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erii-ya · 8 months

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‘If it’s you….’ Part 1

Killer x FemReader

Sypnosis: You're one of the Strawhats, and after hearing the news about your captain being caught and imprisoned by Kaido, you join Raizo in infiltrating Udon to save him. There, you again met the man you've been obsessing with for a long time since you saw him for the first time in Sabaody. However, you discovered what happened to him, and you sure as fuck won't let it slide. No one's messing with your Milý and gets away with it.

WC: 2,333

A/N: One Piece is the beautiful creation of the genius Eiichiro Oda-sensei. It has heavy *spoilers* for the Wano Arc since the context revolves around Udon Prison. Please remember that the flow of the story is just a fantasy in my head, and English is not my mother tongue.

☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎☕︎

Luffy was defeated by Kaido and was imprisoned in Udon. Raizo, a member of the Ninja-Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance that your crew was a part of, plans to infiltrate the Udon prison to save him, and you won't pass the chance of joining in. The plan was to enter the prison, find Luffy, and escape as quickly as possible before anyone could find out.

That WAS the plan.

But since Luffy is your captain, plans sometimes work differently than intended. You've got stuck in Udon with the person you're supposed to save, and Raizo is nowhere to be found.

"You're not even going to give me something to eat?!" Luffy whines beside you.

The escape plan failed, and Queen, who ruled the prison, forced Luffy to join a Sumo match he started for entertainment. So, both of you fought the whole day.

"I'm hungry..." his stomach growls on cue.

"Shut up and go to sleep!" says one of the Beast pirate members guarding you three while staying in the makeshift arena.

You shot a glare at him, hoping he'd drop dead only if shooting daggers could kill. You saw him shudder and quickly turn his back on you. 'That's right. Be scared. 'cause once I get the chance, I'll dice you all into fine pieces.'

Luffy continues to whine about turning into a mummy by the next day if he doesn't get something to eat and you can do nothing but sit quietly. Old man Hyo stepped closer to him and apologized for being a hindrance on the escape mission.

"Don't worry about it, gramps," you stated. Putting both your hands at the back of your head. "It was the captain's decision, and honestly, it'll leave a bad taste in my mouth knowing that we left you behind." you finished. Old man Hyo clenched his fist. He was still visibly guilty and probably blaming himself, thinking it was his fault you and Luffy couldn't get out of there on time.

"But still, Y/N-dono, you could've gotten awa-" You shushed him, waving your right hand, gesturing to stop. "It doesn't matter now, is it? It wasn't that bad. I haven't beaten people up for quite a while, so it's a fun time." You grinned. The old man looked at you unexpectedly and shook his head in defeat.

"Strawhat..." He called Luffy. "Why do you still want to fight Kaido? Knowing that you lost to him once already?"

As if on reflex, the Beast pirates around you all turned towards the three of you after hearing what the old man said. Curious to know the answer. Your captain got annoyed and released a wave of his conqueror's haki to knock them all down. He then proceeded to explain the four emperors of the sea to the old man and that Kaido was one of them.

"I'm going to become the king of the pirates, so I have to take them all down." Luffy finished with conviction.

You smiled widely. You've heard it countless times, but the ecstatic feeling it gives you doesn't get old. It brought back memories from before you became an official part of the crew.

*Flashback*

"Oi, Y/N! Join my crew!" you almost drown yourself in the glass of water you're drinking to the sudden outburst of the guy beside you. Whipping your head towards him with furrowed eyebrows, giving him a look like he grew an extra head, you retorted, "And what-in-the-holy-meatballs made you think I would want to play pirates with you? More or else BECOME a pirate?!".

"What? It'll be fun, I swear!" raising his right hand as if to promise. "Sanji's the best cook, and you'll enjoy all the dishes he'll serve! We can even have different eating contests occasionally.", he babbled.

Just thinking about it made you salivate.

Tempting…

It's really, really tempting...

But… "No, Thank you!".

As much as you're tempted by the idea of eating the 'best' dishes this Sanji person can cook, just thinking about living with a diverse group of individuals on a ship and floating for days in the vast sea made you cringe. You're okay with being alone, going from one place to another since social gathering is not your cup of tea. Being alone gives you freedom, not to mention the peace of mind of not causing trouble to anyone. Aside from being a petite woman with a huge appetite, you have no exceptional talent to boast. You only have an appetite that surpassed even this guy’s, the reason he lost to you in this meat-eating competition where you met.

Standing up, you gathered your things and swiftly left the place without turning back. You thought that was the last time you'd see the guy, so you brushed it off as an uncanny encounter. 'He's a pirate, so they'll probably leave this island immediately.' you forethought.

Boy, were you wrong! Because for the next couple of days, you always 'coincidentally' bumped into each other, and a series of back-and-forth barrage of why you should be joining his crew and why you shouldn't would always start. And the rest was history…

*End of Flashback*

You’re unsure if it's his persuasion, hidden charms, or just him being Luffy that you finally said 'Yes' to join his crew. Whatever it may be, you surprisingly never regretted it.

Your trip down memory lane was cut short when a mud-like entity appeared behind old man Hyo. It was Caribou, and on his stomach was Raizo, much to the old man's surprise. Questions were fired at the ninja, and he happily answered and explained to the old man what had been happening.

What was awesome was when Caribou stole Queen's share of Red Bean Soup!

"Fucking food finally! I was already thinking about chopping one of the Beast pirates." you nonchalantly said, which earned you weirded-out looks from Raizo, Caribou, and the old man. "Relax.", you said. " 's a joke.", and you smiled innocently at them. They can only nervously laugh at the awkward atmosphere while Luffy, knowing you, just laughs off his head.

************************************************************************

The next day, Kaido shared some news with Queen. Komurasaki, the famous Oiran of the flower capital, died. Queen was devastated and hurriedly commanded to hook up the light-scroll snail to confirm the news. Your team, on the other hand, was so eager to start the sumo match.

"Did you idiots gain weight from yesterday?!" Queen was astonished. Eyes popped out after seeing Luffy and the old man, all plump and round than they were yesterday. 'Stupid captain,' you scratched your head in annoyance. 'I told him to eat only enough to regain his strength. Not to the point of bursting!' The beast pirates probably know by now that Queen's casserole of Red Bean Soup was missing, and the culprits are not too hard to guess.

You pinched the bridge of your nose like it would help stop the upcoming headache. "I also think finishing all that soup was too much. I'm surprised he survived this long as a captain." Caribou muttered. "Well, that's Luffy for you." is all you can say.

The light-scroll snail was rolling, showing a place somewhere in Wano. Queen was frantically looking for any signs or news about Komurasaki but to no avail. The view was changed from one place to another until it showed a scene where Zoro and Sanji saved a little girl.

Both you and your captain's face lit up. You excitedly run towards the arena, propping yourself up to stand behind your captain and to get a clearer view of the scene. Everything happened so fast, and now your crew was all in combat mode. "Go get them, guys! Kick their dirty asses!" you cheered even though they won't hear you. Arms stretching upwards.

Queen looked at you and asked if you knew the green-haired man shown on the screen. It was Zoro. ‘Shoot!’ You should have remembered. You shouldn't know that you knew them as part of your crew's disguise. The excitement of seeing everyone again and in action had you slip the crucial details in your mind. Luffy turns to you with knowing eyes, and you both 'tried' to deny the fact. Lips pouting, eyes looking elsewhere in an attempt to lie.

Unfortunately, you two sucked at lying, "It's too obvious, you liars!" Queen hissed. Clicking your tongue in annoyance, you couldn't care less about the consequences. To hell with the disguise! Everything was already fucked up since the escape mission failed. You’re almost at your limit anyway, and the itch of wanting to go wild is growing stronger by the minute. You focused your attention back on the screen instead. You have already decided that when all hell breaks loose in here, that’ll be your cue to go on a rampage. But for now, you’ll simply enjoy watching your friends break some legs.

In your peripheral vision, you saw one of Queen’s underlings approach him. You used one of your hidden skills to make out whatever he’s reporting.

Ultrasonic hearing.

Sounds cool, right?

Of course, it is. After all, you put so much effort into naming this skill in another fancy way to mask the truth that it was only talent in picking up gossip. So helpful in hunting new delicacies.

Kidding aside, you heard Babanuki speak about a criminal arriving soon from the Flower Capital. Queen seems not to expect any new prisoners and is curious about who they might be.

Not long after, Udon Prison's main gate opened, and more of the Beast pirates walked in. You noticed one of them on a horse carrying a vertical red flag with the words ‘HITOKIRI.’ Queen asked who it was. “He’s a piece of garbage that couldn't complete a mission given by the Shogun of the Flower Capital,” answered Babanuki.

“We have a message from Orochi saying that we can punish him however we like.” announced the man leading in front of the newcomers. “We brought you, Hitokiri Kamazo!” he shouted.

The prisoner started laughing manically, and you turned your head in his direction for some reason. Escorted was a tall man wearing a brown kimono, blonde hair, and a face covered with bandages. The only visible features you’ll see are his eyes and purple-colored lip. ‘Nice fashion sense.’

“Oh, so you’re Kamazo? I’ve heard a lot about you.” - Queen.

The prisoner continues laughing, not giving a shit about what the baboon said.

“We also caught another one,” another beast guy added. “This one was stupid enough to show himself to us while yelling something. So, I shot him multiple times and didn’t even try to run.” the guy laughed.

Much to the surprise so far, the other prisoner turns out to be Eustass Kid, captain of the Kid pirates. He was holed up in the same prison cell as Luffy, and when you’re trying to escape the other night with your captain, he beat you all to it. ‘What the hellhole do you think you’re doing, you Oni (demon)!’ You can’t help but think you’re surrounded with morons.

Luffy called out to Kid. He stood beside you, and you didn’t even notice. The shock on his face after seeing his fellow captain being brought back inside was evident. You turn your attention back to Kid, now kneeling on the ground. ‘Hey, what’s going on.’ Confused by his sudden action, you started to move toward the kid pirate’s captain, but Luffy stopped you. You looked at him, and he wasn’t even looking at you. He still has his attention on Kid. However, his grip on your wrist says otherwise. It was firm enough to tell you not to do anything. Yet.

You sighed, then nodded at Luffy; only then did he release his grip on you. Looking back at Eustass Kid, you saw an expression you never thought you’d see in him. Mixed emotions danced throughout his face, but bewilderment was more prominent.

He spoke to the other prisoner, Kamazo, who was still manically laughing. “Oi, what happened? Why are you laughing?! Stop! I said stop!” tears started forming in his eyes. He continued, “I remember how you hate the way you laugh…” staring at Kamazo but more like seeing a distant memory of the past, “...and you even stop laughing out loud at some point.”

Jerking your head to the side, thinking, ‘I’ve heard this before.’. It was somewhat familiar, but you can’t remember where or when you heard about it.

“Anyone who mocked the way you laughed was easily beaten to death.” - Kid

Then it hit you.

Your body froze.

An unwelcoming chill runs down your spine.

The next thing you knew, your lips moved, mouthing what Kid said, like you knew the next thing he’d say, like the back of your hand.

“Until you started wearing a mask to hide your face.” - You

“Until you started wearing a mask to hide your face.” - Kid

“No shit..” was what followed after the statement came out of your mouth. Blood ran cold, and your hands started to tremble out of control. You couldn’t believe it. You were just guessing and were instead hoping you were mistaken.

Now crying, Kid said, “That’s the person I knew. So please stop.” his tears flowed freely down his face. He’s hurt and in rage, and so are you. Your lips quivered to suppress the waterfall about to burst at the sudden realization. ‘What in the actual fuck…’

“Stop and look at me! What happened to our crew?! What happened to you?! Did Orochi do this to you?! Answer me!” Kid yells back at Kamazo with enraged eyes,

“Killeeeeeer!!!”

Hearing the confirmation made your eyes wide and your body tremble. The person you long to see after a long time is standing a few feet away from you. As much as you want to jump for joy, whatever you’re feeling right now is far from happy nor sad but rage. This is not the reunion you’re expecting to have with him.

“Milý-sama…” you whispered.

Continue on Part 2....

#onepiece x reader #op killer x reader #eustass kid #MassacreSoldierKiller x reader #Killer x FemReader #OnePiece #One Piece Killer

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beanghostprincess · 8 months

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This is me, the Lamikkaku anon. You wanted to hear more so here it is:

Firstly, I wanted to talk about how Lami survived. Basically she ran from the hospidal looking for Law and was found by marines. Luckily Vice admiral Tsuru was there, and feeling compassion towards the girl she took her in and decided to help her. Thanks to Tsuru washing Lami with her devil fruit the white amber lead desease isn't deadly anymore but its still a persistent/chronic illness and Lami has to be washed very often. This is kept as a secret only she and Tsuru know.

So she grows up in the marines, she isn't too fond of them and dislikes the goverment for obvious reasons but she has no where else to go and reconises Tsuru as a good person. I think she knows who Corasan is. She never met him since he was already with Doflamingo by the time she was rescued, by Sengoku must have went on and on about his kid and how great he is. Until, you know, the deranged gay bird kills him.

When Lami is a older she hears about this piraye named Trafalgar Law and immediately reconises him. She can't say anything of course because he is a pirate and she is a marine, but it gives Lami some hope. Eventually she joins SWORD and decides that she will at least try to meet her brother. She appears on Dressrosa but since shit gets really bad she is too occupied to talk to Law, but she manages to listen to Law and Sengoku's conversation.

Eventually she decides to join XDrake as a spy in Kaidou's beast pirates because she heard about the ninja-pirate-mink-samurai alliance and once Law gets there they reunite. There is tears, catching up, and Law uses his powers to finally get rid of Lami's amber lead desease so she isn't 100% dipendednt from Tsuru's powers anymore.

She helps during the raid and really bonds with the Hearts: she thinks that Bepo is adorable, finds Pemguin and Shachi to be humorous but the one she likes the company the most if is Ikkaku. She leaves with them instead of going back to the marines after the raid.

But of course, Blackbeard has to be an asshole and now Law is separated from his sister again. HOWEVER all of the hearts survived (if this isn't canon I will explode) and they ended up is some uncharted island were they try their best to trive and build a raft or something. All of their equipment got destroyed.

Its around this time that Lami and Ikkaku grow very close, and eventually it just blossoms into a full on romance. The others are worried Law might freak out but Ikkaku reassures them that she is, in fact, the only person here worthy of dating the captain's sister.

Okay, first of all, I love your brain. I want to open your skull and idk, grab a straw and drink from it. This is altering my brain chemistry- Okay. AAAAAAAAAAAA. I have so many thoughts. (The first post about this if somebody is interested).

I absolutely love everything about this. It's such a good way to make Lami survive. She joins the Marines but she doesn't actually wanna be there, it's just her way of surviving. But still, she manages to be one of the good marines. In fact, joining SWORD also means she probably meets Koby/Hibari/Helmeppo and I can't stop thinking about them actually getting along pretty well? When she finds out Law is alive and she decides to go undercover too to see him, the only people who know about her true reasons are those three. I just find it cute. Luffy's biggest fan (Koby) and Law's biggest fan (Lami) being friends is something really funny to me.

When they see each other again in Wano, Law can't believe it. For a whole second, he actually believes he's getting tricked somehow. It has to be some devil fruit user or- Or maybe he's losing his mind. The heart pirates don't know what's going on, but Law stands there, astonished and static and about to cry. When he never, ever cries in front of anybody that isn't Bepo (or Shachi/Penguin/Ikkaku but that's if his mental state is on the verge of collapsing even more than usual). Long story short, there's no time to explain everything but Lami tells him the important things and decides she's going to stay with him. The girl doesn't even care about whether she's a marine or not, she just breaks the cover and goes "well, change of titles now. Brother, I am going with you" and tbh Law doesn't find it appropriate. He doesn't want his little sister to be a pirate. He wants her to have a normal life and live in peace the way she deserves. But she reminds him that she's (was) a marine. She's strong. She can fight and she will fight, whether he likes it or not. And look, she's always been cute and cheerful but now she's also stubborn, so he can't say no to her. Besides, having her in the crew also means having her close, so that's a win for him. It'll be easier to keep her safe like that (even if she can actually fight on her own).

And let me tell you. Her dynamic with the Heart Pirates is amazing.

Everybody loves her and they seriously question if she's truly Law's sister because she is... So different from him. She's sweet and fun and upbeat and everyone is side-eying Law like "Are you sure this girl isn't like... mistaking you for another person?" and Law is about to cut Shachi and Penguin in half if they don't shut up about that. She loves Bepo. She adores him. Bepo loves her back. She won't let go of him. They're best friends now and she considers him to be the most adorable thing on earth. Also, she trusts him with her life since he's Law's first mate and that means Law trusts him too. Law thinks he's going to have a heart attack because he doesn't know if he loves this situation (his favorite people together) or if he hates it (what if they like being together more??? Without him???? He's a bit jealous). Lami also loves Shachi and Penguin. They love her back. Law hates it because they're even more chaotic together and they won't stop being touchy with his sister (not in a weird way, they're just a very affectionate crew and Lami loves hugging them back). Lami indulges them and follows them in everything they do and Law is so, so tired. He keeps telling them to stop acting like that but Shachi and Penguin always say "But you never hug us back!!" / "Yeah, captain! She's sweeter and cuter and way nicer!" and Law is about to lose it. The only one that doesn't make Law furious is Ikkaku, surprisingly so. Ikkaku is just so nice and fun to be around that Lami loves her right away. She has never had actual friends outside the Marines and she's so excited to start this new life with them! Ikkaku shows her around the ship and explains every little thing to her, and Lami is so, so thrilled to finally be free of everything that was holding her back. The thing is-- Lami feels guilty for what happened because she thinks she could've saved Law somehow or- Or maybe met him earlier than this. She doesn't want to tell him because she knows it will only hurt him, so she opens up to Ikkaku instead, and she's the one to comfort her and understand her better. Lami also asks Ikkaku to tell her about Law and what kind of person he is now. What kind of adventures they've had. Ikkaku and Lami grow closer and closer and they're the girls™ of the crew. Also, Lami is a very lesbian disaster and Ikkaku is also a lesbian mess, so Ikkaku flirts with her shamelessly, and Lami blushes and giggles and kicks her feet. While Lami flirts with Ikkaku without even noticing, and Ikkaku faints every time. Shachi and Penguin have a bet going on about them.

Not to mention that everybody is weirded out by Law's behavior now. Now that Lami is back in his life, he looks... Happier? He smiles more. Like. Actual laughs and smiles. He's so sweet and protective when it comes to Lami it's just odd to see him like that. He kisses her forehead and hugs her and whenever she's playful and teases him, he actually laughs and has fun. Bepo is like "Oh, true, you haven't seen captain like this, right? Isn't he cute?" when the Strawhats see this, and they're all like "More than cute it's just... Unsettling". Honestly, the heart pirates couldn't be happier for their captain. Talking about the Strawhats: Since they're all in Wano and Lami is helping them out, she meets them there. And I think, since Lami and Koby are friends, that she would instantly love and admire Luffy. The whole crew would again be saying "Is this seriously your sister, Torao?" and she'd go "Torao?? They call you Torao??" / "No. They don't. Don't give her ideas-" / "It's okay, Torao-" / "Fuck". And now Law is having the worst time of his life because Luffy and Lami get along and he's starting to lose it. But, anyway, they're happy, so whatever. He's just glad she's alright.

And this has nothing to do with Lamikkaku but I think Lami is religious (I think it's pretty obvious, like, the religious background in Law's story). After everything fucked up that happened to them, Law stopped believing for obvious reasons. But Lami sometimes prays and talks about God and fate and Law is very against that because "If God exists, why would he let this happen to us? If somebody as powerful as that makes us go through this suffering, I don't think it deserves to be worshipped" and Lami just smiles softly and says: "I can see your view. But still, believing isn't accepting everything God does. I guess it's dumb, isn't it? But I like to think Mom and Dad are in a better place now. I like to think that you'll be in a better place if they take you away from me again" and Law can't fight against that. Then, Luffy Gear 5th happens and Law has a whole catholic crisis. But that's for another day. Make this Lawlu if you feel like it. The point is Nika my beloved-

Now, Lamikkaku moment:

They survive the fight against Blackbeard. All of them. Except for the Polar Tang (RIP, you were an amazing ship, darling). So they end up on a deserted island and... Things are bad. They're all devastated. The first thing Law does is look for Lami to check if she's alright. And she is, kind of. They're all glad they're fine, but they've lost their ship. Their equipment. Their food. And instead of resting and thinking about it, Law is already trying to plan something to escape from here, feeling responsible and guilty and-- Both Lami and Bepo are the most concerned, but they're all going through a rough time. While they get back on their feet, Ikkaku and Lami get even closer. Lami is close to Law constantly because she's pretty much the only person that he can open up to and rest with whenever he's overworking himself. He only sleeps when she's around. Etc etc. But Lami can't deal with all of that on her own and it's obvious, so it's Ikkaku the one looking after her. Lami won't lose faith in God for this, but she's still pretty frustrated that something like this has happened to them again. Ikkaku tells her that sometimes is the people around you you have to rely on and not just God, even if it does help most of the time to believe in something like that. They spend most of their time together. Sleep together. Lami has nightmares and Ikkaku helps. Ikkaku is trying her best to cheer up the crew along with Shachi and Penguin but it's hard, and she's working hard to maintain the order too. Lami admires her strength because she hasn't seen her falter or hesitate yet in the time they've been there, and Ikkaku just says that it's what a pirate does. Get back on their feet and fight. And besides, if the crew needs somebody to rely on while their captain is busy/going through it, she doesn't mind being the voice of the reason. And Ikkaku is not a Goddess, but Lami is starting to feel the same trust and comfort she feels when praying while she's next to her. One thing leads to another and they end up falling for each other rather quickly. They don't want to tell Law yet, because he's... Not ready for news. But Bepo/Shachi/Penguin find out at some point and they're sure Law is going to be furious (because he won't let any of them go near Lami romantically) but Ikkaku is sure it won't happen. She's sure Law will be happy for them. First of all, because Lami keeps saying Law only wants the best for her and would never go against that. And second of all, because Ikkaku says that if Law ever had to let somebody date his sister, it would be Ikkaku. Law ends up finding out because, you know, these three can't keep their mouth shut. And he surprisingly doesn't care. In fact, in a moment of desperation, it makes him so happy to see his sister finding love. He tells Ikkaku in private to take care of her, and she only smiles and says "Aye, captain" and Lami overhears, so she ends up hugging him right after.

They're clingy but their presence and PDA aren't annoying. It's just sweet. They hold hands and kiss and they keep teasing each other, and it brings a new energy to the crew. It gives Law hope. If Lami has managed to come back, they'll be able to come back stronger too. Of course, they're a bit chaotic too since they're pretty different to Law, but it's alright. As time passes by, Ikkaku ends up teasing Law about it and she can't help but make the 'I fucked your sister' jokes because, c'mon, how could she not? Lami finds it hilarious, and she knows Law isn't really that angry at Ikkaku at the end of the day. Ikkaku seems like the cool, protective one, but in reality, whenever there's a fight and people underestimate Lami, Ikkaku just stares at her like "That's my girl <3" while she kicks ass. Basically, they're the cutest, most supportive girls, and Law just knows Cora is happy for them too.

#this is the best thing that has happened to me today #or in tumblr in general i absolutely adore this you don't even know how much #i love law finally being happy #let him have a win!!!!!!!!#i have a very specific vision of how lami looks but sadly i cannot draw lmao #the heart pirates finally winning for once and having lesbians in their crew yayyy #god maybe i keep posting about this wkgwkfb #one piece #trafalgar law #trafalgar d. water law #trafalgar lami #ikkaku one piece #shachi one piece #bepo one piece #penguin one piece #lamikkaku #heart pirates

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birthday-hell · 6 months

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Usopp

Happy Birthday

April 1

#birthday #one piece #straw hat pirates #straw hat grand fleet #usopp pirates #ninja mink pirate samurai alliance #pirate #sniper #senior officer #toad oil salesman #april 2024

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fallensnowfan · 2 years

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Continuing from yesterday’s post. Today’s is a heavy one.

Raizo - In addition to his battle of endurance against Fukurokuju being completely raw and shares a lot in common with Oden holding the retainers above the burning oil. It's also silly and full of bizarre abilities, offering some much needed levity during some of the most fearful events the raid threw at our brave alliance members.

Kiku - She has an incredibly strong will though no one is without their limits. She was in tears over Ashura being hurt though he didn't blame her, none of her family did. Ashura made the choice to take on the fake Oden to protect them and allow them to carry on their shared dream. On the way to face the traitor, both Kin and Kiku seemed to harbor some doubt that the other would have the conviction to down him for good.

The conflict with Kanjuro was simultaneously a great and awful place for that side of her to show itself. Kiku being unable to attack the fake Oden isn't a weakness, it's her biggest strength. Kanjuro being an awful, scheming, and emotionally manipulating opponent who knew all too well how to pry into the sore spots of the Akazaya, and possibly was playing dead after the clash he had with them outside of Onigashima, didn't help.

Compared to facing the likeness of a family member, the Akazaya fighting Kaido was the easier task of the two. After 22 years, Robin still struggled to do the same against Black Maria’s illusions of her own family, whereas Kiku had had a few months at most. Then Bonney recently struggled with something similar as well.

Which flows right into,

Izo - He was fighting to his last breath to ensure that Kiku, Kin, Usopp, Robin, and Brook would be safe from CP0 and it all carries so much weight, you already know that though, don't need me to tell you. It's because he believed so strongly in Luffy’s ability to lead the alliance to victory, and possibly something bigger than in scope than Wano’s freedom which hasn’t yet been made clear, that Izo was willing to go the lengths that he did.

Beyond that, every way I look at his actions, the more I see them as showing the extreme resolve that following the samurai code can bring out in a person when channeled in the right direction. In spite of being away from Wano for so many years, he knew the raid was the last chance his home country had at freedom. Izo was balancing that thought and was taking part as a retainer of the Kozuki clan, the older brother of Kiku, a former member of the Whitebeard Pirates, and a member of the alliance.

Exactly when he and Marco separated isn't clear though Izo was on his own when he refused to let CP0 pass(Marco was next shown a few chapters later in a different part of the castle so I figure they agreed to separate at some point,) allowing the five I mentioned above to get to safety.

A choice that cost Izo was willing to spend his life over, due to his refusal to back down, in spite of the injuries he had sustained earlier. He went out on his own terms with the wish that his younger sister would get to lead a life where she no longer feels she has to throw her life away for the sake of stubborn pride. And like come on, he's her older brother, of course Izo would stop at nothing to protect her.

Usopp's involvement in their story then further drives home Izo challenging Kiku over attempting to choose what would have ultimately been a meaningless death and shows the value and bravery that choosing to live can hold. Even though he was terrified, Usopp didn’t don an alias once during the rescue if I remember, and I believe his only lie was the one about him having conqueror's haki. Izo recognizing him as “God” Usopp was the only mention of an alias, I believe, and was great.

I see some similar themes in the scene of Wanda being ready to blow herself up out of desperation, back when she believed Nami was an enemy, before being stopped by Pedro and being promised by Nami that she would help her and every mink on Zou.

Kin'emon - In spite of not really being cut from the cloth to be a leader, Kin'emon puts every ounce of his being into bringing new and old allies together, and ensuring that Wano would be freed. Against the overwhelming might of Kaido and the Beast Pirates before them, Kin and all of the Akazaya gathered allies and resources and refused to back down or give up on fulfilling the promise they made to Oden, trusting Luffy to pick up where he and his fellow samurai left off after giving their all.

It's at the core of what makes the Akazaya such fantastic and emotionally resonant characters and a big part of why I love every one of them.

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