#still not over Luffys reaction to him dying

[ineffible-chaos]

Nothing makes me as violently sad as thinking about how Luffy and Sabo will never see Ace grow up, they’ll never see his lanky frame start to wrinkle and that long dark hair grey. They’ll never see him grow into his full potential as a Haki user or as a pirate.

Luffy and Sabo will never see their brother grow old with them. I wonder if when Sabo uses his devil fruit, he can feel the power and warmth of his brothers memory coursing through him.

[mirkoluvs]

★ WAKE UP

zoro (opla) x fem reader

notes: first time writing for one piece and definitely not the last !!

“hey, zoro. it’s my turn to talk to you! i don’t really… know what to say”, you muttered, sitting down on the edge of his bed where he laid unconscious.

he had just gotten slashed along his chest in a dual with mihawk that he requested, a deep cut that made him lose lots of blood in a short amount of time. if it weren’t for the owner of the baratie, zeff, who knows where he would be now. even still, zeff said his survival wasn’t guaranteed even after all the fixing he did. according to him, the only thing that could keep him from dying was his crew keeping him grounded on the earth mentally, and that’s how you ended up where you were. each member of the crew took turns talking to him, and you decided to go last. you didn’t even know how to even approach him.

“i just… i understand that you wanna prove yourself, but did you have to go and get yourself hurt like this?”, you muttered. “i can’t even put into words how i felt when i saw you get cut like that, it felt like i did too in a way, yknow? not being able to do anything but watch, it hurt so bad. it made me feel so weak… but that makes me think about how you felt. well, no matter what, you’re the strongest swordsman to me even if you don’t think so. you’re so much more talented than you think and i wish you could see that”, you spoke, your voice cracking a bit. you’re hand crawled over his, giving it a small squeeze. “you have to wake up, zoro…”, you whispered. you felt a tear run down your face, the tear landing on his hand as you sniffled, wiping your face with the back of your other hand.

“quit crying, would you?”, a voice quietly muttered. your eyes widened as your head shot up. you made eye contact with zoro who was looking up at the ceiling. “zoro… ZORO! YOU’RE AWAKE!”, you exclaimed, rushing up to him and looking down at his face. “christ- so loud…”, he complained. your lips curled into a shaky smile, quickly pulling him into a tight hug. “OW- loosen up would you?!”, he groaned of pain, his eyes tightening. “i thought you were dead! don’t scare me like that!”, you said, a small sob coming out as you let him go. his eyes widened at your reaction. were you seriously that worried about him? “of course i’m alive, you really think that would kill me?”, he said. he sighed as his hand slowly cupped the side of your face, a shaky thumb wiping the tear running down your face. “don’t cry, you look stupid”, he muttered, putting his arm down. “jeez, thanks”, you smirked, sniffling a bit.

“i’m not leaving you, luffy, or anyone else on the crew any time soon. so don’t worry so much”, he told you firmly. your eyes widened at his words but quickly softened. “yeah… right”, you nodded. a small moment of silence filled the room before you bent down to his head level. pressing a small kiss to his cheek, you smiled. “i know you won’t. you’re the greatest swordsman after all”, you said quietly. before zoro could even react, your head was already out the door. “GUYS! ZORO’S AWAKE!”, you yelled. commotion arose quickly as luffy, usopp, and sanji ran into the room, crowding around him. his eyes were wide as he looked at you for a second, his cheeks a dusty shade of pink as you smiled, walking out the room.

damn, that woman.

© mirkoluvs. please do not copy, modify, or repost on other platforms. thank you !!

[portgasdwrld]

📂 Op men + flirty reader

Featuring: Monster trio + Ace

Warning: suggestive, fluff otherwise 🫧

Gender neutral reader ✨

Luffy

Luffy was most of the time not even aware of your flirting with him until he noticed Nami and Robin chuckling in the corner faced to your defeated expression. He would look at them confused and back at you who was now pouting. He would probably ask you directly to explain what you meant …

-No, you reply with a pout as you dive into the delicious food, after your love interest asked you to repeat what you said.

-Ahhh, why not ?Come on tell meee, I wanna laugh too!

- You can be so dumb sometimes omg, you grumble annoyed.

Luffy just complimented your new outfit and you thought it would be amusing to reply with something flirty and you did. You told him you would look better without it if he wanted to take care of it.

He didn’t even listen to you as he was devouring his plate (literally). So you just stood there astonished and sat down to eat in defeat.

Zoro

He’s either ignoring you and blushing, or snapping back and blushing.

Zoro have been working out as usual, nothing at all special for you or the others. But you loved watching him, it was the way his tan body was glistening from his sweat and the warm heat of the sun, that just does it for you. His muscles flexing and his exhausted facial expression >

-Enjoying the view?, he finally snaps after you have been watching him for over an hour with now a refresher from Sanji. He was wiping his sweat away with a towel as he glared at you.

You sip from your drink and squint your eyes at him as a smirk curve your lips.

-Why? Am I making it hard for you to focus ?

You reply while sustaining the eye contact with him.

-I wasn’t expecting to have spectators, if you ask me.

He retorts while lying down ready to bench press again.

- It’s hard not to, when you are attractive like that.

You continue. He didn’t reply and only mumbled a “pervert” under his breath. Tho, you saw the way he blushed and smirked, but tried to hid it by continuing his workout.

Sanji

Flirting with Sanji is like personally trying to kill his poor heart. You say something and his head is already 10 steps ahead and suddenly he’s imaging having a family with you and dying together in the name of love. Yeah because he’s that dramatic and committed when it comes to love.

“Sanji, you always look so neat and classy. I live for it, it makes a change from the usual crusty pirates i used to bump into.” you sigh as you lean over the kitchen table, your hands cupping your smiling face.

That’s it, hearing those words from your beautiful mouth sent him to heaven just there. His cigarette falls in the water where he was washing the dishes and with heart eyes he turns his body to you. Seeing your smile and mischievous eyes, almost made his heart stop (or mouth drool-).

-Y/N-SWAAAN. IM SO GLAD YOU APPRECIATE IT~

You chuckle from his reaction as he grabbed your hands. You take the chance and liberate one hand to pat his blonde hair.

-You’re adorable, you reply with a giggle.

…Sanji haven’t recovered yet from this :/

Ace

It turns into a competition. Who can make the other one the most flustered. He always considered himself pretty flirty and confident in his skills, but when he met you, he met his rival. It just get shameless at some point and the others have to sometimes tell y’all to take it to close door…

After a long day on a mission, the crew had decided to throw a little party on the boat to cheer everyone up. Games were being played and you obviously decided to take part of it. It was going well until someone dared you to kiss Ace on his cheek. The freckled man slightly blushed and took a sip of his sake while shrugging his shoulders when you asked if he was fine with it.

-Anyway I will make it quick and sweet, or maybe I can go slow if that’s what you’re into?

You sheepishly say as you get close to him to complete your dare under the eyes of your curious crewmates.

-We’re still talking about a cheek-kiss here ?

He smirks while raising one of his eyebrow. You bow down a little to his level and placed your lips in front his ear, slightly brushing it.

-Well, maybe not.

-If you wanna fuck, you can just say that.

He just blurs out making everyone gasp. You grin and give him your most innocent facial expression before quickly pecking his cheeks.

- Come on, I’m not that easy.

My first time writing for one piece. Woop. Hope y’all liked it! Let me know🫶🏻

[maximumqueer]

Sometimes I forget how emotionally constipated/immature Zoro is as a character, and then we get panels like this

that act as a stark reminder, that Zoro, for all of his strengths, is borderline incapable of processing any emotion (but especially emotion tied to a perceived failure or loss) in a healthy way.

Because while Zoro is a more stoic character, especially when compared to Luffy, being stoic does not equal not showing emotion, it just means being over all more reserved in reactions, or having the process of reacting to an emotional moment be internal rather than external. And this line from Zoro does not read as him being stoic, but rather as him lashing out over the perceived loss at Egghead, and directing that anger and pain at his captain who is reacting in an more outwardly emotional (and to be honest a more emotionally healthy) way. This does not come across to me a Zoro processing what happened in a more inward directed manner, but instead him being unable to process it (or unwilling to) and coping with that inability by being a bit of a dick.

And this isn't to say that I hate Zoro or think this is a bad character trait to have. The opposite really. I think it makes him all the more interesting, and also provides excellent contrast between him and Luffy. Because while it is fun to joke about Luffy and Zoro sharing a braincell, or being two halves of a whole idiot, they do have stark differences between them - emotional maturity (or lack there of on Zoro's part) being one of them. Luffy wears his heart on his sleave, is completely fine and capable of going through the process of acknowledging an emotion, allowing himself to feel the emotion, and allowing himself to cry if necessary, especially post-ts. Zoro, on the other hand, can't even admit out loud that Vegapunk dying was sad or could have any effect on the moral of the crew and his captain.

It honestly, in a strange way, reminds me of the way Luffy used to react to loss (losing his crew in Sabaody, losing Ace during Marineford). Because while the external reactions are vastly different - with Luffy crying and harming himself, and Zoro lashing out verbally - they both stem from the same thing. Denial. Luffy in those moments did not want to accept that his brother had died or that his crew was gone, and in this moment Zoro does not want to accept that they failed to rescue Vegapunk, or that he (in his own mind) failed to defeat Lucci. (But even when Luffy was struggling to accept the reality of losing his crew and brother, he was still allowing himself to feel, it just the way he went about expressing that emotion was actively harmful to himself - both mentally and physically. Zoro can't even seem to bring himself to express the emotions he's feeling, even in an unhealthy way.)

And while Luffy has grown and matured in this way, being able to process loss and the emotions that come with it in a healthier way, Zoro hasn't. At least, not yet. I'm not expecting him to be outwardly emotional like Luffy, but instead have him realize that allowing himself to feel emotions after loss does not make him weak or lesser of a person/fighter. I don't know if this is the direction Zoro will go as a character, but I personally think it would be interesting to see a more thorough break down of this aspect of Zoro, as it has been more heavily hinted at as of late.

[moongothic]

(Frankenstein'd two asks together for the sake of previty)

I've been pretty torn between answering this ask and just doing a deep dive re-analysis post about Marineford as a whole (from Crocodile's perspective) because I feel like rereading it now as a Crocodad Truther, I could probably make a whole lot of new observations and/or read into things differently than I did last time I read it (when I was rereading for the purpose of studying the viability of Crocodad) Like there's so much to say about the whole arc and I'd include this line of thought in there anyways... But also, do I really feel like writing a giant essay like that........

I am going to start this by refering to this mini-essay I wrote like a month ago, about how Crocodile seems to have this attitude of "no crying over spilt milk". What's happened has happened, what's done is done, it's your own fault things turned out the way they did, there's no undoing any of it and you just have to continue on. And I do think that attitude would be key here to understanding Crocodile's actions in Marineford re:Crocodad

(Sidenote because this is not relevant to the rest of the post, but the reason this is about Crocodad and not CrocoUncle etc is because if Crocodile was only loosely related to Luffy it would not have the same kind of impact emotionally (for Crocodile; like there is a difference between a nephew and a son). Additionally a part of Crocodad is that it ties into Crocodile's connection with Ivankov in a really important way. If Crocodile was only loosely related to Luffy, him also being trans would kind of be like a random sidenote without being relevant to the two being family, but suddenly if Crocodile is Luffy's other biological parent, him being trans matters a lot more. Also if he's not Luffy's other dad then we'd be still stuck asking who the fuck birthed Luffy to begin with)

While Sengoku's announcement here would make for a horrific revelation to Crocodile in this situation (a revelation we never see his immidiate reaction to, which continues to be deeply sus), what would it change, really?

The little idiot child who Crocodile had attempted to murder multiple times was his own son. Sure, he might've insantly lost whatever grudge he might've held against Luffy, then what? That feeling would be one-sided, because at this point in the story Luffy hated Crocodile's guts and he knew that too. Luffy has no idea about them being related, and even if Crocodile literally walked up the kid right that second and told him the truth, what would it change? He'd still be the man who nearly nuked a million people off the face of the earth, took over a country and killed Luffy and his friends while laughing about it. Being Luffy's other dad wouldn't make him any less of a horrible asshole (if anything it might make it slightly worse 'cause you get to add shit like "child abandonment" onto his list of crimes).

Luffy came to Marineford to save Ace. Crocodile came to Marineford to kill Whitebeard. He had no reason to interfere with Luffy's quest, and with the help Luffy already was recieving from the prison escapees, the Newkama and the Whitebeard Pirates, what would Crocodile's assistance add to the mix? Would Luffy even welcome him in helping save his brother?

Luffy had his own life, a life Crocodile had not been a part of. He had no right to try to insert himself into it at this point, after all he had done to Luffy. There's no crying over spilled milk. What's done is done, you just have to move on. He should just focus on what he came to do; get his revenge and take Whitebeard's head, as planned.

Deep breaths

...Only to realize that Whitebeard is a dying old man and not worth even killing anymore, because he's not the same Primebeard whom once beat Crocodile and crushed all his dreams. Defeating Whitebeard would not give him the catharsis he came for.

And at that point, the fuck was Crocodile going to do? The revenge he wants isn't there anymore 'cause it went bad a few decades ago. And between the raging war and Doflamingo on his ass it's not like he could just sneak out without anybody noticing. He doesn't have allies (aside from Daz under him) to worry about. He only has his hatred to the World Government.

At that point, he might as well be a nuisance to the Government and assist Luffy. Even if the help wasn't welcomed, even if Luffy hated him and regardless if he knew the truth or not, helping Luffy right then and there would still be better than letting the Government have their way and kill his son right in front of him

[differentpostrebel]

Lost and Found: A Pirate's Promise

Chapter 16: "The Climax of Chaos: Confronting Caesar Clown"

A/n: We are back with another Chapter!!! This was supposed to be posted last night, but I had a few guest come over. This chapter, we got Sanji POV, Y/N Pov, and Law POV! I cant wait for you guys to read this chapter! As always thank you so much! Thank you for the follows, the likes, reblogs, comments! I will always like the previous chapters as well, Ill create a masterlist soon so itll be more organized. But without further a do, let the adventure begin!.  

Word count: 4.3K

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16 (Here)

Sanji x Reader, One piece x Reader, Sanji x Y/N

Sanji POV…

"That creature… is that slime?" Brook asked, his eyes wide as he took in the sight before us.

"A what?" I replied, confused.

"Slime," Brook explained. "I thought it was just fantasy, but I guess not. I read a book about it too! The book was quite fascinating; this slime loved to attack beautiful women and had a knack for melting clothes. Oh, how naughty!" Brook blushed as he reminisced.

"Woah… that book sounds pretty messed up," I said, blushing as well. "By the way, can I borrow that book? I'd love to read it in full."

"Me too, can I borrow it?" the Samurai chimed in, looking intrigued.

"Yeah, Y/N is definitely going to hear about this," Zoro said with a smirk.

"Why, I wouldn't be surprised. She gives the other guys a shot too, you know," I replied, shaking my head with a grin.

"Hey, Moss-head, watch it," I snapped, feeling a pang of jealousy. "Don’t think you can just blurt things out like that. I don’t need you running your mouth to Y/N."

"Relax, Curly-brows. I was just kidding," Zoro said with a smirk, clearly enjoying my reaction.

"Oh, really?" I shot back, narrowing my eyes. "Because it sounds like you’re threatening to spill everything."

"Well, if you keep being so obvious, I might just have to," Zoro taunted.

"Just try it," I said, crossing my arms. "You know what? I’m not even going to let you get under my skin. We have a slime monster to deal with."

"Fine," Zoro said, chuckling. "But remember, keep your jealousy in check. We’ve got bigger problems than your love life." 

But his words quickly shifted to something more serious as he analyzed the water ahead. "If that thing touches you, it’s going to do a lot worse than melt your clothes. The fish are dying back there; the thing’s made of poison, and it’s spreading too."

"Wait! But the Samurai's torso is in that lake?" Brook said, alarmed.

“Looks like it's up to retrieve it, " I said as I began to take off the coat. “I'm sorry Nami, I'll try to be quick, " I muttered still trapped in Nami’s body. 

"Surely not! You’re diving in? But Sanji…" Brook’s voice was tinged with concern, but I had already made up my mind.

"Look, I brought him with us, so I can’t let him die here," I said, determination taking over. "Handle the ones behind me, you two. I won’t be long."

"Huh? Behind me... AHHHHH!!" Brook screamed, suddenly realizing the danger approaching from behind.

With a deep breath, I dove right into the icy water, the cold instantly biting at my skin. But there was no time to waste. I had to find the Samurai’s torso before that poison spread any further. "I better make this quick," I muttered through chattering teeth. "It’s too cold to linger in here."

Laws POV… 

"Can't this idiot do anything right?" I muttered, my irritation growing as Chopper and I watched Luffy recklessly charge in, completely blowing our cover and revealing what we were planning with Caesar. "Can't he see that he's also putting Y/N in jeopardy?"

Chopper glanced at me, his usual cheerfulness tinged with concern. "You really like her, don't you, Law?" he asked, his tone more serious than usual.

With a low chuckle, I responded, "You have no idea." I focused back on the task at hand and teleported us into the lab. Monet was there, engrossed in her notes.

"Good, Monet’s alone," I whispered to Chopper. "You know the plan, right?"

"Yup," Chopper replied, determination in his eyes. "You distract Monet, and I'll go in to try and find anything that can help those kids."

I nodded, slipping Chopper into the bag I carried. As I approached, Monet noticed me, her eyes narrowing slightly but not yet alarmed.

"Sorry, the master's not here," she said, her voice smooth and almost too casual.

"Yeah, where'd he go?" I asked, feigning disinterest, though my mind was already racing.

"Probably outside to watch the fight. Cyborg Franky and that princess are out there as well. It’ll give him a chance to see their potential," she replied, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.

The mention of Y/N's title made my blood boil, but I suppressed the urge to lash out. Instead, I maintained my calm demeanor, walking toward a nearby sofa. Monet turned her back to me, still absorbed in whatever she was working on.

"That's alright," I said, my voice steady, though my hands itched to take action. "I think I'll be taking off soon. I've seen everything I need to."

Monet, trying to sound seductive, responded, "Shame, it'll be lonely without you." Her voice dropped to a purr. "I would have enjoyed you watching as I destroyed Y/N as well."

It took every ounce of self-control not to let my anger show. "I could use your help with something, though," I said, my tone carefully neutral. "Could I borrow you for a sec?"

Monet raised an eyebrow, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Why, are you asking me out on a date? Must be my lucky day," she chuckled, clearly not sensing the danger.

I forced a smirk, playing along. "Something like that."

As I walked out of the lab, I could hear her footsteps following me closely. I knew Chopper was already at work, and the sooner I could get Monet away from here, the better. 

Y/N POV….

“I got you now, Master!” Luffy declared, his grip firm and unwavering on Caesar Clown.

"Way to go, Luffy!" I cheered, a surge of pride swelling in my chest as I watched him effortlessly capture Caesar. The chaos around us only seemed to intensify with the sight.

“Strawhat caught the master!” one of Caesar’s underlings shouted in alarm.

“Crazy kid,” Smokey muttered, clearly impressed despite himself.

“So that’s Haki,” Franky commented, eyes wide. “Caesar’s got Logia powers, but Luffy can still grab him!”

“Drop him, Strawhat, or we will shoot!” another underling threatened, raising his weapon, and the others quickly followed suit.

Sensing the danger, I pressed the blue gem embedded in my sword hilt, activating my Ice Sword. A cold mist swirled around the blade, crystallizing in the air. "It's your time to shine," I muttered to myself, feeling the familiar chill course through my veins as the sword hummed with power.

With a swift movement, I dashed toward the underlings, my blade leaving a trail of frost in its wake. As I reached them, I swung the sword in a wide arc, releasing a burst of icy energy.

“Icebound Strike!” I called out, the name fitting perfectly for the freezing explosion that followed. The underlings were caught off guard as the cold wave hit them, their weapons and bodies encased in thick, glittering ice. Their shocked expressions were frozen in place as they were transformed into statues of pure ice.

“No way!” one of the remaining underlings gasped, stumbling backward as he watched his comrades turned to ice.

I smirked, raising the sword again. “Who’s next?” I challenged, feeling the rush of battle and the thrill of victory. 

“Luffy’s got this one!” Franky shouted. “Look, Caesar can’t use his powers!”

“Not exactly,” Robin interjected.

“What do you mean, Robin?” I asked, concern creeping into my voice.

“Although Luffy is using Armament Haki, it doesn’t weaken Logia powers like Seastone. We still don’t know the full extent of the Gas-Gas Fruit.”

Just then, Caesar enveloped Luffy in a gas robe, surrounding him in poisonous fumes.

“Luffy! Hold your breath!” Franky yelled.

“You can’t escape! Once the robe has you in its clutches, it’s over!” Caesar taunted.

“Luffy!” Robin and I shouted in unison. “Damn it!” Franky cursed. “Come on, Luffy!” I urged.

Then, to our shock, Luffy inhaled the poison and seemed unaffected.

“How did…?” I stammered, unable to believe my eyes.

“Neat! I guess poison doesn’t bother me anymore—probably because of Magellan,” Luffy said nonchalantly.

“My poison’s potency makes his look weak!” Caesar roared, unable to comprehend what was happening. Luffy responded with a powerful “Gomu Gomu no Stamp!” landing a clean hit on Caesar, sending him crashing into the snow.

“Master!!!” Caesar’s underlings screamed.

“Hell yeah!” Franky cheered. But Caesar wasn’t done yet. He called his underlings maggots and swore to put Luffy in his place. “Gaston Net!” Caesar shouted, stopping Luffy’s next attack with an explosion.

“What the—what is going on?!” I yelled, shielding myself from the debris. As the smoke cleared, Luffy was seen falling from the sky.

“Luffy!” I screamed, panic rising in my chest.

“I think we’ve had enough fun for the day! Move, Smileys!” Caesar commanded.

“What’s Smiley?” I asked, just as the slime began attaching itself to Luffy.

“Luffy, get out of there!” I yelled, but it was too late. Caesar launched another Gaston Net, and the slime exploded with Luffy trapped inside.

“No, Luffy!” Franky cried out. “This can’t be…” I whispered, feeling the dread settle in.

“He’s gone…” Robin said, her voice trembling.

The underlings cheered for Caesar, but suddenly, Luffy emerged from the smoke. “Wow, that was close,” he said, brushing off the attack.

“Luffy, you’re okay!” I exclaimed, relief flooding over me. Luffy managed to strike Caesar once more. “Okay, I got you for real this time. Robin, Y/N, is there anything we can put him in? He’s got Logia pow—”

But Luffy suddenly dropped Caesar, gasping for air.

“Luffy! What’s wrong?” Robin yelled, rushing to his side.

“Luffy, what happened?” I asked, panic creeping back.

Caesar grinned wickedly. “You shouldn’t underestimate me,” he sneered, knocking Luffy out cold.

“Crap, we need a new plan, guys!” I shouted, clenching my left hand to activate my powers. I sprinted towards Luffy. “I’ll do my best to distract him!” Franky called out. “Robin, try to grab Luffy!”

“Be careful, Franky! We don’t need you getting poisoned too,” I warned. Franky’s Radical Beam missed Caesar, but Robin managed to get to Luffy. However, she soon exhibited the same symptoms, fainting beside him.

“Robin, no!” I cried out. “What the hell is going on?!”

Tashigi was next to fall, followed by Franky as he tried to reach Robin.

“Franky!” I yelled. “Crap, what’s happening?” Smoker grunted, trying to land a hit on Caesar.

Clenching my right hand, I activated an electrical charge. “Don’t you dare!” I screamed, but Caesar grabbed my wrist, the charge still pulsing in my hand.

Smoker began to gasp for air until he too fainted, Caesar tossing him aside like the others. My body started to lose strength as I struggled against the effects.

“Shurorororo… If it isn’t Y/N,” Caesar mocked. “Looks like you’re no match for my power. But don’t worry, I have a special plan for you!”

His voice echoed as my vision blurred and darkness took over. The last thing I heard was Caesar’s order to chain us up, making sure those with powers got Seastone cuffs.

Laws POV.. 

Something's wrong… My heart—what's happening?

As I continued to walk down the halls of Caesar's lab with Monet, a sudden, intense pain gripped my chest. My heart felt like it was being crushed from the inside.

“Law? Something wrong?” Monet's voice echoed distantly, her tone tinged with curiosity. But I couldn't focus on her words; the pain was overwhelming, a sharp, relentless agony that brought me to my knees.

"Who's there?" I gasped, clutching my heart as I tried to pinpoint the source of this sudden attack. My vision blurred, and I could barely see through the haze of pain. My body convulsed, and I coughed up blood, the metallic taste filling my mouth.

Show yourself! Who are you?! I wanted to shout, but the words came out as a weak whisper. My strength was draining fast.

Then, I heard footsteps—slow, deliberate, and growing closer. My breath hitched as the familiar voice bellowed, “It’s me.”

My eyes widened in disbelief as the figure stepped into view. It was none other than Vergo.

“Why… are… you here?” I forced the words out, struggling to comprehend how he could be here, now of all times.

Monet’s giggle echoed through the corridor, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of amusement and malice. Still struggling to catch my breath, I glared at Vergo, trying to regain control over my body. The pain in my chest was unbearable, but I refused to let them see my fear.

“You think the boss doesn’t know what’s going on? We thought you were smarter than that!” Vergo sneered, his voice dripping with condescension. “We don’t even trust that Caesar guy, which is why we sent an undercover agent—the lovely Monet.”

Monet sauntered over to Vergo’s side, her expression smug. The two of them together made the air feel even colder, their presence suffocating.

“When did you get here?” I rasped, still struggling to push past the pain.

Vergo crossed his arms, his gaze never leaving mine. “I came to Punk Hazard for one reason—to keep an eye on you. The boss doesn’t take kindly to loose ends, and you, Law, are a potential problem.”

“Why target me? I didn’t do a damn thing to you,” I spat, forcing the words out through gritted teeth.

“No, not yet anyway. If you had, you’d be dead on the spot,” Vergo replied, his voice calm and controlled, as if he were discussing the weather.

My hand inched towards my blade, fingers trembling from the effort it took to move. Just as I was about to draw my weapon, Vergo’s grip on my heart tightened again, sending another wave of excruciating pain through my body.

“Ahhh!” I cried out, clutching my chest as the world around me spun. My vision blurred, and I could feel the strength draining from my limbs.

Vergo didn’t hesitate. With a swift motion, he struck me with his weapon, the impact sending a sharp shock through my body. I felt my consciousness slipping away, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision.

Sanjis POV.. 

Damn it! It feels like I’ve been diving for hours, and still no sign of the Samurai’s torso. It’s freezing down here, and the slime’s poisonous venom is creeping closer. The cold is biting through Namis body, making it harder to move.

I decided now was the right time to use Observation Haki. Focus, Sanji. I need to find that damn torso. I scanned the murky water around me, but the darkness and the swirling slime made it nearly impossible to see. I could feel the venom closing in, wrapping around me like a tightening noose.

Just then, a shark streaked past, its jaws clamped around something. As it swam closer, I realized with a jolt that it had the Samurai’s torso in its mouth. “Damn it!” I muttered, swimming toward the beast. I grabbed hold of the shark’s fin and yanked it violently, trying to force it to let go. 

“Let go, you stupid shark!” I shouted, kicking it with all my strength. The shark thrashed, but I managed to wrestle the torso free from its jaws. Now, with the torso in hand, I had to get to shore before the venom consumed me.

The venom was spreading rapidly, turning the water into a toxic haze. I swam as fast as I could, feeling the icy tendrils of the poison closing in around me. Every stroke was a battle against the encroaching slime. I could barely see the shore through the thickening cloud of poison, but I pushed forward, driven by the urgency of the situation.

“Shit, it’s closing up!” I shouted to myself, realizing the poison was moving faster than I anticipated. My lungs burned from the effort, and my muscles screamed in protest, but I couldn’t afford to slow down. 

With one final burst of speed, I surged towards the shore, the icy water biting at my skin. I dragged the Samurai’s torso onto the lake and collapsed beside it, gasping for breath. My heart raced, not just from the exertion but from the relief of having made it in time. 

“Thanks to you, I’m a whole Samurai again!” Kinemon cried, his voice filled with gratitude as he stood before me, fully restored. My body was still shivering uncontrollably from the harsh weather.

“Please, can you help me out here?” I yelled, my teeth chattering. “Do your trick and make some clothes appear! I’m freezing out here!”

“Yes… sorry to keep you waiting,” Kinemon said, quickly conjuring up clothes that provided much-needed warmth. I sighed in relief as the chill began to recede.

“Please, will you tell me your name, good sir?” Kinemon asked, bowing slightly.

“Fine, my name is Sanji,” I said, trying to stay warm. “And cut the ‘sir’ crap! You kept hurling insults at me instead of being appreciative. Don’t you remember?”

Kinemon’s eyes welled up with tears as he began to cry and beg for forgiveness. “I’m sorry, please forgive me!” he cried, hitting his head in a show of desperation.

“Get up!” I said firmly, my voice softening despite my irritation. “No man should ever get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. Got that?”

“Much as I would hate to break this touching moment,” Brook interjected, “but we appear to be in mortal danger. We also need to get back to the crew, as we don’t even know if they are alright.”

My eyes widened at Brook’s words. “Y/N! She must be worried sick about me!” Panic surged through me as I looked around. The slime was beginning to surround us, its sinister, glistening forms closing in from all directions.

“We need to move, now!” I said, grabbing Kinemon by the arm. “We can’t afford to stay here any longer. The crew needs us, and we have to get out of this mess before it’s too late!”

Y/N Pov… 

Groaning, I tried to shift my body, but every muscle ached, making it hard to even move. The sound of rattling chains reached my ears, and I realized my arms and wrists were restrained. Opening my eyes slightly, I saw that I was trapped.

“What the—” I muttered, frustration bubbling up inside me. “Great, Y/N, chained twice in a day. You're getting sloppy.”

“Good morning, Princess,” a voice drawled from my right. I turned to see Law, also trapped in a cage.

“Law!” I exclaimed, relief flooding me. “How did you... wait, why am I not in a cage?” I noticed that although I was still chained, I was sitting uncomfortably on a sofa instead.

“Never mind that, Princess. How are you feeling? Did Caesar do something to you?” Law asked, concern lacing his tone.

“I don’t remember much. All I know is that we were battling Caesar, and then we woke up here,” I said, trying to piece together the events.

“Wait, what’s going on?” Luffy’s voice cut through the haze as he woke up.

“How about that? We’ve all been captured,” Robin said calmly, noting the situation. Franky was still out cold, snoring away.

“Huh, we’re all in a cage?” Luffy said, looking around in confusion.

“Well, you guys are. I’m outside, but pretty much bound by chains,” I replied, glancing to my left where Smoker was sitting on the couch next to me, and Tashigi was trapped in the cage with the others. “Smokey, I gotta say, being trapped with you again truly wasn’t on my list, but look, here we are,” I added, laughing lightly.

“Shut up, you idiot. This is no time for jokes,” Smoker snapped, his tone sharp.

“Hey, I’m just trying to lighten the mood,” I said, shrugging as much as my chains would allow.

Tashigi began to struggle in her chains. “We can’t do much; these are sea prism cuffs, after all,” Law pointed out.

“Great, looks like I gotta figure something out,” I muttered, my mind already racing for a plan.

“Haha, I see you’re awake,” a new voice called out, and a woman with wings and bird-like legs walked into the room. “I see the harlot is also awake.”

I turned to her, incredulous. “Excuse me, who are you calling a harlot?” I snapped.

“You, who else? Taking my Law away from me,” the woman sneered.

I glanced at Law, mouthing, What is she on?

“I was never yours, Monet. Let’s get that straight,” Law said coldly, his eyes narrowing at her.

Law’s words seemed to cut deep as Monet’s eyes flashed with anger, but there was something else beneath that fury—hurt, perhaps? Law, however, wasn’t done yet.

“Besides, my heart belongs to another,” he added with a smirk, not even bothering to look at Monet as he said it.

Monet’s gaze then shifted to me, her expression twisted with jealousy. I could feel the tension in the air, but instead of backing down, I decided to push her buttons a little more.

“Listen, bird woman, I’m not one to get involved in affairs like this,” I said, leaning back against the uncomfortable sofa as much as my chains would allow. “But I gotta say, it’s not looking good for you at all.” I laughed, trying to get under her skin, and to my delight, it seemed to work.

Luffy, always one for a good laugh, started chuckling, and Robin soon joined in, her soft laugh filling the room.

“You think you’re funny, Princess?” Monet spat, venom dripping from every word.

“Funny? Maybe,” I replied with a smirk. “But at least I’m not the one pining after someone who clearly doesn’t want me.”

Monet’s wings twitching with barely restrained anger. She took a step closer, her eyes narrowing dangerously. “You’ll regret mocking me,” she hissed, her voice low and threatening.

“Monet, back off.” A commanding voice cut through the tension, and a man walked into the room. His presence was intimidating, and it was clear he was someone not to be trifled with. As his eyes fell on me, a slow smirk spread across his face. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes,” he said, his tone dripping with sarcasm.

Shrugging my shoulders, I met his gaze with disdain. “So I’ve been told,” I replied coolly, refusing to let him see any fear.

The man’s smirk widened as he approached me. “Feisty. I like that,” he said, his eyes lingering on me in a way that made my skin crawl.

Law’s voice cut through the tension. “Touch her, and you’ll regret it,” he warned, his tone deadly serious. 

Tashigi gasped, recognizing the man. “Why is he here?!”

Smoker’s eyes narrowed. “Well, I’ll be damned—it’s the leader of G-5, Vergo!”

I continued to struggle with my chains, desperately trying to make contact with my bracelet to activate its power. “They really tightened these chains, huh,” I gritted, frustration growing with every second.

Monet turned to Vergo, beginning to discuss Caesar’s plans. Vergo sat opposite from where Smoker and I sat, completely uninterested in the lives of his soldiers. “It seems the preparations are on their way. Too bad for those Navy soldiers,” Monet said, her voice sickly sweet.

“Vergo!” Smoker shouted, rage bubbling to the surface. “Those soldiers out there—they’re your soldiers! The G-5! And you’re just going to let them die?!”

Vergo shrugged with disinterest. “Guess so. Oh well.”

“Wow, you are one heartless man, Vergo,” I said, disgusted by his lack of empathy.

Vergo stood up, walking towards me with a menacing grin. “Y/N!” Luffy called out, struggling against his chains, his voice tinged with worry.

Vergo ignored him, his focus entirely on me. “You know, it’s hard to believe we have a lot of big names in that cage and sitting right here. It’s quite a view,” Vergo said, stopping inches away from me.

Law’s voice was low and dangerous. “Back off, Vergo. I’m warning you.”

Vergo chuckled, ignoring Law’s threats as he placed his hand on my left thigh. I tried to control the panic rising in my chest, slowly beginning to raise my right leg to activate the anklet. “Even if it’s a small kick, with a powerful strike, that’ll buy us some time,” I thought.

“You’re one sick bastard for doing this to children!” Tashigi shouted, her voice filled with disgust.

“Vice Admiral, Tashigi—you both will die as well. That way, the secrets don’t come out,” Vergo said, his hand still placed on my thigh, sending chills down my spine.

“Get off me, creep!” I yelled, trying to back away as much as I could, but Vergo’s grip tightened. He grabbed my hair, harshly pulling me closer to him.

“Y/N!” Robin called out, her voice filled with concern.

I winced in pain, groaning as I struggled to break free. “You’ve got one smart mouth on you, you know that?” Vergo sneered, pulling my hair even harder.

Law’s voice was filled with rage. “Vergo, if you don’t let go of her, I swear—”

But before Law could finish, I summoned all my strength and kicked my right leg, aiming for Vergo. But my kick was met with his Armament Haki, halting my attack and sending a jolt of pain through my leg.

“Y/N!” Luffy yelled, watching helplessly as I fell back into the sofa, breathing heavily, the pain almost unbearable.

Vergo backed up, his eyes narrowing as he assessed me. “Monet, tie her legs together. That was one strong kick,” he ordered as he walked away, leaving me breathless and yelping in pain.

Law’s eyes were filled with desperation as he watched Vergo walk away. “Y/N, hang in there,” he whispered, his voice trembling with anger and worry. “I’m not letting them get away with this. Not while I’m still breathing.”

I closed my eyes, trying to hold onto that promise, hoping that somehow, some way, help would come. Whether it was Sanji, Zoro, or any of the others—anyone who could get us out of this nightmare.

.

.

.

[breakonthroough]

One Piece Chapter 1126. Thoughts about Shank's expression.

Spoiler alert!

Well, I suddenly have a little theory about Shanks. More precisely about his reaction to the act of Bartolomeo, who prefer to drank poison instead to harm Luffy.

I'm generally talking about this expression on Redhead's face.

Some saw in this an irritation at Barto's unpredictable reaction, others saw boredom. But I saw in Shank's eyes sad thoughtfulness and absorption in his thoughts. Something like sad memories. Perhaps about some similar situation from his past. When he also faced a difficult choice and unlike Barto made it not in favor of the person he loved and respected. For some reason.

Now I will explain what I mean.

We all remember how very young Shanks cried bitterly next to Gol D. Roger, who had returned from Laugh Tale. And later suffered, seeing how the new Pirate King was getting worse from a mysterious illness. And we all remember about the origin of Shanks — that he is Figarland, according to the movie Red.

What do I want to say? If we put these details together, we can imagine a crazy conspiracy theory. What if Shanks (???) somehow poisoned or infected Roger (!!!), who just became a King of the Pirates. Poisoned his captain and possibly benefactor with something.

Sounds too crazy? Maybe.

But what if he was also offered a similar choice: to poison the most famous bearer of the initial D, a dangerous person who poses a real threat to peace and power? In exchange for what? Unknown. But presumably for freedom and the opportunity to live his own independent live, separate from the fate of God's knights, gorosei and tenryubito. But, most likely, there may be something personal here that we cannot even imagine yet.

And what if by committing this act at a young age Shanks doomed to an untimely death the man who most likely raised him and became his role model of real honor man? Who even having become the King of the Pirates and having learned the secrets of this world still could not take advantage of this, because he fell ill and preferred execution to a slow painful death.

However Roger outwitted everyone here too, marking the beginning of the era of Pirates.

I think Shanks must regret about this for the rest of his life. Because almost all of his further actions and the entire lifestyle that we were shown seem to be attempts to correct the terrible mistake of his youth and make amends to the world, at least through helping individual islands and peoples.

Of course all this is my personal speculation.

But such a terrible test for Bartolomeo could hardly have just occurred to such a supposedly kind and fair person like Shanks. Just out of a desire to test Luffy's most ardent fan and supporter for loyalty.

After all we have absolutely no idea yet of Redhair’s true goals and his true relationship directly to Luffy, Joyboy and Nika. I logically separate them, since Shanks may really be attached to the first one and beware the others. Since we don’t yet know what kind of threat they are may represent themselves in reality.

This leads to the second idea that Shanks tests the Straw Hats' supporters and friends (as Kuma tested Zoro) for loyalty and strength. So that in the likely future, when Nika is finally absorbed by Luffy’s personality, and only his strongest and most devoted friends will be nearby and help him cope with the uncontrollable will of the deity.

Also, developing the theory of poisoning, it is worth remembering about Whitebeard, who was slowly dying from some equally mysterious illness. He was also the strongest of people. And also, according to some theorists and their speculations, he was one of the last surviving buccaneers like Kuma.

If we assume that the World Government tried and is trying with all its might to prevent the most powerful and dangerous pirates from reaching Laugh Tale (the way to real power over the world), then the version of the mysterious poisoning (or infection) seems quite realistic. After all we already know about the variety of poisons and strange deadly diseases of this world.

Of course all of this is just my thoughts and assumptions, however something in new chapter prompted me to have this idea. So let's wait to see what Oda has in store for us next.

Just let him cook :)

Rus 👇

1126 глава. Мысли о Шанксе.

Что ж, у меня тут внезапно появилась небольшая теория насчёт Шанкса. Точнее, насчёт его реакции на поступок Бартоломео, выпившего яд, только чтобы не навредить Луффи.

Вот это выражение лица Рыжеволосого.

Кто-то увидел на его лице раздражение реакцией Барто, кто-то - скуку. А я увидела в его глазах печальную задумчивость и погруженность в свои мысли. Что-то типа воспоминаний. Возможно, о какой-то схожей ситуации из его прошлого. Когда он также оказался перед сложным выбором, и, в отличие от Барто, сделал его не в пользу человека, которого любил и уважал. По каким-то своим причинам.

Сейчас поясню, что я имею в виду.

Все мы помним, как совсем юный Шанкс горько плакал рядом Гол Д. Роджером, вернувшимся с Лафтейла, и мучился, видя, как новому Королю Пиратов становится все хуже от загадочной болезни. А ещё все мы помним о происхождении Шанкса, о том, что он Фигарленд, согласно фильму Рэд.

Что я хочу сказать? Если собрать эти детали вместе, то можно предположить безумную теорию заговора. А что если когда-то Шанкс (???) отравил/заразил чем-то Роджера (!!!), главного претендента на статус Короля пиратов, действительно ставшего им впоследствии.

Но что если ему также был предложен похожий выбор: отравить самого знаменитого носителя инициала Ди, опасного человека, представляющего реальную угрозу миру и власти? В обмен на что? Неизвестно. Но, предположительно, на свободу и возможность жить своей независимой жизнью, отдельной от судьбы Божьих рыцарей, горосеев и тенрьюбито. Но, скорее всего, тут может быть что-то личное, о чем мы пока даже предположить не можем.

И что если, совершив этот поступок в молодом возрасте, Шанкс обрёк на преждевременную смерть человека, который, скорее всего, его воспитал и стал образцом для подражания? Который даже став Королем пиратов и узнав тайны этого мира, все равно уже не смог этим воспользоваться, потому что заболел и предпочел казнь медленной мучительной смерти. Однако Роджер и здесь всех перехитрил, подгадив мировому правительству и положив начало Эре Пиратов.

Думаю, Шанкс потом сожалел об этом всю жизнь. Ведь почти все его дальнейшие поступки и весь стиль жизни, который нам показывали, кажутся попытками исправить ужасную ошибку молодости и загладить вину перед миром хотя бы через помощь отдельным островам и народам. Разумеется, все это мои личные домыслы.

Но ведь такое жуткое испытание для Бартоломео вряд ли могло просто так прийти в голову такому якобы доброму и справедливому человеку, как Шанкс. Просто из желания проверить на вшивость самого горячего поклонника и сторонника Луффи. Ведь мы совершенно не представляем себе пока что истинных целей Рыжеволосого и его отношения непосредственно к Луффи, Джойбою и Нике (я их логично разделяю, так как Шанкс может действительно испытывать привязанность к первому и опасаться остальных. Так как мы пока не знаем, какую угрозу они могут из себя представлять в действительности).

Отсюда вытекает вторая идея, что Шанкс испытывает сторонников и друзей Мугивар (как Кума испытывал в свое время Зоро) на преданность и прочность. Чтобы в вероятном будущем, когда Ника окончательно поглотит личность Луффи, рядом оказались только самые сильные и преданные его друзья и помогли справиться с неуправляемой волей божества).

Также, развивая теорию отравлений, стоит вспомнить и про Белоуса, который медленно умирал от какого-то столь же загадочного недуга. А также являлся самым сильным из людей. И ещё, по мнению некоторых теоретиков, был так же, как и Кума, одним из последних выживших буканьеров. Если предположить, что мировое правительство старалось и старается всеми силами не допустить, чтобы самые сильные и опасные пираты добрались до Лафтейла (пути к реальной власти над миром), то версия загадочного отравления (или заражения) видится вполне себе реалистичной. Ведь мы уже знаем о разнообразии ядов и странных смертельных болезней этого мира.

В общем, все это разумеется мои размышления и предположения, однако, что-то в новой главе меня натолкнуло на подобные мысли.

Так что ждем, что Ода будет готовить дальше!

[cptn-m]

One Piece chapter 1111 review

Last one going into another long break. Potentially but not definitely the end of volume 109. And I think a shift into the final bit of action for the Egghead Arc. While I'm disappointed to have to go three weeks without, I definitely prefer Oda getting the downtime he needs to carry the story through to its end inn the best way possible. And the phrase "scheduled maintenance" in the announcement makes me think this is going to end up being an annual thing, which at least means it won't be a surprise in future years.

We do at least get some gorgeous colour pages for a send-off. The classic piratey vibe of the Jump cover has a whole lot of appeal while the colour spread has some gorgeous lighting for Copic work. The transparency on the jellyfish is stunning. There's cute symbolism in giving Kuma a seahorse shirt, perfect for the series' most dedicated single dad. Bonney and Vegapunk getting to be included is also a good touch, Always nice when current arc characters get to hang out with the crew on these things. I also really like the One Piece logo down the bottom with the jellyfish top and tentacles around the O.

Mars breaks inside the barrier. I initially thought he'd was rebuffed by the lasers last week, but I should have known he'd be able to use his immortality to power through undaunted. And that makes the situation really bad for the crew.

The apparent lack of concern the Strawhats have for Vegapunk's broadcast is interesting. I actually had to go back and double check if they even knew it was happening at all. They do, but it still doesn't really seem to concern them. Escape has become the most important thing, and though I'm sure they'd stand and fight if one of the surviving Vegapunks said it was their greatest dream and the Stella's dying wish to make sure it goes through, but even they seem to be putting their lives first. It's actually kind of funny the number of people complaining last week about Oda using the 'ticking clock' trope in yet another arc, only for the crew to just outright ignore it and continue with their original plan of escaping. All this plus the escape map to lay out the distances and groups involved paint a picture of how the final stage of the arc is likely to play out.

This is an interesting chapter for Lucci. Obviously a commanding show of strength to stay standing after Zoro's big hit and then to remain conscious and clear-headed after Jinbei's subsequent blast, but also to call Kaku his partner and beg for his life to the ultimate authority of the Five Elders. Remember, in Lucci's eyes 'gods are not bound by logic' and 'it is the natural order for gods to have whatever they desire' (chapter 907). He also showed an extreme callousness toward any team member he thought wasn't performing up to par at Water Seven, like the potentially now-dead Nero. To make the request at all, to a man whose desires and whims have complete priority, speaks to a kind of camaraderie I never would have figured he had in him. At some point I'll have to go back over Water Seven properly and see if there's anything that can be interpreted differently with this side of him in mind.

Lucci also looks absolutely terrified when Mars appears, but he immediately recognises the Elder even in his monstrous form and doesn't hesitate to obey. We were told before that anyone below the rank of commodore can't even meet them, but it wasn't clear how much of a secret their specific powers were. York's reaction at the end of the chapter shows that she wasn't aware of the demon forms, despite the Vegapunks having had audiences with the Elders.

The Haki roar is a cool show of power. I'm looking forward to learning more about the limits of the physical effects of Conqueror's Haki and how much they can be controlled. I also loved the visual gag of all of Luffy's stuff blowing off, seeing him stick his scars back on. Amazing comic instincts on that one.

I think one of the big important things to remember for Luffy's characterisation in this chapter is the way the giants talk both with him and about him to Warcurcy. They say that he looks like the god they've heard tales of, but when Warcury asks who Luffy is to them, the only important part is that Luffy is their friend. And we learn concretely that it wasn't even the Nika appearance that inspired them to come intervene, they just saw that he seemed like he was in trouble in a place they were close enough to. Luffy isn't the messiah of the giants (at least not yet), just a guy who makes the right friends.

I try not to dwell on spoilers without the full story, but they definitely coloured my perception of this chapter's baseball bat gag. When I read that Luffy 'conjures' a bat, I was extremely worried. I have raged against the perception that Luffy's new power is literal imagination and that he can magic things into existence or warp reality in any tangible way. I would not want that to be the way the story progresses. Imagine my relief when the outcome is only as absurd as turning a palm tree into a bat with his teeth. I could take or leave the paint and hat. They only interact with Luffy himself and are gone in less than a page, so I can take them as part of the bit. The paint in particular is funny because to leaves the bat looking exactly the same as if it had a layer of Armament Haki (at least as far as Haki is portrayed to the readers). That's like the one part Luffy could have just manifested through willpower and he finds paint instead.

I expected more emphasis to be placed on Ju Peter's revival, but he's just kind of there after the explosion. Do we think the original head reattached to his body, or did he grow a new one? Maybe Oda's saving that reveal for later, when we go further into what the Elders really are.

As much as I want to see Franky get some action, I think the three vice admirals are setting up a Kuma moment, probably his big finale for the arc, whether it's a full awakening or death, or taking his daughter and teleporting away. Borsalino seems to be out for good, understandably overwhelmed by his emotional distress. I wonder if there'll be a tangible difference in the next fight against him, if it happens in a scenario where his heart can truly be in it. And then the robot, with that big, important Joyboy connection promising big things to come. I wonder, if the Strawhats are being characterised as unconcerned with Vegapunk's broadcast, if the robot will then be the force that makes sure it plays in full. Or is there some kind of twist coming about the broadcast's source that we haven't considered yet. Mars asks York about the room Vegapunk is in, as if he thinks the broadcast is actually live. Saturn only said to the other Elders that he thinks Borsalino killed Vegapunk, so they may be operating on the assumption he's somewhere else, especially if the technology to record and repeat a message via snails is not widespread.

But these are questions for three weeks from now. Meantime, I hope Oda enjoys his rest and processes everything he needs to process about Toriyama and comes back to the series refreshed for the home stretch of the arc.

[zarinthel]

dvd ask meme; nobody is asking about impel downer so clearly i have to. i think i’ve read this fic in it’s entirely three times so i’d wanna interrogate you about every chapter, but I’ll pick ch8 times up. there’s a lot i like in here, sybil and akainu’s “fight”, sybil’s last prophecy to akainu as they think they’re about to die (is it a prophecy, a threat, a hope, or. last fuck you, all of the above), canonizing oars death in a heartbreaking way that fits into your plot, more hints at sybil’s backstory (which i’m always dying over will we learn more) in her conversation with shanks and the doctor and their awkard silence reaction to just casual mention of how excessively fucked over sybil has been by the world government

ch8 of impel downer, Time's Up! what a throwback. i loved writing this chapter. now let's see what i remember of something i wrote (checks date) over two years ago lol.

one of my favorite things of shifting between povs in this chapter is that nobody is happy. not garp, not shanks, nobody. not a single person in this war except for blackbeard gained more than they lost.

shanks negotiations. the thing is, he doesn't want to fight. he's not actually interested in swinging the balance of the world any further, but he's also not willing to back down-- he wont let them have whitebeard's body. he won't abandon sybil to marine custody just because it would be "easier".

garp is actually helping him with the offer. but who knows if he'd actually go along with it if sybil hadnt broken their time clock while the arguement was still ongoing.

sybil and akainu. sybil has the strength of a properly made paramecia-- if you make the right circumstances, they can hit way above their level. but there's no way for them to actually hurt him, lol. sybil doesn't really have offensive skills. well, they could probably develop them, but they don't have them. so its a cat and mouse game where the most important things are this

they want to live

akainu wants them to die; its unthinkable to let someone ruin a marine admirals rep like that and live. the problem isn't that they didn't get clobbered but that they did in a way that made him look really bad and ineffective. Lol

"Everything..." They mumble, giving up on running as they focus all their energy into the venom of their voice. "Everything you build. It's gonna crumble. The seas will bleed red with the blood of your enemies, and it will be for nothing. The seas will part, the sky will fall, the---"

the prophesy/curse/fuck you.

sybil's got a lot of stuff their unsure of. a lot of memory problems. inconsistent recall. so maybe they don't know for sure, /memory wise/, that that will happen. but because they believe that they live in a world where Monkey D Luffy will become Pirate King, it's a prophecy. they say it and they believe it.

Oars Jr.

you know, i write a lot of tragedies, but i don't actually write a lot of death scenes. im the type of person who kills people off screen and then writes reactions. so, this one...

i hate when i kill off a character and its less impactful than the original canon. so i thought, this has to be at least as sad as when Oars died in marineford, and that scene was AWFUL.

but i was genuinely sad, you know. i saw the pieces come together, realized how sybil was going to get out, and i, the author, had to realize that oars wasn't going to live. even though i'd half thought he might. thats what happens when you put the puzzle together and then realize what it shows.

you can't save someone like ace and not lose /anything/. and not lose almost everything. you just have to think its worth it.

so, sybil's backstory. this is the first time they even lay most of it out-- we've met them at the start of their adventures in the grand line, but theyve been having a rough decade or so

a watchmaker in west blue, a bad, unlucky run in with a celestial dragon, a failure to pay the Heavenly Tribute dominoed off the original bad run in, a stay in Impel Down dominoed off that. and then, the part they've failed to explain after that of how a civilian who should have been floor 1 had ended up at floor 5.5. the circumstances around their devil fruit. a lot of stuff..

how can a seer not have contempt for the heavens?

how can a prisoner not despise their chains?

and despite all that, they saved ace not for grandiose reasons, but for personal ones. do you think your death would improve the world? Even if the answer is yes, it's fine if you still live!

oh, and then the bounty. that was fun. you know, i actually picked 99 million BEFORE i realized that was the same number as th rest of doflamingo's subordinates. lmao

[franeridan]

thriller bark is such a good arc honestly. first of all it's as a general rule dumb as shit - it's the halloween arc, nothing of what happens is presented in a serious light, not even the most cowardly of them spend too long being seriously scared about it. for the longest part it's just one joke after another - I'm just two volumes in but I've already had: usopp defeating perona by being too negative for her powers to work on him, nami making friends with her enemy by being supportive of her relationship goals, chopper seriously thinking nami is a man (does he?? still think that???), luffy saying zoro's zombie is just like him aside from the sandals, taking issue with moria not for the shadows but for the food, taming the fake cerberus and pushing the zombie back underground, franky building a whole bridge in thirty seconds flat, ninety percent of the words out of brook and robin's mouths, whatever the hell was going on with sanji. it's a dumb arc with dumb reactions from dumb people (still not there yet but later on franky trying to "build a robot" with the others and robin saying it's too embarrassing for her to take part?? comedy gold)

and yet! despite being dumb as shit! nearly every single thing that happens in that arc is a seed planted for things happening later on - lola being one of big mom's kids, learning about the vivre cards and ace, zoro finding shusui and the mention of wano and kaido, perona being sent away by kuma, kuma himself! and zoro taking on luffy's pain which'll greatly influence the next arc's outcome. nami getting the big mom vivre card too. of course brook joining the crew. sanji's thing with invisibility too. I guess.

also, the tone might be light but the fights are all incredible, and luffy never had to go so above and beyond before this very moment either since this is the first time he can't focus on one single enemy. And the tone shift by the end is pretty damn insane tbh, you just spent five whole volumes fucking around having a laugh and then suddenly kuma's there demanding luffy's head and zoro's sacrificing himself instead and nearly dying, talk about whiplash

it's not an arc that's mentioned a lot aside from its ending, but I really think it's so well built from start to end - usually joke arcs like this are easily skippable in manga, but thriller bark is probably the most integral arc in the whole of op: you can't just be told One thing that happens in it and be good to go, there's so much going on that has repercussions on the plot in the long run that you have to read it if you don't want to miss anything.

and also it's a lot of fun. it's so dumb so over the top. op has rarely pushed the aesthetics and designs that much as well. man I really love thriller bark

[melpcmene-arch]

even though he knew who would be on the ship, it was still overwhelming. he could only imagine what the rest of the crew would think when he showed up with luffy, but what would sanji think? they were closer than the rest, had a different kind of bond than the rest, so the news of his death might’ve hit different. this is a good thing, a better start, if you will. there may be a rough patch in the beginning, but they can get past this.

as he and luffy finally jump onto the sunny, he wonders what kinds of reaction his presence will bring. feet finally landing on the sunny, he’s standing a little bit behind luffy. the brim of his hat still covers his eyes, concealing his identity from the rest of the world, but when he lifts his gaze, reveals his identity… the chatter among the crew stops suddenly. he almost feels bad for withholding such important information, for neglecting to let them know he’s okay.

his mouth is dry, and all racing thoughts come to a screeching halt, as he struggles to come up with some kind of excuse to justify. he can’t just yet, so he simply just stares, looking each and every one of the crew in the eye, until his gaze finally lands on sanji, the person he was most anxious to see. “ s-surprise? ” it’s probably not the best thing to say, he should be explaining himself, apologizing profusely for all the pain he’s caused. but he can’t, not yet anyways. ( sabaody reunion time, from ace!!! )

It's been two years. As two years ago, Sanji discovered a certain death in the newspaper. It shook him to the very core. Ace was dead? So was Whitebeard. Both perished at Marineford. It was the shook for the entire world. Iva soon pointed out Sanji's tears that welled and poured. ( In which, Sanji had responded, by snapping at Iva. ) He read it all; top to bottom, trying to find anything else. Just a message, to come back two years later when they are all much stronger. Two years was enough to become stronger. It was enough. Sanji's heart had healed to some extent; patched and mended, strong as ever as his legs were the same. ( Then again, Sanji was busy running so much, that sometimes Sanji couldn't have the time to actually have any healthy recovery. He needed to get stronger. Feelings aside. Though that did not mean that tears weren't shed. )

So Sanji was back, having dragging that dumb swordsman along, grumbling to the others that the bastard needed a leash. Then the chatter died down. Glancing, Sanji's mouth went dry. His cigarette limp between lips, soon to fall on the ground in shock. Ace? S-Surprise?

It was hard which emotion wanted to come out first. There were waves of it; a sea full of emotions. More so, there was that hot anger, hotter than flames. Whitebeard's second division commander was alive? ( Well, Ex-Second Division Commander. ) His hands formed into fists; they're shaking.

❝ DON'T SURPRISE ME, ACE. YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU'RE ALIVE?! WHEN?! HOW?! AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN── ❞ Sanji's yells were cut short by the sob caught in his throat. He wanted to wring Ace's throat like a wet ridiculous towel or embrace him tightly. ( Or both. However, Sanji prefers to use his legs. So strangle him with his thighs counted, right? ) He hisses out in frustration, foot tapping, fuming, but the fumes were dying down. He was a mess of emotions after all. Strangled by a rush of them. From anger to sadness to relief.

Ace is alive and so alive he happened to be...

❝ You bastard, you... you moron. You hot-headed piece of... ❞ A hand smacked over his mouth, forcing the sobs down his throat. Then he grabbed Ace. Reached out and grabbed his ear that is. He dragged it over to the galley, not stopping. Who cares if the others gawked and stared. He slammed the door behind them and pulled away.

Then he turned around, pulled Ace into an embrace. Ace felt... He didn't feel warm as usual. His body temperature didn't feel right at all. But Ace was so, so, so alive. His heart beating right against his. Though Sanji had a feeling his heartbeat was pounding like a drum. But it's a result of their survival.

❝ You were alive all this time, and you... you never said anything, you asshole. Not even a secret message. ❞ Sanji murmurs, sobbing. Hot tears running. Fucking damn it. Sanji had planned on holding back the waterworks. ❝ Asshole. You asshole! I am going to... I am... ❞ He pulled back, hands on Ace's shoulders. I am going to fillet you and boil you. Sanji thought. ❝ I am going to cook something for you, and within that time limit, you better have a good explanation. I don't care if it's half-arsed. You better finish that cooked explanation before your meal is prepared and arranged! You got me, Ace? ❞

[morefandomscenarios]

Dying in his arms

A/N: Too much brainrot from fluff. I crave for angst 🙃 I've been seeing this prompt floating around and wanted to make my own version of it. Enjoy! 🥀

⛔️ TWs: (your) death, lot of tears, full-on breakdown (don't we love it when they're broken hahaha), no 'moving on' endings (well... maybe one?), angsty stuff galore (whee!)

Luffy

Denial denial denial d e n i a l

This is just a bad dream. A really bad dream.

He's had those sometimes, visions of Ace shielding him and going limp in his arms.

And now it's you.

That's all that there is, right?

And then he realizes that the sensations are too vivid to be just a bad nightmare.

The familiar scent of blood, the sensation of you going limp in his arms, the way you struggle to breathe properly...

It hits him so much harder because he's experienced someone dying in his arms once before.

If he didn't get to say goodbye to you, he would be crushed and will be practically inconsolable.

Screaming and kicking and punching everyone who's trying to coax him to let go of your unmoving body.

If he gets to say goodbye, it's even worse.

Your image overlaps with Ace, and he can't process your words, doesn't understand how and why you're encouraging him to live on and how you'll be watching him when his name spreads across the whole world as the Pirate King's successor.

How did he let this happen? Again? And to you of all people?

What kind of Pirate King can't even keep his nakama alive?

Sanji

It reminds him of his late mother, but it's an even crueler version than that.

Because he can see you slowly leaving him right in front of his eyes.

He begs and cries and presses kisses after kisses to your forehead, knowing how much you love it when he does that and how you've told him before that it makes you feel safe.

Professes his love for you over and over again, pouring all his emotions into his words and the tender touches across your skin.

You're smiling when you finally close your eyes.

Even in death, you are still so beautiful to him.

It takes him a long time until he's able to do normal activities.

He always forgets and includes your portion when he cooks for the crew.

It becomes a daily occurrence. Your snacks, your desserts, your refreshments - he still serves it to your empty seat, as if you'll somehow see it and suddenly appear in front of him.

Soon enough no one says anything when he places your favorite food and preferred drink in front of your chair. Not even Luffy tries to steal it despite how they're left unattended.

Every night he'd eat all the things he made for you, trying to memorize the taste you so loved, in fear of eventually forgetting.

Afterall, he thinks he's already forgotten the feeling he used to get whenever you called his name.

What does love feel like again?

Ace

Oh god. Oh dear. Oh no.

Full blown crying, bawling, literally a mess.

Holds you close to his body, and when he feels how cold you are he warms up his own body so you won't get cold.

Such an innocent gesture and yet so macabre.

Will literally do anything to try and keep you with him just for a little longer.

Calls out for Marco even if he's not around. He can't make sense of anything in this state.

Parts of his body are exploding and turning into flames because his mind is so unstable.

(But none of the flames touch you somehow)

Tries to hold back from sobbing and whimpering when you call his name.

Who cares if his lips bleed when his heart feels like it's been sliced open?

Hangs onto every single one of your last words while he's concentrating on your voice, your eyes, the way your lips move and whisper his name.

And when your eyes flutter to a close, he's pressing himself close to you, back to uncontrollable sobbing and yelling profanities at the cruel world. The world that scarred him and took you away.

When his own end comes, he smiles.

Not just because he's glad to have his family with him in his last moment and feel how loved he was.

But also because he's finally going to see you again.

Law

His immediate reaction, unsurprisingly, is to activate Room.

Even though he already knows from a glance that you're too far gone, that there's no hope left for you, he still does it anyway.

Inside the sphere, he can see and feel everything, and it's both a curse and a blessing in that moment.

He can feel it all. Your breathing weakening. Your heartbeat slowing. Your life, slipping away from him.

But doctors are stubborn beings when it comes to preserving life. And Law's no exception.

His thoughts going a mile a second, he's moving on autopilot: stitching everything back together, trying to stop your bleeding, removing any harmful toxins in your body, mending your broken bones - everything he could do at the moment with the very limited equipment, he does it without hesitation.

He knows all he's doing is will only result in prolonging your end for some measly extra seconds, and even though you tell him to stop, he doesn't care.

He doesn't stop even when your heart does.

The crew finds him still trying to fix you, hours later.

Eventually passes out of exhaustion from overusing his power for such a long duration. Then he's forced to stop.

It'll forever haunt him. In his dreams, in the day and at night, as long as his own heart is still beating inside his chest.

The sin of not using his Devil Fruit's ultimate power to trade your life with his.

He'll never hold anyone so close to his heart, ever again.

Kid

Loud shouting and angry yelling.

Does not understand that moving you around is worsening your condition until you manage to wheeze out a soft 'Kid, it hurts'.

Only then he freezes and as the situation dawns on him, he's utterly lost.

He can't move you, he can't get help, there's no way he's leaving you alone here like this, so what the fuck was he supposed to do now?

He only knows basic first aid and how to bandage wounds, so he does just that despite your protest.

Berates you when you tell him it's all going to be okay. You're most definitely not okay, how fucking dare you say some bullshit like that?

Never before he's this gentle and vulnerable with you, pressing your foreheads together, him rambling in panic as more and more of your blood seeped through the bandages.

"Fuck fuck fuck fuck hang in there, I-I'll build you a damn heart if I have to! Just-"

His flesh arm squeezes your hand tighter when your grip weakens.

He doesn't understand why you're smiling and how you're laughing when he's literally seeing the light slowly fade from your eyes.

"I'll do anything! Fuck, you can't do this to me [name] I haven't even get to say-"

Your lifeless, dull eyes stares through his broken soul and he's unable to stop his tears from falling as he brings your blood-smeared hand to his trembling lips.

"... that... I..."

love you

Killer

Is silent. Deathly so.

But the tears are streaming through his mask, betraying how 'calm' he might have seemed.

If seeing his face is your final wish, he will gladly throw his mask away.

His hold on you is so tender and so is the hand that's wiping away the blood from your face.

Firmly shakes his head in denial when you tell him you don't have much time left.

His usually level voice is trembling as he pleads to you to stay with him.

"Not yet. Don't leave now. Not yet."

In the end, this is the only time you don't - can't - abide by his wish.

And he can't even do anything as you die in his arms.

It reminds him how he's made for slaughter, not protecting people.

That his strength is nothing in front of the grim reaper when it's insistent to take you away from him.

That he shouldn't have been overconfident, saying pretty promises to you like how he'll protect you, or that he won't let you die.

Who was he trying to fool?

In the end, he's just a killing machine.

Doflamingo

Is expressionless when he surveys the extent of damage on your body.

A mere passerby would have thought that he didn't care that you were dying in front of him.

But you know he does.

He's handling you like shards of broken glass, which you are.

Broken and just waiting for your demise, your whole body assaulted by pain.

Pulls you into his lap, doesn't even care that your blood is now all over his beloved custom made clothes, and caresses your cheek.

Removes his sunglasses. His eyes are dry, but they hold just as much pain as what you're experiencing right now.

"Do you need me to make it easier, [name]?"

You close your eyes and when you reopen them, you give him the smile he's grown to love.

Still just as breathtaking, even if it's lacking your usual vigor.

You nod. He nods back resolutely.

"Wait for me in hell."

It's the easiest and yet the hardest kill in his life.

One string bullet through your head and you're gone.

Doffy closes his eyes, allowing himself a moment of grieving before putting on his signature sunglasses and letting your body slump to the floor.

He tells his family to clean up the body and take care of your funeral.

And if they see a single tear drop down his cheeks before he launches himself into the air with his strings, they don't dare to comment on it.

Sabo

Sabo hates the stiff rules and the long protocols he has to follow sometimes, being a revolutionary and the big organization's chief of staff.

But for once he wishes he has a protocol set in place to tell him what he was supposed to be doing.

For once he wishes he has some sort of guide detailing on how to save you when you're barely hanging on to the thread of life right in front of him.

He doesn't know what to do.

Was this how Luffy felt when Ace died in his arms?

How does he do it?

How can he continue living?

How can he laugh so carefreely knowing he's failed to save someone so important?

He can't.

Locks himself in his room and doesn't come out for days.

When he does come out, it's been weeks and he's missed your funeral. His colleagues greet him carefully and he gives them a stiff nod.

They're so glad he's looking a lot better, so Koala softly suggests visiting your grave together.

He blinks and gives them a wry smile.

"[name]? .... Who's that?"

A/N: Congratulations for making this far! You're a champ! Ah, this was so much fun to write and I hope it was an enjoyable read :)

[disappointed-and-depleted]

Every Single Moment In One Piece That Made Me And My Cold Dead Heart Genuinely Cry (Or At The Very Least Tear Up A Bit): Spoilers If You Haven't Watched, Obviously

Rated by how much I cried

Dr. Hiriluk's death (9/10 the first cry is always a good one)

Usopp desperately wanting to fix the Going Merry after being seriously injured himself (6/10, heartbreaking)

Pretty much everything about that whole Merry fiasco (fat fucking tears, that shit hurted my soul)

Robin saying she wants to live (9/10, her backstory hit hard too)

The Merry coming back to save everyone 😭😭😭😭😭😭 (10/10 I cried about it for a week)

The Pantsless Franky Chase™ and the aftermath (1/10, it had my cry laughing and bit sadness)

Nothing happened, nothing at all aka Zoro's encounter with Kuma and sacrificing himself (1/10, I didn't really cry, but it was certainly something)

The recording last performance of the Rumbar pirates for Laboon (9/10, I love Brook so much and Bink's brew makes me cry just hearing it)

Luffy's desperation to save his crew from Kuma, and failing (5/10, it just adds to the pain that comes later)

The flashbacks of all the members joining the crew with the ballad version of Bink's Brew playing in the background (7/10, the music made it worse)

Pretty much the entire episode of 405 (shit hurted, man)

Bonclay sacrificing himself AGAIN at impell down (7/10, the fact that everyone was trying so hard and he still had to be left behind)

Luffy so desperate to save Ace (8/10)

Luffy holding onto his dying brother, crying (9/10)

Its painful to watch

Ace's last words aND DYING IN LUFFY'S ARMS (10/10)

I'M STILL WRECKED OKAY, DON'T TOUCH ME

Luffy's reaction to him dying (10/10, I cant remember Luffy ever crying like that and it freakin hurt-)

This didnt make me cry but Koby straight up having a panic attack on the battle field, was kinda intense (3/10, yeesh)

Christ on a bike

Luffy's rampage through Amazon Lily, processing Ace's death (7/10, I had gotten over it a little bit by then but Luffy sure didn't and his pain is my pain)

Flashback young Ace "I'm never gonna die" speech/promise (2/10, cause I'm still not fully over it)

Luffy crying and doubting his dream of becoming king, calling himself weak (3/10, this is the most I can remember Luffy has cried the entire show this point and it was kinda heart wrenching)

The Fish Princes and Princess interrupting thier mother's funeral to give their speech (3/10, I felt really bad)

Chopper's anger and grief at the Punk Hazard children being experimented on and then going through withdrawls (1/10, I only teared up a little bit but I dont like it when my child is mad, also really uncomfortable to watch)

The one legged toy soldier aka Curos' backstory (5/10 yeouchie my feelies)

CORA-SAAAAAAN 😭😭😭 (8/10, fucking fucky fuck, owww)

Fujitora's "I wonder what he looks like" monologue (1/10, very sweet)

Sanji beating thE FUCK OUT OF LUFFY, HOLY SHIT (6/10, felt like I was kicked too)

I haven't finished watching Whole Cake Island but I'll probably cry some more, One Piece has hurt me in ways nothing else has

[uozlulu]

One Piece chapter 1043 reaction and spoilers

Love how everyone’s worried about Luffy’s voice disappearing and when Kaidou comes to tell them Luffy is dead Nami calls him a liar to his face.

I love Yamato a lot. He’s right that no one else can really go after Kaidou at this point but Mononosuke. I also like that even though Momonosuke has transformed in himself if he had grown over the last twenty years, he’s still intimidated and scared because technically he’s still only eight years old. I also really like what Yamato says here. “No I won’t let you [Momonosuke] do that [surrender]!! What will that survival even mean?! Only a return to slavery, county down the days to death!! Surrender is not the same as salvation!! This is what the daimyou from all over Wano did when they gave their lives fighting back against Orochi!! The last twenty years of Wano is riding upon this battle!!! If you’re going to let it go to waste then let’s face death together!!”

Luffy’s eyes are darkness like Zunesha’s eyes, which we’ve never seen from Luffy before (usually they’re clear with no pupils when he’s unconscious or near death. It’s interesting to see Luffy looking like he’s melting or oozing like hot rubber at the end of the chapter. It also makes a lot of sense if Luffy is indeed the Joy Boy of this era. I always figured the Straw Hats would encounter the new Joy Boy eventually because Luffy almost destroying Noah made it seem that way. Also, if you think about it, the name Joy Boy is a good moniker for Luffy in general without any past actions attached. It also sounds liked possibly, from what little we’ve heard about Joy Boy, that the former Joy Boy might have had a similar style of handing out favors and promises like Luffy does in canon. What I am curious about is if Joy Boy is a title to earn much like Pirate King is a title to earn or if Joy Boy is something that can inhabit another person or if by dying finally Luffy has awakened something that’s always been a part of him. Perhaps Kaidou could never have become Joy Boy if it is a title or function because part of becoming Joy Boy is a mortal sacrifice of some kind. It’s going to be interesting to see what details we learn in the next chapter and what’s happening to Luffy’s body.

[lawslessons]

Not So Tough Now, Huh?

Not So Tough Now, Huh? (Zoro x Luffy)

Hello! This is inspired by the amazing @xruffyx drawing of Zoro and Luffy where Zoro is holding Luffy up by his shirt. I saw that drawing and thought of a cute and somewhat spicy little one shot to honor the amazing art piece! Please check them out and send them all my love xx

https://xruffyx.tumblr.com/post/636611591540998144/yeah-more-zolu-redraws-because-i-do-not-know-how

Warnings: Teasing, Suggestive Behavior

Synopsis: Challenge accepted. Luffy, Chopper and Usopp decide to see who can manage to wake up the swordsman first. But little do they know that Zoro has a little trick up his sleeve for his captain.  

No one knew what exactly spurred Luffy’s mood, and they were all too amused to even ask why this was happening. But it seemed to be a rather average, uneventful day on the Thousand Sunny when Luffy came to the middle of the lawn deck and started to smile. 

“I want to play a game!” Luffy laughed. Chopper and Usopp both looked at each other in excitement, they both smiled and looked at their captain with stars in their eyes. 

“A game? What game?” Chopper asked as he clapped his hooves together and moved to be standing on top of a box to be more at Luffy’s height. Luffy sported his signature toothy smile and rested his hands against the box. 

“Zoro is sleeping, right?” Luffy asked. Usopp rose a brow and looked around the deck. Nami and Robin were both talking to one another, steam was coming from the kitchen so he knew Sanji was in there. A slight hum could he heard too, so he knew Franky was in his workshop while Brook worked on orchestrating a new piece. 

“I think? He’s supposed to be watching out of the crow’s nest to see if any ships are getting close,” Usopp explained, but Zoro sleeping came as a surprise to no one. “But Luffy, what does that have to do with your game?” Usopp asked his grinning captain. 

“Perfect! It’s everything. I wanna see who can wake Zoro up first,” Luffy explained with a cheeky smirk. Usopp and Chopper both felt the blood drain from their cheeks at that suggestion. 

“Luffy, isn’t that dangerous? Zoro may be upset by that,” Chopper pointed out, but he was honestly just saying that out of fear for himself. Luffy simply laughed away the concern and shook his head. 

“It’ll be fine! Come on, it’ll be fun!” Luffy said before he grabbed both of his friends by the hand and moved to run up to the crow’s nest. When they were there, Luffy pointed to the door and nodded. “He’s asleep.” He stated. 

“Shouldn’t you be more upset by that?” Usopp scoffed to which Luffy shook his head. 

“No one is here! It’s ok,” He assured his friends before he pointed to Chopper. “You’re first.” Luffy said to the small creature. Chopper gasped and moved to hide behind Usopp’s leg. 

“Me? Why me?!” Chopper asked as he glared up at the captain. Luffy shrugged and started to scratch at his chest. “Because you always have the best ideas.” That seemed to be all Chopper needed to snap out of his funk. He smiled and started to dance around and giggle. 

“It’s not like you saying that makes me happy or anything, idiot!” Chopper giggled to which Usopp sighed. 

“You’re too easy...”

After a couple minutes of thinking, Chopper opened the door rather loudly with an armful of medical paraphernalia in his arms. “Oi, Zoro! I need your help! Someone’s dying!” Chopper exclaimed. The swordsman didn’t seem to notice Chopper being in the room, he continued to snore and relax under the afternoon sun. “You’re dying...?” Chopper tried next with no avail. He stood there for a minute before he pulled away, sighing. “He won’t wake up!” Chopper complained as he put his supplies back in his backpack and looked over at Usopp and Luffy. 

“Usopp, you’re next!” Luffy said as he tried to shove Usopp into the room. Nearly on the verge of tears, Usopp grabbed at the doorframe and looked back at Luffy. 

“I can’t Luffy, I have an incurable disease known as I-am-scared-Zoro-will-kill-me-if-I-wake-him-up disease!” Usopp proclaimed as he started to use his feet against the door frame to stop Luffy from pushing him in. Luffy pouted and pulled back after that. 

“I thought you were the bravest one here,” Luffy mumbled, and within seconds, Usopp was away from the doorframe and standing tall and proud in front of them. Usopp smirked and ran his thumb and pointed finger along his jaw until it met at his chin. 

“You’re right about that, Luffy. I am the bravest man in the world, the conquer of all seas, Captain Usopp!” Usopp declared as he stuck his hand up in the air and quickly brought it down in a fist. Chopper gasped in excitement and clapped his little hands together. 

“Amazing!” Chopper praised to which Usopp smirked. 

“I shall be the one who wakes him up! No one else can beat me!” Usopp said as he went into the room with a brave look on his face. But the moment he laid eyes on Zoro, his entire bravado fell. “Oh.” he said in realization. And before he could back out, the door behind him was shut and he heard giggling. Panicking, Usopp began to bang his fists against the door. “Oi, Luffy! Chopper! Open the door!�� He loudly whispered as his banging became as panicked as his voice. “Please! He’s going to kill me!” Usopp pleaded. After a minute of deliberation between Chopper and Luffy, and more begging from Usopp, the door was finally opened and Usopp fell down with an unsatisfactory thud. “I am never doing that again!” Usopp stated as he pushed his laughing captain away from him. 

“It’s your turn now Luffy!” Chopper said with a big smile on his face. Luffy didn’t look phased, he smiled and looked at the now closed door. 

“I can do it,” Luffy said before he walked inside of the room. Within an instant, the door was closed on him and he heard Usopp and Chopper snickering behind the door. Luffy looked around and saw Zoro resting his back against the wall and sleeping. His soft snores filled the room and Luffy slowly approached the beast in front of him. But just as he was about to grab Zoro’s shoulder, a hand met with Luffy’s wrist and tightened around the small joint.

Zoro groggily opened an eye and looked up at his captain while he yawned and tried to shake the sleep out of himself. 

“Zoro?” Luffy asked in surprise as the swordsman stood up and towered over the petite male in front of him. 

“I heard you were trying to wake me up,” Zoro said with his deep, raspy, tired voice. Luffy felt a strange shock go through his body just by hearing Zoro talk, it made his heart begin to race. Unbeknownst to Luffy, Zoro was able to feel it. Because of the hand on Luffy’s wrist, Zoro was able to feel that slight rise in his captain’s heartbeat. He had to admit that it made him feel a little proud, he didn’t even know he could have an effect like this over his precious captain. He was going to have some fun with this.   

“Why did you want to wake me up, captain?” Zoro asked as he leaned in closer to his captain and smirked down at him. Luffy looked at Zoro with wide, searching eyes and felt his pulse increase just a little more at the way Zoro was addressing him. Luffy was stunned silent, his lips slightly parted when he looked up at the swordsman. 

Zoro chuckled and gently popped his thumb into his captain’s mouth and felt his tongue and warm mouth before he pulled away. He was still tired and somewhat annoyed for being woken up, but seeing Luffy like this was too good of an opportunity to pass up. Luffy’s cheeks turned red as he tried to pull away. But he wasn’t really trying, something deep inside of him kept him close to Zoro and kept him interested. 

“Why did you want to wake me up?” Zoro asked, this time he didn’t bother to hide that annoyance he had towards Luffy, after all he always prided himself in how long his naps were, being interrupted wasn’t something he liked no matter the circumstances. “Ever since Chopper came in here, I’ve been awake, I’ve just been waiting for you,” Zoro felt Luffy’s heart drum rhythmically under his thumb and he smirked and gently traced the vein that was there. Luffy’s breath became shallow and the captain looked confused with himself and why he was reacting like this towards Zoro. Maybe Zoro wasn’t really that annoyed anymore.  

“T-The reason was -- “ Luffy began before he was interrupted by Zoro grabbing Luffy by his shirt and lifting him up so they were eye level.  Zoro stared at Luffy and tightened his grip, the bags under his eyes were evident. 

“You got something to say, Captain Bastard?” Zoro asked as he pulled Luffy closer to him just to make the poor captain that much more embarrassed. Luffy looked away with red painting his cheeks and he started to squirm to leave Zoro’s hold. Zoro smirked and moved to use his index finger to feel down Luffy’s jaw and down his neck. Zoro drank in Luffy’s soft sounds and devoured the small groan that came when he applied pressure on the sensitive spot on his neck. 

“N-no, sorry...” Luffy said before Zoro finally put Luffy down and eyed him. Luffy didn’t understand what Zoro was doing, but he liked it. The tingles that shot down his spine nearly made his heart jump out of his chest. 

“Better tell them that you won, captain.” Zoro breathed into Luffy’s ear. Luffy softly gasped and reached forward to grab at Max’s shirt in his surprise. This was the exact reaction Zoro was wanting. He smirked at Luffy and gently nudged him away from him. “Or maybe I’m the one that won, you’re not so tough now, huh?” Zoro teased as the flustered captain quickly moved to make his way out of the crow’s nest. With Zoro’s laugh ringing in his ears, Luffy left the crow’s nest and used his hat to partially cover the deep color on his cheeks. 

“Luffy? Are you ok? You’re all red!” Chopper gasped as he reached for his beg and began to rummage through it for some medical supplies. Usopp looked at the captain and then at the swordsman who went back to sleeping. 

“So why were you in there so long?” Usopp asked.

Luffy pulled his hat away and plastered on one of his signature smiles. “I won!” he said as he glanced over at the closed door and felt his pulse race again. Luffy wasn’t even sure if he won, after all, his feelings were all jumbled together and he didn’t know how to sort them out anymore because of Zoro. 

The raspy voice, the hand on his wrist, the thumb in his mouth, him grabbing his shirt, the fingers on his skin. Him whispering in his ear... Luffy felt his chest tighten and a small sigh escaped his lips. How could he win if he was still so confused? Maybe that was what Zoro was plotting. 

“I didn’t win.” Luffy suddenly said. 

“We know,” Usopp teased as he pointed to the door. Luffy tensed, did they find out what happened between him and Zoro? “Zoro is still asleep, so I think that he won.” Usopp pointed out. Luffy had to admit that Usopp was right, but his reasoning was completely different for that. 

“Yeah, Zoro won.” Luffy agreed with a flustered smile. Unbeknownst to him, the swordsman sported a cocky grin at hearing Luffy’s words through the door. Oh yeah, he was winning. 

[kaizokuou-ni-naru]

The Voyage So Far: Enies Lobby

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 still one of my very favorite nami panels. i think she’s really great through all of water 7 and enies lobby in general, actually, even though she isn’t really one of the characters in focus for a lot of it- like zoro and sanji, she stays pretty steadfast and very badass even though everything that happens, and never gives up on robin for a moment despite being one of the ‘weaker’ members of the crew. and it’s always fun to see her playing with lightning.

one of my favorite jokes from the first half or so of enies lobby is the strawhats both being completely unsurprised that luffy charges in ahead of them as soon as they arrive AND being able to find him immediately by following the explosions. they know him so well. 

luffy’s never been scared of dying, going all the way back to when he told coby he was fine with dying for his dream back in chapter two or three. that conversation is what his exchange with blueno here reminds me of- blueno asks him how long he intends to keep fighting, and luffy says until he dies, like there’s nothing to it.

it’s always been a trait of his to face death unflinching with a grin, so long as it’s for the sake of something he cares about, be it his crew or his brother or his dream, and i just really like that about him.  

i’ll go into it in the dressrosa post too, but i think it’s really impressive just how long oda held off on giving luffy any sort of significant power-up. he gets his first big power boost in the whole series here, forty volumes in. i’ve always liked that oda is very conservative with power boosts like this, because it both keeps the series’ powerscaling in check and makes the times it does happen much weightier. this is a monumental moment, and it feels like it.

also, i love the way gear two is drawn pre-timeskip, especially with the steam. it looks very cool and atmospheric.

i really like how united the strawhat crew feels throughout enies lobby, after all the internal turmoil and discord of water seven. even though the matter of usopp leaving the crew is still unresolved, they’ll all together once more, on the same page, and fully united in the goal of saving robin, whatever consequences it might bring. 

the tree of knowledge has such a cool design- it looks massive, and even more than that, it looks old. you look at that tree and you know its been there for easily thousands of years. its seen entire eras of history, and it would be priceless even without the countless books stored inside it.

and then it burns.

i’m so endlessly sad about the tragedy that is robin’s relationship with her mother. they never even got to see each other until their world was ending, and even then only for a couple minutes.

olvia is a very interesting character, because she’s someone who chose her dream over the people she loved. that’s not an inherently good or bad choice, but it is a choice she made, and it’s what led to the ending she and robin had to have. i’ve wondered a lot what might have happened if she chose the other way, if she never left or if she came back sooner or if she chose to flee the buster call with robin, and how different (and almost certainly better) robin’s life would have been if she had.

in a way, olvia reminds me a lot of kouzuki toki. they both die in order to fling a light of knowledge and hope into the future, and they both send their children away and choose to stay behind to choke on ash for the sake of a better tomorrow. 

i didn’t really notice until putting these panels together, but a lot of things burn in enies lobby. ohara burns, and the pluton plans and the world government flag, and enies lobby itself, and at the end, the going merry burns, too. if you extend it back to water seven, there’s the galley-la headquarters, too. in an arc that deals so much with the preservation and destruction of history and knowledge, it’s a fitting motif. 

the world government flag burning is still to this day one of the most striking panels out of a series full of them, in my opinion. in one act, the strawhats proclaim their absolute defiance against the world government, and their willingness to make enemies of the greatest power in the world for the sake of their friend.

it’s also another one of those moments that’s interesting to think about in the context of luffy’s past. it was a ship flying that same flag that shot sabo down, and while luffy wasn’t there to see it, i don’t think he’s oblivious to that fact, especially given how he says just before this he understands robin’s enemies perfectly.

dadan told him and ace that there was nothing they could do against the whole world, and luffy went and did it anyways.

sometimes i just think about how scary it must have been for robin, someone who’s been weighed down by the shackles of her past with no escape in sight for so very long, to open herself up and let herself hope, for life and freedom and a dream that’s always been out of reach. 

franky has a lot of really great moments between this arc and water seven- his conversation with usopp as usopp is working on merry and his talk with robin on the sea train are two others. it’s almost impressive how quickly he becomes an immensely likable character once we start getting to know him, given how he’s first introduced as an absolute piece of shit.

his burning of the pluton plans is a favorite of mine, and i think it might be because, like so many people before and after him, he’s choosing here to stake all his hopes on the strawhats, on luffy’s ability to pull off the impossible and on robin’s goodness. when robin’s only ever been chased and hated and called a demon by the world, franky chooses to trust her and luffy with the legacy his dad died for, and neither of them let him down.

monster point looks SO FUCKING TERRIFYING in enies lobby, and i LOVE it. look at that. franky is seven and half feet tall, and in front of monster point he’s tiny. monster point is huge, and dead-eyed, and a force of absolute destruction. i do kind of wish we got to see chopper go completely feral like this more often. he deserves to be terrifying!

i love how much FAITH all the rest of the strawhats continue to have in usopp throughout enies lobby. he left the crew and they really would have a right to be angry at him if they chose to, but it doesn’t even seem to cross any of their minds. they’re just happy he’s okay, and they include him again without missing a beat, because he’s still their friend and they know down to their bones they can trust him, even after everything. 

i’ve always really loved zoro and kaku’s little moment of post-battle banter here- zoro relays paulie’s message about cp9 being fired, kaku says he’s out of a job, zoro tells him to try the zoo, and kaku cracks up.

it feels very real to me for whatever reason, and i think part of it ties back into how well one piece handles morality with its characters- zoro and kaku are genuinely pretty similar people who get along decently, it just happens that they wound up on opposite sides. there are series where you’d never see moments like this due to the lines between good and bad being so firmly drawn, and i love how one piece blurs those lines so much they may as well not exist a lot of the time.

this is the other sequence, along with luffy climbing the drum rockies barehanded, that always makes me physically cringe to look at. it looks so painful. robin is so nearly powerless here, but not quite- she can still buy time for her crew to catch up, even if it’s only seconds, even if she risks shattering her teeth or even her jaw in the process. she’s spent so long giving up and has only just started daring to hope- she’s not about to go gentle.

there aren’t many panels that give me catharsis like this one. there really aren’t.

oda’s villains are usually complicated and awful and often a little admirable, if only for how clever or how terrifyingly powerful they are, but every now and then he comes up with someone who’s just pathetic and cowardly and pointlessly cruel. spandam is like this, obviously, and so is orochi, and the celestial dragons, and i’d argue flampe from whole cake island as well. and there’s nothing like seeing characters like them- weak, cruel people so assured in their own power and rightness- get obliterated.

one of the things i really like about enies lobby is that nobody really gets sidelined- everybody gets multiple chances to shine. luffy, usopp, and obviously robin are the most in focus, obviously, but zoro, sanji, nami, chopper, and even franky all get a bunch of individual awesome moments. oda’s ability to handle his cast satisfyingly is consistently really impressive (if sometimes strained in huge ensemble arcs like dressrosa or wano) and it really shows here, i think.

i just really love the entire climax of enies lobby. much like the arc as a whole, it just feels triumphant, even though the situation is extremely dire. luffy unlocking gear three, robin’s cuffs getting unlocked, usopp shooting spandam and the marines all the way from the tower of justice- it’s all just good, a long chain of much-needed victories and catharses, and it feels very good to read.

i’ll always be impressed by just how much characterization oda manages to give merry, a boat. she’s only really a character in water seven and the end of enies lobby, only about two chapters of which she actually speaks in. and yet i don’t think you’d find a single one piece fan who disagrees that merry’s death is easily one of the most heartwrenching in the entire series.

i love the reactions of the strawhats to robin’s thanks. they’ve just gone through hell to save her, most of them are beat to shit and they all risked their lives, and yet they all just smile, or brush it off, because to them there’s nothing else they could have done. it’s all worth it, so long as they got her back, so long as she’s safe and happy.

merry’s funeral just hits me in the chest every single time i read it. it’s tragic, of course, but there’s also something almost lovely about it, something peaceful about her getting to go out on her own terms, carrying her crew to safety one last time, defying every rule of the universe to do it. just like a strawhat pirate.

oda’s ability to communicate emotion through expressions really comes through here, too. merry has the only lines in this scene, fitting for her death in the limelight, but the shots of every other crewmate’s face let us know at a glance just what they’re all feeling and just how strongly they’re feeling it.

you know, i’d forgotten we only learn the name of the new world after enies lobby. we only get proper exposition about the revolutionary army and the yonkou here, too, despite them being set up since loguetown and jaya (or alabasta, or even chapter one if you count from shanks’s introduction) respectively. oda’s ability to parse out exposition and explanation so we always have just the right amount of information is really impressive- we always have more questions, but we also always have the feeling that those questions have answers, and that sooner or later they’ll be revealed.

points at shanks. i just think he’s neat.

it’s my opinion that one of the great joys of one piece is seeing luffy and the crew rise up in the world, and seeing them gain more and more notoriety. i love nothing they do ever happens in a vacuum- everything has impacts, and there are always outside eyes watching, and often those impacts are things that they never could have predicted.

ace and blackbeard is still, i think, definitely one of the coolest looking fights in the whole series. it’s not all that often we get to see two people with extremely flashy and showy abilities go all-out against each other, and the resulting fireworks are still really something to behold, despite how badly it all ends.