#honestly I think luffy being sick makes a lot of sense

[hirsheyskisses]

OP Boys: Special Hugs (#1)

Luffy & Zoro

(Short Scenario)

Monkey D. Luffy

☆ Honestly, he's a hugger. Let's be real here, Maybe not like, the INSTANT he meets you, but the moment you are on his crew (trust me.. you'll get on the crew..) you are one of the many subjects of his physical contact

☆ a lot of times it may come off as way too energetic, arms being thrown around you or pulling you around, man's has no sense of a personal bubble

☆ but it gets (worse? Better? You don't know) when feelings get involved. If he didn't make it blatantly obvious he liked you, then you're either the densest person on the planet, or Luffy is horrible at flirting

☆ Let's be real here, it's probably both

☆ There is no escaping at that point.

"Hey! Where'd (Name) go?!"

Luffy questioned. He'd been searching on the Sunny forever, yet he couldn't find you! He'd checked the kitchen, your room, the pantry, the crows nest..

"(Name)? I think they're down in the medical bay with Chopper. They looked a bit under the weather." Nami didn't even spare him a glance: she was so focused on her map he was partially surprised she answered. But that was fine, because Luffy was focused too!

"(NAME)-"

He threw open the door to the medical bay, only to find you on the bed and leaning against the wall. Chopper looked up frantically and put his paws up, "they're sick! You shouldn't come in here-" "hey, Luffy." You rasped, and offered him a weak smile. Luffy completely ignored Choppers advice and ran to your side, protectively wrapping his arms around you.

"You're sickkkk? That sucks.. Chopper will make ya feel better though! Should we give them some meat?!"

You chuckled as you attempted to remove yourself from his grasp while Chopper sighed, "no, they need soft food! And you should leave Luffy, or you may get sick too!"

As if for the strict purpose of defying Chopper, his grip only tightened. "No! They need comfort.."

It wasn't as though you were complaining, his warmth was nice..

So Chopper made you up some medicine, after having giving up trying to make Luffy leave, and left the two of you.

"(Name).. you need anything?"

"No.. thank you."

His voice held genuine concern and your heart ached, knowing just how much the Captain cared for you. After a moment, you snuggled in closer. "'S cold." You slurred, arms wrapping around his torso whilst your head buried into his chest.

He took the hint, arm stretching across the room to grab an extra blanket. His hands worked the blanket around your body until you were tucked like a happy burrito, leaving him and you satisfied.

"..thanks, Luffy."

"Shishishishi! Anytime!" He laughed, taking his hat off and plopping it on your head.

Luffy began to talk for hours, about adventures they'd had before you'd join the crew, excitedly re-telling fights and funny stories from the crew. For a while, you were distracted from the discomfort of sickness, until you and him both fell asleep.

...it's safe to say he'd demand more cuddles after that. (Somehow.. he just doesn't get sick..l

Roronoa Zoro

♡ to be perfectly frank, he's not that much of a hugger. He's only hugged two crewmates, and that's Chopper and Luffy. Even for those two, its a rarity.

♡ but having been on the crew since the near beginning, your friendship with zoro was beginning to have a bit more connection than he ever intended to have.

♡ so came fourth of him asking (almost forcing) you to nap with him. At first, you just sat next to him, not really sleeping.

♡ honestly it was kinda funny. You'd both pretend to be asleep so the crew would give you guys some- half peace for a bit. You used to think it was dumb, but seeing as all the others (save for Nami) believed it, well..

♡ it became tradition

♡ sometimes when you both were a little down, he'd give you an awkward side hug, always looking so flustered afterwards, and it's just the cutest

♡ however, he soon finds a type of hug he really likes..

"That was some fight."

Zoro grunted, and you nodded in agreement. You two were the first to head back to the Sunny, to make sure it wasn't unattended for too long. Seeing as Zoro had no injuries and yours were very minor, you were best suited for the job.

"I'm beat, though. Those marines just kept coming.."

"You did good out there."

He replied, plopping on the deck and motioning for you to do the same, and you did. Sitting besides Zoro with a wince, "I let the one get a good hit on me.. need to work on that." You rubbed your side, and he glanced at you, "you can train with me later." He laid a hand on your head, smiling at you. Oh, that handsome swordsman has your heart, and you poked his cheek. "You better not go easy on me!" "Wouldn't dream of it, (Name)."

"I'm definitely going to be a sore fucker tomorrow, though."

He snickered and ruffled your hair, and you stuck your tongue out at him, "you won't let it happen again. That's all that matters- pain is a learning experience."

"Yeah yeah, ya old wise man."

"I am not old!"

"Yuh-huh, that's what an old person would say."

"Says the one complaining about aches in their bones-"

"I got hit by a very, very large stick-"

"...did you forget the word for staff?"

"...shut up, Mossbrain."

His mouth opened in a yawn, and you half followed suit. The bantering slowly subsided, and his hands unconsciously dropped to your shoulder, then slid down your back, holding you to his side.

If he did that intentionally, he didn't show it. His eyes had long since shut, and you were very familiar with how quickly he could conk out. A few moments of hesitation held you, before you wrapped your arms around his torso, a leg over his, and snuggled into his chest. His other arm moved to hold you, and,

"Ya better not plan on moving anytime soon.."

Lucky for him, you didn't.

So this became his favorite cool down after a fight.

Nami however, was not thrilled that the two people who were supposed to watch the ship fell asleep. RIP.

[greyskyflowers]

The idea of Ace and Luffy being wild, feral things makes my own heart happy.

Honestly though, I picture them having a lot in common with animals.

Strong teeth, strong bones, tough skin, quick reflexes. The instincts that come from growing up wild.

An ability eat lot of things that other people maybe wouldn't or can't. Meat that's a little more rare than advisable and snapping bones to get to the marrow inside.

They walk quiet, soundless when they want to be, using shadows and blind spots to become basically invisible. They don't do it often because they both have terrible attention spans but they can sit still and silent for long periods of time if needed, waiting like predators for their prey.

Staring, the way animals stare and wait for the other one to back down, making themselves look bigger and baring teeth. They snarl and snap their teeth, flexing their hands like claws when they're not making fists, a low grumble in their chests that sounds like a odd growl.

How it's instinct to cover the throat and belly of themselves and their crews, vulnerable spots that must be protected.

Ace being one of the shorter of the Whitebeard crew, so he does that thing where he eases himself in front of the others to cover their throats and bellies. Curling his lip back to show teeth and keeping eye contact with anyone stupid enough to try.

Licking their wounds, literally.

I imagine them being incredible trackers, able to use their senses a little more than the average person. Ears a little sharper, scents being considered, eyes taking in all the little details. Maybe they're not aware of it, but I like to think they take it all in deeper than they possibly realize.

A sense for something wrong, like how some animals can pick up on the energy people give off, possible sicknesses, coming storms, being watched, etc.

Sleeping all tangled together, the way animals sleep together for safety and warmth in cooler times. Luffy and Ace are big cuddlers.

Not necessarily in the normal cuddle ways either, they like to either be sprawled out on top or covered by someone. They're either being protected or they're protecting.

Head butts and cheek rubs when happy. That extra emphasis on crew, like packs and herds. Crew.

A lot of touching. Playing with someone's hair or nuzzling into their neck or side, a lack of boundaries because animals don't have shame or concerns like that.

And everyone who regularly interacts with Ace or Luffy wants to know how two feral cats got trapped in human bodies.

Am I always down for poly crews? Yes

Platonic or otherwise? Yes

Do I think everyone is a little in love with Luffy? Yes

Do I think everyone is a little in love with Ace? Yes

The crews love their wild ones and spoil them rotten when they can and know how to.

And since this is already AU let's just roll with it.

♠️ Ace ♠️

Ace just despises Teach right off the bat. As soon as the ink has settled in his skin and he's got a claim on him that he's never had before, he's completely standoffish with Teach. No matter how much the others tell him that's his brother now and assure him, he's all teeth and fire when Teach is around.

The man makes the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise and the instincts pacing at the back of his mind spit out a hiss.

Threatthreatthreat

His teeth grind together in anger, muscles tense under his skin, and it's a vicious thing in his chest he hasn't felt so strongly since Sabo and Luffy were his.

It causes some tension. People torn between supporting Teach, who's been their own for awhile, or supporting Ace, who has a good sense for this type of thing and is so welcoming to everyone else. They don't know how Ace can be so sweet and well loved by everyone but does a complete 180 with Teach.

It's instincts that have gotten Ace this far in life though and one night, it's only those instinct that save Thatch.

Ace darting out of the shadows and landing like the wrath of a god in front of Thatch, the knife that would have gone into the man's back instead finds a home in Ace's shoulder.

A rumbling growl that gets louder and nastier as the seconds tick by, blood running down a bare chest before flames lick up a wound that only found flesh because letting it pass meant the possibility of it hitting someone else. Sharp teeth shining in the growing glow of the fire and the ends of his hair burning like the edge of paper.

The flames don't burn Thatch when the older turns around. His flames would never burn crew.

Thatch wraps an arm around his waist like he's going to pull him away, but it just stays there, heavy around him. Ace takes a moment to find comfort in the warm and very alive presence pressed up behind him, bigger than him and Thatch's own protective fury catching fire.

Marco is less restrained in his fury. As are most of the others when they rush to investigate. The only reasons it's not quick is because they want it to hurt.

Ace is a coiled threat the whole time, body tense but staying where he is because the original threat was to Thatch and he hasn't quite lowered his hackles from that yet. Still on his toes and ready to spring forward at a moments notice.

He gives a small warning growl to Marco when he gets close, who looks at him in both worry and fond exasperation.

The blood from the blade is black where it burned against his skin and the flesh is unmarked, but it doesn't stop everyone from fluttering nervously around him.

♠️

Ace is attractive, arguably pretty in a way most pirates aren't. Although this young generation is changing that quickly, have you seen some of these rookies?

He draws attention easily, everyone drawn in by his charming personality or freckled cheeks.

He's a flirt but he doesn't often let other people actually touch him. Leaning away from eager fingers or gracefully dodging arms, excusing himself when he feels to cornered. He doesn't want the feel of strangers on his skin, he just wants the crew. And Luffy of course, his heart giving a lonely pang for his brother.

Sometimes people don't get the hint though, and sometimes they do and they don't care.

Drugs don't effect Ace like they would someone who wasn't a devil fruit user but they still make him dizzy and weak before he burns through it.

It only takes once, outside a bar with someone's hands on his skin when they didn't belong there, on his lower stomach and the other up by his neck. He doesn't even get a chance to try to shake off the drug enough to do anything before the man is gone.

Familiar hands, Marco, running over his skin quick and firm like it could wipe away the foreign touch before he processed it was there. Like if he replaced the unknown touch with his own quick enough it will wipe away the lingering disgust and discomfort of the stranger.

The whole time he keeps Ace hidden between his larger body and the wall behind them. Ace's heart aches almost as much as his head with how thoughtful it was. How safe and grounding it was.

The only arms he lets grab him, the only hands that he presses in to, are crew.

♠️

Ace has a habit of sneaking into everyone's bed, they don't talk about how they all know it's on the nights where he can't sleep or has nightmares. He burrows between them and the mattress, until he's under them enough to feel covered, safe and protected.

Ace isn't a small guy but he's lean, always had a hard time bulking up with his metabolism being so high and his natural build. He feels small with them, especially the commanders like Jozu and Vista who completely cover him. Even Thatch and Marco are decently larger than him though, Izo and Haruta being the exceptions but they're large in everything that they are.

They all welcome him. He's warm and sweet, plus it's nice to know he's sleeping somewhere safe instead of falling asleep in strange places through the day.

Marco is usually his favorite though because he doesn't pretend to be asleep. He just props himself up enough so Ace can wiggle under him before settling back down, his chest to Ace's back.

Some nights when the pressure is too much and he's restless in a way that feels like it's deep in his bones, he paces the ship. He's coiled and tight, usually not sleeping for a few days before it catches up to him and he slinks away somewhere dark and hidden to finally rest.

Usually one of the other commanders can coax him into resting, all of them getting the hang of how to best help their wild, little one.

♠️

The crew getting used to Ace just crawling into their laps and making himself at home. He is also fond of appearing just long enough to rub his face into someone's neck or against their cheek before taking off again.

♠️

Ace sneaking off to literally lick his wounds in peace when he gets hurt, especially when he was still finding his place. Someone always having to go track him down because he stays curled away like an injured animal until he feels better if they don't.

Licking at his arm one time when he manages to get caught with seastone, blood staining his teeth and tongue rust colored. Marco trying to grab him and in full lecture mode as Ace tries to dig out the lingering seastone with his teeth.

♠️

An extra one to hurt just a little ♥️

Ace is wild. Already a problem before you factor in his devil fruit and raw power. He's got a reputation of biting, taking off fingers and catching throats between sharp teeth.

It seems like someone did their research though because the muzzle they wrangle him into has seastone. Everyone has finally caught on to the fact that he doesn't need his flames to bite.

It's a sharp, nasty thing. Probably thrown together quick in a desperate attempt to get him under control. The straps dig into his skin hard enough to draw blood and Ace can already picture Marco talking about infections.

It hurts and goes from a deep, dull discomfort to a sharp, active pain. The muzzle settles into his skin and rub the skin raw where it doesn't outright cut into it. He's been captured for a few days, the wounds clotting and trying to heal only to be ripped back open when moving a certain way.

It was only a matter of time until they came for him and when the guards start getting fidgety he wishes he could show his teeth in a grin. Everyone knows what happens to those stupid enough to mess with the Whitebeard pirates.

He always knew they'd find him, even when the guards whispered in his ear cruel taunts about being forgotten. Unloved.

His heart still goes heavy with affection when he hears the first sounds of death coming for his captors.

[imeanitplsmorenamifics]

hihi !!

can you do an Usopp X reader where reader is a much better liar than he is and it always sounds believable—and honestly sometimes it is the truth, so no one realizes until either Y/N tells them it was a lie or it’s too late and they’ve already fallen for it and USO’s just like “… AH—WAS THAT A LIE? YOU LITTLE!” but it’s cute? I dunno how but it’s all silly silly banter

bonus points if despite this, Y/N somehow always falls for Usopp’s lies even when they’re shitty asf 😭

Hey! This was such a great idea! I had a lot of fun writing it. I hope I did it justice for you! I tried to brainstorm and be original with it. Hope you enjoy reading! Summary: When a lying competition gets a little out of hand. Characters: Usopp, GN!Reader, Sanji, Zoro, Nami, and Luffy. Pairing: Usopp x GN!Reader TW: Nothing that I know of.

Liar, Liar

.·:·.✧ ✦✧.·:·.

There is a week that the Strawhat crew officially calls the worst week in hell. Now, you might be thinking that something horrendously bad happened. Maybe there was a series of bad events during that week? Maybe they were stranded on an island for a week and couldn’t leave? Something bad. You would be wrong. Nothing horrible happened during that week… Unless you count a lying competition as something horrible.

It all started with the two resident liars on the crew, Usopp and (Y/N). To say that lying was their specialty would be putting it lightly. They were experts. If anyone could convince you of anything, it would be them. This was useful on multiple occasions, especially with their pirate lifestyle. It was an absolute hindrance when that ability was used against you.

One day, a conversation took place between the two. It was a day like any other day. It was another day out at sea. The crew was bored to death. It was a while before they would reach the next island and they had zero entertainment. They all did things to keep them occupied in the meantime. Zoro polished his swords, Sanji was cooking their lunch, Nami was studying the Grand Line map, and Luffy was sitting on the mast. This left the last two additions of the Strawhat Crew.

“You have a tell when you’re lying,” (Y/N) was on one of the crates on the deck of the ship. Their legs were crossed, and so were their arms. They were giving a stern look to Usopp.

Hearing this from them made the man make a face. This expression clearly said, ‘You’re lying.’ Usopp scoffed with a smile on his face, “No, I don’t. I’ve taught myself to remain perfectly normal,” He locked eyes with them, “If anyone has a tell, it’s you.”

That wasn’t true. They had zero tells whatsoever. They stared at him with a questioning look, “Oh, really? Then what is it?” They knew he wouldn’t be able to name anything. They were confident in their lying skills.

For a few moments, Usopp stumbled over his words, “Well, uh… You do the thing-” (Y/N) hummed, urging him to continue. All that came from him was jumbled-up words that didn’t make sense. It wasn’t long until (Y/N) started giggling. This was all it took to set Usopp off. He nodded to himself and leaned forward, “Okay. How about this… We have a lying competition,” Now (Y/N) was interested. “Whoever can make everyone believe the most outrageous lie wins.”

A smirk took over (Y/N)’s features, “You’re on.”

Just like that, the week started. Both parties started off with small lies. Things like shoes being untied or lying to get out of doing stuff. Then, it started to get bigger. They would lie about forgetting something important or being sick. That’s when (Y/N) decided to take it up a notch. They knew exactly what they could do to win.

In the morning, while they were docked at a new island, everything was calm. The crew was eating breakfast and chatting over what they were going to do that day. The only one not there yet was (Y/N). This wasn’t surprising. They always overslept. What was alarming to the group was when they walked into the room with a panicked expression. With wide eyes, they said, “I can’t find the map.”

The group froze. Nami slowly looked up from her food, “Which map?”

“The Grand Line map.”

Everything went to chaos. They all freaked as they looked furiously around the ship. They came up with nothing. This made them panic more. What could have happened to it? They rarely took it off the ship. When they did, it was always with one of them. They would never take the risk of having it out in the open for someone to take. After more moments of freaking out, one of them took charge.

“Who had it last?” Zoro inquired.

Only one person spoke up, “I was, but I would never lose it.” It was Nami. That wasn’t surprising. She had the map on her at all times. Though, everyone knew she wouldn’t be dumb enough to misplace it somehow.

“Let’s retrace your steps!” Usopp suggested. “If we can find out everything you did yesterday, we can find the map.”

This gave (Y/N) an idea. They pulled out the container the map was usually kept in and looked inside once more. That’s when something caught their eye. They pulled it out for everyone to see. It was a slip of paper. Everyone stared at the slip of paper curiously. (Y/N) scanned their eyes over it before they sighed, “It says that it was taken. They’ll give it back for a ransom.”

“Ransom?” Sanji questioned.

“Maybe we can take it back by force!” A smirk appeared on Luffy’s face.

Shaking her head, Nami asked the question on everyone’s mind, “Does it say who took it?”

Once again, (Y/N) looked down at the note. Their eyes stopped on a particular part of the note, “Hold on, I didn’t notice this before. It says..,” Everyone waited, worried for what they might hear them say. “It says that I lied,” (Y/N) looked up from the note with a grin. They pulled the map out of their bag. “It was right here the whole time.”

All hell broke loose from three people.

“Not this again!” Sanji.

“Can you guys cut it out already?!” Nami.

“This lying competition is getting out of hand.” Zoro.

And Luffy was laughing at the reactions of their crewmates.

Meanwhile, Usopp had a shocked expression on his face, “SO THAT WAS A LIE?” (Y/N) hummed, rocking back and forth on their heels. “YOU LITTLE-”

He was quickly cut off by (Y/N) saying, “I guess this means that I won!”

No response was given. Usopp shook his head with an amused expression. He walked up to them and took the map from their waiting hand. He opened up the map and suddenly froze. He looked at (Y/N) with a serious face, “(Y/N), this isn’t the map.”

Fear filled (Y/N). Everyone else froze when they heard him say this. (Y/N) didn’t know what to say when they heard his words, “But- It should be. I didn’t lose it- I wouldn’t lose it- I had it with me the whole ti-” A grin grew on Usopp’s face. “OH, I HATE YOU!”

Lying competitions were banned after this incident.

[beanghostprincess]

Sanuso (Usopp is transmasc btw. Important thing here) would have two twin daughters accidentally because they make love right after they see each other in Sabaody and they don't really have the time to think about protection or, you know, have common sense. Then, everything happens without the knowledge of Usopp being pregnant until the Dressrosa group arrives at Zou and Usopp starts feeling sick.

Btw, ignore all the common sense for pregnancy. I will do research but not much because the timeline in OP is so short and everything happens so fast and I want the angst to fit in here. So just assume everything I say is medically accurate.

Law instantly notices something's off and tells both Chopper and Usopp (when they reunite with the others) to join him in a more private place. Honestly, the only reason he's doing this is because he refuses to let one of these idiots get in the way of his mission and alliance, he doesn't want to know anything about romantic dramas or anything. Anyway, he has a talk with a very confused Usopp and asks questions that instantly make Chopper realize what's going on. Law ends up doing a quick check-up and... This is way worse than what he was expecting because he could kind of deal with a pregnant pirate, but a pirate pregnant with twins? No. This is a nightmare. Usopp is still confused and Law wants to get over with this already, so he's like: "Long story short, bad news. For me, mostly. And for you too, depending on how fond you are of kids and how much of a jerk is the person you slept with." And basically, Usopp panics. Sanji is loyal to him and they love each other. They even talked about how much they both wanted kids (they're not at that point yet and they didn't even say anything about having them together. They just said they wanted kids at some point) but he's still extremely worried about what Sanji might say. The thought of not having their kids doesn't even cross his mind until Law says: "I mean... I could just help you get rid of them. Poof! Bye babies. Hi pirating again. Hi Wano. And no words to daddy. Or mommy. Or whatever. How does that sound so we don't have to deal wit-" and Usopp instantly goes defensive about it, realizing that he wants to have them. Or at least talk to Sanji about it first.

Chopper hears everything and is there the whole time and... He doesn't have good news, of course, but he waits until all of them are together to tell them what happened with Sanji. This is the reason why Usopp refuses to go to Whole Cake Island and prefers to join the Wano group instead, knowing that the rescue adventure will be more dangerous and refusing to acknowledge that his boyfriend might get married to somebody else. He just tells Luffy to bring back Sanji for him. Almost begs him. And Luffy, carelessly as ever, accepts in the most optimistic of ways.

Usopp doesn't tell anybody about it and everyone thinks he's just sick. The only one who notices him being weird is Zoro, but when he asks what's wrong, Usopp refuses to tell him the truth and quite obviously lies about what's going on. Zoro just tells him to come to him if he ever needs anyone to talk to, and honestly? Who is he going to talk to? Franky? Robin could be a nice option, actually, but he doesn't really know how to approach the topic and he already knows that her calm, reassuring words won't be enough to calm him down. He needs honesty. Harsh reality. And he knows the answer is Zoro. Plus, they're closer. And Zoro obviously notices something. So Usopp can't keep the secret anymore because he's literally dying of stress as he thinks about Sanji and what's going on in WCI. He ends up telling Zoro and he's like:

Zoro: So what are you going to tell curly? Usopp: I'll just- I don't know. Zoro: Do you want the kids? Usopp: If he- Zoro: But do you? Usopp: I think so. Yes. Even if it looks harder to achieve my dream this way. Lots of pirates have had kids! Zoro: Then that's it. Solved. You're welcome. Usopp: Okay, haha, no. Nope. I'm not having these kids without him. Thank you. Zoro: Your body, your choice, your kids. If he doesn't want them and you do, he'll still have to deal with them. We're on the same crew. Usopp: So that's why I can't have them if he doesn't want them. I can't just-- Burden him with- Zoro: Well, the first mistake here was his. I even know about condoms. Usopp: You're not being very supportive right now, you know? Zoro: Well, you wanted the truth. This is the truth. You can do whatever the fuck you want. And what makes you think he won't want them, again? Usopp: Mm. I dunno. I just have the feeling something bad is going to happen soon. Zoro: He's a pussy and a women-obsessed weirdo but- He loves you. Or at least he looks like he loves you. And he's always annoying the shit out of me saying that once he has kids they're going to be better than mine, so he does want to have them. Even if it's only to piss me off. Usopp: I just- I think I just need to wait until he comes back. He will come back and we will talk about this. Zoro: You don't sound so sure. Usopp: No, I have never been more scared. I am not sure. But- Zoro: But when you're scared, the only thing left for you to do is to trust in Luffy. Usopp: Yeah. Trust in Luffy. If he doesn't come back with my boyfriend I am going to murder him. Zoro: Careful, you're starting to sound like you doubt our captain. Usopp: No. I trust Luffy to do everything he can. But Sanji's stubbornness is just... Too much sometimes.

But Sanji comes back to him. Obviously. And Usopp knows that, despite the bad feeling he's having about all of this, they will be alright. And I don't talk more about this because I have 0 energy right now to continue writing about this now. Maybe another day. I just wanted to post this right now because it's been on my drafts for AGES. So here it is. I will keep talking about this someday I promise.

Also, I made a post about the kids too a while back.

[midnightactual]

if I had to articulate the problem with Bleach, it's that Bleach ultimately doesn't work well as a shōnen story centered around one dude (Ichigo). that structure works fine for like, Yu Yu Hakusho, because that follows Yusuke's small group pretty much exclusively; and it works fine for One Piece and Naruto, because Luffy and Naruto are just the foremost guys of many, many independent competing teams. but Ichigo becoming Soul Society's pointman who must Do All The Things™ every single time gets really old really fast, and reduces everyone else to supporting characters in a really lame way

this feels extra dumb because the adults are still having all the adult conversations and making all the big decisions and we just don't see it happening because we have to follow a teenager. so we're following a relatively clueless guy with little to no agency as he plays gofer for those around him. like, so don't make it about the teenager then? you can split up the POV character and the protagonist. Mad Max: Fury Road did this perfectly. it would still be lame to have Ichigo being the solution to every problem, but it'd be a lot less bad if he wasn't also the focus. and no, saying this is vital for J. J. Abrams mystery box reasons doesn't excuse it, the mysteries and their payoffs are simply never that good

and you know what? the teenagers are the least interesting part of the series. of course they are! because teenagers… are teenagers! the most interesting teenager in the world will never be as interesting as the most boring thousand-year old in the world. their main function in a story driven by and composed of adults is to question the values and premises the adults are operating on (also given most of WSJ's readership is adults, as this 2012 survey by Shueisha shows, and Bleach was mostly read by girls, "it's for boys" is not an excuse so miss me with that)

and like, yeah, it's a shōnen. I've been accused of wanting things to be a different genre before. well, duh! because they very clearly want to be a different genre themselves! why do you think Kubo ditched Karakura as a setting when he'd planned to highlight everyone in Ichigo's class by turn? why do you think he dipped to explore so many other characters in FKT and TYBW besides Ichigo and company? why do you think LSS was a weird horror plot? why do you think SAFWY and CFYOW don't feature Ichigo or any other mains at all? because he (and everyone else involved) was sick of it too! in One Piece, even though the story follows Luffy and the Straw Hats, you get the sense everyone else is maneuvering around in their own ways even if you don't see it. in Bleach, pretty much everything waits for Ichigo. and it honestly sucks

I'm obviously super-biased, but to be what it clearly wants to be by series' end, the premise of Bleach should've been a seinen focused upon the Urahara Shōten on one end, and the Captain's meetings on the other, intercutting between those as events unfolded and focusing far more on the lives and perspectives of the people actually making the calls, especially given, unlike oh say Mobile Suit Gundam, as is there is virtually no payoff in the form of how all this actually affected the child soldiers who are the "main characters"

just the wrong damn format for the story it wanted to become, sorry not sorry. if you wanna focus Ichigo & Co. and Rukia, keep the story small. if you wanna focus a big sprawling epic, deemphasize them. pick one. you're not Tolkien, Kubo, you can't do both, and you clearly wanted the latter (yet you're still frustratingly obsessed with both the format and "mystery", both of which you also suck at)

[tooweirdforyou]

Can I please request platonic straw hats x female teen reader, more specifically with nami & robin, like they would think that she doesn’t like them because she requested to have her own small room and doesn’t really talk to them & is always glued to her books . But she’s just Quiet & keeps to her self. Fluffy ending please & thank you 😊. ( sorry for the long request😅)

The Straw Hats With A Teen! Shipmate Who Keeps To Herself

a/n : hey! Sorry if this is a bit short but I hope you enjoy!! Thanks for requesting! :)

SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG 😭

Summary : the straw hats with a shipmate who’s a teenager and tends to keep to herself, causing them to believe she doesn’t like them.

-

“She’s eating alone again..”

Seeing you walk off into your room, with a tray of Sanji’s food in your hands, through the small window of the kitchen door made the crew sigh.

“We can’t force her to eat with us though, it’s her own decision.” Usopp points out, arms crossing as he ate a piece of meat.

Nami only frowns at Usopp and continues to stare over at the doorway, wondering if you had a problem.

She couldn’t even remember if there was ever a time where you actually sat down WITH the crew to eat, since the day you first joined.

Did you hate them? Then why join? Or were you just that introverted, that you even had asked to have your own room?

Since you were a girl and younger than most of them, the crew agreed to your request but they never thought it’d create a giant wall between you and the others.

In fact, you were so isolated from them since you never did anything with the crew, except maybe fight with them during battles.

For example, you would read, eat, draw, sleep and relax in your room, away from the others. The door was often locked so the others had to knock on the door to check up on you, but even then, they weren’t always let inside.

Robin closes her eyes and thinks back to herself. If she has to admit, you reminded her a bit of her past self. Before she joined the crew, she was always reserved and kept to herself, only occasionally speaking with others.

But was your reason the same as hers back then?

“Maybe she’s just being a normal girl teenager, doing teen things. They are often quiet and keep to themselves right?” Franky suggests, chomping down at his burger with his mini hand.

“Not all teenagers are like that.” Nami scoffs, rolling her eyes as she poked at her food with a fork. A pout could be seen on her lips.

“...but why does she always leave? Do you think she doesn’t like us?” Chopper frowns sadly, eyes just glossing over his plate without touching it.

The group only sat in silence. But everyone had mixed feelings about you.

-

Luffy was concerned and a bit confused by you. He didn’t understand why you stranded off from the group and often did try to talk to you, but he figured it was a girl thing. Maybe you didn’t like the boys?

Zoro was indifferent about it, because as long as you at least fought with the group and was loyal to Luffy, he didn’t mind that you often spend time alone. Hell, he can kinda understand the need to get away from the group for a bit.

Sanji was pretty saddened about it, he hates to not see your cute but rare smiles at times, but he at least has a sense that you enjoy his food since you come back with the tray empty, so he’s glad about that in the very least.

Usopp is also a bit confused and wishes you spend more time with the crew and bond with them, but he respects your decision if you want to be alone. He just wants to be able to get to know you.

Nami is pretty upset, because now that there’s another girl to gossip with, spend time with and bond with through all these chaotic boys, she’s sad that you don’t seem to want to be around any of them and just keep to yourself. Did you really dislike them that much? Did they do something?

Chopper finds it saddening because it seems like you don’t like them. You don’t want to spend time with the crew at all and it’s sad for him because you seem really kind and sweet and he wants to know you more! And if you’re ever sick, he might not be able to help you since you’re in your room a lot.

Franky doesn’t quite get it either. You joined the crew but you don’t even hang out with them, even if it’s to do stupid things? Not even to just do whatever you want on your own, but in the presence of the crew?

Robin is secretly disappointed. She had hoped she could be able to spend time with another female around and perhaps teach you some things since you seem to share her love of books. But she’s understanding in the very least.

Brook both understands and feels indifferent. He can’t force you to spend time with the crew but he does hope to see you warm up and spend some time with the group one day.

-

“It can’t be helped.”

Hearing Robin, the crew all watch as she stood up, finished with her sandwich and tea and make her way over to the door with the gentle smile on her face.

“I’ll go check on her. Maybe it’s time we asked if everything’s alright.” She suggests and the others widen their eyes a bit.

“You’re right. I’ll go with you.” Nami smiles determinely, standing up from her seat and went over to the door as well, standing beside Robin.

“Yohohoho~ good luck!” Brook calls out just before the girls closed the door and walked out.

-

Nami and Robin shared a glance before nodding in unison and Nami knocks against the wooden door.

You were so invested in your book while eating, you didn’t hear the knock at first, until Nami’s voice was followed after.

“[Name]? It’s Nami and Robin. Can we come in?”

Tilting your head at their request, you glance down at your tray of [ Favorite Food ] that Sanji prepared especially for you, and then moved it aside onto your desk.

Closing your book and setting it on the bed in front of you, you stood up and walk over to the door, peeking your head out when you opened it just a crack.

“..What is it?” Your voice was so soft and quiet, they almost didn’t hear you.

Robin simply smiles gently and hums. “Did you finish eating?” She questions and you shake your head. “No.”

Nami smiles awkwardly before clearing her throat. “Actually, we just wanted to talk. Is it okay if we come in?” She says, her hand slowly making it onto the door and you stare at her a bit.

It was just the two of them, but you were hoping to just relax and eat in peace.

Though, knowing Nami, she wasn’t one to give up and you weren’t going to try to argue with her.

So sighing lightly, you pull open the door wide and allowed them entrance, closing it behind them when they came and locked it, as usual.

Walking past them, you went over to the bed and sat down, picking up your book and grab the tray of food onto your lap to finish eating, ignoring their stares that lingered on your form.

“Whatcha reading?”

Glancing at Nami’s bright smile as she made herself comfortable on the edge of your bed, Robin sitting on the other side.

Shifting a bit and repositioning yourself against your headboard and in center to keep a distance from the two, you turn down to the book.

“It’s a novel.. called Heaven’s Official Blessings.”

You answer quietly, turning the page in your novel and then used your hand to pick up a piece of your food.

“That’s the one about the God and the Demon lord, right?” Robin hums and you nod in response. “I haven’t read it myself, but I heard good reviews of it. What’s your opinion on it?”

You shrug a bit. “I don’t know. I didn’t finish.” You answer, motioning to the page you were on which was a little less than halfway.

Robin chuckles and nods. “Fair point.”

“Well, what’s it about?” Nami speaks again, trying to continue the conversation but you just chew on your food and held out the book for her to look at.

Nami blinks a bit before seeing the summary of the novel in the front and shakes her head. “I want to hear you read it.”

Furrowing your brows, you only swallow your food and frown. “Why?” You didn’t prefer talking and you didn’t understand why when she could easily just read the synopsis.

Nami giggles sheepishly before shrugging. “I just wanna hear your voice some more.”

You gave her a weird, skeptical look as you move the now empty try back onto the desk and bookmark the page you were on before closing it in silence.

The room was quiet, Robin’s eyes observing you while Nami’s roamed the room.

“Say... do you hate us, [Name]?”

“..huh?”

Turning serious, Nami turns away and stares around the room a bit more, Robin’s smile slowly fading as her lips turn to a firm line.

“You asked to have your own room.. you never eat nor spend any time with us. Is there a reason for your separation from us? Have we done you a wrong? If so, please tell us so we can fix it.”

Lips parting in shock at their question, your eyes widening along, you just stare at them. You hadn’t even realized you were so.. away from them. You were just doing what you normally do even back in your island, it was just habit.

“[Name]?”

Blinking, you quickly shake your head before calming down a bit, taking a soft breath. “I-I don’t hate you.. You guys didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Then why are you avoiding us?” Nami asks with a sigh, running a hand through her orange locks of hair and brushed it with her fingers.

“..I didn’t realize I was.. I was just enjoying time alone.” You admit honestly, eyes trained on the novel in your hands. “I figured I just read in peace until it was time for Luffy’s new adventure or something.”

“Uh.. besides, I.. I don’t really like hanging out in big groups or anything like that. I’m not very social so I’m not good in that stuff.” You add, rubbing your arm before rubbing the back of your neck awkwardly.

Nami and Robin stare at you, clearly surprised at your answer as they slowly exchanged glances, just seconds before a snort being heard.

Nami then busts out into light laughter, hands clutching her stomach while one went to wipe tears forming. Robin herself was expressing a few amused and relieved giggles, covering them with her hand a bit.

“Is that really all it is?”

“I guess we were worried for nothing.”

The two women smile brightly at you as Nami goes over and hugs you tightly.

“All of us were worried you hated us or something but now we understand! You’re just shy!” Nami grins, nearly asphyxiating you in her chest as you struggle to pull away from her.

“I must say, I am relieved to hear that isn’t the case though. If you’re just someone who prefers to keep to yourself, it’s amazing you somehow managed to continue to stay on this ship.” Robin lightly jokes as you finally pull away from the navigator and inhaled deeply.

“Come on, you. We’re going to spend time with the crew and each other, so you will open more and we can get to know you. Okay?”

Already pulling your hand, you felt yourself get forced up off the bed before you could even protest or reach for your book.

“W-wait, but-“

“No buts!” She turns back to give her signature grin to you. “Unless you wanna pay me to let you back to your room alone, you are now going to spend the rest of the day with us!”

Robin smiles, seeing you being dragged off by their navigator and despite you looking helpless and even a little lost,

She could see the faint ghost of a defeated smile forming on your lips.

Whether it was because you were just in disbelief and accepted your fate, or because you truly did want to spend some time with the crew at some point one day,

Robin was just glad to be able to see you smiling and getting to spend time with the group.

Maybe this will let you be more comfortable and spend time around then even more in the future.

Grabbing your tray from earlier, Robin began to leave the room and closed the door behind her, a soft smile present as she hears the loud commotion from the kitchen.

“Finally a family.”

-

A/N : ahh, I’m so sorry this isn’t as great as I hoped, it wasn’t the ending I originally planned but I wanted to get one post out quickly- and I’m so sorry this took so long ;-;

It’s so rusheddddd

[disneydeb1928]

One Piece Theory: The Treasure of Mary Geoise

The first time we hear about the existence of a treasure hidden in Mary Geoise is by Doflamingo, 

“It’s because I know all about a crucial treasure… that exists within sacred Mary Goise!! And the very knowledge of its existence would shake the world to its foundations!! To them, I was the worst kind of fugitive… one with an ace up his sleeve! Once the Celestial Dragons realized they couldn’t kill me… they grew quite cooperative. If only I’d had the power of the op-op fruit in my grasp… On that specific day years ago… I would have been able to use of Marie Goise’ treasure to seize true world power!!!”

                                  ��                                             -       Doflamingo, Chapter 761

We can garner, actually, quite a few things from Doflamingo’s speech. For starters, he calls it a “crucial” treasure. “Crucial” implies that whatever the treasure may be is, at the very least, very important (no duh!). However, “crucial” is a very particular word to choose. It alludes to a necessity – This treasure is imperative for the continuing success of something.

But for what?

While pirates, wars, and uprisings may cause the World Government annoyance, the events and people that appear to cause them the most alarm are those that challenge the status quo. They are absolutely terrified of the possibility that the world they’ve constructed in the last 800 years might be fall apart. The general Celestial Dragons fear this on a very topical level. They like the grandiose and morally ambiguous world they live in that gives them all the power. However, the Gorosei and Im-Sama tackle this on a much more hands-on level (See: Ohara Incident). It’s because of this, that I believe that the treasure is critical for maintaining the current state of affairs for the One Piece World.

Doflamingo then states that,

“If only I’d had the power of the op-op fruit in my grasp… On that specific day years ago… I would have been able to use of Marie Goise’ treasure to seize true world power!!!

The op-op fruit, as we know, can gift a person eternal youth (basically immortality) via the Perpetual Youth Surgery. Therefore, Doflamingo is saying that had he been immortal, he would have been able to use the treasure to take over the world. This implies one of two things:

1.)   To seize true world power, would require a person to use the national treasure for a very long time (which would be possible as eternally youthful)

2.)   A regular human would not be able to utilize the national treasure

Personally, I feel that the second option is more likely because it insinuates that only a very particular type of person is able to use the national treasure. Which would connect us to the new mysterious body of power in the One Piece World – Im-Sama.

Before the Reverie Arc, the Gorosei were the big bad bosses of the World Government. Shrouded in a lot of secrecy, they remain nameless to this day. The first several chapters of this arc, as well as comments made previously, built the Reverie up to be a nonpartisan gathering of world leaders. Oda emphasized this fact by focusing on the “empty throne”. So imagine our surprise, when only a few chapters later, we are introduced to Im-Sama (Ch. 906).

We first see them entering a freezing chamber deep within Pangea Castle with bounty posters in hand. Inside the chamber is a large straw hat. Fans immediately started to theorize that the giant straw hat must be the national treasure. Honestly, who is to say that it’s not, because at this point, anything is possible. However, with that being said, I doubt Oda would make it that literal – or that easy.

As I mentioned, this chapter – as well as the one afterwards – has spawned many a theory. Many have done a deep analysis of every page. There is little doubt that the straw hat is important. It would simply be too much of a coincidence (in relationship to Luffy) to be anything but a purposeful decision made on Oda’s part. However, I think the room Im-Sama enters, is of particular interest.

For starters, it appears as though there’s either steam in the air, or it’s freezing. If the whisps in the air are supposed to represent the cold, I believe – like many others – that this room’s purpose is to preserve something. If the straw hat is to be taken at face value, then it wouldn’t make sense to place it in a frozen room. I’m no expert on straw, but I’m pretty sure getting it wet constantly in the cold temperature wouldn’t lend itself to keeping it in pristine condition. No, I think it’s more likely that the giant straw hat has a connection to whatever is really being housed in that room.

So here it goes: It’s possible that the room is a crypt meant to preserve a person’s body. Honestly, in the world of One Piece, I don’t even think the person would necessarily have to be dead for them to be kept preserved. A la carbonite in Star Wars. If this is true, than it’s safe to say that whoever is being kept preserved is the true owner of that giant straw hat.

However, that begs the question, is this person even the treasure? Oda decided to introduce us to Im-Sama right after Doflamingo mentions the national treasure from his cell in Impel Down, saying,

“Isn’t it fine to reveal what it is already…? Power degrades quickly anyway… it rots away in no time at all…!! Fufufufu!!”

                                                                                -       Doflamingo, Chapter 906

“Why does it matter if it’s revealed now? Power doesn’t last long. It’ll rot faster than anything thinks!”

                                                                                -       Doflamingo, Episode 885

I think it’s interesting that Doflamingo choose the word “rot” to describe how power degrades because that’s usually how people describe a dead body. This could just be a coincidence, but Doflamingo has a sick sense of humor and I could see him finding this funny – especially if no one else knew.

With that being said, I don’t want to overlook the importance of his statement “power degrades quickly anyway”. Because, while at first I thought he was referring to the national treasure’s power degrading, I now believe he’s referring the World Government itself. It’s almost like he’s saying, that at this point it shouldn’t matter if the secret gets out, because it was going to eventually. No body of power can last forever no matter how much control you have – something Doflamingo knows intimately. It definitely fits the fatalistic mindset we’ve come to expect from Doflamingo.

However, that begs the question, what exactly can this treasure do? Why is it crucial for the World Government to have? At this point, we can only really speculate on what specific ability it has. However, I would wager a guess that it has something to do with controlling how people remember history.

In a separate post, I speak about how the World Government has remained in power for so long because of how they manipulate the population similar to that of the Galactic Empire in Star Wars. They rewrite history to paint themselves as heroes and then continue to monitor the news and information before it goes out to the people, which in turn, increases complicity.

I just think that if it were some great destructive device, that we would have seen it by now. 

[oriigami]

good old-fashioned lover boy

[I put off posting this for like, a really long time, but I found it in my docs again and figured I might as well. TW for internalized homophobia/biphobia and a (non-graphic) panic attack. So, here’s my take on Sanji’s Issues, finally. Read it on AO3 here!]

In his defense, Sanji doesn’t actually mean to say it. 

The thing is, it’s something he tells himself on a regular basis, the words running through his mind in pure self-defensive panicky habit. It used to be a weekly or biweekly event, but since coming onboard the ship, it’s become more like daily. So maybe it’s not surprising that the words that are always on his mind eventually slip out of his lips. 

He doesn’t even remember the exact words that prompt it. He’s distracted, putting the finishing touches on the frosting for dessert as the rest of the crew lounge around the galley in playful post-supper sleepiness.  

Luffy and Usopp are joking around, talking about the flower-seller boy on the last island Usopp had struck up a friendship with, and there’s a giggle and a teasing question about love, and on autopilot Sanji rolls his eyes a little without looking up from the cake he’s decorating and says, “Boys don’t like boys, Luffy.” 

Suddenly, the room is very quiet, and everyone is looking at him, and Sanji is just as suddenly eight years old and wants to hide. 

“Oi, cook,” Zoro says, voice sharp and cutting through the sudden silence. “What was that?” 

And he really doesn’t want to defend the words, and he really doesn’t want to explain them, so he doesn’t. He scowls back and says, “Nothing.”

Zoro stares him down for a moment, and most of the time Sanji would glare right back at him and snap out something caustic and maybe try to kick his head in, but-

He looks away, teeth gritted and face too hot. 

“Sanji-kun,” Nami says, her voice too sweet to not be a trap, and it’s almost cruel because she knows there’s no way he’s not going to fall for it, because it’s Nami.

“Yes, Nami-san?” he says, because he can’t not. The frosting in the bowl in his hands is already fluffed to perfection but he keeps mindlessly whisking it anyways, because he needs something to look at that isn’t Zoro’s disapproving glare or Nami’s poison-trap smile. 

“You know I like girls, don’t you?” she asks, even though the answer is obvious- it’s not like she’s ever been all that discreet about her relationships. 

“Of course.” 

He’s still not looking at her, but he can practically see her tip her head to one side. “And do you think there’s something wrong with me because of that?” 

“I- of course not!” he says, jerking around to look at her, honestly appalled at the very concept. Nami’s perfect, of course there’s nothing wrong with her, not like there is with- “Of course not,” he says again, rather than let that thought reach its conclusion. “That’s- different-”

“What about Zoro?” Nami presses, jerking a thumb over at Zoro, who glances over at her for a moment before settling his glare back on Sanji. “Do you think there’s something wrong with him?” 

“That’s not- what I meant, I just-” He’s stuttering, he knows he is, because he can’t find the words, because the logic that makes perfect sense in his head is just refusing to leave his mouth, leaving him standing there, stupid and stammering. He doesn’t want to have this conversation, doesn’t want to be here, trapped between Nami’s merciless judgement and something he doesn’t ever want to drag into the light to examine. 

“Then what did you mean?” Nami asks, as relentless as ever, and-

-and Sanji slams the bowl down on the counter so hard it almost shatters and all but bolts out of the galley because he can’t can’t can’t-

She’s kind enough, at least, to let him go in silence. 

-

It’s Usopp, of all people, who comes and finds him in the crow’s nest. 

Sanji’s already five cigarettes deep into a pack, lighting each fresh one off the stub of the last with unsteady hands, sucking on them like if he can just get enough smoke inside his head it’ll block out the jumble of tangled thoughts and muffle the memory of Nami’s cutting words. The room stinks of nicotine. Usopp makes a face and goes around to open the windows, letting the nighttime breeze start to clear away the smoky air. 

Once that’s done, Usopp sits down against the wall just opposite him, giving him a thoughtful look. Sanji doesn’t meet his eyes, and fishes another cigarette out of the pack. 

“You never met Kaya, right?” Usopp says at length, sounding kind of distant, nostalgic, almost. 

Sanji blinks, glancing up from the floor. “Who?”

“It would’ve been before you joined the crew,” Usopp says, hands dangling between his knees, gaze focused on the stars visible through the open window.  “She was a girl who lived in my hometown. Syrup Village. She was sick, and couldn’t leave her house, so I used to go and tell her stories every day.” He smiles, big and genuine, and adds, “I really loved her. Still do. Sometimes I’d make up stories about the future, about us setting sail and having adventures together once she got well, and we’d be married in some of them.”

Sanji doesn’t know where he’s going with this, but unlike with a lot of Usopp’s stories, this one has the weight of honesty behind it, and so he listens. 

“And then Zoro and Nami and Luffy showed up, and helped me save my town and Kaya, and I joined their crew. And, um, Luffy told me we were already friends, and he smiled at me, and, uh, I realized I had a huge crush on him, too.” 

Sanji bites clean through his cigarette and has to spend a minute or so spitting out loose tobacco before he can say, very eloquently, “You- huh?” 

Usopp laughs a little, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, stupid, right? I mean, Luffy’s not, you know, he doesn’t do the whole, dating, romance thing, so obviously, uh, nothing ever came of it, which I was kind of sad about for a while. But, I mean, I got over it, cause he’s my best friend, y’know?” 

Sanji’s still staring. Usopp waves a hand. “I just wanted to say, like- it’s okay, you know? Liking both boys and girls. That’s normal. Even if nothing comes of it. You’re not on your own.” 

“Wait,” Sanji says, “Wait. You think I’m- I’m not-” He flounders for a moment. “...I like women,” he finishes, rather pathetically. 

“Yeah, I know,” Usopp says. “Everyone knows. But, like, a week ago I saw you shatter the glass you were holding ‘cause Zoro came in from working out shirtless and really sweaty.” 

Oh. Sanji remembers that, now that Usopp mentions it, and as soon as he does he feels his entire face heat up and swiftly buries it in his hands, digging his fingers into his hair. “Fuck,” he mutters emphatically.

There’s a pause, and then the sound of footsteps crossing the small room. Usopp sits down next to him. Sanji doesn’t look up. “I guess I don’t get it,” Usopp says. “What’s the problem?” 

“There’s no problem,” Sanji says into his hands, and it sounds unconvincing even to him. 

Usopp doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t really have to; even without looking up, Sanji can practically feel the skepticism radiating off of him. 

Sanji sighs, lifts his head, and focuses on shaking another cigarette out of the pack to replace the one he’d ruined, lighting it as he tries to put his thoughts in order. “It’s… there’s rules,” he finally says. 

There’s other things he could say, he means to say- maybe it’s okay for Zoro, for Nami, for you, but it’s not that easy; women make sense, aren’t threatening, can be trusted; I’ve already failed at being everything else I was supposed to be- but the words stick in his throat. He’s still struggling to dislodge them when-

“So?” Usopp just says, and shrugs a little. “We’re pirates. Breaking rules is kind of what we do.” 

…hm. 

Well, that’s a point to think about. Maybe. Sanji takes another drag off of his cigarette and feels something in his chest settle, just a bit, the loosening of a knot that’s been yanked too tight for years and years and years. 

“Maybe,” he concedes around a mouthful of smoke, and sees Usopp grin triumphantly out of the corner of his eye. 

There’s- a lot, in his head right now, and it’ll probably take some time to work though it all, but. For the moment he can breathe again, and Usopp has a point, so even if he’s not fine, he will be, probably. 

“Thanks,” he says, and means it. 

And then, after a moment, “But, Luffy? Really?” 

Usopp elbows him hard, but he’s laughing between the words when he says, “Shut up!”

And Sanji finds he can laugh about it, too. 

[nvzblgrrl]

On the subject of old fics 2

The Artist Merle was my first OC focused fic (roughly from June 7 of 2012, though I apparently had started with her concept two years before that), which, besides coming out a few months after my muse for A Gentleman’s Tale sputtered out, was also Brook focused. This time because I was desirous of wish fulfillment, specifically in the area of OCxCanon.

Basically, it was my first (at least, first shared) Mary Sue fic, though ‘Mary Sue’ is a broken and for the better part of useless term, and god, this fic did not play well to the stereotype of ‘solved all the problems ever’.

Also the main character was just mostly sad. Sadder now that I’m an adult and am separated enough from the story to look at it and go ‘it takes a pretty sorry situation to make someone’s deepest and most selfish wish take the form of ‘I’d like someone to love me and treat me kindly without some form of secondary motive’’.

This fic - I don’t have the original copy anymore, unless a phantom copy happens to exist on the hard drive of one of my older junked computers - just a few sampler snippets I happened to post to my tumblr years ago and my own memory of what the general outline and series of events were... though that’s honestly enough with how short it was.

The main character was, of course, Merle; who, unlike the current design of Meryl, her updated self, had grey hair and ‘pansy’ colored eyes.

No, I don’t know what 18-year old me meant by ‘pansy’, unless there was some interesting heterochromia going on or they meant the pantone color (which is a bit more purple than the color I ended up using, so...).

That’s about the only notable difference between the two. They have roughly the same personality, powers, backstory (well, Meryl’s is better expanded), and appearance outside of those details (though Meryl has benefited from my improved skills and floofier hair).

The basic set up was that there was a largely abandoned island somewhere between Thriller Bark and Sabaody that was home to one living person, who was either able to interact with spirits or so desperately lonely that she was hallucinating the presence of a dead family member. Either prospect could have been likely with the ambience of the place (she lived in a somewhat creepy haunted mansion type place) or with her obvious isolation issues (which mirrored those I had at the time and pretty much set up half the ‘plot’).

Merle primarily had two subjects for her art work - birds and people. Usually people from Wanted Posters. The first, she decorated her home with, possibly to levels that bordered on the flat out weird (which the rewrite has been poking me to turn into Psycho or The Birds reference). The second... well, she’d bring to life to give her company, somehow being able to grant the copy free will, emotions, memories, independent consciousness, and the ability to get sick (this will be relevant) in the process.

No, 18-year old me never explained how that was supposed to work, but there was an implication in one of the surviving snippets that the last time she tried the last thing, something went terribly wrong down the way and not in a ‘oh it didn’t work’ fizzle out sort of way, because it’s noted in Merle’s internal monologue that she messed up severely with her last one, possibly by not treating her ‘Storm King’ with sufficient respect and then there being dire consequences for that.

18 year old me probably meant that to mean that the ‘Storm King’ died, but now me is like ‘oh, now that’s a villain origin story right there’.

Now, during the course of the story, she does this with a recreation of Brook, who then proceeds to have issues with a scattered/split consciousness (implied to have something to do with Ryuma/having his shadow separated, which was an odd touch that did serve to give the fic something of a timeline with regards to what happened in canon, but I’m not sure I can credit 18 year old me with thinking that far ahead) and a generic sickness that rendered the copy bedridden and insensate.

If I was writing this story again as a straight rewrite now, I would probably try to tie in Merle’s ghost-sense with her ability to bring her art to life - at least with regards to her recreations of people that are able to act without her input. It would explain why she used old Bounty pictures for reference (though her exact application of common sense in having reference pictures of dead criminals around is still suspect, regardless of one’s opinion on the competence and rightfulness of various charges the Government comes up with) because at least with those she could have a reasonable expectation of getting an independent being - all she’d have to do is give them a usable body to pilot. And then Brook’s weird between state of being would account for why the Brook copy has so many problems with memory, personality, and health.

We then get to go through the motions of hurt/comfort there, a situation that eventually reverses to the Brook copy having to take care of an insensate Merle, right as the Thousand Sunny pulls up to the island and our favorite band of weirdos asks the all important question of ‘what the hell are we doing at Spooky Island Part 2′ before Luffy tries to go exploring.

That’s... pretty close to where the story tapped out, I think. There was a bit of tension as the gang found the mansion and started trying to explore vs. Copy-Brook trying to juggle ‘avoid strangers’ with ‘take care of sick person’ and there was a bit of fluffy pseudo-romance as seen by someone who’d never been witness to an actual healthy romantic relationship faffing about, but that’s about the size of the whole thing.

The parts of this that I was able to see directly were from the same year as a Gentleman’s Tale, but I remember it (or at least parts of the concept) being older and a few mentions of it confirm those memories as being accurate.

The whole thing didn’t age that well, between the prose style and the way the relationships were framed, but I’m not surprised seeing as I had to do a lot of learning and emotional development after I got out of my dad’s house, which was long after I’d put this fic to bed for the last time.

The fact that the ‘wish fulfillment’ took the form that it did just makes me feel sympathetic to the person I was at the time of reading it, because I know that at the time, I didn’t cognitively recognize myself as being that alone and depressed. It helps me be more sympathetic to both the characters (both in and out of context of the rewrite) and myself, which I think most people will agree isn’t the easiest thing to do when you’re dealing with the memory of yourself at a time in your life that you associate with a lot of cringe-y actions.

[authenticaussie]

What do you think the difference would be in a TMNT/OP fic with different collections of turtles?

oooooooo okay so I should be getting ready for class tomorrow but you have 100% captured me I’m so invested in this

mainly I know 2003, 2012, and Rise - well, at least, they’re my favourites and have the most distinct characterisation tbh bc they’re long-running series - SO I’ll do those guys :DD

THIS GOT LONG (because of course it did, I’ve never made a short post in my LIFE) SO FIRST: 

the main difference in fic would be tone!!!!!!!! The turtles are all really affected by the shows they come from so there’d be big differences in how they react to the new situation. Combining OP and 2018, they’re both such loud and bright shows that writing them sad would be kinda….disatisfactory to a reader. 2012 is the one where you could get kinda dark, and go down the genetic experiment and “oh wow these kids need a therapist” and Luffy being >:T wtf why are your lives so Fucked Up route, and 2003 would be hilariously awkward because they’re technically all in the same age range but they act so different wheezes

Second!!! Fun character analysis and Shenanigans under the readmore. 

2003

Probably the most responsible on this list, they’re like??? tbh, barely teenagers?? Or at the very least, 18 or 19, and they can be air-heads but 2003 goes feet-first into the whole plot and character and Everything Happens. I mean, literally in season one there’s this whole subplot about how you define monsters and genetic testing and Wild shit like that so they feel Way more adult than the Strawhats get at times. Even though One Piece covers some dark topics it….the characters - the strawhats, in particular, is what I mean - don’t feel like adults the same way the 2003 turtles do. 2003 also doesn’t feel as dark as 2012 gets sometimes, but I feel 2012 is also because they seem really young, and in 2003 at least they get to process their trauma. 2012…..kinda beats them up a lot akhsdg pft.

Sticking them with the Strawhats would be !! Honestly really funny? I feel Mikey would get along with them really well - in every iteration he’s very good at going with the flow, and hey, pirates? and they’re nice? and cool powers? - he’d have the time of his life. Donnie would try and figure out What Was Going On (as the resident “please fix this in case it’s dangerous” guy, that’s probably what his role would Often be) but I can see him being easily distracted by Franky and the whole devil fruits thing. GOD him and Franky is a thought and a half omfg. The level of tech in One Piece is so different when compared to the modern world, and it operates on rules but like, rules that are just ever so slightly different. 

Raph would be in debt Immediately. Mainly bc Nami’s manipulative like that but also because he’s just………..Like That. He’d be rude and insulting and if the strawhats were helping them out he’d be the team’s voice of reason. Or, distrust, I suppose. The one who hangs back, who’s prickly, who’s the last to offer his trust because his family needs him to be uncompromised, just in case. I think he and Zoro would clash for a bit, not like, in words but just in gestures, until the crew + turtles had been through their adventures, and gotten to the end of Whatever fic was being written, and then they’d be friends. Not best buds but like, healthy respect for each other. 

Leo……….absolutely does Not understand why Luffy is leader. It’s like making Mikey the boss; it doesn’t make sense to him, because Luffy is too trusting and he’s strong but strength doesn’t make a good leader, and in 2003 Leo’s kind of a pushover so he’d stay on the sidelines and watch with Raph. But, as everyone knows, Luffy’s magnetism is Pretty Hard To Deny, and the crew’s respect for him does a lot to show to Leo that he may be missing something but that he doesn’t have to understand. 

2012

I always……..feel so bad for TMNT2012 //weeps They’re just kids and they get put through so much like wow I’m only at season two but from spoilers there’s like?? their dad keeps DYING and being bought back to life???/ THAT’S GOTTA FUCK YOU UP!!! Plus all of them have all these different insecurities and they’re kinda mean to each other (Raph….has only given a proper apology for being a dick once so far, and I’m like. mid-way through season two. I’m sorry if this makes me mikey kin @@zali but pLEASE I cannot stand this LET THEM BE NICE TO EACH OTHER ;A; Like they’re still obviously a family but gosh they’re– so prickly)

Honestly depending on how the Strawhats meet them, like holy shit :o they might be Enemies. In 2003 I feel like they’ve been through enough to try and de-escalate a situation first, but 2012 are so Paranoid that unless they had April with them they’d be like WELP this is another mind-control alternate dimension thing, time to ninja vanish. And sure, after they ended up on whatever quest they needed to go on, Luffy would be fascinated by them (2012 definitely pushes the limits of what you can Actually do, in terms of hiding and shit, but I think that makes it fun !!) but I feel the turtles would be pretty paranoid at first. Mikey & Donnie would be the first two to be dragged out of their shells (snickers) because Donnie would be super curious (and also…probably kinda aggravated and confused) about how the one piece world rules work, and Mikey because…friends!! They already have a reindeer mutant on the crew, they’re obviously cool with mutants :D

akhsdg okay I mention that 2003 would hang back and assess Luffy’s leadership still but like 2012 would be such a dick. He never seems to learn the lesson that people have different strengths and different ways of doing things >:T and watching Luffy lead would drive him crazy. I bet he’d try and make plans and be all structured and in control and Luffy would wreck things and/or the strawhats would be like “lol no lmao, you’re not the captain”. Even if he did have a good plan, like….the Strawhats rarely follow plans if Luffy says they’re doing something different snickers. I feel a major part of this could just a nice subplot line of Leo learning to Chill and also like………give the 2012 a fun adventure I’m begging you sobs. Do a Long Long Island filler arc or smth, where it’s dumb and silly and barely dangerous because they’re all competent af. 

Also: Mikey constantly trying to find a devil fruit because “dudes, it’s probably not gonna apply when we go back home and think about how SICK superpowers would be!!!!!!!!”

He does not get one, to his disappointment. 

2018

These guys are IDIOTS and would fit in with Luffy’s brand of chaos p e r f e c t l y 

Okay so yeeeeah I’m probably biased because I think Rise may be my favourite (the family dynamics!! the character designs!! the animation!!! the stupid jokes!!! the sudden flashes of deeper plot!!!!!!!!) BUT. No-one can argue with me that Rise turtles are chaotic as fuck and they’d have the time of their LIVES with Luffy’s crew. Raph would fall in love with Chopper (Chopper would be terrified of him, continuing the terribly sad trend of Raph being Bad With Animals), Donnie would go wild glitter-eyed over the devil fruits and technology and immediately try and do a million mad scientist experiments (and look. SMILES are fucked up. But this boii would totally try and make one/figure out how they worked). He’s….a mad genius and maybe a little bit evil. 

Leo would either drive Sanji crazy or be INSTANTLY adopted and taught how to be “cool”, but I can also see Sanji and Zoro lowkey fighting over him SNICKERS. Because Leo has a sword so he’s obviously Zoro’s, but he’s suave and likes fashion so he MUST be Sanji’s, and it’s not an argument persay, until Leo says he thinks both of them are cool and then it’s a battle to the death. 

(The end of leo’s sentence was “not as cool as me tho ;P” only they didn’t notice that bit.)

April would absolutely fall in love with Robin. And also Nami?? But I feel mainly Robin like Oh Man Robin is so cool and both of them are hypercompetent??? April’s like teach me how to be a badass assassin and Robin smiles and laughs and absolutely does. 

Mikey’s so loud that he almost terrifies Usopp, and terrifying Usopp is kinda a no-no in Luffy’s book, but he likes these guys and Mikey’s just excited to have an artist friend and so both of them bounce around the ship like ping pong balls. 

There is………yeah. A lot of paint covering the Sunny after they’re through. I can’t decide if Franky would cry or laugh but I know one (1) single drop of paint got on Nami’s tangerines and she Banished them. Rise turtles probably have a really good time and the crew figures out they’re basically children really quick and make sure nothing bad happens to them. Leo promises to try and get better at portal-making so they can come visit New York sometime, and everyone is like “what the fuck is new york??” at the same time as Donnie says HEY WAIT, I THINK WE’RE ON AN ALTERNATE DIMENSION and they get teleported home :DD

THANKS FOR LETTING ME SPILL ALL MY TURTLE FEELINGS EVERYWHERE

[sanjisock]

Fuck, Marry, Kill (or, how Usopp becomes the best matchmaker of the sea without really trying)

ao3

1.

It’s a classic , Usopp said. Any pirate worth their salt would play this at least once , he said.

Sanji would say he’s around eighty-percent sure Usopp just made this game up, but Sanji is always eighty-percent sure Usopp made something up just by principle alone. It certainly doesn’t help Usopp’s case that Nami is grinning wide beside him, notepad and quill in hands.

“So,” Nami echoes Usopp’s earlier question cheerfully, and her smile is way too beautiful and magnificent for the words that come out of her mouth next: “fuck, marry, kill. Who’s your pick?”

+

2.

There are rules to this stupid game. Actual fucking rules . Not even the world government kind, the ones they break on a daily basis anyways because, hey, pirates. These rules are the kind that forces you to pay Nami a hefty amount of Berries if you break them, which, on the deck of Sunny, means nothing short of Serious Business.

Nami had taken to the game with surprising interest as soon as Usopp told her about it, but then again, she talked about it with the same tone she uses when she’s going to swindle a lot of money from an unsuspecting poor fellow (read: Zoro), so maybe this isn’t much of a surprise at all.

The rules, pinned next to the spice cupboard and right under the dishwashing duty roster, are as follows:

A crew member must be picked whenever possible.

Only one name is to be given for each category.

If, and only if, one has come up with a legitimate reason not to pick a crew member, it has to be someone they’ve met, known, or at the very least, heard.

Choices are based on pure objective reasoning and any FUCK/MARRY shall not be interpreted as anything resembling interest or, worse, intention to pursue. This means you, Sanji.

The same applies to KILL. This means you, Zoro.

Individual answers are confidential and worth B500,000/answer, or 10% of your last loot, whichever is higher.*

*) Payments are to be made in cash to Nami.

Really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all. Sanji thinks he saw her eyes turn Berries-shaped. He personally thinks she still looks beautiful, and tells her as much.

She tells him this doesn’t excuse him from the game, and expects his answer by the end of the week.

+

3.

Sanji is the first victim by elimination — Chopper is out of the game because he is young, innocent and, ultimately, not human, Zoro is sleeping like the oaf he is, Luffy doesn’t seem to have figured out that the thing below his belt is useful for something other than peeing, and the others have left the ship to explore the newest island they’ve just docked at.

Sanji silently wishes the marines would start attacking them just so they could distract Nami and Usopp from the shitty game.

It’s not that Sanji wants to ruin what is — Nami’s expensive fine notwithstanding — ultimately some harmless fun. Sanji has never had problems going along with the crew’s antics, and between declaring war on the World Government and punching a royalty so hard they call a marine admiral after you, this one is far from outrageous by any means. He doesn’t think it’s physically possible for him to give Nami a no for an answer, either.

It’s just that... he doesn’t actually have an answer.

He’s a romantic person by nature. He likes to make everyone happy, and when that doesn’t work out, he likes to make everyone he gives a shit about happy. He does preen from the more... feminine attention, but between the bustling customers of Baratie, entering and leaving as they please, he never learned how to pick favorites.

Nami points at rule number two.

Usopp suggests he should just pick Zoro for MARRY, because they already fight like an old married couple anyways.

Sanji threatens to put Usopp under KILL and break the fifth rule, exactly in that order. Usopp has enough self preservation instinct to shut up really fast after that.

+

Brook has never heard of the game, which gives more credibility to the Usopp-Made-This-Game-Up Theory, but it’s not like there’s stopping them at this point, so Sanji fumes and glares, but in silence. Usopp smartly stays quiet.

Brook asks if Nami would show him her panties if he puts her under MARRY. Nami clocks him in the skull.

He settles on Zoro for MARRY.

“What,” Sanji says, stunned.

“Well, Zoro-san is a disciplined, reputable swordsman,” Brook explains, “and any decent swordsman would make a responsible husband.”

That...probably makes sense in Swordsman-Speak, or whatever language people like Zoro, who substitutes normal greeting with stabbing and slashing, speak in. Whatever. Sanji is civilized , and will not bother to even try to understand.

Brook can’t name anyone under KILL. He is, however, curious if anyone wants to pick him, considering he’s already dead, yohoho, skull joke!

Nami groans and hits his skull, again.

+

Franky has heard of the game, but he can’t pinpoint where he’s exactly heard it from, and Sanji suspects it’s from Usopp.

Franky also puts Zoro under MARRY. Franky is so not on Sanji’s list of favorite people today.

“Not you too,” Sanji groans, scandalized, because Brook is approximately a billion years old and therefore would understandably consider Zoro’s neanderthal values desirable, but Franky is, like, the future . Cyborgs are essentially sentient robots.

Franky shrugs. “He’s a super dude, his fights make great shanties, he can help me carry the ship materials —”

“ I can help you carry the ship materials,” Sanji interrupts, and wonders how his life has gotten to a point where he’s trying to compete with Zoro for Franky’s hand in marriage.

“ And ,” Franky presses, “he won’t chew me out for burping on the table after dinner.”

Sanji’s eyes twitch at that. Well. In sickness and health, sure, but that? That’s just barbaric.

“He’s a great dude who breaks the Sunny’s railings once a week,” Sanji points out, switching his strategy. If he can’t win, at least Zoro should lose, too.

His strategy backfires as Franky raises his eyebrow at him and asks, “Speaking of, didn’t you break the front railing yesterday?”

Franky puts Sanji on KILL for that.

Sanji considers smashing his feet through the railing again, just because he can.

+

Robin immediately picks Zoro for MARRY, because blah yadda blah bushido code, something something gentlemanly, yeah, yeah. Sanji mentally apologizes for tuning her out, but if he has to listen to beautiful Robin-chan talking about Zoro being a good husband, Sanji won’t be able to resist arguing, and that just won’t do. He isn’t about to question a lady’s decision, however irrational. Nobody’s perfect after all — not even Robin.

She also puts Zoro under KILL for ruining her flower bed last week when he accidentally dropped his oversized training weight (which is unnecessarily huge and totally an overcompensation for something ), and he falls for her all over again. Robin really is perfect.

She then tries to clarify whether normal Franky and Cyborg Franky count as one.

“Uh,” Nami says, confused, “would it even make a difference?”

“Nami,” Robin says as she leans forward, chin in hand and a mysterious smile playing on her lips, “the hands make all the difference.”

Robin puts Cyborg Franky under FUCK. Sanji blinks.

Usopp grimaces.

Nami has a distant look on her face, the kind of expression that guys wear when they witness other guys get hit in the nuts.

They pointedly don’t ask , and back away from the room slowly.

+

4.

The final tally is:

Sanji gets one flattering FUCK (he hasn’t found out from whom, and honestly, considering the available options of Usopp, Luffy and Nami, doesn’t want to take his chances), Robin gets two (Nami shiftily avoids everyone’s eyes for this one), Cyborg Franky gets one (Franky opens his mouth to question the specificity, turns beet red by his own realization, and promptly closes it), and Zoro gets one ( ew , is what Sanji would like to say, but Sanji is man enough to admit that Zoro can get it, considering those abs and deltoids he keeps flashing due to his unexplainable aversions to clothing. Fucking caveman).

Zoro gets a whopping five for MARRY.

That’s literally all the strawhats, minus Luffy (who probably doesn’t even know what marriage is), Chopper, Zoro himself, and Sanji.

What the actual fuck .

+

5.

Sanji succumbs to curiosity and pays Nami his ten percent.

Zoro put Sanji under KILL, he finds out.

It’s not a surprise. Hell, it’s the most predictable thing coming out of this game—the sky is blue, water is wet, and Zoro puts Sanji under KILL. Whatever. Sanji still hasn’t decided on his list quite yet, but he is certain he’d put Zoro under KILL, too.

Nami asks him if he wants to know what Zoro’s FUCK and MARRY are, and Sanji politely declines because he just doesn’t care which random chick Zoro wants to do the deed with and not because the way his stomach clenches oddly at the thought, really . It’s probably that beautiful marine lady that always tags along with Smoker — Tashigi-chan or something. Zoro always acts funny around her, even when the others never noticed. He’s an open book to Sanji like that.

Sanji walks away and doesn’t give it a second thought.

Bastard.

+

6.

He gave it a second thought.

And a third. And a fourth. And damn his shitty traitorous brain to hell, a fifth.

By the time lunch rolls around Zoro and Tashigi are married with a quaint little dojo at the foot of a mountain and blessed with three bespectacled, green-haired children Sanji can’t even bring himself to hate because they’d smile just so when their Uncle Sanji makes their favorite apple pie.

Not that there’s anything to hate. About Zoro and Tashigi-chan, that is. Well, there’s always something to hate about Zoro because he’s Zoro , and Sanji would probably nag him a little for receiving the affections from such a beautiful lady like Tashigi, but there’s absolutely nothing deplorable about the idea in general. They’d get along swimmingly anyways, probably spending hours and hours just talking about shitty swords and other sharp, pointy things as their three children play in their backyard overlooking a beautiful deep blue sea, the setting sun painting a warm backdrop on the wooden walls of their dojo.

He blinks as his train of thought crashes and derails into a nearby mental chasm.

He blinks again, just for good measure.

Holy fucking shit, he has a problem .

+

7.

“Marines!” Usopp yells from the crow’s nest, and Sanji wakes up, eyes still bleary, to three marine ships surrounding Sunny, cannons loaded and aimed towards the deck.

Be careful what you wish for, he feels like telling his past self.

He rushes to the deck to get a clearer view on their enemies, and hell , he’s convinced the universe finds pleasure in finding new ways to fuck him over because he sees Smoker on the helm of the largest marine ship.

And if there’s Smoker, there’s —

“Shit,” Zoro mutters from beside him, and Sanji only needs to follow his gaze to see Tashigi walk up towards the helm to stand beside Smoker. Because of course Zoro would notice her immediately. There are roughly a thousand marines on three of these galleons and she’s the first person Zoro sees. Great. Awesome. That would make a romantic story to tell their three green-haired children.

God damn it. His brain really needs to stop with the children already. He considers going for a check up with Chopper just for this.

A thousand bloodthirsty marines prove to be a good enough distraction from Zoro and Tashigi’s imaginary children, and soon Sanji is lost in the rhythm of the fight, almost enjoying it. He kicks a marine on the back of the head, does a spinning kick to immobilize another ten, and jumps aside to avoid a gunshot —

Only to find himself face to face with Tashigi.

“Black Leg —” Tashigi says, immediately taking a fighting stance, but Sanji is faster.

Before he knows it, he finds himself kicking the two guys guarding her, lifts and drives his right leg on her sword and into the cabin wall right beside her head, effectively pinning her to the wall. Sanji doesn’t kick women, would never harm a woman, but anything around her is fair game and he feels almost guilty for trying to wrestle a loophole in his own principle.

He needs to do this, though. He has to. She’s a marine, his enemy, a threat. And… there’s something he needs to know.

He blurts without thinking, “fuck, marry, kill. Who would you pick?”

Tashigi starts. “What?”

He thinks he’s blushing, but he figures if he wants to avoid embarrassment the ship has sailed a long time ago so he says, “out of the strawhats. If you had to choose, who would you fuck, marry and kill?”

Tashigi narrows her eyes and pulls harder on her sword. “Are you joking, pirate?!”

Sanji is stronger, though. He pushes her sword deeper into the wall. “I’m sorry, mademoiselle, but I don’t joke about this.”

Tashigi wears the expression of someone who wonders what kind of life decisions she’s made that has led her into this situation, which is something Sanji can relate with. “Well, fuck you , pirate. I’d kill you .”

That’s fair, Sanji supposes. “And marry?”

She opens her mouth, stops herself from saying at least three other different curses before turning an interesting shade of red.

She mumbles her answer.

“Yes, Tashigi-chan?”

“Don’t call me Tashigi- chan ,” she snarls, much louder, before muttering again, though Sanji can hear it this time, a low, shy, “well, that swordsman of yours did save my life back in Punk Hazard.”

Tashigi blushes brighter, and Sanji knows a lost cause when he sees one.

Zoro and Tashigi have four children this time in his head, three girls and one boy, and it sucks, so fucking unfair that everyone wants to marry Zoro, with his stupid hair and stupid face and stupid everything. What’s so good about him anyways? The moron doesn’t even have depth perception . He doesn’t deserve all these beautiful girls, wouldn’t even be able to cherish them and treat them with love like Sanji would.

Who’s to say that they would know him either? Zoro’s a moron , after all, and he probably only has, like, three sets of expressions. Sure, Sanji can read his tics, knows the way Zoro clenches and unclenches his left hand when he sees a potentially strong opponents, the way Zoro would rub the back of his neck when he’s embarrassed — but these girls don’t know that. He doesn’t think anyone knows that, and without knowing the real Zoro, how could they make him happy? Would they know how to find him when he gets lost? Would they cook him his favorite food every day? Would they love him as much Sanji does —

Wait.

Sanji pauses.

And.

Breathes.

Tashigi has started protesting now, demanding her swords to be returned now that she’s gone along with his ridiculous demands, but it all sounds so distant now, because.

He loves. Zoro.

Sanji inhales. Then exhales.

He loves Zoro .

He sees it again, the dojo at the foot of a hill overlooking the beautiful blue sea, but this time the dojo belongs to Zoro and him , and two of the four children have blonde hair, and the sea outside is All Blue. The imagination seems so vivid because somewhere along the line that has become his dream , a future he envisioned as clearly as finding All Blue and witnessing Luffy become a Pirate King.

Fuck, he’s in love with Zoro.

“Shit,” he says heartily. “I’m in love with Zoro.”

“What?” Tashigi says, perplexed. Sanji hopes it’s because she can’t hear him amidst the cacophony of gunfire, swords, and bodies hitting the floor.

He lowers his leg and steps back, still in shock by the revelation.

Tashigi is looking at him in confusion, or at least he assumes she does, because he’s no longer paying much attention to his surroundings. How could he, when he’s just come to such a huge revelation about himself, holy fucking hell he’s in love with Zoro —

A passing marine takes the chance and stabs a sword through his lungs.

+

8.

The last thing he remembers is choking on air, mentally laughing at the fucked up irony of living on a ship surrounded by endless seas just to meet his end by drowning on dry land. He thinks he saw flashes of metal, of Zoro’s stupid green hair and stupider face, torn apart between anger and concern, Sanji’s name for once stumbled out of his lips — but Sanji is pretty sure he imagined this last part up. He is a romantic fool like that.

He blinks himself awake to the familiar smell of Chopper’s infirmary, the oddly soothing mix of medicine and sweets. He tries to sit up as far as his bandaged torso would allow, and when he catches the orange of Nami’s hair his heart warms but doesn’t flutter. It hasn’t been, he realizes, for quite some time.

He really is in love with Zoro. God damn it.

“Sanji?” Nami says when their eyes finally meet, and she hurriedly stands up, “oh my god, you’re awake, I need to wake Chopper up, Chopper —”

“Don’t worry, Nami-san,” he says, catching her wrist just in time before she rushes out of his reach, “I’m fine. Let our doctor sleep for some time.”

“But,” she says, but it’s a token resistance at best, as she’s already sitting down again. She tugs his grip lightly at that — a small, playful movement — but he feels the pull reverberate through his arm and to his chest, jarring him into a coughing fit.

He thinks he’s coughed up both of his lungs before a glass of water touches his lips. It takes him a few gulps and a couple more deep breaths before he realizes Nami is rambling a guilty “oh my god, Sanji-kun, oh my god, I’m so sorry.”

He clears his throat and tries to give her his best smile, “please don’t apologize, Nami-san! A beautiful face like yours shall not be marred with unnecessary worries.”

Nami sighs, but it’s fond. “You were unconscious for a whole week,” she says, squeezing his shoulder, “let me fuss over you for a while.”

Sanji whips his head towards her in shock, mouth hanging open

“A week,” he echoes. No wonder he feels so sluggish. He thought it might have been the medicine, but apparently he danced far too near to the grim reaper than he was comfortable with.

His gaze drifts to take in more of the infirmary, afraid that he’s missed more important details like not remembering an entire week of his life . For the most part everything seems to be in place, large shelves filled with Chopper’s neatly-arranged medical books beside his work table, with complicated looking medical appliances situated more at the corner of the room, near the door. His gaze eventually falls on the small bedside table and he does a double take.

Zoro’s katanas — all three of them — are leaning against the foot of the table. Sanji frowns; it’s rare to see them without their owner, and rarer still to see them being parted with so voluntarily, away from the swordsman's sight.

“Yeah, Zoro was here,” Nami answers the unvoiced question as she notices what he’s been staring at, “been by your bedside all week, actually. We had a roster, just in case you —” Nami pauses at that, looks away and — did her voice waver at the end there? “You know. Anyway, didn’t even need the whole roster thing in the end because Zoro just wouldn’t leave. Stubborn man. Just his luck you woke up when he took a bathroom break; serves him right for growling at me when I offered him to switch on the first day. He looked like he was ready to gouge his remaining eye out and leave it in the infirmary if it meant keeping an eye on you, science be damned.”

Sanji blinks, again, at the story. There’s a weird tug at this chest. He lifts his hand up to touch it, and it feels warm, from the inside.

“It’s frankly kind of cute, how he’s been acting like a mother hen,” Nami continues, and her smile gains a mischievous edge as she adds, “or, you know, like a worried husband.”

Sanji wants to say something to that, but Chopper probably gave him some strong stuff because his tongue feels heavy and he can feel the strong pull of sleep dragging him back to unconsciousness.

He sees darkness at the edges of his vision, and doesn’t think at all as he says, “yeah, he would make a good husband,” and eyes already closed, he sees the house at the foot of the hill and mumbles, “I’d marry him.”

Chopper’s medicine really is strong.

+

9.

The next time Sanji opens his eyes, there’s a cottony rasp on the inside of his mouth and dread looming at the back of his mind. It’s reminiscent of days when they partied too hard and he drank one too many glasses of liquor, but worse , because he remembers every single word he said to Nami.

He considers asking Chopper on his stance on euthanasia.

It doesn’t help that the person sitting beside his bed is not the ever-beautiful, ever-wonderful Nami, but the last person he’d rather see after his accidental confession. He has no doubt that Nami has told Zoro everything — has told everyone everything — and while his body has mostly recovered from the injuries, he’s pretty sure he could still die from embarrassment.

He sits up on the bed, scrambling for an excuse, “Zoro —”

“You almost died,” Zoro interrupts before Sanji could even finish his sentence, and takes Sanji’s hand in his. “Don’t you dare do that again, Shit Cook.”

Sanji stares at their hands, and wonders if Chopper’s medicine is even stronger than he thought. “What does it mean to you?”

Zoro shrugs. “You know what,” he answers vaguely.

Sanji doesn’t , though. Zoro shifts in his seat, looking away, seemingly embarrassed by his own words, and Sanji is left wondering what the fuck is happening. Zoro is the type of person who gives brutally honest and oftentimes insensitive answers. He doesn’t give cryptic, vague answers — that’s more of Sanji’s department. “What?”

Zoro pulls his hand away, and Sanji hates how his own hand feels very cold all of a sudden. “You know. Our answers for Usopp’s stupid game.”

Sanji would rather take another sword to the chest than to continue with this conversation, so he does the cowardly thing and practically leaps out of the bed. “I’m not in the mood to talk about that.”

Zoro is faster, though — Sanji is blaming all the medicines in his bloodstream for his slow reaction — and manages to catch Sanji by the wrist. “Where are you going?”

“Away. Out.” He pats his pockets with his free hand, but doesn’t find his cigarettes, unsurprisingly. Fuck, he needs a smoke. “In case you forgot, I haven’t been out for a week from this shitty room.”

“Seriously?” Zoro growls in reply, tightening his grip. “That’s all you got to say? Didn’t you pay for my answers? Nami told me you — if that sea witch is lying again —”

“I told you not to call Nami-san like that,” he replies, almost instinctively, feeling more and more agitated by the turn of the conversation. “What the fuck are you talking about, brainless mosshead.”

Zoro glowers at him, face oddly serious. “Did you or did you not get my answers for the stupid game?”

Sanji is going to lose it. Is Zoro seriously trying to rub this whole thing in his face? The fact that Sanji wants to marry him, even after knowing Zoro only puts him under kill? Knowing that Zoro doesn’t find him desirable in any way, that he’d prefer having three wonderful well-mannered kids with a beautiful marine lady?

“You put me under KILL!” He yells, unable to stop himself. “If this is your way of telling me you want to kill me, drop it. Way too roundabout for your style, Marimo. And just in case you’re wondering, no, I didn’t bother to find out who you want to fuck. Or marry.” He looks away, trying not to choke on his own heart. “Happy?”

Zoro’s eyes widen comically at that, and he loosens his grip on Sanj’s wrist in surprise; Sanji doesn’t miss the chance and kicks him on the chest.

Zoro flies out of the infirmary through the door with a satisfying bang , and Sanji relishes his victory for a moment before growing reluctantly concerned as Zoro doesn’t get up from that. Surely he didn’t kick him that hard, did he? He jogs towards the dust-covered body on the deck, and finds Zoro with his head in his hand, mouth twisting into a hysterical laughter.

“Stupid cook,” Zoro says as soon as Sanji’s close enough to hear him, “are you jealous?”

Sanji growls, and pointedly doesn’t blush. “I’m going to kill you.”

When Zoro drops his hand and looks up, he doesn’t look like he’s making fun of Sanji, though. He looks surprised, and even almost… hopeful? “You are jealous.”

Sanji has about a thousand retorts to that, but all of them die in his lips as Zoro tugs him down by the hand, pulling him to crouch right in front of Zoro. Their faces are really close like this, and Sanji can’t look away.

“Cook,” Zoro says when Sanji doesn’t say anything, “Nami said you put me under your MARRY. Is that true?”

Sanji refuses to answer, but the way he looks away and blushes like a fourteen-year-old is probably a good enough answer for Zoro. Zoro laughs, tightens his grip on Sanji’s wrist and pulls him into a kiss.

Sanji’s life needs to have fewer twists before he dies from heart attack at the tender age of twenty-one.

When they part, Zoro doesn’t lean away; presses their foreheads together instead, his hand large and warm on the nape of Sanji’s neck. There’s a big grin plastered across Zoro’s flushed face, the kind that Sanji only sees whenever the swordsman comes across an alcohol he likes, or wins a particularly hard fight, or — as Sanji begins to understand, heart hammering in his chest like it’s trying to escape — whenever Zoro is really, really happy, apparently. And to think that Sanji is the one who puts that smile on Zoro’s face —

“I put you under MARRY, you dumbass,” Zoro says, though his insult doesn’t carry much weight, considering the stupid grin still wouldn’t leave his face. “Put you under everything , Cook. Kill, fuck, marry — the whole deal. Because that’s how far you’ve messed me up — you idiot, stupid, annoying, oblivious Shit Cook,” he presses another kiss, chaste and light and all too quick, leaving tingling sensations on Sanji’s lips. “I am in love with you.”

The words rattle against Sanji’s ribcage, his heart threatening to burst from his chest. His face feels warm all over, and he’d look away, except for the fact that Zoro’s hands are gently cupping his face, thumb rubbing absentmindedly against Sanji’s cheek.

“You’d make the shittiest husband ever,” Sanji tells him, because Zoro might be the love of his life — and ain’t that a thought that could make his heart miss a couple of beats — but he still wouldn’t miss a chance to tease Zoro.

“Yeah.” Zoro simply agrees at that, laughing softly. “I’d be your shittiest husband, though.”

Sanji doesn’t find a reason to argue with that, heart jackrabbiting against his chest, and simply leans for another kiss.

+

10.

By unanimous decision, and with some heavy censorship by replacing FUCK with SLEEP, they decided that Chopper is at least old and human enough to know what’s going on with the game.

“I’m not happy at all that you decided to finally include me in the game, bastard!” Chopper said with a happy wiggle, his hooves clapping together excitedly.

He puts Zoro under SLEEP. Literally. Chopper thinks Zoro makes a great pillow, and a great sleeping partner because he doesn’t move around.

Chopper purses his lips at MARRY.

“The idea of human marriage is still foreign to me,” he says, explaining his silence, “there are too many factors involved in human marriage. For us reindeers, all we look for in a mate is one who can provide us food.”

As if on cue, Zoro throws a large fish onto the deck. There are three large slashes on its belly, crossing through its gills.

Chopper picks Zoro for MARRY.

Sanji resists the urge to bash his head repeatedly on the ship mast, and doesn’t go through with it only because Zoro leans in and steals a kiss from him, effectively blocking his path.

Bastard. Shittiest husband ever .

[inexchangeforyoursoul]

Luffy, son.... you are not supposed to serve tea this hot to people… (I wanted that to be its separate chapter, but it turned out to be waaay too short for that, and thus, a waste of ch numbers. Art incoming, too; because of that, this will be another “tumblr exclusive (for a while)” part.)

As I’m rather happy with this thing and it’s a halfway Law-centric chapter, I shall put it in the main tags. (this is a dumb LawXOC thing; this one seems to beee.... roughly 4500 words, attagirl)

This was the part that was fun to write even while unmotivated. I think y'all understand why. Now, for the less pleasant things, out of which I'm missing the next two or three chapters entirely… ho, boy. Now, this will be power writing. (Also thanks to anyone who might be here who might have written any of the anon messages I got to keep me going past this particular chapter???)

Ps.: do not ever sterilize your whole entire house if you have a kid. They are meant to catch things so their immune systems get stronger… and have work to do. Because if they don't, they get bored, and a bored immune system will look for shit to defend against anyway; this is how your kid gets allergies ranging from 10 pollens through animals to fucking SUNSHINE. They are meant to be sick a lot in the first couple of years, deal with it. And fucking vaccinate them, too.

31. We need to talk

8 o'clock; there's noone opening the door gently, nor is there anyone near-falling down the stairs. All is perfectly still.

Law drums on the desk with his fingers and sighs; he kind of saw this coming. Doesn't make convincing himself to go out and fetch the girl any easier, however. He's about as unwilling to seek her out as it is the other way round.

A good ten minutes later, he drags himself out of his room and up to the surface; it's relatively silent for a Saturday morning, but a lot of these idiots have been out partying, so whatever. He wouldn't be surprised if half of his crew was still out snoring on a bank or alley.

It's all the more scary when a masked rando pops up right beside him at the railing of the Thousand Sunny with a cheerful ‘yo, Kat’ as he starts checking on her whereabouts.

It's Luffy with one of those fucking… things. Looks like a cheap imitation, too. Seriously… if he didn't know it was one of these idiots, he would have gotten a heart attack. He's still way too jumpy in this body, goddamn.

“Strawhat-ya, honestly... does Kat-ya make a face like this all day?” he asks, with mild annoyance, pointing at his scowling self. “Also… take that thing off.” It's kind of creeping him out, now that he's taken a good look at it up close.

“Ah, right, it’s you, Torao… and nope, it's pretty rare,” Luffy nods, then plucks the mask off his head. “Found it between these big warehouses! Pretty cool, huh?”

“I'm not surprised it was ditched… Anyway, if even you can tell that much, then why do you keep mixing us up?” It's been like… no, not ‘like,’ it HAS been a week, for fuck's sake.

“Well, hugger you is definitely not you you, but otherwise... both Kat and Torao are worried, sad or angry most of the time, so it's hard to tell them apart, to be honest,” he states wondering as he drops the prop on deck with relative care and puts his hands on the back of his head to lounge at the railing. “Like today. And, whenever they are really tired, it feels like the prickly needle thing you get when your leg falls asleep. Everyone else tends to be more like... slow waves, when you stand in water.” He stretches one leg out and flaps the sandal to his soles.

“Huh?” What? Being talked about in third person is also weird, but… excuse him?

“The feel you two give off is pretty similar is all. Though I guess Kat is also more tense overall, at least she used to be. And she has a lot of weird jokes. That I usually don’t get,” he squints. Whenever the others find something she said funny and he doesn't get it, he feels left out, really.

“No, I mean… what would she be pissed off at?” And sad. And tense… He won't even try comprehending that other stuff. Anyhow, she can be the very literal definition of a nervous system at times, that's for sure. The very first thing he knew about her was that she was either really nonchalant about something, or about to have a panic attack, after all. And not exactly in the situations that matched those reactions... she shrugged off a date with the Reaper, but was really anxious when Nami dragged her off to get her cuts and bruises treated by Chopper on board of the Sunny two minutes later. But... halt, stop. It just registered… what does rubber boy mean by him being similar to her?

Luffy shrugs. “Dunno and don't really care. It's not even directed at anything, though... which is the weird thing about it.” He hops up on the railing to sit, then crosses his arms.

Law sighs… his observation haki will never be on this level. And the way Luffy formulates it is akin to an 8-year-old giving descriptions of a dream, which doesn't help, either. Reading faces and gestures can only get you so far, doesn't it.

Scowling a bit, Luffy eventually comes to a conclusion. “Maybe she just hates herself.”

The surgeon is a little taken aback by that; going by what this dunce just said, it makes sense, but... “Why would she...?” he mumbles mostly to himself, also crossing his arms. Going by whatever he could gather from Shachi and the rumors from her time in the dining hall, it did cross his mind that she might have some self esteem issues, that’s why he decided to be better safe than sorry and basically walk on eggshells when dealing with her. How she acts in general can support the idea, too, when considering some traits from another point of view…

“You are the one hanging out with her all the time, so why do you ask me?” Luffy pouts. The expression turns into a thoughtful one soon, then turns into mild worry.  “… do you hate yourself, Torao?”

In the blink of an eye, he and his body (that’s worryingly cold in the first place) both realize that it’s like twelve degrees Celsius at best outside, and that not taking a sweater over a thin undergarment and breezy, medium sleeved shirt was a Mistake™. “You're… overthinking it,” he responds while waving dismissively.

“Really? That's a relief!” the other captain sighs and puts a smile back on.

“... yeah.” Perhaps it all boils down to her having a similar way to handle her emotions? She did keep being in pain a secret, which is something he does, so that's one thing they have in common. But goddammit, Strawhat… don't just say things like this all of a sudden.

He peeks then up towards the garden, where rhythmic little thuds have been disturbing the silence for the past minute. They really ought to talk.

Right now.

This is much easier to do once Nami appears from the direction Kat could be, as the navigator won’t let her captain go alone and get himself lost again in town when latter declares his intention to go back, even despite his excuses of being able to see the Sunny from the church tower when it’s not dark. Having gotten rid of Luffy surprisingly quick this way, Law stops on the stairs as soon as he’s high enough to look around. He peeks towards where he suspects her being, and indeed, the noise that started somewhere down the line was caused by a dazed Kat. He weighs his options for a moment; on one hand, taking some time off is a reasonable way to handle this. On the other… if he leaves this up to the girl, she may never show her face again, which is no viable route for him to take. He’ll definitely have to take initiative.

Noticing the light steps closing in on her, Kat stops drumming her heels against the ship.

Law sighs. “Look…. I know I’m making you uncomfortable right now, but I really kind of need my body back as soon as possible.” … maybe not the best start, but he got the point across.

After a short pause, Kat bonks her head into the wooden pillar in front of her with considerable power, and takes a long, sharp breath.

Law watches in perturbed bafflement. Um… maybe… it was a bad start, after all.

“I’ll manage,” she sighs, straightening herself at once. “It’s hard to ignore, and cuts my productivity in half, but… is, what it is. I’ve kind of made peace with telling my boss as-is, too, so that won’t be bothering me.” She pauses the fast rant for a moment to cut the speed, and stares into the waves licking away at the side of the ship. She had enough time to think about this somewhat objectively during her short-ish wake around midnight and later in the morning. “And you… shouldn’t have to worry about it, either. Once you're all gone for good, it will fade away soon. Knowing myself, I might not even be able to remember your name in a few months, anyway,” she shrugs all limp. “I’m no good with names, so… it would be nothing new.” It’s a famous and super simple name that’s not hard to catch, so she likely will. Maybe even his surname, since it’s a funny one. No promises, though.

… twisting knives much? Sheesh, he never suspected her of being capable of such… savagery. And he thought Luffy was being blunt today… Generally, he likes both of their honesty quite a lot, but Kat saying that he’ll be deleted from mind as soon as he’ll be out of sight is… a bit too much. And frankly, it hurts like a bitch. If he was in any way unsure about how he felt about her until this, well... there are no doubts about it now. He better keeps all of this to himself, though.

After all... it really is for the best. Technically, good news, even. And he also gets her; it’s the pragmatic thing to do. Having any kind of amiable relationship with a pirate is not exactly easy. There's no sure way to reach them, and sending messages to someone endangers that person. Hell, they all could die the day after setting sail for all he knows. A part of him has an even deeper understanding of what she means… it's not about worrying about anyone getting killed, quite the contrary. She's sheltering herself from getting hurt, by simply staying indifferent. He handles strangers the same way, and did the same for the longest time while with the Family: laughing whenever he felt like it... helping if he wanted to, or if he had to... generally enjoying the company, but not building any meaningful relationships. The question is, though... how did she get there, to this mindset? Few normal people do that. It could be just the way she’s always been, but considering how much she strives to please people around her, and how sensitive she seems to be to other’s moods in the first place…

Who hurt her?

Getting no response and feeling his eyes on her back is getting to her fast; Kat puts her head back against the pole and continues. “... Sorry, that sounds... really mean... but I suck at keeping in touch anyway. People just... come and go?” She shrugs, then starts to swing her legs again, until her heels hit the ship and she stops with limbs still flailing about. “I have no idea what my kinda-friends from high school or college are up to, either. Even when I think about fun times and miss someone… I never sit down and write a letter or go visit. I don’t get any further than grabbing a pen, but… what even are the chances they still live where they used to, huh?” She puts on a bitter smile that fades away fast. “Am I... a bad person? For that?” Her voice is unstable and hoarse at this point. She takes a shaky breath, followed by a gulp.

“... no, you're not.” Not being able to keep up with people is okay. Being stuck in a cage of her own making is, though. He takes a moment of consideration, then joins her at the railing.

Kat stares down to where her hands should be through the white pillar as Law plops down, then speaks up after a short pause while holding back a sniffle. ”The other week, I was wondering... why none of them tried to hit me up, either. Ever. I guess I'm just... that insignificant...” The sniff escapes and she also needs to wipe off a tear.

“…” He didn’t plan on joining a therapy session, nor doing anything else past talking, but a good old shoulder pat is definitely warranted here, so that’s what he does. Realizing that the cold hand made her shiver is too little, too late, so he just rolls with it. “Now, now… you know like a dozen of infamous people as of last Tuesday, so that automatically makes you count for something.” Her self esteem really seems to be in a bad shape. There's definitely some asses that ought to be kicked on these islands, because this is definitely not normal behavior.

Cannot help but crack a smile at that. “If you say so.” She rubs her eyes. “Sorry, I went off tangent again.”

“As did I the other day… and? Got it out of your system?” Seems like she’s bouncing back at least.

“Kinda,” she breathes after a pause.

“Just kinda?”

“…” She rests her temples against the railing again, even though it’s starting to hurt, bump she just made notwithstanding. “Every now and then, I keep thinking… how there would be someone in my place to do all the things I do.” Her eyebrows furrow. “If not now, then later. I’m just another pebble in the sea, and it feels… suffocating.”

“… I see.” Oh, boy… this actually sounds like more zero filter stuff, but without drugs to make it weird. Which is iffy, since he’s far from being a psychologist. Well, is what it is… take notes, analyze, and most importantly, watch your fucking mouth.

“Like, I know it’s the same for important people, inventing and doing actual, impactful stuff. Because, there’s little difference in the grand scheme of things, is there? It just doesn’t matter whether something happens today or in a hundred years. Everyone is replaceable. As is everything else. What I wanna say, is… wanting attention… at all… makes me feel selfish. Even when it probably shouldn’t.” Feeling the hand on her shoulder makes it tingle… she’d move, if not for knowing that he would lift it off again.

“… Um…”  Okay… he might have stepped into this one hard. Aside from blinking wildly, because this has suddenly nosedived into deep waters… he needs a second here. The spaced-out girl he got to know in the past two weeks thinks about this shit regularly? She did seem less bubbly and way less excitable than she actually is at first glance, but… holy shit. She actually is pretty good at brooding herself. If he wasn’t so dumbfounded, he’d be impressed. “… wow, I… never considered the possibility that you could be a nihilist.” A very sentimental nihilist. That’s certainly what he takes from this. The conclusion is kind of enlightening.

She remains silent for a second, then squints. “... all I crave is death.”

Law lets out an exasperated sigh, then slaps her on the back of the head resulting in another light bonk. “Don’t you think for a second that I cannot tell the difference between you being serious and on the brink of grinning like an idiot,” he tells her off with the other hand on his hip. She may be trying to keep a poker face up, but none can do if she’s gonna use that overly dramatic delivery anyway. This woman, he swears to god.

And, as soon as the jig is up, there it is: the smile.

She reaches up to scratch the head area that stings a little after getting smacked. “Heh… sorry, had to break that gloomy mood.” Though, no lie, she does like talking about heavy stuff like that. If Law did not seem to be bothered by it, she probably would have continued.

“By willingly pissing me off?” Was that really necessary?

“Well… it worked, didn’t it?”

“Touche,” he breathes, crossing his arms. “But don’t make a habit out of it, if you know what’s good for you.” If she has actually figured out how to dig down to his berserk buttons, she’s playing with fucking fire, and he wouldn’t be surprised if she found enjoyment the activity. “I can fix myself up as soon as I get my body back, and rearranging your internal organs or face with, or without my powers, is not beneath me.”

She nods, humming. “I didn’t doubt for a second that you’d make a feisty kuja, alright. Will not overdo the gremlin act.”

“… good.”

After a silent pause, Kat stops rubbing her head. “… say, Law?”

He lets out a questioning hum.

“Are you in pain… because you were sick?”

“…” Is there a point to tell her anything if it’s so obvious in the first place? Oh well, she's asking, so… “Yeah. There are a few intergrowths I cannot really do anything with. Removing the lead deposits left my body aching at random, the bigger they were, the worse it is… you’ve probably noticed, but some areas like the left side of my torso and the right jaw are the main culprits. Those spots tend to act out a little even when everything else is fine. And I have additional god awful headaches when it’s too hot or cold outside and I don’t hidrate proper. These are honestly the worst aspects of it, no lie.”

“Act out like... Saturday evening?” When she first noted how something was a little off? It’s the only common experience they have…

He thinks for a moment. “Yeah, like that. The odd tissue that seems cancerous during a checkup, I can get rid of... but the fucking pain just won’t go away. Unless I kill off the receptors altogether, but that strikes me as an exceptionally stupid idea.” Even if it sounds really tempting at times. Maybe if he did it to his internal organs only…

“Wait…” Kat takes the first look at him today, and looks very much taken aback at that;  “did you say cancer?” As soon as he looks back, she averts her eyes again. Seeing him, save looking him in the eye, is just… not something she can handle at the moment.

He blinks at the reaction, but keeps his eyes on her for a second. “Heard me right. Don’t shit yourself, I can deal with it.” Looking back in front of him, he adds, “I’m also legally infertile, but that’s the least of my problems.” He’s unlikely to get old, too, but honestly… there’s only so many times you can cheat your expiration date.

“Oh,” she says a second later. And sounds quite disappointed at that.

“... don't you ‘oh’ me. You can have all the kids you want for all I care.” As long as her plans involve someone else, that is. … aw fuck, brain, don't you have anything else to comment on?

“Oh, no, no, no, it's just…” She gives the sideburns a scratching; “This is going to sound so stupid… but you seem like… the dad type?”

Law laughs out at the ludicrous idea. “Me? Seriously?” Geez, that’s so… out of the blue. Even more so than the being married line. Never even seen him with a kid around, has she? They just tend to shit their pants right away. He needs to put a hand on his temples to process this a bit… and to make sure there’s no headache caused by stupid on the way. “God… the hell makes you think that?”

“Well, for starters… someone like Luffy would drop his toddler into the ocean by accident, which you would… not.” As simple as that. From what little she’s heard about Garp’s parenting… even if Law happened to be on the strict side, there is, like, no competition here, honestly.

A millisecond of consideration ends up in a concerned, solemn nod on Law’s part. He wouldn’t want Strawhat oversee children in general, or at the very least, not leave them with him all alone. He out-dads him in any technicality regarding safety and common sense, so that’s a score.

“You still could be fun around, though,” Kat continues leaning back; “Like… you would totally do something like sticking them to the ceiling as punishment for being bad,” she muses with a little relaxed smile, pulling up some average family scenarios. “but, unless you are obviously angry with them, they would love it instead. You could experiment with pretty much everything from floating to chopping them up, but all would backfire spectacularly as they think of it as just another game.”

“... can’t argue with that,” the notes, raising a brow. “Little hellraisers be like that.” Punishing a kid that's acting out, well… Best bet would be the basic ‘send them into a corner’ situation instead of getting creative, huh?

“You’d also be the go-to solution for homework… despite not being helpful at all.” Definitely trolling the shit out of anyone who’s trying to use him for an easy pass… yes, yes. Would come through when needed, too, she knows that much firsthand.

“Correct,” Law nods with a smug grin. He absolutely would be the most useless genius around. It would drive them crazy and he would be enjoying the hell out of it. If they legitimately did not understand something, though… that’s actually negotiable.

Having seen enough of his self-assured smile from the corner of her eye, she addresses him directly. “... get off your high horse, Law. You might be a little shit, but you’d also be out-bawling anyone at any milestone your kiddos reach whatsoever,” she states with an amused look.

“Absolutely not,” comes the indignant reply; “Do I look like the sentimental type to you?”

She takes a long, thoughtful look at his general direction. “Look… I might not be able to guarantee it, but as far as I’m concerned, you would transform into the worst mess of a doting ‘pappa’ there ever was as soon as you’d be holding your firstborn.” First day of school and graduations would be just as bad, if not worse… god save everyone if he’s around for a wedding. Him sobbing in a tux while trying to operate a visual transponder is not a mental image she’ll forget any time soon. In fact, she’s going to treasure the hell out of it. Even if she’s more used to him looking like her, so it takes some extra imagination points to see him in his own body.

Her chuckle earns a very unamused face. “I won’t even begin to try and imagine what you just thought of, but really? Really really?”

“Ve-really,” she states while booping his nose, then gets her hand pushed off to the side. “Honestly… you’re saying it’s very unlikely in the first place, right?” She ponders, scratching her head while sitting upright again. “You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t be all over a baby? Beating whatever low odds?”

“...” She’s probably not wrong on that one. Up to eight, maybe ten per cent aren’t a lot...

“And let’s not even get started on the naming process… You have at least…” her fingers straighten one by one; feather guy, little girl, baby’s grandparents, and who knows, who else? “four, if not a dozen they’d have to pry from your cold, dead hands before settling for anything else!” He based his entire image on one of these people, for fuck’s sake. First boy would definitely get that name, whatever it may be.

… not to mention the chances of a healthy child…

“And… little ones are always sick or some shit, right? You’d go into doctor overdrive. Give them checkups like every fucking week, and be staring from over the bathroom door to make sure they wash their teeth, and… dude, I’d fucking hate to be your kid, oh my god!” At least it takes him like point five seconds to sterilize the entire house instead of scrubbing everything all day like a manic housewife, but holy shit…

“Kat…“

“I have no idea how you’d handle feeding them in any capacity, though… you run, like, exclusively on a handful of veggies, rice, potatoes… and chicken… and fish. And, you suck at cooking.” And the occasional drink. Would he be willing and able to make legit sandwiches…? He has no qualms touching the bread, made those French toasts, so that’s a start. This kind of presupposes him being allowed in the kitchen like a single dad, but still, she can’t help wondering how he would tackle that humongous elephant in the room if the need arises.

“Kat-ya, stop.”

The edge in the word startles her enough to delete the train of thought altogether. “Uh… um…” Did she say something wrong again? Did she hurt him? Or insult him? Is… is he angry…?

He sighs, staring into the darkness underneath the waves. “I suppose… you are right,” he says a few seconds later, his head also meeting the railing. “I am… the dad type.”

She stares down at her now interlocked hands; the images she found so amusing before…  look sickly and pale all of a sudden. A quick reality check has sucked all life out of them. Managed to fuck his day up again, huh?

“Dreaming… is dangerous,” Law concludes. The last time he did something like that… came with just another harsh wake-up call.

“… sorry. Didn’t mean to upset you.” Again.

“Eh, I’ll get over it.” However… he’s once again reminded of the fact that he’d been living to fulfill a singular goal for over a decade, and ever since he’s pretty much reached it, he’s been feeling… well, rather lost, to be honest. Stretch goals, like going against Kaido are a sufficient distraction at best. Sometimes he hears a little voice in the back of his head breaking through regardless before muffling it, talking about being tired of this life… bringing up the clinic of his own he's always wanted… having a home to return to.

Peace.

He knows better than to hope for any of that.

A single finger tapping his arm makes him realize that his eyes and nose cavity are burning up. This is followed by her barely audible, little mouse voice; “... Law?”

He takes a shaky breath and rubs his temples, sneaking in a finger to wipe away the half-ripe tear from the corner of an eye. “I’m fine, I’m…” he comes to a halt upon looking at her; “oh my god, are you crying?”

“... a little,” Kat squeaks after swallowing once.

Law snorts all of a sudden, then breaks out in painful laughter. The tears are also coming, but fuck it, because... while he’s hurting, this… also feels kinda good. Actually, it feels great. Talking about all of this… is great. She’s a better psychologist than he could ever aspire to be. Cafe girl… you are too fucking nice for your own good. Sincerely, fuck you.

As soon as the surprise wears off, Kat joins in, too.

After a solid minute or two, Law flops on the grass with hands covering his face. “... both of us… are kinda fucked up, huh?” he ponders out loud after the last couple of laughs. It’s kind of a dumb question; who even is not fucked in the head from all the people that he knows? He should have known that she was no different, even if the causes are still a mystery. No wonder the two of them can hit it off.

“I guess so,” Kat sniffs, rubbing her entire face that must be as red as it feels.

Sliding his freezing hands lower, Law stares skyward at the thickening clouds for a while. Laughing and crying are both exhausting… not to mention doing both at once. It feels like floating in a weird dream. Peaceful, even. Every weight has slid on his back, which is neatly supported by this nice ship made of pure sunshine, leaving him to breathe freely for the time being. He would say a ‘thank you,’ but it gets stuck somewhere in his throat.

He must be in really fucking deep, huh. Not that he minds, though… it feels really nice, after all. A little too much to be true, yes. But for now… he doesn’t want to worry about his short future. Instead, right here, right now... he just wants to enjoy this moment.  As much as he can. As long as he can. To the fullest.

[creative-type]

Worth a Thousand Words Part I: How Oda Develops Characters

When it comes to telling a story, there are certain advantages that books have over comics or movies. By their very nature books are able to convey more information per page than a comic, and more direct insight into a character than a movie. A picture is more ambiguous than a description, which is how you can have a well-developed and compelling book character like Katniss Evergreen look like a block of wood in her movie counterpart. 

Comics in particular gets the short end of the stick, as they tend to have less visual information than a movie and less written information than a book. Shonen manga in particular aren’t often known for their deep characterization. Even critically acclaimed monoliths tend towards simplistic, and therefore relatable, tropes that have come to define the genre. Anyone who has read Bakuman knows that series in Shonen Jump are written specifically so that they can get popular and run forever. The industry itself cripples any story that doesn’t fit into a specific formula.

Pictured: Diversity

 One Piece isn’t an exception to this rule, and the series has gotten some flack for not having any character development for the main cast in its twenty years of serialization - basically, Luffy and co are the same in chapter 843 as they were in chapter 1. What’s worse, what little development there is is nothing more than flanderization, making once-great characters the shadow of themselves for a quick gag (or marketing, in Chopper’s case). 

I don’t think that’s fair, or necessarily the truth. If one defines a “well-developed” as a character with defined hopes and dreams, strengths and weaknesses, a unique personality* and worldview, then the Straw Hat Pirates undoubtedly qualify. Whether or not character progression (here defined as a shift in personality over the course of the series) occurs or is even necessary is up for debate, but I could argue that Luffy is exactly the main character a story like One Piece needs. His lack of progression is integral to the themes and ideas Oda is trying to communicate

*I’m talking In-universe personality. Luffy may be a spiritual successor to Goku, but within the world of One Piece he is his own person and there’s no one quite like him

Comics are a visual medium. One Piece never would have gotten as popular as it has if Oda failed to use his art to help tell his story. One of the things I most admire about One Piece is that his characters are never still. There is a sense of constant motion, in each panel individually but also how they flow together. Think of a panel as a block of a quilt - each must convey its purpose itself and together as part of a larger picture. 

Look at this example from Bleach

This might seem like grabbing at low-hanging fruit, but having a single finger take up a half a page is not good storytelling. Tite Kubo is (in)famous for prioritizing “cool” visuals over narrative, and it shows in the overall quality of his work, which honestly reads more like a storyboard than an actual story. Now compare to this scene from early One Piece 

There’s a rule in writing: Show, don’t tell.  That’s even more true for a story presented in a visual medium. We are never told that Usopp likes tinkering with things. We are never told he enjoys drawing and inventing and generally being creative and clever. We see him tell outrageous stories, make Nami’s Climatact, and do his best to keep up the Merry despite not knowing what he’s doing.

Likewise, at this point in the story Nami is the only one in the crew who bothers to read the newspaper even though she’s a total skinflint and the birds keep raising their prices.This tells us about Nami’s character in an organic way, and is a natural segue to Usopp’s question, which in turn gives us more on Nami’s character (this time in the dialogue).

Oda does this all the frikking time. One of my biggest problems with Naruto was the absence of these kind of moments, especially later in the series. I personally think it was a mistake to jump right from the Wave arc to the Chunin Exams. A few mini arcs could have done wonders to build the chemistry between Team 7 and introduced some of the other Rookie 9. Instead we’re dumped with this massive influx of new characters and world building at the expense of strengthening the foundation laid previously, and by the time Sasuke leaves the village I had a hard time believing that he and Naruto are in love best friends with an inseparable bond because they haven’t spent any time together as friends.

Again, let’s compare 

This is taken from the Kuro arc. For context, Usopp has just has his big fight in front of Kaya and stormed off in a huff (because everything Usopp does, he does dramatically). 

Since the argument was about the nature of his father, we can guess that Usopp is thinking about him here. Maybe this is where he would watch for Yasopp’s return when his mother was sick, maybe this is where he would dream about going out to sea to follow in his footsteps. We don’t know and we’re never told. It’s a nice, quiet moment that Luffy utterly ruins.

We learn more about Luffy’s nature in this one gag than we do about Ichigo in the entirety of Bleach’s run (I’m only slightly exaggerating). Now, remember, Luffy was present for Usopp and Kuro’s fight. He knows (or should know) that this is a serious moment. Yet he still chooses to dangle upside down from a tree, because he’s Luffy, and Luffy does whatever he feels like doing in the moment, no matter how silly it looks. 

The next pages are spent establishing Yasopp’s relationship to Shanks, and even though it’s basically an exposition dump the characters are continuously moving. Luffy does a handstand out of the tree, Usopp jumps for joy upon hearing Luffy knows his dad before plopping down to the ground again, and by the end you’d think they’d been friends for years. 

This is visual storytelling. There’s a lot more to say on the subject, and since Nico Robin is my favorite has one of the more dynamic character progressions among the main cast, she makes a good candidate to study in greater depth going forward. 

So buckle your seat belts and get ready for a long ride. Next time we’re going to talk about staging. 

[firefistlaw]

Can you do a napping with Zoro, Luffy, and Law scenario! Sorry if its a bother requested by @voidygal

A/N: I hope you like it! I didn’t really do napping ALONE, idk i had to think of something else like storywise….i hope that’s Ok… tell me what you guys think wohooo (and btw its not a bother don’t worry im very happy about requests!!!)

Zoro:

You never were the kind of person to just go and nap somewhere. It didn’t quite make sense to you; why waste the day to sleep, when you have the whole night to do so? You’d rather lay somewhere and watch the sea or do something productive, maybe talk to your friends but sleeping when the sun was out? Never. At least before you meet a certain someone.

That someone, a green haired someone to be honest, was the reason you caught yourself sleeping day after day in the daylight. It was not that you wanted to sleep, it was just the warmth that came from his arms or the smell that lulled you into a light sleep and before you could catch yourself, you fell asleep.

Zoro didn’t mind though. Actually, he really did like to see you sleep, it was something that calmed him down and ever since the adventures of the strawhat crew got more dangerous by day, he found himself longing for something to calm his nerves, something that could make him relax, make him feel safe. That something was you.

“Zoro…”, you whisper from the side of the room he was currently in. “Don’t you think it’s enough? You’ll hurt yourself, if you don’t stop.”

You were worried sick. A few days ago, your boyfriend had gotten into yet another fight with Sanji, but this time, he must have said something that made his ego hurt. He had been training for days straight, barely talking to you, barely talking to anyone, actually.

“No, I won’t.”, he mumbled back, not bothering to look up to you from where he was seated, lifting weights as if his life depends on it. His skin was glistening with sweat, a sight that made you gulp, but you pushed those thoughts away quickly. Angrily you walked into the room.

“Yes, you will! Why do you suddenly care about what Sanji says to you?”, you crossed your arms over your chest. Yes, Sanji was your friend and one of your crewmates, but honestly? Both of them are just completely senseless when it comes to fighting each other. “Just, I don’t know, at least take a break from whatever you’re trying to achieve.”, you added a bit more softer.

“Cant.”, he whispered back, put the weights away and looked at you. For a second you could feel him muster you, his eyes wandering from the top of your head to your toes. “I need to show him that I’m better. And stronger. And better.”

“Seriously?”, you rolled your eyes, this was just too childish. “Please come and take a break, just ten minutes.”

“Five.”

“Seven.”

“Y/N..”

“Please?”, you tried again, this time trying your best to make him give in. “Let’s take a quick nap… just a tiny one.”

He hesitates, you stay silent. His gaze starts to wander, as if he’s trying to find an excuse to stay, but after a while you break the silence. “I won’t leave, if you don’t come with me.”

He stands up, sighing. He takes a towel and dries his sweat, but doesn’t care to do something else. The both of you leave the room, you smiling happily and him right behind you, groggily walking along and a slight blush on his cheeks.

The both of you enter your room, a bed in the corner just big enough for the both of you and a lot of plants all around you. Raindrops were quietly hitting against the little window, making the room look even cozier than before. You let yourself fall down on the bed, feeling the mattress shift from the weight on the right side of you, after he lets himself down as well.

“Just a few minutes.”, he reminds, his blush turning into a deeper color and his eyes staying glued onto the ceiling. “…not more, right?”

You hum quietly and lay your head onto his chest, your arm hugging him lightly from the side. For a second he freezes, even though he’s been in this situation with you for a million times now. After a while, he relaxes and hugs you as well, pushing you closer to his side. His hand slowly starts to stroke your hair carefully, afraid to break you.

“Just a few minutes…”, he mumbles again, barely making a sound as his eyes fall closed. You snuggle closer to him, inhaling his scent and humming quietly afterwards.

You don’t really care about him being a bit sweaty, you don’t really care about the footsteps echoing around the ship as your captain runs from one room into another. The only thing you care about is his steady heartbeat, how it speeds up every time you plant a little kiss on his chest and how his rhythm seems to match yours perfectly, even after you both fall asleep. Just a few minutes turn into half an hour, half an hour turns into one hour, one hour into two…

Luffy:

It had been a horrible day. A very horrible day, to be honest.

You were seated somewhere on the deck, watching the waves for what felt like hours now, even though it had only been about twenty minutes since Franky had left. The sun was glaring at you from above, making everything feel just a tiny bit worse.

The day had started perfectly: the sun waking you up, a deliciously made breakfast from Sanji, a beautiful little song by brook, a cute peck on the cheek from Luffy.. everything had been perfect. But then it happened.

You were walking around, not doing much in particular when you felt the first cramp. Stopping your walk, you hissed, but ignored it anyways, deciding that it probably wasn’t something to worry about. But you were wrong. The second cramp followed shortly after, the third one right behind.

Groaning in pain you had held onto your stomach. Something was wrong. You thought for a second, could it been the food? No, Sanji would never give you something that would hurt you. It must have been something else, a virus maybe.

After a while, you decided to walk to Chopper, maybe ask him for his opinion, but a few steps later, you realized that it wouldn’t be that easy. Your stomach started to turn, your head started to spin and your feet dragged you to the side of the ship, where you emptied your stomach quickly. It was horrible.

Franky, who had been standing a few feet away from you, quickly came running to you. “Oi, Y/N! Are you alright?”

Not being able to say anything, you shook your head and decided to sit on the little chair not far away. “I’ll go and get Chopper and Luffy! Don’t go anywhere!”, and then he went off.

Even in your state, you couldn’t help but shake your head. Of course you won’t go anywhere, you are barely able to stand on two feet. Time kept passing by, and soon, minutes flew by like the birds in the sky. Hell, how hard could it be to get Chopper and Luffy? But as if they had heard your thoughts, the two of them ran towards you, Franky following close by.

“Y/N! Franky told me you were dying!”, your boyfriend yelled. He crouched down next to you, his face showing his worry for you.

“I’m not dying.”, you said, your voice hoarse from the pain. “I hope.”, you added, trying to make the situation a bit lighter, but it didn’t work. Luffy was worrying even more, his eyes staring at you deeply and you felt your heart jump.

“Let me see,” Chopper said and pushed Luffy a bit away from you. He started to ask you questions, what you ate, what you did, what you did yesterday and so on. After his questions had stopped, he nodded. “It’s nothing bad, you just need to stay in bed for a while.”

You nodded as well and tried to stand up, but lost your balance shortly afterwards. Luckily, Luffy caught you. He hugged you close, using his devilfruit skills to wrap his arms around you not just once, no, eight times.

He brought you to your room and sat you down on the bed. “Thanks.”, you mumbled.

“Do you want me to bring you some meat? Maybe this will help?”, he asks you. “Meat always makes me feel better, I’m sure it will work!”, he adds brightly and turns around, ready to leave and get the food when you grab his arm.

“No, I think I just want to sleep for a bit.”, you say and try to bring him closer to you, but instead of him coming closer, his arm just starts to get longer.

“Oh. Okay. I’ll tell Sanji to make you something delicious for later then!”, he starts to walk again, his arm stretching more and more.

“No, L-Luffy!”, you yell, your stomach turning again. “Please, can you come lay down with me?”

He looks at you curiously and confused. “Will this help make you feel better?” You nod slowly and he smiles, his huge sunshine smile. “Okay!”

The both of you lay down on the bed and yet again Luffy wraps his arms around you a million times, but you can’t complain. It feels nice to be in his arms like that.

You bury your head into his shoulder and try to concentrate on his smell, the feeling of his skin against yours and his breathing, anything but the ache still prominent in your body. After a while, you start to feel tired, your eyelids growing heavier by the second and your mind slowly drifting off into the clouded world of dreams.

You still register Luffy snuggling closer to you however, rubbing his head softly against yours like a little puppy and you smile. You think he must have been tired as well, because shortly, his breathing starts to even.

Time passes by and the last thing you hear, is him whispering something about how good you smell, almost better than meat. But just almost… and then you fall asleep.

Law:

Being a member of the heart pirates was amazing and you loved lots of things about it. You loved the bond between you and your crew mates, how you could always count on them and your captain, no matter what happened. Even though it had a lot of good aspects, it also had some bad ones.

You being completely stressed, for example.

It wasn’t your task to help all of your crew mates, it really wasn’t but also… it kind of was. You were the one they always came to with their problems and questions and honestly… it was exhausting.

On one particular day, you couldn’t bear it anymore. “How do you ask someone out?” - “Do you think I would die, if I ate only pancakes?” - “What’s the difference between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’?” And your absolute favorite one for the day: “Y/N, is Captain a good kisser? Please don’t tell him I asked you that!”

After a few hours of you trying your best to help everyone, you decided that you needed a break. Exhausted and a bit annoyed you left the deck and went inside the submarine, a slight headache thumping evenly against your forehead.

You went for the kitchen, ready to make you a nice, warm cup of tea but decided against it. Your mood will probably affect the others trying to eat, or worse, your presence will make someone think of a weird question again, which they’re dying to ask you. So, nope. You won’t go there.

Your feet dragged you to your own room, your mood falling more and more, so much that you didn’t even realize you were walking straight past Law, who was asking you if you were alright.

You opened the door to your room and let yourself fall down on your bed, face first when you finally heard Law.

“Y/N? Are you alright?”, he asked and walked into the room. He didn’t wear his hat, which you didn’t see, because your face was buried deeply into the pillows.

“Yeah. Just exhausted.”, you tried to say, but your words got swallowed by the pillows underneath you. You sat up and repeated yourself, this time looking straight at him.

“Hm,” He sat down next to you on the bed. “Maybe you should nap for a bit. It will make you feel better.”

“Will you join me?”, you asked. He was already here with you, he might as well stay and spend some time with you.

“Do you want me to?” You nodded. “Alright then. I guess I can take a little break.”

He pushed the blanket a bit down, enough for him to get inside and let you lay down right next to him. You were laying face to face, your hand grabbing his shirt tightly and your head snuggled into the blanket.

He put his hand over yours and started to slowly stroke his thumb down your hand, making you relax instantly.

“Tell me what was bothering you.”, he said softly and even though your eyes were closed, you could feel him staring at you.

“Nothing, I wasn’t feeling well, that’s everything.”

“Don’t lie, Y/N.”

You huffed. Of courses he knew you were lying. You snuggled closer into the blanket and opened your eyes a bit.

“The crew… they were asking me so many things.. it was so, ugh, I don’t know. I was feeling weird.”, you let your eyes wander down his face, studying every little detail about him. “It wasn’t weird because of them, it was rather weird, because sometimes I didn’t knew what to answer.”

To your surprise, his lips started to curve slightly upwards. Trafalgar Law was not someone who was easy to make smile, it was very hard actually. Sure, you could say you were the best one in doing so, but still.

“You’re…”, he started and his eyes turned a bit brighter, a bit warmer, a bit… more in love. “…adorable.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Sure.”, he brought his hand to your hair and started to massage your scalp, which made you close your eyes again. A deep sigh left your lips. “What kind of questions did they ask you?”

You snorted. “Someone asked me about your kisses,” you said. “Guess who it was.”

“Bepo.” Instantly.

You laughed. “Bingo.”

You could hear him shake his head. “So, what did you tell him?”

“Told him they were horrible.” You teased and giggled right after. Of course you didn’t say that, but it was fun to tease him.

“You’re the worst.”, he mumbled and pushed you into his chest. You inhaled his scent and hummed in content. Yeah, you were definitely in love. “What did you really say?”

“I didn’t answer, it was just too weird.”, you laughed again and felt your body become more tired by the second. You just wanted to sleep.

Neither of you spoke for a while, both of you just enjoying the company. You fell asleep first, he didn’t. You didn’t know Law liked to watch you, when you sleep. To be honest, he didn’t want you to know, it was weird.

But he still did it, because it made him feel good. It made him feel safe, it made him appreciate who he was, simply because he had you with him.

When you woke up again, about two hours later, you were alone. You touched the side of the bed, where Law had been laying and felt it to be still a bit warm, so he must have left not too long ago. You were about to turn around and sleep some more, when the door to your room broke open. You screamed.

“I told you to not tell him about my question, Y/N!”

Oops.

[disneydeb1928]

One Piece Theories: The Truth of the D. Clan

                                                       - The Void Century Theories, Part 3

This is the third part of my Void Century Theories Series. This one is a long one (I apologize).

The D. Clan

So, first I think we should review, what exactly has been mentioned, in canon, on this topic:

1) It is first brought up by Kureha, on Drum Island, when she revealed that the true name of the late Pirate King was “Gol D. Roger” and told Dolton that Chopper had joined up with a very “dangerous man” (Ch. 154)

After stating Chopper has joined up with a “dangerous man”, she then smiles and says, “D’s will is still alive?”

2) In chapter 594, which takes place after Marineford, the Gorosei are discussing the possible connection between Rayleigh and Luffy when one of them says, “The ‘D.’s are always the troublemakers… especially Portgas… it seems his name has been a little too visible lately.”

3) Law actually talks about the D. Clan twice. The first time, is right before the timeskip, in chapter 729. After leaving Amazon Lily with Luffy in Rayleigh’s care he says “Still, I wonder what the Dark King’s [Rayleigh] is up to… the ‘D.’ will always bring a storm without fail… heheh…”. Later, during the Dressrosa arc, Doflamingo questions Law about why he would trust the Straw Hat Pirates as much as he does.  Law replies “Because I know the ‘D.’ will blow up a storm again!”. However, both of these statements are merely echoing what Rosinante told him as a child.

Rosinante refers to where “I come from”, which must be referring to Mary Goise, the home of the Celestial Dragons. He says that will someone “with the name of ‘D.’ begins to make a name for themselves in the world… all the elders all groan and mutter… that ‘D.’ will surely bring with them another storm…”. We know that this is true based off the comments the Gorosei made (see above). He also says that it is a name that people have “secretly” been inheriting throughout history. This is highlighted by the fact that, just a chapter prior, when Law revealed his true name to Baby 5, he said “the ‘D.’ is a secret’ (Ch. 763). Rosinante then states that, in Mary Goise, the “’Family of D.’” is know as “God’s Natural Enemy”. Of course, many have taken this to mean ‘the Celestial Dragons natural enemy’ since the Celestial Dragons see themselves as gods.

When Law demands to know if that makes him a monster, Rosinante admits that “no one knows the actual truth”. However, we know that’s not true. This sentence is important because of a connection it has to the conversation between Law and Sengoku in Episode 743. Sengoku says,

“At least, I know Rosinante had no idea [about the meaning of that ‘D’]. So that wasn’t the reason he saved you.”

While it was a beautiful moment, it should be noted that Sengoku seems to be implying that had Rosinante have known about the true meaning behind the ‘D.’, it might have played a role in why he saved Law (even though we all know Rosinante was a big softy). Sengoku almost seems relieved to hear Rosinante didn’t know the truth. Then, he thinks,

“So he is one, too. The people with the name “D.” always lead a checkered life.”

The dictionary defines ‘checkered’ as: marked by periods of varied fortune or discreditable incidents. It at least implies that Sengoku knows something about the D. Clan.

Now, let’s review the people who appear to know something about the ‘D.’ (at least part of it) and the implications that could have:

1.) Dr. Kureha – (See Explanation Above)

Implications: Kureha aas born on September 8th, 1383. To put this into perspective, that makes her older than every known ‘D.’-bearer we’ve been introduced to in the story so far. In fact, that makes her 141 years old. As mentioned before, she is one of the people who knows Gold Roger’s real name. We know that Roger began to complain about the papers calling him that when he met with Whitebeard (around August) in 1500, so it is very plausible that she simply remembers what he used to be called before the propaganda began. However, her last comment, “D’s will is still alive?” is something of interest.

Grammatically, structuring the sentence as “D’s will” would give the same meaning as “Will of D.”. Both are describing a possessive condition. So we know that she is specifically referring to the Will of D. in this sentence. When she says this, she is smiling, implying that she is pleased with this fact. My question is, why would she have reason to believe that it wasn’t alive. I understand that some families with the ‘D.’ in their name have gone about hiding it, but there is still Monkey D. Garp, who is very public with his name. It’s possible that she’s been living a secluded life for a long time, but if she knew about Roger how had she not known of Garp? Also, I would stipulate, that her reaction makes me believe that there is an emotional connection to the “Will of D.”. It is absolutely possible, that her sentiment could more general, in that she’s happy to see that the World Government wasn’t able to extinguish another token of the past. Or it could imply something else. I think a lot of people wouldn’t be surprised if Kureha had met Roger in the past. He was a sick man and she was a genius doctor, capable of amazing advances in medicine. I think it is also possible that she knew others bearing that initial.  

2.) Roger and some of the Roger Pirates – (As mentioned during my discussion on Joy Boy’s treasure, they discovered the true meaning at Laugh Tale)

Implications: While Roger appeared put out by the idea that the newspaper was covering up his name, he didn’t seem too beat up about it. In fact, we honestly can’t garner much from Roger’s reactions to anything. He, much like Luffy, didn’t seem to let things bother him.

However, I would like to take a look at his last words before his execution. There are two main versions I have seen floating around, but I am sure, due to translations, that there are many more. They are:

·         “Inherited will, the swelling of the changing times, and the dreams of people. These are things that cannot be stopped. As long as people seek the answer to freedom, these will never cease to be!”

·         “Inherited Will, The Destiny of the Age, The Dreams of its People. As long as people continue to pursue the meaning of Freedom, these things will never cease!”

Of course, the first person who springs to mind when I read this, is Luffy, who talks about freedom being a large reason in why he wanted to become a pirate. What I believe Roger is saying, is that as long as people are not content with oppression, and instead chose freedom (which can taken many forms), then people’s dreams and will (Joy Boy’s, Roger’s, Ace’s) can never fully be extinguished (which parallels to what Whitebeard said during Marineford).

Now, freedom mean many things, to different people. Luffy sees freedom as becoming a pirate; Zoro sees it as becoming the world’s greatest swordsman; Koby sees it as becoming a Marine. If you notice, despite having a dislike at the idea of becoming a Marine, Luffy never does anything but encourage Koby (in his own way). Because ‘freedom’ in this sense, is more about following your ambitions – your heart’s desires – reaching for the stars.  

3.) Whitebeard – Roger informs Whitebeard the true meaning of the “D.” during their last meeting before turning himself in. In fact, Whitebeard has enough understanding on the subject that he can confidently say that Blackbeard is not the man that Roger is waiting for [to find the One Piece]

Implications: After Roger complains about his name change, WB asked him this,

“Now and then I come across some people with the name “D.”. Even in my own crew, there’s Teach. Just what is ‘D.’?”

So, Whitebeard is admitting that “now and then” he comes across ‘D.’-bearers. He doesn’t specify how often or even how many bearers he’s come across during his time (at this point WB is 50). However, we know that by 1500, the only ‘D.’-bearers that we know (currently) existed were:

·         Jaguar D. Saul (born March 6, 1397)

·         Monkey D. Garp (born May 2, 1446)

·         Rocks D. Xebec

·         Gol D. Roger (born December 31, 1447)

·         Monkey D. Dragon (born 1469)

·         Portrgas D. Rouge

·         Marshall D. Teach (born August 3, 1484)

We know that Whitebeard was a part of a infamous pirate crew known as the Rocks Pirates and that his captain, Rocks D. Xebec was a ‘D.’-bearer. Now, we have no idea what went down during the crew before they separated – or even when they separated. We don’t even know if the entire crew participated in the God’s Valley Incident. But what we do know, is that the Rocks Pirates were involved in a lot of the taboo subjects of the world. I go into this a lot deeper in one of my previous theories specifically on the Rocks Pirates, but it is very telling that two of the previous crew members end up with a Road Poneglyph. We also know that he is including Roger in his statement, but I also think it is likely he knows Garp as well. I think it is obvious that we have not discovered all of the current or past ‘D.’-bearers, so all we can do, beyond this list, is speculate.

Whatever it was that Roger ended up telling him, Whitebeard appears to keep to himself for the next 24 years. Not that I’m surprised, that man really didn’t care about pursuing any power other then keeping his family safe. However, at Marineford, he says,

“It’s not you [Blackbeard]… The man Roger is waiting for… is definitely not you, Teach. There are those who inherited Roger’s will… and one day, someone will appear who will inherit Ace’s will… As long as that ‘bloodline’ survives, their flames will never die… that will has been passed down from long ago…!!!”

4.) The Marines – They seem to have some awareness of the significance – or at least Sengoku does (as shown by his conversation with Law during episode 743)

5.) Doflamingo – After Law makes the comment about blowing the D. clan being able to blow up a “storm”, Doffy becomes enraged. This sees to indicate that he knows what Law is referencing. This wouldn’t be surprising since he knows the truth about the Treasure in Mary Geoise.

Implications: However, it could simply be that he, much like his brother, was reacting to the fear that the Celestial Dragons instilled in their children about the ‘D.’ clan and was angry that Law knew.

6.) Im-Sama – I think it is clear that if anyone in this story holds all the answers, it’s Im-Sama. They are clearly deeply rooted in the one piece mythology

7.) The Gorosei – Being second to Im-Sama and who the rest of the world view as the most powerful group in the world, it can be concluded that they, at least, know what Im wants them to know on the subject

Commonalities Between “D.”-bearers: All of the members who have passed, have all died with a smile on their face, in what appears to be, acceptance of their fate. This is, of course, with the exception of Teach, who feared death during Marineford.