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2309analysis · 10 months

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| # NICO ROBIN HEADCANONS ⟢

Want my Nico Robin Spotify playlist? Here you are, my little stars! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4qNuBLMnk6sQezE34SFSjt?si=jffYQ3IKSji9zOOQ9FnRZg&pi=u-Y9_SsOHjSnmb @kazenomegaminowanpisu

Robin keeps a chart of all the books she’s read and haven’t in her Library. Like a stash of notes.

She also keeps charts for all of the crew member’s reading. So she doesn’t give them a book that they’ve already read. She’s in charge of the library so they ask her for books.

She likes to read to keep her mind off of the past. She also gets sorta bored easily which is why the crew has board games. She mainly plays with Chopper and Usopp though.

She kinda looks after Nami’s fashion taste and creates something out of it to call her own. She never had the time to care about what she wore, so when she met Nami, she knew that she could ask what clothes would look good on her.

She teaches the crew how to pronounce certain stuff. Mainly Nami and Luffy.

I feel like she likes to wear a cowboys’ jar because it symbolizes free terrain. She can go wherever she wants, regardless of her high bounty.

She didn’t really know how to control her devil fruit power when she first ate it. So she always accidentally caused trouble for others’ which made them resent her more. So she stopped trying to use it, and stayed away from most people to prevent to cause more trouble. It wasn’t until she was fully alone that she mastered the basics of her power.

She didn’t feel fully comfortable about having a bounty after Enies Lobby. She decided to should throw away all the fears she had and embrace what comes next with confidence.

She taught herself how to read since she was three. When her mother left, she was interested in the finer book shelf her mother had. She picked up a few books and tried reading it until she could get sentences through and understand them. Then she went to the archeologists in inspiration from her mother and intrigue from her own.

She naturally knows how to sail a boat due to her surviving alone 20 years. Mostly through reading it through books and oars.

Her favorite colors are purple and blue. Purple because it’s more of the more laid-back colors, and it doesn’t bring much attention to itself. Blue, because it reminds her of her mothers eyes, like her own.

She doesn’t like to eat much food. She’s so used to tending for hereof and being on guard 24/7 she doesn’t know how to react with a bunch of affection towards her. Which is why she mostly dismisses it.

She loved children. She wants to protect them as if they’re her own. She can’t take children suffering.

She’s touch-starved. She hasn’t felt any physical affection ever since her mother died. Although, she hates to be too be affectionately. She doesn’t like to feel vulnerable like that, or any way. She hates the feeling of weakness and her not to be able to do anything.

She’s claustrophobic. She feels trapped in tight spaces, as if she couldn’t do anything for self. Like she’s unable to free herself; trapped. She starts to panic when she’s in tight spaces.

She feels most comfortable around Chopper and Nami. Like she can tell them anything. She doesn’t like to seem weak in front of them, like she’s supposed to protect them. ‘Cause she’s older, more experienced, she wants to keep them from what she had to suffer through. She see’s Nami like a little sister and Chopper like a son.

She has slight romantic feelings for Franky. Since they’re most similar to each other. They’re the oldest other than Brook too. She also likes that he’s independent and knows his ground.

She doesn’t like to be separated from the straw hats. She doesn’t want to lose them, she feels too attached to them. In good ways, of course. So she wants to protect them whilst they’re giving her the accompany and support that she’s been needing ever since she was eight. She feels like she needs to either lay down her life to repay them or keep thing safe no matter what. Especially the weaker ones, and, of course, Luffy.

She has a soft spot of naiveness. Since she knows so much, it’s hard for her to not smile amongst the people who’re not as knowledgeable as her. It gives her a sense of mothership.

She prefers power naps over actual sleep. She hates to be unaware of things for too long. She wants to keep herself and her friends from danger, so she’s always awake or fake-sleeping. (Now I know some of it came from her past and her constantly being backstabbed by others’ so she kinda lost the ability to sleep peacefully. Before Enies Lobby ofc. She still feels that way though.)

Before Enies Lobby, she didn’t like to wear anything too revealing. She didn’t like showing too much skin like Nami did. She wasn’t self-confident like that, but she wouldn’t oppose it if she had to. Like in Skypiea. In situations like that, she would choose things that would be easier to wear in the climates. With help of Nami she would pack a new shirt or pair of pants just in case.

She loves showering. It makes her feel the warmth she needs. It also makes her feel clean from the bad stuff that happened to her. She tries not to take long showers either, but when she came back from Enies Lobby she unintentionally took a very long one. Nobody said anything about it, though. She apologized after, no one accepted it, and said she deserved it. (Now I wanna write that out! 😂)

She likes hugs. She may not say anything about it, but when both Nami and Chopper hugged her in Enies Lobby, she was token back, but overwhelmed with happiness.

She’s not a daydreamer, but she loves to imagine. Especially related to books. New scenarios to add in the story or add-ons from the scenes itself.

She’s a good writer too. She vocabulary is the best within the straw hats. She doesn’t usually write much though. Not really a thing that crosses her mind much.

If the straw hats would write letter, it’d either be Nami, Franky, Brook, or her to write them out.

She sometimes write to her mother. In her diary, of course. About all the adventures she had, the friends she made, and it’ll start and end with “dear mother, love, your daughter, Nico Robin.”

She takes pictures of the islands their on. She studies the island’s history through it.

She likes acting because she doesn’t feel pressured to act anymore. You can tell how naturally it comes to her because she had to survive for the past 20 years acting and facading for others. It only makes sense that she’s going to be great and fast to get into character. It’s second nature to her.

| # Robin appearance headcanons ⟢

She has freckles around her shoulders. Practically takes up her entire shoulder, almost making a new skin-tone.

She has body scars around her legs and upper stomach. Which is mostly why she didn’t show much of those parts in pre-timeskip. She felt slightly insecure about them, until Kaola complimented them.

She has some white hair strands. Due to the constant stress of being on the run and constantly backstabbed.

She has soft frost imprints on the backs of her ears when Aokiji freeze her over.

She’s boney. That’s it.

Her skin has a soft shade of sunburn on her face and chest. She liked to be outdoors a lot, so it was natural for her to get east sun find. (Hc her skin’s sensitive to the sun)

Eye-bags, but you can hardly tell.

Curvy cheeks and a boney nose.

Has a back scar from the time she was attacked in Dressrosa.

Sunglasses sunburns on her eyes and forehead.

A slightly bigger forehead than what we see.

Her right eye is slightly curved down from the normal position of the eye. Unnoticeable until you really pay attention.

She has marks all over the back of her feet. She constantly walked in snow and rocks barefoot, so they scarred her feet a little.

A rose blush on her knees.

Veiny hands and feet.

Big thighs.

A permanent slither of blue in her toe nails due, again to the weather. No frost-bite, but close.

A belly piercing.

Small dimple on the right side of her lower lip.

Hairy legs, but shaved every two weeks.

Sweats a lot. Soft anxieties here and there.

| # Robin beach headcanons ⟢

She and Franky go searching for seashells and small things in the sea.

Nami and Robin does each other’s sunscreen and lotions.

She builds sandcastles with Luffy and Chopper.

Her and Usopp play volleyball together with Sanji and Brook.

Her and Jimbe relax together.

She brings a book and some water guns for Luffy and Chopper.

She and Brook maybe sandmaids for Zoro and Nami.

Her and Zoro sit near the water durning the sunset and talk about their feelings.

She and Luffy play tag and role play with each other. (Mostly her sprouting her hands and eyes)

Her and Nami does each other’s accessories. (Like flowers in each other’s hair, glasses, swim suit jewelry, yes their those girls)

Her and Usopp make the water guns stronger than usual.

She uses her devil fruit’shands as shade for the boys. We all know they aren’t going to get under the umbrellas with the girls if Sanji has something to say about it.

She gives lotion and sunscreen to everyone.

She provides the snacks and drinks + Sanji’s already prepared lunch.

Wine/beer drinking with the adults. >>>>

Brook makes a playlist for her to read her book to.

Bags / big hats. >>>

Plays tik tak toe in the sand with Chopper and Franky.

Her and Nami go on beach walks.

#writing #one piece #headcanon #nico robin #beach #apperance #spotify #Spotify #@kazenomegaminowanpisu

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beanghostprincess · 10 months

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I love trans women usopp. She would be so pretty but still be the same goofy ass usopp as usual. She still lies (she likes to add flirtatious charm or empathy. Babe learned how to cry on command.) Still cowers, dramatic as fuck and bickers with her crew

Sanji would swoon and act a fool towards as he does to Robin and Nami. During fights he jumps in wanting to protect her. 'Don't worry usopp darling! I'll save you! My sweet!'. Before he could finish his affections she's already sprinted the fuck out of there with out hesitation.

She's more touchy with Robin and uses her a Zoro 2.0 and hides behind her and drags her into her shenanigans. Robin likes to use a disembodied hand to shove her or smack the back of the head if she does something stupid. (Platonically of course you know the straw hats. Their Love language is physical violence towards each other)

Her dynamic with Nami did not change. They still cower in fear together, run away together, fight together and yell at Luffy together. They've only gotten closer, they even started fighting with each other more.

Her relationship with Zoro didn't change that much either girly still be yelling at him and criticizing his sense of direction. They still fight with each other, call each other names. Zoro still sees usopp as his equal she's still usopp. Is she still a liar, she's still over dramatic, Still a coward but she never misses her target and that's all he cares about. If only she'd stop nagging him.

She still thinks Franky is cool and is amazed by his engineering. His poses tho are kind of lame to her now but in a cute way. She will laugh whenever he does it. Franky sees her as a little sister which isn't saying much because he used to see her as a little brother. Brook is the same, nothing changed but he does ask her about her panties and you wouldn't believe this but she did let him see them. once!! and only once she was very strict about that and he never asked again.

Her and Luffy are still best friends and still good off. They're still very touchy and grabby. (I love how he doesn't see women's bodies as inherently sexual he just sees them as bodies) He still will wrestle with her, wraps around her and fall asleep next to her or on top of her. He has landed on top of her many times and she has yelled at him many times that he can't do that anymore! her boobs aren't cushions they hurt!

The only real change was sanji (I ship them but for the sake of this post it's one sided) sanji is a gentleman chivalry is his policy and he will treat any lady with the utmost respect (At least that's what he tells himself) he makes her drinks, treats and puts a lot of effort into the dinners that she eats like the other girls. When she started transitioning and developing he started going nuts for her. Usopp ate that shit up not only was it gender euphoric to be treated like the other women but she can ask sanji to do or buy her anything and he'll do it. She fucking loves attention that hasn't changed

Sometimes he'll revert back to his old ways with her especially when they get into an argument. He doesn't care if she's a gorgeous woman with pretty hair, a luscious body and smells like lemon and rosemary! (He does care. He cares so much. It's pathetic) stop bitching and start fishing!... Please darling.

Her fashion sense tho. It's the same but better She has sun hats, cabbie hats, brimmed braise, regular berets, beanies, buckets, cloche, and so many headbands. Short overalls, baggy overalls, jumpsuits of various sizes. She doesn't like wearing shirts she never did, unlike the other women on the boat she doesn't like letting her girls loose. It's not practical or functional for her line of work. She wears a sports bra or something with great support. Her favorite top is a high neck sports bra with a zipper in the front. Her hair is usually in a protective hair style. French braids with Afro puffs in the back or regular ponytail. She likes to let it down sometimes but it gets in the way. She's not that girly but she still wants to turn heads

In short she didn't really change and her crew treats her the same and the changes that did happen benefited her

See??? You send me asks like this one and then I don't have anything else to say because everything here is just perfect!!!

Transfem Usopp has changed my life for the better and this whole text is so so beautiful because this is exactly how I imagine her dynamics with the crew!!

#it's perfect thank you #you cheered me up with this honestly i was feeling a lil sad this morning #so thank you anon <33 #one piece #usopp #transfem usopp #strawhat pirates

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charlottepuddingsama · 3 years

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Taste of Her Own Medicine

I wrote a zosan fic; come read it (Ao3 link in the reblog)

Description: Zoro is running late to a meeting with Sanji. When he finally gets there Sanji is swooning over the ex that crushed his heart while she peacocks and shows off her new boyfriend. People like that really pissed Zoro off.

Zoro checked his watch again. God damnit, he was late. Again. Which meant Sanji was going to kill him for it. Again. He couldn’t even pin this on Sanji this time, either, because Zoro was the one to suggest they meet at the fountain. To be fair, when he suggested it he’d been sure that he in-fact knew the way to the fountain. When he reached where it should have been, however, it inexplicably wasn’t there.

Now he’s rushing halfway across town to get to where it apparently actually is, if his phone’s map could be trusted (Zoro did not trust his phone’s map, sure that it was constantly sending him on the slowest, stupidest route possible. He was definitely always better off just going his own way). At least the exercise was warming him up, the sun yet to burn off the late spring morning’s chill.

He was only twenty minutes late, maybe Sanji would let him off easy for once? Zoro sighed inwardly, knowing that would never happen. It was going to be stupid to be yelled at about this, too, since they weren’t even doing anything where timing was all that important. They were just trying to find good birthday presents for Luffy. Zoro was kind of hopeless at presents while Sanji was always amazing at them, always picking out something thoughtful and custom-tailored to the recipient. Zoro most often showed up with an amazon gift card feeling completely stupid about it. Knowing this, Zoro had stealthily suggested they go hunting together so they didn’t, “buy him the same thing.” As if Zoro would ever give as good of a gift as Sanji would. He was actually surprised Sanji hadn’t seen right through him and refused, but the other had actually more-or-less readily accepted the idea. Zoro supposed there was a first time for everything.

The first time for Zoro to not make himself late, however, was not today.

After some wrong turns and two dead ends that might have actually been the same dead end twice, Zoro finally, finally saw the large fountain that marked the beginning of the city park come into view. He slowed his jog to a walk, glad he hadn’t yet broken a sweat. Couldn’t let Sanji think he actually cared about keeping their appointment. Not that it mattered what the cook thought, of course, but if he thought Zoro cared he might somehow get an even bigger head than he already had. Not that Zoro actually cared in the first place, too, of course. He hadn’t been looking forward to spending a whole day shopping with Sanji even a little. Not at all.

Zoro looked around the paved area, searching for Sanji amongst the small crowd mingling by the fountain. The day was still a bit crisp from the morning, but that didn’t seem to dissuade people as they gathered around the mouth of the park. Some were alone, some in groups, and others towed animals on leashes either walking the pets or clearly getting walked by them. Zoro surveyed the whole crowd, looking for Sanji standing off by himself, probably bent agitatedly over his phone with a cigarette in his mouth. None of the loners in the area fit his description though.

Had Zoro somehow actually made it here first after all? That didn’t seem even a little bit likely. He kept looking.

Finally, after a long moment of searching, he managed to spot him. A familiar head of blonde hair, a neat dress shirt, and long legs stood by the side of the fountain striking an impossible-to-mistake silhouette.

He wasn’t alone, though.

In front Sanji was an unfamiliar couple: some brunette girl holding the hand of an average looking boy. Was Sanji hitting on a stranger while her boyfriend was literally right there? Really?

Zoro’s face morphed into an unimpressed look. How classic. He really had no idea what he was expecting, offering to take Sanji around in public where he might run into females in the wild. A strong feeling of annoyance grew in his chest at just imagining the stupid drivel that must be spewing out of that mouth of his.

Zoro began to march over there with intentions to drag Sanji away by the ear when he suddenly stopped himself in his own tracks. His brows furrowed, studying the way Sanji was standing. His entire posture was eerily off. One hand was in his pocket while the other held a lit cigarette. His shoulders were tight and a little high, legs slightly farther apart than normal as if on defense. There was absolutely none of the easy oozing he exuded whenever he normally was chatting up some girl. He wasn’t swooning even a little.

Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.

A thrum of worry pulsed through Zoro. It wasn’t that he was worried about Sanji – he could take care of himself, plus, Zoro reminded himself, he didn’t give a fuck about him (how does he keep forgetting that?). Rather, he was worried about what kind of threat these two people could possibly pose to get someone as cool-headed as Sanji so visibly tense.

Looking at the two, he knew he couldn’t place the boy, but the brunette… did he know her? Her face was rather indistinct, no particular piece of it sticking out to him. Her clothes looked well-pressed, and they were probably fashionable, not that Zoro had any real frame of reference for that. Her brown hair was half tied up in two little buns on her head, the rest left to fall down past her shoulders. She just seemed like a completely random, normal person; an auto-generation of any other girl about their age in the city.

Then the girl laughed at something. The sound was shrill and obnoxious in a way that grated on every nerve Zoro had. He wanted to absolutely break something.

Oh. Oh. Ohhhh. Zoro knew exactlywho this girl was. He scowled at the memory.

She was some chick Sanji had dated for a while, maybe a couple months? A name itched at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t quite grasp it. Two months was considerably longer than most of Sanji’s little trysts. He had even brought her around to meet everyone once; it was kind of a big deal since they’re friends are not only their family, but also extremely likely to scare any normal person away. Sanji had really, really actually liked this girl, Zoro was pretty sure.

And then she dumped him.

She’d reportedly done it unceremoniously one night, completely out of the blue. She simply told Sanji that she was, “done with this relationship now,” and left. Zoro had heard that line a hundred times over in the weeks following as Sanji wallowed pitifully, hit hard by the sudden cold shoulder. It had not been a pretty sight in the slightest. The ever-enamored cook had eventually bounced back, like he always did, but it really had taken longer than usual. Even Zoro had felt sorry for the guy at the time.

And now here she was. A completely random encounter in a city filled with a thousand other people that could be here instead. And she had the nerve to do, what? Strike up a casual conversation with someone she herself had so soundly dumped, some new boy in her tow? Inching closer, Zoro just barely started to be able to hear them. It was clear even just from her tone that the words exchanged were more than awkward hellos. The girl was gushing about her boyfriend the businessman, annunciating the words as if she wanted the whole park to turn and listen. She played with some expensive looking necklace in a way that was definitely supposed to be noticed, certainly some token from her little purse-mule of a boy.

That kind of thing really pissed Zoro off. Dump someone for no reason? Fine, whatever. But then go shoving yourself at him? In public and at random? She had to know how Sanji was physically incapable of being anything but overly polite to women, abusing that to get her kicks. Zoro grit his teeth as he watched Sanji gush at her that she looked as beautiful as always, that he simply adored how her hair grew out since he’d last seen her, that he was so happy she was so well taken care of. Underneath the gushing Zoro could practically feel how upset this whole encounter made Sanji, a self-pitying tone sewn into each sentence. It was like he was a slave to his own actions. The girl clearly let her ego be boosted by his attention and that made Zoro even angrier.

Zoro eyed the boy she had tugged along. He may have been some business guy or whatever, but he certainly didn’t look very impressive. His haircut was basic, his jacket was a bit too big and made him look like he was playing dress up, and his expression seemed far away as if zoned out. Zoro had him beat in muscle and looks easily. Zoro’s shirt was tight against his well-built chest, his jeans were slung low to show just a peak of his boxers, he’d have a healthy little glow from his jogging, and he raked a hand through his hair to give it a little volume. He was fully aware of exactly how good he looked in comparison and just pissed off enough to decide he might as well use it.

He wanted to see if little miss ex could handle a taste of her own medicine.

“Oi, Sanji,” he called, finally making his way to the trio. Sanji’s shoulders jumped to his ears. Zoro thought he looked like an animal frozen in crosshairs, waiting for its instincts to lead it to fight or flee. He turned slowly to look at Zoro, his face in a very un-handsome expression of combined panic and agitation.

Zoro fought his instinct to give just as nasty an expression back knowing he was now being watched by the brunette; his little show had now officially begun. Instead, he gave Sanji an easy smile as he sauntered over to him, eyes only on him, pretending to not even notice the couple right in front of them. This, of course, only lead to Sanji scrunching up his face in incredulous confusion. If this idea was going to work Zoro was going to have to wipe that look right off him.

When he was beside him, Zoro slung an arm around Sanji’s shoulder, letting himself drape over the other. Sanji was only one centimeter shorter than him and just as strong, so it always surprised Zoro just a bit how slight his naturally thin frame felt in his arms. A small, stupid rush of protectiveness briefly filled his chest and for once Zoro indulged it letting himself draw Sanji close to him. Sanji went stiff as a board and his eyes blew open in surprise. Zoro took advantage of his surprise, not letting him even think about getting a kick in as he reached out with his other hand to grab hold of Sanji’s stubbled chin.

He drew the other in for a quick, soft kiss.

The sharp scent of tobacco filled Zoro’s senses, but underneath it lied the familiar aroma of spices that followed Sanji everywhere he went. The scent was familiar, but the feel of Sanji’s lips against his was new. For all the times he’d bitten a mark into Sanji’s pale flesh, nipping along skin usually hidden later by shirts, Zoro couldn’t actually remember them kissing. If they ever had, they certainly would never do it as gently as this. He counted to ten in his head, wanting the kiss to look real while still public-appropriate.

Zoro was perfectly prepared for Sanji to remain like cardboard, perfectly fine carrying the kiss by himself. Suddenly, though, as if some sort of switch had gone off, Sanji softened, easing into Zoro’s hold like butter into warm bread.

All at once Sanji’s plush lips gently pressed back, allowing his weight to fall where Zoro’s arms had guided it. The count in Zoro’s head faltered for a second, mind going dumb from shock. Zoro had kissed plenty of people before, was a damn good kisser himself, but somehow nothing had ever felt like this. There was something in the way Sanji relaxed into him, how perfectly their lips slotted together, and the sensory of the strong scents and rough stubble and pillowy softness of lips. It all made even such a simple kiss simply intoxicating. Had they really never done this before? Why the hell not?

At ten (or was it eleven? Twelve?) Zoro drew his head back, ending their kiss with the soft sound of lips parting. He didn’t go far, though, hand still on the other’s chin, their breath mixing in the space between them. He opened his eyes, not knowing when he’d closed them, to find Sanji staring at him with a dazed expression and a gentle, pink blush spread across his cheeks. Zoro couldn’t help but smile, a strange feeling like fondness welling up in his chest. It was probably just hormones, like always, reminding him of the other times he’d made the typically put-together Sanji blush in more heated circumstances. Yeah, that was it, had to be.

“Thanks for waiting,” Zoro said, for once owning up to being late. Sanji blinked owlishly at him, as if trying to place where they were and what they were supposed to be doing. At that cute look something compelled Zoro and he made no move to stop it, giving a sweet kiss to the bit of forehead poking out from blonde bangs as if in apology.

“Ahem?” an impatient voice said, jarring Zoro back into reality. When had he left? It was like he’d had complete tunnel vision. Now, though, the situation around him came back into sharp focus. The mild chill of the spring air, the bubbling fountain behind him, the obnoxious couple in front of him, the reason why he did what he just did. Yes, right, he’d had a reason for doing that. One, singular, solitary reason and absolutely no other. A mission, even. Right.

Zoro dropped Sanji’s chin, ignoring the tingle in his hand and the definitely non-existent desire to hold him elsewhere. He instead hooked his thumb in one of his belt loops and assumed a pose hanging off of Sanji who was now tucked rather snugly into his side. The girl had her arms crossed and looked huffy. He raised an eyebrow at the two, acting as if they’d been the ones to interrupt him. “Sorry, didn’t see you there,” Zoro said casually, just knowing an egotistical bitch like her would be bothered by that. Sure enough, the girl’s eye twitched just a bit. Zoro held back a smug smile at getting a reaction so easily. “And you would be?”

Indignation flashed in the girl’s eyes. Had Zoro asked that rudely? Oh, pardon him. She stood herself up to look taller, as if looking down on him despite being a few inches shorter. Zoro refused to be phased.

“I’m Alice,” the girl introduced herself, not bothering to introduce the boy with her. It was probably for the best as the boy’s eyes had followed Zoro’s thumb down to where it rested, clearly distracted.

“I’m sure Sanji has told you all about me,” she added with fake sweetness, an almost sadistic smile crawling up her face. Alice, right. Alice was definitely the name Sanji wailed into his empty wine glass when Zoro and the others had tried to take him out on a boys’ night to cheer him up. He actually used to kind of like that name, but now it was forever tainted with the memory of this haughty cunt in front of him.

Instead of admitting to the recollection, though, Zoro looked at her blankly. “Alice…” he said, as if mulling the name over. As if he needed to search long and hard to find any semblance of someone in Sanji’s past named Alice. “Hm,” he said at length, “no… I don’t really remember having heard about someone by that name. Have you ever mentioned an Alice, babe?”

Despite addressing him, Zoro didn’t dare look at Sanji’s face. Even just the hint of doubt or disbelief or anger from Sanji might be enough to shake Zoro off his game and have this all come crashing down more humiliating than when they’d started.

He looked at Alice, instead, who looked at him like he’d grown a second head. The very concept that Sanji might not have cried his heart out about her every day since their parting was clearly a new one. It made Zoro so happy to have so suddenly shut her down with just a few words.

“Hold on! W-we’ve met before!” Alice protested, apparently recognizing him now. Zoro noted that she didn’t wait for Sanji to confirm or deny if he’d ever deigned to mention her once their relationship had ended. Zoro wondered if she was scared to know. Hearing something like that from the man himself might just shake her precious little ego. Zoro would love to see that happen.

“Oh, we have?” Zoro asked mildly, showing a clear disinterest in whether they had or not. He pretended to mull the concept over in his head just as he had her name. He certainly remembered the party Sanji had brought her to. He remembered that it had sucked because her laugh was too annoying to ignore even from across the room and cross-eyed drunk. Finally, he shrugged simply, clearly not caring one way or another. “Guess it just wasn’t very memorable.”

At that Alice looked absolutely stricken, an arrow piercing directly into her pride. Bullseye, Zoro thought to himself, narrowly remembering to keep his face schooled. He so badly wanted to give her the same wolfish grin he reserved for his enemies at tournaments, but his own internal satisfaction would have to suffice.

In his peripheral, Zoro saw Sanji take a long drag off his cigarette. Hopefully that meant he was willing to quietly play along. Possibly it meant he thought Zoro had genuinely forgotten about her and that he was about to get pummeled into a paste in about five seconds.

“S-So then, you two? You’re together then?” Alice asked, clearly affronted and looking for something to refill her sails. Zoro wondered if she was beginning to consider him her replacement. He wondered how he measured up.

Suddenly, though, she seemed then to get herself a second wind, puffing herself up in her coat. Zoro refrained from frowning, if just barely. And here he’d been winning.

“It’s so adorable to see new couples, isn’t it Darek, sweetie?” she said sweetly, grabbing on to her boy’s sleeve. The boy in question nodded absentmindedly, eyes locked on where Zoro was oh-so-incidentally toying at the waistband of his boxers with his thumb. A charming one, wasn’t he? “We’ve been together for four months now. It’s just so hard to find the one you’re truly meant to be with, but so rewarding to know they’re all yours. How long has your cute little thing been going on for?”

So she was considering him to be her replacement. Moreover, it seemed clear that if that were the case, he’d be the winner. This was her alternative hypothesis, the situation that would set the world just a little bit more right than it was right then. If their relationship was new she could brush it all off as certain to be doomed in a week or two, as so many new relationship were. Well, he’d better set her little worries to rest, now shouldn’t he?

“This little love bug,” Zoro said, pressing a sweet kiss to Sanji’s cheek, forcibly holding the other’s shoulder’s down when they jumped, “Has been all mine since August.” Would he most likely be paying for “love bug” with his very life later? Yes, yes he would. But it was so, so very worth it to see Alice’s face as she did the math. Zoro distinctly recalled The Wailing Remembrance of Alice having begun in that hot and muggy summer month. Logically, then, that made Zoro one hell of a rebound, and one that stuck quite nicely, too.

Alice was clearly taken aback, her refilled sails deflating again catastrophically. The cutesie pda, Zoro’s complete disinterest in with her, and the dawning evidence that maybe Sanji hadn’t been so hopelessly lost without her was doing exactly the job Zoro had hoped it would.

“B-but I thought you two hated each other!” She cried, looking between the two and sounding a bit desperate, “That you couldn’t stand in the same room without arguing!”

She, of course, had seen firsthand at the party the animosity between the two. She also had probably had to sit through at least a couple sessions of Sanji bitching about whatever thing Zoro had done to purposefully annoy him. Well, Zoro figured, you know what they say: when in doubt, gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss.

“Oh?” Zoro said, cocking his head to the side, “Why do you say that?” He said it as if she was insane, as if she hadn’t seen their fights herself, as if they weren’t literally known for their arguments with each other. He said it like it was completely and entirely natural for them to be like this now. It helped that Sanji hadn’t moved an inch, hadn’t given a single physical sign that this wasn’t exactly what they usually did. He made it seem like he was perfectly comfortable being held close to Zoro’s chest. That it was where he belonged.

They had even, in fact, gone a whole five minutes without arguing.

Alice’s mouth opened and closed for a minute, her mind clearly trying to calculate and recalculate this encounter, but the numbers just didn’t seem to be adding up in her favor. Zoro almost pitied her, except that she had very much started it and brought all this upon herself.

Finally, she looked to her boy as if for some sort of support. All she found was that his attention was firmly on Zoro’s chest, eating up the eye candy readily. He even went as far as to lick his lips.

“Darek!” Alice scolded under her breath, scandalized, slapping his chest for attention.

“Ow!” Darek said, shocked out of whatever daydream he’d been having.

Zoro finally let himself give a toothy smile. He considered his damage officially done. Alice had clearly been knocked down a peg or two, and her little walking-wallet of a boyfriend had been reduced from oh-so successful businessman to just another ogler looking for the next pretty thing. This was a resounding victory.

Now for a victorious escape out of this situation as fast as possible.

“Come on, babe,” Zoro said, turning his head to nuzzle into Sanji’s hair. How did he always forget just how soft those golden strands were? “I’ve made you wait long enough. I owe you a date.”

Zoro smiled into the last sentence, making it sound like their “date” was the only thing on his mind. Like he’d been thinking all week long about getting to see the other, the thought being his lone reason to keep going day after day. Which couldn’t be farther from the truth, obviously. There had been absolutely zero percent of him that had put any emphasis on this little outing even once this past week. He hadn’t done laundry for the express purpose of having something he liked to wear, he hadn’t trimmed up his sideburns and played with different hair products all week, and he definitely was not currently wearing cologne. The smile was simply an affectation of the truth, just for the sake of the ruse. That’s it.

Before anyone had time to say anything more, Zoro gently ushered Sanji to turn away from the other couple. To his relief, Sanji went willingly.

“W-wha-hey! Wait a minute!” Alice blustered, stomping a foot.

“It was nice meeting you,” Zoro said, not even looking back at her, just waving his free hand slightly.

“I told you, we already met!” she fumed, but Zoro paid it absolutely no mind. He grinned like an absolute shark, amazed he was getting away with this.

“Wait!” She yelled again.

Then, she played dirty.

“Sanji,” she said, a whimper in her voice.

Sanji stopped dead in his tracks. Zoro did too, not wanting to have to actually drag the other. He closed his eyes and cursed in his head. They had been so close.

Sanji took a long drag off his cigarette. As he sucked in, the moment seemed to stretch out, becoming longer than it was before. Finally, he blew a long exhale, smoke leaving his mouth fluidly. He tapped the ash off the end of his cigarette, dropped it to the pavement, and ground it out with his toe.

Zoro didn’t look at his face. He didn’t want to see even an ounce of hurt from such a stupid, shallow, nobody of a girl. It was so ridiculous for someone like that to make someone like Sanji feel anything at all, let alone pain. It made bile rise in Zoro’s throat and blood rush in his ears, but he kept his cool. He’d tried his rescue strategy. This was now nothing but Sanji’s fight.

Sanji turned his head over their shoulders. Zoro expected whimpering or pitiful noises, or maybe simply his standard gushing. Assurances that Alice still lived in his heart, that she always would. He’d tell her that she was the most beautiful girl in the world, that nobody could compare, that he would never want anyone else more than he wanted her. Zoro felt an unusual nausea in his gut.

“It was good to see you, Alice!” Sanji called brightly, his tone clear of any whining or gooeyness, much to Zoro’s surprise. No hurt? No presentation of wounds? No flattery? No begging?

“I’m glad you’re doing well.” Zoro was nearly in shock; Sanji sounded completely genuine. Did he… get over her? Just now? In this moment?

He hazarded a look at Sanji’s face and found a brilliantly beaming smile that reached his clear blue eyes. It was a smile that could put a thousand suns to shame, a smile that could launch a thousand ships, a smile worth the world over in gold and then some. Somehow, Sanji was really, truly happy.

Something inside Zoro absolutely melted and something else bloomed warm in his chest.

Before Zoro could even start to think about processing that, Sanji turned to him, and he was simply lost. For a brief second that stretched into minutes, days, years even, nothing else existed but him and Sanji and Sanji’s blue eyes shining back at him. He wanted nothing more than to kiss the beautiful man in front of him.

Then Sanji spoke, and Zoro forced himself out of that moment. Back to reality. Again, when had he left? He couldn’t recall.

“Come on, then, dearest,” Sanji jeered, his eyes now gleaming mischievously and smile saccharine sweet as he prodded. Zoro cognitively knew that he was always annoyed by that expression yet couldn’t seem to summon up the actual feeling of being annoyed. “I believe you promised me shopping?” Zoro felt a hand slip into the far back pocket of his jeans.

Now they really did look like a disgustingly lovey-dovey honeymoon-stage couple out for a date. Sanji gave his ass a teasing squeeze, snickering as Zoro felt his whole face grow red hot. Who had initiated the touching again? It couldn’t possibly have been him. This was far too intimate for him to have started, surely.

Zoro gulped heavily and remembered that he had a part to play here. He once again ushered them forward down the street. The last thing he heard from the girl – her name already returning to a blank spot in Zoro’s mind – was her yelling at her boyfriend to get his jaw off the ground and stop drooling already.

Zoro let Sanji lead them down a couple blocks, dazed and distracted. During the whole encounter he’d kept himself perfectly calm, but now that it was over his heart was beating hard in his chest. He replayed the whole scene in his head, impossibly surprised that it actually worked. How in the hell had it actually worked? How had they passed so easily for an actual couple?

Zoro was still wondering at how miraculous their success was when Sanji broke his concentration.

“Hey, Zoro,” Sanji said, casually as can be, leading them down some sort of alley between buildings.

“Yeah?” Zoro grunted, freshly shaken from his thoughts.

“Could you do me a favor?”

“What do you want, shit cook?”

“Well, would you mind ever so terribly-“ Suddenly, a foot came flying at his face and Zoro was too startled to block it in time, “-GETTING YOUR BIG, DUMB GORILLA HANDS OFF OF ME!”

Zoro went flying into the wall of the alley, back hitting with a sharp snap of pain. He was fine, though, nothing he couldn’t brush off.

“What the hell was that for?” Zoro scowled. He peaked at the wall behind him; the brick was only cracked a little, just barely resembling the outline of a person. Nothing identifying, so it was fine.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” Sanji sneered, adjusting the collar of his button-up and dusting off his pants as if the mere presence of Zoro in his bubble was sullying.

“Heh, I can think of a few times you’ve liked me touching you just fine,” Zoro retorted, wiggling his brows suggestively.

“You’re such a pervert,” Sanji said with disgust.

“You’re one to talk, love cook, swooning after a girl with her boyfriend literally right next to her.” Zoro swiped his thumb under his nose, checking for blood and finding none. Nothing seemed broken, that was good.

“Hey!” Sanji protested, looking angry. Had Zoro gone to far with bringing it up already? He knew the situation wasn’t exactly typical. Still, the whole thing still kind of pissed him off, so why shouldn’t he talk about it? “I didn’t ask for your help back there!”

“Oh?” Zoro asked, a smirk coming to his face, “So you admit that what I did was helpful?”

Sanji’s face grew red, frustration and agitation clear. “Oh, go die in a hole, you moron.”

“Whatever,” Zoro shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets, and leaning against the cracked brick coolly, “I was just pissed off, that’s all.”

“You?” Sanji asked condescendingly, “What the hell did you have to be pissed off about?”

“Don’t like that girl, is all,” Zoro answered plainly, closing his eyes as he relaxed, his heart rate finally dropping back to normal after all the excitement. The physical distance from Sanji and the sting of pain had broken his strange headspace. He was feeling like his usual self again, now. No weird, overly emotional thoughts swirling around. “Didn’t like her when you talked about her, didn’t like her when you brought her around, and I didn’t like her when I saw her just now, either.”

Zoro could feel Sanji study him for a moment, as if trying to decide if he bought that. “And what exactly has she done to you to make you hate her so much?”

Zoro huffed, rather done with the interrogation despite it hardly having begun. “I just can’t stand her attitude, that’s all. She’s so holier-than-thou, and then goes around parading herself like she’s the best thing since sliced bread.” The nerve of that girl, honestly. Zoro worked up a little mucus in his mouth and spit at the ground. “She thinks she can just waltz around hurting people to make herself feel better. Pisses me off.”

“Hey, you can’t say that about a beautiful lady!”

“Oh, piss off,” Zoro said, rolling his eyes, “First of all as far as I could tell she wasn’t even that good looking, average at best.” He will fully admit to his radar being finely attuned to men only, though, so maybe he’s wrong, but she really didn’t seem like anything special to him. “And secondly you never would have taken that kind of crap from a guy. You would have kicked him to the moon and back the second he tried that shit. But with her, and every other woman ever, you let her walk all over you. Not exactly a good idea when the girl’s a grade-A bitch.”

They stood there in that alley for a long moment, Sanji just watching Zoro and Zoro just watching him back. They both knew he was right.

“Tch,” Sanji spat at length, “I was raised a ladies’ man, and that’s just how it is.” Zoro knew that, too. This wouldn’t change anything. He doesn’t know how it happened, but somehow that behavior just got hard coded into Sanji. It was fine except that it was annoying and opened him up so easily to those who would misuse his kindness. There weren’t many of Sanji’s exes that Zoro didn’t outright hate, now that he thought about it, and certainly none that he properly liked. Maybe that was why.

“And anyway,” Sanji cut in, breaking Zoro’s wandering thoughts, “Why the hell do you care how I’m treated anyway?”

What? Did he say that? No way he’d said that. “I don’t!” He didn’t! Zoro felt his face grow hot, which didn’t make any sense. This was stupid. “I-It’s just the principal of the matter, is all!”

“Oh really?” Sanji asked, clearly unconvinced.

“Shut the hell up, bastard,” Zoro snapped, now really well and truly done with this whole affair. He took a breath, cooling himself down. Sanji always got him so worked up it was stupid. “Whatever, believe whatever the hell you want, I already told you the truth. She was a cunt and that’s all there is to it.”

The words clearly ticked Sanji off, but that was good, got him distracted from whatever bullshit he was spewing about Zoro caring about him or something. Idiot.

“You know, you could really do with learning some good manners towards ladies.” Sanji scowled.

“Yeah, yeah,” Zoro said, waving off the idea for the billionth time. “Last time I treated a girl any differently she caved my head in with a stick. Won’t be making that mistake twice.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Sanji asked, making a dumb face as if Zoro had said some sort of convoluted metaphor.

“Forget about it,” Zoro dismissed, having not intended to bring Kuina into this. He shoved off the wall and decided it was time to get out of this alley and back to what they came here for.

“Whatever,” Sanji said, rolling his eyes, apparently too done with Zoro to bother to pry.

Zoro walked until he was passing Sanji by, heading toward the mouth of the alley. Sanji stood silently, looking like he was thinking about something.

Just as he passed, Sanji said something quietly, “She really was a bit mean, wasn’t she?”

Zoro stopped there, just in front of the other. He didn’t get it. He didn’t know why Sanji was like this. Why was it so impossibly hard for him to admit when a woman was bad to him? So inconceivable to fight back? It made Zoro so impossibly upset sometimes. But here he was with this one little admittance. This one time this one woman was a bit mean to him. Zoro shouldn’t shoot this down. He couldn’t bring himself to if he wanted.

“Yeah,” Zoro huffed, a bit of a smile playing on his lips with the magnitude of the understatement. “And stupid too,” he added.

“Stupid?” Sanji asked, hackles raised all over again, “What the hell do you mean by that?”

“Sheesh, isn’t it obvious?” Zoro asked, huffing a short laugh through his nose, “First she dates you, which already brands her as an idiot –“

“Hey!”

“- And then she brings around that chump as if he’s supposed to somehow make you jealous. Seriously, as if he’d ever hold a candle to you.” What a joke.

Sanji didn’t say anything to that, and Zoro looked back curiously.

Sanji was just staring at him, eyes a little wide and face dusted pink. “Hah?” Zoro questioned, one eyebrow quirked. “What, did I say something wrong?”

Sanji looked at him for a moment longer, the silence stretching between them yet carrying surprisingly little tension. Finally, Sanji seemed to shake himself out of it. “It’s nothing, moss-for-brains. And get out of my way,” he said, shoving Zoro by the face.

“Hey! Cut it out!” Zoro yelled, shoving Sanji’s hand off his face.

“Ah, deal with it, grass-head,” Sanji said, pulling out a cigarette and his lighter, “Let’s find whatever the hell kind of present Luffy would want already.”

Zoro grumbled but followed along, ready to get this errand over with and the weird events of ten minutes ago behind him. This event would be receiving absolutely no post-facto analysis. There wasn’t a single thought, feeling, or action that needed a second look at or processing time to rectify with his current world view, and he was eager to put it all out of his head.

“And hey,” Sanji said. Zoro sighed inward, sure this was going to be something weird about the thing that just happened, “Thanks.”

Yup. Weird. Weird, weird, weird. It was so weird for Sanji to thank him, he almost hated it. He did hate it. He absolutely definitely hated it. That must be what the rosy feeling in his chest was: hate for how weird it was.

“Yeah, well, you know,” Zoro said, shrugging the whole ordeal off as they did with almost everything that’s happened between them, “Don’t mention it.”

This, as so much else, would be their little secret.

A comfortable silence rested between them as they each took a moment to breathe.

“By the way, are you wearing cologne?”

“IN YOUR DREAMS!”

#one piece #zosan #sanzo #zoro/sanji #sanji/zoro #zoroxsanji #sanjixzoro #fake dating #my writing #fanfiction

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kaizokuou-ni-naru · 4 years

Text

The Voyage So Far: Alabasta (Part Two)

east blue (1 | 2) || alabasta (1 | 2) || skypiea || water 7 || enies lobby || thriller bark || paramount war (1 | 2) || fishman island || punk hazard || dressrosa (1 | 2) || whole cake island || wano (1 | 2)

crocodile is one of my favorite villains in one piece for a number of reasons, and one of them is because he’s such a threat, the first real one faced in the grand line and one of the toughest in all of paradise. the villains from the arcs before this, like wapol or the agents from little garden, could barely even land a hit on luffy in actual combat. so crocodile is introduced here as an absolute force of nature, a complete contrast to recent villains and a very tangible threat.

it’s an impression he very much lives up to later in the arc by crushing luffy not once but twice, which only makes luffy’s ultimate hard-won triumph feel all the better. luffy closes a huge gap over the course of alabasta in order to be able to beat crocodile, and giving us a sense of just how strong he is from the very start gives luffy clawing his way up to that level a lot more weight.

the successive reveals of luffy’s family never fail to absolutely delight me, because in any other series they would almost certainly feel contrived, but knowing luffy, it is absolutely unsurprising he just never happened to mention his relatives. nobody asked! luffy’s unique brand of honesty is one of my favorite character quirks, because he’s very straightforward and in fact can’t lie for shit, but his priorities are so completely off the wall that he winds up omitting highly relevant information completely by accident.

ace’s scene in alabasta really does impress me. oda’s said in an sbs that he knew ace’s fate from his introduction, which i find absolutely unsurprising given the intricacy of his story planning. that means he needed ace’s introduction to make him both likable and memorable enough in the space of just a couple chapters that the audience would be engaged when he became the focus of the story a couple hundred chapters on despite barely appearing at all in the intervening time, and he really succeeded.

kohza is one of my favorite minor characters in the whole series, and i think he’s a big part of why alabasta’s civil war plotline works so well and feels so real. nobody on either side of the war actually wants to fight, but everyone has been driven to such desperation that they feel they have no other choice in order to save their country; and kohza exemplifies that. he's a good person who loves his country a lot, and who genuinely likes and cares about the royal family and vivi especially, and the only option he can see to save alabasta is terrible, but there’s nothing else he can do.

it’s just fun for me to think about the fact that if crocodile was literally anything other than a very skilled logia, vivi would have ended the whole entire arc right here.

i really like civil war storylines when they’re well-done, and i think alabasta is one of the best ones i’ve seen in media. most of it is down to what i mentioned earlier, about how nobody on either side actually wants to fight but feels like they have no choice but to. nobody here is actually in the wrong except for crocodile, and so until crocodile is defeated, nothing can be fixed- which is what luffy, of all people, is the one to realize.

sanji’s mr. prince gambit is probably my single favorite part of alabasta, and i think one of the reasons i like it so much is because he basically beats crocodile at his own game. crocodile is terrifying in battle, but before anything else he’s a manipulator. he’s always working from the shadows, always deceiving people doing what he wants, and sanji manages to turn the tables on him and do the exact same back to him, twice.

also sanji looks great in glasses

smoker and tashigi both get kind of unfortunately sidelined after this saga, but they’re both really great characters in alabasta. (tashigi especially; i’ll get to her later.) much like the rebel army, they’re good people trying to do the right thing in the tangled mess of tension and politics and resentment that is alabasta- and when that means working with pirates, they’ll buckle down and do it, despite how much it might contradict their worldviews.

i love when events align in one piece so that people who don’t particularly like the strawhats wind up working with them for some common goal (as seen most prominently in impel down), and smoker and tashigi in alabasta are the first and still one of the best examples of that.

the entirety of luffy versus crocodile round one is so well done. we’re a hundred and fifty chapters in, and although luffy has struggled in fights before now and then, we get the sense he hasn’t ever really been pushed to the brink, and he’s certainly never lost.

and then he does, completely and absolutely, without ever even landing a hit on his opponent, and it hits like a punch.

oda seems to be a fan of characters just barely missing each other- the similar panel of robin and olvia running past each other from robin’s flashback comes to mind.

i’ve always liked that of all the strawhats, it’s usopp who gets the first “luffy is going to be king of the pirates” moment. they’ve all said it by the current chapters in wano (with the sole exception of robin, i believe), but usopp said it first, and that feels significant to me. he’s always been the one who feels the least secure in his place on the crew, but even so, he has so much faith in luffy.

nami’s fight with miss doublefinger is pretty silly in places and i think it gets frequently (understandably, it must be said) overshadowed by zoro’s fight with mr. 1 directly afterwards, but i really like it nonetheless. it’s nami’s first real solo fight in the whole series, and once she finds her feet she kicks ass, and i really like that. it feels like a very satisfying development for her, to stand up and risk her life in direct combat for vivi’s sake.

we’re now almost a thousand chapters in and its my firm belief that zoro versus mr. 1 is still one of the best fights in the entire series. i definitely think it’s probably zoro’s best fight- only his match with kaku compares. the narrative build over the course of the fight, from zoro struggling just to match mr. 1 (and getting shredded to pieces in the process) to cutting him down in one final stroke, is incredibly cool and satisfying to watch. it feels like a very tangible step forward for zoro in terms of ability, like a massive obstacle has been surmounted and, as he himself says, he’s now stronger for it.

its also very cool that this is, i believe, the first appearance of what is probably observation haki, though it isn’t named or recognized as such. i’m always endlessly impressed by all the little moments of internal consistency that oda manages to sprinkle into his story.

there’s barely any dialogue on these entire two pages, from crocodile dropping vivi to luffy and pell swooping in- the story is briefly told entirely through visuals- and i love that. it gives the impression of a single tense, frozen moment as vivi falls, which is then broken in spectacular fashion when luffy catches her.

i really, really like the progression that runs through all three of luffy’s fights with crocodile. the gap between them goes from being impossible, with luffy unable to even land a hit and crocodile basically toying with him; to surmountable but still huge, with luffy able to land some hits but still outclassed; to finally putting them on basically even ground. and every inch of that growth on luffy’s part is hard-fought and hard-won and well-deserved.

crocodile’s confidence in his abilities isn’t misplaced- he genuinely is that powerful. but if there’s anything we know about luffy by now, it’s that he doesn’t ever give up. it’s very fun to watch crocodile’s dismissiveness turn into disbelief turn into rage and frustration when luffy just won’t die.

luffy is, additionally, pretty clearly a better brawler than crocodile (which makes sense, crocodile is clearly used to devastating long-range attacks with his powers while luffy grew up fighting giant wildlife with his bare hands), which means that by the time of their last fight, where they’re just whaling on each other in the catacombs and crocodile is starting to get sloppy and desperate and lose control, if anything it’s luffy who has the upper hand.

zoro and sanji’s dynamic is always a favorite of mine, and one of the things i like best about them is how perfectly in sync they always manage to be when it comes to things that actually matter, despite fighting like cats and dogs pretty much every other time. i’ll never understand people who think they genuinely aren’t friends.

tashigi is really good in alabasta, okay. she essentially has her own entire character growth arc. she goes from her stance in loguetown, where she isn’t even tolerant of (fully legal!) bounty hunters, to here, where she’s forced to confront that the world isn’t nearly as black and white as she’s always believed it to be, that sometimes pirates are good and allies of the government are bad, and ultimately makes the right choice to help the strawhats even though it clearly pains and frustrates her that she can’t do anything more herself.

i’ll be forever mad that her only really significant appearance after this in punk hazard didn’t really live up to what her character deserved.

i really like how the countdown sequence is done. the tension is ratcheting up and up and up as the clock ticks down in the final seconds, panels cutting all over the city to show all the different characters, everyone who’s caught up in this conflict and everyone who’ll die if the cannon fires-

and then the clock hits zero, and we get this panel that’s just... quiet, after all the madness, as we see how vivi stopped the detonation. i think oda is very good at setting up his pages so they have a flow to them, so no matter how quickly you actually read sometimes things feel like they’re going very fast and all happening at once and then it slows down and gives the reader a chance to breathe, if only to speed up again later. i think oda is really good at pacing in general, really, both on a micro level like this and on a larger scale.

luffy’s greatest strength isn’t really his strength. he’s strong, absolutely, but that’s not really why he wins the fights he shouldn’t win. he wins because he just doesn’t fucking stay down. his fight with katakuri is probably the best example of this, because katakuri has him beat in pretty much every category except sheer endurance, and there as here, it’s that endurance that winds up getting luffy the win in the end.

i do love that it’s the rain that ends the war. not the explosion and pell’s sacrifice, not vivi’s pleading, not even luffy kicking crocodile into the stratosphere, but the rain, the thing alabasta’s been missing for too long, the thing crocodile stole, the only thing all these people are fighting over.

it’s crocodile’s symbolic defeat- at the same moment his power is broken by luffy, the stranglehold of dehydration he’s been using to foment war and rebellion is all at once gone, and he’s left with nothing at all, and alabasta can finally find peace and start to heal again.

i always love the little moments that show, usually without words, just how much the strawhats love each other, and all of them unanimously waiting until vivi is out of sight to collapse so that she won’t worry, won’t see how ragged they ran themselves for their sake, is definitely one of them.

i adore vivi’s sendoff, because while its sad she has to go, the certainty that someday they’ll meet again and that even if not they’ll always be crew manages to make this scene endlessly hopeful instead (which, i think, is also a good summary of one piece’s tone as a whole, at least in its more serious moments). luffy never says goodbye, after all, and nobody ever really leaves the strawhat pirates.

i’m really looking forward to vivi’s re-entry to the story. i really, really want to see her reunion with the strawhats.

hey look, it’s the panel my profile picture is from!

the mystery surrounding robin and her past is built up in little ways long before enies lobby, from her harsh reaction when confronted with by tashigi to her aversion to being called by her given name to this flashback, of her talking to cobra about her dream. of them, the latter is my favorite, because i think it’s probably the most sincere she is until enies lobby- which makes sense, given she thinks she’s about to die.

like many things about robin in alabasta, this gets cast in a new light by her backstory. if she dies here, so too does the entire legacy of ohara- but she’s so beaten down and hopeless that she really doesn’t see any light ahead to strive for. there’s no hope left, for her, and the whole world against her.

and then there’s luffy, who creates hope everywhere he goes, who makes her live anyways.

this is a hell of a spread to hook us very effectively right into the sky island saga. it’s a perfect reminder of just how much we still don’t know about all the endless mysteries of the grand line, and just how many adventures are still yet to be had.

#the voyage so far #arc: alabasta #one piece #opmeta #not japanese #long post

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hollythius · 2 years

Note

Hi, I wanna have a matchup, please!

For the purposes of the mini-fic that comes with it, my name is Cali! My pronouns are she/her I'd like a matchup with a male character.

My mbti is INTP, I'm a Leo, and I'm autistic.

My main hobby is baking/cooking, but I also love drawing and painting, and writing poetry. I love playing video games too but they're not a thing in One Piece lmao, so, aside from that I kind of like games in general. Boardgames, childhood playground games, etc. I'm extremely bad at chess and checkers, though. And card games.

My favorite places are the beach/ocean and amusement parks, or other fun and interactive places like museums and aquariums. But like I said, I especially love the beach. It's hard for me to pick a favorite food, since it changes every time I try a good food lmao, but right now it's beef wellington. Yes, it's very expensive, but also I made it myself on Christmas for my family, so there's good memories attached. Aside from that though, my real favorite foods to eat more often are either chocolate and chocolate flavored goods, or crispy and spicy chips with lime on them.

Aside from the above, I also love animals and care a lot about the environment. I'm not very outdoorsy or rough at all, but still. I love to study animals and nature, and I love animals that are traditionally scary: sharks, bats, crows, etc. They aren't my favorite but that's only because I have no favorites. Except for any animal that may be my pet; I love and cherish my dog right now, and that would still be true if he were any other animal.

I also love collecting toys. I don't have room for much more so I stopped, but I would love to collect mass amounts of plushies. Especially the squishamallow-types. I love how cute they look, I love holding and hugging them, I just love them so much. I also have a soft spot for fashion dolls, they're extremely pretty and remind me of when I was little.

Places I don't like are places where the main attraction is socialization and noise; concerts, casinos, etc. I can stand a crowd if I'm somewhere fun and can be distracted, but I hate constantly bumping into or touching strangers. This goes for parties and social gatherings as a whole, I'm definitely the type to just follow around the one person I know or play with the house pet. As for foods I don't like: dried fruit. I really like fruits that are juicy/messy, and dried fruit has a very off flavor/texture that I hate.

When it comes to making friends, I have a lot of trouble. I'm very reserved and have a resting bitch face, and I usually eat by myself so I can daydream and be alone with my thoughts. But I really love /having/ friends. When I already have a friend, I'm extremely loyal and want to do anything and everything to make them happy. I'm also a very sincere friend, I don't deal with sarcasm or teasing very well at all and I don't do it to anyone either. I take and say things very literally, and I show I care mostly by doing favors and giving gifts. Although, I'm also very touchy feely and love some good hugs and cuddles.

hi cali! like i’ve been putting on the rest of the matchups, i’m no longer doing the mini-fics due to some mental health stuff. but i hope you enjoy your match…

monkey d. luffy!

- luffy would be so happy to play games with you. he also has plenty of friends who are more standoffish, and wouldn’t mind having a s/o like that either. (though he would try his hardest to bring you out of your shell) even if it’s hard for you to find friends, luffy pretty much solves that issue right away. any of luffy’s friends are now automatically yours. he’s also happy when you want cuddles or affection, cause he’s just a little ball of sunshine that radiates love.

#holly’s matchups #luffy

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misc-headcanons · 4 years

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Hello dear Misc tis I the angst king in your inbox~ I had an angst idea the other day where basically, you know the poofing system in Steven Universe when a gem's physical state is near death they retreat into their gems to regenerate? Well, I had the idea of maybe Doffy, Ace and Law reacting to their S/O get poofed (lets say bc of a df power) for the first time and they actually think they are gone for good. Its okay if you don't accept it I know its kinda weird lmao

(So for OP lore's sake, I'm gonna call their DF the Gem-Gem Fruit. When the user is damaged too much, they retreat into a gem shaped like their favorite fruit that's also their favorite color. Examples for reference:)

Doflamingo

Doffy would be more shocked than upset at first. One minute you're walking next to him through the royal gardens, and the next, he hears a gunshot go off. Before he realizes it, he hears you gasp sharply and in one instant, he no longer feels your hand. He can hear who fired the shot, frantically yelling to one of their collaborators that he was aiming for Doflamingo--and missed.

He doesn't even look down at where you were laying on the ground, immediately rushing to ensure your killers didn't escape. A vein on his forehead bulged and his typical smile was gone as he slowly and sadistically subdued the would-be assassins, using his String Fruit to manipulate their bodies into killing each other in a brutal fashion. They killed you. They killed YOU. A part of him wanted to be angered at you for dying to such nameless worthless lowlives, but...he never could stay mad at you.

When he stopped seeing red, he looked back at where you two had been standing and stared at the spot where your lifeless body should have been. There was something glittering in the sunlight, and he cautiously made his way towards it to examine it, holding it up by his Strings. It was...a fruit? A crystal fruit?

As he looked at it, he swore he saw your reflection inside of it. You were sleeping soundly, floating around in a little void as you curled up against yourself. He stared intently at the gem until he realized he wasn't hallucinating, and then slipped your gem into his coat pocket before making his way back to the castle. Just to make sure he wasn't the only person who could see you in there, he slyly asked Jora if he could see something within the interesting "art piece" he'd found. When she said it looked like you were in there, he made his way to his bedchamber and set your gem on the center of his bed. He spent the rest of the day waiting for you to appear, not letting anyone else in the Family know about what had happened to you.

When you finally reappeared, Doflamingo was sitting in his chair with a relieved (and slightly annoyed, because you hadn't told him about this ability) smile/smirk on his face and asked if you enjoyed your brief "rest".

Ace

You were always throwing yourself into the heat of battle alongside the Whitebeard pirates, insisting that you'd be fine no matter what happened to you. Even if you'd told Ace about your ability, he still wouldn't be prepared to see you seemingly die and then see your body vanish out of nowhere.

When that finally did happen after you took a sword through the chest that Ace had failed to notice a Marine that had tried to ambush him, Ace's heart stopped when he saw the blade sticking out of you. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real. His eyes widened even more when you slumped forward slightly and then disappeared, startling the Marine and everyone else who was watching the battle. He heard the sound of something clattering to the ground and saw a crystal fruit laying where you had just been standing, and he immediately knew what it was even if he didn't know the specific details of your ability. He could just tell you were in there, somehow.

He drove the Marine who'd stabbed you and his nearby allies back with a wall of flames, scooped your gem off of the ground, and sprinted away from the battlefield to get you to safety. Even if you survived that sword through the chest, he had no idea if your gem could be broken...or what that could possibly do to you.

Marco had seen Ace tearing away from the fight, and once he had dispatched the enemies he was fighting, he flew over to ask what had happened to you. Ace immediately placed your gem in Marco's hands and told him to get you back to the ship while he "took care" of the Marine who had stabbed you in a cowardly attempt to take him out from behind. Marco saw the look in Ace's eye and knew better than to try and convince him otherwise, and he flew back to the Moby Dick while carefully holding your gem to his chest.

When the battle was over, the entire crew was clamoring to see if you were actually inside of a gem and were asking Marco and Ace dozens of questions (most of which they couldn't answer). Marco offered to keep your gem in the ship's clinic until you re-emerged, and Ace refused to leave the clinic for longer than a few minutes at a time until you were back. He noticed that if he squinted into the gem hard enough, he could make out an image of you fast asleep. When you finally did reappear, Ace was so happy to see you in the flesh again that he hugged you with tears in his eyes and refused to let go of you until he'd held you for at least five minutes. Even if you could survive things that would normally kill a person, he never wants you to get poofed again on his watch.

Law

Law's rarely ever panicked during a battle, outside of fighting Doflamingo when he knew how one-sided it would be until he teamed up with Luffy. But the moment he sees you get sent flying from a massive enemy's punch and then slam against a wall that crumbles from the impact, his only thoughts are to get to you. His normal sense of composure is completely gone, and he Shambles everyone near you as far away as possible while he desperately yells your name. Even if you already told him what your Devil Fruit does, and he knows that you likely aren't dead...he still just saw his s/o get hit with a devastating, fatal blow. The logical, rational part of him is thrown to the wayside for a moment and is replaced with a protective sense of fear and worry.

He's even more worried when he can't find a trace of you among the rubble. If he can't find you, he can't take care of your injuries, and if he can't take care of your injuries, he'd lose you and...shit, where are you!? He'd be Shambling away random piles of bricks while using his bare hands to throw the other ones aside until his hands were scratched and bloodied. When he finally comes across a strange crystal fruit, his eyes narrow; despite the destruction of the building, and looking so fragile, the gem was completely intact.

His breath hitched when he caught a glimpse of you inside, and he felt a small sense of relief. Your ability had protected you, you weren't dead...just…recovering? Reforming? The specifics of your Devil Fruit were a mystery to him. Once he got back to the Polar Tang, he'd want to try to see if he could detect any kind of vital signs from your gem while you were inside.

He'd stay on the battlefield long enough to swiftly and coldly take out the large enemy who'd poofed you, and shortly after the lingering enemies would either be wise and retreat, or get killed by the Heart Pirates as they made their way back to the Tang. Law would immediately place your gem in the medbay, experimenting with different ways to observe your vital signs while you recovered: heartbeat monitors on the gem's surface, detecting changes in temperature from inside the gem, etc. The only thing that reliably showed anything was just looking into your gem to see you, but you weren't doing much--just floating peacefully with your eyes closed.

When you finally emerged from your gem, Law immediately sat you down onto the medical table so he could check you for any signs of injury or changes to your body now that you had reappeared. After that, he'd gently put a hand on your shoulder and try not to let on how worried he had been when he'd seen you get hurt. He never wants to experience that heart-sinking feeling from seeing you "die" any time soon.

#one piece #one piece headcanon #one piece headcanons #doflamingo #donquixote doflamingo #ace #portgas d. ace #law #trafalgar law #mine

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opbackgrounds · 4 years

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Alright, friends, you know the drill by now. Here’s Part III of Sarcasticles’ overblown thoughts on sexism in One Piece. If you haven’t already, go read Part I and Part II before proceeding.

I promise after this I’ll be done. By hook or by crook, we’re getting through the point of the original question. To the Anon who originally sent the ask, sorry it took this long to get here, I hope it’s helpful.

Also, I allude to some very, very minor Wano spoilers, so if you’re sensitive to that sort of thing here’s your warning.

Characterization? I Don’t Know Her

What makes a good character?

I’ve spent an awful lot of time talking about character designs, when, funnily enough, it’s one of the aspects I pay the least attention to when it comes to deciding if I like how an author portrays their characters. I personally don’t care for fanservice, never have and never will. But unless it’s particularly egregious, I tend to ignore it because there are other factors I think are more important.

The secret sauce for building characters is hard to define, because a good writer can take a concept that has no right being any good and turn it into something incredible (Oda does this all the time) where bad writers will seemingly slot all the right information in the right holes and still have their characters come out of the developmental oven flat and under cooked.

One of the biggest buzzwords floating around these days is agency. Is a character active in their own story, or are they jerked around by the needs of the plot? Is their voice heard? Is their voice unique, or do they blend in with the background?

This is particularly important, because the term Strong Female Protagonist has been warped into shorthand for “girl who fights a lot and looks pretty doing it”. You can have a girl strong enough to lift mountains and still have her be a shit character. You can write a girl who’s main motivation is to get married and have babies with phenomenal depth. What matters is execution.

The Petition to Call A Group of Rescue Arcs a ‘Damsel’

Both Nami and Robin had to be rescued, their main arcs bearing similarities that are impossible to ignore. But these aren’t copies of one another as much as variations on a theme, and with the existence of Marineford and Whole Cake Island I think anyone would be hard-pressed to say that One Piece’s rescue arcs are a girl’s thing. At this point it’s a feature, not a bug.

Which makes sense given how fundamental the idea freedom is to the series. Hell, the first thing Luffy does after becoming a pirate is free Coby from Alvida’s tyrannical reign. Then he frees Zoro from an unjust authority that would have killed him had Luffy not intervened.

Notice a pattern here?

One Piece is written like Pachelbel Canon, in that a very simple core of ideas are repeated over and over with layers of complexity and nuance added over time, examining the same themes from every possible angle.

And when you look at the Four Big Rescue Arcs -- Nami, Robin, Ace, Sanji -- you’ll see that it’s Ace who’s given the least agency throughout his arc. Nami chose to hijack the Going Merry, repeatedly chose to push away the Straw Hats until she reached her breaking point, at which she chose to ask for help, with Luffy only intervening once she does.

Robin is a little less obvious, but during the post-Water 7 party chapters, Aokiji makes the interesting observation that Robin could have escaped CP9, but chose not to

Remember that before Robin’s backstory was shown, Luffy specifically said he didn’t care if she wanted to die or not, so long as she was with the Straw Hats when she made her decision. No one bullied her into “I wanna live”. It was a choice she made of her own volition after realizing the depths the Straw Hats would go on her behalf.

I know there are people who disagree with me, but Nami and Robin are well-written characters. I’ve expounded enough on my reasoning both here and on my main that I don’t want to spend the time belaboring the point. What I do want is to note that Luffy wouldn’t be able to attain his dreams without them. Nami keeps them on course while also severing as a sort of moral compass for the crew -- remember she was the one who insisted on saving the giant kids at Punk Hazard -- while Robin’s ability to read the poneglyphs is what’s going to get the crew to Raftel.

Robin admittedly doesn’t have the same presence within the Straw Hat Pirates as Nami, but I would hardly call that sexism. Since Water 7/Enies Lobby she’s been pretty content to go with whatever Luffy says, and the fact that she’s literally quieter than anyone else in the crew means she doesn’t get as much focus. I think there could be more scenes with her using her specific skill set, like her investigations in Wano and the forensic anthropology scene in the pre-Jaya chapters, but I’m okay with her being a supporting character.

The East Blue Crew have consistently gotten the most focus of any of the Straw Hats. They are the core of the crew, something Oda admits in a roundabout way in the Color Walk where they all appear together for the first time in a color spread

With the main cast as large as it is, not everyone is going to have the same amount of focus or development. Robin is given a unique voice within the story because she doesn’t overreact the way literally everyone else does. Through her silence, she stands out. I find there to be very meaningful character development when she feels comfortable enough with the Straw Hats to start calling them by name in Thriller Bark, relaxed enough with her friends to comitt her first facefaults in a series lousy with them in both Dressrosa and Wano.

In an ideal world, Oda would better rotate through his cast, much like how Brook was the unsung MVP on Whole Cake Island (where Nami was also excellent in a supporting role) but I don’t think people realize how hard it is to juggle almost a dozen different people in a story that’s bloated exponentially over time. To his credit, Oda has handled his expanding crew better than most writers.

I also find it hard to judge this aspect of the series because the manga’s not done yet. I don’t know how Robin and Nami will be used in the future. I mean, Robin never got a chapter title declaring her “The Seventh” which I find suspicious, so Oda could very well have events in store that completely turn our perceptions upside down. It’s impossible to say.

I will acknowledge that the lack of big fights is somewhat disappointing, but neither Robin nor Nami’s dreams revolve around them getting stronger. Robin doesn’t need to use her power to make people explode from the inside out, Nami doesn’t need to fry end-game bosses with her lightning stick. That’s simply not their narrative purpose. With the exception of Tashigi, I’ve found that the female characters advertised as fighters have lived up to their billing. Hancock came out of Marineford unscathed. Carrot’s sulong form was awesome, in the old-fashioned sense of the word. The whole climax of Whole Cake Island revolved around surviving Big Mom’s wrath. Not beating her, not fighting her, it took all the Straw Hats had to just survive. Once again you’re left with a number’s game where where there just aren’t enough female characters to even pretend things are balanced.

All said, I think if you’re going to complain about the lack of Robin fights then I think you also have to complain about the lack of Brook fights, and that’s just not something you hear about, especially after Whole Cake Island. You can’t have it both ways. Either there needs to be more even distribution of major fights throughout the entire crew, or you have to acknowledge that a character’s worth isn’t dependent on their fighting prowess.

One Piece is a battle manga, and I do think that it’s fair to criticize when a character isn’t allowed to fight when they’re perfectly capable of kicking ass. But it’s also an adventure story, and that opens up entirely new space for a character to occupy, and that’s where I think Nami and Robin (but especially Nami) really shine

That Moment You Realize Humor Isn’t A Universal Language

I’ve spent so much time defending Oda’s designs and characters that it might seem like I’m perfectly okay with everything that’s portrayed in the manga. To be clear, I’m not. If the messages and comments I’ve gotten over the past several days have taught me anything, it’s that many fans share the same sticking points I do, namely in regards to some of the gags.

I again want to be careful here, because I’m hardly an expert on Japanese culture and it’s really hard to tell if Oda writes his jokes because he thinks they’re funny, or if he thinks his audience will find them funny. I’m again going to default to somewhere in the middle, because if Oda truly found the perviness distasteful he probably wouldn’t have included it, and I’ve read enough SBS to know the guy likes his dick jokes.

First and foremost, one must address the culture gap. Japan ranks last among G7 nations on gender equality, In 2004 two-thirds of Tokyo women in their 20-30s reported to being groped while on public transport. There are numerous barriers that make it difficult for a woman to succeed either in the workplace or politics.

From what I can gather, some of these trends are reversing, albeit slowly and with great resistance. Contrary to what many people seem to believe culture is not always value neutral. And I say that as an American, recognizing there are plenty of things about my culture and country that are really fucked up.

But who gets to decide who’s right and who’s wrong?

When inside that kind of environment, that kind of culture, it’s a lot easier to understand how a character like Sanji can exist. It’s easy to understand why Momo shoving his face into Nami and Robin’s boobs might be played for laughs. It’s not an excuse, but an explanation. And with Sanji failing more often than not, being the butt of his own joke as he slowly turns into a parody of what he once was, one could almost say Oda is pointing those types of people and saying, “Look how pathetic this guy is. Now go laugh as he gets a nosebleed so bad he needs multiple blood transfusions in order to not die.”

I say almost, because Sanji is never condemned for his actions, nor does he learn from them. Instead you have this character who’s supposed to be one of the kindest characters in the series decide to immediately go peep on a woman’s bath house after gaining the power of invisibility.

Stay classy, Oda.

As distasteful as I find it, I don’t find fanservice to be an inherently evil thing that must be eradicated at all costs, and with Oda doing things like putting his entire cast, male and female, into skintight leathers you can hardly say that he’s excluding the men.

Everyone will have their line in the sand, and mine goes back to agency. When Nami did her Happiness Punch way back in Alabasta, that was of her own volition. When Nami and Robin dress in clothes that show everything but the nipple, that’s something they chose and feel comfortable in.

But when Smoker and Tashigi swapped bodies at Punk Hazard, Tashigi specifically asked Smoker not to strip, and he did anyway, opening her coat and removing her bra. This is especially egregious as Tashigi is one of the very few women in the series who is always shown wearing very conservative clothing. Oda specifically showed Tashigi getting upset at Smoker’s actions, and Smoker repeatedly refusing to listen to her.

That’s where I draw my line.

Some Final Thoughts I Couldn’t Fit Anywhere Else

Thought The First--Oda has an interesting habit of turning his most despicable, scummy pieces of flaming human garbage into the butt of the joke. Villains like Crocodile and Doflamingo are certainly evil, but it’s the idealized, cool type of evil that makes you almost admire them. There aren’t very many real-world Crocodiles, but just about everyone knows a Spandam, or an Absalom, or a Vander Decken. These kinds of villains aren’t scary because of their physical prowess, but their unyielding obsessions and the power they’re able to wring from the system, and -- surprise, surprise -- all three are either actively trying to be creepy sex pests or coded as such with the visual language of the comic.

And Oda turns them into a mockery.

While there are some who feel like not treating serious issues like sexual assault seriously are doing a disservice to people who have endured similar experiences I think there’s merit to turning them into a laughingstock. As someone much smarter than me said once, if an opinion cannot withstand mockery it’s revealed to be ridiculous, and these scummy-scum villains are certainly ridiculous.

Thought The Second--It’s hard to say how much sexism is a thing in-universe. Kuina is the only one who is explicitly told her dreams were impossible because of her gender, but with the recent reveal confirming that her family came from Wano, which in turn is based on Feudal Japan, it’s hard to say how widespread these beliefs are. Tashigi brought it up again at Loguetown and Bellemere specifically told her girls that they lived in an era where “girls needed to be strong, too”, but otherwise it’s not a topic that’s been explored in any depth

Thought The Third--The in-universe fetishization of mermaids has some implications that I think are unintended but worth discussing. Shirahoshi has a reputation of being one of the most beautiful women in the world despite not leaving her tower for over 10 years (she’s 16). Mermaids whose tails have split are worth less on the slave market than those whose are intact. Even Zoro erased Kokoro from his memory after meeting the more attractive Caime. It’s one of those odd things that when combined with the more obvious racism themes could have some unfortunate implications, and I think could have been avoided had Oda show a little more restraint with some of his jokes. Unintended consequences are still consequences.

Thought The Forth--There are many other instances throughout the series that people bring up with talking about sexism in One Piece. I feel like a lot of these can be explained away individually -- for example, both Belo Betty and Rebecca’s stripperific outfits were inspired by other media, the painting Liberty of the People and Red Sonja respectively; Lola chasing after an obviously abusive man makes a whole lot more sense when you meet Big Mom; Hancock’s love sickness could be seen as an emotionally stunted woman experiencing her first crush, etc., etc -- it’s when they’re all put together that they begin to read as “Problematic”.

It would be impossible to go over all these individually, but I tend to fall on the side of leniency. In the end, everyone has to make their own decisions based on their own values. I’m hardly unbiased, and my enjoyment for the series will undoubtedly make me look the other way when another might call the exact same incident The Worst Thing Ever. The thing is, opinions are like assholes, everyone has one and most are convinced that theirs don’t stink. I include myself in that statement. In the end it’s a comic for kids. It’s supposed to be fun.

Thought The Last--I have spent entirely too much of my time writing this up, but in the end I guess I have to go back to what I said when I talked about my thoughts on Sanji: Everyone has their own personal line of acceptable bullshit, and for me Oda does more good than bad. Sanji specifically gets very little leniency from me because I don’t like a lot of the gross behavior Oda passes over as a joke. But the female characters themselves, generally speaking? They’re fine. There are other mangaka that have more equal male to female ratios or have women play more active roles in the story, but Oda does a lot better than most other shonen titles I’ve read.

It’s okay to be critical of media you enjoy. It’s okay to complain. But remember that One Piece is a very long series, and there are some fans who have been a round for literally decades. I myself started reading weekly around the time Duval was introduced, way back in 2008. Every time a new batch of fans comes in the same old arguments get stirred to the top of the pot: Sanji is a creep, Oda can’t draw women, why doesn’t Robin ever get to fight?

It can be exhausting to go through the same hoops time and time again. So if you’re someone who is being critical and feel like no one is listening, or that a bunch of fans are going out of their way to defend Oda, that could be one of the reasons why. They’re tired of having a series they enjoy be shit on.

There are other fans who legitimately don’t think that Oda’s done anything wrong, that jokes are just jokes. If you happen to fall in that category, remember that not everyone feels that way. Art reflects life, which in turn reflects art. One Piece is a few million copies away from outselling Batman. To say it isn’t influential to young readers, both in Japan and abroad, is beyond asinine.

I thank everyone who’s taken the time to read this so far. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how civil the discussion and my inbox as stayed. Even if I didn’t respond to your message, I promise that I did read it.

I wrote as much as I did because I know this is a topic a lot of people care about, and also so I hopefully don’t have to write about it again. A lot of hours has gone into this project, and it’s been exhausting, but in a good way, if that makes any sense. I’m ready to put it to rest.

I was joking with some friends that I think I’ve hit just about every hot topic issue now, so hopefully I can go back to fun questions like speculating if Wapol can eat a person and poop out a devil fruit.

Until then, Sarcasticles, out

#sexism #one piece #long post #sarc talks

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luccislegs · 5 years

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@thenotsofantasticlifestory i hope you like these!! they were hella fun to write.

the three of you are introduced to each other at the same time, via a party luffy was throwing. law was already friends with luffy and the others, zoro invited killer, and nami invited you.

the first thing to catch your attention was killer’s mask. it was strange to see him wearing one, but you had also seen stranger things. your eyes kept following back to him, because he was just so mysterious. you were curious about what was under the mask.

your attention was diverted quickly to law when luffy introduced him rather obnoxiously. in typical fashion, he wanted everyone to be friends. nami politely introduced you in return, and you blushed under the smirk law gave you. after that, you couldn’t decide who you wanted to stare at more.

at some point, you got caught staring by killer’s friend kid, who was quick to point it out to him. he made his way over and introduced himself without shame. law, who had been hanging around you for a little while-- you were pretty sure he enjoyed making you blush-- quickly introduced himself as well, and you saw he was wearing the same look as before.

killer was calm and laid back and very easy to talk to, in contrast to law, who seemed to be made up entirely of sarcasm. not that law was hard to talk to, but you just had to expect him to make jabs at everything. it was rather funny, and you found yourself in their company for most of the evening. you even forgot about killer’s mask.

they were unabashed about asking for your number, and each others, and the three of you left wearing smiles. nami was quick to question you about the two of them, asking what was going on, but you couldn’t give her a definitive answer. you were pretty sure there was a mutual attraction between you and them, but you were equally as sure there was attraction between them. you weren’t too sure what that meant, but since it was only just beginning, you didn’t want to dig too deep into your feelings.

the two of them texted you nonstop. killer more than law, since he was busy at the hospital, but you could easily tell he was making an effort to keep up with you. killer ran a shop with kid, and had far more leisure time than law.

they were also constantly texting each other, and they both knew that there was interest all around, but none of you were sure how to go about it. only law had an idea, but he was nowhere near ready to bring that to the table.

killer was the first to ask you out, just to coffee, and you accepted without hesitation. as at the party, he was wearing his mask, and you noticed he often started to laugh before quickly cutting it off. other than that, he was just as easy to talk to now as the other day, telling you about his shop and his hobbies. at the end, he walked up to a motorcycle parked beside your car. questioning if it was his, you asked if he’d give you a ride one day, and he seemed to perk up before nodding.

law took quite a while to ask you out. even though you knew that he was just busy, you couldn’t help the mild disappointment that you hadn’t seen him in a while. you talked to him so often it felt like you had known him forever. little did you know, he felt the same and had just been waiting for a day where he wasn’t absolutely exhausted to ask if you wanted to do something. that day finally came a few weeks after the party, when he managed to leave the hospital at a reasonable time. it was short notice, so he hoped that you would be free, and his heart kicked up a bit when you said yes.

he met you at a quiet diner halfway between the hospital and your apartment, and you expected much of the same that you got over text. to your surprise, he was a little more serious, as if he was really focused on you and not just impressing you. it was charming, and by the end of the date there was no doubt you were smitten.

the next date was a little different. it wasn’t so much that it was a surprise as it was surprising when law brought up the three of you going out. you already knew that they were talking-- because you were in a group chat with the two of them. you also already knew that they had been on a date, after law’s with you. it was more that you hadn’t expected him to suggest that, but it wasn’t something you were opposed to. none of you seemed to favor one more than the other, and you had yet to experience any jealousy. based on the fact that law brought it up and killer agreed, you assumed it was the same for them

it was a little harder actually arranging a time, since law’s schedule was so chaotic. you settled for meeting in the evening tentatively, on a day when law was supposed to get off at a decent time. you and killer talked in private about the odds that it would fall through, and made secondary plans just in case. you knew how disappointed law would be if you couldn’t get together, and that he already felt like he didn’t have enough time for the two of you as it was. he had expressed it in subtle ways, and you didn’t want him to think that you were upset.

the day came and, sure enough, law had to cancel. he was just too tired to meet up and deal with a restaurant full of people. what he wasn’t expecting were simultaneous demands from both you and killer for his address, and he gave it to you with bewilderment. it only got worse when you refused to tell him what you wanted it for, but he could guess.

he was pleasantly surprised when you showed up at his door fifteen minutes later. killer showed up ten minutes after, both of you bearing food from the place you had agreed to meet. there was a warmth in his chest as you set the boxes of takeout down on his coffee table, the apartment filling with laughter and conversation. he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had made an effort like this. most of the time when he said he didn’t want to deal with people, he was left alone because they thought he didn’t want to see anyone. you and killer seemed to realize what he meant though, and he felt his stomach twist.

law put on a movie after a lot of discussion over which one, and you talked over it as you ate. things became a little awkward once the food was gone and the movie was over because no one wanted to leave but you knew law was tired. he offered another movie anyway, because he wasn’t ready to be alone yet, and a new one was picked with a little more care. killer slung his arm over the back of the couch, just close enough that law knew it was there. you tucked your legs up underneath you, tucking your feet under law’s thigh, and his hand fell to your ankle. with that, you leaned into him, settling your head on his shoulder.

killer watched from the corner of his eye as law nodded off, his head falling onto yours, and just pulled law into his side. you fell over as well, unready for that, but law wrapped his arms around you to keep you from sitting up. you laughed and squirmed until you were comfortably laying on law’s chest, who had his head in killer’s lap. killer began to run his fingers through law’s hair, and he quickly fell asleep like that. you were asleep before the movie ended and killer, who was pinned under the two of you, decided sleeping sitting up would be worth the crick in his neck if it meant not waking the two of you up.

law’s preset alarm the next day was the only thing that saved all three of you from being late. there was some small, embarrassed conversation as you and killer rushed out, but it wasn’t awkward. if anything, all three of you were extremely happy-- even killer, who sported a sore neck as he’d predicted. you parted ways with a hurried hug and flushed faces, your heart racing in your chest.

it was a few days before you saw either of them again. law had been unusually quiet, brushing it off as just being busy with work. you had some concerns that he needed space, so you didn’t push the issue. killer invited you out to the movies with a few others and you readily agreed. it was one you wanted to see anyway, and it had been a while since you had seen luffy and the others. killer picked you up and, on the drive over, took your hand as nonchalantly as possible. your face immediately burst into flames, but you squeezed appreciatively.

when you got out of the car, he took it again and, as soon as the others saw the two of you, the air was filled with wolf whistles. you rolled your eyes but couldn’t see killer’s reaction. the shaking of his shoulders gave away his laughter, and you were reminded of his odd refusal to laugh out loud. luffy almost got you all kicked out before the movie even started, and only a resounding smack upside the head from nami calmed him down.

after that, the group went to a diner around the corner. you received a text from law in the group chat, asking where you were. when you explained, he didn’t answer for a while and you grew worried that he was upset at being excluded. but a short while later, he walked through the door.

he looked utterly exhausted, and all but fell into the booth beside you. he slumped over, resting his head on your shoulder, and you shared a concerned glance with killer.

“law, you look terrible. shouldn’t you be at home sleeping?” you asked, brushing your fingers over the back of his hand.

he sighed but didn’t move, other than to take your hand and lace your fingers together. his face was flushed as he mumbled into your ear, “i missed you both and wanted to see you.”

you weren’t sure if killer could hear, but the way he tensed said he did. you couldn’t help the curl of your lips at his words, even if you were worried about law, and squeezed his hand. your food arrived shortly after that, and you shared your plate with law, who picked half-heartedly at it while sipping a coffee.

when you left, you and killer insisted on driving law home. he tried to argue, but you literally snatched the keys from him. you drove him in his car, and killer followed you in his. the two of you followed law inside, and you were sure he was going to head straight to bed, but to your surprise he turned back with a determined, tired look.

cupping your cheeks, he leaned in close, hesitating just long enough to give you time to push him away, before his lips covered yours in a soft kiss. his lips were chapped and his hands were cold, but you hardly noticed as warmth spread up your neck. his hands slid up and into your hair, tangling there and holding you close, until you had to pull away to breathe.

killer watched it all without expression, wishing law would turn to him and do the same, wishing you would follow suit after. but he was hesitant to remove his mask, insecure in his smile, and he knew he would if he were to kiss either one of you.

your eyes were slightly glazed as you stared at law, as if you had forgotten the rest of the world existed, but then you turned to look at him, and law followed. as if they knew what he was thinking, they reached out slowly, each taking his hand and seeking out his eyes behind the mask.

“may we?” you asked, reaching up with your free hand to the rim of his mask. you waited there, for him to agree.

with his heart in his throat, he jerked his head and felt the mask slide free. it got tangled in his hair, but with law’s help it came loose without tearing. he watched your eyes scan his face, and then there were hands on his cheeks and in his hair, pulling him down to your level. he wasn’t sure who landed the first kiss, or the second, or the third, but it wasn’t long before the three of you were a tangled mess of frenzied kisses and lingering touches.

when you woke up later that morning, it was before the alarm and still dark out. you were laying between law and killer, the latter who was awake and watching you with a strange look. sleepily, you stretched up to kiss him, relishing in his hands sliding along your back to pull you closer. the motion apparently jostled law awake, because he was soon pressed against your back.

“i have to be up in a few hours,” he whispered in your ear. his voice was deep and husky with sleep, and you shivered as his breath ghosted over your ear. “you two can stay when i leave. if you want.”

you instantly understood what he was getting at, and the implications made your heart speed up. killer shifted above, reaching out to tangle his fingers in law’s hair and pull him into a kiss. he understood as well, and tucked you close into his chest so he could at least partially hold law as well, and the three of you drifted back to sleep in a warm mess.

after that, it was a toss-up about where the three of you would sleep. at the very least, law would seek one of you out to sleep if he couldn’t have you both and eventually the two of you started showing up at law’s. both of you knew where he kept the spare key and you were surprised to find killer there too the first time you snuck in.

it was nothing on the pleasant warmth law felt when he stumbled into his apartment at 3am and found you and killer asleep in his bed. he fell gratefully in beside you, crawling into your arms when you mumbled sleepily and opened them to him. he was sure he had never slept better before having you and killer beside him, and he was also sure he wouldn’t be able to sleep without you anymore.

killer very rarely wore his mask around the two of you anymore, only out in public and as long as it took to get it off when he came home-- “home” being whoever’s apartment you wound up at that night. when you finally worked up the courage to ask him why he wore it, you looked almost sad at his answer. law looked like he wanted to scold killer, but he refrained and instead took his hand. you rested your head on his shoulder, wrapping your arm around his back. he didn’t like the way it upset you and wanted to reassure you that it was fine, but you pulled back to look at him again.

“we don’t want you to be afraid to smile around us, killer,” you said. you weren’t sure what, if anything, would reassure him. it was obviously a sensitive issue and it wouldn’t be resolved just because you told him it was okay.

he smiled at the unconscious use of the word “we”, which was something all three of you began doing shortly after sleeping together. it was becoming easier to smile around the two of you, but he still found himself fighting it from time to time. but the way you were smiling up at him now as he smiled made the urge disappear, and he pressed his lips to your hair as a thank you.

moving in wasn’t really a discussion you had to decide whether it was the right move. moving in happened purely because your lease was up and you were already more or less living at each other’s apartments. once yours was up, it was agreed upon one night in bed that it would be the best option to move into law’s, at least until his was up. he had just renewed his lease, and killer’s would be the next up. it wasn’t ideal, given the size of the apartment, but it would work until the lease was up and you could find a bigger one. once that was decided, you stopped sleeping at killer’s and settled solely into law’s.

law wasn’t going to complain, as he came in every night or every other night to find you and killer asleep together. some nights, you would wake up at his entrance and scoot back, allowing law to crawl in between the two of you. killer would wrap his arm around law while you cuddled up to him, enveloping him in warmth as he fell asleep. others, law would curl himself around you tight, almost suffocating you. on those nights you would hold him close, with killer reaching around the both of you so you were smushed as close as you could possibly be before falling asleep.

#trafalgar law #trafalgar law x reader #massacre soldier killer #killer x reader #trafalgar law x reader x killer #one piece headcanons

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danwhobrowses · 5 years

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One Piece 972 - Initial Thoughts

Spoilers for Chapter 972

So we finally reach Oden’s end, and it ends in tragic fashion like it often does, so let’s get through some highlights - ‘It’s hard to change your mind’, she literally told you that the man threw away his reputation and dignity to save lives, it’s not hard man! - The Oniwabanshu are scummy, we kinda knew that already but they seemed to have no reservations with killing Shinobu - one of their own - and innocent civilians who were still treating Orochi respectfully - Yasuie why are you home? I thought you were protecting Toki right? And that must be some archer to fire messages to each province about Oden. I wonder who’s narrating at this point though, may be the translation but they’re using ‘we’ like someone’s recounting the events - Some Void Century lore though, the Kozuki closed off Wano to keep away from a Great Power (which I’m guessing is the WG) but Oden wants to open them in order to welcome Joy Boy’s next incarnation - again may be the translation but he/she is used to support reincarnation - Oden makes it, seems that this was the ‘Hour of Legends’ rather than the battle, Oda you sneaky fox. Kaido is not happy, Oden looking like Zoro when nothing happened - Buuuuuut someone’s a sore loser, changing the sentence unannounced to the firing range - making Yasuie’s death a bit more similar since he was shot also - and he wants to kill Oden’s family too...it’s as if he doesn’t care that this is the very thing that caused him to want revenge - I hope we didn’t just see what caused the rift between Inu and Neko though, it seems a bit...soft, for 2 decades of not even being in the same vicinity as one another - The strength of Oden though, he still boils in 700 degree heat and he threw all 9 of his vassals in the air after carrying them for an hour - ‘Don’t underestimate my Samurai’ was definitely a Zoro smile there - Before I get to the death itself ‘SORRY ABOUT THE OLD HAG’ you mean the death I wanted to hang on my wall was an OFF-SCREEN DEATH!? How Dare...Did Semimaru get killed by Kaido’s wrath as well then? I feel like we should’ve seen those deaths - But then we get to Oden’s death, a lot to unwrap here. For one he knows it’s happening and takes it like a man, even encouraging Kaido to get stronger. Seems that Kaido does respect Oden though, killing the hag and killing Oden himself, though there’s something off about Kaido using a pistol for me, a warrior’s death is not to be shot in the head and left to sink into a cauldron of oil which it’s implied that Kaido will soon eat with a cup of sake as recommended. Not saying it was a bad death but it seems weird that this was the choice we went for - felt a little like Bell-Mere’s death too. - Going out like Kozuki O-D. En with that smile, though I’d wager that all who saw Laugh Tale would die with a smile on their face - Toki’s stoicism breaks and is explained, she had hoped for his survival and was told to send the vassals into the future by Oden himself. It means the prophecy is a little bit hoo-hah but okay, still weird she didn’t send Hiyori with Momo or accompany either of them, I get that she wanted to be with Oden but surely ensuring the future she wants Oden to see from beyond would be a better plan? But I think I’m a little relieved that she did cry at the end, if not to shun away theories that Toki was just using Oden And that ended the chapter, great one obviously, Oda sure knows how to do big deaths. But I am a little sore that we were robbed of Higurashi’s death on-screen, also now that we do go back to the future we still don’t know too much about Toki’s death or Inu and Neko’s rift, or anything about Denjiro. I’m glad that we’re gonna be seeing Luffy again after so long no doubt but we could’ve had some answers in here. Nonetheless, back to the present we go, what happened to the crew, with Law, with Kid, with Hawkins (also where Tashigi, she should be in Wano it’s the land of Meito)? The storms have come on the promised day and the alliance seems to be failing, so where comes the fight? I still think Kaido will get his war but a small victory is in order

#one piece #op spoilers #one piece spoilers #one piece wano #wano #wano spoilers #wano arc #Kaido #kozuki clan #kozuki oden

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neverwatchedonepiece · 6 years

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529-530: "The Fish-Man Island Will Be Annihilated?! Sharley's Prophecy!" and "The King of the Fish-Man Island! Neptune, the God of the Sea!"

A rare image of Hordy Jones stepping on a lego.

Only had time for two episodes tonight. Luckily, there was enough in them to write about: including the reveal of a villain (always exciting!)

His name is Hordy Jones. He is angry, he is a Fishman, he looks oddly like the guy from ACDC and he has... a dog slung round his neck?

Not to mention the prophecies, designer boutiques, royal invitations and awkward questions.

Dreams Do Come True in Fishman Island

The episode opened with Luffy, Usopp and Chopper rushing around the harbour town, looking for a human - any human - who could donate Sanji’s blood type.

Luckily, a pair of nice okama stepped up and saved Sanji’s life. Of course, when Sanji regained consciousness, he freaked out. Usopp and Chopper both had to remind him to thank the okama. Come on, Sanji. Not cool. They saved your life in a place where donating blood is an act of great political significance. Show a little gratitude, eh?

While taking a break from Sanji’s fool antics, Chopper examined a strange mark on Luffy’s arm. Turns out it was poison! Luffy took a hit from Hyouzou (how did I miss that?) Chopper declared it very potent and wondered how the hell Luffy survived it. He asked if Luffy had ever been poisoned before.

Oh boy, Chopper. Does Luffy have a story for you. It can be told in one word: Magellan.

(Seriously, though, did Luffy not tell the Strawhats what happened to him while they were sailing, or was it all so next level that being poisoned to near death was not one of the major highlights?)

Camie, who had come to see how Sanji was doing, took Luffy and Usopp back to the Mermaid Cafe dorms. On the way, they called in to see Madame Sharly: a beautiful shark mermaid with premises at the back of Mermaid Cafe. (I think she might own the cafe because she gave Camie the day off to show the Strawhats round Fishman Island?)

Not Unless You Play the Lottery

Oh, and she is also a dab hand at crystal ball fortune-telling and has been since she was little. She has correctly predicted a few cataclysmic events, including the war in Marineford and Whitebeard’s death. Recently, she’s stopped using the crystal ball because she can’t stand knowing bad things will happen. I suppose Whitebeard is the kind of guy that would go to war no matter what. I can’t see anyone convincing him otherwise, even if it was someone like Sharly, who knew he’d be killed in battle.

I wonder if she’s been burned before by using the crystal ball? She was all dramatic and stared off into the middle distance when she said, “It’s better not to know the future.” Something has clearly gone wrong in her life that she has that attitude to such a strong power.

Luffy, who seems to be living on another planet at the moment, said, “All very well and good but do you know how mermaids poop?”

That’s right, Luffy. Always asking those important questions!

It was round about then that Camie realised she’d forgot to deliver the clams to Pappagu! So they hurried off to find him at another, fancier cafe up in Fishverly Hills (lol), where they found Brook, aka Soul King, living it up with Pappagu and a couple of mermaid fans. (I love how famous Brook is in his own right and not just as a member of the Strawhats.)

There was a lot of good world-building here. Courtesy of Pappagu, who tried so hard to be a Good Exposition Starfish (why won’t anyone listen to him?), I now know that Merpeople don’t eat meat and fish (but Fishmen do). That King Neptune runs the Island. That, if a Merperson and Fishman marry and have kids, any children they have will either be a Merperson or a Fishman, not a harmonious amalgamation of both.

And the good news is that the Flying Dutchman/Captain Vander Decken stuff was not a random encounter character to be used once and disposed of! Not sure what his role will be yet, but Oda seems to have something planned, as he has been given backstory. Turns out Brook was right about the original Flying Dutchman crew being several hundred years old, but the original Captain Vander Decken reached Fishman Island and died there. The one manning the Flying Dutchman now is Vander Decken IX, his descendant. Apparently, the guy has a bounty and the whole island’s been looking for him for ages because he started sending unwanted love letters, packages and threatening marriage proposals that scared the princess to the point a warrant was issued for his arrest.

Looks like someone can’t take no for an answer, eh?

But the most interesting thing was this.

Big Momma’s House

Luffy noticed the sign on a candy factory. Pappagu explained that when Whitebeard had shuffled off his mortal coil, the role of Fishman Island Protector became vacant.

The position was filled by Charlotte Linlin (or Big Mom, to the rest of us): one of the four (now three) Yonkou. She hasn’t been mentioned since Thriller Bark, so I was excited for that miniscule teaser Oda gave.

Big Mom demands loads of candies as a fee for her protection. This confused Luffy. “But she’s protecting this land after old man Whitebeard died? Isn’t she a good person?”

Pappagu shrugged, as only starfish can. “Whitebeard didn’t demand anything, but maybe Big Mom sees protection more as a business.”

Interesting... she’s definitely a different kind of Yonkou.

But I didn’t have time to think about it for long because the action switched to Sharley, who had burst out onto the street, freaking out about Luffy, begging everyone she could grab hold of to “find Strawhat Luffy and throw him out of this country!”

Wait, what...? Wasn’t she happy to see them ten minutes ago? Why? What had caused the change of heart?

Apparently, she saw a vision of Luffy in her crystal ball: an image of him surrounded by fire. “At Strawhat’s hands, Fishman Island will be destroyed!”

Eh? Surely not. There has got to be some mistake here. There is no way Luffy would sink Fishman Island. Or at least not on purpose. That is the only way I could believe Sharley’s vision would ever come true.

Hmm....

This Guy Is So Hard, He Puts Sharks in Sweaters

Cliffhanger over, I steamed straight onto episode 530. After a dark and mysterious opening (more on that later), the action cut back to the Strawhats. Pappagu was explaining his job. Turns out he’s not just an adorable starfish on land: in Fishman Island, he is a Super Influencer: a rich designer and president of the Criminal Brand clothing company - a famous fashion line.

As they approached one of his shops, the Strawhats heard some serious, weapons-grade haggling within.

Of course it was Nami!

The harassed shopkeeper was pleased to see Pappagu. This lasted until his boss told the Strawhats they could have as much free clothing as they liked in return for saving his ass at Sabaody.

Pappag, that was a rookie mistake. Never tell pirates they can take as much free stuff as they want. THEY ARE PIRATES! xD

But that was not the only drama going down in Fishverly Hills. Outside, there was a commotion. The Strawhats, Camie and Pappagu went to check why everyone was shrieking.

King Neptune had arrived. The big, bearded, booming-voiced ruler of Ryugu Kingdom and Fishman Island. Golden rays of light bathed the spectators. I wondered why he kept mispronouncing the word “ham” in Spanish.

It was the first time Camie had ever seen him. The King only descended from the Upper World if there was trouble. He hadn’t brought guards. Very strange! Ryugu Palace is a sacred place for Fishmen. A celestial place where ordinary people aren’t allowed to go. Where the princes and princess live.

The King turned and said, “Oi, Megalo. Are you sure these are the guys?” When the cute, sweater-wearing shark popped out of nowhere and confirmed (I love that it has a name), King Neptune invited the Strawhats to Ryugu Palace.

“Is there good food there?” Luffy asked. Priorities, amirite?

“Of course. We’re planning a banquet,” Neptune answered.

Luffy couldn’t have accepted any quicker. He piled onto Neptune’s fishboat with Usopp, Nami and Brook, then looked back. “Aren’t you coming?” Camie and Pappagu were frozen in awe.

��We don’t deserve to go to Ryugu...”

That was the Wrong Answer. Rank and status does not impress or intimidate Luffy (and that’s one of the reasons I like him so much). He told them to stop being dumb and get on.

It’s funny how the rest of the Fishmen and Merpeople are so awed of Neptune, yet he was completely unbothered when Luffy invited some commoners to his house. Neptune is either more chilled than he seems, or he is up to something.

But not everyone is as enamored with King Neptune...

This Guy Is Not A Fan

This is the Fishman behind the New Fishman Pirates: Hordy Jones.

Now, I can’t help but compare this guy to Arlong. He’s a shark fishman and he has similar views to Arlong.

Hell, Arlong was the first real villain I took to in One Piece. The first real threat. He did horrific things. I’ll never forget that black and white scene when he shot Bellemere in the head. When Nami broke down and Luffy laid his straw hat on her head. Then there was the walk to Arlong Park. All those iconic moments.

Hordy Jones has big shoes to fill. It’s early yet, so I’ll wait until I’m further in to make any judgments. When I first watched Thriller Bark, I was kinda bemused by Moria, then he ended up one of my favourites.

This guy has got a hold of some Fishman Roids and likes necking a ton to gain super strength. Apparently, the Roids shorten lifespan but Hordy does not care. When a bunch of escapee human pirates were reported for desertion (they must have met Hammond and enlisted. Now I think I know why there haven’t been many visitors to Fishman Island lately!) Hordy ate a meaty fistful of those Fish Roids like they were candies someone had packaged up for Big Mom.

Then he swam off and deliberately crushed the deserters while handcuffed to show how strong he was. It was cool the way he punched through the ship like a cannonball. He also let the hapeless crew live because: “Humans killed Fisher Tiger and shattered Arlong’s dreams. The dark and tragic history of Fishmen Island will end with us, the New Fishmen Pirates. You humans, survive with cuts and bruises to show the people on earth what happened to you in the sea, and who you met. Tell them how horrendous it was. We’ll capture the centre of the world, Fishman Island, from the gutless god of the sea, Neptune, and drag you humans down to the dark sea bed. You’ll all learn that the Fishmen are the superior race.”

I can tell he’s ambitious, is this Hordy Jones.

Unfortunately, the very same humans who crushed Arlong’s dreams have just landed on Fishman island. And he knows it. I wonder what he’ll say to Luffy when he meets him. That should be an interesting conversation.

Oh yeah, and Caribou has escaped the barrel because some mermaids opened it. No idea what he’s up to now, but it won’t be anything good.

Say yes to drugs on Fishman Island!

#one piece #neverwatchedonepiece #nwop #never watched one piece #monkey d. luffy #usopp #tony tony chopper #sanji #brook #nami #hordy jones #camie #pappagu #sharly #king neptune #vander decken #big mom #charlotte linlin

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sparda3g · 6 years

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One Piece Chapter 911 Review

Enter the Land of the Samurai. Actually, it’s more like the tip of it as Luffy wonders around alone. His friends are nowhere to be found; just two large animals influenced by the Japanese culture fighting. It won’t be long until the arc steps into high gear. With plenty of promises in the last chapter for visual, this one left promising subplots and encounters. This is the beginning of a great adventure.

It’s a fun way to start a chapter with Luffy trying to remember what happened earlier while the two animals are in a duel. He couldn’t care less, but if they ram the ship, there will be a problem. How Strawhats got separated doesn’t remain a secret once Luffy remembers what happened. Sanji was gearing up for his own one-shot, Shokugeki no Sanji (Yes, it’s happening), so he was only rescuing Carrot and Nami. Fan service, here we come!

Poor Chopper; he was left behind with other guys, only because they’re heavy. I find it funny and ironic that realistically speaking, Chopper and Brooke will be very light to carry in compare (no offense). It’s Sanji though; we all know the story. Still, it is equivalent to saying, “I’ll save me!” Luffy was the one to save them with his inflated belly for them to bounce off. That’s a good captain.

Before Luffy got to do anything, that troll octopus grabbed him for whatever reason. Like a captain’s motto, Luffy was about to go down with the ship. Hilarious that Thousand Sunny’s face actually changes its expression to fear. It must be channeling Going Merry and thought, “I don’t want to die again!” So that’s the story of how Luffy and others made it out alive. It doesn’t tell us where the others landed at, so in the meantime, the adventure of Luffy in the beach continues. I love how Luffy reacted to his missing vivre card by the way. Recovered from sadness in a second. This is already fun.

A guy captured someone and going to punish that person by either selling or executing. Judging by the bag, I assumed it is a kid. It wasn’t addressed on what exactly did that kid say that made them capture her, but perhaps an offensive word or could be a secret that shall remain silence. Before they got to do anything, they find Luffy from afar and it turns out that Baboo is with them. That explains the sword.

It begins a reel show of Luffy being cool. I chuckled that they thought they have an easy shot to kill Luffy, but he’s like, “Please…” and punch him from far distance. Who needs a sniper when you can stretch your fist? That was clever to kick the reptilian-like creature’s head backward, causing the guy to shoot it and himself into smoke. Take down two enemies with one kick. Baboo was ordered to kill him, but once again, Luffy is like, “Please…” and uses Haki to scare it. That was pretty easy, a kid can do it. Actually, that’s what happens next; sort of.

A little girl named O-Tama knocks out a guy and surrenders herself to Luffy. I thought she meant she wants to be part of harem crew like the ones at Reverie. Seriously, are we skipping that? Anyway, I believe it’s the first time for Luffy to hang out with a kid on an adventure. I’m not including the Flim Gold special. She has a strange ability to stretch out her face and make a kibi-dango out of her cheek. Not going to lie, if I learn that’s how dumpling is made, I’ll probably lose my love.

She did it to feed Baboo, which at first rages, but then becomes very friendly. She has tamed the beast! That’s impressive; now she has two animals on her side. Oddly enough, the reason why the two were fighting was because Koma-Cchiyo (Lion-Dog) was protecting her and Baboo clashed with it. It makes sense to me.

She then explains that she was furious of how they were treating her, so she yelled that Kozuki Clan will return one day. It’s a taboo to mention the name, which also explains why they pinpoint her as a servant. It sounds like overly dramatic panic on their end though. Kozuki Clan is painted as evil; yeah, those Samurai back at Zou Island are definitely not welcome.

Amazing how that little girl has been helpful so far. Not only she has two strong beasts on her side, with one carrying a sword, but she also helped Luffy to put Thousand Sunny in a good hiding spot. Well worth being stranded at the beach. She lives with her master at the mountain, where it used to have many villagers but all have disappeared. I have a feeling it has something to do with Kaido. I laughed at Luffy’s rude comment towards her home. After everything she has done, you would think he’ll be polite about it. Luffy stays Luffy.

The scene with Tama treating him rice is pretty funny. He’s treated in a Japanese cultural fashion, the serving and all, but he wants second with glee. Too bad for him, because she only had one rice serving, so Luffy proceed to depressingly lied about not wanting anymore. I can’t stop laughing at his lies; he seriously look so disappointed. It’s nice of her to dream to become a Kunoichi, but it’s concerning when she declines to eat for the sake of diet. That’s never good news.

As she steps out of home, some guy barges in and ready to attack Luffy for invading and eating at his home. Clearly, this is her master. He doesn’t hide it with his appearance that screams that. He dressed similar to the culture, tengu mask and such, though the slipper’s incredibly high heel (correct me if I got the name wrong) is definitely a One Piece thing. It makes sense for him to react negatively, I mean who wouldn’t, but his reason is more than just intrusion.

Tama has been eating millets most of her time and when it comes to actual meal like rice, it only occurs on her birthday and New Year. Pretty much, only twice a year. That has to be brutal, let alone she’s a kid. It’s because she hasn’t gotten enough money to last. What’s bad is she’s trying to prevent starvation by drinking toxic water, which then passes her out. So much for fresh water. Kaido’s factories are the cause for contaminated water, so there’s your first hook to go against him.

The part that hooked me is that she was promised to take off to the sea by a pirate named Ace. I assume that they don’t get any news report outside of the country. With that said, it’s going to be tragic to hear that Ace is no longer with them and what’s worse is Luffy is the only one to break the news. That is going to be really difficult to do so. It will be interesting, sure, but I could imagine an emotional struggle to say it.

Before the chapter could end, another interesting hook is the search party was sent to see what happened at the beach. However, it’s that one member that got me intrigued because it’s none other than Basil Hawkins, a member of the Worst Generation. Instead of calling out for Kaido, he’s going to search the area himself. This could lead to encountering Luffy or maybe he will find the missing vivre card. Maybe he could bump into the other Strawhats group. We’ll see.

Overall, this was a pretty enjoyable chapter. Luffy and his great adventure has been entertaining so far. Tama is a nice helpful girl, though kind of disturbing to learn how she is trying to survive. It made it worse that she’s waiting for someone who is already gone, leaving her in a hopeless situation. The cliffhanger suggests many possibilities with Basil Hawkins around. Will this great adventure come to an early end? Next week, we will find out.

#one piece #chapter 911 #review

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littleweeghost · 7 years

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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!

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