#i find it very funny that luffy has a brother for the first half of the grand line and then at the second half he gets a different one

[basedkikuenjoyer]

Let's take a day for the new one, Chapter 41's first half is live and it has a vibe with which I can jive. We don't have a whole lot in the way of funny panels this time but the atmosphere is just great. Everyone's hanging out at Cora's with the Donquixopticon Chamber that does have an equally corny name for realsies. Playing Daifugo and scheming for investigating Doffy's involvement with a Dark Bingo Tournament. No, it's not as much of a reference in Japanese. I got hopeful. These kind of moments are great though, lot of nice gags. I love how everything is interspersed with card plays, Daifugo is a fun game. Fruits Basket has it pop up and the old Tokyopop volume had the rules. Convinced a group of friends to play on a school trip once. Very fun memory. Get a load of Luffy cheating!

Where this gets cool is we do break up into teams based on the game. Worth mentioning it by the way, you could call it like "Tycoon" or "Millionaire." As a game it has a theme of wealth disparity and caste. So legitimately interesting to juxtapose with the Donquixote Brothers' origin story as well as what we potentially set up. Reminds me a little of both how we use Hawkins's tarot cards and the Go board in Wano. That's all the symbolic meaning for now, if it shows up again and terms are flummoxing someone gracious enough to translate, shoot me a DM. Moving on. New World parody, gotta split the party. One half will tail Doffy...and the other will investigate Onigashima Middle. Here's our groups:

Well how about that? Miss Nami who mentioned having Kiku's contact info, Miss Robin who pondered how much she'd know, and Miss Vivi who was part of actually saving the day around Yamato's trip to the carnival are all on the Onigashima team. The team notably without someone in that guide role Cora's in for the party crashers. So surely we're about to have some girl time with your new tol buddy. Does Kiku get a nice cardigan like y'all have? I bet she'd like it. Recall our theory is that based on established norms and uniforms, it seems Kiku might already be a New World Middle student like Izo.

Chopper can come too and honestly I'm down with Brook being a part of this. I uh, wouldn't mind checking off finding out how our girl reacts to being propositioned about seeing her underwear while we're at it. Seriously though, high chance our most precious flower of Wano's much more obviously foreshadowed return in this series feels quite imminent.

Since the other team is going to like, a gathering of something that sounds way too much like the Black-Black Club for this not actually ending up being a YYH reference I wonder if Big Mom will work her way in. Totally would make sense with what we have set up. Is a little weird to have Doffy rubbing elbows with her over Kaido but he was always the broker for everyone it seemed. Wouldn't mind seeing schoolboy Perospero, we know Pudding in a sailor suit will be cute, and if I get Katakuri & Corazon in the same panel I know I'mma break reaction records again. Not to mention Jinbei's absence has been a lil fishy. I love where this is all heading, seems like it'll be really fun.

[niichanism]

OK this fic is also so silly. the thought process was like

man ace spends a lot of time tied up in canon > didn’t the bandits also tie him up so he wouldn’t go after the celestial dragon  >  lol what if they just did that to him a lot. ace’s version of being grounded was being literally tied to a tree > what if he got a weird kink from it > incest. 

i think ace would hate being tied up actually but also maybe he just chills out LOL the img of him being like “ugh yeah fine whatever” about objectively such a weird thing his foster family does to deal with him is like. so funny to me.

idk this is some au where sabo has his accident n gets his scars but just gets fished out of the ocean and goes back to goa/the jungle w the boys. they get to have their extended adolescence together :’) and fuck a lot :’ ) 

half finished fic that i really wanted to finish but is ultimately too silly

tw: bondage, asl as a ship, underage, dubcon (?), my energy fizzed out before the sex scene

xxx

Sabo and Luffy find Ace half dozing off in a corner with his hands behind his back and legs tied with several yards of rope. 

Pipe in hand, panting, Sabo stares down at the other teenage boy in disbelief. Ace turns a smile up at them, and for a moment, Sabo wonders if they drugged him. He'd have to bash some extra skulls in for that– no, take Ace back to town first–

Ace yawns though. With a few blinks, he's back to full awareness, and the juvenile, smug air that comes with it. “Hey, you came back.”

“You– of course we came back,” Sabo says, sighing.  “Luffy, watch the door, will you?” 

“Got it!”

Sabo crouches down, examining the haphazard wraps and knots entrapping Ace from knees to ankles. He raises an eyebrow.

“Got jumped from behind,” Ace says, tilting his head with a grin. “Took a shot to my head, knocked right out. Cowards. But I didn't lose a fight, understand?”

Sabo pauses, since his hands haven't even figured out where to start if he wants to untie Ace.

“Think you have a concussion?” 

“...What's that again?”

“Damn it, Ace,” Sabo says, reaching up to check his skull for any bumps. 

They really hadn't expected this band of third-rate pirates to be an issue at all. In fact, they still didn't think of them as an issue. Most of them were face down on the deck outside thanks to Sabo and Luffy. Sabo thought they probably wouldn't pick a fight again. 

Well, Ace had technically picked the fight.

He wonders what they would've done with his brother. Drag him to the authorities in High Town? Toss him overboard, sell him off? Ace wouldn't have allowed any of those things. But he hadn't escaped at first chance either? He just seemed content sitting there like a dope while Sabo hovered, confused by the whole thing. 

Finding no bumps, Sabo raps his knuckles into Ace’s hairline. All that forehead, and any brains inside just evaporate at the first insult or punch thrown. 

“You're so crazy sometimes.”

“Aw,” Ace coos as if it’s a compliment. “You should be thanking me. I took a fall so you and Luffy could escape.”

He leans in like a dog waiting for praise. Sabo works one knot loose, scowling as he pulls the rope against itself. 

“No, you stayed behind to finish a meaningless fight for no reason–”

 “Those guys–” “For no reason,” Sabo repeats, yanking the rope harder. Luffy snickers behind him, and that puts a smile on both of their faces. 

“It was cool, Ace.” 

“See?”

“That big bruise on your face isn’t very cool, though! Hahaha!”

“Ah—? Shut it, I told you they played dirty!”

Sabo rolls his eyes, though there's nothing to it. Luffy starts talking about what a nice pirate ship this is, and what his is going to look like in comparison. It’s always pleasant background noise, Luffy’s dreams. Sabo pulls at the bind, pauses, then glances at Ace’s arms. “You can break out of that yourself, can't you?”

“Hm? Eh… maybe.” Those muscles of his twitch, testing the give of the rope. “Yeah, probably.”

“Why didn't you do that earlier?”

“Well, I was waitin’ for the bastards to come back so I could teach them a lesson. But we’d just ate, so I was sleepy.” Ace tilts his head, half-heartedly flexing against the cords. “It feels kinda good, anyway.”

“What, being tied up?” 

Ace realizes he said something weird. Sabo can see it on his face, but he gets over it quickly and pretends he never said anything at all. Figures. At the same time, he must know that Sabo tucked that piece of information away.

Sabo finds the weak points of the ropes and frees his legs, feeling high-spirited. 

They dash over unconscious bodies on the way back to the beach. 

*

Come to think of it, Ace spent a lot of time tied up. 

Sabo remembers being eight years old, terribly anxious when Ace disappeared nearly five full days without a trace. He ventured further into the jungle than ever, trying to find him. Met Ace halfway on the fifth day when he leapt from a tree and landed right in Sabo’s face. He looked just fine, if not grouchier than usual beneath the jungle canopy’s dappled shade.

“What happened?”

“Got tied up.”

And then he'd waited, with apparently such utter confusion on his face that Ace had to explain, groaning it out the whole time. 

“I got too close to killing some guy in town, I guess? The hag found out and had her goons tie me up for a few days to teach me a lesson.” He spat into the underbrush. “Get real.” 

“Tied you up… like with rope?”

“Yeah.” 

“For a few days?”

Ace’s eyes scrunched shut; he tilted his head like he had to think hard about it. “They let me outside when I gotta piss ‘n crap.” 

“Oh,” Sabo had said, still trying to imagine being tied down like that. Being stuck in his room was bad enough. Ace considered him for a few moments, then shrugged. 

“I guess you're on your own out here so nobody does that to you. Lucky.” 

Sabo didn’t think most people did that to their kids at all. Then again, most people weren’t mountain bandits. He decided not to voice that. 

Ace smiled, missing teeth and full of mischief, then tapped his pipe on his shoulder and kept walking straight past Sabo. “It’s fine, it’s kinda like training! Not that I’m ever gonna let myself get caught!”

And that wasn’t the last time Sabo heard of Dadan’s particular disciplinary method, though it seemed more like a preventative measure for when Ace’s temper got the best of him or he had to be painstakingly kept away from trouble. Apparently, aftemaiden voyage— his accident— they’d had to tie Ace to a tree for a night, too. When they met up again, Ace apologized for it so breathlessly Sabo thought he might throw up.

Then there were all the times they got wrangled up in Luffy, literally, whether that was because they were practicing tying knots with his limbs or because Luffy felt clingy of his own accord. Ace’s tolerance for their little brother’s clinginess had risen exponentially. He was a bit greedy for it, in fact. That was wrangled up in puberty, which had struck all of them hard and fast. 

All that feeling good together came down to experimentation. When the opportunity presented itself, Sabo was just a little curious. Luffy had to practice his sailor’s knots, anyway.

“Think he’s gonna get mad at us?” Luffy asks, snaking the rope around Ace’s ankle and the leg of the chair. He tongues his lip in concentration.

Sabo tightens a bowline to secure his brother’s wrists behind him, then crouches to check his circulation. Looks good. Ace hums in his sleep, head lolling onto the back of the chair. Luffy and Sabo exchange a smile.

“Do you think he’s going to get mad at us?” Sabo counters.

 Luffy hums, high and long. 

“Not really,” he decides, moving his hands a lot. “‘Cause it’s like a sex thing, right?”

“Right,” Sabo says.

“Like sex and… training,” Luffy ponders. “Yep, if it’s like that, Ace’ll definitely understand, hehehe.”

“...Un’erstand what?”

Ace is slow to wake from his fits. Spends half a minute like the undead, cotton in his ears and mouth. Luffy shoots up and grabs his face.  

“You’re up!” he shouts, clutching Ace in both hands, sticky-like. Ace winces at the volume and the humidity, slow-blinking light back to his eyes. Dark pupils drift left– the treehouse’s broad, familiar trunk– then right, to a bright 6 pm sky. 

There are a few more moments of silence, looking for Sabo, relaxing when he senses the middle brother at his back. He sighs out short and sort of sinks against his binds. 

Pleased, Sabo pats his shoulder and circles around to stand with Luffy. Ace looks down. Then up. He yawns.  “OK, what the hell is this?”

Sabo flashes a thumbs up. “Training special.” Ace frowns. 

“We’re having sex,” Luffy informs him, his bright, salty breath in Ace’s face. Their brother’s eyebrows jump like bugs.  

“And I’m tied up… why?”

Sabo shrugs, hand on hip like a premature victory pose. “Can you break out of this one?” Ace makes a more serious effort than the initial wagging from earlier. His jaw locks. Bare arms and legs thump dully against their shoddy carpentry. It’s the chair that Sabo uses to write letters and notes, draw and study maps. He likes this use of it a lot so far.

Ace’s shoulders strain and skew until he grimaces, settles down. “Oh. Damn, Sabo, you’re good at these. You sure you don’t wanna sail on my ship?” Sabo gets a good laugh out of that while Luffy snatches up Ace’s cheeks again. “I did your legs!” Ace fights his hands, cranes his neck to look down. “Uh. Yeah, I guess you did a good job, too.” Ace’s stiff black shorts move with him in multi-directional twitches, but his ankles and shins are stuck in place. Sabo is not really surprised to see that the knots around them are unintelligible and intense. They’re jumbled up thick and sturdy, so many chaotic loops and tumors that they probably cannot be undone without a knife. Sabo pets Luffy’s hair. It’s warm as summer grass and his hand lingers. “You’re surprisingly calm about this, Ace.” It’s somewhat uncomfortable to shrug with his wrists pulled behind the chair. Ace does it anyway, unflapped and quick. 

“Eh. What are you two gonna do, cook ‘n eat me?” he asks sarcastically, then blows his bangs out of his eyes. Luffy cackles, perhaps remembering some of Garp’s campfire stories about pirate cannibals. Ace catches Sabo’s eye, speaks up. “Didn’t Luffy say we’re having sex?”

“Something like that,” Sabo says kindly. Ace’s eagerness dims by a shade of reservation. Sabo reaches over to ruffle his hair, earning a quiet scowl. “And you really don’t mind this so far?” A beat. Another futile rustling of arms and legs. Then Ace shoots a prickly, lopsided grin his way. “Well now I feel like,” he starts, “that’s gonna change somehow.”

“I like it when you think ahead, Ace.” “Gee, thanks,” says his brother, nodding along. “I try my best when it comes to keeping up with you two. Ahhh, fat lotta good that does me, though.” Well, that’s not really a compliment, but it’s said with warmth all the same. Ace looks between them like there’s a puzzle to be solved. He sighs again, sinking against the ropes, loose and lazy with it. “Ehhh. How long d’you wanna keep me like this, anyway? What if I get hungry–? I’ll beat your ass if you eat in front of me–” “Hmmm. Well, you did tie Luffy to a tree for a good six hours back in the day,” Sabo recalls. “OK, and who’s the other bitch ass older brother who let me?” Ace drawls. “Anyway, that was once. He’s over it. You’re over it, right, Luffy?” “Well, it did suck,” Luffy recounts lightly. The frown doesn’t even last a second, overtaken by his moon-sized grin. “But this isn’t supposed to be a punishment. It’s a challenge!” “Oh, yeah?” Ace perks up. “Whose idea?” “Sabo’s!” Ace’s disappointment shows in full, shutters his face in a second. “Oh.” “Hey,” says Sabo. 

“Luffy’s challenges are stupid, and yours are… a pain.”  A grin. “No offense.”

“Guess I can’t be offended that my challenges actually challenge you,” Sabo scoffs. He wags a finger at Ace. “Not that you’ll ever admit it. You’re so cocky.” 

“Name a great pirate who isn’t!” Ace laughs at his own joke. He wets his lips, excited. Competition wakes him up as always. “Anyway, what’s the challenge? Don’t tell me I’m stuck here to learn patience or some junk.”

“Nahhh.” Luffy folds his arms and declares, “It’s an epin— an en– an endearing thing.” Ace and Sabo exchange two short, dry smiles. “An endurance thing,” they correct him. “Right.” “Yeah, I don’t like the sound of that.”

“No, no, you’ll like it,” Sabo replies, all mischief, resting his hand on Luffy’s sun-tanned bare shoulder. It turns sweet– Sabo can’t help but be sweet on Luffy– his little brother turns with delicious trust in his eyes, and Sabo indulges in a kiss. Then another. The third one is in earnest, open-mouthed and wet like they learned to love a few years ago. 

Sabo and Luffy just straight up make out in front of Ace while he’s tied up and he’s like oh fuck you guys at least undo my pants 

his brothers marvel at how hard he got so fast just being tied up and watching them swap spit 

then they take turns bouncing on ace’s dick no matter how many times he cums 🤔 the end 💕

[supermarine-silvally]

Questions 1 through 15 from the relationship asks for Yara and Ace, maybe? 💚

Aaaahhh tysm Dolly!! This genuinely made me feel so much better to type out!

1)How did they meet and what were their first impressions of each other?

They technically met on the Whitebeard Pirates— Yara had joined Whitebeard’s crew about two-and-a-half years or so before Ace did and had worked her way up from apprentice to full crewmember by the time that Ace and the Spade Pirates got into their initial clash with Whitebeard. Speaking of which… It’s so funny to look back on it but Yara HATED Ace at first because of his repeated attempts to kill Whitebeard, her captain/surrogate father. A lot of the Whitebeard Pirates weren’t bothered by Ace, knowing that he wasn’t nearly strong enough to hurt Whitebeard, but Yara was. She treated him as if he had the plague and wouldn’t go near him or talk to him. That started to change once Thatch roped her in to helping train Ace’s observation haki and she started to spend a little more time with him, at the same time that he was starting to come out of his initial angry, angsty phase following his initial defeat at Whitebeard’s hands and his battles with Whitebeard transformed from assassination attempts into genuine combat based on mutual respect. Ace on the other hand never had any ill will towards Yara at any point, even when he was shunning the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates’ attempts to reach him. He just thought she was super pretty and cool tbh… also she just gave off Sad Lonely Vibes that reminded him a lot of himself when he was younger, before he had Luffy to take care of.

2) What kind of dynamic do they have with each other?

They have the most black cat/golden retriever energy lmao Ace can be goofy and fun-loving and super affectionate, whereas Yara tends to be a lot more reserved (she’s basically Mihawk Jr, let’s be real lol) but she loves the attention he gives her and she does give him a lot of love in return, in her own way. Mostly through reassurances when he starts to struggle with his self-worth. (I don’t wanna give too much away about Ace’s past but so much of it is genuinely heartbreaking, my poor boy)

3) What do others think of them?

The other Whitebeard Pirates were relieved when they FINALLY figured it out and got together. Marco and Thatch were pretty relentless with the teasing. Whitebeard was happy that two of his “children” managed to find love in spite of everything that had gone wrong in their lives. Luffy adored Yara the moment she offered him a snack (package of dried meat) that she happened to have in her bag and immediately accepted her as his sister (in law)— though he would’ve done so anyways, meat or no meat, as long as Ace is happy.

4) Do they have the same love language as each other?

They don’t, but they know each others’ love languages really well, so it doesn’t ever become an issue. (I think I had it as: Ace— giving: gift-giving, receiving: words of affirmation; Yara— giving: acts of service, receiving: physical touch).

5) Is their joint future bright or bleak?

Well, I can’t say too much without dropping some MAJOR One Piece spoilers, but I like writing them with a bright future where they end up very happy together for the rest of their days.

6) How close are they physically?

Ace is very physically affectionate, which Yara really loves since she’s very touch-starved. He initiates the vast majority of it, but she absolutely soaks it up when he does. She loves playing with his hair and tracing the freckles on his cheeks (she has a major thing for Ace’s freckles. He’s just too adorable).

7) Do they have a desire to protect each other?

Oh, yeah. The New World (the second half of the Grand Line, where the Four Emperors live) is full of danger and they’re constantly getting into tough battles and having to watch the other’s back. Ace is probably more protective than Yara is because of his Big Brother Instincts, but he knows that stepping on Yara’s toes in battle would not bode well for him afterwards.

8) Do they prefer being alone, together, or with others?

Their favourite thing is being alone together! Ace is the life of the party so he’s always happy to be around whoever and Yara prefers being by herself most of the time, so they kind of meet in the middle there lol

9) Do they laugh at each other?

Good-naturedly, yes. Ace does silly things constantly. Yara tries not to laugh, but she can’t help it. He’s just such a goofball and a sweetheart. Even if she’s laughing at him rather than with him, he considers it a major win just to hear her laugh. He thinks it’s the sweetest sound in the world.

10) Who would win in a fight?

Physically? Ahhh I hate to say it, but Ace. He’s ridiculously strong, considering he’s got a Logia-type Devil Fruit and all three forms of haki, including the rare conqueror’s haki. There’s been quite a bit of debate amongst the fandom about just how strong Ace is, but considering he was once asked to join the Seven Warlords at the ripe age of 17 and fought on equal terms with one of them (Jinbe) for five days straight, the general consensus is that he’s pretty OP. Unfortunately for Yara, I’m not sure if she could match that if they ever were to fight seriously.

Verbally? Yara. Every single time. She’s petty and stubborn and won’t hold back from going for the jugular if need be. Ace can also be very stubborn, but when it comes to Yara being angry with him, he folds like a cheap deck of cards lmao

11) Who is a better liar?

Yara. She has a pretty good poker face and if anyone dares accuse her of lying, she turns on the Dracule Death Glare lol

12) Who is a better caregiver?

Yara, because she has a cooler head than Ace does. Whenever she’s hurt/sick, he’ll be zooming around low-key panicking and just wanting her to get better ASAP. If the situation is reversed, Yara is a lot better at calmly assessing just what he needs and delivering it to him efficiently.

13) Who is a better dancer?

Probably Yara, given that she has probably had to pay a lot more attention to stuff like timing and footwork due to her training as a swordswoman.

14) Who is a better cook?

Neither of them really cook but I think Yara would be more responsible in the kitchen. Ace would probably get impatient and try to heat something up with his Devil Fruit powers and end up incinerating it in the process.

15) Who has better fashion sense?

Yara. She’s a Dracule. It runs in the family.

ask game here!

One Piece nakama: @auxiliarydetective @oneirataxia-girl @xoteajays

[aty-altiria]

No 5. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?

On the Run | Failed Escape | Rescue

Word count: 2367

Universe: One Piece, Harry Potter

Pairings: Fem!Harry/Portgas D. Ace

Rating: T

Themes: Imprisonment, Soulmate Au - first words, results of torture

Summary: For years, Ace had debated the meaning of that particular sentence. That sentence had been the one etched into the skin of his forearm at birth, and though he didn't know it, had caused his mother to burst out laughing when she'd first held him. 

@whumptober2020

Soft footsteps, possibly cloth shoes.  The noise was different from what Ace was used to with the guards, causing him to open his eyes. Ace could make out little in the darkness of Impel Down even with his eyes adjusted, there was little to be seen unless the guards were present. The guards didn't think pirates deserved such simple things as 'light,' which was another blatant sign of how the government saw its people. Regardless, the darkness meant Ace was all the more curious because he could hear footsteps in the hallway, but the lights were still off.

Ace scanned the halls outside his cell, looked past the bar for any sign of moments. Ace narrowed his eyes, wishing not for the first time he could pull at his flames. Without the sea-stone, he could have lit up the entire level - and escape, don't forget escape - to reveal who was watching him soundless in the dark. If it was anyone at all. He strained his ears, listening for the sound of shoes on stone, and something shifted to the left of his cell door. Ace shot his eyes that way and found himself staring into a pair of glowing green eyes near the floor. They were like a cat in the way they were slit and were the only thing visible in the darkness. Then, the eyes blinked one slowly and vanished. There was a sound Ace couldn't place, almost like the shift of a sail, like fabric.

A moment later, the area around his cell door burst into light. It was bright enough that Ace flinched back and slammed his eyes closed against it. He winced as it shot a severe pang in his head. Before eventually, he forced his eyes open and met green once more… but they were different. They were no longer slitted, and they were no longer sitting at the height of a small house-cat. Instead, they were in the face of a young woman holding a stick with a lit-up tip.

Ace watched the woman tilt her head and scan him. Her eyes danced up and down, taking in the shackles across his body, the bruises littering his body, and the guards' blatant signs of abuse. Then… she smiled. It was a little blood-thirsty, a little fond, and a promised violence for someone that Ace was suddenly sure wasn't him. He assumed so mostly because her outfit and her presence told him she wasn't, in fact, a guard. Meanwhile, she was in Impel, somehow, illegally. Therefore, she was a potential ally.

And then she spoke.

"Guess I'll have to break that pretty face of yours out of prison."

Ace's wasn't ashamed to admit his heart jumped. No jumped was tame, Ace's heart nearly launched out of his chest. Instinctively at those words, Ace found himself leaning forward; the chains at his wrists, stomach, neck, and ankles pulled. They clanked together and stretched, stopping him long before he could get even remotely close to her, and it caused him to growl at the chains even as he stared. Ace stared because she'd actually said it. This unknown woman within Impel Down had actually said it… sure, Ace had been hoping ever since he'd been captured. Still, he hadn't actually imagined it would happen. Ace had been half-convinced by the second week within Impel down that it would be a guard set to say those words and destroy all his hopes. But… she wasn't. She'd actually come.

So many years, Ace had debated the meaning of those words, of that particular sentence. That sentence had been the ones etched into the skin of his forearm at birth. Though he didn't know it, the ones caused his mother to burst out laughing when she'd first held him. The same words caused Garp to be just a little more worried during Ace's childhood and also caused his insistence of Ace becoming a Marine to become stronger. Those words also caused Luffy and Sabo to endlessly worry over Ace because surely that meant once he started his pirate career that he'd only end up in prison?

After all, why else was his soulmate breaking him out of prison?

'Maybe she's a Marine, and you corrupt her?' Was Sabo's not so helpful thought.

'Sabo is probably laughing himself silly in the afterlife about then.' Ace thought as his soulmates form shifted, and she lifted the stick higher in the air. She flicked it then, and Ace watched three small blue lights, similar to Marco's flame colour, spawn into being and float into the cell with him. They were dimmer than the light on the stick, and Ace was thankful for it when his soulmate suddenly extinguished that particular light. She then pointed it at his cell door and whispered something.

The door opened, and Ace watched her glance his way. Then at his lips with a particular expression- oh. Ace hadn't said anything in return. He hadn't said her words yet. She had no idea he was her soulmate- but what in the gods' name did he say? He could actually choose… this never happened. No one got to choose. The words just showed up… they were predestined, Ace would always say what he'd say here. The words he'd speak had been etched onto her arm from birth, and the pressure was intense.

What had he said? Or will say? Or should say?

Ace internally groaned and blurted the first thing to come to mind. "I'm Portgas D. Ace… your soulmate."

Oh.

She shot him an amused look at Ace would have face-planted if he could have. Those had to be the most straightforward words anyone had ever gotten in the history of the world. He'd blatantly told her his full name; she would have had that from birth, an awareness of who he was for her entire life.

Well, at least he could say it was better than someone of the heavily insulting things the other Whitebeard Pirates had gotten.

"Holly Lily Potter-" She stopped beside him and tapped the stick to his shackles. Each one fell open, and Ace felt his flames rush back in as she did it. "-Black-Peverell-Gaunt-Weasley… resident of Earth, a much different planet from your own, and one Portgas D. Ace's soulmate." Holly then leaned back and offered Ace a hand, which he eagerly took. She pulled him onto his feet and said: "surprisingly, there aren't many people with that particular name, even after travelling between worlds to find you."

Worlds? What did she mean by that?

Ace kept his hand in hers when he watched her nose wrinkle suddenly and nearly tried to wrench it back in apology. Instead, his cheeks heated slightly despite it being something he couldn't help. The same Marines that didn't give them light certainly didn't provide them with a bathroom, shower, or substantial meals either. Ace was relatively sure he was rank. "Sorry, I... I'm probably... It's been a while since I could shower," Ace stuttered out nervously. He recalled Makino's every lesson on how to treat a woman. Everything he'd learned about them had been from Makino. However, the woman had snuck them in since Ace had only truly been interested in thanking Shanks for saving Luffy.

"It's fine," Holly assured him as her eyes burned holes in the chains holding him. They were filthy now and coated in dried blood from his wounds; many had been pulled entirely too tight and had chaffed something fierce when he shifted. There was a reason Ace had brutal marks on his wrists and ankles now. Not to mention the shackle around his middle had kept him from breathing when he'd fallen asleep in the incorrect position, meaning doing anything but sitting perfectly upright. "But some of those look infected…" she eyed the reddened skin on the wrist closest to her, ironically giving her a good look at the words she'd etched across his skin.

It caused her to blush, and Ace found himself tightening his grip on her hand. The subtle smile there transformed her entire visage, and that blush did funny things to his heart. Gods, he'd only just met her, and he was already gone.

"I can heal them," Holly offered as she smothered the blush, "after we escape, though? The Marines likely already know we're here… maybe?"

"There are no alarms, you've been subtle… hold on, we?" Had she come alone? From the wording, Ace assumed not.

"My brothers." Holly explained with a fond smile, "they're searching the level for you, teamwork since this place is huge." They still hadn't let go of each other's hand, Ace didn't want to either. He was enjoying the feel of her skin, even if it was just a hand. Though he really wanted a bit more contact… it would have to wait until he had bathed, but…

He wanted to taste her.

Ace had been imprisoned for weeks, tortured for weeks, left in the dark without his flames for weeks. And now his soulmate was here. His other half, the one everyone looked for, longed for. The one who'd accept him, his blood, and his heritage without fail. The one who'd just freed him before his family could die in order to save him.

And, Ace wanted to taste her.

But it could wait.

"Hey, Holly! Did you find him yet?!"

Holly jerked a bit as a voice called from down the hallway. Shooting a sheepish look his way, she called: "He's over here!"

"The right one!"

"About time too, how many worlds has it been Forge?"

"Oh, dozens."

Two voices, nearly the same, but Ace could definitely make out two. He was proven correct, as a set of perfectly identical twins appeared from the right side of his cell. They looked alike in every way; their similarities went down to their very spirit as he sensed them with his haki. The only difference Ace could really find was the one on the left was a bit… quieter in energy than the other. But that was it. Ace knew twins could be similar, he'd even met several sets, but this was ridiculous.

The two settled their eyes on him, and Ace noted something wild in their eyes. In the same way Holly's eyes seemed like a cat the first time he'd seen them; these two had a bit of a forest in them. "You're him then, Ace?"

"Not bad looking, eh, Holly? He's attractive, innit he?"

The other nodded along as Ace tried to follow their bouncing conversation, "Holly's been looking for her soul mate for years,"

"Our home country has some nonsense laws, and they tried to marry her off,"

"So the family packed up, all of us-" "which is a large amount, we have a big family, don't we Greg?" "-and we left that word,"

"We figured her soul mate had to be around somewhere, helpful that we had his name. So we travelled across different worlds."

"Been to a few, Asgard was nice,"

Holly shot him a look from the side; she looked long used to this act, and since she was his soulmate and these two were his family, he went with it. Ace was sure he'd get the pattern eventually. Haki certainly was already helping him.

"Elemental countries was cool, lots of ninja's,"

"I don't recommend any planet during the apocalypse though; zombies are not fun,"

"Then, we reached this one."

"See we've got this spell to test if someone with the name of Portgas D. Ace exists, developed by our own Holly." Ace looked to Holly again, who nodded with a shrug. As she did, she mouthed that she'd explain a bit better and in more detail later, especially the parts going right over Ace's head.

"But we didn't need it, since we got a paper announcing his execution,"

"We started off to 'Impel Down' right away,"

"No way we're letting our little sister's soul mate die, or anyone with his name."

"Not after all that!"

"She deserves love!"

Holly heaved a put upon sigh as Ace felt his emotions do something funny again. She'd… she'd been looking for him for a while, more than he initially assumed. Then, Holly had also been lucky enough to have his name through… worlds? Had she really passed through worlds? Was that even possible? They were certainly acting like it was.

"Worlds?" he asked, utterly forgetting they should probably be escaping.

"Ah," it was Holly's turn to blush now, "maybe let's escape first before I explain… because this will be a long conversation. Starting with… do you believe in… magic? Because that's sort of crucial… for our future."

Ace blinked once, twice, then gestured to the chains left behind. "I've been to an island where rain falls upward, so… sure?"

"Oh, good." The expression on her face was entirely mischievous and Ace… honestly felt a bit excited to see it; he couldn't wait to devour her- and then the twins to interrupt again. Ace was not the only one to shoot them a dark look for it.

"Hey Holly, if we're going to be pirates now. Can I have a hat?"

"Oh, yes! I need a tricorn with a big feather!"

"And a parrot!"

"And an eye-patch!"

Holly reached for Ace's hand, "okay, that's enough now. Ace, picture… home, I guess, wherever that is for you, as clearly as possible.  And… brace yourself, most people throw up the first time."

What?

Ace opened his mouth to ask, and- the world twisted away.

[luccislegs]

i'm going to do it. ace/reader/vivi hcs maybe :lookingaway: poly relationship hcs.... bcs im love (w them and you mwah mwah)

ahhhh kizo im lov 2 w u 🥰🥰🥰

Vivi is a fashion designer, friends with you and Nami since highschool. She left to go abroad for an internship and was gone for a few years. In the meantime, you meet the brothers Ace, Sabo, and Luffy. Nami hits it off well with Luffy and you find yourself spending a lot of time with them.

Ace is a construction worker, mixing his off time with odd jobs here and there. He likes being active and in the sun, and he’s good at his job. He’s already attractive to you, all rippling muscles and tanned skin, and always smiling. So the more you get to know him and get to know his sweet, funny, and kind personality, it’s only natural you fall for him. The only problem is he’s a bit of a free spirit and doesn’t seem interested in a relationship. He’s always bringing other people home with him, and almost never the same person.

So you don’t bring it up. Except to Nami, who encourages you to bring it up with him. Luffy’s already told her that Ace talks about you all the time and that eases your worry a little, but you’re still unsure. You wouldn’t mind an open relationship or anything, but you don’t want to just be one of a parade of people he’s swinging through. It honestly isn’t until someone else asks you out on a date and you agree just for the sake doing something other than pining after Ace that something finally happens.

He knows the man, knows how terrible he is because he’s dated other women Ace knows, and is suddenly steaming jealous that you’re out with him. So he follows you, dragging Luffy along to make it seem less suspicious and when they show up and interrupt the date, you’re annoyed but also relieved because it’s going terrible. The man does nothing but talk about himself and his accomplishments and you’re bored. Ace and Luffy give you an out, and soon you’ve forgotten all about your date.

When you leave, Ace pulls you aside and half-heartedly apologizes, even though he’s wearing a bit of a smirk. He’s only sorry for being conniving, not for interrupting what he already knew was a terrible date. He asks you out after that, but you hesitate, asking if you can have time to think. Instead, and very surprisingly, he asks if it’s about the dating around. Again, you hesitate before nodding. You don’t want him to think you want him to change, but if you're just going to be another to him, then it isn’t going to work.

On the other hand, you’re a lot like him. You wouldn’t mind having another partner, and an open relationship isn’t off the table entirely. But free-floating through multiple partners at a time isn’t something you’re going to be okay with. You tell him all of that as best you can, anxiety tightening your throat and fogging your mind so that you’re unsure if you’re making sense or not. But at the end, he nods and takes your hand, promising to work it out.

Over the course of a few months, you and Ace grow closer and he isn’t seeing anyone else. You were worried at first that he thought he had to give up all of his other partners in order to make you happy, but when you brought it up he laughed you off. It isn’t that he feels he had to do it, he was only having fun with them. But he likes you and wants something real.

During that time, you find out Vivi intends to come back. Ace hadn’t yet met her, but the way you talked about her with a bright light in your eyes makes him like her already, and when she shows up, he’s instantly smitten. But then he remembers she’s one of your best friends and he’s already fallen head over heels for you, no way is he going to make any sort of move.

Meanwhile, you’re struggling yourself. Vivi has always been beautiful to you, and you won’t deny you used to have the biggest crush on her. You were sure you had gotten over it, but after 3 years apart it seemed it was back and stronger than ever. She looked more gorgeous than ever, sporting a beautiful tan and a new confidence that you hadn’t seen in her before.

When she runs into your arms, flinging hers around your neck and almost bowling you both over, your heart is in your throat as you lock eyes with Ace over her shoulder. He can see the emotions clear as day on your face, and he wonders if his own is reflected back at you. The whole day is spent in the company of your closest friends, and Vivi doesn’t leave your side for more than a few seconds at a time. Any time you look up, her eyes are on you and whenever they lock, she turns a faint pink and smile.

Ace isn’t oblivious to whatever is going on between you and Vivi, even if you’re unsure. The hug the two of you share at the end of the night is warm and lingers longer than any others you shared, almost as if you didn’t want to part. As you got into the passenger seat of his truck, he slung an arm around your shoulders. “So you and Vivi, huh? I can dig it.”

In the faint light from the streetlight, he can tell you’re blushing, averting your eyes to the side like you’re afraid to look at him. “I don’t know why. I thought I was over it but…” You don’t really know how to continue, instead picking at a loose thread on your jacket cuff. It felt weird, discussing your crush on your best friend with your other best friend and current partner. There was a disconnect of some kind going on, but you were also relieved you could talk so openly about it.

Ace smiled and pulled you closer, tucking you into his side. The seat belt around your waist cinched tighter, forcing you to adjust until you can comfortably lean against him. The warmth blowing out of the heater is nothing compared to the warmth he exuded, and you melt into it, nodding off on his shoulder as he drove.

As Vivi made her own way back to Nami’s apartment, where she was staying until she could find her own place, her thoughts kept drifting back to you. How had she never noticed how beautiful you were? No, that wasn’t it. She had always known, choosing instead to push it down and ignore it. You were friends, and she loved you dearly and didn’t want to push you away, so she refused to acknowledge it. But after a few years apart, it seemed like her emotions had flared even hotter, to the point where she couldn’t keep her eyes off of you all day. And you seemed to feel the same; everytime she looked up, she was locking eyes with you.

On the other hand, you were with Ace. She had never met him before, but she knew enough about him, and had studied the pictures you sent him, and she adored him for how he treated you. Somehow, however, meeting the real him was entirely different. The warmth and friendliness he exuded towards everyone made him more attractive than his picture could do, and there was a pang of guilt at the jealousy she felt over the two of you being so happy together, and over the fact that she would like to have the both of you.

Over the course of the next few weeks, the three of you were inseparable. It wasn’t a surprise to anyone, they were two of your best friends, but all three of you could feel something was different. The air between you was a strange combination of relaxed and friendly and tense, as if everyone was dancing around something unspoken. Everyone was hesitant about speaking in front of each other, afraid of their true feelings being revealed, and yet when you all stopped focusing on it, you got along like a house on fire.

Things really came to a head in the simplest way, when you were hanging out with Vivi at Nami’s one day. You were trying on one of her newly made outfits, one she was planning to use when she revealed her new fashion line to the public. It was still surreal to you that this sweet girl you had been friends with forever was now a rather famous fashion designer and was intending to launch her own line, but you were so happy for her. Her work was amazing and she was so good at it.

You stepped out from behind the screen divider, shyly looking at your feet as you waited for their reactions. The room was silent for a moment before the both of them blurted out at the same time.

“Oh, ___, you’re so beautiful.”

“Wow, gorgeous, babe.”

As soon as they realized they had done it, they looked at each other, their cheeks flushing pink as they locked eyes.

“Sorry,” Vivi murmured, looking at her feet. She had no reason to apologize, of course. It wasn’t uncommon for her to compliment her friends like that, but in her mind it didn’t mean the same thing. You were more than a friend to her, and that little stab of guilt hit her heart again.

“Nah, you’re right, ___ is beautiful,” Ace said, and there was a moment’s hesitation as he looked at you, took in your wide eyes, full of nervousness and hope, before he looked to VIvi again. “But so are you, Vivi.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the silence that followed his statement, his heart racing in his chest as he waited. It was a gamble on his part, but he was pretty sure he was right. After a few moments of a mexican standoff, you met Vivi’s eye and nodded, just a little, and she licked her lips. “Are you guys...I mean…”

You gulped, balling the hem of your shirt in your fist. “I like you, Vivi. I’ve liked you for a long time. But would you be okay with-- with Ace and I too?”

Vivi hadn’t had a whole lot of time to get to know Ace, but in the limited time she had spent with him, she had fallen for his charms. It was a no brainer. “I’m more than okay with it. I actually like Ace too...if that doesn’t bother you, ___.”

It was like a collective sigh escaped all three of you and the tension that had been lingering over the last few weeks dissipated with it. There were timid smiles all around, except from Ace who slung his arms around each of you with a laugh. From across his chest, you and Vivi locked eyes, tentatively reaching out to intertwine your fingers together, sharing an exasperated smile.

[madlymiho]

Hoping my scenario makes the narrow finals!! Ace's former marine love got pregnant from her first sexual encounter with Ace and two years after their training, it is time for reuniting! Their toddler is sooooo eager to meet their father that they try to go right out and find him! Thanks for taking these requests, Miho!!!

Awwwwwww here it comes!!! The cutest moment of this world!! 😭❤️❤️❤️ A rollercoaster of emotions to finally reach this AMAZING TIME 🔥❤️ I’m so glad I met you, my friend. It has been a long and wonderful journey

Since we discussed about it, the little toddler will have a gender, and it’s a girl! 😤💖

Words : 2420

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6

Ace scenario : The moment I became a whole (read after the cut)

His heart is wrenching inside his chest, while he’s looking at the horizon. He has never been so nervous in his entire life. Not even when his crew has been defeated by Whitebeard. Not even when he took the sea at the age of seventeen. Not even when he was on that scaffold, his life about to be ended by the marines. No, he has never felt this way. Perhaps it’s because it’s been two years since he didn’t see her. Two years without a single letters, nor a single phone call. Two years living with the everlasting fear that their passion would be gone for good ; something belonging to the past. They are young after all, barely twenty two years old. At this particular age, there’s nothing to bond you forever to the other one. Ace pinches his lips together, and watches Amazon Lily’s island becoming bigger and bigger, as his ship is about to anchor there. 

“Oï Ace, look at this!” Luffy brags while he blows in his hand, creating for the thousand time a gigantic bicep. “It’s really cool!” 

“Shut it, Luffy.” Ace rolls his eyes, while he sighs, looking at the cliff just above the natural arbor. 

Two years ago, he was with her, right there, still shocked and injured after what happened in Marineford. They made love for the very first time of their life, both of them finally forgetting the many obstacles between their hearts. Ace has cherished that moment every day since he left Amazon Lily, sailing with his young brother to that wild island where the both of them trained harshly until today. 

“Do you think she’s still there?” Luffy suddenly asks, right beside Ace, as he doesn’t know he just surprised his elder brother. 

“Who?” Ace frowns. With Luffy, there are always so many possibilities. 

Luffy chuckles and throws to Ace a playful stare, while he jumps on the barrier of the deck and starts to walk on it.

“The girl who saved your ass, idiot! You love her, don’t you?” 

Ace wants to punch his little brother right in the nose, but he’s terrified to answer this question. He doesn’t know. She lost everything during that battle, two years ago, but he can’t tell if she waited for him. Perhaps the marines took her away, when he wasn’t here to defend her. Perhaps she also decided to disappear, too ashamed to face him the day he would be back. 

“I don’t know, Luffy. She might be gone,” Ace answers bitterly, swallowing his spit. “She has no reason to wait anyway,” 

“Mmmh…,” Luffy closes his eyes, patting his chin. “I think she’s there. She’s your nakama, or sort of.” He shrugs while he jumps back on the deck and starts to exercice, easily distracted by his own mind. 

“Yeah, sort of…,” Ace adds for himself, feeling his heartbeat getting erratic as the boat is now really close to the shore. 

***

When Ace jumps off the boat, he immediately recognizes and appreciates the general atmosphere of Amazon Lily. The arbor is pretty busy at this time of the day, and Luffy is already lost in the alleys, begging for food, not even paying attention to the rest of the world. Ace chuckles and pushes his hat down on his hair, looking around to see if he spots any familiar faces. The capital of the island isn’t so far, and perhaps that a few warriors under the orders of the empress are here to shop for her. He puts his bundle on his shoulders and starts to walk, looking around to see if he can see anyone, but especially her. After all, the purpose of this visit is to find her lover ; at least for him. The real goal of this mission is for Luffy to thanks Boa Hancock, and for the two of them to get back to Sabaody and meet the rest of the Straw Hat. 

“Oh…,” Ace stops walking while he feels something grab his ankle. He looks down to notice a little toddler gripping his boot. “Hey little one, are you lost?” 

Behind dark locks, two curious brown eyes are watching him, absolutely hypnotized by his features. Ace can’t help but smile to the little girl, squatting down to have a better look on her round and chubby face. She’s really adorable. 

“Are you alright?” He tries again, his voice soft and reassuring. 

He has always loved kids, he can’t deny it. And this one looks particularly gorgeous. As an answer, she only extends her hands up in the air, closing and opening them while she gives him the purest smile ever. 

“Up!” She orders with her baby voice, and a soft giggle escaping from her throat. 

Ace chuckles and tousles her raven hair, before he eventually accepts her request, and picks her up in his arms. As he straightened himself up, he feels her tiny fingers exploring his face, gently grasping his nose and skimming his cheek. It makes him laughs softly, while he notices the many freckles on her pale skin. 

“Young lady, are you trying to seduce me?” Ace winks, as the little girl muffles another happy giggle. 

“Funny!” She says as her hands fall down on his neck, pulling on the rope of his hat. “Papa funny!” 

Ace is a little bit surprised by her statement, feeling embarrassed. He shakes his head and smiles tenderly. 

“I’m not your papa, young lady,” he says as he changes her position on his arm, so she can have a proper seat. “But I can help you finding him? Or maybe your mama?” 

“Mama!” The toddler positively shouts, her eyes enlightening by the thought of her mother. 

Ace sighs, as he starts to walk in the alley, where numerous merchants are selling their products. Perhaps her father is somewhere there? He doesn’t remember seeing someone with freckles among the Amazonians, but there’s still the possibility that the person he’s looking for works on this market. She seems too young to be on her own anyway. He decides that he just needs to ask to the different persons here, and eventually, someone will recognize this little girl. 

“Excuse-me!” He calls out to the first merchant. “Do you know who’s she? And where could be her father, or mother?” 

The merchant blinks several times, looking at Ace, then at the little girl, while she’s laughing blissfully within his arms. 

“I’m not here to play game, Fire Fist…” The merchant answers before he rolls his eyes and turns his back to disappear behind a ripped curtain. Ace tries to call him a few times, but nothing. He tries to another merchant, and another one, but all of them seem pretty hostile and busy, and none of them would give him a proper answer. 

“Papa funny…,” the little girl cooes, hiding her nose in the crook of his neck. 

Ace continues his researches for at least half a hour, as he starts to feel slightly afraid for this little toddler. Why does he feel that no one take him seriously? He heard many giggles when he asked his questions, and it seemed that all of them knew the girl. After a moment, slightly upset with the whole situation, and the precious time he’s losing, he decides to take a break, as he seats on a barrel and secures the girl on his lap. She immediately pushes her back against his belly, sucking on her thumb, continuing to give him lovely smiles. Ace can’t help but play with her hair, before he exhales loudly. She seems young, but perhaps she would be able to describe her mother? Or her father?

“Tell me, sweetie,” he starts while he cups her jawline and lifts her chin up. “How’s your mama?” 

“Fine!” The girl nods as she swings her feet. “Mama is okay!” 

Ace giggles and shakes his head. 

“No, I mean… Can you describe her physically? Can you tell me how she looks like?” 

The little girl frowns, visibility concentrated. She looks at her hands for a second, playing with her pants, before she eventually looks back at Ace with a radiant face. 

“Mama is pretty!” 

Ace widens his eyes before he massages his forehead, unable to scold such an adorable child for her more than honest answer. She’s trying her best to describe her mother, but all she can think about is that she’s a beautiful woman. And there are a lot of women on Amazon Lily. But since he can’t stay with her forever, Ace starts again. 

“Sweetheart, can you describe your papa, now?” 

Hopefully, she will understand… Again, she frowns, looking at him with curious and lost eyes, before she tilts her head and points at him with her index. 

“Papa.” She just answers, blinking. 

“I’m not your papa,” Ace shakes his head, as he puts his back against the wall. “It’s not a game, sweetheart. You have to tell me where are your parents, because I need to go.” 

“Go?” 

Ace immediately regrets his sentence. The eyes of the toddler are now full of tears, her bottom lip trembling dangerously. Before he can do anything, she turns into an impressive human waterfall, heavy tears falling on her cheeks, her screams desperate and full of pain. 

“No, no, no! Don’t cry!” Ace gasps as he pulls her against his chest and rocks her gently. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to hurt you… But you need to understand that I can’t stay…” 

“Stay! Stay!” She desperately cries, her little fingers gripping his skin, she’s now inconsolable. 

What can he do, now? He tries his best to rock her, but it seems that his words have a real impact on her heart. Perhaps her papa abandoned her? Maybe she’s an orphan? So many questions travel through Ace’s mind. He’s so busy trying to comfort her that he doesn’t notice the silhouette walking in their direction. As the little girl is still a crying mess, a young woman is now standing in front of them, her own heart about to fall in her guts. 

“Ace?” 

It feels like time stops itself, her soft voice echoing into his soul. Even the little girl immediately stops her cryings, sniffing while she looks up and extends her arm in the direction of the woman standing in front of them. Ace can’t even think anymore. He can’t believe it. It’s her. 

“Mama! Mama! Look!” The toddler happily wiggles on Ace’s lap, as the woman bends down to pick her up and kisses her cheek. 

Ace doesn’t process at all. He’s all numb, mouth slightly open, his eyes travelling from her lover face to the toddler’s one. Mama. 

“Name…,” Ace finally whispers, getting back on his feet as if he has been struck by an electric salvo. “Name, it’s you!” 

He wants to hug her, kiss her, to feel her skin again, and have her smell in his nose. To be able to cup her waist and make love to her, but every of his muscle doesn’t move. All he can think about is the fact that she’s carrying a little girl. 

“It’s been a while…,” she says, breathless, her eyes a bit shifty. “I was expecting your return…,” 

“Mama, look!” The toddler wiggles between her arms, pointing at Ace. 

Ace feels his heart wrenching hard. Is it… Really too late? After all, he shouldn’t be surprised. She’s a beautiful girl, fierce and intelligent. It’s perfectly normal that many men want to have her by their side and have a family with her. Yet, for Ace, it feels that he’s being stabbed by thousand knives. He swallows his spit, looking at the ground for a moment, pushing on the edge of his hat to cover a bit more his eyes. He’s so pitiful ; he’s about to cry. 

“I should go,” Ace whispers harshly, unable to stay anymore. His heart is broken in many pieces. “It was nice to see you again, Name...” 

“Mama, why papa is playing again?” The toddler says loudly, as Ace is about to turn his feet and leave them. 

“He...He doesn’t know who you are, sweetie…,” She answers shyly. “Not yet…” 

Ace feels his whole world spinning. He looks up, frowning. What is she trying to say right now? 

“He doesn’t know that he’s your father yet…” She continues, trembling. “I was supposed to tell him today, but someone decided to run away!” 

She turns her head to look at the mischievous eyes of her daughter. The little one only giggles and kisses her mother’s cheek. 

“It’s...It’s real?” Ace stutters, making a step forwards. He fights the need to throw up, the surprise kicking his guts. “She’s…” 

Name nods slowly. 

“Her name is *name*, she’s your daughter.” She pauses, then exhales. “I can’t believe you thought it could be someone else’s child she looks just like you!” She snaps, her impetuous character coming back to the light. 

Ace chuckles, still processing, yet, he closes the distance between the two of them. As he looks at his daughter, he can see how much she’s the spitting image of him. Same eyes, same hair, same freckles. 

“So… I’m your papa?” Ace asks, still hesitant. 

The little toddler just throws herself inside his arms, peppering his neck and jawline with tender kisses. 

“Yes! Yes, you papa!” Name chirps, “Mama showed me photo of papa!” 

Ace closes his eyes as he hugs her tightly, feeling the tender digits of his lover skimming his arm. 

“I showed her your bounty poster months ago. She wanted to meet you so eagerly, I couldn’t prevent her from escaping. She’s a real wild fire…”

Ace looks at the features of his lover, and slowly, he rolls his free arms around her waist, pulling her against his torso. For a second, he only sees the beautiful complexion of the women he loves, before he bends down and steals a hungry kiss, his thumb caressing her back. He feels so many emotions right now, and he can’t even pick one. They slowly part their lips, bliss surrounding the three of them. 

“Ace!” A voice calls from the end of the street. “Aceeee!” 

Ace notices his little brother running to them, a bright smile blooming on his lips. He waves at him, tears of happiness falling on his cheeks. 

“Luffy!” Ace shouts at the top of his voice. “Luffy, come here! I need to present you someone important…” 

[cheswirls]

it’s your extension (let me extend) 6/6

sabo climbs into the backseat, and shanks squints at him from the rearview mirror.

“isn’t that ace’s?” he asks, gesturing to the cord wrapped around sabo’s wrist.

he looks down at it, humming. “i’m just holding onto it.”

-

sabo can’t sleep that night.

he feels like he’s missing something, and it keeps him up.

he wanders into the kitchen the next morning, eyes dry and red, and makino looks at him with concern. she gets up from her place at the table for two, letting sabo sit across from shanks.

“you look terrible,” he notes.

sabo hums, not enough energy mustered to form a snarky comeback.

“you . . are going to do great today!” shanks says next, switching tactics when he notices makino’s stare from the sink. “fuck those people from yesterday. today you’ve got this!”

he heads off before too long, leaving sabo at the table alone. makino heads out too, leaving sabo to watch micah while she worked her day shift. not that he minded. he was there for the week, and this was the least he could do.

he switches with shanks around midday, and comes back to the redhead in the exact spot he’d left him.

“how’d it go?” shanks asks, and sabo’s lips quirk down.

“i picked a more competitive career than i thought,” he mutters.

he crashes for a few hours and wakes up as the sun is setting, mind still set on something he can’t seem to remember.

he doesn’t sleep again.

early, the next morning, sabo decides he’s had enough. he gets out of bed, giving up on sleep, and turns on his desk lamp.

makino is in the kitchen. she looks tired. she doesn’t look surprised to find sabo there, messing with the old coffeemaker. instead of questioning, she pulls out two mugs and a carton of eggs. 

sabo fills up both and takes one back to his room, closing the door softly. he sets it at his desk, and a minute later he’s hefting all twenty of his notebooks right next to it.

sabo’s never really read through his logs. there’s never been a need. he’s never forgotten.

but there’s a gap. one he hadn’t noticed until now.

and he hates forgetting.

so he steels himself, divides the stack in two to see the light, and begins flipping through the first notebook before the sun has thought to rise for the day.

he’s a third of the way through notebook nine when he pauses, hand going through the motions to flip the page and freezing, and he peels it back to still find something unusual written, uncertain now that it wasn’t his tired mind trying to pull a trick on him.

he marks the page and rises from his seat, digging around until he finds an old sketchbook, all but one of the pages ripped from the spiral, stacked loosely inside.

it’s the one attached that he’s interested in.

“who are you,” he mumbles, reading the sprawling script, near covering the entire page, aloud. 

“quit writing in my sketchbook.”

“surely one page is fine.”

he pauses, continues, voice picking up, heart rate steadily increasing.

“this isn’t a dream, y’know.”

his coffee has gone cold, so he sets it on the corner of the old wood, not willing to get up and leave his reading to warm it.

he’s missing days in the notebook. well, he is. they’re there, after a spell. just in a different handwriting, a different format. 

he has trouble reading them, at first, because it’s very hard to process. but the more he does, the more dread and wonder pool in his stomach, as he realizes the impossibilities of him doing this to himself, playing some sort of trick years in the making. this person, this ace, was undeniably different, and was taking control of sabo’s life every other day.

sabo’s notes weren’t very interesting, usually. it was either long, unending paragraphs ranting or rambling about the day, or neat, precise notes for more uneventful times. but, after ace started leaving entries, sabo’s changed.

he still wrote for the sake of logging, yes, but now the margins were filled. certain things, reminders for tests or important events, were more bolded and circled, easy to catch. like that was the point, to get someone to notice. he finds himself reading the notes more closely than his own entries.

please set my alarm from now on. at least three of them. preferably all five.

quit writing all over my face!! i get it!

i finished that report. just print it out and bring it, please.

sorry if you wake up tired. had a long night.

yeah, sorry. here’s the password.

if i have to scrub ink from my face one more time i swear ace portgas i will take permanent marker to your eyebrows.

let’s make this easier for ourselves. if we write about what we did when we switch, it won’t matter that we weren’t there. we’ll be all caught up for the next day.

we didn’t switch again.

sabo blinks. he turns to the next page, again met by his own handwriting.

we still haven’t switched. i’ve been drawing, what i could remember. it’s funny, i just realized today that i don’t even know where he lives. somewhere in japan, in the corvo mountains. but it’s a big mountain range. there are a lot of settlements. i draw everything i can remember. the old vending machine out near the high school. the view of the mountains from the lake’s shore. the inside of garp’s craft room. my calls still aren’t going through. i try and convince myself that the number’s not wrong, but every time i try again, it ends the same. i tried texting, but it didn’t send. 

it’s weird. after that night, after i finally convinced myself how i felt, that i really    well.

and then it all stopped. like it really was a dream. except, i still have his cord. i wear it all the time, like i’m afraid it’ll disappear too, if i leave it alone for too long. i can’t lose it. i can’t lose anything else.

i don’t want to believe i’ve lost him, either.

the next entry he finds worth to note is only a sentence long. it’s the shortest one he’s ever seen. 

i’m going to find him tomorrow.

he turns the page. the next entry is marked a few days after that, after he’d come home, apparently. if he ever left at all.

he bites on his lip, moving the page corner between his fingers, flipping back and forth as if the missing entries would magically appear.

he sighs after they don’t, leaning back in his chair and throwing his head back.

out his window, through the blinds, it’s lighter. he blinks tiredly at it, trying to process this fact.

muffled crying from further in the apartment breaks his train of thought. sabo sits up, leans over the desk, and grabs the coffee cup, intent on refilling it before he read through the other half of the stack.

as he’s standing, though, his gaze falls to his wrist, and his feet fall still. he stares.

the red cord from the other night is still wrapped around his arm.

-

sabo meets robin one day for coffee, because she’s in the city by chance, and he’s looking for something to do.

he’d already had coffee that morning, but he definitely wasn’t passing up the chance for more.

makino had turned the machine off on him after his fourth cup, and even as she left to take micah on a walk, he hadn’t the courage to turn it back on.

shanks had woken up and walked in on him still mulling over his notebooks, this time with the added bonus of all his sketches laid out across his desk. he’d quietly closed the door after seeing sabo had spend yet another night without any sleep, and left for work soon after.

sabo slips into a loose jacket, attempts to flatten his hair that had been ruffled through in his earlier musing, and drains half a bottle of water in hopes of clearing the more gaunt part of his expression.

he thinks it maybe does. somewhat. robin doesn’t bother to mention it, so he doesn’t think about it anymore.

instead, halfway through their light conversation about life as they trekked through the city, he thinks about something else. he casts glances down to his wrist, where the cord was tied, leaning against his coffee cup. robin stops talking and he finally looks up to her questioning gaze. he feels like he’s missed a cue to respond, but instead of trying to figure it out, he throws one back at her.

“hey. when we worked together, did i ever . . . mention an ace portgas?”

robin’s eyes narrow, and she hums, still walking forward. “wasn’t that who you went to go find, that one summer?”

he turns his eyes back to their path, thinking it over. it synced up. so she knew about his trip, the one missing from notebook number nine. entirely.

“did i find him?” he asks, almost scared of his own voice.

“you found fuusha,” robin answers, not the one he wanted, but an answer nonetheless.

sabo gets home and rips his desk drawer open, taking out all the articles on fuusha and lying them across his desk.

they don’t all fit, so he lies them across the floor instead, taking time to examine each of them.

he reads them all carefully, about the comet, about the crash, about the evacuation. fuusha was nestled in the corvo mountains, so it matched up. 

wait.

he purses his lips, stands so fast he trips and nearly tumbles over, gripping the back of his desk chair. he swipes notebook nine from the desk, moves to sit back on the floor, and rifles through the pages. there.

by the time your date is over, you’ll be able to see the comet.

the date was the same as miran comet, though the years were different. his eyebrows slant. that was odd. something still wasn’t adding up.

he stands again, another fleeting thought passing through.

“makino,” he mumbles just inside the kitchen doorway.

she looks up, turning away from micah in the highchair.

“can i get luffy monkey’s address?”

this was crazy.

sabo sighs, dropping his hand away from the door for the fourth time. he couldn’t knock. what was he even thinking, coming here? sure, these were the only people from fuusha he knew, but he didn’t really even known them. he’d greeted garp in passing, he’d seen his son once, and he hadn’t even met luffy, that night.

but. he did know the other brother. sort of. at least, he had some connection with him, now.

he drops his raised arm again. but! there were over one thousand people living in fuusha, back before the comet hit! even if they could help him, would they even know the person sabo had been switching bodies with?

he raises his arm before he can think of another excuse to walk off the porch.

the door opens as he’s reaching to knock.

sabo startles back, the door swinging open all the way. a scruffy head of black hair greets him, the boy nearly a whole head shorter than him still bent over to stuff on a pair of shoes. his head raises as he attempts to step forward, finding sabo in his way. he’s met with a wide pair of eyes.

sabo tries to smile, but he’s nervous now, and he doesn’t think he does a very good job. “uh, hi,” he begins. “luffy, right?”

“luffy” picks his hand out of the back of his shoe, letting the leg fall to the ground as he straightens to full height. “yeah. who’re you, though?”

sabo nearly slaps himself. of course. he didn’t even- “i’m sabo.” he offers his hand. “i was here the other night, for your graduation party.”

luffy doesn’t take sabo’s hand, but he stares at it for a long time. he realizes it’s the hand he has the braided cord wrapped around. “oh, that’s-”

“my brother’s,” luffy finishes, looking back up. there’s a new light in his eyes. “you said your name was sabo, right?”

“yeah.” he nods. “is, um. is your brother here?”

a wide smile slowly begins to form on luffy’s face. “no. but i can tell you where he will be.”

-

[ 6:23 ] ill b home late

[ 6:24 ] you have your key?

[ 6:24 ] yeah

[ 6:27 ] Then i won’t wait up

[ 6:28 ] Take care of yourself

sabo sets his phone facedown, his lips quirking up. he feels around his pockets to make sure he has his key, not wanting to give makino anymore worry. he settles down again when he finds it, fingers pressing into the cool metal.

outside, it starts snowing.

sabo watches it, gaze fixed on the large windows he’s sat in front of. there’s a drink in front of him, steam wafting up. his phone vibrates again.

he picks it up as the tingling bell signals the door opening. the passing conversation catches his attention, though.

“lighten up, kidd. this will be the last one, i swear!”

“you said that the last time.”

sabo sets his phone back down. he tries not to stare, but as they order at the counter, then turn to find a table, he can’t help but watch the pair. he’s certain he’s never seen them before. at least, he doesn’t recognize them. but that name . .

“i just want this wedding to be perfect,” the girl mutters, sat close enough to where sabo can hear. 

“i know, lami,” kidd says, ducking forward. the name strikes sabo, again. lami. and kidd. 

his eyes narrow. he turns back to the window.

it’s still snowing.

he hikes up his scarf at the thought of venturing out into it, phantom goosebumps rising on his covered skin. his eyes watch as people walk by, the streets still relatively crowded for the hour, considering it was a weekday.

he takes a sip from his drink, content on people-watching.

“-like from fuusha?”

his ears prick as they catch on to the word, and he inclines his head slightly to hear the conversation behind him.

“no. maybe? i . . i don’t know.” a sigh. “i think i just miss it, y’know? it’s that time of year and all.”

sabo blinks, and then his eyes catch on a figure coming across the street. he bends forward, catches sight of dark, mused hair beneath a hood, freckles lined on tanned skin-

the door opens and he reaches out, having chosen the seat nearest to it for a reason. his hand snags in black fabric, right at the elbow, and he holds tight. 

the door closes again and sabo looks up, seeing the surprised look just moving off of luffy’s brother’s face, replaced by something more knowing, like he knew exactly who sabo was.

or, his mind supplies, luffy just told him.

he turns to face sabo and the blond releases his sleeve, confident that he’s gained the attention he’d been seeking. carefully, not looking away from the other’s face, he undoes the knot tying the braided cord to his wrist, and holds it out in the space between them.

“you should have this back,” he mumbles. “it’s important to you.”

you’re important to me.

sabo blinks.

freckles reaches out, carefully, and after a moment cups sabo’s hand in both of his own. he’s smiling, now, faint and soft, but definitely still there. his hands are cold around sabo’s.

“thank you,” he says, removing his hands, dragging the cord with them. sabo resists the urge to frown as they leave, suddenly missing their presence. they’re back soon enough, though, as ace holds the cord out length-wise, presents it to sabo. “then, will you tie it for me?”

sabo takes the cord back. his eyes widen. wait-

he looks up. “you never told me your name,” he whispers.

“you already know it.”

“ace?”

“hey, sabo.”

[neverwatchedonepiece]

638-639: "A Deadly Blow! The Astonishing King Punch!" and "The Fighting Fish Strike! Across the Deadly Iron Bridge!"

Franky offers to wipe Sol’s internet history.

I knew there was something up with that toy.

Never thought he’d be part of the Resistance, though. (May the force be with you, Sol.)

Once Block B’s Battle Royale concluded (more on that later), the action cut to Franky and Sol the Toy. Sol was suspicious and alarmed by Franky’s willingness to ask any random person he met about destroying a top secret local weapons factory. But Franky was unmoved. He needed intel. He followed Sol out into the stairwell.

At first, it seemed Sol wouldn’t talk. Franky threatened to leave and find someone else. “I said I need to beat up a Donquixote Family member and find out how to destroy the Smile factory!”

But Sol’s caginess stemmed from the fact that he was already involved in a similar plot! (Very cool.) “You keep talking about this radical plan, but why do you want to do such a thing? It seems like you know things ordinary people don’t. What is your true purpose?”

Franky kept his mouth shut. He’s streetwise enough to know not to let any old random in on the Strawheart Alliance’s Yonkou Stompin Plan.

But he was also smart enough to spot a potential ally. “Then you too!” he said. “Where is the factory? Tell me right now and I’ll destroy it.”

Sol refused. He was not against destroying the factory but first, “we want to save the workers.” The use of ‘we’ was a definite giveaway. Sol is not acting alone. He mentioned Rebecca earlier. Maybe she’s part of the Resistance too? I am also suspicious about this Ricky character. He also hates Doflamingo. I have a funny feeling he might be connected to Kyros too (maybe he is Kyros). After all, no one remembers seeing him fight, he just disappeared and it was only twenty years ago this happened.

Another issue Sol raised was that the fall of the factory could lead to the downfall of Dressrosa itself. (Hence Franky shouting about the factory in public not being a good idea.) Okay, I thought. That makes sense. It’d trash the local economy and bring upon the island the wrath of Kaidou. But in that case, why would Sol want that to happen? Well, maybe not *want* it to happen. It’s more like, why would Sol rather have Kaidou wreck the place rather than let the status quo run its course?

I felt like Sol almost gave it away when he said to Franky, “If you have the nerve and are determined to go against Doflamingo, I’m going to tell you everything about this tragic kingdom of Dressrosa!”

Yes, please! Please do tell us all about the tragic kingdom of Dressrosa!

But I was blueballed. The credits rolled and the plot hasn’t circled back to Sol and Franky.

I’ll make a mad prediction while I wait. I’m thinking all these invisible fairies hanging about might be the original inhabitants of Dressrosa and the Donquixote Family have enslaved them or are forcing them to work in the factory for practically nothing. 

And the Winner Is...?

Meanwhile, in the Colosseum, Block B’s battle was about to conclude.

The twists and turns here were great. I guessed Bartolomeo would emerge the victor (laws of shounen: the fighter who is totally relaxed and barely lifts a finger always ends up winning (this only applies to battles that aren’t vital to the plot)). But how the fight played out was really entertaining and I never imagined it ending that way.

The mystery of Bartolomeo’s Devil Fruit power was kept until the very end of the fight. Even Bellamy’s speed and power couldn’t break Bartolomeo’s strange, deflective powers. At first I thought it was a rebound power. This was only because Bartolomeo seemed surprised by one of Bellamy’s attacks (like the power seemed to happen automatically - not controlled by Bartolomeo). Now I know Bartolomeo must have had his fingers crossed while Bellamy was attacking. The only thing that planted a seed of doubt? Bellamy did manage to grab Bartolomeo. How had that worked?

The scene of multiple betrayals was fun. Dagama urged the fodder fighters to regroup, muster their strength and focus attacks on Blue Gilly - only for Dagama to cut them down when their backs were turned and reveal he had really teamed up with Blue Gilly all along! That was a fun twist in itself. Then, when Gilly double-crossed Dagama.... ooooh, the intrigue! The fact the fodders were probably coerced into fighting because Dagama had poisoned them only upped the scumbag stakes.

I love that Dagama had the cheek to complain Blue Gilly double-crossed him. It’s like Gilly said, “Can’t believe people would trust a dubious guy like him in the first place!”

While everyone was double-crossing each other, Elizabello shadow-boxed and sweat-dropped. A bunch of chuckling, vengeful thugs surrounded him. Gilly decided to gloat. Called him a “helpless king without a court” who couldn’t do anything without Dagama.

When Liz ceased so shadow box... that should have been everyone’s clue to take him out. Instead, the other idiots in the ring let Liz power up. The guy stood there red-faced, yelling and popping veins like he was locked in the bathroom suffering through a difficult poop.

Even the audience knew something was wrong before they did. A group of worried randoms figured out their section of the Colosseum would be wrecked if they didn’t scarper.

By the time Gilly and the other fighters noticed something was seriously wrong, Gilly’s attempt to take Liz out was too late. KABOOM! Liz threw the King Punch. It was pretty spectacular. A golden-tinged impact that would have done Caesar proud. It took out almost everyone. Bellamy, Gilly, everyone who had been knocked out, was blown away into the moat.

Only a single-person remained in the ring.

IT WAS ME, DIO BARTOLOMEO!

Yes, it was Bartolomeo! And the trick he had been using to job the entire fight was revealed by Liz’s King Punch. 

Bellamy was right: Bartolomeo was a Devil Fruit user. He has eaten the Barrier Barrier Fruit, which enables him to protect himself from (any?) attacks if he crosses his fingers. He also unwittingly used his powers to save a large section of the Colosseum and the crowd who would have been obliterated by the blast. Not sure if he’d like that. But a win was a win, right?

Interestingly, Bartolomeo also has a reason for fighting. After he told the audience to go to hell, he declared he would win the Mera Mera Fruit and dedicate it to “That Person.”

As yet, I have absolutely no clue who it could be. 

But Bartolomeo’s reaction to finding out Strawhat Luffy was in the mix was intriguing. Was that fear I saw on his face? I’m trying to remember if I’ve ever seen Bartolomeo before but am drawing a complete blank. The weirdest thing was that there was no confrontation between Luffy and Bartolomeo. Looking forward to seeing what is up with this guy later on.

Luffy cheering on Bellamy was a good twist too. Actually, it’s not really a twist. When it comes to most people Luffy doesn’t care much about the past (Teach and Akainu are probably on the shit list for good). If he can forgive you, then all is forgotten. Of course, Bellamy felt embarrassed being cheered on by the old enemy who gave him a pasting. Doubly so, since he has failed again and Luffy has become so much stronger (able to use Conqueror’s haki - like Doflamingo, I guess).

Now the focus is on Block C. The competitors here seem a bit fodderish, with the exception of Don Chinjao. We have Sai, Boo, Brutal Bull (lmao), Hajrudin a Giant pirate mercenary from Elbaf, some fighting champ called Ideo, the Funk Brothers (lmao) and some guy called Jean the Bandit. Rebecca should clean up here. Then, when Block D comes around, it’ll be Luffy vs Cabbage.

Unpopular Opinion Time

I am beginning to like Caesar.

There must be something wrong with me.

Oda, I can’t believe you’ve done this. It is entirely your fault.

The action cut from Bartolomeo’s horrified Luffy realisation to the Caesar Handover Team out on the bridge.

My prediction that it would take them ages to cross the bridge was shot down in glorious flames. Thanks to Caesar, it didn’t even take them half an episode! Thank you, Oda.

It turned out the solid-looking iron bridge praised by Usopp was not especially robust. I think Caesar jinxed it, though. He was the one who said, “We’ll be fine if the fish don’t strike.”

Then a bubbling rumble in the depths announced itself. I lol’d heartily when a Vast Horned Abomination slammed itself into the barrier and stared at them with a grin stretched across its face and a look of murder in its mad, red eyes that said, “There will not be a second smash.” (I liked their design, by the way. The fighting fish look awesome.)

As Law wanted to reserve most of his strength for the return journey, he left Robin and Usopp to smack down the fighting fish (literally in Robin’s case). They were doing a fine job, but when Law asked Usopp to uncuff Caesar so he could fight...

Holy moly, Caesar is actually pretty strong. I keep forgetting, since he acts like such a highly-strung goofball diva a lot of the time, but damn... those Gastille beams fried those fish like it was cookout season!

Still, there were a lot of fish. And the bridge had collapsed in the middle. With nowhere to run, Law almost used Room, but the offending fish was speared, netted and dragged away along the other half of the bridge by freaked out, invisible people. (Interesting.)

Once Caesar was convinced to fly them all over the broken bridge (Caesar is basically Law’s bitch now his heart’s in a box. He is hilariously bitter about it,) they discovered the netted fish drag marks led straight to Green Bit.

It’s a strange place, is Green Bit. It is supposedly deserted and is therefore overgrown, wild, full of animal life. Ships lie wrecked all round the coast. A single, huge rose towers over everything else (hence the name Dressrosa?) Usopp should be fine here. He’s used to hostile wilderness terrain. Unless the invisible fairy people attack them. Then all bets are off.

KNEW IT.

I totally knew Sanji was being played.

Still, I’m glad the dumb charade has finally run its course. At least it only lasted for a couple of minutes each episode. I was getting tired of Sanji dropping all his Strawhat responsibilities for a random.

Got to admit, though, the brief skirmish with the thugs in the warehouse was cool. Sanji was so fast, the guy never knew what hit him. Sanji is always so stylish when he fights.

And look at what it’s got him into. Cuffed and likely hauled off to who-knows-what fate. Sanji’s reaction to Violet was interesting. It was almost like he recognised her face. (Either that or realisation hit that he was being played the entire time.) Whatever the case, this plot line has just become ten times more interesting and I’m looking forward to seeing where it leads.

If I can make another mad prediction? Violet is a member of CP0. Absolutely no basis for this other than she looks pretty dead behind the eyes, is kinda scary and her working with CP0 would tie them into the main plot nicely.

“Excuse me, do you have a moment to talk about our lord and saviour, Donquixote Doflamingo?”

[goodlucktai]

Since yu're accepting fic prompts, protective strawhats? I just re-read all your op fic for the umpteenth time and I'm still crying, so more please? (I love your writing so much omigosh, it's so goddam beautiful I can't function)

thank you so much for your patience, i’ve made you wait so long for this kllahgljhd sorry!! and i hope you enjoy!! 

a continuation of the smile again au !

x

It’s been a slow shift at the Baratie, and at two a.m. Sanji is one of the handful of kitchen staff left for the night. He’s covering for the pâtissier during her maternity leave on top of his regular duties. It means longer hours for Sanji, but the head chef doesn’t mind having him around after his scheduled shift ends.

Nami assured him it was fine. Brook works at home between gigs, and Chopper’s classes won’t start for another two weeks. Zoro has been taking time off. There’s always someone home.

Still, a pit sits in his stomach when he’s not there to make dinner.

He scowls down at the half-empty pastry kitchen inventory, willing it to finish itself. It’s almost a relief when the server leans over the expo counter and calls back to him.

“Sanji? Your brother is here to see you.”

Four years ago, a statement like that would have filled him with dread.

Tonight, he doesn’t hesitate to abandon his station and head for the swinging kitchen door, pushing it open and scanning the warmly lit dining room for a familiar face.

And right away he finds Luffy, sitting by himself at one of the small, two-seat tables beside the wide front window. He hasn’t seen Sanji; his head is turned to face the street, neon city lights washing over his skin and hair and hands. Sanji backtracks to the kitchen with his heart in his throat.

It’s the work of about three minutes, putting together a quick serving tray. A mug of heated milk, cocoa, sugar, salt and cinnamon stirred in by eye, a generous slice of the mousse cake Sanji made earlier this morning, a fork and a cloth napkin. A quick text to Nami, to let her know their wayward Luffy’s whereabouts. And then Sanji is out the door again.

The bartender catches his eye and he nods to her, a silent thank you for sending the less busy server to find him.

Luffy looks up when he draws near and smiles with a happy “Hi, Sanji!”

“Hi, yourself,” Sanji replies, without moving yet to join him. “You know I’m gonna ask.”

“Uh-huh.” Luffy’s smile dims a little. “Sorry it’s so late.”

Not for the first time in his life, and certainly not for the last, Sanji is torn between the polar opposite desires of either hugging the brown-eyed menace or shaking him senseless. Tray balanced in one hand, Sanji rubs his eyes with the other.

He doesn’t care how late it is. Once upon a time Luffy slept and rose with the sun, but his sleeping pattern has been been skewed beyond repair lately, and it’s no wonder why.

The edges of an ugly scar peek out from under the low collar of his shirt, a reminder, just in case Sanji managed to forget.

Sanji sets the tray down gently, and takes a seat in the only other chair. “Don’t be,” he says mildly, taking the safer route. “You saved me from a bunch of paperwork. I was going crazy back there.”

Luffy’s grin blooms right back, and only widens when Sanji slides the mug and mousse cake in front of him. He makes a delighted noise that sounds more like a verbal exclamation point than anything else and tucks right in.

“You made this, didn’t you? I can tell,” Luffy says, mouth full. “It’s amazing!”

It’s been years now, and words like that still fill Sanji with an impossible warmth. It probably always will. He only has to think of growing up in his father’s house, the scorn and mockery his every attempt in the kitchen was subject to, and Sanji knows he won’t ever take his friends’ praise for granted, even if it makes him feel too much like the earnest child he used to be.

He itches for a cigarette. He settles for a bite of Luffy’s cake.

On nights like this it’s wrong to pry. They’ve learned patience, learned the ins and outs of this grief, even half a year later, when it leads Luffy to do reckless, unpredictable things – like wander into the dark of early morning by himself, when he should have been safely asleep in the comfortable dog-pile of Surume and Sunny and Laboon.

So Sanji waits, leaning back in his chair. The nutty taste of rich chocolate lingering in his mouth, the sound of conversation at the bar a low hum on the other side of the room, the server unobtrusively stacking chairs on cleaned tables to sweep the floor, and Luffy, who doesn’t look at him when he finally speaks.

“I had a dream,” he tells Sanji, “about the pirates.”

That’s not what he expected. He sits forward, blinking past his surprise.

Luffy has had these pirate dreams for as long as Sanji has known him. Nami keeps threatening to write them into an epic tale, and Sanji will be the first to read it if she ever does. Tales of daring and foolishness and heartache. Luffy used to regale them with stories almost every morning at the breakfast table, waving his fork grandly and filling the room with a particular type of sunshine only those close to him will ever know.

He hasn’t told them any of his pirate stories lately, and Sanji thinks he knows why. The dream he had after Usopp’s dog Merry died, of a viking funeral for the funny little ramhead ship of his dreams, brought even stalwart Robin to tears.

With an icy apprehension, Sanji wonders what Luffy’s dreams have been about since his brother died. He’s not sure he’s prepared to hear it.

“You were getting married!” Luffy says a moment later, and Sanji is once again thrown for a loop.

“Married?” he says dumbly. The server, passing by with a broom, bites down on the edges of her smile. “To who?”

“Pudding,” comes the prompt reply. “She wasn’t a good person, but your dad wanted to be friends with her mom, so he was making you marry her.”

“That sounds like him.”

“He’s not a good person, either,” Luffy says frankly, meeting Sanji’s eyes squarely – very pointedly talking about his real father in the real world now, and Sanji can only soften and nod, helpless, as always, in face of this boy’s fiercely protective nature.

“He’s really not.”

Luffy nods, and looks back down at his cake. It’s only half-finished at this point, and Sanji feels a spike of alarm.

“He was making you get married, and the rest of us – we didn’t know why you were leaving, you wouldn’t say. I think you were trying to protect us, because you said a lot of awful stuff to make us leave you alone. I tried to make you stay, but I couldn’t.” He drags his fork through the raspberry sauce, metal tines scratching faintly against the porcelaine. “And then you left.”

And then Luffy woke up, and left the house without pausing even just to put on a jacket, and took a fifteen minute bus ride in the dead of night to where he knew Sanji was, and for a moment Sanji can’t breathe through this borrowed hurt.

He reaches out, dropping a hand on unruly black hair, and ruffles through it with his fingers until Luffy looks up at him.

“You woke up before the end,” Sanji says with a lightness he doesn’t feel. Some of the sad uncertainty in those round brown eyes across from him edges out to make way for a curiosity that sits much more at home there.

“The end?”

“Mmhm. I don’t know this Captain Luffy as well as you do, but I’m pretty sure an argument or a fight wouldn’t be enough to keep him from saving one of his nakama.”

“Saving?” Luffy perks up a little bit. “Do you think you were in some kind of danger?”

“I must have been,” Sanji says, as reasonably as if it’s real life they’re discussing, and not some survivor’s guilt-warped fantasy. “You said yourself, Sanji didn’t want to go. You could tell, right? So there must have been a really good reason for him to have gone anyway.”

There’s a shine in Luffy’s eyes that wasn’t there when he said hello, and he balls his hands into fists, leaning on them to lean over the table and exclaim, “You’re right! I’ll go back to sleep when I get home and save you!”

Sanji can’t help smiling, but anything he might have said was cut off by the heavy fist landing on the crown of his head.

“I pay you to work,” Zeff says gruffly, and Sanji rubs the sore spot on his head as he turns to face the older blond.

“I’m off the clock, geezer,” Sanji gripes back, “and I have company, show a little class.”

Zeff eyes Luffy without comment, taking in, Sanji is sure, the shadows under his eyes and the thinness of his face. Thankfully Zeff is capable of something like subtlety, because all he says is, “Have this brat of mine bring you lot in for dinner sometime, Luffy, on the house. I’ve got a few new dishes I wanna pilot with a good group of taste-testers. Drinks and desserts, too.”

Luffy brightens at the idea, thrumming with enthusiasm, and Sanji can almost bring himself to regret the chocolate and sugar he just loaded him with.

“Sure! But Zoro is doing a really good job at his meetings, so make sure not to offer him any alcohol, okay? Not even his favorite.”

“‘Course not, kid. Sanji, head home for the night. I can finish up.”

Sanji dips his head in a nod, grateful for the excuse not to send Luffy home by himself. It would have been transparent to anyone but Luffy, who just says, “That’s nice of him! Thanks, old man!”

It’s cold outside, their breath misting as Sanji hails a cab. He piles into the backseat with Luffy, who leans up on the middle console to make conversation with the driver, and Sanji hides a smile behind a cigarette as the driver warms to Luffy completely in the short time he knows him.

Nami is awake when they come in, sleepless and short-tempered with worry, and Luffy sinks onto the couch during her scoldings, nodding solemnly as he gathers Surume into his lap and lets his head sink over onto Usopp’s shoulder, and Nami gives up within a few moments. Throwing her hands up, exasperated, and then grabbing the throw blanket off the back of the armchair and covering her little brothers with it, temper notwithstanding.

Sanji brushes a hand through Luffy’s hair, then Usopp’s in the name of fairness, and says goodnight to the room at large. He’s been on his feet for fourteen hours and he’s in desperate need of a shower and his bed.

Before he can make it down the hall, Luffy’s voice drifts out to him. He stops where he is and turns, all the time in the world for the brown eyes reaching for his across the short space between them.

“I’ll finish dreaming it, Sanji,” Luffy says with certainty. “And I’ll bring you home for sure.”

“I know you will,” Sanji tells him, heart full of something he can’t rightly name.

[aroberuka]

Fic Recs: Food & Cooking

For the Food & Cooking square of my trope bingo card! 11 fic recs all centered around food or cooking. About half of those are Sanji-centric One Piece fics b/c that's where my head has been lately, but there's also some Pushing Daisies, Leverage, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Fallout 4, Naruto.

Will be updated as I find more gems! In the meantime enjoy, and if you read anything you like don't forget to thank the author <3

Corn Dumplings by Anycents (One Piece, Gen, 8815 words):

"Sanji doing what he always does in his free time: discovering new ingredients, learning new recipes, changing peoples’ lives…"

Starting  off with a recent fave! Despite the tags, Franky is only there for the  first bit; the rest is all Sanji bonding with a young Fishman girl and  her family, and it’s a fucking delight. Great OCs, great worldbuilding,  great Sanji characterization.

A Day in the Life of A Cook by Sarcasticles (One Piece, Gen, 2957 words):

"The Straw Hat Pirates have no idea how much it takes to feed them, and Sanji is determined to keep it that way"

Pretty  much exactly what the title offers: a day in Sanji’s life, complete   with a lot of Straw Hat shenanigans and Luffy being. Luffy.

Four-letter Fruits by radio_silent (Pushing Daisies, Gen with background Chuck/Ned, 301 words):

"At least Olive didn't wander around kitchens unemployed and unannounced."

In  which Olive makes a valiant effort to be more family-friendly, and take  the name of fruits in vain. Cute, funny, and delightfully in character  for the whole cast.

Fried Squid by Konsui’s Little Brother (One Piece, Gen, 680):

"When  they got out of this part of the Grand Line, Zolo was never letting   another piece of squid touch him again. For now though, he'd eat it with  no complaint."

One of the first fic I read in  the fandom, and still one of my favourites. A rough patch leaves the  crew with limited food supplies, everyone grows tired of eating squid,  and Zoro shows support in his own way.

If You Want It Done Right by Angel_Negra (Leverage, Gen, 271 words):

"A couple of firsts for Alec and Eliot."

Eliot  sees Hardison’s kitchen, Hardison sees Eliot’s computer, and neither   one is very happy with what he sees. Short, clever, and full of humour.

Insatiate by vageege (One Piece, Gen, 5682):

"Sanji smokes cigarettes for a couple of reasons."

A  look at Sanji, food, and the long-term consequences of starving as a   child. Unlike every other rec on this list this one deals with some   pretty heavy stuff so please mind the warnings in the author’s note.

Life Expectancy of Beautiful Cinnamon Roll Harshly Dropping by Arvanion (Fire Emblem Awakening, Gen, 101 words):

"NEWS IN BRIEF - Local - Food - Issue 50-04 - Jan 24, 2014"

This one is so short there’s not really anything I can say about it except that it fits right in with the silliest parts of the game, and at 101 words there’s really no reason for you not to give it a read.

A Little Slice of 2077 by Nebulad (Fallout 4, Hancock/Sole, 1111 words):

"“You’re gunna kill me, hollerin’ like that,” he said as he made his way down the stairs.

“You say that about everything I do,” she protested, still enchanted by   whatever was inside the dome. She was clicking buttons frantically but   he didn’t think she was getting anywhere.

“Kind of hoping if I go it’ll be because of a perfect ten,” he said, nudging her as he finally got down the stairs."

Nebulad’s OCs are always compelling and Audrey is no exception. Part of a series, but can definitely be enjoyed as a standalone, though I’d heartily recommend giving the whole thing a go anyway.

not your momma’s cooking by CopperCaravan (Fallout 4, Mac/Sole, 1019 words):

"tumblr prompt fill: Mac & Cal + "You want me to do what?"

Cal has sorely missed good food and enlists MacCready in food prep."

Another author with great OCs! In which Cal harasses Mac into hunting some   chickens and laments the difficulties of post-apocalyptic cooking.

Rice Paper by greenkangaroo (Naruto, Gen, 877 words):

"If you leave a secret in the box just outside their compound's back door, an Akimichi will eat it, written on rice paper."

This one is a bit of a different take on the prompt, but I couldn’t not include it. A very cool piece of worldbuilding about the Akimichi Clan the kind of which I wish we had in canon.

Taste Challenge by Maldoror_Chant (One Piece, Gen, 6378 words):

"Sanji  didn't wonder why he gave himself the challenge. It didn't matter why.  ‘Why’ was probably covered by one-upping the bloody swordsman, and maybe  there were other reasons - stranger reasons - but that was the only one  that really counted, right? It was decided. He was going to get Zoro to  appreciate - no, love Sanji's food. If Sanji couldn't do it, then he  wasn't a true sea-cook after all."

There is an  accidental, additional theme to my One Piece recs and that theme is: Sanji & Zoro nakamaship. In this one, Sanji’s competitiveness gets just a little bit ahead of him, and a lot of delicious, delicious recipes are introduced in the process.

[littleweeghost]

Sanji should be king of the North Blue

I’ll admit, this is a bit of a stretch and a little too fantastical for the taste of many, but I can’t help but enjoy the thought anyway. I’ll also admit that there are a couple flaws with this train of thought but hey, life is never perfect. So let’s dive into this scenario and allow me to explain what I wish to see come out of this arc if I were allowed to choose.

           I had this thought when I reread the beginning of this recent arc and was reminded of some questions I had that still haven’t been answered. One of which was Who dethroned the Vinsmokes’?

Perhaps it’s not important for the plot of the story, but if Oda does decide to leave the answer out, I’d think it odd. Granted, until this arc, no one has ever heard of the Vinsmoke’s but it isn’t as if he gave them “scrub status”. This family is still powerful enough, influential enough to effect the marines, Sanji’s bounty, the reverie, even the science community within the One Piece universe. Yet, they (well, more like Judge), lost their throne in the North and we still haven’t an idea as for who they lost it to. In addition to the Sora flashbacks, all we do know for certain is that despite the Vinsmoke’s power, they still lack in numbers or something which lead them having to need Big Mom’s help.

           So let’s break this down first:

Weaknesses

1.      The siblings: I feel as if Reiju would support Sanji no matter what, but there is no way in hell the brothers are agreeing to this.

2.      Sanji wants to be a cook, not a king. He can’t rule a kingdom and plus, he’s too focused on helping Luffy become pirate king and looking for the All Blue.

3.      Sanji isn’t a Vinsmoke and he doesn’t ever want to be associated as one.

4.      The North Blue doesn’t want another Vinsmoke control!

5.      Sanji has nothing to gain by becoming king.

Responses/Strengths

TBH, I haven’t thought through what Oda may have in store for the brothers; maybe they’ll be arrested or maybe they’ll be sent away somewhere. Sanji may have said—numerous times—that he doesn’t care if they die but I don’t think that’s completely true. As Reiju explained, the genetic modifications messed up their empathy compass so their actions aren’t completely their fault and knowing how benevolent and empathetic Sanji can be, I’m sure he won’t be the first in line to order their execution.

First let’s do a little compare & contrast. Luffy- right upon meeting him, we automatically know who he is (and what) and what he wants to do with himself—not that different from Naruto exclaiming he wants to be Hokage. We know he’s the MC, he’s a devil fruit user (and what kind it is), and we know he wants to be pirate king. Even better, we even know how he can achieve that goal just from the intro alone—find the One Piece. Zoro- similarly, we meet him, learn who/what he is, and what he wants—to be the best swordsman in the world. Notice the pattern yet?

Well, also notice how both these characters, from the get-go, have also made promises in some shape or fashion on how they are never going to give up or lose in order to accomplish their dreams?

Now let’s look at Sanji; we meet him and learn what he is and what he wants—to find the All Blue—and learn of its existence….and that’s it. Now don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with that except notice the lack of detail? How does Sanji wish to find the All Blue? When he does find it, what does he wish to do with that information? Why hasn’t he asked Nami—the navigator—about any possibilities for its location? What does he want when the journey ends? So on and so forth…

See, Oda has written Luffy’s and Zoro’s story with a beginning and an end—we’re just watching the journey in progress—but Sanji isn’t as clear cut. In fact, he’s one of the most complex characters Oda has ever written about. You could even make an argument that he’s done a thorough job of fleshing out the rest of the crew, except Sanji. So what does that mean? Well, in the world of anime, this can imply that Sanji, unlike Luffy and Zoro does not have immunity. Albeit, this is Oda’s story and he mostly likely will not kill Sanji or make it so the All Blue doesn’t exist, but the point is that there is a possibility that Sanji can die. It surely doesn’t help that Sanji is always at the ready to die! Jesus, Sanji, calm down!

Let’s move on to point #5, hm? Sanji has nothing to gain by becoming king. I disagree and there are 2 main reasons why it could be beneficial for Sanji to claim the North. First let’s bring our focus back to Luffy; why does he want to be pirate king again? According to Luffy himself, he said he wanted to be pirate king because the pirate king is the freest man of the sea. Beautiful…except that isn’t entirely true (sorry to burst your bubble, Luffy). Sure, Rogers practically owned the world prior to his death, but he wasn’t really “free”. In the OP universe, many pirates own territories (i.e. multiple islands and villages) and unless your allies with them, it’s considered trespassing and/or a declaration of war if you enter another pirate’s territory w/out permission. I’m sure Rogers owned a lot of territories, but it’s also heavily implied that he made a ton of allies too, something that Luffy seems to encompass as well. But just think how beneficial it’d be for Luffy to be able to gain guaranteed access around the North w/out even having to be “responsible” for it—because remember, Luffy doesn’t want to give orders or own any armies w/the exception of being a captain. He already is allies w/Vivi from the East and if he can find allies from the South and West (or obtain territories in those areas), that’s already half of the fucking world under his name! In summation, if Sanji claimed the North, it’d give Luffy free access to more territories and freer space to roam.

The second reason is for Sanji himself; he wants to find the All Blue and whatever that may mean for him, ultimately, this means his search needs to start by looking in one of the Blues, so why not in the one he was born in (for starters)? There are theories that suggest that the Red Line is what keeps the All Blue from being in a thing (and I’m one of those believers) and that principle can also be applied literally; if all leaders of the Blues can align together, then the All Blue wouldn’t just have to mean the ocean, but the people as well. Sanji as a king/ruler would be in an All Blue alliance. That said, I also think something of this magnitude would help Sanji mentally/emotionally; unfortunately our boy has a lot of baggage and he has trouble seeing his value in life. Something like this would be perfect for Sanji to develop confidence because of how benevolent he is, he’d see first hand how life-changing he is to other people, particularly a poverty-stricken, hungry region. 

This leads to weaknesses 3 &4, which go hand-in-hand in some fashion. This idea may be all nice but the problem is, would Sanji ever be willing to reclaim his name and would the people of the North even want/let him take over? I’m willing to bet that, no, Sanji would never take the Vinsmoke name (under any circumstance) so best bet is that he either takes his mother’s name or he takes on Zeff’s name. As for the people of the North, well, they have been suffering from corruption for what seems like decades now so I personally believe (and you’re all more than welcome to disagree) that Sanji can easily slip under the radar and successfully take over. They may not like it or try to resist but if the Strawhats back up Sanji—which they certainly would—then I don’t think it’d take long to win the people over.

Now point #2; Sanji certainly seems the type to be content just cooking for the rest of his life, at least, that’s what we’re meant to believe. Remember, he initially believed he’d be living at the Baratie his whole life as a chef until he met Luffy and realized he wanted more. And that’s no fault of his own, of course he believed that because he escaped from a dysfunctional family, a shipwreck, and starvation 10 years prior so there was no reason for him to believe he’d be living any other kind of life. My point is though, that when Sanji is in a comfort zone (as he currently is w/the Strawhats), he has the tendency of clinging onto it without thought of his future. In other words, he lives by the day, in the moment, not in the could be. That explains why he thought him going through with the marriage was the best option because it’d mean the safety of the crew. He didn’t even consider how the marriage would affect him or how his disappearance from the crew would affect them. This also explains why his self-sacrificial nature is so potent.

Because of that, Sanji may be unaware of his full capabilities, but let’s not forget that this is One Piece; he does not have to choose one or the other. If he were to become king, he could still very well continue to be Luffy’s left-hand man and chef. As ridiculous as it may sound, we have a couple of examples of rulers multitasking. Just take the previous arc—Doffy was not only king of Dressrosa, but a shichibukai, and a dealer in the black market. Even further, Doffy too came from the North; funny enough, you could argue that he’s the opposite of Sanji—the perfect yin-yang situation. So with that said, it’s not a matter of Sanji not wanting to be anything other than a chef, it’s just that he hasn’t thought about what else he can do.

Lastly, before I end this long ass post, let me just point out that Sanji becoming king would only strengthen the parallels that already exist between him and Luffy. I always found it special how it was typically Luffy who knew of Sanji’s personal story and they have some strong similarities in terms of character traits, lifestyle, and personalities. But even if not, I still think, why can’t be king? He is capable, he just has to realize it. So that’s my thought on it, sorry this was really long and tell me what you think!

[madlymiho]

Hi Miho! Scenario here! It's halloween soon, and in the tradition, dead people and living people can encounter on that day. I wanna request a scenario with Corason and Law, ghosty Corason meeting Law when he's adult for the special day. I hope I made it in time! I love your writings and this is my first request to you 💞

Hello anon! ❤️ Awww this scenario is just the cutest 😱❤️ I've been dying to write something for them, so thank you! 😍

A perfect scenario for those spooky times!! 🎃🎃🎃

It’s a bit angsty though, it will suit you!!

Words : 2415

Law and Corazon scenario : One Last Moment (read after the cut)

It’s halloween night, and Law is working in his lab. He doesn’t really want to be a part of this odd tradition, preferring to leave all the fun for his crewmates. As he usually does, Law agreed to drop anchor in the nearest island while they were sailing, offering his friends a real night of celebration outside. They were all pretty excited to put on some funny costumes, trying their best to hide their excitement, as if they weren’t all some eternal children in the end. But it’s not something for Law. Celebrate the dead ones? Go trick or treat with when he looks like the edgiest man in the world? No… No he has better things to do. He’s not a child anymore. 

As he takes a few notes on an anatomia book of his collection, Law can’t help but remember the last time he celebrated Halloween. It was when… He sighs, a strong feeling of nausea tickling his guts. After all this time, he still hates to remember that he lost perhaps the only man he has ever loved as much as his father. It still feels like a hole in his heart, and painfully, Law forces himself to think about something else, writing automatically his notes, his mind shutting all the noises coming from outside, from the excited laughters to the adorable screams whenever a child is suddenly surprised. 

After a moment, though, Law hears a strong knock on the submarine’s hull, probably someone a bit too curious about this odd ship anchored at the harbor. He rolls his eyes, ignoring the intruder, knowing perfectly that sooner or later, they would be gone. But it continues. Another knock, and another one, until Law can’t focus on his work anymore. He exhales and stands back up, rooming himself on the galley to watch who’s dumb enough to bother him this way. 

“Hey!” He shouts from the deck, looking down at the dock, noticing a dark silhouette smoking a cigarette. “Where do you think you are?” 

The man freezes, lazily smoking on his cigarette, while he flushes his hands back in his pockets and doesn’t move anymore. Law raises an eyebrow, not really understanding why his heart is suddenly so squeezes in his chest. 

“You better fuck off before I get down to kick your ass out of the dock, okay?” He growls to the stranger, hoping that would be enough to make them go. 

“Oï, Law. Is this really how you talk these days?” The man answers with a deep voice, raising his face to look at the captain of the heart pirates. “Really?” 

Law immediately grabs the barrier of the deck, his mind boiling so hard that he almost loses his balance. It can’t be. It’s...It must be a dream. A smiling face with a sort of blue star under his right eyes, a long and scarlet smile drew on his features. Golden locks, hiding his forehead, all of them half trapped under a fuschia hat. There’s only one man in the world like this. A man who died a long time ago…

“Room!” Law shouts while he invokes his blue sphere, to be ready, in case this vision from the past tries to attack him. 

Yet, it only makes Corazon chuckles, while he shakes his head, and throws his cigarette butt away. 

“Seems like the Ope Ope No Mi works pretty fine with you,” he says as he tilts his head. “But there’s no need to attack me. You wouldn’t hurt me anyway, little Law.” 

Dizzy, in distress, Law feels weak for the very first time after many years. He tries to bite his bottom lip, hurting himself enough to wake him up from that odd and cruel dream, but nothing changes. Corazon is still patiently waiting on the dock, pulling another cigarette from his feather coat. 

“Law, are you coming down or what?” Corazon invites him, pointing at the ground with his slender finger. “I don’t have much time. Until dawn, in fact.” 

“Dawn…?” Law mumbles, silently watching at the clock on the deck of his ship, already pointing at midnight. 

More curious than truly scared, Law eventually jumps off his ship, landing right beside Corazon. Even as an adult, he barely reaches his chest, his tired eyes unable to look up for a second. He doesn’t know what is really happening here, but everything feels just like his gone friend. The same aura, the same scent of cigarette and cologne, the same appeasing nature. 

“It’s been a while,” Corazon says patiently, while he lights his cigarette with his zipper, until Law eventually finds the courage to meet his stare. “What’s up?” 

“For fuck’s sake!” Law shouts as he watches Corazon’s coat burning for the thousand time. He immediately tries to pat his shoulder in order to help him, but he only touches the void, his hand travelling through his body. “Wh...What?” 

Corazon blows on his coat, the flames suddenly disappearing before he locks his cigarette at the corner of his painted lips. 

“I told you,” he smiles, almost sadly. “I’m a ghost.” 

Law wishes to tell him that it’s not possible, that all of this sounds just like a bad dream. He wishes he has the words to shout him to stop this nonsense, and to leave him alone, but there’s still this little boy living within him. The one who lost too much during that night, in North Blue. Yet, he feels himself unable to have any emotion. Everything seems blocked inside his heart, strongly maintained under hundreds of days where he learnt how to muffle everything. 

“I know it’s weird, I don’t even know how I end up here,” Corazon tries, shrugging. “I think I took the wrong door, or I don’t know, fell somewhere...I can’t remember,” 

Law shakes his head, looking at his feet. Door. Falling somewhere. What the hell is he babbling right now? 

“Oï, so, what do you think?” Corazon asks, blowing some smoke in the air with a genuine smile. 

“What do I think of what?” Law snaps coldly, raising an eyebrow, while he gets back to the reality. 

“Didn’t you hear me? You, me, trick and treat?” Corazon tries to punch Law’s shoulder, but he simply passes through it with a little grimace. 

Law, on the other hand, has some difficulties to understand everything. 

“I’m twenty-seven, Corazon, why the fuck would I want to go on trick and treat? And it’s midnight! People are already either asleep or drunk!” 

Corazon sighs, while he smokes on his cigarette, his gaze becoming slightly darker. This time, Law feels the words disappearing before he would be able to speak. He remembers that serious look on Corazon’s features ; it has always distressed him. 

“Law,” Corazon starts. “I don’t know why we are reunited tonight, and I believe that this is hurtful, especially for you. I can’t even imagine what you’ve been through, in fact, until today. Halloween is a special night where the frontier between the worlds of the living and the dead is the slightest. Perhaps it’s a curse, unnatural and wrong. But the only thing I know is that I have six hours ahead, before everything would be gone forever.” 

Law swallows his spit, deeply touched and hurt by his words. How can he tell him that he can’t? That it would break his heart forever? Yet he knows this is the only to have a bit more of time. Perhaps even one last true goodbye, seeing the face of the man he loves to the core. Law finally nods, understanding that his chance is right now. 

“Okay, let’s do this, I follow you.” 

Corazon happily chuckles, and immediately turns his feet, walking straight to the city where many people are still in the streets. Children wearing famous pirates’ masks, sometimes dress as monsters. Delightful parents who follow them with a huge smile on their lips, some of them controlling their candy bags in order to prevent any stomach ache. Everything is cheerful, like a floating moment in the cosmos. 

“Trick or treat!” A eight years old stops by them, a large straw hat covering his golden locks. 

Corazon smiles and prevents himself from touching the boy’s hair, since he’s a ghost and can’t reach anyone. He doesn’t want to scare the little boy for real.   

“I don’t have any candies, but I have a warlock with me, and he can show you something!” Corazon winks, directly pointing at Law with his head. 

“Hey, what?” Law growls, as the child is looking at him with excited eyes. “Come on…,” 

All grumpy, but in order to please Corazon and the curious boy, Law uses his power to swipe their bodies, or their limbs, bringing a curious little crowd of children around him. For a moment, he continues to make the show, until he notices that Corazon isn’t here anymore. Law starts to feel slightly panicked, looking around to find his ghost friend. He suddenly remembers how weak he can be whenever he thinks about him, and when Corazon finally appears again, he can’t help but let loose a long sigh. 

“I forgot to tell you I can travel through walls.” Corazon giggles. “It’s fun to try!” 

“Don’t do this…” Law only whispers, trembling. 

Corazon seems to understand what just happened, offering a reassuring smile to his friend. 

“Come, let’s have a drink near the dock,” the blond-haired man offers. 

“You can drink?” Law furrows his eyebrows, unsure. 

“No, but I think we should talk.” 

Later that night, Law and Corazon are sitting on the dock, both of their legs swinging in the air, while they look at the stars, at first silent. None of them really know how to start this conversation. None of them want this moment to end either, and it squeezes both of their hearts. Law often looks at Corazon with sorry eyes, unable to say a single word. After a moment, though, he manages to open-up.

“I helped a…,” he stops, picturing the smiling face of Luffy in his head, “an ally getting rid of your brother,” he starts with a husky voice, putting his bottle of sake beside him. “I wanted to avenge you.” 

Corazon remains silent, peacefully smoking, as Law sighs. 

“I wanted to avenge you for this world. I had this plan in my head for years. Take down Doffy. Make him pay,” 

“Law…,” Corazon answers with a deep voice. “Violence and revenge wasn’t the path I wanted to offer you. Freedom, for sure. But I didn’t mean to poison your heart with those...violent feelings.” 

Law clicks his tongue and shakes his head. 

“I couldn’t just let you down, don’t you get it?” He snaps a bit harshly. “You died to save me!” 

He turns his head to look at Corazon with furious eyes, but immediately stops talking when he notices the tears at the corner of the eyes of his friend. There are...so real? Even Corazon’s body seems more present. Corazon smiles, throwing his cigarette away. 

“It’s almost time for me to disappear,” he explains, as Law notices the pinky colors growing in the nocturnal sky. “The frontier between our world is getting thinner, but it won’t last forever, it’s only for a short moment. Which means…”

To illustrate his statement, Corazon simply extends his hand and carefully skims Law’s shoulder. For the very first time, he doesn’t get through him, on the contrary. He rests his palm on his jacket, a smile growing on his lips, while Law feels a cold sensation travelling through his entire body. He blinks a few times, his heart beating so hard inside his chest.  

“You can’t go… Not now…,” Law finally mumbles, closing his eyes for a second. It burns his entire throat to finally reveal his deepest feelings. “I can’t do it without you…” 

“Can’t do what?” Corazon responds warmly, squeezing his shoulder to encourage him. 

“Live.” 

Corazon stops his movements while Law feels his entire soul boiling inside of him. Bitterly, he even begins to cry, acid tears running on his cheeks. 

“I can’t live without you!” He almost screams, his voice broken and hurtful. “Something will always missing in my life! It’s unfair! Why did you have to sacrifice yourself for me? Why did you have to die?” Law turns around and violently grabs Corazon’s shirt. “I have to live and know that you’re not in this world anymore! That evil won that day, and took you from me! Why did… Why did you…” 

Too weak to continue, he just slides between Corazon’s arms, as the ghost simply welcomes him inside, offering a strong hug to his friend. Corazon softly embraces him harder, a soft and comprehensive smile plastered on his lips. 

“I’m so sorry Law,” he answers calmly. “But I selfishly decided to save you and let you live, and I don’t regret my choice,” 

Law closes his eyes, hiccuping. He feels like a lost child right now, but somehow, he needed to hear that. 

“If I had another chance, I would do all the same. I would make you eat that fruit, and help you healing from that terrible illness. I would fight my brother, and hide you inside a chest, living long enough to let you run away from him. My choice has always been you, Law. You were my son, my flesh and bones. You were my heart,” he pauses, and helps Law straightening himself up, so he can face him. “You are my heart.” 

Law can’t get himself together, but he finally nods, grimacing. 

“You have a tremendous life to live, Law,” Corazon continues, as the shy rays of sunshine start to fondle Corazon’s face. “Please, don’t throw it away because you think I didn’t want you to have it. You’re all wrong, my precious little man.” 

Law instantly grabs Corazon’s sleeve, noticing that his ghost friend is starting to disappear. He doesn’t know what to do, but suddenly, a memory pops in his head, enlightening his all face. A smile, two fingers, words which have changed him forever. 

“Hey Cora-san,” Law says, smiling for the first time, despite his tears still falling on his cheeks. “I love you.” 

And for the last time ever, Corazon gives him the brightest smile ever, before he vanishes into the dawn, living Law with a sensation of deep bliss. He needed it more than he would ever believe : saying goodbye to the man he loves the most in this world.