#did zoro see the cp0 now??? or what

[hauntingblue]

I might be dumb. Only 2 episodes left....

[cozage]

May i ask a headcanon list for Luffy, Sanji and Zoro reaction to their s/o being a cp0 agent?

A/N: I am just now noticing as I finish up this work that you asked for a headcanon LIST. Forgive me for the mix-up!

Characters: female reader x Luffy, Sanji, Zoro Cw: betrayal, angst with no happy ending  Total word count: 1.6k

Double Agent

Luffy

“It can’t be,” Luffy muttered from the doorway.  

Shit. You had been compromised. Luffy was supposed to be off in the jungle. How had he tracked you to this abandoned building?

“Luffy!” you hissed, stepping in front of the other agent. “What are you doing here?”

“I left that emergency steak with you,” he said, his eyes wide. You had promised him your lunch and forgotten to give it to him. Of course he followed the scent here. 

“We have to get rid of him,” the agent behind you said, reaching for his weapon. You didn’t even know his name, but you couldn’t let him kill the captain of the Stawhats. 

“Absolutely not!” you reached for your own weapon, glaring at him. “You know our orders.”

“If you’re position is compromised-”

“Then killing the captain isn’t going to help much!”

The other agent raised his brow. “Getting soft? They’re pirates. It’s reckless to let him live.”

You scoffed. “You’re the one being reckless. Leave him be. We can still watch from afar.”

“This is a joke, right?” Luffy’s shaky voice came from the doorway again, full of uncertainty. 

You steeled yourself and faced him, putting on a bored face. “It is no joke. I’m afraid I’ve just been sloppy in covering my tracks.”

“You can’t be CP-0.” His face slowly turned to rage. “You would never-”

“Apparently you’ve sparked the interest of some very important people.”

The man behind you clicked his tongue in disapproval. You were saying too much. But you needed Luffy to leave here. He had to leave alive. 

Luffy stared into your eyes, and you swore he was staring into your soul. “I refuse to believe this is the real you. I know you. I love you. This isn’t you.”

“You don’t know me at all, Monkey D. Luffy.” You put an extra taunt in his full name. “You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of.” You gave him a wicked grin, letting the worst parts of yourself out into the open for him to see. 

“Come back to the Sunny,” he begged, unphased by the wickedness on your face. “We can figure it out together.”

“I have no reason to return there. Besides, you would just make me a prisoner when I set foot on deck.”

Luffy’s brow furrowed. “I would never restrain you-”

“Leave, Luffy.” You tried your hardest to keep the desperation out of your voice. “Leave now, or don’t leave at all.”

“Permission to terminate, then?” The Agent took a step towards Luffy, and it took everything in you to remain where you stood. 

You pulled out your weapon and threw all of your hate into the stare you gave Luffy. “Leave.”

“This isn’t over until we talk-”

You fired a warning shot, missing his head by a centimeter. “Leave.”

“I’ll get you back. This isn’t over,” Luffy promised, and then he walked out the door. 

Sanji

“This is an interesting place for a picnic, my love!” Sanji’s kind voice rang out amongst the trees. “Where are you hiding?”

The other agent’s eyes widened. “You left a trail?” she hissed.

“Never,” you whispered back. “I-”

“There you are!” Sanji launched himself toward you, wrapping you in a hug. “And who is this fine young woman with you? Did you bring company?”

The agent’s hand moved to her gun, and you gave one quick shake, trying to prevent her from blowing your cover.

“Just a friend,” you said between gritted teeth. “We were just saying goodbye. Could you give us a moment, Sanji?”

“The lady can stay if she’d like!” Sanji quickly said. “I have plenty-”

“I would never sully myself with such company,” the woman snapped. She looked at you. “You’re being called back in.”

“No,” you shook your head. “No, that’s impossible.”

“Come on,” the woman said. “No more use for appearance. We’ll leave him alive for now.”

Sanji, somehow, kept up a smile. He had no idea what was occurring, but you could tell that he was nervous. 

“My love?” He asked, looking at you with a forced smile and worry in his eyes.

“I have to go, Sanji.” You shouldered your backpack with everything you had collected. 

“No,” he said softly. “You can stay. I don’t know who this woman is but-”

“This woman is your lover’s superior,” the woman said. “And she never loved you. She was just using you for intel.”

“No. Tell them, my love. Tell them what a mistake they have made.”

It wasn’t supposed to hurt this much. He was a pirate. You were a government agent. It was supposed to be easier than this. You were used to betraying people, and yet this created a strange ache in your chest. 

“I work for CP-0,” you said, trying to keep your voice steady. “I was tasked to infiltrate your crew and obtain records. Watch you all from the inside.”

“Impossible-” Sanji said

But you had to keep going. You had to break him so he would never come looking for you. “I chose you because it was the easiest. You had access to everything. And when I needed to look for specific things, I added sleeping medicine to the tea you served everyone. It was too easy. 

“I don’t believe you.” Sanji had tears in his eyes now. “It wasn’t all fake.”

You sneered at him. “You were so desperate for love, you accepted the bare minimum of affection without a second thought.”

He slumped to his knees, his eyes getting a far-away look in them. Your heart cracked, but your face showed no emotion as you looked down at him. “I’m only letting you live now so you have to live with this failure. But I will come for you one day. And I will kill you.”

He gave a single nod of acknowledgement, as if he had expected this; as if he deserved it. 

He didn’t deserve it. You didn’t deserve him. But if you showed an ounce of weakness, you knew the agent next to you would kill him. So you turned and left, knowing that his empty stare would haunt your dreams forever. 

Zoro

“You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?” Zoro shouted. “Who the hell is that guy?”

The agent next to you fired a bullet before you could react, and you cried out in warning. But the bullet only met steel. Zoro had sliced right through it. 

“I knew you were getting weak. No wonder they wanted to pull you from this mission,” the agent chuckled. He kept his gun aimed at Zoro, but was watching you carefully. 

No. No. How had Zoro found you? He was the last person who should be here right now. He always got lost. How on earth had he found you?

Zoro was still staring at you, waiting for an answer. He didn’t even bother to acknowledge the man or the weapons he had. 

“Stand down,” you growled between clenched teeth. 

“I do not take orders from you,” the agent snarled back. 

Zoro was still watching. Hell, how could you play this to get him out alive? You couldn’t have him getting hurt. You had already said your goodbyes in letters to the crew. You had made up some reason to leave. But Zoro, of all people, had managed to find you. 

“I’m leaving the crew!” you shouted to him. 

A trace of hurt passed over Zoro’s face. “You’re taking some government recruitment position over us? You can’t be serious.”

“Not recruitment,” the agent next to you purred, and you froze. “Have you ever heard of CP-0, Roronoa Zoro? Of course you have. You were at Enies Lobby, weren’t you?”

You stiffened at his words. You could see Zoro trying to figure out the secret meaning the man was taunting home with. 

Just leave, you begged silently. Please leave. 

But the agent sent to retrieve you was not finished burning bridges for you. “Your “crewmate” here isn’t a new recruit. No, they’re a seasoned veteran of the organization.”

Zoro stilled. Only his fingers twitched, itching to reach for his blade as he watched you with predator-like senses. 

“Zoro,” you whispered. You weren’t sure what to say, but you had to say something to him.

“Go. Get out of my sight.” You could see him shaking. From rage, most likely. From betrayal. 

The agent next to you gave a humorous laugh. “Do you think we are going to let you live?”

“We are letting him live,” you said, too quiet for Zoro to hear. “That was the agreement.”

The agent gave you a wicked smile. “He brought this upon himself, following you out here.”

“Let him go,” you snarled softly. “Or you will not leave this island.”

You had been baited. You knew it the moment his eyes lit up. Proof that your allegiance was to the Strawhats over CP-0. Proof that you needed to be reprogrammed in some capacity. 

He waved a hand lazily at Zoro. “You may go. We have to go as well. We have some work to do.”

You gave Zoro one last look, trying to convey how sorry you were about everything. He should’ve just stayed on the ship, read the damn letter, and accepted that you had left the crew.  

Your eyes met Zoro’s just for a moment, and then you turned away and followed the agent down the path. And as much as you wanted to, you didn’t look back. 

[cebwrites]

Hello! What if in an alternate path, Kaku joined the Straw Hats (Franky still joins)? To me, he seems the most likely to swap to pirate, and he seemed to actually enjoy his job at the docks. How would he handle the crew? What role would he have? Thank you!!!

a/n: dunno if anon would still see this answer at this point, though i finally came around to this idea - maybe it’s the holiday season 🎄

What if Kaku joined the Strawhats

slight zosan/usonami word count: 1.5k

He definitely does seem to be the type to switch sides, I feel like in his mind, given more freedom, Kaku would like to align himself with whatever seems the most interesting even if not entirely conducive to coming out on top - in canon the latter part is more important but something tells me he made his way into CP0 partly on a whim, to see watch what would become of the new era from a higher perch

Say for the sake of argument he gets cast aside entirely by the WG after the events of Enies Lobby (afaik the CP9 agents had a short romp in a cover story about raising funds to get back on their feet so maybe this was during then), he’s desolate and paranoid at every turn because in the back of his mind, even the kindest of civilians could be someone sent to keep an eye on him post-failure

So Kaku turns to the people he has no doubt would never hide anything from him, the only kid forthcoming enough who had the gall to march into a government island and declare war on the whole world - Luffy was the last person who’d be sneaky about his feelings and that’s exactly what Kaku needed right now, good old fashioned honesty

And it’s honesty he gets, when Luffy tells him that he doesn’t like this Usopp imposter (after needing a reminder as to who he was and complaints from Sogeking himself) for hurting Robin and that he should leave - as straightforward an answer as Kaku could get

Due to extenuating circumstances, though, be it the Grand Line’s unpredictable weather, enemies getting in the way, or plain old, “ah well, we can’t just drop him in the sea, that’s a bit too cruel” though certain members would beg to differ, and bonds would slowly be formed over the course of spending time together

Imagine there it takes longer for them to get to Thriller Bark or Sabaody where other plot things happen or something shdfbshtgndf

Considering his fickle (to outsider eyes) nature however, among other more important reasons, it’s difficult for the Strawhats to take as well to him as Luffy’s go with the flow attitude - although it has to be said that a former enemy who did hurt their own in the past eventually becoming nakama isn’t entirely out of the blue, given Vivi and Robin herself

Kaku is aware of this, he’s been aware of people’s mistrust in him since he was a child, always with too-wide eyes for the adults around him and a smile that never quite reached it, so he’s used to being held at arm’s length

It’s the unsurprisingly the youngest of the crew that warm up to Kaku first - Chopper tending to his wounds after Kaku helped the SHs in battle, he quickly becomes endeared with the little reindeer’s antics and complex about compliments, Usopp being very skittish at first but eventually spinning Kaku the long, tall tales he does to everyone else, and Luffy’s unwavering kindness that leaves little else to be said.

That, and Luffy’s endless amusement at his Zoan form, that seem to entertain the other kids on board as well. The next is Sanji, silently showing his care through his cooking while still being very verbally hostile, being one of the first to threaten Kaku during the first week that he was stuck on their ship due to unforeseen circumstances that if he dared to hurt another hair on Robin’s, or anyone else’s for that matter, head then being out of house and home - how he came to them - would be the least of Kaku’s worries; the cook still fed him though, and to Kaku, that was more than could be said about others he often found himself around before the Strawhats. Zoro follows soon after, laying down the fact plain and simple that he didn’t like him but if they were to cohabitate per captain’s orders, things would go much smoother if they learned how to get along sooner rather than later, Kaku doesn’t make the jab that it seems that Zoro and Sanji still don’t get along to this day in the moment, but over time he’d learn that the two of them shared something beyond anything Kaku himself has had, or even allowed himself, to experience. Zoro puts Kaku through the wringer day after day with sparring, only resting when Chopper yells at Zoro for overexerting himself since he’s keeping the newbie on his toes while still picking fights with Sanji and getting injured that way, so Kaku has to find other ways of making himself useful on a ship as lively as the Sunny.

It’s here that he finds himself helping out with Usopp’s tinkering, listening to the lad talk about grand would-be fantasies, helping him with parts of his inventions, and teasing him about the shy yet longing glances Usopp sends their lovely navigator when it seems like she’s not looking, not quite noticing Franky’s encroachment into the workshop until their resident Cyborg is firmly seated in his usual spot. Franky’s just a blunt as Zoro is, he’s up front about his feelings on the situation regardless of Usopp’s presence - when Sogeking tries to sneak away from a potentially very tense and awkward interaction Franky tells him to sit his tuchus down and get back to work.

Franky is painfully, well, frank, about the anguish Kaku’s previous allegiances have caused this crew and he states that it’ll be an uphill battle to earn everyone’s trust truly, let alone the Funkfreed in the room that Kaku’s only barely managed to avoid interacting with too much during his stay, but also says that he sees how hard Kaku’s trying, and that deserves recognition more than anything else. Nami doesn’t offer any leeway when Kaku finally gathers the courage to face Robin, determined to protect her friend at any cost when their lanky, tweedy new crewmate (but distinctly not nakama) makes his way up to the table under Nami’s mikan trees that the girls often lounged under - before Nami can rip into him too hard, though, Robin puts up a hand and asks for a moment of privacy between the two of them - Nami’s unhappy about it but acquiesces. 

Within the few short interactions Kaku’s had with Robin previously on this ship, it’s either been with tempered ire, suspicion, and then jabs said with her calm but characteristically unnerving smile, showing clear (warranted) apprehension to his very presence around her nakama, so he bears his soul - Kaku doesn’t spin a sob story or make grand gestures that would attempt to garner sympathy like his pathetic excuse for a former boss, but plainly and simply states his intentions, his anxieties, his remorse, in a very Zoro-esque way, one would even say.

Kaku knows that more than anyone here, Robin had suffered the most at Enies Lobby, he had been conducive to that suffering, and here he was, begging for a place to exist on the same crew that took her in, the very one that he’d been ordered to take out like nothing a few months ago; the small crew that the World Government severely underestimated and paid dearly for. 

He’d say he knows it wouldn’t mean much to her, nor does he have the audacity to ask for her forgiveness, but for what it’s worth Kaku is sorry.

Being under Robin’s scrutinizing gaze burns but Kaku doesn’t waver, he faces her head on even though through even passing second, it feels like this woman wants to explode his head with her mind. Almost like some strange, unspoken game of chicken to test his mettle against her, the direct consequence of his own actions. And Kaku blinks. He tries to excuse himself, to hide away in some dark, cold corner of the ship where he can bottle up all these thoughts again and manage his guilt in silence.

But he’s not allowed to. Of course not.

Robin says, just as he turns to leave, that obviously even if he were to get on his hands and knees to grovel like the worm that he was, eyes unemotive, he would never gain forgiveness, much less hers, that way. Only a fiery grave awaited those who were so spineless. She says that she doesn’t know if she’ll ever be able to forgive the things he’s done as a person, a former government agent. A dog to cruel masters. Her eyes follow the bob of his Adam’s apple as she takes a long, calculated sip of her tea.

But she wouldn’t be unwilling to start over with whoever Kaku made of himself now, as a potential ally. Not a friend yet, not nearly close to nakama, but it was a start and, smiling, Robin was interested in seeing what he’d become on the journey to get there. 

Contradictory to what anyone had to say, Kaku did not cry that day.

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Eh, 1078's worth it’s own post. We open with an interesting little exchange between Stussy & Sentomaru. The way they talk about the mission and the delicacy has me wondering if at least one big outcome is about to pop off. There’s another reason in this chapter I’m wondering, it’s not even that crazy of a theory. I definitely think it’d be a cool end, Wano’s time hops give the Grand Fleet a lot of time to move in assuming the awakening made Luffy’s vivre card act weird. Capturing Saturn would more than adequately fit the bill for historic proportions.

Of course, this pair having this conversation also is worth pointing out. Sentomaru & Stussy are both figures we’ve pointed out keeping that thematic bleedover from Wano firmly in Kiku’s territory. Look at em side-by-side, I’d say they each serve as a good representation of one of her halves standing alone. We’ll circle back to how that idea bookends.

The fuck Luffy? Just deadass calling Kaku Usopp. Seriously bro...what a heads up move! I mean, gag aside it was quick thinking to both not leave himself 2v1 with CP0 and to account for Zoro’s big weakness. But it is also really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really funny he called Kaku Usopp and Kaku’s just grumbling about it. I couldn’t not mention it. Seriously though, this flashback.

First off, it’s a great quick version of the big idea I’ve been on about. Does that make sense? We’ve had the little breadcrumbs hiding in plain sight. Just like Kanjuro by the end people had actually strung together a few good points about who it was. In essence, what we saw with York is a lot like the structure I laid out. What I’ll say is this though; I just don’t think it’s done. Too truncated. Same logic as getting Vegapunk’s big lore dump out of the way early. Mr. Narrator is coming in to make it very clear we’re not done yet. This is about to pop off into something much bigger. Egghead might be more Punk Hazard-length than Zou, who knows?

This panel is also why I’m excited for the Grand Fleet! Just...does it not feel like the iconic End-of-Dressrosa panel about their future exploits? For the here and now though, of course we do see the traitor plotline ended up being rather straightforward in an interesting way.

Bookends. Much like the angle of starting through Sento/Stussy, York is someone interesting to end on. This last stamp here made her a foil. Oh, so it was the tall, cute unassuming one? The gluttonous, vulgar one who’s goal is the absolute antithesis of Kiku’s egalitarian ethos? I’ll take it.

One Piece is always hard to predict but that seems like an easy way for all of this to end. The scrum goes on a little longer, Robin is moving down to this basement with Chopper so we can confront York easy enough. Kizaru ratchets up the tension but now we are finally ready to face an Admiral. His plan to buy time is thwarted by the arrival of the Grand Fleet demolishing the reinforcements. If we want to, there is ample thematic territory to weave in a new quartermaster orchestrating that. We can see what happened just like we did this chapter or we can finally pull the trigger on the Chekov’s Gun of X Drake’s report. Either way, you have a defeated admiral and potentially a captured Gorosei to cement the Straw Hats as the cream of the crop in all of these worldwide rumblings. In a way that otherwise leaves a completely blank slate to set up whatever we get into from this island on.  

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1076 - Initial Thoughts

And we are back again

The stage is set for a free-for-all, the traitor is still Among Us

But everyone is sus! What more can we develop, let's have a look and see?

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release also

We had a colorspread for this chapter, nothing too fancy it was a nice vibrant collage with Sanji centrefold, Nami and Robin of course looking pretty too

Zoro: Instant distrust

Kaku though insists they will go back to their chains after the fight's done...which is an obvious lie

But Luffy believes it because he's Luffy

S-Hawk unleashes a kicking slice though

Turns out S-Hawk has Daz Bones' DF in his green blood, makes sense to turn the swordsman seraphim into a human blade

Shaka asks what CP0's mission is, and Lucci is being mega truthful on the matter, much to Kaku's chagrin

Nami's screams are heard as well, since they are in the same tower it makes sense, so they expect another Seraphim is attacking

Something tells me though it's gonna be something else, like her bag full of trinkets getting stolen or something

Luffy asks Shaka for the keys and tells Lucci to not kill his friends or the Punks if they release him, since Lucci can't beat him anyway

Lucci strangely obliges though, but only because he wants to kill Luffy first

I guess this is the dynamic they're gonna work with

As S-Bear unleashes an Ursus Shock, we get our Shock team ups

Gear Fourth Luffy and Regular Hybrid Lucci combo with Kong Gun and Rokuogan on S-Bear

Zoro and Kaku then attack S-Hawk with Purgatory Oni Giri and Rankakyu: White Thunder

Both hits send the Seraphim flying, though the Ursus Shock has destroyed a lot of the control room

In another room within the research facility though, the missing CP agents are starving in pods

Seems that the CP agents were attacked by the sea beasts and were captured when arriving on shore

But Vegapunk himself is in a pod too! The CP agents apologizing for suspecting him

Stella body is a bit beaten up and handcuffed plus he's exhausted, wonder if that's York's petrification coming into play

His dialogue may make more sense in the official, but it seems to imply that this has something to do with Poneglyph research

G-9 is on its way to Egghead though, which means Doll will certainly be at Egghead with Kizaru and Saturn, hopefully Tashigi came along too

But we won't find out, since we're now in a bar with some Viking-esque longboats

Shanks seems to be reliving some energy he had with Luffy with a kid in Elbaf, though the waitress is no Makino

Since they're in Elbaf territory, it's clear that Kid is attacking Shanks' fleet, almost enticing the big boss to come out

Shanks though has a reason for hanging at the bar, he was chatting to two old friends he thought were dead

Girl back off seriously, Makino will throw hands with a giantess

Assuring that this won't become a warzone, Shanks has Dory and Broggy here to back him up

I wonder who won their duel in the end, if they have returned to their homeland

But timelines don't quite add up, Dorry and Brogy have been fighting for a century and Shanks is only 40

Oimo and Kashii are there too though, so I wonder if those are his 'friends' since they did disappear into Impel Down

Shanks at least offers Kid a warning: are they gonna fight or leave their poneglyph etchings behind?

Kid and his crew scout the Red Hair ships coming their way, bringing back some not-so-fond memories for the captain

Turns out though that Kid's arm loss wasn't directly on Shanks, they never even reached him the first time

As Shanks gets swarmed by some very affectionate captains, which I'd guess is probably his fleet, Killer notes that this time they may be risking their life

But Kid's on that confident energy, won't know until they try

Noooo not another break

Well a lot happened again

Lucci and Kaku team with Luffy and Zoro seems enough to fend off Seraphim, but we can all doubt that the alliance will last, though if CP0 frees the trapped CP agents that might be enough...then again, Saturn may not see it that way if it leads to Luffy and co escaping, plus I feel like Lucci's gonna attack Stussy on sight still.

The traitor situation has new wrinkles, it still feels like they're trying to make us suspect Lilith, since the CP agents were attacked by the Vega Force, but at the same time Shaka is sus by the Poneglyph mention and Pythagoras is sus because he said that the CP agents' ships were signed out. With Vegapunk also contained though it's curious what the motive is for all this, but it eliminates the theory that Caribou captured him, unless however there is a Vegapunk roaming around wearing a different face, as alluded to by Atlas last chapter.

S-Hawk having Daz Bones' fruit does make him more dangerous, I think that covers all the Seraphim fruits too, but we're still at a numbers issue, even with a 100 fleet of G-9 navy soldiers. The Labophase is still cut off remember so they will mostly be facing Mark 3 Pacifistas, unless Oda's messing with the time frame a little.

But now we get Shanks' annual appearance it feels, theories did arise that Shanks would be in Elbaf but fighting Kid means that the two captain supernovas are now fighting Yonko for the Poneglyph rubbings; Law vs Blackbeard and Shanks vs Kid, I wonder what the Cross Guild will do now since they're the only unattended Yonko factor so far in this wild arc. Seeing the giants we've met before was a cool little nod too, though I do worry a little that we're at risk of not having the Straw Hats go to Elbaf, since I want Usopp to have that moment, plus Viking fits! Don't deprive us of that Oda!

But yeah, things are hitting a fever pitch, so of course Oda throws a break at us, the long wait commences again.

[ruby-freeinthesky]

𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖎𝖙 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖔𝖘. 𝖂𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖎𝖙 𝕱𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞. Chapter Nine

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AO3

[ℂ𝕙𝕒𝕡𝕥𝕖𝕣 ℕ𝕚𝕟𝕖]

𝕾𝖔𝖒𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖎𝖙 𝕮𝖍𝖆𝖔𝖘. 𝖂𝖊 𝖈𝖆𝖑𝖑 𝖎𝖙 𝕱𝖆𝖒𝖎𝖑𝖞.

Some call it Chaos. We call it Family.

> X <

The fall from Skypea had forced them to take in the condition of the Going Merry, so then it was decided to go to Water 7. When the crew asked Luna if they had any new orders, Luna said that they were laxer on her lately, not sure why.

They're stay in water 7 might have been eventful in a different universe, but not in this. Luna had found out that CP0 was there, and CP9 was undercover as shipwrights. She had Robin hiding from the government agents, and had gotten in contact with the mayor of the Island, who led them towards his adoptive brother. Franky was a... Super character, to say the least. Rude at the beginning, but Luna managed to hit it off well with him. They let him look at Merry, only to hear the bad news of her not being able to go on anymore.

Luna had not been surprised by the news, and when asked, she shrugged and said that she heard Merry say so.

"What do you mean by heard?" Usopp asked.

"It’s just what I mean. Merry told me." Luna replied.

Iceberg, who was the mayor, and Franky were with them as they had this conversation.

"There have been rumours," Iceberg started, gaining the attention of Luna and her crew. "That once a ship is lived in and loved, it develops a spirit, a Klabautermann..."

Luna tilted her head, "Is that what Merry is called?"

With a nod, "so, are you telling me that you met a Klabautermann?"

"No." Luna said, "I just hear her voice. She said she will appear when it's time to leave, but until then, she will take us where we want to go with her limits."

Usopp's eyes started to tear up, "Oh Merry."

Nami patted his back, she also felt hurt, Merry has been with them for so long, and now she's going to leave them. Sanji took in a drag on his cigarette while leaning against the walls of the room. Similarly, Zoro was leaning the door, taking watch as Luna ordered him not to let anyone in. Chopper was already bawling his eyes out, while Robin, who had a mask to cover her face, sat silently in a corner of the room.

"Say, Luna," Nami began, "Why did you not tell us that you heard Merry, isn't something important that you should inform us of?"

Luna looked confused, "But I always hear things, so why should Merry be special?"

"No," Nami sighed in frustration, "This is special cuz you heard a non-living thing speak to you. Merry is not a human."

Luna still had a confused expression, frowning slightly, "That's what I'm saying, merry is not the first one I heard."

"Luna-" but Robin interrupted Nami's sentence with her own question, "Captain-san. Are you saying that you hear other things speak to you? Besides humans? Like animals?"

This made everyone else pause, turning towards Luna, and saw her nod. "Yeah! Sometimes I can hear animals when something important is going to occur! And sometimes I can hear the sea speak to me, it warned me a few times of events. Oh! And when I can hear the intention of people, like if they mean me harm or not! It's why I chose you guys to join me in the first place! You had good voices!"

Nami's and Usopp's jaws dropped. Sanji's cigarette fell from his mouth. Chopper let out a squeak, looking excited at the aspect of having someone who can understand animals, even if sometimes. Zoro let out a huff of amusement, Luna will just keep shocking the crew all the time, won't she? And then went back to watch over. Robin chuckled, "I see."

Iceberg blinked in surprise, then let out a hum, "Well, from what I heard from our previous caretaker, the Pirate King had a similar ability to what you just described."

"Gol D. Roger did?" Luna grinned, "This wasn't in Nee-chan's journals and Nii-chan never told me that!"

"Who?" Iceberg asked, only for him to be ignored as his younger brother started to laugh.

"You guys are SUPER funny!" Franky said, "I like you people, let me build you a SUPER ship for you to sail and I can use some parts of your current ship to make a memento of sort for you guys!"

And he did do that. Franky had built them Sunny Go after the Going Merry had been burned, and with the remaining remnants parts of Merry, he built a small ship with the figure head. It might have been a sad moment, however on the Sunny Go, an almost transparent figure had appeared on board, bowing to the crew, and let out a whisper of "Thank you, I'll continue to help you all as much as I can."

Franky had joined them in the end, having bonded with them and not willing to part yet. And so, they set sail, unknown to them, an agent of CP9 had caught site of Robin with them, and sent a report to the five Elders.

And then, they were going to issue an order, but as Luna had already left, and not being in direct contact with the five Elders, as they send letters containing all the information regarding her missions by her grandfather.

So, for now, they managed to avoid the letter with her grandfather, and Garp did not call her to allow her to enjoy as much with her friends. However, Sengoku did contact her, giving her a mission, this being not from the government, but from him, asking her to check on one of the seven warlords, Moriah.

And so, they set to Thriller Bark, on the way, meeting a talking skeleton inhabiting an empty ship. Hearing the story of Brook, the skeleton, Luna felt happy knowing that Laboon had not been abandoned. Finding out that Brook's shadow was stolen, Luna promised to get it back from Moriah, in exchange, he is to join them. He had agreed.

Meeting Moriah and finding out what he has been doing had disgusted her. So, deciding to do whatever she wants, she beats him up, and freeing the shadows, and reporting to Sengoku of his doings.

After the report, she got a call from her father, informing her of some suspicions.

"Sabrina got a boyfriend?" Luna asked.

Dragon sighed over the call, "I think she has a boyfriend. I know that she's interested in a pirate, but I'm not aware if they are together."

Luna giggled, "Who is it?"

"Trafalgar Law."

"Oh! Torao!" Luna exclaimed, "He's not bad, he would go well with Sabrina! Ohh, he's been trying to get a warlord position, maybe when he gets it, I can meet him properly and try and see if he's interested!"

Dragon sighed once more, voice exasperated, "As the older sister, shouldn't you be preventing your sisters from dating rather than set them up?"

Luna giggled again, "As their older sister, I need to ensure they end up with someone that can take care of them. I know Smokey will take care of Ann, now I need to meet Torao again to see if he's good for Sab."

Dragon chuckled, "Alright, if you say so. By the way, what is this that I heard from my father, about you having a boyfriend?"

"You mean Marco?" Luna asked, "We've been dating Marco for around five years now. This is old news. Shanks even went to kill Marco three years ago when he found out."

"And how come I just heard of it now? Does he know about who you are and that you're a marine?"

"Well first of all, we've been keeping it on the low, which by the way, he only knows I'm related to Jii-chan and yes that I'm a marine, to answer your other questions. We wanted this news to avoid reaching the government, since I informed him of a part of the reason why I'm with the navy. The only one on his crew that knows I'm a marine are his captain and the commanders; the others just think of me as Shanks' baby sister."

"Since he doesn't know about me then I can't go and threaten him yet," Dragon chuckled, "I guess I have to wait until it's revealed that you're my daughter."

Luna pouted for it be imitated by the snail so that Dragon can see his child's face. "Don't threaten him, Jii-chan already approved of him, and Shanks has been getting better! Marco doesn't need someone else after his head!"

Huffing, Dragon replied with amusement, "No promises."

"Dad!"

Luna had been in a good mood after her call with her father. They didn't talk much usually, so not only had she gotten an update about one of her baby sitters, but with Dragon teasing her, she felt that they were getting closer. But her happy mood didn't last, because Garp had reached her, with a letter in hand.

Robin had been about to hide herself from the Vice-Admiral, only for her captain to shake her head. "No need to hide, Jii-chan won't spill to the government that you're with me."

"Jii-chan?" The last four members to join chorused.

"Yup! Shishishi!"

Garp chucked at his granddaughter, but he had a sad gleam in his eyes.

Luna frowned at her grandfather, usually when he delivers her missions, he doesn't look this sad. "What happened?"

Garp sighed, glancing at Robin, "Nico Robin was sighted with you guys in Water 7, and the CP9 agents reported to the five Elders."

Robin tensed, knowing that now there will be an order to kill her. She didn't know how to feel about this anymore, in the months she spent with the crew, she came to love being with them... She doesn't want to leave them.

Luna took the letter being handed to her.

To Fenrir. You are to get rid of Nico Robin.

"Absolutely not!" Luna said, looking at her grandfather, "Can you call them right now?"

With a nod of confirmation, Garp took out a DenDen mushi and called a number. There was a click, showing that the call was be picked up.

"What is it, Garp?"

This was the first time Luna heard the voice of any of the elders. And it is to oppose their order.

Before Garp could reply, Luna snatched the DenDen and spoke, "I will not kill Robin."

There were a few moments of silence before one spoke, "Are you breaking our deal, Fenrir?"

Luna gritted her teeth, she had always hated that title, finding it mocking, but with Robin informing her of the tale of the wolf god, Luna had hated it more.

"I'm not breaking my deal."

"You are not obeying our orders!"

"And my family was supposed to be under the government protection are they not?"

"That has nothing to do with this! Your family is safe, aren't they? Your sisters are not being hunted!"

"My sisters aren't my only family. My crew is too!" Luna huffed, taking in breathes to calm herself down, "My crew is my family too, so Robin is family too, meaning she is under your protection too."

Robin started tearing up at the declaration, the rest sent her sympathetic smiles and looks.

Garp smiled proudly at his granddaughter and her friends, but then it turned into a sad one.

"Alright."

Luna didn't expect this answer. No one on the ship did.

"However!"

Of course, there is a however. Luna shared a glance with her grandfather. Garp shrugged, he had no idea what the government will make his granddaughter do now.

"Any freedom we granted you in the past years will be taken away from you! From now onwards you are not to go to any islands unless given permission to or to fulfil missions! You are to not meet Red-haired Shanks! Don't think we weren't aware of your meetings with that pirate."

Robin jolted in her place, opening her mouth to object, but Luna already spoke without any hesitation.

"I agree."

"We'll give you a few days to rest after your fight with Moriah, however you are not to leave your ship."

And the call ended, leaving an angry crew.

"Why did you agree?" Robin whispered, but as she continued on her voice got louder. "If you killed me then you won't have much restrictions. You already can't see your sisters. Why restrict yourself even more? Why?!"

Luna grinned in her direction, "Because you're Nakama, Robin! Shishishi! I would do this for any of you guys!"

Tears started to fall from Robin's eyes, she tilted her head down to cover her face, but everyone saw the water droplets falling on the wooden floor.

Luna moved forwards and pulled Robin into a hug, still grinning. She left an arm gesturing for the others join in the hug. Almost everyone rushed, each having tears trailing down their cheeks, the only ones not in the hug being Zoro, who watched with a smirk, Sanji, smiling softly, and Garp, who also was crying.

It is once everything has calmed down and the crew left the granddaughter and grandfather alone that Luna seemed to remember something, "Ah! Marco is supposed to be visiting tomorrow! I need to explain to him what happened!"

"What will you do about him?" Garp asked, "Will you explain what happened?"

"Yeah, I'm not hiding this from him. Besides..." Luna smiled, "I wanna ask him an important question."

Garp raised an eyebrow, "An important question? You make it look like you're gonna ask him to marry you."

"Shishishi!" Luna giggled, "Jii-chan is so smart! Yeah, I want to ask him to marry me when this is all over!"

Garp smiled sadly, Luna had always said that it is a "when" situation, not an "if", in front of him. But he also knows that she told Shanks that there is a chance of her dying before all of this is dealt with. He just hoped that she won't, that she will get to live her happily ever after.

"Bahaha! I better be invited to the wedding then!" Garp laughed.

"Of course! By then, our family will be complete, we will all be there and no one will be missing! You, Dad, Shanks, Makino, Dadan, Ann and Sabrina! You all will be there for my wedding!" Luna exclaimed. "Oh! And Smokey too! And Torao if he ends up with Sab!"

Garp frowned, "Why Smokey? I know Smokey, but who is Torao? And why would he end up with Sab?"

Luna grinned, "Smokey is family at this point!" Luna wanted to tell her grandfather about Smoker possibly being an In-Law in the future since he's dating Ann, but she promised that she won’t say anything, but Sab... She never promised her dad not to say anything. "And Torao is Law! You know that pirate who wants to become a Warlord? Dad said that he heard from Koala that Sab has a crush on him!"

"SHE HAS A WHAT? SHE IS ONLY SEVENTEEN! SHE CAN'T BE WITH SOMEONE!"

Maybe it was the best choice that Luna didn't say anything about Smoker. But Luna thought to herself, why is Garp acting like this about Torao? He doesn't seem to have an issue with Luna being with Marco?

It seems her questions are answered as Garp started rambling.

"It's enough that I have handed my older granddaughter to a pirate! But at least that Phoenix will take care of Luna! He's responsible! And there is no other option too! And Luna is old enough to have a boyfriend... But Sabrina? She's the youngest, I can't let her date anyone, especially someone who has the title of Surgeon of Death... I NEED TO GET RID OF HIM! Ann is not allowed to date so Sab is not too!" Garp rounded up, turning towards Luna and gave her a hug, "I'll be going now, Luna. Enjoy your time tomorrow with the Phoenix, I have a surgeon to kill."

And with that, he is gone...

Maybe she shouldn't have said anything about Torao. Well, what happened has happened. She hopes he won't actually kill Torao, she wanted him as her brother-in-law.

[one-piecee]

#ONEPIECE1043

THIS IS A BIG ONE.

A BIG ONE.

Chapter title: We die together.

Let's see if I can manage not to scream about the last panel before getting there... let's just get everything else out of the way first.

Kaido!! Let's talk about Kaido for a second. I hope we get his backstory soon, because I'm really intrigued by him and his mindset. He looked so distraught when Luffy was held back by CP0, and he defeated him. That's either because he defeated him with someone else's interference (meaning we sort of get another Katakuri-esque mentality) or he just wanted to keep clashing with Luffy, seeing as he hadn't had a proper one-on-one in ages and he seems like he quite enjoys fighting. So yes, I want more!!

Aside from being distraught about the defeat, (and I'm jumping back and forth a little) Kaido definitely lives up to his name in my opinion. He fought Big Mom (Almost forgot about this actually!!) the samurai, scabbards, then he fought Luffy, Zoro, Law, Kidd, and Killer (albeit not quite intensely), then he had another clash with Luffy, then he fought Yamato, then he fought Luffy again and now he's already looking for more trouble, and looking for more people to fight--

It is a little disturbing, though, having to see a panel like this:

I never would have ever expected to see a panel with Kaido being written as the victor. Luffy has lost multiple times in the story by now, but not having a clear winner is always indication of him coming back but this says it clearly- Victor: Kaido.

I'll talk more about Luffy but let me mention some other stuff first:

First of all!! This arc is doing a splendid job at really showcasing Nami's loyalty and complete trust in Luffy. She refuses to believe he's down, and not only that but she also literally screams directly at Kaido - AND CALLING HIM AN OVERSIZED SNAKE

And also!! Thank you Marco!! Again!! For the thousandth time!!! For helping and saving us!!!!!

Second of all!!

The more I read, the more I love Yamato!! Like I would love for Yamato to join the strawhats, genuinely. Yamato's connection to Ace and just the overall vibe and ambitions. Also!! Yamato's idea of refusing to ever surrender and become a slave is similar to Luffy's own mindset. When Momonosuke wanted to surrender to Kaido because he thought Luffy had lost and there was no chance of ever winning without him, so Yamato said this (amazing, goosebumps, lovely, amazinh, amazing, amzaing):

They'll (The Samurai) live and then what? They'll be slaves until the day they finally die from exhaustion. In the end, surrendering won't save anyone!! All the Daimyo that allowed Orochi to have his way went to their graves full of regret. Everything Wano endured for the past 20 years was for the sake of this battle. Even if surrender is our only option, I'd rather we die together!!

AND NOW!! TO THE HIGHLIGHT, THE STAR, THE !!!!! OF THIS CHAPTER

What happened to Luffy? We see Momonosuke say that Luffy's "voice" has vanished, and surprisingly (!!) so does Law - signaling that Law, too, could hear the voice (?) of things or perhaps this is just another one of those Koby moments, where a great Observation Haki allows you to "hear" or sense people. In the manga we get SFX next to panels of Luffy that show that his heart literally stopped beating. This all seems to point to him "dying" but BUT and this is the important part - Zunisha hearts something.

Momonosuke, I can hear it...!! It really takes me back. I can hear the drums of liberation... this is the first time in 800 years. He is there, without a doubt-

JOY BOY.

He has returned.

OH MY GOD????????????????????????? AND BREAK NEXT WEEK??? AFTER THIS CLIFFHANGER???? THERE'S NO WAY

I've seen so many people make different theories, is Joy Boy literally taking over Luffy's body or has Luffy come alive again with Joy Boy`? Is Joy Boy the "devil" in luffy's devil fruit awakening, did he come back because Luffy "died"?

SO MANY QUESTIONS SO LITTLE ANSWERS I CAN'T WAIT TWO WEEKS FOR THIS??????

[spqromani]

One Piece Questions

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

If you are not up to date with the weekly release of manga chapters, don't read this!

This is a personal post, just to help me keep track of stuff while reading through it. But, feel welcome to enlighten me if you have a good answer to one of the questions!

CURRENT-PLACED

REVERIE/WANO

1. Somebody tell me what EXACTLY happened to Kuma?!

Why is he not with the Revolutionary Army? Why did he agree with Vegapunk to turn himself into a cyborg? WHY TF IS HE A SLAVE??? What is his connection with Bonney?

2. What happened at the Reverie?

Who died? Who almost got killed? Are Vivi and Sabo alright?????

ANSWER: ONE PIECE (#1054) So...... Sabo is doing more than just alright, he is an emperor himself now apparently... And like it was predicted, The World Govt. blamed Sabo for Vivi's father death, who was clearly killed by the Gorosei, and Sabo managed to declare war AND RESCUE KUMA??? Congratulations, my dude 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼. BUT VIVI HAS GONE MISSING??? EXCUSE ME SIR BUT Why is nobody doing anything to find her???? That should be Fucking No.1 in the list of your priorities!!!!! THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!!! If anything happens to Vivi, I'm slitting my wrists. Good fucking bye! 😡😡 (24/07/22)

3. What "new weapon" is the Navy in possession of that makes them not "need" the Shichibukai anymore?

4. Who did Shanks talk about to the Gorosei?

5. Did Dragon declare the war?

ANSWER: ONE PIECE (#1054) Like I said, war has been declared by the main man himself, Sabo, apparently The World's Protagonist according to the latest chain of events! He did his job right! And apparently, didn't get caught while doing it! Good for him! 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 (24/07/22)

6. What are in the 7 chambers of Im-sama?

7. Who wants Vegapunk in Wano? Kaido or Orochi? Why?

8. Is Kaido going to die?

I think Kaido NEEDS to die to finish Wano’s arc. He must go down so the people from Wano can open their borders.

9. What is Kaido's and Yamato's race?

10. What is King's race?

ANSWER: (ONE PIECE #1033) King's a survivor of the Lunaria Tribe, that was extinct. A long time ago, they were called "gods". Apparently, King is super resistant and can survive to any circumstance (???). His wings catch fire, but he hasn't used them to fly until now, just like the skyfolk... (26/11/2021)

11. How are they going to open Wano's borders exactly? They are natural borders.

The reason why it’s so difficult to enter Wano is because of the geography surrounding the country. The island is on top of a mountain accessed by a waterfall that runs down, but the kois run it all the way up. Once you arrive upstairs, there is a whirlpool to drown ships. Even before climbing the mountain, we can see several ships broken apart by the whirlpools.

12. Are we going to see more of the Marines or Govt. in Wano?

Akainu says he’s not going there. But Sengoku planted a good question in his mind. Also, SWORD (X Drake) and CP0 are in Wano, already, apparently to confirm Who’s Who identity and death.

13. Why is Momonosuke's fruit a failure?

The reason why it was left behind in Punk Hazard was because Vegapunk considered it to be a failure. Now, during Wano, the CP0 brought it up again, saying “good it turned out to be a failure”.

14. How far goes Zoro's relation to Wano?

Apparently, Zoro would have a connection to the Shimotsuki family. We know the village Zoro is from is named Shimotsuki Village, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he is a descendant of the Shimotsukis because we have never seen Zoro’s biological parents.

ANSWER: (ONE PIECE #1033) Okay, so I'm happy Zoro is still an orphan with no super important parents that were never mentioned until it became relevant. Kuina's family is a branch of the Shimotsukis. Her grandfather, Kozaburo, forged Enma and left Wano to settle in the East Blue. And then Zoro ended up learning some stuff about swords with him. I loved that!! 😁😁 (26/11/2021)

15. What is Blackbeard after? (Ch. 956)

He says that if the Marine can get their hands on it, he could just take it for himself. I mean, in the translation I read, that’s what he says.

16. And what is his relation to Xebec?

Blackbeard is currently stationed in Hachinosu Island, which used to be the base for the Rocks Pirates. Also, his ship is named The Saber of Xebec.

17. What exactly happened at the God Valley Incident?

38 years ago, the Celestial Dragons and some slaves were at God Valley. To protect them from the Rocks Pirates, Garp and Roger fought together. Apparently, Rocks D. Xebec died during the incident. Also, Big Mom gave Kaidou his devil fruit during the incident.

Why is it not talked about? Why does the WG hide this as well? Why were the Celestial Dragons there? Why did Garp protect them even though he says he doesn’t like them? Why was Roger in the picture as well?

18. And how did it "vanish"?

Apparently, the island disappeared without leaving any trace behind. How did that happen? Who did that?

19. More about SWORD.

Do all SWORD members have an X scar? Does that make Fujitora a SWORD member, perhaps?

20. Where is the Road Poneglyph of Kaido?

So far, Law has found one, but since it doesn’t have the same greyish hue as the first one we see in Zou, it’s not a Road one. Also, Brook has found one poneglyph at Orochi’s Castle at the Flower Capital.

21. WTF did Luffy say that Roger said as well? (Ch.585/Ch.966)

22. Are we going to read anything from Oden's journal at the end of the arc?

I know that, technically, we did during his flashback, but I mean now that Yamato has the journal and gave it to Momo.

23. What did Roger tell Shanks in Lodestar? (Ch.968)

24. Why did he laugh?

25. What's up with this Sun God Nika thing?

Who’s Who says it is a legendary warrior who the slaves believed would free them one day, also that it’s laughs would cure their suffering. Was them made... of rubber?? (03/05/2022)

26. WHO'S WHO HAD THE GOMU GOMU NO MI???? SHANKS STOLE THE FRUIT???? AND WENT TO EAST BLUE???? WTF

ANSWER: It's not the Gomu Gomu no Mi. My life is a lie. (Ch.1044)

The other questions still stand tho. (03/05/2022)

27. Why did Zunesha come to Wano so suddenly? And Joy Boy is like a title and not the name of a person??

ANSWER: Apparently Zunesha was there to "open the borders" of Wano. How was it gonna do that? We will never know, Momonosuke sent it away. The other question still stands up.

POST TIME-SKIP

FISHMAN ISLAND • PUNK HAZARD • DRESSROSA • ZOU • WHOLE CAKE ISLAND

1. How the F is Luffy going to destroy Fishman Island?

2. What's up with Zoro's scar?

It’s been there forever and it’s never been hinted on. Also, nobody talks about it?? Like, have the others not realized he’s missing an eye this entire time?? Does nobody care enough to ask??

3. Why is Aokiji with the Blackbeard Pirates?

4. What secret(s) does Doflamingo know about Mariejois?

While I think that there is a possibility of it being about the D. name, just like Corazon had something to tell Law, I think he knows way more stuff.

5. What did Corazon mean exactly when he said "The D. are the natural enemies of the Gods"?

I don’t know, but it looks to me that there is something else there. Corazon reminds of a child talking about a nightmare, which makes sense because he was only a child when he left Mariejois and opposite to his brother, he had no intention to recover his connection to that place. So I feel like, this is not the whole information and we can get a full, more accurate view on this saying from Doflamingo, maybe?

6. Why did Fujitora blind himself?

7. Did Bellamy do anything against the Sky Island People? I don’t think so, but...

8. What happened in Baltigo?

9. Does Blackbeard want anything to do with the Revolutionary Army?

10. What crime did Zunesha commit?

11. Who sentenced it to walk forever? Was it other giant elephants? Or Wano people?

12. Why is Momo able to order Zunesha to do stuff??

13. Why did the Kozuki Family and the Minks make an alliance? Why not Wano and the Minks, but specifically the Kozukis?

14. Why do both Wano and Zou preach about the Dawn of the World?

15. What's up with Pudding's race, the third-eye tribe?

I know they are able to use the Voice of All Things to figure out what’s written in the poneglyphs, okay… But why does it work like that, their third eye? Why is that their special ability?

16. What’s the incident in Rocky Port with Law and Coby?

[purplehairedwonder]

Chapter 1038: *heart eyes*

Y’all knew I was going to write this one up. Let’s goooooo.

After all, the main event of Onigashima continues: Raizo vs. Fukurokuju.

Just kidding. This fight is becoming a meme at this point, though.

Storytelling-wise, I suppose Raizo needs to continue holding Fukurokuju off because Orochi is waiting for him, and Hiyori (and probably Denjiro, who we haven’t seen in 84 years) still needs to wreck Orochi’s shit.

As for the Zoro scene

My money is on this being a gag where it’s actually Brook but Zoro is hallucinating a Grim Reaper due to the pain of his injuries + mink medicine. It would be very Oda, after all. Yohoho.

The Izo scene is interesting. It could easily just be a heavily-injured Izo holding off CP0, but this expression makes me feel like there could be something else going on:

Then we’ve got Yamato vs. the fire demon. Not much to say there other than Yamato’s ice powers are the perfect counter to hold this thing off.

AND NOW WHAT WE’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR.

Honestly, the Law and Kid vs. Big Mom fight is the most interesting of all the remaining fights to me for a few reasons. 

Firstly, Kaido does absolutely nothing for me as a villain. I find him uninteresting, and honestly, I was a bit irked in the last chapter when Luffy was smiling about fighting him considering what Kaido’s done to Wano -- to Kin’emon, to Momo, to Yamato, to Tama. He usually takes those kinds of things more personally when he’s fighting for his nakama so it felt off to me.

Secondly, we know that fight is going to end with Luffy winning somehow. Luffy always gets to beat the Big Bad (even when narratively it would be more satisfying for someone else to do so *coughDressrosacough*). 

Thirdly, the fight is a lot of brute force where Kaido and Luffy hit each other with haki. Yes, there’s sky splitting. But it’s just... not that interesting, honestly.

On the other hand, Big Mom fascinates me as a villain. I think she’s the most terrifying of the Yonko. We don’t know how this fight is going to end. Law and Kid could very well lose -- or win or their fight could be interrupted by the arrival of the World Government or any number of other endings. There’s a less determined story structure here. 

And this fight has been far more about creative Devil Fruit usage, which has been so neat! I think too much focus gets put on haki sometimes. Law’s awakened fruit, Kid’s mecha, Big Mom’s homies... I think this fight is just more fun.

SO.

I am a simple girl. I see Law whump, I enjoy. I see the Hearts worrying about their captain, I enjoy. Thank you for these gifts, Oda.

But Big Mom is making a big mistake by not going for the killing blow, proving she’s still underestimating Kid and Law. Ironic, considering she says that Kaido shouldn’t play with his food.

We also can see she’s clearly taken damage and she admits she’s reaching her limits too.

Did I mention that I’m a simple girl? I see Law being badass and I enjoy.

First, how freaking cool is it that Law’s awakening allows him to extend Kikoku? The Ope Ope no Mi is ridiculous.

And that shot of Big Mom taking the Shock Wille to the face is one of the more brutal panels we’ve seen in a while. Holy shit.

And then Kid gets his turn. While Law used his awakening again (his stamina has grown leaps and bounds since Dressrosa, hasn’t it?), Kid seems to just be using his regular fruit abilities here, though to great effect:

I’m going to complain about this panel just a tiny bit: there is soooooo much detail in the panel, I can’t actually tell what’s going on. If I hadn’t read the summary before the chapter, I wouldn’t have been able to tell this was a mecha bull. Sometimes less is more.

But those final panels of the chapter:

BADASS.

Also, considering the naming conventions of the fight chapters, we’ve had a few fights where the chapter was named for the fight and the defeat happened in the chapter after. Will this pattern continue with this fight? It would, in some ways, seem a bit too sudden for a fight against one of the Yonko, but then we have to remember Kid and Law have been fighting Big Mom the entire time since they left the rooftop. Luffy got knocked off the island, rescued by the Hearts, ate a bunch of food, and went back up with Momo while Kid and Law were fighting the whole time. I’m guessing the anime will give us more of this fight because we deserve it.

Oh, and that cover story. Is Pudding going to rescue Sanji’s brothers?

[hauntingblue]

Can't believe I spent so much time thinking kiku and kinemon were dead... they really got me there...

[ninhaoma-ya]

Chapter 1032 — Oden’s beloved sword

I wonder what got Izo all bothered about the flame yokai? Did he remember something from the beforetimes?

Big Mom is life, Big Mom is unrestrained yet cheerful destruction. Look at how happy she is!

The real treasure is the friends you make along the way!

Okay, this is seriously really sweet. They’re mates!

Burn, baby, burn.

Oda’s wacky perspectives hit once more! Look at how big that thing is compared to Fuga, who we just saw compared to Yama-o; quite a hefty hunk indeed. The perspective here helps underline the sheer size of Kanjuro’s dying wish.

What is Brook doing?

And is Fuga just happy to help or singing as they speak? Whatever the answer, they’re so sweet. New favourite Number.

So SWORD is opposed to CP0 in some way, if I’m reading this exchange right. They know about Drake’s role and see it as something to eradicate (also not worthy of their time; mere pests, the lot of ‘em). Would be interesting to see if there’s a difference in wording in the originals!

The pirate-enemy of my government-enemy is my temporary friend?

Oda has had the time of his life coming up with all the batshit crazy dinosaur abilities. Did he just get really, really, really drunk when planning this arc?

Massive info dump and not something Oda utilises often, but it’s nice to see Zoro’s fight analysis in real time.

And then the ghostly tunes of a shamisen echo through the building….

AND THE PREDICTIONS WERE CORRECT! HIYORI IN DA HOUSE!

I can’t wait to see this animated! The gradually increasing volume, the people wondering where the noise comes from…

I’m guessing the predictions of legion were correct when shown the injured Akazaya Nine in the tower, and the person nursing them back to a mirage of health was Hiyori.

Her losing the mask is also a nice touch; she’s now herself and can defiantly play the song of her father as a battle cry, facing her biggest opponent.

However — “the rest of our lives” doesn’t bode well for Orochi (or Hiyori, for that matter).

I give this chapter Fuga’s smile and Hiyori’s shamisen.

[ais-n]

AIS! I know ur a One Piece fan, so I have to ask.. what do you think of the recent reveal of Luffy's true devil fruit power???? Joyboy??? I love One Piece so much, I have no one to talk to about it! Pls tell me ur thoughts XD

Hi! Sorry I took so long to reply!

***WARNING WARNING SPOILERS FOR ONE PIECE IF YOU KEEP READING - IMMA RAMBLE BROS I will put behind a cut just in case though***

((Oops I put the cut too far down first))

I'm so excited - it's so cool! So, when Joyboy was first brought up, I didn't know enough immediately about it. But after we got a little info, tbh my first thought was, "Oh so Luffy's probably Joyboy?"

I'd have to go back and look but I think especially around the time they were at Fishman Island - especially with all the stuff that was going on with Shirahoshi, and then Luffy having the voice, and all that.

We knew Luffy could hear voices others couldn't for a bit there, I think -- or maybe that's where it first popped up? But Roger could hear the voice of all things, or whatever it was called, as evidenced by the Poneglyph info inscribed in Skypiea that Robin translated back then. I can't remember where, but I feel like at some point it was implied Joyboy maybe could too? Not sure.

Also, with the way Luffy can bring people to him, kind of like he's a boat through an ocean and the current pulls such disparate people together into his wake, it made sense.

So recently, with all the stuff going on, when it was clear Luffy was working his ass off but he's still up against a major fucking powerhouse, as things were getting worse and we were seeing all the stuff going on with CP0, I was thinking - maybe Luffy will be severely injured or basically die, and then in coming back he'll Awaken.

I'd figured for awhile now he'd end up Awakening at some point - that made sense, with everything going on. And I figured it'd be pretty cool.

So Luffy confirmed as Joyboy, I was happy and excited to see but wasn't super surprised because I figured that was a given for awhile. However, WHAT Joyboy is, was something I didn't expect. And I 100% did NOT see the devil fruit thing coming!!!!!!! I fucking love how I can follow this series for like 20 years or whatever and still end up surprised by things, even when other things I can see coming from hints in the past - and how even if something I thought might happen does happen, it's still so fun to see it confirmed.

Fucking Oda is such a storytelling genius, istg *_*

I do have to say - I absolutely love OP, of course, but the past couple of years I've managed to be behind on the latest chapters by like a week or two. It's solely because of the way this shit is set up now that they closed down the main scanlation sites. I get that they don't want piracy etc etc but it seems to presume that people don't also buy the official shit even if they read scanlations. Not the case for me at all. I am subscribed to the SJ things so I can support weekly, I buy a shit ton of OP stuff, and I USED to always be caught up on the officially released English manga too. Only reason I'm behind on those (and why I don't want just the "official" versions online) is because I'm still super fucking salty about them calling Zoro fucking Zolo. I goddamn hate it lmao It drives me nuts so bad. When I buy the books, I physically change every l to an r and it's a pain in the ass so I've gotten to be like - fuck it, fuck them and their dumbass Zolo bullshit, I don't have the patience to change that everywhere UGH. I wish they'd release an alternate version with everything written as Zoro even if we have to pay extra or something. I would do it. idgaf. Also I have always liked having multiple translations since I'm not reading the original, so I like seeing how the wording changes across translators for different things. Plus the fact that the official version fucking calls Marines the "Navy" is irritating too. And I think the English says Dogtooth right? But I like his name as Karakuri more. I also like to go back and reread chapters, and they make it difficult to do so which I find annoying as well. (I will, of course, acknowledge though that I appreciate that Stephen is the translator - I'm glad we have someone on the official translator team who truly gives a shit about the series, and has for decades, and was one of the original fan translators back in the day. I just find it annoying that he has to make stupid ass alterations like Zoro's name because the company has the dumbest rules on that stuff, and since he's employed with them he has to follow those rules rather than being able to be fully accurate in translations. Salty salty salty I'm as salty as the East Blue lmao)

So, again, I'd like there to be a better system for the original shit, and it has become a thing where it takes me all this extra time to sit down and read the latest - I can't just skim through it like I used to be able to do. So I get a bit salty and have to set time aside, because I love OP and want to actually pay attention to it, focus on the story, see it properly on my screen, etc.

That's all to say that it's managed to take some of my weekly excitement away from OP, which really sucks man. I used to look forward to it every week, and now I sometimes forget to read it that week.

It's NOTHING to do with the series itself or the story though - I continue to love tf out of it <3

Anyway so I got on a tangent there (sorry lol) but I thought of it because I just realized I hadn't read the latest chapter (1047) so I wanted to check it in case I needed to add anything. In case you haven't read that chapter, I won't say anything about it.

But!! I did want to jump back a little in the current storyline, before we got all the Joyboy confirmation. To Zoro.

Wait, before that -- DUDE THE NIKA THING IS SO COOL!!!!! And I fucking love how the Awakening works. It is constantly cracking me up XD I love how the Five Elders were all serious like, "that devil fruit is the most ridiculous power in the world!" or something like that. And since they were so srsface I wondered if they meant that colloquially, like it's just super badass. But no, they mean it's actually ridiculous XD I fucking love it. I LOVE how it's turning everything around him into like an old American-type cartoon hahaha

And it's so cool the things he can do now! Also I super want to see this animated - they keep having his heartbeat be referenced, and it's been in the background SFX, so I'm hoping it'll sound really cool like an upbeat song or something when they animate it.

I'm way behind on the anime though - need to get caught up eventually.

Oh! Also, I love that Zunesha (the elephant) was talking to Momo, and it felt like maybe Zunesha was coming a little back to life? Like Zunesha seemed happy - which makes sense, since they've been punished to carry Zou on their back for punishment of some unspecified crime in the past, and they were affiliated with Joyboy 800 years ago. Those sunken eyes just make them seem so exhausted and half-dead, so it feels so nice to know they're getting a little bit of a break from their kind of living death. idk yet how it all will go, what it all will mean exactly, but I'm so interested in it - especially with Zunesha right there, it feels like something cool could happen.

Also I just love Zunesha regardless <3

The new devil fruit power and just everything around it fits Luffy really well, I think, so it's cool to see that his upgrade comes with such a bombshell of narrative connections too!

Again, can't wait to see animated.

Now back to Zoro - so he looked like he was basically almost dead, if not worse, and that's why one of the crew (I think it's Franky?) is running around trying to get him to Chopper to save him.

Before he was grabbed, but after he collapsed after his fight and winning it, we saw what looked like a Grim Reaper standing over Zoro, right? And Zoro was using Enma, the sword, as part of his arsenal.

Enma is a fucking powerful sword, said to be able to "cut through to the bottom of hell" - which makes sense, since in Japanese mythology (along with Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese mythologies and Buddhist, Hinduism, Taoism -- and more), Enma is the master of hell/the king. He's a deity and I've seen some things say he has the power to judge crimes committed by the dead while they were alive. Enma's also called Yama and other names - and in some versions he's seen as the human ancestor because humans were born from him (and his sister -_-) - and he is the king of death since he was the first human to die. Also, in Japanese Buddhism at least - idk enough about the variations to know about others - he's believed to be able to travel back and forth between Hell and the Pure Land. Pure Land is Jodo in Japanese Buddhism.

As opposed to Edo (a land with impurities or defiled land) where humans tie themselves up to be caught in delusions, Jodo is a land where basically Buddha resides. It's a place that is pure and clean and the legitimate land of Buddha. In some thoughts, it's not in our world - it's built in another world, and people only go there when their life ends. Another thought is that instead of going to another world (Jodo), our world will shift to Jodo.

Either way, for Buddhism, it's basically a place free from impurities and is where Buddha resides.

Zoro's powers have Buddhist references and he fits within the realm of it really well - in writing this I ran across this post below on tumblr. I don't know the person or their tumblr at all, but this has some good info on parallels to Zoro and references to Buddhism, done far better than I would've here.

There's more of course - I'm by absolutely no means an expert; I just know a little bit from reading about it.

Anyway though, I'm wondering what the significance will be of the reaper figure, Zoro essentially seeming to basically die right now or be close, and more. I'm wondering if the reaper was an embodiment of Enma the sword, or Enma himself or some variation of a messenger of his from Hell? I'm wondering if this will be Zoro's version of an Awakening - either now, or the foundation being set to happen in the future. I'm wondering, if that ends up being the case, whether this means he will lean more toward the Hell side of things, or if this will be a turning point of him going more toward releasing himself from impurities and eventually achieving accessibility to Jodo. Like, could he have gone there now? Could his spirit have gone to Hell with Enma? Will he be able to channel Hell of some sort? Perhaps Enma is showing him that there's a way to transcend it all?

Wouldn't it be cool if Zoro gained the ability to visit with souls of the dead in some way, or gain information from Hell or who knows, Jodo, if that's even possible? If that ever happened, wouldn't it be cool if something could be combined with Brook's powers in an attack channeling the iciness of death with the Buddhist aspects of Hell or enlightenment?

In order to become truly the greatest swordsman in the world, in order to bring about a unified and happy world as Luffy wishes as the Pirate King, right now, with my very limited understanding of the mythologies involved, it seems to me that MAYBE the next step in Zoro's future improvement and power will be something to do with him becoming closer to Jodo.

Like, I'm wondering if he'll shift more toward, or more away from, the way he's been - outlined more in that linked post above, but someone who's powerful, who isn't affiliated with the gods of any sort, who exhibits many great qualities like loyalty, honor, etc - but who also exhibits potentially violent or dangerous qualities. For example, as they referenced, the time he split a boat in two because he got on the wrong boat. I'm wondering if he will be aiming more toward addressing those reactions of his, and therefore honing even more his sword skills, to be able to achieve a higher power of Enlightenment, and through that maybe become someone who, like Enma, can transverse the realms? I think of it in terms of comparison to Mihawk. Mihawk also does things like just destroy a boat because he woke up from a nap and felt like it. In order for Zoro to become truly the greatest swordsman in the world, he ultimately has to surpass Mihawk. And with my limited knowledge, it seems to me that Mihawk has achieved the peak of what is achievable on the path he took in Buddhism terms, and so in order to surpass him, Zoro must learn to accept a different, greater path. One that perhaps causes him to accept things he hasn't accepted.

In writing this, I was checking for something related to Zoro and Buddhism and whether an Ashura can ever become someone who can visit Jodo or however it's best worded -- and I ran across this reddit post about Zoro, Buddhism, and his God Mode. Like the previous link, I haven't read the entire thing, and I don't know the person who posted it at all, nor do I know nearly enough about Buddhism to assess the information provided. But, it's basically a way more eloquent way of explaining what I've been wondering about Zoro's situation and potential future improvements.

I also saw they linked a YouTube video if you'd rather watch that or watch it in addition:

So, from the parts I saw skimming these things, I think it's explaining what I was thinking could be something going on potentially - and sort of what I've been thinking of his own Buddhist non-DF version of Awakening.

Also, since the time skip, I've been thinking that his left eye probably hides some power or something on his eyeball which indicates an upgrade or something specific. He could, of course, have just lost the eye or be blind in it; but I have been feeling like it'll be something else. I saw this comment which is in line with what I was thinking btu also referenced something I'd completely forgotten:

By the way, have you seen my theory about the 3 weapons and Red Line? And the World Government's flag? And what One Piece really is? I've had it for years now and idk if it'll end up being the case or not but I feel like it could make sense. At the very least it's fun to think about.

I think I went into it at some point in the past - if I find it, I'll link it here. (UGH I can't find it) Oh but now we have the info on Lunarians via King which adds to it even more imo.

lmk if you want me to go into that whole theory or whatever though. I guess if I didn't have it written down already I should do it sometime. istg I wrote it out though...

Anyway! Sorry for all the rambling about One Piece! Hope you don't mind! And what are your thoughts on the new DF info, Joyboy, all of that? If you reply in asks as anon you can just start the first one with **ONE PIECE SPOILERS** or something and then if you end up writing multiple posts I can throw them all into one. But no worries if you don't reply, or decide not to go in depth or whatever! Or of course we can also talk elsewhere on OP stuff, but you'd have to go away from being anon, and that is 100% up to you. I am perfectly happy either way, so do what makes you happiest :)

Hope you have a good day/morning/evening/night, whatever it is for you wherever you are in the world!

Go One Piece!

PS: I know I ended up going way more on about Zoro and Buddhism and Enma and the like than the Sun God stuff - I just hadn't had a chance to go in on my Zoro theory/thoughts so this got me excited to do so. If I should talk more about Nika etc lmk! There are some really cool connections with all that.

Also, if it did turn out Zoro goes the way of Hell fully in his powers, then he could represent the darkness/underworld and Luffy would represent the sun/sky, so they'd be a great team together.

Also also, part of my whole One Piece/Red Line/etc theory is in regards to the three great weapons. Now that Luffy is explicitly linked to the sky, I'm starting to wonder if he'll be the third Ancient Weapon himself. I had thought it was going to be something else, maybe from the moon - which still seems probable? Depending on if it's possible to be both Nika and the weapon, or if Nika is the weapon. idk yet - I haven't done enough research on the whole Nika thing.

I'm talking about Uranus btw - especially since the World Government forbid research onto the topic, and now we know that they also have been governing the "gomu gomu no mi" to the point of giving it that fake name, and they thought what Luffy could become was dangerous enough to interfere and try to kill him.... it does seem more and more possible as I'm thinking on it that Luffy could be Uranus. Maybe. Since Shirahoshi is Neptune, we do know the Ancient Weapons can be living beings, but of course Pluton is a ship.

Uranus is the personification of the sky though (or of the heavens), so it could fit to an extent with the Sun God, and with the WG being so hard on trying to take down any chances of a new Joyboy appearing.

On the other hand, the actual mythology of Uranus doesn't fit Luffy's personality at all. And since Uranus had the capability to change the weather or mimic things, that seems to fit more with Nami's powers - which could mean the Ancient Weapon is instead tied into the sky wizards she was learning from, or where they initially got their info.

I do, though, still think it's going to come from the moon tbh and probably NOT be Luffy himself. I could be wrong; it just feels like it fits well. The moon is not only in the heavens, of a sort, but it would tie in with Enel, the whole side story of him up on the moon, those little dudes up there, and now that we have King, the Lunarians as well and their almost godlike powers. Maybe he is Uranus instead, maybe he knows information that leads to it, maybe something else.

It's fun to not know for certain even at this point, and to be able to speculate different theories even using the same information.

Thank you for asking about OP - it made me happy to ramble about it :)

[ninjaboyjoel]

One Piece 1041: Komurasaki

What an exceptionally dense chapter. It really had a bit of everything and more. I honestly don't know if I'm even in the right headspace to analyse it right now simply for how much has been dropped on us! I will have to take this chapter a step at a time, I hope I don’t miss anything. 

I always love to get a closer look at Momo and his thought process, this poor kid had so much on his shoulders right now and is beginning to have doubts about the task at hand; what truly is best for the people of Wano? Can they truly be free in the world as it is now? If I were less sceptical I would almost feel as if Oda is pushing for Momo to go to Laugh Tale with the Straw Hats in this moment, perhaps that theory of Yamato being Wano's caretaker until Momo returns or comes of age properly really will come to pass. I'm unsure, I trust Oda to make the right decision on this part of the story though. I try my very best not to let headcanons or expectations affect how I view the story going forward, but as a big fan of Yamato it will take some time to tweak my expectations on where their character will go.

I have been saying for a while that I imagine Momo will be a very different leader than what we have seen from the old generation of pirates and kings throughout the series and he, like Vivi, has been greatly affected by the way Luffy leads his crew and the change he has brought about in the world. I wouldn’t be surprised that when indeed we see Vivi again (and if Cobra truly was killed at the Levely) that she takes a quite revolutionary (and Luffy-inspired) direction in the leadership (or indeed, lack thereof) for the future of Alabasta. Oda took care in the Drum Island arc to examine hierarchy and what it means to be a king, and from what we’ve seen of Dalton he was and is much more of a mediator and advocate for his people, in a much more horizontally organised fashion, than many other leaders in the series (though less so than Luffy). What am I trying to say here? I think that from Momo and Yamato we should expect characters than learn from their father’s mistakes and forge paths that truly represent this new era that’s being ushered in in the One Piece world, and we should watch these characters closely in the coming chapters, and especially as Wano eventually comes to a close.

I had been concerned about Oden’s log for a while now and knew that Luffy would never have wanted to find anything about Laugh Tale from the journal (as established in the Baratie and Sabaody Archipelago arcs) so the opportunity being removed entirely doesn’t surprise me in the slightest. This both gives impetus and takes it away from both Momo and Yamato in terms of joining the crew and I think is something they’ll figure out together as the story continues.

The parallels between Raizo and Oden are strengthened as his fight concludes (30+ chapters later ha! I love this series), Raizo no longer complaining about the heat like he did before, but saying it isn’t hot at all! Raizo is underrated. 

Hiyori is finally able to get her hit in on Orochi using a seastone nail and boy is it satisfying. She gives some cold and poignant words to him regarding how much she hates him and who she truly is to him. Hoping we get to see her finish him off proper (with Zoro’s help?) soon enough.

In the most emotional scene of the chapter for me, we see Izou fighting tooth and nail in order to ensure his injured sister’s safety. I love Kiku very much and seeing Izou like this hurts. This battle was an important one, That longarm agent has been incapacitated, at least for now. The bowler-hatted member of CP0 is emoting the most we’ve ever seen it seems even CP0′s best laid plans can go awry in a raid such as this. It appears that he just can’t catch a break, as (presuambly) Im has sent orders through the Five Elders to eliminate Luffy... Man, this arc just keeps getting better, the callbacks to Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark and the rest have made this so interesting, I honestly cannot see Luffy having anywhere near enough energy to take on CP0 after this battle with Kaidou on the roof, I’m worried for both his and Robin’s safety going forward. 

I don’t necessarily want another Robin rescue mission, however a Luffy and Robin rescue mission from the other Straw Hat’s perspective? I’m listening. I’ve seen people online saying a Luffy retrieval arc would be a great opportunity to spotlight the others even more and I can’t say I disagree, but for now it seems like the World Government really wants him dead. Does this tie into the Five Elder’s previous Devil Fruit conversation? That remains to be seen. I honestly don’t know where I stand on that one.

As many accurately predicted (not me, lol) Franky has managed to catch the falling Zoro with a well-placed Strong Right. It’s interesting that Oda has chosen to cover Zoro’s already-scarred eye with blood in that panel, I’m wondering if we very well may finally get that 3D2Y flashback that many have been clamouring for for many years now. Honestly I think Oda scarred Zoro’s eye in order to make his face be a mirror of Sanji’s, but we may well find out more.

- Such an occasion. (Volume 100) 

We cut to a few characters’ reactions to Big Mom’s defeat and re-establish that Law and Kid really have no energy left to fight. I don’t wanna say that Oda is sowing seeds of doubt in our minds about a true victory, but we still aren’t out of the woods yet that’s for certain. It’s nice to have Luffy acknowledge his allies strength, especially Kid whom he butts heads with. It appears that Kaido is pretty upset about Big Mom’s defeat, beginning to cry once again and more excitingly, beginning to reminisce about his past with her, where a young Linlin meets Kaido, a 15 year old apprentice to Rocks D Xebec for the very first time. I don’t think I can be analytical about that right now, I’m just so excited for what way may learn and the past these legendary figures share. 

Luffy launches into Gear Fourth: Snakeman in one of, in my opinion, his coolest transformation panels, where he becomes little more than a spikey, angry silhouette. Gomu Gomu no Hydra is utterly fantastic, I adore Gatling attacks. Luffy’s resolve is clear but he knows he is getting near his limit, this will be his final transformation of the battle. Come on Luffy!! You can do it!!

I organised slightly different this time so I don’t have too much miscellany to discuss. It appears that Zeus can leave the Sorcery Clima-Tact. Has he done this before? I don’t recall him doing so. Now, onto the Cover story!:

Germa 66′s “Aah... An Emotionless Excursion” Volume 5. Pudding rightfully socks Yonji and Niji in their stupid faces. Not too much to add, I had fun.

Catch you all next time and Bon Voyage! 

[basedkikuenjoyer]

X Marks the Tenth

This will sound like a bizarre proposition, but if we look at the story of Wano from the perspective of what version of events would leak out...well, suddenly sweet unassuming Kiku has a lot swirling around her. Mind you, by this point in time Izo is likely the real most famous citizen of Wano on the world stage. It’s starts by looking at who the storytellers would be; Drake & CP0. 

Drake’s first report. Interesting scene for happening in Wano and Wano Arc, but not within the “curtains” of an Act. Of course, we’re also talking to Koby. Drake is still a Tobi Roppo at this point. He’d reasonably know about the Bakura Town Incident. But it is important he doesn’t know about the breakout, because that’s where he’d learn who the mystery girl is. We’ll see later these two did talk about Luffy. It’s why Drake pinned his hopes there as an “Army of One.” Where this gets interesting is the Raid. Let’s look at some of the places Drake pops up.

First of all, Drake is with the Straw Hats for this scene. I’d argue his uneasy alliance would have been a great place to have someone standout at mediation/negotiation. Look closely at the theme of infighting hanging around. Make a mental note for when we get to Hawkins. I’d also look at Zoro and Drake in the run-up to this big moment where the “Little Pirate Games” motif comes full circle. It tracks with the Hunter in The Crane Returns a Favor.

But either way, Drake (and Marco if you’ll recall) pop up around this bit with Kiku’s arm. Robin says her name out loud to Zoro. It’s obvious this pissed the Pirate Hunter off royally, and the next chapter we’re seeing Marco, Drake, and Hyogoro step up to get Zoro, Robin, and Brook headed where they’re needed. But that’s just a coincidence. Drake wouldn’t like, think she’s important off two beats like that alone would he? Well, honestly yeah that’s enough in my book but... 

He’s there for Izo’s death. Was that final “Live on, Kiku!” out loud? Either way, this fight starts off of Cipher Pol threatening the Straw Hats. That makes Izo change his tune. Drake’s there. Note the paneling. This one makes sure to cut back to Kiku & Usopp, the first report mentions CP0 explicitly as something Drake is keen on. Of course you also have the possibility of a report from the Unnamed CP0 Agent in this small window. All that’s left is to tie it off. How? Possibilities are endless and depend on factors only Eiichiro Oda knows. Just for an example though, there was an idea I had kicking around. I can’t help but notice how perfect of an out it has become.

With Franky, things were so obvious. But we had to find that little push to get him to turn away from the Family. A bounty forced his hand. But well...it’d be boring to do the same thing entirely, wouldn’t it? After all, Kiku just has some big associations. Associations that put Kiku in a unique crossroads for a pretty lady to find herself. From the World Government’s perspective, what if the limited info they receive stirs the worry of a way to build alliances we’ve already seen? The fear of a diplomatic marriage that would both tie the young Emperor to the reigning clan of Wano and bolster his claim as a rallying point for the remnants of Whitebeard’s allies. “No romance on the crew” doesn’t say shit about perceived romance. Honestly it sounds like something they’d both find as hilarious as I would.

Now just picture it...Boa Hancock’s reaction to a screwy newspaper puff piece about “The Emperor’s Bride.” C’mon Big Bird, I believe in you!

(Little bonus thought from future Rhea. Add “saw the crew with a mysterious hooded woman at Yasu’s execution.”)

[danwhobrowses]

One Piece Chapter 1074 - Initial Thoughts

And we're back again

A week break but we have returned for more Egghead stuffs Let's see what we have this time

Spoilers for the Chapter, Support the Official Release also

Annnnd of course the three can't get along, I guess that's why Caesar and Judge fought in the present

Surprising though that Caesar had his DF and Queen had his messed up arm back then though

CP0's redshirts are being beaten down by Cop Kuma, who has a unique 'bubble shield' attack

I wonder if Nami could utilize that kinda aspect with Zeus or just general clouds?

It appears that these are upgraded Pacifista, Mark III

Another light surprise really, it means that there are basically levels to threat-management right now: Pacifista, Mark IIIs and Seraphim

It seems Cop Kuma has been rounding up the WG agents, but as they wonder who ordered it we see Sentomaru having regained consciousness

So again I gotta wonder about consistency with the Seraphim. They stopped following Sentomaru's orders when he got KO'd, but they didn't follow Stussy's orders when Lucci was KO'd

Still, it works out for the allies, since Sentomaru is sending all 50 Mark 3s to help on the single goal to ensure Vegapunk gets off the island

Wording may be important here though, like what if Vegapunk isn't their creator? What if Vegapunk doesn't need to get off the island anymore? What if the Gorosei can outrank the order like the Seraphim?

Back to Luffy and he's almost uncharacteristically worn out

Apparently he broke his shoes so hopefully we return to the sandals, funny though that he worries about not being able to pay for them

Despite all of Luffy's searching he couldn't find Vegapunk or Bonney, but Shaka can see Bonney on the monitor - much to Luffy's annoyance that he didn't say sooner

Brook, Zoro and Stussy arrive with Egghead fits

Stussy's outfit is still too revealing, what was wrong with her current dress? Or just have an outfit that covers the legs as well?

Brook's fit is a bit silly but it can get a pass, it's Zoro who's serving with the fits out of the trio

We got a big spread though for Shaka briefing the situation: the Stella is missing and the Labophase is damaged

During the spread though we see that Atlas is repaired (and Luffy's happy to see that), Nami's getting some shots in on KO'd Lucci, Usopp is checking Shaka's station

And...was it just me or did everyone else think that York wasn't that tall?

The problem with the Labophase being broken is that the shields are up, so we can't leave without being burned by lasers

So the plan is simple: find the Stella, then fix the dome. But with him not showing on the monitors the other Punks have scattered to reposition the security camera snails

Nami (with mind on treasure), Stussy and Brook decide to go help, so of course Sanji wants to follow

Zoro also wants to go so Sanji gets aggressive, but they do make a point that they'll be looking for him if he wanders off

Chilling with Luffy, who is still out of breath...concerned, the two reminisce about Water 7 with Lucci and Kaku at their feet. I wonder if they'll be chatting once they regain consciousness

Back with Bonney and it seems entering the paw puts her straight into Kuma's memories, starting with his childhood

A heavily injured kid Kuma is harassed by some shadowed adults, trying to force him to go somewhere or else they'll die

His reluctance leads to more abuse, which Bonney struggles to stomach

One panel's silhouettes look a lot like Celestial Dragons as well

Flung out of the paw print, Bonney realises that her dad has carried a lot of trauma, but she's gonna have to go through it all if she intends to get her answers

Kuma himself meanwhile has scaled pretty high up the Red Line this time, seems to be a bit out of reach for the Red Port

Back at Egghead, Pythagoras is moving on to the next tower as suggested by Shaka

His dialogue seems, suspect, he talks about 'going down in a flashy way' but that could just be scanlations

Because behind him there's the sound of a click and an explosion soon follows

AMONG US: VEGAPUNK EDITION

And now with Big News Morgans' airship!

He's caught word that the WG have been sent to try and assassinate Vegapunk

However, despite being Pro-Luffy, Morgans decides he's not gonna indict the WG this time and instead uses Luffy as a headline that he has held Vegapunk hostage

It's a bold move, since it curries favour with the WG but at the same time it shines Vegapunk on a spotlight, which makes it harder for him to be killed

I wonder if marines will take it at face value, particularly Smoker and Tashigi really, I feel like they'd either wanna confront that or not buy it at all

Someone on-board doesn't agree with the headline though

VIVI'S HERE! So's Wapol but who cares IT'S VIVI and she's serving looks

I wonder though, did Wapol...save Vivi? Like did he help her escape Marejois? Remember back in the Wano intermissions he called Morgans saying he had 'intel'

Morgans though doesn't care for Vivi's criticisms, he's here to stir the pot

So upon a second read a lot more happened than I initially gave it credit for

it's still a setup chapter of course, but it rolls out the carpet for more

I am worried about Luffy though. He's not often this tired and I fear maybe Gear Fifth is influencing his energy levels, this may also pose to weaken him with the enemies to come.

Knowing that there's still upgraded Pacifista makes you wonder what else is out there in Egghead, and also what more could the crew use to their own advantage. We're still kinda waiting on Franky to get some shine in this arc after all. But 50 Mark IIIs does once again overstack the deck in the pirates' favour, they'll likely play some kind of footsoldier role for sure but I'm not certain whether Egghead will be a full-on battlefield.

Bonney visiting Kuma's memories looks to set up a lot of unravelling information, having her present in his memories is also a newer way for Oda to use the flashback, even if it doesn't explain right now what happened to the Stella.

With Pythagoras attacked we do have to wonder who is Among Us. Kaku and Lucci right now are KO'd so it's not them, the Seraphim are under the Punks' command so maybe they're being used to take out others? Lilith was noticeably missing this chapter but I feel like it's a misdirect. Like what if Lilith did attack but Pythagoras was the treacherous one? There's still the theory that Shaka's the traitor too, or that Caribou is on the offensive.

Seeing the chapter again branch out to other things is interesting, I mean we do still need to follow up on Law vs Blackbeard and Kid in Elbaf, but seeing Vivi in hiding with Morgans makes you wonder more about what happened with Cobra. Right now Vivi is a witness for that, and Bonney may also be a witness to tell to the crew (since she did mention earlier in the arc forgetting to tell Luffy about Sabo). There is the feeling though that we are trying to bring in all the Paradise characters in some extent, makes you wonder who else is gonna come back; Krieg? Morgan? Kuro? Gin (god can Gin come back please I wanna know that he survived)?

We still also can't neglect the fact that a Gorosei and an Admiral are coming (hopefully with the G-14, Smoker and Tashigi in toll) so even fixing the Labophase is gonna lead to a frenetic escape, Oda's taking his time with it though, which only makes us want more.

[kbstories]

Synthesis

syn·the·sis (n.) A higher truth gained from two contradicting ideas.

Every man has a breaking point - even Luffy. Good thing Usopp knows a thing or two about overcoming boundaries.

(Or: Sabo is in danger and Luffy is stressed)

Tags: Post-Wano, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Nakamaship, Canon Compliant (up until Chapter 977), Recovery, Usopp is MVP as always, Mentions of Ace

Spoiler warning up to Chapter 977. Anything beyond that is pure speculation.

***

There’s a poetic sort of justice to the fact that everyone knows and Luffy doesn’t, this time.

It’s fucked up, sure, a twist of fate so morbid only Robin would find joy in it, and even she looks vaguely sick. You see, repetition is a fantastic rhetorical device: There’s nothing more satisfying than a story coming full circle, when the intricate mosaic of setup and payoff results in much-needed catharsis. Simple and effective, any storyteller will tell you – and Usopp is damn good at telling stories. It’s the one thing he can be proud of, when everything else fails.

Usopp doesn’t feel particularly good about that – or anything really – right at this moment. Perhaps in future he will, by all the seas, he hopes he will because that means this too will pass, and they will emerge from it victorious, just another miracle by the miracle-working crew from the East Blue.

But right now, surrounded by the shaken faces of his crew mates, all he feels like doing is crawling back to bed and passing out until it’s all over. To run for the hills and never return.

Usopp can’t and Usopp won’t, however. Because it’s Luffy, and because he made that mistake once before and swore: never again, never, never–

The newspaper lies innocently between them, a few days old by the time it made it past Wano’s crumbling borders via a confused News Coo, a clearly-alarmed Bepo (he hadn’t even apologized for almost running over Brook in his haste to get to his captain, and looking back that should’ve been the first red flag) and Law bursting into the room the Strawhats have claimed for their recovery, covered head-to-toe in gauze and all warmth drained from his expression.

Usopp did not miss witnessing their ally that close to despair. It makes the bright smile Law shared with Luffy in their moment of victory seem like a distant dream, perhaps part of one of Usopp’s more ludicrous tales.

“They got him. They got Sabo.”

It’s like he dropped a live grenade in their hands, if grenades were made of words torn kicking and screaming from a nightmare they all share. Usopp wants to ask – They, who is they?! – and there’s always a ‘they’, the Marine or the World Government or CP0 or some other shadowy organization pulling the strings of corruption and misery. But it hardly matters because this… this is real, a realization that passes from Strawhat to Strawhat along with the black-and-white print staring at them from pages increasingly crumpled by nine sets of shaking hands:

Revolutionaries Defeated at Mariejois: No. 2 of the Revolutionary Army Successfully Captured!

And in their midst slumbers their captain, huddled in the softest blankets they could find and snoring away his injuries, and he doesn’t know.

The irony – horrible, grotesque, unfair, unfair – isn’t lost on Usopp. Two years ago, he would’ve killed to have this, to be there, to catch Luffy as he bled and screamed and burned at the pyres of his brother’s death. To save Luffy just as he saved every single soul in this room, Law included.

Please, is all Usopp can think of, begging to every deity he’s heard of and those he hasn’t, to anyone who will listen, let him rest. Luffy doesn’t deserve this, not again. Please, have mercy–

Zoro is the first to move and something in Usopp moves with him, a fledgeling sense of optimism fluttering pathetically in his chest. Because it’s Zoro and Zoro always leads them right when their captain is off saving the world or a country (or two). Yet all Zoro does is sit at Luffy’s bedside like a mountain shaken into rubble, a measured kind of collapse that hits Usopp square in the gut. He doesn’t know what the others are doing, doesn’t dare look away from their first mate, but someone is crying and someone else is murmuring comforting words, and that at least sounds like Sanji so the first must be Nami.

There’s only a handful of times Roronoa Zoro has yielded without mounting a counterattack right afterwards and none of them are memories Usopp wants to revisit. Not now, not ever.

“Who else knows?”, Zoro asks, the steel in his voice worn down to a dull edge at best, and Zoro’s hand settles on Luffy’s head so gently it brings tears to Usopp’s eyes, too. Luffy mumbles in his sleep and smiles, nuzzling further into the covers with the clumsy comfort of a napping dog.

Law, too, is staring blankly at that gesture before blinking, focusing anew. He’s so tense a muscle visibly twitches in his jaw with the heavy swallow working its way down his throat.

“Bepo, me. Now you. Kidd is suspicious but he won’t leave Killer’s side, not yet anyways.”

The mere mention of Killer serves as an additional sucker punch on top of the veritable tsunami crashing over them, on the mend as he may be. That could have easily been Zoro, or Bepo, and the haunted glint in Law’s eyes says he’s thinking of it, too.

Zoro nods, absently. “And how long till we can set sail?”

For the briefest of moments, Law looks like he’s going to protest. The Trafalgar Law they met a few months ago would have, grim and annoyed, and the one from just last week would too, exasperated and loud–

Since then, they have beaten one of the Four Emperors and sent another one packing with her tail between her legs, and that feeling of having your dreams within reach if you only try hard enough, if you truly believe in it and your friends and yourself, it forges a bond like little else does. Hope is a dangerous thing – it can heal as much as it can wound, and Luffy has taught them all, one by one, how to endure both sides of that coin.

This pirate alliance of theirs has long stopped meaning what Law had wanted it to, and instead turned into what Luffy promised all along: Something permanent, something unbreakable, that all-or-nothing sensation of trust that is as much a freefall as it is flying.

So Law just… sighs. He rubs at eyes deeply smudged with missed hours of sleep and close calls all around, and Usopp can see his shoulders bend under the weight of being a captain.

“I… I don’t know. But I’ll find out. I don’t need to remind you all that this– It’s not like Kaido. Our chances against Kaido were slim to none but they were there. That report, it’s already outdated. The world has been shifting with us being none the wiser, and it could be that Luffy’s brother is already…”

It’s like Law can’t bring himself to say it, as if even speaking the possibility into existence will make them lose something they can’t get back. His gaze flickers to Jinbei, briefly, then to Luffy, and sympathy deepens the lines on his face.

“I’ll find out”, Law repeats, firmly. “Just… be there when Luffy wakes up. Then we’ll decide.”

And though many things may have changed, two years and countless battles later, this remains the same, always, always. Being at Luffy’s side is a privilege and a duty no Strawhat will ever turn their back on.

Blinking the blurriness from his vision, Usopp looks at the bandages wrapped around Luffy’s chest with loving care and the deep purple of bruises peeking out underneath, and he clenches his trembling hands to fists and hopes. As long as there is a sliver of sky above them and the wisp of a current below, they will follow their captain to the end of the world and beyond.

Come whatever may. Because this time, they are here and they're not letting go.

*

Luffy starts craving food the next morning.

It startles Usopp, the hand that knocks against his head and snaps him out of his doze by his captain’s side. He stares at the questing fingers for a few uncomprehending seconds. Usually he’d laugh, spirits lifted by the prospect of Luffy waking up sooner rather than later so they can celebrate properly.

There is nothing usual about this. Usopp reaches behind himself to the solid weight slumped against his back, shifting fitfully.

Sanji comes to with a tense breath. “It’s just me”, Usopp mumbles and doesn’t ask if his friend is alright. None of them are. Instead he says, “He’s looking for you”, and watches Sanji’s eyes soften somewhere between relief and heartbreak behind the strands of his fringe, weirdly unkempt.

“Mh, thanks”, Sanji replies in a raspy whisper; he gets up and leaves, side-stepping the jumbled puzzle of limbs that are the Strawhat Pirates. Only once he’s out the door does he reach for the pack of cigarettes in his pocket.

Sighing, Usopp rubs his eyes until they ache in an effort to wake up. Fuck, it’s like he hasn’t slept for a year and it’s been barely twenty-four hours. Beside him, Luffy’s hand inches its way towards Nami – sleeping close enough to brush knees with Usopp, head pillowed on crossed arms – and Usopp reaches out, takes it gently.

Luffy’s palm is warm against his, slightly damp from the fever he ran the first few days of recovery. His knuckles are a busted, swollen mess even now, and Usopp is careful. It wriggles impatiently, this hand that knocked a literal dragon out of the sky, and then it settles in Usopp’s grasp and Luffy sighs in his sleep.

Usopp can’t help but smile a little. ���Food is coming, captain”, he tells him quietly. “Be patient with us, okay?”

Back to waiting it is. Not for the first time, Usopp plops his chin on the edge of the bed and just… looks. With his straw hat set aside (and safely tucked against Jinbei’s chest where he finally found a semblance of sleep, napping against the wall on the other side of Luffy’s bed), Luffy is sporting a truly impressive case of bedhead, the rest of him lost in a helpless tangle of blankets he tried to kick off during the night. He actually looks his age, Usopp’s age, like this – just some nineteen-year-old punk among many and not the one-of-a-kind captain of a crew famous the world over. It’s a rare chance to soak up this side of Luffy, the expression on his face relaxed and peaceful and lacking the chaotic energy that’s so infectious even eternally-grumpy Law had to give up fighting it off.

A selfish part of Usopp wants Luffy to remain that way, safe in the afterglow of a war well-won and unburdened by the cruelty of reality. It’s the same part of him that remembers the loving smile Sabo directed at Luffy, sleeping soundly in someone else’s bed just like this, and asks, why? Why didn’t you stay put? Why are you risking everything when your little brother is right here–

It’s selfish because stopping someone from doing what they truly want is the exact opposite of what Luffy is all about. Because the thing Sabo yearns for is freedom, and as long as the Celestial Dragons rule over their paradise built on the backs of countless slaves, no one is well and truly free.

If there’s a fight worth dying for, it’s that one. And yet–

“He’s going to be okay, you know?”

Usopp jumps a little, his neck protesting painfully as he whips his head around. Nami snickers at the wince on Usopp’s face before she sighs, the brown of her eyes bright with emotion.

“This sucks but… Luffy is strong. He’ll know what to do. Traffy is with us, we have a fleet to back us up, we’ll call in every favor we’re owed, and then we’ll show those fuckers hell for taking what’s ours. Sabo will be fine. I’ll kill him myself if he isn’t.”

She huffs, then, having talked herself into that righteous kind of fury that’s uniquely Nami even if she keeps her voice down for Luffy’s sake. Usopp finds himself chuckling.

“Say, what’s our going rate for personal rescue missions against impossible odds again?”

“A lot.” The grin on Nami’s grin is knife-sharp. “The Revolutionaries will be in a world of debt just for making Luffy worry.”

“Good”, Usopp says, and grins back just as fiercely.

*

They let Luffy eat his fill, for one because his healing factor is largely based on burning through incredible amounts of calories in no time at all, and also because Sanji looks like he needs to see it.

As much as their cook has his gripes about the bottomless pit that is Luffy’s stomach: Only when his captain is back on solid foods and on track to regain the weight he lost while unconscious does Sanji allow himself to relax. For Usopp, this means making sure his own plate is damn near licked clean by the time Sanji lets out a quiet breath and shuffles to the open window to smoke. The rest of the Strawhats eat, too, a low hum of conversation taking some of the tension out of the room they’ve barely left since Kaido.

The only exception is Zoro, and Usopp can’t help the glances he gives the door every few minutes, as if he’d magically reappear just like that.

The negotiations have been going on for ages now. As far as Usopp gathered, the Heart Pirates are heading intel and logistics, while Momonosuke assured them whatever resources Wano Country can spare – after taking care of their people, Zoro had added with a huff when he’d checked in on Luffy around dawn.

That’s not the problem, then. Eustass Kidd is, and after all that happened around the Kidd Pirates and pirate alliances, Usopp isn’t exactly surprised the guy refuses to compromise when it comes to his crew. Killer is awake now, though, and judging by the explosive arguments raging on outside, Kidd is not happy with his partner’s input on the matter.

The all-too-familiar sound of three swords being drawn is loud in the ensuing hush, and every scrap of metal in the room vibrates from the near-oppressive wave of magnetism sweeping through it.

“Oh? Who’s fighting?”

“Zoro and Kidd”, answers Usopp automatically, sighing. “Again.”

“Ah, okay. Not seriously though, right? We promised them a party after all. Like, a big one.”

“Kinda? It’s hard to tell honestl–”

Usopp blinks and turns to see Luffy awake and tilting his head at him. His hands are yet to stop shoving food in his face and Usopp stares with his mouth agape.

“Y-you’re awake!”

“Yeah!”, Luffy says with enthusiasm, and not a second later does he lift his plate away from the ball of fur charging at him with the force of a bull. Calmly, Sanji grabs the food and sets it aside for later. 

“Luffy!”

Chopper’s tearful wail is followed by a breathy oof from Luffy as the reindeer clings to his bandaged chest in a flurry of hooves. Luffy chuckles, “Hey Chopper”, sounding pleased as punch that the doctor is walking all over him. Then he meets the half-circle of relieved looks around him, his smile only getting wider and wider.

“Hey everyone! I slept in again, huh?”

“Hey yourself”, Sanji murmurs around a smoke-filled smile. He leans out the window and calls, “Mosshead! Crew meeting!”, and the clanging of swords on metal immediately stops.

The Strawhats coalesce from all corners of the room, crowding around their captain whilst leaving enough space for the impromptu check-up Chopper is conducting. This, at least, is familiar. Frazzled as they are, Usopp’s nerves are soothed by Luffy’s easy-going compliance with Chopper’s orders to make a fist, breathe deeply, cough, does this hurt? and if the doctor’s hooves are marginally less steady than usual, well, it’s only to be expected. There’s a line forming between Luffy’s eyebrows though, and Usopp knows none of them are ready to answer the questions forming behind that pensive look–

It’s in that moment that Jinbei steps up, eyes a little solemn even if the smile on his lips isn’t. “Glad to see you awake, captain”, he says, and offers Luffy his hand, palm-up. Cradled with infinite care between webbed fingers, Luffy’s beloved hat looks small and unassuming; met with immediate delight by its owner, it might as well be a crown made of gold and the finest jewels far and wide.

“My hat! Thank y– Jinbei!”

The name rings with joy the same way it did during battle, and while Jinbei regards Luffy with some measure of perplexity as he’s drawn into a rubbery hug along with the hat, Usopp exchanges fond looks with some of the crew. Dire news be damned, it’s still a little unreal to have their tenth crew member finally with them, like, permanently.

They couldn’t have found a better helmsman in any of the seas, that’s for sure.

“It’s so cool you’re back! We gotta celebrate! Oi Sanji–”

“Not so fast, Luffy. We gotta talk.”

Those gruff words cut through the smiles and laughter like they’re made of washi paper; finally Zoro is there, skin glistening with sweat and droplets of blood pooling around fresh scrapes, and the unhappy slope of his mouth is an important reminder that fate doesn’t care about reunions and banquets of epic proportions. 

The change in Luffy is instantaneous, eyes snapping to Zoro’s. His attention shifts like the wind, a physical force in this limited space. Almost absently, he places his hat where it belongs, a captain once more.

“Zoro? What’s wrong?”

No one answers, the silence lasting a mere heartbeat and an eternity all at once. This is it, Usopp thinks, the moment balancing on the precipice before a future as murky and uncertain as the ocean’s deepest trenches. He closes his eyes.

“What happened? Tell me.”

It’s said with authority, a weight similar to Haki but kinder, reassuring rather than suffocating – and resolve takes shape in Usopp’s chest, an urge to keep his head high and watch it all unfold with courage in his heart.

It has a similar effect on Zoro and it’s only then, with his shoulders squared and gaze steady, that Usopp realizes how miserable he had looked without Luffy by his side. Guilt creeps on Usopp, acidic in his veins. (Later. He can feel shitty about all of this later.)

“It’s Sabo. Things… are not looking good.”

Zoro produces the paper – a different one, newer, and Usopp feels his heart clench – from the sleeve of his yukata and hands it over, pre-folded to the relevant page. All Usopp can see from his angle is Sabo’s smile, determination apparent even upside-down. It’s a re-print of his wanted poster.

Next to him, Robin draws in a trembling breath and Usopp reaches out for her hand, interlacing his fingers with hers to stop them from shaking.

“Sabo?”

It’s with clear surprise that Luffy utters his brother’s name, and Usopp watches helplessly as Luffy’s pupils flit left to right, reading, skipping over dense paragraphs and coming up to the picture at the top over and over–

Then he looks up, and Luffy’s eyes are wide with worry and confusion so earnest it hurts Usopp to the core. “I… What? But he was there, at Dressrosa. And he was fine…? I don’t understand. Is this a joke?”

Zoro’s eye narrows, something wounded there and gone like a shadow. “It’s not. I’m sorry.”

“I don’t understand”, Luffy repeats, insistent now, and he turns to Robin because that’s what Luffy does when something doesn’t make sense to him. “Robin?”

Robin’s hand squeezes Usopp’s, near-painful. All Usopp can do is squeeze back.

“The revolutionaries, they… There were plans to rebel against the World Nobles. The people in bubbles on Sabaody, remember?” Robin’s voice evens out and yet, her lashes are wet with unshed tears.

“It looks like they failed. We don’t know more than that – the Marine has kept the papers scrubbed clean, as always – but it seems your brother was in charge of the mission. They’re sending him to Impel Down, Luffy. That’s what it means.”

Impel Down.

Usopp can see the exact moment those two words sink in: all blood drains from sun-kissed skin, leaving Luffy’s face close to pallid in contrast to the mottled bruises underneath; Luffy’s mouth opens but no sound arises, no word of protest, no nothing, and Usopp would honestly prefer to see him scream to the heavens or burst into tears than this, this petrified sort of shock that doesn’t belong anywhere near Luffy. Then–

“We’re ready, captain.”

That’s Zoro again, and there’s a hard edge to his tone that Usopp recognizes as sorrow only because it mirrors his own. 

“Law has a plan, we’re fully stocked, the fleet is one snail call away. Killer wants to help so Kidd will come too. It’ll take a week to get there, tops. Just say the word and we’ll–”

“No.”

It’s nothing more than a whisper and yet, they all hear it. And even if they didn’t, Luffy repeats it once, twice, gaining in volume.

“No, no. We’re staying here. Sabo–”

Luffy’s voice cracks, and Usopp’s heart breaks clean in two, and Luffy pushes on, panting like he’s running a hundred miles in a hurricane.

“Sabo has his friends, and my dad. He’ll be fine, okay? He’ll come back. Sabo always comes back. So we don’t need to worry.”

That’s how it works: If Luffy believes in something, his crew does, too. It’s how they’ve always worked, how they’ve pulled off miracle after miracle and will continue to do so until they have sailed the entirety of the Grand Line and their captain is made King.

Something burns in Luffy’s eyes now and it’s not… that. It’s desperate, hunted, wrong. A lie said like a truth, and Usopp would know.

It occurs to him, in a distant part of his mind, that this is the first time he’s seen his captain truly afraid.

And it’s that what kicks Usopp’s brain into overdrive, because on this crew of reckless monsters he’s the one tasked with a healthy sense of fear, to manage the doubts everyone else doesn’t have because those are important, sometimes.

Because true bravery is a road made of boundaries and the means to overcome them, again and again and again – as many times as it takes to reach the end.

“Luffy”, Usopp says, and his voice doesn’t shake. He doesn’t let it. “We got this. We can save your brother. You have to trust us.”

In many ways, this is Usopp’s personal nightmare come true. He sees Luffy clench his trembling hands to fists, and his eyes narrow, and the vulnerability there bends into anger in an instant and it’s all so familiar.

“It’s not about that. It’s my decision to make, and I’ve decided. We’re not going.”

But this time, Usopp breathes. He forces himself to pause, just a moment, just so he can think and not lose himself to the panicked rush of blood to his head.

“We’re not gonna die, Luffy. We went through hell before and we came out alright, didn’t we? So we have to go. Please let us go.”

Suddenly Nami moves, kneeling next to the bed. She places a hand on Luffy’s wrist, gentle over the tense line of muscle there. “Luffy. Usopp’s right. Sabo’s your brother. He’s family.”

“I know that. I know–”

Luffy pulls away from her, from all of them, hides his face in his hands and pushes his fingers into his eyes hard enough that the bones in his hand show, thin and fragile-looking. One by one, tears start dripping down his palms and to the covers below.

“You guys don’t understand”, he says, his voice a hoarse, quivering mess. “You think you’ve seen hell but you haven’t, ‘cause Impel Down is hell and if we go there– There’s no way we’re getting out. Not a-all of us.”

It’s so quiet Usopp can’t even hear anyone else breathing but Luffy, every inhale hitched and barely realized before rushing back out. It’s like he can’t but speak, the horrors he’s seen and never talked about strangling him from the inside.

“Back then I wasn’t thinking ‘cause it was A-Ace, and he was trapped in there and not free, and just the thought of him dying like that made me sick. I only survived ‘cause I had a ton of help and ‘cause a bunch of people died instead of me.”

Luffy stops, and breathes, and rubs his arm across his face until the tears are gone. Usopp doesn’t mention he’s probably ruining the careful work Chopper put into binding that arm. Chopper himself is too busy crying his eyes out against Franky’s shoulder to really notice.

“I’m not risking it”, Luffy says then, eyes dull and red-rimmed. “Mariejois – that’s at Sabaody, right? Marineford and G-1 are around there, too. It’s gonna be a huge mess, again, and I…”

I can’t do it, not again.

It goes unsaid, in the end; perhaps, despite everything, Luffy isn’t actually capable of expressing something so devoid of hope, so close to giving up. That’s… more than nothing, it’s enough to hold on to, and that’s exactly what Usopp does.

“Then we won’t go to Impel Down. And we won’t go to Marineford, or G-1, or wherever those assholes are gonna make a show out of– That. Okay, Luffy? We won’t go to any of those places.”

“But… then how…?”

Usopp searches for Zoro, his gaze bridging the few feet between them that feel endless and Zoro blinks and gives him that devil-may-care smirk of his. To Zoro’s credit, it almost looks right.

“We’re pirates”, says Usopp with enough conviction for both Luffy and himself. For all of them, really, for one brilliant moment.

“We’re going to catch them at sea, because we have the best navigator and the fastest ship and the most skilled helmsman. We’re going to fuck them up because we have the strongest swordsman and a musician who can cut through souls and a freaking cyborg with laser beams and Nico Robin. And we’re going to be fine, because Sanji’s food raised you from the dead just this morning and Chopper can heal any wound and because our captain always leads us right. And even if they manage to account for all of that…”

Usopp grins with far too much teeth.

“We just have to get in range. I’ll shoot those bastards from so far away they won’t even see it coming, and if anyone even thinks of laying a hand on your brother I’ll shoot those off too.”

Luffy just stares at him like he’s seeing him for the first time, eyes swimming in tears. Then he laughs, an awkward, hiccupping kind of laughter that’s raw relief more than anything else. “That’s right”, he gasps, a hand rubbing at his chest where the starburst scar is currently hidden from sight.

“You’re right! We’ll save Sabo, and everyone will be okay, and then we’ll throw the biggest party ever. Right?”

“Right”, Usopp says, “and don’t you dare forget it”, voice wobbling all over the place now that his captain is smiling again, and he hears a fond sigh from Sanji to his left and a melodic chuckle from Robin to his right and Nami looks at him with so much pride Usopp doesn’t know what to do with himself.

It’s Jinbei he settles on, who gives his captain a soft look before he meets Usopp’s eyes half-way and nods, his smile full of admiration. For him. Usopp, son of Yasopp, from Syrup Village, East Blue.

None of his storybooks taught Usopp what to do after the heroic speech is over and the day is saved. And perhaps there is no trick to it, no how-to guide to achieve that dream of his – perhaps, for now, it’s enough to let himself be dragged into a rubber-limbed hug that threatens to crush his ribs, and share the laugh that found its home in his captain once more.

If that’s the case, then Usopp thinks he’s doing alright on the hero front after all.