#sanji just giving usopp a heart attack for a moment there

[sogekyng]

@terraius asked:

"Oi, Usopp.. Got the bad news today after my checkup... Turns out I-." he's really playing up the sad but trying to be aloof thing here. "I'm suffering from a kiss deficiency." Dramatics, his arm thrown over Usopp's shoulders, head burying into the crook of his neck. "I'm growing weaker by the second..."

tending to his garden, usopp turned his head when he heard sanji speak to him. for a moment there was a bit of panic in his heart when the other spoke up of bad news. standing up quickly as the other trailed off.

"sanji what's---" and there it was, the jokes. he should have known that the bad news was nothing, but usopp was just that kind of person to worry. as he felt sanji lean against him, the sniper's arms went around him to hold him up.

a breath and a smile.

"oh, is that all?" he asked with a sudden kiss to the top of sanji's head. "let's fix you up then, huh?"

[gatitties]

Hi🤗♡.

Can I request teen!fem Reader with the (strawhat pirates & kid pirates & heart pirates)( the older version of them please in there 40 or 60).

The Reader got hurt very badly and she was in coma for month.

But of course everything was fine when the Reader wakes up and everyone is happy♡.

P.s : take your time okay :) .

─Strawhats, Kid Pirates & Heart Pirates x teen!reader (platonic)

─Summary: A life-threatening attack hits you and everyone is worried about your condition

─Warnings: the characters are older, like in those 40/60 year old drawings (reference)

─ You are the little light of the group, being the youngest everyone was always watching you in battle, they had full faith in your abilities, but they would not stop being worried.

─ But you're not always in a completely accessible place, the others also have their own fights at the same time so the world seems to stop when the sound of your body hitting the ground catches Nami's attention. "Oh- No- no- my god, Chopper!"

─ Usopp, who was the one who had only been running and launching light attacks, was the first to approach your body, noticing a large pool of blood around you and a big blow on your head, he turned pale when he saw you.

─ He easily carried you in his arms and took you to a less dangerous place while Chopper rushed to finish off his own opponent, he was with you in just a couple of minutes, he could be older, but he won't stop losing his nerve when he has than treating a loved one, "A doctor! We need a doctor right away!" "You're the doctor?!" "Oh right!"

─ While the others finish as quickly as possible to know if you are okay, you are treated emergency, managing to stop the bleeding and stabilizing your vital signs.

─ The problem was that you spent one day sleeping, two, three… and it became the longest week for the entire crew.

─ Everyone was impatient and uneasy, they would not forgive themselves if something happened to you, they knew that you would wake up sooner or later, they would just wait for you.

─ Chopper checks on you daily, Sanji puts a glass of fresh water on the nightstand every day in case you wake up and no one is there at that moment, Luffy and Usopp will sit down to play any board game to keep you company, Zoro will take some occasional nap on the floor (chopper puts some pillows and blankets there because age doesn't forgive back pain), Nami and Robin will talk to you as if you were gossiping with them on a normal day, Brook will sing something at night so that in your sleep better, Jinbe and Franky stop by from time to time to see if you're awake.

─ Everyone's spirits fade when the second week passes with no indication that you will wake up and they think the worst, however they cling to the fact that your condition is stable, you are healthy and you are much younger than them.

─ A month later, Luffy had fallen asleep resting his hand on your shoulder, he didn't give you time to open your eyes and you already had your captain hugging you. "Hey, it's been a while, I don't even sleep that much after a good meal!"

─ You laughed confused because you obviously didn't know how long you had been out, and it didn't take long for the others to find out, you were surrounded in a big hug although Chopper scolded everyone because he still had to do one last check before letting you walk freely.

─ This team fights with everything it has and you were not going to be less, although much younger, you were much more energetic than that whole group of old men, as you affectionately nicknamed them since they sometimes called you kiddo or child.

─ The problem is that sometimes you were somewhat impulsive, and that's why you attacked too quickly. Kid smiled, seeing himself reflected in your recklessness, although he scolded you. "Don't get ahead, these guys aren't as weak as they seem."

─ You turned a deaf ear since you had advanced well in the attack, but in an instant everything had gone black for you, a fatal blow to the abdomen left you completely out of combat.

─ "Oh fuck, the kiddo is hurt, shit- like, really screwed up, needs medical attention right away!" Heat is the one closest to you and the one in charge of protecting you until the bloodbath ends, which they do more quickly.

─ Killer knows that you won't wake up today because when they sewed the wound you didn't wake up because of the pain, he knew that you were very complaining about pain of any kind despite being a teenager.

─ The tension grows as the days go by, uncertainty because you don't wake up to joke that you've knocked down more guys, they are mentally torturing themselves even though they don't let it be seen.

─ Wire will talk to you to tell you all the gossip you miss, Killer will stop by every morning before starting the day hoping to see that you are standing, Heat will sleep next to you some days and Kid will not visit as often because he is venting his discomfort in his workshop.

─ Kid has been in a worse mood the last few weeks because you were the person with the smallest hands and he needed your help with some screws that were too small, which delayed his project, he missed your annoying little presence making jokes about his old age .

─ Killer had full faith that you would wake up sooner or later because they had treated you on time, it just made him nervous not knowing when it would be, "I will make your favorite food if you wake up today…" he always said in the hope that the food would open your eyes.

─ A month later when everyone got used to the lack of a gremlin running from one place to another (they didn't get used to it, that's what they want to think), you woke up, there was no one there at that moment so you got rid of all the cables, feeling good.

─ "Hey child- holy shit! you're awake, hey- what are you doing up?! You need to get checked before you walk around again" "I'm fresh as a lettuce captain! I can't say the same for you… but uh-" "I'm glad to see you're okay." He put his only arm over your shoulder and squeezed you like in a wrestling hold, roughly rubbing your head.

─ They used you as an excuse to have a party, although you didn't care much because you also celebrated and ate your favorite food.

─ Law was going to kill Shachi and Penguin because you got hurt on a mission with them, you took several hits, which exhausted you, and what you thought would be a nap back on the submarine ended up being something worse.

─ They tried to keep you awake while they used what Law had taught them about minimal care, but you couldn't continue.

─ They didn't even set foot in the submarine and you were already in a bed in the infirmary, the smell of blood gave away your condition, "I want a report on what happened and the area of the body that was most beaten, we will talk about your punishment later", both swallowed, knowing that their captain did not like to see his comrades injured but above all, to see someone with so much life ahead of them injured.

─ You are treated immediately and quickly, Law knows that you will not wake up for at least a week due to the blows and your condition, but you would get out of this, that does not prevent him from feeling an emptiness in the pit of his stomach.

─ Bepo will be in your room most of the time, reading out loud so that according to him, you wouldn't get bored in your dreams, Shachi and Penguin got some free time (because they were forced to clean the entire submarine until it shined) to apologize to you.

─ Ikakku stopped by from time to time to check your vital signs and tell you some things that had been happening.

─ Even though they knew you would wake up, not knowing when the moment would be made the entire crew impatient, although Law detected some changes in your condition after a month, he knew when you would finally open your eyes, which reassured him.

─ "What the hell…?" You mumbled when you woke up seeing that your arms and legs were tied, "I'm glad to see you awake" "How are you glad if I'm tied to a bed? Oh don't tell me, have you finally lost your mind and going to dissect me?" He sighed "Security, I knew you were going to get up as soon as you woke up and I want to do one last check" "Sure…"

─ Everyone found out later because you started screaming as if you were being tortured just because had to supply something with a syringe, at least you prolonged your hug with Bepo because of that.

─ Shachi and Penguin apologized to you again, but you downplayed it, right now what mattered most to you was having a good meal, you were hungry and Ikkaku had the solution to all your problems.

[beanghostprincess]

I feel like the minute Luffy gets a crush on someone he panics and straight up hates it. It's like why am I acting so weird like it's just Zoro/Saji/ usopp!!! Every time they compliment them or smile at them, he has to cover his face with his hat. He starts laughing like an idiot and makes terrible comebacks. All of his confidence and stupidity turns into awkwardness and self-consciousness. He's straight up not having a good time.

Luffy would kill himself on the spot. He instantly just jumps into the fucking sea.

Zoro: Something something, of course, my captain Luffy: I- Haha. My heart is beating funny. Haha. Give me a moment, Zoro! <3 *literally just jumps into the water* Nami: LUFFY WHAT THE HELL??? Luffy: Glupglupglupglup

He knows what a crush is, he's not stupid. He just doesn't fucking want it because he doesn't know what to do with so many overwhelming emotions so he genuinely goes to Chopper to make it go away. Chopper is confused af because he genuinely doesn't know what a crush feels like exactly and he thinks Luffy is going to die of a weird illness so he PANICS. And if this happens casually when Law is around (make it around wci), he can't just take it anymore:

Law: Luffy, for the tenth time, you're not fucking sick. You just have a crush on your cook. Luffy: Torao you're the worst doctor in the world!! You're wrong!! I hate this!! Law: Yeah, well, people normally hate it. Deal with it. Why am I even helping you here- Luffy: MAKE IT GO AWAY!!!! Law: I CAN'T MAKE IT GO AWAY YOU FUCKING MORON THAT'S A YOU PROBLEM. IT'S NOT A MEDICAL CONDITION. Luffy: Then take my heart and just??? Throw it away??? Law: I am going to kill you with my bare hands. Luffy: Please? :( Law: Luffy, I swear to God-

The poor thing is so lost and he gets really overwhelmed by absolutely nothing. Like. Genuinely nothing- And the girls are always there to help him out, but sometimes it's just such a funny sight.

[Luffy sitting with Robin on deck and watching the crew just do their things. Usopp practicing his aim and new inventions in front of them] Usopp: Hey, Luffy! Check this out! *does the stupidest most sexiest thing in the whole world because he just looks hot af when he's shooting at stuff* Luffy, blushing uncontrollably, covering his face with his hat and dying from a heart attack: Jndjkandeuiwbkwendknjdkjs *Incoherent noises* Robin: Are you alright, captain? Luffy: Make it stop, Robin :( Robin: Haha, I'm afraid I can't do that. Usopp: Luffy??? Robin: He says it's really nice!

And a little bonus:

[Red Hair pirates and the Strawhats finally meeting and throwing a party together] Luffy: And then Zoro cut that guy in half like it was nothing! It was the coolest thing ever, right, Zoro? Zoro: I would go to hell and back for you, captain, and that's the anecdote you tell him? Luffy: I- It was a really cool fight! Shut up, captain's order! Don't say things like that! Zoro: Mm. Shanks: Oh. *Turns to Beckman* When were you gonna tell me the kid is down bad for his first mate? Benn: Congratulations, you got one out of three. If you guess who are the other two, I'll let you drink more than usual today, captain. Shanks: *Blushes uncontrollably* Chopper: Oh no!! You're sick too??! Shanks: What do you mean, funny reindeer? Chopper: Luffy does that when he's around Sanji a lot!! Shanks: :) The other is Black Leg. Benn: Not fair at all.

[xlpoww]

I wish you would - ZORO'S VER. PART ONE

anonymous asked: i’m a sucker for a opla sanji or zoro x jealous reader 🏃‍♀️ just the months long pining, banter and flirting, assumptions, miscommunication, the heartbreak upon realizing that what they had was just in their head, THE COLD SHOULDER i love it. give me it all. anything. THERE ISNT ENOUGH. BUT WITH A HAPPY ENDING. thanks pookie ily 😣

this is a different format than y'all are used to, but i find some requests more fun/easier to write this way! so i hope y'all don't mind :)

anytime your ship would dock on an island, without fail you and zoro could be found in the bar that night

the whole crew knew there was something between you two, something no one could ever have assumed zoro was capable of.

the longing stares brought on by your inebriated lack of filter. you never normally giggled that much? did you. the ghosts of smiles that your jokes brought to zoro’s lips. if you blinked you would miss the way the corners of his mouth quirked up, only slightly.

your friends were getting fed up honestly. how long would you two hide being the masquerade of being best friends? not everyone could bring down zoro’s walls without a second thought. no one had ever made you smile as bright as the green haired swordman. kiss already, jeez.

“oye zor, i could totally take you!” there’s a drunken flush over your cheeks, and as you lean towards the man in question, your drink sloshes around in your glass. he turns to you with a quirk of his eyebrow, placing his drink down on the table. there’s a ghost of blush dusting across his face, his brown eyes swimming with emotions your intoxicated mind is unable to decipher. 

you swear there’s a twinkle in his eye as he speaks, “i don’t think you could handle me sweetheart.” the pet name lights a fire in your stomach, and paired with the raps in his voice? you can’t help the visible intake of breath. zoro’s eyes fall to your own lips, the air feels thick with want. as quickly as the moment begins, your pulled from it by the slam of a glass on the table. 

“jesus guys! get a room.” usopp's voice grabs your attention, snapping you back to the reality where zoro doesn’t reciprocate your feelings.

most nights would end with you getting sad and leaving off to your room to go sulk and sober up. you knew your place, it was zoro’s closest friend. nothing more nothing less.

so when the girls would flirt with him, (how could they not. he was gorgeous.) you would bite your tongue and kick back more beer. you had no claims to his heart, no valid reason for your heart to sting so much when girls drape themselves over him. the only comfort being he never returned their affections.

until one night, he does? a girl flirts with him and he flirts back. the interaction feels like a personal attack, a sword right through the middle of you. the pain in your heart was worse than any wound you’d acquired in battle. you weren’t sure if it would ever go away. 

you’re not even close enough to hear the interaction, (which was probably a good thing). zoro had walked off to sit at the bar alone while you’d stayed sitting at the table talking to nami. your eyes always followed him though, and the frown that falls onto your lips when a girl walks up to him is hard to miss.

“y/n?” nami follows your gaze to see a woman standing next to zoro, and he turns to look at her. his body language is nothing like anything she’d ever seen with anyone but you.

you’re left speechless, mouth open in shock. who was she? and why was she worthy of his gaze? why had he never looked at you like that. you feel a hand placed over yours, and turn to see nami looking at you. there’s a sadness in her eyes, a pity that took the knife in your heart and twisted it.

“what’s wrong mademoiselle?” sanji speaks up, looking at you with concern. you can’t meet his eyes, you know he means well of course. even so, the flirt was the last person you wanted pity from.

the rest of your drink is tossed back, the stinging feeling in your mouth nothing in comparison to the heavy weight on your shoulders. with an unhidden urgency, you left the table, your chair behind you making a loud noise as you make your quick exit. with a jealousy you didn't believe you had the right to possess, you stomp out of the bar. you didn't have the stomach to spare the sight another glance, but if you had, you would have seen zoro’s concerned eyes on you. 

you didn't leave your room that night, or the next morning. sanji had brought food to your door, it went untouched. nami had come to check on you, but you waved her off.

even when your beloved captain came, you opened the door with a smile and told him you were just tired. the look in his eyes meant you knew he wouldn't accept that excuse for too long. 

usopp came to bug you later in the afternoon, he would take the hint rather quickly. 

the one person you wished had come to check on you, was the reason you were curled up in bed with a hole where your heart should be. how funny was that.

when the man finally came to knock on your door, you just turned over in bed. zoro was left there to wonder in silence, what had happened to his girl?

taglist: @shuujin @angeli-fucking-cat

[aetherdoesthings]

Hello! I'm diving into your posts and everything is so lovely!

So I'd like to know if you're interested in writing about a reader who isn't sure why they were recruited, since they don't participate in the battles and are an ordinary person; The reader is always trying to prove their worth to their romantic interest in some way and sees this opportunity when, alone on the boat, other pirates invade the vessel and deciding that this was the moment, the reader tries to fight all of them and gets very hurt.

It may sound a bit confusing but the main idea would be something like "I want it, I get it", giving the idea that the reader was simply recruited by the cliché of love at first sight.

It's okay if you turn down the idea, find it boring, or just don't respond at all! I just thought it would be a cool and very emotional idea, cute confession and with a unique touch of each character, you know?

Anyway, thanks for reading and have a great day/night! ♡

R~

(the characters in question would be Zoro, Luffy and Sanji)

hello R~! i chose to only write for zoro bc i've been writing sanji a lot and i haven't really done a lot of zoro fics, so yeah! apologies if you wanted luffy or sanji!

forethoughts: kinda rushed, it's 1am and i have to wake up at 7 tomorrow 😭. this req will be a mixture of headcanons (bullet points) and text. also just as a question has any of y'all listened to ado before?

notes: gn!reader, zoro that doesn't know how to show emotions but being blunt about it.

You really had no idea what your life would become when a scrawny boy walked up to you and asked you to join his pirate crew. No reason at all, just ‘hey join my crew’.

You were an ordinary person. That’s all. Can’t fight, can’t do anything, really. But you did so anyways, since maybe life on a ship would be much better.

You tried to get along with the crew and show your worth, but there wasn’t anything you could really do. There were already three very formidable fighters, a navigator, an archaeologist, a craftsman and snipe, a shipwright, all the jobs were already taken. So what could you do?

Thank God Luffy always called you to play tag with him and Usopp and Chopper, either having you chase them around, or find them in a game of hide and seek.

But one day, while the Straw Hats were exploring an island, you were tasked to guard the ship. You tried your best, hoping no pirates would come to attack you, but you had the worst luck in the world.

A band of pirates came towards the Sunny, and got on board. You had no experience in fighting at all, except for a couple of times Zoro would drag you into the gym to practice your punches and increase your strength. You never asked why, he just forced you to put on boxing gloves and begin hitting a punching bag. 

You knew that if you managed to hold them off, you could prove your worth to the Straw Hats, so you balled your fists and striked at a pirate.

You get knocked out and beaten into a blood pulp within an instance, 

Fortunately the Straw Hats came back early, and quickly subdued all the pirates and recovered anything stolen, as Chopper rushed to take you back to the infirmary.

When you gained consciousness, you saw a green haired man standing next to your bed, his arms folded.

There wasn’t anyone else in the room. Just you and the swordsman.

“Zoro?” You murmur.

“How do you feel?” He asked.

“My body hurts…” You try to sit up, before getting stopped by a blade.

“Move and I’ll slice your throat.” Zoro looked at you, his eyes narrowing. You lied back down on the bed, looking at the swordsman as he sheathed his sword.

“Where’s everyone else?”

“Fixing the ship and recovering everything.”

You felt guilt filling your heart, as you frowned. “I’m sorry… I really tried… I just can’t fight… I’m not good at fighting… I’m sorry…”

“You idiot, don’t be sorry. And don’t even think about moving.” The swordsman snapped. But underneath his words, you can tell his voice was shaking. You stay still, lying down on the bed.

“Why did Luffy recruit me? I’m just some ordinary person. I can’t even fight. I can’t even do anything…”

“That’s bullshit.”

“I’m sorry?”

“That’s bullshit. You’re not ordinary. You can do things.”

“But I can’t fight…”

“You don’t need to know how to fight to be on this crew.” Zoro looked at you intensely. “You’re already doing enough on this ship.”

“What could you possibly mean by that?”

“You’re doing enough on this ship by being on this ship.”

“You’re confusing me.”

“I like you, hear me? I love you a lot.” Zoro gripped onto your chin tightly, looking at you in the eyes. “I saw you on that island while back. It was like love at first sight. And when I want something, I’ll get it. So I got Luffy to let you join.”

“Wait, what?!  You like me?”

“Yes, I do.” Zoro looks at you. “So don’t ever dare call yourself useless. You have a use.”

“Being your girlfriend?”

“Mhm. Whatever I want, I always get it.”

Life was certainly going to get interesting for you now.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Oh wow! I loved that! Part 2 of Yandere Platonic Straw Hats please?

The crew is now looking for a Cook, and meet Sanji and Zeff, who both spoil Reader with apples (Zeff can tell Reader’s been through a lot, for her crying tears of joy over a delicious yet simple meal, yet can’t seem to smile) as Reader tries to help with her Brother Luffy who needs to work off his debt from accidentally destroying a part of the Baratie (Reader tries to help, by serving drinks or get some of the ingredients for the chiefs, which makes the cooks and customers gush by how cute Reader is for trying to help)

Sanji instantly becomes attached to Reader the moment she compliments him for making her food and watching him cook, praising him for his skills in the kitchen (In a platonic ‘Big Brother’ way obviously) and he becomes very determined to make Reader smile from his cooking (With little to no success for now, but she always tells Sanji how incredibly yummy his food is, so he knows that’s progress, plus Reader’s eyes sparkle from each bite she takes)

However, the Cooks of the Baratie and Straw Hats battle Don Krieg, and Zoro ends up fighting Mihawk, with Reader wanting to heal his wounds but he refuses (Zoro being the stubborn ass he is and he doesn’t want Reader to overexert herself again and get a fever, but he’s too much of a Tsundere Big Brother to admit that)

Plus after the battle, the Straw Hats, plus their new crew mate Sanji must go after Nami, who stole the Going Merry (Plus Zeff gives Reader some apples as a reward for all her hard work)

Eri is just, so cute (When I heard her say ‘Oh no, it’s the bad Guy’ in Dub I was screaming over how cute she is 🥹🥹🥹)

-The waiter was a bit funny as you were all seated at a table together, Luffy lifting you up to sit beside him, he was really nice to Nami, giving her a fancy parfait, while the men only got some water.

-When his eyes fell on you he instantly kneeled, “Such adorable beauty as this deserves the best parfait in the whole world!!”

-Your eyes were sparkly as him and a guy with only one leg, a big mustache and a really big hat came out, the main chef and the two gave you the prettiest apple parfait you had ever seen, Luffy and Usopp were drooling over it.

-You turned to the two, tears in your eyes, “Is this really for me?” people all over the restaurant, from other guests to your crew to Sanji and Zeff, collapsed to the floor, holding their chests, unable to handle the overwhelming cuteness!!

-You shared bites of your parfait with Luffy who thanked you and gave Usopp some of the cookies on top and you held out an apple slide to Zoro who was going to refuse you, but your sparkling eyes made it impossible to resist and he took it, quickly stuffing it in his mouth, looking away with a blush on his face.

-Luffy caused some trouble, a lot of trouble, a whole heap of trouble, and was forced to wash dishes to pay off the damage and you went to Zeff, asking to help your big brother too.

-Zeff could tell by the way you held yourself that you were a damaged child, afraid of the world, but you had strong people on your side, helping you.

-Unable to resist your puppy eyes, Sanji helped put you in the smallest apron they had, which was bright pink and frilly, and you helped by taking dishes to Luffy.

-The other guests were fawning over you as you gave shy smiles and when an older man asked you why you were working, you beamed, “I’m helping my big brother!”

-Cue round two of cuteness heart attacks!!!

-Sanji had you on a chair next to him as he cooked, showing you the skills in the kitchen and he soaked up all of your praise, enjoying your sparkly-eyed look, “That’s amazing, big brother Sanji!!” he legit cried into his elbow, overwhelmed by your kind words.

-You cried when Don Krieg attacked, hiding under a table, your hands on your head as you wept silently, afraid of all of the noise until Nami found you, “There you are!” she grabbed you, holding you close as you clung tightly to her.

-You and Nami took refuge from the fight as a good part of the ship got destroyed in the fight, you gasped, calling out as you tried to get out of Nami’s arms, “Luffy!” watching him get shot at by spears, getting hurt.

-You managed to get out of her arms, rushing to your brother and Don Krieg saw you running, sneering down at you as he pointed his weapon at you, “Kids should stay out of the way!!”

-Everyone saw this happening in slow motion as your family all screamed out your name, including Sanji as he tried to rush to your side.

-A sudden pressure surrounded you and you froze as a man appeared in front of you, with a long cape and a huge cross shaped sword on his back, protecting you.

-You gasped, looking up at him as his head turned to you and you saw a piercing set of gold eyes. You could tell this man was powerful, dangerous, but there was no malice towards you.

-He easily took care of Krieg, shocking everyone watching before you learned this man was one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Dracule Mihawk!

-You ran to Luffy’s side, wanting to use your quirk but he put his hand on your head, “Don’t, I’ll be okay.” You sniffled softly but nodded, not seeing Mihawk’s glance.

-You felt like you couldn’t breathe, seeing Zoro get cut down by Mihawk, just standing there and taking it as the loss of a duel!

-You ran to his side and Sanji saw that your horn was a bit bigger, flared with energy, something Mihawk noticed as well, glancing out the corner of his eyes.

-Zoro put his hand on your head, much like how Luffy didn’t, “Don’t, Y/N. You’ll make yourself sick again.” You were sobbing, holding onto his hand, wanting to help him as he grinned up at you, trying to pretend he wasn’t bleeding out, “I’ll be fine!” Mihawk smiled softly, seeing Zoro’s attention for you as your horn shrunk down again.

-Zeff helped stitch Zoro up while you walked around the damaged ship, seeing it getting repaired already. You trotted up to Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp, concern on your face, “I can’t find Nami.”

-Shock was very quick to set in when they realized that the Going Merry was missing and so was Nami, as Zoro’s two friends told you all that Nami stole it.

-Your eyes went wide, holding your dress around your belly, ‘Stole it…?’ you couldn’t understand why she did that, and why she left.

[becausesomething]

The Straw Hats' reaction

I'm back with what you asked, the crew and zoro reaction 🥺 (took a long time, but I don't forget about your requests, thank you for the support!)

You can read the 1st part here: The farewell letter

I run to the deck completely in a trance, and holding her scarf in her hand like my life depended on it. It was daytime, but I didn't see anyone. I hear voices coming from the kitchen and I burst in.

-Be careful, you idiot! - Nami shouts after slamming the door into the wall

-Y/N? Where is Y/N?

Everyone looked at me confused, except Luffy who continued to eat without worry.

Desperation turned to anger, she couldn't think, this couldn't be happening... Not when she managed to climb the walls she had built. When she showed me what it was like to love someone. When I got used to her presence and looked for her every night to calm my demons.

I go to Luffy and grab him by the vest with my free hand - How could you let her go? She is our companion, she belongs with us. Not risking her life alone and without protection.

Sanji and Usopp get up and try to separate me from Luffy, but I push them away and try to make Luffy face me - Why didn't you stop her? Why did she left without saying goodbye... just a letter that explains nothing. Answer Luffy! - my heart ached, this could only be a nightmare - What captain allows one of his companions to leave without an explanation or a goodbye?!

I no longer feel Sanji and Ussop trying to control me. Finally, everyone in that kitchen realizes what's happennig.

-Luffy?! - Nami's voice is weak but sincere like the day he gave her the hat to save her

-Y/N just went for one of her walks, right? - asks Chopper who was now pulling Luffy's shorts to get attention and answers

-The captain must have had his reasons, because they don't give him space to explain himself...-Robin says trying to calm down everyone

He pushes me away and puts the hat on his head.

-Y/N made her choice... I don't know when she will return, but she will never stop being a Straw Hat.

Those words couldn't be true. She was really gone. I felt like she had lost her ground.

Everyone looks at the captain with surprise, and without knowing how to react or what to say. Tears begin to stream down Nami and Chopper's faces, and Ussop quickly joins in. Robin, Franky exchanged glances with each other. Sanji lit a cigarette and looked at Luffy.

-Yohohohoho, our captain and his jokes. I'm sure this was just another one of Y/N's jokes

-Luffy, where is she? - Sanji asks calmly, smoking his cigarette - Let's change the route and bring her back.

-She made me promise not to go after her. She's not going back, not until she makes that decision.

All that pain filling every part of me, it wasn't easy to control myself. I was angry and feeling her scarf in my hand reminded me of her voice, her smile, her smell. Her presence that was gone...

-I won't accept this! - lead by the anger of having no concrete answers, I punch Luffy who doesn't dodge, hitting the wall and falling to the floor

-Mosshead, he's still our captain! - shouts Sanji who grabs me before attacking Luffy again

-Let go of him, Sanji! - he finally faces his nakamas, gets up and comes towards me. He puts his hand on my shoulder and tears start to run down his face - You swore you would become the best swordsman in the world and I promised I would help you. Y/N's moment is now. What captain would I be if I prevented everyone from realizing their dreams?

-But without saying goodbye... - I fall to my knees on the floor trying to accept reality

-We all share the same pain - Luffy faces each of his crew - We made a toast. She is our nakama. It doesn't matter how long she takes, because she will always have a place to return.

Find more stories here and here xoxo

english is not my first language, even thought I use it more than my native tongue. I try my best to adapt it 🫣

[skatingbi]

Fighter Pilot AU - All the character's roles in the storyline so far (Pt. 1/3)

Hello everyone! I decided to organize my notes app more by adding everyone's roles to this post. So far, this AU includes Luffy, Zoro, Nami, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Shanks, Garp, and Mihawk. I hope I can add in Koby somehow bc Luffy/Koby has my heart but as a newbie to the OP canon storyline I'll have to read more of the manga first since I just barely got to the Water 7 arc...

Anyways, heres the masterlist of major traits, roles, flying habits, etc. that I can think of for Luffy, Zoro, and Nami! Enjoy!

Luffy: Luffy is a fucking lunatic while flying...you know the scene at the end of maverick where the enemy 5th gen pull that free flying shit and use gravity/steering alone to evade fucking missles??? yeah, luffy does that shit. bro takes "dont think just do" too literally and is somehow the top of his class bc of it. Shanks definitely taught him that.

Luffy is Zoro's best friend and also close to Sanji, but in this AU, Luffy and Zoro are either childhood friends or just happened to be in the same company together for basic training and have stuck together since then. Maybe in the past, Zoro was Luffy's nav until Nami joined the group, and then Zoro flew solo afterward like he wanted.

He's the youngest of the group for this series as well, at least under 21 but above 18. In modern standards, enlisted soldiers will be 18 or older for this AU, but I also dont think Luffy is old enough to drink. That being said, Luffy doesn't care for smoking or alcohol anyway since he prefers to eat all the snacks he wants lmao

I also believe in adoptive dad Shanks supremacy in this AU. Yes, I know who Luffy's canon dad is. No, I will not be following canon. Canon is simply a suggestion at this point, and this entire AU is self indulgent as hell anyway. Shanks being luffy's father figure means that having to spectate Luffy in the marines is both reassuring and also two seconds away from giving him a panic attack but we'll talk more about that in his own entry later.

Zoro: Zoro joined the marines with Kuina the moment they both grew out of foster care. Even though they were both in separate locations for basic training (Zoro in the east blue and Kuina was probably in the north blue) they constantly kept in contact. Kuina is essentially Zoro's big sister, and he looked up to her a LOT and is the main reason why he even became a pilot.

In the beginning, Zoro joined to be in infantry (or infantry equivilant) and Kuina joined to be a pilot (I can see her being a fighter pilot for sure, but she would also probably do well as a bomber or even a test pilot in the beginning). Kuina would always talk about her achievements and adventures when she was legally allowed to, and Zoro would do the same. After a year, when they were setting up a meeting date to visit each other since Zoro would be stationed in the North Blue with her, he gets the news that she passed away.

During his assignment in the North Blue, which was originally supposed to be 2 years long, he was pulled out a year early. This is when he meets Mihawk. This meeting will most likely be when Zoro decides to change career paths and after months of arguing with admin and the world government he can finally change jobs to be a pilot and finish what Kuina started: Becoming the world's greatest fighter pilot.

Zoro flies like he fights in the manga/anime. Defensive and only offensive when his squad is threatened. This is how he gets a confirmed kill after resuming his assignment in the North Blue under his new job title. Although he's the newest to piloting in the top gun program in this AU, he's extremely gifted, and I also believe zoro is smarter than people make him out to be as well.

Nami: Nami originally became a pilot for the pay (irl in the U.S. pilots make decent pay as far as I know, so im basing it off that knowledge. Piloting can have diverse pay, though). She wanted to send money to her family to help keep them afloat, especially since their home relies on agriculture for income. Although she prefers nav over being a fighter pilot, her skills caught the eyes of a few top gun instructors, and so she used that to be able to get accepted into the program. Her, Usopp, and Robin bond over this, despite Usopp being a talented fighter pilot as well.

Nami is also extremely smart, not only academically but also practically. Her street smarts, as I like to call them, are extremely useful to the friend group, especially when training and doing mock combat exercises. Zoro actually respects this about her and grows to become a close friend of hers as well. In this AU, when Zoro doesnt know how to talk to the men about something, he'll usually go to Nami since not only is she great at reading people but also doesnt sugar coat her thoughts or feelings.

I like to think that Luffy also latches onto her as well, and when she attempts to leave the program, Luffy immediately refuses to let her and gets the rest of the group to encourage her to stay. She's always had a rough time trusting people, but the friends she's made out of her squad members have helped her open up a lot more.

[mystical-flute]

We Are The Warriors That Built This Town: Chapter 2

Oden's test for the Straw Hat and Heart Pirates takes place. Will the crews be able to get the keys they need to reach Wano's poneglyph?

AO3

“Oh, nice going Zoro. You just had to attack Wano’s shogun!”

“Don’t give me that crap, Usopp! He was charging straight for Luffy!”

The crew had awoken locked in separate jail cells, without their weapons and seastone handcuffs holding them to the walls.

“I just can’t believe they managed to get the jump on us. My observation haki didn’t see anything coming,” Sanji said with a frown. “And if I couldn’t sense anything, Jinbei, Luffy, or Mosshead sure should have.”

“Indeed. Whatever that gas was, none of us stood a chance at stopping it. I guess it’s true what they say about Wano,” Jinbei concurred. “I saw their power for myself at Marineford, but to have it used against you is another matter entirely.”

“So what do we do then?” Nami questioned. “And where’s Luffy?”

“Still sleeping,” came Chopper’s voice. “I wonder what happened to Law’s crew.”

“Trafalgar Law?” a voice questioned from the staircase. The crew recognized it immediately as Oden. “The man who helped you take down Big Mom? Was he supposed to be with you?”

There was a moment of quiet before Jinbei spoke. “How do we know you’re telling the truth about not knowing where the Heart Pirates are?”

“Because if anyone else appeared on our island, someone would have informed me. How do you think I reached you so quickly when you landed on our beach?” Oden’s eyes were bright with mischief. “People don’t get into Wano quietly. Not with our lovely waterfalls! Wahaha!”

“Why did you lock us up?” Robin asked.

Oden stopped in front of her cell. “It’s as I said. You needed to calm down. Your swordsman over there doesn’t know the truth of the swords he has.”

“What did you just say?!” Zoro snapped, his chains rattling as he struggled in them. “You don’t know anything about my swords!”

“No?” Oden questioned, rounding on Zoro and holding up one finger when he reached the bars of his cell. “Shusui. One of the most famous blades in history. Wielded by the sword god, Shimotsuki Ryuma, one of the rare swordsmen to master the art of the black blade. Twenty-three years ago it was stolen along with our beloved protector’s corpse while Wano was under the control of the pirate called Kaido.” He paused and held up another finger. “Wado Ichimonji. It has the markings of being crafted by the Shimotsuki clan of Wano. This was verified by two daimyo who are members of said clan.” Another pause, another finger lifted. “The Sandai Kitetsu. A cursed blade said to bring misfortune to whoever owns it. Forged in Wano, by a great man named Kozuki Sukiyaki.”

Brook rose to his feet in alarm. “Kozuki? Wait, does that mean - ”

“Sukiyaki  was my father? Yes,” Oden confirmed, glancing at Brook’s cell before turning to Zoro. “Do you understand now?”

“Just because you know my swords doesn’t mean you have the right to steal them from me,” Zoro said with a glare.

“The only sword I want back is Shusui. Wado and Sandai are yours. In exchange, I’ll give you another Kitetsu blade. The Nidai Kitetsu, forged by my ancestor,” Oden said. “That’s all I want.”

Zoro frowned. “What kind of sword is the Nidai? Can I see it?”

“Of course. Kiku!”

The same female samurai from their initial clash came down the stairs, holding a sword with a purple hilt in her hands. “Lord Oden, I have the Nidai. You’re sure you’re willing to give it away?”

“If it means we get our country’s greatest treasure back, I am prepared to make that sacrifice,” Oden replied, taking the sword and presenting it to Zoro. “I’ll undo your binds so you can examine it. Kiku, do you mind undoing the others? I think they’ve all calmed down enough.”

“Of course, my Lord.”

Carefully, both got to work undoing the cells and chains, and one by one, the Straw Hats moved into the main dungeon, minus Luffy, who was, somehow, snoring away in his cell, completely unaware of what was happening around him.

“Is this… normal for your captain?” Kiku asked, undoing Luffy’s chains and stepping back with a frown. “He’s the one who took down Big Mom, of all pirates?”

“He tends to sleep where he thinks he’s safe. We don’t understand it either. Sorry,” Usopp sighed and leaned down, gently smacking Luffy on the face a couple of times. “Luffy! Wake up!”

Luffy, however, kept snoring, and Usopp hoisted him over his shoulder as Sanji stepped out of his cell.

“Just give me access to a kitchen and he’ll wake up in a second,” Sanji said with a sigh. It was obvious he was barely restraining his heart eyes at the tall samurai before them, as he kept his eye trained on the sword she had with her.

Kiku hummed a little as Oden stepped out of Zoro’s cell. Zoro quickly followed, slipping the Nidai Kitetsu into place on his belt before Kiku looked at Sanji again.“I’m afraid our kitchen staff is already preparing a feast for you all. You’re welcome to follow me upstairs if you’re hungry.”

The crew nodded and followed Kiku up the stairs and into a large dining hall, a long table and zabuton. Along the walls were wanted posters of well-known pirates, including the crews of the Worst Generation, Whitebeard, and Roger pirates.

“Amazing…” Robin whispered. “How much information is able to get into the country?”

“Less than there used to be, but enough for us to know the people to watch out for,” a young woman said as she stepped into the room. “I’m also sorry my father decided capturing you was a better idea over explaining what was going on. He tends to be a little dramatic. I’m his daughter, Kozuki Hiyori.”

“Hiyori my sweet!” Sanji swooned immediately, bowing to her and kissing the back of her hand. “What an honor it is to meet you.”

Hiyori flushed. “My goodness! You’re so kind, sir, but please, have a seat. The servers will be out soon with the first course.”

“Huh? Food?” Luffy questioned, lifting his head from Usopp’s shoulder.

“Welcome back,” Usopp grumbled before he dropped Luffy to the floor unceremoniously. “Hey, uh, Princess Hiyori? I just wanna apologize in advance for Luffy. He’s probably going to eat all the food you have in the castle.”

Hiyori turned to him with a playful smile. “We’ll see if he can.”

“Hey! Jinbei!”

Jinbei glanced over and grinned. “Izou! I was wondering where you went off to after Whitebeard’s funeral. Decided to come home, huh?”

“How could I ignore the call to come home when Lord Oden appeared at Marineford?” Izou laughed. “I see you’ve joined with another emperor.”

“What can I say? Luffy just has something about him,” Jinbei replied with a hearty laugh.

“You sound like Pops. He knew there was something special about him.”

“You’re sure it wasn’t just Ace talking about him all the time?”

More warm laughter escaped the two former comrades, until Izou sighed and gestured toward the table. “Anyway, feel free to sit and relax. Lord Oden has quite an interesting proposition for your crew.” When Jinbei gave him a concerned look, Izou held up his hands. “You are not enemies of ours, Jinebi. Your crew is safe here.”

Jinbei nodded warily, but took a seat at the table with the others.

More samurai entered the room alongside a young man and older woman, who introduced themselves as Kozuki Momonosuke and Toki, Oden’s son and wife.

“Ah! I wasn’t aware a Mink had joined your crew!” the giant dog said, his gaze torn between an affectionate look toward Carrot and a concerning one toward Brook’s skeletal frame. “I’m Inuarashi, and the cat is Nekomamushi.”

Nekomamushi’s gaze, however, remained focused on Carrot. “This may be a shot in the dark, but do you happen to know a Mink named Pedro? He was a dear friend of mine before the dog and I left Zou.”

Carrot ducked her head and clenched her fists against her knees. “U-um… he came with us to get Sanji back from Big Mom and - and he - he sacrificed himself. Big Mom had taken a lot of his life span in the past, so…”

“She… killed him?” Nekomamushi asked.

Carrot nodded and swallowed to try to stave off the tears that threatened to fall. “He knew his time was running out, so he - he sacrificed himself. He said I had to live on to see the new dawn come. That - that Luffy would bring it.”

Nekomamushi and Inuarashi exchanged a glance, before grinning at the crew.

“If that was Pedro’s will, who am I to complain?” Nekomamushi said as he reached over to pat Carrot on the head in the traditional Mink fashion. “And he clearly has a strong, capable Mink to fulfill his wish. Providing you can get through the game Lord Oden has set up for you all!”

“I’ll do my best to make him proud and win whatever you’re talking about!”

“That’s what I like to hear!” Oden said as he entered the room. He had one hand firmly on Zoro’s shoulder, as if he had been steering him in the correct direction, making sure Zoro actually sat down at the table before he sat at the head of it. “Now, welcome ladies and gentlemen. I am Kozuki Oden. I imagine you’ve come here for Wano’s poneglyph?”

“That would be nice,” Robin said with a small nod.

Oden nodded. “Yes, of course you did. But it wouldn’t be smart of me to just let you have it. I was a member of Roger’s crew, after all.”

Luffy choked on the fish he’d been inhaling, his eyes wide. “Woge’s cew?”

“Indeed. I was the one who helped him get to Laugh Tale. The language of the poneglyphs originated in Wano. My children and I have continued that tradition,” he paused and glanced at Robin. “I imagine you are the one guiding Luffy, Nico Robin.”

Robin nodded slowly. “How did you guess?”

“You’re the last survivor of Ohara,” Oden said with a smile. “It doesn’t surprise me if their scholars were able to read the ancient language of the Kozuki clan.”

“Right… of course I knew your ancestors were the ones to create the poneglyphs.”

Oden nodded. “And so, I have concocted a series of tests for your crew. If you pass, you will be able to copy the poneglyph. If not, well, I’ll have no choice but to remove you from our island.”

“Remove us how?” Usopp questioned, a nervous quiver in his tone.

“Oh, don’t worry, son of Yasopp!” Oden said, continuing on even through Usopp’s surprised yelp. “I was just going to send you over the falls attached to the stern of your ship, that’s all!”

“Oh, that’s all?” Usopp deadpanned, though his eyes were full of panic.

“Of course that’s all! I wasn’t actually going to kill you or anything!”

Usopp’s tea kettle-like squeak went unnoticed by the rest of the crew as Sanji spoke up.

“You clearly know a lot about us, if you have our wanted posters hanging in here and you know Usopp is Yasopp’s son, so what are these tests you have for us?” he asked with a frown.

Oden nodded. “They play to your strengths. If you’ve gotten this far in the world, and the papers are calling you a Yonko crew, then I need to make sure you’re worthy of going all the way to Laugh Tale. So each of you will find yourselves fighting some of the strongest members of my court in order to obtain a key. If you all manage to secure your keys, it will lead you to the poneglyph you seek.”

“I think it sounds fun!” Luffy managed to say without food lodged in his throat. “When do we start?”

“This evening. I would like to test Trafalgar Law as well, if he’s able to make it up the waterfall.”

“How did you know Traffy was with us?”

Hiyori giggled behind her hand. “The newspaper said as much, of course. Someone spotted both your ships leaving the wedding.”

“Great. We were meant to make a quiet exit,” Usopp groaned.

Momo only laughed. “Nothing involving Big Mom is ever quiet, believe me. She tried to burn down part of our forests when father rejected one of her marriage proposals for Hiyori to one of her sons. Probably not a great indicator of how she’d be as ‘family’.”

“No, I would say it’s an excellent indicator,” Jinbei said. “You managed to avoid getting stuck in her web.”

“An excellent way of looking at it,” Izou said with a shiver. “She only got more forceful after Lord Oden showed up to the war at Marineford, saying she was better suited to keep Wano safe than Shanks was. It’s like she couldn’t even see his flag flying at the top of our castle.”

“She probably saw it. She just didn’t care.”

“You’re probably right, Jinbei,” Oden said, before he glanced over at what appeared to be an empty wall. “Shinobu, what news have you?”

To the crew’s surprise, a shinobi with long twintails popped into the room, then bowed before Oden. “Trafalgar Law has been spotted in Kuri, Lord Oden. Shall we go fetch him for you?”

Oden grinned. “Excellent. Yes, thank you, Shinobu.”

She was gone with a pop.

“Oh good, Traffy’s safe. That’s a relief!” Luffy sighed.

“You seem quite close to him,” Oden said.

“Oh yeah, he’s great! We’re all friends!”

The look on some of hos crew’s faces said they did not feel as friendly toward Trafalgar Law as their captain. It amused him greatly - Luffy reminded him so much of Roger, thinking he’d made all sorts of friends, even when those friends were rivals who weren’t fond of him in return.

When the Heart Pirates were brought into the room and caught up on the conversation, Oden rose to his feet again and addressed everyone.

“So now you know that I have a series of tests planned for you. Whatever room you run into will have one of my men that you will have to fight for a key to unlock where the poneglyph is. The one thing I want you to know is that every test will be taking place on the palace grounds. I do not want anything to spill over into the Flower Capital,” Oden said. “I do not want my people to be hurt by a friendly game!”

“You think the race for the One Piece is just a game?” Law questioned with narrowed eyes.

“If I thought that, I would have just given you the poneglyph rubbing, wouldn’t I?” Oden questioned before he rose to his feet. “Now then, you all know what you have to do, so let’s see if you can succeed!”

With a snap, the Wano natives vanished in puffs of smoke.

“Alright, well…” Law sighed as he rose to his feet, Kikoku on his shoulder. “Let’s go then. Let’s find that poneglyph.”

The group split up, going in different directions of the palace and its grounds.

-----

“How are you feeling, Carrot?” Bepo asked nervously as the duo wandered down one of the castle’s long hallways. “I mean, after everything with Pedro and Big Mom…”

Carrot had to think for a moment about how she really felt. She’d been telling the crew she was fine, that it was Pedro’s will to do what he did, but honestly she’d been more concerned that they were going to send her back to Zou, so she may have been lying. Bepo though, surely wouldn’t rat her out. 

“I’m okay. How are you? Knowing what your brother went through and all…”

Bepo nodded in understanding. “Same. I’m okay. I’m just glad to know Zepo isn’t a slave of the government or something.”

“We are too.”

Carrot and Bepo froze outside a doorway to a courtyard area, where Neko and Inu were sitting, matching grins on their faces. Moonlight filtered in from the tall sakura trees, casting an eerie glow around what should have been a peaceful, tranquil scene.

“It’s a perfect night to sit outside you know,” Inu said, one hand on his sword.

Neko grinned, his teeth glinting in the faint light. “That’s right. Nice and clear. The perfect night ta watch a full moon.”

So this was their test - fighting two of Oden’s samurai while in their sulong forms.

Carrot and Bepo exchanged a glance, nodding at each other in agreement, before stepping outside and glancing up at the moon, feeling its power surge through their forms.

And then, they lunged.

-----

“So what do you guys think we’ll have to do for our test?” Chopper asked Penguin and Shachi. He paused, ears picking up the sound of growling from the courtyard. “It sounds like the Minks have gone sulong.”

“Man, if they’ve had to go sulong, I guess that means we’re fighting, aren’t we?” Shachi groaned.

“Well, we shouldn’t be too surprised at that. We are in Wano, after all,” Penguin replied.

Chopper nodded a little, before his ears perked again. “Hey… do you guys hear something?”

“Sounds like water,” Penguin said.

They continued down the hallway, the sound of the water growing louder until they arrived at a large outdoor spring.

“Ah! Welcome to our healing spring!” Kawamatsu said. “Isn’t it a lovely night?”

Chopper glanced up at the moon and stars, shining clearly through the courtyard’s trees. “Yes, a perfect night to be outside. The Minks already seem to be making the most of the good weather.”

Kawamatsu’s laugh echoed in the clear night air. “Yes, I suppose they have. Do you think your Mink friends will be able to defeat ours?”

“Of course I do!” Chopper said. “Carrot was trained by a sulong master on Zou!”

“And Bepo trained on his own for years to master his own skills!” Shachi added. “You should have seen the way they worked together to destroy two of Big Mom’s fleets!”

Kawamatsu grinned. “That’s very impressive indeed. Now tell me this… do you think the three of you can defeat me and take my key?” With that, he dove under the water.

“A water battle? I’m a Devil Fruit user - I can’t go in the water!” Chopper groaned.

Shachi and Penguin though, didn’t seem concerned. In fact, they were grinning.

“You don’t have to worry about the water. We’ve got it. You just get him when he comes back onto land.”

Chopper was given no further explanation as the two humans dove in after the fishman.

-----

They could do this. As soon as they got this poneglyph, they’d have three out of the four! And maybe Oden would be able to give them a hint as to where the fourth one was, especially if the Kozuki clan really did carve them!

And if Nami could steal from Big Mom, she could steal a stupid key. She’d done it before, in Enies Lobby, and while that had actually been a fight for their lives, this would be a cakewalk!

She paused in her mission to find some jewels when she heard music coming from a nearby room. Nami slowly opened the door and peeked her head inside, where she found Hiyori playing a shamisen.

“Ah, hello Weather Witch. I was wondering who would find my musical hideaway. Please, do come inside.”

Nami was slow as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

“You look worried, Nami,” Hiyori said. “You don’t need to be, I promise.”

“I know that,” Nami replied as she stepped closer to where Hiyori was sitting. “What’s that song you’re playing?”

“It’s called Moon Princess. It’s my father’s favorite.”

Nami jumped in surprise and turned to look at the second Hiyori that was standing behind her.

“I’ve heard you’re quite adept at clones yourself,” both Hiyoris said. “Can you figure out which one of us has the key you seek?”

---------

BANG! BANG!

Usopp ducked behind a tree. He knew when he’d found Izou it would be a battle of marksmen, but he didn’t expect to be dodging actual bullets. And Izou was one of Whitebeard’s men too - how could Usopp even come close to someone like him?

But he needed that key. It was going to unlock one of the last mysteries they needed to find the One Piece, and then… maybe Usopp would become a brave warrior of the sea, like he’d promised himself and his crew so long ago.

How was he supposed to do it if Izou kept finding all his hiding spots?

“Come on, Usopp! If you want to sail with an emperor, you need to pull your weight!” Izou taunted.

He was right. Luffy was considered an emperor now. He couldn’t slack off!

Taking a deep breath, Usopp tried to concentrate on where Izou was hiding and how he could get one of his pop greens to hit him.

There! He saw Izou’s form shine bright blue for a moment on one of the castle turrets.

Ducking out of his hiding spot, Usopp shot out a smokescreen, then a sticky bomb. If he could just pin Izou down, he could get the key.

He could hear a grunt from Izou, and grinned. 

Bingo.

Izou laughed. “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”

-----

“I have to say, I didn’t know a human could learn fishman karate!” Kiku remarked as she blocked an attack from Robin. “It’s very impressive!”

“Thank you. Your snow techniques are fascinating as well!” Robin replied.

They hadn’t been able to get any good hits on each other - both too fast or too good at camouflage for anything to hit. Robin could see the key dangling from Kiku’s armor, taunting her, and couldn’t help but wonder if this was how the others felt at Enies Lobby, trying to hunt down the key to her handcuffs.

“Who taught you those techniques, may I ask?” Kiku asked as she shrouded herself in snow again.

Robin braced herself, trying to see her through the swirling snow. “Luffy’s brother,” she replied, throwing her voice to one of her clones. She couldn’t do this forever, but until she figured out how to find Kiku in the snow, she was going to have to risk it.

“Ace?” Kiku questioned, and Robin saw her opening as she faltered in confusion, summoning one of her arms and reaching for the key.

When she yanked it back, the snow suddenly stopped, with Kiku freezing. Through the mask, Robin could see the shock on her face.

And then Kiku pulled off the mask and let out a hearty laugh.

----

“Your jutsu really is quite interesting, Franky-dono!” Raizo said as he hung from the rafters of one of the meeting rooms. “But I’m afraid it’s no match for mine!” 

He was fast, which meant Franky had to learn on the fly to get faster too, and his mind was already swirling with ideas as to how to make that happen. He couldn’t wait to get back to his workshop and test them out!

“I told you, bro,” Franky began, grunting and dodging out of the way of one of Raizo’s flash fire attacks. He was too bulky - he needed something to make him more stealthy like a ninja. “It’s not jutsu. It’s science! My own Franky brand mad science!”

“I hope I can see science when Wano is finally open,” Raizo said, disappearing from the rafters. “There is so much about the world that seems fascinating.”

“Oh, hell yeah there is! Sea trains, dials, robots used by the government! There are so many crazy things in the world!” Franky said. Maybe if he could keep Raizo talking it would be enough to get the key.

Raizo paused. “What’s a train? Wait - no, I know this. Water 7, yes?”

“You know what Water 7 is?”

“Lord Oden mentioned it! He said there was a man named Tom there who was working on something called a train,” Raizo explained. “He also mentioned two apprentices.”

Franky lurched, his strong right launching without him meaning to. Holy shit. It was Oden that showed up with Roger that day. The one that had offered him a place on Roger’s crew.

“He knows all about Cutty Flam, huh?” Franky grunted, an arm wrapping around Raizo, the key dropping to the floor. “You can tell Kozuki Oden that Cutty Flam is dead.”

------

“Fifty years?” Kanjuro gasped in horror. Brook wasn’t sure if it was the real Kanjuro or the fake ones he kept drawing. “You were alone for fifty years?”

“Indeed, with the bodies of my crew the only company I had,” Brook replied, strumming his guitar. Yes, they were supposed to be fighting - and they had been! Kanjuro’s paint brush bringing art to life and doubling as a sword reminded him so much of him being able to bend the power of music to his own will, but if he could lure Kanjuro into a false sense of security, that would work to get the key too, right?

Kanjuro frowned. “It must have been lonely.”

“Oh incredibly so! I was so used to the ghosts in my own mind I was actually frightened of Luffy and the others when they arrived in the Florian Triangle! But it allowed me to produce some of my best songs, I think,” Brook explained, strumming his guitar.

“Kakaka, I know what you mean,” Kanjuro said. “Lord Oden saved me from living a life of lies and deceit. He helped restore my family name too. If it weren’t for him I would have been willing to burn Wano to the ground.” He shivered at the thought. “I suppose it takes a miracle for us to understand who our real family is, huh?”

Brook nodded. “It really does.”

Kanjuro sighed and reached into his robe, withdrawing a key. “Here. Take the key. If Monkey D. Luffy is who Lord Oden trusts, I do too.”

-----

Ashura Doji’s swords clattered to the ground at the force of Jinbei’s attack. Both men panted heavily, the prolonged battle beginning to wear on them. Though it wasn’t meant to be a fight to the death, they were prideful warriors, and that meant taking it as seriously, as if it was.

“You’re impressive, Son of the Sea,” Ashura said. “But I’m not done yet!”

He rushed forward like a sumo wrestler, fully prepared to lift Jinbei and defeat him that way. To his great surprise though, Jinbei met his physical strength, and locked the two of them in a stalemate.

“I have to say I agree. The people of Wano truly are as strong as Oden boasted!” Jinbei said with a grin. “I’ve enjoyed our duel very much, Ashura. But I think it’s about time it ended!”

“Not as quickly as you might hope!”

Jinbei grinned. If they weren't fighting, it may have looked friendly. Instead, Ashura’s stomach sank as he was suddenly lifted from the ground, over his head, then slammed hard back against the floor.

Ashura groaned out in pain. When was the last time he’d been pushed that far? Still, he couldn’t help but smile, grabbing his key and handing it over.

“You’ve earned this fair and square.”

-----

Ugh. This Kin’emon guy was annoying, going on and on about all the beautiful women in Wano, as if trying to use that to distract him from his goal!

Okay, well, it was, a little bit, but Kin’emon seemed to be getting just as distracted which was really, really annoying. He almost wanted it to be an actual battle against an enemy instead of a friendly duel.

Sanji took a drag from his cigarette and observed Kin’emon again. He was a swordsman, which meant he had to be careful not to get cut. Worse, he used two swords, like Mosshead, which meant he had two weapons he could strike Sanji with.

Luckily, though, Sanji knew full well how to dodge the shit Mosshead threw at him. All he had to do was concentrate on that instead of Kin’emon’s descriptions of the beautiful women that lived in Wano.

“What’s the matter, Black Leg? Are you worried you won’t be able to get the key your crew needs?” Kin’emon taunted with a grin. “Is my warrior pride distracting you?”

“Your warrior pride includes talking about women?” Sanji questioned. “Didn’t you also say you had a wife?”

“Oh yes, my beloved Tsuru! Mother of my beloved children!” Kin’emon said, his face pink with the love he held for her.

And that’s when Sanji struck, landing a simple diable jambe and knocking Kin’emon into a wall, his key clattering to the ground.

“Your wife and children sound like good people, Kin’emon. I’d be honored to cook for you sometime.”

Kin’emon let out a wheeze and gave Sanji a thumbs up.

-----

“Why does your boss know so much about my swords?” Zoro questioned, his blades clashing with Denjiro’s. All around him, Zoro could hear the calls of his crewmates, locked in their own battles. For once, it seemed like all of them were actually focused on the goal at hand, which was good.

Denjiro was proving to be a difficult foe, and one that Zoro very much appreciated. But the fact that Oden seemed to know everything about his swords was incredibly alarming, and if he wasn’t going to fight Oden, maybe he could get something out of Denjiro.

“Why wouldn’t Lord Oden, or anyone in Wano, really, know about the Shimotsuki Clan? They run two of our regions, after all,” Denjiro replied with a wide grin. “In fact, Ushimaru and Yasuie came down to the palace themselves to look at your swords. They know the one who created the one you carry between your teeth.”

That had Zoro lurching back in surprise, allowing Denjiro to get a hit on him.

It wouldn’t happen again.

“So they know the old man from the village?” Zoro grunted. “How?”

“Distracting me will not work. Do you want this key or not?”

Zoro bristled in anger. Fine. He’d just have to go to those regions himself and get some answers. Surely the rest of the crew would want to hang around for a few more days.

Their swords clashed again, haki bouncing off of them in waves as each man got an attack off.

“I must say, you do remind me of Ushimaru with the way you carry yourself,” Denjiro mused. “Your stance and swordsmanship is the same as that clan.”

Zoro simply grunted. “Onigiri!”

Denjiro was knocked off his feet, swords and key clattering to the ground.

----

Momo was probably the coolest person Luffy had ever fought before. Not only was he a super strong warrior like Oden, he could turn into a dragon! And a much cooler dragon than the one at Punk Hazard!

And he was strong. Luffy wasn’t surprised at that, all things considered, but still, as they fought outside the palace, with all the people\watching them from the ground, Luffy was having the time of his life. It was nice to not have to worry about his crew, even if they were fighting, because for once, no one was actually trying to kill them!

“Straw Hat, hurry up and figure out if he’s the one with the key!” Law shouted, before the sound of swords clashing met his ears. Ah, so Oden wasn’t budging either.

“You know, Straw Hat, our brothers are on the same crew!” Momo suddenly said, distracting Luffy again.

“Wait, really?” Luffy asked with wide eyes. “Hey cool! Have you met Ace before?”

Momo nodded and went into his half-dragon form, blue scales glinting in the light of the moon as he picked up his discarded sword. “Of course! He wouldn’t shut up about you! So I’m glad I get to battle you now, because if he comes back to visit, I can tell him I kicked your ass!”

Luffy frowned. “You’re not gonna kick my ass! I’m gonna kick yours and get what I need!” He couldn’t exactly remember the name of the thing he needed, but either Oden or Momo had a key to get to it, so that’s what he was focused on!

“Come then, Luffy!” Momo laughed.

Luffy was glad he was having as much fun as he was, and as he jumped to avoid Momo’s sword, he saw the key glinting off the belt on Momo’s robe.

“Traffy!” Luffy shouted.

Law jumped away from Oden’s attack and snapped his fingers, swapping the key with a small pebble.

“Wait - what? That’s cheating!” Momo shouted.

Oden just roared with laughter. “Now, now, all I said was they had to get the key. They are pirates, Momo. Their code of honor is different from ours.”

“They have no code of honor,” Momo grumbled.

“Don’t be a sore loser, Momo. Go show them back to the dining room,” Oden said.

Luffy grinned when he saw the rest of their crews already waiting for them, keys in hand and a large box on the table. When all the keys were inserted, a small bird flew out of the box and led them down a dark, hidden passageway to the underbelly of the palace.

“Ah, you passed my husband’s test. Congratulations,” a woman’s soft voice said. “Welcome to Wano’s past.”

[holykillercake]

Barrels, Bets and Balls

pairing: Zoro x Drunk!Reader

word count: 1.9k

summary: The Straw hats are presented with millenary rum from an Ancient Giant Tribe and, well, no one is giving you that anymore. 

higlight:  ¨And then you said ¨maybe I should wear your underwear.¨

warning: Don´t read and drive. 

notes: HOLD MY BEER! Hi, guys! This was a lovely request from @roronoatrash for a drunk s/o! I have to say this is my first time writing a drunk character so I´m a bit nervous hahaha I really really hope you like it! Have fun and drink responsibly! <3 @vemuabhi​

𝕷𝖊𝖆𝖛𝖊 𝖈𝖔𝖒𝖒𝖊𝖓𝖙𝖘, 𝖗𝖊𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖘𝖙𝖘, 𝖆𝖓𝖉 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊!

¨Agh!¨ you mumbled when you tried to lift your head from the pillow. It felt like the Thousand Sunny had run over you a thousand times. 

¨Hm?¨

¨Regret ... mhbeh ... thing...¨ your mouth was so dry that talking became almost impossible.  

¨What´s that?¨ Zoro asked, definitely amused by your deplorable state.

¨Hmmm... I don´t... regret... anything.¨

¨Of course you don´t. You don´t remember anything.¨ he shifted on the bed, making it look like a black hole was opening in the mattress. ¨Here, take this.¨ He handed you something.

¨I don´t need your pity... ma-marimo.¨

¨This is not pity, Y/N. This is a painkiller. Come on, you´re gonna feel better.¨

When he helped you to sit on the bed, you noticed something stuck to the window, preventing the sun from entering and blinding you. The greenette removed a few locks of hair that laid plastered across your face before helping you with the herculean task of taking the pill.  

¨If the stupid cook is not dead he must have made coffee.¨ he stood up, grabbing your slippers and placing them in front of you. 

In the meantime, your mind tried to gather whatever useful information you had to understand what had happened, but everything was a void blank. 

¨You ok?¨ he asked, hand on the doorknob. ¨Do you want me to bring it to you?¨

¨No, it´s ok...¨ you pinched the bridge of your nose, making one last effort to remember at least a crumb of the previous hours. You were fast to give up, though. ¨What happened?¨ 

¨Uhhh, you got drunk and passed out.¨ he said like it was no big deal. 

¨Hmm, ok...¨ you took a few seconds to digest his words ¨but when you say ´you´ you mean ´you me´ or ´you guys´?¨

A chuckle left his mouth ¨Come and you´ll see.¨ 

The sun shone high in the sky, forcing you to wince back into your room like the time you had your shadow stolen. You stumbled and lowered yourself to the floor, crawling away from the light. 

¨You go!¨ you said dramatically, covering your eyes ¨Run away and leave me! Tell everyone... that I fought until the last moment!¨

Zoro scoffed at your poorly performed scene, walking closer to you and squatting, back turned to you. ¨Hop, soldier. We don´t leave nakamas behind, right?¨

Your cheeks reddened with his gesture, and you hid your hungover smitten smile on the crook of his neck. ¨Hold tight, Y//N.¨

Oh, I will. Ouch, my head!

As soon as you reached the main deck, your eyes widened, ignoring the bright sun, and your mouth fell in a perfect O. 

¨Oh my freaking... what happened here?¨

If it weren't for the countless barrels, you would have easily thought that you had been chewed up by a sea king. 

The Straw Hats were scattered across the deck, mixed with garbage, blankets, and rolls of toilet paper. Their unorthodox positions would definitely grant them a stiff neck.

Zoro carried you to the kitchen where you found Usopp and Chopper talking at the kitchen table.

¨... like I fasted in a desert for forty nights, and then I survived... a buster call. And like... all of the battleships were pointed at me. And I was catching fire before that.¨ you heard Usopp whine to the doctor, who wrapped some bandages on him. 

¨Oi, who made coffee?¨ Zoro asked purposely loud.

¨SHHHH!¨ you and the sniper hissed at him.

¨Sanji did.¨ Chopper answered ¨Oh, Y/N, how are you feeling?¨

¨Like my heart is beating in my head.¨

¨At least there´s a heartbeat.¨ the swordsman replied, putting you close to a chair so you could take a seat. ¨Hm, Chopper, I saw the cook dead outside.¨

¨Yeah, he made coffee and then passed out again.¨ Chopper discreetly pointed at Usopp´s bandages. 

¨He passed out and spilled hot coffee on me!¨ he roared, stopping midway to whine. 

¨But you two look pretty good, though.¨ You referred to Chopper and Zoro. 

Not Usopp, definitely not Usopp. 

¨Night watch. I didn´t drink last night.¨ the doctor sighed, relieved. 

¨And I can handle my alcohol.¨ the greenette bragged, placing a steaming cup of coffee in front of you. 

¨What happened anyway?¨ 

¨Oh! You don´t remember too, Y/N? That millenary rum was really strong!¨ Chopper asked, fascinated by the effects of the beverage. 

¨Millenary rum?¨ 

¨Yeah! It was a gift from an Ancient Giant Tribe!¨ 

¨Giant tribe?¨ you kept repeating every word he said, double-checking to see if you were not hearing things. 

¨Y/N, what´s the last thing you remember?¨

¨Hmm, let me see...¨ you rested your elbows on the table, hands covering your eyes. Wow, even thinking hurts.

                                                <~>

¨I swear to God, Tony! When Luffy falls into the water, you can not jump after him!¨ you yelled, panting from climbing back to the ship and soaking wet of salty water. 

He pouted and whined. You only called him ¨Tony¨ when you were upset with him. 

¨So-Sorry Y/N... AaaAgh...¨ his voice trembled, and you couldn´t help but soften a little. 

¨Ugh, forget it.¨ you laid down on the grass and sighed, the reindeer on your belly ¨Are you alright, Chopper?¨

¨Y-Yeah...¨

Zoro emerged a few seconds later, carrying Luffy on his shoulder. 

You had engaged in a fight against some bandits who were causing trouble on an island called Gran Brabados. From what you could understand, they were descendants of the Ancient Giant Tribe who emancipated from Elbaf after years of conflict. 

¨I don´t wanna be rude, but¨ Usopp spoke to one of them ¨I thought giants were warriors. Like Broggy and Dory. Those guys fought for over 100 years!¨

¨Well, most of us are, but some are not. That's why we left Elbaf.¨ the giant said ¨We're not interested in war, we're interested in rum!¨

All of you stopped for a second, wondering if you heard the same thing.

¨Eh?¨ you spoke.

¨We don´t make war! We make rum!¨ he threw his huge hands in the air, chest puffing out of pride.

¨Oi, really? Give us some!¨ Zoro immediately threw Luffy on the floor and ran towards the giant. Next thing you knew, the giant burst into laughter. 

¨Gabababa!¨ he hunched as he laughed ¨Sorry, but tiny people like you can't handle it! Gababababa!¨

You were not sure what offended you the most, he calling you all, who just saved their asses, weak or having to dodge the huge drops of saliva that came out of his mouth. 

After insisting a lot, he ended up giving in, presenting the straw hats with barrels and barrels of millenary rum. Yeah, millenary. Rum distilled for one thousand years, or at least that is what he said. 

The celebration didn´t take long to begin. Because Luffy had decided to set sail that same day, you would all be bathed with a pleasant sunset as you partied.

¨Wow!¨ you shouted after chugging the first tankard. ¨Oooohh, this is good booze!¨ you shook your head, already feeling the kick. 

¨Girl, you should go easy on this. It´s super strong.¨ Franky said, making you scoff at him, possessed by some waspish Viking demon.

¨And here I thought you were hard-boiled.¨ 

¨What?¨ 

¨O-Oi, Y/N...¨ Usopp said, worried, sipping his drink. 

¨Haven´t you learned anything with Tom-san?¨ you clicked your tongue ¨Meh, I guess I´ll be the one making things with a DON around here!¨ you chugged more of the rum. 

The shipwright glared at you with a red beam coming out of his left eye. You remember questioning yourself for a second. Maybe you had said too much, but it was just for a brief second before you insulted someone else. 

Back at the kitchen table, flashes of the events from the last night began to pop in your mind. Guilt and embarrassment gushed over you, making you twist and cringe. 

¨And then you said ¨maybe I should wear your underwear.¨ Chopper shivered as he quoted your words.

¨Nooo...¨ you cried out.

¨It gets worse, Y/N.¨

¨What?! How?!¨

¨Because after that,¨ Zoro started to speak, and you saw him struggle to stop a smile from cracking. That was not a good sign. ¨you said "your balls are so small Robin could have grabbed them with one hand!¨ 

The men laughed and slapped the table as you looked for a place to bury your head or a knife to stab yourself in the heart. 

¨WHY DIDN´T YOU STOP ME?¨ you yelled, pulling your boyfriend by the collar and shaking him. 

He placed a hand on your forehead, a silly thing he did every time you got too nervous. ¨Oi, you´re a big girl. You know what you´re doing.¨ 

¨Noo, obviously I don´t!¨ He smiled. 

He would not be the one to tell you, but he did have to stop Franky from Radical Beam-ing the hell out of you several times. For some reason, you were very keen on insulting the cyborg's masculinity. 

Another thing he wouldn´t tell you was that he didn´t touch the rum in the last night. He decided to remain sober and look after you, making sure you would not kill someone or get yourself killed. 

However, despite all the trouble you gave him, he recognized your strength. Straw hat after straw hat, you managed to defeat everyone in a stupid drinking contest. 

The biggest achievement was to drag Luffy into the game since he dislikes the taste of alcohol. When he denied being part of it, you teased him by saying,¨I think you are just scared, Luffy. You know what, maybe I should be the Captain of this ship! Maybe, I will be the Pirate King!¨

That was about the sixth punch Zoro took for you. Or because of you. 

The darker the night fell, the wilder you all got. And then insults began to come from every direction to every direction. You were arguing, then laughing, then crying and apologizing. If it wasn´t for Zoro, Chopper would have had a heart attack. 

¨Nami, you thief! Give me back my queen, or I´ll be forced to shoot a Bidori Moshi at you!¨ Usopp yelled, holding a bunch of cards in his hands. 

¨Oi, Usopp! How dare you speak with a lady like that?! I´ll kick you in the face!¨

¨Bring it on, Sanji! I eat eggplants like you for breakfast every day! AND IT´S GOD USOPP FOR YOU!¨

¨Zoro...¨ Chopper cried, falling close to where the swordsman was sitting. ¨W-What are we going to do?¨

¨Uh? Ah, sit back and relax. You know these guys, they are ju-¨

¨Y/N-san, may I see your panties?¨

¨Well, too bad for you I´m not weari-¨

¨OI! Y/N!¨ Zoro dashed over, throwing you on his shoulder. 

That was about the first punch Brook took for you. Or, again, because of you. 

And then, as the number of biological hazards began to decline, managing the situation became easier and easier. Chopper took care of the fallen drunken, and Zoro threw blankets over them.

In the end, it was you and Luffy. You were still arguing about the things you said earlier. Both of you were exhausted but didn´t want to give in. The argument only ended when you withdrew your words, saying that he would be the one to become King of the Pirates.

Luffy fell dead asleep immediately, and Zoro took the cue to approach you. ¨Hey, Y/N. Our time, let´s go?¨

You turned to him and nodded, red cheeks and tired eyes. He had to scoop you up and carry you back to your room since your legs were not part of the equation anymore, and you would let go and fall every time he tried to carry you on his back. 

¨Heeey, you´re not drunk!¨ you whined, almost falling asleep. ¨Why aren´t you drunk?¨

¨Cause you drank everything.¨

¨Noo, I can find s´more.¨ you uncovered yourself, trying to get out of bed.

¨I bet you can.¨ he said, covering you again and pulling you closer.

The warmth of his body, altogether with his hand gently rubbing your back, made your system shut down. 

¨You know... I can kick your ass... in a drinking contest...¨

¨Yeah,¨ he chuckled ¨I bet you can.¨

That was definitely not true, but for you, well, for you he could pretend it was.

[whirlybirdwhat]

The strawhats dont know that Jimbe shares the other half of Luffys scar.

Word Count: 2,239

The Straw Hats hadn’t expected it, even as they traced inked lines on newspapers, old and faded with time, watched the news and clips of Marineford, brought by an old enemy’s hands.

They knew their captain would be scarred – saw it in the newspaper, the way his face broke with his brother’s body in his arms, saw it in bloody bandages inked with 3D2Y.

They just –

They didn’t know it would be like this.

Luffy’s scar is a red thing, a bloody thing. It’s roughly healed, clearly gone without proper care beyond the initial wrap, and it lays directly over their captain’s chest. An X, cruel and digging into his skin.

(Legends state that Joyboy, the first adventurer, carved an X on to Raftel. That the poneglyphs are his signature, the X that marks all treasure.

Below this X lies their captain’s heart, burned and flayed by the first of a dog.

It is a treasure that should have never been marked.)

He wears it openly, proudly, as if this X was not in the same place of the wound that killed his brother, as if his hand did not reach up to scratch at it, rest on it, hold it when he stared at the horizon. They have had a day to get used to but still –

Still it is a shock, fresh and unwanted.

(Scars have meaning, and scars have purpose. Zoro has two on his ankles and one on his front, two earned in learning, and one in battle. Another is on his eye, a price paid for being a student who aims to take down his teacher. Nami has scars, covered by blue ink, scars that freed her, scars that saved her. Usopp has nicks on his hand, scars in odd places from trying to repair a dying ship, from fighting his captain.

Lessons learned, purposed gained, willingly, voluntarily.

Luffy’s is nothing like that. )

It stares at them, taunts them, bright and red, a reminder that they weren’t there when Luffy was always there for all of them, wasn’t there when he needed them most, as much as it is a reminder of how Luffy’s brother died in his arms, in a war that should have never been.

(Luffy has scars – he heals fast, but not enough to cover burns from molten gold or holes from warlord’s hooks. But nothing is as vibrant as this one.)

But –

Luffy is here.

Luffy is happy. He smiles, bright and fearless, even if there are new shadows in his eyes and more quiet moments then there used to be. He is still just as strong, stronger even, if more protective of his crew. He’s Luffy – their captain, and their future king.

They weren’t there for him, and he doesn’t care if they weren’t because he’s glad they’re safe but –

Jimbe! Luff cries with joy, when they set a course for fishman island, He saved me!

Someone was.

-

Fishman island is a bright, happy place. The sun shines even here, and now, with Hordy and Vander Decken gone, the people shine as well. Joyful, smiling faces against scales and skin, teeth sharp or smooth, are all directed to their princess – now revealed to them – and to the pirates that saved them. There’s cruelty in corners, but not here.

Not now.

(Children run along the sea floor in Straw Hats, calling out attack names and harboring no prejudice.

Later, years later, there will be legends about a man in a straw hat, and joy written on all their faces – cruelty nowhere to be found. A beginning is here – one of hope.)

Not with Luffy lying on Jimbe’s side, bandaged and with his crew surrounding him. The party thrown by King Neptune echoes dimly in the background, melding gently with the chattering of his crew around him. Zoro sleeping on the ground by Luffy, Chopper atop of him, Usopp and Sanji murmuring together as they eat, the rest of the crew standing around, gazing at their captain who has given so much for them – who has just returned to them.

(They move in groups, now, and when Luffy left the party to talk to Jimbe the rest of them followed. It’s been far too long since they’ve been together and they are reluctant to part from each other.

Never again, they whisper, never again.)

Jimbe is new to them but not, there when they weren’t. He’s comfortable with Luffy, even if he is surprised when Luffy slumps against his side, curling under his arm to sleep away his injuries. There’s a terrible sort of fondness on his face as he looks at their Captain, one they all know is reflected on their own faces.

Luffy – he saves people. More than just in body, but in spirit, taking their dreams and shouldering them on his own until they are strong enough to carry themselves. Selfishly selfless, forcing people to rise and chase what every pirate holds dear.

A dream.

Jimbe hasn’t said his yet, but he’ll get there if Luffy has to drag him there kicking and screaming like he’s done the rest of them.

Though… his eyes hold nothing but devotion as he stares at the Straw Hat’s captain, so it’s more than likely he’ll just follow Luffy.

All the way to Raftel.

Luffy utters a quiet snore, burrowing close into Jimbe, bandages falling and revealing a reddened scar, and suddenly the Straw Hats find themselves with a purpose here.

But like in all things, Luffy is the one to make the first move. The way he has tugged on Jimbe’s kimono, has pulled it to the side, displaying the tattoo of the Sun Pirates, red and vibrant and –

A mass of scar tissue, burned and dark against blue scales, in the same shape as their captain’s.

It’s like the world goes quiet as Jimbe readjusts.

Like another weight has been added to the shoulders of those who love Straw Hat Luffy but weren’t there when he needed them most. Like chains, like nails down the throat, a horrible, awful realization that at Marineford, it hadn’t just been Ace who took a hit for their captain.

Jimbe had too.

He doesn’t talk about it, doesn’t seem to notice the way every Straw Hat has paled or gone wide eyed or slacked jawed (for those without visible skin or eyes.) He just quietly adjusts Luffy, hand ghosting over the scar on his chest, and settles back down.

Nami swallows, throat sick. “Jimbe?” She asks, knowing that he’ll answer her if no one else. “You were at Marineford, right?”

(Even in his sleep, slumbering away, Luffy winces at the name.)

Jimbe is quiet for a beat, then – “Aye. And Impel Down.”

“And afterwards,” Robin says smoothly, eyes bright with the knowledge of a historian who scoured every source for information about her captain.

Jimbe nods. “And afterwards, until Rayleigh took over.”

Everything. He was here for everything.

“Then...” Nami swallows and blinks back her tears. “You were with Luffy when A-“ His name feels forbidden. Taboo. “When his brother died.”

“Aye.” Jimbe’s words are soft as he lays a hand on Luffy’s shoulder, gently calming him from the twist his face takes, even asleep. “I was.”

Nami wants to ask what happens. She wants to know, wants to hold her captain, wants to say It’s okay, wants to know what hurt him so he will never hurt again, and Jimbe can give her these answers but –

The past doesn’t matter aboard their ship of dreams. Luffy had not listened to her story, not until she wanted to tell him herself. He had freed her from her chains, took her by the hand and led her to the horizon that she could map all her own.

Her throat closes up when she thinks about trying to learn his hurts, when he knew not to bother her own.

She can’t do that.

She can’t.

Instead, she lets her lips remain loyally closed as she watches the way Jimbe cradles their captain, as if he was the most precious thing he could think of.

(And really this man – who had conquered gods and armies and kings, yet still smiled so gently at his nakama and the sea breeze – he is.)

But Jimbe speaks anyway, and it’s not a betrayal of loyalty because he was there, when none of them were.

“I knew Ace, before Marineford.” They all hide flinches at the name. Jimbe gives them a somber gaze, and moves on. “We battled, before he joined Whitebeard’s crew and afterwards were friends. I refused to fight in Marineford for his sake, and was instead bound in Impel down, in the same cell as him. There… he told me about his little brother.” His gaze, impossibly, turns even softer. “He would just chatter on… smiling, in the face of death, as he told me about how reckless this boy was. How foolish. How loyal.” He tilts his head back up to the sky then. “He asked me to take care of his little brother.”

Nami’s heart stops. Usopp gasps. Sanji drops his plate. Chopper starts crying. Zoro’s eyes flash open for the first time.

(Under the hot sun of Alabasta, on a ship aboard a river, a man with freckles and a smile had asked, A little brother like that makes a big brother worry - Take care of him for me, okay?

They failed.)

“I failed,” Jimbe says, simply, but his words are draped in pain and agony, as his hand rises to his chest again, in a similar motion to what their captain has done, several times since they have reunited. “And that can never be forgiven.”

“But you were there,” Robin says, just as simple, her voice cracking. “And you saved our captain – didn’t you?”

Jimbe’s hand loosens its hold. “Ace had just died. We were running from Akainu and… I was holding Luffy. My own body was not enough to shield him – I failed-“

“Stop.” Zoro’s words silence the room, accept for Luffy, snoring gently into Jimbe’s side. “You were there, Jimbe.” He gets on to his knees, sword laying across his slap as Chopper is pushed to the side. “We were not. Thank you, for saving him.”

And then – Zoro, future world’s greatest swordsman, the pirate hunter, the demon – he bows, low to the ground, in a gesture of thanks.

It is brief, and quick, but Nami follows instantly, folding over in thanks as the rest of the crew does the same.

This is their crewmate – their future crewmate, from what he told Luffy – who was there when they were not, and took a blow for Luffy straight through his chest that would have otherwise been fatal.

Without Jimbe, their captain would not have had a chance to live.

What is a moment, bowed over, to something as insurmountable as that?

“I – please, do not bow to me!” Jimbe rushes to say, stuttering, eyes wide when Nami looks out. One hand is held out while the other, always protective, lays around Luffy’s shoulder. “It was my duty to do so, my responsibility, same as any of you. Luffy – he’s the man who will become King of the Pirates. To follow him is enough thanks.” His words ring loud. Ring true.

This is the man Luffy wanted on his crew for two years.

Nami can see why.

His faith – the faith that moves seas, moves mountains, changes the world, the faith in one straw hatted man – that’s the faith of all her crew,

She wasn’t sure about Jimbe.

(He had been the cause of so much of her pain – but he didn’t choose to hurt her. He would never, now.)

She is now.

Zoro, ever the leader, ever the loyal first mate, looks up and settles back down. It reminds Nami so much of Water 7, except here their entire crew is present, and here, they will not be fractured ever again.

(She will make sure that happens – by any means necessary.)

“It is our responsibility.” Zoro acknowledges. “We grew stronger over these past few years, on our captain’s orders – did you?”

His single eye pierces Jimbe, and Nami can see him swallow. But he stares back, unafraid, a true helmsman always following the course.

“Aye,” Jimbe says, and the tension is shattered by Luffy turning entirely over in his sleep, shirt shifting to display his scar, but his face entirely peaceful.

They ease back into their conversations, debts settled, crewmates thanked and now equals. It’ll be a few minutes before Luffy is up, running for adventure with them following on his heels but for now –

Now, the savior of their captains rests easy with Luffy by his side, and everything is okay.

(Later, months later, after Wano and after Whole Cake and after Emperors, Nami will see Luffy sit up at night as they all camp out in the aquarium. He will clutch his chest, and curl in on himself, deadly quiet and pale. His fingers will dig in, and dig in, and dig in, and all Nami will do is watch until –

Jimbe sits up and catches Luffy’s hand in his own, his other mirroring Luffy’s position and clutching at his own scar. He will say breathe, and Luffy will breathe, and –

Their captain will be strong, surrounded by those who were not there, and smiling, if dimly, at the one who was.

And, for once, matching scars won’t hurt as bad.)

[gatitties]

May you please write a Strawhat, Heart pirates and Kid pirates with an autistic and/or ADHD young reader ? Who have zero respect for adults and hates them unless they were cool/kind to them

─ Strawhats, Heart Pirates & Kid Pirates x reader

─ Summary: It's just you having your little autism/ADHD moment with this crews

─ Warnings: none

Part two

I don't know if I related the autism or ADHD aspects well, sorry about that :s and I don't know why whenever I write something about Kid pirates, reader tends to bite people jhadjhs omg it's a headcannon that I can't get out of my head sorry 😭🤚

─ You and Chopper are the spoiled and protected of the ship for being young.

─ Although they are more careful with you because well, you'll simply end up lost in some random place due to your attention deficit at the least convenient times.

─ It was hard for you to trust them at first but your weak point was Brook and Franky, they were the most outstanding and cool, of course Robin's kindness also captured your sensitive part.

─ They find it adorable how sometimes you just ramble out loud about everything you see in the place or think about something that catches your attention.

─ I can see how Zoro, Brook and Luffy think that you are just a little stupid and distracted (like their captain) and that the ones who really know about your ADHD are the rest, maybe Usopp thinks that you are also something wrong with directions just like Zoro.

─ Robin tries not to overload you with the tasks you have to do, she always gives you a hand if she sees that you are starting to dissociate more than normal.

─ Luffy will be the one to end your most hyperactive side, he will make you tired when playing with him, although he have to change games every so often because you'll simply get bored.

─ Franky or Usopp will make small de-stressing or sensitive objects to help you if you need them or make you feel better.

─ You don't know how you do it, but you always end up in all the villains' speeches, you try to listen to their story but you just get bored and end up ignoring them until the fight breaks out, you have the nerve to even sleep while someone tells how miserable their life was, but you know, you don't care for and dislike most adults.

─ But don't worry, you have a whole crew that covers your back while you sleep on these occasions.

"My parents were killed by pirates, my daughter, my wife… everything was destroyed by vile beings like you all, that's why I swore revenge for-"

The words of the angry person next to you went to the back of your mind, you let out a yawn even though your head continued to watch the surroundings as you fiddled with your hands, somewhat impatient for all the chatter to end.

You tried to stay focused on at least one thing, which was usually Usopp's nose, why? No idea, you just liked it because it was unusual, even though you don't think the crew you're with is normal.

You didn't even notice how a knife was thrown at you for simply not paying attention to your surroundings, Zoro's sword quickly deflected it as Nami pulled you closer to her, you looked at her silently asking if she needed anything, at this point you had forgotten that you were in the middle of starting a fight.

"Just stay by my side, okay?"

"Why- Oh, careful!"

Pulling out your own weapon you fended off an attack coming towards you, your mind coming to its senses as to the current situation, taking another approach, your hyperactive side taking over the rest of the battle where luckily you could focus on an enemy, although you had many weak points, Sanji took care to cover them so that you could concentrate on your fight without distractions that could injure you.

"Nice, you're giving them a beating!"

And in the middle of the battle Luffy took it upon himself to break all your concentration with his praise, which you loved to receive like a puppy hungry for acceptance, you turned around ignoring your opponent's attack, smiling at Luffy as you gave him some thumbs up.

"Luffy, this is not the time!"

Jinbe deflected the attack coming at you for paying attention to your captain instead of the fight you were fighting, again preventing you from getting hurt, though before you knew it the battle was already over and now everyone was just scolding Luffy while that Chopper checked if you had hurt without realizing it.

─ He took you as a patient to analyze for your unusual behavior.

─ Then he simply appreciated your skills without giving importance to your ADHD or signs of autism, at least it was something that made you look at him with different eyes, he didn't treat you as someone different just because of your small condition.

─ The relationship with them at the beginning was a complete tug of war of insults, absurd fights and a lot of disrespect towards them for the simple fact of being older than you, maybe the only one who was saved from all your crap was Bepo because an animal that speaks? It was the coolest thing you've seen so far in your short life.

─ After a while you started to get along better with everyone, Shachi's and Penguin's jokes started to make you laugh, Law easily earned your respect, Ikkaku was very nice to you as was Jean Bart when you joined permanently.

─ Although from time to time you mess with them as a joke, only small harmless fights.

─ Law takes care of your problem with attention deficit, giving you activities that keep your mind active efficiently, however Shachi and Penguin end up messing up your concentration somehow.

─ You usually help Ikkaku in the kitchen, although sometimes she's the one who has to help you because you try to do so many things at once (and end up not completing any) that you need her to organize the things you have to do.

─ Normally they have you in the rear when they fight, they are not risking your little habits hurting you, although Law is not one to confront someone directly, he is more cunning than that.

─ Of course, on many occasions you have broken that moment of secrecy that they need but they have never thrown it in your face, they know the consequences of your distractions but they will not leave you behind.

You were on an undercover mission with Jean Bart, both of you acting like family having a drink in a bar while what you really want is to listen to the conversation of a few pirates that Law wanted to steal a map from.

The others were also around controlling the rest of the crew and their movements, and you were really doing well, behaving like a minimally normal teenager without anything distracting you for more than a few seconds, you had been training your concentration but there are moments when those intrusive thoughts win.

Today and now seemed to be the right time for your impatience and impulsiveness to drive you enough to break the role you were playing, listening to the conversation of an adult who seemed to be an idiot, although everyone seemed so to your eyes, it was a breaking point.

"You're so damn annoying! Just tell me where you got that damn map you stole!"

You jumped out of your seat pointing your weapon at the man who nearly fell over in shock at your aggressiveness and spontaneity, and immediately everyone jumped into the fight aware that you had exposed your stealth strategy.

"You've lasted longer concentrated than last time, keep it up!"

"I don't need your stupid flattery!"

Ignoring the guy you were threatening Shachi distracted you, which led to Jean Bart stopping a small blade you didn't see directed at your abdomen, Law switched your location to his and did the job of the threat quickly with the help of his power.

"You have to control yourself more, we will not always be there to cover you."

You crossed your arms a little annoyed that they didn't let you finish the job they had given you, also blaming yourself internally for messing it up again, but Bepo took care to make you think of other things when he asked for your help to organize the new loot obtained, although it took the rest of the day because you just stood around taking a good look at all the cool stuff.

No one would blame you for your little outbursts or for your curious habits, that's how you were, that's how they accepted you and that's how they love you, after all, you were unique in your own way.

─ You probably looked like a wild animal to them the first time they saw you because you attacked them for trespassing on your property, more like the forest you lived in.

─ You were practically a wild and completely impulsive, simple-minded person who was raised by, in fact, animals.

─ Adults normally came to destroy the nature of your home, and you developed a certain hatred towards them. Kid noticed this when he found you again biting a villager who tried to hunt a rabbit that was originally your prey.

─ It was so hilarious that he thought you would be a good addition to the team, you were just as rude as them although he also noticed that you had concentration problems, he thought it wouldn't be a big problem.

─ Ah yes, the reliable old one, he just dragged you onto his ship and at first it was like you were an abused cat getting used to a new life where they didn't abuse it, lots of scratching, biting and hissing if any of them dared to get too close.

─ Once you gain confidence or at least, accept their presence without hating them, they will find your impulsiveness amusing when it comes to battles, they just sit and watch how you fight against five men much stronger than you, keeping them at bay because your lack of focusing on a single target makes you somehow attack everyone at once.

─ Although Killer always has an eye on you, you are too young to end up dead because of your impulsiveness.

─ They don't care about your strange nature, they simply interpret your autism as if it were the fault of your contempt for adults for being away from society for so long.

─ I can see that these idiots only increase your attention deficit instead of helping you, as if they had competitions to see who can distract you the most.

You were calmly observing some fish, everything was strangely calm, you frowned, touching the tips of your fingers to your thumb in succession as you turned around only to be greeted by a necklace that was swinging slowly between Wire's fingers, your attention being immediately stolen by some floating bolts because of Kid.

You shook your head back to your thoughts, you knew they were trying to have one of their silly competitions over who could get your attention the easiest and you were simply too proud to fall for their tricks again.

"Oh look, a sea king!"

You cursed yourself internally when you fell into the trap of one of the boys, getting your attention back to the immense sea in search of that creature, you returned the gaze with some insults that only made everyone laugh, they continued trying to steal your attention but you just focused on other things like the seagulls or the clouds.

Inevitably your brain shut down and got carried away when you saw a big blaze of fire as well as the slightly warmer environment, no matter how many times Heat did that trick, he would always gain your attention by spitting fire, making you forget everything and focus just in the fire.

"Looks like I won again."

"You're just cheating! If I had more metal I could do a lot better than your stupid little flame."

And then started a discussion between Kid and Heat about which of the two would be better, Wire sneaked up to you, you looked at him while you moved your arms impatiently as if you were waiting for something to happen, he knew that when you started to move so much something was irritating you and if he didn't you want to start a fight where you'll probably end up biting someone's ankles he decided to take you to the kitchen with Killer.

"Have they started fighting again?"

It didn't take a word from Wire for the blond to know why you were there, he just nodded and left you both, Killer always knew how to make your hyperactivity not hurt you too much as well as your impulses, he gave you self-control methods, although they didn't always turn out well.

"Killer, I think I want to stick a fork into someone."

"And why this time?"

"It's just… an impulse, can I do it?"

"No..." you opened your mouth to complain but he continued "not someone from the ship, we'll talk about it when we disembark on the next island."

"Yes, sir…"

Killer smiled vaguely as he saw how in a couple of seconds your attention simply went to the kitchen stools, you had been in the habit of placing them in a specific way because if it didn't bother you, at least he thought this helped you to forget your desire to stick a fork into someone.

[beanghostprincess]

Zeff x Yasopp would mirror sanuso perfectly.

Zeff would be patient caring and attentive like Usopp and Yasopp is just adoring and protective but also very anxious and overwhelmed. Due to his ill experience with the same sex (and internalize homophobia and comphet) like sanji.

Yasopp with false confidence would start flirting with him but would immediately start to panic because he didn't expect for zeff to flirt back and would quietly retreat trying to hide his blush and embarrassment. It didn't help that his crew teased him about and would try to egg on the conversation even further. Zeff finds it endearing he doesn't push him to do anything and let him go at his own pace.

Eventually Yasopp starts showing up the baratie by himself almost always nervous. Zeff always gives him a discount and sometimes free dessert he lets him stay after the restaurant closes. The chefs are watching their boss rizz up this man just by smiling and listening to him talk about nothing important, Patiently waiting for him to confess already.

He eventually does and they start dating. It's nothing serious yasopp is still nervous about it. He gets shaky and his hands get sweaty when it's held.

Their kids find out eventually because shanks told Luffy by accident and Luffy being Luffy dropped it in random conversation. Sanji is mortified and confronts his dad and fights via snail. Usopp doesn't really care tho he does wish you found out by his own dad and not sanji ranting about it

Stop. You're making me think about this ship. We just upgraded Sanuso and made it Sanuso 2.0 older versions. No, but really. It's really sweet. They look cute together. Yasopp deserves to be with somebody after his wife passed, and Zeff seems like an awesome husband. Look at him. I love how the dynamic is basically the same as Sanuso's but, like, different, y'know? It's really cute. Also, I just know Zeff would fucking love telling Sanji because he knows the kid is going to have a heart attack and it's going to be really really funny. Yasopp on the other hand would be more nervous about it because he isn't sure if Usopp will be okay with all of that, so they keep it a secret. And that's when Shanks goes and tells Luffy because he can't keep secrets with Luffy around.

Sanji panics. Dies. Cries. Screams. Tells Luffy to turn the ship around and go to the Baratie because he needs to break his dad's other leg. Usopp is just,, Really happy for his dad. Even if it's nothing serious. He likes seeing him giving love another chance. Sanji hates it. Usopp is okay with it. It's a bit chaotic. Sanji really needs a moment to calm down. I think Usopp would tell him that it's nothing serious and it's fine that their dads are happy and doing whatever they want out there. Sanji kind of agrees but,,, "It's weird, though, isn't it?" / "Is it? I dunno. Didn't think about that. I think our parents fucking-" / "Don't call it that, oh God" / "I think our parents seeing each other isn't weird. Or bad. They're pirates living their own adventures, just like us. Let them enjoy themselves". And that kinda works for now to calm him down.

[tooweirdforyou]

Straw Hats With A Shipmate Who Feels Useless

A/N : this was really sweet and sad to me when I thought about it so I wanted to write it. Hopefully y’all enjoy.

Summary : The Straw Hats react to their shipmate feeling useless and a burden to the crew.

You didn't understand why you were still on the ship.

The group had just left from Water 7 with a new recruit, Franky, Robin came back, Usopp had returned to join the crew once more and you all just managed to get past the marines.

Throughout the whole time on Water 7 and Ennies Lobby, the goal of retrieving Robin back from CP-9 from Lucci and the marines, you were completely of no help at all.

Literally. You couldn’t help Nami and Sanji with their separate battles with the CP-9 members, you couldn’t aid Chopper and Franky with their battles, Zoro and Sniper King with the cuffs and two CP-9 Zoan agents, and MUCH LESS, Luffy with Lucci.

You spent the whole time just struggling to get past the chaotic mess from Franky’s family, trying to find where Robin was, and let’s not even start on trying to even find your way through the maze of the building you were in.

When you found Zoro and Sniper King, you tried to aid them by attacking the Zoan agents to the best of your ability, but it didn’t take long for them to knock you out.

Then with Sanji who was completely soaped up from Khalifah and Nami currently fighting against her, you tried to help Sanji return to normal but only ended up just freaking out and growing frustrated that you weren’t able to do anything so you left him to find the others to help.

When the crew finally made it to the top, where Robin was free and Luffy still fighting with Lucci, you constantly needed to be protected by Zoro, Robin and Franky since you weren’t aware of your surroundings.

When the whole thing was finally over, getting back to Water 7, you just kept to yourself to deal with your injuries, refusing Chopper’s help with a simple smile.

“I’m fine, Chopper. Focus on the others and yourself. You worked hard.”

And then you would avoid them throughout the several days, waiting until Luffy finally convinced Franky to join them on their newly built ship, the Thousand Sunny.

Of course by then, the others got over the whole chaotic mess and were just relaxing. But the thought and memory kept eating at you and you couldn’t relax at all.

Not wanting to bother others, you only kept quiet most of the time and would offer small smiles to them so they wouldn’t worry.

So here you were.

Chopper was in the medical bay with Robin, Nami in the kitchen with Sanji and Luffy, Franky and Usopp on the main deck together, and you were sitting, leaning against the railing, continuously thinking about the events that had occurred.

Unable to stop the deep frown that forms upon your lips, you glance down to the floor of the ship, bringing your hands to your head and knees to your chest with your elbows resting upon them.

"You can stop that now."

Hearing a sudden voice snaps you out of your thoughts and you glance beside you, seeing Zoro with his arms crossed and eyes closed.

"Oh, Zoro.. I didn’t see you there."

Zoro opens an eye and stares at you, ignoring your comment. "You’ve been quiet ever since Ennies Lobby. If it’s about what happened, who cares. Whatever’s bothering you though, we’re here to listen. So don’t keep it to yourself and just tell us."

You purse your lips and turn back to the floorboards. "There’s nothing on my mind, Zoro. Sorry if it seems that way, I’m probably just feeling tired, so I-"

Zoro only stood up and made his way over, you watching him crouch down in front of you with a rather serious expression with narrowed eyes. “What is it?”

By then, the others were all outside on the deck, staring and listening in from where they were.

No one said a word to interrupt, just listening in since they too, noticed how quiet and different you’ve been acting.

You just bit your lip before looking up at him with a smile. “I’m fine, Zoro!”

You stand up and brush off your clothes before smiling at the others who were watching. “I’m okay, I’m just feeling tired lately is all. I’ll go get some sleep.”

Luffy stares blankly at you, the others not convinced either but they didn’t say anything as they watch you begin heading to the bedroom.

When you finally close the door, you lean against it silently before biting your lip and clenching your jaw.

You were silent for a moment, thoughts running through your mind.

‘Even the others are starting to notice huh?’

Unable to hold back the tears forming in your eyes, you silently let them fall as you clenched your fists and held your head down in shame and humiliation.

‘Why did Luffy invite me onto his ship? I’m not fit for a pirate life. I much less don’t deserve to be on the ship of the future Pirate King..’

You punch the ground hard, feeling your knuckles throbbing with pain and a bit of blood forming as you continued to punch the ground in frustration.

‘Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why me?!’

You continued to sit there and cry in silence, unable to stop the flowing tears as you bask in the misery you held.

Unknown to you, the members could hear clearly of your not so silent cries and anger with punching the ship. None of them said anything.

Deciding that it was enough, you knew what you had to do tomorrow.

-

When you woke up from your bed the next day, you were dehydrated and exhausted. You ended up crying yourself to sleep after crawling into bed.

So you got up, made sure your face was washed so it wasn’t so puffy and red. After you deemed yourself decent, you headed up to the kitchen where you found the crew eating.

They all turn to you in silence, a few offering smiles to which you return with your own small one and began heading to the fridge. Sanji was washing dishes, Zoro and Franky sitting on the couch whilst the others sat at the table.

It was quiet.

You open the fridge and grab a bottle of water, opening it up and taking a sip before exhaling softly.

You grip the bottle in your hand after you closed it tightly and then spun on your heel to face the crew, giving them your best smile.

“Hey! So..”

They all look to you, listening closely to see what you had to say.

“Yeah?” Nami asks with her sweet smile, patiently waiting. “What’s up?”

You saw how kind they were towards you, making you chew on your lower lip at their kind expressions.

It made you hesitate on your next words, but you knew you had to.

“Um.. the next time we go stop at an island..” you awkwardly shift your weight to the other foot as you cleared your throat, trying to recollect your thoughts.

“Can..can I maybe stay there? I can stay at the island, or maybe find a trade ship that docks there and ask if they can stop at another island or something!”

Silence overtook the crew.

They certainly weren’t expecting you to say that. They did expect you to insist that you were okay, or maybe talk to them about what happened yesterday.

They never would’ve thought that you would suggest for yourself to leave the crew.

“..No.”

Everyone turns to the owner of the voice, to see their captain with his head lowered and his hat sitting tightly on his head.

“Luffy?” You furrow your brows at his sudden rejection to your suggestion. “Why?”

“You’re asking me why? I already said no, I refuse to let you leave!” Luffy looks up as he shouts, eyes narrowed at you. The outburst startling the crew.

“Why not? I don’t belong here! I’m not fit to be a pirate, much less this one! I don’t understand why you want me here when I’m of no use!”

After having dealt with Usopp’s argument and leave of the crew in the beginning of Water 7, the crew definitely didn’t have the heart to handle another situation like that.

“What the hell are you talking about, [Name]?! I invited you into my crew because I liked you and the crew likes you, so of course you belong here!” Luffy argues, clenching his fists. He didn’t want another repeat of Usopp’s situation either.

“[Name]-Chan, lets calm down and talk this over.” Sanji reasoned, Nami nodding her head in agreement. “[Name], it’ll be okay, lets—“

Usopp couldn’t say anything, the memory of his own event flashing in his eyes and the regret running through his mind.

Chopper was too afraid to interject, tearing up at the thought of you leaving.

Robin frowns slightly, closing her eyes and waited to see what else would happen before stepping in.

Franky was the newest recruit and didn’t think it was his place to stop anything happening yet, but if it grew further, he’d step in.

Zoro was just silent, his eyes closed, but you could see how tense he was.

“Luffy, please! I’m telling you, I’m just useless here! I have no place on this ship. I’m not a cook, a navigator, an archaeologist, a sniper, a swordsman, a shipwright, a doctor and I’m not a muscian!.... I.. I don’t belong here, Luffy.. please.”

Tears welled up in your eyes as you drop your arms to your side, clenching your fists tightly that your nails dug into your own skin to make it bleed.

The others were stunned, unable to say anything as Luffy was growing even more irritated and annoyed with you. “Shut up, [Name]. You’re pissing me off.” He bluntly stated, shocking the others.

He widens his glare at you as he stood up. “YOU’RE MY FRIEND! IT DOESN’T MATTER IF YOU DONT HAVE ANY SPECIAL POSITION HERE! YOU’RE ON THIS SHIP BECAUSE YOU’RE OUR FRIEND AND WE’RE YOURS, RIGHT?!”

Hearing his words made you gasp as you shut your lips and felt your tears falling faster at it, Luffy getting ready to lunge at you but Franky and Sanji held him back.

“SO STOP CRYING AND DON’T EVER THINK OF YOURSELF AS A BURDEN! I’LL SCREAM IT TO YOU AT THE TOP OF MY LUNGS EVERYDAY UNTIL YOU FINALLY REALIZE IT! WE WILL NEVER MAKE YOU CRY TEARS OF SADNESS BECAUSE WE’RE YOUR FRIENDS! ANYONE WHO MAKES YOU SAD IS GONNA FEEL MY WRATH AND I’LL KILL THEM!”

You sobbed harder at his words, dropping to your knees as you brought your hands up to your face to cover it. The bottle long forgotten as the others just stare and Luffy finally calmed down, panting heavily.

They turn to you with small smiles.

“He’s right, [Name].” Nami says softly, Robin nodding along. “Yes. We’re always by your side. You are always our friend, and always welcomed here.”

Nami stood up and began making her way over to your side, crouching down beside you and wrapped an arm around your neck. She smiles brightly at the sight of you sobbing at their kindness.

Franky started tearing up, wiping his eyes. “HOW EMOTIONAL!”

Chopper and Usopp were also sniffling, trying their best to not cry but they couldn’t help it.

Snot already running down their nose as Chopper jumped down and lunges himself into you, clinging on, with his own loud sobs filling the room.

Sanji and Zoro only smiled at their captain’s effect and your figure, knowing that you finally learned how your crew and friends felt.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on top of your head, ruffling up your head a bit and you slowly glance up to see Zoro pressing his hand down on you, a small smirk present on his lips.

"No one is at fault. No one is useless on this ship. The captain invited you onto his ship because you are our friend, someone he cares about and would risk his life for. Everyone on this ship would risk their lives for each other, even if it meant death. You are now part of our crew so that means you too. So don't ever say those words again."

Listening and agreeing with the swordsman, they all offer you their signature smiles, your eyes widening more at them as you wipe your tears.

Seeing their contagious smiles, you couldn’t help but give your own genuine smile through your tears.

"Thank you.. everyone.”

Luffy, no longer feeling the anger from just moments prior, secures the hat on top of his head before grinning widely at you.

“Of course!”

You weren’t a burden. You weren’t useless. There was always a place for you here. You were part of their family, and they’d die for you.

-

A/N : This might seemed a little rushed or all over the place, so sorry ;-;

[akaiamedama]

Of crocodiles and rings and a possible connection to a teased weakness

Crocodile is a guy that is real extra and dresses sharp and loves his bling bling, right? He’s a man of high standards, so of course, he’s gotta wear bling to show that. Other bling loving characters are Capone Bege and Blackbeard for example. All three of them like to show off that bling. Now why do I mention the other two? Coz look at these three bling loving gentlemen, wearing rings on every finger and tell me where the difference lies. I’ll wait.

Exactly!

As opposed to Bege and Blackbeard, Crocodile doesn’t wear a ring on every finger. Obviously he cannot wear 10 rings coz he only got one hand with 5 fingers but he also never wears 5 rings. No, no. This guy, ladies and gentlemen, kinda makes it a point to always leave out one finger and that’s the ring finger. Ha- interesting.

Now, of course this could be mere coincidence. But let’s be realistic here, it’s Oda. He clearly has a reason for it as he’s been true to this detail ever since Crocodile was introduced over a decade ago and the only real question is ‘why’?

Why would Crocodile do that? He clearly loves wearing rings so why not wear them on every finger? Why leave out the ring finger for crying out loud? If one wanted to leave a finger without a ring, one would probably leave out the pinky or the thumb but who puts rings on every finger and leaves out the ring finger? I tell you who.

Crocodile. That’s who.

If you’re one who believes in symbolism and all that stuff, then you’d probably find it interesting that the ring finger symbolises releationships with others especially romantical ones as it is seen closest to the heart and therefore or because of it is the finger a wedding ring is worn on. In most cultures the engagement ring is worn on the right hand and the wedding ring on the left as the right hand is often the ‘physical’ one and has a greater visibility. It’s probably interesting to note that the left hand is considered to represent your character and beliefs. Ha. Interesting that Crocodile is missing that one, huh? Anyhow, in Crocodile’s case left or right hand doesn’t really matter as he only has one left (duh) so an argument can be made that sides don’t matter and the importance lies on the finger itself.

The way it looks right now is that he’s making a statement leaving out the ring finger and there are a few possibilites here. Of course it could be a family ring and he could be from an important family but really, not only would that be a bit to similar to Doflamingo, it would also not make sense to not just replace the family ring on the occations he’s not wearing it. But he never wears a ring on that finger so one can only come to the conclusion that there’s some sentimental thought behind that.

The most logical would be that there is a ring he believes should be on that finger. Either he’s keeping it free for a future event coz he doesn’t have the ring yet (which I doubt) or he’s keeping it free coz technically there already is a ring for the finger. This could be a ring he doesn’t have anymore and regrets it (like he lost it with his left hand or threw it away) or a ring he does have but decides not to wear for his own reasons. Whichever it is, it clearly has such an important value that he doesn’t just covers it up or replaces it. 

Now, given the ring finger and it’s symbolism the thought of a wedding ring isn’t too far fetched. We don’t know enough about his past to say that he could never have been married so I think it’s worth looking into.

Let’s just imagine for a second, that the ring missing is indeed a wedding ring, what could that mean?

He could have had a wife but she died and even though he’d technically not be married anymore, people who lost their partner almost always keep their wedding ring as a memento. If they move on, they don’t wear it anymore but they often keep it. This could give another perspective to the ‘wounds’ Daz was referring to after Marineford as he was clearly not talking about Luffy’s physical wounds but about the emotional wounds that came with losing a loved one.

Crocodile could have had a wife but she betrayed him and he took the ring off as to break the relationship and connection. Then the choice to not wear a ring on that finger in the future could serve as a reminder to himself not to trust people, not even those close to you. This could possibly explain his huge trust issues.

However, these two scenarios, while possible, don’t strike me as the most likely simply due to the two following scenes:

“If you want to protect something, do it right!!” 

This could be totally random and only refer to the moment at hand but it could also indicate that he knows a thing or two about how to successfully protect someone. Which leads us to the infamous

“I know one of his weaknesses ...!! But if he cooperates with us ... then I won’t say anything about it!!”

Think about it, the biggest weakness ANY pirate of Crocodiles caliber could have is a loved one or people they care about and their identity and location to be known by the public or enemies (marines, pirates etc.) because no matter how powerful a pirate you are, if information like that was to spread and reach the wrong ears, this could have catastrophic consequences for you and the people you care about. It’s used over and over in OP stories like when the marines hunted down Gol D. Rogers offspring and slaughtered all newborn who could potentially have been Roger’s child or when the marines swore to kill Luffy for being Dragon’s son or when Zeff was used as leverage to force Sanji to comply. I doubt anyone knows Usopp is Yasopp’s son or that he had a woman and child in Syrup village otherwise someone would have probably attacked them to get back at Yasopp. Maybe that’s one of the reasons he left them. As to protect them.

Ivankov and Croc met years ago when Croc was still considered a rookie, so in his early/mid twenties. If there is indeed a ring to that finger and the person is still alive, Ivankov could know her identity or location and this could totally be the weakness Ivankov was refering to. Of course this only works if the person is still alive. 

Now I know, you’re probably scratching your head, thinking I might be a bit nuts going this direction considering it’s Crocodile we’re talking about but really, think about it. His choice of jewelry is mega weird so what could be the reaaon for it? Also it’s hardly the weirdest theory out there (looking at you femCroc theorists).

This would also tie in neatly with why he decided to have his Baroque agents working in teams of two with male/female. I mean, unlike other characters, he clearly doesn't seem to see women as the weaker sex and him having his agents work in pairs has to be grounded somewhere. Maybe he was raised like that and his parents where a good example of how well men and women complement each other or maybe he made the experience himself. If so, I tend to think that he wasn't betrayed by the woman... or maybe he was and that's one of the reasons why he was so paranoid and basically expected Robin to betray him. All possible, really.

It’s also apparent that Oda incorporates marriages a lot more often nowadays than he did in the early years of One Piece. Mr 9 and Mrs Mondey got married on a cover page and have a baby, Capone got married and his henchman Gotty married too, Sai and Baby 5 married, Sanji and Pudding were meant to marry and let’s not forget poor Senior Pink’s backstory. 

Last but not least, I’d like to point out a seemingly random fan question Oda answered in an SBS which seems just kinda odd once you consider everything I said above.

Now the question focuses on “they never had a child” and “I wonder what faces their children would have”, yet Oda starts with “They’ve been to weddings before ...” ... WOW. Really? Why would he say that? XD No one even asked about weddings. Funny. So they’ve been to weddings, huh? As what? Guests? Grooms? You know? It doesn’t seem to mean anything but if you consider Crocodile’s rings and such imo it’s just a weird thing to say. Then the mysterious “I wouldn’t say whether they had children or not ...” ..... 

Note: Especially during Alabasta Oda often forgets to draw Croc’s rings at all or accidentally leaves out the wrong finger but he is consistent with the rings since Impel Down. He still forgets them from time to time but he doesn’t switch the fingers anymore so one could reason that he had a vague idea of Crocodile’s reasons behind the rings when he introduced him but only solidified it or gave it more details once Croc showed back up. The anime and games however often just leave out the wrong ring probably thinking that it doesn’t matter.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Part 4 the Straw Hats and Eri Reader if that’s alright?

After the Straw Hats discover not only Luffy’s bounty, but Reader has one as well, they need make a few plans on how she can stay safe (Escape plans, disguises, etc)

They still head over to Lougetown because they need to restock on things but have Reader wear a disguise (Nami gives her a different hairstyle and a hat with a fake horn on the other side *Nami put a hole for her real horn so she’s not uncomfortable* and Luffy gives her fake glasses with a mustache, only to get slapped by Nami because that’s ridiculous)

Reader witches around with Zoro, Usopp, Nami, Sanji (Who made her a dessert in the Contest) and Luffy and re-encounter Alvida and Captain Buggy, who plan to kill Luffy and take Reader (Alvidia told Buggy about Reader’s power) since Reader will be useful, but all escape thanks to the storm

Smoker and Tashigi don’t want to harm Reader, rather they want to save her from the Pirates as the little girl they encountered was very polite, shy and a sweet child (They think she’s ‘Brainwashed’)

After they escape, everyone begins to tell their dreams before entering the Grand Line and when it’s Reader’s turn she timidly says; “I… I don’t really know what my dream is, but right now, I just want to stay with you all and help you reach your goals… If that’s okay with you all?” (Cue a round of heart attacks from Reader’s cuteness)

-Nami grinned warmly down at you, having pulled your hair up into a milkmaid braid, to hide your hair before she fixed the hat she made for you, “It’s not bothering your horn is it Y/N?”

-You smiled up at her, having been looking at your reflection in her mirror on awe, you looked so different!!

-Nami had made you a hat, with Usopp’s help, that looked like a paperboy’s hat with a matching horn on the other side, so it looked like you had two horns instead of one, with a hole in the other side for your real horn.

-Sanji and Nami sat down with you after you docked in Loguetown, explaining that there were bad people after you, now that your picture was out, explaining that people wanted to capture you for money, which did terrify you to no end.

-You had flashbacks to Overhaul and Alvida, remembering how they both treated you, you were so terrified of being taken back to them, or going to someone even worse.

-So to remedy the situation, you were to remain with one of them at all times if you were off the ship, which didn’t bother you, and you had to wear a disguise, which was the hat and your hair done differently.

-Before you got ready to leave the ship, Luffy called you over, holding a pair of sunglasses which also had a mustache attached and helped you put them on.

-Nami left several lumps on Luffy’s head, “You idiot!! What child would have a mustache!!” Luffy just pouted, his arms crossed over his chest, annoyed that she made you take them off.

-You started as a group, walking around together, getting the needed supplies for the next leg in your journey, you helped Sanji with shopping for food supplies, holding the basket as he held you up on one arm.

-You’re not sure how it happened but Sanji wound up in a cooking contest and made you a dessert which made sparkles appear all around you, which quickly had the cook on his knees, clutching at his chest over how stinking cute you were.

-You were passed off to Nami and Usopp, who took you clothes shopping, unaware of the headache Luffy was now causing elsewhere.

-You spotted Zoro walking by the shop, looking for a weapons shop and you told Usopp you were going with Zoro which he allowed and you ran after your second big brother.

-Moments later you were looking around, holding your hands to your chest, lost and alone, as you couldn’t see Zoro anywhere. Your hands wound in the skirt of your dress as you bit your lip, tears welling.

-A hand plopped down you on the top of your head, “You okay kid?”

-You turned to look up and instantly your eyes went wide, seeing a man with a large cigar in his mouth and looked like he was glaring.

-You froze, your eyes turning into black dots which in turn made him flinch before more tears welled in your eyes, getting scared.

-A woman’s voice then spoke up, “Smoker, you’ve got to remember you’ve got a scary face!” he scowled, turning to a younger looking woman with glasses who smiled down at you, kneeling down, pulling out a handkerchief, “There-there, no tears, Smoker is a nice guy, he just looks scary.”

-Smoker turned, pouting lightly as he scowled, before he asked you again, “Are you alone?” you sniffled softly, nodding, “I lost my big brother. He’s tall and has green hair.” Tashigi smiled, “Oh I saw him at the weapon’s shop just down the street.”

-You bowed politely to them, thanking them, showing your sweet and polite nature, and headed off after them. Tashigi calmed when she saw you in Zoro’s arms moments later, hugging him around his neck.

-Smoker then spoke, after pulling a bounty poster out of his jacket, “That is her. Obviously she’s not a pirate.” Tashigi nodded, her eyes narrowing slightly, “You’re right, they must have tainted her, like Stockholm Syndrome?” he nodded, agreeing with her idea.

-You were chatting with Zoro, telling him about all the things you saw and food you got to try with Luffy, who had gotten you a lot of tasty food, which made him grin lightly.

-You met back up with Nami who took you from Zoro and he took the bags of stuff from Nami, going to take it back to the ship. You held Nami’s hand, pulling her along, acting like a child, a little excited before you head a voice, “There you are!!”

-You saw a very pretty lady, glaring and pointing at you, and Buggy who was grinning brightly, excited to find you. Alvida knew you had a healing factor, thinking that was all that was to your ability, but now with your bounty, there was something more to it.

-You tilted your head to the side, confused, “Who are you?” Alvida smirked, flipping her hair over your shoulder and your jaw dropped as she introduced herself as Alvida.

-You looked confused, “Why are you skinny now? What happened to your tummy?” Buggy looked scared for you, downright terrified, but Alvida just smirked, telling you she had gotten ahold of a Devil Fruit, the Slip-Slip Fruit, which helped her slip off all her unneeded weight.

-Buggy and Alvida both went to attack you and Nami, mainly just to grab you, but were both blown away by Luffy and your eyes lit up, “Big brother!”

-Everything was a whirl after that, Luffy almost got decapitated by Buggy, but was saved by a masked man, Smoker was fighting and chasing after all of you, demanding you be released to him, which made you hug Usopp tighter as he was the one carrying you.

-You managed to set sail without any more major incidents and as you all celebrated escape, the grownups all having booze and you getting apple juice, everyone began to discuss their dreams, stating them here and now.

-Your eyes were sparkly, learning everything that they all wanted to do, having such big goals. A little voice in your head then popped up, ‘What’s my dream?’

-When it came to your turn, your eyes were watery, giving them all a puppy dog look, “I-I don’t have a dream right now. Can I- can I just stay with you guys?”

-Nami was hugging you, ugly crying, while all of the men had collapsed to the ground, clutching at their chests, overwhelmed at your cuteness as they all accepted your dream like it was the best one of the crew!