#crow stick nest

[crow-laroid]

I put my favorite fruit loops on my wall :D

Idk but that gray one looks a lil traumatized no?

Simplified hollow head stick designs?? maybe????? I still have to sit down and design them for once

EDIT: To everyone discovering this rn, I MADE BETTER DESIGNS :,D they are pinned top of my profile, please give them some attention tyyy <333

[thegrapebehindtheslaugher]

I wanted to draw but I've been unmotivated since April 😀🤪🤗

[dollychou]

ONE PIECE MEN AND THEIR FAVOURITE SEX POSITION ♡

ᰔ . . ꒰ featuring: monkey d. luffy, roronoa zoro, vinsmoke sanji ꒱

monkey d. luffy ིྀྀི cowgirl

luffy loves to see you like this — it's his favourite view. your tits are bouncing up and down in front of his face and he salivates at the sight. he's ramming up into you dripping cunt, hands grabbing ahold of the plush of your ass.

he hikes his knees up and begins thrusting into you harder and faster. your hands come to rest on his chest in an attempt to start yourself at the dogged speed he is going at. your wails and whimpers grow louder and that only riles him up more, slamming harder into your warm pussy.

"you look very pretty," he praises, bringing his hands up to squish your tits. he loves how soft and fleshy they are. he pulls you down to latch his mouth onto your nipples, flicking his tongue on your sensitive buds. you whine feebly at his touch, clawing harder at his chest.

he feels the hot white waves of pleasure building up inside him and he's biting his bottom lip from crying out your name. he gives you a light spank and squeeze your ass cheeks, leaving his hand imprints on them.

"baby, baby, baby," he blubbers out, popping your nipples out of his mouth with a harsh 'pop'! "'m gonna cum in you."

the best you can do is nod and answer him with a frail whimper and that's all he needs to know before he's filling you up with his warm, white seed. your walls clench around him deliciously, milking him dry and taking everything he's giving you.

once he's come down from his high, he places his hand on your tummy, patting it softly as he says more to himself, "you take me so well. filled you up good, didn't i?". there's this boyish grin across his face as he says so.

roronoa zoro ིྀྀི doggy style

zoro has you bent over the couch in the crow's nest, ramming his thick cock into you after a gruelling workout sesh. fap! fap! fap! he's thrusting into you at such a calculated yet desperate pace, groaning quietly at the feeling of you wrapped around him.

you'd think after his sessions, he'd be too knackered to do anything but your boyfriend never fails to surprise you. he's going at it at so divinely and you can feel him so deep inside of you, his tip repeatedly hitting your cervix. your sweet moans echo throughout the room and the way they're getting needier with each thrust has him rolling his eyes.

he looks down and sees the way his abdomen is slapping against your pretty ass and it's as if something in him short-circuits. he's digging his nails into your sides, pulling you roughly to meet the snaps of his hips which has you grabbing onto whatever you can in front of you to keep yourself steady.

"you feel so good," he groans. "so, so good!"

you mewl helplessly at his praise, turning your head to look back at him and the second you do, he tilts his head back in pure pleasure. oh my god, you look so gorgeous. the way your jaw is slack; the way your eyes are hooded and blown with lust; the way that adorable, little moans spill from your lips — he feels his cock twitching inside of you, feeling his orgasm coming.

the rhythm of his hips are now needy and reckless, grunting lowly as he chases his high. he feels your walls flutter around his cock and that's all it takes for him to shoot ropes of his warm seed inside of you, coating your walls white.

he leans down, placing a gentle kiss to the side of your head. "wanna go another round?," he whispers and the second you mutter out a 'yes', he's sticking his dick back into your syrupy walls, biting on his lips to stifle the pathetic noises that threaten to come out.

vinsmoke sanji ིྀྀི missionary

sanji is ever the romantic, even in these intimate moments. he rocks his hips gently and slowly into you, holding you close and allowing himself to feel every part of your velvety walls. he stares deep into your eyes, full of love and affection.

"darling, you're so beautiful," he whispers, brushing the strands of hair that's fallen in front of you. he peppers tender kisses all over your face, starting from your forehead and leading all the way to your swollen lips. "and you're all mine. the most divine woman i've ever seen."

you smile sweetly at his compliment, a pink hue tinting your cheeks. he loves when you get like this — all shy and cute for him whenever he showers you with his praise. even though you get so embarrassed, he just can't help himself. you're the most beautiful girl in the world to him and the fact that you let him even be with you in such a vulnerable position, he feels so blessed.

he rubs delicate circles on your hips, looking down to where you both meet and admiring the way in which his cock slides in and out of your wet pussy, coating it with your arousal. he lets out soft, quiet whimpers, his grip on you tightening as he feels himself getting closer.

your dainty moans only bring him closer to his climax. and the way your face is contorted so prettily, telling him that you're close too — he's on cloud nine. he feels your nails bore into his back, the sensation making him nearly forget his name for a few moments. he's getting closer and closer and he cannot hold out any longer.

"sweetheart," he moans. "'m gonna —"

before he can get the end of his sentence, he pulls out of you and stains your lower tummy with ribbons of his cum. he pumps his cock, letting every last drop spill onto you. he grins proudly at the mess he's made on you and beams, "you're always so pretty for me."

© dollychou ⋮ do not copy, repost, or translate any works.

[all-purpose-dish-soap]

Thank you so much for the part 2 of the shapeshifter AU! 🙏 The atmosphere is so singularly spooky and sultry. Keep up the great work!

on it boss!!

70 / 1.6k / part 3 of shapeshifter familiars!141 tormenting witch!reader

...

You wait until the early evening. It's the earliest you can run. Your so-called familiars won't come out while the sky is still bright. Even so, the moon’s faint sliver stands faintly visible against the sky. You pack your things and fetch your traveling cloak. Vital components. Your dagger. Scrying parchment. You've survived on less.

Something catches your eye as you open the door. The setting sun gleams off the little glass vial on your hearth. You grab it. It's the thing Soap left—what he was teasing you about; the "little treat" he brought back. You see now what it is: black henbane. Your heart beats faster. Out of anger or anticipation—you're not sure which wins out. You'll certainly make use of this. But it will be despite your demons. Not because of them.

As you set off to leave, though, you find yourself face-to-face with a different threat altogether: townsfolk with torches and pitchforks.

The mob's torches flicker, casting jagged shadows across their grim faces. Their leader, a broad-shouldered blacksmith with soot-stained hands, steps forward. The pitchfork trembles in his harsh grip. "Off to consort with devils, witch?"

Behind him, a farmer's wife spits at your feet. "My boy hasn't slept since your cursed raven perched on our roof! You sent those monsters to torment us!"

A ripple of agreement surges through the crowd. You catch the glint of silver amulets around their throats—crude charms of rowan berries and iron nails. Your designs.

"I don't want any trouble," you tell them. You already intend to leave this place forever; all you need to do is convince them to let you go in peace. "I swear it. I condemn the demons that plague the village just as you do."

The blacksmith's shout cracks like a whip. "Liar!" He thrusts his pitchfork toward your cottage and the crow feathers littering the threshold. "Found your nest o' nightmares. Bones under the floorboards. Charms written in your hand guidin' those beasts!"

A teenage boy hurls a rock. It grazes your temple with a thump that rings in your skull. "She fed my sister to the black dog! Saw its yellow eyes in her window the night she vanished!"

Then a torch arcs through the dusk. It crashes against your doorframe, tallow and embers cascading onto dry thatch. The farmer's wife screams, "Burn the hellspawn out!"

Other voices roar in agreement. The mob surges forward as one. Their amulets glow faintly as they near your wards, rowan countering rowan.

You slam the door shut, scattering glowing red hay, and bolt for the back door instead. You flee toward the forest. Warm blood slides down your face and trickles into your collar. You crash through the tree line. Brambles tear your cloak. Torchlight dances between birches behind you. They’re gaining.

"Kill her before she calls the beasts!" one voice shrieks.

Another voice, a child’s, cries, “There! By the elder tree!”

Your boot catches on its massive roots. You hit the forest floor hard. Pine needles stick to your bleeding palms as you scramble up—and freeze.

Yellow eyes blink open in the shadows ahead. A wolf.

The blacksmith’s heavy gait clatters to a halt. “Christ preserve us.”

The hound steps into the fading daylight, scars rippling across its muscular flank. Ghost. He bares teeth longer than your fingers.

You back away only for another shadow to fall from the trees above and land next to you soundlessly. The shape is feline—Gaz—but he's no longer the size of a housecat. He's as massive as a tiger. A growl thunders through him. He levels his gaze past you. At the villagers. They don't stand a chance.

You whirl back on the villagers with wild eyes. "Get out of here!" you cry at the mob.

The blacksmith shoves a trembling boy behind him. "Back! Back to the—"

Ghost lunges. Not at the villagers. At you.

His jaws snap inches from your thigh, herding you backward into Gaz's flank. Gaz pins you with one paw on your chest. He keeps his claws sheathed, but the pressure is enough to bruise. His rumbling purr vibrates through your ribs as he licks blood from your temple wound.

"Demons!" A villager hurls a torch. It bounces off Ghost's shoulder. Embers catch in his fur. He doesn't flinch.

Soap's cawing laughter rings from the treetops. He drops down as a raven, shifting mid-fall into human form. He lands in a crouch. "Och, look at these brave lads! Come to play with the big bad devils."

The blacksmith thrusts the pitchfork at him. "Back!"

 Soap catches the shaft and yanks the smith forward. "Careful now. You'll poke someone's—" He drives the smith’s own weapon through his boot, impaling foot to soil. "—eyes out."

Screams erupt. The mob fractures. Some flee. Others stand frozen.

"No, don't hurt them!" you gasp out. You try to push out from under Gaz's paw, but it does you no good. "Leave them alone!"

Gaz's purr deepens into a predatory rumble as he drags his rough tongue up the side of your neck to taste your sweat. His hot breath stirs your hair when he growls, "Too late for mercy, love. Smell the fear on 'em? Ripe as summer fruit."

Soap wrenches the pitchfork free from the smith’s screaming form, flicking gore off the tines. "Aye, let's make it a proper feast! Been ages since we had fresh meat that fought back."

"Enough."

Price's voice cracks through the woods like thunder. He stands under the pines��� shadow as if waiting for the last motes of sunset to vanish before he ventures out.

"You lot should've heeded the warnings. Salt your thresholds. Avoid the woods after dark." His gazes pauses over a young child frozen in fear, no parents in sight. He tuts. "But you meddled. Stole from my witch. Harmed her."

The blacksmith finds his voice. "W-We didn't—"

Price steps forward. His boot crushes the smith’s bloodied foot into the ground. Bones pop. "See, that's the trouble with mortals." He crouches to stare into the terrified villager’s face. "You don’t admit you’re wrong."

"Price, please, just take me instead," you plead. "I'm what you came for, aren't I?"

Price's gaze snaps to you. He rises slowly. The flicker of your burning cottage on the horizon behind you reflects in his eyes and makes them glow. His expression tells you how little choice you have in that particular matter. Where you go, they go.

Then he looks past you. “Gaz."

Gaz’s hand slides up your inner thigh. "Already on it."

"No. Save the foreplay. We've got a village to raze." He grabs the bloodied collar of your cloak and hauls you to your feet. "You'll watch. Then we'll discuss your ungrateful actions." His gaze flicks away. "Ghost. Gaz. Clean up."

You can only watch Ghost and Gaz bound into the screaming mob. Your body feels lighter than the air. Then you remember the weight of the henbane in your cloak pocket. The next moment, it's in your hand. You crush the glass, ignoring the stab of pain. You send it sailing through the air, and it lands right on its mark—the roaring torch discarded in the leaf litter.

The henbane catches and wafts up into the air as smoke. It curls upward in thick, narcotic tendrils. The smell is heady, its effect potent and immediate. Soap snarls as the first plume hits his nostrils. He staggers back and clutches his head. Gaz convulses mid-pounce, collapsing into ferns as his tiger-like form shrinks to housecat size. Ghost whines low in his throat and shakes his massive skull like a dog with water in its ears.

Chaos erupts. Villagers seize the chance to bolt. The blacksmith drags his wailing son toward the tree line.

Price grips your arm hard enough to leave talon marks. His other hand clamps over his nose, veins bulging in his temple. You cough into your sleeve. Your vision swims. Henbane's poison works both ways, after all. It’s powerful for those who know how to use it for their own ends. Black henbane is what you used to summon your familiars and what bound them to you. But its hallucinatory effects are more pronounced on those who have surrendered the greater part of their souls to magic—or for those whose bodies are already flush with it. Price, Gaz, Ghost, and Soap don’t stand a chance. Even your soul is so considerably marked by witchcraft that you quickly fold to its effects. But you, at least, can twist it and warp it to weave a spell that might protect you.

Cloaked in smoke, you transform.

The shift hits you like a lightning strike—bones crackling, muscles twisting, vision narrowing into a something wide and preylike. The forest tilts, and suddenly Price's grip is gone. He holds your sleeve, but not you. You slip away, tumble through your limp clothes, and hit the forest floor on four paws. The world sharpens into smells of damp moss and wolf musk. Your rabbit heart hammers against ribs as thin as wishbones.

You dart left--straight into Gaz's waiting claws. The tomcat pins you with a paw, purring as his claws prick your scruff. Then he sneezes, henbane pollen glinting in his whiskers. You writhe free.

You race deeper into the forest with the wind at your back. The woods close in, but thorns no longer claw your clothes; roots no longer trip you. You are no longer an intruder. The forest itself turns toward you, opens to you. Thorns tug pleasurably against your fur as you bound past. Old magic stirs beneath your rabbit feet.

"Clever girl. Find her." Price's voice slithers through the trees far behind you, syllables slurred but venom intact. "And keep her whole enough to scream."

...

← part 2 / [part 3] / part 4 ➡

more Price / more Ghost / more Soap / more Gaz / masterlist

[zorosangell]

⛥ﾟ・。 beach

synopsis: after zoro finds you unconscious on an abandoned beach, he quickly takes you to shelter... where he learns that something's off.

cw: possible multiple parts, fluffy fluff, comfort, zoro is so lost, reader's is a bit dense (only because she doesn't know), let's be real i think we can all tell what she is, miscommunication (kinda resolved), zoro is a gentleman

a/n: let's all pretend mermaids don't already exist in the one piece world <3 and look at my man's back in the picture yummy!

"Huh... I could've swore we left the Sunny right here..." Zoro muttered to himself, confused, as he scratched his chin, eye scanning over the expanse of the empty beach.

There wasn't a single ship in sight, nothing but waves and sand seeming to stretch for miles before him.

Maybe he shouldn't have taken that right back by at docks.

With a sigh, the Zoro dropped his shoulders, arm resting limply over the hilts of his swords as his free hand came up to shade his eye from the scorching sun.

"Guess there's no harm in walking a little further," he caved, pressing forward. "I stick to the shore, I'm bound to come across the Sunny eventually."

The crew had dropped anchor on a nearby port island for a much needed supply run, and after the girls split to go shopping, and the boys went chasing after Luffy, the swordsman decided to take his time exploring the island, leisurely sightseeing as he nursed a bottle of sake.

But, in true Zoro fashion, he managed to get himself turned around and eventually lost in the maze-like pier, the winding turns and frequent dead ends finally leading him to the edge of the island.

Hard Rock Cove.

Letting out another tired sigh, Zoro raised the sake bottle to his lips, taking a small sip before promptly pulling away, his expression contorting into one of disgust.

The summer island heat had turned drink unpleasantly hot.

'Jeez...'

If there was anything the swordsman wanted more, it was to be in the safety and shade of the crow's nest; where he could finally have a moment away from the broiling air and take a nice, well-earned nap.

But, of course, fate had other plans.

"Other plans" being you.

As he wiped the sweat off his brow, Zoro turned to look further into the beach, only to see an odd-looking figure lying on the ground, surrounded by seagulls.

'The hell...?'

He took a moment, eye squinting to get a better look, only to quickly widen once he realized what it was.

A woman.

You were lying there, unconscious and helpless to the screeching birds that had already begun to peck at your flesh.

"Crap," he hissed under his breath, breaking into a mad dash. "Damn things are gonna eat her alive!"

As he ran over, he started making loud noises, growling and roaring in order to scare the birds away from your possibly-living corpse.

"C'mon! Get outta here! Damn vultures! Leave her alone!"

Terrified, the seagulls quickly flapped away, squawking and shrieking at each other as they left to go find another meal.

With that out the way, Zoro sighed, allowing his shoulders to sink as he finally turned to you.

In which... he finally realized that you were completely naked.

"Crap!" he flushed, eye wide as he quickly turned his back toward you. "Where the hell are her clothes?!"

Not wasting a second, he shrugged off his robe, leaving himself shirtless as he draped it over your exposed body.

"She must be shipwrecked or somethin'. She's soaking wet," he muttered to himself, scratching the back of his neck. "Doesn't look too banged up, though..."

Bending over, Zoro carefully scooped you up, hooking his thick arms under your thighs and behind your back, cradling your—most likely—concussed head.

"Still, I should probably bring her back to Chopper. She might have somethin' wrong anyway."

Slowly, his gaze traveled toward your face, his breath hitching slightly as he finally got a good look at you.

Your skin was delectably sun-kissed, the water droplets creating a natural dew and giving it an alluring, ethereal shine.

Your hair was surprisingly soft and silky, cascading down your back and adorned with a few seashell-like, pearl-encrusted hair clips, two small strands of hair falling before your ears.

Your face was soft, long eyelashes fanning your naturally peachy cheeks while your plush lips remained in a perma-pout, your resting expression downright adorable.

Zoro's heart added another beat to its pattern, feeling as if the skin on his chest was heating up and tightening over himself, rendering him unable to breathe.

You were a vision—easily one of the prettiest women he had ever seen.

'Good thing I stumbled across her and not the damn cook.'

Out of nowhere, a water droplet hit the swordsman's nose, forcing him to glance up at the quickly darkening sky, the rain slowly beginning to pick up.

"Damn. I can't carry her through this. She'll die before I even make it to Chopper," he cursed, frantically glancing around for somewhere to hole up. "There gotta be somewhere around here we can lay low for a while..."

Luckily, he spotted a cave not to far away, large enough to shield you both from the weather.

"There."

Slightly stirring, you let out a faint groan, your eyes still unable to open.

"Relax. I'm getting us someplace safe," Zoro assured, picking up the pace as he made his way over to shelter.

A crackle of lightening punctuated his sentence, the suddenness causing even him to flinch ever-so slightly.

"Just sit tight."

Weakly, you let out another whimper, still stirring from your sprawled out spot on the cave floor.

"Still out cold..." Zoro grumbled, crouching down to your level before beginning to lightly tap your cheek. "Wake up... C'mon, woman, wake up... wake up."

Though, sadly, you didn't budge—quite literally out like a light.

"Damn... maybe I should move her closer to the fire?"

The two of you had been safely hidden away for quite some time now, and the swordsman was beginning to worry seeing as you had yet to wake up.

'Maybe she hit her head... got one of those brain-dead situations...'

If Zoro was being honest, he was probably the worst person to have around in this particular predicament.

Sure, he could keep you from being devoured by ravenous seagulls, and give you his clothes to keep from catching a cold, but past that he was pretty much useless.

He didn't have a single ounce of medical knowledge past Me hurt, me train, which was, to anybody else, pretty much inapplicable.

"Mmmph..." a light voice suddenly hummed, snapping the swordsman out of his thoughts.

Turning his head, his eye landed on you, watching intently as you slowly sat up, eyes fluttering open and brows furrowing.

"Good, you're awake," he nodded, a small smile rising to his lips. "Took your sweet time. You were startin' to make me worry."

"ᝰ.ᐟ꩜" you exclaimed, excitement apparent in your tone as your gaze settled on the flames not too far away.

Instantly, Zoro's expression fell, his relief replaced with confusion.

"Huh?"

Starstruck, you quickly crawled over to the fire, seemingly attempting to start a conversation.

"٠࣪⭑꩜.ᐟ ᯓ ⋆˚｡⋆ ꩜ .ᐟ"

"Hey, are you... all right? You hit your head out there or somethin'?" Zoro asked, raising a brow.

But you completely ignored him, too entranced by the dancing magic before you.

"⋆｡𖦹°‧.ᐟ"

Without thinking, you reached out to touch it, only to let out a squeak and quickly recoil at the painful burn.

"Hey! The hell are you doing? Don't touch that!"

Swiftly, Zoro strode toward you, carefully taking your hand to inspect the damage.

"Jeez, what the hell were you thinking? You trying to hurt yourself?" he grumbled, brows cinched as he took a better look. "What the—? Why the hell is the blister (f/c)?"

It rested on the back of your hand, far too soft and colorful to be a burn scab.

'Maybe that's just how she scars?'

Thoughtlessly, he grabbed it, attempting to pull it off quickly, but apparently it was really stuck on there.

"ᝰ.ᐟ" you yowled, clutching your hand and jumping back with a suspicious glare. "˚ ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚.ᐟ"

"Uh..." Zoro paused, completely and utterly lost. "I didn't catch that?"

Confused, you raised a brow, sizing him up with the same look.

"٠࣪⭑꩜ ?"

"Well, look. At least let me cut that thing off. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't look good."

Slowly, he began to draw one of his swords, your eyes shooting wide at the sight.

""ᝰ.ᐟ"

Terrified, you tackled him to the stony ground, quickly crawling on top of his lap before weakly slamming your fists into his chest, forcing the swordsman to turn beet red.

"What the—?! Hey! Cut that out! I'm trying to help you!"

"𖦹⋆｡₊˚⊹☆.ᐟ"

"C'mon, get the hell off me! You're naked! You keep movin' around, that thing's gonna fall off!

"☆.ᐟ"

Letting out a sharp groan, Zoro grabbed you by your wrists, pulling you off and placing you down on the ground, much to your struggle.

"Hey, easy, alright? I'm not gonna hurt you, so take a second to calm the hell down," he ordered, tone firm as he held your arms still. "I get it. You woke up half-naked with some random guy and your scared. And you don't seem to speak the same language."

Scanning over your face, he watched as your eyes began to turn glassy, lip jutting out in a slight tremble.

His chest slightly sank, a bit of guilt sinking in as he realized his harsh tone probably wasn't the best choice.

Taking in a deep inhale, he decided to try again, re-calibrating himself for a softer approach.

"Look, I'm sorry for being so rough. It's just... I didn't expect this whole thing when I found you washed up."

Somewhat perky, you sat up straight, carefully taking his calloused hand in a handshake.

" ༘ ೀ⋆｡˚ ᝰ.ᐟ꩜ ᯓ ⋆˚｡⋆ ꩜ 𖦹⋆｡₊˚⊹☆.ᐟ"

You spoke eloquently, making a long, heartfelt speech about the importance of kindness, and how you would like to get to know the pretty, green man better in order to make him your friend.

But once again... Zoro caught none of it.

"I have no idea what you just said," he sighed, swiping a tired hand over his face. "Alright, maybe the sake's getting to me..."

Just then, a clacking-crawling sound began to echo within the cave, turning both your attention to the cave's entrance.

Where a vibrant blue crab ran in.

"What the—"

"࿓.ᐟ"

Overjoyed, you happily greeted the crustacean, scooping him up in your hands as he frantically rambled in your language.

"~ .° ｡𖦹˚.ᐟ"

"The crab can speak?!"

Quickly, it handed you a glass bottle, which was full of sparkling, swirling, purple liquid.

Suddenly understanding, you nodded, swiftly popping off the cork.

"Wait a second. You're not gonna drink that, are you?" Zoro asked, warily.

His suspicions were confirmed when you began to raise it to your lips.

"Hey! Stop it! You don't know what that is!"

But before he could lunge forward and smack it out your hands, you had already downed the entire thing, licking your lips and humming at the delightful taste.

"Mmm! Delicious, Sari! Thank you so much!" you grinned, smiling from ear to ear as you pulled the crab in to hug your cheek.

Zoro's jaw instantly fell slack, the man utterly floored by what he just witnessed.

'Yup... definitely the sake.'

"Y'know what... I'm gonna check on the fire," he caved, honestly done with this fever dream of a night.

"Hey, I can understand you now! How wonderful!" you gasped, pleasantly surprised. "Y'know, human language is complicated. You guys should really work on that."

"Human?" Zoro cocked a brow, now even more confused. "All right, woman, just who the hell are you? And what the hell were you doing washed up on the beach?"

"Hey, mister, why's your shell on me?"

"My... shell?"

"This green thing. It's sticking to me and, um, very uncomfortable. I wanna take it off."

"Nuh-uh! If you're doing anything, you're keeping that thing on," Zoro quickly denied, flushed, as he ran a tired hand through his hair. "Jeez, you must've hit your head harder than I thought. Just lay down."

"But I have so many questions..."

"I do, too... but as far as I'm concerned, I've had all I can handle from you tonight. So just lay down."

"But I wanna hold this bright, moving thing!"

"Quit trying to touch that! Just go to sleep!"

"But—"

"Sleep."

Offset by his rudeness, you let out a harsh huff, cheeks puffing in an adorable look of frustration.

"Fine! But I am going to stare at you so angrily!"

With a sigh, Zoro flopped down to the ground on his back, staring blankly at the cave ceiling.

"As long as you stay quiet and keep your clothes on... I don't care what you do."

[arkaiveofurown]

Glimpse of Us

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Zoro can’t stop seeing Kuina in you—her voice, her stance, her likes and dislikes. As the subtle comparisons mount, you’re left feeling like a shadow, never fully seen for who you are. Can he ever truly see even a glimpse of you, or is it always a glimpse of her?

Word Count: ~4,000

tags: angst, emotional distance

my masterlist here ♡

You joined the Straw Hat crew just after Dressrosa, your sword at your hip and fire in your veins. Zoro was the first to spar with you, his eyebrow raising as your blade nearly nicked his sleeve.

“Not bad,” he muttered. “What’s your name again?”

You told him, and when you smiled, something in his eyes flickered. You didn’t know it then, but he was remembering someone else.

Your face, the way your expression softened when you smiled, reminded him of her. The way your eyes sparkled with that fire, it was too familiar. It wasn’t just your face; it was the way it was framed with your hair, the way your lips curved when you laughed—something in your features felt like the ghost of someone long lost.

“She was strong,” he said under his breath, not to you—but to the ghost behind your shoulder.

Still, he trained with you every morning. He watched you eat three bowls of rice like it was nothing. He called you annoying when you talked too much and interesting when you didn’t back down. You’d catch him staring sometimes—his gaze unreadable.

You thought it was the beginning of something.

⸻

It was late, and you were both on watch. The Thousand Sunny rocked gently beneath your feet, stars swimming above you.

“You always stay up this late?” you asked, sitting beside him on the lion’s head.

“Yeah,” he said. “I like the silence.”

You looked at him, and he didn’t look away.

“I never asked,” you said softly. “Why did you become a swordsman?”

There was a pause. Then: “A promise.”

“To who?”

He was quiet again, gaze drifting to the sea. “Someone who meant a lot.”

You nodded. You didn’t press. But his hand brushed yours—rough fingers curling slightly—and when he didn’t pull away, neither did you.

You thought that maybe this was how it began: gently, gradually.

⸻

It started with little things.

Zoro offered you her favorite drink from the fridge. He mentioned her name once by mistake—Kuina—and froze like the air had been knocked out of him.

You pretended not to notice.

But then came the slip-ups.

“She used to hold her sword like that,” he said mid-training, watching you adjust your grip on the blade.

You paused, sword in hand, before nodding lightly. “Guess it works for me too,” you replied, though it stung.

“She hated fish too,” he noted over dinner one night, pointing at your plate when you hesitated to eat. “You like it, but… she never could stomach it.”

You gave him a forced smile, trying to ignore the coldness creeping into your chest. “I guess I’m different.”

At first, you smiled. You laughed it off, letting it go.

Until it kept happening.

“Kuina always said that.”

“Kuina used to hum that song.”

“Kuina—”

You slammed your fork down one night at the table, but you didn’t say a word. He didn’t notice your silence. Or maybe he chose not to.

⸻

Nami found you in the hallway after another awkward dinner, your arms folded tight across your chest.

“He doesn’t mean to hurt you,” she said gently. “It’s just… grief. Sometimes it sticks.”

You stared at the wall, trying to find something to focus on, but the words kept repeating in your head. Grief. Grief. Grief.

“I’m not her,” you said quietly, though you weren’t entirely sure who you were trying to convince—Nami, or yourself.

“I know.”

“I don’t want to be her.”

“You’re not.”

You bit your lip, voice breaking. “Then why does he keep looking at me like I am?”

⸻

You found him in the crow’s nest, sharpening his sword.

“Zoro,” you said quietly.

He looked up, pausing mid-stroke. “Hm?”

You stepped closer, heart in your throat. “What did you see when I joined the crew?”

He blinked. “What?”

“Was it me?” Your voice trembled. “Or was it just someone who reminded you of her?”

Zoro sat up straighter, eyes narrowing like he couldn’t believe you were saying this. “Y/N—”

“You talk about her like she was everything,” you said, a soft ache rising in your voice. “And maybe she was. I understand that. But you can’t keep looking at me like I’m her. I’m not a ghost. I’m not your memory.”

He stood slowly, arms hanging at his sides. “I know you’re not—”

“Do you?” you snapped, stepping back like his presence burned. “Because every time you mention her favorite food, her stance, her voice—it feels like I’m being folded into a mold I never agreed to fit.”

Zoro’s mouth parted, but no words came.

You bit out the words, sharp and shaking. “I’m not Kuina.”

His voice came low and rough. “Yes. You are not.”

There was a pause, sharp as a blade between you.

“So then,” you whispered, “what about the people who are here? Who want to love you now? Do they even stand a chance?”

He closed his eyes like your words had split him open. “I never meant to make you feel that way.”

“But you did,” you said, voice cracking. “You made me feel like I was someone you were trying to remember—not someone standing right in front of you.”

Zoro opened his eyes again, pain flickering behind them. “That’s not fair.”

“No, what’s not fair is that you keep carrying her into every room we’re in and then wonder why I feel invisible.” You stared at him, your heart pounding. “Do you even see me for who I am? Or is all you see the parts of her that I happen to resemble?”

He looked stunned.

“Do you even know what I like? What I hate? What I’m afraid of? Or have you only been memorizing Kuina all over again through me?”

Zoro’s voice dropped. “I see you.”

“Then tell me something about me,” you challenged, stepping closer. “Not something I remind you of. Something real. Something only I would say or do or think. Tell me you see me.”

He opened his mouth—but nothing came out.

His lips parted, his brow furrowed, eyes darting like he was searching for the right words in the fog of his guilt.

But there was only silence.

Just that.

Your breath hitched.

“See?” you said, and your voice cracked like glass. Disappointment twisted your expression as you stepped back, something fragile and unspoken crumbling inside you.

⸻

You stopped training with him.

You laughed a little less. You avoided late watches.

He noticed. But he didn’t chase.

Sanji filled the silence in the kitchen. Luffy never asked why you stopped joining Zoro on the deck. The crew carried on. And maybe you did too. Maybe that’s what survival looked like.

But some nights, you stood at the rail of the ship, wind cold on your cheeks, and wondered if you’d ever been seen for you—not her echo.

⸻

One morning, he stood beside you. Quiet. Not saying a word.

You didn’t turn.

“I remember her,” he said finally. “Every day. But that doesn’t mean I didn’t see you.”

You stayed still, unsure if it was comfort or cruelty to hear that.

Zoro’s voice was rough. “I saw how you always double-check the anchor chain before we dock. How you clean your blade like it’s a ritual. You hate lychee, love thunderstorms, and you always look out for Chopper when he’s scared. You stand with your weight slightly to the left when you’re lying. And when you’re angry, you chew your words like you’re afraid they’ll hurt.”

You swallowed hard.

“You were never a shadow,” he said. “You were vivid. And I—I was just too lost to hold you properly.”

A long silence stretched.

You breathed, voice soft. “I wish I’d been someone else.”

Zoro’s eyes lowered. “I wish I’d been someone better.”

You turned to face him for the first time in days. The space between you pulsed with the weight of everything you both had carried.

You turned to him, eyes rimmed with quiet hurt. “You said you see me now. But when I needed you to, you didn’t. And now… I don’t know what’s left to see.”

Zoro reached for a word, a gesture—anything—but nothing came.

You stepped back. “Maybe all we ever were was a glimpse of something that never had time to become.”

And then you walked away.

He didn’t stop you—not because he didn’t care, but because he finally understood.

Sometimes, love comes too late.

[littlemochabunni]

Flashing them for attention~

One Piece boys Headcanon~ Monster trio + Shanks

18+ mdni

A/n: I wanted to get something out the asap while I’m still writing my series, and this may or may not have been rushed making it. Barely proofread my apologies 🫶🏽.

Luffy~

Doesn’t notice the first time, so you do it until he realizes your tits are out. Just as he gives you that same look he gets when there’s meat around you book it across the Sunny, failing miserably as he uses his gum-him devil fruit powers and stretches his arm out, wrapping around you like a vice, and pulls you towards his cabin. “C’mon y/n I want you to do it again, but this time we’ll see how fast I can grab ‘em!”

Sanji~

Immediately gushes blood from his nose like a geyser which leads you to try and catch him from falling face first on the floor. “Y/n my love, I can die happy now that I’ve seen your heavenly body handmade from the gods themselves.” You flick him between his curly eyebrows and call for Chopper to keep him from actually dying from reliving the moment.

Zoro~

You catch him in the crows nest just as he’s drinking water after his workout and you end up in a staring contest with him with your tits still out. “Aren’t you gonna say something?” “Aren’t you gonna put some clothes on?” Obviously you don’t, so he helps you finish taking the rest of your clothes off and keeps them from you since you wanna be naked so damn bad.

Shanks~

You flash him your bare ass while your around the crew which leads him to chasing you down, throwing you over his shoulder and takes you to the nearest room with a lock. “You really thought you could get away with that and not face the consequences?” You huff and lean up against his back with your head in the palm of your hand watching the crew salute their goodbyes. “I still stick by my actions.” “Yeah let’s see about that when your crying on my cock.”

[2b4st4r]

Hello! If I may, may I request an luffy x sweet tooth!reader where somebody from the crew just managed to get a handful of candies, and yet reader missed it because of an afternoon nap and saw luffy eating the last candy. And without any hesitation, grabbed his cheeks and went to steal it via kissing. And then reader walked away like nothing happened.

There's no pressure, take your time in writing, and thank you!

Candy

Luffy x reader

Words: 4,212k

Summery: This narrative follows a Straw Hat crewmember whose love for candy is a defining trait, often leading to humorous interactions and a trail of wrappers. While the crew reacts with various degrees of exasperation and amusement to their sweet tooth, Luffy consistently shows a unique understanding and affection. This culminates in a dinner scene where Luffy, in his usual oblivious yet earnest manner, blurts out his long-held feelings, leading to a flustered but ultimately heartwarming confession under the stars, solidifying their bond with a sweetness surpassing any candy.

Warnings: implied romantic Interest/relationship, minor choking scene(kinda)

A/N: I really hope you like this!! It’s my first request so I hope it’s at least halfway decent!! Ty for requesting it though, I had no idea what to write:3 💗

˙ . ꒷ 🍰 . 𖦹˙—

The scent of the open sea was usually enough to get anyone on the Thousand Sunny energized, but for you, it was often the tantalizing aroma of Sanji’s latest dessert creation wafting from the galley. The tantalizing aroma of Sanji’s latest dessert creation usually pulls you from the depths of any daze, far more effectively than the invigorating tang of the open sea. While the rest of your Nakama dreamed of grand adventures and glittering treasure, your own personal paradise was a landscape sculpted from mountains of chocolate, rivers of caramel, and islands made entirely of gummy bears. Being a Straw Hat meant facing terrifying adversaries and sailing into uncharted dangers, but it also promised a seemingly endless supply of sugary delights. Every new port was a victorious conquest in your ongoing quest for the ultimate sweet treat.

You were rarely seen without a lollipop stick dangling from your lips or a chocolate bar half-devoured in your hand, regardless of the time of day. Mealtimes were merely a brief interlude before the main event: dessert, followed by a continuous symphony of snacking. Your pockets served less as practical storage and more as a portable emergency sweet stash. A quick rummage often yielded a handful of sticky hard candies, a squished packet of gummies, or a slightly melted chocolate coin. These were treasures, rarely shared, guarded with a ferocity usually reserved for the One Piece itself.

The only downside to your confectionery passion was the trail of evidence you inevitably left behind. Empty wrappers, crumpled and clinging to invisible stickiness, would frequently spill from your pockets with any sudden movement. The deck of the Sunny, your bunk, even the crow's nest at times, silently bore witness to your sweet tooth escapades. Nami would sigh, Sanji would offer a good-natured scolding about cleanliness, but even they knew the sheer joy you found in your sugary indulgences.

For you, candy wasn't just food; it was pure, unadulterated bliss. The satisfying crunch of rock candy, the creamy melt of chocolate on your tongue, the delightful chewiness of taffy – each bite was a small slice of heaven. It was the vibrant explosion of fruit flavors, the comforting warmth of vanilla, the thrilling tang of sour delights. In a world of pirates and perilous adventures, candy was your constant, sugary anchor, a reminder that even amidst chaos, there was always something sweet to savor.

Your candy habits were definitely a hot topic among the Straw Hats, each with their own wonderfully unique perspective.

Sanji was perpetually torn between culinary despair and reluctant indulgence. "You're going to spoil your dinner!" he'd declare, hands on his hips, watching you unwrap a chocolate bar mere minutes before he served a gourmet meal. "How can you appreciate my cooking when your palate is already coated in sugar?!" Despite his incessant complaints, he'd often find himself baking an extra batch of cookies, muttering, "just in case you run out of your… emergency rations."

Nami, ever practical, focused on the aftermath. "Another wrapper!" she'd shriek, holding up a crumpled candy foil she'd found stuck to your shirt. "Do you have any idea how many of these I find scattered around? It's like living in a confectionery explosion!" Yet, beneath her frustration, she'd occasionally slip a small, expensive piece of chocolate into your hand, a rare treat she'd picked up just for you.

Chopper was a mix of scientific curiosity and genuine concern, often bordering on wide-eyed astonishment. "The amount of sugar you consume is... medically fascinating!" he'd exclaim, examining a pile of empty wrappers. "Your energy levels should be off the charts, but you're surprisingly stable! Can I... can I have that last gummy?" he'd occasionally ask, his large, hopeful eyes fixed on your stash.

Usopp often found your sweet tooth oddly inspiring. He'd occasionally try to invent "candy-powered gadgets" or "sugar-fueled projectiles," usually with disastrous and incredibly sticky results. He was also the first to attempt to barter a grand, exaggerated story for a piece of your candy, though you rarely fell for his schemes.

Zoro mostly ignored your habits, as long as they didn't interfere with his sacred naps or rigorous training. He'd sometimes eye your candy with a gruff indifference, but if you actually offered him one, he'd take it with a surprising lack of ceremony, probably just to make you stop talking.

Robin observed with quiet, knowing amusement. She found your childlike delight in sweets rather endearing. She'd occasionally share fascinating historical anecdotes about famous confectioneries or rare sugary treats from ancient civilizations, knowing you'd listen intently, captivated by her words.

Franky just thought it was SUPER! "That's how you stay so energetic, right, little sweet tooth?! A super dose of sugar to power up!" He'd even tried to integrate candy storage compartments into his own body, much to everyone's collective dismay.

But Luffy... Luffy's reaction was always the most special. He never scolded you, never complained about the mess, and never questioned your endless appetite for sweets. Instead, he simply understood. He'd watch you, his own eyes wide with a similar childlike wonder, as you savored each bite. He'd often try to sneak some of your candy, giggling mischievously when he succeeded, but he'd also be the first to share his own food with you, especially if it was something sweet. More than once, he'd just sit beside you, happily munching on whatever you offered, his presence a comforting warmth. He saw your love for candy as another part of who you were, another facet of the person he cherished. And sometimes, when you were both quiet, sharing a particularly delicious piece of candy under the vast sky, you'd catch him looking at you with a soft smile, a look that said, clear as day, that your sweet tooth was just one more thing he adored about you.

The familiar sizzle and fragrant steam drifting from the galley signaled that Sanji was hard at work. The rest of the Straw Hats were scattered across the deck, soaking in the lazy afternoon sun. You leaned against the railing, a half-melted cherry lollipop cool against your tongue. The sweet, tangy flavor was a small piece of perfect contentment, a tiny bead of sugary saliva glistening at the corner of your lips as you contentedly sucked on it.

Suddenly, a rubbery arm slung around your shoulders. "Shishishi! (Y/N)! Got any candy?" Luffy's grin was wide and infectious, his black eyes sparkling with anticipation.

You pulled the lollipop from your mouth, the sticky sweetness lingering. "Sorry, Luffy," you said kindly, tilting your head. "I'm almost out, and I wanted to save what's left for when we can restock at the next island."

Luffy's smile faltered, replaced by a comical pout. He whined, a drawn-out "Awwww, come ON, (Y/N)!" that made Zoro groan from his napping spot. He circled you, his hands reaching out and then retracting, clearly battling his desire for sweets against your polite refusal.

Then, a mischievous glint sparked in his eyes. In a flash, his hand darted forward, plucking the lollipop right out of your mouth. Before you could even register what was happening, the cherry candy was in his mouth. He then swiftly yoinked his beloved straw hat from his head and plopped it onto yours, the brim slightly obscuring your vision.

With the lollipop still firmly between his lips, Luffy leaned in, his gaze intense for a fleeting moment. His tongue flicked out, catching the remaining sugary sheen from the corner of your lips before he pulled back, a wide, utterly guileless smile plastered on his face. He made a happy little humming sound, the cherry lollipop now his prized possession. He seemed completely oblivious to the stunned silence that had fallen over the deck.

Your face exploded with heat. Your cheeks burned, and your heart hammered against your ribs. All you could do was stare, wide-eyed, at the back of Luffy's head as he bounced off to show his pilfered treat to Chopper. His straw hat felt suddenly heavy on your head. Around you, you could feel the weight of your crewmates' gazes – Sanji’s eyebrow twitching, Nami’s jaw slightly dropped, Usopp stifling a snicker, Robin’s lips curved in a knowing smile, Franky letting out a low "Suuuper… bold!", and even Zoro’s one visible eye seemed to have widened almost imperceptibly. The taste of cherry and something… else… lingered on your lip, and all you could manage was a deeply flustered blush.

The silence that followed Luffy's audacious move was thicker than the caramel you'd once spilled on the deck. It stretched, taut and expectant, broken only by the gentle lapping of waves against the hull.

Sanji, ever the romantic, was the first to snap out of his stupor. A faint plume of smoke curled from his cigarette, and his eye twitched. "Luffy, you idiotic rubber brain! What kind of move was that?!" he spluttered, torn between outrage at the lack of decorum and a grudging, unspoken admiration for Luffy's sheer audacity. He shot a quick, concerned glance your way, his usual protective instincts kicking in.

Nami finally found her voice, a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "Luffy! You can't just... do that!" She looked at you, then back at Luffy, then at the lollipop still in his mouth, shaking her head. "Honestly, sometimes I wonder about you!"

Usopp, who had been trying desperately to hold back his laughter, finally snorted, covering his mouth with a hand. His shoulders shook with suppressed mirth, occasionally punctuated by a high-pitched squeak. "He just... he really just did that!"

Chopper, surprisingly, was less flustered by the action itself and more by the implications for his candy. "Luffy, you stole her lollipop! Now she has less!" he cried, looking at your blushing face with a worried frown before turning his attention back to the pilfered treat in Luffy's mouth.

Zoro, who had been feigning a nap, slowly opened one eye. A small, almost imperceptible smirk played on his lips as he watched your flushed face. He let out a low chuckle, a rare sound. "He's got guts, I'll give him that."

Robin's eyes sparkled with knowing amusement, a faint smile gracing her lips. She simply watched, her usual calm demeanor unwavering, clearly enjoying the chaos unfolding before her. She understood Luffy's actions, perhaps better than anyone else on board.

Franky pumped a fist in the air, a booming laugh erupting from his chest. "SUPER! That's a super way to get your sugar, little brother!" He seemed utterly unconcerned with the social implications, focused purely on the 'efficiency' of Luffy's method.

As for you, the world seemed to have tilted on its axis. The straw hat felt impossibly heavy on your head, its familiar weight a strange anchor in the swirling daze that had overtaken you. The lingering ghost of cherry sweetness on your lip mingled with something else entirely – the faint taste of salt and the undeniable warmth of Luffy's skin. Your heart pounded so loudly you were sure the entire crew could hear it. You could feel every eye on you, every shared glance, every suppressed giggle.

Luffy, meanwhile, was completely oblivious. He was already bouncing towards the galley, eager to show Sanji his new acquisition. "Sanji! Look! (Y/N) gave me her lollipop!" he announced triumphantly, completely misinterpreting the situation.

You could only stand there, frozen, the heat in your cheeks spreading all the way to your ears. You reached up, hesitantly touching your still-tingling lip. Your mind raced, trying to process what had just happened. Luffy, your captain, your friend, had just… licked your lip. And then given you his hat. It was so utterly, perfectly Luffy, and yet, it had sent a jolt through you that was anything but innocent.

Your face still felt hot, even as you pulled Luffy's straw hat down, letting the brim hide your burning cheeks from the amused gazes of your crewmates. The coarse straw tickled your nose, and the faint scent of adventure and Luffy clung to it, making your stomach do a funny flip. You kept the hat pulled low for a good hour, pretending to be utterly engrossed in the waves or a particularly interesting cloud formation, anything to avoid eye contact.

An hour later, the irresistible aroma of Sanji’s cooking finally pulled everyone to the dinner table. Tonight, it was a succulent seafood stew, rich with herbs and brimming with fresh catches. As everyone settled down, digging in with gusto, you still felt a little self-conscious, occasionally peeking out from under the brim of the hat you were still wearing.

"So, (Y/N)-chan," Sanji began, a teasing glint in his eye as he served you a generous portion, "did you enjoy your… shared lollipop? I hope it didn't spoil your appetite for my magnificent stew."

You mumbled something unintelligible, pushing a piece of fish around your bowl with your spoon.

Nami snickered, nudging Usopp with her elbow. "She's still blushing, Sanji! Look!" she crowed, much to your chagrin. "Honestly, Luffy, you’re usually so focused on food, but you really outdid yourself today."

Luffy, meanwhile, was oblivious, happily slurping his stew. "Shishishi! It was really good, Nami! (Y/N)'s candy is the best!"

Chopper, ever the innocent, piped up, "But Luffy, you ate her lollipop, so it was your candy, technically, after you took it. And (Y/N)'s heart rate was really high!"

Usopp leaned across the table, whispering loudly to you, "So, was it a power-up, (Y/N)? Did you feel suddenly super-charged after the captain’s… transfer of sugar?" He made air quotes with his fingers, barely suppressing his laughter.

Zoro just grunted, taking a large swig of sake, but you could swear you saw a flicker of amusement in his eye as he watched the scene unfold. Robin merely smiled into her teacup, her eyes twinkling as she observed the crew’s antics. Even Franky let out a booming "SUPER SMOOTH MOVE, CAPTAIN!" before taking a massive bite of his stew.

You just wanted the floor to swallow you whole. Every comment, every knowing glance, just added fuel to the fire in your cheeks. You focused intensely on your stew, hoping that if you ate fast enough, they'd forget all about the lollipop incident. But somehow, with this crew, you knew that wasn't likely to happen anytime soon.

You kept your head down, trying to become one with the stew, hoping the teasing would simply dissipate into the evening air. It was no use. The occasional snickers and knowing glances continued, each one a tiny pinprick on your already flaming cheeks.

Then, Luffy, bless his oblivious heart, suddenly slammed his hand on the table, making everyone jump. He swallowed a mouthful of stew with a satisfied gulp, his eyes sparkling.

"Oh! I know!" he declared, completely unaware of the fresh wave of mortification about to crash over you. "Next time, I'll actually kiss (Y/N)! They looked so cute when I took their candy!"

Utter Silence

The entire table went completely silent. Even Sanji, mid-chew, froze. Nami's spoon clattered into her bowl. Usopp choked on his food. Chopper gasped. Robin's gentle smile vanished, replaced by an expression of pure surprise. Zoro, who had just been about to take another swig of sake, lowered his cup slowly, his one visible eye wide. Franky simply stared, his jaw slack.

Your face, if it were even possible, turned a shade of crimson that Sanji's tomatoes couldn't hope to rival. The straw hat on your head suddenly felt like it weighed a ton, pressing down on the swirling chaos of your thoughts. You squeezed your eyes shut, wishing desperately for the deck to open up and swallow you whole. Luffy, meanwhile, simply beamed, completely pleased with his brilliant revelation, reaching for another helping of stew.

You, mid-chew of a perfectly cooked piece of fish, promptly choked. A violent coughing fit wracked your body, doubling you over. Your face, already the color of a ripe strawberry, deepened to a shade of beet.

Concerned, Chopper immediately sprang to action. "Are you alright, (Y/N)?! Are you choking?! Franky, give them the Heimlich! Usopp, don't just stare!"

Luffy, however, remained utterly oblivious to the commotion he'd caused. He just tilted his head, watching your struggles with a slightly puzzled expression. "What's wrong, (Y/N)? You look weird!" He then continued, completely unprompted, "But yeah! I always wanted to kiss you! Ever since you showed me that candy stash on the first island we met, I knew you were going to be great! You're really fun, and you always smell like sweets, and you don't even complain when I sneak extra food sometimes." He paused, taking another large bite of stew, his eyes wide and earnest. "I knew I loved you back then!"

The coughing stopped, replaced by a stunned, strangled silence. Even Chopper, who had been about to administer a forceful pat on your back, froze, his tiny hoof hovering in the air. The expressions around the table morphed from concern to absolute disbelief, then to various shades of shock and amusement.

Sanji dropped his fork with a clatter. "Did he just...?"

Nami's jaw dropped so low it looked like it might hit the table. Her eyes darted from Luffy to you, then back to Luffy, a mixture of disbelief and utter exasperation on her face.

Usopp looked like his brain had just short-circuited. He pointed a trembling finger at Luffy. "He just... he just said...!"

Zoro, for the first time in a long time, actually spit out his sake. He stared at Luffy, then at your shell-shocked face, a slow, incredulous smile spreading across his lips.

Robin covered her mouth with a hand, but her shoulders shook with silent laughter. Her eyes, however, held a warmth that went beyond mere amusement, a touch of genuine delight.

Franky let out a low whistle. "SUUUPER... unexpected!"

You, meanwhile, were frozen, the straw hat still perched on your head, your eyes wide and fixed on Luffy. His declaration, so simple and guileless, hit you with the force of a tidal wave. All this time, you'd thought his attention was just... Luffy being Luffy. But "loved you since the beginning"? It was so him – blunt, honest, and completely unaware of the bomb he'd just dropped. Your blush, you were sure, was now permanent. The seafood stew suddenly tasted like cardboard.

Luffy, completely oblivious to the utter pandemonium he’d unleashed, simply continued to eat, humming happily. He occasionally glanced up, a puzzled frown on his face when he noticed the continued silence and the unmoving stares of his crewmates.

You, on the other hand, felt a strange mix of emotions. Embarrassment, yes, a tidal wave of it, but beneath that, a warmth began to spread through your chest. Loved you since the beginning? It was so incredibly Luffy—direct, honest, and utterly without filter. He hadn't meant to cause a scene; he'd just stated a truth as casually as he might ask for more meat.

Sanji was the first to recover, albeit slowly. He let out a long, drawn-out sigh. "Well," he muttered, running a hand through his hair, "that certainly explains a few things about the captain's... enthusiasm for your candy." He then looked at you, a soft, understanding smile replacing his usual exasperation. "Don't worry, (Y/N)-chan. He means well."

Nami, still wide-eyed, just started laughing again, a little hysterically this time. "Oh, Luffy," she managed between gasps, "you just... you just confess your undying love over dinner?!"

Usopp, who had recovered enough to speak, pointed at Luffy dramatically. "This is it! This is how the greatest love stories begin! With a stolen lollipop and an accidental confession!"

Chopper, ever the pragmatic one, looked at Luffy with a mixture of awe and confusion. "But Luffy, that's not how you're supposed to say things like that! You're supposed to be romantic!" He then looked at you, his eyes filled with genuine concern. "(Y/N), are you still choked? Your face is still really red!"

Zoro, having finally swallowed his sake, just shook his head, a wry grin on his face. "Only our captain," he grumbled, taking another sip.

Robin's laughter subsided, but her eyes remained warm and gentle. She simply offered you a knowing, comforting smile. "It seems our captain's heart is as straightforward as his appetite, (Y/N)."

Franky, after a moment of stunned silence, slapped his knees. "SUUUPER BOLD! That's how a man expresses his feelings! No holding back!"

You finally managed to push the straw hat off your face, taking a shaky breath. Your heart was still thumping, but the initial shock was giving way to something else. Looking at Luffy, who was now bickering with Usopp about the best way to eat a fish bone, you saw no malice, no teasing, just pure, innocent affection. He genuinely meant every word. A small, genuine smile bloomed on your face, replacing the blush. It was ridiculous, embarrassing, and utterly, perfectly Luffy. And in that moment, surrounded by your loud, chaotic, and endlessly loving crew, you wouldn't have had it any other way. The taste of cherry, and something undeniably sweet and warm, lingered.

A few hours later, the moon hung high, casting a silvery glow over the silent deck of the Thousand Sunny. The boisterous energy of dinner had long since settled into the gentle rhythm of the ship rocking on the waves. Most of the crew were either asleep or winding down in their quarters, leaving the deck peaceful and quiet. You found yourself drawn to the cool night air, sitting by the railing, gazing out at the endless expanse of the ocean. The earlier embarrassment had faded, replaced by a soft, thoughtful quiet.

A familiar shuffling sound broke the calm, and then a warm weight settled beside you. Luffy. He plopped down cross-legged, remarkably quiet for once, his eyes also fixed on the glittering water. For a few minutes, neither of you spoke, the only sounds the creak of the ship and the gentle lapping of waves against the hull.

He shifted, turning his head to look at you. In the dim moonlight, his eyes seemed even brighter, reflecting the stars above. "Hey," he mumbled, his voice softer than usual.

You turned to him, a small smile playing on your lips. "Hey."

"You okay?" he asked, his gaze unwavering. "You got really red at dinner." There was no teasing in his tone, just genuine, simple concern. He really was oblivious.

You chuckled, a quiet, almost shy sound. "Yeah, Luffy. I'm okay."

He nodded, seemingly satisfied. Then, he leaned a little closer, his voice dropping to a near whisper. "I really meant it, you know." He picked at a loose thread on his shorts. "About loving you." He looked up, his innocent eyes meeting yours directly. "Since the beginning. You're my Nakama, and you're... you're really great, (Y/N)."

The moonlight seemed to amplify the sincerity in his voice, and your heart gave another one of those familiar, happy thumps. There was no grand declaration, no passionate speech, just Luffy being Luffy, open and honest about the feelings that had resided in his big heart all along.

You swallowed, the sweetness of the lingering lollipop still a ghost on your tongue, now mingled with the overwhelming sweetness of his words. There was no artifice, no hidden meaning, just the raw, genuine heart of Monkey D. Luffy. It was exactly like him to blurt out a confession over dinner, and then repeat it under the silent stars, completely earnest.

You looked at him, truly looked at him. His straw hat was no longer on your head, but the feeling of it was still there, a comforting weight. He was gazing out at the sea again, seemingly content just to have said his piece. He wasn't demanding a response, wasn't expecting anything. He was just Luffy.

A soft sigh escaped your lips, a mix of awe and pure affection. The embarrassment from earlier had completely vanished, leaving only a profound sense of warmth. Your own heart, usually only truly stirred by the prospect of new sweets, now beat with a different kind of craving.

"Luffy," you began, your voice a little shaky, but clear in the quiet night.

He turned his head back to you, his eyes wide and curious.

You took a deep breath, gathering every ounce of courage. The salty air filled your lungs, and the vastness of the ocean seemed to hold your secret, waiting for it to be set free.

"I..." You paused, a small, shy smile finally breaking through. "I love you too, Luffy." The words, once thought impossible to say to someone so chaotic and grand, felt utterly right, like a missing piece of a puzzle clicking into place. "More than all the candy in the world."

His eyes widened further, and then a slow, impossibly wide grin spread across his face, even brighter than the moonlight. He let out a joyous "Shishishi!" and then, without another word, he leaned in, wrapping his arms around you in a tight, surprisingly gentle hug. You buried your face in his shoulder, the scent of sea and adventure filling your senses, and knew, with a certainty sweeter than any candy, that this was exactly where you were meant to be.

[shy-writer-999]

Embarrassing Confessions: Zoro is a virgin and he's insecure (Part 1)

Warnings: MDNI, AGELESS BLOGS DNI. THIS IS NSFW CONTENT.

Author’s note: Part One is tame angst and pure plot (no smut), ~5,400 words. Part Two will have all the smut, so stick around for that. I have a fascination with the idea of Zoro pining over you in secret and getting flustered and embarrassed about it. In this fic, Zoro’s ego gets bruised and you comfort him. You both get drunk and Zoro runs his mouth too much. It’s a slow burn like my last fic and will also end with smut (◡‿◡✿) Plz note that the reader is sort of giving OC, she (you) gives a brief description of ‘losing’ her virginity to some guy from ‘back home’.

TW: Alcohol abuse – Zoro blacks out; also if you have emetophobia maybe skip this one? There's a brief nod to the usual hangover symptoms.

Embarrassing Confessions: Zoro is a virgin and he's insecure (Part 1)

Word on the ship was that Zoro was still a virgin. It had slipped out somehow, maybe in a game of spin the bottle or never-have-I-ever. But you learned about it secondhand when Sanji made fun of him for it, right in Zoro's face. Sanji said something crude, along the lines of "Zoro's just mad because his virgin ass has never gotten his dick wet."

Zoro was immediately livid. His face turned red and he snapped back with "Shut up Sanji, you don't even know what the fuck you're talking about. Fuck you." Genuinely upset, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door behind him. When Sanji and Zoro bickered it usually had an element of playfulness, casualness, genuine annoyance, yes, but... you weren't sure that Sanji had said anything this cruel and embarrassing before, outing something that Zoro was, obviously, uncomfortable with and most likely embarrassed by.

You were surprised, both by Zoro’s reaction and the simple fact itself. You had always assumed that Zoro got action wherever he went, I mean, look at him. To think that he had never felt the touch of a woman… you honestly couldn’t wrap your head around it. And you felt like a creep because you were intrigued by it. Truthfully, your intrigue was not arousal but rather an earnest desire to learn more about this man who you had been developing feelings for, for months.

The only person who knew about your feelings was Nami. As soon as Sanji made the remark and Zoro stormed out, you immediately looked at Nami, and she glanced at you at the same time. It was like you exchanged a thought or read each other’s minds, one of those unspoken moments with your best friend across the room. It was a “what the fuck?” moment, a split second, but you knew that Nami would want you to go after Zoro and try to comfort him somehow.

You loved Sanji like a brother, but sometimes he could be a real asshole. “Nice one, Sanji,” you said sardonically, dead-pan and annoyed. “I think that was over the line this time.” You stared him down coldly. He immediately jumped to self-defense, but you waved your hand and told him to “can it,” as you exited onto the deck to see if Zoro was doing okay. You had no idea what you would say to him to make him feel better and you were sure that anything you said would come off as corny and patronizing, but you were damned well going to try. After all, it seemed like no one on the ship could talk about these things with Zoro except for you. There was something about you that made him open up, show a softer side, share things that he would otherwise have kept to himself.

Zoro was nowhere to be seen on deck, so that left only one option. You climbed up to the crow’s nest where he was sitting, scowling, and looking out over the open ocean. He was clearly mulling over Sanji’s comment in his head, turning it over and examining it from different angles, sitting in the embarrassment and trying to figure out why he felt so much shame. He never had put much energy into women, had no urge to ‘lose’ his virginity, as if that was an actual object that one could lose (he scoffed at the thought).

For a long time, Zoro felt like he wasn’t missing out on anything—as far as women were concerned, he couldn’t be asked. But in the past few months he had been feeling differently, no thanks to you. That’s why when he saw you climb into the crow’s nest after suffering that embarrassment from Sanji, he muttered fuck to himself and scowled even harder.

“Spare me the embarrassment,” he grumbled, turning his face away from you. He was starting to blush, but you didn’t notice it.

“That got you pretty worked up, huh?” You sat down on the floor near to him, cocking your head so you could peer more into his face, inspecting his impression, which he obviously did not feel like sharing.

Your observation was met with a terse silence.

“Hey, Zoro?” You said softly. He turned to meet your eyes as your tone shifted and you were caught off guard by how vulnerable and tortured his expression was. “It’s not a big deal. No one on the crew cares or thinks any less of you. Sanji was just trying to get under your skin, he didn’t mean to be cruel or malicious. You know he loves you like a brother.”

Zoro sighed and rested his head in his hands. “I know. I don’t know why I let that jackass piss me off so much… I guess he struck a nerve. I- I’ve been feeling… I don’t fucking know. I guess I’ve been feeling kind of... self-conscious about it, recently…” He trailed off. You were shocked by his candor. You were used to him being honest and more vulnerable with you, but this was more than you had been expecting. He was truly opening up to you. You had never seen him show an ounce of self-doubt or insecurity before.

“Yeah?” You prompted, feeling like he had more that he wanted to say. He turned to you again.

“I never really gave a shit about this kind of stuff before, y’know? I’ve got other stuff to keep me busy. But… recently… I don’t know.” He sighed.

You nodded in response. Zoro was a man of few words when it came to emotional vulnerability, and you could tell that the conversation was coming to a close.

“Well, Zoro, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m here. I was kind of a late bloomer so… I get it.” You looked at him carefully. “Let’s grab a drink later, ‘kay?” He nodded, and that was it.

You didn’t know that you were the main reason Zoro had been reflecting on being a ‘virgin’ (he hated that word). Talking to you about it made him feel some sort of way that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. Something inside of him twisted a little bit when you had looked into his eyes so seriously and with so much care. He tried to shrug it off and went back to cursing Sanji in his head, avoiding the actual dilemma he was facing, choosing escapism and mentally berating Sanji instead.

---

That night, you and Zoro cracked open a few bottles of sake, as promised. You had done this countless times in the past and nothing weird or unexpected happened except a few lingering glances that you both played off. But tonight it seemed like Zoro was drinking more than usual. You got the impression that he was drinking away his sorrows or drinking to forget about how genuinely upset he had been earlier in the day.

You were matching his drinks, as you sometimes did, just for fun. It felt like a kind of silly competition between you two sometimes. But keeping up tonight was hard, you were already getting a stomachache and could feel the dehydration creeping in… you knew the hangover was going to be a monster.

When he got drunk drunk, Zoro could become callous, rude, sarcastic, kind of an ass. He never really sent that in your direction, it was frequently towards Sanji, sometimes Usopp, Luffy, even Nami, if he really was going crazy. It was your least favorite characteristic about him; it was concerning, and it was a huge turn-off. But usually it wasn’t too bad, only mildly annoying. At worst, it gave you a sort of mini-ick.

Tonight was shaping up to be one of those nights, had it not taken an unexpected left turn. You and Zoro were the only crew members drinking, and everyone else was doing their own thing. It was dusk, warm outside, and the stars overhead were already breathtaking. You found yourselves back in the crow’s nest. This was honestly Zoro’s safe space—the isolation gave him peace of mind.

Zoro was laying on his side, with his head propped up on one arm, leisurely facing you. You had been bickering and talking over silly things for a couple hours at this point, like tidbits of sword-making history, or how much meat you’ve seen Luffy eat at once. After a lull in conversation, Zoro finally broached what had been on his mind all day, a nagging thought at the back of his head that he knew that he shouldn’t ask, but he grew bolder as he got drunker. And he was getting drunker.

“Hey, Y/N,” he began. “When did you lose your virginity?”

That was really out of the blue. You were shocked by the question, not expecting it at all. You two had never talked about anything like this. Oftentimes it was Sanji crossing the line and you telling him to fuck off. But for Zoro to go there…? Weird. He was presumably just wondering about it since you said you were a late bloomer too, and you guessed he must be seeking validation. After all, he was obviously embarrassed about the whole thing. A little reassurance and sincerity couldn’t hurt.

“Well, uh…” You hesitated. “I actually had sex for the first time a couple years ago.” That was enough of an answer, right? No point in oversharing.

“What was that like?” He got bolder, locking eyes with you. He was certainly drunk, and you were too. But beyond that, you felt the vibe shift and his eyes seemed more intense. Your voice got caught in your throat for a second. He probably was just seeking some reassurance, right? Everyone always talked about how they had a horrible first time, I’m sure he’s looking for more confirmation or something like that because he’s insecure… you said to yourself.

“Oh, uh… It wasn’t the best first time but also not the worst. It wasn’t as bad as everyone kind of makes their first time seem, if you know what I mean? It was with some guy from my hometown, we grew up together. Kind of like a childhood crush, boy-next-door type of vibe.”

Zoro felt a pang of jealousy. The alcohol pushed him deeper into a grave of embarrassment, rash behavior, and unspoken boundary breaking that he was about to start digging.

“Lucky guy.” He murmured, barely audible, as he shifted onto his back with his hands behind his head, staring up at the sky. He wasn’t looking at you anymore, now staring straight up. You could see him exhale, jaw clenching.

Wait, what did he just say? ‘Lucky guy’?

You had no idea how to respond to that. He seemed to be implying that the man you slept with was lucky. And why would that be?

An unsure “What?” escaped your lips. It was purely a reflex, you weren’t expecting a real answer, you figured he was going to laugh it off, you heard him wrong, something like that. This was like really out of character for him, at least in your experience. You had honestly wondered if he was asexual sometimes because he just never said stuff like this and had never talked about it to anyone on crew. To hear him ask about this sort of thing after all this time was surprising. Maybe there was a side to him that you never knew.

Without hesitation, Zoro responded immediately, doubling down. “I said, lucky guy.” He turned and looked at you. He wasn’t smiling, and his gaze was bold and almost piercing, so… it wasn’t a joke. Unless it was? If he was fucking with you then that would be weird as hell.

“Oh, uh… I guess he was lucky! Hahaha…” You tried to play it off with an awkward smile and half-hearted chuckle, hoping he didn’t notice that your face was bright red.

But Zoro kept going. “Were you surprised that I’m still a virgin?” You now realized he was faintly slurring his words. “I’m just curious.”

What was up with all these questions? You sighed. Well, whatever he wants to find out I guess he’ll find out. Looks like we’re playing 20 questions.

“Yeah, Zoro,” you responded. “To be honest, I was surprised.”

“Why?”  He asked forcefully, but this time he sat up from where he was laying and pulled himself a couple of feet in your direction. This would make him maybe a foot away from you, looking at you straight on. Your heart beat quickened.

Ok now this is getting weird. What is his angle? He must be feeling bad about the whole thing and now he’s fishing for compliments. With this conclusion, you rolled your eyes at him and exhaled. You could be playful with him now that you realized he just had a bruised ego, it wasn’t more serious than that. He was being a little pathetic, but that was all.

“Zoro, I’m surprised because you’re manly, strong, and attractive. Is that what you wanted to hear?” You kind of laughed.

And while you thought Zoro was fishing for compliments, you were wrong. He was finally asking you questions that had been burning in his mind for days. He sincerely wanted to know what you really thought of him, simple as that. And he was curious about your sexual life. He certainly was very drunk but even so, he still cringed as he asked each question. But fuck, he just had to know. He wanted to know so bad that he felt like he was suffocating. He had to have answers, but he was getting dizzy, his body felt heavy, all he knew was that he wanted to be closer to you.

He scooted closer again, so that your knees were touching. At this point your heart was beating out of your chest. His face was less than a foot away from yours. He may not have known, but you did have a painfully intense crush on him, and his closeness was having quite the effect on you. It was the same for him, too.

“Do you really mean that, or are you just saying it?” He slurred out again, stronger this time, leaning even closer. Your faces were maybe six inches away now. You were likewise feeling intoxicated, and it made time feel like it was slowing down, slogging along. Your intoxication was making you not only extremely thirsty (in both ways) but it was making you hyper aware and locked in to the blisteringly intense eye contact Zoro was holding with you, almost not blinking.

“I-I really mean it.” You squeaked out, almost as a whisper. Holy fuck, was he about to kiss you?

“Good.” He mumbled, and then he placed one of his huge hands on the cusp of your knee and thigh. He squeezed. You inhaled sharply. His eyes were still glued to yours. There’s no way he didn’t see your bashfulness. He started to lean in, maybe for a kiss, perhaps he was advancing with no goal other than to be closer to you.

Right when you felt like you were about to explode from the blood rushing to your face and your heart beating out of your chest, Zoro’s eyes closed and he abruptly collapsed forward into your lap, letting out what sounded like a groan and then… was that…. Snoring? It looked like the alcohol suddenly hit him like a truck all at once.

Sure enough, you leaned over him and saw that he was passed out on your lap, mossy hair ruffled, and his mouth open ever so slightly. He is prone to sleeping randomly, you shrugged, and God, he looks so good. He even smelled good.

You sat there until you calmed yourself down, feeling his heavy weight in your lap, the warmth of his skin pressing onto yours. He hadn’t let go of your thigh yet. You shook his shoulder lightly. It was time for the night to be over—he needed to get off you so that you could get him water, a pillow, and a blanket. He’d have to fall asleep up in the crow’s nest because there was no way you could pick him up or drag him downstairs.

“Hey, Zoro?” You said softly. “Zoro, you need to wake up a bit. You need to move so I can get you a pillow and blanket. It’s bedtime. Hey.” You shook him again and couldn’t help but notice the hard ripples of his muscles under his shirt. You paused for a moment and patted his head. “Zoro. Wake up.”

“Wha-what?” He groaned, raising his head ever so slightly.

“Zoro, I need to get up really quick. Lay down on your side for me, ok?

He groaned again, making your heart skip a beat. Fuck, that noise was hot. Sheesh.

Evidently a colossal effort, Zoro squeezed your thigh tightly one last time then raised himself just barely enough to collapse onto his side on the floor next to you. You peered at him for a second, thinking he was passed out again, making sure he was ok. As you rose to your feet and started to climb downstairs, he stirred.

“Baaaby,” he grunted out needily. “Are you coming back, baabbbyy? Don’t just leave me up here, Y/N.” You froze and looked at him. He was in the same position, with his eyes closed, breathing heavily. And yes, you had heard him right. Because he had said it damn loud. Holy shit, that made you feel some sort of way. But Zoro was so drunk at this point there’s no way he could have any control over his words. The lights were on but no one was home. He mumbled your name one more time.

“Zoro, I’ll be right back, I’m grabbing you a blanket and a pillow,” you quipped back, and he murmured something nonsensical while you started the quick descent to the deck.

It took you less than a minute to get him a blanket, a pillow, a glass of water, and a bucket, in case he threw up. You grabbed yourself a pillow and blanket, too. You couldn’t conscience letting him sleep up there by himself when he was so drunk. It took you a couple trips, but you managed to bring everything up to the crow’s nest. Zoro looked like he was proper passed out, so you spread the blanket over him and knelt by his head. Again, you shook his shoulder softly. “Zoro, lift your head up. I brought you a pillow.” He complied. He looked so sweet and soft. You wished you could kiss his cheeks a hundred times and run your fingers through his hair so badly.

You dragged your own blanket and pillow to the other side of the nook, giving him as much space as you could. Moments after you curled up and shut your eyes, Zoro stirred again, letting off another string of vaguely suggestive entreaties. “Y/N,” he murmured, “why’re you… all the way over there… you don’t wanna… w-wwanna sleep with me???”

This poor dude isn’t going to remember a thing tomorrow, you thought. In this moment you pitied him. You were sure he just wanted you to come cuddle with him, which was really sweet and all, but he was way too drunk right now to be touched with a ten-foot pole. And you already knew that if he remembered any of this tomorrow, he’d be too embarrassed to look you in the eye.

“Zoro, go to bed, sweetie, it’s getting late.” He did some more grumbling and nonsensical whining in response but soon he was out like a light, and you followed suit quickly.

---

Sure enough, Zoro woke up at sunrise feeling like absolute shit. He was hungover. Monstrously hungover. He couldn’t remember most of the tail end of last night and that made him uneasy, embarrassed at the thought that he could have said something out of pocket to you. He didn’t even want to think about the possibility of drunkenly confessing his feelings. As he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and tried to work the stiffness out of his neck, he realized that you were sleeping peacefully across from him. You must have brought out the pillows and blankets, the bucket and glass of water (which he promptly chugged). His heart twisted a bit when he realized how thoughtful and caring you had been towards him. Fuck.

You were breathing quietly, sleeping on your side facing him. Your hair was messed up, all flopped to one side, your face was soft and sweet. He just watched you sleep for a few minutes, realizing that he was being creepy as fuck but thinking he would not have the opportunity to sit and stare at you like this for a long time. He was taken with you. Anything that you felt even remotely insecure about, Zoro loved about you. On top of that, he thought you were ethereally beautiful; he would muse over how soft your skin must be, how good your hair must smell, how he hoped he’d be able to see the color of your eyes closer, how beautifully your lips turned up into a smile whenever you would see him. He wasn’t merely infatuated with your beauty—it was more than that. He admired you as a person, he thought you were brilliant, smart, and kind.

Fuck. He berated himself. You fucking idiot, what did you say to her?

He remembered asking you when you lost your virginity—or, er… did he ask you how you lost it? It was hazy. He certainly remembered throwing back the glasses of sake like they were water.

He blushed crimson immediately upon remembering that he made some comment like “lucky guy” or “lucky dude” while referring to the first man you had sex with. Fuck, that was embarrassing. And he had a feeling that he took it one step further than that, maybe he said or did something else… he wasn’t sure at that point. He hoped he hadn’t done anything that made you feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Zoro rarely ever drank this much—he must have been feeling extra bothered and upset by Sanji’s comment about his virginity. Zoro knew that drinking was a horrible, horrible way of coping with his feelings. But sometimes he felt like he just wanted to self-sabotage or self-indulge in feeling like shit. And alcohol certainly made him feel like shit. But he had never drank this much when you were around.

Zoro wasn’t so sure how Drunk Zoro would handle your presence. He had a sinking feeling that he probably made himself look like an ass. Maybe he got way too loud, maybe he overstepped with his questions, maybe he came off as some huge, perverted creep trying to get a better picture about what it would be like to fuck you. He felt many, many pangs of regret and repulsion at himself. He was being hard on himself.

And while it definitely would have embarrassed him, and he would have felt more ashamed than he already did by knowing everything he said, he would have been surprised to know that the version of Drunk Zoro with only you around wanted nothing more than to be close with you—evidenced by the scooting closer, touching your thigh, staring deeply into your eyes, entreaties to sleep with (or was that by?) him. But he had no way of knowing what he did yet, because you were asleep, and he was prideful.

All this angsty reflection and regret was quickly interrupted by the hangover. He needed to do something about that. It was becoming a problem fast. He refused to make any sort of use out of that bucket while you were around. So, he swiped up the bucket, his empty glass, his pillow and blanket, and shuffled down the ladder steps.

---

When he was feeling less disgusting and had chugged a few more glasses of water, Zoro wondered what to do with himself. He would normally be up in the crow’s nest around this time of morning. And it didn’t escape him that you were going to be extremely hungover as well, especially because you had been matching his drinks for the most part (he could remember that) and you had way less of a tolerance than him.

He decided that he ought to bring up some water to you and hang out up there until you woke up. Maybe he’d be able to gauge how massively he fucked up by your expression or demeanor. Only one way to find out. Also, he’d take any opportunity and use any excuse to spend some peace and quiet with you. It was a treat that he rarely got.

He filled a big glass of water for you, and something struck him—what if he brought you up some fruit for breakfast? Would that be weird? He knew that you usually had fruit for breakfast, so… why not? He couldn’t think about it too much or else he’d clam up and get too shy. Fuck it, he told himself. Fruit it is. What’s an added benefit was that no one else was awake to tease him about bringing you breakfast or spending the night with you. So he took a couple of extra minutes to wash up and chop some fruit for you. He plated it as neatly as he could and grabbed a napkin as well. It was a simple but wholesome, caring gesture.

By the time Zoro was making his way back up to the crow’s nest, you had been awake for a minute or two. You were stretching as he climbed into the nook and your eyes met his with a sweet smile. “Good morning,” you chirped, feeling like shit from the hangover, but also tickled that you got to spend just a little bit more time with Zoro. You thought there was absolutely no way he remembered any of the advances or suggestive remarks from last night, and you wouldn’t hold any of it against him or treat him any differently for it. You were just happy to be hanging out with him, and the morning was beautiful. You felt no pressure or even desire to let him know everything that he said last night in the pits of drunken belligerence, and you didn’t plan on sharing unless he prompted.

“Hey,” he greeted you and placed the plate of fruit and glass of water next to you. “Here’s some breakfast. Figured it may get me even with you, since you took care of me last night. Sorry if I was an ass.”

Zoro was doing something as sweet as bringing you breakfast? You knew he had it in him. You always thought that there was some softness and sweetness to him, under those tough layers. Gosh, this was really nice of him.

“Thanks for bringing me fruit!” You responded. “You didn’t make an ass out of yourself, you were actually being really sweet,” you smiled again, and his heart skipped a beat. It felt like it twisted a little bit. Fuck, he had such a crush on you. He felt cringey and awkward when you were around sometimes, hyperaware of his every move, wondering how you felt about him. It was so easy for him to blush when you were around, too. He hoped every time that you couldn’t see it. He knew now that he must have been turning various shades of pink and red because he felt the hot blood rise to his face… and this time you did notice. His cheeks took on a pinkish flush, a shade that fitted him so well. God, he’s so cute, you thought to yourself. He was blushing so hard because you called him sweet.

“Oh, uh.. Sweet? What do you mean?” He acknowledged what you said out loud, putting out a sort of rhetorical question. How had he been sweet? Were you referring to the intrusive questions about your virginity, or did he do something else? What on earth could that mean?

You felt like teasing him a little bit with your answer—nothing too serious, since he seemed a little worried about it. “Yeah, you were sweet… you did call me baby a couple of times. It wasn’t too bad.”

Zoro turned crimson. He started to stutter out an apology— “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, I-”

“Zoro,” you cut him off. “It’s fine, don’t worry. I know you didn’t mean anything by it. You were super drunk.” He attempted to stutter out another apology and you waved your hand. “Don’t worry, seriously, it wasn’t creepy or anything, it was cute.”

Neither of you thought Zoro could blush any harder, but he did. Cute? He was getting so flustered. He took a beat before hoarsely choking out a response. He expected that he had been a bit weird but… calling you baby? Get a grip, man! He scolded himself. But if that was all… it could have been a lot worse.

“Aghhh… Did I do anything else humiliating?” He asked, shaking his head and covering his eyes with his hand, visibly cringing. He didn’t even think to ask what context he called you baby in. It didn’t matter. He had called you baby, and that was that.

“I wouldn’t say it was humiliating but when you were falling asleep you kind of like… asked me to get in bed with you? It wasn’t creepy though, I think you were chilly.”

Zoro’s jaw dropped. Oh my fucking god. Get in bed with her?! What the fuck? He reprimanded himself internally. This was so much worse than he could have imagined. “Look, I’m so, so sorry I… I don’t know what got into me. I’m sorry, I-”

“Zoro, don’t worry about it, seriously. It was endearing and I didn’t take it any sort of negative way.” You took note of how absolutely vivid red his cheeks were. His fists were clenched. Poor guy was obviously going through it.

Zoro was turning the words over in his mind again and again—sweet, cute, endearing. He had never received any of this sort of praise from you before and it made his stomach flip.

Suddenly a shrill voice cut through the air. “Y/N, MY DEAREST SWEET~~ WOULD YOU LIKE SOME COFFEE MY DARLING?” Sanji shouted up to you in the crow’s nest.

You smiled and rolled your eyes at Zoro, sort of mocking Sanji. “Let’s do this again soon, Zoro… silliness aside… I had a really nice time. You really were being sweet so don’t worry about it. I’m going to get some coffee and take a shower. Thanks for the fruit!” You gathered your fruit and glass and shouted back down at Sanji. “Coming!” You did one last pretty smile and wave and then descended below.

Zoro was still reeling from the revelations of his drunken antics. He could have jumped overboard right about now, had it not been for your repeated description of him as “sweet” and “cute.” Your words rang in his ears—“Let’s do this again soon, Zoro.”

So he had called you baby and tried to get you to sleep with him, but it had been sweet and cute? It didn’t really make sense to Zoro but something inside of him fluttered a little bit. You weren’t totally averse and disgusted towards him after last night, so… that was good, right?

Zoro was absolutely mind-fucked at the whole interaction. He was kicking himself in embarrassment, flustered, bright red, his heart was beating out of his chest, but he was also ecstatic because you said you wanted to spend more time with him again. He was completely ashamed but buzzing at the same time. He hadn’t felt like this in years and years, in fact, he wasn’t sure if he had ever been this worked up about a crush before.

Upon second thought, he realized that he did have a shadow of a memory of him calling you baby, along with a suggestion in his mind of the moment when he groaned your name and begged you to come to bed with him. He had wanted you to curl up next to him and sleep there, to be close with him, to feel your warmth, your skin, your heartbeat. He couldn’t believe that all of this started because Sanji’s asshole remark yesterday about his virginity. And there was that virginity and you, two things that were currently posing a problem for him. He could only let himself fantasize slightly about fucking you, but… he didn’t let himself get too carried away (yet).

Stay tuned for part two: Zoro is yet again sexually frustrated, and you decide to help him solve his problem (smut, smut, smut)!

Update: Here's part two!

And here's my masterlist...

♡＾▽＾♡ (◕ㅅ◕✿) ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭* ੈ✩‧˚

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING! - Z

[hummingbird24220]

May I request aged down! strawhats with overwhelmed reader. The strawhats were hit with a devil fruit leading them to be 7-10 ish (keeping the same age gaps they already have so franky, robin and brook are still older) Reader finds them all adorable but there’s a lot of children now running around. Just fun shenanigans all around

Love this!!! Theyre all so cute as kids :')

Hope you enjoy!

Daycare Dawn

One Piece x Reader — Aged Down!Straw Hats

You blinked slowly.

Then again.

Then again, just in case the sun was playing tricks on your eyes.

“...Okay. Deep breaths,” you murmured, crouching down in front of the small crowd of miniature pirates now staring up at you with the exact same expressions as the fully grown Straw Hats you knew and loved. Just...shorter. Rounder. With missing baby teeth and too-large clothes.

In front of you stood your crew. The strongest, weirdest, loudest found family you’d ever had.

Only now?

They were all children.

“(Y/N),” tiny Robin said calmly, her oversized cowboy hat slipping to one side of her head. “You appear to be panicking.”

“I’m not panicking,” you lied, kneeling down and pressing your hands to your cheeks as your eyes swept across them again.

There was 7-year-old Chopper sniffling, wrapped in a t-shirt that now draped over him like a cape. He looked like a plush toy you could find in a gift shop.

There was 9-year-old Usopp who already had stick-on stars and bandaids plastered all over his cheeks, doing ninja moves behind you because he thought you weren’t watching.

Zoro and Sanji—11, both of them—were glaring at each other with identical disgust, the former already trying to sneak a training weight under his shirt and the latter attempting to pull a cigarette out of his pocket only to find a lollipop instead.

“Oh no,” you muttered, looking to Luffy next.

The 9-year-old boy was in the middle of climbing the mast like it was a jungle gym. “(Y/N)! (Y/N)! Look what I can do!” he called, hanging upside down from the crow’s nest, grinning like a maniac. “I’m gonna jump!”

“You’re gonna what—” You sprinted to catch him, only for his rubber body to bounce harmlessly off the deck like a living beach ball. He cackled as he rolled in a circle.

Nami, age 10 and furious about it, stomped over to you with her arms crossed. “Do you know how long it took me to grow out of this hair phase?! I look like a dandelion!”

You opened your mouth to respond but froze as a clunk clunk echoed from the stairs.

Franky had arrived.

Sixteen-year-old Franky—barely out of braces and with an unfortunate blue fauxhawk haircut you would later learn was a "daring phase"—grinned at you from ear to ear.

“YO! This is SUPER!!” he shouted, attempting to flex his scrawny arms. “Check out these noodle guns!”

Your soul quietly left your body.

Robin, the most composed of the group at ten years old, patted your shoulder gently. “You appear to be experiencing emotional collapse. That’s understandable.”

“Thanks, sweetheart,” you replied, weakly.

And then—skeletal violin screech.

Brook poked his head out from the kitchen doorway, still a skeleton (as ever), but somehow… younger? If a skeleton could be “youthful,” Brook was pulling it off. He even seemed to be standing a little straighter.

“I’d offer to babysit,” he said, bowing dramatically, “but as you can see, I’m bone-tired! Yohohohoho!”

You tossed a dishcloth at him. “You’re not helping!”

“Oh, I’m not helping,” he said with a wink you could feel in your bones.

You dragged both hands down your face.

So, to recap: Some weird Devil Fruit user hit your crew with an ability that aged them down. Not mentally—not entirely. They still acted like themselves. But there was definitely a whole lot more chaos, tantrums, and bursts of uncontainable child energy going on than usual.

And you were the only one unaffected.

Which meant—

“(Y/N)!” Chopper cried, tugging your pants leg. “I accidentally turned into my heavy point and crushed Sanji!”

“I’m fine,” came a muffled voice from under the couch. “But I think my nose is broken. Again.”

You sighed. “Okay. Right. New rule: No transforming without warning me first.”

“(Y/N)!” Usopp yelled from the upper deck. “Can I ride the cannon?”

“No.”

“Too late!”

A BOOM shook the ship as a puff of smoke exploded from one of the Sunny’s cannons—followed by giggling.

Robin sat on a crate, already reading a book. “I took the gunpowder out,” she explained. “Figured that might be necessary.”

You dropped to your knees and clutched your head. “This is fine. Everything’s fine. I’ve definitely babysat this many children before. This is just like that time I watched Chopper, Nami, and Usopp for ten minutes and no one lost a limb. Same vibe.”

“Technically,” Robin mused, “Usopp did sprain his ankle.”

“Robin.”

“Just saying.”

Franky ran by in platform shoes he made out of tin cans.

Sanji was making tiny, child-sized bentos.

Zoro was napping on top of the fridge.

Brook was serenading himself in a mirror.

Luffy was trying to fit an entire watermelon in his mouth.

And you… you were going to need a nap. And snacks. Lots of snacks.

But despite the chaos, the wild energy, and the feeling of being totally overwhelmed by this whirlwind of tiny terrors—

You couldn’t stop smiling.

Because damn it… they were adorable.

--

You stood in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back, and a growing mountain of sandwich triangles before you.

It had taken you ten minutes to realize that child-sized Straw Hats had the same appetites as their adult counterparts—which was to say, limitless.

“Okay,” you muttered, lining up the last few plates on the counter like you were preparing for war. “Peanut butter and jelly. Tuna. Egg salad. Ham and cheese. And… a few veggie ones. For balance. I am a god.”

You turned just in time to see Luffy’s wide eyes peering over the counter like a cartoon character, hands gripping the edge.

“Are those… sandwiches?” he asked, voice trembling like he’d just seen the One Piece itself.

“They’re not even fancy ones,” you said, lifting a plate.

“I don’t care.” Luffy looked on the verge of tears. “They’re beautiful.”

And just like that, the feeding frenzy began.

Within seconds, your kitchen was overrun.

Zoro was casually grabbing ham-and-cheese sandwiches two at a time, his mouth too full to speak but still managing to grunt his approval like a tiny caveman.

Sanji, despite his age regression, had a pinky up while eating a cucumber sandwich, face flushed as he muttered, “You cut the crusts off… (Y/N), you care so much it hurts—”

Nami had claimed an entire plate of egg salad sandwiches and was sitting cross-legged on the counter like a tiny queen. “You’re getting a tip after this. I'm budgeting it in.”

Robin, who you swore had never smiled wider than this, calmly took a bite of a veggie sandwich. “You have excellent knife skills,” she praised. “These are perfectly symmetrical. I feel respected.”

Chopper made a noise somewhere between a squeal and a gasp, eyes sparkling. “There’s peanut butter in my mouth and in my heart,” he whispered reverently.

You were dangerously close to melting into a puddle of goo.

Usopp had stuffed his cheeks so full he looked like a chipmunk, dramatically flopping to the floor. “I’ve been reborn,” he declared. “This is my new origin story.”

Brook, despite being a skeleton and physically unable to eat, took a plate and sat politely at the table anyway. “I can’t eat it,” he said, holding the sandwich tenderly. “But it’s the thought that nourishes my soul. Yohohoho!”

Franky took one bite, froze, then immediately built a cardboard shrine in your honor out of old cola boxes. “This is the most SUPER sandwich I’ve ever had!” he shouted, fist raised. “I will protect this kitchen with my life!”

“I only used white bread and sliced meat—” you started.

“DIVINE BREAD,” Luffy insisted, eyes wide with awe.

“You toasted the edges?” Sanji whispered. “(Y/N). Marry me.”

“I’m too old for you right now,” you shot back, flicking his forehead.

“I’ll wait.” He clutched his sandwich like a declaration of love.

Zoro looked up, crumbs clinging to his cheek. “What’s a ‘marry’?”

You opened your mouth to explain, but Luffy had already shoved another sandwich in his mouth and mumbled, “It’s when you get extra snacks forever.”

“Oh. I wanna marry a sandwich.”

“You are a sandwich,” Usopp muttered, still collapsed on the floor.

You stood in the middle of the chaos, watching them eat and laugh and yell over one another, with little jelly fingerprints smudging the counter and sticky mouths smiling up at you like you were some kind of hero.

And, yeah.

Okay.

Maybe this was a nightmare for some people.

But watching these tiny versions of your crew—your family—tear into simple sandwiches like they were sacred relics?

Yeah. You could handle this.

Even if you were now officially the Mom, Dad, Cook, Babysitter, Emotional Counselor, and Occasional Jungle Gym of the Straw Hat Pirates.

You didn’t mind.

You were smitten.

--

“GUYS,” you yelled from the deck, holding a dish towel and looking absolutely unhinged, “I NEED FIVE MINUTES. JUST FIVE. MINUTES.”

So far, your afternoon had included:

28 sandwiches distributed.

14 sandwiches dropped.

2 sandwiches stuffed into your pockets “for later,” according to Usopp.

And 1 tiny Brook playing the violin dramatically in the background the whole time like your life was a telenovela.

You were beginning to think the Devil Fruit that did this to them hadn’t just reversed their age—it had amplified their chaos.

“(Y/N)!” Luffy’s voice rang out like a gunshot. “WATCH THIS—!”

You turned.

Too late.

He had launched himself off the side of the Sunny using one of the cannons as a springboard, aiming for… something? A fish? A cloud? The concept of fun?

Either way, he was headed straight for the sea.

“LUFFY—!”

Your heart dropped.

You sprinted to the edge of the ship and dove after him without thinking. The ocean rushed up to meet you, your arms cutting through the water as you spotted a flash of red and rubber beneath the surface.

One firm grip on the back of his vest later, and you hauled a very soggy, still-laughing Luffy back onto the deck.

He spat out a mouthful of seawater and beamed at you.

“That was AWESOME—!”

You flicked his forehead so fast, even he blinked.

“No. More. Launching. Yourself. Into. The. Ocean.”

He rubbed his head, then gave you a sheepish, child-sized grin.

“Okay,” he mumbled, then immediately whispered to Usopp, “...Next time, aim better.”

You gave him the look.

Inside, another disaster was brewing.

“NAMI,” you barked, storming into the common room just in time to see her holding out a tiny ledger.

“What is this?” you asked, even though you already knew the answer.

Nami smiled sweetly. Too sweetly. Suspiciously sweetly.

“A perfectly reasonable breathing fee,” she said. “Usopp’s been taking extra breaths today.”

Usopp, clutching a handful of shiny buttons he’d already offered as payment, nodded. “It’s fair. I was really huffin’ earlier.”

You pinched the bridge of your nose.

“No one is being charged for breathing,” you said firmly. “You can charge him when he starts asking for air delivery.”

“But—”

“Nope.”

Usopp looked a little disappointed. “So I get to keep my buttons?”

“Yes.”

He threw them in the air and started dancing under them like it was a parade.

You turned the corner.

Only to spot Chopper sitting cross-legged on the couch surrounded by medical supplies. He had at least four syringes sticking out of his little hooves and was carefully inspecting a scalpel.

“CHOPPER.”

He froze.

“…Hi?” he squeaked.

You crouched down beside him. “Hey, buddy. Whatcha doin’?”

“I was just… doing pretend surgery. On this banana.” He held up a very unfortunate banana with a bandaid over its middle.

“Aw, that’s cute,” you said gently. “But maybe let’s not use actual needles right now, yeah?”

He nodded rapidly. “Right! Right. Sorry. I forgot I’m seven.”

You took the scalpel away and replaced it with a plushie shaped like a liver. “Operate on this instead.”

His eyes lit up. “I love you.”

“I love you too, you tiny menace.”

A loud CRASH interrupted your moment of peace.

You whipped around just in time to see Zoro and Sanji rolling across the deck in a tangle of flailing limbs and shouted insults.

“You’re cooking smells like feet!”

“Your sword stance looks like you learned it from a goldfish!”

You stepped in between them, arms outstretched, a flip-flop in one hand for intimidation.

“BOYS. NO FIGHTING ON THE SHIP.”

Zoro froze mid-punch. “He called my eyebrows weird again.”

“They are!”

“That’s racist!”

You held up the flip-flop higher.

They both instantly sat cross-legged and folded their arms like little monks.

“Thank you,” you said, deeply exhausted.

Behind you, Luffy had started drawing faces on the deck with mustard.

Usopp had convinced Chopper to wear a sock on his head as a “doctor crown.”

Franky was trying to upgrade Brook’s violin to shoot fireworks.

And Robin had quietly installed a “help” sign in the kitchen window.

You put your hands on your hips, looked up at the sky, and exhaled deeply.

“Okay,” you whispered to yourself. “Just… eleven more hours ‘til bedtime.”

--

Bedtime had started as a hope.

Then it became a goal.

And by the end?

It was a full-blown campaign that would go down in the history books as the “Battle of the Bunkroom.”

But somehow—somehow—you made it through.

You’d started with the easy ones.

Robin, ever graceful even at ten, had calmly brushed her teeth, climbed into her blanket nest, and said, “Goodnight, (Y/N). You’re doing a wonderful job.”

You almost cried on the spot.

Franky, now a lanky teen with too-long limbs, high-fived you, announced he was “recharging his SUPER batteries,” and collapsed onto a futon with mechanical snoring sounds. You covered him with a blanket. He muttered “gear maintenance…” in his sleep.

Nami grumbled, “Only because I have important dreams,” and curled up on her own pile of pillows with her ledger tucked under one arm like a stuffed animal. She was out in minutes.

Chopper and Usopp? Already asleep. Cuddled up in a sleepy little pile on the couch like a deer and a raccoon, legs tangled, Usopp drooling slightly onto Chopper’s ear. You didn’t dare move them.

Brook was sitting upright in a chair with a cup of tea and a lullaby on his violin. “I do not sleep,” he said politely, “but I shall vibe respectfully.”

“…Thanks?”

“My pleasure. Yohohoho~”

The final boss of bedtime?

Monkey D. Luffy.

He’d declared he didn’t need sleep, wouldn’t sleep, had never heard of sleep—and then passed out mid-sentence while arguing with a broom. You caught him before his head hit the floor, bundled him up like a burrito, and gently tucked him into bed.

“Goodnight, captain,” you whispered.

He let out one sleepy “meat…” and began snoring.

You were so close.

Only two remained.

Zoro and Sanji were seated at the table across from each other, eyes narrowed in concentration, arms crossed, faces set in serious little scowls.

“Whatcha doing?” you asked.

“Staying up longer than him,” Sanji muttered.

“Tch. As if you could,” Zoro scoffed.

You blinked. “This is… a competition now?”

They nodded. In perfect sync.

You sighed and collapsed into the chair between them, resting your head on the table. “You know I could just say ‘lights out’ and win, right?”

“We’re already past lights out,” Sanji said smugly.

Zoro grunted. “She’s got wine waiting. Bet she wants us to go to sleep.”

You gave them both a deadpan look. “That’s disturbingly accurate.”

They stayed quiet for a moment, and you just… sat there with them. The ship had fallen quiet, a soft ocean breeze drifting through the windows, the distant creak of the Sunny rocking gently on the waves.

“…You’re a good babysitter,” Sanji said suddenly, not looking at you.

You blinked.

“I mean,” he added quickly, face going pink, “for someone who doesn’t normally babysit, and, y’know, isn’t qualified.”

Zoro grunted. “She didn’t even kill anyone. That’s impressive.”

You huffed a laugh. “Thanks, guys. I think.”

They both leaned on the table, heads wobbling.

“I’m gonna stay up forever,” Sanji mumbled.

“Same,” Zoro said, eyes already closed.

“…You’re asleep.”

“No I’m not,” Zoro muttered, face-first on the table.

Right into a forgotten jam sandwich.

“…You have got to be kidding me.”

Sanji snored softly beside him, forehead resting on your arm.

You sighed—again—and stood up, gently lifting Zoro over one shoulder (carefully avoiding the jam) and tucking him into the closest futon. His cheek was sticky, and you wiped it clean with a warm cloth.

His face twitched slightly. “…Mm. Thanks…”

You smiled.

Then you picked up Sanji, who mumbled something about soufflé in his sleep, and placed him beside Zoro, both of them looking more peaceful than you’d seen them all day.

And finally, finally, it was over.

You stepped back into the now-silent kitchen, grabbed a wine bottle from the fridge, poured yourself a very big glass, and sank into the couch.

One sip. Two. Deep breath.

You looked around at the peaceful chaos.

Blankets everywhere. Tiny socks. Luffy's hat abandoned on the floor. Chopper's plushie liver left on the table like a casualty.

“Yeah,” you whispered to yourself, taking another sip.

“…I definitely need therapy after this.”

But damn if you didn’t love them more than anything.

--

You woke up early.

Groggy. Fuzzy-brained. Slightly hungover, but only in spirit.

Your back ached from carrying two pint-sized swordsmen and a certain rubber boy who slept like a boulder, and there was a peanut butter smear in your hair you didn’t want to talk about.

Still, you dragged yourself out of bed and into the galley.

It was a disaster zone.

Crusts. Crumbs. Stickers on the walls (thanks, Usopp). Someone had drawn a mustache on the fridge with ketchup. You didn’t know how Luffy had managed to get a spoon in the ceiling, but it was there.

You got to work quietly. No complaints. No grumbling.

Just you, the sunrise, and the soft hum of a broom scraping jelly off the floor.

And then—

“...(Y/N)?”

You turned, almost afraid.

There, standing in the doorway, was Sanji. Grown-up Sanji. In all his tall, flirty, freshly-shaven, cigarette-holding glory.

You dropped the sponge in your hand like it was molten lava.

“You’re big again.”

He blinked. Then looked down at himself. “...Oh. Oh.”

From the hallway, more voices joined in.

“Is this a dream?”

“My arms aren’t stubby anymore!”

“My facial hair! It’s returned!”

One by one, the rest of the Straw Hats filed in, stretching, yawning, rubbing the backs of their necks and blinking at the suddenly too-small furniture.

Luffy bounced in, now fully adult, his hat flopping over one eye.

“WHOA! I’m tall again!” he grinned, poking his own face. “I missed my stubble!”

“You didn’t have stubble, idiot,” Zoro muttered, already raiding the fridge. He paused, hand hovering over the jam jar. “...Why is there a bite mark in the jar?”

“Don’t ask,” you croaked, still in shock. “You were eleven. You had a jam sandwich battle with your face. It’s fine.”

Chopper ran in on two legs. “(Y/N)!” he wailed. “Did I do surgery on a banana???”

You gave him a thumbs up. “It survived.”

Robin was serene as ever, smiling gently. “It appears the effect wore off overnight.”

Franky cracked his knuckles. “I remember everything. I had teen angst, didn’t I?”

“You tried to start a band called ‘Supernova Sadboys,’” you confirmed.

He fist-pumped. “...Nice.”

Usopp staggered in, looking like he hadn’t slept in a year. “I had dreams, man. So many dreams. You were in them. You were yelling.”

“Probably real,” you muttered, picking jelly out of your hair.

Luffy plopped into a chair and grinned. “(Y/N), you looked after all of us the whole time, huh?”

You nodded slowly.

“And didn’t die,” Sanji added.

“Almost,” you said, deadpan. “Almost.”

Zoro snorted and passed you a clean mug of coffee. “You earned this.”

Robin took a seat beside you and tilted her head. “We do owe you.”

Brook handed you a single flower from his violin case. “You are our skeletal savior. Or, perhaps, our mama mia. Yohohoho!”

The room erupted in laughter.

“No, seriously,” Nami added with a smirk, brushing her hair out of her eyes. “You were like a whole mom yesterday. Cooking, chasing, yelling, wiping noses—”

“I didn’t wipe any noses!” you argued.

Chopper raised a hoof. “You wiped my nose.”

“Oh my god—”

Luffy leaned back and beamed. “Well, Mom, you did a great job!”

“Stop calling me Mom—!”

Zoro took a long sip of his coffee. “Too late. It’s canon now.”

Usopp leaned dramatically against the counter. “Captain Mom.”

“Mom of the Pirates.”

“(Y/N) the All-Mother.”

You groaned, dropping your head onto the table. “I survived literal child pirates just for this?”

But the truth was… you were smiling.

Because chaos or not, mess or not, wine and jelly and all, they were back. And safe.

And still absolutely the best disaster family in the world.

You took a long sip of your coffee, sighed, and muttered with a grin:

“Never. Again.”

Luffy raised his mug. “Until next time!”

[crow-laroid]

Blobs :3

happy November 1st

I really like them when they look like this

[arrowthrewme]

Sorry that I've been gone for a bit! School has been a bitch and I couldn't really think of any ideas :( But I'm gonna try to come back since I already have a few ideas in mind (as well as my drafts)

(P.S. this was inspired by ScribbleMama's Clara and Kree (you can find them only on youtube as far as I know))

WARNING: Soft yandere behaviour, male reader intended, co-depended like behaviour

It's Your Golden Hour

"You've healed the hurt inside me. Now, I will protect you from those hurts."

Moving to an old cabin, surrounded by the forest, was a long time coming. Surprisingly. Almost everyone in your family had left their city to move to a small town, disconnected from most of the human population. Either it being money problems or some breakdown because of the uncertainty of who they were—it all led to them moving.

Now it was your turn.

Arriving at the small town—if it could even be called that with how little people it held—you were greeted with smiling, welcoming faces and small treats from the elders. The people helped you get your things inside the old, but stable cabin, but didn't stick around. Which was probably for the best.

You spent the day putting things away and finding their place in your home. Yet, even after so many things found their homes, there were just as many boxes full of even more things.

That's tomorrow's problem.

So, with a tired, aching body and dull mind, you went to bed. Sleeping soundly before a rhythmic tapping awoke you.

Yan Harpy, who saw you when you first arrived and immediately knew he found the one. It's an old tale, one as old as the trees surrounding the half-bird/half-man creature. But it states that after meeting for the first time with your destiny, you will know in a lights flicker.

Yan Harpy, who spent the day preening and grooming himself so you wouldn't think he was some slob. Even surveying the forest for something to bring as the first gift (he settled on a handful of pine tree branches)

Yan Harpy, who was startled when you didn't welcome him with open arms, but loud screams and wacking. He spent so long preening himself! Was it not satisfactory??

Yan Harpy, who sulked for two days before coming up with a brilliant idea

Yan Harpy, who built his nest on your roof

Yan Harpy, who secretly (aka you know he's were very well) to make sure you don't get hurt

Yan Harpy, who brings you every find from the forest. Leaving it on your front door step and cawing when you come to pick it up so you know who gifted it (it's always him)

Yan Harpy, who soon starts to get closer. Not flying up to his nest after leaving his gift of the day, walking next to you when adventuring through the forest and even joining you in your back garden, where you take care of your crops

Yan Harpy, who, as it comes closer and closer to winter time, gets sadder and sadder. Harpies who don't have a secure, warm nest (which is practically just a larger version of a bird box) leave east to escape the cold. Even as a crow harpy, he couldn't stay the winter. He doesn't want to leave you, afraid that you would find a mate or move somewhere where he could never find you

Yan Harpy, who's filled with those types of thoughts. Each thought making him more depressed as the minutes ticked by

Yan Harpy, who was ecstatic when you offered for him to stay with you. He could stay! But not only that, you invited him into your nest. Your private space. He felt like he was going to faint

Yan Harpy, who built a nest made out of blankets and pillows in your bedroom (there is only one bedroom in the cabin). It was big enough for two people, which meant he would sit down inside it and pat it happily. Inviting you to sit beside him

Yan Harpy, who gets embarrassed by how quickly his winter coat grew in. It made him look like a puffball! That wasn't what he wanted!! He wanted to look distinguished for you...wait...you like it? Well... he guesses it isn't so bad

Yan Harpy, who is like a person heater, seeing as he runs hotter than humans (perfect for cuddling as the weather gets cooler)

Yan Harpy, who, you quickly learn, doesn't really have a name. Most harpies call themselves by their titles in their main family. And seeing as he's the youngest, that was what he was mainly called

Yan Harpy, who spends evenings going through baby name books, trying to find the perfect one (he picked out Circe. What a coincidence.)

Yan Harpy, who growls when anyone approaches you or the house. It doesn't matter if the person is married, single, old, young—he doesn't like them coming near his mate (except for little kids)

Yan Harpy, who, when jealous, just gets clingy and needy. He won't fight or yell. All he can do is think of all the ways he isn't good enough. His feathers aren't soft and neat enough, he isn't strong enough, he isn't a good provider. You'd have to spend a day or week (depending how jealous he feels) cuddling and assuring him that he's perfect the way he is

Yan Harpy, who slept in your bed for the first time during a particularly cold night. It was cold enough that even Circe was shivering. So, you invited him into your bed so both of you could get a night's rest without freezing to death

Yan Harpy, who adores spring. Yes, the shedding it... hectic. But seeing everything bloom once more, gaining back its vibrancy—oh, it makes him want to sing!

Yan Harpy, who let's you use his feathers as stuffing for pillows

Yan Harpy, who loves to hold you to his chest. Feeling your back press against his front makes him feel like time slows down.

Yan Harpy, who preens you every day. Let him brush your hair; he's begging you! On his hands and knees, begging

Yan Harpy, who speaks in chirps, caws and body language, but after some time learnt sign language to communicate better with your

Yan Harpy, who will be your mate forever. He will keep you warm and happy. Just pick take the mating feather and he'll be fully yours. Only yours.

[flammingnachos]

“𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 （）𝗋𝗈𝗋𝗈𝗇𝖺 𝗓𝗈𝗋𝗈 𝗑 𝗋𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋 （𝘔）

𝖲𝗒𝗇𝗈𝗉𝗌𝗂𝗌；You know that Zoro's hygiene has been, to put it lightly, lax. You decide that enough is enough, and with a little encouragement from Nami, you decide that there's only one option to convince him. Shower sex.

It’s been 6 days. You think to yourself with a small shudder. The first few days, you almost don’t mind. It’s kinda sexy, the musty scent. It’s a reminder of the hard work that he puts himself through daily. And of course, the visual benefits of that work are certainly worth a mild stench. But 6 days? It’s beyond a mild stench now. It’s a fucking identity trait. You’d only been together for a couple months, so you don’t exactly know what the proper way to bring up this kind of shit. Like “hey babe, I’d love to really take a trip to the bone zone and all, but if we do right now, Brook isn’t gonna be the only dead one on the ship.” Even if you did say that, he’d be so confused, the adorable idiot, and probably pretty dejected too. You sigh, squeezing your eyes closed and press your fingertips to your temples.

“I’m just gonna have to manipulate the poor boy.” You decide out loud, having no idea how to manage that.

“Who are we manipulating?” Nami pops her head in the room with a sly grin. You nod your head in a greeting to her.

“Zoro,” you say with exasperation. “To take a shower.”

Nami laughs loudly. “Good fucking luck,” she’s almost crying with how hard she’s laughing. “I’ve been barking up that tree since the literal day I met him.”

This is not what you needed to hear. You groan and flop back on your mattress, clapping your hand over your eyes. After another few moments of laughing, you feel Nami sit next to you on the edge of the bed.

“Y/n, the answer is obvious.”

You raise an eyebrow and glance up at through the parted fingers over your eyes. “Oh?” You ask.

“Shower sex, duh.” Nami replies, sticking her tongue out at you with a wink.

You flush. Goddamn it. You think. Seductive manipulation is not precisely your forte. Especially with someone as completely dense as Zoro. In some ways, Zoro is one of the most intelligent people you know. He’s instinctual, able to observe his environment, adaptable and cunning in a fight. But with other people? That he actually likes? Let’s just say the wheel is spinning, but the hamster’s dead. Very dead.

“I was afraid of this,” you say gravely.

Nami rolls her eyes. “Christ, y/n. You’re acting like it’s such a chore to have sex with your boyfriend.”

“UGH.” You throw a pillow at her, and she cackles again as she stands up to walk towards the door.

“You’re a true champ, y/n. From all of us Straw-hat Pirates, we thank you for your service.” She salutes, dodging another pillow that you chuck her direction as she walks out the door.

As you sit on the edge of your bed, you grab the last pillow left and shove it into your face, letting it stifle the almost inhuman, frustrated screech that rips through your throat. The sound dissipates, and you stand up, heading up to the Crow’s Nest, where you know the smelly swordsman will be. Nami and Robin snicker at you as you pass and you flip them off crudely. You climb up the ladder to the Crow’s Nest and open the hatch, pulling yourself inside.

You smell him before you can see him.

Why am I doing this to myself? Why?

You turn towards the sound of heavy breathing and you see Zoro, in all his bare-chested glory, doing one-armed hand stand push-ups while he used the free arm to curl a massive dumbbell.

Oh yeah, that’s why.

His back is to you, so you’re able to watch the muscles of his back and shoulders ripple beneath his tanned skin effortlessly. He’s taken his long green coat off, leaving him in only his pants and boots. You can see droplets of sweat dripping down his back, each bead following a different muscular curve. He makes soft grunting noises with each rep and you feel the knot in your stomach tighten and your heart race. You clear your throat softly, hoping to gain his attention. He doesn’t turn, only switching the role of each arm.

So, you try again, this time a bit louder. You watch him stiffen at the disturbance, his head shooting up between his arms to look at the intruder. His steely eyes meet yours and soften, along with his body and he gives you a grin, clearly pleased to see you. He pushes himself up and flips upright to land on his feet before turning to greet you.

“Hey y/n,” He smiles again and grabs a towel off a rack to wipe his face and hair.

He begins to walk toward you and you almost forget your mission. He looks so handsome, especially with that wide grin that he typically only reserves for you. His green hair is damp, making it a slightly darker shade than usual, and he drapes the towel over the back of his neck. He halts in front of you, his hands moving to grip each end of the towel casually. “What’s up?” He says.

You realize you haven’t taken a breath for a few moments, and you inhale to reply to him. Rookie mistake.

The smell of him hits you again, and you cough without warning. Shit, you think. Don’t screw around, y’n. Get this damn mosshead in the shower with you pronto.

“Hey,” You reply, forcing yourself into a smile. “Just came up here to check on you. How are you doing?”

He smiles again, the oblivious bastard. “Oh, okay. I’m fine. Just doing the usual,” he replies. “Shit, your face had me going for a second. I thought something might be wrong,”

He chuckles. You pause a beat too long. He notices. Fuck.

“…is there something wrong, y/n?” He asks, now somewhat nervous.

“Oh no!” You say too quickly. “No, no, nothing’s wrong. I just came up here because…”

You know you need to calm down if you’re going to attempt anything that mildly looks like seduction. You take a breath and drop your gaze, now looking at him from underneath your eyelashes flirtatiously.

“I came up here because I was about to take a shower...” You place a hand on his warm chest and push up to the shell of his ear. You lower your voice. “And I was wondering if you might want to join me?”

You feel him stiffen again beneath the hand on his chest and his breath hitch. His hands come up to lightly grip your hips.

“You what?” He asks, his voice suddenly a little rougher.

You kiss the soft skin just beneath his angled jaw. “Join me. In the shower.” You repeat.

His grip on your hips tightens for a second before he grabs your hand suddenly, pulling you towards the hatch of the Crow’s Nest. It’s so fast that you almost can’t process what’s happening. He opens the hatch with his foot.

“Oh, so you want to come?” You manage. He swoops you up into his arms and jumps down the hatch without regard to the ladder. You land firmly on the deck below and he doesn’t bother to set you down.

“Zoro?” You ask, mesmerized by the concentration on his face. He shifts to hold you with one arm as he opens the door to the bath house room, slamming it behind him. He sets you down and wraps strong arms around your waist, kissing your neck.

“Get in the shower. Now.” He commands. Internal screams. And in that moment, as the water turns on and your simple, oblivious, gorgeous greenette quickly strips away the rest of his clothes, you don’t know what you’re more excited about, the amazing sex that you’re about to have, or the fact that the simple, oblivious, gorgeous greenette is finally going to be fucking clean.

“Get in the shower. Now.” Zoro commands.

Holy shit, you think. If I’d known this would be the reaction, I’d’ve done it ages ago.

Zoro can barely keep his hands off of you, only pausing for a brief moment to reach behind him and turn on the faucet. His calloused fingers roam your clothed body, and you instinctively arch into him. He hums with approval. His lips, hungry for contact, pepper your jaw and neck with affection. You sigh and push closer, only slightly embarrassed when you feel him smirk against your skin. He knows you want him. The knot low in your stomach confirms this. His hands grip your ass, pulling your hips together, and you feel that he wants you too. Through the rough material of his pants, you feel his insistent desire and you can’t help but moan quietly. This elicits a moan from the greenette as well, his head falling to your shoulder, and you pull yourself out of your depravity long enough to feel smug.

“A bit excited are we?” You tease in a whisper.

He growls and pulls your shirt off of your shoulder to bite your collarbone. “Did you not hear me the first time?” His hands go to the waistband of your shorts. “Get. In. The. Shower.”

Your vaingloriousness quickly falls to the wayside as he unbuttons your shorts and pulls them down swiftly along with your underwear. You feel a rush of heat over your body and your urgency now matches his. Deftly, your fingers do away with his pants and boxers as one of his hands now gropes your naked ass. The other, ever more impatient, moves to the nape of your neck and the collar of your shirt. All of your attention, by necessity, is on getting him naked, so you almost don’t notice the rip of fabric being torn from your body until you feel your nipples suddenly harden with exposure to the air in the room.

You mewl as the steam fills up the small cubicle. He doesn’t give you any more time. He lifts you up. “Wrap your legs around me.” It isn’t a question. You comply. With a moan, you feel your core tighten as another flood of wetness seeps out of your pussy.

He groans too. “Fuck,” He can feel your wetness against the base of his cock. He steps the two of you into the shower.

The heat of the water is only matched by the heat between the two of you. Your legs, already wobbly, drop to the floor as he pushes you against the wall, the water streaming down his back as he leans back to look at you. Zoro is sex personified. It’s almost too overwhelming to take in all at once. His breathing is ragged. Your eyes and hands devour his broad chest, feeling each hard plane and individually curated muscle. His hair, now saturated with water, has evolved from its usual hue to a deep jewel toned emerald. His jaw is tight, but his full lips are parted with anticipation. His silver eyes, intense and hooded, bore through you, disarming you with their fervor.

He can’t take it anymore.

His lips crush to yours and you groan loudly against his mouth. One of his hands tangles through your hair, holding your mouth exactly where he wants it. His tongue sweeps across your bottom lip, and you gladly open your mouth for his perusal. His other hand moves to your full breast, massaging it roughly for a moment before he deftly flicks his thumb over your erect nipple. You squirm under his touch. He hums because he knows you love when he plays with your tits. Your hand drifts down to his length, gently caressing the skin there.

“Y/n,” He breathes, ripping his mouth from yours as you wrap your delicate fingers around the base of his cock. The water, hot and unrelenting, streams down your arm as you do so, and you sigh at the warmth of the contact. You’ve always been impressed by every part of Zoro, and his penis was no exception. You marvel at his thick length like it’s the first time you’ve ever been blessed with the opportunity to touch such a monument of masculine sexuality.

As you continue your ministrations, his lips trail down your neck and collarbone slowly, all the way to the height of your breast. He intentionally avoids your sensitive peak, and you squeeze his cock lightly as if to say, no fair. The hand in your hair moves to your hip.

He chuckles and slowly, painfully, flicks his tongue over your nipple. Once, twice, three times, before he begins to swirl it around the area. And to make matters worse, he mirrors his movements on your other breast with his opposite hand. He is playing dirty.

Dirtier than he is after 6 days without a shower, you think sarcastically to yourself.

He interrupts your thought by suddenly taking your erect peak into his mouth and sucking harshly. Your other hand immediately shoots grip to his green tresses, urging his mouth to continue. You begin to pant, the steam from the shower making the air thick and hot and damp. You feel the hand that was on your hip suddenly playing around the edges of your wet folds. He starts with your inner thighs, only his pinky brushing up against your aching core. You begin to pump him faster, moving to play with his balls every so often. Though he is trying to remain composed, his ragged breathing gives him away and his patience with teasing you begins to slip. Zoro’s thumb begins to rub your clit while his fingers move to your dripping opening.

Despite his own almost unbearable desire, he can’t resist taunting you a little. He pulls his mouth away from your breast to look at you. “Is that the shower I’m feeling, or are you really this wet, y/n?”

You see the cocky glint his eye and you want to wipe that smirk right off his face. Without warning, you wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, hoisting yourself up to hover right above his stiff cock. Though he is taken off guard, he does not falter as he reflexively moves his hands to catch you. His strong hands hold you up under your ass as his mouth falls open slightly in surprise. He had enough strength for the both of you, and he holds you up with ease, keeping his balance and ensuring your safety as well.

You raise an eyebrow and tease your wet opening over his hard cock. You envelope the very tip of him, groaning as you feel him already stretching you. You both shiver with the promise of what is to come. Or who, is to come.

“Goddamn it, y/n, I can’t take it anymore,” He growls and slams you down onto him, immediately filling you to the hilt. The fullness nearly overwhelms you, your sight momentarily leaving you as you feel every thick inch of him against your inner walls. One strong arm wraps around the small of your back as he continues to hold you up. You love that he doesn’t need the wall for support, and your hand goes to grope his muscular shoulder and bicep in appreciation of his power.

Zoro, as with everything he does, is always intense in sex, and this time is no exception. The concentration is palpable on his face, a small v creasing between his eyebrows. His face is contorted in pleasure and a groan rumbles through his chest. His jaw is tight but his mouth is soft as he begins to thrust roughly into you.

“Oh God, Zoro,” You head lolls back, exposing your neck to him. He seizes the opportunity to begin kissing your neck and jaw, whispering your name again and again each iteration a little more wild, a little more broken. His cock feels incredible inside of you, the angle of each thrust stroking that undeniable pleasure point. The scene is entirely erotic. It’s all too much—far too much.

Each thrust is punctuated by a moan and the slapping of wet skin to wet skin. You feel Zoro’s body stiffen and you know that he’s getting close. The tell-tale build in your own core reflects the sentiment. With each stroke, you climb higher and higher and higher until your ecstasy is inexorable.

“Z-Zoro…” You manage with a gasp. “I’m about t-to…” He growls and his thrusts become even more wild—hard, manic, sure. Your lips find his ear and you gently tug on his earrings with your teeth, your last conscious action before your climax overtakes you. This is Zoro’s undoing.

“Y/n!” He yells, and you feel his seed spill hot inside of you.

You drown together in your pleasure, the waves crashing over both of you relentlessly. When your body is spent, you crumble against his chest and he wraps both of his arms around you. He kisses the top of your head, and rubs your back affectionately as he whispers your name under the still warm water. After a few moments, he sets you down. He offers his arm for stability and you take it with gratitude, leaning against him for another few moments before you separate. He smiles lazily down at you, almost bashful at his display. He rubs his free hand against the back of his neck, a slight flush on his face. You grin back and grab the bottle of soap from behind him and place it in his hand.

“Now,” You say after a long moment. “Get clean, marimo.”

He narrows his eyes. “You tricked me,” He says knowingly.

You grab your own body wash and begin to lather up. “I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

He stares for another long moment, considering, before he finally shrugs and squeezes some soap out onto his hands and begins to do the same.

You smile and kiss his cheek.

“Honestly,” He says, that grin creeping back on his face. “If this is what showering is going to be like with you around, I’ll shower every goddamn day.”

[alexa-yukiyu]

hi! I love your whitebeard pirates stories.

Could I request child reader who loves Marco's phoenix form. Maybe they aren't aware Marco is the cool blue bird and keeps wandering around the ship with berries trying to lure the bird out.

Hidden in Plain sight (Thatch x child!reader x Marco)

A/n Well guys it’s official, I start work tomorrow 😞 I’m gonna try to get these updates going, plan is to write most of them in the weekend so that during the week I just have to edit them and proofread. I’m off to abadstart cause I just got two but i’m also not gonna push it cause I don’t want to fatigue myself or enter another writer’s block

Reader here is replaced by Dokucha which stands for Reader in Japanese for the enjoyment for Readers and oc characters readers both

Dividers by @/firefly-graphic

“Atch!” 

“Hmm?” Thatch hummed, glancing at Dokucha with a smile. Finally done with the crew’s meals for the day, he was now free to enjoy his time in his kitchen as he tested new recipes, joined by Marco, as the two made small talk.

“Can I have some bread?” they asked, stretching their hand expectantly. 

“Huh? I thought ya said ya were full?” He questioned, remembering how, only minutes prior, they had been pouting about not wanting to eat anymore.

“It’s not for me!”

“Then for who?” he called, sliding a cocktail to Marco, who gave him a nod in silent thanks. 

“It’s for a bird!” 

“I thought I told ya to stop feedin’ them seagulls. You keep feedin’ ’em, and they keep comin’ and asking for more,” he admonished softly.

“But it’s not for the seagulls. It’s for the pretty blue chicken!” they exclaimed, head snapping to the side as Marco began choking on his drink.

“That’s Gross, Marco,” they whined, sticking out their tongue and crunching their face.

“Hey, hey, ignore ’em; go back to the bird bit,” Thatch called, crouching down to their height and ignoring the scathing glare said bird sent his way amid his choking.

“It’s a bigggg blue fire chicken!” they started as they extended their hands as far as they could go.

“They have funny glasses and a small orange fire hat! They also have the longest tail, which looks so pretty when they fly.” they swoon.

“Well, I’ll be; that sounds like a mighty fancy chicken,” he drawled, standing up.

“But ya know what? I think I might know what a chicken like that might be like betta than some ol’ bread,” he told them. He began browsing through his fridge. 

“Really?!” they beamed, hopping next to the man as they tried to take a peek at what he was digging out.

“Really! In fact, the Pretty Chiken’ told me he’s waiting for you and this treat on the upper crow nest.

“Waiting?” they awed, watching as he pulled out a small container from the fridge with a grin, crouching in front of the child and extending it to them

“Pineapple?” they asked suspiciously, glancing up at the chef.

“It might surprise ya, but he said this was his very favorite food.” 

“in the whole world?” they asked, grabbing the container.

“In the whole world,” he confirmed

“Okay! Thank you, Atch!” they yelled, placing a small, sloppy kiss on his cheek as they ran off turning at the angry stomping that sounded behind him.

“Thatch you-

“Ah.Ah. This mighty blue chicken might want to hurry up, or he will break a three-year-old’s heart,” he tutted with a cocky grin as Marco paused in his approach; thinking his words over, he let out a groan.

“I’m going to get you back for this-yoi, Thatch,” he growled, backstepping out of the kitchen. 

“Bye Bye, blue chicken.”

-

“Marco? What are you doing here?” Dokucha questioned, confused, looking up at the man who joined them in the crow’s nest

“How did you get up here?” they asked, standing on their tippy toes to look down the crow’s nest, wondering how the man had made all their way up there without being seen.

“I’m here to meet the blue chicken, so choo!” they ordered as they lowered themselves down, turning to him and waving him off.

“Oi...” he called, a tight smile on his face at both the erroneous nickname and the audacity the kid had

“You’re looking at him.”

“Hah?”

“I'm the bluebird Dokucha,” he clarified

“Blue chicken! It’s a blue chicken, and there’s no way you're the chicken!”

“You’re right. I’m not a chicken; I’m a phoenix,” he grumbled, holding the bridge of his nose.

“Liar”

“Dokucha, My epithet is Marco the Phoenix. Why do you think they call me that if not because I’m a phoenix?”

“Cause your kind strong, I guess...”

“Y-you guess?!. You know what, never mind, that's a fight for another day,” he called, crouching down in front of them and allowing the blue flames to envelope him

“AH! No way! There’s no way you can be the pretty bird!” they cried. They didn’t hate Marco; in fact, they quite liked their brother, but he was far from being their favorite sibling, often catching him at the worst times, leading the child to view the commander as less than graceful. Something that they left pretty clear in their interactions.

“Hmm, guess I won’t show you then,” he teased as he pulled the flames back into him, letting an exaggerated sigh as he stood up and made to leave the nest.

“No! I want to see! I want to see!” they whined, jumping up and down.

“I don’t know, you were being kind of rude to me all day,” he mused

“But I want to see it! I even brought you pineapple, see?!” they begged, lifting the small container of fruit towards the man who gave them a once over and stopped his actions, pretending to think the offer over.

“I’ll show you, but you have to apologize for not believing me and admit you were wrong about me.”

“No way!”

“Guess you won’t be seeing the blue bird anymore then,” he called, jumping on the railing and stopping as Dokucha ran behind him and took hold of his shirt

“Yes?”

..rry..ong” they mumbled.

Grinning, Marco turned around and sat on the railing, leaning his arms on his knees, his chin on his hand, and watching the child stumble over their words.

“Sorry, You’re gonna have to speak up if you want me to hear you.”

“I’m sorry for not believing you! I was wrong!..so let me see the bluebird?Please?” They called, starting with a loud yell of their words, eventually quieting down as they began fidgeting. Letting out a small confused whine as the doctor ruffled their head, letting out a gasp as he began transforming into the phoenix, blue flames shooting around them, slowly taking the form of the mythical bird.

Ngl I was going to leave it until Marco left the kitchen but I thought of that lil scene between them

Taglist:

@Imaginarydreams

@amethystviolin

@h0n3y-l3m0n05

@hannahbarberra162

@epochal-oracle

[shouyuus]

chapter five: true love's kiss

roronoa zoro; 4,063 words; fluff, hurt/comfort, no "y/n", enemies to LOVERS (the lovers happen now), dreams as a literary device, first kisses, possessive!zoro, happy endings, sanji is a tease but a good friend

summary: in which love does conquer all, actually

a/n: phew!!! and here we are friends! the last chapter!!!! thank u all for the lovely comments and for sticking this through! it's def my longest fic to date (and i think will be for a while... 21k is a lot of words lmfao); anyway, enjoy all the fluff! it's def earned i think!

< to the table of contents

By the time the fighting ends, the rain is coming down in great sleet-gray sheets, washing the deck of the last remnants of blood, even as the Merry tips this way and that, tossed over the waves of a careless sea.

Zoro kicks bodies over left and right, slinging them over the edge of the ship as he checks each face, grimacing as he thinks to himself �� no, no, no.

“Zoro!” it’s Sanji that finally manages to drag Zoro upright, pinning him to the edge of the ship, shaking him by his shoulders, “what the hell are you doing?!”

“Her body!” Zoro shouts, shoving at Sanji’s rain-slick hands, “I have to find it —”

Nami has both arms wrapped around herself as she takes two steps forward, her bright hair stuck to her cheeks in tangerine streaks.

“Didn’t she say she’d show up at the last place she fell asleep?”

Zoro stares at her, wide-eyed, for three solid seconds before he scrambles out of Sanji’s grip and makes for the crow’s nest, taking the ladder three rungs at a time. He nearly rolls across the tiny crow’s nest as he forces his way through the trap door, his eyes whipping wildly from left to right, but there’s already a sharp, relentless dread ossifying in the marrow of his bones as he leans over the edge and shouts —

“She’s not here!”

It’s Usopp who answers, “What about your room?”

Zoro tumbles out of the crow’s nest, skidding down the length of the mast, but by the time he manages to get below decks, Nami’s already standing in his opened doorway, a hand pressed to her mouth.

Zoro races to her side and feels his breath freeze in his lungs.

Because you’re there, tucked into his hammock, your cheek pressed into his pillow, a blanket tucked around your shoulders, your eyelids fluttering as if they’d caught you in the middle of a particularly active dream.

In stumbling steps, Zoro makes his way to the edge of the bed, his shoulder bumping Nami’s as he inches by. He drops onto a wooden barrel and buries his face in his hands. Behind him, he hears Nami slump to her knees with a sound that’s caught halfway between a sob and a laugh.

Relief crackles through his veins like so much static electricity. Vaguely, he registers the sounds of the rest of the crew gathering by the door, Sanji helping Nami to her feet, Luffy making his way over to clap Zoro hard on the shoulder.

“Well, she’s for sure breathing!” he remarks, to which Usopp lets out a small, tinny laugh, and everyone follows suit. Zoro puffs out a breath and feels a saltwater sting in his throat.

He licks his lips and tastes the sea; when he blinks, his lashes come away wet.

It’s still relatively early in the day, so eventually, Sanji begs off to go make some lunch — for the recovering soul, he says. Luffy follows him, and a few minutes later, so does Usopp. Only Nami stays, her knees curled into her chest, her back against the wall, her eyes fixed on you as she counts your steady, drawn out breaths. But eventually, even she gets to her feet, reaching out to give Zoro’s shoulder a hard squeeze before ducking quietly out of the door.

Sometime in the late afternoon, Sanji comes to put a tray of food on a barrel by the bed. Zoro spares it a single glance, noting that Sanji’s included all your favorites as well as his own.

In the early evening, he reaches over for a riceball, and then another.

It isn’t till midnight that exhaustion finally takes over and he dozes into a shallow, fitful sleep.

— — —

You dream of dying.

Of falling down an endless ravine, of feeling your lungs fill and fill and fill with water. Of the sharp, silvering lick of a hungry blade, of fire as it burns slowly, creeping across your blushing skin.

You dream of terror, of your body fighting for a breath, a kick, a life, even as your mind resigns to the dull knowledge of impending death. You dream of peace, of lying down and falling asleep, of surrendering yourself to the warm, merciful dark and it’s wide, welcoming embrace.

You dream of Zoro, of the boy he used to be, of the raw hunger and determination in his eyes as he ran through his katas, of how wide he smiled when he was convinced no one else was looking. You dream of the man he is now, of the softness that had bled from him when he traced a hand along your cheek to press a strand of hair behind your ear. You dream of falling asleep next to him, of waking up to find yourself in his arms, of being cradled against his chest, of being laid gently in his hammock, of his body next to yours.

You dream.

You dream of falling, and falling, and falling. You dream of a voice, so deep it sounds like the underbelly of sound, grating out of the fathomless dark, reminding you of the bargain you weren’t even alive to make.

But your dreams always come back to dying, the act now so familiar to you that your body aches for it like a heart aches for company. You have died so many times the motion is braided into your muscles, inked into your skin, your lungs so used to giving up air that sometimes, you find yourself gasping out of a dream, clutching at your chest.

And that is how you wake — rocketing upright, fingers scrabbling at your throat, the phantom bite of Zoro’s blade lingering over your skin like the persistent itch of a healing wound.

It’s Zoro’s voice that pulls you back, his breathless, startled voice, your name tearing out of him like a curse, or a prayer.

“Y-you’re…” he seems unable to continue, the sight of you sitting up in his hammock, your eyes bright and a little glossy, your cheeks flushed with the remnants of your dreams, the early morning light pouring through his tiny window like so much pale gold, casting you in it’s relentless light.

Zoro blinks, feeling his muscles ache from the strange position he’d fallen asleep in, having roused himself so often during the night, if only to check that you’re still here, and still breathing.

“Zoro…” his name on your lips sounds like absolution, the final bit of proof he’d been waiting for before he jolts forward to pull you into his chest, pressing you to him so hard you yelp in surprise, the entire hammock swinging back with the force of his body.

He spears his fingers through your hair, cradling the back of your head, his nails scraping against your scalp as he clutches you close enough to count your heartbeats reverberating through his chest. Your hands fist in the front of his shirt as you bury your face in the side of his neck, your uneven breaths hot against his skin.

“Never,” he says, in a voice ribboned with fear and anger and regret, still holding you to his chest as if he might be able to meld your skins into one, “make me do that again.”

You let out a shattered little laugh, shaking your head as you burrow deeper into the crook of his neck.

“Yeah, I’ll make someone else do it next time.”

Zoro jerks back, his glare fierce as he narrows his eyes.

“I mean it,” he says, his fingers inching up to cup your cheeks, his thumbs pressing divots into your skin as he searches your eyes. You stare up at him, softening as you reach up to wrap your hands around his wrists.

“I’m sorry if I scared you — it was — that was the only thing I could think of to do —”

“Don’t be sorry — just promise.”

Your breath hitches in your chest as your gaze cuts away. Your hands drop but Zoro’s grip never wavers.

“I — I don’t —”

“I’ve already had to watch you die twice,” Zoro says, his fingers finally loosening as he leans down, his eyes flickering frantically over your face as if trying to commit every part of you to memory, “I’m not trying to go for a third.”

“Yeah, I know…” you reach up to smooth your thumbs over his furrowed brows, feeling them relax as you trace your fingers over and down the sides of his face. And for a moment, the pair of you are caught in the startling light of dawn, each unwilling to let go of the other, drinking each other in as if you might never get another chance.

“It’s just…” you find your gaze held still at his lips, at the way they’re parted ever so slightly, before you trace a line up the bridge of his nose to admire the skin there, kissed by a constellation of soft freckles.

Zoro grazes his fingers down to your jaw, tipping your head up, massaging at the knots at the junction of your neck and shoulders.

You let out a soft gasp that sends shivers wreathing through his body.

“Just?” he asks, almost surprised to find his own voice so husky as he swallows.

“I thought that if I were to die… yours is the last face I’d ever want to see.”

Its this admission that somehow simultaneously melts the tension in his muscles and also sets fire to his skin as if his whole body were made of nothing but kindling, your words the spark, your voice the wind that fans alive the flames.

He leans down to press his forehead to yours, letting his eyes flutter close as he tries to take a steadying breath even as the heat chases into the depth of his stomach and coils tight in his gut, making his knees feel weak.

“Fuck…” is the best he can manage, the pair of you still face to face, foreheads pressed, breaths mingling.

He feels you let out another laugh, and then — something warm and soft pressing to his lips. His eyes flash open just as you’re pulling away, looking deliciously bashful as you try to glance away. But Zoro chases after you with the determined precision of a hunter, pulling you back and melding your lips so smoothly it’s all you can do is let yourself be kissed.

And as he kisses you, you briefly wonder if this isn’t what all those deaths had been preparing you for. All those drownings just to make sure you were ready for a kiss like this — a kiss where you wouldn’t need or want to ever breathe again. A kiss that burns hotter than any fire, one that tears you open from the inside out and sews you back together again.

You can feel the force of it cracking open your ribs, his fingers digging into your flesh as if he could reach inside you and cup your heart in the palms of his hands. You almost want him to. You think it wouldn’t be such a terrible way to go.

When you finally pull apart for the first time, it’s you who chases after him, tugging him back down in an urgent, messy clash of teeth against teeth, mouths open, licking and eager and hungry.

Zoro grunts at the force of your kiss, at the wildfire burn of ravenous longing braiding through his blood, exploding in sparks of white behind his eyes till he’s reeling and dizzy from the light. And when you finally pull back for a half-drawn breath, it’s him that once again surges forward, but the hammock swings up too far, and the resulting downward momentum catapults you both onto the floor, his body cushioning your fall till his back is pressed against far wall, you half-straddling his lap, your hands on either side of his face to stop yourself from toppling further into him.

You let out a shocked laugh, even as he too finds himself chuckling. The ridiculousness of the situation finally settling in around the pair of you.

A second later, Sanji slams open the door, looking wildly around for a second before spotting you. His eyebrows jerk up as he takes in the scene, the tangle of blankets around your legs, Zoro’s hands on your hips, the clear high blush in both your cheeks.

“Oh so sorry to interrupt — I heard all this commotion and thought something bad might’ve happened,” his voice is half-teasing, half relieved exasperation. He puffs out a dramatic sigh, digging in his pocket for a cigarette and lighter.

Finding both, he takes a deep pull, letting a thin stream of smoke out through his nose before casting you both a sharp, mischievous look.

“Should’ve known it was moss-head here having dessert for breakfast.”

“Fuck off, cook.”

Sanji smirks, rolling his eyes as he saunters away from the door, leaving it to swing shut behind him, but not before calling out —

“Remember to take breaks! Breakfast’s in an hour, and I’m not savin’ you any if you miss it!”

— — —

Breakfast is a messy affair that day — with both you and Zoro slinking into the kitchen exactly one hour later, Zoro looking annoyed, and you looking understandably sheepish. The second you meet Sanji’s eyes, you flush a bright crimson and look away, but Zoro only scoffs as he drops into his normal seat and folds his arms. You slip into the seat next to his, your gaze fixed determinedly on the table before you.

When Nami arrives, she flings her arms around you, giving you a hard squeeze.

“Don’t ever do that again,” she says, pulling back with fever-glass eyes, shimmering with tears.

Zoro grunts, “I’ve already tried that.”

You resist the urge to shoot Zoro a dirty look, and instead, squeeze Nami’s arms.

“Sorry I scared you.”

“It was pretty scary!” Luffy’s voice rings out as he joins the throng, plopping into the seat at the head of the table and flashing you a massive grin, “but boy are we glad you’re okay! It’s kinda a cool power you have! Scary, but cool!”

“I wasn’t worried for a minute!” Usopp claims as he trundles in, smiling bravely as he takes the last seat. At a pointed look from Nami, he clears his throat and turns towards Sanji, “So! Uh — what’s for breakfast?”

Sanji smirks as he starts to set out an entire breakfast service, complete with eggs three ways, freshly baked brioche with a variety of homemade jams, grilled fish, sausages, bacon, a steaming pot of rice, along with miso soup, freshly squeeze tangerine juice, and hot tea.

“And an aged ale,” Sanji says, offhandedly, setting a bottle in front of Zoro without looking at him, “for medicinal reason only, alright? Don’t go looking for this kind of treatment every day.”

Zoro blinks at the bottle of ale before shrugging and popping off the cap with a finger.

“Wow, Sanji! This is amazing!” Luffy compliments, before immediately digging in. Usopp looks similarly eager as he reaches for a steaming brioche bun.

Sanji smiles as you make to reach for some eggs and Zoro bats your hand away, tugging the entire tray towards you for easier access.

Nami only smirks.

“I figured we could all use some good fuel after —” Sanji clears his throat as he settles in his own seat, neatly tucking a napkin into the collar of his shirt, “well, after a hard battle.”

His voice catches briefly before he hitches a bright smile back onto his face and serves himself a thick slice of bacon.

You pause, halfway through slicing a perfectly poached egg, your eyes caught on the golden yoke beading at the tiny puncture wound from your knife.

“Look — I’m really sorry for —”

“Don’t.”

“It’s alright.”

Zoro and Nami speak at the same time, both freezing for a second before glancing at each other and Zoro sighs, slumping back in his chair with his arms folded.

Nami purses her lips before taking a breath.

“It’s… well, it’s not alright,” she amends, staring down at her own breakfast, “but you don’t have to apologize. Just…” she finally looks up, her gaze electric in the morning light spilling through the wide windows, “let us protect you next time.”

Zoro grunts a brief affirmation as you swallow passed the lump in your throat.

“I — it’s just — it’s hard,” you admit, setting down your utensils to stare at the palms of your hands, the skin there soft and unworn, so deceivingly so. Sometimes, you hated the fact that you always came back devoid of scars — as if even that has to be stripped from you. The proof that you’d suffered, the reminders that you’d time and time again survived.

“When dying —” you force your mouth to wrap around the word, to hold it on your tongue without shrinking away, “is the only thing I’ve known for… for forever, really.”

“Mm, well,” Luffy’s slightly muffled voice breaks out from down the table, making everyone jump. He grins, swallowing a mouthful of sausage, “Shanks used to tell me that dying and living are really just the same thing in the end — you just gotta choose what you’d rather do that day!”

A beat of thin, shocked silence follows, before you break into a surprised laugh.

“Whoever this Shanks person is — he sounds like a pretty cool guy.”

Luffy nods enthusiastically, spearing another sausage with great voracity, “He was! And I think he’s right! I mean — we’re your crew now! And we’ll take care of you. So… just choose to live next time!”

Nami is the first one to start laughing, and soon, everyone follows after. The sheer ridiculous simplicity of the statement catching everyone off-guard, the truth of it sweet as freshly made mochi.

— — —

Later that day, you find yourself staring out at the endless stretch of sea at the head of the ship, the wind tangling loose fingers through your undone hair.

Zoro sidles up next to you, standing close enough for your arms to brush.

He’s rarely left you alone in the hours since the fight, since you’d woken up again in his hammock. But it’d been his turn to clean out the bilge, and he’d mercifully not asked you to accompany him for that specific little venture.

Now, he stands next to you, his body warm, his hair slightly damp from what looks like a recent wash.

“We’re goin’ after him,” he says, his eyes following yours as you both scan the wide expanse of shattered-glass sea.

“Crocodile?” you ask, though you already know the answer.

“Yeah, and Baroque Works.”

You turn to face him, the wind whipping your hair into so many thin tendrils of darkened silk. You reach up a hand to catch a few strands in a vain attempt to keep them from flying into your eyes.

Zoro twists around, leaning in to rake his fingers through your hair, wrapping them around his fist till he’s reeling you in, close enough for you to press both hands to his chest.

He watches as you fight with some internal compulsion, probably to tell him that it’s too dangerous, that they’ll never win. But finally, you seem to steel yourself, looking back up at him with a liquid fire deep in the warm darkness of your eyes.

“It won’t be easy,” you say, your voice soft, but he’s close enough to catch them, his other hand steadying itself along your hip.

His lip slants into an amused grin.

“Good. I’ve never liked an easy fight.”

You smile despite yourself, fighting the urge to roll your eyes.

“Masochist,” you say, inching your hands up to loop around his neck. Zoro smirks, cocking his head to one side, tugging you ever closer by the back of your neck.

“Maybe. But speaking of liking pain — what’s this I hear about you and the waiter makin’ stuff later on in the kitchen?”

You peer up at him with huge, doleful eyes before heaving a melodramatic sigh.

“I always thought you were the jealous type,” you lament, attempting to turn your face away but Zoro’s fingers dig into your skin, sending a strange, gooseberry ache tingling through you as you gasp, your eyes flickering back to meet his molten gaze. Heat blisters into your cheeks as something very much like desire pools in the depths of your belly.

“I’ve never been good at sharing.”

You laugh, nodding, “Yeah… that was true even when we were kids. Even though you always pretended you didn’t want anything till it was offered to you.”

Zoro scoffs, shrugging, “Figured if something was mine… it’d come to me in the end.”

“And now?” you ask, the hint of a tease threading through your voice, just enough to make Zoro’s skin prickle with want.

“Now, I just take what I want.”

“Or…” you lean in to skim your lips along his cheek, lilting your voice low enough to make him shiver, “you follow them for three whole weeks, then offer to buy them a drink at a bar, right?”

Zoro makes a half-annoyed, half-contemptuous noise, frowning as he pulls back. But before he can say anything, you’re laughing, and the sight of it strikes him breathless, the mid-morning sun draping you in orange and gold, your cheeks flushed with life and color, your body warm and soft in the circle of his arms.

You’ve never looked so beautiful — you’ve never looked so daringly, dashingly alive.

By the time the laughter trickles out of you, Zoro is also smiling. He reaches up to coax your face towards his, brushing your hair back with a careful finger.

“Guess you’re right — you got away in the end.”

You still against him, watching as he glances off towards the vast expanse of endless sea.

“But rumor has it, you’ve never let go of a mark,” you say.

Zoro’s eyes snap back to you, and the way you’re grinning up at him makes the world tilt on it’s axis around him.

“I haven’t,” he murmurs, lowering his head till your noses are bare inches apart.

“Then… don’t let me ruin your record.” The moth-wing flutter of your lashes twists tight the torque in his chest, and it takes him half a breath to realize that this must be what it feels like to fall in love, or rather — to realize that you’ve already fallen.

“Hn. Wasn’t planning on it,” he says, delighting in the tiny little shiver that shakes through you at his words. He pauses as your noses finally brush, your breath ghosting across his lips, so painfully, torturously close.

“So…” he purposefully draws out the word, letting it rumble through him, a low growl of sound. You blink up at him, curious, but pliant, and so, so terribly trusting. He allows himself a wolfish grin.

“What’re you and the cook makin’ later?”

You let out a frustrated groan and make to pull away but Zoro easily jerks you back, locking you against his chest even as you let out a surprised squeak.

“Are you going to kiss me or not, Roronoa?”

Zoro chuckles, “Depends on what your answer is.”

You flush, crinkling your nose as you glare up at him, “Sakura-mochi, the kind you like. There, happy?”

“Sure. So long as no one else gets to have any.”

Your eyes go wide, and you open your mouth to retaliate but Zoro presses in, crushing your lips to his in a searing kiss. The only noise you make is a tiny, desperate sigh as he sates himself on the taste of you, the sharp thundering in his chest quelled by the way you clutch at him, your fingers digging sharp pinpricks into his chest as you scrabble to pull him closer.

He is breathless when you break apart, and he’s light-headed with the sight of you and your kiss-bruised lips, stained dark by the pressure of his teeth. It sets something savage on edge inside him and it takes everything in him not to drag you somewhere and let the burning hunger swallow you whole.

“Like I said,” he says, his voice ragged, “I’ve never been good at sharing.”

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the next chapter (the epilogue) will be smut! pls comment below if you'd like to be tagged!!!

[reasonsforhope]

Humans are so cute. They think they can outsmart birds. They place nasty metal spikes on rooftops and ledges to prevent birds from nesting there.

It’s a classic human trick known in urban design as “evil architecture”: designing a place in a way that’s meant to deter others. Think of the city benches you see segmented by bars to stop homeless people sleeping there.

But birds are genius rebels. Not only are they undeterred by evil architecture, they actually use it to their advantage, according to a new Dutch study published in the journal Deinsea.

Crows and magpies, it turns out, are learning to rip strips of anti-bird spikes off of buildings and use them to build their nests. It’s an incredible addition to the growing body of evidence about the intelligence of birds, so wrongly maligned as stupid that “bird-brained” is still commonly used as an insult...

Magpies also use anti-bird spikes for their nests. In 2021, a hospital patient in Antwerp, Belgium, looked out the window and noticed a huge magpie’s nest in a tree in the courtyard. Biologist Auke-Florian Hiemstra of Leiden-based Naturalis Biodiversity Center, one of the study’s authors, went to collect the nest and found that it was made out of 50 meters of anti-bird strips, containing no fewer than 1,500 metal spikes.

Hiemstra describes the magpie nest as “an impregnable fortress.”

Pictured: A huge magpie nest made out of 1,500 metal spikes.

Magpies are known to build roofs over their nests to prevent other birds from stealing their eggs and young. Usually, they scrounge around in nature for thorny plants or spiky branches to form the roof. But city birds don’t need to search for the perfect branch — they can just use the anti-bird spikes that humans have so kindly put at their disposal.

“The magpies appear to be using the pins exactly the same way we do: to keep other birds away from their nest,” Hiemstra said.

Another urban magpie nest, this one from Scotland, really shows off the roof-building tactic:

Pictured: A nest from Scotland shows how urban magpies are using anti-bird spikes to construct a roof meant to protect their young and eggs from predators.

Birds had already been spotted using upward-pointing anti-bird spikes as foundations for nests. In 2016, the so-called Parkdale Pigeon became Twitter-famous for refusing to give up when humans removed her first nest and installed spikes on her chosen nesting site, the top of an LCD monitor on a subway platform in Melbourne. The avian architect rebelled and built an even better home there, using the spikes as a foundation to hold her nest more securely in place.

...Hiemstra’s study is the first to show that birds, adapting to city life, are learning to seek out and use our anti-bird spikes as their nesting material. Pretty badass, right?

The genius of birds — and other animals we underestimate

It’s a well-established fact that many bird species are highly intelligent. Members of the corvid family, which includes crows and magpies, are especially renowned for their smarts. Crows can solve complex puzzles, while magpies can pass the “mirror test” — the classic test that scientists use to determine if a species is self-aware.

Studies show that some birds have evolved cognitive skills similar to our own: They have amazing memories, remembering for months the thousands of different hiding places where they’ve stashed seeds, and they use their own experiences to predict the behavior of other birds, suggesting they’ve got some theory of mind.

And, as author Jennifer Ackerman details in The Genius of Birds, birds are brilliant at using tools. Black palm cockatoos use twigs as drumsticks, tapping out a beat on a tree trunk to get a female’s attention. Jays use sticks as spears to attack other birds...

Birds have also been known to use human tools to their advantage. When carrion crows want to crack a walnut, for example, they position the nut on a busy road, wait for a passing car to crush the shell, then swoop down to collect the nut and eat it. This behavior has been recorded several times in Japanese crows.

But what’s unique about Hiemstra’s study is that it shows birds using human tools, specifically designed to thwart birds’ plans, in order to thwart our plans instead. We humans try to keep birds away with spikes, and the birds — ingenious rebels that they are — retort: Thanks, humans!

-via Vox, July 26, 2023