pooks

[pooks]

a cheeky sneak peak on an upcoming artwork I hope to do justice with digital art

Ichiji in the Elbaf Arc! his outfit, hairstyle and accessories. he also has a sword, but I couldn't fit it in my tiny sketchbook doodle

but damn, these curly-browed lads are just serving looks and kicking ass

and as a Scandinavian myself, I'm very hyped for the Elbaf Arc...if I ever get there (just entered water 7 in my anime marathon)

[pooks]

Ichiji clapped his hands together, catching everyone off guard.

"Well, even though I've been holding a grudge for a long time, I believe that Franky has learnt his lesson now. Glad to have you as my crew mate. Try to refrain from beating up anyone else I love and cherish, if you want to keep your balls intact." Ichiji said with a calm smile, which didn't calm anyone's nerves (except for Luffy, who was oblivious, and Robin). His smile was unnerving for everyone else and sent cold shivers down their spines.

"It took Robin-chan nearly crushing his kiwis to forgive him?!" Sanji exclaimed aghast. "Shitty brother, how petty can you be?!"

"Franky should've thought twice before beating up our sniper." Ichiji said with cold, blue eyes. "Here's something to remember, Sanji is an angel compared to me. Don't forget that."

With that being said, he turned on his heels and went to explore the rest of the Sunny.

"Yow, what a man..." Franky said, lifting his sunglasses as he stared after Ichiji. "He could step over me and I'd thank him."

"He's taken, so don't think about it." Sanji grumbled with crossed arms and looked in the other way.

"Our archivist is quite the enigma, isn't he?" Robin remarked with a smile.

"Ichiji...man, what a model brother..." Usopp sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, trying to not cry. "Sanji is so damn lucky to have him as his brother..."

"I don't feel very lucky." The blonde cook muttered rebelliously.

"No one, who accidently walks in to see his brother doing the nasty with his captain's brother, is lucky." Zoro remarked with an evil smirk.

"SHUT UP!" Sanji shouted, blushing scarlet red. "I ALMOST ERASED THAT FROM MY MIND!"

Luffy only laughed, not minding at all that his big brother Ace is together with his nakama Ichiji. He believed if they married, that means Sanji will become his brother too and he gets to eat Sanji's cooking for the rest of his life.

"Sanji is so silly and funny." He grinned.

As for Franky, he pouted for a good ten minutes and silently lamented about Ichiji being a taken man (because damn, if he wasn't attracted to pretty men who knew how to kick ass!), then he promptly forgot all about it when he started to show his new crew mates what the Thousand Sunny could do.

---

post Water 7/Enies Lobby

and yes, Ichiji was absolutely petty enough to hold a grudge for two arcs. and he isn't wrong when he says that Sanji is an angel compared to him.

bonus 1; one-sided crush on Franky's side, but he got over it pretty quicky XD

bonus 2; Sanji walked into Ace and Ichiji doing a little "something" in Alabasta. he's actively trying to forget what he saw.

[pooks]

in my Straw Hat Ichiji AU, i suddenly thought about how Ichiji and Sanji are such pretty lads

imagine nearly the entire world is crazy for those two curly browed pirate brothers; they're pretty, they're strong, they're kind, they're smart and they can either cook first class meals and tell/write fantastic stories

it doesn't matter if they are in Alabasta, Wano or even Elbaf

everyone loves to see those two pretty brothers with strange curly eyebrows (they make it look good somehow)

friendly reminder that people can only look, but not touch. or their captain (or the swordsman) might not be so pleased.

what inspired this train of thought? well, i drew Sanji and Ichiji in their Elbaf outfits and i thought "damn, the entire world would be crazy for these two"

[pooks]

thinking about acechiji and how their different experiences/worldviews changes each other and turns the other more open-minded

ichiji usually sucks it up with ace's whole hatred towards gold roger, but then he kinda blows up and he gets fed up

"have you ever thought that he probably couldn't do much because he was fucking dead before you got born?! at least he actually wanted a child to love and not to use as a sick science experiment and make a super soldier!"

ichiji only meant to say the first part, but kinda slipped up about germa and judge.

ace, after a few days waiting for ichiji to open up and got the context, starts to realize how fucked up ichiji's past is, compared to his.

he always knew that his mom rogue loved him and he supposed that roger probably did, even if he died and left him in this mess. but to hear that his own husband's existence was make a warmongering, emotionless super soldier was eye-opening.

ace decides to seek advice from whitebeard, because this is a situation no one can solve and ichiji kinda gives him the cold shoulder.

whitebeard points out that ace, knowing a bit about germa, was kind of an ass and needs to apologize.

"listen, you can dislike or even hate roger all you want. but you don't say such things in front of ichiji, especially when you know what kind of scum vinsmoke judge is. if the world were to know of his background, he'd have a worse deal than you have. vinsmoke judge isn't such a popular guy to talk about in the grand line or the other four blues."

in this particular au, vinsmoke judge is more hated and impopular across the four blues and the grand line. hell, the marines has a comic series that's basically anti-germa propaganda. germa and judge is that hated across the globe. the rumours that judge "kidnapped a princess and got away with it" doesn't help either.

so the whole "sins of the father" situation is more serious for ichiji.

don't worry, ace apologizes to ichiji for his careless comments and they actually communicates about their parental issues. ace doesn't keep the whole gold roger hatred and acknowledges that maybe he wasn't that bad (compared to vinsmoke judge), but he still put him in this situation.

Ace: you know what? i'm glad you look like your mother, cherry. Ichiji: wait. how do you know i look like my mother? Ace: please, i've seen photos of that vinsmoke bastard. he's one ugly son of a bitch and you are the prettiest man across the four blues. it's not hard to do the math. :)

actually, none of the vinsmoke siblings even look like judge. they all got sora's good genetics.

not pictured; all the whitebeard pirates are relieved that their resident power couple are okay now. they don't like it when they were fighting.

[pooks]

some shitty concept art of revolutionary!Yonji

he relies a lot on blunt force, since he's one of the strongest in the revolutionary army. Yonji is a good fighter; he's strong, fast, knows a lot of warfare and for some reason, almost invincible. but he's inexperienced which is why Dragon put him on a team with Sabo and Koala.

he always carries on the orange scarf (my headcanon is that the Vinsmokes' scarves were a gift from Sora)

i was very inspired by kingdom hearts, especially Riku's design in KH3. and Yonji's little weapon is meant to be a KH reference. blunt weapon + brute force works very well for him.

bonus:

he's a bit of a brat.

[pooks]

haven't posted anything Percy-related in ages, but i got this idea at 3am and it lives rentfree in my head, so it's only fair everyone else should suffer as well

imagine that Percy comes out as gay post-DH. his family is very cool and supportive with this

(they all knew, but said nothing because he needs to discover it himself)

but the only downside? they keep nitpicking every single guy he dates. no one is good enough and there is always something to complain about.

one was lisping. the other one kept cracking his knuckles. another one kept psycho-analyzing them (Percy didn't even last a week with him), etc. the Weasleys just decided that if Percy's gonna date a man, then he better be good enough for him and unfortunately, no one is good enough.

and then, Percy stumbles onto Oliver and they start dating. lo and behold, his family FOR ONCE have nothing bad to say. in fact, they're all too excited and supportive about this.

George, Ron and Ginny are a little too invested in their relationship.

Percy: so this whole time when i dated men from left to right and you guys kept complaining about them, you were just comparing them to Oliver Wood? Ginny, unashamed: yup. George: also you dated assholes. i mean, what the hell. Ron: and i thought my self esteem was bad. you seemed to just date guys to make yourself miserable. Charlie: and we know it's bad when not even Dad can stand the guy. Bill: if looks could kill, the last guy would've been a big pile of ash.

as you might expect it, Percy can't believe he's in a situation where the greatest thing he had ever done in his family's opinion is to date Oliver Wood.

background bonus: Harry is just bewildered and slightly amused while Hermione is annoyed by the stupidity of the situation.

[pooks]

wow, 69 notes and this thing really blew up. and since @poisonzeth had questions in the tags, i'll answer them.

first of all, thank you for the love and i'm a big fan of your fanworks, so it's high praise for me. :3

yup, Yonji is a little shit. youngest child priviledges, i guess, XD

yes, Ace absolutely asked for Zeff's blessing and was so polite about the whole thing. and yes, he absolutely bragged about his little brother. so most of Baratie was already aware of Luffy's existence by the time he crashed (literally) into the restaurant. but Ace neglected to talk about Luffy being a bottomless hole when it comes to food. :P

ah yes...about Judge. i leave it up to everyone's imagination. but if he survived, he is likely to be furious, having lost his masterpieces (he's a real sicko, never ever considered them as his children).

Ace and Ichiji married before they joined Whitebeard. in fact, Zeff insisted on if they're gonna marry, then they'll do it in front of his eyes. so they had a private, family-only wedding on the Baratie at age 18.

yes, Ichiji was absolutely the cook of the Spade Pirates. because those morons had no cook and barely knew how to do it. Ichiji is perhaps not a first class chef like Sanji, but the Spade Pirates loves his cooking anyways. think about the kind of home-cooking made by someone you love.

Thatch got an overdose of the Acechiji romantic PDA almost daily and the rest of the Whitebeard crew didn't fare better, Ace and Ichiji are the power couple of the crew. imagine your fave OTP being official and canon.

hope i answered all your questions and thank you for the love! :D

thinking about an AU where the rest of the Vinsmoke sibs manages to escape after Sanji escaped

like, Judge says he's dead and suddenly, it's an eye-opener for the other boys. even if they were shitty to Sanji, they never really imagined to ever be somewhere where Sanji didn't exist and they hate it. so Ichiji's solution is to poison Judge and they all take their chance to escape into the night.

yes, they bring Reiju too. and yes, Ichiji pillaged the royal treasury, took money, Sora's old jewelries and photos of her (because otherwise they wouldn't be able to remember her).

they jump from ship to ship, getting new clothes and get rid of their old ones, and basically just sails around the East Blue and trying to deal with this whole freedom thing.

some time later, they stumble onto a big restaurant ship, Baratie, and reunites with Sanji. it doesn't really take Zeff long to figure out that all these baby eggplants escaped an abusive place and against his better judgement, he takes them in.

suddenly, he got five kids and it doesn't really hit him until night time.

it was one thing with his eggplant, but now he also got a tomato can, a blueberry, a cabbage and Reiju (she's a kid, but she is also a lady!)

but they fit surprisingly well at the Baratie and have different roles.

Ichiji learnt to cook, but elected to be a stand-in (in case a cook got sick/injured) and settles for being a waiter, passing up tables, he also manages the finances and book-keeping when he isn't on waiter duty. everyone knows that he'd rather go to the seas to explore the grand line, inspired of the stories Zeff tells them. and then, a young pirate named Ace came to the restaurant, their eyes met and they fell in love. and Ace whisked him away to the sea.

(Zeff is still annoyed at that)

Niji is a hard one to wrangle because he got electric powers and causes a mess when he wants to "simplify" the kitchen tools. so he's mostly on vegetable peeling duty. if he behaves, he gets to learn how to cook properly. let's say with his ability to cause mayhem, Niji stayed as a chore boy for a long time. once he learnt some manners (Zeff is a force to be reckoned with), Niji started to hang around Carne and watches when he makes desserts. he eventually learnt to become a pátissier and works under Carne.

Yonji is surprisingly easy to please and he loves sweets (he could eat cake for dinner, but he isn't allowed to), but he isn't much for cooking or baking. he does waiter duties, since he isn't interested in anything. he finds his fate when he was sent on a trip to fetch a bag of rice and never came back. instead, a poor seagull carried the sack of rice to the Baratie with a note where Yonji says that he's joined the Revolutionary Army to fight "the shitty celestial dragons and free the world from evil".

(Zeff started to suffer a bit of an empty nest here, since Ichiji and now Yonji has gone on their own adventures)

Reiju has to verbally argue with Zeff to let her do something, because of his policy to not have women in his kitchen (because he teaches by kicking people and he doesn't want to kick Reiju, she's a lady dammit), so she's a cashier and once she grows up, she becomes a bartender (it gets very popular because every man and woman want to see the beautiful bartender).

and as we all know, Sanji is a line cook and later, the infamous the sous chef of the Baratie. he still become the feisty, foul-mouthed and short-tempered pirate cook as we all know and adore. everyone knows that he will be forever loyal to Luffy, once he boarded the ship to Cocoyashi, and everyone suspect the green-haired swordsman might be his soulmate, given how he died and nearly bled out on their front porch

(Niji was made to clean that up and he muttered every profanity he learnt from Patty)

after Sanji leaves, it's a bit quiet onboard the Baratie and only Reiju and Niji remains now. the blueberry is just as argumentative as Sanji and butts heads with the older cooks frequently, while Reiju is just comfortable with her home and steady job.

really, Zeff should get a prize for adopting and raising five kids.

[pooks]

thinking about an AU where the rest of the Vinsmoke sibs manages to escape after Sanji escaped

like, Judge says he's dead and suddenly, it's an eye-opener for the other boys. even if they were shitty to Sanji, they never really imagined to ever be somewhere where Sanji didn't exist and they hate it. so Ichiji's solution is to poison Judge and they all take their chance to escape into the night.

yes, they bring Reiju too. and yes, Ichiji pillaged the royal treasury, took money, Sora's old jewelries and photos of her (because otherwise they wouldn't be able to remember her).

they jump from ship to ship, getting new clothes and get rid of their old ones, and basically just sails around the East Blue and trying to deal with this whole freedom thing.

some time later, they stumble onto a big restaurant ship, Baratie, and reunites with Sanji. it doesn't really take Zeff long to figure out that all these baby eggplants escaped an abusive place and against his better judgement, he takes them in.

suddenly, he got five kids and it doesn't really hit him until night time.

it was one thing with his eggplant, but now he also got a tomato can, a blueberry, a cabbage and Reiju (she's a kid, but she is also a lady!)

but they fit surprisingly well at the Baratie and have different roles.

Ichiji learnt to cook, but elected to be a stand-in (in case a cook got sick/injured) and settles for being a waiter, passing up tables, he also manages the finances and book-keeping when he isn't on waiter duty. everyone knows that he'd rather go to the seas to explore the grand line, inspired of the stories Zeff tells them. and then, a young pirate named Ace came to the restaurant, their eyes met and they fell in love. and Ace whisked him away to the sea.

(Zeff is still annoyed at that)

Niji is a hard one to wrangle because he got electric powers and causes a mess when he wants to "simplify" the kitchen tools. so he's mostly on vegetable peeling duty. if he behaves, he gets to learn how to cook properly. let's say with his ability to cause mayhem, Niji stayed as a chore boy for a long time. once he learnt some manners (Zeff is a force to be reckoned with), Niji started to hang around Carne and watches when he makes desserts. he eventually learnt to become a pátissier and works under Carne.

Yonji is surprisingly easy to please and he loves sweets (he could eat cake for dinner, but he isn't allowed to), but he isn't much for cooking or baking. he does waiter duties, since he isn't interested in anything. he finds his fate when he was sent on a trip to fetch a bag of rice and never came back. instead, a poor seagull carried the sack of rice to the Baratie with a note where Yonji says that he's joined the Revolutionary Army to fight "the shitty celestial dragons and free the world from evil".

(Zeff started to suffer a bit of an empty nest here, since Ichiji and now Yonji has gone on their own adventures)

Reiju has to verbally argue with Zeff to let her do something, because of his policy to not have women in his kitchen (because he teaches by kicking people and he doesn't want to kick Reiju, she's a lady dammit), so she's a cashier and once she grows up, she becomes a bartender (it gets very popular because every man and woman want to see the beautiful bartender).

and as we all know, Sanji is a line cook and later, the infamous the sous chef of the Baratie. he still become the feisty, foul-mouthed and short-tempered pirate cook as we all know and adore. everyone knows that he will be forever loyal to Luffy, once he boarded the ship to Cocoyashi, and everyone suspect the green-haired swordsman might be his soulmate, given how he died and nearly bled out on their front porch

(Niji was made to clean that up and he muttered every profanity he learnt from Patty)

after Sanji leaves, it's a bit quiet onboard the Baratie and only Reiju and Niji remains now. the blueberry is just as argumentative as Sanji and butts heads with the older cooks frequently, while Reiju is just comfortable with her home and steady job.

really, Zeff should get a prize for adopting and raising five kids.

[pooks]

Acechiji in Marineford is probably the most heartbreaking arc i will write about (eventually)

because Ichiji fought footh and nail to reach Marineford, he was relentless and fought like a wild beast. he didn't care who he slaughted in his way, he didn't care who was a pirate and who was a marine (although the less marines in the world, the better, accourding to Ichiji). he escaped his own capture by Vinsmoke Judge, just to save his husband from being executed

he meets Luffy in Impel Down where he's searching for his husband. a lot of things happens, such as encountering Bon Clay, Buggy the Clown, even Sir Crocodile and last, but certainly not least; Emporio Ivankov

they manage to interrupt Ace's execution. Ichiji, being revealed as "Portgas D. Ichiji" aka Scarlet the notorious, cold-hearted pirate of the North Blue and the husband of the sentenced pirate Portgas D. Ace.

Ichiji picks a fight with the marines and to prove a point, he burns the flag of world government. so he suddenly becomes public enemy number 1 along with Luffy (who's like "been there, done that")

the Marineford War happens and just as everything seems to be just alright...Akainu (the big bastard himself, after Vinsmoke Judge) kills Ace. that happens because Luffy was trying to catch Ace's Vivre card and Ichiji was trying to push Luffy out of Akainu's way. Ace took the blow to save them both

Ace dies the canon tragic death with the heartwrenching "Thank you for loving me" to Luffy, but not before he pushes himself to his last strength to kiss Ichiji one last time, declaring his love to hus husband.

and he says "You were my new dream, Ichiji." (got a Tangled reference here, but in the tragic way)

so Ace dies in Ichiji's arms. Ichiji is heartbroken and break mentally. his grief is so deep that his Sparking Red power gets activated on a more potent level and he releases a powerful surge through the entire ratio, making every single marine fall on their knees and being overwhelmed by the raw light-based power.

(remember that scene in Avengers: Age of Ultron where Pietro dies and Wanda's grief mixed with her power, releasing a power surge around herself? yup, that's what happened here.)

Luffy never sees Ichiji again after this, since he was in such severe shock of losing his brother in front of himself. he doesn't know what happened to Ichiji, only that he's alive and he can only vaguely recall "a tall, devil-like giant man with a lion mane" dragging away Ichiji. he was too far away from him to reach and Luffy didn't have the best mental clarity in that moment. but that hazy memory has haunted him for the two years he spent training

as for Ichiji, he was captured and taken back by Judge who paid a hefty sum as "donation" to the WG. for two years, Ichiji was punished with human experimentation and were thrown into the dungeons with shackles on his wrists/ankles and a iron helmet on his face. Judge did this partly to punish him for his "treason" to remind him who he belonged to. but also to reform him back into the perfect masterpiece by breaking his spirit. poor Ichiji is only let out once he's become an apathic shadow of his former self.

then flash-forward to Whole Cake Saga. Luffy recognizes Ichiji, but he also knows that he can't do anything unless he asks for help and sadly, Ichiji doesn't. but Luffy made sure to leave an open path as he escaped Whole Cake with Sanji, Nami, Chopper and Brook. Ichiji, regaining a little piece of himself back, takes the chance once he sees it and uses the Raid Suit to escape. he leaves Whole Cake and Germa far behind himself, never looking back again.

as for Reiju, she decided to take Niji and Yonji with herself and escaped as well. but that's another story.

---

(a little context about this AU; Ace did escape from marines post-blackbeard battle and returned back to Whitebeard's crew. he only found out there that Germa 66 showed up and took Ichiji by force. so he went to Germa to free Ichiji and picked a fight with Judge, but the evil bastard cheated to defeat him and then sold him out to the marines because he believes Ace has tainted Ichiji by "toxic humanity". that was how Ace got into this mess, but Ichiji managed to escape Germa by sheer willpower and has relentlessly travelled to Marineford to save his husband)

[pooks]

Hi, everyone.

Sadly, I had to close my inbox due to spam.

Despite my previous announcement that I don't donate money to anyone who asks. This might sound mean, but I have strict rules. I have my own economic struggles.

So stop asking me for money. I don't have any.

- Pooks

[pooks]

Hello pooks! I love the Ichiji as part of the straw hats ideas! Do you plan on making them into a fanfiction/short story format? Cause I would DEVOUR it. 😁

Hi and thank you for the ask! And yes, I do plan on making it into a fanfiction/short story series at some point. So keep an eye out. ;)

[pooks]

Ichiji was beyond pissed off at this dumb Davy Back fight.

First off, the shitty raft he, Luffy and Sanji were on broke. He told his captain that it wouldn't hold. Secondly, he's gotten whisked away by Foxy's idiotic pirate crew as their "prize".

He hated the Foxy Pirates. He hated the stupid, fake-cute woman on his crew. He hated the fake as fuck announcer and he hated this pathetic motherfucker to pirate captain Silver fucking Foxy.

And now these idiots wanted him to pledge his loyalty?

Oh ho...oh ho ho ho ho...

They had no idea who they were messing with.

"Give me that." He said and snatched a den-den mushi megaphone. He walked to the front of this "stage" and looked ahead of the massive crowd. Among them, he saw his real crew and he saw Sanji.

No one could make him pledge his loyalty to anyone else than the one he loved most.

"I pledge to..."

Everyone kept their breaths. Scarlet Ichiji, the recently risen pirate with a bounty on 40 million berries and mysterious powers that was not from a devil fruit...what would he say?

Ichiji then gave a wicked grin, like a serial murderer had just caught the scent of blood and found their new victim. "To slice the neck of anyone who says that I should abandon my precious little brother, whom I have bled out for!"

He turned his head around and smirked at Foxy, who had gone pale white and started to cold sweat. "I am Scarlet, Foxy. I am a DEVIL compared to my dear little brother. To forfeit my title as his big brother is to forfeit my life. So I DON'T PLEDGE LOYALTY TO YOU. I shall wait until the end of these games for my execution since I don't accept you as my new captain. Suck a lemon."

He was instantly booed by every single Foxy Pirate.

"BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Sanji stood there, frozen with a widened eye. "AAARGH! SHITTY BROTHER WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT?!" He screamed angrily. He didn't want to see his older brother forfeit his life and if they lost...if they lost, then he would die!

Luffy laughed and clapped his hands. "That's right, Ichiji! You're my archivist!"

"HE'S GONNA DIE IF WE LOSE THE NEXT TWO GAMES!" Nami shrieked at him. "Ichiji! Don't be stupid! Just go ahead and pledge loyalty for that moron! Don't throw away your life for nothing!"

"It won't be for nothing if it means Sanji lives!" Ichiji shouted at her, pissed off that she still didn't understand a thing about his bond to his little brother. "I

Usopp was tear-eyed and sniffed. "What a model big brother...Ichiji, you're such a man..." He rubbed his eyes. "Damn it, Sanji! You're so lucky!"

'Not so lucky if we lose the next two games.' Zoro thought to himself and glanced at the cook without moving his head. Sanji looked as if he was close to a panic-induced anxiety attack, biting on his nails and looked generally distressed. He couldn't let that happen.

"Ichiji..." Chopper sniffled, hugging Sanji's leg.

'If we lose...' Nami narrowed her eyes.

'The next two games...' Robin thought.

"Sanji/I will see Ichiji being executed!" Everyone's thoughts echoed in union, not that they knew it.

'No regrets.' Ichiji smirked to himself.

There was no way his captain would let that happen.

Perhaps not the most ideal solution, but if it gives some his captain motivation...then he'll do everything he can to take him back before his pending doom.

'Kick his ass, captain.'

[pooks]

Ichiji never really found out why or how he knew his mother was going to die that night, long ago. He just knew. He couldn't tell if there was something in the air or just his instincts that told him. That night felt...too perfect.

It was a cool summer's night and the flagship was passing through somewhere between West Blue and South Blue. He could hear crickets and the cloudless night skies were filled by hundreds of stars. And he knew all this because he walked outside and towards the medical ward of the castle, to see his mother. The short trip had been easy, it was in the middle of night and no one awake to disturb him.

Ichiji didn't stop until he found himself right outside his mother's door. He knocked firmly three times and opened it, barely a second after he heard his mother's sweet voice grant him access.

"Ichiji, what a lovely surprise-!"

Mother looked paler that usual, almost white in the face and her eyes were so tired. There were more wires attached to her arms and some of them went under the neckline of her nightgown.

Ichiji stared at the woman who gave him life, vaguely wondering why she would have her own life drained while he lived on, like a parasite. "Why are you like this, mama?" He finally asked the question he had always avoided. "You're always so...weak and ill."

Sora gave a sad smile to her eldest son. "I'm dying, Ichiji." She told him gently. "Come and sit with me?"

Ichiji obliged and sat on a chair next to her. "Why are you dying, mama?" His voice sounded so...small.

"Because I have been ill for a long time and I think it's my time now." Sora told him and reached out to hold his hand. It was small, young and smooth. Her hand was so gentle and soft, almost frail. "Don't be afraid, darling. Death is just a part of life. All humans will die one day."

"Even me?"

"...even you, one day. And I hope you will be old and grey when that happens." His mother told him.

"Is it bad that I wish Judge went away instead of you?" Ichiji blurted out. "Our lives could be so much happier...so much better if only he was gone."

"I'm not going to tell you what you should feel or think, sweetheart." Sora said and carefully avoided the subject of her...husband. "No matter what your father says or does, you are a human and so are Reiju and your little brothers. You can't take away someone's humanity just like that, not even with the best science in the world. Not that he doesn't understand it." She sighed heavily.

Ichiji's throat felt tight, as if a big lump was stuck and he tried to swallow it. "Mama, what do I do when you're gone? Who will I going to turn to? What if once you're gone, I don't care about Sanji? What if I never loved him at all? I can't protect them all on my own, I'm too weak."

"Do the best you can, Ichiji." Sora said and stroked his cheek gently. "You're a smart little boy. Maybe you can't tell or show your love like I can, but you have your own ways. If you truly didn't care for Sanji, then you would've barely noticed his existence, right? You're not an emotionless person, Ichiji."

"But I have to pretent being one." Ichiji concluded. "Otherwise...Judge can do whatever he wants to us." he trailed off and he came to realize that this was it.

His mama was going to die. She would leave them all alone. Reiju would never speak to her again. Niji, Sanji and Yonji would never see their mama again. She would leave for a better place than this wretched prison.

He'll never hug her again. Never hear her voice again. Never see her beautiful face or her kind eyes again. This room would be silent and dark. And her bed would be empty.

Ichiji didn't know when, but he started to tremble and his tears wouldn't stop.

He'll never see his mama again.

"H-hold me, mama?" He whispered. His mother only opened her arms to him and he crawled into her embrace, holding onto his mother tightly as if she would disappear. "I don't want you to go...please, don't leave me alone."

"I must go, darling." Sora whispered and stroked his red hair. "It's my time. Just my time. I hope I was a good mother."

"Y-you did good, mama. I'm happy you were my mama."

Sora kissed his forehead. "Ichiji. Don't you ever forget that you're a human, no matter what. You are my son and I love you so much. I love Reiju and your little brothers too. Please, take care of them for me." She slowly let go to him and Ichiji slid back to his chair, he sat there and just held his mother's hand. "Promise to take care of Sanji?"

"I promise, mama. I will take care of Sanji."

He watched his mother smile to him as she lay down on her back, smiling sweetly to him. "Thank you, Ichiji. I will miss you."

And then, she closed her eyes as if she was about to fall asleep after a long day.

"I love you, mama." Ichiji blurted out, afraid that she'll never know unless he said it. "I love you and I'm gonna free Reiju and my brothers, I promise we'll be free and happy. So don't worry...I take care of it." He started to cry. "I love you, mama."

But she heard him. "I know." Sora whispered before she exhaled. In that moment, her heart finally stopped, her lungs stopped breathing and her hand, still being held by her first son's little hand, went limp.

Ichiji didn't allow himself to let out a single noise, but tears welled up and ran down his cheeks, flowing down like a river, while he suppressed his sobs. He knew that his mother had just died.

And he realized how lucky he was to be here, right before she passed away. She was here when he was born, holding him in her arms before he was ripped away from her by a cruel sire, and he had held her hand as she died, content and relieved that her children would someday be free.

Ichiji had promised and he would honor his promise.

[pooks]

Ace: ✧✿◕‿◕✿✧ Ichiji: I'm not calling you "good boy", Ace. That prison break was shit. Ace: ┬┬﹏┬┬

(fyi, Luffy is just in the background and snacking on a piece of meat, happy that his brother has a husband)

[pooks]

"I have seen Hell. It's my room with silk sheets, framed mirrors and floor made of polished marble. It's the clothes in my wardrobe, made of the finest cashmere, satin and lace. It's the royal cape in red velvet, signifying my position as the crown prince. It's the crown that yet has to crown my head and the great throne waits for me.

But what no one can see is the scars on my back, the burnt scar covering my left eye and the golden shackles around my wrists. They can't see the torture that rains on my little brothers, one was put in the cold of the dark dungeons, doomed to be forgotten, and the others masks their fear with arrogance and heartlessness. An older sister whose liberty and free will has been stolen. And a mother cold in her grave, as she traded her life for her childrens' humanity.

And on the throne, holding our lives in his palm, sits a devil and he has traded his soul and conscience for riches and glory.

I am in Hell."

---

And then, he wasn't in Hell anymore.

But he traded his sister and two younger brothers to save one brother.

The guilt kept eating him on the inside. If anyone was a failure...it was Ichiji, for not being able to protect his family. He failed Reiju and he failed Niji and Yonji.

He even failed Mother.

'Maman...I'm so sorry. I couldn't save them all. I am the failure. I couldn't even defeat him. I'm far too weak...'

What kind of big brother was he, if he could only save Sanji and no one else?

Pat pat pat

"Niisan."

Sanji had padded over to his bed, bare feet sneaking across the wooden floor in their shared room. It wasn't a big room, but it was enough for two little boy to grow up in.

His blonde twin (no longer quadruplet, he's lost the right to call himself brother to Niji and Yonji, he abandoned them-) reached out and stroke his hair gently. "Don't be sad, 'chiji."

Sanji. Sweet little Sanji who was far too good for this cold, cruel world. Ichiji didn't deserve him, he knew that and he would spent the rest of his life to atone for the sins he committed against his precious little brother.

"...why don't you hate me." Ichiji muttered, still facing the wall. It wasn't a question, but a statement. "You should hate me, you should despise me and you should tell me to go to hell. Why don't you hate my very existence for what I did to you?"

I wouldn't forgive me, if I were you. Sometimes I wish I died on that damn rock.

"Because you came back." Sanji whispered. "You thought I was asleep, but you came back every night. You opened the cell, snuck him and tucked me in. You said you loved me every night. But I wasn't asleep, I heard you. And then you came back for real and said you were taking me to the seas."

Ichiji turned over and looked at his little brother. It was dark since it was night. But the moon outside shone straight through the window, casting a gentle silvery glow inside their room.

Sanji looked down at his brother. Ichiji's red sidebangs had been swept aside, revealing the secret he always hid from everyone; a horrible burnt scar that was shaped like a giant hand covered his left eye and the surrounding skin. He knew it was punishment for betraying Judge. Ichiji was punished because he loved him and he didn't want to hurt him anymore. In Germa, love was strictly forbidden and if you broke that one rule, there would be punishments.

"I don't regret it, Sanji." Ichiji whispered when Sanji dared to touch the scar with small, gentle fingers. "You are my brother. Nothing can change it."

Sanji's lower lip wobbled, a warning sign that he was about to burst into tears again, and Ichiji sighed. He scooted over to the side, patting the empty space.

"Come now, let's go to sleep."

Sanji didn't needed to be told twice. He jumped onto the mattress and crawled under the covers, wrapping his arms around Ichiji and snuggling close to his big brother.

They fell asleep like that, neither of them woke up from nightmares that night again. Just for a short time, it was like like they were two innocent children. For the rest of the world, they were only a restaurant owner's two little sons.

But no one knew that they had freed themselves from the monster of the north.

[pooks]

the Vinsmokes just being chaotic disasters post-WCI gives me life

Ichiji left to resume being a pirate, joined the fighting at Wano and got forcibly adopted by Luffy for being Ace's windower. no take-backs. he also pillaged half of Germa's treasury before he left. like a boss.

Niji eloped with the maid Cosette. without the goggles, he's functionally blind. not to worry, he and his new wife lives happily at Porto Fuinto, an island where former pirates, bounty hunters and lawless outcasts lives at peace. he plays piano for a living.

Yonji joined the Revolutionary Army and quickly become one of their strongest fighters, along with the technical genius. he keeps up his hyperfixation on robots and high-tech weapons. Yonji, Sabo and Koala are a chaotic trio.

Reiju? she's at Amazon Lily. all they needed to hear was how Reiju's nasty piece of shit father abused her and stole her free will, so she got sanctuary in seconds.

and as for Judge...well, he's completely ruined. his perfect chikdren has abandoned him, his legacy is broken and Germa is in shambles. to top it, he's wanted by WG for aligning with pirates. get rekt. :P

bonus

Sanji is a senior officer of the Straw Hat Pirates, left wing of Pirate King Luffy, married to the world's greatest swordsman Roronoa Zoro, the man who found the elusive sea All Blue and owner of his restaurant there.

he and Zoro ends up having five children (a boy, a girl and then, one set of triplets). they are very happy.

[pooks]

remember the AU where Ichiji eloped with Ace and they were pirate husbands? well, got a little something going on here where Marineford goes...differently

---

Ichiji knew the second he left Germa's flagship, he would be branded a traitor. But for once in his life...he took control over his own fate. Niji and Yonji would be fine, Reiju assured him that. Contrary to popular thought, they weren't completely emotionless. Just manipulated.

And in their defense, they didn't understand what they did to Sanji until he was gone without a trace. No human can be born without emotions, no matter what Judge claimed. It was impossible. So what did the cruel king do, once he discovered his "perfect" sons weren't so perfect as he thought?

He "fixed" them. By punishing them.

Yonji lost his hands, replaced by cybernetic limbs. He couldn't feel with his hands anymore. Niji was blinded, forced to rely on goggles that allowed him to see.

Ichiji was next and Reiju knew it. Niji knew it and Yonji knew it. He was, by far, the hardest to break. He was steadfast and headstrong, refusing to bow down to a tyrrant. A hideous scar that covered his left eye, hidden by red sidebangs. A burnt scar in the shape of a large palm. It was pretty obvious what Judge did to him, but that did little to subdue him.

That was punishment for orchestrating Sanji's escape. Judge knew perfectly well that it was by Ichiji's design, letting him flee while they invaded Cozia in the East Blue. Only Ichiji would've known where the key to the iron helmet was. Only Ichiji had the actual key to the dungeon cell.

Reiju, Niji and Yonji pushed Ichiji to escape because they understood that Ichiji would die if he kept resisting. They had already lost one brother. They couldn't lose another one.

Ichiji ran away at age 15 and apparently, he met a pirate on his first mission outside Germa and eloped with him. It didn't take long for newspapers to pick that up, once the couple were discovered in a seedy bar at some lawless, backwater island with wedding rings and all.

It was the scandal of the decade; Germa's crown prince eloped with a lowly pirate and they were both men.

Judge was furious. But Sora, bless her soul, would've been so proud.

---

Ah, sea prism stone...

The wonders of it.

And Ichiji thanked his brilliant mind for commissioning that sword. The blade was purely made of sea prism stone and yet, it was long and elegant. His faithful Éclipse, swung without hesitation and cut off the fist of magma that aimed for his husband's back.

He had no remorse, no doubt in his mind and Ichiji looked down at Aikainu with his cold, blue eyes. He literally looked down at him, as if he saw something revolting and disgusting on the ground like a cockroach, before a cruel smirk grew on his features.

Ichiji was called many things. Traitor, bastard, monster, demon, filthy pirate...

Hellspawn.

The devil's son.

His bounty increased in numbers after their escape.

---

Ace was alive, thanks to Ichiji's intervention, but his back would be scarred for the rest of his life. Similar to Luffy, who also had gotten a scar from the Marine made of lava.

The two brothers were still recovering at Amazon Lily. Ichiji was mostly unharmed, but he sat still as he silently guarded his husband. His sword Éclipse rested next to him. Most people always eyed it wearily, knowing it was the sword with a sea prism blade. It cut down a Marine Vice Admiral's arm with zero hesitation. Word spread across the Four Blues about him, calling him "the devil's son from North".

Ichiji didn't care, as long as his husband and his brother were alive.

----

He never expected to see Sanji ever again.

But here they were. Underwater of all things.

He and Ace hitched a ride with the Straw Hats to Fish Man Island, they were hoping to meet with Jinbei.

"No man is born without emotions, not even with the best science in the world." Ichiji said as he sat on the railing, looking out to the underwater sight. "I should kill Judge."

"No, you shouldn't." Sanji protested. "Killing people doesn't solve anything."

"In this case, it does. Niji and Yonji can't escape Germa, even if they want to. Not even Reiju can leave on her own accord."

Sanji swallowed. "What did he take?" He was nearly afraid of the answer.

"Niji's sight. Yonji's hands. Reiju's free will." Ichiji answered without hesitation. "He couldn't break me, no matter what he did. I kept fighting back, like a caged animal." A sinister smile grew on his lips. "He put the iron helmet on you and I gave him a long scar across his face." He tutted. "I was sloppy, I aimed for the eyes."

There was a hitch in Sanji's breath. "Why?" He whispered. There were no need for that, since they were the only ones awake right now. The rest of the crew, and Ace, were all partied out. The only other person awake was the mosshead, who was on watch and trained himself into a sweaty mess in the crow's nest. "Why would you go so far? Why did you do it?"

Ichiji leaned backwards. "I promised Mother on her deathbed to protect you in every way I could. I went far and beyond to make sure you would escape." He told his younger brother. "I knew she was dying, so I came to see her one last time...that night before she died." The memory still made his heart ache and his eyes to sting, as if it was only yesterday. "I expected her to see a monster by her side. She said I was still her baby. She made me promise to save your life, even if it meant I could never see you again. I gave my word and I kept it."

They stayed like that for a while longer, in complete silence.

"When did you escape from Germa?" Sanji asked and blew out a puff of smoke.

"Fifteen years old. I met Ace on my first mission outside Germa." He answered and sighed. "I can't really explain it, but for some reason...it felt as if I was meant to meet him, to follow him and to always stay by his side. Like he was the missing puzzle piece to my soul. I just took his hand when he asked me to run away with him, he told me that I could be a free man, do anything I wished. I believed him. I must've been desperate to live...to believe him and putting my life in his hands."

"...I'm glad you did."

Droplets hit the surface of the railing and Ichiji saw that his little brother was crying.

He has always had such a bleeding heart.

Ichiji jumped down from the railing, landing his feet on the grassy lawn, and walked towards his brother. "Come here." He opened his arms, wrapping them around Sanji's shoulders. "Twelve years later and you're still a crybaby."

"Your fault." Sanji mumbled, half-mad and half-happy. But he didn't push him away and let himself being embraced. It made him feel...warm and light. "I always wanted a big brother."

"I am here. A bit late, but here."