#pudding in sanji's place and going through the same things he did with the crew but with her own issues and personality is amazing

[beanghostprincess]

A very interesting AU concept would be swapping Sanji and Pudding, hear me out:

It starts with 9 year old Sanji at G€rma. In one way or another, his modifications partially activate. He is still weaker than his siblings, but its enough for J@dge to not imprison him even after Sora's death. (He still gets berated tho) Living like this slowly makes Sanji lose his emotions. He doesn't have a will to to live, yet he can't die.

Meanwhile, at Tottoland Big Mom is furios at a 6 year old Pudding because she just can't awaje her 3rd eye. She calls her a failure, punishes her for nothing, and tells her that she isn't her favourite daughter anymore. Hearthbroken, Pudding decides to run away like her big sister Lola did by hiding in the hold of a ship. She ends up in the east blue and after the ship wrecks, she meets Zeff. They are both stuck on an island fir 80 days, but he sacrifised his leg because he could never let a lady go hungry, its just wrong. Later they are saved and end up opening the Baratie.

Zeff raises Pudding as his precious daughter. She is already great at baking, but he teacges her how to make other dishes and cuisine. Everybody loves her, and anyone who even lays a finger on her will die.

Then Luffy arrives. While Pudding's real dream is to learn about the 3 eye tribe, she tells everybody that is to find the All Blue for her old man (she still covers her eye, Zeff is the only person who has seen it). After the events of the Baratie arc, she joins the crew as the cook.

The rest of the story would be similar. Pudding is now a pirate who uses her leg fighting skills and smarts to get by. (As well as an idden power thats connected to her 3rd eye) The marines gave her the epithet "chocolate leg Pudding". Im not sure if she already has the memo-memo no mi... I'm gonna assume she does and its very useful for her.

The first change in the plot is at Thriller Brak. Pudding notices her sister, but she is scared to face her at first, since that woukd mean telling her friends about her true lineage. For most if the arc, she deribetaly tries to hide herself and even wears a disguise. In a final moment in the arc, she asks Lola to talk to her privately. We don't see what happens yet, but we will one day.

The rest of the story is the same, until Whole Cake Island. When she is kidnapped by the Big Mom pirates. When her bounty poster is changed to "only alive". When the invitation to the wedfing of the 3rd son of the V!nsm@ke family and the 35th daughter of the Charlotte family are handed out. When Big Mom decides to claim her disowned child to give her up in an arranged marriage as part of a coup. Threattening to hurt Zeff and her friends if she doesn't comply.

I love this so damn much you don't even know-- I've always been saying that Pudding's story is basically Sanji's but like, with the bad ending because she never got to escape when she was little but Sanji did. And now that you mention this AU, it's just perfect to show their similarities but also to turn the stories around and,,, It's amazing.

Starting with Sanji, I adore that the approach here is that he's emotionless. I don't think he'd be like his brothers in a narcissistic, egocentric way. I think that after being abused constantly he just loses all will to leave and shuts down completely even if there is still empathy within him. The whole thing with the Vinsmokes is that they were all raised to be powerful killing machines and that's why they act like this, not because they actually are emotionless. And Sanji in this context isn't either, he just seems like he is because he just... Gives up. So I imagine a black-haired Sanji with some blond, completely shut down and just taking the abuse and living with it and serving the family without anything else.

But there is still some type of connection in him to like, animals and women, I think. It's small but it's there. He's not our sweetest boy but he won't harm women the way Niji does and he will help and feed animals because he is strangely attached to them and cooking. But Judge doesn't really say anything about it anymore because at least the kid gets the job done and doesn't seem like he's going to rebel or anything. He's kind of like in a Reiju position? Where he understands their situation and has his own emotions but just shuts down? Except that he's well, extremely depressed and mean and she's concerned for him. I think she still protects him though, she's the only one Sanji doesn't push away. Typical "they sit in silence and she hugs him and even though he stays expressionless it's obvious that he likes it with her".

And Pudding... I love that she gets her happy ending here. I've been saying Zeff has girldad energy and it just makes sense that he'd be extremely protective of her while teaching her to cook and fight on her own!! He raised the most gorgeous, sweetest, and yet ruthless cook of all seas! I think he'd be such a great dad for her because he would help her stand up for herself and also take care of her in their early years together when she is still having trouble adapting to a new, healthy environment. Of course, she still has nightmares and trauma responses when she grows up, and he helps her anyway, but she gets better at some point.

I love that he's the only one who sees her third eye!!! That'd be like, such a good plot point too for her to join the strawhats... Also, her dynamic with Luffy would be hilarious because despite being sweet, I wanna desperately keep her mean personality and she would be SOOO done with Luffy. Their relationship would kind of resemble Lusan's a lot, imo. And Nami would be sooo happy to have another girl in the crew so early!!! I also think she'd hate Zoro but not because of like, parallels with Zosan or anything, I just think their personalities clash too much-- And she'd have a soft spot for Usopp but that's because, you know, everyone does. Also, I like having a girl in the crew that isn't part of the coward trio. She actively fights and I love it. Then Vivi and Robin join them and y'know, I am starting to think another girl in the crew would be literally amazing hahahaha (I've been saying this for so long). So I am guessing everything stays the same except that during Thriller Bark she reunites with Lola but yeah, she doesn't tell the others about it. Because that's what WCI is for!

Then WCI happens... And I am losing it because I really, really, really want her to have the biggest breakdown about it and sacrifice herself Sanji-style (don't you just love how you don't even have to change the plot because they're literally parallels??? I will never understand how some people can hate Pudding lmfao she's literally Sanji). So she's forced to do the exact same thing she does in canon if she wants to save the ones she loves, but she doesn't want to kill Sanji?? Like at all?? And then you have Sanji who literally gives zero fucks about what's going on. I think he'd be forced to act politely and like a gentleman when he literally doesn't care about all of this-- And probably Pudding finds out and he's mean to her, yadda yadda yadda.

And y'know I would absolutely love if Sanji knew they're going to kill him but couldn't care less about it because perhaps dying is better than whatever life he's living, and when Pudding realizes what's going on she makes him want to live just... A little bit. Something awakens inside Sanji and suddenly he's scared and he doesn't want to do this. Sanji sees Pudding's third eye... Pudding finds out about Sanji's mother... They actually won't stop arguing at first, Pride & Prejudice style, and then Sanji sees her with a different perspective and all of a sudden he starts acting more protectively and sweet to her? So she's confused as hell and still tries to argue but uhhhh complicated relationship they've got there, but at least they help each other out.

And idk perhaps we have the Viinsmoke sibs having the same scene they have in canon and helping Sanji out but the crucial part is Reiju paralleling the original scene in which she helps Sanji escape. And he finally does and he leaves with the strawhats because I need them to have a happy ending. So he's still dealing with, you know, trying to express his emotions and wanting to live but he'll get there someday because at least now he's safe. Nobody kisses and forgets anybody because I will not allow a sad ending here, thank you.

[imamotherfuckingstar-lord]

what he deserves, chapter 5

Sanji x Reader, a bit of Law x Reader

Warnings: angst, one-night stand, not really a love triangle – law and reader are mature about the situation. Some implied smut. WANO SPOILERS. Trauma from child abuse.

a/n: this is the end! possible alt. ending if people want it.

Summary: Witnessing all the suffering Sanji went through on Whole Cake Island, all you want is for him to be truly happy…even if it means not with you. Set after the fight in Wano, you go through the motions of an endless fight and end up in bed with the Hearts Pirates’ Captain to distract yourself from the one thing you want the most – Sanji.

masterlist

“Do you really think Law and I make a nice couple!”

Shocked – Sanji just stared blankly at you, fish still in hand. He didn’t even know what to think or say, so he just smiled. He smiled so brilliantly; you knew if he answered yes, it would crush you into a million jagged pieces. Little jagged pieces that had no chance of ever being put back together – it would be better off to just throw them into a forgotten drawer, where you only ever look for lost things. The kitchen door bumped into your back as it closed and Sanji placed the fish into the freezer, closed it and covered up the barrel of fish. He walked over to the sink and washed off his hands, finally using a kitchen cloth to dry them; he turned to you, hand on the kitchen island.

“I think the two of you make sense – he’s definitely the serious type but I could see you two going for the long haul.”

Fuck you, that’s what you wanted to say but foul language directed at Sanji tasted wrong. Instead, holding your composure, you moved to the opposite side of the island and stared at him. He stared back but quickly withdrew and apologized. “For what?”

“The other night,” he said. “I was insensitive when you were pouring your heart out to me. You have to know I – I didn’t mean anything by it.”

By what? Even if what he had said about Pudding was true, why did he have to say it out loud? Why couldn’t he have kept it to himself? Because in your mind, he was going to marry her, and he did spend time with her – you knew about the cake they made together. How easily it would have been for Pudding to put aside her wicked ways and fall for Sanji. How could see not see the kindness in his eyes and smile? How could she not have fallen in love with him as you have? She’d be a damn fool.

You were a damn fool.

“You remind me of my father, Sanji.”

The statement earned a shameful expression from the cook because he knew how your father was from the stories you’ve recounted to him. During the late-night sessions sitting in the aquarium room; dim lights above the glass filling the room as you exchange horror stories. Sometimes, most times, the two of you would fall asleep on the divan that was up against the glass. Then in the morning, Sanji would make coffee and you would keep him company as he made breakfast for the crew. He had cherished those talks but now it felt like it was all slipping away. He wanted to light a smoke, but it seemed like the wrong move, even if it would have calmed his nerves.

“The two of you share the same charming swagger, romantic notions easily roll of your tongue.” You glanced down at your hands, turning them over to study your palms – permanent faded scars imprinted onto them. Evidence from the lashes your father would give when you took too much of a breath. Staring back at Sanji, you heaved a sigh. “He swore up and down that he loved my mother, I have these tads of memories of that being true. Seeing him shower her with flowers and poems, he was an amazing singer. He’d sing her these longing ballads, dance with her in the middle of the kitchen…but the façade slowly fell…”

Sanji couldn’t move; now at his side, hands clasped against his slacks. He stared at you, heart aching for the child you once were – eyes darting to your hands. He had noticed the scars before and when he had asked, you had changed the subject. Now he realized that your bastard of a father had done that to you; a fire burned through Sanji’s body and if he hadn’t already been dead, he would have hunted him down. Killed him. Torture him with a slow death - a deserving death but he knew, deep down, you would have never allowed it. You were too kind. “You’re a lot like my father, Sanji. All the good parts. So charming and sweet, doting, and silly…”

Your hand moved alongside the kitchen island as you moved around it, stepping right in front of Sanji. He towered over you a little, eyes on you, waiting, heart pounding. He wasn’t sure what to say or if he should say anything at all, but you were so close and all he wanted to do was hold you in his arms. Hold you safe until the world ended and only then would he relax knowing the two of you would go to death together. That’s all he wanted, he knew that now, but fear gripped him still.

“The difference between you and him is that he indulged in the darkness inside him. He allowed himself to become mean, but you don’t have that in you, Sanji. There is not an ounce of darkness inside that heart of yours. Why do I know this? Because we are one of the same – we fear the same things.”

Stunned, he wasn’t sure you really understood the fear that beheld him; nights when he was alone, sleeping in bed, all he could ever think about was turning into a monster. Like his father and brothers. Then after using the raid suit that seemed to awaken…everything his father was hoping for when he was a child. That had scared him so badly he made Zoro promise to kill him if his humanity slipped away. He had to ask the swordsman because he was the only one that would do it – even with all the bickering, there was mutual respect. He knew Zoro would follow through with his code of honor, even if it meant never seeing you again – anything to keep himself for being a monster…of hurting….

“To love someone so much you hurt them, that is my fear. I don’t want to become a monster like my father – loved my mother so much he could only damage her. Tell me, Sanji, what is your fear?”

Your fingers shook against the counter, eyes fighting back tears. Emotions weaken your every breath, but you need to hear it out loud. Needed to hear him say it out loud. Tears formed in the man’s eyes, and he let out a deep breath, gathering up the courage but why did it feel so hard? Why were the words lingering in the back of his throat? Why was this harder to say to you? He felt dizzy and God, he needed a smoke but instead he thought of the small child he once was. The pain his family inflicted onto him and how he survived it all because of the two women in his life – his mother and sister. The kindness in their hearts kept him going and allowed him to escape that horrible place. His sister, Reiju, told him he’d find kind people in the world and how right she was – because he did find his kind people, he did find his family.

“I don’t want to become a monster like them.”

A tear fell from his eye, and you reached for his hand, telling him to look at you. He did, eyes shaking as you held his hand tenderly. “The greatest thing that ever came from that family is you – don’t you see that? How can such a lightness like you become a monster? Can’t you understand that? I need you to understand that, please.”

He started to cry, and you moved to him, closing in on the miles of space that seemed to have formed between you for some time now. Without hesitation, he moved down into your arms; falling onto his knees, he buried his head into your stomach. Holding back tears of your own, your fingers ran through his hair as his arms draped around your waist. Soothing his sorrows with each stroke of your fingers, you whispered his name. His head moved back to look up at you, eyes soft, sad. Touching his face, with bated breath, you told him he could never be a monster. “…and if by the grips of hell, you do. I’ll become a monster too and we can go into the darkness together.”

I love you, that’s what you were saying. He knew it in his heart, as he stared up at your melancholic face; you were sad for him, sad for yourself but that was the world, wasn’t it? Oh, God, what a fool he had been! All this time, you were right there in front of him but…that was why he had gone with his family, agreed to the marriage. Keeping his family safe from the family that rejected and neglected him; he wanted to keep Luffy, the others, you, safe. The thought of anything happening to any of you, that had been true fear, but he was an idiot. He should have had faith in Luffy, faith in you from the beginning. It was clear now, the depths you would have gone for him because there was no corner of the world he would not have gone to, to save his family. To save you.

Closing his eyes, he let out a deep breath and stood up; knees heavy, feet firming on the ground and before he could give into nerves – he took your face into his hands and kissed you. It felt like the air shifted; everything that made no sense, suddenly made complete sense. Arms slipped around his shoulders, fingers gliding up his neck into his hair; the small action sent things in motion. Before you could understand, Sanji had you leaned up against the counter, hands down at your waist. His lips captured yours and no amount of strength could pry them away. He groaned into your mouth, and you tugged at the buttons of his slacks – that’s when he paused. Breathless, for the second time of the day, he examined the expression in your eyes, and he asked if you were sure. “This isn’t exactly where I would have wanted…”

“This is perfect,” you murmured, nodding ferociously as he leaned in for a kiss. He laughed, forehead against yours, hands idly at the hem of your blouse. What if someone comes in, he asked, and you grabbed him by the chin. “Let them watch, I don’t care, Sanji. I’ve wanted this for so long, I’ve wanted...you.”

Tears started to well in your eyes and he lightheartedly chuckled, wiping the would be tears from the corner of your eyes. “No more crying today, let me show you how much I love you.”

The last three words left his mouth effortlessly and an aching erupted between the two of you. Mere seconds was all it took for Sanji to push aside everything that was on the kitchen island; his usual tidiness nonexistent as he helped you onto the counter. His limber fingers undoing the green kimono Nami had brought you. The silk felt cool against his skin and when he pulled off the garment, his eyes took in the sight before him – you were on your back, wanting him in all the ways one could want someone. He climbed onto the counter, using his right knee to separate your legs further. He was nervous but it was an exciting nervousness as he drifted down to you. He pulled himself out and you touched his shoulder, looking up at him with such strength, he could feel the fire inside you. It was all for him, and he knew right there, above the flesh of your love – he would live every day knowing he deserved you.

He deserved this, god damnit, he did.  And when he finally pushed into you and you withered under him, he knew it would be all fine. If somehow, he did become a monster – he knew you’d be right alongside him, monsters together; and if that wasn’t love, then what was?

…..

The bonfire was warm; the sound of Brook’s violin playing joyful music filled the air. Franky and Usopp were lighting fireworks and you watched as they cheered each other on, clapping and hooraying. Smiling, you leaned back into Sanji’s chest, his arms wrapped around your waist. His fingers were clasped together at your stomach and your hand was on his; his chin resting on your shoulder. Zoro was drinking alongside Jinbei, both lounging on chairs near the fire. Luffy had Otama on his shoulders as she pointed out all the different colors of the fireworks, Nami right by their side. Robin was sitting next to where Sanji and you stood, handing Chopper pieces of candy every so often – the pair enjoying the light show as the others.

“This feels nice.”

Turning your head to look at Sanji, you agreed, kissing him softly on the cheek. “I can’t believe we leave tomorrow…”

“Yeah, and I have a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg. We’re going to have a hell of ride from here on out.”

He was right; there was so much more left to be explored. So many more people to fight, people to help along with every one’s personal goals – all this leading to Luffy being the King of the Pirates. It wasn’t an if, it was a when and you were ready for the journey, for the fighting and most importantly, for moments like this. Surrounded by the people you loved the most – a family brought together by one young pirate. Sighing, you asked Sanji if he had everything he needed for the next adventure. He knew you meant supplies wise, but he held you tighter, and said all he needed was right in his arms.

“Smooth,” you whispered, and he laughed, moving off your back. He stretched and nodded to someone past the bonfire – a familiar face. It was Law, standing next to Luffy. After the kitchen affair, Sanji and you laid on the counter, tangled and sweaty. He was perched up on his elbow, other hand on your stomach, cigarette finally in his mouth. He made invisible circles onto your skin when he quietly asked about Law and you. “I don’t need details but…”

“There’s nothing to worry about,” you had assured him. “It really was just something that happened, and we both knew it was a one-time thing. It really was just two people lonely for the night.”

He seemed relieved with the answer, but you did mention the vivre card, and after a long moment, Sanji smiled softly. “He’s a powerful friend to have.”

“I’m going to make the second portion of the dinner, go talk to him.” Sanji kissed your forehead, and you held him by the elbow, stopping him from moving away from you. He gave you a perplexed smile but when you said I loved you to him; he beamed. Pulling you to him, he kissed you not once but twice. Laughing against your mouth when you pinched his butt. “You’ll be the death of me, sweetheart. I better go make food before Luffy decides he’s hungry again.”

You parted ways and watched as Sanji left to the cooking station; and when you moved passed Robin and Chopper, you gave each a light pat on the head. Walking over to Luffy, you said hello to Law, and he smiled at you. “I see you two worked things out.”

Nodding, you thanked him. “For being such a good friend to me, I appreciate it.”

Eyeing Luffy, Law nodded for you to follow him; the two of you moved to the side, out of hearing range. He stood at a respectable distance and said he was leaving tonight. “We have some things we need to get to. I heard you guys are leaving tomorrow, Luffy just told me.”

“My captain, loose lips.”

“I’m sure we’ll see each other soon; you Straw Hats have a way of crashing people’s plans…”

Grinning, you smiled proudly. “You mean we have a way of always saving people’s ass’s – that’s what you meant, right?”

Law drew a scowl and you laughed, patting him lightly on the shoulder. You told him to never change, and he finally smiled, telling you the same. Moving to give me a hug, the pirate stepped back, and you laughed, promising no harm would come to him. “Sanji’s not going to kick your ass, you don’t have to be afraid.”

The man grumbled under his breath but returned the gesture; the two of you embraced and you were grateful for him. For being there on a lonely night, for being thoughtful and mature; for being a friend. Giving him a tight squeeze, you smiled up at him and he reminded you of his vivre card. “If you guys ever need help…”

“Even if you don’t want to show it, you’re a kind person, Law.”

Parting ways, you watched as he walked back to his crew; laughing when Bepo attacked him with a hug. Oh, he was definitely a softie for his crew. Feeling a wave of lightness in the air, you turned to your own crew and strode to Nami when she waved you over. She eyed your outfit and gave a thumbs up, pulling you to her side she asked if Law and you bid your goodbyes. “Yeah, we did.”

“Good – I don’t want him sniffing around you now that Sanji and you are together.”

You let out a laugh, hugging her tightly. “You’re such a good friend, Nami.”

The two of you held each other, enjoying the fireworks for a while until you felt a familiar hand on your shoulder. With a cigarette perched between his lips, Sanji asked Nami if he could have some time with you and the navigator smirked. “Just because she’s your girlfriend now doesn’t mean you can hog her time! And while we’re at it, no more…. you know, where we eat!”

Sanji and you flushed with shame, eyeing each other – as if to accuse the other of blabbing. Catching on, Nami rolled her eyes and commented that she heard noises coming from the kitchen. Sanji buried his face in your back, holding you tight against his body. Equally embarrassed, you apologized to Nami.

“Just don’t let it happen again, you’re lucky Robin was standing guard after I heard the noise.” She looked over to you and sneered. “You’re like really loud, by the way. I think we should ask Franky if there’s a way to add another bedroom – none of us should have to deal with that.”

“Please go away,” you begged her, and she howled, walking away with a shake of her head. Mortified, you told Sanji he could never touch you again and he laughed, tugging you firmly against his chest.

“Not a chance.”

Turning around to face him, you slipped both arms around his neck just as the last of the fireworks were set off. Sparks flew up above the sky, the sound of young Otama’s cheers rang in your eyes and when Sanji’s eyes set upon you – fireworks ignited in your heart. His eyes grew soft as his head leaned toward yours and when his lips touched yours; you knew it was all worth it. The suffering the two of you endured, from childhood to now, it all seemed worth it now that you had each other. Sanji’s heart finally felt at ease with you in his arms, he truly was where he belonged. Luffy shouted for everyone to gather, a toast with the best crew ever! Sanji and you kissed once more, hands on each other’s face; his thumb rubbed against your cheek. Brushing strands of hair from his face, your eyes took in the sight before you. A man who was confident, who knew he was deserving of the world and you, the woman who would make sure he’d get everything he wanted. “You’re going to find the All Blue, Sanji. I’ll make damn sure of it.”

The sound of your captain shouting Sanji and you over to where the rest of the crew now stood, brought a beaming smile onto the cook’s face. He gazed upon you with a hopeful glee in his eyes and reached down for your hand. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

As the words danced around Sanji’s heart, hand in hand, you walked over to Luffy and the others; Zoro being quick to make a quip about your new relationship status. Lovesick idiots were his exact words which sent Sanji into a raging fit. Holding him by the waist, you laughed which made Nami shout at you for egging them on. Chopper voiced his concern about Sanji and you being sick, Robin giggled at his cuteness, while Brook asked if seeing your panties was out of the question now – which in turn made Sanji’s fiery directed to him. Luffy shouted for Sanji to stop, that he would burn Brook down to the…bones. Usopp smacked Luffy on the head because the musician was already made of bones. Franky cheered for no one in particular, he just wanted to see a fight, while Jinbei could only laugh at the mess in front of him. After several minutes of this, the arguing turned into soft bickering that involved into laughter and then Sanji’s arm was around your shoulder, everyone’s cup of sake in the air. Smiles all around and in the morning, the Sunny would sail away from Wano. Sanji and you, side by side, would be monsters together, forever.

..........................................................................

tags:

@stuckinthewrongworld @theyluvmesblog

@synchronised-beat @hi3431

@fandomsunited @ghostercy

@yuki190 @bowscale @utakamo

@fire-child-kira @cheshireshiya

@teenyforestfairy @sukilovesyou

@69cocktimusprime @littlemissfiore @kodzuchim

@angeiisa @bitchycoffeepainter69

@secretlife028 @idiot-sanwich02

@abandonedbrat @breens-nick

@bocchi-the-heart @sseleniaa

@depression-247 @sweetgurl1623-blog-blog

@punem699 @themossiestchick @sweetcoldmelancholy

@sanjipudinzinho @baelien-queen

@kodzuchim @kfcmuncha @bloodysweetcat

@angeiisa @gingersnap126126 @amoamista

@sweetchimpeaches @dohkyu @yagurlyve

@simpx4xanimexmen @micaelacantsleep

@meritxellao @armaria

[foxydivaxx]

Zosan- Look What You Made Me Do

Naming this after a Taylor Swift song makes sense tbh. Yes, this is the villain Sanji story.

Zoro has made an observation about Sanji lately. Although the cook still maintains that mask of his, dancing around Nami and Robin and cooking as usual. But something feels off. Almost as though all the warmth within him is slowly disappearing. Considering the latest tragedy in his life which is the destruction of the Baratie and the deaths of the cooks and Zeff at the ends of the Charlotte family and Germa, it is not surprising. 

He remembers the day they got the news via a newspaper. The others tried to hide it from the cook but eventually, he found out and he lost his shit. He wanted to go to war with his family that day. This was before he was forced into marrying that Pudding girl. The fact that Sanji abandoned the girl after completing their mission and even said in the most scathing tone that she was trash is shocking. Considering the girl's actions, she deserves every form of hate.

Now months later and at a glance, tensions seemed to have calmed down. But as time went on, Sanji began to snap and get pissed off by the littlest of things. At first, he thought he was seeing things. But after some mediation sessions, he realized how right he was. Something happened to the cook. He started realizing it after the debacle with his family and past and also after their trip to Wano.

Sure, it is a sort of a welcome change to see him, no nosebleed every few seconds whenever they pop up. He still flirts. But it just does not feel the same. Usopp has been noticing that Sanji has been distancing himself recently. He does his normal job but only reserves flirting for meals. Even the flirting has reduced drastically. Once meals are done, he just stays in his lane.

Did some woman break his heart? But then again, a lot of women have turned him down over the years. So he doubts that is the problem. That leaves only one thing; his powers. Maybe the cook fears that he could become like the rest of his biological family. Only one way to find out.

Once everyone had gone in after dinner, he headed over to the cook’s room. Usually, he would knock. But today was not the time. So he just opens the door and walks in. The blonde was going through a book whilst lying down on the bed. 

He looks up, an icy glare in place. “Why the fuck did you just barge into my room, you shitty swordsman?!”

His fiery temper was still there. “Listen, we need to talk.” Sanji raises an eyebrow and puts his book away. Now that is unusual. On a good day, Zoro would not even bother himself because as far as Sanji was concerned, Sanji was a nuisance to him and he just tolerated him for his cooking and fighting skills, skills he often questioned.

“About what?”

Here goes nothing. “You been acting weirdly cook.”

This took Sanji aback. Why would Zoro care for him?“What do you mean? Like I am perfectly fine, mosshead. No need for anyone to worry about me.”

“You are hiding something.”

“I AM HIDING NOTHING YOU STUPID SHITBAG!!”

“Yes, you are!! And I will not rest till I get the truth out of you!!”

This irritates Sanji even more. “AND WHY THE FUCK WILL YOU CARE ALMIGHTY ZORO WHO CAN MOW ANYONE WITH THREE SWORDS?!!”

“You are a part of this crew, goddammit!”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Besides, why are you pushing so hard for this?! I never mattered to you or anyone on here!!”

Now we are getting somewhere. “Who says?”

Sanji looks away. “Let’s just say my excessive flirting has caused more harm than good.” 

Bingo. “I warned you, didn’t I?”

“Look, it ain’t my fault!! Considering how I was raised and shit, I just do not know how to control myself.”

“That is not just it hm Cook?”

“SERIOUSLY SHUT THE FUCK UP MARIMO!! AND WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU STILL IN MY FUCKING ROOM?!! WHY ARE YOU ASKING ALL THESE QUESTIONS?!! LIKE FUCKING LEAVE ME ALONE!!”

“Not until you fess up perv cook.”

It was at this point that something changes within Sanji, something that shocks Zoro. Sanji gets up and soon his entire body gets consumed by flames. His eyes are now blank and a pair of devil horns appear on his head. 

“You know nothing Marimo….” His voice now sounded distorted, demonic. Before Zoro knew what was happening, Sanji vanished from the room in the blink of an eye. Stunned, he immediately rushes out and looks for the cook. Not a sign of him.

He immediately alerts the rest of the crew and tells them what has just happened. "WHAT?!" Luffy exclaimed in shock. "Maybe his father did something to him. Like some experiment and he was not aware of it.?" Robin suggested.

"Maybe that could explain why he reacted that way. Whatever that strange power is, it is slowly consuming him," says Chopper. "We have to find him before he destroys himself and the world," says Usopp.

"But where do we even start?" Brook asked. "I hate to suggest this, but we may have to have a word with a certain family."

[analogwriting]

It Comes in Waves

Chapter 19: Grinding Wave Trafalgar Law x gn!reader word count: 2.3k first|next

Eventually, you reached Big Mom’s territory. Finally, an island. “I’ll take care of groceries,” you mumbled, running a hand through your hair. You all were just eating grilled fish on your way here, which was fine, but when it’s the only thing, it could be redundant. The plus side of Luffy having cooked was that he didn’t even bother with spices, so at least you could make different flavors.

You docked at the island, heading into town. You watched as Chopper and Luffy ran into town, screaming in excitement as everything seemed to be made of chocolate. “Don’t eat too much! You’ll get sick!” you hollered, rolling your eyes. 

You decided to follow them, putting off your grocery trip. You didn’t trust them in a place like this. It was a recipe for disaster. And in the two seconds that you didn’t have your eyes on them, they had already eaten most of a building. 

However, a young woman had come to your aid, claiming she had hired them and now you all were in her house. She introduced herself as Pudding and she was apparently Sanji’s betrothed. She spoke of never having the option of being able to marry who she wanted due to the nature of why Big Mom had children. It was honestly disgusting. Having children just to marry them off and make your own army? Despicable. 

Then she spoke of meeting Sanji and how he basically turned her down, shocking everyone. Sanji turning down a woman as cute as Pudding? It was unheard of. Though, hearing that it was because he had to get back to his crew made you smile. At least his priorities seemed right - for once. 

A plan was created to meet up tomorrow but you couldn’t help but have a feeling of uneasiness. There was something off about Pudding. No one was that nice and selfless. She definitely had to be up to something, but you didn’t bother bringing it up.

After leaving Pudding’s you took everyone with you to pick up food for the ship. You thought about carrying it yourself, but you figured you’d make Luffy work a little for it since he was the one that destroyed all the food before. Back at the ship, you realize Pekoms is missing. “You don’t think he ran off, do you?” you wondered aloud to no one in particular. 

Luffy discovered a message that said “Turn Back” which only drove him to do the opposite. You expected nothing less of him. You unloaded the groceries as they set sail. 

You reached your next destination. Things are still made of desserts and it’s absolutely insane to you. You didn’t realize so many things could be made of food and not go bad? You’re looking around as Chopper and Luffy get excited over the desserts once more.

An incident with an alligator in clothing later, there were suddenly two Luffy’s. You stopped, watching him argue with himself. You rubbed your eyes and blinked, thinking that sleep deprivation was starting to get to you. “No, there are two of them,” you heard Nami say. “One is enough…”

They were even talking the same. You almost couldn’t tell them apart. Then you realized as Luffy moved, they were mirrored. Everything was on the opposite side. Before you could say something - Chopper did. 

“There’s Sanji!” You looked up as you heard Chopper’s voice once more. He was just…sitting in a tree with a sucker? “I don’t think…” You narrowed your eyes. Again, with Nami here and Sanji just sitting there - tell tale sign of it not being Sanji. Plus, a sucker instead of a cigarette? 

You see him take off, the others in pursuit sans Luffy. He was still dealing with his duplicate. You looked from him to where the others were running. Fuck. “Wait guys! That’s not Sanji!” You called out, running. “I’ll be back, Luffy!” But he couldn’t hear you over the sounds of him fighting himself. Oh, ocean, please keep you sane.

You spot them, skidding to a stop. Everything felt weird. Something was weird about this forest. “Something isn’t right…” You looked around. Suddenly, there was a giant head but also a rabbit attacking you. One that didn’t look as sweet as Carrot. You grabbed a knife out of your pouch - you had grabbed several and put them in a pouch since you didn’t exactly have your necklace right now.

You tossed it at your pursuer, mostly just trying to stall him so you all could make an escape. It worked, you threw him off guard as it hit him in the shoulder. Nami and Carrot hopped on Chopper and they ran, you close on their heels. You were back where Luffy had been, him still fighting with his clone.

“Luffy stop fighting - let’s go!” 

“What?” 

You shake your head. “Just follow!” He nods, heading after your group. 

All for you guys to end up by the giant head in the ground again. “Wait, hold on. Something isn’t right. We just ran away from this place?” 

You looked around, narrowing your eyes as you studied your surroundings. Then you realized. “Guys, I think the forest is alive.” Nami looked at you as if you grew a second head. “That’s absolutely ridiculous. There’s no way.”

You shook your head. “No, I’m pretty sure. Cause that flower was not next to that tree the last time we were here,” you said pointing to a rather boisterous looking flower next to a tree. “It was closer to Mr. Giant Head.” You pointed where you had seen it before.

“Are you positive?” Nami narrowed her eyes. You sighed, not really knowing how to prove it to her without somehow catching things in the act. “Let me test it,” she said, taking off on Chopper once more only to end up back where you were moments later. “What?!” 

And you looked at Luffy, narrowing your eyes. This was the most quiet you had heard him. He would’ve definitely said something about your absurd theory. He looked at you. “What?”

“You’re not Luffy.” Not only was his energy off, but you could tell by the scar on his face. It was on the wrong side. You heard Chopper shriek, looking over as he pointed to the trees that suddenly had faces on it.

“Clever, clever.” “Too clever for their own good.” They all began speaking to each other, sinister looks on their faces. You saw ‘Luffy’ jump at Nami and moved quickly, throwing another knife and striking him in the arm. You heard him scream and suddenly turn into a giant woman. Your eyes widened as he transformed right before your eyes. She glared at you. “You’re quite the clever one, aren’t you?” 

Suddenly, you felt a vine wrap around your torso and lift you into the air. “Wh-?” The environment around you shifted quickly and you suddenly were without your friends. You tugged and pulled on the vines, feeling your anger and frustration building up. You were able to get your hands on another knife, sawing through the vine and dropping to the ground. You groaned, slowly sitting up as you looked around. Everything was still again.

You cried out in frustration, yelling for your friends but to no avail. They couldn’t hear you and you couldn’t hear them. You started running, you knew you had to run into them eventually. 

Eventually, you found the giant head again and Luffy. He looked at you and smiled wide. “Y/n!” You stopped, immediately taking a defensive stance as you looked at him. He scrunched his face. “What’s wrong?” You noticed the scar on his face was in the right place and relaxed. “I wasn’t sure if you were you,” you said, running a hand through your hair.

“Huh?” 

“The other you. It tried to attack Nami but I stopped it for a second only for it to turn into a giant woman and then she separated me from everyone else.” That’s when you heard all the noise coming from behind you. You turned around, seeing all the duplicates of your friends. “What the hell is this?”

“I don’t know! I’m trying to find everyone but they keep multiplying but they’re not talking!”

“Probably because they’re clones, Luffy!” Though, Luffy’s clone could talk. Probably because it was that woman. Brulee? Was that her name? You didn’t quite catch it before she sent you away. You walked towards them, taking note of the noises they’re making. “I think they’re animals just turned into copies of our friends.”

“Well, why would someone do that?”

“Probably to catch us off guard and distract us.” You groaned.

“Untie me now!” You blinked, noticing one of the Nami’s looking extra pissed. “Luffy, that one is real.”

“Oh.” He went to untie her, Nami scolding him for tying her up.

“You.” You turned to the giant head, who had just been watching the whole time. “I’m sure you know what's going on, don’t you?” A nervous look crossed his face. “Well, I might tell you if you give me some apple juice from the river over there,” he said, trying to act like he held any ground.

“Or, you could tell me before I carve a permanent smile into your face,” you threatened, taking out a knife with a dark look appearing on your own face. He yelped. “Okay, okay!” 

Then he started explaining. Everything was alive because of souls? It was something that Big Mom could do and the residents had to pay with part of their soul in order to stay protected, then their souls were put into the trees and such. Why did Pudding warn you about this? You feel like you walked right into a trap. He explained that the clones were just things that Brulee had made with her power. Something else entirely. You groaned, pinching the bridge of your nose. This was getting more and more annoying by the moment.

Once asked who he was, he began to talk about how he used to be married to Big Mom and his daughter was someone that apparently the Strawhats had run into once. At least that’s what you gathered from the way Nami reacted. 

Not much else was said as he was yoinked out of the ground by another large man named Cracker? You thought he was insulting him for a second and almost went into shock with the immediate escalation of an insult, then you realized that was the guy's name. 

Next thing you knew, the rabbit came back with a crane and Brulee was back with a giant tree monster? You were about to have whiplash with the constant turn of events. “We still aren’t finished,” you heard the rabbit say as you turned to face him. He seemed to have recovered from his stab wound and was running at you with a staff. “You seem to be a ranged fighter, so I’ll make this quick.”

After grabbing one of your knives, you pressed a button on the hilt, turning it into your own staff with a blade on the end as you blocked the incoming attack. His eyes widened in surprise and you grinned. “Why would I specialize in one attack form?” You pushed him back, feeling the forest move around you once more. Next thing you knew, you were separated from your friends once more and you groaned. “That’s getting old fast.” 

You weren’t exactly worried about Luffy, but you were a little worried about Nami. Fighting wasn’t her strong suit. You knew she could hold her own, she just didn’t like it. 

“Don’t get lost in thought during a fight.” He came at you again and you blocked him with ease. “Who said I was,” you said.

This continued for a bit. He swung, you blocked. You swung, he blocked. You needed to get more creative. It’d been a while since you’d been in combat like this, so you were a bit rusty. And being in the middle of a forest didn’t help. Your power came from the sea, after all.

That, and being without your necklace was starting to take a toll on you already. It had some very important things for your vitality in there, but you knew you’d be fine. For the most part, right? 

Suddenly, he swept your feet out from under you and you felt yourself crash to the ground. You gasped, all the air leaving your lungs. “What did I tell you?” he said, pointing his staff at you. You glared at him, smacking his staff away and immediately swinging at him.

He wasn’t exactly expecting you to react in that way, you could tell by his own slow reaction time. You smacked him in the head pretty good, causing him to stumble back and you didn’t stop. You swung again and again. His arm, his leg, his head again, his side, etc. You kept going until he stumbled backwards onto the ground and you put the butt of your staff in his wound from earlier. He cried out and you glared down at him.

“Speaking gets you nowhere,” you spat at him, pressing into the wound more, causing him to cry out in pain again, squirming underneath you. “Actions. Actions take you places.” You pressed harder into his wound and he eventually passed out from the pain. 

Now, to find your friends.

[roro-mo]

Blessed

Sorry for such a late entry but I really wanted to participate for ZONAMI event. I've finally caught up with one piece and my love for ZONA came back like a drug withdrawal. I’ve been stalking the zonami tag and saw @zonamievents was holding an event. I really love this pair and really want to contribute again.

I haven't written anything in almost forever and the last fanfic I wrote for ZONA was a looooooonggg timeee ago (because I swear dressrosa arc lasted like 3 years). But I really want to continue giving love to this ship so here you go. You may find grammatical mistakes here and there so read with caution. I also rushed to post this sooooo .....anywaysss Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: I don't own one piece, if I did, this ship would've sailed already. 

Prompt Used: Fireplace

.............................….............................….............................….......................

She sat in front of the fireplace, warmth and love enveloping her. She was exactly where she dreamt to be.

The strawhat pirates were drifting through the ocean to their next destination, which appeared to be a winter island. The air was chilly, and snow started to build on the deck. For the first few days, one could see Luffy, Ussop and Chopper making snowman and playing in the snow; Ussop made a huge version of himself using snow, Chopper made another reindeer and Luffy ended up destroying them as his Merry laughter was heard throughout the ship. They played all kinds of snow games, they made snow angles, played snow fighting and even had a drawing competition on the snow. But after a few days, even the playful trio retreated inside, into the warmth of sunny.

To adopt the traditions of Christmas, Franky built a temporary fireplace in the kitchen and the crew worked together in decorating the kitchen and their Christmas tree together. The kitchen paralleled the snowy deck outside as it  was decorated with silver tinsels everywhere. They each hung one Christmas stocking on the fireplace mantle. Luffy was the most excited and he asked Sanji whether he would receive meat in his stocking. 

The crew decided to celebrate Christmas with a huge Christmas Eve feast, as can be expected from Luffy’s stomach, followed up by a secret Santa by the fire place and Christmas tree. Unfortunately, the feast turned out to be a banquet which lasted until the midnight, secret Santa long forgotten about. 

Soul king officially held a secret concert - unknown to his fans- in the sunny and his signature ‘yohoho’ laughter was contagious with Luffy, Ussop and Chopper joining in to imitate soul king.

Robin sat on an armchair near the fireplace, covering herself with a blanket to preserve heat. She was in the middle of reading her book but giggled when her captain jumped on the table and was trying to steal the soul king’s spotlight by screeching on the top of his lungs - which to him, bless his soul, he thought was singing.

Ussop was now laughing, rolling around the floor and Chopper went onto his party mode. He shoved two chopsticks up his nose and used a basket to dance from left to right, then right to left. Robin’s eyes followed the little reindeer and she giggled some more. 

Robin’s eyes then strayed from chopper to Franky who was moving his tushie back and forth, and his two robot hands collided to form a star. Her eyes stayed a little longer on his perky butt before turning to read her book once again.

For once, Sanji and Zoro were not seen arguing. Call it a Christmas Miracle or Nami’s clever planning. Sanji was drinking wine with Nami on the table and they were reminiscing about their adventure in whole cake island. They had already drank 3 bottles together talking about their adventures. The wine had little impact on Nami but Sanji was starting to see two Namis. He blinked to power through this rare occasion where Nami-Swan was gracing him with her presence. Nami was feeling nostalgic, she never dreamt of having another family outside of her village and so many adventures during her struggle with Arlong crew. Maybe it was the snow outside or the warmth emitting from the fireplace, she really wanted to share and treasure these moments where all of them were together. 

Nami shared how she really thought he was going to leave the crew during his fight with Luffy. Sanji told her how his brothers fell in love with her, “as if anyone won’t” he said with heart eyes whilst laughing and singing “mellorinnnee”. A scoff was heard from the fireplace but she dismissed it. 

She felt an eye on her back - watching her carefully as her hands lightly touched Sanji’s forearm on the table. A disapproval grunt was heard from the fireplace and she retracted her hand. She turned to face the owner of the voice and stuck her tongue out. She hated that his eye was always on her, leaving her little room to do anything mischievous without his knowledge. But she felt safe knowing he was always watching her, keeping her safe. It took her time to get used to her possessive lover but surprisingly, she was fond of his love language. She loved the way his eye hawked at her when she wore skimpy outfits; she loved the way his calloused hands felt on her skin, the way his fingers twirled with her hair as if it was the most precious thing in the world and the way his lip kissed her whole body. Despite the warm room, she shivered at the thought of his tongue trailing her curves once again and could not wait for them to have some alone time once they dock on the island they were heading towards. She shook her head to keep her indecent thoughts away. 

She then went on to tease Sanji about Pudding and how they almost got married. Sanji, with heart in his eyes, then got up to tell his goddess not to worry about the queen he met in whole cake island. He sang to Nami that he loves both of them equally and would marry Nami-swan instead - no scratch that- would marry both of them if he could. But all of a sudden the kitchen moved and he saw three Namis before falling on the floor from all the drinks they had. His body betrayed him, he wanted to stay just a little longer and continue chatting with Nami but he was now drunk and out for the night. 

Nami sighed, knowing she picked the wrong drinking partner. She turned around to look for her original drinking partner who took another swing from his mug. She got up, ignored the lifeless body and stepped over Sanji, who was lying on the floor face first. 

Barrels of drinks lay next to the swordsman, and a grin was plastered on his face. He was laying on the floor whilst resting his back on the sofa and watching the little sparks of fire burn the wood in front of him. 

Sounds of heels clicked against the floor as Nami made her way towards Zoro with another bottle of wine on her hand. She asked him “what’s with the grin?” And without turning, he stated, “You done with love cook?” 

She made a disapproving look as she sat with a thump next to him, in front of the fire place. She knew that statement wasn’t a question and he meant many things with that simple statement. One of them being she made the right decision to choose him over Twirly brows. She knew he was listening to their conversation, but she didn’t care anymore. At first, it irritated her when he was always listening to her conversations with other crew members, especially when she would talk to Sanji. But she eventually gave up because this was his way of protecting her.

She opened the bottle of her wine and said “you know he and I share memories that you and I don’t have.” She gulped down some wine straight from the bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand before saying “and we have secrets you and I don’t have!” 

All zoro did was chuckle as he gulped down some more sake. 

“We so do!” Nami whined, knowing he didn’t believe her. 

“Sanji brothers love me he says!” 

“Ohhh” he said with a grin. “What a surprise.”

“Looks like pervertism runs in their family.” 

“Is that even a word, idiot.” 

Nami received a shrug before he gulped some more sake. 

She missed this. She missed zoro and being in the same place with the whole crew. With so many battles and saving islands one after another, she was tired of saving others to be honest. She reminisced about her young 10 year old, who was saving the town and who never dreamt of being a pirate. But look at her now; navigator of a pirate ship, singing binks’ sake song and drinking till the morning. She smiled as she recalled all of her memories - the good and the bad. 

“What’s with the smile?” It was his turn to ask as he finally looked her way when she went silent for a while. 

She was blessed and she knew it. She was glad the 10 year old, the 12 year old and the eventful 18 year old who met Luffy and Zoro didn’t give up. She was glad she just didn’t end it, she was always close to losing it every time but her precious Bellemere-san didn’t raise her to be a quitter and Nami was thankful to the young her. 

“Hey” he said softly when she didn’t respond. 

Nami leaned on his shoulder and knew she was exactly where her young 10 year old dreamt her 20 year old to be. 

She then started to talk about what was on her mind and reminisced about the day they met. She explained that fate had connected her to Luffy and Zoro; how she didn’t believe they would come chasing her and how he almost drowned in front of her. 

She didn’t realise it but she clutched his yukata coat slightly harder at that memory. Her mind went to buggy and she giggled, earning her an eyebrow from the swordsman with whom she was laying on the floor with. 

“Is my death a joke to you?” He said seriously offended at the thought of Nami laughing when he almost drowned. But he didn’t really believe he would’ve died then. He couldn’t explain it but when it came to Nami, he was able to see through her, even when she was being an annoying little witch. He didn’t ever want to admit it but he let nami twist him in her little fingers, and did favours for her. Somewhere down the line, he left his guard down - maybe it was the day he jumped on the pool, risking his life or maybe it was the moment they met - but his trust and bond with her only grew stronger with time.

She laughed once more, which were drowned out by the violin Brook was still playing. She giggled and shook her head. Nami then described their blue haired acquaintance Buggy and Zoro made a disgusted face at the thought of Buggy. She giggled, shifting closer to the swordsman and said, “I’m thankful to Buggy because we met thanks to him.” 

They sat there, in front of the fireplace, as laughter died down one after another. Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper all fell asleep on the table; it was beyond their bed time and they all had one drink too many. The soft violin music eventually stopped but the navigator’s voice continued to be heard in the kitchen. She was still talking about their adventures they shared together while Zoro just drank some more, grunted here and there to say he was still listening to her. She continued to lean on him and rest her head on his shoulders as she spoke sweet nothings. 

Franky was eventually tired and decided to find a spot to fall asleep. He sat on the floor, next to the arm chair where Robin was still reading her book. He leaned his head on Robin’s legs and let slumber take him over. Robin smiled and draped the blanket she had over Franky to keep him warm. She was worried he would catch a cold because he’s always only wearing Speedos. She patted his head and went back to to her book.

In front of the fire, which was now beginning to fade. Zoro lifted his arm to wrap her and pull her closer to him. He ran his fingers through her hair, just the way she liked it, and used his fingers to brush his hair. He kissed the top of her head and whispered with a smile, “is there anything else I need to know about this secret you share with nose-bleed kun?” 

Nami smiled, resting her head on zoro chest. She listened to his steady breathing, his chest rising and falling with each breathe, lulling her to sleep. She had chosen the right person after all - she was content and in bliss. She sat in front of the fireplace, warmth and love enveloping her. She was exactly where she dreamt to be. 

Bonus: 

In the dawn of the morning, Jimbei climbed down from the crows nest and made his way to the kitchen. He wanted to wish everyone Merry Christmas and see if secret Santa actually happened after he left - though he doubted it. He had partied with Luffy at his request halfway though Christmas Eve but as the responsible pirate he was, he still wanted to take the watch to make sure they were safe on the sea. He opened the door and his mouth almost fell on the floor. 

Luffy was sleeping on the table while hugging Chopper for some heat. Ussop was on the floor and Brook fell asleep on a 90 degree angle in a corner of the room. Jembei realised Brook must’ve gotten stuck while showing his skill and fell asleep on the same spot. Robin and Franky were on the floor sharing a blanket. He could not find Sanji but would’ve found him on the same spot he fell if Jimbei walked a little further in. Zoro was sleeping on the floor as usual but what surprised him was Nami. She was next to him, resting her head and hand on his chest but he was sure they hated each other with all the bickering and arguing. Jimbei just shrugged it off, thinking it must be their weird way of communicating. His face paled as he though ‘Maybe that’s what turns them on!’

He really went ahead and joined a crazy crew. 

//////////

Hope you enjoyed the fanfic. Have a good day/evening/night! 

[itsthemoofacewriting]

Is it okay if I take my time

Great. So I edited the original post and Tumblr took it out of the search filter it was appearing in. Now I’ve reposted it and it won’t show up. Why do I bother with Tumblr? Maybe I should just stick to AO3 and FFN.

Title is taken from It’s Okay by Clara Benin, I listened to this song a lot whilst I wrote this (Even though I’m 100% sure it’s about the state of the world right now). I also listened to Conversations in the Dark by John Legend, if we all want something a bit more theme appropriate.

I know this has been done a lot since the end of WCI and I’m behind the times, but I finished the arc a couple of weeks ago and wanted a bit more closure between Nami and Sanji. So this is my spin on it and it’s a hot mess! Wrangled with this so many times before giving up and letting it be.

Summary: Because conversations at night are always more intimate and people end up revealing more than they’d expected. Or, Nami and Sanji clear the air after Whole Cake Island.  Rating: T. 

This can also be found on AO3 and FFN. 

Enjoy.

------------------------------

The grass beneath Nami was comforting and soothing as she ran her hands through it. She could have easily sat in a chair; it was within her view, folded in the corner, but laying down gave her a view of the stars above. It was a clear night and a rare moment where everything was calm. There was no crew member to save, no life hanging in the balance or Yonko chasing them. Nami wouldn’t get an opportunity to do this again anytime soon once they reached Wano. There would be lives hanging in the balance and Yonkos chasing them again. So she’d take this moment and run with it, savour it.

A gentle voice interrupted her, “Nami-san, I brought you some tea.”

She sat up with a start. “Sanji-kun! You made me jump. Thank you,” Nami replied, taking the offered teacup. “What are you doing sleuthing about this late at night?” It couldn’t be much anyway, as he was dressed in a pullover hoody and pyjama bottoms. Still, her tone was more accusing than she’d intended

It didn’t seem to faze Sanji though as he smoothly replied, “Carrot just finished her watch, it’s my turn now. I saw you up and figured you’d like something to drink. It’s chamomile, by the way.”

Having a divided crew meant longer watches and it didn’t help that there was no Zoro or Robin. Both of them were night owls (or in Zoro’s case, he just napped too much throughout the day) and normally covered the bulk of the watches. Still, it was difficult and meant they couldn’t afford to lower their guard for one moment. Although they’d escaped Big Mom’s territory, there was still a strained tension in the air as they couldn’t be sure she wasn’t still pursuing.

Similar to the strained tension between the two on deck right now. They were civil and spoke when around each other, but there was still an elephant in the room. Unspoken things that needed airing. It wasn’t clear whether the rest of the crew had realised or not, if they had no one said anything.

Nami hadn’t responded and it didn’t look like she was going to either, so Sanji was left hovering, unsure whether to leave or not, whether to speak.

“Lay down with me Sanji-kun.” She flopped onto her back, not waiting for his response. She knew he would.

Sanji didn’t hesitate, flicking his cigarette over the side of the ship and laying down much closer than she’d anticipating. They laid side by side in silence. Nami didn’t have anything to say but she couldn’t stand his hovering any longer.

But she didn’t need to, Sanji swooped in. “What are you doing out here anyway?”

She shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep and it’s a nice night.”

Sanji seemed to accept that and they laid in silence, observing the stars above them. Except something about this silence was deafening, it wasn’t the comfortable one she was used to, and Nami found herself resisting the urge to fidget under its weight. Her mistake was behaving this way in front of Sanji.

“Is something bothering you?” He looked at her from the corner of his eye and there was something far too knowing there. Damn his perceptiveness.

“No. I can take over from watch if you want to go back to sleep.” He still had wounds to heal and she was starting to get a feeling about where this was going. Probably best to abort.

“That’s not necessary, I can do it from here for the time being and when you’re ready to go to sleep, I’ll move to the crow’s nest.”

Hm, no escape.

Distraction is was then.

“It’s a lovely night, so clear,” Nami said conversationally, “If you look over there, that’s the constellation Aquila-”

“Nami-san,” Sanji interrupted, his voice firm. Normally he wouldn’t press Nami to do things she didn’t want to but, he must know as much as she does that things between them needed to be cleared up.

She didn’t respond straight away. Not knowing how to start or if she even wanted to. Sanji didn’t seem impatient, just waiting. “I’m angry,” Nami said bluntly, she didn’t know whether it was the best way to go about it, but she was sick of thinking.

His voice was soft again, “I’m so sorry-”

“With you and with myself… and, just everything.”

Sanji didn’t say anything. That wasn’t what he was expecting, but she always did exceed his expectations.

“I was ready to leave you behind. I tried convincing Luffy to leave and I took your words at face value. How stupid considering I’ve been in the same place myself; I should have known better.” Nami shook her head at her own words, clearly agitated at the thought. “But after all we’ve been through and you were so willing to sacrifice your life. You treat your life so lightly and I hate it.” She paused. “But it’s silly isn’t it? I know why you did those things; you had such good reason to. But I can’t shake it.”

“My intention was to make you leave. I knew Luffy wouldn’t alone, he’s too selfish and single minded. I was hoping between my words and your feelings it would be enough, but well, that didn’t work,” Sanji said. He was trying to make her feel better about her decision, of course he was. But he dodged the part about his self-sacrificing nature, she noticed.

When they settled back into silence this time, it was lighter, Nami felt like she could breath. She slightly wondered if this was the end of their conversation, that maybe Sanji wouldn’t push it any further.

But she was wrong.

“I missed you.” Sanji’s words were barely a whisper, but Nami still heard.

“Didn’t seem to miss me that much when you proposed to Pudding.” The words were out before she could think about what she was saying, and she cringed at how jealous she sounded.

“I know but I was trying to make the best of a bad situation. Honestly.”

Nami snorted but chided herself afterwards. He had originally refused the marriage and the moment he was on the home stretch he hadn’t looked back. Sanji sighed and Nami felt a bit bad about giving him such a hard time, she knew he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

“Sorry. I know you refused the marriage before it got so complicated.” Nami was so frustrated.

“You know, I’m happy you’re angry,” Sanji hummed in delight, circling back to their previous conversation.

Nami turned her head to give him an odd look. “Perhaps you should go back to sleep, you’re not thinking straight.”

“No I am.” He smiled happily at her. “It means that you care about me.”

She snorted, feeling defensive about the way he’d phrased that. “Of course I do. Friends care about each other.” That’s right, she could downplay this.

“No, you care about me, that’s why you’re still so bothered by all of this,” Sanji smugly replied, not letting her explanation settle. But then he seemed to do a double take, hesitating at his over-confidence. “But, y’know, if you’re not ready…”

Nami heaved a sigh. He was giving her an out, but she knew if she didn’t do this now, they’d be back here further down the line. There was no escaping this. But did she really want to? Goddamn her for catching feelings. Why did she invite him to lay down? A small part of her knew it was because she wanted to have this conversation. She wanted this.

They’d been so close on Zou. Despite the dire situation the mink people had been in before they arrived, they’d been on the cusp of something. Hands that lingered just a second too long, gazes that strayed to the other when they weren’t around. This wasn’t sometime particularly new for Sanji, but it was new territory for Nami. Sanji wasn’t a fool either, he’d noticed. He’d returned it tenfold and even sought her out more often. And she’d enjoyed that. Then again, it didn’t stop her from setting his head straight when he got a bit too overzealous, but it was there. Subtle and building. Then shit hit the fan and messed everything up.

In her smallest voice, she whispered back, “I missed you too.”

She’d expected Sanji to ruin the moment, to start prancing about and shouting as he declared his love for her and that she returned it. Instead, he remained silent, looking up at the stars, a small smile curling up on his face. She felt his fingers tentatively reach out to hers, brushing against the tips of her fingers cautiously.

After a second, she realised it wasn’t caution, he was letting her make the final move. He’d extended the invitation and was giving her the opportunity to accept or reject it. She could lay here and make a bunch of excuses to not take the leap, Sanji would let her, but ultimately, she felt the same way. Now wasn’t the time to be a coward.

Her fingers covered the last distance, resting over his and curling around them, twining them together. Sanji let out a relieved sigh, for all his talk and prancing about, this meant a lot for him. His thumb traced along her hand lightly, enjoying the moment before his fingers squeezed hers, letting her know of his happiness.

She squeezed back.

“Your family suck by the way.”

“That’s an understatement.” Sanji let out a dark chuckle. “You impressed my brothers by the way, they wouldn’t stop talking about you. It was incredibly aggravating.”

“There’s only one Vinsmoke I’m interested in.”

“Reiju?”

“Oh good, now I don’t have to think about how to break it to you.”

Sanji’s laugh was lighter now and his fingers were squeezing hers again, amused by her words. She joined him, enjoying the moment to laugh with him again.

There was just one thing left bothering her and she’d rather see his face for this. She untangled her hand, his chasing after hers until she used that arm to prop her head on as she rolled on her side. Nothing needed to be said for Sanji to mimic her actions and she was looking into baby blue eyes. She was impressed, his eyes didn’t waver to her chest, staying firmly planted on her face, which she imagined was quite a feat in this position with a flimsy pyjama top on. Then again, this was a serious topic and he was never one to joke around in those kinds of situations. It was something Nami liked about Sanji, he knew when to reign it in and when to joke around. He read her so well. There was something daunting about that as well.

“Look, about Pudding…” Nami started to say but she was unsure how to finish.

“Pudding is a nice, albeit complicated person- probably a bit messed up from Big Mom’s upbringing- and she’s a fantastic baker.” Sanji finished. Nami couldn’t keep the disgruntled look off of her face. Sanji continued before she could say anything, “But she’s not you. No other woman is.”

Nami could feel heat blooming on her cheeks, it didn’t help that they were now face to face and she was confronted by the warm expression on Sanji’s face. “You’re a sap.” She gently pushed against his chest, not knowing how to deal with his adoring look. His hand trapped hers against his chest.

And it was in that moment, when she looked back at his face, that she realised just how close they were. Sanji’s expression was so soft and warm and she could feel herself being pulled in. Her eyes closed as their lips brushed together, feather light against the others and Sanji hummed in content. When they pulled apart, she opened her eyes and felt butterflies erupt in her stomach at the tender smile he gave her. The butterflies were now in a frenzy as he leaned back in, his lips tenderly moving against hers as his thumb rubbed little circles on the back of her hand.

Neither moved away when they broke the kiss, a hair’s breadth apart as their breath mingled together.

“I think I was scared,” Nami whispered against his lips. The darkness providing the security she needed to be honest. “Scared of losing you.”

“I was scared too,” Sanji whispered back, his nose nudging against hers in reassurance. “Being trapped in a place I hated. Having to leave the crew. Not being able see those dumbasses and Robin-chan ever again. Not seeing you.”

Nami’s heart twisted at the sentence ‘Being trapped in a place I hated’. They mirrored her childhood so well and her stomach churned at the thought of what he’d been through. She didn’t know a lot about Sanji’s childhood, he’d never shared, and she was starting to understand why now. Considering what Judge had said when the Straw hats and Vinsmokes had parted, it wasn’t pleasant. And there was that anger again, that anger with everything. Anger for him she supposed.

She didn’t know whether to probe about his childhood or not. They were having a deep conversation, so it seemed like a good time, but what if he didn’t want to?

Sanji interrupted her thoughts, unknowingly making the choice for her and swiftly changing the topic. “But it doesn’t matter, we’re back together.” And he beamed at her.

God it was difficult to be at the brunt of his smile up close. Just because she could, she leaned in to peck him on the lips.

But there was a time limit on how seriously Sanji could behave and it was up.

“And can I just say, your breasts look fantastic right now.”

“Pervert!” She exclaimed, shoving him this time and he rolled onto his back from the force. He was lucky that’s all he got.

His arms wrapped around Nami, bringing her into his chest and she hovered above him to look at his face.

But he hadn’t lost the cheeky twinkle in his eyes. “They look good in this position too. Maybe there’s not a position they don’t look good in.��

Nami’s hand pressed over Sanji’s face, pushing it to the side. “Maybe I’ve made a mistake…” She said teasingly.

“No take backs!” Sanji exclaimed and laughed, tightening his arms around her and coaxing her into his chest as he placed a kiss on her cheeks. “This is it, you’re stuck with me, Nami-san.”

“I could think of worse things, Sanji-kun,” Nami said, resting her head against his chest and listening to his heartbeat. Nami hummed, it was soothing, and she could feel herself drifting, nuzzling into his chest to get comfortable. His hands traced up and down her back and she could feel herself melting. Maybe they should have done this sooner, he was so comfortable. “No funny business,” She murmured sleepily.

“I’d rather you be awake for funny business,” Sanji said, leering down at her.

Nami snorted and felt Sanji press a lingering kiss onto the top of her head before she drifted off.

“Nami-san,” A soft voice coaxed, “Nami-san.” There was a soft hand on her shoulder, gently shaking it in an attempt to rouse her.

Stirring, she looked up, bleary eyed into Sanji’s face. It took her a second to remember what was going on but when she did, she asked, “What time is it?”

“Almost three, you should go to bed, you feel cold.”

Reluctantly she agreed, taking a moment to gather herself, she really was comfortable. Sanji was looking at her fondly and she couldn’t help but feel self-conscious for a moment, she really hoped she hadn’t dribbled. She rolled off of him, laying down on her side next to him and contemplated asking Sanji to carry her to her room. She knew he would, he’d do it in a heartbeat, but she was a grown up, not a five-year-old.

Nami sat up, Sanji joining her a moment after. She was about to leave but turned and smiled at Sanji. The night had shaped up pretty well and she gave into the impulse to lean in to kiss him. She briefly wondered if her breath was a bit gross after being asleep but Sanji didn’t seem to mind as he tilted his head to get a better angle.

She was aiming to keep the kiss light and it started out that way. Small pecks and feathery brushes as their lips met, but to hell with it, she enjoyed being a tease after all. She slanted her lips against his and pressed more firmly. Sanji made a noise of surprise in the back of his throat before reciprocating in kind and wrapped an arm around her to press her up against him.

What started sweet was beginning to turn heated as Nami nipped at Sanji’s bottom lip and he groaned as her tongue soothed along his bottom lip. Her stomach twisted when his free hand reached up to cup her face and his tongue tentatively met hers. He soon gained his confidence when she gave a breathy moan and their mouths met in an open mouth kiss. Nami could feel heat pooling in the stomach and although she was outside, it was all too hot.

Things were starting to get out of control. She needed to reign this in before it went too far.

She pulled away, breathing heavily and the hand on Sanji’s chest was now there to stop him from following after her. He looked thoroughly kissed and she imagined she looked the same. She graced him with a few small, lingering kisses.

“Good night Sanji-kun, see you in the morning,” She whispered against his lips.

“Hrrg,” He replied, before coughing and composing himself. The glassy look in his eye didn’t leave though as he nodded. “Good night, Nami-san.”

He leaned in to kiss her again, but she dodged out of the way. Heaving herself up, she winked and gave him coquettish wave over her shoulder as she walked towards her room. They may be together, but she did promise to make him work after his return.

And he was left watching her leave, waving back at her in a stupefied daze. A satisfied smile spread across his face.

---------------------------

I was so close to writing le sexy times. Sanji just forces my hand but I reigned it in, I’d never planned to and for once, I stuck to it. Also, Luffy almost made an appearance, to obviously ruin the mood because everyone loves Sanji suffering at the hands of his Captain… right?

I actually don’t like that scene they included in the anime, where Nami said about ‘working him like a horse’, it was far too cold for me. But I couldn’t resist mentioning it at the end and this is my spin on how she actually meant it.

As always, please forgive spelling errors.

Thanks for reading.

[misc-headcanons]

(The Straw Hats and Scabbards at the castle ruins, as well as Katakuri's children and O-Tama are eating dinner. The large dining room in the castle has been mostly cleaned of dust and cobwebs, but it's clear that it's been abandoned like the rest of the area for years. Vanilla is talking excitedly with O-Tama, Fritter is keeping to himself, Dochi and Ube are eagerly listening to Luffy talk about his previous adventures, and Maple is expertly eavesdropping on every conversation at once while she eats.)

Vanilla: Wow, you're a ninja-in-training, O-Tama? I'm a witch-in-training! Or, well, I dunno if "witch" is the right word. My momma always says that not everyone who uses magic's a witch, but I like saying it. Papa says I'm too cute to be a witch, but I think witches can be cute. Ninjas can be cute too, right?

O-Tama: I guess so. But I wanna be strong and stealthy as a kunoichi, not cute. I'm training to be a force to be reckoned with!

Vanilla: Yeah, but I think you can be a great fighter AND cute. I mean look at Mr. Chopper! He's a member of Luffy's crew so he can fight really well, but he's super fluffy and sweet too.

Chopper: Awww, who're ya calling a good fighter and cute? How dare you, hehehe~

Vanilla: See? Cool AND cute, just like you, O-Tama!

(Sanji notices Fritter's silence so far and gently puts a hand on his shoulder.)

Sanji: How do you like the soup, Fritter?

Fritter: Oh! Um, it's...it's really good. I'm happy I finally got to eat something you made, even if it wasn't at the castle. You really are a good cook, Uncl--Um, Not-Uncle Sanji.

Sanji: I think I remember Pudding saying you wanted to be a chef one day when you grew up, right?

Fritter: Uh-huh. Dochi and Ube wanna be fighters, and Maple's gonna be in charge of communi--um...comm-you...

Maple, offhandedly: Communications. What Uncle Monty does, remember?

Fritter: Yeah, that. So everyone in the family can talk to each other easy and not get messages wrong. And she's probably gonna be a really important Minister too, since she's so smart and good with magic. But I just wanna cook and bake in the kitchen with the chefs. They like to let me watch while they work, and I have my own chair where I sit and watch and everything!

Sanji: I bet you'll be a great chef, just like your Aunt Chiffon with cake and your Aunt Pudding with chocolate.

(Fritter smiles up at Sanji.)

Fritter: Thanks. I'm gonna make people happy whenever I cook something, just like you!

(Dochi and Ube are seated next to each other, practically bouncing in their seats as they hear more and more about the Straw Hats and the Scabbards)

Dochi: Wait, Miss Nami, you managed to make Zeus YOUR familiar!? Holy crap, that's so cool! I mean, Grandma probably doesn't think it is, but still...wow! Do you use magic like mom?

Nami: Well, I dunno if it's how your mom does things, haha. I mean the people I learned from were called "weather wizards", but it's more about science and learning about climate and stuff than spells.

Maple: Mom always says that "magic is just science turned sideways." Both have solid theories on how they work, and experimenting with both makes you more knowledgeable and powerful. Plus, even if it isn't powered by magic specifically, your staff seems like it has similar functions to mom's.

Ube: And Luffy, I still can't believe you fought Papa and didn't like...die! He's never fought anyone like you before. And the way you two weaponized your softer powers with rubber and Mochi with Armament Haki!? That was so cool!

Dochi: Yeah! Me and Ube were going nuts the whole fight while we watched through one of Auntie Brulee's mirrors. If Mama hadn't held us back, we woulda definitely tried to watch in-person.

Ube: And WE wouldn't ruin it the way Flampe tried to, either. I can't believe she thought Papa needed her help. OOOH, and when she started making fun of Papa's face--

Dochi: Yeah, that was WAY out of line... Mama had to put me and Ube into our own bubbles so we couldn't hop in there to kick her ass!

Vanilla, in a scandalized tone: Dochi! Don't say that! Auntie Flampe was really mean, but still...

Ube: You're right, 'Nilla. We were ready to kick Flampe's butt. And with that dress she wears all the time, it woulda been easy to kick that big, stupid, floating BUTT of hers!

(Fritter, Vanilla, and O-Tama snicker and try to hide how much they're smiling and giggling behind their hands.)

Luffy: How is Katakuri, anyway? I didn't really get to see if he got taken care of or anything before I had to get to my ship. That Mirror Lady probably got to him, right?

Ube: He had to stay in bed for a few weeks, but Mama and Auntie Brulee worked hard to make him better.

Vanilla: And me and Fritter, too! I helped with healing magic on his little cuts and scrapes, and Fritter always fluffed his pillows and stuff.

Fritter: Yeah, and I helped the chefs make donuts for his Meriendas too!

Ube: Oh. Uh yeah, they helped too. But most of it was Brulee being a good nurse and Mom being good with her magic. The day we fell through the portal here, he was taking walks and stuff every day.

Dochi: Heh, and practicing with his trident whenever he knew Mom wasn't around to scold him for getting too carried away.

Luffy: Aw, I get that. Chopper's always saying I'm not healed up enough to do stuff sometimes after a big fight, but I just do it anyway. I bet Katakuri's the same way with your mom.

(Maple's attention is turned to Law.)

Maple: So, I imagine that if you and Luffy are allies, you're the one with a plan to take Kaido on. You seem more...um, strategic than him.

Law: That's one way of putting it...Yes, I do have a plan.

Maple: Hm. You know, now that I know you two were planning to target him, some of the news about you makes a bit more sense. Destroying the main resources for SMILE production in Punk Hazard; kidnapping that idiot scientist to use as leverage in Dressrosa; defeating Doflamingo, Kaido's most powerful ally outside of his own crew and a major source of intel, manpower, and influence...I had a feeling that there was something tying it together.

Law: You're pretty sharp for someone your age. I'm not surprised your Uncle Mont-d'or would want you as the head of communication and intel for the Big Mom Pirates after he's gone.

Maple: Thanks. I'm just glad that there's some explanation for why you and Luffy's crew were seen traveling and fighting together so often. Though to be honest, I was surprised to hear that Doflamingo was sent to prison; if what I'd heard and seen about your history was true, I was expecting you to kill Doflamingo in Dressrosa. But Luffy doesn't seem to support killing your enemies if you can help it.

Law: How do you--

Maple: Don't worry, the Big Mom pirates don't know about that. Not even Uncle Monty does.

Law: And how do you?

Maple: The same way I know the Scabbards over there got sent through time and how they're the surviving retainers of Lord Oden, and that they're trying to defeat Kaido and this Orochi guy so Momonosuke can take his rightful place on the throne. Keeping secrets from me is a pretty hard thing to do.

Ube: Yeesh, quit acting so mysterious. You know everyone's business because you know Mom's spells on reading someone's memories and the All-Seeing Eye and--mmpgh!

(Maple's uses a quick spell to make Ube's tongue stick to the roof of his mouth. She narrows her eyes and frowns at him.)

Maple: And how to stop brothers from sharing too much with strangers. For someone who wants to be a leader within Big Mom's pirate crew, you'd think you'd remember that loose lips sink ships, Ube.

Vanilla: I thought most of Gramma's ships sank after people shot a bunch of cannons and bombs at 'em...

(After she stops giggling, Dochi uses some of her own magic to free Ube's tongue. Ube glares at Maple before turning to ask Zoro about what it's like to fight with a sword in your mouth.)

Maple: Look, I know you're a smart man and you clearly have a talent for strategy. But I just want to make what the backup is in case things go wrong.

Law: You're a newcomer, you don't even know the full extent of the plan, and you're demanding to know more? Just because you're a clever kid with magic, that doesn't mean I'm going to reveal every step of this to you. Your uncle had to have taught you that only one person should ever know the full strategy plan, and that's the one who planned it out.

Maple: Yeah, he did. I'm not asking you to trust me that much; if I were in your position, I certainly wouldn't. All I want to know is what my siblings and I can do to help and ensure that when things go wrong, we can be useful and get things back on track. You've just been handed a very valuable wild card, and I want to make sure you use us wisely.

Dochi: Whaddya mean 'when things go wrong', Maple? With Law's crew, the Straw Hats, the Scabbards, and all the allies they've got here, we're all super strong and you said that Law's really good with strategy.

Maple: True. But when it comes to HIM...(Maple gestures to Luffy, who's gulping down the last of his soup) you have the wildest card of all. And he seems to blow through any well-laid plan without any second thought. (She leans back in her chair a bit and crosses her arms) Whatever plan you have in mind, Mr. Law, it's pointless if you really haven't got a backup in mind for whenever he manages to completely ruin it.

Kin'emon: Do you really think someone as young and inexperienced as yourself could come up with a better idea?

Maple: I'm young, not inexperienced. Believe me, as the eldest in a family of five siblings imbued with magic and various forms of Haki, I'm an expert in making plans that are bound to be thrown off course by the chaotic whims of someone close to you. So, Mr. Law...what have you got in mind?

[flamingo-writes]

Good/Bad News — Sanji X Reader

Summary: What originally were good news, turned out to be bad. Sanji was forcing himself to turn his back on everyone he loved, including you. And those news felt like a spear through his heart. As much  as he wished to turn back, he could never undo the pain he did to you. 

Word count: 3.2 K

A/N: This takes place at both the beginning and the ending of Whole Cake Island. Long fragments in italics are flashbacks. I literally wrote this after reading a very angsty fic and I needed to let out those feelings of angst through writing more angst. Adding to the never ending chain of angst. But come on, who doesn’t like to feel pain by reading about your favourite characters? There’s a bit of fluff at the end to help soothe the pain. 

Warnings: angst, swearing, abusive language.

There was something special in the way Sanji looked at you. It went without saying. An adoration, a sweet fascination sparked in his eyes when he saw you. 

For such a flirty guy, his interest in other women vanished when you were close to him. So, as much of a flirt he was, you were never really worried about Sanji cheating on you. You knew for a fact that it was only you who owned the entirety of his heart and soul. 

And the feeling was mutual. Even though you weren't precisely flirty, like Sanji, you reflected in your eyes the same look he gave you. You looked at him with that same unconditional love, an endless,melting love flooded through you whenever you saw him. 

However, there was something very different in his eyes now. After beating Luffy, you felt your heart begin to shatter. Little by little. Seeing Luffy on the ground, unconscious, hurt like very few things you’d lived. Your captain's pain became yours as well. Stronger that the physical wounds, the new gap in your chest consumed you. Like poison invading your body, clouding you mind as you tried to convince yourself what you just saw wasn't real. However, your body, shaking in both disappointment and anger said otherwise. Torn between your guttural burning feelings, and your blinded consciousness. 

"Luffy!" Nami cried as you walked towards Sanji, who's eyes suddenly were unrecognisable. 

"Sanji, I have to talk to you" You growled, your voice lower than ever.

The gentle eyes you loved so much were gone. Replaced by cold hollow eyes. And yet, something at the back of them shone. Something you could very well identify. Pain. The quick glance of sorrow invading his eyes made you feel afraid. Afraid of whatever this might unchain. 

Sanji could not stand the pain in your eyes. Suddenly, afraid of the wound he’d just caused in your trust, and anger bleeding out of it. He turned around, ready to head back when you called his name. Feeling a rather uncomfortable lump grew in his throat when your voice broke calling his name. A voice that would pronounce his name in so many different sweet ways, now turned bitter and sour. 

Swallowing his pain, he shut his eyes closed reminding himself everything that was at stake. His biological family, his actual family, and Zeff.  He needed to keep himself under control. Faking, pretending to be the Vinsmoke he certainly wasn't. Pretending to be the cold hearted warrior his father had so cleverly designed. A human on the outside, incapable of feeling empathy for others. He had to play the part of exactly everything Sanji was not. 

He turned around, and that set of empty eyes was back. Looking at you like he had never before. You breathed in deeply, keeping yourself from breaking down in tears. If Sanji was going to be acting this way, so were you. Painfully, biting your tongue to the point of tasting blood made you regain the strength you needed to face whoever he was now. He was not your Sanji, not even close. As much as those two looked alike. 

"There's something I've been wanting to tell you for a while now…" you said, your voice serious and monotonous. 

"I don't have to hear anything from you, pirate…" He said contemptuously, his eyes scanning you in the most uninterested way. 

"Back in Dressrosa, I was hoping to get the chance to talk to you. But you disappeared along with the others" You began, completely ignoring him, and making him curse under his breath. 

Dammit, [Name], you’re making this harder, he thought. 

"Didn't you hear what I said, you dumb vulgar woman?" He barked turning around, however, you kept talking, knowing he was listening.

"Too bad we had to see each other under this circumstances, I had news you certainly would've loved..." 

His mind stopped for a bit, now curious for what you had to say. The more your word played in his head, the more terrified he felt.  

"...but, because of this mess, I doubt this news will make you happy like they would've originally have done"

"What makes you think I care for what you have to say?" Hissing he quickly looked at you over his shoulder, keeping his hands inside his pockets.

"I'm pregnant, Sanji" You finally said in a low voice, so only Sanji could hear you. 

Sanji's heart broke. Shattered into a million pieces. God, not only he was turning his back to his friends, especially to you. He was also turning his back on his chance of starting a family of his own. He would be lying if he said he hadn’t thought of starting a family with you. It was in his plans after all, once you all found the One Piece, and after he found the All Blue. He liked to fantasize about it; a family. A real family, not like whatever the Vinsmokes were supposed to be. And it made sense, you’d been acting weird since you arrived to Punk Hazard. 

Something he’d been wanting, dreaming of for a while, it was right before him, but he would never be able to reach it now.

What Sanji didn’t know was that, once Doflamingo was defeated, Law noticed you were looking pale. And after talking to him, he popped a question. You remembered his low voice echoing, your heart stopping and the world spinning quicker. 

“Oi, [Name]-ya, did you hear me?” Law raised his voice, staring at you, as all tthe pieces in your head came together.

“I-I...yes…” You sighed breathless with fear.

“So?”

“Now that you mention it…” You sighed. “My period is one week late...and I’ve had the weirdest cravings…” Law had ah ard time listening to what you were saying, your voice couldn’t be lower.

“Does Chopper-ya know?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

“I was going to tell Chopper after all of this ended” For the first time you made eye contact with the surgeon.

“When we’re back at your ship, tell him to run some blood test” He said before standing up and leaving.

On your way to Zou, you felt how time froze. You were both happy and terrified. You wanted to tell Sanji so bad. You needed to tell him. It was certainly the worst timing, but maybe you two could figure something out, the entire crew could help you guys out. However, once you made it to the moving island, Sanji was gone. 

“And you expect me to believe that bulshit?” Sanji growled. “Do you want to make me believe I am the father?” As soon as he spoke, he regretted what he’d said. He didn’t even have to turn around to picture your face. He knew he’d crossed the line. Hinting that you were some sort of slut? Low blow.  “[Name]” He whispered coldly, hoping that it’d make everything better.. “Don’t tell anyone that you’re pregnant with my child” His words low enough for you to hear, but also sharp enough to pierce your heart. 

Right after feeling how your heart stopped the moment Sanji started talking, you then got angrier than ever at that moment. Not realising the intention in which Sanji mean his last words. Forgetting completely about the fact that he had just called you both promiscuous and a liar. You interpreted his words in a selfish way in which his reputation could be destroyed if someone found out the Prince of Germa 66 had a bastard child with a pirate. However, Sanji meant those words to keep the child’s identity a secret, and keep everyone safe. But you wouldn’t realise it. 

“I hope you enjoy your life as a prince” You purred, and Sanji still turning his back at you, could not decipher your voice tone, it was monotonous. “And I hope you enjoy your wedding, and your new wife. Really, I hope you live a happy life” The lack of emotion in your voice killed him.

What hurt him the most was how despite your endless anger, you still meant every word you said. You were pissed at him, but still loved him enough to wish him a happy life. 

Your ever present kindness even though how unfair the situation could be, was Sanji’s favourite trait of you. And right now, that same kindness he loved so much was tearing him apart painfully. 

His heart squeezing painfully as he walked back to the carriage. He wished he could turn around and kiss you. Turn around and hold you. Tell you how much he loved you, and how he happy was at the thought of having a child with the love of his life. In his head, the entire scenario played, showing him what he could have, if only he wasn’t such a coward. 

A coward. As much as he knew he could break free from it all if he put his mind to it, the fear blocked his mind. So much depended on him marrying Pudding. The golden bracelets weighed him down. Tying him like a desperate dog to an abusive owner. As every step tore the both of you apart. he felt the distance weight him down as well. Trying his best to keep his tears, he groaned painfully. 

"Thank you for waiting" he growled lowly, trying to mask his pain. "We can leave now" 

~

Whole Cake Island had been by far, the worst experience ever. The entire time you felt the adrenaline kicking in, followed by the desire to survive. And you knew this wasn't healthy at all at your current condition. You knew coming here was a mistake, you should’ve probably listened to your crew when you decided to go with Luffy to save Sanji.. 

"[Name], you shouldn't go to Whole Cake Island" Chopper said, his voice firm. 

"He's right, [Name]-ya" Law added "The less stressed you are, the better" 

"I have to go” You growled “We're talking about Sanji, If you really want to stop me, you'll have to kill me" 

"Why are you guys suggesting that [Name] stays?" Nami asked. 

"She could have a miscarige" Law said coldly, his eyes matching his voice.

"I will be fine" 

"[Name] will be coming with us. I will protect the both of them" Luffy said standing next to you, crossing his arms over his chest. "We'll have a better chance of bringing Sanji quickly if she's with us" 

"Strawhat-ya, I want you to understand how dangerous this is. If something happens to her, and she has a miscarige, she'll not only lose the child, but her life will.be in danger as well" The way the both of them exchanged stares was almost intimidating. However, Luffy’s smile grew across his face. 

"Nothing will happen to [Name]. I will protect her with my life" Textbook Luffy, putting his life on the line, that confident smile framing his face perfectly. 

"Luffy…" You whispered, your eyes getting teary.

"Can you imagine having a baby as a nakama? I wonder how that'll be" Luffy’s squinted, his smile now turning warm and welcoming.

His gentle smile always soothed you whenever you felt nervous or afraid. Luffy wasn't your best friend for no reason. As oblivious as he could be, he knew how to calm your nerves. Whenever something bothered you, it only took that smile to make you feel like you could breathe again.

And right now, you needed that smile more than ever. Cuddled up in the infirmary, you kept thinking of both Luffy and Sanji. The crew was waiting for them in the Sunny. As soon as those two stepped on the ship, you all were going to flee the island.

After Chopper gave you a quick examination, and everything turned to be alright, you started crying. The little reindeer didn't  blame you for crying. Everything was too overwhelming. Everything about this island had been so terribly overwhelming, adding the fact that your hormones were all over the place.

You asked Chopper to leave you alone. What you needed right now was being able to cry your eyes out, alone.

"[Name], if you need something, feel free to call me, okay?" 

"Thank you, Chopper" Your voice shook lightly as Chopper closed the door behind him. 

And as soon as you heard the door close, it seemed like it was the green light to endless tears. Your pain streaming down your face. 

Right now you wished for either Sanji or Luffy to walk inside and hug you. A real tight hug. However, for the next several minutes you kept silently sobbing, the pain in your chest not getting any better. A consuming loneliness kept feeding to the gap in your chest, keeping the tears falling endlessly from your eyes. At least until you fell asleep.

By the time Sanji and Luffy made back to the Sunny, Luffy was deeply asleep. Without disturbing him much, Sanji placed him on the grass, where he seemed to sleep comfortably. At once, his eyes scanned the ship, looking at each and everyone in the ship. Brook, Nami, Chopper, Jimbei…but not you. You were not there with everyone else. 

“Wheres [Name]?” Sanji asked getting more and more worried by the second.

“In the infirmary” Chopper answered. 

“Is she alright?” His voice came out louder than he intended, giving away his concern.

“Yes. The both of them. She asked me to leave her alone" Chopper exchanged stares with Sanji, who was breathing heavily.

“Thanks, be right back” He said taking long steps towards the infirmary door. 

He could feel his heart sinking in his chest. He hadn’t talked to you, or seen you since that awful encounter when he fought Luffy. Sanji was aware he had hurt you badly. Very, very badly. He had hurt himself in the process as well. Having to act so careless to such big news, painfully turning his back towards you, keeping a straight voice, and his burning tears from falling. The lump on his throat hurt as much as his shattered heart.

Once he reached the door, he held the door knob and froze. What was he going to say? He didn’t think this through. He was going to apologise, that was for sure. But, how? How exactly was he supposed to ask for forgiveness? 

I’m sorry, [Name], I had to keep an act for my family…

I had these explosive bracelets, you see I had to—

It was the only way…

Lame. The more he thought about it, the lamer and more pathetic the excuses became. But that was the problem. They were all excuses, weren’t they? Swallowing the lump on his throat, he wished for his mind to shut up. All of those thoughts were suffocating him, making him wish to either turn back in time before all of this mess happened, or fast forward to the time after he apologised regardless of the outcome. 

Once he finished swallowing his poor mental apologies, and gathered the strength to actually push the door open,he did it slowly. The room dark and silent. The door opening so slowly it didn’t even break the peaceful silence. And there you were, asleep on the couch. 

Looking at your curled up position, Sanji knew right away you’d cried yourself to sleep. And that thought alone made his eyes tear up immediately. As we walked closer, he saw dried tears on your face. Confirming what he first thought. You were soundly asleep, breathing deeply. 

He sighed, a single tear falling down his cheek. The lump in his throat growing considerably. He brushed your hair so delicately, trying not to wake you. However, as he tried his best, your eyes flickered open. 

At first slowly, until your sight adjusted, and remembered you’d fallen asleep on the infirmary. There was a dry feeling on both your eyes. Your gaze moves, the slumber still clinging from your lids as you looked at Sanji, who’s hand was gently caressing your hair. 

The amount of pain and regret in his eyes was overwhelming by itself. You didn’t even want to think how the guy was feeling inside. And yet, underneath that decrepit mask was the look Sanji always gave you. Swimming among those feelings of anguish was that unconditional love. His eyes, already teary, got much worse as your stare connected to his. 

Before you could even articulate any words, Sanji grabbed your hand, shut his eyes closed, kneeled next to the bed and started crying. An awkward apology came out in sobs. His voice low and shaky. However, everything he was saying came out of his broken heart, going out his lips with no filter. 

“I’m so sorry [Name]-chan! I was such an asshole, I should not have treated you that way. I was so scared and overwhelmed by everything else. I panicked and let the worst part of me take over. If you chose to break up with me, to never talk to me again, I would not blame you, I treated you badly and said some very mean things to you” Finally, he’d broken down, crying, his forehead pressed against your hand. 

Your eyes felt dry, but that didn’t last long. Sanji’s pain reflected on you, and soon, you were crying too. Silent tears falling down your cheeks. You brushed his hair with your other hand without saying anything. At least not until he looked back up, his eyes connecting with yours. 

Another new look gazed at you. This one was the open window to his shattered heart. The pain, the regret, the overwhelming disappointment in himself. You could both see and feel everything he was carrying on his shoulders. 

“It’s alright” Whispering, you met his stare. “I forgive you, my love” Your voice shaky.

For a brief second, everything hurt twice as much. That kindness broke him a second time. He hugged you and cried burying his face on your neck. His hands clung to you with such strength and desperation. His entire body was shaking. You hugged him back, wrapping one arm around his back, and the other one caressing his hair gently. 

“What did I do to be blessed with someone like you? It’s not fair, you deserve someone so much better…”

“Hey” You snapped. “Don’t say that” You sobbed softly. “Don’t you ever say that again, or I’ll punch you in the face” You threatened with a broken voice. 

Sanji chuckled softly and pulled back. His teary eyes staring into yours. A small smile on his lips. A small smile that still managed to make your heart skip a beat. Leaning closer, he kissed the tip of your nose and then rested his forehead against yours. 

“So...we’re pregnant, huh?” You chuckled at his question, your low laugh caressing his ears warmly. 

“Yes, we are” You answered. 

Sanji at once cupped your face and brought you closer. His lips very gently, very lightly pressing against yours. The same delicacy as the first time you kissed. When you kissed him back, you locked your lips with his. Wrapping your arms around his shoulders, you brought him closer. That sweet taste in your lip Sanji loved so much felt surreal for a brief second. His chest breathless, his heart going a thousand miles per hour, his head light with charm, and his belly filled with butterflies. Not believing his luck, not feeling deserving of his second chance. But he didn’t care. He promised himself he would never push you away like that again, hurt you again, make you cry again. 

[mobpsycho100]

dumbasses: “it was just a fight for 10 eps straight”

the actual narrative that was being presented throughout the entire fight:

it started with luffy going into the mirror world and smashing it so katakuri couldnt come out of it. what this did was impressed katakuri for the first time when he sees luffy determination to protect his crew (most of the fight was about gaining respect for luffy so this is important to keep in mind). luffy came into this situation where he knew he wouldnt be getting out easy just to save his crew. despite being clearly outclassed luffy chooses to go fight and this is the first thing he did that earned his respect. they fight some and what oda is tryna show at this part of the fight is that katakuri is better than luffy in every single way. no matter what attack luffy did, katakuri mirrored it and returned it but way stronger. their powers are the same (rubber / mochi) and the fight itself is set up in a mirror world because katakuri is a mirror / parallel to luffy. this initial part was to also showcase that luffy couldnt attack katakuri no matter what he did and set that mystery up. this was also set up for showing katakuri was a huge badass and a super powerful guy. and we learn the first part of his back story through the side characters expositing about how since the day he was born katakuri just sat up and fell asleep and has never laid his back to the ground ever in his entire life. its goofy and hilarious as hell but theres a deeper message to it that we find out about later on.

so katakuri uses a big attack after beating luffy down in basically every single way and just flattens him with this mountain of mochi because he became irritated at how luffy wouldnt stay down and kept getting back up after every single attack. we didnt know why he was so annoyed at this point in the story but we later find out that katakuri was frustrated cause he couldnt understand why luffy was okay with getting back up after being beat so much cause in his eyes, being beaten so badly is shameful and that you should be ashamed to show weakness. because of his annoyance towards luffy and the fact that he was late to his merienda time, he didnt check to make sure luffy was fully dead before leaving and going to make a house of mochi so he could eat donuts sinfully while laying on the ground.

then the biggest event in this entire fight happens. luffy survives the big attack and breaks the mochi house and sees katakuri's indulging in his donut private time and learns his biggest secret, which he kept hidden even from his family for the past probably 30 years. he sees katakuri with his scarf off and sees his huge fucked up mouth (which he was made fun of by almost everyone even his own family, growing up) open laying on the ground and eating donuts. this is the second thing luffy does to gain katakuri’s respect. luffy demonstrates he does not give a shit about katakuri’s appearance or what he does and is cool with it all and doesnt make fun of him UNLIKE most people katakuri knows would do. this was also establishing a strong parallel between them and sanji / pudding. so katakuri is mad as hell, that he immediately kills the bystanders who also saw his face and saw katakuri laying on the ground. he covers up his face (because he is still ashamed) and starts fighting luffy again but this time he’s angry as hell. and even tho luffy saw him clearly on his back he doesnt allow any of luffy attacks that land on him to get his back to the ground. because katakuri became flustered over being seen in such a vulnerable position by luffy he’s sloppy but regardless as the fight goes on its still clear katakuri is clearly stronger in every single way and luffy still cant do much to him.

until luffy learns why exactly he wasnt able to hurt katakuri. this is the third thing luffy does to gain katakuri’s respect. he lands the first solid blow on katakuri shortly after that and we learn that its been so long katakuri cant even remember the last time he was hurt like that. luffy presented himself to katakuri as a challenge, which katakuri had not had in many many years. but at this point luffy wasted alot of stamina and had to run out of the mirror world and leave katakuri there. those 10 minutes he was gone to catch his breath, it showed luffy in one of his rarest moments actually thinking about how exactly to defeat katakuri. it works because luffy doesnt really ever have to fight that hard to defeat his opponents usually.

and then the final thing luffy did to gain katakuri’s respect was return back to the mirror world despite the fact that he could have escaped and hid somewhere else. instead he came back for another round proving he can win and get stronger. at this point in the fight both katakuri and luffy know that katakuri is stronger than luffy in every concievable way so katakuri admires luffys courage to return and earnestly try to beat him rather than just disappear off. so the fight resumes and luffy continues to improve on his new technique but katakuri is still stronger.

and then the other big event of this fight happens. katakuri’s sister whom we learnt was president of the katakuri fanclub got a shot on luffy with some sort of  poison dart and katakuri doesnt notice and manages to land a huge shot on him and tear his stomach open while luffy is temporarily disorientated. because of all this build up throughout the arc with katakuri slowly gaining respect for luffy, he is understandably very pissed. because she dared laugh at luffy, somebody who was so strong and had earned his respect in so many ways. katakuri as a sign of ultimate respect towards luffy, spears himself with the same trident he used on luffy. and then he rips off his scarf that he used to hide his mouth and promptly told her to not interfere in a fight between real men. he speared himself to be on equal terms with luffy physically, and he ripped off his scard to be on equal terms with luffy who was being mocked and laughed at by his sister and her cronies. his sister flambe screams in surprise at how hideous he looks but then starts to make fun of his appearance soon afterwards but katakuri was so moved by luffys actions he doesnt care anymore that he revealed his 30+ year secret. he also removes his jacket at this point which has “charlotte” printed on the back which was a metaphor for showing that he’s not fighting for his pirate crew / family anymore. he’s fighting as himself against luffy.

which is FINALLY when they both start to actually go all out against each other, katakuri is still winning but not as overwhelmingly anymore as luffy masters his new technique more and more but katakuri still doesnt allow himself to fall on his back and thats when they both land a big blow and knock each other out which is when the fight ends and for the first time katakuri delibrately falls on his back to show his utmost respect towards luffy.

later on we find out a few chapter after the fight ends that katakuri didnt used to care about who made fun of him when he was younger because he was strong enough to take anybody on, but when some cowards went after his sister instead of him and manage to hurt her, thats what propelled him to hide his face in the first place and put on this persona of being the ultimate badass who never let his back touch the ground and never allowed himself to look weak ever. it didnt matter to him what people said about him or did to him, what truly hurt him deeply was that people were going after his family instead of coming to him. 

this entire arc / fight wasnt about him being a complete badass. it was actually us see him being pressured to become the most perfect big brother but as a result he ended up hiding too many parts of himself away to keep up his act. this is why he thinks falling down is shameful and doesnt allow his back to touch the ground in front of other people because being perfect is how he was able to be so strong and loved by his siblings too. but seeing luffy constantly not only get back up after falling down constantly throughout the fight but not make fun of him and accept him as he is and respect his strength too made him realise that falling down is okay as long as you get back up. that its okay to not be perfect. this is the final puzzle piece put into place for this fight so we could finally see the full picture.

this entire narrative was woven in throughout this entire fight with everything being revealed bit by bit as it all went down. none of this information was spoon fed in one go and then they proceeded to punch each other for 10 episodes straight. it was written with a lot of subtlety and care so things might not have seemed clear enough if you didnt pay enough attention but every little moment added a new layer and it kept building upon itself and revealing new information to the very last moment and then revealing a little extra more in the aftermath so our understanding of the fight was changing all throughout it. the characters we see at the beginning of the fight went through significant changes and come out as different people by the end of it.

[officialstrawhatmom]

I just keep thinking about how awful the WCI arc ended. There was such a great buildup in the beginning for Sanji to do something great, to prove himself, not only to the 5 assholes who only pretended to be his family when it was convenient for them, but also to Zoro, who continues to tear him apart because he’s afraid of Sanji being better, and to Nami, who, even after all this time, is still somehow unable to recognize that Sanji is willing to throw everything away for them (how could she believe that he was really faking the whole time, after all the times he almost died for them??), and also to the fans who have their heads so far up Zoro’s ass they can see out his mouth and scrape for any reason they can find to hate Sanji because “I think he sucks because my favorite character thinks he sucks” is not a legitimate reason to hate a good character.

He could’ve developed a new attack, he could have at least had a decent fight, like everyone else in Dressrosa got, he could have gotten character development, like the arc was set up to do, but instead it fell flat and his potential was wasted and the fandom turned it into another arc about Nami somehow (how do they keep doing that??). And now we’re in Wano and he’s going to be forgotten again and he won’t get to be the legitimate and valuable member of the crew that he was before Oda decided to scrap his importance and turn him into a joke character post timeskip.

I also hate how the arc really just turned into the “glorify everyone who abuses Sanji” arc. Most of the fandom thinks Reiju and Pudding and Zeff are actually decent people, and that being nice to him a little somehow outweighs the awful things they did. A lot of the fandom likes his “brothers” more than him, and I saw several people saying they’d like to replace Sanji with Reiju.

And then Oda pulls a page long sob story for Pudding out of his ass for a last minute redemption that she doesn’t deserve because he KNOWS people will accept it because this fandom will forgive most characters for doing awful things as long as they are a pretty girl and/or the person that they hurt was Sanji.

This arc was going so well up until the point when the actual wedding began and then it just flopped. I mean, I appreciate the things that Carrot got to do. I appreciate the fight between Luffy and Katakuri, and how respectful and genuine Katakuri is, and the insight on his childhood and his bond with Brûlée. I appreciate that Oda did decide to remind everyone that Sanji is a chef because that gets forgotten most of the time, but I wish he could have done more in addition to that.

And also, about the Katakuri thing; how is it that everyone is accepting this sob story about Pudding and not having a problem with her becoming an awful person just because people were mean to her when KATAKURI, WHO WENT THROUGH THE EXACT SAME THING, IS RIGHT THERE AS A DECENT PERSON WHO DIDN’T LET HIS EXPERIENCES TURN HIM INTO A GIANT SADISTIC PIECE OF TRASH?! He and Sanji both are perfect examples of how you should handle your trauma and not let it turn you into a garbage person who manipulates people for fun and everyone’s just ignoring that

And also bullshit about Pudding loving Sanji. She doesn’t. She loves what he can bring her. She loves the idea of being loved. She loves his kindness. Their relationship would be one sided.

I have so many thoughts and they’re not really in any sort of order and they’re all over the place and this is a mess of a post but I had to write this down because it’s been bothering me for WEEKS

[swans-anime-ramblings]

“Luffy had no reaction to Boa...doesn’t that mean he won’t have romance?”

I’ve been debating about posting this blog because I was hesitant about the kind of reaction it would receive. But I think this topic is worth discussing logically.

Alright, so let’s dig into this thing.

If we’re going to understand Luffy and his actions (or not actions) towards Boa, then we have to first understand him as being a character that fits the Battle Shonen archetype. The genre, despite people’s complaints about it, is the most popular type of manga/anime genre there is. And One Piece, for all its glorious writing, world building and character development, is perfectly happy to sit in its genre, with Luffy fitting right into the hero archetype.

Where did this archetype even come from? It may surprise you to learn that Dragon Ball is in fact the grandfather of modern Shonen. You know what kind of stories were running in WSJ as DB’s contemporaries? Big burley manly men who never changed or progressed like Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star.

 And the antithesis of this is Goku, little innocent Goku who takes this character type and flip it on its head.  (Kid Goku is so cute guys! *cries*)

Toriyama’s writing absolutely can’t be understated here. Nobody had ever seen anything like Dragon Ball. It became a cultural phenomenon. It became a blueprint for success. 

The classic Shonen Hero archetype has evolved into the following:

innocent

clueless when it comes to love

loves to fight/ get stronger

has a catch phrase

wants to protect their “Nakama”

thinks before they act

often stupid or a simpleton

gains power ups through training and other means

cute

Within the archetype you’ve got big hitters such as:

Goku— the OG who was so clueless, he couldn’t tell someone’s gender without slapping them in the crotch. Also obsessed with getting stronger to the detriment of, well, everything

Luffy— the uber innocent muffin who will do anything for his crew, and will go out of his way for people if it concerns their dreams. Aware of his weaknesses more than the others, Also really dumb at first

Naruto--- the misfit who starts out peeping at girls but then ends up taking on the burden of the entire world, because he’s THAT concerned about everyone and everything. Definitely the most selfless, has dumb moments, but smarter than the others

Ichigo--- the lovable grump who literally doesn’t give a shit. Coolest one of the bunch

Natsu--- loves his friends so much he gains power ups in the middle of the battle to win through the power of friendship. Probably the funniest one, takes life one job request at a time

Asta— the new kid on the block. Constantly yells to the point of irritation, believes working hard will solve all problems, doesn’t understand how relationships work and that nuns don’t get married

Deku— I know people will ask. Yes, he is a Shonen Hero, But doesn’t fit into the archetype so be will be left out of the discussion (the kid actually suffers from overthinking...complete opposite than these lovable idiots)

So, for fun, let’s throw all these Shonen Heroes into the same situation Luffy found himself in

All of these heroes fall through the ceiling and into Boa Hancock’s bath where they come face to face with the most beautiful woman on the planet who is naked.

Goku: completely unphased by Boa’s beauty. Asks who Boa is, and when she gets pissed, stands there with a “huh?” Look on his face when she shoots the love beam at him. After it has no effect, Goku puts his hand up with a smile and then says, “see ya!” Before flying off. Probably more concerned with where Vegeta went and if he managed to find a new level of Super Saiyan

Naruto: definitely phased by Boa. Would probably turn to stone ahahahaha

Ichigo: after being annoyed because he fell through the roof, would take one look at Boa, and get flustered out of embarrassment. By the time Boa tries to question him, he’s already left and found the exit.

Natsu: upon falling into the bath, he’d also be completely unphased by Boa. Would most likely take note of her earrings and ask about them. He’d probably also end up saying something Boa would find unbelievably rude, but something I would laugh hysterically at. “Woah?! Is that your guild mark?! Cool!!!” 

Asta: I imagine Asta would most likely cover his eyes out of courtesy, and ask for the way out. When Boa gets mad and asks why he’s not head over heals for her, nor why he’s looking at her body, he’d say something like, “sister Lilly is waiting for me” and then leave. *sigh*

So here’s my point. Three of our boys would have the same exact reaction as Luffy. When it comes to the archetype, lusting after girls simply isn’t in their nature. Natsu’s reaction to a naked Lucy was to cover her boobs with his hands “fine I’ll cover them” he sighs in the dub. No lustful reaction whatsoever. I’m pretty sure any normal guy would, um, not react that way. He looks so bored.

Asta refused to peep at a girls bath (way to shut that down buddy), and Goku’s seen plenty of naked people and he doesn’t care. He even has the same reaction in Dragon Ball Super, after he’s married, when he accidentally sees another woman naked (who is very beautiful).

(Harsh reaction there Goku, lmao)

Luffy’s reaction to Boa is completely in line with the archetype. The innocent nature of the main character is extremely important. Oda even says in the SBS that it would just be plain weird for Luffy to get a nose bleed. I agree.

So, do our boys reactions to Boa mean romance isn’t possible for them? Of course not. Goku got married and had 2 kids. Naruto, who is the most interested in women, got married. Ichigo ended up with someone and had a kid. Natsu’s relationship with Lucy isn’t “canon” yet, buuuttt with this sequel coming and all the art Mashima’s been posting, I think we can all just call it and it’ll be happening. As for Asta, the manga is still young so it’s hard to say, but judging how Tabata is treating romance in his manga, I’d say It’s a distinct possibility. Asta does have a low-key herem going on 🤷‍♀️

When Goku was a kid, he came across a foe who could turn evil (ie bad thoughts) into a weapon and kill you. Goku was the only person to ever survive because he has no impure thoughts. It basically works the same way as Boa’s love-love beam.

This innocence is why Goku can ride his magical flying cloud the Kinto-Un, aka the Flying Nimbus. That innocence in Goku stays with him forever, too. Goku can ride the cloud after he’s gotten married and created spawns. The idea is, sex isn’t dirty. It’s just how you treat it may or may not make it dirty (ie unwarranted advances). Master Roshi, Goku’s perverted teacher, can’t ride the Kinto-Un. Using Goku as an example, our innocent muffins can still have romance/make babies. Their highly innocent nature doesn’t stop them, but normally with these types, they will only have romance/make babies if it’s with one very special person.

This is important to remember; for this genre, romance is a part of maturing and growing up. Most of these shonen heroes end up with someone once they’ve passed a certain point. 

In One Piece Specifically 

When it comes to Oda’s writing specifically, romance between characters doesn’t really play a huge role in One Piece like the way it does in Naruto and Fairy Tail. Everyone who reads OP should recognize this. Whatever ends up happening at the end of One Piece, there aren’t going to be a zillion pairings and those pairings staring off into the sunset. 

There’s that famous line from Oda where he answered a question in the SBS (from chapter 317)

D: Doesn't anyone on Luffy's crew fall in love? Will there never be a tale of on-board romance? (Sanji is an exception in this case) I'm just wondering.

O: OF COURSE THEY'RE IN LOVE... WITH ADVENTURE! (← good one)

The SBS is a place where Oda jokes around with his readers. I think his answer is a good answer because it’s true, and when it comes down to it, a deflective answer.  And whatever else Oda has said or hasn’t said in magazines or interviews, Oda can change his mind about what he wants to include or not include in his manga.

The reason I think this is worth bringing up is because I can see a storytelling shift which has changed in his manga. Romance in any capacity used to play almost no role in the early story. Just think about the type of characters he was creating. You’ve got Nolan’s descendant who hangs out with guys that look like monkeys. You’ve got the giants of Elbaf, you’ve got the Galley-Law company guys. There’s hardly any blood families in the first half either. Vivi and her Dad are a notable example, but they are the minority, not the majority. The first half of the story was mostly focused on people who were not blood related and were making their own families, like the Franky family. Like the Strawhats. 

Post time-skip and New World, we’ve got a very different story being told. With Kyros and his wife Scarlet, Oda actually gave us the backstory to their romance! Dressrosa was set up a bit for that type of story, but I still find it notable. It wasn’t necessary for character motivations for Kyros. It felt like Oda wrote it because he wanted to.

You’ve got romance playing a big role in Whole Cake Island, even with Chiffon and Bege. This is a married couple with a young son, and not the type of characters we’d see in the early story. Sanji and Pudding were more of a serious type of relationship, even with Sanji “choosing to feel love” for Pudding. Guys, that’s...mature. We’ve seen a lot more blood ties in the New World, even to the point of the Big Mom pirates, dysfunctional as they are. 

In the end, you write what you know. When One Piece started, Oda was a single guy, now he’s in his early 40′s with a daughter. The types of stories he’s telling now are based on more mature aspects of his own life. 

Does this mean Luffy will most definitely end up with someone? Of course not. There’s a distinct possibility OP will end with Luffy as he is and there be no pairings of any sort.

But to dismiss the possibility of parings based on Luffy’s reaction to women or something Oda said back in some interview, is also too dismissive of a stance to take. Like his Shonen counterparts, romance for Luffy is a possibility. Remember what I said about the genre; romance is sign of growing up and maturing. Luffy is still growing and maturing, so it isn’t out of the cards.

In the end, Only Oda knows. Until One Piece has concluded, we’ll have to wait and see. 

[bluestarsaber]

One Piece Chapter 896 Review: The Mysterious Saver Called Nazom!

I’m pretty late in catching up with my One Piece reviews, lucky there is a break going on so I’m going to try and catch up this week. In chapter 895 we saw is what is perhaps the best fight in One Pice to date so who won let’s find out.

Pointless Summary: We start off wait the Big Mum Pirates/Charlotte Family discussing what will happen when it’s 1 am: Some ask the possibility of Katakuri, others saying no way will their big brother will lose saying Luffy will likely run for it and some mocking Brûlée for being so easy to kidnap. At the same time Sanji is there with Pudding waiting for Luffy to come out so he can save him. He then tells her they will part ways after this and thanks her for being his fiancés even if this was pretend which leads to Pudding getting all emotional in her spilt personality sate, which leads to her asking Sanji for one last request. We finally back to the scene of the fight as it is revealed both Luffy and Katakuri have manged to hit each other at the same time, the floor breaks around Luffy making him pass out then followed by Katakuri falling on his front. 12:40 am we go to the big mum pirates planning room with Morgans saying if the Straw Hats make an escape from the Big Mum Pirates it will be huge news, but Mont-d'Or saying it won’t happen and the only thing he will be reporting is the Straw Hats are dead with their heads on the front page, which leads the CP0 lady saying that’s gruesome. We then cut to Bege and his crew being chased still by Big Mum and the straw hats wondering how Luffy is going to escape.

12:47 we are back to luffy as he climbs up, but Katakuri is up their waiting for him. He then asks Luffy if he will come back here later to the Whole Cake Island to beat Big Mum which Luffy responds saying he will and become Pirate King, which leads Katakuri saying looks like you can see in to the future and then falls back.  Luffy then walks away, but not before putting his hat (not his straw hat) on Katakuri’s mouth so no one can see his teeth. Just then a Mysterious saver called Nazom arrives with a captured Brûlée who crying that her brother is defeated, however Luffy knows that it’s Pekoms and says he can’t let the Straw Hats die after Perdo sacrificed himself to save them. The finally scenes are Sanji and the Big Mum Pirates led by Oven waiting for Luffy to come out in 5 minutes.

The Good: Where to begin. I enjoyed the variety of opinions the Charlotte Family have is regards to the fight with some guessing how likely Katakuri could lose, but most of them saying no way that’s happening given that they can’t imagine their big brother ever losing and instead wonder how Luffy will run away. Along with making jokes about their sister Brûlée recurring habit of being captured, which is so true at this point.

While I have mixed feelings with how the whole Sanji and Pudding relationship played out during the twist and turns, I do find their parting to be quite emotional with sanji thinking back to all that happened and being glad she was picked to be his fake fiancé. Leaving Pudding to go from her extreme tsun tsun to her blushing and crying dere dere faces and intriguing us with her last request she asks of Sanji.

I like how Both Luffy and Katakuri’s attacks had hit each other at the same time and both collapsing, making the fight appear to be a draw and building tension to who with get up first. Oda makes a good job making the Charlotte Family so smug and arrogant of their power and forces with the interaction between Mont-d'Or Morgans with the former saying how even Roger could not escape, you will look forward when it all comes crashing down for the Big Mum Pirates. It was funny seeing the Straw hats worrying over whether Luffy will remember the time and place to escape the mirror world (come guys have some faith in your Captain’s intelligence…).

Now for the Highlight of the chapter the outcome between Luffy and Katakuri and honestly, I couldn’t have it end in any other way. Starting with luffy climbing up see Katakuri standing above making it look like Luffy is in trouble, only to have him ask Luffy if he will come back and beat his mother someday which luffy responds in the Luffy way saying of course he will and be the Pirate King with Katakuri acknowledging this to be true saying Luffy can see the future before falling down.

The respect Luffy shows Katakuri is telling as he silently covers his mouth with his mafia hat so that no one can see his teeth and mock him, while he is unconscious and gives him the power to decided whether or not with he will go through with his I don’t care if anyone see my face anymore attitude after his sister tried to ruin their fight earlier. I Think this is the second villain Luffy has come to respect since entering the new time skip the other being Issho the Admiral. Whether or not you could say that Luffy either won or tied in this fight is debatable, but one thing is clear is the these two with their actions see the other as equals.

Was a bit surprised with what happened next, but I welcome it with Pekoms arriving with a captured Brûlée and she gave us what I hoped would be the prolog of the Charlotte Family’s reaction to the shock, denial and anger to when they find out Luffy beat up their big brother. I found it funny how Pekoms tried to hide his identity from Luffy, only for once I did fool Luffy Gasp. I’m glad he put his friendship with Perdo before Big Mum Pirates, even though it will likely cost his life. The cliff-hanger was good as usual, with the Big Mum pirates surrounding the one mirror and Oven looking menacing waiting for Luffy to come out.

The Bad: Honestly, I don’t have much to criticize for this chapter except nit-picks. I kind wish the chapter’s title was the Mysterious saver Nazom instead last request. The other one I can think of is that the panel with Bege and his crew being chased was kind of pointless

Overall Thoughts and Hopes: I’d give this chapter a 9.5/10, it ends the Luffy and Katakuri fight on a satisfying note, along with Sanji and Pudding farewell and adds a few new surprising notes with Pekoms betraying the Big Mum Pirates. Give that there we are one chapter 900 some of the things I was hoping for happened, like the Big Mum Pirates finding out Katakuri has been defeated by Luffy and their anger at Pekom’s betrayal. The only thing that is left that I’m wondering about with this chapter is what Pudding requested from Sanji, I wonder if it was a kiss?

[kingcocoabutter]

Pride And Prejudice

One of the most iconic scenes in #VinlandSaga is this one:

 Halfdan tells Thorfinn that he will give him the funding he needs for his venture as long as the latter licks his boot. To a wealthy man, having someone else *struggle* to put aside their pride and do something so debased and shameful is a greater reward and provides a greater thrill than gold or produce. He’s shocked, however, when Thorfinn bends down to do so without a moment of hesitation, even asking which boot to lick. Halfdan is repulsed because he can’t believe someone would sacrifice their dignity in such a manner but to Thorfinn it’s such a small price to pay for the sake of his dream. But I digress because I’m not really here to talk about Thorfinn, I’m here to talk about Sanji and false pride. Now maybe this is premature but I HATE the idea that Sanji did not even hesitate before deciding that he was going to use the Raid Suit as a disguise when taking on Page One (especially after the events of WCI and even post arc) which were meant to be about how he was escaping his family’s legacy. And fans have offered up innumerable justifications for his willingness to do so, ranging from how it’s “acceptable” because he will *only* use it as a disguise or how he’s putting aside his “pride” for the sake of the crew. And it really fits in with this mythological perception we have of Sanji as being the Strawhat’s “shield” or their white knight and how willing he is to throw himself into harm’s way to protect his crew. Some of which is true. But I’d argue that out of all the SH’s not only is Sanji the most deeply flawed but he is also the one SH of which the fandom has the most flawed misconceptions.

Sanji is SUPREMELY prideful. And that in and of itself isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it’s problematic in the way that Oda has framed it with regards to the story and his attitudes towards certain demographics. Sanji is SUPREMELY proud of his status as a man and a chef and he VIOLENTLY rejects anything that would lead others to perceive him as less than in those regards. Hence his virulent homophobic/transphobic attitudes to the point where he has created an attack that is the literal embodiment of his gay panic. As he told the LGBTQ+ denizens of Peachy Kingdom. 

This attitude also manifests with regards to his treatment/perceptions of women, whom he showers whom he deifies and showers with adoration/love/affection while simultaneously objectifying and sexually assaulting them not realizing how contradictory those attitudes are. I’ve written about the latter extensively and so I’ll refrain from espousing anything further but I will most definitely be addressing one of his more controversial attitudes (i.e. his refusal) to hit women later in this thread but first I must digress.

I’ve been vocal in my disdain of how lackadaisical the SH’s attitudes/approach to declaring war with one of the Emperors has been and personal dislike aside I don’t think any of their approaches has irked me as much as Sangoro the Soba chef. Tasked with collecting information/intel on Kaido’s forces, “Sangoro” instead does this: 

Now again I admit that maybe he had some plan we are not privy to but it’s the events that follow that tempt my ire. Kyoshiro sends some goons to wreck Sangoro’s Soba stall and in the process they wreck some food thus earning Sanji’s ire. So of course the reasonable way to respond is for him to beat the crap out of all of them for daring to disrespect food.

The way the events play out is very much #OnePiece and very much what we know of Sanji. Not debating that. But it again goes to show how little this series has progressed and it’s characters have developed or changed over the course of 900 chapters. I get mad when fans suggest that Sanji is going to don the raid suit to protect his crew when his actions re the Soba shop are what led to the crew being endangered in the first place. The SH’s are in the heart of enemy territory and yet none of them are acting as such. How are we supposed to believe that the Emperor’s are one of this world’s most powerful forces of nature, and that Law/Luffy working together have only a 30% chance of victory if their plan is *flawlessly* executed and everything goes according to plan when the SH’s lack any kind of awareness that they cannot act as they like?

A more powerful narrative arc would have seen Sanji putting on a façade and allowing the goons to destroy his stall and ruin the food, and him apologizing for having set up an unlicensed stall. Would it go against everything that Sanji stands for? Of course! But as he stupidly points out later, when Page One is chasing them, Robin and Nami would be in trouble if they get caught and were tortured for information. So if he realized that why would he do something that would very obviously draw attention to himself when their goal is to be discrete?

And I’m not saying that Sanji wouldn’t or shouldn’t retaliate. He could have donned a disguise (not the fucking raid suit) at night and paid the goons a visit at night to exact vengeance for what they did and that way there would be no attention drawn to him or the SH’s. Hell Oda could have even turned “Sangoro” into a mythological figure by taking a page from Food Wars book and having Sanji operate a food stall that shows up in different districts of Wano at night serving food to the hungry masses and then disappearing. And similar to Food Wars this mythical stall would serve different varieties of food every night creating an air of mystery and excitement that would make the people of Wano seek it out. This would have been a great way to collect information, inspire the masses, and frustrate Kaido’s forces by keeping them preoccupied with this so the others could operate in secret.

But Oda can’t or won’t do that because he can’t do anything that would make Sanji look less noble or do anything akin to asking him to sacrifice his pride for the sake of the greater good. I mean we’ve seen this all the way back in W7/EL when he was willing to let a crewmate die for the sake of his pride. And let me make it very clear that Sanji’s refusal to hit women isn’t noble or moral or even acceptable when it’s so blindingly hypocritical when he turns around and assaults and objectifies them. And again for a man that claims to love women he doesn’t even put on the pretense of caring about them in any non-superficial way. What good is his adoration of them when he outright ignores how they’re treated and abused by others? It’s the equivalent of claiming to value/love freedom and yet remain silent when minorities are being assaulted and discriminated against. 

And what frustrates me even more than all of that is that Sanji’s only able to do what he does and hold the moral high ground and never question his values because Oda will never let him be wrong. He can never face a consequence for making the wrong choice. One of my favorite moments and lines from The Dresden Files *SPOILER* is one where Harry is going through a crisis of faith and when talking to his father he gets this advice:

H: “I crossed a line”

F: “I know. It only means what you decide it means.”

H: “What?”

F: “Harry, life isn’t simple. There is such a thing as black and white. Right and wrong. But when you’re in the thick of things, sometimes it’s hard for us to tell. You didn’t do what you did for your own benefit. You did it so you could protect others. That doesn’t make it right – but it doesn’t make you a monster, either. You still have free will. You still get to choose what you will do and what you will become. As long as you believe you are responsible for your choices, you still are.”

And another:

“Take the high road if you want to. Choose to walk away from this strength in the name of principle. But after your noble death, everyone who might one day have come to you for help, everyone who is killed in the aftermath of the Darkhallow – every life you might have protected in the future will be on your head. That is the act of a coward. It is beneath contempt.”

The only reason the SH’s and hell even Sanji are able to play off his sexism as “chivalry” or “nobility” on W7/EL (or hell even with Pudding) is with the acceptance of the idea that no one was harmed by his actions. On W7/EL this meant acknowledging that Robin would not die and that she would be rescued no matter what. And you can spin that any way you like (he had faith in the crew etc.) but what the crux of it comes down to is this: what would Sanji have done if Robin had been killed because of his failure to act? How would the crew react? Would they blame him or would they split the blame equally amongst themselves. Would this make Sanji reconsider his position? What if Kalifa had been like Lucci personality wise? Would he have behaved the same way if after she immobilized him she went after the other SH’s? After Nami?

The reason those quotes above spoke to me is how they relate to the idea of choice. I’ve been told that if Sanji were to hit a woman that it would somehow “ruin his character” or that it would mean that he somehow after that would justify hitting all enemy female combatants without regard for his “chivalry”. That’s all bullshit. There is a difference between *choosing* to fight a woman and hitting one in a blatant abuse of power. It’s about time that he starts taking responsibility for his actions and choices into his own hands and owns them rather than ascribing them to something external. Given the choice between taking an enemy combatant out of commission to save the life of a friend or holding on to your principles and placing the burden on your teammates, it’s obvious which action is worthy of praise and which is one is worthy of contempt. Too bad we seem to have got them flipped.

[misc-headcanons]

(As the three of them leave, Maple puts a finger to her lips and motions for the group to follow her. They make their way to a nearby forested area, and once they're out of earshot Maple breathes a sigh of relief before waving the fan to clear away the smoke around them.)

Maple: Okay. You can talk now that nobody's nearby.

Dochi: What WAS that?

Maple: A spell, obviously. One that made us invisible.

Ube: Man, you think fast. I was like, two seconds away from taking out my sword if that guy took another step towards us!

Vanilla: Fritter? Hey, you okay?

(Fritter clings to her and sniffles, crying while holding her tightly)

Fritter: That was the killer, 'Nilla! He was right THERE! If he'd seen us, he would've...

(The others immediately go to comfort him, putting a hand on him and making a big group hug)

Ube: Hey, it's okay! Look, we're all here and we're fine thanks to Maple. We're not gonna let you and Vanilla get hurt by any bad guys.

Fritter: What about you guys? I don't want you to get hurt, either!

Dochi: We'll be alright. Big brothers and sisters are tougher than most people. It's why we're...you know, BIG brothers and sisters. We're big and strong! (Flexes her arms)

Maple: And we're smart, too. Which is why we're not going to stand around here, in case some of the townspeople come near here. Look, there's an old pathway up that hill that looks like it hasn't been used in a while. Why don't we go up there and try to set up camp on the mountain?

Fritter: Um...okay. (sniffs and wipes his sleeve) That sounds like a good idea.

Vanilla: Ooh, I think I can see a roof up there. Maybe we can spend the night in there instead of sleeping outside.

Dochi: If the path looks like it hasn't been used in a while, then what's up there? If it's an abandoned house, then it'd be easier to stay there without anyone noticing us.

Maple: It might be abandoned for a reason...But it's the best option I can think of. Come on, let's start walking; the more distance we put between that murderer and us, the more comfortable I'll be.

(The five of them climb the winding path up the mountain, and are more quiet after their close encounter with the murderous ronin. Dochi, Maple, and Ube take turns carrying the younger two kids whenever they get tired, and after a while they arrive near the top of the mountain. The building Vanilla saw is now fully visible; it's the crumbling ruins of an old castle. Near where they're walking is a set of gravestones along the path leading to the castle's entrance.)

Fritter: Hey...Hey, hang on a second, we gotta stop walking.

Dochi: You need me to carry you again?

Fritter: No, we have to be good guests. If we're gonna stay at this house when we don't live there, we need to be nice about it.

(Maple seems to realize what Fritter's getting at and nods slightly. She sets Vanilla down and takes a few items out from the knapsack she's carrying, and motions for the others to do the same.)

Maple: For the spirits of the people who used to live here. Fritter's right, we need to leave them a gift as payment for staying in their home uninvited.

Dochi: Ohhh, right. Mom says that you should be kind to your host--even if it's a ghost host!

(The siblings each take out some spare food and place them near the four gravestones. Vanilla tugs on Maple's sleeve and points at her pipe.)

Vanilla: Can I do the flower spell? I wanna give the ghost hosts flowers as my present.

Maple: (smiles) Go ahead. You remember the words?

Vanilla: Yup!

(Vanilla takes the pipe and quietly murmurs to herself as she holds it out in front of the grave stones.)

I summon the boun-ti-ful jewels of spring, bloom here for me and make the earth sing.

(The marks on Vanilla's cheeks glow faintly as smoke billows from the pipe and settles on the ground, thickening and swirling until a handful of seedlings begin to sprout and grow at a rapid pace. After a few seconds, a cluster of flowers bloom and sway gently in the breeze. Maple takes the pipe back and pats Vanilla on the back.)

Maple: Great work, 'Nilla.

Ube: Hey...Maple, Mom's used magic to talk to ghosts before, right? Has she ever taught you to do it?

Maple: A little bit. I mean, she won't let me study necromancy until I'm older, though...I have taken a peek at some of her spellbooks on it. But speaking with spirits is something we've practiced together.

Ube: So could you speak to the people who lived in this castle? That way we can actually ask permission to spend the night.

Maple: Hmm...I guess I could try. I wonder if they could tell us more about Wano's history. It'd be a rare opportunity to learn about it. I mean, there aren't any books about Wano you can just pick up and read.

(She reads the names on each stone before taking the pipe out and blowing a swirling trail of smoke that circles around the graves.)

Echo of life, shadow of death. Kin'emon, Momonosuke, Raizo, Kanjuro...Let your echoes reach us, let your shadows appear to us.

(The smoke continues to circle around the graves, but nothing else happens.)

Fritter: Did you say it right?

Maple: I'm sure I did. Once you say the incantation, you should be able to sense a spirit and then it'll take shape. With the pipe, it should be easy for them take a form we can see with the smoke.

Vanilla: Maybe they don't like smoke. Should we try something else they can use as a shape, like the flowers?

Maple: I...I don't understand, I've done that spell perfectly before. Why isn't it...wait a minute. (She peers intently at the smoke circling around the grave, watching it slowly begin to fade and drift away) I...don't think anyone's been buried here.

Fritter: Maybe they're shy and don't want to talk to strangers?

Maple: No, that can't be it. Even if they didn't want to appear, I used enough power to summon them here. They would have started to take form before leaving if they didn't want to speak to us. I don't think there's anything here to be summoned.

Ube: Then why are there graves here?

Maple: That's a good question.

(As they stare at the graves in confusion, the sound of voices causes them to freeze up. The people approaching sound as if they're coming from the path the kids had taken from the bottom of the mountain by Okobore, and the siblings immediately see their clothes and recognize them as the adults from the town.)

Luffy: Why did you want to come with us to this castle, anyway?

Kiku: I'll explain once our allies have all arrived.

(The adults see the children near the graves, and both groups stare at each other in surprise for a moment. The one in the red robe looks even more familiar to the children, and they wonder if they'd seen him before they had ever come to Wano. The green-haired swordsman is the first to speak up.)

Zoro: Oh, it's those kids from earlier.

(When his gaze lands on Fritter, Ube and Dochi immediately raise their weapons while Maple takes her youngest brother's hand. Vanilla hides behind Maple and grabs Fritter's other hand.)

Ube: Stay back, murderer!

Dochi: Don't take another step towards my siblings, or I'll cut you in half, right along that scar on your chest!

Law: Murderer? I told all of you to keep a low profile!

Luffy: No, Zoro told me that was just a misunderstanding. He didn't kill anyone, he just slashed the guy who framed him and ran off!

Kiku: You really do have a talent for causing a ruckus...

(Vanilla steps out from behind Maple to get a better look at the man in red.)

Maple: 'Nilla! Get back behind me, we don't know who these people are.

Vanilla: But... (she peers at Luffy, and when she recognizes him she beams at him) That's not a stranger! That's Luffy, he's Papa's friend!

Ube: Wait, what? Oh. Ohhhhh, you're right! It is!

Dochi: Holy crap, it is!

Law: You know these kids, Luffy?

Maple: We haven't actually met, but we know OF him. (She relaxes a bit, but is still holding Fritter's hand as she walks up to Luffy and holds out her other hand in greeting) We're Katakuri's children. Um...we first saw you when you ruined Aunt Pudding's wedding and caused our Grandma to have a mental breakdown, but I doubt you noticed us during all of that.

Luffy: Ohhh! I didn't know Katakuri had kids. Huh, you even have his mouth marks. (He shakes Maple's hand.)

Dochi: Also, we don't blame you for all that either! I mean, we were mad at first. But then Papa told us you did it to save Sanji. So wait, are these guys part of your crew too? (She glances at Zoro, Law, and Kiku)

Ube: Oh, whoops. (He smiles sheepishly at Zoro) Sorry for threatening to kill you, mister. We thought you were a crazy killer or something, but if you're with Luffy then you can't be too bad.

Kiku: Wait, what are you all doing here in Wano? And why are you by yourselves?

Vanilla: Oh! Dochi and Ube stole mama's magic scissors and made a portal, 'cause they wanted to meet up with our aunties and uncles and grandma here. But then Maple saw us and tried to take them back, and then the portal ripped, and we all fell through it and now we're here!

Kiku: That...isn't what I expected.

Law: Wait, your grandmother...Big Mom's already in Wano?

Maple: That's--um, confidential. We can't reveal where our family is to another pirate crew. (She looks sternly at Vanilla, who pouts.)

Vanilla: Yeah, but they're friends with Luffy! And Luffy is Papa's friend, so we won't be called traitors if we tell them, right?

Law: We're ALLIES, not friends.

Vanilla: Huh? Aren't those the same thing?

Luffy: Yeah! We're friends, Law.

Law: I don't want to have this conversation again...So. You five are lost in Wano, and nobody in your family knows that you're here.

Dochi: Mama and Papa probably know by now. Papa's got really good Observation Haki, and Mama knows how to use magic, so they should've figured out we're gone and where we are. They'd probably want us to stick with Luffy, since he's Papa's friend; we dunno where our aunts and uncles are, so he's the only grown-up we know that we can trust here.

Ube: OH! Let's be allies! Me and Dochi can fight, Maple's the best of us at magic, 'Nilla is good with healing spells and knows some stuff about medicine, and...um, Fritter's a really good cook! I mean, he's 7, and he's really good for a 7 year old.

Luffy: Hmm...Alright!

Maple: This is NOT going to go over well if our family finds out. Look, if we're really going to be allies, we need you to keep this a secret from them. The only one who wouldn't call us traitors for this are Mama and Papa, and Big Mom would KILL us if she found out we were allies with you of all people. Um, no offense.

Luffy: No problem! I'm pretty good at keeping secrets.

Law: You're joking. Please tell me you're joking.

Kiku: I admit, I normally wouldn't approve of involving children in this. But...we can't just leave them on their own.

Ube: Plus, we wouldn't take no for an answer and we'd just follow you guys anyway. My mom says we're "tenacious to a fault."

Law: You'll fit right in with Luffy, then.

Luffy: Hey, since you guys got here before us, have you seen some of our other friends? A guy named Kin'emon, a kid named Momonosuke...

Maple: (frowns) Wait...you mean...them? (She points to the gravestones.)