#someone who actually cares about her as a person that sabo being the first one floors her and convinces her she’s in love

[otaku553]

More reluctant king sabo au! I realized recently that this au is an excellent excuse for drawing sabo in pretty outfits that he would be absolutely miserable in :)

[pocket-jack]

"Supernova trio stranded on the wild island"

Law: Alright. We need to find water source first. Then build a camp nearby, but not too close to avoid the mosquito attack. Then we should check surroundings for food. Our best course of actions is to look for bird nests and eat the eggs in them. Do not eat any berry, they might be poisonous, and under any circumstances DO NOT eat the meat without thermic processing first. Am I being clea-...

Kid and Luffy who's sit on top of freshly killed bear and eating its meat while fully covered in blood: Huh? Why can't we eat raw meat??

Law: ARE FUCKING SHITTIN ME RIGHT NOW-

________________

I hc that Kid and Luffy have pretty similar childhood.

Kid was a feral child, but instead of having home to sleep or people to care about him, he had nothing, but himself. He also considers Killer his brother or just something like a brother. Perhaps he didn't even knew what the brother/sister/father/mother was, so he just figured that Killer is something that Kid don't want kill.

Killer wasn't a feral child from his birth like Kid was, but instead was left alone on the island by his parents. He knew a lot and was hanging out with Kid to not feel lonely and in danger all the time. Of course, wild life got him twisted too, but he's still pretty intelligent.

They grow protective of each other, hanging out, playing and fighting with the others.

I headcanon that their home was more of the trash island than the solid ground. There was enough of garbage to freely stand on it, but you could sometimes sink deep inside the trashy deep seas.

Killer just noticed that Kid loved doing stuff with the garbage, so he scavenged some engineering book and gifted to Kid. He went "The fuck's a book?", "It's a tones of paper glued together with words, that contains information. This one contains information about engineering", " The fuck's words???". They had to go... Through a lot of explanations Killer's childish brain could come up with. But Kid liked the gift when he understood what he was reading. He actually build a toy robot and was so happy about it. He decided to give it to Killer as a thank you present.

Then they met Victoria who became "a girl they don't want to kill so she can hang with them", and yes, Killer thought of them like siblings.

They kicked some asses, made friendships and alliances, had adventures and made promises to become pirates together.

And then Victoria dies. But unlike Sabo she dies for real. And Kid is devastated. Firstly, because he never thought that someone's death could make him feel so bad (and there were a lot of people and animals dying in here), and secondly, because he loved her dearly. And Killer as the most level-headed person in here (also really devastated, but had to remain calm, because Kid needed him) just stayed there trying to snap him out of it, but the only thing that Kid heard was a fainted "Kid!.. Kid?.. Kid. Don't look at her. Look at me. Look. At. Me. Calm down. I'm here. Please, just calm down. Please". When Kid finally looked at him he just saw how fucking scared and panicked and dirty and wet and bloody his friend was, and it just snapped him out of it.

Kid just brought together the other gang's and defeated the biggest and most dangerous gang in the whole island. I like to believe that after that he couldn't even look at Killer's face again, because the only thing he saw was his face that night. Killer was devastated and hurting much more. He was much intelligent and smart and clearly understood some things better than Kid did, and that's why Kid thought that something that Killer was going through was much worse than he had it. And Kid swore to become much stronger to never see that expression on Killer's face again. And Killer just understood that Kid would never look at his face as usual again, so he just covered it with mask, to make it easier for Kid to look him in the eyes, even if it was just holes.

I like to think that Kid, just like Law, sees Victoria in Luffy: the energetic, stubborn and freedom loving. At first he showed some interest in him, but then just made some parallels, and only then grew much more angry at Luffy for the things none of them couldn't control.

Ouch, that went too far into the angst from the funny silly feral boys doing funny silly feral stuff when their unferal and depressed boyfriend just being angry at them for breaking a lot of sanitary norms.

[thatwritercricket]

Hiya, Cricket! May I please request some of your finest romantic headcanons for Sanji and Sabo with an afab non binary reader please? Like what traits made the boys fall for her/them, and how they confess to their s/o. Thank you very much for your time, stay awesome!

Thank you so much ;o;

mmmmMMMM I LOVE THIS. Good taste. SAY LESS >:3

(Also I went a little wild with this one, and got really chaotic LOL)

Sanji:

-Sanji would probably struggle a bit with his internal emotions

-I hate to say this, but gender and sex (as in gender assigned at birth) does change things a bit for him, at least at first

-Eventually he does some thinking and realizes that he’s a dolt and he would love you no matter what, he just loves YOU

-We stan a self aware king

-Now that he’s gotten over that, his focus is on planning a perfect confession

-Like roses, candles, a nice meal, it's a whole event

-The other Strawhats try to help make this perfect for Sanji

-Except for Luffy, who didn’t get it, and Zoro, who couldn’t care less LOL

-Luffy must be kept away from the nice food

-He will eat it and he will feel no remorse

-NOW ONTO THE ACTUAL DAY OF THE EVENT

-Sanji is dying inside

-He is terrified but very excited

-He sets everything together, Usopp helps keep Luffy distracted, Nami and Robin hang around just in case

-Zoro is in the Crow’s Nest sleeping, completely unbothered. Literally could not care less

-Now, Sanji goes to find you, it’s going well

-He’s being smooth like butter (like criminal undercover IM SORRY I HAD TO-)

-Spending some quality time together, maybe taking a little longer than he intended to

-You two were having fun talking!

-He leads you into the beautifully decorated galley (aka ship kitchen/eating area)

-Aaaaand the food is gone.

-Nothing left.

-Sanji.exe has stopped working.

-”WHAT HAPPENED ;O;”

Sanji ^

-It was Luffy. He got bored faster than usual and ended up eating the food.

-You couldn’t help but laugh, he tried so hard.

-Give him a hug and tell him it’s okay

-He breaks down and ends up rambling about how he wanted this to be perfect because he wanted to show you that despite his biases he wants to be the best man he can for you and how he loves you so much and-

-He freezes.

-THIS WAS NOT HOW THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO GO.

-You kiss his cheek and tell him that it’s okay, you love him too. 

-He cries a little Im not gonna lie.

-You and Sanji are a power couple.

-Things Sanji likes about you? Everything.

-He can’t simply name one thing because he fell in love with you as a whole, not just because of one trait

-Despite his misgivings, he is very devoted and very sweet

-If someone misgenders you (and youre okay with it, of course!) he will gently correct them once or twice

-More than twice, he tends to get annoyed and think it’s intentional

Sabo under the cut!

Sabo:

-Sabo, my beloved.

-He tends to notice people who stick out from a crowd

-Someone who dresses unique, someone who stands out because they’re so outgoing, or the opposite, someone who sticks out because they’re so quiet

-This doesn’t mean he won’t notice you, just that those are the people his eyes tend to drift to!

-I mean look at his brother. Ace walks around shirtless with a cowboy hat and shorts, with his really dorky ASCE tattoo.

-Listen I LOVE Ace but I can’t take his tattoo seriously

-Personality wise, he loves when people who have strong beliefs and adamantly defend them

-His name isnt Sabo the Revolutionary for no reason

-He doesnt mind if you’re loud or quiet, he can appreciate and love both

-You being nonbinary is interesting to him!

-He knows that there are people who come from all walks of life, so he really enjoys getting to know you!

-If someone misgenders you by accident, he will either rely on you to handle it or he will gently correct them himself. It depends on what you are OK with.

-He can be very protective though, he worries about you a lot

-Sabo is traumatized so he definitely can be a worrier

-To put it lightly

-He is vastly different from Sanji, so he comes to the realization that he loves you a LOT faster

-Less soul searching more simping

-He takes you to a very pretty place, sets out like a small picnic or something

-Something meaningful yet quick, since he tends to be busy and may need to leave right away

-But he still wants it to be meaningful and memorable

-When you accept, he just goes ._. for a minute

-He didn’t expect you to actually reciprocate

-What was he expecting?

-He didn’t think that far ahead!

-He loves you so so much and is so happy that he can be with you

I wasn't planning on posting something else today, but I absolutely HAD to do this, it's so cute and fun. I hope you enjoy!! Ask Box: Open! ~Cricket <3

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Hi, it's me again. Sorry that I requested so many stuff from you since my damn imagination won't stop creating all these scenarios haha. May I ask for a Continuation Au of The First Snow of the Season where Ace and Koala ACTUALLY got together? But Sabo and the reader aren't together? Angst # 10 if you could. Thanks and congrats!

Warnings: angst, crying, heart break

Word Count: 1170

So technically speaking, Sabo and the reader aren’t together in the end of The First Snow of the Season, or in the sequel, Warming Up. I mean, I get it, it’s implied that they either got together or would do so soon, but I didn’t actually mean for them to truly be together at that moment. That being said, the sort of prequel ‘I wanna be yours’ is still mostly a thing, Sabo still likes her. 

It had been months since Ace and your sister got together and it honestly made you sick. Watching them be so close wasn’t just sickening to watch either. Each hug, each squeeze, each kiss drove another knife through your heart. Worse yet, you were forced to endure not only every moment of their love, but the number of things about your sister that you were compared to had increased. She had a nice boyfriend now, she had a good relationship now, she could juggle a boyfriend, her work, her studies, and her extra-fucking-curriculars. But it couldn’t end there, the universe couldn’t let your suffering end there, no, of course not. Because now the one friend that had been by your side for years, the one friend that had always been nice to you, never compared you to her, barely saw you. The loneliness started to creep in once more as you wrapped your arms around yourself, quickly leaving the coffee shop. It was still early spring, meaning the weather was still pretty terrible, but you honestly couldn’t care less. It had become sort of a thing for you to go outside in the horrendous weather and walk around. You knew it was probably bad for your health, but what did you care? What did anyone care? You still remembered the biting cold of that day, of sitting out in the snow, for how long you could only guess. You still remembered the feeling of your hot tears running down your frozen cheeks. And you remembered how tired you’d eventually gotten, how your vision faded out. Waking up in the hospital, your mother yelling at you for being so stupid, Koala and Ace entering after your mother had said her peace, already holding hands. You hadn’t been unconscious for long but they were already together. Walking down the street, it didn’t take long for the pouring rain to soak you to the bone, your arms wrapped around yourself less for warmth and more for comfort. How would it feel to have someone else’s arms wrapped around you? To be comforted by another person. 

“Y/n? What’re you doing out here? You’re drenched!” a voice called, Sabo running over to you, umbrella in hand.

“I just… needed to go for a walk.” you muttered, the young man now shielding you both from the rain, though you weren’t sure what the purpose of shielding someone who was already drenched was. 

“In the pouring rain? You’re gonna get sick or something. This is just as bad as when you passed out in the snow. Come on, my apartment’s not far, you need to dry off. Luffy has some old clothes he never wears that should fit you.” Sabo said, leading you towards his apartment. The blond quickly shoved you towards the shower with some of Luffy’s clothes, hoping the warm water would help get your temperature up a little. While you weren’t as cold as the day he found you lying in the snow, you were still cold, too cold for his liking. Not that you knew that he was the one who found you, but that’s not what mattered. What mattered was you not getting sick. It was a short while later, sitting cross legged on the couch, hot coffee mug in hand that you looked sadly at Sabo. He’d asked if you wanted to talk about it, but you honestly weren’t sure.

“You know, my heart hurts when I look at them together.” you stated, looking back down at your mug, not quite sure how else to start. Sabo just nodded in understanding, he knew the feeling all too well, “Part of me keeps hoping that I’ll wake up from a nightmare, but I never do. Each day only hurts more as Ace pulls further away from me. He was the one person who never compared me to her… I sought advice online… people keep telling me it’ll get easier, but it’s only been getting worse.” you said, still looking at your drink.

“I… believe it or not, I understand. There’s uh, someone I like but they’re… I don’t think they’ll ever like me back. Hell, I’m not entirely sure they even really notice me.” Sabo admitted. Granted, it was partially his fault you didn’t notice him, but that didn’t make the pain go away.

“Someone doesn’t notice you? You mean that’s possible for a pretty boy like you?” you snorted, trying to find something else to focus on.

“They’re… in love with someone else. Someone… someone I can’t touch. Someone, anyone else, and I’d try to shove them aside and make her see me. But it’s not anyone else.” Sabo confessed, hoping he wasn’t being too obvious. 

“And here Ace was, saying that no one could get in your way.” you said, thankful for the distraction. You didn’t want to think about them.

“Usually, he’s right. But there’s… a few instances where I just… there’s nothing I can do.” Sabo said, giving a defeated sigh. You could only nod in understanding, your thoughts finally returning to Ace once the silence settled in. Briefly, you wondered what it would be like to escape. Not just the pain of seeing them together, but everything. Escape from seeing them together, from your mother, from those who compared you to your sister, you couldn’t help but wonder if there was a way or a place you could go to do so.

“I want to leave.” you stated, not looking up from your drink, your voice sounding loud in the quiet room.

“Oh, uh, well. Your clothes aren’t finished but I suppose-”

“No, I mean I want to leave this city. I want to leave and go somewhere far away where nobody knows me, nobody knows my sister or Ace, somewhere I don’t have to see them all the time, I want to just… leave.” you said, your grip on the mug tightening. Sabo stared at you for a moment before giving another sigh.

“I… know some people.” Sabo started, staring down at his lap. He didn’t want to do this, but neither could he stop himself, “They live in another country entirely. They’ll take you in until you can make it on your own. If you really want to do this… I’ll help you.” Sabo said, trying to hold back his tears. You looked at him in shock, not quite sure what to say.

It was a couple of weeks later that you boarded the plane, the only send off being from Sabo. Nobody else knew you were even leaving, they wouldn’t find out until you were long gone, a couple of letters stashed in Sabo’s pocket to deliver once you were well on your way. It had been your last request from him. Despite his pleas, you’d told him you didn’t want any contact with anyone from your past, a completely new start. One that would ultimately prove to be pointless as you found the pain in your heart refusing to subside, no matter how much time passed.

[tsunderedoctor]

Hello lovely,

I have a bit of an emergency request if that’s alright.

I just found out that I have a brain tumor and I am feeling SO scared and lost. Could you please write some comfort from Law, Sanji, or Ace who has a s/o going through something similar?

I know you also need to focus on your own mental health, so please take your time. I appreciate everything you do!

Apologies for the delay on this!! I'm so sorry to hear you are going through a tough time right now, I will keep you in my thoughts and wish only the best for you while you work through this!! I hope you know you are never alone and people are here to support you! ❤️❤️

Babes Below~!

Trafalgar D. Water Law

Comforting was never his strong suit, even as a child and his sister cried when she didn’t get her way, he would lecture her, telling her she should know better, never giving into her whines. However, when comfort was truly needed, he would do his best to give it. Holding your hand, kissing your temple, distracting you with words, anything to get your attention away from the topic at hand.

If he personally can’t be your doctor, than he will go to all your doctor appointments and listen attentively to whatever the doctor has to say and what you can do in the meantime. 

If surgery is necessary and he again isn’t the one to do it, he will stay by your side through it all. He’s very good at keeping a calm demeanor so you won’t have to worry about him stressing, the man already knows you have so much going on.

When you come out of surgery, the first thing you see will be his sleeping face, laying his head on your arm as he sat next to your hospital bed through the whole night.

Vinsmoke Sanji

He might not know what it’s like to be comforted, but he knows what he did want in his time of need, so man is a great comforter! He will whisper comforting words in your ear as he held you close to his body, rubbing his hand on your back, letting you know he is here.

Sanji will also go to all your doctor visits, he might not understand completely, but he listens and helps to make sure you eat the proper foods to help with any side effects.

Another one who sticks by your side through all the tough parts of life, he does what the doctors say when you go into surgery, waits patiently and visits the gift shop to get you little gifts. 

Once you arrive back and are put back in the hospital room, you are greeted with the blond holding balloons, a teddy bear, flowers and some chocolate, while trying not to cry happy tears seeing your beautiful face again.

Portgas D. Ace

Once he hears the news, he does his best not to overreact. I headcanon that due to being the eldest of the three, he took care of them a lot and took the blame for things Luffy or Sabo might have done. Due to this, he can’t help but want to take this pain from you and put it on himself. 

He would actually suggest therapy (Law might too, but also depends-), he feels it would be good for you to talk out your feelings to someone who can suggest greater alternatives on how to handle them. If you needed, he will also go with you for moral support!

Stays with your family and loved ones in the waiting room, anxiously waiting, he will probably not eat and just sit in the chair shaking his leg and has his head in his hands, just waiting. When the approval is given to visit you, he takes off to the room leaving a fallen chair from pushing too hard getting up.

You only saw a flash of his hair as he tackled you into a hug, finally letting out his tears of held in frustration than is turning into relief, you are alive, and that’s all that matters to him in this moment.

Tag List: @chloe-nanami @musical-apple @luxiditea @macdonaldsmanager @onepieceya @undercoverweeeb @fantasyfairysworld @athenaportgas @my-one-piece-experience @iam-gaaras-loveintrest @xxtoothachexx @simpforroses and whoever else wants to join in!

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Alabasta (Part One)

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

(this is a repost, i deleted the first version of it by accident cause im Idiot)

the entry into the grand line is such a great sequence. it feels like such an ending- a triumph after they’ve spent pretty much all of east blue struggling to make it here, and at the same time the beginning of a new adventure, the biggest yet, one that has yet to end a solid two decades later. they all look so happy to have made it here- it makes me smile.

whiskey peak is one of my very favorite short arcs, and i think of the whole first half of the baroque works saga its the one that hits and maintains a tone best (almost certainly because its so short, admittedly, but still). i love the repeated shots of the moon, the reveal that the cactuses are actually covered in graves, the way everything seems far too good to be true at the start and the sense of suspense that creates.

zoro’s extended fight scene in whiskey peak is so great- it’s so creative and so dynamic and the odds are stacked so high against him and yet he’s clearly having so much fun. i do miss this sort of scrappy, improvised fight, cause its largely absent from later one piece but its SO much fun to read- zoro cutting holes in rooftops for people to fall through or shoving ladders to the ground as bounty hunters try to climb them.

i’m a huge fan of fight scenes that use the environment to their fullest, and this is such a perfect example of it. it makes the fight feel a lot more real and exciting, in my opinion.

i’ve never liked zoro and luffy fighting at whiskey peak, its always struck me as frustrating and contrived and kind of out of character for both of them, but i will say that i do like how on the same page they are even when they’re trying to kill each other.

the entire first half of the baroque works saga basically serves to introduce and endear us to vivi so we’ll be invested in the alabasta conflict, and that starts here in whiskey peak, when we get our first glimpse of her actual personality rather than the act she was putting on as miss wednesday, when she bites her lip hard enough to bleed in order not to break down at igaram’s apparent death.

watching robin’s actions with the added context of later one piece is one of the great joys of rereading alabasta. she does a fantastic job of appearing to be crocodile’s most dedicated and capable and dangerous employee while quietly but consistently sabotaging his efforts; saving luffy, sparing pell, sparing igaram, not telling crocodile anything about the strawhats despite meeting them here at the very start of the saga.

little garden has some really cool and striking panels that really put the scale of things on the island, the dinosaurs and giants alike, into perspective, and i love it.

i’m a huge fan of the depth of in-universe lore one piece has. just having little details like this, quotes from books written in-universe, go so far towards making the world feel like a real and wondrous place with mysteries to be solved and details to be uncovered.

i still think sanji is firmly at his best when he’s being a sneaky bastard, and i will never cease to be delighted by how thoroughly he manages to fuck crocodile over with nothing but a phone and some quick thinking not once but twice.

i really like dorry and brogy! for minor characters who’ve only appeared in one relatively minor and inconsequential arc so far, they’re not only very fun and memorable but also leave a hell of an impact on the story, not only in usopp’s new dream of eventually visiting elbaf but also in how they and their crew just keep coming up, first in enies lobby and then even further down the line in dressrosa and whole cake island.

i’m really excited for when we eventually get to reach elbaf, because this plot thread has been so thoroughly and subtly built up over such a long time that i can’t wait to see how it ends.

this is one of my favorite little moments to really drive home how much the strawhats care about each other. they all fell asleep on the floor rather than leave nami alone.

the whole introductory scene to drum is a really good summary of who vivi is as a person and how she contrasts with luffy, and it’s something i’ve written extensively about in a past meta. here ill just settle for saying, vivi is chronically selfless, and always the sort of person to sacrifice herself for others, and these traits which save the strawhats here are the exact same ones that bring her and luffy to blows later on in alabasta.

a good thing to remember when writing characters is that traits aren’t really inherently good or bad, they’re just traits and can have positive or negative consequences depending on the situation, and i think oda is really good at this. vivi’s selflessness, usually a positive thing, becomes reckless self-sacrifice when she’s pushed to her breaking point.

‘kindness begets kindness’ is a pretty consistent theme throughout one piece, though luffy is most often on the other side of it. someone (rebecca, law, tama, etc.) does something for him without really expecting anything in return, and gets paid back a hundred times over. this is a case of the opposite- luffy helps someone offhandedly, and is later saved by their gratitude.

i think luffy wearing his fingers bloody as he climbs the drum rockies is the only time one piece has ever made me cringe back from the page. this sequence is absolutely brutal, and it’s so well-done.

the way luffy decides chopper should be his crewmate is precious, and also reminds me a little of his recruitment of sanji (ironically, given he’s talking to sanji about chopper here). in both cases he sees someone do something good without even really knowing the full extent of their abilities and makes a snap decision that they are awesome and are gonna be part of his crew, no matter what they have to say about it.

i really, really enjoy the way the drum island flashback is set up, with the cutaway right as luffy is about to punch wapol’s lights out. the cut back to that punch finally hitting when the flashback ends is by that point infinitely more satisfying, since you’ve just read chopper’s backstory and therefore have a deep and abiding desire to see wapol eat shit.

hiriluk’s final speech is definitely one of the best and most memorable quotes from one piece, and effectively the crux of one of its biggest themes. one piece is all about inherited will. all of our main cast and a solid percentage of the supporting cast bear the legacy of at least one forebear on their shoulders, from kuina to corazon to otohime. the entire setting of the story is defined by roger’s legacy.

all those people are dead, but they’re sure as hell not forgotten- how can they be, when their legacies are actively shaping the world as a direct result of their lives and influences?

i really, really like the use of flags in one piece. flags are how you declare loyalty or war in equal measure, and flying a pirate flag is a declaration that you’re choosing freedom, come what may, over the laws of the world government. it’s just a really excellent running motif, and a great symbol of what one piece’s definition of piracy means.

this scene is also one of the ones that gets even more extra weight behind it when you know luffy’s full backstory with sabo, which i love.

chopper’s recruitment scene sums up one of the reasons luffy is really great. he just doesn’t care about a lot of things other people would normally take notice of. occasionally that gets him in trouble, but other times it leads to him responding to a situation exactly right, like here. chopper is listing off all his insecurities and reasons he can’t go with the strawhats, and luffy just flat doesn’t care. he wants chopper on his crew and he knows chopper wants to be on his crew, so as far as he’s concerned, there’s no issue at all.

it really is wild that the will of D is named this far back in the story, and has consistently been referenced and built up ever since in very slight ways, through comments by characters like robin and corazon, and yet we still know basically nothing about it.

and a toast to a new crewmate!!

continued in the next post, which covers alabasta arc proper.

[chenziee]

Dine and Dash (chapter 1)

[Read on AO3 or under the cut]

Can you believe it's been 11 years since Ace was saved from Marineford? Yeah, me neither. Still feels like fucking yesterday. So happy they managed save him in the end :) #ForeverInDenial

I took the opportinity of the anniversary of chapter 574 being published to finally write the obligatory Everybody is alive and nothing hurts AU that we all deserve, especially a certain beautiful, precious fire boy <3 (And yes, I know the anniversary was yesterday, I fucked up but shhh)

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Relationships: ASL brothers, Law/Luffy

Rating: Teen and Up

Words: 1894

Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Everybody Lives, Nothing Hurts, Portgas D. Ace Lives, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, lawlu being cute, Protective Sabo (One Piece), Protective Portgas D. Ace, best big bros protective of their innocent baby bro, ASL Brothers, what else uhhh, i might add more as i go, Donquixote "Corazon" Rosinante Lives

Summary: When the three brothers who had once terrorized the Grey Terminal as well as the Goa Capital come together, nothing good can come of it. Even though they're not children anymore. Or maybe especially since they're not children anymore.

Or; the obligatory Everybody Is Alive And Nothing Hurts AU

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When Ace jumped from his raft up onto the railing of Luffy’s ship, he honestly didn’t expect someone to be standing right where he landed. He couldn’t blame Nami for screaming like she did in favor of a normal greeting, and it was also no surprise when Luffy’s voice came only a second later, asking what was wrong in a voice full of alarm. What was surprising, however, was when Luffy’s head popped out from behind what looked like a large polar bear sleeping right on the deck of the Thousand Sunny. Seriously, Luffy and his tendency to pick up the weirdest things.

"Hey, Luffy," Ace greeted, waving at his brother.

A bright smile appeared on Luffy's face when he realized just who the intruder was, scrambling to his feet and immediately falling over, nearly landing face first onto the lawn. Ace just had to laugh at the sight, but his amusement soon died down. Instead, he had to frown at the pained groan and cursing in a voice that was decidedly not Luffy's, and neither did it seem to have come from the polar bear who was still snoozing away without care.

"Sorry, Torao," Luffy apologized with a sheepish smile directed at the person he had apparently tripped over.

Who the hell was ‘Torao?’ Who was the person Ace could only assume his baby brother was napping with? Seemed like an interrogation was in order. Later though, there were arrangements to be made first. After all, having back up on this couldn't hurt and he had the best back up just waiting for him on the next island.

Picking himself up and running over, Luffy nearly crashed into Nami in his hurry this time, but his navigator managed to side step him at the last second, probably expecting something like this to happen. Luffy only shot her a crooked smile and a half-hearted apology, prompting her to shake her head at him, crossing her arms over her chest in a scolding manner.“Honestly, how is your entire family like this? One of you is going to give me a heart attack one day.”

“Sorry,” Ace and Luffy apologized in unison, the both of them bowing to her for good measure. After all, they both knew all too well that Nami’s wrath was scarier than anything they had ever witnessed on the Grand Line so far.

Nami huffed, shooting one last unhappy glare at them before she turned around and said, “We should be arriving at the next island in a few hours, I’m going to check what we need and get things ready.”

Ace sighed in relief; it seemed like they had somehow managed to avoid the worst.

"Ace, what are you doing here?" Luffy asked as soon as Nami walked away.

Ace grinned, finally jumping off of the railing he had been perching on. “Can’t I just come visit my favourite baby bro?”

“Of course you can,” Luffy said, sticking his tongue out at him. “I just didn’t expect you. Weren’t you going to Wano to see Tama?”

“Yeah, but there was a change of plans. Sabo’s actually on the island you’re heading to so I took a detour,” Ace explained with a shrug.

The reaction was immediate. Just as Ace expected, Luffy perked up even more, his smile going impossibly wide and Ace could swear there were stars in his eyes. He was also basically vibrating in place and Ace had to chuckle at the sight. He understood Luffy’s excitement, neither of them got to see the revolutionary nearly as often as they would have liked for obvious reasons, but Luffy was just too cute when he got like this. How he even did the… bright all over thing was something beyond Ace’s understanding but he loved seeing it every single time regardless.

“Sabo’s there?! Why didn’t he tell me?” Luffy cried out, grabbing onto Ace’s arm in his eagerness.

Before Ace could reply, the other person who had been hidden behind the polar bear until then stood up, muttering seemingly to himself, but loud enough for both Ace and Luffy to hear, “Oh great, there’s going to be three of them.”

“Torao~,” Luffy whined, turning to look at the grumpy man with a pout. “Don’t say it as if it’s a bad thing,” he finished, bouncing away from Ace to stand in front of the other man instead.

Ace scowled at the sight of Luffy peeking up at ‘Torao,’ who only stared back impassively as if he wasn’t bothered in the least by Luffy’s puppy eyes. Ace didn’t think that was even possible. Not to mention they were standing way too close to each other for Ace’s tastes.

“It is a bad thing. There’s way too much energy just with you, Luffy-ya. I don’t need more of it around me,” Torao told him, finishing with a light flick to Luffy’s forehad. An action that nearly had Ace toss a fireball at him if only Luffy didn’t start giggling over it.

Suddenly, Luffy stepped even closer to the man, wrapping his arms around his waist and grinning up at him. “You love it,” he announced, sounding all too proud of himself.

“In very small doses,” Torao admitted before leaning down and kissing the top of Luffy’s head.  

Oh, Sabo was so hearing about this.

Ace cleared his throat loudly, raising his hand to make sure the fire crackling threateningly in his palm was the first thing Torao would see when he looked in his direction.

“Nice to see you again, too, Fire Fist-ya,” the man said flatly, one eyebrow raised.

Ace smiled at him, making sure it look as fake as he could make it. “Trafalgar Law. What do you think you’re doing to my little brother?”

“What does it look like?” Law shot back, showing a smirk that only managed to irk Ace further. If Luffy wasn’t standing right there, he would really have thrown that fireball at him.

“Ace?” Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion as he looked at the fire dancing angrily under Ace’s command.

Ace sighed at that, reluctantly putting the flames out. That asshole was seriously so lucky Luffy was there. He and Sabo would have to corner him later and threaten him when Luffy wasn’t looking. “Anyway, as I was saying—” Ace shook his head, trying to make himself focus on the matter at hand— “I don’t think Sabo knew you were this close to the island. He said he only had one afternoon free and absolutely needed to see me for some reason. So, Luffy. Want to come with us to get something to eat?” he asked, even though he knew the answer. As if Luffy would ever say no to that.  

“Let’s get meat!” Luffy exclaimed loudly, full of enthusiasm and throwing both arms in the air. He nearly punched Law in the face.

Sadly, it really was only nearly but Ace still took great pleasure in returning the smirk Law had given him earlier. He quickly turned back to Luffy, however, and replied, “Well, Sabo seemed like he had something in mind already so let’s just go and see.”

Luffy nodded at his words, a bright, happy smile that looked just the same as it did all those years ago at Mt. Colubo on his face, and Ace felt his previous smirk melt into a fond smile in return. There was warmth in his chest at the sight, the knowledge that his little brother was still the same even after everything that had happened over the years making him incredibly happy.

Without even realizing, Ace’s hand came to touch his own exposed chest, his fingers tracing the rough, large burn scar that Akainu had left there during the war four years ago. It was honestly a miracle he was even alive. He had fully accepted death back on the execution scaffold but then Luffy crashed in, just as loud, just as unexpected as always, bringing so much chaos with him that it changed the entire course of the whole ordeal. And then he accepted it once more when he threw himself in Akainu’s way to protect Luffy.

But now here they were, both of them miraculously alive—thanks to Jinbe, Marco, Vista, and, as much as it pained him to admit it given the very recent circumstances, mostly thanks to Trafalgar Law’s incredible timing and medical skill—and both bearing lava burn scars on their chests as a reminder of what could have happened; what was so incredibly close to happening. It was incredible how much the experience had changed them, yet somehow, how they were still the same as they used to be when playing pirates in their little tree house base.

And when Sabo had appeared in front of them again, with tears and apologies and so very alive, it felt almost inevitable.

Ace shook his head at his own thoughts. This was no time to get all sentimental. “Okay, Sabo’s waiting. Are you ready to go? Striker isn’t really a two person boat but it should be okay,” Ace said, gesturing towards his fire powered raft.

“Yes!” Luffy shouted like he had just won something. “Your boat always seems so fun to play with,” he sang, running over to look down at the slim, sleek raft that was gently swaying along the Sunny.

“Glad you’re so excited,” Ace chuckled.

He went to jump back down on Striker immediately, but Luffy stopped him when he spoke up next, “Oh wait. Do you think we could take the Mini Merry? Torao is meeting his dad on the island, too.”

Ace paused, looking at Luffy with a slight frown. What the hell was a ‘mini merry?’ But more importantly, did they really have to take Trafalgar with them?

Thankfully, Law had saved Ace from having to deal with either of those questions when he spoke up instead, “Thanks but I’ll stay here, Cora-san won’t be there until evening anyway. Plus, I’m not going to risk your brother drowning me on the way.” He shot Ace another one of those smirks when he finished and Ace almost wanted to burn it off of his face but…

“Fair point,” he admitted instead, surprised at the laughter that bubbled out of his chest. He shuddered in horror at the idea of this asshole growing on him.  

“I have no idea what you two are talking about,” Luffy mumbled in annoyance, but perked back up a second later when he announced he was going to let the crew know he was going on ahead.

Ace and Law looked at each other, Ace trying to convey with his eyes the threat of bodily harm that he was thinking in regards to the man standing in front of him. He could only assume he had succeeded when the corners of Law’s mouth twitched up slightly, followed by the surgeon flipping Ace off before he turned around and walked off, sitting down and making himself comfortable with his back resting against the somehow still asleep polar bear.

He was seriously pissing Ace off.

He did have to give it to him, though; if nothing else, this asshole had guts. Reluctantly, Ace had to admit that was probably the most important qualification to pass as Luffy’s boyfriend. He was still not getting out of that interrogation though.

---------

[chapter 2 coming...... as soon as I can finish it]

[laws-yellow-submarine]

Ok @mysticaltigersorceress let's do this lol, forewarning that this is very much just word vomit at this point and I'm very tired and semi-coherent so if anyone reads this and it doesn't make sense or seems all over the place: you're right!

So like, I mentioned this morning that my Driving To Work Thoughts™ were about Hazel's perception of beauty and how that applies to herself and junk, so I will now share those thoughts in the least spoilery way that I can lmfao

Hazel and Luffy both see "beauty" as a sort of title or a type of person, or something I'm tired and explaining is HARD but we see it in canon when Alvida reappears after eating her devil fruit (Luffy calls her "a beauty" but he doesn't seem to consider her "beautiful", which is weird to explain but makes sense if you don't think about it)

Hazel, having read a lot of stories over the years, can see beauty in certain traits (hard-working, kind, etc. All those fairy tale princess traits lol). For example: Makino doesn't display ideal beauty (she's not like stunningly gorgeous) but she is Hazel's only real example growing up of what a "pretty girl" looks like: someone feminine and clean and not necessarily slim but like, no hard lines (muscle, for example). So in Hazel's opinion, she is not a "pretty girl".

Now granted, Hazel also isn't the type to feel self-conscious about this. She grew up with almost zero feminine influence, she had Garp as a grandfather, Ace, Sabo, and Luffy as her childhood companions, and the mountain bandits plus Dadan as sort of caretakers; beauty just didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, and she would've been the only one who could've cared about it in the first place (Makino did her best to encourage "girliness" when she could, but Hazel has never felt "pretty")

So now as an adult, Hazel isn't overly concerned about beauty, but applying the concept to herself feels...uncomfortable. When she and Ace started dating as teens she figured appearance didn't play a part in it, they were extremely close friends close in age who'd grown up together, she’d read stories with similar relationship structures, it just made logical sense (cause that's a recipe for a spicy romance lmfao). When Sanji fawns over her at first she doesn't know how to react, but seeing him fawn over Nami (who IS a "pretty girl") and every other woman they meet makes Hazel feel more confident that it's just a Sanji thing, and nothing to actually do with her.

None of this is true of course, but she literally can't even picture herself as being "pretty" or "beautiful". She could have beautiful features but she's not a "pretty girl". But that doesn't mean she doesn't want to be. Again, she's read all those fairy tales, she's imagined herself as the heroine in more than one story, and they all have one thing in common: they were undeniably beautiful.

There's a part coming up that I want to show but tbh idk how I'll make it fit yet, or if I'll end up having to cut it, but in chapter 9 Nami was in charge of getting clothes for the both of them. She knows Hazel's style is more practical, so she stuck to things like shorts and t-shirts and tank tops and jeans, while keeping the more feminine styles for herself. But when she's showing Hazel what she bought, there's a dress that catches her eye and Hazel gravitates to it. Nami didn't intend for it to be hers, but once she sees Hazel looking at it (specifically the way she's looking at it) Nami decides that it's hers. Hazel tries to protest since she'll never get a chance to wear it ("and it'll probably look silly on me anyway!") but Nami insists and says she'll make sure to find a time for them to get dressed up (a prospect which both terrifies and excites Hazel lol). She doesn't get a chance to wear it for a LONG time though lol

By the time Hazel does get to dress up, a lot has happened that actually does make her feel self-conscious about her appearance (and it only gets worse from there lol technically I've already spoiled what happens on this blog since I talked about it before I committed to writing Together With Fruit, I'm too lazy to go find and delete the posts lmfao). Putting the dress on, getting dolled up by Nami and Robin, all just makes her feel out of place, like a kid playing dress up - not at all like a princess in a fairy tale. But she goes out anyway and has a good time and just maybe the person she's with helps her feel...pretty.

Cause here's the thing, a certain moss-headed love interest doesn't view beauty in a physical sense. Sure, he can appreciate aesthetics, and the fact Hazel actually looks like a stereotypical girl might make his heart thump a little bit (cause I'm just a sucker for those moments lol), but to him what stands out as beautiful is a person's character. Hazel's kindness, her strength (both physical and emotional), her dedication… these are what attracts Zoro. He can see the things she's gone through, the things she's put herself through for others, and every scar she's gained from it only makes her more beautiful in his eyes…

And the only reason I was even thinking about this today is because a while back I saw a post that asked "what's a common theme that appears in everything you write", and while granted I haven't actually written much, I have a lot of ideas and half-formed plots in my head for various OCs and the one common thing is redemption and reconciliation. One of my favorite things in a romance is when you think a couple is solid and perfect, then something happens to show that things aren't perfect, and the couple has to work to fix that thing so they can be stronger (often with a breakup then makeup scenario lol). I love the idea of being so drawn together that even when you think it's over you find a way to see their side and you come back stronger together. But Hazel and Zoro broke the mold for me when it comes to this theme.

I've played around with ways things might become iffy between them, probably when they reunite after the time skip. After so much has happened, and Hazel has literally been to Hell and back, can he really still see her in that way? And at least for now I think some of that anxiety would center around her physical appearance (her appearance is so drastically different post-time skip, like, so much happens lol), but it's also that she can't be exactly the same person that she was 2 years before. And maybe Zoro is feeling some anxiety too, but on the flip side: can she really still feel that way towards him, when she's been through so much? Did he train enough to be worthy of that strength she carries? At some point his priorities shift to not only become the World's Greatest Swordsman, but also to help lift up his partner the way she lifts him (and everyone else) up.

And I think it's important for everyone to know that Zoro is attentive to every scar, he caresses every muscle, and treats her with such utter reverence...honestly thinking about it right now, think "Take Me to Church" vibes lol

He makes Hazel feel absolutely, stunningly beautiful, and it's the only time it doesn't feel uncomfortable. 

[thefreshchannel]

What’re ur Courtney head canons

Oh boi are u ready for this: everyone can feel free to disagree but this is my courtney vision acting up starting with PRE TD and then going to POST TD

Long post

Courtney is definitely straight A student with advanced placement courses and part of many extracurricular activities. 

Courtney’s an only child and turned prodigy by her parents. Top of the class always no position under the first one.

Courtney’s parents took failure of any sort VERY BADLY which made courtney perceive any sort of mistake or flaw or failure as unacceptable.

Courtney (this was confirmed by dramarama) will never be absent to school she could be dying but she would not miss a day in school.

Courtney has two notebooks for each class. One for quick notes she takes in class and the second one to pass her notes over to make them look like

Courtney can play many instruments besides violin (guitar/oboe/flute/trumpet/clarinet/french horn/harp) courtney always gets the solos in choir as well.

Speaking of choir, Courtney isnt religious but as in every latino household her mom is and she would take her to church to be in the church choir. Courtney’s done her first communion but never really got into religion. I dont wanna say shes a heavy atheist altho she does kinda seem like the person who would be like “you believe in a non existent deity to solve your life problems instead of working to fix them yourself? Couldnt be me”

Courtney was a girl scout doing anything in her power to collect EVERY BADGE was a headcanon i’ve always had and was also confirmed by dramarama so idk how much this counts as a hc anymore lol

Courtney has worked as a TA and a tutor. Definitely lost the tutoring job due to short patience and blaming the kids for being idiots. Also she was mean and scary.

Courtney’s had many jobs that didn’t last long based on her attitude and the way she felt above everyone.

Courtney loves musicals. I can also see courtney being in her school’s drama club and always trying out for the lead of musicals. She obviously always got them but quit when she was given the role of someone’s understudy.

Courtney knows and studies many languages. She is fluent in spanish because her parents refused to have a yo no sabo kid, but she’s also fluent in french and portuguese. She studies italian and german.

Courtney feels like she’s mentally stronger than she actually is and feels she doesn’t need any sort of therapy because she can handle anything herself and her mental state is strong as fuck. She’s very mentally weak and worse after TD.

Has a heavy need to be validated by others but ofc she’ll never tell you about it because she is way too good to care about what others think but please tell her she’s doing a wonderful amazing job.

Courtney sent TWO audition tapes to total drama. She eventually did a redo of her audition tape and had tom fix it up for her and burn it in a CD, however gave courtney the wrong one in which she had mixed the two speeches up. Having noticed she sent the wrong one in she tried sending in her redo as well. The TD producers probably found the first one hilarious and probably found it even funnier that she had sent a correction one in.

Courtney has never had a close friend/deep relationship before total drama. Everyone had just been a rival or classmate or an acquaintance. Gwen became her very first best friend in world tour.

Courtney considers total drama one of her biggest failures because she knew she had every skill to win had she not been robbed. Absolutely believed she would win and reach the finale in tdi. Despite many firings in her job life regarding her attitude she kinda sees those as “well something better and more deserving of me awaits” so she doesnt really consider those failures. Total drama was a huge blow for her because everyone watched her fail and everyone saw her get several chances and fail again and everyone saw her relationships fail. Despite the fact she pretends it doesn’t bother her the thoughts are always sneaking in her head constantly.

Courtney managed to get herself in a really prestigious university for amazing grades and an even more amazing entry essay. She works in student life organizing events for the campus.

I feel courtney becomes a workaholic to try to keep herself busy from ever having bad thoughts or feeling vulnerable and guilty by past td stuff.

Courtney doesnt drink often unless she’s out in special occasions. She doesnt smoke at all. However because of how rarely she drinks when she does drink at a college party she is a mess after a second drink. Crying drunk. Talks about total drama constantly.

One of the things she thinks about a lot is gwen. On reunions and talkshows she always refused to admit how wrong she was for how she lost her in tdas. But it constantly eats her alive.

Courtney is a neat freak. Her room/dorm is always clean, her backpack is always organized. It probably got even worse after total drama. She is always cleaning and expecting her roommate to follow her cleaning schedule. Courtney’s roommate’s afraid of her.

Courtney’s often stopped by paparazzi and td fans asking questions about duncan but she always ignores them and avoids them.

Courtney’s very much over duncan so constantly being asked about him angers her. She hates the fact that she’s unfortunately always linked to him and would like to be seen more as her own person without duncan.

She’s not very active in social media. She tried it but it seemed like she couldnt escape being linked to total drama and constantly asked about other contestants or berated about her behavior on the show.

She’s done with chasing for fame or acknowledging fame and stays hidden. She was contacted many times about appearing in ridonculous race but she decided she was completely done with anything total drama.

The only person from total drama courtney keeps in touch with is bridgette. She lost contact with a lot of the cast, sometimes would keep in touch with heather but eventually lost communication with her.

[otaku553]

The way you described sarie in the tags of your Sabo au reminds me a lot about boa and my favorite interpretation of her love for luffy: that boa isn’t really in love w luffy, she’s just so traumatized that she thinks she’s in love the first time she meets a guy that sees her for the person she is and doesn’t judge her for her past. Sarie seems like she’s the same way, with Sabo treating her well and making her believe that she’s in love when she’s rlly just experiencing decency for the first time

Heheheh yeah! I agree strongly on that for Boa and Luffy, I think that Boa does not actually feel romantic attraction to luffy but is just so alienated from this feeling of platonic friendship as a result of being the object of other people’s attraction and having been exposed to that for so long, what she has with luffy is unique and she comes to perceive it as “love,” just not necessarily the kind of love she thinks it is.

That said, with Sarie, I do feel that it is a bit different! It’s not so much “decency” that she is experiencing for the first time from Sabo, but rather honesty. The problem with being a princess is that everyone tells her that they love her, and at some point, she must realize that these are shallow words that people use to endear themselves to her for ulterior motives. I’ve been turning around this phrase in my head: ‘the realm of nobility is not one in which truths are said.’ Sarie herself is such a strong example of this in canon with her verbal tic of triple negations which make it very difficult to understand her, so playing on that, I think she would also have an intimate understanding of the ways nobles twist words and never say things straight out.

Now take Sabo, who has been one of her suitors for the better part of their teenage years, who she knows his parents have been trying to get with her to get an in to the royal family for ages, and he talks to her the night before she makes the decision on who to marry as the princess, who to choose as the third heir to the throne, and he says: “look. We both know that this is something my parents have always wanted more than me. You don’t have to choose me.” And she asks what he would do if he were king, and he answers about all the people he would help and all the ideas he has to better Goa for the masses, and. She’s charmed. I think Sabo is, if nothing else, capable of being extremely extremely genuine about the good he wants to do in the world, and he makes clear to her, in no uncertain terms, that he would be a good king, but doesn’t want to be king because he both respects her choice and knows that he is doing this for ulterior motives.

That honesty, in his moment of vulnerability, is what wins her over. But not quite just that— it is the way that he is so determined to save others, when she has been thinking for the past years about how miserable he looks and how she wants to save him somehow.

Now also, imagine that Sarie has been told for all her life the words “I love you.” And not a single time has those words been said in truth, in full genuine affection and care for her as a person rather than her as a princess, her as a vehicle to the throne, her as a political token for the royal family, her as a mascot and mouthpiece. I think this honesty that Sabo shows is a lifeline she clings onto, because she knows after his confession that he is capable, in moments of vulnerability, of being honest. And I think she truly wants to hear Sabo say to her, honestly, the words “I love you.” I think she wants to know that there is at least someone in the world that truly loves her, and she just thinks it will be easiest with Sabo because she can give Sabo everything he wants: means to help the people through political authority. She just gives it in what she hopes will be an exchange for his honest love.

I have very many thoughts about Sarie haha :) I don’t think she’s a good person, but I do think she has the potential to be a very complex character. This au is largely my way of examining the ways growing up with nobility might have affected the characters that are most closely associated with nobility. I think they must be very fucked up but in different ways from the main one piece cast and its usual supporting characters.

[whitelionspirit]

Pale Fire: Hard Days and Happy Birthdays 1/2

Paring: Ace x Reader

Series: Modern au of the life of Ace and the reader

Scenario: Even after a short few months there is still a lot you don’t know about your newly proclaimed best friend. Like why he doesn’t celebrate his birthday and why his friends and family are used to it.

wc: 1.7k

warning: angst, hurt/comfort, abusing alcohol, fluff

A/N: Hello! Sorry for the lack of updates but writer’s block hit sudden and hard. Anyway I wanted to get this out yesterday but here we are and now it’s in two parts because it became longer than I had intended. Hopefully by next week I’ll be all caught up and open the inbox again! I hope everyone had a good holiday and an even better start to the new year! I’m happy people have enjoyed my writing as well means a lot! Also this isn’t edit at the moment.

The end of the year was fast approaching with only days left it felt strange to you. The fact that your first semester of college was finally over. The past few months had been wild if you could pick a word to describe it. You never imagined you would have so many friends or just good memories in general. You had gotten lucky when being paired with Perona.

She was rather strange but you really would not have her any other way. It was because of her that you met Zoro which from there meant you would meet everyone else.  The collection of them were all vastly different and it made you feel included somehow into their strange little family. Though it was your friendship with Ace that you didn’t expect.

He was loud, angry, and shameless among other things you could rattle off. For some reason he had quickly taken a liking to you and it was all over after that. He had this way of coaxing you to come out of your shell and express yourself in ways you had never done before. He stunned everyone when he declared you were now his which didn’t settle well with any of the girls plus Sanji. Perhaps it was the five year age gap that threw most people off but it didn’t bother you that in the way most presumed it did.

The reason he had plagued your mind a lot recently was because his birthday was two days away. While you were excited about getting your new friend gifts and a supposed party to happen. You found out that their wouldn’t be a celebration, nothing at all. Ace hated his birthday which made you quite disappointed.

You didn’t push the subject when Sabo gave you the bad news. He had smiled sadly at you as he patted your head and moved on with his day. If no one wanted to speak of why then you wouldn’t push it. Ace would tell you if you asked you know he would but you didn’t want to pry it seemed to be a rather sore subject for everyone.

So you went about your week as you usually would which was more so spent at the three brothers apartment. You were currently splayed out on the couch with Luffy, Chopper, and Vivi laying on top of one another. It was a comfortable squeeze with Chopper’s head tucked into your lap and Vivi’s thigh bumping against your own as Luffy splayed out over her entire lap as she played with his hair. The only light coming from the flashing tv and that of the Christmas tree still up in the corner of the room.

It was a nice feeling to be surrounded by friends in a place you considered homey.  The sudden buzzing of your phone dragged you out of your thoughts. Pulling the device from your sweatpants pocket you saw the familiar name lighting up the Home Screen.

Firefly

As he had so happily put into your contacts months ago. You smiled as you slide your finger across the text opening the phone.

“Work is so boring today, tell me something interesting.”

You roll your eyes at his response Ace worked a rather fascinating job in your opinion at least. Though he says his previous job had been cooler before the accident. You texted him back before closing the phone.

“You should really pay attention to your job but if you really want something good. Luffy choked on a piece of food today and Vivi had to give him the hemilich maneuver. It was a real sight I have all on video.”  

You sent the text and closed your phone again only for it to vibrate. The message highlighted with a laughing emoji making you smile as you place the phone on your lap. Closing your eyes as you listen to the background noise of the tv.

You were awoken by the sensation of someone putting a blanket over you blinking your eyes open sleepily. The blurry image above you stopped before continuing and backing away as you drifted back off to sleep cuddling close down into the soft material. The sounds of chatting is what finally woke you up this time around.

They were soft almost trying not to wake up or anyone else who was still asleep. The room was dark when your eyes opened, the only light coming from that of the kitchen and even that was dimmed. You could barely make out the voices but there was definitely more than one. Pulling your arm upward you realize that it had actually been covered by a blanket. Your brows furrowed at how it got there, as your hand finally landed on your phone. The screen lit up showing the time it was half past 9 p.m. making you groan.

You had missed dinner, the sudden grumbling of your stomach reminding you of it’s emptiness. “Thanks, stomach.” You mumbled as you looked around you to still see everyone was still asleep. Chopper had moved over so he wasn’t on top of you, but Vivi and Luffy were now cuddling up one another in their sleep. The sight made you smile as Luffy’s soft snores were let out against Vivi’s neck. The voices broke through your train of thought again as a sharp “No” was admitted.

Curious but not wanting to be nosy you carefully untangled yourself from the pile. You walked towards the kitchen quietly as the voices became more distinct. The soft tremor of Ace’s voice was heard as he hissed at the slightly higher one of Sabo. Were they fighting? You thought which would be odd because they almost never fought unless it was over something serious. Over the few months you had known them you had only seen it twice. So whatever they were disagreeing on must be rather important or personal perhaps.

“You such an idiot you know that right?” Sabo said.

Peeking around the corner you could barely make out their appearances through the doorway which was blocked by the door being half way closed.

“It’s nothin’ I’m an dult I can do wha- I wannnt.” Ace said his words sounding muffled.

You frowned as Sabo sighed making you wonder if Ace was actually drunk and Sabo was trying to hide it.

A sound of shuffling could be heard as someone started walking. “Ace, come on you’ve had enough of tha-.” Sabo words were cut off as the shattering of glass echoed through the otherwise quiet house. The noise alone startled you momentarily before you decided to make your presence known.

You pushed the door open into the kitchen and the sight that greeted you was rather amusing. Sabo was hitting Ace upside the head while the freckled man pouted. He was gazing down at the red liquid splashed across the title flooring.

Sabo looked up at you and sighed. “(Name) could you hand me the mop and broom it’s in the closet across the hallway”. He pointed behind back the way you had come.

“Ugh, yeah sure are you guys alright?” You questioned.

Sabo just nodded not really akwoldging  you as he hauled Ace by the sleeve of his shirt and put him into a seat at the breakfast bar.

You walked to the closet and opened the door it was dark inside but you didn’t need to see where the objects were. Grabbing them you closed the door and headed back into the kitchen where Sabo was staring at Ace in frustration.

You looked over at him he was leaned over the counter his forehead laying against the wooden surface.

“Here.”

Sabo sighed and reached out for them as you placed them in his grasp.

“Is he alright?” You asked unsure.

“He will be but it really isn’t anything new he is like this every year.” He said as he began sweeping up the glass.

You bit your lip as you stood there wondering what you should do. You wanted to be helpful but it seemed like a private matter that Sabo could easily take care off.

“If you want you can put him in his bed,” Sabo spoke without looking at you as he dumped the glass into the trash bin.

You looked at him and blinked as if you weren’t expecting him to answer your worries. Walking forward you stood next to the man who was groaning softly into his chest. Gently placing your hand on his shoulder to not startle him you also opened you mouth to talk.

“Ace.”

He groaned again as if acknowledging you.

“Come on let’s get you to bed, alright?” You said as he got up without a fuss.

....

Once inside his room you guided him slowly to the bed as all his dead weight was laid on top of you. It was extremely uncomfortable but you bared it as you mostly threw him onto the twin size bed. He landed awkwardly on his face as the mattress squeaked under the pressure. You sighed at the sad sight as you picked up his feet and hauled him into the bed. You weren’t going to baby him or be gentle.

Ace mumbled from where his face was planted in the maroon sheets. You rolled your eyes and shoved at his shoulder hard enough to move him slightly to were yup could hear him speak.

“I’m fine (Name) you can just go.” He said with no heat behind it.

You huffed and crossed your arms in annoyance at his statement.

“I’m not going until you get into bed Ace.”

The man just sighed as heaved himself upward and began shimmering his way out of his work pants. His button down followed surely until he left in a a plain undershirt and his boxers. The sight alone made your cheeks redden as you quickly hid your face into your hands.

“Well, are you happy?” He asked as he pulled his comforter around his body.

“Y-yes! I’ll be going now, I'll see you tomorrow!” You said your voice went a pitch higher as you left the room shutting the door behind you.

As soon as you left the room you groaned as you leaned your head back against his door. Well that just happened even though nothing actually occurred just him taking off his clothes to sleep. Patting your flaming cheeks to come yourself you stepped away from the door. Only to hesitate as you looked at the door as concern took over.  As you ponder about what exactly could have him so uneasy and so unlike the man you knew.

[batfam-nalu-onepiece]

When Brooke awakens his Devil Fruit

Brooke never really thought he could awaken his devil fruit. It’s not like he can turn everything around him to string like Doflamingo. But along his journey and when Luffy becomes King of the Pirates, what he discovers is his awakening allows him to call back the souls of the dead. And he takes full advantage of this.

Brooke specifically waits for the right time to use it for his crew

Luffy:

He waits for Luffy, Sabo, and Garp to be back at their hole town with Makino, Dadan and the other Mountain bandits to have them speak to Ace one last time and tell him he was able to achieve his dream of becoming King of the Pirates. Ace tells Garp that he loves him and that he is sorry for all the pain he has caused him. He is overjoyed to see Sabo alive and thanks him for looking out for Luffy when he couldn’t and Sabo thanks him for the same. Dadan and Makino are overjoyed seeing those three reunited again. Maybe call White beards Soul and Gold Rogers for Ace as well. Roger meeting Luffy and being proud to have someone like Luffy be the next king of the pirates. Luffy made sure to have Shanks and Rayleigh there too so theycan see his old Captain. Roger tells Shanks that he did a job and gave his hat to a worthy man. Rayleigh gets to see his bestfriend one more time and Roger thanks him for helping train Luffy. Roger thanks Garp for taking care of Ace for him and Garp just punches him because he is about to cry (Maybe have Kobe there as a Bonus because Luffy values his friendship and wants to introduce him to his brothers)

Zoro:

They travel to Zoro’s hike town with his sensei and call back Kuina’s soul so he can tell her he achieved his dream and became the worlds greatest swordsman. He tells her that he made sure to take extra care of her sword and that he never forgot their promise to each other and trained hard every day. He even pokes fun at her talking about how Tashigi looks and acts just like her and how she has been chasing him all over the world so it was like Kuina was also chasing after him, trying to achieve her dream which made Zoro train even harder.

Nami:

They return to Cocoyasi Village to meet up with Nojiko and Genzo and call back Bellmere soo they can talk to her again and Nami tells her she achieved her dream of drawing a map of the entire world. She tells her mom about all her travels and how she found a family that can always make her smile. She even shows her the Tangerine trees in the Sunny saying she grows them exactly the same way to make sure her nakama get to have a taste of Bellmere’s tangerines.

Usopp:

They call Usopp’s mom’s soul at his home town so he can tell her he became a brave warrior of the see like his father. He tells her all the adventures he has been on. He starts off by saying “Hi mom. You came back to us” like he used to say about his father. His Dad standing beside him saying that Usopp keep his promise and became a brave pirate, even more great than himself. He introduces his mom and dad to Kaya. His mom absolutely loves her and is happy he found someone. They bond when his mom tells Kaya that it will be hard to love Usopp since he is a pirate and neve home and Kaya responds saying she knows it may be hard, but if Usopp is free, and happy that is all she could ask for. Besides, that the kind of man she fell in love with in the first place.

Sanji:

They meet up with Zeff at the Baratie and call back Sanji’s mom’s soul to tell her that he became and amazing chef and found the all blue. Sanji’s mom thanks Zeff for looking after her son and for teaching him how to be a great chef. Everyone at the Baratie wonder how someone as annoying and argumentative as Sanji could ever come from such a sweet woman. Then Sanji kicks them and they all laugh. (Luffy asked Nami to contact Reiju and tell them to come because he knew she would want to see her kids again and they would love it so Sanji is with his siblings, Judge, and Zeph. Sanji wasn’t happy about it but he realized they were her family too and he couldn’t just keep them from speaking to their mom one more time. Even if most of them are jerks) Sanji shows his mom his cooking by cooking a special meal for her. A variation of the first meal he ever made for her. She says it’s the most wonderful food she has ever tasted and can tell that she actually meant it (i know I know. How can she eat if she’s a soul? Just go with it) Reiju tells her mom she loves her and how sorry she is for not taking better care of Sanji. Her mom tells her what a wonderful job she did and that she loves her. The other brothers finally show emotion that they never knew they could. Seeing their mom again after she died woke something up in them and they apologize for being dicks their entire life and that they love her. She responds by saying that they are her sons and she loves them no matter what. She tells her children what fine and strong people they became. Judge even apologizes to her for everything he’s done (What Sanji did during the Whole Cake Arc really made them reevaluate their life)

Chopper:

They return to The Sakura Kingdome to see Doctor Kureha and Dalton, where they call back Dr. Hiriluk’s should back to tell him that his son went out to see and became an doctor and travelled the seas as a pirate just like Hiriluk wanted. They also recreate his powder again and show him the cherry blossoms one last time before his soul returns to beyond the grave. Chopper even teacher Hiriluk the new things he learned while at sea and all the different diseases and things he has cured. Hiriluk is happy his son went out to sea and thankful when Chopper tells him what Luffy did for him and his flag even before he really knew chopper.

Robin:

Even though they cannot return to Robin’s home, they sail the Sunny to where the island used to be located and call back Robin’s mom and the others archaeologists so Robin can see her mother again and tell them about the lost history. She tells her mom about the Poneglyphs and the other ancient cities she found like Skypiea. As a bonus Brooke also calls back Jaguar D. Saul and Robin tells him that she found her nakama who will protect and cherish her and will never leave her. Saul thanks the Strawhats and after hearing what they did for her at Enies Lobby, he knew she found an amazing crew. He even laughed and smiles at the story saying that Robin has joined one crazy crew. Saul took one last long look at the people who would challenge the world if it meant protecting Robin and knew that she would never be lonely and sad again. Her mother gave her a hug and said she’s happy that she survived the buster call and how proud she is for becoming an archaeologist and finding out the lost history.

Franky:

They return to Water 7 and meet with Granny Kokoro and call back Tom’s soul. Cranky gets to tell him that he created a ship that sailed across the entire world just like he did and is now the shipwright to the new King of the Pirates. Iceberg tells him that he is working on or completed making Water 7 float. Tom is proud of the man iceberg became, and how successful and beloved he is as the mayor of Water 7. Tom takes a look at the Sunny and says it’s even greater than anything he could have built including the Oro Jackson, Roger’s ship. He admires the work and detail Frank put into the ship and could tell that the crew loved their ship very much. Tom meets Nico Robin and apologizing for doubting her and believing she would use her knowledge for evil. Robin smiles and says it’s ok and they talk all night. Tom meets the Franky Family, the people willing to storm Enies Lobby to save Franky. He thanks them and The Strawhats for saving his son hd apologizes to Franky and Iceberg for even putting them through that by passing down the Pluton blueprints. They laugh it off and Franky says he is actually thankful to have had them because without it, he would have never joined the Strawhats and build the ship of his dream.

Jinbe:

They return to Fishman island where they reunite with Shirahoshi, and her family. With Jinbe, the recall Fisher Tiger and Queen Otohime’s soul. They get to tell the two that the relationship between fishmen and humans have gotten better. Jinbe can tell Fisher Tiger all he had accomplished including jointing the Strawhats. Shirahoshi and her family can tell Otohime that they returned to they participate in discussions with the world government and other countries and have a good relationship with humans. Shirahoshi tells her mom about how Luffy taught her to be brave. They both leave knowing their species is in good hands and thank the Strawhats for being the gateway to the fishmen co-existing with humans

Brooke:

When they return and see Laboon again, Brooke calls back the spirits of his old crew so they can all keep their promis to Laboon. They play their music for Laboon again so he can hear the real thing instead of the recording (don’t ask me how they can play jules if if their dead just go along with it. It’s sweeter that way). Brooke can introduce his old crew to his new one, telling his old captain not to worry because even with them gone, he has found a new place he can call home.

Vivi: (and the rest of the crew)

If Vivi’s father dies (because it seems like that may happen) They return to Alabasta and Vivi and Karoo get to see the King Nefertari again and maybe her mom too considering I don’t actually know what happened to her. Vivi is happy to meet to new crew members and love how none of them have changed personality wise. Robin apologizes nonstop and Vivi forgives her in a second. She says that anyone Luffy likes is a good person so Robin doesn’t need to apologize anymore. She even thanks her for not telling Crocodile where Pluton is and for all the times she has saved Luffy. While there at Alabasta, he aslo calls back the spirit of the Going Merry. The very same Klabautermann that saved them time after time. They thought about doing this at Usopp’s village but he said that Vivi was once a part of their crew too and deserves the chance to see the Merry again. The spirit of the merry is happy they found a new ship to call home and is thankful to Franky building the ship. It even says that it knew of the ship because part of her spirit is still with them, on the mini merry and thanks Franky for building it out of her wood. This causes every to cry saying how happy they are that the Merry is still with them (yes even Zoro. He tried to not cry but couldn’t help it. He turned around thinking Sanji would make fun of him But Sanji knew that he could never make fun of him for this). Usopp and Luffy immediately says that the mini merry cannot be in the docking stations anymkre and bring her onto the deck. No one disagrees or argues with them.

Law:

As a thanks to Trafalgar Law for all his help and everything they’ve been through, they call back Corazone’s soul and he tells him that he loves him and is greatful for everything he did for him. He introduces him to the Heart pirates, named in honor of Corazone and shows him that he made the right decision in saving his life. Law also insisted that Sengoku be there because he loved Corazone like a son. Sengoku at this point is retired and he’s never admit this, but he is happy that Law and Luffy met because it gave him another moment with the man he viewed as a son. (Sengoku also couldn’t help but notice how much alike Luffy and Garp are. Especially when Garp was Luffy’s age and laughs knowing how much trouble Luffy will give the Navy considering the amount of trouble Garp gave the Navy and he worked for them)

Rebecca:

They return to Dressrosa and let Rebecca,Kyros, Viola and the other see Scarlett again where she sees that her daughter grew up to be an amazing woman and that Kyros has protected ever since.

Momonosuke:

They Return to Wano and Momonosuke, Hiyori, kin and the other Samurai can see Oden again and his wife. Momonosuke can tell his father that he is following in his footsteps in order to become a great Shogun to make sure Wano prospers. Hiyori tells her father that she gave his sword, Enma, to Zoro. She thought he’d be mad so she tried to explain to him that he saved her life, Saved Wano, and is a worthy swordsman but Oden stops her midway saying that he doesn’t care about the sword. He’s just happy his family is safe and that if she gave his sword away, he knows that it would have been for a good cause and to someone worthy. The other Samurai get to tell Oden that they avenged him and saved his country like they promised. They even bring back Yasui so his daughter can see him again. Momonosuke also introduce his father to O-Tama and his father likes her and thinks she’s a good math for his son. Momonosuke blushes but Luffy, Kin, Nami, Robin, Sanji, Zoro and honestly everyone agrees and already consider them as a couple. Brooke even brings back Ryuma so they can clear Zoro’s name of stealing Shisui. Zoro spars with Ryuma and Oden. Their fight changes the geography of Wano a bit.

Carrot:

They go to Zou and call back Pedro’s soul so Carrot and everyone can see him. Carrot thanks him and shows him how strong she became. Luffy thanks him for sacrificing himself for him and Pedro is happy knowing the Dawn of the New World that he believed was coming has finally arrived. He never regretted his sacrifice for a second.

I’m assuming there is a 24 hour limit to each soul called back or something like it. But if not consider that after they each have their own individual heartfelt moment with their loved ones that they lost, the Strawhats bring EVERYONE, and yes I mean everyone that was mentioned, to Laugh Tale for a huge party. All the souls of the departed that where mentioned meet each other and celebrate the Luffy becoming King of the Pirates. Roger, Rayleigh and Whitebeard get to see Oden again. Nami ends up punching Gold Roger for doing something stupid on a reflex thinking it was Luffy. It actually really hurts Roger and as Nami apologizes, Bellmere looks proudly at her. Luffy laughs and Nami beats him up twice as hard. Roger, Whitebeard, Shanks, Oden and Fisher Tiger are now scared of her. They know Luffy has the best Navigator in the world, but are wondering if it’s worth it with him much she has punched Luffy in the short time they’ve know her. All while Brooke and the Rumbar Pirates play Bink’s Sake the entire time.

(If someone wants to make art of this, please do and tag me in it so I can see it and cry of happiness)

[cienie-isengardu]

The development of Law’s relationship with Zoro - Part 4: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (Aftermath)

<<Part I: Before Meeting>> <<Part II: Sabaody Archipelago, The First Meeting>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (A)>> <<Part III: Punk Hazard, The Alliance (B)>>  <<Part IV: Dressrosa, The Breaking Point (The Plan Failed)__ (Saving Law)__(Protecting Law)__ (Birdcage, Pica and Doflamingo)__ (Aftermath)>>

Even though admiral Issho alongside with his men officially apologized to King Riku and the citizens, the king made sure the “outlaws” were hidden from marines. Straw Hats, Law, Bellamy and Kyros ended sheltered in Kyros’s home where he once lived with Scarlet and little Rebecca. First time in a long time, the allied pirates were together again. In the night, Sabo visited the house, but beside Zoro, Franky and Robin, everyone was sleeping. The four had a talk about Sabo’s past and the best time to leave Dressrosa before marines will attack them.

Law’s sleep position was much more relaxed and open than the one from the beginning of Dressrosa arc (chapter 794).  Maybe it was just the result of total exhaustion and injuries or maybe Law, after so long of stressing and worrying, finally could relax knowing that A) Doflamingo was in marine custody thus no longer a threat and B) he was safe around Straw Hats.

The available room was small but Law could choose any spot to sleep. Instead, he was shown lying close to drinking Zoro (by frame layout alone, again in between Roronoa and sleeping on bed Luffy, this time without any danger around). Zoro most likely planned to stay awake through the whole night for security measures (he has this habit of sleeping just 3 hours per night after all) and taught by experience, Law didn’t have any reason to doubt that if attacked, the swordsman would protect him, the same as he did during battle. 

Law didn’t even bother to pretend he was cautious or wary, he simply slept, trusting allies to take care of their safety.

With Zoro, Franky and Robin being the only one awake, there is a high probability they talked about the latest events. How their fights went, what they learned, what to focus on, what to watch out for in the future with angered Kaido as the next goal on alliance’s list. It’s hard to tell for sure if Robin told others about Law’s choice to stay behind and whether in victory or death, share Luffy’s fate. On one hand, it was a choice made under strong emotions, trauma and even the feel of responsibility for Straw Hat’s wellbeing. A choice made because of very personal matters. On second hand, exactly because it happened under such pressure it was the most sincere side of Law Robin had a chance to see for herself. She and Zoro are the least trusting members of the crew and that night was the best moment to discuss in detail what happened and in the process dispel any remaining doubts about Law as their ally. Both saw his determination and fighting spirit, knew he saved their crew members and kept Luffy out of harm's way despite his own injuries and finally, both had some understanding of Law’s hidden goal in Doffy’s destruction. They may not know the whole truth, just the nature of it, but that was enough because Trafalgar did not betray them. And well, he had the suicide feel about himself what could raise some concerns about him too. 

I personally think such talk could happen that night, when memories of battle were still fresh in their mind and everyone out cold beside the three of them. The exchange of information could be another reason for the change in Zoro’s behaviour.

For the three days, the Straw Hat-Heart alliance was left in peace by marines. Once again Law was exposed to Luffy’s antics but this time Zoro acted in a more open way, even showing his more usual irritation at other people’s odd behaviour, including his own captain:

Interestingly, there is a visible shift in the arrangement of characters positions - during battle it was usually Zoro-Luffy-Law and the dynamic changed mainly in face of danger. Now with upcoming frames somehow Law was put more often in the middle between the other Supernovas. Even though Trafalgar still kept some tangible distance from others, judging by their (not so strictly stoic anymore) behaviour, it seems like he and Zoro were now more comfortable around each other.

Then the navy finally made its move against pirates. Unlike Usopp, Zoro and Law didn’t show any distress. Bartolomeo and other fighters prepared themselves for such an occasion by securing for Luffy’s group a safe escape route. Instead of running away with his friends, Luffy decided to visit Rebecca - now a princess - and confront her about her family matters. 

Zoro reminded Luffy they don’t have time, so he better get it done quick while the rest will wait in eastern port...

and then again, run in the wrong direction.

At this point, Law may have a good suspicion about Zoro’s no sense of orientation (chapter 797). And who knows, maybe he ran alongside Zoro (on picture below, behind Kinemon and Robin), to make sure the infamous Pirate Hunter did not wander unexpectedly somewhere else… that, or both planned to linger behind and secure the group retreat.

The fellow fighters came to their aid, keeping marines far away from Straw Hats. At the same time, Law disappeared without a word, to find and confront recently arrived on the island Sengoku (unless he did mention his intention to Zoro, while they ran side by side??). Frankly, the manga did not provide the reaction of Zoro nor any other member of Straw Hat crew to Law’s disappearance, so it’s impossible to say if they were worried about him or simply trusted in his strength to return on his own on time.

Meeting with Sengoku was one of the most important breaking points for Law. As it turned out, the former fleet admiral treated Donquixote Rosinante - Law’s savior - as a son. And for thirteen years did not understand why his beloved son didn’t follow the order to stay away from Minion Island. 

“One day… a soldier I knew died. He was someone I cared about, someone who meant something to me. I took him in as a boy… and treated him like a son… He was as honest and upright a person as I ever knew… and a valuable, trustworthy subordinate. But there was one time, just once in his life, that he lied to me. I had been betrayed… but there must have been a reason for it. Four things disappeared in the chaos of that fateful day. The Barrels Pirates, the life of my subordinate, the Ope-Ope fruit… and a boy with White Lead disease who was with the Donquixote Family at the time.”

Law admitted he was the boy and confirmed that Rosinante left his post and died because of him. Admitted also he didn’t know if the way he lived was what Cora wanted.

First time in 13 years, Law was assured that there wasn’t any hidden goal in Cora’s decision to save him. The man saw a dying, hurt child with the spark of his brother’s madness and decided Law was worth loving and dying for. It was unconditional love, without any “if” or “but”. The “D.” name and the usefulness of Ope Ope no Mi did not matter. Even stopping Doflamingo meant then little. The only thing Rosinante wanted was to save Law and make him finally free. Sengoku literally told Law to not “attach a reason to the love you’ve received”. 

Apparently, english “I love you” does not carry the whole meaning of the original phrase “Aishiteruze (愛してるぜ)”. Rosinante’s declaration was along the “I can’t live without you” level of loving someone (x). Now, after so many years of hiding from Donquixote Pirates, planning and scheming and living just to kill Cora’s murderer, Law finally understood the depths of Rosinante’s love. The breaking point is that: Law at last knows (accepts) he was unconditionally loved and now, is free from Doflamingo for good. He can allow himself to finally live without doubts and regrets the way he wants, without a sense of failing some unknown to him expectations. And I think, to some degree, it is the reason why Law’s secretive / introverted behavior changed into a more open, relaxed act around Zoro and Straw Hats. Because he finally could relax, be comfortable with himself. 

Due to danger from admiral Issho, Law couldn’t spend more time with Sengoku and had to run to the rendezvous point. Surprising, no Straw Hats waited for him (in the sense, weren’t shown in the frame). Even more surprising is the lack of Zoro between former colosseum fighters in the frontline of the fight. Anyway, Luffy showed up soon after Law but instead of dodging the blind admiral, attacked him. Because to be Pirate King he must face everyone: Warlords, Admirals and Emperors and beat them down.

Zoro in general agreed with Luffy’s reasoning (chapter 799) but did not exactly understand the way Luffy fought against Issho, telling his blind opponent what kind of attack he was going to use. The admiral himself was very surprised by that too, but ultimately accepted and even respected Luffy’s weirdness. In the end, Issho managed to send Luffy flying - what happened to be a favorable circumstance for allied fighters. They catched Luffy and despite Straw Hat’s protest, dragged him to safety. Zoro was happy about that too, but for a different reason - he wanted to take Luffy’s place to fight with a powerful enemy. Bartolomeo thankfully managed to stop the battle-lusting warrior.

Law’s reaction to that event wasn’t shown but once again he had a chance to see Zoro’s insanity when it came to fighting a strong enemy. Zoro and Luffy in that regard were very similar to each other. 

Straw Hats-Heart alliance finally got on ship, the Yanta Maria and with the help of people of Dressrosa (who under the pretext of chasing the pirates away, were actually protecting them from the admiral's deadly attack), the alliance sailed away safely. 

Zoro and Law's reaction to Yanta Maria was visibly distinctive from pleasant shock of others (open jaws). Zoro smiled, Law, judging by the frown, looked unimpressive. Both their reactions were more quiet and toned down.

On the ship, Bartolomeo and fellow fighters asked Luffy to drink with them “cups of Father and Sons”, to officially accept them as his underlings.

Luffy of course refused, because he A) didn’t like alcohol and B) didn’t want to be captain of such a big fleet. Zoro warned his allies they wasted time trying to change Straw Hat’s mind (and to just give the sake to him). Yet the fighters were ready to force Luffy into accepting the drink. Further Luffy’s explanation only confused everyone (beside Straw Hats) even more. Including Law.

And then Law’s attention immediately turned to Zoro, who, taking advantage of the opportunity, started drinking sake from Luffy’s cup to Usopp’s displeasure.

Finally, Luffy managed to explain his reasoning:

“If I ever think we’re in trouble… I’ll shout for your help. Then you can come save us! I don’t have to be a boss or a great pirate, right?!  If you’re in trouble, call for us!! We’ll come and help you!!! I won’t forget about how we fought Mingo together!!

And the Seven Leaders admired and accepted Straw Hat’s decision. But since Luffy was all about freedom, they simply followed his example. Whether Luffy liked it or not, they decided on their own to make him their boss.

Law thus witnessed the founding of the Great Fleet of Straw Hats. And yet, somehow it looked like he was more interested in Zoro’s drinking sake behind Luffy’s back.

When party started, everyone celebrated their great victory (chapter 800):

Luffy, like always, was in the centre of everything. Law, though smiling, kept his distance from Zoro and other partying people. But soon after that Law’s personal space was invaded by Zoro.

The anime expanded this little moment, first showing Zoro approaching Law sitting alone, asking to join the rest. And then, ignoring any protests, just threw his arm around the other man’s neck. Law’s face spoke how much he minded such treatment and had no dignity about that:

During parties, Zoro always spent his time sharing alcohol with people who fought side by side with him (Paulie, Water 7/Enies Lobby) or actually were his opponents (Braham, Skypiea). Zoro didn’t have a habit of forcing people to drink with him or asking (introverted) person who clearly wanted to be alone to join the bigger group. He himself rarely joined larger groups and usually just sat somewhere far from the noise with a few people around. So, Zoro most likely understood Law's isolation since he used to do so himself. Here though he was the one invading Law’s personal space and not giving a damn if the man was happy about it or not. On second thought, if Law didn’t want to join the others, it made sense for Zoro to join him. In a sense, it could be Zoro’s way to break the ice between them. What is even more interesting, considering the palpate distance he kept from Law at the beginning of the story. The second important detail - Law could easily get out of that situation by using Ope Ope no Mi powers. A simple switch of the places and he would be free for good. Yet Law remained, despite how awkward and/or outside of his comfort zone it was.

We may only wonder what made Zoro act in such an uncommon way. Was that respect for Law forged in the heat of battle? Did it bother him that Law after everything was done, still isolated himself? Did it look like Law felt discomfort to be around people he barely knew or interacted with and who all pledged loyalty only to Straw Hats, thus Zoro decided to keep him company? 

Zoro initiating physical contact in itself is an uncommon occurrence. Because as much as Straw Hats pirates  can - and will - invade Zoro’s personal space, Roronoa is not exactly the  type of person open to such contact. Once again, the shift between the beginning (visible distancing) and ending (invading Law’s personal space) of the Dressrosa arc is tangible. Somehow between one and the other, breaking point in Law and Zoro’s relationship happened and changed for good their dynamic. What was seen day(?) after the party (chapter 801):

Law and Zoro sat close to each other, the previous distance gone. Zoro was reading newspapers, indifferent to his surroundings - instead of facing and observing the Heart captain, like he used to do at the beginning. Both men looked like they were comfortable around each other, even despite - or maybe, because of - the shared (forced?) drink. The change in Zoro’s behaviour is diametrical.

Like was said at the beginning, Dressrosa Arc is one big breaking point. It changed the status quo of pirate alliance and Luffy’s position, from rookie pirate to leader of a powerful fleet. It will lead to the complete dissolution of the Shichibukai system and for good push the main hero into collision with Emperors. For Law alone, Dressrosa was like opening old, still not healed wounds but also so needed a moment of catharsis. He was ready to die there, but was saved time after time by allies. In a sense, it was the final test of how strong the alliance was before facing angry Kaido.

Law changed a lot through the course of action. Or maybe not really changed, but like allowed himself to show hidden emotions and trauma. The cold-blooded, scheming pirate who planned to use Straw Hats crew (and spare his own) turned out to be a man willing to sacrifice himself to finish what his savior started but couldn’t do himself. Who came to believe in Straw Hats, as the ones who made miracles happen. Not only Luffy, but the crew as a whole. 

The same as Zoro finally saw Law in hopeless, awkward, sometimes outright humiliating situations (anime extension), Law’s impression of Roronoa cracked too. No sense of direction, insanity to laugh at the dangerous enemy and enjoying the thrill of fight, the fondness of alcohol -- all of this created anew image. This time more flawed but at the same time, more real, human. Despite the flaws and awkwardness of previous situations, both proved to be strong-willed, cool-headed warriors one may rely on in difficult times. Zoro stretched out his hand to him, broke the ice, abandoned the distrust that distanced them for a long time. It seems like Law was finally fully accepted by Roronoa and all unsaid things between them settled down for good. 

At the same time, the arc showed their similarities. Both were the quiet ones, the type of people who kept distance from others. The ones with pragmatic thinking in contrast to Luffy’s chaotic madness. Zoro for sure was a helpful presence during running from enemies and meeting a weird fighter after another, especially since he did try to keep his captain in check. That it didn’t work for a long time is a different matter.

Anyway, looking at the beginning and end of Dressrosa arc, there is a visible change in how Zoro and Law acted around each other. How the neutrality changed into something more comfortable.

Here comes things worth examining a bit more. 

↪ The Seven Leaders pledged loyalty only to Straw Hat Pirates. As long as alliance between Luffy and Law will work, this is not a big issue and to take down all Emperors, every additional help was good. But if ever those two pirate crews will fall apart, Luffy literally just gained a powerful fleet, thus has advantage over rival captain.

↪ Straw Hats & Heart captain worked together to take down Doflamingo. Luffy of course was the one that finished the enemy, but overall, Luffy’s victory was a result of teamwork between pirates, colosseum fighters, marines and common people. As much as Trafalgar Law was well known as the Shichibukai, Luffy and Zoro were in fact the ones that made the biggest impression on people (colosseum fight, defeating Doffy & destroying Pica) and actually interacted during battle with other fighters. Frankly, both showed their charismatic nature that made people believe in and follow them. Luffy became the hope of the whole country. Zoro was the spark that united people to stop the birdcage and brought Luffy the needed time to recover. Law is powerful and has a reputation and knows how to deal with different people to get what he wants, but he is not really good at interhuman relationships in general. Luffy gains friends on the left and right. Zoro, despite being asocial, rude and introverted person, has the impressive air about himself that often makes him look like the coolest person who is not afraid to challenge everything and everyone; for whom impossible does not exist (destruction of Pica, stopping birdcage). Law… kinda lacks in that department. 

↪ Because of the made impression on other fighters, there is a big chance Law may have heard some retelling of the events during the party. Luffy and Zoro aren’t men who brag about their exploits, but Bartolomeo and his companions had a lot to share about battle. With so much alcohol and so many strong individuals that were very impressed by Straw Hats deeds, it seems logical that tales of battle would sooner than later be told. Especially by devoted fans like Bartolomeo. Zoro’s daring plan to defeat Pica and stop Birdcage could be recalled by those fighters who saw it themselves, filling Law with missing fragments of the battle.

↪ Frankly, shonen mangas have this one upside down that the final boss must be defeated by the main hero. Which means that characters who actually could do something useful (damaging) to the enemy are pushed to the sideline. Like Robin, who can snap a person's neck from far away thanks to Hana Hana no Mi. Or Zoro, who could join the other Supernovas in their fight against Doffy (either before Law’s threatening injury or after, instead of stopping the birdcage). Or dwarf princess could heal Luffy for a few minutes to finish Mingo once and for good. It’s not exactly a complaint, because it's the standard formula of One Piece story, but because of such, Law and Zoro were pushed into the background, for Luffy to shine. For most of the arc, Luffy was the main figure in the dynamic of Supernova Trio. They did not interact much in words, but the layout of frames - the character position and background activities - created the feeling of the slowly forming bond between Zoro and Law. Now, after Doffy’s defeat, there is a shift next to whom Trafalgar sticks (Zoro) and Luffy is unnecessary for them to interact on their own.

↪ Law didn’t care how high was the newest reward for his head. In contrast, Zoro was pleased to learn his own increased a lot. Even asked for alcohol to celebrate. What could turn into another moment of  Zoro dragging Law into drinking.

↪ The last detail (though I’m afraid it may vary from one translation to another) is the way Law addressed his allies. Luffy usually was the Straw Hat-ya. The girls were titled as Nami-ya and Nico-ya. Usopp as Nose-ya, Sanji as Black Leg-ya, Chopper as Tony-ya. Unless I missed it, I don’t think Law addressed Zoro directly to use either his name or made up nickname. They really didn’t talk much throughout the course of the story. There is a chance it happened after freeing Dressrosa - either during the three days when everyone waited for Luffy to wake up or during the party, once alcohol was shared. Zoro, depending on translation, called him either Law or Traffy (or similar form of the nickname).

With the chapter 802, the Dressrosa arc can be considered closed. Now, the Straw Hats-Heart pirate alliance sail to meet their missing crewmembers and to prepare for the fight with angry Kaido. How truly comfortable Law and Zoro became around each other will show the next place: Zou.

[tsunderedoctor]

Best Bae’s to go to when Dealing with Anxiety or Depression

Sabo

The literal king at using his words and knowing which ones will help you the best! Will tell you how much you mean to him and how amazing he thinks you are.

One of the more understanding ones as well; he to has his moments where he has negative thoughts and he knows they can eat away at you. 

Will hold you close to him and lay his chin on your head as he rubs your back. Will not judge you if you cry; actually encourages it as it helps release the stress. 

Won’t force you to talk about it and knows you will when you feel comfortable and ready to. If you decide to, he will listen adamantly and wait until you finish your thoughts before helping you find solutions to your issues (”Perhaps we should try finding facts to these beliefs before we decide they are true.”).

If you only want to rant however just let the boy know and he will just hold you for a while longer and let you two enjoy the peace together.

10/10 would recommend a therapy session with Dr. Sabo! 

Nico Robin

She has this calming way about her that just makes it easy to let her know how you are feeling. Besides, she already knew something was troubling you due to the look in your eyes. Rather than ask about it, she knew you would come at your own time if you wanted to talk about it.

Would put the book she was reading down and usher for you to sit with her at the small table she was relaxing at. Depending on the type of comfort you prefer, you can either sit next to her on the lounge chair or place your head in her lap while she plays with your hair.

Won’t even question it and she knows you would do the same for her! Feels this is the special moments that make relationships worth it; before meeting you she didn’t have anyone else to talk to about her own feelings, so she is happy she can do the same in return (”I’m glad you find comfort in my presence, it makes me happy we can be closer.”).

Once you are feeling better she will ask if you want to talk about it and if you want her advice. Won’t put her two cents in unless it is something that involves your well-being. She knows you’re a smart person, but she also knows how emotions can control even the most logical of people.

Another 10/10 Queen!

“Red Haired” Shanks

Okay so hear me out! He’s actually a good listener when he puts his mind to it! We saw how he cared for Luffy when he was upset and I think he would care the same amount for his s/o!

Will listen intently on what is bothering you and already thinking on what he can do to help or fix your thought process. Is the one to add his two cents however, especially if it’s how you view yourself (”Are you saying I have bad taste?”). 

Will get a bit offended not gonna lie if you downgrade yourself because he sees you as someone who is perfect so now you are doubting his own thoughts. Doesn’t raise his voice or tries to argue however, rather he leaves it at that and just holds you. He knows that this thought will fade and until it does he will take care of you.

This also means he doesn’t find self-deprecating jokes as funny. He will show is annoyance if you make a joke about your flaws/things you want to change (”You have to accept who you are, let others see the person I see.”).

I say 9/10 just because he will make sure before you two separate that you don’t have those negative thoughts in your head.

Vinsmoke Reiju

Another great listener and even though she might not look like she cares; on the inside she completely understands what you are going through!

Has really good observational skills so she has already been checking on you secretly throughout the day. She knows that for some people it’s hard to express their emotions and knows how difficult it can be to show that vulnerability. But she also wants to make sure you are at least physically safe during your mental depletion. 

Is extremely patient and will not show her worries upfront. However, this can backfire if her s/o won’t speak out on their own regard as well. I can see her finally deciding to speak up if it has lasted a few days.

Will be completely open about her concerns and your wellbeing (”You’ve been down the past few days and haven’t been eating, I’m worried you are going through something you feel you have to face alone.”).

She’s stubborn due to being the only girl in her family so don’t think you can get out of it, you will tell you the truth.

9/10 because sometimes she can give the impression she doesn’t care, but she really does!

Trafalgar D. Water Law

He is a doctor after all, so he knows that health comes in both physical and mental capacities. 

Gives great advice (even though he doesn’t follow it himself-). He’s already a good listener too due to his doctor skills; however his doctor behavior kicks in and now he wants to treat you rather than help you.

Wants to know everything! What were you doing before these thoughts occurred, what triggered it, do you have any coping skills you can use? It can get a bit overwhelming, but he only means well! 

You’ll have to tell him he is overwhelming you cause now he is in the doctor zone and doesn’t even realize what he is saying. Literally trying to diagnose you. (”You could have major depressive disorder, tell me again how long have these depressing thoughts been bothering you?”)

Sighs when he realizes he is causing you more stress than help. Isn’t sure what to do about the situation now and pats your head softly (”Just don’t be so hard on yourself, it will be fine, okay?”).

8/10 cause boy can’t separate boyfriend from doctor-

Tashigi 

Despite her stubborn nature; Tashigi can be very caring! She feels she owes it to her s/o to be able to listen to their concerns as sometimes she puts them in stressful situations due to her job.

However she is absentminded and sometimes says the first thing that comes to mind (which can be viewed as offensive, even when she didn’t mean it to be-). This could lead you to feeling worse and she is quick to take notice, quickly apologizing and asking what’s wrong/how can she help.

Has this look on her face as she listens to you vent; almost as if she can envision what is upsetting you. Once you finish, she tries to think her words over so she doesn’t make the same mistake twice. 

If she can’t find a solution to your problems she will suggest you two work together to find someone who can (”Let’s go ask Commander Smoker!”).

8/10 because sometimes she makes the situation worse, but can find her way out of it and be helpful!

Runner Ups:

Marco: 7/10

Vivi: 7/10

Ace: 6/10

Nami: 6/10

[where-s-all-blue]

More University Headcanons!

Straw Hat Pirates Edition

Luffy

He's studying to become a photographer because he looked up to Roger, who himself was a professional photographer during the time he was alive.

Another reason for this is the fact that photographers get to see a lot of things their life, sometimes even danger, it's like an adventure.

Like most of his friends, he resides in Gold dorm and has done his fair share of stealing furniture for it.

He keeps a diary which he decorates with cute stickers and Polaroids.

He has a good eye, which helps him with setting the camera in just right way to get the perfect shot.

He's one of the louder residents which often makes people who need the silence to concentrate, like Law, go absolutely bonkers.

He's banned from the kitchen.

He keeps dragging people into the dorm.

Somehow? You just can't hate him.

Zoro

Decided to study social work when he realised how unfair the world could be.

Is also in the kendo club which he joined upon learning that the person who is seen as the best is its captain, he intends to best him.

Currently he supports one hundred and fifty-one wins and one loss.

The only loss was against Mihawk.

He's naturally good when it comes to dealing with people, but he truly shines when he's around kids.

He's often helping around the dorm by moving large objects in/out.

He was the one to clear the large area which later on came to support the workout area and the garden.

He often takes strolls on the woods located behind the dorm, he's easily the scariest being there.

His sense of direction is so bad that he was given his own device which tells him his location and how to get to the place he wants to go to. This device was made by Eustass and Usopp with Law telling them to turn it into a wrist watch which also measures Zoro's vitals so he can monitor his own health and sport related achievements. The data of his vital signs is transferred into his phone.

Usopp

He majors in engineering and thrives when it comes to inventions, his secondary is English literature.

He writes plays and stories on his spare time, some of them are pitched to the theatre club and art majors.

He's good at crafting and thus is often seen working on something for the dorm like name signs that all match the personalities of the residents.

He was the one who thought of turning the street sign poles into a fence around the dorm's garden.

He's also in charge of modifying the stolen property to ensure that nobody realises where they originally came from.

He was the one who turned that one car into a bed after he moved it inside in pieces. The car bed is in a room called "Silence Room" which was made to have no sounds get in or out of it. He and Killer designed the interior of it to help those who have hyper senses and are more proun to headaches (or just can't stand being around people too long). It's also used as a guest room from time to time.

He works the best with people who are smart like Sanji, Law and Eustass, he also gets very well along Chopper, the therapy dog that goes around the campus.

He's free spirited goof ball with very wide interests who gets along with almost everybody.

Being the jokester of the lot is his attempt to have people think of him as a good guy to be around with and to see that he's not just brain.

He struggles with seeing his own self worth and is very proun to feeling melancholic due to his high Intel making him realise things that he'd rather not know of. He has a low self-esteem because of being dismissed as a child due to his dreams and goals being too ahead of his time.

Sanji

Culinary arts and management major.

He was raised in a foster home, more specifically by the owner of the Baratier restaurant Zeff who he considers to be his dad more than his biological father.

He was kicked out of the Vinsmoke estate by his father Judge due to his wish to be a chef instead of becoming a lawyer or a doctor or a politician.

Technically he's still eligible of inheriting the throne of Germa Kingdom even if he was exiled.

He's still expected to marry a high class member of the society and thus Judge keeps messaging him about his choices, fully believing that Sanji will one day see his way and abandon his dream of being a chef in favour of the kingdom.

He even has a fiancé, Charlotte Pudding, though he never agreed to the scheme that was orchestrated by Vinsmoke Judge and Charlotte Linlin. Pudding also isn't too happy about the situation.

His foster father is the actual lecturer in charge of the culinary studies, but as he was in an accident and thus hospitalised, Charlotte Linlin is subbing him much to Sanji's demise.

He's one of the few people who who can cook in the dorm and he takes notice of other people's likes, dislikes and allergies.

Sanji's kindness is often noticed by others.

Nami

She's a architecture major, her second interest being banking.

When she moved into the dorm, she quickly noticed that the students who renovated it had no idea how things worked, so she had them redo few things. The dorm is now a lot easier to keep warm during the winter.

She was the one to pitch the idea of the Silent Room upon noticing how Law was struggling because of how loud the dorm had become as a result of the new first years moving in.

She works part time as a waitress at Baratier and she is known for her ability to negotiate the costs a lot lower that they usually would be.

She's a bit of a kleptomaniac, result of her growing up on a poor and unsafe area dictated by gangs.

She's also a honours student, who's part of the special program which basically ensures that she has enough money to buy her school items and food.

She often chats with the local witch coven to obtain more information, she also likes to hangout with Killer and Usopp.

Her best friend Vivi Nefertari is currently in an exchange program.

Chopper

A golden retriever akita mix.

He was originally Sabo's therapy dog, nowadays he's more or less the therapy dog of anyone who needs him. He still sticks by Sabo for the most of the time.

He's broken into the classrooms during lectures to deliver forgotten items to Sabo so often that he has his own attendance record and he's almost considered to be a student at this point.

His job includes going to the local pharmacy every Friday to pick up a specifically constructed herbal infusion packet and bring it to the Lair.

He's highly intelligent dog who was capable of deducing which herbs were part of the herbal infusion treatment and then retrieve the plants based on their scent.

He picked these herbs and spices from the garden of Gold Dorm.

His bestfriend is Bepo, a samoyed owned by Law, who also happens to be the only other dog on the campus.

Robin

Social Work major, secondary studies in history.

She chose her line of studies due to wanting to prevent other kids being forced to go through the same kind of neglect and abuse as she did.

She's fluent in multiple languages and writes her notes in one of the dead languages, which she self taught herself to read.

She prefers to keep her information confidential and she enjoys the confusion some of her antics cause.

She takes part in the weekly movie night and enjoys them greatly.

Franky

Robotics major.

The only member of the group who doesn't live in a dorm. Nobody knows if he even sleeps or eats, but if you need him, you can always find him form the workshop.

You need to drag him out forcibly to have him even leave the room.

Thanks to Luffy, he now visits the Gold dorm few times a week to hangout, but the second he sees something that gives him an idea, he bolts out back to the workshop.

100% workaholic, 0% sleep, 120% Cola.

Brook

Actual university cryptid.

Is literally dead and walking around.

Formerly a music major.

Nobody knows how long he's been there and frankly nobody cares, his flamboyant style is a mood and his cravings for food and drinks is something we all relate to.

He knows every nook and cranny of the campus.

He's been there so long that nobody even questions it and he even gets invited to university parties and to hang out.

The only time someone freaked out was when the group went to a fast food restaurant and forgot that the outside world isn't aware of him. He tipped the waiter generously with something that looked like an old coin. It was probably worth more than the whole restaurant.

If you talk to him, there's 80% chance of you triggering his natural response to anything which is singing and dancing.

He's literally a walking musical.

He's one of the few who has heard Katakuri's doughnut song and lived to tell the tale. Except that he's dead already yohohoho.

He's very likely to console you if you're not feeling okay.

When it comes to the modern technology and stuff, he's a bit confused, but has the right spirit.

Jinbe

The current captain of the karate club.

Nobody knows what he majors in nor from which dorm he's from.

When Shirahoshi from Atlantis (=Fishman Island) started her studies in the University, he was quick to form a protection team to her and her brothers from the members of the karate club.

He might be the instructor of the club? Apparently he's one of the strongest.

I woke up one morning and he was eating soba noodles in the kitchen, why and how is he in our dorm. Is he even a student here?!

Oh my god he's now fighting against Ace, I swear to god sport majors are so dramatic.

It was a tie. How am I supposed to feel about this.

They both are now emptying our fridge, someone please get them out.

[cacti-are-like-flamingos]

The Devil’s Advocate

One Piece Imagine

+ Special +

- Family -

“Um...Just who are you, lady?!” Usopp screeched loudly, eyes bulging out at your sudden appearance. “Oi, don’t you dare speak to a lady like that!” Sanji growled threateningly, hitting the short male over the head quite harshly, causing the pirate sniper to weep loudly at large bump forming on his scalp. They were literally in the middle of the ocean, no island or any type of landmass insight, and yet, somehow, you had magically appeared on the ship. How was that possible? Luffy grinned.

“This is (F/N)! She was supposed to be my First Mate, but she refused it!” The rubber boy pouted at the last bit, making said female roll her eyes, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips.

“I had other things to do, Luffy. Meetings to attend to, explorations of my own, you know how it is.” This only furthered the boy into a childish grumbling state. Zoro, who had been staying idly by the side of the whole thing jumped upon hearing that you were the true First Mate. His eyes sharpening into slits as they stared your way, analyzing every little detail about you.

Nothing about you screamed superior strength. No dangerous aura, no malice in your eyes---nothing, nada. You were literally just an ordinary person. An everyday townsperson.

So why did Luffy want you as his First Mate? And just how did you get on the ship?

He’d just have to find out.

“Why did you refu-” “You’re weak though.” The swordsman interjected Nami’s inquiry, earning a harsh glare from the woman. Ignoring it, Zoro walked forward until he was standing a little ways from you. Tilting your head to the side, you gave him a confused look, a bit offended, to be honest, but not enough to actually care as much.

“I’m what?” You asked. Growling, Zoro repeated, “You’re weak. So why did Luffy ask you to be his First Mate?”

You gazed at him, squinting your eyes up at him, you started, “You...don’t get the right to ask such a question in such a rude tone.”

That’s all they ever got from you.

1. You were supposed to be Luffy's, First mate

2. You refused the position

3. You attended mysterious meetings

If it wasn't for Zoro, they might’ve gotten more information about you.....at that point in time.

It was very much after that they found out who you were while being chased by a group of Marines. But that was a memory for another time.

And so the crew watched the strange sight from the other side of the fire, amazement in their eyes. You were an enigma. Yes, they knew who you were, but they didn’t know just who were you to them. They had all come to the conclusion that you were someone very special to them, someone who had most likely been there through thick and thin.

“Why do you all stare at them in such a weird way?” Vivi spoke up, concerned as to just what the hell was going between Luffy’s crew.

Chopper answered,” They’re trying to figure out how Luffy and Ace are related to (F/N).” The Alabatsian Princess frowned slightly, “Does it matter?” Her eyes trailing over to the three huddled figures, Ace and you speaking in hushed voices, eyes gazing at one another fondly. Chopper shrugged, “ Dunno, but they’re obsessed with it.” He gestured to Usopp, Sanji, Zoro, and Nami, who had yet to pause in their acts.

~~

“You got any advice for me yet?” The question was almost routine by the thousands of times he’d ask it when much younger. Back then, you worried about all of them, him, Luffy, and Sabo. Him, especially for some reason.

You scoffed, joy glimmering in your jewels, “Yes but I can give it later. I’ve missed you.” Your words were earnest. Chuckling under his breath, Ace leaned against the large boulder behind the three of you, wrapping his arms around your waist, careful not to disturb the snoring Luffy in your lap. Pulling you into his body, you laid yourself onto his torso, your back leaning into his bare chest, his warm breath of the back of your neck.

“I missed you too.” He muttered into your shoulder before kissing the skin, earning a small squirm out of you. You could literally feel him smile behind you. Placing his head on the top of your left shoulder, he nuzzled his nose into your cheek, a calloused hand entangling itself with one of yours.

He cherished these moments with you. The two of you had gone separated enough, too many years had gone by, years Ace had wished to have spent with you. But, unfortunately, he wanted to be a pirate, and you had to stay to care for his little brother.

“What are you thinking about?” You asked, thumb strumming over his knuckles. He sighed in content.

“You.” You snorted in amusement, shifting so that you could meet Ace’s black eyes, “What a ladies man.” “What are you talking about?! I’m telling the truth!” He retorted with a grin on his freckled cheeks.

“Mmm-ha.” You hummed sassily and “all-knowing”. Now it was his turn to roll his eyes. “Well, I was.” He looked up to the night sky, it was then that he reminded you of her. He continued, “I was remembering the good ol’ days. When you took care of us. When Luffy got his Devil Fruit. When I...left...” His words trailing off into nothingness. You hummed.

“The good ol’ days...” You repeated, breathing out a sigh, pressing yourself closer to him. Your other hand playing with the soft, shiny locks of Luffy’s black hair, disentangling any knots you found. “Yeah the day you left, left me sad but knowing you were out there living your dream, well, it quelled it. I was joyful that you were finally doing what you loved.” You admitted, viewing the desert floor.

“But I wasn’t with the one I love the most.” Your eyes widening in shock. Leaning away from Ace, you turned your head to observe him. Scouring his expression for any hint of a joke, only to find nothing but the intensity of his stare piercing right through your soul.

“You’re not joking.” You breathed, a glare being your reply from him.

“You actually think I’d joke about something like that? You wound me, beauty.” A fire in his eyes.

“I just--- I don’t know. I guess I got used to the thought that I was unworthy of love or something.” Ace growled at your wors in disapproval. Once again, he kissed the skin of your shoulders, this time they were more intense. Having to suppress your moans as his lips trailed up into your neck, sucking on the skin harshly.  A surprised mewl slipping off your tongue at the stinging feeling of his teeth digging into your neck. Pulling away, Ace admired his work, a proud smirk on his lips.

You helplessly panted, desperately trying to steady the fast drumming of your heart. You didn’t feel as bad about it after having been able to feel Fire Fist’s own heart beating speedily into your spine. Glancing over your shoulder, you panted, “ That....was...unexpected.”

“What was unexpected?” Luffy unexpectedly inquired. The pair's eyes snapping down to his face in shock.

“Luffy?! You’re awake?” You spluttered out, cheeks flushing even more. He nodded.

“Since when?!” Ace demanded.

“Just the bit about when you took care of us, I didn’t hear the rest. Why? Did something happen? ” Licking your lips nervously, you caught Ace shifting attention down them for a moment before locking them with your eyes, the fire in them having dimmed down a little.

“Not really.” Ace answered.

You quietly snorted, shaking your head With a mushy smile, you bent down to the younger pirate, kissing the tip of his nose, making him crinkle it as he giggled loudly, “And why didn’t you say anything?” You asked after pulling back, blush on your cheeks.

“You looked so...happy.” 

You smiled softly, leaning your head closer to the boys before rubbing your nose against his own, earning a small giggle from the young pirate. He squirmed around in your lap, a wide grin on his lips.

“I’m always happy when I’m with you guys.” A fond look overcoming your features, eyes sparkling at Luffy’s childish manners. You continued,

“You guys are my everything.”

_________________________________________________________

Dedicated to a lovely user

(A/N): Love is love.

Hoped you enjoyed!