#maybe Sanji finds the all blue and stays there for a year and comes back

[blacklegsanjiii]

Y'know the together!RLS au? The one where they stay "together"? Yes, so, a hc about it!

Sanji's birthday, maybe 14 yo especifially, and both Law and Robin aren't really far from Baratie and both just think "fuck it. we haven't see our baby brother in four years!" and call one month before his birthday to say they will go see him. Sanji is over the moon, of course, and the next day when ASL and Garp come to Baratie, he tells his boyfriends the news.

So, his day comes and both his siblings are there early, so they can help and have time for just the three of them. Some hours later, when the hour of the party comes, Garp and his grandsons arrive. ASL are very very happy to see Sanji and celebrate for the first time with him as boyfriends.

And they also meet their boyfriend older siblings and also watch their dynamic and... it's different from them own, RLS are more the quiet & subite affection type. Watch the casual way Robin and Law use their devil fruits (Robin even more) is kinda freaking out everyone except Sanji.

In the end of the day, Law gives Sanji a gift who is a new version of the blonde's old camera, bc the other wasn't working more (but Law managed to save the photos) with Sanji's favorite photos from all the ones they've take. Now, he has the photos on his wall and desk, just like new ones with his boyfriends.

That's so cute!! Oh lordy, okay.

So in preparation for Sanji's birthday Robin finds out Crocodile is headed to the East Blue for business around that time and she asks to tag along saying she has business at Baratie on Sanji's birthday and Crocodile shrugs and agrees. Law has to get a few things specifically in the East Blue before heading back to the North Blue and decides the crew is going to meet Sanji and celebrate his birthday. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin are losing it as the others in the crew are confused about who Sanji is outside of the photo Law has hanging. So they are both headed to Baratie, having called beforehand to inform him of their being there. Sanji is absolutely ecstatic about them coming.

They arrive a day early for introductions to be made properly and to start setting up for the closure-even if Sanji insisted that they didn't need to be Zeff kicked him swiftly and told him to shut up and enjoy the family reunion properly. Patty and Carne and the other staff are concerned about Nico Robin being there because of the rumors but Law calls them all dumb assholes which Zeff laughs at. Law isn't wrong and Zeff says so. Sanji and Robin meet the rest of the Heart crew that came after the storm, excited to see them either way. So they close down and clean and Law of course runs scans over his siblings because they're his siblings and he needs to make sure they're okay.

The next morning as they're setting the last few things for the party up they find Sanji smoking outside and Law is shaking the now fourteen year old and demanding why he's ruining his lungs and tastebuds as Robin giggles. Sanji is grumbling something or other about them meeting his boyfriends and understanding. Law immediately sicks Bepo upon him. Sanji just burrows into the bear. Then Garp arrives with ASL and the loud screaming immediately interrupts the calm as Sanji apologizes for them. All of them touchy and grabby with the blond as they scream happy birthday and Sanji. Law sighs and Zeff did say Sanji warned them, Law disagrees and says they weren't properly warned.

Of course ASL are all over Sanji but when he does get them to calm down, as much as he can anyway, Robin and Law make polite conversation with them and help with the party. Garp is keeping an eye on the wanted siblings, losing a lot of trust in Sanji for hiding them. But Garp is also watching Law shambles dirty dishes away as Robin refills drinks and plates and fixes Sanji's hair and clothes with the extra hands she sprouts all over. Law also will just walk over and fix the way he looks and complains he's still too thin and chastise him for smoking.

The Baratie staff and Zeff find their powers weird and kind of gross. ASL are watching with interest because it's way more subtle, the way they show their affection to Sanji. It's just not as overt, subtle in the way they pull him aside to fix him. The little brushes as they pass by, and the looks thrown to him. When it's time for presents it's mostly cookbooks and clothes. Law gives him a box and apologizes for the first one breaking and Sanji is looking at him confused until he opens the box and freezes. Ace moves into ask what's wrong as tears start falling but Sanji is wrapped around Law as Robin sprouts hands to catch the box. Law is just holding him as Robin looks in the box and smiles as she picks through the photos and calls him a masochist with a smile. Zeff asks what the hell is going on as Sanji wipes his face and calls Law an asshole with a big smile as Robin displays the camera and explains they got one for Sanji a few weeks after meeting the little skeleton boy.

Do they take a lot of photos that day? Yes. Does Sanji hang up photos all over his room? Yes. Are they also all over the tree house and bandit house? Yes. Law gave him the best present that day. And it gets a lot of use.

[camembri]

every time I see people talking about post-canon one piece and about how the strawhats all go their separate ways it makes me want to start climbing walls and gnawing on the plaster!!!! what do you Mean the found family is going to split up... what do you mean they don't sail together forever... how else are they supposed to satisfy that itch under their skin... who else is meant to understand them... who else has seen their most agonizing moments and their best victories...

[goingmerryfics]

Turned into a child w/ Sanji, Robin, & Ace

Content: GN reader, fully platonic/familial relationship since they are literally children here. Light One Piece Backstory Spoilers

Notes* In this scenario, they’ve been turned into a child by an unnamed devil fruit user. They don’t retain their adult memories, but they remember everything after it wears off! I wanted to do this prompt for a while because these three really deserve some hugs and love

Content with spoilers: hinting at past child abuse 

Sanji

He’s. BABY

He doesn’t know where he is and he’s scared, so you find him hiding under the table after you weren’t able to find him in the usual spots on the ship

You didn’t understand the situation at first, but you couldn’t miss those cute little curly brows

You call his name, and he looks even more confused at the fact that a stranger knows his name

So you move to sit on your knees a safe distance away from Sanji so he can feel a little safer

You only knew bits and pieces of the treatment he went through with his birth father and siblings, but it was enough to understand why he would be scared of adults. So you offer him a soft smile, full of patience

You assure him that everything is ok, he’s safe, and that you aren’t going to hurt him

Slowly he starts to emerge from under the table and asks where he is

You offer your hand to him, asking if he’d like to see

He’s hesitant, but you look so sweet, so he trusts you and takes your hand

You take him out of the room to see the ocean and his eyes light up

It makes your heart ache

He looks at you with a big smile

“Is this the All Blue!?”

You gently tell him that no, not quite. But he is on a ship that’s trying to find it, and he looks out over the railing, scanning the horizon

Sanji is sweet on everyone, loving the attention from the girls (as always) and yet still getting into tiffs with Zoro, even at this young age

You have to stop Zoro from trying to fight him

Everyone loves hanging out with little Sanji, and he keeps gravitating back to you with a big smile

He doesn’t seem to remember Zeff when you ask him, so you leave it be

He still cooks for everyone come dinner, but you’re there to help him- especially when he cuts his finger

You calm him- you almost cried when he did -and then kiss his bandaged finger for him to help him feel better

The next day when he returns to his proper age, he shuts himself up in the kitchen in embarrassment, baking anything he can think of so he doesn’t have to face everyone

Robin

It was almost impossible to find her the morning of. Poor thing was so worried that she hid too, just a little bit better than Sanji did

When you do find her, it’s in the storage room of the ship, and she’s already crying

You quickly assure her that she’s not in trouble, nor are you going to giver her to the marines

She’s not comforted about the fact that she’s in a pirate ship though, so she might be around the age after Ohara’s death, maybe a few years after being on the run

She was open with you about her past after the events of Enei’s lobby, but it was always painful to talk about so you never pressed the subject

She didn’t look like she was going to be leaving anytime soon, so you promise to get her some things to make her stay more comfortable

You bring her a blanket and some of her favorite books, which she perks up at

Sanji enters to pass off a snack and almost passes out from how cute and little she is

You totally agree with him, but you still have to shove him out before he frightens her too badly

She only seems to touch her snack when you’re not looking

You didn’t want to leave her completely on her own so you were keeping her company

The more time passed and the more the crew poked in to say hello, the more she began to relax

She started to ask you questions- like help with reading a big word, or about how she got on the ship

That one was a little harder to explain, so you simply said you weren’t sure but that she had the whole crew protecting her from any big bag marines

You were glad that there were no bases of theirs in your path for now

Eventually you’re able to coax her out of the storage room just in time for dinner

She sits next to you and keeps looking around cautiously- the group was chaotic, and you were worried that maybe it would scare her back into her shell

But it actually does the opposite, and you’re happy that she’s finally relaxed

When she returns to normal, she thanks you for being by her side and calming her down when she needed it

Ace

The absolute biggest asshole ever

Adult Ace was this cocky, flirty, goofy guy. He was fun and knew how to have a good time

But him as a child is the worst

He is, max, 10 years old and the most conniving little shit

Not only did he go straight to throwing hands when you accidentally uncovered him hiding in the pantry stuffing his face, but he kicked you in the knee before running out to find a new spot

You’d warned Marco and any of the others you passed after that while your knee ached in pain

It wasn’t long until he was eventually found again, this time by Whitebeard of all people, which ended up with them fighting

It was clear that Whitebeard was trying to go easy on the little guy, but he was getting annoyed

Eventually Ace is picked up by the ankle and held out in front of him almost akin to garbage while he flung around, swinging his arms wildly and kicking at Whitebeard’s wrist

“Let go of me, you stupid old man!”

It took a while, but eventually you, Marco, and Whitebeard managed to calm him down enough to talk to him

He sat with his arms crossed and sour

He was only acting out as a fear response due to his lack of memory, of course

But you were still kind of unhappy when it was decided that you were babysitting him

Ace owes you big time

But even with the attitude he gives, if he’s not throwing hands, he’s a pretty cute little guy

You spend the whole day talking about your adventures on the crew when you realize that’s what piques his interest

Suddenly he’s all smiles and he’s engaging with you happily

At dinner, he still stuffs his face and falls asleep at random right there at the table

You carry him to your room to sleep there since someone needed to pick up on Ace’s missed duties today, and when you return he’s still asleep, but back to his usual age

So you scream for him to wake up and apologize for kicking you

He laughs, the dickhead, and apologizes.

“I’ll kiss it better if you want. But tell me- was I a cute kid?”

[uttsuo]

"Oruburu, butterflies worst nightmare"

(For those wondering, this lil man isn't Usopp but it's a sanuso fanchild I decided to do a while ago after I had seen a post about how beautiful a Sanuso fankid would be and wanting to try myself at it 👀 it's my 2nd art of him, my 1st being his ref 😌)

I've put some anecdotes about him+bits of his story after the cut so that ppl that might be interested by him can check out 🥹👉👈

Anecdotes:

his name is Oruburu which is just the literal translation of "all blue"

even though one of his dads is one of the best cook ever, he's pretty bad at cooking himself (it never stopped him from learning about it with Sanji at his side though)

Usopp often teaches him to draw and be creative in general which helps Oruburu express his feelings a bit better!

He's extremely fond of bugs, owls and plants!

He often tries his hardest to succeed at everything he does and easily gives up when he's unable to perfect something on the first try

Oruburu is really sensitive to everything and often shuts down when he's overwhelmed with thoughts and feelings

He also happens to have a strong sense of justice

He's quite the loner but not because he's bullied of anything, only due to him not feeling able to connect/relate to anyone else

He's really clumsy and cannot walk straight to save himself

He could talk about owls for hours and not get tired (but his mother sure is tired after having to hear the process of an owl regurgitating a pellet at each dinner they're having)

Oruburu is extremely hyperactive and often doesn't know what to do with his two hands other than draw and spread chaos around the bugs kingdom with them

He has his own den den mushi that's only contacted by the mugiwaras just to let him know that they're almost at port and to come greet them there!

His favorite mugiwara are Franky, Brook and Jinbei (Jinbei is only his favorite for hugs though-)

Backstory:

It all started with Usopp and Sanji wanting a child of their own;

The more time passed the worse their baby fever was becoming and so they decided that they'd just go for a child;

They already had ideas on how to go at it and just decided that Sanji would seek an agreeing surrogate mother that resembled Usopp so that the kid could look like the both of them even tho he would only be blood related to Sanji;

After finding an agreeing woman named "Zeeha" that fitted the profile perfectly, "Oruburu Vinsmoke" was born.

Oruburu grew up living inside of his native village with only his surrogate mother as sadly Usopp and Sanji had decided that the pirate's life was still way too dangerous for him to embark in;

To make up for it, whenever they could the mugiwaras would visit Zeeha and Oruburu to spend a whole day/week with them before going back on another adventure;

Because of it, while growing up Oruburu would often get mad about his dads "abandoning him";

He'd throw tantrums and would scream at the top of his small lungs for his dads to stay as they both felt horrible but had no other choice but to leave him for another day, month or even maybe year.

(Usopp often feels tons of remorse about it as he knows how it feels to know your dad is out here but that you just can't see him)

Because of his fear of abandonment, Oruburu was staring to grow bitter and mean at both his parents, to the point where he one day had a meltdown during a dinner and screamed at them that when he'd grow up he'd join the marines just so that at least he could see his dads more often since he'd spend his time chasing them.

That day chaos erupted around the dinner table as all the mugiwaras started to choke on their own food out of surprise and Sanji proceeded to lightly kick some sense back into his son.

That burst of hatred wasn't normal with Oruburu as he usually was really kind, so it came as a surprise to them to hear him say such a thing but they also couldn't ignore the fact that the boy probably felt abandoned and scared without his parents;

And both Usopp and Sanji felt horrible about it.

Oruburu had taken a duty of providing everything to his mother at such a young age just because he didn't wanted his own mom to be alone like him and that duty had started to weight heavily onto his small heart and shoulders.

After Oruburu fled the dinner table that night Luffy came to see him, the boy was angry and sad but he confessed that he often had a reoccurring nightmare of seeing the mugiwaras go back on their ship and die during an adventure but that in the nightmare he'd know nothing about it and would keep on hopelessly waiting for them to come back until the end of time.

Luffy reassured him in his "Luffy way"..

Saying that if they were about to die/be executed, Oruburu would hear about it everywhere, hell! It probably would even be broadcasted around the world!

That just made Oruburu cry.. So Luffy decided to make a promise to the boy as to give him some hope back (and mainly for him not to join the marines) Luffy's promise was that if Oruburu were to ever beat him in a fight he'd be free to join his crew, alongside his parents!

The boy instantly lit up and agreed, promising that he'd grow strong and would one day defeat Luffy!

This promise started a long tradition casually named "Oruburu getting his butt kicked o'clock";

Where each time the crew came back to visit Oruburu, this one would rush in a straight line to fight Luffy, both of them with a bright smile on their faces while getting ready to knock out one another;

But also the Luffy mainly being happy as he knew he had managed to give some hope back to what was once a scared boy.

That's it for now 👀

It was long as hell but if you checked all of it I cannot express how grateful I am that you took your time to read my dumb lil ideas and story, thank you! 🥹💕

[akwolfgrl]

Part 11 LFT

Sanji started on the dishes as the sound of footsteps left the galley leaving him in relative silence. Only the sound of the water running and the clanking of the dishes was his only company.

"How old were you?" Or so he thought, Zoro's voice came from behind him. His footsteps drew near until he was standing next to Sanji, his hand out. "I'll dry.”

"Oh so you’re no longer fucking ignoring me I see," Sanji sneered trying to change the subject. He shouldn't have said a damn thing, he knew better than to allow himself to be vulnerable in the slightest bit. "If fucking me was going to be that much of a fucking problem then maybe you should have kept in your pants shitty swordsmen!" Sanji still handed the wet dishes over to be dried.

"I was ignoring you because everytime I look at you I think of last night, I think of all the pretty noises you made when you were under me, and if you have a problem with that then you should keep it your fucking pants shit cook," Sanji could feel his face heat up at the words coming from Marimos lips. Why did that shitty swordsman, that brute of a man, have such a way with words? Well a way with words that made Sanji go all soft for someone he considered a rival. "Now that I've answered your question, why don't you answer mine.”

"You're not going to let this go until I answer you, are you?" Sanji refused to look at the man beside him, he didn't want to even guess at what explosion he'd find on his face.

"Nope. I'll even drag Luffy and the rest along with, how long will you last against all of us?" Zoro's voice made it clear he would do it too.

"Why do you even care!? It's none of your business," Sanji feared he might have to admit at least one thing to keep the crew off his back about his past.

"I disagree, you're a part of the crew now. We also don't need another Nami Arlong Park incident, I'm sure we kicked ass but that's not the point," Zoro pointed out.

Sanji gave him a sigh and looked up at the man standing beside him. If Sanji gave him this one thing he would leave him alone and stop prying into his past.

"Fuck, I need a cigarette before I even start," Sanji hated talking about his past, hell he hadn't even told Zeff about Grema 66, it was a condition of being able to escape freely that he would never tell anyone who he was. "I don't want to have this conversation in my kitchen, I don't want to taint it with bad memories.”

"Well we're almost done with the dishes anyway.”

As soon as the dishes were done Sanji stepped out on the deck. He leaned against the railing sliding a cigarette out of the pack and into his mouth lighting it with a flock of flame from his lighter. Sanji inhaled the nicotine puffing smoke rings in an attempt to distract himself. Zoro sat down on the deck next to him his back against the railing, his ever present sword moved to lay across his lap.

"When I was ten years old, I was working as an apprentice in the kitchens of a cruise ship called the Orbit. One day pirates attacked," Sanji couldn't believe he was actually going into detail but he couldn't seem to stop. "That's the day I met Zeff. Red leg Zeff and his crew attacked us, I wasn't going to just die hiding away waiting for them to find me so I grabbed a knife and tried to attack them. I may have even mentioned my dream of finding the All blue. A storm grew in intensity as the pirates attacked, I ended up being swept overboard. Zeff dove in after me, we washed up on delset rock with no plant life, no animals and no way to fish. It was just us and two bags, zeff gave me the smaller of two bags telling me that it holds five days worth of food unless I rashion it carefully. Told me to stay on the other side of the island and don't bother him until I see a ship," Sanji was grateful that Zoro remained quiet the entire story, the rest of the crew was busy doing their own thing without paying them any mind. Luffy wouldn't care about his past, Ussop would try and one up him with a wild story too awkward to know what to say, and he wouldn't wish to burden Nami with his past. "I managed to make the food last twenty-five days, of course it was moldy and awful but it was food. I would drink rainwater from puddles on the ground. Then the day came when I ran out of food, I sat there and stared at the vast ocean hoping to see a ship. Just as I was about to give up I remembered something, the guy had a larger bag then I did, I was determined to kill if I had to. When I made my way to his side of the island I saw he still had a full bag. I was so angry and desperate. He didn't even bother to turn around, only asking if I saw a ship. I ignored him and cut the bag open. Only gold and treasure spilled out, it was no surprise that he let me get that far,"

"How did he survive if he didn't have any food," Zoro asked. Finally speaking, Sanji let go of his hair that he had been unknowingly clutching. It was a bad habit of his that he needed to quit before the others figured it out before any of them could figure just how weak he truly was.

[mamamittens]

Hi! Sanji and I would like a vanilla milkshake with caramel syrup. Sprinkles and a cherry on top please. Strawberry, red bean and green tea mochi also seem really nice! I go by “Parker” and I’m short, but slightly built for my height (they/them pronouns please, AFAB) with short/half shaven blue hair that’s slightly wavy, very fair skin, and light grey/blue eyes. I’m naturally an introvert who gets anxious very easily, but when I’m comfortable I’m a lot more confident, and sometimes even flirty. I tend to hyperfocus on tasks, and ramble on when I feel extreme emotions. (I also tend to trust people too much due to a lack of true friends and ignore their red flags which doesn’t typically end well for me.)

I am SO SORRY about the delay! October really snuck up on me, ngl!

I went with a platonic/familial interpretation but it could easily be the start of something more, ya'll are both just young in this. It takes place two years before Luffy shows up, so there's time lol

Warnings: None except mild yandere vibes and possesive/protective behavior.

Word Count: 1,992

Sanji chopped the ingredients for a stew efficiently, the other staff of the Baratie working in unison to complete the orders for hungry customers. He was seventeen now, his ‘family’ years behind him. But Sanji couldn’t help the stab in his chest when he thought about them.

His poor mother, long since gone from this earth as a shell of herself. Having unintentionally instilled in him a love of cooking.

His asshole brothers and father.

His sister…

And then there was Parker. Poor Parker he had to leave behind in his desperate run for freedom. He thought about them sometimes. Wondered if they managed to survive that hellscape and if they were still so small. They worked in the kitchens and helped Sanji get ingredients—Sanji smiled remembering the dubious look Parker gave Sanji’s food but was too nervous to tell him it likely tasted like shit.

If Sanji could go back, he’d make two of the most wonderful dishes. One for his lovely mother. And one for Parker. His sweet friend that wasn’t mice in the dungeons.

But he can’t go back and Parker isn’t here, so Sanji has to just daydream about his closest friend instead. Maybe one day he’ll find a way to (safely) go back and find them. Or at least figure out where they are. Even though it would make things more difficult, Sanji hoped they got far away from his family.

Sanji blinked, startled to realize he was finished with the chopping and dicing, the ingredients neatly separated out into individual bowls.

Sighing, he got back to work. Daydreaming would only take him so far. One day, when he paid back the old man, he’d find Parker and take them to the All Blue.

One day…

A dream he’d built up in his heart for years now and would stay there for many years to come, he just knew it. After all, how could he ever repay Zeff for his sacrifice? Sanji’s eye flickered across the busy kitchen to where Zeff was working on a stew. Peg leg tapping along the floor as he shuffled to add a new ingredient.

How indeed…

Sanji’s resolution reaffirmed, he got back to work and—temporarily—put Parker and the All Blue, out of his mind.

Something he found difficult when he was ordered to take out dishes to a large traveling merchant party. The usual waitress having to go home early.

Sanji sighed in distain at the large party of men but dutifully delivered the dishes. A soup deposited in front of a small, familiar person.

“Parker?!”

“Sanji?!”

They both yelped in surprise, Sanji startled to find his arms suddenly full. Parker was different but not. That familiar floral scent mixed with herbs still present, blue waves like the sea half shaved. Parker felt strong but still so breathtakingly small in his arms. He didn’t want to let go, not ever. Suddenly halfway to his most precious dreams.

“Sanji, boy?! What the hell are you doing?!” Zeff bolted out of the kitchen. Sanji lifted his head from Parker’s hair and half turned, beaming as he lifted up Parker a little more. Parker hid their face in his chest and he let them, aware that the momentary bravery was likely followed by embarrassment.

“It’s Parker, Zeff!” Sanji grinned, resting his cheek on top of their head. The merchants Parker had apparently been traveling with laughing.

“Oh, poor thing, you’re red to your roots ain’cha?” One of them cried with a harsh laugh.

“Sweetest thang I’ve seen all my years a’ sailin’! Nevah gets old!” Another one cheered. Sanji felt a horrible twist in his chest. An impulse to drive his heel into their sternums and snap them in half, but found it died shortly as a small sniffle was muffled into his chest.

“…missed you.” Sanji felt in his heart more than he heard it.

“Well, that’s… That’s sweet and all, but are you going to let them eat or not? They look so small.” Zeff commented and Sanji acknowledged that he was right.

While nowhere near as small as they used to be, Sanji couldn’t help but worry a little. Life at sea was rough—Sanji knew from experience. They may not be skin and bones but who knew when their last filling meal was? Sanji glanced at the soup and deemed it… adequate. It was Zeff’s, he could tell, but Sanji would personally make the next one just to be sure.

Reluctantly, Sanji gave one last reassuring squeeze before letting them down.

“It’s so good to see you, Parker. How’ve you been?” Sanji asked softly, barely aware that he was cradling their face to run his thumbs over their cheeks. Checking for more subtle signs of malnourishment. Parker was blushing hard, not quite looking at him. It was an endearing as it was frustrating. He wanted those sweet, stormy blue eyes to look at him. Not somewhere over his shoulder.

“Good… left a few years after you when I got fired. Been traveling since. Hoped I’d run into you again.” Parker commented, hedging around his family. Ever mindful that he’d certainly not want it public knowledge who exactly he was related to. Sweet as always.

“We’ll catch up later. Enjoy your meal, Parker.” Sanji reluctantly conceded before Zeff started teasing him. The merchants grumbled but welcomed Parker back at the table.

“Tha’s Sanji? Who knew he’d be such a handsome fellah, huh?” One whispered to Parker, causing them to almost choke on their soup. Sanji nearly kicked him through the wall but held back, not wanting to ruin the meal or frighten Parker.

He was different from the little boy with a cage on his head, after all. Young Sanji never would have fought back or struck someone. Too timid and sweet—it was almost nostalgic to see how little the years apart had changed Parker. Meanwhile Sanji had grown.

It felt like fate that Sanji had changed so much from a little boy needing protection to someone capable of protecting others.

Sanji went back to the kitchens with a resolution in his bones.

He’d protect Parker like they protected his heart. And the first step was ensuring they stayed with him.

Sanji looked round the kitchen for his next task and could already imagine Parker at work beside Zeff as the old man personally made sure they were up to snuff. Which they would be. It’s Parker, after all. If Parker lacked skill anywhere it would be defending themselves. But that was alright. Sanji had that covered just fine.

Gladly, in fact.

The rest of the day was a bit of a blur. Sanji taking every opportunity to check up on Parker’s table or just look out into the restaurant. Just to make sure nothing was wrong. Parker seemed reasonably close with the merchants, which… was nice. Sanji would be pissed if they abused Parker or otherwise mistreated them. But if Parker was too close to them… would they even want to leave?

What would Sanji do if they were happy as they were? He didn’t think he could handle it if Parker left him even if it was fair play since Sanji left first. He had to leave, he knew that. It didn’t make it hurt any less but the thought of Parker leaving Sanji behind by choice made him want to cry.

At closing, Sanji made a beeline for the merchant ship. Desperate to know if his fears were real or unfounded.

The first thing that greeted him was laughter and the clear sound of booze being passed around. The merchants cheering around Parker who was blushing furiously with a bag in their arms.

Hopeful and elated, Sanji nevertheless waited.

“Sad to see you go, kiddo! You’re a great helper round the kitchens!”

“Can’t believe your old friend works here, that’s no small feat!”

“You’re going to be an amazing chef—assuming they take you on!”

“Ya kiddin’?! Did ya see tha look on tha owner’s face? And the boyo, Sanji? Ah’m surprised Pah’ker was allowed ta leave af’tah the bill was settled! Boyo looked fit to bundle ah’p Pah’ker and keep em!” Another refuted with a laugh. “Learn well, wee thang, and write ta us! Ah wanna hear it all~!” The crew cheered and Sanji nearly screamed.

He was such an idiot! Of course Parker wouldn’t leave him!

Sanji let his steps fall heavy on the boardwalk and several inebriated crewmembers looked back. He didn’t even mind—much—the pats on his shoulders as he passed by. He’d prefer not to be touched by men at all, but in the spirit of the occasion, he’d allow it. For Parker.

Clearly, they’d cared for Parker when Sanji couldn’t. And he wouldn’t—couldn’t—hate them for that. At least Parker was cared for.

Now it was Sanji’s turn.

Sanji stopped in front of Parker, a dopey smile on his face that Zeff and the others would have teased him mercilessly for.

“Does this mean what I think it does?” Sanji asked. Parker, still flushed, nodded.

“It’s hard work, but Zeff won’t say no to a little extra help around the kitchens. You’ve said goodbye, right?” Sanji asked, fingers twitching to pull them into an embrace. Just to see if this was real.

“Y-Yeah. They’ve been teasing me for hours now. I’m ready to leave.” Parker whined, triggering a round of laughter from the crew.

“Only outta love, kiddo! Now scram, get settled in—and you take care of them, Sanji! I don’t care who Zeff is or was, I hear little Parker’s gotten hurt I’ll take it out of your hide, ya hear!” The captain declared. Sanji paused, considering the old man for a moment.

Maybe he was jealous that they’d been caring for Parker for some time. At how close they were with them. But this? This he could respect.

“No need, old man. If Parker get’s hurt—I’m cold and dead with nothing left.” Sanji swore. An agreement was reached between them as Parker looked on, utterly baffled.

It was a gentleman’s agreement. One that Parker didn’t need to worry about.

“Uh… alright. What kind of trouble are you expecting all the way out here, Sanji?” Parker asked nervously. Sanji laughed, curling his arm around their shoulders and leading them back to the Baratie to get settled. Zeff would agree, he knew, so it was scarcely worth bothering to ask.

“Nothing I can’t handle. Anything happens, you call for me, alright? We get some rough pirates out here every so often.” Sanji complained, scowling as he could already hear Zeff whining about a new hole in the wall. Sanji paused in the doorway with a smile, squeezing Parker closer. “It’s good to have you back, Parker. This time, I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” Sanji swore.

Parker smiled back with wide, confused eyes that softened. Their arm reaching around his chest to return the gesture.

“…I never stopped hoping you made it out alive. I just thought I’d n-never know, you know?” Parker admitted.

“I did. And it’s all thanks to you. Your memory kept me going… and I guess Zeff helped too.” Sanji teased as the old man poked his head out of the kitchen with a sly grin.

“Hey, greenie! Parker, was it? Welcome to the Baratie! Any friend of my s—Sanji is welcome!” Zeff declared and Sanji blinked in surprise, his chest tightening as Zeff quickly corrected himself. Parker looked between them for a moment, gaze intense as they considered something before smiling.

“Well, the bar was on the floor frankly, but I’m glad you’ve got a nice dad now.” Sanji and Zeff choked on air, the two gasping and grasping at denials.

Despite that, Sanji couldn’t help but grin to himself. It was true. And now his family was whole. All that was left was to find the All Blue once he repaid Zeff for his sacrifice and kindness.

[inuyassa]

Baritiae pt. 2

Sanji x G/N Reader Self Insert/One-Shot Warnings: Mild Language/ All Fluff :)

Pt. 1 Linked Here

You sat outside on the deck, the warm afternoon sun mixed perfectly with the cool sea breeze. Even though the restaurant was in shambles behind you, you figured you'd earned a break and a smoke. As you took a long drag from the freshly lit cigarette, you saw Sanji make his way toward you. He stood there, hands in his pockets, his hips thrust forward in that silly way only he could stand.

"You mind if I bum a smoke?" He asked. You nodded, reaching into your apron pocket to pull out the pack. Sanji sat down beside you, resting his forearms on his proped-up legs, taking a long, deep breath before releasing the puff of cigarette smoke into the air. "It was a hell of a fight," he said, leaning his head back. "Surprsied we faired as well as we did."

"Well, it wold have been the end of us if that rubber kid hadn't been here," you replied. "He's a bit strange, and his endgame is a little delusional, but hey, sounds like he's the perfect fit for you."

Sanji looked over at you. "And why is that?" He asked, taking another drag.

You smiled at him. "Two delusional boys with their impossible dreams. A match made in heaven if you ask me."

Sanji chuckled under his breath. The two of you sat in silence for a bit. You had been fighting the urge to cry, so you decided to just keep talking rather than allow the tears to flow.

"You know, I wanted to be the one to prove that the All Blue doesn't actually exist," you began.

"Why?" Sanji asked, sitting up a little straighter as you admitted to wishing his dream was unattainable.

"Because," you continued, looking ahead. "It was all you talked about. Day and night with anyone who would listen. I knew one day you'd want to set out to find it, so I figured if I could prove it wasn't real..." your throat began to feel tight as tears formed in your eyes. So much for your poker face. "If I could prove that it didn't exist, then you wouldn't ever leave. You'd always be here. Hearing myself say it I sound like a pathetic, lovesick kid." You forced a laugh and wiped the tears from your face. "Pretty pathetic huh?"

Sanji draped his lengthy arm across your shoulders. "Pretty damn pathetic if you ask me." He teased. You rested your head on his shoulder and closed your eyes.

"I can still stay," Sanji said. "Maybe some things are just meant to stay dreams..."

"No," you cut in. "You have to do this Sanji. You have the chance of a lifetime here. We'll always be here if you come back, but for now, you need to go."

Sanji sighed. "This Luffy kid seems pretty eager to build a crew," he said, giving your shoulder a squeeze. "And I could use a Sous Chef."

You smiled and looked up at him. "I'm not cut out for that life Sanji. Besides someone will have to pick up the slack around here after you leave. Plus, I'm pretty much guaranteed a promotion with you out of the picture."

Sanji laughed, he rested his head atop yours and the two of you sat there on the deck in silence. You felt like you were saying goodbye to a family member who, for so many years, had been a huge part of your life. It wasn't going to be easy with him gone, but seeing that sparkle in his eyes as his dream became more and more attainable...it turned your tears into tears of joy...

[bowsie22]

Whumptober day 17

Sanji was always happiest on the ocean

The Strawhats had never really understood why Sanji loved the ocean so much. They all loved and enjoyed it in their own way, but Sanji was different. He was always happier, more carefree on the ocean.  They never asked, just happy to see their nakama happy. They didn’t understand how important the ocean was to Sanji, how important the freedom was.

Sanji had spent his life imprisoned, collared in some way. First to his mother who he was desperate to make happy, putting her happiness over his own. All he wanted to do was make up for his siblings lack of emotion and love towards her. That’s what kept him there for years.

Then there was the more literal collaring and time spent in the cell and mask. No matter how much he cried and screamed and begged for help, no one came. His father hated him, deeming him a failure, weak, useless. His brothers took joy in tormenting and abusing him, making a competition out of who could make him scream first. Reiju did what she could, but she was outnumbered and overpowered. Until she snapped, breaking his cell open, setting him free.

Living with Zeff was a big improvement. But he was still collared in some way, his dedication and loyalty chaining him to the Baratie longer than it should. Not that Sanji minded, he loved Zeff, he loved the other chefs and workers. Was he lonely? Did he sometimes look out over the surrounding ocean, dreaming of the All Blue? Of course he did. But he owed Zeff his life, he couldn’t abandon him like that. So, he stayed. Shoved all dreams and thoughts of finding the All Blue to the back of his mind for years and worked his fingers to the bone. All for his new family. And he was happy. Kind of. For a few years. And then; Luffy.

Sailing with the Strawhats was everything he wanted. Sanji was truly happy for the first time in his life. So of course, his family had to come and ruin it.

This time the collaring was literal. Explosive bracelets around each wrist, his father’s cruelty was limitless. He really had no choice, he had to marry this woman, he had to leave the ship, his crew. And spend the rest of his life with this new crew. Or maybe they’d live with his family? He wasn’t sure which choice was worse. There was no escape. His family was at risk. And Sanji would protect them. At least that was the plan. But as always, Luffy did what he does best and destroyed everything.

And he was home again. Back on the Sunny, surrounded by his nakama, his family. And this time he was here to stay, his loyalty to his crew making sure of that. Sure, he could say he was collared again, but this was one collar he didn’t want to break free of, he wanted to spend the rest of his life with these people. And come hell or high water, he was going to.

[brainyxbat]

Chapter 1: Precursor To A New Adventure! Apis, A Mysterious Girl

(episode 54)

"It's a guiding light. The entrance to the Grand Line lies ahead of that light."

"The Grand Line is ahead of that light..."

"In order to find the All Blue!"

"In order to be King of the Pirates!"

"In order to become a master swordsman!"

"In order to draw a world map!"

"I-in order... to become a brave warrior of the sea!"

"In order... to become the greatest witch I can be!"

"We're going... to the Grand Line!!"

-

"Nami!" Luffy called out. "Aren't we in the Grand Line yet?"

"We just left Loguetown two days ago. It'll take a few more days. Wait a little longer."

Luffy was quiet for a moment, then beamed brightly. "Okay!"

"Two days," Venus breathed in awe, and shook her head with a small smile, "Feels like so much longer." Not only had it been two days since they left Loguetown, it had been two days since the young witch left the home she knew for years, and became a Straw Hat. On the deck, everyone was doing their own thing; Zoro was asleep, Luffy sat on the prow, and she, Sanji, and Nami enjoyed the refreshing ocean breeze.

"What nice weather!" Sanji commented. "That storm seems like a dream."

Up on the crow's nest, Usopp was searching the ocean with a telescope, when he saw something he couldn't make out. "Hm...? What the heck is that?" He had a closer look. "Hey! I see a flock of birds to starboard!"

"A flock of birds?" Luffy asked from his seat on the Going Merry's prow, resembling the head of a ram.

"Yeah. I also see something kind of big on the water. I can't see it well; I wonder what it is."

"Maybe a fish?" Luffy suggested.

"A small boat?" Usopp used one side of his new goggles in place of the telescope. "It could be a big fish too, but..."

"I often hear that seabirds flock above fish," Sanji chimed in.

"Fish?!" The captain was now excited.

"I could use some fish," Venus remarked.

"Luffy! Let's have them for lunch," The cook suggested.

"Alrighty! Gum-Gum... Grab!" Luffy reached out with a rubber arm to the sea.

"Whoa! Now that's a stretch!" Usopp praised.

"His body sure is convenient," Sanji said.

"I caught it!" Luffy grabbed something that felt like a medium-sized fish, and began retracting his limb. "It's pretty big!"

"Nice, Luffy!" Nami exclaimed.

Sanji noticed that his arm, not his hand, was closing in. Fast. "H-hold on a second... what're you gonna do now? Venus-chan, get down!" Just as Luffy's arm closed in, he pinned her to the deck; Zoro, on the other hand, was sent flying to the ocean, even staying in the same relaxed position, but now with an angry face.

Venus stood up, and watched him disappear from the view, then turned to Luffy with a stoic face. "Welp, you killed Zoro," She deadpanned.

The captain's arm snapped back. "Oh... sorry, Zoro."

"Dumbass!!" Sanji yelled angrily.

"I'm gonna... cut him down... someday," A furious Zoro grumbled to himself, as he was hauled up with a rope around his waist.

"Come on, big guy," Venus helped him up alongside Luffy, as Usopp, Nami, and Sanji gathered around the catch.

"Hey, look," Sanji said, "That's no fish."

"It's a girl!" Nami observed. In the middle of the circle was a little girl in a mustard yellow dress, and a white hat, with a blonde braid.

Luffy joined the circle once Zoro was on deck, as she untied the rope. "Oh? Is she a fishperson? Where's her web?"

"You idiot," Usopp glared, "Just how does she look like a fishperson?"

"Why was a little girl in a small boat like that?" Nami wondered aloud.

The crew laid the girl down in their makeshift infirmary in the kitchen, and waited for her to wake up. She came to at the smell of soup brewing, and shot up in surprise, colliding hard with Usopp's chin. "Ouch!" She held her sore forehead.

"So you've come to?" Nami checked in, "Seems you're doing better than I expected. Does it hurt anywhere?"

"You must be hungry," Sanji guess, "I'm cooking soup right now."

"Lucky!" She grinned to herself.

"Were you in a shipwreck or something?" Nami asked. "You could've been in big trouble. What's your name?"

The girl glared. "When you ask someone questions, you should give your name first."

The navigator chuckled, and winked. "Good point. My name is Nami. The one who's cooking soup in the kitchen is Sanji."

"Hi!" He grinned.

"The one with a scary face wearing a bellyband is Zoro," Nami continued."

"Shut up," He grumbled, trying to resume his nap interrupted earlier on.

"The one who's unconscious over there is Usopp. The one with the pigtails and hoodie is Venus."

"Charmed," The young witch said simply.

"I'm Luffy," He finished, "I'm captain of this pirate ship."

'What?!' The girl gasped in terror. 'Pirates?!'

"We're heading to the Grand Line," Luffy said, clueless to her fear.

There was complete silence for a few seconds, until Nami spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"She isn't moving," Luffy remarked.

"What're we gonna do with this kid?" Zoro asked.

"Ahhh, well, what should we do?" Luffy wondered. "Let's think about it tomorrow."

That night, the crew had turned in after wishing their guest a good night's rest. Everyone's peaceful sleep was suddenly interrupted by a scream of terror; at least, almost everyone's. Nami had fallen from her hammock from the scare, and turned to Venus; to her shock, the other girl was still deeply asleep, as if nothing happened. Her arms stayed crossed over her chest like a corpse, and she barely moved. 'How did she sleep through that?!' She thought, before going with the guys to investigate. Even though they learned on the first day that she was a terribly heavy sleeper, they still were not accustomed to it.

"I'll go in first." Sanji took charge, and entered the kitchen.

"Where's Venus?" Usopp whispered.

"Still asleep," Nami replied quietly.

"She sleeps like the dead, remember?" Zoro reminded.

"Oh yeah, I forgot," He grinned sheepishly.

"That girl wouldn't wake up for a volcano erupting," The swordsman remarked.

Sanji turned the light on, and saw the spring mousetrap he had set up had worked. "You again? You never learn no matter how many times I tell you, Luffy." The goofy captain was caught in the trap, the bar on his back, as he struggled to crawl out. "Can't you get it through your thick skull?" He then noticed the girl close by. "Hm? What're you doing?" She chuckled nervously, unable to answer.

"Yum!" Luffy happily chowed down on a slab of steak. The girl sat across from him, stubbornly refusing to eat.

"If you ask, I'll make something for you," Sanji reminded him, "So, like I told you, don't take food without asking."

"But I'm hungry."

Her stomach growled again. "What's wrong?" Sanji asked. "Aren't you eating?" She turned away. "You didn't eat this afternoon, either. Why're you holding back?" She stayed quiet. "I'm telling ya, it's not poisoned or anything," He assured, but she shook her head, "If you just sit there like that, he'll finish everything." That got her attention.

"If you're not eating, I'll eat it!" Luffy went to swipe her bowl of soup, but she snatched it.

"No!"

"Huh?"

She gobbled it down, and perked up. "Yum!!"

"Of course!" Luffy beamed. "Sanji's the cook I picked!"

"I've never eaten anything this good!" She gushed.

"You're finally smiling," Nami commented from the door, as Usopp and Zoro peered in.

"Oh, Nami-san!" Sanji exclaimed. "Where's Venus-chan?"

"Still asleep. You're eating again, Luffy?!" She scolded.

"I didn't eat that much for lunch."

"You emptied two pots, didn't you?" Usopp reminded.

"I did?" He tried to think back.

Nami walked over to her. "You got scared when you heard we're pirates, didn't you?"

"W-well..."

"Well, that's a natural reaction towards pirates these days."

"You're not gonna sell me off?"

"No way!" Usopp frowned.

"You're all evil-looking, so..." Zoro smirked.

"You've got a right to talk with that face?" Usopp stretched his cheek.

"What're you doing?!" A brawl began between them, as Luffy laughed.

"Ahh! That's enough!" Nami ordered.

The girl joined in, before Sanji came over. "We have more, madamoiselle."

"At least, this ship isn't the kind of pirate ship you're thinking of," Nami assured, "Don't worry."

Her smile grew back at that. "Another plate, please!"

"As you wish."

"Me too!"

"Do it yourself!"

"You meanie..."

Later, Luffy and Zoro hauled up the anchor, while Nami pulled down the sail. Sanji was walking to the crow's nest to begin lookout, when the ship began quaking. "Wo-oah!" Usopp stumbled over.

"Huh?" Luffy hummed in confusion.

Nami was about to change out of her blue top when the shaking began. "Wh-what happened?"

To everyone's surprise, the girl stumbled deliriously out of the smoking kitchen. "Hey! What'd you just do?" Sanji asked.

"I was preparing a meal!"

"What?"

"Everyone! Breakfast is ready!" She announced.

"Oh, breakfast?!" Luffy perked up.

"What breakfast explodes?" Zoro wondered aloud.

Venus came out of hers and Nami's sleeping quarters, and stretched her arms with a yawn. "What's cookin'?"

On their plates was... unrecognizable black, charred lumps. Nami chuckled nervously when everyone was silent, as the girl beamed with pride next to a reluctant Sanji, bandages on her face. "You made this?"

"Yep!"

"It has quite... a unique appearance," Usopp commented.

"Thanks! I'm digging in!" Luffy exclaimed.

"In addition to rescuing me, you're feeding me too." Sanji's pots, pans, and utensils were dirty, rusted and battered, as if they were used in combat. "I'll do anything to help you from now on!

"Uh... uhm," Nami grinned hesitantly, as Zoro was cringing, "That'll be helpful... thank you."

"Is this really edible?" Zoro griped.

An irritated Nami stomped on his foot, making him yell in pain, and shoveled his "food" in his open mouth. "Stop grumbling, and just eat it!" She shoved his jaws shut.

"But seriously, is it really safe to eat?" Usopp wondered aloud.

"Only one way to find out," Venus shrugged nonchalantly.

Luffy, on the other hand, was eating it like Sanji made it. "Really? This is good." The girl smiled with joy.

"That's right," Sanji added, "It's possible that just the appearance is bad." He and Nami each tried a bite.

"Really?" Usopp had one next, alongside Venus.

On cue, they all wailed at the terrible taste, and started chugging down some water to wash it down. "W-was it that bad?" The discouraged girl stammered, and had a bite herself. "Whoa! That's spicy!" She shrieked, as Sanji attempted to keep his composure. "What is this?! I put in the wrong seasoning!"

Sanji chuckled. "Well, that's a common mistake. You'll be fine if you are careful next time." He then turned to the others, who still had occupied plates. "Hey, she took the trouble to prepare it for us. Eat every crumb!" Zoro and Usopp groaned in disgust. "Shut up! Don't waste this girl's kindness. This girl's... oh, what's your name, by the way?"

"Apis!" She grinned. "My name is Apis!"

He turned back to the table. "Apis-chan put her heart into this food! Plus, I won't allow anyone to waste food!" He turned to the older girls, glancing between them. "I'll cook something for you two later," He whispered.

"Thanks."

"Thank you."

"I'm sorry," Apis frowned sadly, "I'm not good at cooking... but I wanted to be helpful!"

"Don't worry about it," Nami assured, "We really appreciate the thought."

"Leave the cooking to me," Sanji added, "There're many other things that you could help out with."

"Okay!"

"Really? This is good," Luffy repeated.

"You..." Everyone grumbled at him.

"I wanna eat BBQ next. I haven't had it in a while."

-

"Say, why were you drifting on the sea, Apis?" Nami asked, as Sanji washed the dishes.

"I escaped from a Marine ship..."

"A Marine ship?" Usopp repeated in awe.

"During the stormy night three days ago."

"In that small boat in such a storm..." Nami remarked.

"And for three days," Venus added, "You're reckless, kid."

"So what'd you do in the first place?" Zoro questioned.

"What?"

"You had to escape, which means you weren't on their ship as a guest, right?" He clarified. "But then the Marines wouldn't go after every little villain."

"W-well... uhm..."

"What? Are you a super villain?" Luffy asked.

"No!" Apis snapped. "There's no way I'd do bad things! I never did bad things... but I can't tell you why."

"What's that about...?" Usopp asked.

"What's the big deal," Sanji cut in, "She must have her reasons." He dried his hands after finishing the dishes. "If she doesn't want to say, then we shouldn't press her."

"That's true," Nami agreed, "But can you at least tell us where you're from?"

"What? Oh, yes... I'm from Warship Island."

"Warship Island?" Nami repeated.

"Do you know about it?" Usopp asked her.

"No. I'll check it out."

"Why is it called Warship Island?" Luffy asked Apis.

"It's because the shape of the island looks exactly like a warship."

"No kidding?" Venus raised her eyebrows in genuine surprise.

"Oh, that's interesting," Luffy commented.

"Ahh! This is the one!" Nami pointed to a small island on her map for everyone to see.

"Oh, it's close to the Grand Line," Usopp observed.

"We're around here right now," Nami moved her finger a short distance closer to the Red Line, "So it's not far. What do you wanna do?"

"What?"

"Do you wanna go back to Warship Island? If we keep sailing like this, we are going to enter the Grand Line."

Apis was quiet for a moment. "You were nice enough to save me, and I feel bad burdening you further... but I want to go back to the island! I'm sorry. I'm selfish, aren't I? If you hand me to a ship heading west on your way if possible, I'll work things out on your own."

"Oh my, that's a real burden!" Nami said. "There's no way that a pirate ship can get close to another ship so easily."

"What're you doing?" Venus narrowed her eye.

"Yeah, you're right," Apis hung her head down.

Nami then spoke up again. "But since it's not totally out of our way, and we're not really in a hurry... oh, what the heck."

"What?!"

"It doesn't matter either way to me. What should we do, Captain?"

"Yeah, that sounds fine," Luffy grinned.

"The Grand Line isn't that far either, so..." Usopp added.

"I see. The island looks like a warship, huh?" Luffy confirmed.

"Should be interesting," Venus remarked.

"Sounds like they've decided," Sanji announced.

"Really?!" Apis jumped to her feet with excitement. "Are you really going to stop by Warship Island for me?!"

"Yeah," Luffy replied.

"All right! Thank you, Luffy!" She jumped up and down with joy, and started rambling, as everyone smiled. Even Zoro and Venus. "All right! All right! I'm so happy! Thank you very much! Thank you! Thank you very much, everyone! To show my appreciation, I'll prepare lots of dishes every day!"

"No, that won't be necessary," Everyone, except the captain, kindly declined.

"Why not?"

-

Meanwhile, seven Marine boats sailed together, in search of Apis. On board one of them, the lieutenant commander marched outside. "Reporting! Ship sighted ahead at 13 o'clock! It's a mid-size caravel. I see a flag with a skull mark on the main mast!"

"Pirates, huh? They don't know their own station, sailing around in the seas under Commodore Nelson's control. I'm sure they're just small fries. Just leave them alone!" He commanded.

"No. That flag doesn't belong to small fries." The mercenary came out on the deck. "If I remember correctly, that belongs to Straw Hat Luffy, a man with a 30 billion Berry bounty on his head."

One of the Marines perked up. "Oh, the ones people have been talking about lately?"

"We still can't find the girl even with this big fleet," The mercenary paced, "It's possible that someone has her. Not to mention, pirates of that caliber isn't going to be a problem if you leave them by, Lt. Commander?" The man had purple hair slicked up like a hook, thin black shades, and wore a grey suit with a purple shirt. "Capture that ship!"

-

Nami walked outside, and sensed something was amiss. 'I wonder what that feeling is...'

"Hey!" Usopp called from the crow's nest. "I see ships approaching from the rear!"

"What?"

"Ugh! Oh man...! They're Marine ships!"

"Navy?!"

"And it's not just one or two ships, either!"

Nami ran to the side of the ship, and saw them in the distance. "He's right! But what's a fleet like that doing here?"

"What?" Luffy ran outside with Apis. "What? What's going on?" Apis gasped in horror at the ships. "Are they after my head?"

"That's a lot even for that!" Nami said.

"It means that they need that many to capture me, right? I'm amazing, right?" Luffy, ever the optimist, guessed enthusiastically.

"How can you be so easygoing?!"

"They've gotta be after Apis," Venus pointed out.

Sanji noticed her backing away. "Hm...? What's wrong?"

"Those ships belong to Branch 8! I escaped from them! What am I gonna do?"

A Marine looked over the Going Merry with a telescope. "Hm...? There! I found her! I see the girl on their deck!"

"What?!"

"It was just as I said, wasn't it, Lt. Commander?" He cringed at the mercenary's words. "Did I hurt your pride? But if you make a mistake, and lose that girl... the clue to the elixir of immortality, the Dragonite... I wonder how furious Commodore Nelson would get."

The commander glared, then began his orders. "Prepare the main cannons! We'll capture that pirate ship!"

Three cannons were fired. "Ugh! They're firing at us!" Usopp screamed in fear from the rope ladder. The ship quaked, shaking everyone up, but was ultimately unharmed. The cannons only shot in the waters close by.

"Attention, pirate ship! Stop the ship immediately! Those were warning shots; the next shots will hit your ship!"

Usopp clung to the side of the deck. "There's no way we'd stop!" He bravely declared.

"What're we gonna do, Luffy?" Zoro asked the captain, as Sanji held onto a scared Apis. "If you wanna take 'em on, I'm with you."

"Yeah," He agreed, "Why don't we?"

"Ahhh!" Usopp ran over. "W-wait a sec! Why are you guys always like this?! What the heck are you gonna do against that fleet?!" Sanji quietly began escorting Apis to the downstairs cabin through the rant.

"We'll make a raid on them," Zoro answered.

"A raid isn't gonna work!"

"We'll make it work," Luffy said.

"You can't!"

"We're not saying you have to come," Zoro pointed out, "Back us up with the cannon."

"What? So I'm staying on this ship? Okay, leave it to me! And we'll get clear of them at full speed! You take care of the rest."

Sanji noticed Apis staring intently at one of the seagulls perched on the upper deck. "Hey Apis, what's the matter?"

"He said a wind is coming." That caught Nami's attention. "A strong wind is..."

Nami gasped, and took charge. "Zoro! Lean the sail towards the south!" She commanded. "Usopp, Venus, and Sanji-kun, right rudder full! Hurry up!"

"O-okay."

"Aye-aye."

"Yes, Nami-san!"

"What's going on?" Luffy asked.

"A gust is coming. We'll ride it, and get out of here."

"Zoro, that's north!" Venus shouted. "Lean it in the opposite direction!"

"If we fight them head on, we'll lose no matter how good we are."

"We can take them, though..." Luffy pouted.

Nami turned, and looked down at Apis. 'This girl...'

"Their ship shows no signs of stopping," A Marine reported.

"They're mocking us!" The commander glared.

Just then, a huge gust of wind blew through the area, just as predicted. 'Here goes!' Nami glared in determination. The Going Merry sailed away with it at a rapid speed, escaping their adversaries.

"Ahh!" A Marine's eyes widened. "The pirate ship sped up, and changed route!"

"What?!"

"They're heading south!"

"South?! How foolish! Do they know what's in that direction?!"

"What're you doing, Lt. Commander?!" The mercenary demanded. "Go after them! Now!"

"Whoa! This is fast!" Luffy exclaimed, holding his hat. "This is a good wind!"

"Woohoo!" Venus cheered, now riding on the prow. "This is awesome!"

"Look at that, Luffy! The Marines are falling behind!" Usopp pointed out.

"Whoa!" Luffy turned, and saw he was right.

"Ha! You guys're slow turtles!" The sniper mocked.

-

The commander and mercenary watched in anger. "No good! We can't catch up!"

"A Marine fleet falling behind such a small ship?" The mercenary criticized. "Dimwit."

"A smaller ship has better mobility!" A Marine pointed out.

"I don't wanna hear excuses!"

"Lt. Commander, this ship will soon..." He was silent. "Lt. Commander..."

"I know!" He snapped. "Stop all the ships! Prepare to turn around!"

"Wait, Lt. Commander!" The mercenary stepped up. "Why are you stopping the ships?"

"If we keep going, we'll go into the Calm Belt!"

"So what? Go after them!"

"No!"

"You really don't appreciate the seriousness of this matter, do you?" He interrogated. "We can't lose that girl now. What're you going to say to Commodore Nelson?!"

"I'm prepared to take the punishment. I can't just sit by, and let this fleet and my subordinates be swallowed by the sea! No matter what you say, the chase ends here!"

"How... foolish..."

-

Usopp laughed in victory when the ships disappeared. "The Marines aren't following us! Did Captain Usopp scare the pants off them?"

"Amazing! Amazing!" Luffy rambled. "Just as you'd expect from our navigator!"

"Well done, Nami-san," Sanji swooned, "To think you detected such a wind beforehand."

"Well, it was like an instinct, though," Nami said modestly.

"Oh, Nami-san is lovely when she's humble too."

"Well then, shall we head straight to Warship Island?" Luffy suggested.

"Really?!" Apis beamed.

"Yeah, really."

"Okay then!" Usopp exclaimed. "To Warship Island, let's... go!!"

Through the excitement, Zoro was silently observing the area. Something felt... off. Why weren't the flags moving? Or the sails? "What's wrong, Zoro?" Nami asked. "You've had a serious look on your face for a while." Venus looked back from the prow.

"Well, I hope it's just my imagination."

"What is?"

"I feel like this ship hasn't been moving at all for a while."

"Y'know what, you're right," Venus agreed, "There's no breeze whatsoever."

There was a long pause between them. "What?" Nami noticed the sail at a complete standstill. "Come to think of it, the sail isn't catching any wind at all..."

"The ocean's not moving either," Venus pointed out, "No waves; not even little ones."

A scream from Nami caught everyone else's attention. "What's wrong, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Nami...-san?"

They all noticed her expression of terror. "Dammit... we've entered the Calm Belt!!"

[charkyzombicorn]

Okay but what if luffy got his devil fruit a bit younger? Like he was 4ish when shanks brought it. Garp gets pissy earlier and decides to tie some balloons to his grandson and let the sky handle him while he makes arrangements with dadan.

But then it's a particularly bad day for luffy, and a strong wind carried him away from his island, he ends up falling right into one of the newer slave trader's ships and well fuck. He tried to fight them off but one of them has a collar with sea stone that the big boss person gives to every ship, even the smaller ones. So now luffy's fucked.

Since he's got a devil fruit, he's taken to the big boss child slave distributor asshole (put that on a business card) and then eventually gets taken to judge, because of course that dickhead would buy superpowered children. Judge gets him purely because rubber boy can take a hell of a walloping and also is stronger than the average four year old.

The vinsmoke brats and Sanji end up being pitted against Luffy and luffy does not win, but he doesnt die either so that's a plus. Sanji hates beating up a four year old, his brothers seem to love being able to punch something as much as they want without them being taken away or dying.

Luffy ends up learning how to fight by force, and eventually he's dubbed Sanji's fighting partner since they're both the weakest, which sucks because if sanji loses he gets locked up and if luffy loses then judge gives the other three brothers sharp objects and free time with luffy

Eventually luffy befriends sanji because of course he does, and loving food as much as he does he becomes the taste tester for sanji's cooking endeavors, and sometimes luffy manages to limp away to talk to sanji when he's in his cell.

When they escape, they escape together, and sanji becomes a bus boy and luffy just carries shit because he cant really do anything else but he could deadlift a ship at 10 so hey

When the attack happens, sanji's trying to save luffy, but zeff has to save him. Sanji sits on that rock almost certain that luffy's dead.

Luffy didn't die tho, because no, and he got saved, idk how, this is a writing prompt u figure it out, and they end up growing up apart for a bit after that. Luffy doesn't find his island again, but he does a bit of bounty hunting to get by and ends up making a name for himself because apparently his 'training' with the vinsmokes was a little more brutal than he thought.

Sanji works hard, he feels he owes a debt to both zeff and luffy, both of which helped him in some of his worse moments, and ends up a bit more edgy than in canon because he thinks his only friend is dead (push him to the edge🎶)

But then luffy gets blamed for something that was only really half his fault and half the random bandit he was fighting's fault, and he ends up with a bounty. It isn't a big one, just about 10000 berri, he kinda destroyed a bit more marine property than is recommended. But then sanji sees the bounty in the paper and he doesnt know if he should be glad his friend is alive or angry that luffy let him think he was dead.

But then luffy comes to the baratie when hes about 15-16, and then he sees sanji again and now he's super fuckin happy because how would luffy know sanji was alive?? They both came to the conclusion of mutual misunderstanding and lack of information after a bit of angst, because its sanji and luffy. But they get over it because they were both on the bottom end of the vinsmoke hellhole and does it really matter when they're reunited?

Zeff let's luffy steal sanji because it's been over a decade but luffy still wants to be the motherfuckin king, okay? And sanji's gonna be the cook for the pirate king and find the all blue because

Sanji becomes luffy's first mate and then start a sailing. Luffy attracts friends like a magnet, they get usopp next, and luffy kills kuro because luffy isn't as not-killerish as he is in canon because tragic backstory and if you leave a kid alone to be a bounty hunter long enough with only their own brain to make the morals, what do you expect will happen? Usopp joins because 'UwU piwate' is his opinion on the matter

They get nami, and sanji's a bit more chill than in canon because growing up with a guy that was also nice along with his sister and mother had a bit of an impact. He's still a bit if a french goth and treats nami better than other people but he isn't being a douche about a lady fighting or making faces quite as stupid.

Zoro joins but Does Not like sanji, which is mutual but luffy likes him so sanji must deal. They make their way toward the grand line, going back to the baratie, or what's left of it.

Sanji gets another thick layer of angst learning that while he was gone, don krieg destroyed the ship trying to steal it, and then they go to find don krieg, postponing grand line for a hot second because luffy wont leave until he gets to personally kick the ass of whoever made his cook so extra angsty, and sanji seconds that.

They find don krieg in Cocoyashi island, after crashing there with his broke ass ship. They fight him, the ruckus brings out arlong before Nami can attempt to lie to save them.

Sanji gets off one angst and gets it replaced with another when he can barely do shit because he was cooking all this time and is no longer as strong as luffy, who was only really working on fighting. Luffy almost dies because he has to fight both those shitheads back to back, but he wins.

Sanji starts getting more aggressive with zoro, and zoro only stays because he saw the fight and respects his captain, but that's a bit of a loose thing, ready to snap with a wrong move. Or maybe zoro leaves because he needed that fight with mihawk to realise this was serious and he was a pirate now, to each their own.

They stay in the east blue a little longer because luffy nearly died and they dont have a doctor, but he's fine. Sanji gets more guilt tho because that's how he is, and starts treating luffy nicer, which leads to luffy instigating a fight between the two of them because luffy wont swallow that shit. It helps things because violence is sometimes the answer

They head to the grand line, up reverse mountain, meet the whale, the whole shebang. Sanji might catch feels by this point because honestly who wouldn't?

Nami gets sick, and luffy doesn't know how to deal with that because back when he was being carted around with a sea stone collar and 30 other starving children, they just shot the ones that got sick. Ptsd time and guess who gets to help because zoro isn't first mate/here? Sanji! Which definitely puts things into perspective because for as long as he'd known him, luffy's tried his hardest to make sanji smile, and keep him company, even though after being bought luffy's only purpose was to be a stepping stone in sanji's development. So sanji finally being smacked across the face with the brunt of bottled up traumatized child luffy, he needs a fuckin smoke.

They find drum island and then same shit as canon, except it hits a bit harder with luffy carrying a dying nami and a heavily injured sanji up sheer rock because that's the only person that luffy had when shit got rough that he's holding between his teeth.

When sanji wakes up he probably notices how injured luffy is and can estimate the ringer he's been through because Sanji had to personally find out how luffy's healing factor worked because he was a good fraction of the reason luffy needed to heal so much.

They acquire a chopper :3

This is getting long and it's pretty much the end of my idea, sorry for the long informal post.

[yukipri]

One Piece Mermaid AU!

Featuring Luffy as a rubber mermaid who can’t swim, and Ace who carries her on his back as they pirate together.

＊Genderbend warning, fem!Luffy

Sliding in last minute for MerMay, bc idk about you, but I need something to mark that May has passed this year...

~~

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. To share, please reblog! Reblogs and comments greatly appreciated!!!

~~

Base headcanons for this AU beneath the cut! ↓ ↓ ↓

Luffy's a mermaid who was raised in Fuusha village, just like in canon. And, just like in canon, despite being a mermaid, she SUCKS at swimming, a fact that Shanks finds absolutely hilarious. She still wants to become a pirate, she still eats her devil fruit and becomes a rubber mer(?), she still gets kidnapped by Higuma (who sees her as an excellent way to rake in cash, given how valuable mermaids are on the slave market), and Shanks still gives her his hat.

As a devil fruit user, Luffy's already atrocious swimming skills are now at zero. She can still breathe under water, but will sink like a stone, her strength sapped by the sea, and if she loses consciousness she'll stop breathing too. Needless to say, she stays out of the water, and the villagers come to accept that sometimes, mermaids just live on land.

Garp still comes back, and is still furious at her wanting to become a pirate (and inwardly, extremely concerned that a bandit tried to catch and sell her), and still takes her to live at Dadan's where she meets Ace.

Ace has no idea what to think of the weird fish-brat who he's now told is gonna be his sibling, and resolutely ignores Luffy. He's inwardly slightly impressed as Luffy continues to follow him through the mountain every day, not even particularly hindered by lack of legs and using a mixture of crawling, squirming, hand-walking, and ricocheting forward with rubber arms to move.

Luffy still meets Sabo the same way as canon, and is still caught by Porchemy, who at first is thrilled because a mer brat! That'll bring in WAY more money than the spare change Ace stole! But in the end, he loses his temper at Luffy's stubbornness and still beats her to a pulp.

Ace and Sabo still rescue Luffy, and they still exchange sake cups and become brothers.

Yes, brothers.

Because at this point, neither Ace nor Sabo nor any of the bandits, nor anyone really on Dawn island save Makino and Garp actually know that Luffy's a girl. Not even Luffy.

The three brothers promise to each other that they'll all leave the island when they turn seventeen, setting out to sea to become pirates (Ace and Sabo are honestly a little concerned, given how often people try to sell Luffy, and how despite aquatic appearances Luffy's vulnerable af in water, but decide to wait and see. They have seven years together, Luffy ten until seventeen, who knows how much stronger their baby brother will get in that time).

Sabo "dies."

Ace and Luffy continue to train, and things don't change until Ace is seventeen, shortly before he sets out to sea.

He's let Luffy crawl into his blanket to sleep with him (partially cold-blooded, Lu gets cold easily when inactive), and Ace realizes that his lil brother's chest feels a bit lumpy.

Concerned, he makes Luffy have it checked out by the bandits, who are shocked to find developing...breasts?

That can't be right...right?

Dadan makes a call to Garp, who snorts and says of COURSE Luffy's a girl, didn't he say granddaughter?

No, he had not, he had only mentioned "grand child."

Everyone is shocked, but none more so than Ace, who really doesn't know what to do with this new information.

(Luffy's not quite sure what a "girl" is, and when she asks Ace, Ace honestly doesn't know how to define "girl" either, so she doesn't get what the big deal is)

Ace realizes he's troubled because he can't remember the number of times he's rescued Luffy from potential traffickers, and the number of times he's heard the lament, "Pity it's not female, it'd be worth quadruple," from the kidnappers before he beats them to a pulp.

He already had doubts about letting Luffy go out to sea alone, three years after he's left. But now knowing that Luffy's a girl, and one of the most sought-after species that traffickers target...he knows the world out there is much bigger than a teeny peaceful East Blue island, and Luffy may not get lucky every time, and may not be strong enough in just three years.

But at the same time, it's not like he can order her to stay here. There's no way Luffy'd listen; the sea calls to her, freedom calls to her, and Ace understands that more than anyone.

Sabo, Ace thinks, what would you do?

The night before he leaves, Ace tells Luffy that there's been a change of plans.

He's still leaving for sea. He's going to get stronger, and work his way towards becoming Pirate King.

BUT, three years later, Luffy will NOT leave Dawn Island alone.

Ace promises that he'll come back, a stronger pirate capable of looking out for his baby brother (because girl or not, they exchanged vows of brotherhood, and that's something that can't be changed).

He refuses to let Luffy be his captain, he's still got his pride, but maybe, maybe if Luffy becomes strong enough, he'll let her be co-Captain.

Luffy is thrilled, because she wanted to be pirates WITH Ace, and grudgingly accepts the compromise, and promises to train and wait for Ace's return.

Ace leaves Dawn island, and makes a name for himself on the Grand Line (he's PISSED when he finds out he's eaten a devil fruit, because now how's he supposed to rescue Lu from drowning when he can't swim himself???).

He even eventually makes it to Whitebeard, and eventually comes to admire the man. Whitebeard invites him to his crew, and Ace honestly replies that a large part of him wants to accept...but he can't. He promised his baby brother that they'll be pirates and co-captains together, and he can't join another pirate crew without Luffy agreeing too. Even so, and he knows it's selfish of him, he wants to call Whitebeard his father.

Whitebeard tells him that Ace is already his son, regardless of where his allegiances lie, and gives him his blessing to return to East Blue to fetch Luffy. Whitebeard laughs that he can't wait to meet the lil brat that Ace speaks so highly of, and for Ace to hurry up and come back to the New World so they can meet.

Ace plans on traveling light, his former crew all choosing to join the Whitebeard pirates except for his first mate, Deuce. Ace loves his crew, but they're also his crew, and knows that he wants to make their crew with Luffy. So he thinks he and Deuce will be a good starting point (You're just bringing me along bc you want someone who can swim on the crew, Deuce accuses).

As they're planning on leaving, Marco lets slip to fellow commander Thatch that he heard that Ace's "little brother" is actually a super cute girl.

The next morning, Thatch shows up too, insisting that he come along, because hey! He's been with the Whitebeards for ages and hasn't been to Paradise in a while, he wants some change! And won't it be nice to have someone as reliable as him along, just until they get back to the New World and reunite with the Whitebeards? Really he has no ulterior motives like wanting to check out Ace's supposedly hyper hot baby brother-sister!

Ace is suspicious, but Thatch is already on board and the other Whitebeards are already waving so he lets it go.

(Shortly after they leave, Thatch discovers a devil fruit. Deuce tells him to sell the damn thing, it'll taste like shit, but Thatch thinks boy wouldn't it be great to be able to woo Ace's hot brother with a really cool devil fruit power. So he eats it, and yeah it tastes like shit, but now he can control Darkness which is sorta badass?)

(Somewhere on the Whitebeard ships, Blackbeard is still waiting for someone to find the darkness devil fruit, and well, it doesn't happen)

Before Ace returns to Dawn Island, part of him still hopes that Luffy looks passably like a guy. Having been to Fishman island, having befriended Jinbe, he knows that while mermen can still be targeted, mermaids are exponentially more vulnerable. He's learned the kinds of clothing that can help conceal tails, and is hoping that there's a slim chance they might be able to be pirates without the world knowing that Lu's a mermaid.

His hopes are shot when Luffy rockets into his arms at the dock, and his face is immediately buried in enormous tits that definitely weren't there three years ago.

Despite Ace's growing concerns (and red face; why does he feel so hot??? It's not his devil fruit...), Ace lets Luffy give Deuce a beating (why me?!) to claim her position as Ace's Co-Captain of the newly established ASL pirates (because if we're pirates together, Sabo has to be with us too!).

Luffy's gotten a lot stronger, but is still utterly ignorant of the outside world and the dangers it holds (such as the drooling Thatch who immediately wins Luffy over with his cooking despite Ace's burning glares). She's reckless and falls into the ocean every damn day, and while Deuce dives in after her and they've discovered her useful ability to talk to fish to ask for help, it still gives Ace heart attacks.

They still pick up more crew members while in East Blue, including Roronoa Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji, a pervy cook who competes daily with Thatch for Luffy's affections through food (Luffy appreciates the food).

At Arlong Park, Luffy encounters fishmen for the first time in her life. Arlong mocks Luffy's choice of friends and family, and invites her to join his crew made of her own kind. Fishmen and mer are the superior race, and Luffy will make a fine wife, Arlong says.

Luffy breaks his nose off, and Nami joins their crew.

Luffy's chosen mode of transportation is on the back of one of her sturdier crew mates, usually Ace, but often Zoro too. She unfortunately hates all the long skirts/robes Ace suggested for her to hide her tail, and so Ace has decided that being as intimidating as possible while carrying his brother glued to his back is the only way to go.

Needless to say, news of the former Spade Pirates Captain + Whitebeard Commander Thatch (are they an extension of the Whitebeards??) establishing the new ASL pirates spreads fast. That, and rumors that there's a beautiful young mermaid on board who can't swim. And despite the strength of the crew and their attempts at vigilance, Luffy's still dumb and gullible, and is kidnapped (and rescued) a dozen times before they're even on the Grand Line.

(after a few times, Luffy's uncharacteristically quiet, and privately asks Ace if they can break up the crew. She's holding Ace back; she not only made him come back to her, but half their adventures just seem to be her crew rescuing her. She's strong enough to defeat enemies, but not save herself. Ace tells her to shut up, and never bring this up again; they're BROTHERS, and he's not going to leave her behind or make her abandon her dreams when she can't accomplish them alone, and that's his choice. Luffy doesn't bring it up again, but works harder than ever to become stronger and earn recognition as co-Captain when the world seems intent on thinking of her as Ace's pet.)

During one of these kidnappings, Luffy's successfully brought all the way to an auction house before her crew can rescue her. An auction house that unbeknownst to them, was under investigation by the Revolutionary Army.

Liberating slaves is an unfortunately common mission for them, and Sabo's doing final sweeps as Koala frees the last of them when he notices a tank stowed away in a corner. He's familiar with these tanks, used to showcase mermaids in the rare occasions one can be caught, and it looks empty but he's still drawn to it for some reason.

It's only when he gets closer that he notices a mermaid crumpled at the bottom of the enclosure. She's completely slumped over, and he's afraid she's already gone, even as something about her screams with familiarity.

He's cracked the tank and has reached in to pull her out, when the wall behind him explodes in flames, revealing a furious Ace who snarls at the strange man with his hands on his baby brother...

...and then Sabo's memories come back.

~~

Something like that???? For an initial HCs dump????

This AU has continued! A LOT! Check out the comics, illustrations, and text stories for this AU under the Mermaid AU section of my One Piece Masterpost!

As always, REBLOGS, tags, asks, and comments greatly appreciated!

Advance posts for this AU and more are on my Patreon! (Patreon(.)com/YukiPri)

[blacklegsanjiii]

Okay but- Acesan estabilished relatonship in Single Dad!Mihawk AU?

Like, the Strawhats meet the Cross Guild, and no one besides Sanji and Zoro (bc he stayed in Kuraigana for 2 years) knows Mihawk is Sanji's dad. Sabo and Ace are going to see Luffy and the crew like they hace been planning (Ace also wants to see his boyfriend), and finds the Strawhats witg the Cross Guild (they're... confused, to say the least).

Crocodile and Buggy intent to ignore them and decide to go their way, but Mihawk stays (almost everyone is kinda nervous about this), he's silent for some minutes until he says: "Good to see you Roronoa, and how are you, Sanji?". And as if everyone isn't already surprised by him knowing 'Hawkeye', Sanji replies with one: "I'm alright, dad".

And boom, there's chaos. The Strawhats are asking a thousand questions to Sanji and Ace is processing the fact that his boyfriend is DRACULE MIHAWK'S SON.

When everyone thinks everything calmed down, Luffy asks "Ace, don't you knew Sanji was Mihawk's son? You're his boyfriend"

Well, this isn't a information Dracule was expecting. (I just want to see, like, a 'family dinner' with Mihawk, Sanji and the ASL - Ace kinda nervous, of course)

I've been looking at this for a while trying to think of how to respond because Golden is vastly different. I'm definitely down for a Single Dad!Mihawk pt 2 Ace Lives AU. I haven't posted much about it or the concept of it at all so.

Sanji and Ace, who have been dating since Alabasta at least. Like at some point after the time skip and post Wano ASL all plan to meet on Karai Bari probably cuz Mihawk wants to test Zoro or something. Mihawk also just wants to actually see his son so ya know? Also he absolutely has not seen Sanji since he almost bisected Zoro.

So yeah Ace and Sabo show up as they're making landfall to Karai Bari and after a brief talk with the chairman and the lieutenants Buggy and Croc leave and Mihawk is just inspecting them all. He's probably trying to gauge their power when Zoro's like "where's 'Rona?"

And Mihawk explains she went back to Moria rather nonchalantly and then Zoro quickly catches Mihawk who nods and then looks to Sanji who is like "what?" And Mihawk is like "and how have you been?" And Sanji, whose brain to mouth filter is gone for the moment, "well I'm not starving on a rock with Zeff so I think I'm good dad"

Which

Okay.

Ace.EXE has stopped working. Robin is giggling madly at what Sanji said and Mihawk is pinching the bridge of his nose as Nami is yelling at Sanji and Chopper is crying and clinging to Sanji's leg. Zoro is gripping his sides laughing as everyone else is catching up while Ace is still blue screened. There is so much yelling. So much. Mihawk groans because he expected it, he did, but it's so much noisier than what he's used to. Even Buggy and Crocodile fighting every day should have made him used to the noise, and Perona and Roronoa before that, doesn't make it easier.

And then yeah, Luffy would say some dumb shit like which causes Ace, who has just started to come back around to blue screen again. He shouldn't be scared, he was the second division commander(or still is? First division maybe? Is he a strawhat? You decide!) He had a war fought over him specifically. He fought Germa to save his boyfriend! He's fought admirals and vice admirals and was raised by mountain bandits and Garp, he isn't scared but his boyfriend, Sanji, the love of his life and light of his life is Dracule Mihawk's son? Like what the actual fuck and then he watches Mihawk blink as Sanji lights a cigarette off of his own foot and Ace goes "I know! I go to prison and he disappears for two years and can do that and sky walk!"

Mihawk looks to Sanji and is like really? And Sanji points out that he told Mihawk he wanted to learn to fly when he was eleven after Marco flew him around Kuraigana as a reward when Marco came to check on the hand he broke training Sanji with swords. The hand that freaked Mihawk out because it healed in two weeks. And Chopper nods solemnly "youve always healed freakishly fast, after seeing Germa it makes sense"

And Luffy talks about the fact that Sanji broke his back and fought the next day and was fine. Sanji points out Zoro tried to cut off his feet on the island before that. Luffy says he stabbed himself in the face. Mihawk is looking at the monster trio before Koala and Nami say in tandem that when the brothers are together it is worse. Mihawk agrees to have dinner with them all and he's catching up with Jinbei who asks him why he didn't betray at Marineford and Mihawk gestures at the island which makes Sanji ask about Kuraigana. Turns out the Marines are trying to take it over.

"Trying" being the key word. Sanji and Zoro nod. Ace is like "why didn't you tell me?" And Sanji just gestures between him and Mihawk and asks if anyone would have believed him. Zoro says not before training under Mihawk. Jinbei says their humor is very similar. Then Ace asks about Marco and the broken hand which Sabo and Luffy are climbing Ace to hear about and Mihawk tells them about how he had just started training Sanji in haki then a few days later White Beard pulls Sanji out of hiding space and sent him into a PTSD attack. Sanji nods over the stove as he cooks and then tells the story of Mihawk breaking his hand.

Like when they're in town at the Doctor and he says it's fine? But it's not fine? It was broken in several places? Mihawk felt awful and Yoru screamed at him the entire time. And when Marco checked on him after Mihawk called in the favor cuz he scared the fuck out of his son and when Marco was checking him over he looked at Mihawk and double checked that he broke Sanji's hand, triple checked even. And then later he flew Sanji around and Marco laughed at Mihawk for how pale he went even though he's already translucent.

Sabo and Luffy are laughing, Ace really wants to join them but that's his boyfriend's dad. The Greatest Swordsman Alive is his boyfriend's dad. He's terrified. But as Sanji starts to get ready to serve Luffy is trapped by hands and Ace goes to help Sanji and Koala sits on Sabo to keep him distracted.

"Luffy will try to steal your food, he doesn't care, no matter how much I feed him or how often." Sanji says as he and Ace start setting plates in front of people.

"The exact opposite of you then." Mihawk says.

"Okay well, we don't need to get into that. Look at who I date and my captain, trust me. It's fine." Sanji assures the man who just eyes him. "Judge is alive, worry about that." And Luffy is whining so when they're all sat with plates Mihawk watches first hand how Luffy eats, Sabo eats like he's on a mission as well. Ace probably had manners beat into him by Deuce, Marco, and Makino so at least there's that. Mihawk expertly evades Luffy where as his crew and brothers and Koala will stab Luffy in the hands.

Sanji makes Zoro help with dishes since he trained for two years under and they're just gonna be washing dishes. Luffy asks what Sanji was like on Kuraigana and Mihawk answers. Leaves out most of the trauma healing they had to work on. Ace probably doesn't know the extent. Sanji's scars were faded by the time he was thirteen. And the Nami says she thought Sanji would be taller after seeing his birth family and Mihawk cocks a brow as Sanji tenses slightly.

"That is something Sanji will discuss if he so chooses. Bear in mind Luffy is the grandson of Garp and son of Dragon and he's not their height. He may still grow." Mihawk points out.

When dishes are done they filter out at some point it's just Ace and Mihawk. Luffy is probably already begging for food or dessert or something. Sabo is talking with Jinbei but keeping an eye on Ace and Mihawk.

"So are you going to give me a shovel talk or something?" Ace asks.

"I don't necessarily see the need." Mihawk answers. "Unless you want me to threaten you?"

"No, no, it's okay." Ace quickly assures a hand on his neck. "I just wish he told me about you."

"I'm sure you feel the same way about Germa as well." Mihawk says and Ace nods. "Never told me the name of his country, once in a great while would tell me something vague about his family. I couldn't risk having someone take him. It took a lot of work to get him here."

Ace nods again as they watch the crew and Mihawk chats idly with some members who aren't afraid to talk to him.

"So if I married Sanji-"

"Don't push your luck."

[skygemspeaks]

fusion au for one piece!!!!

the asl brothers spend almost as much time fused as they do apart. it’s second nature to them, fighting as one, laughing as one, living as one. after they lose sabo, it takes years for ace and luffy to fuse again for more than a few minutes at a time. it takes years for them to get used to that stomach-churning feeling of incompleteness, like a huge chunk of them is just gone.

the first time zoro ever fuses with luffy, he’s tied to a post in a marine base and half starved to death. he’s only ever fused with one other person before in his life, and she’s long dead. but he has a promise to keep, and so he sucks it up and accepts the rubbery idiot’s offer, just this once. zoro expects to hate it, expects the fusion to fall apart within moments, when his partner proves himself unable to keep up. what he finds instead is a dream as ridiculous as his own, and a motivation as deep as the ocean. they fight together like a well oiled machine, and later, when morgan is down and the marines around them are cheering and they fall back apart into their separate selves, luffy once again asks zoro to join his crew, even though they both know what the answer will be. zoro rolls his eyes, and responds in a long-suffering voice. “aye, captain.”

when nami sits there, sobbing and desperate and asking for help, luffy doesn’t put his hat on her head. instead, he reaches out a hand. and maybe nami doesn’t have anything to offer him, no strength, no fighting prowess, no strategy to defeat his enemy, but he takes her into his heart and lets her be the one to take down arlong once and for all. luffy lends nami his strength to get revenge for bellemere, for nojiko and genzo and all the other townspeople. For her own lost childhood. Nami doesn't think she'll ever be able to pay him back.

when ace sees his little brother in alabasta for the first time in three years, he’s so excited he launches himself at luffy, who doesn’t know he’s fused until they pick themselves up from the floor, blinking around in confusion and excitement. Fighting like this is second nature to them, but now they have an exciting new devil fruit to play with and the marines will never know what hit them. The part of them that is wholely Ace grins maliciously at Smoker as they crack their knuckles. "How dare you try and lay a hand on my precious little brother?"

Robin is gone and merry is broken and usopp is fighting with their captain. Everything is going horribly wrong, and just as it seems like things are reaching a breaking point from which there is no return, luffy reaches out and puts both hands on usopp's stubborn shoulders. Fusing with this stubborn asshole is the last thing usopp wants to do right now, but he's never been able to say no to his captain. So he accepts, and next thing he knows, he's drowning in a love as fierce as the ocean, and he's always been a good swimmer but now he finds he can barely keep his head above water. The depth of that love...it terrifies him, because he knows just how close he had been to throwing it all away. He sees now a grief for merry that rivals his own, and he knows he's not alone. He sees the heavy weight of a captain's responsibility, and it makes his knees buckle, to think that luffy has been shouldering it all this time. "I'm sorry" they choke out. Zoro huffs and rolls his eyes, steps forward and joins them. There are tears running down their face now as the love within them nearly doubles. Nami joins them next, then Chopper, and Sanji, and suddenly they're a towering, monstrous thing. With too many sets of arms, too many pairs of eyes, and so tall they almost break through poor merry's ceiling and walls. They fall apart into their separate selves a few seconds later, gigglin and tripping over each other. And it's almost perfect. But Robin is missing and they have to go bring her back home.

Marineford is a mess of a battlefield this time. with fusions forming and breaking in the blink of an eye, a chaotic mess where no enemy ever stays the same. Luffy succeeds in getting those damned handcuffs off him as the execution platform falls apart, and when they land on the ground, it is as one. Before any of the marines around them even has a chance to react, they're on the ground unconscious. They carve a bloody swathe through the battlefield, making their way to their escape ship. And this time when Akainu starts insulting Whitebeard, Ace does not stop. Because Luffy is right there with him and Ace loves his father more than life itself, but he won't risk Luffy's chance at escaping with his life, not even for him. Whitebeard dies with peace in his heart, knowing that his children have escaped safely.

A few weeks later, the Revolutionary Army's chief of staff stares at the newspaper, at a wide rubber grin wreathed in flames and mischievous black eyes looking out from beneath a ratty straw hat. Part of him is marvelling at how stable the fusion is, how strong. The two people that made them must know and love each other dearly. But a bigger part of him can't help but think that they're incomplete. His eyes trace out a pair of missing sky blue eyes, and search for messy blond curls among those black locks. He's hyperventilating now, his hands trembling and blood roaring in his ears as memories of his brothers come flooding back to him. He faints, and crumples to the floor before anyone can catch him.

[sanjisock]

puddles

ao3

i. arlong park

It does not take long for Sanji to learn that Zoro is a man who does not do things in halves.

He watches in fascination as Zoro faces Mihawk without a single moment’s of hesitation — cut in half, bleeding all over the deck, but his sword stays true still. Zoro dreams, not of being a great swordsman, but of being the greatest; either you are, or you are not.

Sanji can understand that. It is not quite different from his own, if you look at it in the right ways — you either believe in the All Blue, or you don’t. It either exists, or it doesn’t. You can’t bargain with faith.

But Sanji isn’t the same kid with the iron mask all those years ago who had nothing to lose; he has Zeff now, and a debt as heavy as a lost limb that he could never even begin to repay. He knows how much a dream can cost. He knows how much love — true love, the kind with complete and utter devotion — can cost.

Cocoyashi Village is in celebration, and Sanji finds himself tucked into a corner of the party together with Zoro, somehow untouched by the cacophony. They’re still sizing each other up, barely knowing one another past a fight and a promise to a captain. But Zoro has trusted him easily in that very fight, and right now there’s a spark in the air between them, something not entirely different from attraction .

Zoro takes a large gulp from his bottle and gestures back at the ship. “You coming?”

This could be something , Sanji thinks. Wants to try, if he’s being honest.

But Zoro is a man who does not do things in halves — he is not a man who tries . If Sanji takes the leap, this is it — they either are, or they aren’t. And if they aren’t — Sanji isn’t sure a crew as small and as tight-knitted as the Straw Hats can handle a break up, especially so early on in their journey.

(Sanji isn’t sure a heart as weak as his can handle a break up). 

“I’ll catch up later,” he shrugs, scrambling for an excuse. He suddenly feels like he’s ten again, terrified and running away. “Been wanting to check out this one recipe from that guy over there.”

“If you say so,” Zoro takes the dismissal in stride, and dumps the empty sake bottle into a barrel as he stands up to leave.

Sanji watches him disappear into the night.

+

ii. enies lobby

The Mosshead has been giving him the nastiest look ever since the ship sailed away from Water Seven, so Sanji isn’t particularly surprised when Zoro stops him on his track on the way to Usopp’s workshop.

Zoro eyes the colorful drink on the tray in Sanji’s hand like it’s challenged him into a duel, before finally grunting, “you need to stop treating Usopp like that.”

Sanji’s eyes unwittingly follow Zoro’s gaze on the drink he made for Usopp — it has five colors, three different fruits, and a whip cream on top. Entirely too flashy for the male crewmembers, usually reserved for important occasions. Sanji feigns obliviousness, still. “Like what?”

“Like he’s going to break anytime soon,” Zoro says.

“You mean nicely ?” Sanji snarls back. “Like a normal human being? Not everyone is like you, Marimo. Some people have emotions. ”

“It’s insulting , is what it is,” Zoro retorts, his whole body leaning into Sanji’s personal space, like a challenge. “There’s never a need for you to coddle him. Usopp made his decisions as a man back then, and he had to learn the consequences for it — ”

“And he has learned , Zoro,” Sanji cuts in, feeling exhausted all of a sudden, the fight leaving his body in a snap. He sighs. “Look — I get that it’s your thing, protecting our pride as a crew and all. I was on your side, remember? But it’s all in the past, and Usopp’s got your message, loud and clear.”

Sanji thinks of a little boy with the iron mask, who were forced to learn all his lessons the hard way; and what comes out next is, “I’m the cook of this ship. Let me feed him.”

Let me take care of him , he doesn’t say, but it means pretty much the same thing.

There must’ve been something in his voice, because Zoro seems taken aback; all the tension bleeds out from his shoulders, and he’s now looking at Sanji with an unreadable expression.

There’s a moment of silence, stretched long enough to the point of awkwardness, before Zoro says, “ — didn’t mean to. I mean — quite a lot of shit went down, just didn’t wanna see you — don’t overexert yourself.”

Sanji blinks. “What are you saying .”

“All this talk about taking care of people,” Zoro says, hand rubbing the back of his neck in a rare display of — what? Embarrassment ? “Why wouldn’t you let me —”

Zoro pauses there, sentence trailing off into nothing; but Sanji has always been good at reading Zoro, and he hears the words anyway.

Why wouldn’t you let me take care of you .

Sanji thinks of the party in Cocoyashi, and then hundreds of moments after that — quiet moments in the galley when Zoro helped him wash up the dishes, playful banters that Zoro could only keep up with. Countless enemies they fight side by side, together, the way he feels his heart beat in sync with Zoro’s from across the battlefield.

“Cook —” Zoro puts his hand on Sanji’s shoulder then, and the touch burns , like an electric shock; it jolts Sanji back from his thoughts, a reminder of the reality between them, the way they would fight as hard as they love, and what would that leave him, in the aftermath?

“Let me go ,” Sanji says before he can stop himself, and practically runs to Usopp’s workshop.

+

iii. thriller bark

“You’re a dumbass ,” Sanji says.

“Hn,” Zoro says, not arguing for once.

“I’ve always known you have moss for brains,” Sanji continues, fully aware he’s rambling but unable to stop himself, “but who would’ve thought you’d be this dumb. What kind of complete and utter idiot would be so fucking reckless against a warlord for the second time in his life.”

Zoro hums noncommittally.

Sanji tightens the bandage across his torso with a little more force than necessary.

Zoro makes a pained grunt, and Sanji winces at the sound; they’ve roughhoused each other countless of times before, but this is the first time Zoro can’t take something Sanji dished. It shouldn’t be surprising though, not after the wounds he has taken from Bartholomew Kuma —

“You need to learn to pick your battles,” Sanji rambles on, because he’s suddenly hit with the realization that if he stops talking he might actually cry . “Or at least employ some strategies. Ever heard of those? That’s what people with brains usually do when they fight instead of simply waving some pointy sticks against the enemy. Raise your hand a bit —” he moves to the wound on Zoro’s arm, taking greater care to make sure he’s as gentle as possible, a silent apology for the earlier mishap. “Right there. Yeah. Anyways, I was saying —”

“Sanji,” Zoro says, and Sanji stops.

It’s so unfamiliar — the way Sanji’s name rolls off Zoro’s tongue, shaped by his deep voice. It sends a shiver down his spine, Sanji’s heart suddenly rattling against his ribcage.

When he looks up, Zoro is staring back at him with half-lidded eyes, something other than pain marring his gaze.

Longing .

Sanji feels his throat dry all of a sudden.

“Sanji,” Zoro says, voice low and rasp, but steady. And then: “stay.”

Sanji drops the bandages in his hands. He can’t do this — not when he’s staring at the very reminder of what it would cost . The idea of losing Zoro, as a nakama , has already torn him from the inside; he can’t imagine what it’s like to see Zoro’s lifeless body on the infirmary bed, as a lover.

He remembers standing in front of her mother’s grave, feeling like he’s coming apart at the seams, and wanting to tear up the stitches; wishing he could just unravel after so much hurt . 

“Zoro,” he says, feeling like he’s on the verge of a panic attack, “I — I can’t —”

But when he dares himself to finally meet Zoro’s eyes, the Swordsman has lost consciousness again.

Sanji flees the infirmary.

+

iv. zou

He flips BIg Mom’s invitation to the tea party over and over again, staring at the words etched on the paper.

Groom: Third Son of the Vinsmokes, Sanji.

The words settle unpleasantly in his gut, and he swallows, trying to calm himself down. He’s no longer the same weak kid with the iron mask; he’s now a Straw Hat, and he’s going to settle his issues with his pathetic excuse of a family once and for all.

That’s all.

...so why does it feel like this isn’t going to end well with Zoro?

Thoughts of the Shitty Swordsman appear in his mind, unbidden. A scowl, definitely — maybe a few scathing words to accompany the look. Something about Sanji and his self-sacrificial tendencies — as if Zoro has any right to lecture anyone about that — or maybe some diatribe about trusting the crew to take care of one of their own.

Which is not what this is about, at all. Of course Sanji trusts everyone in the crew — trusts Luffy  to be able to take care of himself. But this is his problem, and he’s the only one responsible to fix it. There’s no need to trouble everyone with a little family problems.

(So why does it still feel like he’s running away?)

+ 

v. whole cake island

“First of all, the captain of my own ship came all this way to track me down,” he says, raising a finger for emphasis, “only for me to insult and hurt him to the best of my ability despite no resistance from him whatsoever. That means I cannot go back to your ship right now.”

Run , he remembers being ten, hearing Reiju’s voice through the prison bars. There is no turning back. Your mistakes are final.

“Second of all,” he continues, “the shitty geezer who saved my life and the home where I was raised are being held hostage in case I don’t play along. That means I cannot escape from this wedding.”

Run , he remembers thinking every time he catches sight of Zeff’s leg. This is the cost of your dream. This is the cost of your love.

“Third of all,” he says, voice rising even higher, “the evil family to which I’m related to is walking into Big Mom’s trap, and they’ll all be slaughtered in a matter of hours. They’re scum of the earth to whom I owe nothing but my hatred but I cannot bring myself to abandon them to their fate and run away!”

Run , he tells himself. Your love worths nothing. You are not worth anyone’s love.

“For these three reason,” he says, eyes avoiding Luffy’s. “I cannot return with the rest of you.”

There’s a bright sunburst of pain against his cheek, and the momentum of the punch throws him against a tree bark, shattering under the impact.

“Tell me how you really feel ,” Luffy yells. “What do you want, Sanji?”

For the first time in his life, Sanji stops running.

+

(i. wano)

Sanji didn’t notice at first, with all the flurry and chaos of the fight against Kaido; but once things have settled down, it occurs to him that Wano is a spring island.

The air is tinged with the kind of heat that barely tips over to unpleasant, uncomfortable without the unbearable fever of summer. Even the nights are wearily humid, which is why he decided to stray away from the celebration feast into the forest, and finds Zoro training alone, swinging his new sword against the wind.

They have not had a moment to themselves ever since — ever since . All of their conversations have mostly been in the heat of the battle, and Sanji isn’t quite sure if they simply did not have the time, or if Zoro has been avoiding him.

It doesn’t matter — here they are, gravitating towards each other still. As if fate herself has weaved a path for them, time and again.

He thinks he can still hear Luffy asking, in the rain: what do you want, Sanji?

“Zoro,” he says, and faces him, head on. “I am in love with you.”

He thinks Zoro would’ve been surprised, once upon a time; maybe if Sanji dared to say it under the Alabasta moonlight, or bathed by the campfire light in the Sky Islands; but now, it feels superfluous, almost redundant. It is no longer the truth that matters between them.

Zoro finally turns to meet his eyes, and sheathes his sword into its scabbard. “What do you want, Cook?”

The same question, again. He’s been running away for so long, he’s forgotten what truly matters, before the risks and the tragedies and the costs . What he truly wants .

The answer to that has always been simple.

“I want us, Zoro. Together. In whichever way you’ll have me.”

Zoro walks up and stops, right in front of Sanji. “You have me ,” he says. “You’ve always had me. It’s you who’s always —” Zoro pauses, gritting his teeth, frustration written all over his face.

“I know,” Sanji says, heartbeat rising up his throat, his ears, his mouth. “Zoro, I —”

“I need to know ,” Zoro says, hand a hair’s breadth away from Sanji’s own, but not quite touching. “I need to know if you will keep running away from me or not.”

Sanji takes the offered hand and closes the distance between them.

It is a short kiss at first, only a cling of lips — and then he feels Zoro’s free hand drifting up to cradle his face as Zoro leans in for another kiss, and another, little dips of kisses, as if Zoro needed the constant reassurance that Sanji is here, with him. And Sanji can give him that, owe him that much — he breathes into the kiss, chases Zoro’s lips and mouths at the curve of his smile.

“This is it, right?” Zoro says when they part, forehead still pressed against one another’s. “Because this is it for me, Cook.”

Sanji thinks of Zoro, who doesn’t do things in halves. Either they are, or they aren’t. And for once he realizes — not the fear or the risk, but how much of an honor it is, to be loved by this man. Entirely and all-consuming.

“This is it,” he tells Zoro, and squeezes Zoro’s hand. “No more running away.”

[deathlikesdeep-dish]

Heat (Zoro x Reader)

Hiiii!

I’m new on the One Piece fanfic scene but I had a ton of fun writing this first little story for the One Piece of Summer Writing Challenge! (also please forgive me if there’s multiple submissions i’m returning to tumblr after like an 8 year hiatus lol) (also also i’m sorry i’m verbose i hope this isn’t too long)

Warnings: some language

Word Count: 3628

Word Prompt: Heat

You can hardly believe that it’d been two whole years since the crew had been together. Two years. Holy shit. You feel a lump in your throat as you approach Shakky’s place. You have no idea who, if anyone, had already arrived. Your heart races excitedly at the thought and a small smile creeps over your features. You make yourself sit on a nearby bench and breathe before you hike the last flight of stairs to the bar. It’s a hot day, impossibly hot and you sit and take a sip of water from your hip flask. The cool liquid pours down your throat and you sigh happily as you wonder what the very near future would hold.

Would it be Franky? You imagine the blue-haired madman, and laugh. Maybe he’d found another way to fuel his cyborg frame other than cola. You laugh again.

Who am I kidding? You think to yourself. The reason he runs on cola is because he wants to run on cola.

Or maybe it would be Usopp or Chopper? The last time you saw Chopper, it had been so frightening. He was vast and out of control from using those rumble balls. A shudder runs up your spine at the thought, but you push the thought away shaking your head. Your h/c hair ruffles at the motion, and you push a strand out of your face as you stare at the ground beneath your boots. Usopp, you are sure, will be one of the early ones, not wanting to be one-upped. You roll your eyes, your mind’s ear imagining him shouting, “Well, of course I’m here first! I’m the great captain Usopp!”

You already know what Brook--you mean “Soul King” had been up to. You laugh. You had to admit that his stuff was pretty catchy, and you wonder if he’d even want to come back to the pirate life after all that fame and fortune. It had been nice over the last two years to follow him in the papers whenever you could; a small link to your old life had been comforting and familiar.

Nami and Robin were almost certainly already here--Nami, probably off conning some shop owner into giving their store away half-price, and Robin wandering around looking at architecture, reading a book, or saying weirdly cryptic lines to passersby. You sigh fondly, reminiscing about the times the three ladies of the Strawhats spent together. Not having had many female friends to speak of before the Strawhats, it had been nice to have some badass women to bond with over the months before your separation. In your two years alone, you’d missed the companionship.

Maybe Sanji is at Shakky’s already, cooking up some delicious concoction for you to devour. Your stomach grumbles on cue, and your mouth waters thinking about it. If Luffy was already here, then any food would be gone twice over. Of all the changes that are sure to have occurred, your captain’s appetite is the least likely to change. You can only imagine what power he has achieved in the last two years. Your stomach sinks a bit thinking about when you learned of Ace’s death in the Paramount War. The pain Luffy must have endured. Alone. But, he was not one to dwell, and wouldn’t want you to either.

So you don’t. You’re strong--much stronger than you were the last time the crew saw you. You’re not the same girl that you were two years ago. No, not even close. You’re taller, with broader shoulders and hips. While you were once slender due to malnutrition, you are now toned and muscled after two years of hard training. You felt vitality that you once never thought you’d feel coursing through your muscles. Your top, frayed at the hem, falls to just above your naval and drapes over one shoulder, leaving the other uncovered. Your s/c flesh is exposed to the waistband of your khaki shorts. The leather of your boots is soft and worn, the same pair you’d been wearing when you were launched away from your crew by Kuma. The holster dangling from your waist carried some of your throwing knives, which you twiddle absently at your side in nervousness. You had become adept at hand to hand combat since the crew saw you last. You are nimble, fast and lethal. You smirk and let the confidence roll over your body. You can’t wait to see how skilled everyone else had become.

You flex and stretch, standing up from the bench and begin your ascent up the stairs. They groan under your weight and you shift the bag on your shoulder, securing it more tightly against your body. You feel your heart beginning to race again at the thought of the final crew member. You can only imagine how strong he’d become.

Zoro.

You think of his green hair, and his white shirt, the top buttons always haphazardly undone. His slim black pants and boots, the sound of his earrings jangling in the sea breeze. You see his tight, intense gaze and that smirk that always weakened your knees. The knot in your stomach tangles more at the thought as you crest the top of the stairs. You recall the days that you sat in the Crow’s Nest together as he worked out. He never paid you much attention, but simply tolerating your presence in his sacred space made you feel important.

You feel the heat rise to your face and you can’t tell if it’s because of the sweltering sun of the Archipelago or the indecent thoughts that have begun to flood your mind. You take a deep breath as you nearly reach the doorway of Shakky’s place, when you stop in your tracks at the silhouette in the doorway. The sun is bright, so you can’t make out who it is right away, but as the figure takes a step, there’s no mistaking that green head of hair.

“Well,” You hear Shakky’s voice from inside the bar.

“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be the first,” You hear Rayleigh’s voice chime in.

The greenette stays silent for a moment and then replies, “Oh yeah? Nobody else has shown up.” He pauses. “Well damn, guess they got lost.”

You can hear the smirk in his voice. It’s unmistakable.

Before you can stop yourself, you call out to him. “Zoro!” You immediately flush, but you know this time it’s not from the heat.

You see Zoro stiffen at your voice, but he quickly turns around and meets your gaze with his own.

Christ…

You immediately notice that your eyes only meet one of his, a scar running from forehead to cheekbone on the left side of his face, his eye tightly shut. It makes him look even more ruggedly attractive, if at all possible, and you allow yourself to stare for a moment.  His jaw, still angular and chiseled, is formed into a lazy half-smirk. Your e/c eyes trail down from his jaw to his throat and his collarbone, a body part you became intimately familiar with when you’d spent long moments staring at it over the top of his unbuttoned shirt, wondering what it would be like to nuzzle your face into its contours.

A part you are not used to seeing so casually, was the rest of his broad chest, which is exposed under the deep green coat he was wearing, the trademark Mihawk scar that ran from shoulder to hip still proudly displayed. You are glad to see that his haramaki remained unchanged over the last two years along with the three swords he carries at his side. He shifts his weight to his left side and leans his forearm on the hilt of his swords.

“Y/n!” He replies with a broad grin of recognition. He jogs toward you, and you find yourself moving towards him too.

Zoro is stunned to see you. In all honesty, he is stunned to know that he’s the first to arrive in the first place. Although, he did leave several weeks prior. Just in case.

You are...so different. His eyes move across your body, and he coughs, a slight flush spreading across his cheeks. He grits his teeth frustratedly.

Shit...get it together. He thinks to himself.

“I can’t believe we’re the first ones here!” You say, before pausing. “Actually...how the hell are you the first one here??”

You laugh and he manages to chuckle too. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He jokes.

“Shakky and Raleigh inside?” You ask, jabbing your thumb towards the open door to the bar.

Zoro nods, rubbing a calloused hand at the nape of his neck. “Yep, they’re in there. Waiting like the old gossips they are.” He laughs quietly, shaking his head.

You can’t help but watch his arm move behind his head. His worn bandana is tied around his bicep over the top of his coat, and you can’t help but imagine how his tanned skin stretches over the muscle there. You realize, too late, that you had been silent for a beat too long.

“Y/n? You good?” He asks, raising a brow.

Your attention snaps back like a rubber band and you laugh nervously. “Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Just can’t believe how long it’s been.” You say lamely.

You walk into the bar, Zoro trailing behind you and you greet Shakky and Rayleigh with a wide grin. Shakky compliments your new look, making you spin around as if to show off your outfit. You can’t help but feel confident and a surge of pride wells within you. She pours you a drink, having already poured one for Zoro, and invites you to sit down at a far booth. You sit next to Rayleigh, playfully bumping him and he wraps an arm around your shoulder. He gives you an affectionate squeeze as he tells you how pleased he is to see you guys again. Zoro takes a seat at the far corner of a booth. He props his feet up and takes a long drag of sake straight from the bottle. He’d already finished the drink that was poured, naturally, and stopped Shakky before she could pour him another. He asked for the bottle, shrugging and said that we should just “cut out the middleman.”

You regale the three others in your tales of the last two years. You speak about your Master, your training, the island you’d resided on, everything. Shakky gives updates too, about some of the rumors that had been floating around in the Strawhats’ absence, particularly about Luffy and Pirate Hunter Roronoa Zoro. Shakky, never one to be subtle, asks Zoro pointblank about what he’d been up to.

“Eh, not too much excitement,” He says vaguely. “The usual. Swords, drinking, naps.” Shakky rolls her eyes, unsatisfied, but you just laugh, knowing that he was not one to talk too much about himself.

After a long while, the four of you notice that the sun has begun to set. You are beginning to feel the drinks you’d consumed, your laughter a bit louder, your tongue a bit looser, your hair a bit wilder. The bar is illuminated in deep orange and red hues and you glance over at Zoro. Half of his face is cast in shadow, while the other half colored the same tint as the room. It looks almost as if he is on fire and you are mesmerized by him. He’s staring at you intently. You see beads of sweat along his hairline, and you notice that he has removed his outer coat.

“Damn Shakky,” He breathes, not breaking eye contact with you. “I don’t remember it being this hot two years ago.”

Shakky laughs. “Well, we’re going through a bit of a heatwave right now. It’s unusual for this time of year, but occasionally the weather currents bring a front in. It’s supposed to be like this for the next few days.”

His knees are propped up and he rests his forearms on top of them as he breaks your gaze and looks out the window. HIs profile is immaculate, and your eyes trace each feature--his straight nose, his angled jaw, and his full lips. Your lips subconsciously part, and it isn’t until you feel your tongue on them that you notice how you’re staring. Shakky, however, has noticed how the two of you have been trading stares at each other the entire evening. She smirks and stands with a yawn.

“Well Rayleigh,” She starts. “It seems likes it’s about time to close up shop for the evening. You good?”

Rayleigh looks confused at first, however, when Shakky gestures quickly to you and Roronoa, Rayleigh nods knowingly. He looks down at his nearly full drink and smiles. He tips his head back and swigs down the rest, placing the empty glass resolutely on the hard wood. “You know what, Shakky? You’re absolutely right. These old bones can’t drink like they used to. I’m headed down to my place at the docks. It’s cooler there anyway.” He stands up and bids the room farewell. The doorbell jingles behind him as he exits the bar.

You get the feeling that they’d been watching you and Zoro, and you feel embarrassed. But you don’t want to complain. You just hope that Zoro wouldn’t be ready to turn in yet either.

Shakky approaches Zoro and gives him a gentle kiss on the cheek. “Night, Roronoa. If you get lonely, my room is always open.” She winks at him, entertained by how he squirms at the unexpected contact.

“Uh, yeah, sure…” He mutters, flustered. Shakky laughs.

“Shit Roronoa, just relax. I’m only kidding.” She walks over to a door behind the bar, presumably that led to her sleeping quarters, and opens it. “Or am I?” She grins slyly.

This time, Zoro knows better. The greenette shakes his head with a chuckle. “Goodnight, Shakky.”

She, too, disappears. The door closes behind her with a soft click, and the two of you are left alone. The sun has finally set beneath the mangroves and the sound of crickets fills the room. Despite the sun having set, the room is humid and very warm.

You reach a slender hand up and wipe beads of condensation off the back of your neck with a nervous sigh. “You’re right, Zoro,” You say after a moment. “It is absolutely stifling in here.”

He hums in agreement and holds up the bottle of sake questioningly. You nod and he tosses the closed bottle to you. However, his toss is a little short and to the left. But you’re fast and you catch it without a problem, raising an eyebrow at him.

“Aim much?” You joke as you pour yourself another drink before tossing it back to him.

He catches it easily and smirks. “Well, just checking to see if all that training you were going on about actually paid off.” He takes a swig. “Seems like it did.”

You were unbelievable. Zoro marvels at your agility. He had been enthralled as you told your story of the last two years. He watched the way your eyes lit up in excitement at certain parts or when your tone shifted to something more sinister. This was the y/n he’d always known--vibrant, curious and powerful. Zoro has always admired your tenacity. It was something of himself that he saw in you. He admired your intelligence as well, and your quick wit. It had always been a little intimidating, but now you were a force. It overwhelmed the swordsman. And thrilled him in the same way a new enemy excited him, got his adrenaline pumping and his heart racing.

He watches as you take a sip of your drink. His gaze follows the long line of your neck down to your collarbone, which he finds himself lingering on for longer than what was appropriate between nakama. You had always been objectively attractive, but Zoro never really paid attention to things like that. But now, you made that impossible to ignore. He is very attracted to you, entranced by your confident aura that pours off of you like cool sake.

The alcohol warms your blood and before you know what you’re doing, you prop your elbow on the table and say, “Seems like your training paid off too. I mean, look at you. All extra-muscley and shit.”

Zoro’s eyes widen slightly before he laughs out loud. “Thank you? I think.”

The liquid courage you’ve consumed does little for your filter (or your shame) so you continue. “I remember when I used to hang out in the Crow’s nest while you worked out. You were strong then, obviously. But it’s different now. You seem...invincible.” You breathe.

Zoro takes a moment to consider. “Invincible, huh?” He chuckles. “Hardly.”

You scoff and roll your eyes, but don’t reply.

Zoro stands up, his coat remaining in his seat. Your eyes follow the contour of his chest and he notices you watching him. He loves knowing that you look at him the same way that he looks at you.

“Come on,” He says after a moment, holding out his free hand, the other still holding the bottle of sake.

You take it without thinking. “Where are we going?” His hand is rough and cool to the touch, despite the heat in the room. He’s never held your hand before now. His good eye lands on you with a smirk that turns the knot low in your stomach.

“Up,” He replies in a whisper.

You nod wordlessly and stand up, trailing behind him as he walks towards the back door of the bar. When you exit, you sigh happily when a cool breeze flows along your damp skin. He echoes the sentiment with a contented hum, and continues towards the side of the building where he finds a ladder.

“Ladies first,” He grins, gesturing for you to climb the ladder up to the roof of the bar.

You raise an eyebrow, but comply nonetheless. As you climb, you make sure to move your hips more exaggeratedly, knowing the view you were providing him.

He knows exactly what he’s doing, of course, and admires your ass as you climb the ladder. You really are something. He wants to do more than just hold your hand. He wants to trail his hands along your curves, feel your strong body against the planes of his chest. He wants to know what your lips taste like, what your h/c hair feels like entangled in his fingers. But he knows that he needs to take it slow for both of your sake. It’s been two years. A lot has changed, and you are still his nakama first and foremost. There’s nothing that he would sacrifice to keep that.

The ladder is taller than you think it is by looking at it and when you arrive at the top of the bar, you are surprised to find an expansive platform.

“Wow,” You look open-mouthed. “How’d you know this was up here?” You look to Zoro who hops up onto the platform.

He shrugs. “I didn’t. I just saw the ladder earlier and figured it would be worth exploring.”

He walks up behind you in all of his shirtless beauty and sits, his legs apart as he leans back on his forearms. You’re still standing, looking up at the vast mangroves all around you, the stars peeking through the tree-tops. He lets you admire the scenery because it gives him a few moments to admire you. He clears his throat to get your attention and pulls you down to him.

With a light gasp, you find yourself sitting between his legs, your back against his chest and his arms wrapped around you. You are blushing furiously now. He hums contentedly, moving to nuzzle your hair and inhale your clean scent.

“What are you doing?” You manage to croak out.

“Enjoying the company,” He murmurs into the side of your neck.

You feel his heart beating swiftly against your back as you lean into him with a deep sigh. Your brain wants to overcomplicate this.

What does this mean? What does he want? Does he feel the same way about me that I feel about him? Does he...you gulp. Does he...want me, the way that I want him?

He feels you stiffen. “Y/n, hey,” He says. “It’s okay. This doesn’t have to mean anything that we don’t want it to mean.”

It seems like mind-reading is on the roster of new super powers he’s acquired. You grumble internally.

He laughs, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear before he moves away. You whimper softly at the loss of contact, and turn to face him with a confused look. Though he did shift backwards, he didn’t move all that far away from you, so you’re surprised that you’re nearly face to face when you turn around.

He gently touches his thumb to your parted lips. “We’ve got time, y/n. I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. So let’s just take the time and figure it out.” He smiles.

You feel your heart swell in your chest as you meet his intense stare. “Y-yeah, o-okay.” You stutter, still not quite believing that Roronoa Zoro has anything he wants to figure out with you. Your reverie is interrupted by Zoro’s gentle kiss. It’s a kiss that foreshadows what else could come of it, one that’s slow and burning and brimming with possibilities. He pulls away with a shudder.

“We’ve got time.” He says again, seeming to convince himself with the second iteration. “Besides,” He pulls back fully this time, taking in your lovely face before he smirks. “It’s too damn hot to be this close right now anyway.”

[lo-55]

Lightning In A Bottle Ch. 3

Ace had been in Alabasta for all of a week, looking for his brother. Luffy should be arriving anytime now, if he didn’t get sidetracked when he was in Drum Kingdom. 

...okay, so maybe Ace would have to wait around for a couple extra days. It was possible he should have just stayed in Drum and waited for Luffy there, in the cold and the snow, but he knew that he made the locals uncomfortable. They hadn’t realized he was a pirate, but the snow had melted off of his skin and coat and rolled off of him like rain. It made them weary. They knew there was something unnatural about this stranger that had come to them, asking so many questions about a man who had nearly destroyed their kingdom. 

Teach left a trail of destruction in his wake, and Ace did his best to follow it, but it seemed like that was all he was able to do. Follow the trail.  

And now he had to stop following Teach for a hot minute to wait on a perpetually tardy brother. There were a couple of leads about Teach and his slowly growing crew in Alabasta, but none of them were near enough to the port for Ace to investigate and get back in time to meet up with Luffy. 

So he was stuck in town, cooling his heels. 

That was fine, Ace had started to learn patience. He could hang out in town, look for leads, and wait for Luffy to show up. He hadn’t seen him in almost three years now, after all. A lot had changed. Luffy was a captain of an up-and-coming crew, Ace had joined the Whitebeards, and hundreds of smaller things that they needed to share with each other. 

Ace wanted to tell Luffy that he’d finally met Shanks (and just how the hell had Luffy gotten the hat of an emperor? Honestly), and he wanted to tell him about his adventures in Paradise and the New World, and all about his crew. He just knew Luffy would get a kick out of Deus. In all actuality Ace had a whole laundry list of things he wanted to tell Luffy, everything from getting stranded and eating a devil fruit to being forcefully adopted by Whitebeard. And wasn’t that just the most ironic thing? Luffy, and to a lesser extend Sabo, had basically forced Ace to accept their friendship and later their brotherhood, and Whitebeard had literally kidnapped Ace and swatted every attempt on his life away until Ace finally gave in and let himself be adopted. 

In retrospect, Ace should have recognized the stubborn streak in his captain. It was exactly like Luffy’s. 

So he was content to wait, and when Smoker showed up he thought he would get a good fight to keep himself entertained for a while, even if he would rather finish his lunch. 

He gave Smoker the chance to turn and walk away, but Marine’s were damn stubborn. Ace was halfway out of his seat, heat simmering under his skin. 

Then something slammed him through a half a dozen walls and his fight with Smoker was forgotten. 

Ace actually blacked out for a minute before he picked upself up out of the rubble, a headache starting to throb behind his eyes. All he wanted to do was find his little brother before he went back to hunting that damned traitor. Was that too much to ask? Did touble have to shadow him every minute of every day? 

Of course it did. 

“Just who in the goddamn- Sorry, enjoy your dinner,” he bowed quickly to a family in one house while he picked his way through the rubble. “Who in the goddamn Blue’s is picking fights!” 

Ace finally climbed back through the first hole he’d made with his head. 

“Hey!” he shouted into the restaurant. 

A familiar face blinked at him from the spot at the counter he’d held himself only a few minutes before. Ace’s anger evaporated instantly. 

“Lu-ouch!” 

He was slammed face first into the ground by a gloved hand while Smoker leapfrogged over him. 

“Strawhat!” 

Ace glared at the broken stucco wall under his face. He could feel his eye twitching in annoyance. Just who did Smoker think he was, ignoring Ace for his brother! And how did they know each other? 

“I've been looking for you, Strawhat. So you did come to alabasta. Quit eating!”

Ace could have told him that was a futile thing to say. Luffy would stop eating the day he died. 

Ace slowly picked himself out of the rubble and resecurred his hat. He looked up in time to see Luffy shovel the entire table’s worth of food into his mouth and grab the hand of a girl sitting next to him that Ace didn’t recognize. Her red hair was a wild mane around her head and she looked bruised and scuffed up. 

“Run!” Luffy shouted around his food, and bolted for the door. The girl yelped and threw something at the chef that clinked like a bag of coins. 

Oh good. That meant Ace didn’t have to pay. Which he was totally gonna do, honest . 

...Eh, he was a pirate. 

 “Luffy! Wait! It’s me!” Ace scrambled to his feet and went after them quickly. 

Luffy dragged the girl through the streets of Nanohana, with Smoker on their tail and Ace right behind them. There was something a little too familiar about sprinting after Luffy after he’d managed to get himself in trouble while Ace wasn’t looking. 

Luffy had to let go of his companion when a girl came at them with a sword so he could jump onto a rooftop out of the way. Ace was almost mad, Luffy was immune to bullets and fists but he could still be cut! But, of course, the little Marine wielding the sword didn’t come even close to Lu. 

 To her credit, Luffy’s girl drew a short sword from her side and blocked the attack easily. She held her weapon with the comfortable grip of someone who knew their way around a fight. Ace hadn’t noticed it before but her haki was a small step above most people’s he’d seen in Paradise. She must had had some training with it. 

 Good. Then he didn’t need to rescue Luffy’s swordwoman. 

 Ace landed next to the two. 

 “Excuse me, ladies,” he said politely, startling both of them into looking away from their crossed blades to Ace instead. He tipped his hat towards them, then the building that Luffy had jumped up onto. He was blocked from it by their swords. “I have to catch up with my brother now.”  

“Uh, sure,” said the marine girl. They pulled their blades away to make a path for him. It was amazing how people responded to polite requests. . 

“Why are you telling us this…?” the redhead countered, looking confused. Ace noted that her eyes were as red as her hair. She faltered when she got a good look at his face. “Hey, hold on-!”  

“Sorry, I can’t,” Ace waved to them and shot over the rooftops, after his brother and Smoker.

He was pretty sure that girl recognized him. He wasn’t surprised, his face had been plastered all over every inn and tavern in the Grandline for a while, and he was pretty well known as the Second Division Commander.   

If she was with Luffy, he’d no doubt see her again later. 

Idly, Ace wondered if Luffy’s crew knew what they’d signed on for when they agreed to sail with him. Or if Luffy had even given them a choice. 

Ace laughed to himself and picked up the pace. They’d figure it out.

Ace wanted to spend more time with Luffy. He wanted to spend at least a night with him, and drink and talk about everything that had happened in the last three years. He wanted to grab him and check him for injuries, wanted to tell him about his own mistakes and help him prevent making the same ones as Captain. 

But. 

But, he had to go. With Teach still on the loose and his blood debt unpaid, Ace coudln’t stay with his little brother any longer than he had, not without the excuse of waiting for him. He didn’t know all the details about what they were doing in the kingdom of Alabasta, nevermind why they had the princess of that same kingdom travelling with them these days, but it was just going to have to be, in Luffy’s words, a mystery. 

At least, that’s what he thought. 

While the crew set up to leave the Going Merry at the mouth of the river Ace excused himself to make a call. 

He sat in the seat of Striker, with his shell-phone in hand. It only took a few rings for a familiar voice to pick up on the otherside. 

“Whitebeard pirates, this is Izou speaking.” 

“Izou, hey, it’s Ace. Is Pops around?” 

“Ace! Let me get him, hold on.”

The sound of footsteps and muffled shouting followed, and in a minute Izou was replaced. 

“Ace, my son, how are you?” 

“I’m good,” Ace felt himself start to smile. “I haven’t caught up to Teach yet, but I’m getting close. I’m with my brother’s crew right now.” 

“Ah ha, the infamous Luffy.” 

Ace’s smile grew. He’d been rabid when it came to showing everyone Luffy’s first bounty. He’d gone to Blenheim and asked him for all the information they could get a hold of when it came to Luffy’s new crew. So he knew about Nami, Usopp, Zoro, and Sanji. Nami had a reputation among East Blue pirates, Usopp was fucking Yasopp’s son, Zoro was a bounty hunter with a decent name for himself, and as it happened Pop’s was old friends with Sanji’s father, Zeff. 

“Yeah. He looks good. He’s just as goofy as he’s ever been, and he picked up a couple of extra crew mates. He’s a doctor, thank the Blues. Tony Tony Chopper. I think he’d a raccoon zoan, or maybe a Mink. I didn’t ask. It seemed rude. And a swordswoman he picked up here in Alabasta. Roche Nao. She’s pretty quick on her feet.” 

“Wait.” 

Ace paused. “Yeah?” He’d never heard that tone in Pops’ voice before. 

“You said Roche Nao. Does she have red hair? And eyes?” 

Ace cocked his head. The snail reflected the hard set of Pops’ jaw and the wildness in his eyes. 

“She does. Do you know her?” 

“... Listen to me now Son. I need you to stay with the Strawhat’s. Teach can wait, you have to keep an eye on Nao. We’ll meet you on Sabaody when your brother’s crew arrives. Do you understand?” 

“Wait, what?! But Teach-” 

“I understand how you feel about Teach,” Pops’ voice gentled for Ace. “But this is something I have to ask of you. If the government get’s ahold of that girl, what awaits her is a fate far worse than death.” 

“She’s like you, son.” 

Ace sucked in through his teeth. Like him? How? 

“Can I count on you to guard her from the navy?” 

“I’ll bring more attention to them,” Ace warned. The idea of shelving his hunt for Teach was bitter on his tongue, but if Pops said he needed Ace to guard this girl, he would. “How do you know her, anyhow?” 

“It isn’t a story for a den den. When we meet again, I’ll tell you everything, if Nao hasn’t done it herself. Just promise me, Ace.” 

Ace swallowed his irritation about Teach. This was something Pops was asking of him. Something important to him on a personal level beyond what even Teach had done. 

“I promise. I’ll do everything I can to keep her from getting arrested.” 

The Den Den relaxed. 

“Thank you. I’ll see you soon, son.” 

“Yeah. I’ll see you then Pops.” 

Now Ace just had to find an excuse to stay with the Strawhats. He’d heard a very vague rumor about someone pretending to be Blackbeard in Yuba. He could start with that, and then find another reason to stay later on. He doubted that Nao would appreciate him puppy guarding her. 

She’d said it herself. She was her own captain.