wasn't in his right mind.

This was also my first thought as well, but then I thought about it more. I mean I really thought about it…and that's not even remotely true.

Now, I don't doubt Zoro killing one of the straw hats if Luffy told him to, but it's the "he knows Luffy would never ask him to" That's the part I dont agree with.

That's just not true at all, because Zoro is one of the few besides Robin that doesn't try to make sense of Luffy or how he thinks.

But let's say for the sake of this argument that. That is true and Zoro knows that Luffy would never ask him to do it...That doesn't negate the fact that Zoro would still kill a straw hat if Luffy said so. So I guess that part of situation really doesn't matter. Zoro will do what Luffy asks of him either way.

Why?

Because Luffy is not the type of person/captain to give DIRECT orders in the first place. Have you realized that?

I can count on one hand how many times Luffy has given a direct order in general, but we're going to focus on Zoro for right now.

Albasta. When Luffy told Zoro to save Smoker. "Zoro. Quick! You have to save Smokey!"

Ennies Lobby. When Luffy told Zoro to cut the sea train carts in half. "Okay, Zoro. Cut them."

In Alabasta when Luffy told Zoro to save Smoker. Zoro protested not understanding why Luffy would want to save the enemy. Not caring about the fact that Smoker was a devil fruit user and would've died without his help. He expressed how much he didn't want to do it, but he did it anyways.

Ignoring Sanji when he picked at him for saving Smoker, but when Smoker came to and questioned Zoro on why he saved his life?

Zoro's reasoning was. "I was just following my captain's orders. It was just another one of his crazy whims. Pay it no mind."

I think this was when Zoro really started to not question Luffy. Deciding it'd be a lot easier on every one if he just went with it rather than trying to make sense of his captain.

Not just that but Zoro is his own man. He doesnt follow Luffy blindly. It's just that the majority of the time. Luffy and Zoro are on the same wavelength mentally. They're cut from the same cloth. Though, Luffy is more of a wild card. He does what he wants, when he wants, wherever the hell he wants to. Where as Zoro is a lot more put together and thought out. Luffy is pure instinct and feeling driven.

I dont think you guys realize that Zoro would've killed the lot of them excluding Luffy a long time ago. Especially Nami, Robin, and Franky. When he found out they betrayed Luffy.

Zoro has made it very clear that there is NOTHING that he is not prepared to do. BUT he always leaves decisions like these up to Luffy and Luffy never gives Zoro an answer. He always says "I want to find out for myself. I want them to tell me this to my face."

As for Luffy?

I do believe there is a possibility of Luffy asking Zoro to kill a straw hat.

Because it's like I said earlier. Luffy is completely instinct driven. He does what he wants, when he wants, wherever he wants.

Luffy woke up one day and decided to become the king of the pirates and come to find out thats only a requirement of his real dream.

So what the hell is stopping him from waking up one day and deciding you know what? I want you all dead.

The only ones I feel like Luffy wouldn't kill is obviously Zoro, Robin, and Chopper. And maybe Jinbei. And MAYBE brook since he's been wanting a musician since day one.

But the rest of them? DEAD.

What's stopping him from changing his definition of freedom and wiping the world of one-piece CLEAN?

Especially since Zoro would still follow him?

Get real. Everyone would be cooked. Those two have always been a dangerous duo even before their awakening and haki. They'd be unstoppable now of all times.

Well... That's my thoughts on the matter anyways..

[cherrydbear]

I feel bad after calling out all the straw hats in this post for their sins so now I'll praise their virtues. According to my brief googling, the corresponding virtues to pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth are humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence, respectively, so that's what I'll use here.

Luffy - diligence

Pretty much the entire story happens because Luffy is really determined to become king of the pirates. All of his allies (first, and notably, Koby) were won over and inspired by his perseverance. Almost all of his struggles are overcome by sheer force of will. This is extremely apparent during Alabasta, when he gets thoroughly schooled by Crocodile twice and still goes back for more even while critically injured. I assigned the sin of sloth to Zoro, which makes Luffy his counterbalance. This tracks because Luffy brought Zoro onto a more direct path towards his dream of becoming the world's greatest swordsman, and motivated him to train even harder and take down stronger foes. Sloth mainly applied to Zoro's personal relationships, as he was content to work alone and didn't put much of an effort toward forming and maintaining friendships, but Luffy becomes a person that he'd do anything for.

Sanji - temperance

Sanji counters Luffy's gluttony by rationing the food so it lasts the whole journey and guarding it from Luffy's voracious appetite. Sanji never wastes a scrap of food, and makes sure everyone has enough to eat without tolerating overindulgence to the point that it would endanger the rest of the crew. He understands the importance of moderation. When they're discussing splitting the money, his requests are reasonable and mostly for the benefit of the whole crew, as compared to Luffy, who wants a giant statue. Sanji is a voice of reason that's critical for keeping Luffy's impulses in check.

Zoro - chastity

The opposite of Sanji's lust, Zoro's backstory and motivation is based on respect for a woman as a rival and fellow swordsman. At least up to where I've seen (partly into Water 7), he's never had heart eyes or nosebleeds or any remotely pervy reaction. He's usually the first one to call Sanji out when he crosses a line with Nami. He treats Nami and Robin as equals, and their gender doesn't seem to make much difference to him. Physical appearance doesn't sway Zoro's opinion of people; he judges them by their actions. He's generally unaffected by all desires of the flesh; he accepts pain, hunger, cold and heat with minimal complaint.

(Interesting to note that this makes Luffy, Sanji, and Zoro a self-balancing trio. There's something to be said about triangles being the strongest shape and the idea of the id, ego, and superego in a triumvirate but that's more than we have room to get into here.)

Usopp - charity

Since his introduction, Usopp has always offered freely what he has to give - stories and laughter. He gave the Usopp Pirates a sense of belonging and adventure, and he gave the joy of life back to Kaya. He offers his creativity and inventions to the crew; notably, designing their flag and creating a weapon for Nami. His distress and insecurity mainly stems from the feeling that he doesn't have anything worthy to give. He worries that he's more of a burden than a boon to the straw hats, and this ultimately leads to his decision to leave. This makes Usopp the counterpart to Nami's greed. When he was distraught about losing the money, she realized she cared more about him than the treasure.

Chopper - humility

Chopper's always so bashful when flattered. He never boasts, only fulfills his duty as a doctor as best as he can and is always eager to learn more. He deeply admires his teachers, and doesn't seek glory for himself. In G-8, he coaches Dr. Kobato through the surgeries so she can be prepared to handle them on her own in the future. Chopper cares only about saving lives and keeping people healthy. His pride is all in his friends and crew, and he's modest about his own ablities. Chopper also serves as an outlet for Usopp's pride (the corresponding sin to humility) by being the only one who actually believes his tall tales, which I think sometimes makes Usopp feel guilty and think twice about taking advantage of his gullibility.

Nami - gratitude

Nami's childhood with Belle-mère taught her to be grateful for what she has. She worked for Arlong for years to pay back the village for taking care of her. She's the first of the straw hats to show gratitude to Luffy for turning her life around. Despite her hot temper, she makes sure her friends know she cares about them and is thankful to have them around. She never wants someone she loves to die thinking she doesn't appreciate them, like she worried Belle-mère almost did. The opposite of envy, she's secure in herself, but doesn't take anything for granted. She's confident in her skills, and accepting of her weaknesses.

(This makes Usopp, Chopper, and Nami another balanced trio.)

Robin - patience

Robin is the counter to her own wrath. She's had to be self-sufficient almost her whole life, and hasn't had any friends (presumably, I still haven't seen much of her backstory) until the straw hats to help regulate or balance out her flaws. In order to stay safe, she's had to make up for her wrath by having patience in spades. Robin is always cool and collected, and watches and considers before acting. She doesn't lose her temper or start fights needlessly. She keeps her impulses in check and tries to work based on logic, not emotion.

Handy dandy extremely low quality flowchart I made in two minutes in the notes app showing the interactions of the sins and virtues I've assigned:

[thegreatcaptainusopp]

ive seen you talk about usopp's dream a lot, and i agree with a lot of your points (basically all of them lol) except for one: the part where you say he's already achieved his goal and simply needs to realize it.

ive always seen usopp's goal as being similar to zoro's, in the aspect that neither of them will be satisfied until they themselves can determine that they've achieved their dreams.

for zoro, he'll be able to say that he's achieved his dream once he, as stated before, has beaten mihawk in a fight (and also helps luffy become king of the pirates, if i've read it correctly).

and for usopp, despite it being a lot more vague, he also has a self-determined goal like zoro. "become a brave warrior of the sea". i personally don't think its simply a matter of him realizing he's already one, but another matter of him only being satisfied once he thinks he's done enough to warrant the title- just like zoro will only be satisfied once he thinks he's done enough to warrant the title of "greatest swordsman in the world".

ah, but these things are pretty up to interpretation, right? i'm not here to say you're wrong or something, hopefully it doesn't come across that way! i just think it's interesting how similar usopp and zoro's dreams are, i wanted to share. :]

Hi! I really like the connections you’ve made here between Zoro and Usopp’s dreams, and I do agree they share a lot of similarities. I think they’re the only two besides Luffy whose dream is to achieve a specific title (king of the pirates, world’s greatest swordsman, brave warrior of the sea). Unlike Luffy, however, Zoro and Usopp’s dreams don’t have a commonly agreed upon path to reaching that title (for Luffy, it’s finding the one piece). You’re totally correct in that both Zoro and Usopp have defined their own terms of when that title as finally been achieved, and they’re the only ones who can basically say that the dream has been achieved.

However, I think there is a very specific difference here, and it’s one that led me to say that Usopp has already achieved his goal while Zoro has not. And this difference is this: Zoro has already defined the specific action he needs to do in order to achieve his dream, while Usopp has not. Therefore, we can see that Zoro has not achieved his dream yet by his own terms, while Usopp, as his terms are yet undefined, may be able to claim that his dream is completed.

Zoro has made it clear from the start how he intends to claim that he is the best swordsman in the world, and that is to defeat the current best. He has indicated that the current best is Mihawk, therefore, he wants to beat him in combat in order to achieve his dream. He’s expressed that specific goal, even promising Luffy that he would engage in this specific duel in order to get to the title. It’s completely self inflicted: he could potentially already claim that he’s the best swordsman in three sword style, for example. But for Zoro it doesn’t work that way because he won’t think he’s achieved his dream until he completes the specific action he wanted (like you said in your ask).

Usopp, on the other hand, has very much not done that. We don’t have a specific action that he needs to complete in order to achieve that title, and as far as I know he hadn’t indicated anything specific that will demonstrate that he’s finally achieved his dream. So in my opinion, as he hasn’t expressed what exactly will make the goal completed, we can claim that it’s already been reached. At the end of the day, like you said, he’s the only one that can declare he’s achieved this title, but I think if he stepped back and took stock of what he’s done up to this point, he may be able to declare it achieved based on all the brave things he’s already done.

I think another element of this is that Usopp is a special case because of his insecurities. Part of the journey that he takes emotionally through the series is confronting his self hatred and realizing that he is enough as himself, that he is already a warrior and can accept himself as he is. In my opinion, realizing that he’s been the brave warrior he wanted to be all along would complete this journey and allow him to overcome those insecurities. Zoro doesn’t have the same emotional journey here to go through, and therefore doesn’t need to have that specific realization.

This is a really interesting conversation, thanks for prompting this train of thought!

[kookie-doughs]

Again And Again

Portgas D Ace X Reader

-Amatsuki Y/N decided to stay in the future without her sister upon meeting a friend’s son.

Chapter 9: Do not go gentle into that good night

Edward smirks, "I am a relic of a bygone era! There is no ship that can carry me into the new age! Escape from here, everyone!"

You looked around at your crewmates, the war raging on around you. With a heavy heart, you looked beside you.

"Pops!"

Ace and Luffy...

Tears streamed down your face as you clung tightly to Ace. You couldn't bear the thought of leaving Whitebeard behind, but you knew you had to follow Edward's orders for everyone's safety.

Ace looked at you in worry, his grip on you tightening. He couldn't understand why you were suddenly so emotional.

As numerous marines jump to attack Edward whilst he was distracted with your group, Ace sets the area around Edward ablaze.

In a ring of fire you see Ace bow down with his head hitting the ground.

Edward looks at his son. "Tell me," Ace lifts his head to look at Edward. "Were you happy to have me as your father?"

"Of course I am!" Ace cries.

Edward noticed something different about you. He knew you from years ago, when time travel was a common occurrence for you. He could see the look in your eyes, a look of determination and sorrow that he had not seen in a long time.

Realizing what you had done, he knew something had happened, "Y/N, did you defy my orders last time?" He smiles slightly at you.

You bite your lip to keep a sob from escaping. "Yeah," Your voice broke.

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"Can I really not save you both?" You cry.

"Try saving the most important one first."

You both get away from the ring to continue running. Jinbe rushed behind you, concern etched on his face.

You nodded, your resolve firm. You knew what you had to do. As much as it pained you to leave Whitebeard behind, you had to focus on saving Ace and protecting your crew.

Akainu slips past Whitebeard, you knew what was coming the danger he poses to Ace.

"Ace, whatever you hear. Don't let go of my hand. Don't stop running."

"Whitebeard Pirates must be a bunch of cowards. Well, considering who your captain is, it's no surprise to me. Because after all, Whitebeard is just a... loser from a bygone era."

You felt Ace falter. You tighten your grip, "Ace... Please." He sees the panic in your eyes. Remembering what was said between you and Edward earlier. He keeps running.

"You know Fire Fist, your real father, Gold Roger, conquered the Grand Line and opened the door to the Great Pirate Era. As a Navy admiral, I shouldn't be the one to say this but he was true to his name: the King of the Pirates! In comparison, what has Whitebeard done?"

Ace continued to run but you can see the change of his pace. His run turning into brisk walk. "Ace, I said don't stop running!" You can feel his hand tightening hold on you.

"I wonder if he really had the intention to fight, I assume that he established a large family somewhere and was satisfied with being a big fish in a little barrel. There are some fools in this world who say he was able to keep the peace on various islands... but in my opinion, all he did was make weak pirates live in fear of him and he thinks that it made him a hero! What a joke! When Roger was around, Whitebeard was always second in billing and even after he died, Whitebeard could never become the King. He was never able to surpass Roger... and that makes him a loser in life! That is the truth about Whitebeard."

At this point Ace had come to a stop. You desperately pull him to keep him moving.

"Ace look at me, please, come on don't let him get to you. Hmm?"

But Akainu's attention shifted to you and Ace, he takes notice of your linked hand. The only thing stopping Ace from falling into his palms.

Akainu's eyes narrowed with a cruel smirk. "Oh, how touching. The great Y/N, the so-called 'Queen of the Pirates,' reduced to running away with a bunch of weaklings. Perhaps your time spent with Whitebeard ruined you. How pathetic!"

Ace's eyes widen at the mention of you. "Ace, I'm fine... come on."

"Did the fact Roger doesn't return your feelings, the fact you were a nobody to him, bring you so low." he continued, sneering. "Unbelievably low, now you're clinging to his son. Let me warn you Fire First, you'll never be as important to her as Roger was! You are nothing but a replacement."

His insults having no effect on you frustrate him. He needed a reaction. He's gotten Ace to stop.

"Its an insult how they refer to you as Queen of the Pirates. You're nothing but a failure, Y/N. You couldn't save your former captain, Roger, in your devastation you leave your people, your family! You left them to die because you were heartbroken. Pathetic."

Ace glares at Akainu as he felt you tense up.

"You were just a weakling back then, and you're still a weakling now," he taunted. "You'll never be able to protect anyone, no matter how hard you try. You're just a burden to everyone around you."

His words hit you like a punch to the gut, reopening old wounds that had never fully healed. The memory of Ace passing.

You tighten your hold on Ace. His insult reminded you of your purpose of return. It was to protect Ace. To save him.

You tightly close your eyes and ran. Ace notices your calm reaction to the insults and hesitantly runs with you, still angered by the insults.

Akainu, sensing an opportunity, appeared before you suddenly, catching you off guard. You hadn't anticipated his swift movement, and your eyes widened in shock as his powerful fist came dangerously close to striking you. However, just as the attack seemed inevitable, you felt a force pulling you back, and before you knew it, you were being spun around.

In that split second, you realized that Ace had moved in front of you, bravely taking the attack meant for you. Time seemed to stand still as you watched in frozen disbelief. Once again, you felt the weight of failure bearing down on you, the memories of your past mistake haunting you.

But as you looked at Ace, his determination and selflessness filling his eyes. You couldn't let Ace sacrifice his life. You couldn't let him down again.

Just as it happened in your first attempt. The crew pushed Akainu away from your group.

Luffy this time, wasn't close as he ran ahead. He stared at you and Ace. This time Ace was going to die in your arms.

Ace's weakened state made him lean on you for support, and he gently pulled you closer, his hand caressing your cheek as he looked into your eyes.

"Y/N... Are you okay..?" His whisper sent a shiver down your spine, and tears welled up in your eyes.

"A-Ace," you stammered, your voice trembling with emotion. Despite the chaos and danger surrounding you, you managed to help him sit down, your heart racing with worry.

"Hey, pretty," he said with a weak smile, trying to lift your spirits amidst the dire situation. "Can you let me see your face?"

The tears continued to flow as you gazed into his eyes, his smile etched in your memory. His presence was fading, but you refused to let him go without a fight. Your voice quivered as you spoke, "Ace, please, hang on. We're going to get you out of here, I promise."

As Ace's head grew heavier, he mustered a weak smile and made a request. "Can I... rest my head on your lap?"

Your heart ached as you gently lowered him, carefully cradling his head on your lap. You brushed his hair away from his face, trying to be as gentle as possible. His eyes stayed locked with yours, seeking comfort and reassurance in your presence.

Ace's smile remained. "You don't need to worry about me. Just knowing that you're here with me is enough."

You held his hand tightly, willing him to hold on a little longer. You couldn't bear to lose him again. Not like this. Not when you had come back to change his fate.

"Ace, I love you," you whispered, your voice filled with love and desperation.

His smile grew even softer, and he brought your hand to his lips, placing a tender kiss on it. "I love you too, Y/N. Always."

Tears welled up in your eyes, but you tried to keep your composure for him. "You're strong, and you're going to make it through this. We'll find a way."

He let out a soft chuckle, though it was clear that even speaking took a toll on his fading strength. "Always the optimist, huh?"

You managed a weak smile, trying to hide your trembling voice. "Always."

Ace's hand reached up to cup your cheek, and you leaned into his touch. "Thank you... for everything," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Tears rolled down your cheeks, and you kissed his hand, holding it close to your heart. "Thank you, Ace, for being the most amazing person I've ever known. For loving me, for being there for me... You're the reason I came back. I won't let you go, Ace."

He smiled faintly, and you could see the love and gratitude in his eyes. "Y/N... you were my light in the darkest times. You... made my life worth living. Don't ever forget that. I'm sorry you had to go through this twice..."

"Then don't let me go through this again." You cried.

"I should've kissed you... before I sat down." He jokes.

Despite the tears in your eyes, a small smile tugged at the corners of your lips. "Ace, you always had a way of making me smile, even in the toughest moments."

He chuckled weakly, his hand still gently caressing your cheek. "I'm glad... I could still do that..."

You leaned down, pressing a tender kiss on his forehead. "I'm not giving up."

His eyes closed briefly, and he let out a soft sigh. "I wish... we had more time... I wanted to see a future with you..."

"I'll make sure you live a future with me."

His smile grew softer, and he squeezed your hand weakly. "Y/N... I love you. Always."

Ace's breathing became shallower, and you held him closer, feeling his heartbeat slowly fading. You could hear the sounds of the battle still raging around you, but in that moment, it felt like time stood still.

As his eyes began to flutter closed, you whispered softly, "I love you too. I'm always going to be here for you okay?"

With those words, Ace took his final breath, his hand still clasped in yours. The weight of his loss was almost too much to bear, but you held onto the love and memories you shared, knowing that he would forever be a part of you.

You look over to Edward, who looked at you with worry. You smile sadly eyes still filled with tears.

"Third times a charm."

~

You found yourself trapped in an unending cycle of loss, reliving the heartbreak of Ace's death multiple times. With each attempt to change fate, new challenges arose.

On the third attempt, Luffy's exhaustion hindered the rescue, while on the fourth, Akainu attacked without taunting. The fifth time, Aokiji became the cause of Ace's demise, and the cycle continued with attempts on counting 12, 17, 21, 37, 48, 52. Despite your best efforts, the pain of losing Ace persisted, and you struggled to find a way to break free from the relentless loop of tragedy.

On each attempt, the pain and grief of losing Ace felt just as raw as the first time. It was a relentless cycle of heartache, and with each failed attempt to save him, the weight of the loss grew heavier. You were trapped in a time loop, destined to relive the agony of losing Ace over and over again.

Each time you returned to the past, you fought with all your strength, trying to alter the course of events. Sometimes it was Akainu, other times Aokiji, and yet other foes who dealt the fatal blow. But the result was always the same – Ace was gone, and you were left devastated.

Despite the countless failures, you refused to give up. Each time you returned to the present, you found the strength to try again. The memory of Ace's smile, his laughter, and the love you shared fueled your determination.

With each attempt, you became more skilled, strategizing and planning to change the future. You sought allies, found new ways to approach the battles, and worked tirelessly to save Ace.

It was an arduous journey, and the pain of loss never lessened, but with each attempt, you grew stronger emotionally. You learned to cherish every moment you had with Ace, even in the face of the impending tragedy.

Your resolve was unyielding, and you would continue to try until you succeeded. No matter how many times you had to go through the loss, you wouldn't stop fighting for the chance to rewrite destiny and save Ace from his tragic fate.

Or so you'd hope...

On your 53rd attempt, the weight of the countless failures and the never-ending cycle of loss made you question if saving Ace at this particular war was even possible or if it was meant to happen. Doubt and despair gnawed at your heart as you wondered if your efforts were in vain, and if fate had a different plan for Ace's life. The constant battle against time and fate left you weary, and you began to wonder if there was a way to change the course of events without repeating the same tragic outcome. Nevertheless, you couldn't bear to give up on Ace, and the love you held for him spurred you to keep searching for a way to alter destiny and bring him to safety.

You made a difficult decision not to go back to the past. The weight of countless failures and the toll it took on your heart made you realize that maybe some things were beyond your control. You couldn't bear the thought of repeating the same tragic events again and again, and so you chose to let go of the past and focus on the present.

In an unexpected turn of events, you found yourself on Women Island with Luffy and Jinbe, accompanied by the Hearts Pirate. The circumstances brought a mix of relief and curiosity.

Did you give up? No. Why did you not regress... you needed answers.

Not a single word came from you since Ace's death. Not when Shanks came, not when Blackbeard came. Nothing.

"Y/N?" An unexpected figure appeared before you—Rayleigh, your former crewmate.

You look at Rayleigh with a mix of shock and exhaustion written all over your face. He could sense that you had gone through a lot, and he could see that you had regressed emotionally due to the repeated attempts.

"So? How many?" Rayleigh asked with genuine concern in his voice.

Taking a moment to gather yourself, you respond, "Fifty-three..."

"Why are you here now? Did you give up?" Rayleigh asked, concern evident in his voice.

You shook your head, "No, I haven't given up. I just needed some time to gather my thoughts and emotions. The past attempts... they were overwhelming, and I needed to take a step back. And I have a question to ask you."

"You knew I'd be here?" Rayleigh inquired.

"No, I've always went back after Ace passed." you explained. "The question I had was for Luffy, but I think it's better if I ask you."

Rayleigh nodded, giving you his full attention. "What is it?"

Taking a deep breath, "I'm going to go back in time and kill Teach before he got the fruit."

He looked at you, "That's not a question."

You took a deep breath before sharing your plan with Rayleigh. "I've thought about it a lot, and I believe the key to preventing all of this from happening lies with Blackbeard—Marshall D. Teach. If I go back to the past again, before he acquires the power of the Yami Yami no Mi, I can stop him from ever becoming the dangerous force he is now."

Rayleigh listened attentively, his expression serious. "Changing the course of events involving a powerful figure like Blackbeard is a dangerous and unpredictable. Are you sure you're willing to take that risk?"

"There's a reason I've only been going back in time during Ace's release instead of going ahead with the plan. Altering the past would have far-reaching consequences, not only for Blackbeard but also for all the relationships and bonds. The thought of potentially losing or changing those connections weighed heavily. I'm going to end up playing God on people."

"I understand your concern," Rayleigh replied, his expression gentle. "Changing the past is a serious decision, and it's natural to worry about the impact it might have on your relationships. But you must also consider the possibility of preventing great pain and suffering. If you can save Ace and countless others from the tragedies that await, it might be worth the risk. You are the one with the power, if you want to do it. Why should you not?"

You look at him again and smile. You get up.

Marking your 54th attempt on saving Ace.

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@gayer-than-the-gayest-gay @nykie-love-anime @cinnamonrollscafe @sol-d15

[eddiesgorlie]

Solider, Poet, Queen Part One

AUknight!Austin Butler x princess!reader

I’m so obsessed with Soldier, Poet, King so I thought I’d do a twist on it! This is part one, I’m expecting one or two more parts! I’m so in love with this fic and it’s definitely the longest I’ve written. I decided to split it into multiple parts since I don’t have a long enough attention span to read long fics! I hope you love it! I’m working on the next part now, things are about to get intense! Smut will be in the coming chapters.

Summary: The princess Y/n begins falling for the knight assigned to protect her as her world crumbles around her.

Warnings: Mentions of death, blood and throwing up, emotionally abusive and controlling parent. (I think thats everything for this chapter.)

Word count: 2.8k

Mother had always hated father and always told me of the man she fell in love with back home in Ireland. He was a knight which meant he wasn’t good enough for her family so she did what her father said and married my father. He was the worst kind of person. My mother was beautiful, my father was what many would describe as a toad. I thankfully took after my mother. I had turned 20 and it was time for my parents to find me my husband. I didn’t want them to pick my husband, I knew mother would have no say in it and I would end up just like her, depressed and angry, longing for another.

I would end up just like my mother and what they didn’t realize was that I already was. I had found my love. And he was a knight. He was a commander, the best commander I had ever seen. I loved watching him from my window as I read. The problem was, neither of us knew my feelings for him. I couldn’t understand the butterflies in my stomach or the torturous feeling between my legs as I watched him training or riding away on his horse.

Here I was again, watching him from my window as he pulled his shirt over his sweaty torso after training for the pat hour in the hot summer sun. My door was pushed open and my book fell to the floor as I jumped up in shock. “I’m sorry I startled you.” Mother said. “It’s alright.” I said, sitting back down on the window seat. She sat down next to me and held my hands. “I see you have your eyes on Commander Butler.” She smiled looking out the window as he mounted and rode off on his horse. “I find him handsome.” I said. “Please don’t become too attached.” She said. “I know, mother. He’s just nice to look at as a distraction from my studies.” I said.

“His grandfather was one of the knights that protected my family in Ireland. He was on the ship to bring me here, he lost his life protecting me from pirates. His wife and teenage son stayed safe in one of the cabins and they started their life here. The son found a wife and had a child, commander Butler. When the war broke out the commanders father was killed and his mother died of a broken heart, leaving the poor child on his own.” She said. “I don’t remember any of the war.” I said. “You were just a baby. I still remember watching him when he was learning to sword fight with the knights. If I were ever outside with you, he’d always come say hello.” She smiled. I smiled. My smile quickly faded as I saw the serious look on mothers face.

“Your father has let me know that Denmark’s Prince Fredrick is on a ship to come meet you for marriage.” She sighed. I turned pale. “I’m so sorry.” She said. “It makes sense. Prince Fredrick is just like father, a toad faced snake.” I said. She nodded and stood up. “I wasn’t supposed to tell you. If you need anything, just come and find me.” She smiled before walking out and shutting the door. I set my book aside and walked to my vanity, brushing my long hair out and added a light pink color to my lips. I adjusted my pink day dress that hung off of my shoulders and left my room. The sounds of my heels echoed around the palace as I went to the front door. It was a hot, steamy day outside and I knew I wouldn’t be out here long.

I smiled and nodded to all of the palace help as I walked towards the stables. I hadn’t been allowed outside much and hadn’t seen my horse in a few weeks. The stables came into view and I saw my beautiful HoneySuckle, she was a very gentle blonde horse. I ran my fingers through her mane and pressed a light kiss to her nose. “Hi sweet girl.” I said. She grunted and I continued to make up for all of the missed love from the past few weeks.

“State your business here.” A loud voice said. I jumped and my back hit the door of HoneySuckles stall as I turned to face the voice. Commander Butler’s voice. “Your highness. I apologize for startling you.” He said, dismounting from his horse. “It’s quite all right, I startle very easily.” I laughed. “It’s very nice to see you out here. It’s been quite a while I believe.” He said. “43 days.” I said a blush creeping on my cheeks. “Are you not an outdoors type person?��� He asked. “I enjoy the outdoors. I have just been forbidden from being out here.” I said. “Well then you better not be out here long.” He said. “I would go inside, but I have the fear of getting lost.” I said. “So a guide is what you need?” He asked. “That sounds about right to me.” I smiled he nodded and started towards the palace, his hand resting on the handle of his sword.

There were knights posted at what seemed every door as we walked in. Commander Butler nodded to all of them and they nodded back. “There are so many more than before I left.” I said. “That is because of the Prince. Since we have someone coming from a different kingdom we have to up security to avoid another war.” He said. “Is that what happened to start the war?” I asked. “In a way. A peace treaty was to be signed with Brazil and it ended with the assassination of the late Queen.” He said. “Oh thats terrible.” I gasped. “It was a very dark time. We all feared that you, the beloved princess would be next.” He said. I nodded. “I’m especially glad you were and are safe.” He smiled once we made it to my room and stood outside the door. “Thank you Commander.” I said, grabbing the door knob. “Austin, you can call me Austin, you highness.” He said. “Ok Austin, you can call me, Y/n.” I said. “I will see you later, Y/n.” He said. He nodded and walked away. There it was again, that feeling I couldn’t put my finger on.

I closed the door and sighed as I rested my head against the door. I collected myself and walked back over to my window seat, picking up my book again. An hour later I had only progressed one page in my book because there he was again, directing the other knights and preparing the palace for the arrival of the prince. I was again removed from my book and thoughts as my assistants, Mary-Ann and Jane, came in. “The Prince will be here soon, we have to get you ready.” Mary-Ann said. I nodded and walked over to my vanity. Jane brushed my hair and began braiding it into a braided crown as Mary-Ann went into my closet to find my dress.

“Are you excited to meet him?” Jane asked. “Not exactly.” I sighed. She gave me a strange looked and continued on my hair. I had missed my old assistant, Ruby. She was around my age and always related with me and gave me advice. Father didn’t like that very much and dismissed her. I haven’t seen her in a few months and I had no idea what had happened to her. Now she was replaced by Mary-Ann and Jane, they were about 10 years older than me and honestly were idiots.

“Here’s your dress, Madam.” Mary-Ann said. “Mary-Ann, thats a ball gown, I need a tea length gown.” I sighed. “Oh, tea length.” She said, retreating back to my closet. Jane had finished my hair and was done with my makeup by the time Mary-Ann found a dress. It was a royal blue dress with a satin strapless top and tulle skirt. “Will this one work, your highness?” She asked. “Yes, thank you Mary-Ann. You girl can call me Y/n if you’d like.” I said. “Ok, Madam.” Jane said. I sighed and they left to room so I could dress.

The dress fit perfect and I knew father would be happy with Mary-Ann’s choice as it was our kingdoms color. I heard cheering from outside my window and I knew that meant he had arrived. I slipped my white heels on and my tiara and closed my bedroom door as I left, heading to the front steps where I knew mother and father would be. I stood next to mother and she gave my hand three light squeezes saying, “I love you.”

There he was descending from the steps on the ship. He looked even more disgusting in person. I wanted to cry, I knew I’d be stuck marrying this man. He tossed gold coins from his pockets to the people cheering below him. Just like father, he’s giving and wonderful when he’s a stranger, and cruel when you become close to him.

I felt myself become sick as he stood in front of me and I curtsied. “It’s a pleasure to be in your presence, Prince Fredrick.” I said. “Well, yes.” He said before turning to speak to my father about dowry and when the wedding will be. I again felt sick. Mother squeezed my hand again reassuring me. “I think we should allow the Prince to rest after his long journey and let the Princess prepare for the dinner this evening.” Mother said. “Yes, of course. I will let the help know to prepare a ball for tomorrow evening to announce the royal marriage.” Father said.

“You’re room has been prepared for you. Follow her and she will show you and make sure everything is correct for you.” Mother said, directing him to the head maid. He nodded and began following her as his help followed him with armfuls of his luggage. “Get some rest before you have to get ready, sweetie.” Mother whispered to me. I nodded and walked to my bedroom where I was immediately caught off guard. There was Commander Butler posted outside my door. “What are you doing, Coman- I mean, Austin?” I asked. “This will be my post until the guests leave due to the threat of the guests. And as we have a young man and a beautiful young woman set to be married, we have to make sure things stay pure until the marriage.” He said. I blushed. “Well, thank you commander. I am going to rest until the dinner.” I said. “If you need something, you know where to find me.” He smiled. I nodded and walked into my room, quietly shutting the door behind me. I walked to my bed and snuggled under my blankets, shoes and all, too tired to care.

I opened my eyes to see the clock on my nightstand read 6:00. I groaned as I realized dinner was in 30 minutes. I sat up and felt something pulling my hair so I walked over to my mirror to find my tiara was tangled in my hair. I whimpered as I tried to get it out but quickly failed. I was confused of why my assistants hadn’t come in yet, they normally came to help ready me 30-45 minutes before an event. I stood up and walked to my door, barely opening it just so I could see the commander. “Commander.” I whispered. “Yes, Madam?” He asked, turning to face me. “Where are Mary-Ann and Jane?” I asked. “We called for them not too long ago, we haven’t heard a response.” He said. “Ok, well dinner is in 30 minutes and I’m in a bit of a pickle. Could you help me?” I asked. “What do you need help with?” He asked, pushing the door open a little further. He saw the mess of tangles in my hair and nodded before following me to my vanity.

“You didn’t think to take your tiara off before resting?” He asked, his fingers getting to work. “Exhaustion took over.” I winced as he pulled on a knot. “Sorry.” He said. “It’s alright.” I said. After lots of tugging and loosening, finally my tiara was out of my hair and set on my vanity. Now he had the task of untangling my hair. I intently watched him as he removed the pins from my hair and set them in front of me. His eyes were squinted in concentration. I felt a chill go down my spine as I felt his breath against my neck.

“Your hair looks pretty when it’s down.” He said, starting to take out the braids. “I didn’t know you had curly hair.” He said. “Its not, its just from the braids.” I laughed. “Well, as you can see I don’t have much experience in the hair category.” He said. “You have hair down to your shoulders!” I laughed. “Yes I do, but it’s not nice like yours.” He said. I laughed but was quickly cut off by the door being slammed open and the General bursting through it. “Sir!” Austin yelled, standing at attention. I slowly stood up from my chair. “Commander, were the orders to guard the Princesses room not clear enough for you?” The General said. “Yes, Sir. They w-” “I asked him to come in my room. I needed help untangling my hair before dinner and no one including myself and Commander Butler could find my assistants.” I said. The general nodded. “Do you need his help any longer?” He asked. “No, he helped me.” I said. “Follow me, Commander.” He said. Austin nodded to me and smiled as he followed the General. “Second strike, Butler.” I heard the general say before my door shut.

I dug my shoes out that were trapped in my comforter and slipped them on. “I’m glad you’re still here.” I smiled at the commander as I closed my bedroom door. “I am too. You better hurry, I saw them leading the Prince to the dining room.” He said. “Thank you.” I said before walking down the hall to the dining room. Mother and Father were already sitting at the table with the prince as I sat down. “A haircut is the first thing that needs to be done before the wedding, sir.” Fredrick said to my father, referring to my long hair. “We can have that arranged.” Father said. I felt like my corset was suffocating me, everything was foggy around me and I just wanted to scream and cry.

The entire rest of the night I didn’t hear anything. Just small, blurry voices talking about wedding dates, dowry and how to transport me to Denmark after the wedding. I took three bites of the roast that was in front of me but couldn’t choke down anymore. I curtsied to the prince and told Mother and Father goodnight before retreating to my room. I slid off my heels and ran to my room as I felt myself becoming sick. “Did the dinner go well, princess?” I heard the commander say as I ran past him and slammed the door to my room.

I leaned over the toilet, losing the contents of my stomach. It was all too real now. They picked a wedding date a week from tomorrow. I was scared and didn’t want to live like that. I stood up, brushed my teeth and walked back to my room. I untied my corset, taking what felt like my first breath of the night and put on my long white nightgown. I sat at my vanity to brush my hair but my hand grabbed my dagger instead of my brush. I ran my fingers over the gold unicorn head on the handle. I slowly slid the blade out of the cover and ran my finger across it, drawing a small amount of blood. I held the blade with both hands and moved it about a foot away from my body. I took a deep breath and moved it towards me about to stab it into my stomach before my door opened. The blade clattered to the floor and my eyes shot up meeting his wide eyes. His eyes moved down to my finger that was bleeding and he rushed into the room.

“Princess.” He said shakily as he kneeled in front of me. He picked the dagger up from the floor and slid it back into the cover. “Did you hurt yourself?” He asked. “No.” I sobbed. He wrapped a tissue around my bleeding finger and pulled me into a hug as I cried. “The prince had been wanting to see you and I had turned him away 3 times, that’s why I came in.” He said. “T-thank you.” I said. “Come here, you need to get some rest.” He said, pulling me up into his chest. I let out a shaky breath as he pulled my blankets over me. “Have you found Mary-Ann and Jane?” I asked. “We haven’t.” He said. I nodded. “I’ll tell him you’ve gone to sleep.” He said and turned the lights off. “Thank you.” I said, barely above a whisper.

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[liiistennnn]

this is a post about black sails where I talk a lot about buffy the vampire slayer

my friend just watched hbo girls (four of us are moving to brooklyn and he's doing cultural research dont cancel me) and was saying how the show felt like it should have ended with the penultimate episode where they're all fighting in the bathroom of shosh's engagement party, but then there's another episode, and you're like, what! it was such a tidy narrative arc closing loop and now there's more? and its weird and feels kind of separate? the whole pregnancy arc felt out of phase or whatever. and that's because the girls are moving out of their own genre!!! these stunted immature women are finally trying to grow up. on the show about how they refuse to grow up. so it starts to feel off, disjointed, and bad writing might be part of that, but I think it really works. tidy ending followed by disconcerting life

(the monastery I was at had all these discussion group guidelines and one of them is to expect and accept a lack of closure)

its the same as what happens with buffy the vampire slayer after season 5. and how people love to hate on season 7. and how I saw the tv glow takes place in the afterlife limbo between season 5 and season 6 of buffy. even supernatural was supposed to end after 5 seasons. how if black sails ended at season 3 it could have been an uplifting story of coming together in solidarity for a cause bigger than yourself. with the possibility of overthrowing empire just over the horizon! vane's martyrdom and that incredible battle and the creation of long john silver. but season 4 comes and everyone is repeating choices from season 1 but different people are making them and the story was always going to end like this and hope was there and it didn't change anything but it was there and when they get to skeleton island you finally realize the genre has changed. treasure island prequel. miranda's death haunting season 3 vs a moment of true connection friendship trust between flint and silver haunting season 4. when everything is shit what haunts you is when everything wasn't. and poisoning the past searching for the seeds of everything becoming shit. equal footing slipping to unequal. withholding backstory because we are in his backstory because we are in a prequel.

(billy died at the end of season 1 and came back without his naïveté. silver died at the beginning of season 4 and came back a pirate king. how does death work on black sails?)

season 6 of buffy is so incredible and the came back wrong motif is so captivating because resurrection is just an opportunity to let the facade drop. she doesn't have to pretend anymore or she finally can't pretend anymore. to be ok. I saw the tv glow said sometimes to save your life you have to bury yourself alive and die and then claw your way out of that grave. death is not about rest its about finding a way to live. spike is the only one who knows what its like to come back and she fucks him because he loves her and because she thinks there's something wrong with her. but she's always felt that way its not actually about the rebirth. its about joyce dying from something buffy can't fight which is about growing up which is about having to accept that you have to live in the world. you can't kill yourself (they'll just bring you back) and nobody else is going to pay your bills. and season 7 is so weird and they are renegotiating so much worldbuilding and vibechanging and taking them right back to the start. buffy works at the high school and becomes joyce-giles to all those slayers and then at the end, all three of their partners dead, buffy and willow and xander are back at high school, single and fifteen. they won they finally grew up and now they get to be young again, in the last shot they're the kids with giles looking over them. and this time faith and dawn are there, buffy's noun name sisters (faith is sister and faith is angel and faith is spike). but you can't go home again (the odyssey) and she looks changed. old. season 5 felt like an ending because she died. finally allowed to rest. season 7 feels like real life. even though they beat the big bad of the season you know the wheel will keep spinning forever and there will always be a new monster of the week. idk,,, what happens after the story is over if you're still alive?

(I had so much trouble watching season 4 of buffy the first time around I was like what do you mean they're not in high school?)

is flint's death truer because he was unmade? is rackham right and it doesn't matter if he was shot or sent to the farm because what matters is that he is out of frame? finally free of the story, against his will. can't believe silver names his parrot after him though. not out of frame completely

(but even though it's silver's prequel - it's literally the story of his becoming - he unmakes himself at the end of black sails too. not just flint. they created the pirate king the legend they named him long john and he was a king of war. when he ended the war he unmade himself too)

[the-weirdos-mind]

Thieves and Beggers

In the sea, there’s a small gang of pirates always on the hunt for treasure. After finding a loot that holds powerful weapons/jewelry they refuse to let them go. Sometimes the treasures they find get them into circumstances and whoever offers the best price has them on their side. If they fall back on the promise to the crew or do something that doesn’t agree with them, they switch sides. After all, there’s no honor among thieves.

They are aware of the magic of the Seven, Chernabog, the Princesses, and many others and had no intention of taking them but do so when the right price is offered. At first they’re bent on stealing the Maiden’s powers but then become their allies once they find out the true intentions. They still loot and steal, what do you expect, but they will come whenever they’re needed.

Captain: Natalie Doveenstien

The only woman aboard the ship and it’s captain. She’s the daughter of an influential man back home but her heart yearned for adventure. She would often stare out at the sea as a young girl and dreamed of what a life of thrills would be like instead of the stuffy life her future would be. She did meet a boy who washed ashore of her island home and they became friends. As they grew older they drifted apart due to social classes. It broke her heart to be separated from her friend but there was no choice. One night, the island is under attack by pirates and she’s one of the two people taken hostage. She spends some time aboard the ship, learning about piracy and becoming talented with a sword. She then stages a mutiny with the hostage from her home, and other captives and becomes the new captain.

When the other captives wanted to leave the ship afterwards, she stops at a nearby island and lets them go. Only one person stays behind and she builds a new crew from people wanting to leave old lives behind or looking for adventure.

Magical Object: The Swifty Blade

A cutlass sword that can cut through any material. It’s said that the sword was used by a Pirate King to free lost souls from the Locker. The sword chooses who wields it and its owner won’t get harmed by its razor sharp blade.

Quartermaster: Dylan Southwest

A man who doesn’t remember much of his past. The earliest memory he can recall is washing ashore on an island with pieces of a shipwreck. He becomes friends with Natalie but they drift apart as years went on. During his childhood, he was adopted by the blacksmith and learns how to make weapons. He becomes quite good at making weapons and people would pay him handsomely for customized weapons. When no one was around, he would practice using them. When pirates attacked his home, he’s the only other person, besides Natalie who becomes hostage. He quickly makes himself useful and crafts/fixes blades for the crew. They treated him a bit nicer than other hostages, since his father was once captain. He overhears the pirates telling stories of his father and realizes that piracy runs through his blood. He builds Natalie’s first sword and teaches her how to use it.

He’s the only one to stay behind after the mutiny was done. Whenever someone needs their weapon fixed, they turn to him. He even makes new ones if it’s beyond repair.

Magical Object: The Obsidian Dagger

A dagger with the blade made purely of obsidian. It’s said that it was wielded by a legendary pirate captain. Those who wield this dagger can either create a new blade from a single slash or kill anyone with a single stab. It’s only up to the user to decide what the fate is.

Medic/Boatswain: Asher Caspian

He spent a good portion of his life on the sea. His father was a pirate while his mother was a woman he met for a one night stand. When Asher was born, his mother gave him the choice to see their son. Throughout his early childhood, he lived with his mom, only seeing his dad every once in a while. Whenever he did visit, he told him stories of his adventures. When he was ten, she died of an illness and he came to live with his dad on the ship. He becomes interested in medicine in his early teens and starts practicing it. It wasn’t long until he became the medic on board. However, a magical being attacked the ship one night. Rumor is that the captain hadn’t pulled his end of the bargain, and a lot of people lost their lives. He was one of the only people to survive the attack.

He was picked up by another crew and began traveling from crew to crew, captain to captain. When he crosses paths with Natalie and Dylan, he ends up liking their company and decides to stay. For good

Magical Object: The Skeleton’s Medallion

A golden medallion with a skull on it. Whoever wears the medallion will turn into a skeleton in the moonlight. They will go beyond human limits as long as they stay in the moonlight. They’ll be very difficult to kill as long as the moon shines.

Master Gunner: Silas Ager

A man who lived through many struggles. His parents died when he was a baby and when he was little, he captured and sold off into slavery. He bounced from noble house to noble house until he’s captured by pirates. He earned respect from the crew for fighting a crewman and becomes Cabin Boy. As time goes on, he climbs the ranks, becoming captain of a crew of his own. He lived on the terror he struck into many of people, including his very own crew. Whenever anyone saw his ship, they knew it was too late. It wasn’t long before his blade pierced the captain’s chest. However it all would change, when another pirate crew snuck aboard his ship and killed a majority of the crew, leaving him alive. He felt fear for the first time in years. He spent time drifting on his boat, trying to forget the eyes of his crew’s killer. He is snapped out of his daze by his ship crashing into rocks.

He is rescued by Asher and joins Natalie’s crew. He wants to be captain again but he’ll wait until he can mentally recover from the effects of seeing his own crew die.

Magical Object: The Sea’s Heart

A heart shaped necklace that can give the wearer abilities of the sea. They can change their appearance to survive the salty waters and control its creatures. If you blow into the top of the necklace, you summon the Kraken to do your bidding.

Navigator/Helmsman: Lo Hawks

Another man who grew up on the seas. He spent his childhood as Cabin Boy before getting promoted. One night during a storm, the ship is struck by lightning and everyone abandons ship. They all wash ashore of a desert island. A lot of the crew didn’t like Lo, and the ones that did died in the sunken ship. Without his knowledge, they crafted an escape raft and left Lo behind with a pistol with a single shot left. Lo spent three days on the island on his own, surviving on the local game, and alcohol, with rum becoming his favorite. He spots a couple of sea creatures and uses them to escape. Some say he used sharks, others say dolphins, while some claim it was the Kraken itself— when in reality it was sea turtles.

He quickly becomes a laughing stock among the pirates and joins Natalie’s crew, wanting to be at sea again. His nature makes everyone question the choice to have him stay aboard but it all goes away when he sails them to safety.

Magical Object: The Compass of the Lost

A compass that points to the direction of the user’s wants. Most people see this as the most useless thing ever but those who can accurately read the directions can see where they want to go.

Sailing Master/Carpenter: Sam Robinson

A man that wants more in life. He spent his childhood with his mother, helping out in the family’s inn. His father abandoned his family when he was little so he has no memories of him. When he was a child, pirates rampaged through his home one night, taking him hostage and killing his mother in front of his names. He quickly learns that for his survival, he must become a pirate. He’s made Cabin Boy but must be watched as he will fight anyone who he feels is threatening him. He spends a lot of time studying the stars and starts navigating through the stars. When this skill is discovered he becomes the Sailing Master. He received a lot of abuse, and almost died from the crew. One day, when the boat was docked at a port for supplies, he escapes.

He meets Natalie and offers up his services. He’s very tense at first about being around them but he sees the difference between this crew and the last; respect.

Magical Object: The Freedom Earring

When one wears this earring, the can manipulate gravity around them or on them. They can even create a portal to another location by simply whispering the coordinates or the name of the place

@writing-heiress @mangacupcake @adrianasunderworld @marrondrawsalot

[b10hzrd]

The Tides of Fate- Chp 1

 It was a beautiful morning in the Kingdom of Azalea, the town was as busy as ever, the marketplace smelling like freshly baked goods and delectable food. Even so, the ever-so-elegant prince seemed unamused. It has been like this every morning since he was a child, Prince Corbin never enjoyed the laughing in the streets, the melodies that the bard would play; nothing could make him smile.

The busy crowd suddenly began to disperse into chaos, screaming, shouting, and cries could be heard across the kingdom.

“Your Highness! There seem to be pirates raiding the marketplace, His Majesty has sent me to advise you to stay in the palace until the issue is resolved!” the butler said out of breath, he seemed to have rushed to the prince's quarters. 

“Pirates?” Prince Corbin asked, lowering the poetry novel he was reading onto his lap. There had been 3 pirate attacks in the capital in the last 2 weeks, this couldn’t be a coincidence.

“Yes, but not to worry, this disturbance will be dealt with shortly Your Highness,” The butler bowed, waiting in case the prince may need something.

The prince went quiet for a moment, then nodded, “You may leave now,” the butler nodded and left. Prince Corbin continued reading, absorbing the poetry with each page he turned. The screaming from the capital had now calmed, looking out the window, the prince saw medics attending to wounded merchants and knights. 

“How can some measly pirates cause such a ruckus?”

Prince Corbin hates pirates, in his eyes, they are just destructive thieves with no sense of humanity, and now they have interrupted the only ounce of enjoyment in his life, his reading. He placed his book down and went to his closet, the prince grabbed the disguise he used to wear when he would sneak out to the commoner festivals, playing with his friend he had made, those were times when he almost felt some sort of joy, not enough to smile, but enough to feel like he had the capability of feeling happy. Throwing on the cloak from his past, Prince Corbin set off, making his way toward the gate.

“And where might you be heading off to, Your Highness?” The handmaid raised a brow; she had always been important to the prince. The king and queen had their duties to fulfill, not as parents, but as rulers of Azalea. Eventually, they assigned Ms. Angeline, a simple handmaiden, to watch over their only child.

Prince Corbin sighed in defeat, he had been caught, the stealth he once had seemed to have worn off as the years passed.

“Just to see the gardens, Ms. Angeline,” he removed his hood and faced her. The prince started to become nervous, sweat forming on his forehead.

“It’s almost nightfall, Your Highness,” when Ms. Angeline said those words, with that endearing, sympathetic expression, he knew she was on to his plan. All the times he would sneak out, she was always the one to find him, this time was no different.

“I am well aware of that.”

“Well, I suppose you should be on your way then, please do excuse me if I stood in your way, Your Highness,” She bowed.

“Thank you, Ms. Angeline,” Prince Corbin put his hood over his head and turned around, ready to continue his plan.

“Your Highness—”

The prince turned around, looking at Ms. Angeline who had a proud smile on her face.

 “I ask you to please be cautious, His Majesty may not be pleased hearing you have gone out past curfew,” she said softly.

“I will, I doubt my father will worry, but if he asks for me—”

“I am more than willing to take responsibility, Your Highness,” She walked up to the prince and placed a hand on his shoulder, “I wish for nothing but your happiness, and if this can help achieve that I am willing to face any consequences.”

“Now, you must make haste Your Highness,”

“I am forever grateful, Ms. Angeline,” with that, he ran off. 

Prince Corbin moved swiftly through the castle, each step echoing in the dimly lit corridors. When he arrived at the gate, he quickly came to realize how difficult it was going to be to execute his plan. The number of guards seemed to have increased due to the pirate attacks. With a deep breath, he walked up to the gate.

“Who goes there?!” The guard's deep voice echoed, raising his sword he faced the disguised prince. Prince Corbin was silent and continued walking.

“Answer me!! What is a filthy peasant doing inside the palace walls?”

The prince remained silent, walking slowly so as not to encourage a sudden attack. Although training with the knights was something his father forced him to do, he quite enjoyed it, all that training can be put to good use.

“You dare ignore a royal knight?! This is your final warning, answer me now, or in the name of King Griffin and the Kingdom of Azalea the royal guard will have you arrested for trespassing on palace grounds.” 

As the guard moved closer to examine the cloaked prince, other guards surrounded him. Prince Corbin grabbed a grip of the dagger that was hidden beneath his cloak, preparing for what may come of this standoff.

“Seize him!” the guard shouted, and with that, all the guards drew their swords.

Prince Corbin with a swift motion, deflected one of the guard’s swords with his dagger. His moves were swift and precise, disarming another guard with a twist of his wrist, and sending the sword clattering to the ground. Another guard rushed forward, swinging his sword towards Prince Corbin. The prince ducked and countered with a precise kick to the guard's midsection, sending him sprawling. Despite being disadvantaged, he fought with determination, evading strikes and delivering fatal blows. The courtyard echoed with sounds of clashing steel and shouting from the guards. Just then, a particularly aggressive guard lunged at him, their swords locking in a fierce struggle. At that moment, Prince Corbin's hood fell completely, revealing his face to the astonished guards.

“I-It's the prince! Lower your swords immediately!” one exclaimed, immediately lowering his weapon. The others followed suit and fell to one knee, bowing in shame.

 “Your Highness.” the initial guard stammered, stepping back. “We... we didn’t realize it was you, please, we beg for your mercy. We were just protecting the palace.”

 Breathing heavily, Prince Corbin lowered his dagger and adjusted his cloak. “Stand down,” he commanded, his voice steady. One of the senior guards stepped forward.

 “Your Highness, we have direct orders from the king. You are not to leave the palace grounds. It's for your safety.”

Prince Corbin's eyes narrowed. “I appreciate your loyalty to the king, but his orders mean nothing to me at the moment. Now, let me pass.”

“Your Highness, If the king was to know we let you pass, we would be held accountable. The king's orders are absolute.” The guards still held their position that was blocking the prince’s path. Prince Corbin sighed; he had no choice. With a sudden burst of speed, he darted towards the gate, surprising the guards. He ducked under one guard’s outstretched arm and knocked another aside. The guards, momentarily stunned by his audacity, scrambled to stop him, but he was already sprinting towards the gate.

The senior guard lunged at him, but the prince sidestepped, dodging the guard, who had now crashed into the brick wall. Grabbing onto the vines on the brick wall of the gates he started attempting to climb. The guards shouted after him, but he was already at the top of the gate, his heart pounding with fear and exhilaration. Once he jumped down, he knew there was no turning back. Trying to navigate the city was truly a humbling experience, the last time he snuck into the city was when he was 11, and things have most certainly changed. New buildings, landmarks, and paths have been built since then. It was now dark out, every little noise the city made, the wind whistling, the sound of Prince Corbin’s footsteps, it all made him feel on edge. He gripped his dagger, in case the night decided to attack.

After much wandering he made it to the docks, the smell of the salty sea entering his lungs. At this moment, the prince questioned why he came to the docks in the first place. Was it to find these pirates? That couldn’t be the reason, why would he ever care about some pathetic pirates? Was it to find…her? The reason no longer mattered, he was here now, and going back was out of the question. His plan was only to sneak out of the palace, whether he was successful on the stealthy part was questionable, but the issue is his plan only went that far. This whole operation was an act of impulse, not carefully strategized. As he approached the docks he scanned the area, searching for a place to be out of sight. In the distance, the sound of stomping and clattering steel heading his way startled him. 

“That took longer than I expected,” the prince muttered then darted towards a dark alley. 

Catching his breath, he slides his back down the wall he is leaning against, in which he collapses onto the ground. The fighting, the running, and the unsureness of this situation started to sink in. The prince was exhausted, he hugged his knees and put his head down, drifting to sleep.