#1. The cook is also a swordsman

[mysticcrownwolf]

Ok so I got a new idea that by some means be it devil fruit, magic spells, potions or just a mystery fruit but Sanji lost his inhibitors for a day and the straw hats are fighting the guy who did that and Sanji just grab two of Zoro's swords and start wrecking the enemy shit and straw hats just thought it was the effect of the devil fruit or whatever and just let him until one of the enemy goons let it slip that the fruit does not give any skills or ability just stop a person from holding back anything (thoughts, feelings, powers, etc.) because the user was obsessed with having a fair fight and didn’t want his opponent holding back on him. Queue to Zoro trying to stop himself from losing every single drop of his blood through his nose because Sanji look fucking hot fighting with two swords.

[hylianane]

I’ve read Time Traveler Zoro AUS far more interesting than anything my feeble little mind could cook up on it’s own, but I’d still love try to play around with the premise and give it my own spin.

I’ve read two in which Zoro loses the crew in a great tragedy, so he goes back in time to save them, and the greatest source of tension in the story is the way he tries to hide all the future knowledge he maintains from the others, while still trying to rewrite history. It’s so good and thrilling. But. Yet. However.

I’m reminded of the scene in Sabaody in which Rayleigh offers to tell the crew about the One Piece, and Luffy furiously rejects him. Says he doesn’t want a boring adventure where he knows the ending. And though I don’t recall Zoro saying anything in that moment, I think he would agree. So in this Time Travel AU, when Zoro goes back in time, he does so with the idea that this second try isn’t for him. He wants to help, but if he gets on that boat, he won’t be able to keep himself from giving Luffy all the answers in hopes of saving his life, and that would ruin his Captain’s dream.

So let’s imagine Luffy. At seventeen years old, he sets out on a journey through the Grandline to become the King of the Pirates. He has his navigator, his sniper, his cook, his doctor- all his friends by his side. And things are challenging sometimes, but always fun. And he gets lucky.

He gets lucky a lot.

Sanjj tells him it’s a guardian angel, but Luffy’s not so sure. There’s something at the back of his mind, an itch behind his ear. He starts to notice signs of a certain presence everywhere he goes, a mysterious someone who seems to always want to beat him to the punch, but also seems to never finish the job.

Like back in Orange Town, when he met Nami and fought the Buggy guy, the Clown complained about his knife thrower being put out of commission by a bounty hunter right before the fight. Or in Syrup Village, when Captain Kuroo called for reinforcements two of his officers were a no-show, their crewmates reporting that it was as if the Nyaban Brothers had disappeared into the night. When Luffy met Sanji at the Baratie, he’d felt a tension build within him as he listened to all the rumors of the Greatest Swordsman in the World having been seen nearby. But then, the tension is cut abruptly when Don Kreig walks through the door instead, announcing that he’d escaped the Warlord when some suicidal swordsman intercepted his chase.

In Whiskey Peak, Nami tells him about how she saw a cloaked figure take down 100 hundred bounty hunters without making a sound, as if trying to not disturb the Strawhat’s sleep. Luffy thinks he might’ve seen such a figure from afar when taking a leak, but he can’t be sure. In Alabasta, Ace keeps throwing looks over his shoulder as if searching for someone, but always telling Luffy there’s nothing to worry about. Vivi is shocked to discover someone took down Baroque Work’s Number 1 in a duel a night before their arrival at Alubarna. When Robin joins them at the end of it, she seems shocked to find the crew only has five members, instead of six. But she doesn’t seem keen on elaborating why just yet.

The only place that they haven’t been followed to by this Mystery Guy (as Luffy has taken to calling him) is Skypeia. Almost like he couldn’t figure out how to get up there.

And still, the whole time Luffy’s there he can’t stop thinking about him. Looking left and right as if between the clouds and the trees he’ll catch a glimpse of Mystery Guy’s face. Nami says it’s ludicrous to think that all these instances can be chalked up to same guy. Usopp tells tall tales of how they’re being stalked by a man who fell madly love with the Great Sniper’s good looks, or sometimes he tells tales of how they’re being followed by the ancient God of Fortune, or sometimes it’s any other grandiose tale he’ll accept before he accepts that it’s just a guy, just a Mystery Guy, who is real and Luffy knows it.

He knows, and he’s a little obsessed with it. And it’s not always great. He loses sleep, wondering who are you and do you know me and do i know you and stop getting in my way and why don’t you do it more and do you want to join my crew and i need you to watch me and i need you on my crew.

(Meanwhile, on his end, Zoro is planning how to stop the tragedy that will befall his family. But in the meantime he doesn’t want to just be dead weight. He doesn’t want to be apart from them. He may not have a place on that boat anymore, but he can’t have his Captain fighting his battles. He can’t let his friends go unprotected. So he’ll protect them, protect him, in silence, from afar, always one day head, always knowing what’s coming next)

[licorice-tea]

The Object Of All My Desires

Pairing: Trafalgar Law x reader

Content: so much angst, unrequited feelings (or so law thinks!), pining, yearning, (verbal) fighting, cursing, reader refers to law as a “stalker”, which is valid tbh bc he’s being a little weird, but not really, strawhat reader

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: oh my god i spend so long on this and i just kept hitting mental roadblocks! but then, tonight i got the inspiration to write like ~500 words and finished it up. there were only meant to be 2 parts, but similar to the second season of bridgerton (which it’s inspired by) there will be a 3rd! (the 1st part is based on the first meeting of kate/anthony, this part is based on that entire pinning phase+the confesssion, and the last will be shorter and basically be a resolution of everything.) also, im looking for beta readers! pls dm or comment if you’re interested!!! and if you’d like to be tagged in the next lmk! thanks for reading <3

Part 1 • Part 3

The second time you and Law were around one another long enough to have to face the other and, god forbid, speak, would come 2 years after your first meeting. After all your training apart from your crew, you had finally united and started traveling together again. You and your nakama took on all the challenges Fishman Island had thrown at you and soon moved on to the next adventure: Punk Hazard. It was there you met the standoffish Captain of the Heart Pirates again, and he proposed an alliance to Luffy between your two crews. So here you are; in an alliance with a captain you’d managed to piss off 2 years ago, and who clearly still carries that grudge with him.

Law already doesn’t like being part of the alliance with Straw Hat- but you only make it 1000 times worse. It’s unbearable having to be on the same ship as you, let alone sit at the same table over meals or pass each other in hallways. Not to mention, you seem to make everything a competition. And he doesn’t want to be in as childish a feud as the one that the swordsman and the love cook have, but you’re forcing him to act that way. You’re absolutely insufferable, and how he ever found you remotely intriguing or pretty to begin with is beyond his comprehension.

And yet, Law can’t pull himself away from you, nor you from him. He lingers in dark hallways just to pass by you as you go about your errands on the ship. He stares long enough to burn holes through you, then turns away milliseconds before you catch him (or so he thinks.) But every time you approach the reserved man, he exudes an air of annoyance.

It all makes you wonder, “What’s his deal?” Besides your little tiff back in Sabaody 2 years ago, you’ve never done anything to offend him in his time on the Sunny… Maybe you just need to clear the air. Yeah, that’s it; confront Law and ensure there is no bad blood between the two of you. No grudges, just goodwill.

You hope.

~

The Strawhats and co (Law) are docked at a small island, just for a day or so. Frankly needs supplies, Sanji; ingredients, Chopper; medicine, Zoro; booze, etcetera. And since most of the others have something specific they’re in search of, you have a free day to explore and shop!

You bid Brooke goodbye and thank him for watching the ship, then make your way up the dock and into town. It’s a quaint area, but the market near the entrance of what resembles a town square is overflowing with interesting bits and baubles.

Though you are happy to have this time to yourself, you’re not alone. Law is a mere 20ish feet away. He doesn’t greet you or even make eye contact, instead choosing to lean into shadows and stand behind vendor booths. You can tell that he’s trying to go unnoticed, pretending to be interested in whatever wares the shopkeepers have for sale every time you turn back to check for him.

And it’s fine, for a while. This could be a good opportunity to try and talk to him and ensure that the two of you are on good, if not neutral terms. It’s a little strange that he’s following you now after the two of you have had close to no interactions during his week or so on board the Thousand Sunny, but you don’t mind.

You cannot, however, pass up the opportunity to harmlessly scare him when he gets momentarily distracted by one of the little shops. While Law is reading titles of comic books (how strange…), you double back so that when he looks up, he can’t find you. He scans the marketplace, but to no avail- you must have run off somewhere.

Then you tap his shoulder, and the man nearly jumps out of his skin as he whips his head around to see who it is.

“You really like stalking me, huh?”

“…I’m not stalking you.”

“No? Well, whatever you want to call it, it’s the second time it’s happened.”

“What are you-“

“Sabaody, 2 years ago.”

“I wasn’t stalking you then, either.”

“Fine; following me through at least 3 groves while trying to be quiet and stay out of sight.”

Law scoffs. “Whatever.”

“Hm…” You lean to the side to see what’s behind him; display shelves with various comic books. “What were you looking at?”

“Nothing, I wasn’t even looking here.”

“Ah, so it’s ok for you to lie to my face, but not me to you. Got it.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

You nearly laugh. 2 years ago, after proceeding to follow you through several groves of the Archipelago, Law had insisted on knowing if you were a pirate or not, and the conversation had somehow escalated into an argument. It was a stupid little thing. But, you find it funny now, which is why you’re attempting to make jokes about the encounter and ensure him there are no hard feelings reserved over it. “Again, Sabaody.”

“Well… maybe you should stop carrying a grudge over that.”

“I’m not.”

“You are.”

“I only bring it up because I think it’s funny.”

“I think it’s childish.” Law doesn’t know why he says this, to be honest. He wants to come off as smart and witty, though he might not have executed it very well.

With a scoff, you cross your arms. “Law you’ve refused to even look at me in your time with my crew. When I try to talk to you, you act like you don’t hear me or straight up ignore me. Then you go and stare at me from across as if I can’t see you. And I’m childish?”

“Yeah, you are, and I don’t like you. Is that what you wanted to hear?”

“Better than you being an awkward asshole with no explanations as to why.”

“I’m not fucking awkward, shut up.”

“Oh no, you just follow people around for the better part of an hour without talking to them. Very charming.”

Law huffs, unamused, and storms off without another word.

You sigh and continue browsing the stalls. “Ok, so, maybe there is some bad blood between us….”

~

Things are awkward between you and Law for the remainder of the evening. Not only is he avoiding you, but you’re also avoiding him. And though you still try your best to be at least a little friendly, he straight up ignores all of your attempts. Whereas before your little confrontation in the marketplace, the stoic man would have at least responded with an eye roll.

When it’s dinnertime, you take your seat next to Robin as usual. Casual conversation and laughter flow around the table easily and seemingly endlessly… until Law walks in. He sits in the only empty chair, next to Chopper’s, and nods at Sanji in thanks for the food. And you, foolishly, try to incorporate him into the conversation. Maybe you do it to try and heal the small rift between the two of you, or maybe you simply want to provoke him further (though you'd never admit it.)

“So, Law, how was your day?”

Everyone pauses their conversations to not-so-discreetly listen in. They had also recognized the growing tension between you and the ally captain, for seemingly no reason at all.

“Mind your own business.”

“Hard to do when you’re always in mine.”

He nearly spits out his drink.“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m starting to get sick of your behavior, y/n.”

“So sick that you just can’t seem to leave me alone?”

“Watch the way you speak to me-“

“My apologies Law, I’m so used to being watched by you rather than having conversations, I must have forgotten my manners-“

“Shut up!”

“Fuck you!”

Now that both of your voices are raised, the crew sees it fit to intervene.

“Watch how you speak to them, Trafalgar-“ Sanji warns.

Similarly, Robin tries to talk you down. “Y/n, he’s our ally-“

The attempts to calm what had nearly turned into a screaming match prove futile, as Law storms out. You scoff and cross your arms. He’s so infuriating, it makes you sick to your stomach.

Silence passes as your crewmates look between each other, none wanting to be the first to… console you? Admonish? Give advice.

“You two should talk, y/n.” Says Robin, ever so mature.

“If he wants to talk, he can come to me instead of constantly staring at me from across the deck without saying anything.”

“Well, he’s clearly not very good at showing it, but you realize that he likes you, don’t you?”

You blink and turn to look at her. This must be another one of her dark jokes. “Very funny, Robin.”

“Oh, y/n, come on!“ Usopp groans; he’s had enough of the yearning and tension. “You seriously didn’t know?”

“No! Because he doesn’t like me. He’s been holding a stupid grudge against me since the first time we met back in Sabaody-“

Nami backs up Usopp’s point; “A crush, y/n. He’s had a crush on you and he’s too shy to talk to you normally-“

“So, what, it’s ok for him to just watch from afar but then act like a jerk when I try and talk to him?”

Surprisingly, Chopper speaks up next. “…Maybe your intentions came off different than intended?”

This makes you bite your lip in thought. Perhaps they had.

Nami pats your shoulder, “Now, go work this out so the rest of us don’t have to deal with all your unresolved tension.”

You unintentionally pout; the last thing you want is to talk to Law right now. But, your crew urges you on, and all but pushes you out the door.

~

You find him pacing back and forth on the starboard deck of the Sunny.

“Law?”

He whips around and you swear you see his scowl become even more pronounced than usual. The crease between his brows deepens, as the corners of his lips turn into a borderline pout. “Not done tormenting me?

“Tormenting? I just… I came to talk to you.“

“I find that hard to believe. From the moment we met, you have been nothing but rude and a nuisance to me.”

You scoff, all plans of reconciliation forgotten. “Believe me, Law, the feeling is mutual.”

“Fuck off.”

“This is my ship, so why don’t you fuck off? Jump overboard for all I care.”

“Maybe I will if it gets me away from you.” Law turns on his heel and storms off the open deck and into a hallway.

“Good luck swimming, asshole!”

Your rebuttal brings him right back to his former position, face to face with you so that your screaming match can continue “I hope you know that every moment I have to spend on this ship is torture, y/n, all because of you.”

“I haven’t done shit to you, Law.”

“Then whose fault is it that I feel this way? Go on, name someone else so I can take it out on them instead.”

“It’s your fault if you feel any type of way about me besides amicably. I’ve been nothing but kind, and-“

“Bullshit. Whether you know it or not you’ve done… something to me, I can feel it.”

“Oh yeah? And since when do you know anything about how you feel, all you do is brood.”

“I don’t brood. And I know that you are the bane of my existence.” He spits back, making sure to emphasize the word bane.

You hold your breath, refusing to play into this childish argument any longer. Or maybe it’s because, even if it’s just a little, his words genuinely hurt. You realize then, that you don’t want to be the so called ‘bane of his existence.’ He takes your silence as an opportunity to continue, though at a much lower volume than before.

“… And the object of all my desires.”

After a moment of disbelief, your scowl turns to a raised brow. “Excuse me?”

“Every one of my waking hours is plagued by thoughts of you. It doesn’t help that I can’t go anywhere on this goddamned ship-“

“Don’t you talk about the Sunny that way-“

“- without seeing you!”

“Well you must enjoy being around me if you’ve decided I’m,” you create air quotations with your hands, “the object of all your desires.”

You feel so out of your depth now. All you know to do is to bite back with witty remarks, even when he opens up to you. And he seems to do the exact same.

“It’s a nuisance.”

Your lip trembles, but you refuse to cry in front of Law while he plays this sick mind game with you. “I didn’t know liking me was such an awful fate.”

He lets out a shaky breath. “There are so many other things I should be focused on, but all I think of is you. It’s not awful, but it’s making me weak.”

“You’re such a prick, Law.”

He’s bewildered, mouth gaping as he tries to understand what could’ve been wrong with what he’s just confessed to you. “I’m saying I like you, y/n, I- Do you hate me that much?”

“No, I don’t hate you, idiot! But you- when you started traveling with us, you made me feel like I had done something to offend you, and then when I confronted you about it in the market you started to really hold a grudge, then you - I just- that’s not how you treat people!”

“Y/n-“

“Are you messing with me right now, Law? Is this another play to try and gain the upper hand in this… ongoing thing we have?”

“No, I wouldn’t…” He trails off and shakes his head. He probably would, if he weren’t so enamored with you and on the condition he possessed the social skills to pull off such an elaborate scheme. “It’s not.”

You’re silent again, but both you and Law are refusing to break eye contact. He must notice your still watery eyes and trembling bottom lip because he steps forward. His hand travels to your arm, then your chin. Forced to look at him, you are pained to see a similar unhappy look in his eyes. Minus the tears. You could almost take him for sorry if it weren’t Trafalgar Law, of all people. So instead of falling into his arms like you suddenly feel a desperate need to; you step backward.

You fold your arms over your chest as you look off somewhere- anywhere besides his eyes. “Law, nothing good can come of this.”

“This? What is this, y/n?”

“These.. feelings.”

“You feel the same?”

“I didn’t ask to feel this way!” You bite back, “But… yes, I do.”

“So what should we do?”

“We aren’t going to do anything, Law. You just stay in your lane, and I’ll stay in mine.”

“I thought you didn’t like that I was avoiding you?”

“Well now that I know why, what else can be done? Nothing can happen between us, Law. And we can’t allow feelings to complicate this alliance. I can’t allow that, at least; it’s too important to Luffy.”

He searches for reasoning that will trump yours but comes up with none. And so, with a heavy heart, he concedes. “Okay.”

“Okay.”

“Nothing happened.” Law confirms.

“And nothing will.”

You nod and start walking away. “Goodnight, Law.”

“Goodnight, y/n.”

And once you’re back safely in your room, the tears start to spill. You hate this- you hate him. You hate the way he makes you feel. You hate that you’re in love with him, and it took you this long to realize.

The tears don’t stop until you’re knocked out, and by the time you wake up, they’ve stained your cheeks.

Taglist: @augustanna @lavanderdreamve @pinksaiyans @khaleesihavilliard @jennapancake

[deadboyswalking]

Post-sex pillowtalk where Zoro is just murmuring absentmindedly about the pair of them having kids, lamenting the fact that they can't have biological kids together, rambling, really, about how he'd even be willing to carry them if they got the chance. After all, it's not like pregnancy could slow down the World's Greatest Swordsman...

Sanji flushes bright red as he realizes 3 things very quickly.

1. He kind of wants kids??? With the Marimo???

2. The idea of Zoro pregnant with Sanji's kid has all the blood in his body torn between shooting down to his dick or out his nose

3. He knows someone, maybe even two people (if that was also one of Trafalgar Law's weird powers), who could probably make that happen for them. Iva would be thrilled to help, of course, but the cook knows the teasing from the okama would be completely embarassing.

[kaizokuniichan]

Attention Part 4 - Beef

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Afab Reader (referred to as she/her) x Trafalgar Law

Summary: Law and Zoro finally face off in a slightly heated discussion about you

CW: Brief mentions of slavery and violence, slightly toxic male “Bro” like behavior. You are the prize after all.

Previous Chapters: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Next Chapter: Part 5

Word Count: 2.2k

MDNI. Even though this chapter does not contain any explicit content, the rest of the story does. Please respect this disclaimer.

I was originally going to present this chapter as a two-parter because I didn’t want to leave it as a cliffhanger, but the first part is completed and I’m still working on the second part and I wanted to finally release something for this story. I hope you’ll enjoy this little snippet and I will try to complete the next part soon. Happy Reading!

(Divider by @/cafekitsune and banner by @/eelnoise

Law couldn’t be more thrilled. Somehow, blessedly, you would be staying with him.

More simply, it would be you and the other remaining Strawhats on the journey to Wano, but the details of your failed rendezvous were irrelevant. For now he could at least continue enjoying your company.

Re-coordinating the plan was difficult, though having dealt with the Strawhat captain made Law more skilled at adapting to irritating deviations. His crew was a godsend for they were practiced in anticipating his needs before even being asked. Their reunion had filled him with the realization of how close he’d been to never seeing them again. Would they have forgiven him? Would they have even cared? Would they harbor any resentment for him abandoning them? It took great difficulty to prevent himself from falling down a rabbit hole of self-loathing, but it was combatted with his gratefulness for having such dedicated and devoted people in his life. He’d also internalized your guiding words which reminded him that there wouldn’t even be a dependable and trustworthy crew of his if there weren’t a great captain to lead them.

His mind and heart had been a jumbled mess on the days leading to Zou. A shard of his heart was being taken away, and he feared it would make the rest of him collapse in a way his own Devil Fruit wouldn’t be able to fix. He’d dreaded the moment he’d leave you behind—even more so when you’d clung to him, rendering him frozen with your unshed tears, a suffocating lump lodging in his throat. He’d never seen you look so small and defeated, shriveled as your vivacious essence was drained. Any doubts of your feelings for him were wiped clean when you’d whispered softly how guilty you felt for wanting to stay with him.

Despite your anguish over your blasphemous confession, a part of him— more mountainous than he cared to admit—was delighted that he’d somehow nestled himself within your heart. He’d kissed you so fiercely, pilfering the breath from your lungs, and uttered thankful praises against your lips for painting his world a little brighter—saturating it with your sweetness.

Now that your time together was extended, he had the luxury of hosting you within his domain. Almost daily he struggled with the task of remaining discreet and careful not to further exacerbate the brewing tension between you, him, and Zoro. Not so secretly Law wished the mossy-haired swordsman had joined the others in their rescue of their cook, though he soon realized how futile that would have been given Zoro and the Cook’s contentious relationship.

What was even more concerning was Zoro’s audacious hovering—the man never let you out of his sight. Evidently you and him had engaged in some sort of tryst and now he’d magnetized himself to you and was digging in his heels. Law had taken for granted the minimized scrutiny he’d had aboard the Sunny and how greatly it’d worked in his favor. Now back on the Polar Tang he was forced to maintain the veneer of a respectable host. Ultimately he found himself lying awake at night, wishing to carry you back to his quarters and lavish you with his mouth and body every second of every day it took to reach Wano.

The question now was: where would everyone sleep? How would they divvy up the common areas? The Polar Tang was quite large, but it was uncertain if it could comfortably house 8 guests. The easiest solution was to drag in the spare cots from the infirmary and send all of the men to the men’s quarters.

With strained indifference he’d sent you and Robin to stay with Ikkaku, whose keen eyes took notice of him lingering in the doorway as you settled in. Between her and Robin he felt far too exposed, but it was understood that they’d never mention anything about it. Not to him anyway.

As the sun dipped into the horizon amongst brushstrokes of apricot and magenta, the mighty sub made its descent, hurtling deep into the ocean’s depths. While the Heart Captain sat in his office a soft knock wrapped at his door.

“Hey Captain,” popped Bepo’s head from the doorway as Shachi squeezed past to join him, “that one Strawhat guy was looking for you earlier.”

Massaging his temples, Law prayed that no one else had tampered with anything else of importance.

“If it’s their shipwright tell him we’ll arrive at the next island in a few days’ time, so he can get the materials to fix that tank Long Nose-ya busted.”

Bepo scratched his head as Shachi struggled to hold in his snicker—he’d been complicit in pranking the sniper after all.

“No, it’s that green-haired swordsman who’s been wandering around all day and knocking things over with those swords of his. I think he’s lost but he won’t tell anyone where he’s trying to go.

He’s probably looking for you, Law thought to himself, remembering how you’d spent most of the day sleeping.

“Figures. Bring him and his astronomically pathetic sense of direction in here.”

“Who’re you calling pathetic,” came a grunt from the other side of the door before Bepo stepped aside.

“Actually Captain he’s right here.”

“Yes I see Bepo, thank you. You both can leave. And Shachi, stop encouraging the Strawhats from wreaking anymore havoc. We have too long of a journey together. We can’t afford anymore repairs.”

“Aye aye sir,” Shachi saluted, failing to wipe the shit-eating grin from his face as he ushered Bepo out of the room and closed the door.

Law and Zoro were finally alone, which had never actually happened before they’d arrived at Zou. Much to their surprise they’d formed a delicate alliance, one that stemmed from their disdain for the ludicrous mourning over Kanjuro’s crude drawing and their shared excitement for meeting a ninja. They’d become tentative acquaintances—save for the awkward chill that surged between them whenever you squeezed in to link your arms with theirs. Side-glancing each other over the top of your head, they reluctantly folded as you guided them along.

Zoro leaned against the desk a few steps from where Law sat, who frowned as the force of the other man’s weight knocked over his lamp.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, looking anything but.

“What is it that you want Zoro-ya.”

Taking a moment to answer, he ran his finger over the hilt of Wado Ichimonji.

“Where’s she sleeping tonight?”

Setting down his pen, Law swiveled around to face him.

“Somewhere you’ll never be able to find.”

The perilous edge in Zoro’s eye made him snort.

“Relax Hercules. She’s with Nico-ya in Ikkaku’s room.”

Blowing out a breath, Zoro shifted on his feet. “Surprised you didn’t drag her to your lair.”

“Are you saying I’m Hades?”

The genuine befuddlement crossing Zoro’s face prompted Law to trudge neatly along.

“I might’ve thought about it but i figured it would be inappropriate to grant her the privilege in front of everyone.”

Zoro smirked and Law relaxed, leaning back in his seat.

“I would if I could though.”

Zoro glanced aside to the disorganized pile of books stacked in a corner.

“Everyone knows you know. Even your crew.”

“I know.” Law laid his hands over his stomach, drumming his fingers. “But I can at least maintain the illusion that we’re all keeping it professional.”

“Speak for yourself. I’m lookin grab her right now and take her to that...observation aquarium-thingy she likes so much. Makes for a very romantic setting.”

With a scoff Law turned back to his desk. “Good luck finding it.”

A bark of laughter whisked the tension aside as Zoro removed his katanas to lean them next to him against the desk. Carding a hand through his hair he turned to face Law properly.

“I can see why she likes you so much.”

Law’s brow twitched as he was unable to tamp down his confusion.

“She likes people who give it to her straight. Bet you’ve said things to her that most people would consider rude.”

He was momentarily stage-hooked to his first encounter with you and smiled.

“One day I basically told her she looked like shit. Like she hadn’t slept for a week.”

“I see,” Zoro replied, concealing his laugh with a fist over his mouth. “Did she...ever tell you why she has so much trouble sleeping?”

Of course you had. It’d been one of the very first offerings of yourself you’d entrusted him with.

“Almost every night for weeks on end, without even breaks sometimes, they forced me to participate in those underground fighting rings under the threat of being sold as a slave to a Celestial Dragon. All thanks to my shitty parent’s debts. And ever since, I’ve been like a prisoner in my own mind. I don’t think you realize how much you’ve helped me.”

“Yeah, she told me.”

Zoro scratched his jaw.

“She still has those nightmares you know, even now. But I imagine you’ve provided the perfect late-night distraction for her.”

Law’s eyes widened in bewilderment.

“I thought she was with you during all of those late nights. You both seem so close after all.”

“Well. Shit,” Zoro shook his head, “I guess we were both missing our opportunity.”

“I guess we were,” Law affirmed with a wry smile.

A blanket of comfortable silence settled before Law turned back to re-open his book.

“Looks like I’ll have to work harder to find a way to steal her away.”

Zoro’s head snapped back to him, eye gleaming with careful warning.

“She’s not going anywhere.”

Law’s face gave away nothing as he flipped the pages of his book.

“You sure? I can be very convincing. My crew seems to like her already. I’m sure she’d fit right in.”

“She’s not the type to abandon us just because she fell a little for your pretty boy charms,” Zoro muttered, leaning closer.

“Well it seems your Mr. Cool act hasn’t been enough to keep her full attention, so you never know.”

Zoro’s mouth curled in a taunting sneer.

“I definitely had her attention a few weeks ago in our kitchen. And I was also smart enough not to cut it short by the way.”

Law snapped his book shut, bristling as he stood up.

“She told you about that?”

“Not directly. I could just tell. She said it was good though.”

His body eased with relief. He’d been worried he hadn’t given you enough during your last encounter. It was good to know you’d at least liked it. He’d give you so much more if you let him.

“Well luckily I have ways of bringing her to me discreetly, if she wishes. And we’ll have plenty of privacy for me to service her properly.”

Zoro leaned closer, not quite touching his nose to Law’s but close enough to feel the heat from his body.

“Don’t think it’s gonna be that easy to take her just because you made her cum.”

Law countered with unwavering eyes, “I don’t know if you’re trying to offend me Zoro-ya, but this thing between us is much deeper than just satisfying her sexually, and I think you’re underestimating that.”

“I’m not underestimating shit. That’s why I’m telling you. I won’t back off, and I’m guessing you’re not either, so this ain’t personal but I’ll fight you for her if I have to.

Their aggressions squared off until Zoro shifted back to tuck his katanas safely back into his haramaki.

“You’re lucky you’re too noble of a guy to play around with her heart, otherwise I’d have to slice you up just for wasting her time.”

Law remained stood at his desk, arms folded.

“And I know you’re too honorable of a man to sacrifice the greater good of our alliance for some non-beef with me. It’s nothing personal on my end either.”

Fully finished with the conversation, Law sighed and held out his hand. “I’m sending you back to the men’s quarters now since I do not trust you to find it on your own.”

“You’re just trying to get rid of me so you can-“ but his reply was cut short as he was teleported out of the room, replaced with a dirty sock that flopped to the floor.

Collapsing back into his chair, he threaded his fingers behind his head. Considering Zoro’s accusation he now considered actually teleporting himself to Ikkaku’s room and stealing you away. Before he could talk himself out of it he focused on a discarded hairbrush and landed softly on the carpet. You were still sound asleep in your bunk, tightly wrapped in your blankets. As he approached your bed he considered an item inconspicuous enough to swap himself with without being too obvious that his presence had been the reason for your absence.

Settling on a pen, he bundled you up in his arms and swiftly warped back to his room, setting you down on the bed just as your eyes cracked open. His heart fluttered as you gave him a dreamy smile.

“I was wondering when I was going to see you.”

[mysteryshoptls]

SR Silver - Apprentice Chef Vignette

"Master Chef"

[Kitchen]

Master Chef ― Silver Version ～Let's Make Beef Stew 1～

Silver: Beef stew… A dish needing to be boiled in a pot, of all things. I'm hoping I don't mess this up.

Ghost Chef: "Of all things"? Is there something worrying you?

Silver: Well…I actually have a bad habit where I find myself abruptly falling asleep.

Silver: Waiting for food to cook is no exception… I've fallen asleep while cooking before, leading to many failed dishes.

Ghost Chef: I had briefly glanced at what you wrote in your reasons for taking this class, but I see you were telling the truth about falling asleep easily.

Riddle: It's rather dangerous to fall asleep while cooking. Has it ever resulted in a fire?

Silver: In Briar Valley, we generally prepare our food using magic. This means that even our flames for cooking are produced via our own magical abilities.

Silver: If I were to fall asleep, my magic would also be cut off and the fire would disappear, so even I haven't had to deal with a fire hazard as such.

Ghost Chef: Hahaha. So it was like you had a built-in automatic shut-off function.

Silver: As it was, back when I couldn't use magic, my father would light the flames for me.

Silver: This meant that even when I dozed off, my father would tend to the fire and he'd adjust… I mean, finish up the dish.

Silver: However, as a child I hadn't realized just how much my father had been trying to keep me from danger.

Silver: That's why I had believed that there would be no issues if I attempted to cook by myself…

Silver: One time, while my father was away, I attempted to cook over a wood fire.

Silver: The morning had been particularly cold that day… So I thought I would make a pot-au-feu for my father.

Silver: I was able to chop the ingredients, throw them in a pot, and season everything with no issues…

Silver: But perhaps that is where I let down my guard. I dozed off while the pot was still on the flame.

Riddle: Ah, but that was quite dangerous! It wasn't fire borne from magic, yes?

Riddle: What happened next?

Silver: I somehow woke up before any fire hazard took place. However, by that point, all the water had boiled away…

Silver: So, I added water to the pot in haste, which only served to turn the whole soup black as the charred bits dissolved into the liquid.

Silver: The dish was a failure. The whole house smelled like char. Just as I was at my wit's end, my father returned home.

Riddle: …Did he scold you?

Silver: Not at all. He just laughed, relieved that I hadn't hurt myself.

Silver: He also said that failure was a stepping stone to improvement for next time.

Silver: Furthermore, he scooped up a bowl of that black and burnt pot-au-feu and ate it without any hesitation.

Silver: My father said that it had a distinctive flavor even as it was, but… There was no way it was anywhere near edible.

Riddle: …He seems to be a very kind father.

Silver: He is, I'm glad to have him.

Riddle: Did you ever have the opportunity to learn how to cook from him?

Silver: He is an adept swordsman and mage, but… When it comes to cooking, both the ingredients he would use and the way he would cook constantly changed on a whim.

Silver: And he could never season anything the same way twice… In short, I never found my father's cooking style to be worth referencing.

Silver: That is why I consider myself self-taught. That being said, I always considered a dish good enough if it was edible.

Silver: All I can really do is chop up meat and vegetables and toss them in salt and pepper, or sometimes take leftovers to make risotto.

Riddle: It is fine enough that you are self-taught. I myself have never prepared anything by my lonesome.

Ghost Chef: Okay now, you two! Get to work, don't just chatter away!

Silver: Ah, right, my apologies… I should chop up the vegetables first.

Silver: I'll peel the carrots.

[peels carrots]

Ghost Chef: Oho～ You've got skills.

Silver: Blades are somewhat of a specialty of mine.

Silver: Next are the onions.

[peels onions]

Riddle: Silver, I am in need of an onion as well. Will you teach me how to peel them?

Ghost Chef/Silver: …?

Riddle: Wh-Why are both of you staring at me strangely!? Was my question that bizarre…?

Silver: It can be peeled by hand.

Riddle: I was not asking for the method of peeling, exactly… Rather, I can't seem to grasp where the peel ends specifically.

Silver: Oh, that's what you meant. The peel is the thin, brown layer on top. The white part is what's edible.

Ghost Chef: If there are any areas that seem to be discolored brown, you can just cut it out.

Riddle: I should cut out the discolored spots…? It's a little disconcerting to create random divots like that.

Ghost Chef: Hmm, Riddle-kun, you're very thorough!

Silver: Don't worry too much. At worst, even if some of the peel were to remain, it would just stick to the inside of your mouth. It is still edible.

Ghost Chef: And on the other hand, Silver-kun, you're much too loose-minded!

Silver: Alright, I've finished chopping up the vegetables and meat. Now, we melt butter in a hot pan…

Silver: And brown the meat.

[sizzle]

Silver: It's almost time to add the vegetables. …Ordinarily, I would just salt and pepper it here and consider it done.

Ghost Chef: That would be a fine dish if it were with a regular sirloin steak. However, shank and tendon taste much better stewed～

Silver: So different cuts of meat are cooked differently, I see. I'd never really thought about that before.

Silver: …Chef, the onions are starting to become translucent, are they sauteed enough?

Ghost Chef: Oh yes, it looks good! Now add water and bring it to a boil.

Silver: It seems we've finally come to the dreaded moment of boiling the stew. I worry I may nod off…

Ghost Chef: Hehehe… Have I got just the thing for you to keep your mind off your worries.

Silver: What is it?

[Kitchen]

Master Chef ― Silver Version ～Let's Make Beef Stew 2～

Ghost Chef: Let me introduce you to this… Ta-da! An electric pressure cooker!

Silver: An electric pressure cooker…?

Silver: I think I get it. If I use a pressure cooker, that would decrease the amount of time the stew needs to boil.

Silver: Plus, since it's electric, there's a timer function. Even if I were to fall asleep, the ingredients shouldn't char.

Ghost Chef: Yeah… That's basically it. You got it in one before I could even explain it.

Silver: This will be my first time using an electronic appliance to cook.

Riddle: Huh, your first time!? I have limited experience with cooking, and even I have used an electronic appliance like a microwave.

Silver: Of course I know of their existence, at the very least…

Silver: But I hadn't had the chance to use one since I enrolled here because I would just dine in the cafeteria.

Silver: In Briar Valley, most of the homes don't have electricity, let alone appliances like microwaves.

Riddle: Truly, it is a prerequisite to be able to use magic there, I see… It's a life I could not even begin to fathom.

Riddle: Although, I do believe that my magic would improve greatly if I were to live there.

Silver: With your magical prowess and competence, I'm sure you would have no issues living there.

Ghost Chef: Alright, Silver-kun. Throw all the ingredients into the electric pressure cooker.

Ghost Chef: Select the button on the menu panel that says "Beef Stew" and then press start!

[click]

Silver: It says… 20 minutes remaining.

Ghost Chef: Now you're all set. We just need to wait for it to cook.

Silver: Do we not have to keep watch over the pot? Will it need to be stirred midway through?

Ghost Chef: Don't worry, it'll come out fine. In fact, it'll be more prone to failure if we keep poking at it.

Ghost Chef: Leave the pressure cooker be for now, and instead, let's start on the demi-glace sauce!

Silver: It didn't take as long as I expected to make the sauce. I guess I should wash the dirtied pot and knife.

Silver: …I need to… wash the pot…

Ghost Chef: Oh! Hey, hey, Silver-kun!

Silver: Ah! That was close, I almost fell asleep. I can't let my guard down for even a moment.

Silver: I have no earthly idea why.

Ghost Chef: Well, since you stole my thunder a bit earlier, let me try to show you how the electric pressure cooker can be used.

Silver: Yes, please.

Ghost Chef: A handy pressure cooker is capable of crating any number of dishes, but it doesn't mean you have to follow a recipe to the letter.

Ghost Chef: If you swap out ingredients or seasonings, you can make a dish that is more aligned with your personal tastes.

Ghost Chef: For example, you know the ingredients we're using for today's stew?

Ghost Chef: If you chose to substitute tomato juice for the demi-glace sauce, you could make a tomato stew instead.

Silver: …My father loves tomato juice.

Silver: If I substituted tomato juice for the sauce… Maybe my father would gladly eat it up.

～～♪

Silver: What's that noise…? Oh, it's done cooking.

Ghost Chef: Go ahead and open up the lid to the pressure cooker. Take care not to burn yourself when you do.

Silver: Yes, sir.

[opens pot]

Silver: Wow…

Silver: Both the vegetables and meat are cooked to perfection. I would have never guessed that they'd get this tender in only 20 minutes.

Ghost Chef: Yes, yes, and now it's time for the finishing touches.

Silver: Now we add the demi-glace and a tad bit of ketchup to taste. That should be about good.

Silver: Mm, delicious!

Silver: Next, plate it and add boiled broccoli for garnish.

Silver: …Good, it's finished.

Ghost Chef: Not bad! Take the plate and head on out to the judging venue.

Silver: Right. No matter how difficult the judge may be, I'll definitely emerge the victor…!

Ghost Chef: Wait, hold on, you're not going into battle.

[Cafeteria – Judging Venue]

???: Ah, so you're my chef today, Silver.

Silver: Jamil. I've heard from Kalim that you're very proficient at cooking.

Silver: Within the school body, you're probably the most competent at cooking… Urk, am I even a viable opponent for someone like you?

Jamil: What kind of fight are you even trying to gear up for right now? Well, whatever. I'll dig in now.

[chomp]

Jamil: Hmm… It tastes okay.

Silver: Just okay, hm…

Jamil: However…

Jamil: I'll give you that the ingredients are cooked through pretty well. The meat is so tender it falls apart in my mouth almost instantly.

Jamil: This must have taken you some time, didn’t it? I would have thought you'd be in danger of falling asleep midway through…

Silver: Yeah, I was also worried about that. In fact, while I was waiting for it to stew, I could feel myself getting drowsy.

Silver: The reason this dish was a success was all thanks to the Chef allowing me to use a pressure cooker.

Silver: Since it only stewed for a short while, I was able to push through without drowsing off.

Jamil: That's surprising. I thought the Master Chef program was designed with a focus on improving your cooking abilities…

Jamil: But it seems they provide assistive tools for those who may be lacking in techniques or aptitude.  Good to know.

Silver: That's right, they gave me a good way to compensate for my lack of experience.

Silver: Even if I were to fall asleep, I can simply set a timer and the dish won't burn.

Silver: Also, when the timer goes off, it makes a noise, so it would wake me up… Or at least, it should.

Jamil: How did it ever come to your mind to use a pressure cooker as an alarm clock in the first place…?

Silver: I shouldn't constantly rely on outside tools… But I think it's something that I currently have a need for.

Jamil: Thank you for the food.

Jamil: I'm not sure how much of this can be said was of your own skills, but I'll say it was edible.

Silver: Well, it wasn't a flawless victory, but I suppose at least it wasn't an abject failure… I'll continue to work at it.

Ghost Chef: Well done! Looks like you made it through to the end without falling asleep.

Silver: Ah… That reminds me.

Silver: I started to think of how I'd like to make for my father the tomato stew and cabbage rolls that you mentioned…

Silver: Perhaps it's because that was on my mind that I was able to keep the drowsiness at bay.

Ghost Chef: That's because we can't help but try to put forth our best effort whenever we imagine how happy people would look eating our food.

Silver: I see… I guess your state of mind is rather important when it comes to cooking.

Requested by Anonymous.

[cinnbar-bun]

One Piece Characters w/ an S/O who celebrates Ramadan pt. 2

Characters: Zoro, Ace, Mihawk (all requested, thank you <3)

Rating: SFW

Notes: Muslim!GN!Reader. So yeah, obvy talking about religious beliefs and practices- if those make you uncomfortable please feel free to skip <3

A/n: cultural notes at the bottom in case you didn't know/just curious about some of the terms here.

Part 1 here

Zoro 

At first, he’s confused why you would do such a thing, but when you explain the significance of the month, he’s pretty impressed. 

It’s a test of resolve, discipline, and reflection- and, well, Zoro’s always looking for a new way to test himself and get better. 

No eating and drinking water? Well, he can do that, no problem. It also makes him want to see how far he can push himself in his exercise regiment without having to drink. 

His drinking though, well, it definitely hits him a bit harder than he would like to admit. He does have the urge to just guzzle three barrels of rum but he’s tryna be good, so he’ll do something to manage. 

Honestly the type to sleep all day or be working out when fasting. I don’t think he’d bother to get up for suhur either, he just sleeps through it and says he’ll deal with it later. 

This month will be where he is very reflective and open about his feelings or emotions with you. He’s pretty good about clearing his mind and meditating usually, but especially now he will be even more conscious about his reflections. It actually surprised you how much he was holding in. 

Takes this very seriously, 10000%, doesn’t let anyone or anything break his concentration or yours. 

Ace

Similar to his younger brother, Ace doesn’t know much about Ramadan, and the idea baffles him. 

But, he’s way more open to learning and trying to understand it better. 

He’s still failing immediately, poor guy. 

If he’s not shoveling down food in the afternoon or falling asleep right in the middle of eating, he’s probably gonna be casually drinking and going ‘oops, I forgot’ all day. 

All day. Almost every thirty minutes. Marco is thinking of checking if Ace is suffering from early onset dementia. 

OKAY LISTEN, IT’S THE ATTEMPT. THE ATTEMPT WAS THERE!!!

And even if his ‘fasting’ is uh, pretty shoddy, he does do his best to take care of you and support you (even if he’s about to offer you food or water every few minutes). 

He’s very intrigued by the reasoning for it, so he often asks you questions. Sure, he truthfully doesn’t have the fortitude to resist eating until sunset, but your devotion does make him proud of you. He feels so lucky and grateful he’s got such a cool partner. 

Likes watching you pray or read. He often smiles when he watches you and thinks he’s starting to get into it when he realizes he actually is reflecting alongside you. Definitely makes him appreciate your relationship more and your strength. 

Mihawk 

Much like his protege, Mihawk is captivated by the concept of Ramadan. Sure, he’s heard of it or read about it in his books, but he never understood it. Having you there to explain it and give more insight and rules makes him appreciate it. 

As the greatest swordsman, Mihawk is always looking for ways to appease his boredom as well as continue his discipline. He’s incredibly strict on himself, so he will immediately go all in during Ramadan with you. 

The house husband in him truly shines this month, he’s extra careful about how he prepares your meals and makes sure you are getting more hydration and nutrition than before. Likes to cook you fulfilling meals that won’t make you sick after fasting all day. 

Yes, he is still farming while fasting. No, he will not admit he is about to die of thirst. But also, that makes him desire to overcome that weakness and work harder to not need water while working outside. So, uh… good for him? 

Mihawk is also a man who enjoys reading, so he takes the month of Ramadan seriously as a chance to read the Quran with you. (Omg, reading the nightly juz with him <3)

Mihawk will learn how to pray, nothing will stop him from doing so, like I said, he’s all in, you’re doing it, he’s doing it. I think he will end up becoming more strict and knowledgeable than you in a few days. 

Again like his protege, giving up alcohol was probably a bit of a challenge (but again, Mihawk loves one), but he tends to substitute his cravings for wine with either a simple glass of water, tea, or even regular grape juice. 

He won’t admit his reflections out loud majority of the time, but it’ll be subtle glances at you or his lips turning up into a smile while he mentally thinks how grateful he is to have you and to share this with you <3. 

Cultural Notes: 

Ramadan is the 9th month of the Islamic calendar, which is based on the lunar cycle- hence why you’ll often see debates on when Ramadan starts/ends or why it begins about a week or two earlier than before, since the lunar calendar is shorter than the solar calendar (or Gregorian, the one we normally use). 

Muslims fast for a month from dawn until sunset (there are restrictions of course) so no water or food from that time. 

Sahur/Suhur/Suhoor: the meal you eat before the dawn comes. 

Iftar: the meal you eat to break your fast at sunset. 

Juz: There are other words for it but basically, the Quran can be divided into 30 sections to be read in a month or so. Generally this how some people section it off, and during Ramadan, it's seen as a very good thing to read 1 juz a day. By the time Ramadan is done, you probably have read the full Quran.

[macbethsymphony]

The Swordsman and the Blacksmith | Chapter 21

Roronoa Zoro x Reader

Chapter wc: 6.3k

Chapter rating: NSFW-ish

Content/Warnings: NSFW, 18+, Fem!Reader, Enemies to lovers, SLOW slow burn, Eventual smut

Summary: Your skills as a blacksmith have made you desirable to both the government and pirates. You know you have to leave this island if you want to escape your fate, but that doesn't make the choice of leaving any easier. Roronoa Zoro is intrigued by your skills as a blacksmith. Your work is like nothing he's ever seen before. Unfortunately, you're hot-headed and he's rude and you both definitely hate each other.

Chapters [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20]

Masterlist

Slowly crossposting from AO3

Chapter 21: Shusui

Roronoa Zoro was already in your forge when you got there. Standing amidst the dancing flames, the heat radiating from the blazing fires was casting flickering shadows on his sweat-dampening skin, emphasizing the hard lines of his physique. For a moment, you couldn’t help but pause, drawn to the raw power exuding from him as he sifted through the array of objects scattered across your workbench.

He picked up one of the kitchen knives you had been crafting a few days prior, his focus intense as he examined the half-finished blade with a critical eye.

"They're for Sanji," you interjected, your voice slicing through the sound of crackling flames as you finally approached him.

His brows furrowed slightly, a hint of irritation passing his stare. “The cook?” He twirled the steel in his fingers absentmindedly. The unpolished metal glinted mesmerizingly before he returned it among the others. “He’s peculiar about his tools.”

You hummed in agreement as you joined his side. “You’re right, it was an unexpected request. I guess he really liked the first one I made.”

A faint scowl flickered across Zoro’s features at your words, his jaw tightening imperceptibly. You watched as his hand reached within the leather bag on the wooden top, taking out a few small black balls of steel.

“Those are for Usopp,” you explained. “We’re working on a prototype together.” Your gaze lingered on his fingers as he rolled and observed the projectiles. You pointed at a black guitar pick and an engraved money clip. “And these are for Brook and Nami. I’m also working on a surgical set for Chopper.” You chuckled before continuing. “Luffy asked for a bracelet and I’m working with Franky for improvements on the ship. Robin still insists on not wanting anything… but I’ll find something.”

He scrutinized you for a moment, a subtle intensity in his gaze as he contemplated something, his fingers lingering on the leather bag as he put back the small spheres into it.

There was a palpable tension in the air as he shifted, settling himself half-sitting on your workbench. “You’ve been busy,” he observed with a hint of stiffness in his voice.

You met his gaze, your eyes tracing the lines of his features, heart skipping a beat at the proximity. It was a rare moment for Zoro to be almost eye-level with you, and the subtle difference in perspective sent a thrill coursing through you.

"I suppose I have," you admitted in response to his observation, you gave a satisfied nod as you looked over the objects.

The heat of the forge swirled around you both. His hand reached out, fingers intertwining with yours as he pulled you closer, the sudden movement catching you off guard. You found yourself standing before him, his touch sending a flutter in your stomach as he brought your hand near to his face.

Your breath hitched in your throat as his gaze roamed your hand, his fingers tracing the rougher patches of skin, the tiny scars, the marks of your hard work with a gentle curiosity. You felt a rush of self-consciousness wash over you, a flush creeping into your cheeks as you tried to pull away, but his grip remained firm.

“What about me?” he couldn’t help himself but ask, his eye meeting yours. His voice was low and husky, a hint of something indiscernible lurking in its depths. Was that a hint of jealousy you detected? Or something else entirely?

You met his gaze in a teasing look, your lips quirking up in a smirk. "What about you, swordsman?" you echoed, your tone laced with amusement and a touch of mischief.

Zoro's stare narrowed, his grip on your hand tightening ever so slightly as he held your eyes, a faint grin tugging at the corners of his lips. The subtle shift in his expression hinted at a challenge, as if he were daring you to continue the path you were going towards.

"You know what I mean," he replied, bringing your palm to his lips in a soft kiss, before moving on to the pads of your fingers, to the healed scars.

Your heartbeat quickened at the intensity of his gaze, the warmth of his breath against your skin was electrifying, igniting a fire within you that blazed at a far higher temperature than the ones of your forge, threatening to consume your senses.

With each gentle caress, you felt yourself surrendering to the magnetic pull between you, drawn inevitably closer to him. A gasp escaped your lips as his lips trailed down toward your wrist, his touch leaving a trail of heat in its wake. He bit at the hem of your long sleeve, dragging it down before placing a soft kiss on your pulse. The sensation was intoxicating.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" he muttered against your skin, sending waves of desire crashing over you.

You couldn't help but smile at his words, the teasing shimmer in your eyes mirrored in his. "Right, where would be the fun in that?" you replied, your voice barely above a whisper as you leaned into the game you were playing, your free hand going to his jaw, down his jugular.

Zoro's grip on your wrist tightened, his tongue met your skin, followed by a soft bite, his gaze never leaving yours in a silent dare. You whined at the sensation. Your touch descended to his collarbone, to the expanse of flesh visible in his open overcoat. The tips of your fingers traced the scar on his chest before they found the small crescent marks you’d left the night before, almost unnoticeable but definite under your touch.

"Is that a challenge, witch?" he asked, his voice a low rumble that reverberated under your palm, his breath hot against your skin.

Your heart pounded in your chest as his words sent a thrill coursing through you, igniting a fierce desire in your core. With a mischievous look, you leaned in closer, your lips hovering provocatively near his ear.

"What if it is, swordsman?" you whispered, your breath hot against his skin, it was his turn to stiffen subtly beneath you. 

Something akin to a rough moan left him as his hand left yours and went softly to your nape, directing your lips towards his. There was an amused glint in his eye, a contented smirk on his features. “Always so defiant,” he commented hovering at the edge of a kiss.

"Oi! Firecracker, did you see my hammer?" Franky's voice boomed, reverberating through the walls of your forge before he inevitably appeared in the doorway.

You jumped back, feeling the heat rise to your cheeks at the realization of what you were doing. Zoro's frustration was palpable as he let out a low groan, his hands clenching the workbench’s edge until his knuckles turned white, his nails digging into the wooden surface. His head fell back, a muttered curse slipping past his lips, barely audible but laden with exasperation. Something suspiciously resembling ‘this fucking ship’ reached your ears. You weren’t entirely certain if it was an echo of your own thoughts or something the swordsman whispered.

The cyborg stopped in his tracks, his gaze travelling between the two of you, a knowing smirk playing on his lips as he leaned casually against the frame of the door. "What were you brats doing?"

You cleared your throat, trying to ignore the suggestive undertone in Franky's question. "Your hammer, Franky? Let me find it…" Your eyes scanned the cluttered workshop, searching for the misplaced tool.

Franky's eyebrows arched in amusement as he pushed further, undeterred by your attempt to redirect the conversation. "Were you guys doing something inappropriate? Should I have knocked first?"

Spotting the damned hammer, you seized the opportunity to change the subject. "The idiot owes me a sword," you replied tersely, your words curt.

Zoro chimed in, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And the witch is supposed to give me a sword."

"Swords, huh? Sure," Franky drawled, his suggestive tone adding a playful edge to the exchange.

Ignoring Franky's insinuations, you quickly retrieved the hammer and handed it to him with a forced smile. "Here you go, Franky. All set?"

He accepted the tool with a grin, his mechanical fingers wrapping around the handle. "Thanks, Firecracker," he smirked, his eyes darting over to Zoro. “Don’t let me interrupt you brats,” he teased before sauntering out of the forge. His laughter echoed through the space as he left. There was a silence for a moment until you heard the inevitable hearty cackles start again. “Oi, Robin! You won’t believe what I have to tell you.” The words barely reached your ears in the distance, but they still made your eyes roll.

You leaned heavily against the wall, an involuntary groan escaping your lips as you regarded the swordsman. A palpable tension hung in the air, a silent standoff between wills, neither prepared to yield nor acknowledge the unspoken undercurrents swirling between them. Your egos struggled quietly, each refusing to concede an inch of ground in this battle of pride and desire. Your stare oozed with irritation and a hint of a challenge. His smirk widened at your defiance, a playful glint dancing in his gaze as he pushed himself off the workbench, moving with the grace of a predator, swift and purposeful.

The bastard was clearly enjoying this. You couldn't help but inwardly curse as you observed his smug demeanor, a frustrating mix of annoyance and begrudging yearning stirring within you. 

Closing the distance between you with long strides, he exuded an almost suffocating presence. Standing before you, he paused, his hand rising to caress your cheek, the warmth of his touch reigniting the simmering heat in your veins. His thumb brushed gently against your lips, a silent invitation you didn’t take hanging between you.

"So?" he asked, his tone laced with amusement as he watched you struggle to gather your thoughts. "What's that new condition you want to add for Yokubari?"

You stumbled over your words for a moment, feeling the weight of his gaze bearing down on you. With a scoff you tried to pass as nonchalant, you pushed him back a step, your hand finding purchase against his chest.

"Right," you began, your voice firm despite the chaos swirling within you. "No unsheathing Yokubari unless we're on solid ground," you declared, moving to fetch the said sword. "And always under my supervision."

You watched his features transform into a confused frown. Watched as his gaze became sharper as he considered your words.

“Why?” He asked finally.

Your expression remained serious as you discussed the sentient blade. “Because I say so,” you replied, your tone unusually firm.

Zoro’s brow furrowed further in frustration at your response, his jaw tightening with barely contained annoyance. “That’s not a reason,” he retorted his voice tinged with impatience.

You shrugged his vexation away, it was a condition on which you refused to back down. “Yokubari is hard to master, consider it a condition for my peace of mind.”

He let out an exasperated sigh, running a hand through his unruly hair in frustration as he stalked to where you were standing with the sword in hand. “Are you underestimating me, witch?” he asked with a note of anger threatening to come out.

It was your turn to frown at his tone. “I think you’re conveniently forgetting how close you came to dying the last time you held it, swordsman,” you said stiffly as you remembered your deadly blunder.

"I was perfectly in contro-" he started to protest, but halted at the look that flashed in your eyes. "Fine," he conceded, his hand reaching to grab Yokubari.

You didn’t release your grip as his fingers wrapped around the hilt, your jaw clenched, a hesitant look in your gaze.

He gave you a quizzical look, sensing the unease emanating from you.

“Promise me you won’t let it change you,” you said under your breath, your voice barely audible over the crackling of the fires.

"Huh?" he responded, his brows furrowing in confusion at your request.

You raised your tone slightly, the urgency clear in your words. “Promise me you won’t let it consume you, that you’ll still be the same person afterwards.

His gaze softened, a hint of understanding dawning in his eye as he studied your face.

"I won't change," he assured you, his voice carrying a note of confidence. Yet, despite his conviction, your anxiety remained unabated, gnawing at the edges of your resolve as you grappled with the idea of leaving Yokubari in someone else's hands.

You gritted your teeth as you remembered the impact it had had on the people who had tried to wield it in the past. You looked up at the swordsman, gauging if you could trust him. Your grip tightened for a moment before you finally let go.

You watched as he clearly itched to unsheathe the blade, his fingers resting on the guard, but he honored your request. Instead he simply added it to the complex array of knots at his side.

“Get used to holding it,” you said, your tone still tight. “You’ll find that it’ll challenge you at the most unexpected moments.” 

He quirked an eyebrow at that. “How so?” he asked as he undid the knots keeping Shusui at his waist. You couldn’t help the chuckle that left your lips as you thought it over, the tension in your shoulders releasing slightly. “Depends if Yokubari likes you or not,” you admitted. “Though this trouble making blade doesn’t tend to like a lot of people.”

He smiled at that, the upcoming challenge something he already relished. He finished taking out Shusui. “So just like you, witch,” he said giving his sword a final casual twirl before handing it to you.

You ignored his taunt, your fingers reaching excitedly towards the legendary blade. You allowed the thoughts of Yokubari to fade to the back of your mind in the presence of the black sheathed blade. He let go, the sword falling in your palms. Your hands fell at the sudden weight, you stumbled forward, your balance shattered.

“It’s so much heavier than I thought,” you said in excited surprise, childlike wonder etched on your face as you looked up at the swordsman.

Zoro couldn’t help but chuckle at your reaction, a fond smile softening his features as he watched you marvel at the sword in your hands.  "Can I watch?" he asked, his gaze curious.

His request caught you off guard. "It might not be very exciting for you," you replied, clearing your workbench, and setting Shusui in the center. "Studying a sword isn't exactly riveting to the observer."

"So? Can I watch?" he stubbornly reiterated, tilting his head slightly as he awaited your response.

You couldn't help but chuckle at his persistence. "Sure, you can watch," you relented, a hint of amusement tugging at the corners of your lips. You grabbed at the roll of linen on the wooden top, your fingers deftly wrapping the cloth around your hair. "After all, it's your sword we're talking about." With a casual shrug, you gestured for him to come closer, inviting him to observe the process of studying Shusui. “I will be taking breaks to temper Sanji’s knives though, do you mind?”

"I don't," he replied, joining you at your side as you set up the tools you’d need for your observations. You waved towards a nearby stool, wordlessly offering him a seat, but he remained standing. "Does it take long?" he inquired, his gaze fixed on the glowing embers of the forge.

"Tempering?" you echoed, moving to place the first knife into the burning charcoal.

"The quenching doesn't take more than a minute, but the blade needs to heat up for around two hours," you clarified, your movements precise and practiced as you worked. “This forge is small, so I can only really do one blade at a time.”

He hummed noncommittally, watching you grab your notebook and a pen as you made your way back to his side.

You sat down, a thrill coursing through you as you let your hand graze along the scabbard. "Did you tie the sageo?" you inquired, your fingers delicately tracing the intricate knots near the guard. The rope was meticulously tied, each loop and twist a testament to the care and precision put into its creation.

You felt him tense behind you, a fleeting moment of uncertainty crossing his features. "I did," he admitted, his voice carrying a rare hint of hesitation, as if unsure how you would react to his admission.

You nodded, a flicker of surprise dancing in your eyes. "It's impressive," you remarked, your tone genuine as you continued to examine the knotwork. "You have a knack for it. The color is nice, it highlights the details of the scabbard well and the knots are precise," you opened your notebook, pen in your mouth as you considered where to start your observations.

He shrugged nonchalantly, though a hint of pride you didn’t see glimmered in his eye at your praise. He crossed his arms, standing tall behind you as he continued to watch your unwavering attention on the sword. “Tell me what you see,” he demanded.

You tossed your head back, the wrappings of your hair brushed slightly over his abdomen in the movement. You regarded him curiously, noting the shift in his eye. “I didn’t know the great Roronoa Zoro was so interested in sword making,” you teased, with a smile. He raised an eyebrow but before he could retort something clever at your taunt, you continued. “Fine, if you’re going to be hovering over me the whole time, you might as well learn something, swordsman.” 

He took an imperceptible step forward as your fingers grazed down the scabbard. Even through the heat of the fires of your forge you could feel the warmth of his body radiating from behind you.

“The saya is rather standard,” you began, your voice steady as you recorded your observations in your notebook. “It appears to be crafted from magnolia wood, which is the typical choice for a katana scabbard.”

With practiced ease, you lifted the sword into your hands, your eyes tracing the intricate details of the handle and guard. “The tsuba is stunning,” you murmured, barely audible above the crackling of the flames, as your gaze lingered on the delicate flower pattern etched into the golden guard. “Its simplicity complements the blade perfectly.”

He leaned in closer, his interest mirroring yours as he followed your examination with rapt attention.

“Silk is an excellent choice for the handle wrapping,” you continued, your voice growing more animated as you delved into the intricacies of the sword’s construction. “Although it lacks the immediate grip of a round cord, the twists provide a secure hold. Additionally, silk gains traction with moisture, making it ideal for use in damp conditions and prolonged periods of use.”

You paused for a moment, taking an expectant breath in as you drew the blade from its scabbard, anticipation tingling in every fiber of your being. As the gleaming metal emerged into the light, your eyes widened in awe, beholding its magnificent form.

"Oh, you beautiful blade," you  breathed out, your voice hushed and reverent, a declaration to the profound admiration you held for the sleek black steel.

You ran your fingertips along the edge, marveling at the smoothness of the grain beneath your touch. Every curve, every line seemed to whisper secrets of its craftsmanship, a testament to the skill and dedication poured into its creation.

The steel beckoned to you, its presence demanding worship from you. A demand which you happily obliged. A smile graced your lips, a silent acknowledgment of the blade’s satisfaction.

With a mixture of curiosity and respect, you extended your senses, allowing your haki to intertwine with the essence of the blade. The black tendrils of your energy danced delicately along its edge, a harmonious exchange between two souls. It was a sensation beyond words, an intoxicating blend of power and finesse that left you momentarily breathless.

Reluctantly, you withdrew, releasing the connection with the blade but retaining the lingering imprint of its presence.

A soft exhale brushed against your neck as the swordsman drew closer, his breath warm against your skin. "What do you see?" he inquired, the question cutting through the reverent silence that enveloped the forge.

Your heart skipped a beat at the proximity of his voice. Instinctively, you leaned back, seeking a clearer view of the blade, only to collide with the solid warmth of his chest.

For a fleeting moment, you froze, caught off guard by the unexpected contact. Yet as you retreated forward, his hand trailed up your arm, finding its place over your heart in an almost tender touch, drawing you back into his embrace.

“What do you see?” he repeated the low timbre of his voice reverberating through your being, his breath warm against your ear.

Despite the quickening of your pulse, your gaze remained ensnared by the allure of the black steel before you. "It's magnificent," you uttered, your index finger tracing the sinuous wavelike pattern adorning the edge. "Flawless, truly."

Zoro responded with a hum of agreement, his eye following your movements with a quiet intensity.

"Do you see the hamon here?" you asked, pointing to the faint purplish line that delineated the transition between the obsidian hue of the blade and the deep red of the wave following the deadly sharp edge.

"The pattern?" Zoro inquired, his curiosity piqued.

"Not precisely," you clarified, your voice tinged with a hint of scholarly enthusiasm. "While the term 'hamon' is often used to refer to the pattern, it specifically denotes this hazy line formed during the hardening process."

As his hand left your heart to join yours against the blade, you continued to explain the intricacies of the forging process.

"To achieve a pattern like this," you elaborated, "layers of clay are meticulously applied and shaped to create the desired design. The application of more or less clay along the blade's spine regulates the cooling rate during the quenching process, allowing the steel to maintain its resilience while showcasing the distinctive pattern. It's a technique that requires precision and expertise, often serving as trademark identifications between swordsmiths."

Zoro listened intently, his gaze locked on the blade as you delved into the details of its creation. 

"And just as I'm tempering knives today," you concluded, "the blade then undergoes heat treatment to achieve the desired balance of hardness and flexibility."

You guided both your hands near the guard. “See how the line doesn’t stop before the tsuba. It means the clay was applied to the entirety of the steel, which makes it less prone to breaking at the hilt but also more flexible. Both techniques offer their pros and cons but they’ll greatly affect how one uses the blade.”

"I see," he murmured, his hand drifting away from yours, its path tracing an intricate pattern along your arm before venturing upward, his movements gentle against the curve of your neck. Meanwhile, you remained engrossed in your note-taking, your focus unwavering despite the tantalizing distraction of his touch.

He waited with quiet patience, his gaze fixed on the pages of your notebook as you diligently transcribed each detail you had just shared. The rhythmic scratching of your pen against the paper joined the sound of crackling flames, a soothing backdrop to the otherwise silent forge.

Suddenly, your head snapped up, a look of realization crossing your features as you remembered the knife heating away in the charcoal. With a gentle yet absentminded motion, you removed his hand from your neck, the warmth of his touch lingering even as you rose to your feet.

His eye followed you with unwavering attention as you approached the glowing steel, your movements fluid and practiced. With a swift yet deliberate maneuver, you retrieved the knife from the searing heat of the forge, the intense orange of the blade casting a soft light across your face.

Without missing a beat, you plunged the heated blade into the waiting oil bath, the sharp hiss of metal meeting liquid echoing through the forge. Your actions were precise, a well-rehearsed dance born from years of experience and dedication to your craft.

Once the blade had cooled, you removed it from the oil, setting it aside with practiced efficiency before turning your attention to the next knife. With a deft hand, you added it to the glowing charcoal, the flames eagerly engulfing the metal as you began the familiar routine once more.

You eased back into your chair, the worn leather embracing you softly as you leaned back, your eyes scanning over the meticulous notes sprawled across the paper.

He leaned closer, his presence looming over you as he rested a hand on the edge of your workbench, his gaze following the movement of your pen with unwavering attention as you added missing specifics. His earrings clinked imperceptibly near your ear, his breath tickling your neck.

"What now?" the swordsman inquired, his voice low as you swiveled to face him.

Your breath caught in your throat at the unexpected closeness, your pulse quickening at the sight of him mere inches away. Every detail of his features seemed to come into sharper focus, from the faint freckles dusting his cheeks to the curve of his lips as they broke into a grin, a mischievous glint dancing in his eye.

You gestured towards the stool, your tone firm as you commanded, "Sit down. You're getting a bit too close for comfort."

“Wouldn’t want that,” he said with a cocky tilt of his head but, still, he complied without protest. He settled onto the seat, his gaze fixed on you with unwavering intensity as he awaited the next step in your observations, the tension between you crackling like static in the air.

"Better?" he teased when the silence dragged on, a devilish grin curling at the corners of his lips as he leaned back comfortably.

With a playful roll of your eyes, you couldn't help but return his grin. "Much better," you admitted, amusement lacing your words as you yourself reclined in your chair, the heat of the forge casting a warm glow over the scene.

As he watched you, his gaze gleaming with mischief, you reached behind you to retrieve Shusui. With a fluid motion, you tossed it to him, the blade glinting in the firelight as it spun through the air.

"Show me how your haki interacts with the steel," you instructed, your tone tinged with curiosity.

He caught the blade deftly, his movements smooth and practiced. "Why? Shusui likes you enough for you to use haki with it," he stated casually although the comment was laden with implications.

"I'm well aware that Shusui has taken a liking to me," you remarked proudly, a hint of satisfaction in your voice. "But, right now, I'm more interested in seeing how its rightful owner interacts with it."

His stare narrowed slightly at your confidence towards Shusui, a flicker of amusement dancing in his eye as he regarded you. "Curious, huh?" he said, his words carrying a note of intrigue as he continued to twirl the sword absentmindedly.

You met his gaze head-on as you shrugged nonchalantly. "Call it professional curiosity," you quipped, a smirk playing at the corners of your lips. "After all, understanding the bond between a swordsman and their blade is crucial for crafting the perfect weapon."

He chuckled, the sound low and rumbling, as he shifted in his seat, the sword held loosely in his grasp. "You're not wrong," he conceded, a hint of admiration underlying his words. With a deft motion, he adjusted his grip on the sword, his focus intensifying as he prepared to demonstrate the connection between himself and Shusui.

You watched with rapt attention as he began to channel his haki, black coating the tips of his fingers before reaching the steel.

You glided your chair closer to him, bending down to look at how the haki interacted with the wave like pattern. “Do that again,” you demanded excitedly, entirely fascinated by the display.

He obliged, time and time again.

“Does it feel different, coating a black blade with haki, compared to a regular blade?” you asked after you took a quick break to temper the second knife.

Zoro paused for a moment, considering your question as he twirled the sword in his hand, the faint aura of haki still lingering around it. "It does," he admitted, his voice tinged with thoughtfulness. "Coating Shusui with haki feels... different. There's a sort of resonance, like the blade comes alive in my hands."

You leaned in closer, captivated by his explanation. "Resonance?" you echoed, your curiosity piqued. "What do you mean?"

He shifted his stance, his grip on the handle tightening slightly as he struggled to articulate his thoughts. "It's hard to explain," he began, his brow furrowing in concentration. "It's like... the haki becomes an extension of the blade itself. The steel feels more responsive, more... in tune with my movements."

You nodded, understanding dawning in your eyes as you absorbed his words. "So, it's not just a matter of coating the steel with haki," you mused, your voice thoughtful. "It's about forging a connection between yourself and the sword, channeling your energy into it."

He hummed in agreement. “What about your haki? How does it feel when you interact with black blades?” he inquired with a cock of his head, handing you Shusui, a silent demand for you to show him.

There was an unmistakable heat in the swordsman’s gaze as he watched you handle his sword, extend your haki along the edge of the steel.

"The interaction between my haki and these blades is almost methodical," you began, your voice carrying a tone of careful explanation. "When permitted by the sword's soul, my haki tends to seek out the core of the blade first, then traverses through its various layers of steel." With deliberate intent, you projected the dark tendrils of your haki through Shusui, each filament tracing the subtle intricacies of the steel with a crackling energy. To the untrained observer, it might appear as random movements, but now that Zoro understood, he could discern the faint traces of the blade's composition.

"This is how I can discern with such precision the techniques employed in crafting each sword," you continued, delving deeper into the explanation. "Yet, there comes a point where it becomes perilous. The haki of a black blade can sometimes begin to demand more, drawing upon my own life force. The interplay, the tug-of-war, is undeniably intoxicating, but it's a risk not worth indulging in," you concluded, releasing your haki as the exhilaration began to prick at the edges of your consciousness. 

You gazed up at him, the remnants of the high still evident in the dilation of your pupils. "Shusui may like me," you admitted, "but it doesn't yield to my will as it does to yours. It truly is a weapon of lethal prowess." 

You turned back to your notes, diligently recording the last of your observations. He leaned on the desk, gaze observing you silently. You eventually closed the notebook with a satisfied sigh before getting up to quench the last knife. When you returned to your desk, you sheathed Shusui in a reverent motion before going to stand before the still seated swordsman.

You returned the sword to him, your gaze lingering on the blade for a moment longer before shifting to meet his eyes. As your fingers released their grip on the hilt, a sudden impulse overtook you, drawing your hand toward the glinting earrings adorning his ear.

He looked up at you, an eyebrow quirked in mild amusement as he felt the gentle brush of your fingertips against his skin. In that moment, you couldn't help but marvel at the raw beauty of the man before you, his features soft yet sharp and defined. Gods, he was pretty.

Your touch traced the outline of his jaw, your thumb coming to rest against his lips in a gesture both tender and provocative. The realization hit you like a bolt of lightning – was this what he saw when he toyed with you? The thought sent a thrill coursing through your veins, igniting a fire in the pit of your stomach that threatened to consume you.

Fuck.

This was intoxicating.

With a boldness born of lust, you pressed your thumb more firmly against his lips, the soft flesh yielding to your exploration. Mischief glinted in his eye as he met your gaze, a silent challenge passing between you. Without hesitation, he complied, parting his lips to allow your fingers entry, his tongue meeting the tips in a tantalizing dance of heat and desire.

You pushed further. A low, guttural sound rumbled from his chest as Shusui clattered to the floor, his hands pulling you to stand in between his legs before they roamed up your thighs, your hips. Fingers wandering under the hem of your shirt, flesh meeting flesh as his hands explored.

You let your fingers fall out of his mouth, dragging heavily against his lips before you moved your hand to the back of his head as you leaned down lips meeting his softly. He let you lead, let you discover at your own pace. You tenderly bit on his lip before deepening the kiss, tongue tangling with his.

You felt his fingers travel up your spine before they left the warmth of your skin to settle on your nape. As the kiss intensified, a primal urgency coursed through your veins, a hunger that demanded to be sated. His hands worked deftly to unravel the bindings of your hair, the locks cascading around you like a waterfall as the band of fabric fell to the ground, forgotten alongside Shusui.

He slowly got up from his seat, his hands finding purchase on your thighs as he lifted you effortlessly. Your legs wrapped around his waist, the heat of his body sending sparks flying through you as he pinned you against the wall.

Breaking the kiss momentarily, his lips trailed a leisurely path from your jaw down to the hollow of your throat before reclaiming yours with a fervor that sent shivers down your spine. Your hands wandered, tracing the contours of his chest, lingering over the rugged terrain of his scar, and exploring the sinewy strength of his shoulders beneath the weight of his overcoat.

A knowing smirk danced across his lips, but you paid it no mind, lost in the electric current that crackled between you. With a newfound determination, he pressed you more firmly against the wall, his body a solid anchor against which you could surrender completely.

With a swift, graceful motion, he shrugged off the confines of his overcoat, the heavy fabric cascading to his waist, held in place only by the belt cinched around his hips. A muffled moan escaped your lips as his hands returned to you, hungrily exploring the expanse of bare skin under your shirt. Each touch was a revelation, igniting a firestorm of sensation, leaving you gasping for breath and begging for more.

As the kiss broke, your gaze met his, the primal desire reflected in your eyes an echo of his own.

Shit, this was a dangerous game you were playing.

This. Whatever this was… it was more than just fucking around.

For a heartbeat, time seemed to stand still as you contemplated the consequences of your actions.

“We should go eat,” your voice sounded distant, as though someone else uttered the words.

His lips lingered on your skin as the words sank in. He pulled away slowly, his gaze studying your face. “You can’t be for real,” he muttered under his breath in disbelief. But as he noted the hint of uncertainty in your eyes, his grip loosened on your body, letting you fall back on your own feet softly.

“Fuck, woman, you’re going to be the death of me,” He groaned, tossing his head back in exasperation.

He took a step away as he observed your bruised lips, your flushed cheeks. He passed a hand in his hair, a heavy sigh escaping him.

You leaned back on the wall, not trusting your knees quite yet. “We should… We should definitely eat,” you repeated, your words still struggling to feel like your own.

He watched you for a long moment, his expression unreadable, before finally nodding. “Yeah, food sounds good,” he agreed.

He stooped down, retrieving Shusui before making his way toward the door, and you followed suit, the weight of the moment still lingering between you. But just as you were about to pass through the doorway, he halted abruptly, his hand gently grasping your arm to halt your progress. Lowering himself to your level, he tenderly pressed a kiss to your forehead.

"Next time, I'm not stopping," he murmured, his voice carrying a hint of both promise and warning.

You met his gaze, a playful smirk playing at the corners of your lips. "Who says there'll even be a next time?" you countered, your tone laced with teasing ambiguity as you stepped out onto the deck.

A soft chuckle escaped him, his amusement evident as he followed you. Who were you kidding? Of course there’d be a next time.

"You're impossible," he muttered almost affectionately, shaking his head in exasperation.

As you reached the door leading to the galley, you paused, rising onto your tiptoes to press a gentle kiss to his lips.

"I'll consider making something for you too, swordsman," you whispered softly, your breath mingling with his before you reluctantly drew back and disappeared into the bustling warmth of the kitchen.

For a moment, he stood there, his composure momentarily shattered as a blush crept up his cheeks. "For fuck's sake," he muttered to himself before finally gathering his resolve and following you inside, the promise of whatever lay ahead hanging tantalizingly in the air.

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Masterlist

[pooks]

"40 MILLION?" Sanji shrieked angrily. "HE GOT A BOUNTY ON 40 MILLION BERRY?!"

Ichiji had known that he would get a bounty on his head, sooner or later. But he hadn't anticipitated that it would be this soon. He looked at the wanted poster in his hands, staring at what it told him.

WANTED DEAD OR ALIVE SCARLET ICHIJI B 40,000,000-

'This is going to difficult our quest furthermore.' Ichiji thought to himself, narrowing his eyes at the bounty while his captain laughed merrily in the background.

"WOHOO! Hear that? I'm worth 1. 000 000 now!"

Zoro, for a change, also joined him as the swordsman had also recieved his first wanted poster.

"Man, I'm a little disappointed at 60. 000. 000!" Zoro grinned widely, contrary to his words. "Congrats, redhead! You're in the bounty club now!"

"YOU TWO, QUIT ENJOYING THIS!" Nami scolded them.

Ichiji didn't felt for celebrating. A wanted poster was seen by the whole world. Of course, Vinsmoke Ichiji (and Sanji) officially died at sea when he escaped Germa...

He prayed to any deity listening that this wouldn't reach Germa 66. Although it's been ten years and not a single sign of Judge ever looking for him. But he knew the old saying, the calm before the storm-

"WHY THE SHITTY MARIMO BEFORE ME?!" Sanji wailed dramatically. "EVEN MY OWN BROTHER BEFORE ME!"

"He can't help it, he's the better-looking brother after all." Zoro smirked evilly at the cook.

Sanji answered by delivering a kick aimed at his face and then, another fight between the cook and the first mate broke loose.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Piece By Piece (Zosan X Reader)

Plot: After months of ignoring your parents letters you hoped they would give up on trying to see you but unfortunately they find you and try get be back into your lives again.

Warning: Bad language, abandonment and Fluff.

Inspired by Piece by Piece by Kelly Clarkson. Zoro X Sanji X Reader, polly relationship, established relationship, Reader is female. Kuina is a month and a half old, has Sanji's eyebrows and blonde hair but your eyes and skin tone. Just so everyone knows i'm still up and down with everything currently going on but if i get an idea for a short or a request for a short (E.G, 1 part story) then i'm happy to do it.

With it being a nice day you decided to take Kuina out in her pram, the island the Sunny docked on was beautiful, a large village with some amazing gardens. Sanji and Zoro came out with you but after a while of walking you decided you wanted to sit and read since Kuina was fast asleep and now would be the perfect time to finish the chapter you've been trying to read for almost a week now. Sanji was a little hesitant to leave you alone wanting Zoro to stay with you but luckily he didn't fight you on it, you know he's just worried, the cook didn't even like it when you started training with Zoro again after a month. Zoro didn't worry too much, he had his moments, but he trusted your judgment on what your body and mind can handle, the swordsman also had a knack for calming Sanji down when ever he was worried about you. So now you were sitting on a bench reading your book in a very beautiful garden area with fresh smelling flowers and a small river nearby with the light sound of birds chirping away. The Pram was in front of you, your foot propped up on the bottom to make sure it doesn't go anywhere while Kuina slept inside, the hood blocking her upper half from the bright afternoon sun. The time you spent there let you finish the chapter you were stuck on for a week and since the boys haven't come back yet you started on the next one. Checking on your baby once in a while and pushing the pram back and forth you waited for Zoro and Sanji to come back so you could head back to the sunny.

As you sat there though a strange pit formed in your stomach until someone spoke "Oh my gods she's so beautiful" A woman's voices calls out as she walks up next to you with a man by her side, you smiled at her despite the pit, you don't mind strangers complimenting your child since it happens all the time especially when Sanji is holding her but something was off about these two. Closing your book and putting it back in your back you grab the handle of the pram and pull it closer to you. "Thank you" You try to be nice but luckily for you the sunglasses on your face hid the shift of your eyes to look for anyone else or maybe even marines who might be hiding. The man sits next to you making you feel more uncomfortable but what made you finally get up was the woman stepping a little to close to your baby and reaching her hand out to touch her "Please don't" You try to stay calm as anxiety builds up pulling the pram away from the woman as you step back, You normally don't let strangers touch your child but something about this was different, you had a feeling you knew them and a need to not trust them. "Y/N?" The man stands seeming offended by your actions but you raise an eyebrow making the man sigh "Sweetie i thought you would recognize us?" The man places a hand on his heart his eyes softening. You shake your head and pull the pram further away from them wondering if you should make a run for it or not "Buttercup, its us" The woman's words make you jump a little.

Taking a step back as the woman steps closer your eyes widen there's only one person who calls you that, she wrote it in every letter too but you never responded. As you looked the two over you started to realize who they were and it made you feel hurt and angry all over again, after all this time they just show up? Your Mother and Farther left when you were little leaving you with your grandma to go on adventures and see a few islands. They said they would be back in a year but a year turned into two and then three and then four, on the fourth year, on your birthday no less, they finally sent a letter saying they won't be coming back since there's so much to see, it left you heart broken so you never talked to them again, and they never contacted you. Two months before you gave birth to Kuina they had started sending you letters but once you knew it was them you burned them not wanting anything to do with them, you didn't want them in your life, just like how they don't want you in their life. Pushing your sunglasses up you look over the two who smile at you as if nothing bad ever happened between you three "You look great, its so good to see you" Your farther steps closer but you take a step back making him sigh and look down with a sadness in his eyes, it made you madder though, why was he sad? he's the one who left you. Pushing your bag further over your shoulder you take the handle of the pram and start to walk off not wanting to talk to them but your mother gets in front of you her eyes filled with worry. "We're sorry buttercup, i know we left, and we feel horrible about it but... We want to make it up to you" Your mother bows as your farther does the same.

A part of you is happy that their sorry but you can't forget what they did. "I-I appreciate the apology but i have to go" You didn't mean to stutter as you spoke but you tried to get past them again only for your farther to now step in and place his hand on the pram, you yank it back startling Kuina making her cry a little. Stepping back more you reach into the pram and stroke her hair trying to clam her down "I'm sorry baby, its ok" You whisper to the baby girl feeling bad for startling her. "Lets talk about this, we're really sorry, but we want to be back in yours and the baby's life" Stopping in your tracks you look up and take your sunglasses off handing them to Kuina who's calmed down now and starts playing with them as you look up at the two. Anger burns hotter than ever in you and its clearly showing on your face now, they didn't come to see you because they care, they came because they want a grandchild "What?" You glare at the two, your voice almost like venom as you speak while your mother taking a step back and grabs onto your farther's hand who glares at you a little "First off don't use that tone with me young lady and s-" You cut your farther off by stepping closer and yelling in his face "I have every right to be mad at you. You can't just walk away and then show up when i have something you want" Your mother rubs your dads arm trying to clam him down since his face is starting to turn red with anger. Your mother soothes your farther who forces himself to look away from you and to the ground, a small sense of pride flows through you at his reaction but it also felt good to let some anger out after all these years.

"We did send you latter's, we have a house a few islands over, and we asked you to come and stay with us." You roll your eyes at her knowing those letters were almost like a book so there's no way that was just it. Stepping back to the pram you take the sunglasses off your daughter and make sure she's ok before pushing the pram to walk away again managing to get past them this time. "Where are you gong to go Y/N? You can't raise a child and be a pirate. Do you even know who the farther is?" Your mothers words hit hard and it shows on your face, wide eyes and gritted teeth as your hand holds the pram in a death grip, you wanted to tare into them but you didn't want to start a loud argument in the middle of such a beautiful garden, plus your daughter would get upset of you yelled. "Y-You disgust me, do you really think that little of me? I'm stronger than you think and i will never let you lay your filthy hands on my child. I burned all those letters you sent because i don't ever want to talk to you again" You turn glaring at the two with rage filled eyes that start to tear up, you couldn't help yourself now, the words just spilled out. "I have two amazing partners who love me and this baby more than anything in this world. We will never leave her like you left me, and she will never have to wonder her worth because unlike you, we're gonna put her first. They'll never walk away or break her heart, They'll take care of things, They'll love her... and They restored my faith, That a man can be kind and the father should be great" A tear slips out of your eye as your voice gets more and more angry but despite the hurt, sadness and anger you keep your voice down as to not scare your baby girl.

"Buttercup we're sorry, we never meant to hurt you or upset you, we love you" Your mother try's to take your hand but you slap it away earning a glare and an angry grumble from your father "It doesn't matter if your sorry, sorry isn't going to fix the hurt you caused and all of your empty words fall flat. I have something you want and now you wanna come back? I see your love isn't free, it has to be earned. Back then I didn't have anything you needed, so I was worthless." Placing a hand on your heart you try not to cry too much but you can't help the tears that fall, your farther growls again with anger while your mother garbs his arm to stop him form getting too close to you "We did everything we could for you, it's not our fault that we didn't have a life after you" You farther yells as your mother tries to clam him "It doesn't matter if you or your boyfriend love this child or not, what matters is can he provide for you two, he's a pirate and nothing more, this baby belongs with someone who can provide and by that i mean us" Stepping closer you body moved before you could, anger filling the slap you bring down on your farther "How dare you, you left me in pieces because of what you did, love is important and by boys, both of them will and have provided in every way. Piece by piece, They collected me up off the ground where you abandoned things. They filled the holes that you burned in me when you left and never came back. Unlike you two they never walk away or ask for money, they take care of me 'Cause they love me. Piece by piece, They restored my faith that a man can be kind and a father could stay." Panting you glare at the two, their eyes wide in shock at your yelling. You gasp when feeling a hand wrap around your waist and a solid chest press against your back along with the sound of Kuina crying behind you and a gentle shushing.

Sanji managed to get everything on the list but he was still looking around the market, they had some very interesting things and his mind went to you and Kuina, wondering if he should get you two something. He did think of getting something for Zoro who's walking behind him holding all the shipping bags, but he wanted it to be a surprise for later and couldn't really do that with the swordsman watching his every move. Sanji stops in his tracks as his eyes light up and his heart pounds, his cigarette almost falling out of his mouth as it opens wide in joy, Zoro almost bumps into the cook because of the sudden stop grumbling a little but stops when seeing Sanji run off to a stall nearby. With a sigh and a small smile the swordsman walks over to the stall full of baby cloths but had his eyes on the cook who had hearts in his eyes as he picks up a small chef's hat "Zo look... its so cute" Sanji smiles wide while holding up the tall hat, Zoro chuckles and looks it over giving him a nod "You want it?" putting the shopping down the swordsman goes into his pocket to get his wallet out but the cook stops him placing a hand on his "I got it, i was planning on getting Y/n something too" The blonde smiles paying for the small hat that the lady wraps up nicely for them and puts it in a bag "Have a nice day" The lady smiles at the two was they walk off, holding the shopping again Zoro follows Sanji down the path looking at the market stalls that they pass by "Happy?" The swordsman asks seeing Sanji's eyes almost like hearts as he holds the small bag close.

The cook turns and holds onto Zoro's arm as they walk giving the swordsman a nod "Very" Sanji leans over taking the cigarette out of his mouth so he can place a a kiss on the green haired man's cheek earning a hum of content form the man. "What about those?" Zoro asks stopping next to a big flower stall and spotting your favorite flowers, Sanji looks them over checking to see if their good quality or not before nodding and getting 6. The man nods and wraps them up into a nice bouquet along with a ribbon and bow, the cook pays for it and holds them close before walking with Zoro again "we should head back to Y/n" the swordsman sighs feeling tired after all the shopping but the blonde looks over at him while putting out his cigarette and throwing it away "i was hop-" The swordsman bumps shoulders with Sanji earning a glare from the cook but Zoro shrugs it off knowing what's going through that blonde head of his lover "Don't get me anything.... I already have everything i want" Sanji blushes hard at the comment gripping the gifts in his hands tighter not really knowing what to say, The swordsman laugh a little and steps closer placing a kiss on the cooks lips snapping him out of what ever world he was in "Come on love cook" Somehow the blush on Sanji's face grows brighter, but he links arms with the swordsman and starts walking to the garden your in.

Reaching the edge of the garden its seems so beautiful and peaceful until they hear your voice yelling, at first they couldn't make out what you were saying but as they both ran to get to you they heard every word. Turning the corner the two see you yell at a man and a woman while you stood in front of the pram where Kuina was crying since your voice was angry and loud. Running over Zoro drops the bags next to the bench before wrapping his arm around your waits and pulling you into him while the other takes your slightly red hand. Sanji puts the stuff down on the bench before reaching into the pram and taking Kuina in his arms "Shhhhh its ok" The cook soothes while rocking his daughter slightly trying to clam her down. Zoro feels you relax into him the swordsman let's go of your hand to wipe some tears form your face before looking at the two in front of you with an angry glare. "You ok baby?" Zoro asks his eye shifting to you as he speaks but shoots back to the two in front of you as the man goes to step closer, you stutter trying to speak as your mind races. "Y/N, buttercup" Your mother steps closer but feeling you press into him Zoro pulls you away keeping you in his arms and turning you away from them your eyes now being forced away from the two. It calms you down enough to take notice of everything going on and gives you a chance to calm down, "I'm sorry" you whisper seeing Kuina starting to calm down in Sanji's arms.

The cook steps closer placing a hand on your cheek as Zoro lets you go to stand between the three of you and the two strangers "It's ok love, she's ok" Sanji smiles handing Kuina to you, holding your baby and seeing her calm now made you feel a lot better but you still felt bad for making her cry "I'm sorry for the trouble we caused, we just wanted to see our grand-baby... we didn't realize our daughter would snap like that" Your mothers smiles trying to be friendly but Zoro crosses his arms over his chest clearly not happy but the woman either doesn't care or doesn't notice. "Their your parents?" Sanji asks placing an arm around you holding you close to his chest since you still seem upset, you nod placing your head against the cook's chest trying to take calming breaths, you wanted to talk, tell your parents to go away but for some reason you couldn't. You never talked about your parents only your grandmother, you just said you didn't know them but after what the two boys heard you say it sounds like they just walked out on you. "So which one of you is the farther?" Your Dad asks crossing his arms over his chest while glaring at Zoro who was glaring right back "That's none of your business" The swordsman grows picking up the shopping bags and walking over to you and Sanji "wanna go back to the ship?" The green haired man asks earning a nod from you in response "Wait, can we at least hold her, just once?" Your mother begs stepping closer only for your angry eyes to meet hers, the look alone was enough to tell her to get lost.

Your parents let you all leave and head back to the Sunny, it was a relief that the fighting was over but you still refused to talk, you were scared if you opened your mouth again you'd yell and scare Kuina again. You also didn't want her out of your sight so you sat at the counter in the kitchen drinking some tea Sanji had made for you while Zoro slept on the sofa in the room. The cook hummed as he cooked getting everything ready for dinner while Kuina was asleep in her basket on the counter close to you so you could see her. While cutting up vegetables and once in a while steering the soup he was making, Sanji would look at your blank face, he didn't know what to do or say to help, he'd tried talking to you, giving you praising words and loving hugs and kisses but you seemed distracted your eyes fixed on the basket or on your cup of tea. Your both brought out of your thought's by Kuina crying, you go to stand but Sanji whips his hands clean and picks the little girl up holding his daughter close to his chest "Don't worry love i got her... Shhh, baby girl, you hungry?" Sanji asks hearing the little blonde girl crying as she grips onto his shirt, sitting back down you let out a sigh knowing it's a cry of hunger and not a cry of distress. With a small smile the cook heads over to the fridge and gets some cold breast milk out before turning on the kettle and getting all the stuff out for her bottle all while trying to sooth the little girl in his arms. "Hay she ok?" Zoro asks looking tired as he walks over to the counter and placing a hand on your lower back in comfort.

Sanji nods and walks around the counter handing Kuina over to Zoro who smiles at his baby girl while holding her close "Yea she's just hungry, you mind feeding her?" the cook asks earning a nod from the swordsman who places a kiss on the slightly crying baby's head, as Sanji goes back to making a bottle you reach your hand up and lightly stroke the blonde girl's hair. The cook tests the temperature of the milk before putting it in the bottle and handing it to Zoro who starts feeding the little girl "You ok Love?" Sanji walks around to hold you from behind seeing your eyes fixed on your daughter as Zoro leans against the counter. "Yea... just i don't know" You sigh as your voice comes out in a whisper wanting to forget that today even happened but it won't leave your mind. Sanji smiles a little at hearing your voice, even though it sounded sad at least your actually talking now "Do you want to talk about it?" the cook asks placing a kiss on your shoulder as your hand runs over his arm thats around your waist, a part of you didn't want to tell them but you hate hiding things form them and you know they'll just worry if you tell them to forget about it. With a sigh you tell the two about your parents, how they left you and never came back even though they said they would. You told them about the letters they sent you while pregnant and how you burned them hoping to never see or talk to them again, then today happened and even though you tried to get away they kept stopping you trying to come back into your life all because they wanted a grandchild.

Zoro sighs looking down at his daughter slightly rocking her as she eats, her cute chubby face and her tiny hands that try and grip onto the bottle, he couldn't imagine doing any of that to his little girl, so he didn't understand why your parents did that to you. Sanji understood being rejected by family but what hurt was that your parents gave you no reason, they just left you to have fun. "I shouldn't have yelled" you sigh looking at Kuina who was just finishing her bottle, you hated scaring her and making the situation worse. Putting the empty bottle aside Zoro grabs a towel throwing it over his shoulder before bringing the fussing baby up and patting her back "You had every right to yell, I think Kuina was more worried than scared" The swordsman smiles at you seeing you relax a little at his words, Sanji pulls away from you and turns the stool your sitting on around so your now facing him, the cook runs his hand over your cheek before bending down and placing a soft kiss on your lips. "We heard what you said, It was beautiful. I love you Y/n" Leaning up you lightly kiss the cook a few times while cupping his face feeling the love he has for you, pulling away you run your thumb over his cheek "I love you too, Sanji" with a smile you stand and hug the cook who gladly hugs back. Zoro smiles at the two of you before putting Kuina in her basket again watching her eyes start to close as she gets tired.

Sanji pulls away and places a kiss on your forehead "i almost forgot, We got you and Kuina something" The cook laughs a little before going over to the pram in the corner. Zoro steps closer and places a hand on your back getting your attention "I love you baby" his other hand goes to your cheek pulling you into a kiss which you gladly accept while wrapping your arms around his waist. "I love you too Zo" You whisper against his lips before going back in for another kiss, Sanji grabs the flowers and gift bag before walking back over. The swordsman pulls away while placing his hands on your waist and spinning you around to face Sanji who holds out the bouquet of your favorite flowers too you "Oh my gods" You whisper trying not to yell in excitement while taking the flowers and holding them close to your chest "Thank you both... What's this for?" You ask after having a sniff of the flowers and running your fingers over them, Zoro laughs and pulls your back into him while kissing your shoulder "Its Sanji's idea" The swordsman would love to take credit, but he couldn't with how Sanji looked, his eyes almost heart like as he watched your bright smile light up your face. "We don't need a reason love and Zo found the flowers" The cook steps closer placing a kiss on your cheek which you lean into, your eyes soon spot the small bag in his hand wondering what it as Sanji moves to Zoro placing a light kiss on his lips "Is that for Kuina?" You ask trying to work out what might be in it while Zoro laughs returning the cooks kiss before the blonde pulls away and smiles wider while swaying a little.

Taking it out the bag and unwrapping it Sanji could hardly contain his excitement "i'm sorry my love i couldn't help myself" opening the paper you can't help but feel warmth run through your heart at seeing the tiny chefs hat for your baby "Oh Sanji, its so cute.... Kuina gonna look so cute" You giggle just thinking about it is making your cheeks go red, Zoro finally looks up form your neck and peeks over to Kuina seeing her awake, which was surprising since she normally sleeps after a bottle "Well she's awake sooooo" The swordsman knew he wouldn't finish his sentence before the two of you were over by the basket fawning over the baby girl while Sanji put the hat on her head "Oh my little angles so cute... you wanna help daddy cook?" Sanji asks picking the baby up and holding her in his arms, you place your flowers down on the side and adjust the hat while kissing her cheek before letting the cook take her round to the kitchen. You knew she would be fine since Sanji's always careful when Kuina's in the kitchen, he holds her with one arm as he steers the soup and puts the lid on it before showing her a tomato which she tries to grab. Zoro rests his head on your shoulder while wrapping his arms around your waist again watching his daughter and cook in the kitchen "We'll never leave you or Kuina. I promise" The swordsman places a kiss on your cheek feeling you lean into him and take his hand in yours "I know, Your both so amazing... I'm so lucky"

[rea-grimm]

Looking through his eyes - Mihawk pt 2

PART 1

You woke up in the safety of your bed. You were in your cabin, on your ship. The smell of fresh food wafted through the open window. You felt as if you had woken up from a dream.

That you would die and this was paradise? You threw it away the moment you moved and pain shot through you. You grabbed your injured shoulder and cursed. You lay down again and tried to see what your hawk friend saw.

You closed your eyes and concentrated. When you opened them again, you saw your galley and clean hands preparing something good to eat. It was weird because you had no crew. You always preferred to work alone. From the scent wafting up to you, it had to be true. But what happened to the hawk?

The person in question started serving food on plates and then on trays. You disconnected as the person took the tray and walked out of the kitchen. You could hear footsteps approaching from the bed. You took the knife in your good hand, which you had placed in the hidden case attached to the bed, and you waited.

The door to your cabin creaked open and in walked the man the whole world thought was dead. He disappeared some time ago and no one knew about him. The best swordsman in the world stood there in person with a tray of food.

You knew who it was because you had a poster of him hidden in your room because you had a crush on him. That was also the main reason why you wanted to steal his sword. 

So many questions were running through your head. The main ones were why he was on your ship. Why did he bring you food? And was he a danger to you?

“I mean no harm,” he said moving closer to you. "I want your help," he got straight to the point. You nodded that you understood and placed the dagger next to you. “I need to get something and I hear you're the best thief around,” he explained, handing you a tray of food.

While you were eating, he explained to you that he wanted his sword back. If he wanted to, he could get it himself, but on the other hand, he wanted to spend some time with you. While he was a hawk, you grew on his heart. But he kept that to himself. You agreed with his plan.

From that day on, Mihawk became a member of your ship. At least until you heal from your injury and get his sword for him. Until then he helped you by driving the boat, cleaning and cooking for you. 

You insisted that he was your guest, that you would take care of it, but he stood his ground, that you needed to heal from your injuries first, and that this was a small return for his sword. On the other hand, he was an excellent cook and offered to give you some advice for the fight. Sword or dagger, he didn't care.

You liked life with him on your ship very much. During that time you also often wondered what happened to your hawk and why you could see through Mihawk's eyes.

You weren't complaining, but you were just curious. Although sometimes you looked through his eyes to see what he was doing.

But not very often, so that you don't feel like a freak. However, to tell you the truth, the main reason you didn't use the ability was because almost every time you looked, you saw yourself. It was surprising how many times you caught him looking at you because of it.

However, he was the perfect gentleman. In the evenings you always sat over a glass of wine and either had a little chat now and then, which mostly consisted of planning a heist, or you sat in silence and enjoyed the peace. When you went to sleep, he kissed your hand and said good night.

When your shoulder was finally sufficiently healed, it was time to act. You had everything prepared in detail and you probably knew about everything that was involved. The irony was that they locked the sword in the same fortress, only somewhere underground.

You decide to get there together and while Mihawk distracts the marines, you get the sword. Getting in undetected was easy. You picked up your sword and ran away. 

Everything went smoothly until you got to the closed door. The lock was unlocked, but something was blocking the door from the other side. You cursed. You didn't have time for such things.

You were about to go back and try another door when the marines started pouring in. You prepared for a fight, but this time you weren't so sure of victory. After all, your shoulder still hurt. Suddenly, the door to the side between you and the marines burst open and Mihawk walked in.

Everyone looked at him in astonishment and took a step back. The swordsman looked at them first before walking over to you and taking his sword from you. When the marines saw this, they immediately retreated. Everyone had heard very well about the swordsman's power.

You returned to the island together and on the way you thanked him for saving you, he appeared there just in time.

“I was just paying a favour,” he said and at that moment you didn't understand him at all since it was the second time he had saved you. 

From your confused look, he told you to look through his eyes. You had no idea how he knew because you didn't tell anyone. Only to the hawk. It hit you at that moment. That look, those eyes.

"You were the hawk," you gasped.

“I have been cursed and changed into a hawk until I find my purpose,” he explained.

"And did you find it?" you asked.

“I did,” he replied, taking your chin and kissing you. "You are my purpose," he said as he pulled away. You felt your cheeks and ears burning. You didn't know what to say to that. You had liked him for so long that now it felt like a dream.

"I want to stay by your side. I love you, my little thief," he said and you had the impression that your brain was starting to overheat and your heart was racing. You wanted to say something, but you couldn't get the words together.

It was slowly starting to look like it was one-sided until you blurted out that you liked him too and that you wanted to stay with him. When he heard that, he smiled at you in such a way that your brain literally stopped working and you had a swarm of butterflies in your stomach.

With that, he kissed you once more and it wasn't just a quick kiss anymore, but much more. Finally, your dream came true and you had the impression that the legend about your devil fruit was true. After all, you saw through the eyes of your love.

Mihawk Masterlist

[m3-kk]

Sharing my TCF notes because sharing is caring 😬 ⬇️. (All of them… so far)

Ch. 086- sad time for Raon :(. REVENGE HAHAHA LETSGOOOO

Ch. 335- Eruhaben protect Roan & Cale from ugly WS 😆

Ch. 352- Cale’s greatest fear…😭

Ch. 378- Choi’s uncle (DS) left info book written in KOREAN?!?! 😵

Ch. 394- Letter from Death & shiz show😬

Ch. 395- CALE IS AFRAID?!?! 😱

Ch. 401- “Plavin was laughing on the outside but crying on the inside.”😌

Ch. 404- “And Miss Cage, please cuss out the God of Death for me.” -Cale 😇

Ch. 411- They were talking about the Lion King (person) and I thought they were talking about the movie 😭

Ch. 414- Choi Han woke up crying “Kim Rook Soo” 😰

Ch. 415- “What am I supposed to call the friend of my nephew once removed?” -Choi Han 😳

Ch. 423- “Oh, by the way, the original owner of your body is living well too. He said he is happy.” -Lee Soo Hyuk ☺️

Ch. 423- CALE CRIES! BABY NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! 😰

“It's a new record! You were unconscious for 20 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes, and 19 seconds!”- Roan Miru🤠

Ch. 431-

“You son of a bitch!” -Bear King

"Why am I your son? Such an idiot.”

-Whale Archie🫡

Ch. 434- Which Henituse sibling wants to become what?🥱👑⚔️

Ch. 435- Sworn brothers 🤞

Ch. 455- Ron says he has a cute young master (Cale) who he doesn’t want to disappoint.🥹

Also that Roan is cuter than Cale 😂

Ch. 457- “This is nice.” Beacrox commented before swinging his greatsword horizontally.🙂

Ch. 461- Cale’s merchant name is Bob XD

Ch. 465- The Sound of the Wind was a top underneath a boulder surrounded by whirlpools.

The Indestructible Shield was a pit under the tree.

The Scary Giant Cobblestone was a stone in the Super Rock villa.

The Fire of Destruction was a sculpture at the center of the magma.

The Vitality of the Heart was a stone pillar at the center of a whirlwind.

The Sky Eating Water was a chained spear.

Ch. 476- More Dragon Family Drama wtf

Ch. 481- To the Fake World Tree

Ch. 501- Illusion of Other World..RAMEN!

Ch. 504- Stick from World Tree (Cale’s blood is special?!)

Ch. 515- Vampire Duke Fredo (seems nice)

Ch. 516- Demonic Race, Rosalyn, White Star after cookie prince?! NOOO

Ch. 520- WEAKLING. Alberu is a mage swordsman badass dark elf

Ch. 526- These brothers are so cute OMEGALUL

Ch.555- Sealed god test, wtf this is so sad I’m crying I’ve never been so genuinely sad

Ch. 559- CHOI HAN OUR LOVE THANKS🙏

Ch. 581- AWW BESTIEEE

Ch. 584- Cale saying he could beat 3 strong peeps

Ch. 589- Alberu goes to Blood Boulder

Ch. 601- AHH CALE BDAY AHHH

Ch. 612- THEY GAVE ALBERU A GUN!!

Ch. 618- Cale explains to LeeSooHyuk the truth

Ch. 622- HOMEEEEEEEE AYYAYAAY

Ch. 627- @Capital w/ Dad y Alberu YAY

Ch. 628- BUBBLEGUM PINK DRAGON

Ch. 629- We are a big family!

Ch. 631- 5 FUCKIN DRAGONS AHHH-

[THE AUTHOR STARTS SAYING SHIT LIKE “IN THE FUTURE.. “ LIKE F U MAKIN ME ALL SAPPY N STUFF WTH UGHHH!!!]

Ch. 640- 2 Cats are Molan house’s future 🥹.. They can’t go berserk?..

Ch. 645- Roan & Cale Solo Fight letsgo!!

Ch. 646- Cale uses ‘instant’ to destroy 2 unranked monsters.. I’m crying actually..

Ch. 647- wtf I’m crying, goosebumps fr

Ch. 649- Roan has grown so much 🥹

Ch. 652- COM. WITH EARTH 2 AHHHH—

Ch. 655- Cale is healing❤️ OG Cale!KRS

Ch. 656- SOO much info from OG Cale!!

Ch. 658- CALE IS AWAKEEE YAYA

Ch. 662- OMG Cale’s BioMom was cooking

Ch. 663- WE KNOW HOW TO KILL HIM HA

Ch. 670- World Tree-nim

Ch. 677- Explaining ALOT lore dump!!

CB. 681- WOW the end of that chap tho

Ch. 682- I stan Cale’s hatred for the White Star. We love the PJs! Alberu is moon that’s so *legs in air kicking*

Ch. 683- So are we gonna kill WS or whatt?

Ch. 684- HAHAH OMG CALE’S BDR POWER IS SO SCARY EVERYONE THINKS ITS THE WS!! HAHAH ITS CALE’S THOOO

Ch. 685- omg.. DANGGG!! Our Cale is truly terrifying! New Pokémon acquired! White star!! 😏 wait we have a tiny WS in our pocket how cute! 🥰

Ch. 686- HAHA BOOM BOOM 💥

Ch. 688- Rashell says he wouldn’t be able to sleep if many humans died 🥰

Ch. 689- ROCK SHEILD LETSGOOO

Ch. 694- DEAFEATED! Alberu faints and thinks he’s like Cale now 😭

Ch. 695- NAHH WE LOVEEE

Ch. 699- ENTERED THE TEMPLE! We can’t leave…? CALE IS GHOST AND WATCHING OTHERS TESTS HUHHH?!! (DespairTest2)

Ch. 700- This chapter is just amazing, these people are so smart ughhh I’m screaming! In a happy way tho

Ch. 701- OK we have Choi Han, Clopeh, Rosalyn and Cale so far.. MARYYY

Ch. 702- +1(Roan) Cale can use the cintamani to contact other world. PEOPLE CAN SEE HIM YAY!

Ch. 705- Talking with Cale & others through the Cintamani :>

Ch. 706- Tonka! And Dark elf Tasha&Alberu

Ch. 707- My heart, Alberu was so sad and lonely back then…

Ch. 709- Eruhaben! WS is badddd

Ch. 710- Whyyyy I’m actually feeling despair it’s so complicated ugh and no ones receiving correct info ughhhhh

Ch. 713- Mary is #GIRLBOSS for not being tricked! ❤️❤️

Ch. 717- So glad that was settled 😮‍💨

Ch. 718- So the test Cale was in wasn’t the original one so now we are doing the actual sadness test ok 👍

Ch. 719- WOW NOT CALE ALREADY FINISHING BLUE TEST.. also someone else?

Ch. 721- Toonka left the test, Cale met Choi Jung Gun, I’m I’m scared 😶

Ch. 722- Rosalyn finally put the tests goals into words! She’s so smart. I love herrr

Ch. 726- Cale confronts CJG and he’s being used as bait bc a hunter is here oh no. Cale is going to cause chaos ialrk

Ch. 727- WOWW Cale was about to be isekaied lol. Good thing we have ancient powers! 2 Hunters?! 🫣

Ch. 730- Cale actually skipped a level bfr

Ch. 731- Cale has to observe past Roan (during the night) and Alberu (during the day)

Ch. 732- FLIPPING OVER THE FIRST PRINCES PALACE HAHAHAHAGA

Ch. 735- Freeing Roan! Again Again?

Ch. 739- Still loving how Choi’s test is taking care of tiny KRS. Alberu test completed!!

Ch. 740- I’m loving Clopeh during this test so far. He knows his goals and he sticks to them. He’s crazy!

Ch. 744- Damn Dodam Miru. I think DM’s world is not an illusion. Cale “tricking” the Wrath test is crazy I love that sly bastard!

Ch. 745- Cale hates when the children hate their side dishes ahah! The Wrath test is actually really difficult it surprised me frfr! Clopeh & Cale are angy

Ch. 749- How dare this low-life Dorph ever consider sacrificing the great and mighty Roan Miru. I pour all of my hatred and anger toward him. He needs to die. 😡

Ch. 750- Finally! Flipping every over heh!

[skribbyposts]

ZOSAN KINKTOBER DAY 1 - SCENT

Hey yall, i know it's actually october 3rd BUT that just means that there's gonna be three fics posted today. Also this version is unbeta'd but the corrected version will be up on my ao3! Love yall, and enjoy!! ______

After Sanji finishes prepping lunch and dinner, he pokes his head out of the galley doorway to bark at Zoro to wake the fuck up because his food is in the fridge. However, he’s not in his usual napping spot. Which is strange, because the marimo never moves unless he’s working out in the crows’ nest. Sanji spares a glance up there as well, but he can’t see any movement. Whatever, he doesn’t care what Zoro does with his time anyway. Sanji just wants to take a nap before he needs to slave over the fucking stove making lunch for fifteen people (six and a half of which are Luffy.)

He heads into the men’s bunkroom, intending to collapse on his bed til’ about six pm. But instead stumbles upon something very very strange.

Zoro is standing right next to Sanji’s bed, gripping onto a jacket– Sanji’s jacket– like a lifeline with his nose buried into the fabric, taking deep breaths. His eyes are closed, so he doesn’t see Sanji gaping in the doorway like an idiot– wait no, Sanji isn’t the idiot in this situation. That’s besides the point, what the fuck is Zoro doing?

Is Sanji shocked? Well, yes, but there’s also a sense of smug curiosity buried in there for some ungodly reason. Zoro’s always had a keen sense of smell, Sanji sees it in the way he cringes at brussels sprouts cooking from all the way in the crows’ nest or how he always can tell when a storm is brewing even with his eyes closed. Which makes it all the more puzzling to see Zoro, standing there, sniffing Sanji’s fucking jacket like it’s the first breath of air he’s taken in years.

“Can you tell?” Sanji asks, because for some reason impulse won over and he couldn’t be assed to say ‘what the actual fuck are you doing you freak’ like a normal person probably would. Zoro’s eyes fly open at the sound of Sanji’s voice, startled grey darting to look in the doorway while he’s still nose-deep in Sanji’s jacket.

Zoro says something, but Sanji can’t hear because he’s still muffled by the fabric and that’s doing something to Sanji for some godforsaken reason and-

“I bought something new. Today, I mean.” Sanji needs to shut his mouth, because now Zoro is looking at him like he’s got three damn heads. “Cologne.”

“…Oh.” Zoro slowly brings Sanji’s jacket away from his face, Looking less like he’s been caught red-handed and just, very, very confused. “Okay.”

“Nice, right? I got it from that tiny stall on the coast.”

“Yeah. S’nice.” Zoro says, now clutching Sanji’s suit jacket in one hand as the other comes to swipe over his mouth. “You, uh, smell different.”

“You think I smell nice?” And that gets him the barest of flustered nods. Since Sanji’s already dug himself into a hole he can't get out of, he gives into curiosity and moves further into the room to rest his back against the wall. “It’s better when it’s on me, you know.”

“Huh. Really?”

“Yeah. C’mere.”

before Sanji can actually process what just came out of his own mouth there's a hand at his chin nudging his face up so his neck is exposed, plush lips brushing against his collarbone as Zoro closes his eyes and breathes him in. He can’t stop the choked dound he lets out at the sudden movement, and zoro responds in kind, curling his arms around Sanji’s midsection and pulling him closer. closer.

Zoro’s gripping the back of his shirt now, pressing his face as far as it can go into the junction between Sanji’s head and neck, taking heavy breaths that send heat roiling in Sanji’s stomach. He shifts his leg to settle in between Zoro’s thighs and the swordsman rolls his hips, pressing his erection into Sanji’s thigh with a strangled curse and Sanji doesn’t think blood has ever traveled do his dick faster.

“Fuck, Zoro–”

“Off, take this shit off,” Zoro breathes, his hands coming to trace Sanji’s chest before he pops three of the fucking buttons off of Sanjji’s shirt. Normally, Sanji would be pissed, but he can’t seem to focus on anything except how good Zoro’s tongue feels as he laps up the sweat pooled in sanji’s clavicle. oro moves to grab the back of Sanji’s neck , and then he’s being pulled into a harsh kiss, gasping into Zoro’s mouth because he can taste his own sweat on Zoro’s tongue and all he wants is more.

They’re grinding against each other now, and Zoro won’t stop mouthing on his chest and neck like he wants to swallow him whole. “This really does it for you, huh?” Sanji askes belatedly, carding a hand through Zoro’s hair from where his head rests on Sanji’s shoulder.

“Shut the fuck up,” Zoro hisses. “F— yes.” And the admisson sends Shivers down Sanji’s spine. “You smell like cigarettes all the time and whatever prissy shit you spray over it drives me fucking crazy.”

And now, out of all times, is when Sanji finds himself flushed. “Good to know.” He snakes an arm down to palm Zoro and the Swordsman’s hips stutter, chasing the pressure of Sanji’s hand.

“Dont stop,” Zoro’s breath hitches on the last syllable as Sanji strokes him, strong hands gliding over his chest before gripping onto his shoulders. It doesn’t take long before he finishes, spilling into Sanji’s hand with a strangled groan.

Neither of them move, for a moment after, Zoro panting heavy breaths into the Crook of Sanji’s neck,

“….Do I really smell like cigarettes?”

“Fuck off.”

_____________

erm so yeah... this might be shit b/c i wrote it in like 3 hours but hope yall enjoyed.. there should be two more coming out tdy so WATCH OUT!!!!

[hannahbarberra162]

Not My Monkey, Chapter 2

on Ao3

Link to Chapter 1

Dining with the Strawhats is just as you would expect.

The song the Reader hums and sings with Sanji is this ad: https://youtu.be/FbQt8pYUY6Q?si=qtAVuaC_wUggmSQd

~~~

You tore your gaze from Blue Maui to glance at the rest of the crew. Luffy was sitting and pounding his fists on the table, chanting for meat. Robin was sitting next to the android and chatting, with her hand on his oversized forearm. The green swordsman was slouching with his arms crossed next to a tiny…deer. Who was talking to a giant skeleton with an afro. Alright. Nami sat next to you and Usopp, with Sanji coming from the kitchen with a serving platter. A strange group of people, but hey, you were dead so it’s not like you could talk. 

Sanji served you first, even before the Captain, which surprised you. “A vegetarian meal for our dearest Reader,” Sanji said. He looked anxious and he was hovering over you. He clearly wanted you to try the food in front of him and give him a review. He gave you glazed carrots, a spring style salad, and a bean and mushroom stew served over rice. 

He didn’t need to be nervous, it all looked incredible. You weren’t the main cook in your previous relationship, that had been mostly done by your partner. You were satisfied eating the same boring things over and over daily, which you’d done for the past few years. You picked up your fork and sampled the glazed carrots. It was unbelievable, the carrots practically melting on your tongue. Your taste buds were singing, you didn’t think carrots could be so rich. You sampled each item he’d prepared while he flitted back and forth, serving the rest of the crew, starting with the women. 

“Sanji, this is outstanding! I’ve never eaten anything like this before, you’re such a talented chef.” The carrots, the stew, the salad, everything tasted like it had been made by a French chef. Sanji beamed at you.

“I apologize, we are running low on supplies right now. At the next island, I’ll buy more vegetables. Most of the crew prefers a more meat heavy diet.” This was him running low on supplies? You couldn’t wait to see what he whipped up with a fully stocked kitchen.

“MEAT! MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!…” Luffy continued to chant over Sanji speaking to you.

“LUFFY, SHUT UP! I’m speaking to our lovely Reader,” Sanji sighed and went to fetch food for Luffy. Once the food was placed in front of him, Luffy was like a vacuum. You made a mental note to keep your hands and feet away from his mouth during meal time. He reminded you of that game, Kirby, where the little pink guy would literally inhale food. Or a dog with food aggression. Luffy was using both hands, double fisting the meat and eating as rapidly as humanly possible. 

“Would you like to introduce our new Reader, Luffy?” Robin asked politely.

“Oh yeah, this is Misty,” Luffy said while chewing, gesturing to you with one meat skewer. It took everything in you not to chide him for speaking with his mouth full. Who raised this kid? 

“Actually, her name is also Robin, but we are calling her Misty to avoid confusion,” Robin clarified. “She is our new Reader, but she does not know any information about our world, including who we are. It's a fresh start for all of us, so let’s go around and introduce ourselves. Appropriately. ” Robin gave a look to the android and skeleton, emphasizing the last word.

“She’s obviously lying,” interjected the green haired swordsman.

“No, I’m not, I really -” you started to argue with him but were interrupted by Sanji, who already had his foot on the swordsman's shoulder. 

“How dare you accuse our newest, sweetest Mellorine of lying?!” He was in the green guy’s face on your behalf, it looked like they might fight again. 

“Thank you, Sanji, but I understand his hesitation. But I promise, I really don’t know anything about this world. I haven’t even been to the sea before. I guess that’s one thing off my bucket list.” Well, you’d already kicked the bucket so you weren’t sure that it counted. 

“Whaddya mean? Never been to the sea?” asked Luffy, still chewing with his mouth open. You shrugged.

“I mean, I’ve been in lakes and rivers and pools and things like that. I always wanted to visit the ocean before I died. Where I lived, the ocean was really far away. It was always a little too expensive to go so I never did.” It made you sad to think you'd spend nearly your whole life working and for what? You didn't get to the Pacific, you didn't travel to Fiji, you didn't get to do a lot of things you'd wanted before you apparently died.

“We’ve heard about their world before, others have shared similar sentiments. To Zoro’s point, I do not believe she is lying. I’ve been monitoring her interactions and she does not seem to know any prior information.” Robin had been watching you? You hadn’t seen her following you around. But at least she was corroborating that you weren’t lying. So the green haired guy was Zoro. He still hadn’t introduced himself.

“I’m Franky, the shipwright. It’s SUUUUUPER nice to meet you.” He had exquisite blue hair shaped like a sailing ship. Maybe wild hair colors were natural in this world. You hoped so, you absolutely loved it.

“I like your hairstyle,” you complimented. 

“Thanks, sis,” Franky responded, making a finger gun and running his hand along the side of his hair. It was clearly a source of pride for him, as was only right for such a good style. Next, the skeleton put down his cup of tea.

“I’m Brook, the Soul King. I'm the musician on the crew and I’d love to see -” Nami bonked him over the head before he could finish his sentence. Hard.

“Don’t you dare! Robin just asked everyone to behave!” She was quick, that was for sure. And based on his reaction, fairly strong.

“-your panties,” he finished despite the bonk. 

“No. Don’t ask again,” you replied. Ew. But also he was a nine foot tall skeleton, so his sense of decorum might have been off. He had kind of a Hendrix / Slash vibe going on, complete with afro. You really should commend whoever made this world, the hair here was fantastic.

The little deer put down his milk and said in a serious tone, “I’m Chopper, the ship’s doctor.” It would have been more impressive if he didn’t have a milk mustache when he told you this. Talking skeleton, talking deer, rubber people, dead people, this ship was like a haunted house mixed with Disneyland. At least your life was ending with a bang. “I can help you if you have a headache from the timespace travel, it’s happened to a few of our readers.” 

After thanking Chopper, the last of the group, Blue Maui, introduced himself as well. “I am Jinbe, the ship’s helmsman. It is a pleasure to meet you,” he said, giving you a bow. Your heart and face warmed. You knew it didn’t mean anything - it was basically the same introduction everyone else had given you as well. But coming from someone as good looking as Jinbe, you couldn’t help it. What, were you 12 again?

“Pleased to meet you as well,” you replied smiling. Luffy interrupted your very brief conversation with his mouth full.

“So if you’re shipwrecked on an island, and there were only animals there,” Luffy began as you inwardly groaned, already knowing where this was going, “would you eat one to survive?”

You laughed. “You know what’s funny? I die and come to this world only to be asked the same questions as the last one. I would. But it’s not something I worry about.”

“So who’s your favorite?” Luffy continued, beaming at you.

You weren’t sure exactly what he was asking. “My favorite what?”

“Your favorite Strawhat!” Luffy smiled, but you saw Sanji and Usopp tense slightly.

“Luffy, she doesn’t know us. She doesn't have a favorite like our previous readers,” Robin interrupted her Captain. “I do not know if she is even aware we are the Strawhat Pirates.”

Luffy shoved more meat into his mouth before replying, “oh, right. Well, we’re the Strawhats. Cus of my hat. And your favorites probably gonna be me. Or Zoro. Or Nami. That’s who everyone says.” Luffy grinned widely. You didn’t reply but it seemed kind of rude to pick favorites in front of the other crew members. 

“You’re not always everyone’s favorite!” interjected Usopp, the conversation hitting a nerve.

“I am! It’s my show! I’m the antagonist-” Luffy yelled back.

“Protagonist,” corrected Robin, now sipping on some tea.

“This isn’t a show, it's just life!” continued Usopp. “You’re not the main character, that’s not how it works.” Luffy pouted but kept eating.

“Let’s get a round going for the new reader!” exclaimed Nami, trying to change the subject. 

“Brilliant idea Nami-swan! Dearest Misty, what would you prefer to drink? We have some sake, wine, and ale. You are our guest, you choose first. ” Sanji came to your side immediately, like a waiter on demand.

“Oh, I don’t drink,” you replied, “but it doesn’t bother me if anyone else does.” Zoro (who still hadn’t introduced himself) snorted.

“What kinda life is that? No meat, no booze. What’s the fuckin’ point?” he scoffed. 

You laughed lightly. “I would have said the same when I was 20. Just not my style anymore.” 

“So go get the booze shitcook, she said we can drink,” Zoro turned to Sanji, already ignoring you. You could see Sanji puffing up for a fight already.

“If she’s not drinking, you’re not drinking either, you stupid mossbrain! You don’t get shit anyway for insulting her!” They were already in each other’s faces. No one else had paused their side conversations to listen or watch. You wondered how many times a day this happened. Zoro and Sanji went back and forth, though you noticed Zoro didn’t stop eating his food and Sanji didn’t put down his tray. Everyone else had returned to their side conversations, ignoring the two men completely. The crew seemed cohesive, like everyone was on good terms with each other. Even Zoro and Sanji's fighting wasn't disturbing the overall vibe of the dinner. It was loud, animated, chaotic, and reminded you of Sunday night dinners with your own family. You enjoyed it for a few minutes, eating your meal and watching the dynamics of the crew. 

Everyone was wrapping up their meals and finishing their food. Usopp and Nami got up to leave, but left their dirty plates on the table. “ Excuse me, take your plates to the sink. No one’s coming behind to pick up after you,” you snapped at them. The room went silent as they stared at you. Oops. Having several bad roommates and coworkers over many years had left a few ingrained habits. “Uh, sorry, didn’t mean that. Just tell me where I can put my plate.”

“Leave it on the table, Twirlybrow cleans up,” replied Zoro.

“Why? Didn’t he cook the food?” you asked, confused. It was basically a sin where you grew up to leave your plate on the table, much less for the cook. Didn’t they rotate the cleaning?

“So? He likes it,” Zoro was being petulant, probably because of whatever he had going on with the cook. 

“Again, sorry, I didn't mean to overstep. It’s just that where I’m from, if you cook, you don’t clean. That’s always how it is. But, not my circus,” you said, putting your hands up in apology. You didn’t mean to offend, but the man had just cooked a multi course meal for eleven, plated and served it. Surely he didn’t have to clean up everything by himself too. It felt unfair, but it wasn’t your place to change the way things were.

“Whassat mean? Not my circus?” Luffy asked, finally full of food. His belly was stretched comically large, seemed like being made of rubber had its benefits.

“Oh, it’s a common saying. ‘Not my circus, not my monkeys.’ Meaning, it isn’t my place to say anything. You know like, not my problem, not my business.” Luffy smiled at you.

“I am your monkey! Monkey D. Luffy! Thanks Sanji!” With that, Luffy got up and took his plate, putting it into the sink. Usopp and Nami did the same, bringing their plates with them after watching their Captain. One by one, the crew thanked Sanji and brought their plates to the sink until it was just you and Sanji left. You still had a lot of food on your plate and you weren’t done eating yet. 

“Sorry, I’ve always been a slow eater, especially when I’m in a group or talking with other people. I can finish this later.” You felt bad stopping him from beginning on the overwhelming amount of dishes he was going to have to do. 

“No, no. Please. Enjoy at your leisure mon cherie. It’s nice to see someone who doesn’t just shove everything down their throat.” Sanji was a little off, he wasn’t saying anything cringy or chivalrous in your honor, just clearing off the table.

“Sorry that I butted in. I didn’t mean to disrupt the way things are here,” you offered. 

“No, I - I appreciate the sentiment.” Sanji said, back turned to you.

“I can help you clear the table if you wish, or wash some dishes. I can’t fight and don’t have super-powers like everyone else but I definitely know my way around dish soap,” you tried for a light hearted approach. “My mom really drilled into us that whoever cooks doesn’t clean. It’s hard for me to watch you and not help, especially after you just cooked such an incredible meal.” Sanji smiled at you, but it didn’t reach his eyes. 

“It is no burden on me, mon coeur. Please, eat. You are a guest on the ship, and a lady besides.” You dropped it as the chef began cleaning again, clearing the table of serving platters and pitchers, bringing them to be washed. You watched him as you ate, asking him about the preparation of the dishes you were eating. Once you got him talking about food, he dropped a lot of the chivalrous talk and spoke passionately about his love of food and drink. He was calm and patient, answering all your questions. It was obvious he excelled in his field, both from your empty plate and the amount of knowledge he had. Once you were done, you stacked your silverware, cup and plate and brought them to the sink. Sanji was elbow deep in dishes, and he would be for a while. 

“C’mon, let me help you. This is gonna take you hours to do alone.” 

“Ladies shouldn’t have to life a finger -” Sanji began.

You cut him off. “I don’t have to, I want to. It would…make me happy?” You ended the sentence on a higher register. You figured that if he was really a chivalrous guy, he would take your wants and desires into consideration. 

Sanji blinked up at you with his one visible eye, surprise registering before it was hidden. “It would make you happy? But you only have precious little time left, you want to spend it washing dishes?” What was this guy’s deal? Did no one ever help him before? You’d never fought so hard to wash dishes in your life.

“Well, I want to spend every day eating more of your scrumptious food. Which means that the utensils, pots, pans, bowls, everything has to be washed and cleaned, right? Kind of goes hand in hand.” 

“Alright, just this once mon mie. If it would make you happy.”

“It would,” you replied firmly. With that, he moved over, giving you some space at the sink. You’d had a dishwasher at your house for years, but growing up everything was washed by hand. You had countless hours of experience doing the dishes, and there weren’t any differences between your world and this one on how to scrub a dirty fork. You and the chef fell into an amicable silence, working side by side.

Something you hadn’t anticipated was that there was no background noise on the ship. Sure, there were the sounds of the waves, of some sea birds, of the crew on board. But for the past few years you’d gotten used to always having something on to provide white noise - the television or YouTube mostly. You were used to passively listening to music or long form videos while you cooked, cleaned, did laundry, any basic repetitive task. So standing quietly next to the cook made your mind wander to music. 

Obviously, you didn’t have access to your music from home. You tried to think of songs to sing in your head to keep yourself busy. But, as it turned out, you didn’t know the complete lyrics to all that many songs, even though you listened to music constantly. You could remember bits and pieces, or remember the tune, but there weren’t that many songs you could sing from beginning to end. It seemed like the only songs you could remember the lyrics to were either Top 40s hit ending in 2012, songs from your childhood, or songs from the Disney movies your nieces liked. You were deep in your mind, trying to conjure up some songs to sing to, when the cook asked you what you were humming.

“Beg your pardon?” you hadn’t realized you were humming out loud.

“Oh, I was just wondering what song you were humming. I haven’t heard that one before. It’s always entertaining to learn new songs from Readers.”

“Ah. Sorry. Um, it’s nothing, just a commercial jingle, I’m sorry. I’ll stop,” you turned a little red. 

“No, no. I liked it a lot. Does it have lyrics?”

And so you taught Sanji the words to 877-CASHNOW. By the time the two of you were finishing the dishes, you were calling and responding to one another with gusto. It was quite fun, and you were glad the young chef was humoring you. When the last dish was dry, you patted him on the arm. 

“Thanks for indulging me, Sanji. You have quite a pleasant singing voice. We’ll do it again soon.” He didn’t know you’d be helping him a lot on dish duty. You’d tell him later, you had a feeling he was going to fight you on it. But you wanted to be useful, and it had actually been a fun way to pass the time. 

“The pleasure is all mine,  mon cherie. I’m done much earlier than I usually am, for which I have you to thank.” Sanji lit up a cigarette. You’d seen him smoking earlier, but not during dinner service. But you didn’t know any chefs who didn’t smoke, so you weren’t going to give him grief over it.

“Thank you for dinner, Sanji.” You patted his head like a little boy and left the galley. Outside the crew was relaxing and enjoying the cool evening air together.

“What’s a structured settlement?” Luffy yelled across the deck. You laughed.

“Oh, sorry. I didn’t know you could hear us. I’ll keep it down next time.” You hoped your singing wasn’t too off key.

“Why do you do that?” Luffy asked, walking towards you while picking his nose.

“Sing? I’ve always liked it. I’m not good by any means, but it’s fun -”

“No, apologize all the time. You’re always saying sorry but you don’t do anything you need to apologize for.” 

You fidgeted, rubbing the tips of your fingers together. “Oh, sorry, bad habit, I guess. I’ll try to stop.” Luffy flicked a booger onto the deck and sat down cross legged without washing his hands. Gross.

“You don’t need to be sorry for being here. We want you here.” Luffy said, his hands resting on his feet. For being a gross teenager, he was perceptive. You did worry a little about being a burden on the crew, even if it was only for a short while. You had always been a people pleaser, even when you were a child. It had gotten better for a little while in adulthood, but recently you’d fallen back into old habits. You didn’t like relying on other people without providing anything in exchange. Maybe that’s why you fought Sanji so hard on washing the dishes. It wasn’t like it was a chore you loved doing, it was something you knew you could do. You’d think about what Luffy said more.

“Thank you, Luffy. That’s kind of you to say.” You almost patted his head too, but you remembered the boogers. Maybe after he bathed. You noticed Nami had come up, waiting for you to finish your conversation with Luffy.

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour of the ship,” she said. “We can pop by the living quarters too, Robin’s set something up for you.” You agreed, following the orange haired woman. 

“So, the ship’s called the ‘Going Sunny,’ it’s like the ‘Going Merry’ and ‘1,000 Sunny’ mixed together. I don’t know how Franky did it, but he took the Merry and combined it with the Sunny and this is what we ended up with. A Reader once gave us a good drawing of the 1,000 Sunny and Franky used the best parts of both ships." You didn’t know what she was talking about but you nodded anyway. She took you around the ship, starting with the top deck and working your way down to the bottom. It was an incredible ship - there was a tangerine grove, the head of a ram on the keel, a huge fish tank, a spa level bathing area, even a library. You had never seen anything like it. Finishing with the crew quarters, Nami showed you where you would be sleeping. It was a small cot between her bed and Robin’s. Nothing fancy, but you hoped you wouldn’t need to use it too much. You only had three weeks left to live, and you wanted to make the most of it. 

[ylge]

KhunBam Dungeon Meshi AU doodles

Explore the dungeon and discover delicious monster-cooking recipes with Bam's party!

Trivias and HCs:

1. Bam once got trapped in the dungeon, where he discovered he could eat the monsters there.

2. When Bam was taken to upper ground, he kinda misses the taste of monsters he ate back then. When he has the chance to go back to the dungeon with his new party, he's overjoyed that he can try monster-cooking again.

3. Bam has many secrets from his time being trapped in dungeon.

4. Khun is Bam's 1st party member, but before then he's already Bam's close friend.

5. Khun is a mage graduated from magic academy. His main element is ice.

6. Endorsi was actually an ordinary human. Her soul got mixed with a beast's soul in an accident in her past.

7. Having a feline characteristics, Endorsi is incredibly flexible and it makes her a strong combatant

8. Endorsi is a calico cat

9. Both Hatz and Isu are the last member joining Bam's party

10. Hatz is a swordsman from eastern archipelago

11. Before joining Bam's party, Isu works as an informan

12. Just like in canon, Hatz and Khun bicker a lot. Bam thinks they are really close, aren't they?

13. Khun always initially never agrees when Bam wants to cook monsters, but then gives up because he's a pining idiot and he can't refuse Bam.

14. Yes, Khun is in love with Bam.

15. Bam likes Khun too, but he's too dumb about romantic love.

16. Bam is too immersed in monster-cooking to realize his feelings, Khun is too scared to tell Bam about his feelings. You know, the usual.

17. Rak is also the part of Bam's party, he's the real latest member of the party. I just haven't decided his race yet. That's why he isn't here

18. There are Yuri and Evan too, Yuri is also a beastkin ( I planned all the Jahad Princesses to be beastkin because you know, beastkins are artificially made just like Jahad Princesses). Evan stays as his canon race (dwarf)

19. Bam has a sword named The Black March. Yuri gave it to him, she was also his first sword-wielding teacher

20. There's a rumor about the devil of the dungeon in the lower level spreads around the adventurers. The devil was seen to have a pair of horns, A pair of jet black wings, and a long dark hair. Its presence suddenly vanished mysteriously, at the same time Bam was taken to the upperground.

[potahun]

Mysterious Lotus Casebook and the Analogies to Being Queer

this is not breaking new grounds or anything, there seems to be broad consensus in the (tumblr) fandom that LHL is a lot about being queer. there is also this brilliant meta by @seventh-fantasy about the jianghu being a queer space, which i love, and which dealt with the gender perspective for li lianhua in particular

having that in mind, i want to say how much i love that li lianhua and fang duobing's stories feel like analogies to two different queer experiences

we see li xiangyi in a few flashbacks and in how others viewed him before the east sea battle 10 years ago. we know he became the n°1 swordsman in the world, established a para-judiciary system and order in an otherwise lawless jianghu, that he used to duel just to win the right to pick flowers from someone's garden as gifts for every single lady in the sigu sect, and that he dated qiao wanmian and intended to marry her (judging by that flashback where he's seen drinking with shan gudao and the boys)

a lot of it is very heteronormative, and even a bit performative. and i don't want to say it's not genuine, i actually rly like the idea that many of those actions felt perfectly real to him at the time, and i genuinely think he had that show-off streak in him when he was a teenager

but regardless, everything about li xiangyi follows the heteronormative expectations of society, including his achievements, which command, among other things, admiration for his fighting prowess and his ability to establish rules. which is of course, ironic, as pointed out in the meta referenced above, since the jianghu itself does not follow those rules (and we slowly learn in the story that there was criticism of him for this even in-story).

but then we get to li lianhua, who does not fight, but cooks, learned to sew, to plant flowers, turns down every lady who looks his way, and who does not interfere in jiang hu matters if he can help it. and in particular, we get the conversation he has with qiao wanmian in ep 18, where she confronts him about his identity and asks him:

"if you'd already come back, why did you never reunite with us?"

and his reply is:

"all of this is so far in the past, now. i'm very tired. i just want to be free."

li lianhua is constantly put in contrast with li xiangyi. where li xiangyi performs, li lianhua just exists in the jianghu. where li xiangyi fulfils expectations and surpasses them, li lianhua turns his back to expectations. where li xiangyi establishes a domain and protects, li lianhua wanders freely, all by himself. where li xiangyi conforms to heteronormative standards, li lianhua doesn't.

we know that li lianhua is an unreliable narrator in that his opinion on his own past is biased, his knowledge incomplete. and he lies. almost compulsively. but there are also truth bombs that he drops between the lies. i personally believe that his willingness to detach himself from all the expectations thrown upon him and to finally exist away from norms, is part of those truths.

and this is very close to a type of queer experience, where you come out of some event or another in your twenties, suddenly realise you're queer and oh my god, it's time to live differently. and you start rejecting the norms and maybe your old friends wonder what got into you.

in the same conversation in ep 18, the following exchange happens between li lianhua and qiao wanmian:

LLH: "when we met each other, I was young and ignorant. I didn't understand what the feelings i felt for you were, either." QWM: "what do you mean? are you saying... you never loved me?" LLH: "back then, we were young. nothing of what we said then can still count now."

it can be interpreted in different ways, but it sure fits a queer narrative extremely well. the feelings were real, but he didn't understand whether they were romantic or not, he just followed the norms. but things are different now.

enters fang duobing

fang duobing feels like a different queer narrative. by family background, fang duobing is a person who has equal ties to the imperial court as he does to the jiang hu. the emperor and his family wants to engage him to the princess of the court, a perfectly normal thing in the societal context he lives in, and a luck few can hope to have. what does he do?

flee

i often joke that fang duobing's sexuality is to be a detective on the jianghu, but it really does feel like that kind of narrative. fang duobing never has any doubt that his place is away from the rules of the imperial court. In ep. 1, he tells his servants:

don't worry. once your young master makes a name for himself as a renown detective on the jianghu, they {his parents} will understand that, compared to the imperial court, i am much more suited for the jiang hu.

and yes, this is about escaping the rigidity of the court as such, but it's also analogous for the freedom to be who you are, to be queer, to not conform.

and fang duobing never backtracks. his parents want him to conform, and they want him to have the comfort that comes with this lifestyle. he rejects it thoroughly and consistently.

it's also interesting that in ep 25, once they meet the princess and they have gone through a case together, fang duobing still rejects the idea of the wedding. when li lianhua tells him "the jianghu is a place full of grudges and sinister schemes. why not become a carefree consort prince?"

fang duobing only looks forlorn and retorts "li lianhua, can you never say that again, please?"

in contrast, though, he has no qualms planning his whole life on the jianghu with li lianhua in ep. 15. so this is not about settling down with someone.

it feels very close to being confidently queer and knowing it from a very early age, and then rejecting the heteronormative expectations thrown upon you with assurance.

...

anyway, so what i want to say is: li lianhua is a tired millenial who discovered he was queer in his mid-twenties after a mild depression; fang duobing is a gen-z baby queer who doesn't know his queer history but is so confidently queer and he's never looking back