#He could meet sabo while he was an adult

[fluffyartbl0g]

Holy crap this is like world record breaking pace guys

Speedrun/Time Travel AU masterlist

[one-idea]

Shanks raise ASL part 6

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So Ace squares his shoulders and raises his head to meet Shanks’ eyes. And he asks only one question. “What would you do if you found out Gol D. Roger’s had a son?”

The little boy braces himself. He’s ready, or so he thinks. He’s ready for this man to hate him. To tell him that his father was the devil and that his offspring are demons. That Ace shouldn’t exist. Maybe he’d kill Ace right where he stands. Tell Luffy and Sabo that Ace ran away for good and just continue on with life without the burden that is Ace.

What he doesn’t expect is for Shanks to walk towards him silently. The man’s eyes looking intently at his face, studying his features, looking for… something? Ace had no idea what. Did he think he was lying? Was he looking for proof? But then Shanks eyes welled up with tears and he dropped to his knees in front of Ace, throwing his arms around the boy and holding him close.

Ace has never been so confused. He expected to be shun or hit. Instead he was held like he was something precious. One of Shanks’ arms was firmly wrapped around his waist while the other hand was buried into his hair forcing Ace close to the man as he cried into Ace’s hair.

He could feel Shanks’ shaky breath as the man calmed down. “What would I do if I found out that Gol D. Roger’s had a son?” Shanks voice was gentle yet despite that Ace still tensed. He had no idea how Shanks was going to respond. Most adults mocked or hit him by now but Shanks was still holding him so tightly.

Shanks slowly pulled back just enough to look Ace in the eyes as he answers “I’d find him and protect him with my life just as his father protected me.”

“What?” Ace couldn’t understand. What did Shanks mean. Gol D. Rogers had never protected anyone.

Shanks could see the disbelief on the kid’s face. Which made sense. He had to wonder just how much Ace truly knew about his father. “Gol D. Roger’s found me in a treasure chest when I was a baby. He took me in and raised me as his own. I owe him everything.” Shanks said as he look Ace over again. Now that he was looking for it he could see Roger’s silver eyes. The dark hair was the same color as his captain’s, but the wavy texture was all Rouge, as were the constellation of freckles on the young boy’s cheeks.

“No that- you can’t be-” Ace didn’t know what to say. The man Shanks was describing, and the person that Shanks was were not compatible with his understand of who Roger and his crew were. “You can’t be a Roger’s pirate. They were monsters!” He couldn’t make his metal image of Roger and his crew and his memories of Shanks playing with his brothers and protecting them line up in his mind. There was no way this man who was so kind and doting to his brothers could be one of the bloodthirsty Roger pirates. He just couldn’t be.

“Now who told you that?” Shanks’ heart hurt to hear his captain’s son refer to their old family as monsters.

“Everyone. Everyone says that Roger was the devil and I’m his hell spawn.” Ace told him angrily. How did Shanks not get it. Ace was a monster and so was Roger. “I shouldn’t even be alive.”

Shanks pulled him close again, curling around the boy, shielding him from the world as best he could. Who did this? Who told his captain’s son all of these lies? Who told Ace he shouldn’t exist? Shanks was going to rip them apart for this. Ace should have been raised in the Oro Jackson surrounded by a loving crew that would protect him until death took them. But that wasn’t possible. He remembered why his captain handed himself over. Did Ace know about that?

“Your father was one of the greatest men I have ever known.” Ace started to argue but Shanks gently shushed him. “Let me finish. He was brave and kind and brought joy to those around him. And he fell in love with a wonderful woman, Portagas D. Rouge. But he was sick. He knew he didn’t have long. And when he found out your mom was pregnant he made a decision. He turned himself in to the marines.”

Ace’s heart was pounding in his chest. “What, what do you mean. He didn’t turn himself in he was caught by Gramps.” Shanks had to pause and breath through his rage at that one. Garp had been ‘raising’ Ace? That answered a few questions, but not all of them. After all Roger considered Garp a friend, but Shanks had disliked the man since he stood by and ordered Roger’s execution.

“He turned himself in to Garp, but he made him promise two things. One that the marines wouldn’t hunt down the rest of his crew after his executions, and two that you and your mom would be safe.” Shanks held the boy a little tighter. His captain gave up everything, and for what? If Roger’s could see them now would he think his sacrifice worth it?

“But why- how- I don’t understand.” Ace couldn’t wrap his head around what Shanks was telling him. Roger’s had been caught and executed for his crimes. What was this nonsense about noble sacrifices?

Shanks couldn’t blame the kid for not understanding it. He hadn’t understood his captain’s actions for a long time. But now as a captain himself, as someone who has a lover he would burn the world for, and as a freshly minted father of three, because these are HIS boys, he thinks he’s finally starting to get it. He would do anything to keep his crew, Mihawk, and the boys safe. Parting with his own life would be a small price to pay to guarantee their safety. But Shanks also knew the rest of his captain’s story.

“The marines lied kid.” He said with so much bitterness. “They lied to Roger. Promised they wouldn’t hunt down the crew and the people he cared for.” He let out a dark chuckle. “His body wasn’t even cold before they turned on us. Chased the crew all over the sea. Luckily we all disbanded before his execution or they would have got us all in one fell swoop. I was 15 and they chased me like rabid dogs. At the time I knew Rouge, your mom, was pregnant, but I had hoped that information was a secret. Apparently not as they launched a full hunt for you and your mom.” Shanks paused.

He was still furious he hadn’t been able to help Rouge at the time but none of them could have. He wasn’t lying about the marine pursuit being relentless for the first few years after Roger’s execution. It was a miracle that so many of them survived. But the price that he lost contact with his old family. He hadn’t talked to Buggy since Lougetown. He had run into Rayleigh a few years back and had sobbed like a child at seeing his second father again.

“I didn’t hear about the man hunt for the two of you until years later. By then I had to assume you both were dead.” Shanks tightened his arms around the silent boy. “I’m so glad you’re alive.”

Ace sat there is silence processing the new news. His father had died….for him? That couldn’t be right. Roger was the King of the Pirates he was selfish, he wouldn’t sacrifice so much for them.

“Your mom, do you know what happened to her?” Shanks felt awful asking, he had a feeling he already knew the answer, but he had to know. If Rouge was alive she was coming with them. No if ands or buts about it.

His hope didn’t live long. “She died giving birth to me.” Ace’s voice was hallow. He was still processing all of this news. His mom’s death was a fact. He killed her. The very first sin of his existence.

Shanks sighed and held Ace close. “She loved you so much. I’m sorry you didn’t get to met her.” They sat there in silence for a bit. Just taking in all that they had learned in the past few minutes.

“I don’t understand.” Ace finally said. “Everyone says that Roger was a monster, but the way you talk about him….” Ace just couldn’t wrap his head around everything he had just learned. Shanks thought for a second. He had an idea but Ace wasn’t going to like it.

“Do you think Luffy could ever be a monster?” Ace’s head shot back and he shoved himself a way from Shanks.

“Never! What are you talking about. Luffy is the kindest person I know. He could never be-”

“King of the Pirates?” Shanks finished Ace’s sentence, but not the way Ace would have. The boy was going to say monster, but Shanks’ interjection froze the boy in his tracks. “I believe that Luffy is going to be the next King of the Pirates. And with that, there is going to come a lot of lies from the government. They’re going to tell the world that Luffy is a monster. That he deserves to die. So I’m asking you, will you believe them when they say that about Luffy?” Shanks looked Ace dead in the eyes. Never wavering in his question.

“Never. Luffy just wants to be free.” Ace responds unshakable in his beliefs.

“So did Roger.” Ace froze again. He hated comparing his father to his little brother, but he also finally understood what Shanks was getting at. “Look you don’t have to like your dad, but you should know the truth about him. And the truth was he adore you. Enough to die for you without a second thought.”

Shanks sighed as he stood up. This was good. He’s overjoyed to know who Ace is and that he’s alive, but he’s also full of fury and wants to hunt Garp down, because what was that man thinking? Letting Ace believe all of the government’s propaganda. He’s exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster he’s been on tonight and he can see that Ace is to. But there’s one more thing they need to talk about before he can end this conversation.

“And I would to.” Ace jerks to met Shanks’ eyes. “I would die for you and your brothers in a heart beat. Not because you’re my captain’s son. But because I’ve come to see you as mine. I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted all three of you on my crew. You’re my kids. I would fight the world for you, the government and anyone else who tried to hurt you. Because you are Ace and I love you.” Shanks never broke eye contact with the boy. “Not because of who your dad is and not despite of who your dad is, but because of who you are.”

Ace felt tears well up in his eyes as he rushed towards Shanks. The man bending down to scoop the boy up and hold him close as he cried into his shoulder. Someone wanted him. Someone wanted Ace around. Shanks knew who his father was and didn’t hate him. He loved him, he said he did. Has anyone besides Luffy and Sabo ever said that to Ace before.

“I got you. It’s okay. You’re never going to be alone again.” Shanks reassured the boy as he held him close. “One day when you’re ready to set out on your own you’ll have my full support but until that day comes I’ve got you.” Shanks promised as he started to make his way out of the little shack. “Even after that you’ll still have me. I’ll always have your back, until the day I die. If you and your brothers need me I’ll be there. I swear this to you.” Shanks looked up at the moon as he started making his way back Foosha village. Back to Mihawk, Luffy, and Sabo. Back the the Red Force and his crew. And he made one more promise.

��I’ll keep your boy safe Captain. I’ll raise him as my own, give him all the love you gave me. I won’t fail him. I couldn’t protect you but I’ll protect him with my life. I promise.”

Finally the bonding moment the two of them need.

Next time:

The return of a mountain bandit.

Shanks promise gets put to the test.

[deathmetalunicorn1]

A little what if for the Eri reader Fanfic. What if Eri met the young ASL group instead of the straw hats so Eri is 4 here and she escaped or smt from her captures and she meets the ASL brothers. You can choose how she meets them ect

-It was a chance meeting, one the four of you will never forget. You woke up in this new world, away from Overhaul, but there were other people after you, wanting to use your strange ability after they witnessed you ‘healing’ a cat.

-You were hiding in the forest, trying to stay hidden, trying to keep your tears at bay when you heard a twig snap and you turned, seeing three young boys, who were all staring at you.

-These boys weren’t like the people who were chasing you, as the one in the straw hat spoke, “Who are you?” you were a bit nervous, holding your hands to your chest and your sleeves fell, revealing your scars.

-Instantly their eyes went wide, because all they saw was a little girl who was covered with scars, as some of your bandages had fallen off, getting too tattered.

-Ace had you up on his back, piggyback style after only a few minutes, “C’mon- we’ll take you to our hideout, you’ll be safe there with us.”

-You were surprised by his actions, as they were being so nice, your arms hugging around his neck, “Thank you Ace.” His cheeks were quickly burning red, hearing the praise, acting tsundere, “Yeah whatever!”

-Sabo and Luffy, after you learned their names as well, were laughing at Ace, teasing him for being shy, which led to Ace setting you down on a stump so he could attack Luffy and Sabo.

-Tears quickly welled in your eyes as you ran forward, grabbing Ace’s hand, “Please don’t hurt them!” seeing you in tears made Ace freeze, and Luffy and Sabo were surprised to see that you stopped him.

-You sniffled softly, not wanting them to be hurt and they all froze when your horn flared to life and an aura surrounded the three of them, healing their wounds.

-They were all gawking, wanting to know what you just did, but you weren’t able to answer as you quickly developed a fever and slumped into Ace’s arms, fainting.

-You woke up a few hours later in a large house, where Dandan was yelling at the three boys for making you cry and faint, after they brough you to her, as they trusted Dandan to help you.

-You unintentionally broke their hearts, both the boys and the bandits, once you were sitting up, getting a cut up apple to eat by looking so excited, “It’s so yummy!”

-Luffy was confused, “It’s just an apple.” Before he got whacked on his head by both Sabo and Ace, before he realized that you probably faced a lot of bad things, if you though a simple apple was delicious.

-Dandan made you a dress with leggings, something long sleeved, to hide your scars, it was nothing fancy but once you were dressed, you twirled before looking up at her, “Is this really for me?” you were going to kill all of them- they were convinced of it.

-You didn’t tell them about your past, being too scared too, which told many of the adults what they needed to know, that you had been hurt for a long time, most likely be adults, as you were a little scared of adults.

-You did tell at least the three boys and Dandan about your ability, that you weren’t healing, you were rewinding, undoing damage that had been done, “It’s not the same as healing, that’s what O-… he told me.’

-Luckily, you had your three new friends who were willing to protect you- they wanted to keep you safe. They were training to be strong pirates, but something they learned from Shanks, through Luffy, that even pirates have people they care about.

-While you didn’t really train with them, as they fought every day to get stronger, you supported them, after hearing their dreams of becoming pirates- your eyes were sparkling when they told you what pirates did and you couldn’t help but beam, “Can I be a pirate too?”

-Ace immediately grinned, flexing his arm, “Of course- you can join my crew!” Luffy was quick to shove him, “No way- Y/N is joining my crew!” Sabo then voiced his own and they were quickly fighting again, all arguing on whose crew you were going to join.

-You couldn’t help but smile, feeling so safe with them, you felt like you finally found a place you belonged.

[find-roronoa-zoro]

Roronoa Zoro X CisFem Reader

15

Christmas dinner had its usual moments of bickering and teasing among siblings and friends. Lots of curious glances were tossed your way as you and Zoro sat together his hand resting on your knee under the table. Your younger blond brother seemed to be acting quite smug all evening while your older blond couldn't seem to wait to corner and interrogate you.

"You don't think it's a little bit suspicious, yoi?" Marco asked taking the plate you'd just washed to dry.

"First of all, ouch," you looked at him ironically, "what's so suspicious? I didn't know you had such a big problem with him."

"I didn't mean it like that," he deadpanned and continued, "I don't have a problem with him. It's just your age difference and it's no secret that our family is successful and well off while he has been working multiple jobs to make ends meet, yoi."

"So you're saying he wants a sugar mama?"

"More or less, I mean who knows that could be it?"

"I guess I wasn't clear enough before." Zoro interrupted.

Marco sighed.

"Before?" you echoed.

"It's not a fetish and I don't need your money," he paused and flushed a little, "I happen to enjoy and appreciate your sister's company. We're both adults and don't need your permission."

Marco tensed and puffed out his chest, "If you ever -"

"You don't have to threaten me. I don't intend to."

You looked away flustered and cleared your throat, "I'm right here ya know."

"I need a smoke." Marco rumbled dropping the dish towel and marching out of the room.

"I'm really sorry about that." You turned back to the sink.

His arms made their way around your waist, "Don't be. He's allowed to be worried, I just don't appreciate the assumptions."

"It was still rude." you pouted.

"Well, a sugar mama would be nice." he breathed teasingly against the crook of your neck.

"S-shut up." you shivered, "Help me dry these dishes."

"Yes ma'am." he rumbled kissing the tip of your ear and moving beside you.

"Don't call me that." you nudged him playfully with your elbow.

"Well if you insist on calling me Tiger then you'll have to get an embarrassing nickname too." he argued quietly.

"Ma'am isn't a nickname, for one, it's something you say to your elder."

He smirked at you.

"Don't say it." you scolded.

"Ok, ok." he raised his hands, "I'll think of something."

After you and Zoro cleaned up everyone gathered in the den to play games and watch movies. Thatch and Marco had dipped out to smoke while you were helping Al and Nami destroy your younger brothers at Scene It Music. Zoro sat in an armchair next to Pops watching you laugh and talk shit to each other.

"You won't find someone with a purer heart." your father murmured.

Zoro sighed inwardly, he knew you lived with a bunch of protective men but if he was going to be threatened individually by them this shit was going to get old.

"I agree." the greenette nodded.

"Don't listen to these brats by the way," the old man chuckled, "they talk big but they'd never do anything to hurt her."

Zoro took a swig from the bottle of beer he was holding, "And I wouldn't either."

"That's good to know, lad." both men looked on as you turned and smiled at them still laughing at something Al had said to Sabo to make him pout, "She looks at you differently than the others."

"How so?"

"It's almost how she looked at me when she was little; like I could do no wrong. It's an infectious feeling." Pops glanced at the younger male.

"She makes you believe you can't." Zoro muttered taking another drink.

He really felt if you had a super power it would be your ability to draw out the good in anyone and make them feel supported.

"Cherish her, lad."

"Yes sir."

"Girls win!" you cheered.

"You guys pay the next time we go to the bar." Al affirmed.

"Sign this." Nami slid a small sheet of paper across the coffee table, "You won't be getting out of it."

"What are you two talking about so seriously?" you asked plopping down in the chair with Zoro.

"It's a secret." your father winked.

You gave Zoro a pout.

He smirked and flicked your forehead, "What a brat you were when you were little."

"Hey!" you protested grabbing his hand.

"I like this one." Pops rumbled.

________________

Zoro admired you as you rested in his lap on the sofa in the den.

You'd spent most of the night awake with Pops who was too sick to move, and even if he wanted to his legs were retaining water and were puffy and stiff. He couldn't keep anything down which included his nausea medication, you wasted a few doses trying. The boys needed rest so they could get some work done and Marco and Thatch could start preparations.

So, your boyfriend of less than a week came by to help. He convinced you to lie down while Pops was finally resting and nap until the hospice nurse arrived. Once you got comfortable on his thigh you were out like a light. You snored softly as he ran his fingers through your hair.

Not even fifteen minutes into your nap the doorbell chimed sending Chopper into a frenzy and startling you awake.

The damn nurse was early.

"I'll let her in." Zoro murmured as you sat up rubbing your eyes.

You nodded and straightened yourself up trying to recall everything you needed to tell her in your sleepy haze. After giving her a run down of the night before she entered Pops' room and checked his vitals and gave him a few shots. He barely stirred during the examination.

"Are your brothers here?" the nurse asked stepping out of his room.

"Not yet, is something the matter?" your stomach dropped.

"It would be best if you contacted them so we can all discuss the next steps." she smiled empathetically.

It took less than an hour to assemble all five of your siblings.

You walked out on to the porch with Zoro adjusting the scarf around his neck.

"You don't have to go." you murmured nervously.

"It's a family moment. I don't want to upset your brothers." he brushed your hair behind your left ear, "I'll be nearby so just call me when you're done and I'll come back. Ok?"

"K." you pouted.

He swiftly kissed your lips and turned toward his truck.

"I'm going to have to suggest he be moved to the hospice center." Marcia, the nurse announced once you had all gathered in the living room.

"Why the center? He wanted to stay home." Sabo voiced.

"Yeah, you guys can just give him his treatments here anyway." Ace agreed.

"He's reached a stage where he needs around the clock care." Marcia explained, "We cannot do that here."

"How soon?" you asked

"There's a space available now. We can move him tomorrow." she replied.

"What does this mean? How long will he have to stay?" Luffy questioned from his seat next to you.

Marcia glanced at Thatch and Marco before turning back to the youngest as you wrapped your arms around him.

"Well, the hospice center is where people come to be kept comfortable in their final days."

[abominable-space-they]

Hmmm I feel like Ace should pay Yamato a 'visit' during the time skip and has to leave before Kaido kills him. And then Yamato finds out he's having Ash and Kaido decides that Ash will be his heir if Yamato insists on this childish rebellion

A regency au! Very cool!

Oh this became more autistic character reflection lolol

One of the things I find so interesting about Ace & Yamato as characters and a pairing is that. Ace feels like something is missing after Sabo dies, and he is so driven he can't stop looking for it.

While Yamato feels like there is something missing, but because he's never experienced it in any form. So he imagines that fulfilment must only be available off the island, it's after all where Oden found love and happiness. Since he can't get off the island, he believes he can't ever experience that not really, it makes him relatively passive, accepting Kaido's treatment because he doesn't have any better ideas. Because he's isolated, alone, and doesn't have enough of a reason to risk everything fighting back.

In the canon, both times he had a reason to break out, when Ace and then Luffy showed up, he immediately and relatively easily broke out of Kaido's imprisonment.

As much as Kaido said Yamato was his heir, it was punishment for aligning himself with Oden as much as anything. Kaido literally can not die, being his heir is meaningless, it's a gilded cage in and of itself, a declaration of ownership.

Therefore up until we meet him, Yamato has only been isolated and lonely, an neglected abused child, and then an isolated lonely adult.

He's not a prince in anything but name, he's never had purpose outside of the one he gave himself associated with Joy boy and Oden

Having a baby would change things, he would no longer be a helpless child, but an adul responsible for giving a helpless child a life better then the one he had.

Ash would give him a reason to fight back. It would give him a reason to fight for his freedom. Kaido would suddenly find himself facing the son he'd always wanted Yamato to be, as strong, fearless, and unstoppable as he himself was as a young man.

It would change things between them, the begrudging respect. It wouldn't make Kaido a better man or a better parent, but he'd consider Yamato having earned his title and would let him roam the island unfettered as long as he didn't leave the island

Yamato would be insulted that he was being treated like one Kaido's lieutenants but he would also take what he could get. The freedom of movement without a constant daily battle is better for the baby

And Yamato is living for two now 💙💜

[quinloki]

omg it's so hard to be a responsible adult and not stay up and have my little daydreams while I listen to music xD and I unfortunately have to work tomorrow since our company doesn't consider it a holiday T_T I'm glad I could send you something in return to kill you bc you always kill me <333

I think I can officially say I got the sabo brainrot, damn (jk)

omg okay so I was also thinking how you'd meet ace and I'm like duh school a man like whitebeard would prolly want his sons to go out and experience the world especially if they're running a major business! and I'm like omg imagine ace in college it opens up so many dumb shenanigans that you both have so much dirt on eachother and you really give him a good wack when you find everything out because you overlooked so much it made you mad! like ace would always treat for meals or drinks and you obvi talked about his job after college, but he never mentioned WHERE he was going to work in a mailroom!! or that it was his dad's company!! that bastard

lolol and for some (mild) tension you meet shanks and he is just like heavyyyyyy flirting and izou finds it hilarous how annoyed sabo and marco look (and pops is like leave my future daughter in law alone xDDDD)

the tension in that hotel room after everyone is aware of the shower xD throw in a little bickering over who should sleep where, bc obvi you're so shaken up right? and they argue over who's bed you should sleep in so they can comfort you >>

the polycule would be interesting I won't lie idk how the dynamics with those two in particular would be tho bc honestly they give me such similar vibes sometimes. I mean I read sabo/reader/ace sometimes but ace is a puppy dog so it's a different dynamic >>

I could picture like, sabo does the more dangerous work, so you're officialy dating marco the ceo and you get dressed up and go to events with him but sometimes his little brother offers to take you home bc you're soooo tired from interacting with all those business peeps and sabo is just such a good younger brother to take care of his bro's girlfriend such a gentleman (nvm that you're going back to sabo's room and not marco's) like rather than a poly they just both share bc you couldn't pick they're just both too good IDK MAN I JUST WANT THEM BOTH SO BAD T_T

ok but the riskiest part of being the weakness is the fact that pops basically parades you around and calls you his daughter in law and nobody can figure out exactly what it is that got him to favor you so much but you run with it when you need to (like when ace/luffy are being a little shit)

also random thought before anyone officially starts dating, you start going to events with ace bc you get hired for the company or something (maybe ceo's secretary >> since ace is gonna be the boss someday!!) and people just assume you're dating and when pops calls you the daughter in law they're like oh congrats to the lovely couple and you both just look at eachother disgusted bc ew, no (like you'd also rather lick his face than anything romantic bc you've seen him eat food off a bar floor and other disgusting habits and absolutely not) and then everyone is just confused (incoming shanks flirting at that moment sounds perfect xD) then you realize getting called the daughter in law means pops has some idea of what's going on and now you have to figure how much and how mortified you should be

So there's a comic out there called something like Him & Him & Him, that's basically a girl and three guys (an uncle and twin nephews), and it's porn with a dash of plot, but I like the way it was done. That comic makes me think of what Sabo x Marco x Reader would be.

Which, to make it concise, in the comic, the lady marries the uncle legally, but all of them live together, and it's like you were saying "Oh what a good brother he is, looking out for Marco's fiance like that."

So yes, yes I like that head canon very much. We were going to split this into two different Pick One endings, but fully polycule works too.

It certainly turns into Two Against One though, cause in this situation the reader is the puppy dog >.>

Gods the kink and dynamics I could explore....

heck, Kaz, HECK I already have plenty to work on but this is killing me. Marco brainrot is real, and Sabo is just rushing the gates I swear, and now all this - ALL THIS DELICIOUS chatter and idea swapping and head canoning and world building KAZ I NEED TO WRITE THIS.

The world can blame you, I'm making notes, it's going into the primary rotation. I'll finishing Birds of a Feather and put this in its spot and I hope you're happy (affectionate).

I love the secretary idea too and the misunderstandings XD

And I think Pops likes the reader because she's a capable fighter, and not afraid to defend people, and also his sons want to protect her and he's like "Yeah, no, I get it." but less romantic and more "This smol creature reminds me of Ace and I love them both." sort of thing XD

[enjomo-arch]

👫 uvu

RELATION HEADCANONS // GOL D. ROGER

♠  while  ace  was  a  kid,  i  don't  think  he  hated  roger  all  the  way.  i  don't  even  think  i  can  name  it  hate.  he  was  rather  frustrated  that  he  couldn't  find  out  anything  about  his  father  or  even  himself  because  any  answer  only  put  his  parent  in  an  unpleasant  light.  ace  did  believe  that  roger  is  not  actually  a  bad  person.  he  really  did,  that's  why  he  was  always  getting  so  angry  whenever  adults  would  call  his  family  as  devils.  however,  the  way  he  grew  up  and  how  he  himself  began  to  hate  the  fact  that  he  had  to  suffer  through  it,  i'm  more  than  sure  that  if  ace  and  roger  sat  down  and  talked,  most  of  the  deep  wounds  ace  carried  from  his  childhood  would  eventually  be  closed.  ace  essentially  feels  abandoned,  and  learning  that  roger  was  still  somewhere  out  here  but  not  reaching  him  would  make  him  spin  a  lil,  he  may  be  bitter  but  having  finally  had  the  opportunity  to  meet  his  own  biological  family  ?  something  ace  has  wanted  to  have  ever  since  he  could  remember  ?  it'd  definitely  start  to  mend  their  relationship  and  lead  it  on  the  right  path.  

♠  ace  is  competetive,  loves  a  challenge,  and  guess  that  this  is  something  he  could  boldly  inherit  from  his  father.  i'm  more  than  sure  that  whatever  roger  boasts  that  he  can  do  ace  would  interject  with  '  but  i'll  do  it  better  '  and  they  just  end  up  making  a  rush  /  competiton  of  stupid  shit.  while  at  the  beggining  it'd  frustrate  ace  because  he  wants  to  win  with  his  dad,  at  the  end  of  the  day,  deep  down  he'd  just  enjoy  the  activity  they  get  to  have  together.  whether  it's  butting  heads  or  other  funny  stuff,  he's  glad  he  can  feel  like  'other'  kids  and  experience  actual  family  bonding.

♠  the  moment  ace  learns  that  roger  named  him  after  his  sword  ?  he'd  think  this  is  the  most  badass  shit  ever  to  be  named  after  a  weapon,  especially  a  sword. 

♠  he  doesn't  even  want  to  imagine  what  would  happen  if  ace  started  telling  roger  about  his  brothers.  telling  him  everything  about  luffy,  what  happened  with  sabo  and  who  took  care  of  him  (  maybe  skip  the  bit  of  garp  beating  his  ass  up  when  he  was  10  lmfao  ).  he'd  be  soo  eager  as  he  always  is  to  talk  how  strong  luffy  is  and  what  dream  he  has  set  for  himself.  of  course,  roger  would  surely  notice  the  huge  tattoo  of  the  whitebeard  on  ace's  back  so  he'd  get  to  that  too  and  tell  the  whole  truth  about  how  edward  wanted  him  to  be  his  son  and  run  the  seas  under  his  name.  he'd  still  like  to  refer  to  edward  as  his  adoptive  father  though.  best  of  all  at  the  end,  ace  showing  roger  his  devil  fruit  powers  and  just  his  head  would  go  up  in  flames  in  front  of  him.  lowkey  hoping  to  scare  the  shit  out  of  roger  with  that,  or  even  start  panicking  that  it's  hot  and  he's  burning.  he'd  laugh  about  that  for  another  week  if  roger  would  actually  fall  for  that,  he's  a  little  bastard  after  all.

in  conclusion  i  feel  like  the  more  ace  gets  to  catch  up  his  time  with  roger  the  more  he'd  grow  out  of  his  grief  about  the  past.  ace  isn't  a  person  who  likes  to  live  by  what  happened,  but  move  forward  and  improve.  maybe  meeting  roger  is  also  the  answer  to  the  question  he  asked  garp  when  he  was  a  kid.  if  he  lived  long  enough  to  be  able  to  meet  his  family,  i  think  he'd  grow  to  understand  that  he  deserved  to  live  and  whatever  poison  was  planted  in  his  mouth  wears  off.

[breezy-cheezy]

Uh, I mean yea, the context changes a bit, and OPLA makes the situation a bit less intense, but in the end both versions have Shanks making what's essentially an adult making a mad unthinking dash to protect a kid. His kid. Thinking gets weird when fear and protective instincts take over. Like when people and deer freeze in front of an incoming car. And like-

Ooookay wow um. That's alot of comments. Fiiiirst of all, "pet peeve" or no, that's on you to handle; It's your responsibility to curate your dash experience, so if you're seeing a theory that pisses you off so much all the time, maybe start unfollowing/blocking people.

Personally this is the first time I've heard the notion. I don't see it as canon, I don't think ageofzero does either. We're both new to the fandom space, so like...I know you're irritated about seeing this theory again, but you could have easily made your point without the condescending tone.

Like in the end, Shanks is a very mysterious person. Bottom line is, we don't know what he's thinking like a majority of the time. All we really know is through Luffy's eyes and the brief snapshots in the story proper. We can't know what was going on in his head when he protected Luffy, and it's silly to get irritated about it, I think.

Personally, I don't think Shanks like, lost his arm fully on purpose. It's just. Luffy was more important. So he threw out his arm to protect Luffy, that's all. Good point on him not being as powerful 10 years ago too, I get that.

Now do I think that sacrifice made a big impact on Luffy's life and ways of thinking? Oh yeah. Boy's got a protective streak a mile wide, and a loyalty that shook hardened bandits before even meeting Shanks (when he was beaten to near death for not telling the bandits where Sabo and Ace's treasure was. Because he didn't want to betray even the POSSIBILITY of friendship. Because :

I'm only on the Vegapunk arc, but I've seen Luffy does react VERY badly to sacrifice, especially sacrifices for him. I think Shanks's arm was a big part of that. Losing Ace, who died right in front of Luffy after taking a fatal blow for him, only solidified this.

So yea no, I don't think Shanks and Zeff looked at these kids and thought "I'm gonna teach this kid how hard the world is by brutally losing a limb, that'll show 'em" and more like.... "that kid has their whole life ahead of them, while I've lived a solid part of mine. I'll give whatever I need to make sure they're safe and thriving."

Idk, there's alot of nuance to it, I think. These parental figures can sacrifice, save, and softly traumatize their kids all in one go! It makes them very human.

Annnnd as Brennan in D20 Burrow's End put it:

You are deep in the paint about One Piece and me and my datemate watched OPLA recently so I will tell you this thing I said while we were talking about Shanks.

He said something to the effect of Shanks is CRAZY STRONG, perhaps one of the strongest, and has some special ability that allows him to tell anyone weaker than him to GTFO, so it's a fucking mystery why he lost his arm when by all rights he never needed to lose the arm. He's still the strongest without it, but why'd he lose it in the first place if he didn't have to???

So I replied, after like a minute of thought, "Because he might not need the arm, but Luffy needed him to lose his arm". Luffy needed the lesson he was going to learn for Shanks giving up that piece of himself to save Luffy's life. He needed to see the stakes and be given that lesson of actions, consequences, collateral damage, giving pieces of yourself for the sake of your crew/family/nakama.

Furthermore, with Sanji and Luffy being connected through "my mentor/surrogate father literally gave up a piece of himself to save my life", stands to logic that Sanji also needed that lesson in the narrative sense. These older guard pirates passed along something vital, giving up something that they don't need to live fulfilling lives but would be seen as incredibly important, to teach the next generation something and give them tools with which to do better.

I don't go here (I don't have the spoons for the entirety of One Piece tbh), but I liked the conclusion I came up with and wanted to share it in the hopes that you might like it too. I don't think I'm breaking any new ground here tbh but as an outsider, it was neat to think about.

I SURE AM, BUDDY X'''D Thanks for popping in! 👀 I got thoughts (and manga screencaps since you won't read it anyway, FREE REIN:

Hm. I mean point taken, but I mean...even the strongest people aren't infallible? Even IF Shanks has Conquerer's Haki (the power in question) which is something very special someone has to be born with and trained to use to its fullest, that doesn't mean it'll fix everything. Also like. He's also been shown to kinda....lose control of it when nervous or on edge.

Like my dude did not have to do this. He mentions later he doesn't like being on different territory or something LOL (he's visiting a different powerful pirate leader here).

Anyway to rescue Luffy at that time, he had to act FAST and was probably SCARED FOR HIM so like. Maybe didn't have the time to make the Haki register? It came down to losing Luffy or bodily thrusting his own arm forward to block the bite from the sea king....and well. Shanks has 2 arms. Only one Luffy. The choice was easy. Even upon losing the arm he didn;t seem upset by it really.

For the sake of the new era he says....the face of it being Luffy himself. And yea the wording really is "I gave it up" and him clearly having no regrets.

STILL I think you do have a point, this was VERY important for Luffy to learn. This same kid stabbed his own face to prove he was "manly enough" to be a pirate (so Shanks wouldn't leave without him....like his brother Ace....like his brother Sabo, to an extent, through "death" in his case) so the realization that being a pirate....would not be easy. There would be sacrifice. There would be pain. But also in a way, it was Shanks showing how important Luffy was to him. This, and passing down that straw hat much to big for Luffy....yeah.

It's clear then he's not ready. Not yet. It's with these parting gifts that Luffy is finally able to let Shanks go, and improve himself so he's strong enough to protect others, so they don;t have to do for him what Shanks did. Luffy learned to live, and while Shanks's sacrifice was devastating to Luffy, he took it to heart to keep going and grow stronger. And yea, that Nakama is just that important, more than limbs. More than life.

NOW SANJI ON THE OTHER HAND....similar but different. Luffy and Sanji were very lonely kids, but for different reasons. Luffy was clingy to anyone who showed him anything close to kindness, while Sanji....puffed up like a scared cat. Without going deep into details, he's from an extremely abusive family that beat into him he's not worth anything because he's weak. Especially from his father. So when Zeff gives him all the food, and sacrifices his own leg....well...

"Why did you do that for me?! I never gave you a reason to be kind to me!!!" And Zeff responds with their shared dreams of the All Blue...but I also feel like it's just. Sanji is a kid. He's just a kid. Again a face of the new generation to come. Zeff had his chance to search for the All Blue and be a pirate, but Sanji's life is just beginning. I'm sure that fueled his decision too.

But unlike Luffy, this just made Sanji cling harder. In a way he gave up his dream to support Zeff, out of guilt, out of a sense of duty and kindness he'd....not really experienced and didn't know what to do with. And Zeff probably allowed it for awhile, because goodness Sanji is just a kid, and he needed someone to help him grow and learn.

But it took Luffy to come along, bringing "I will live for you" to challenge Sanji's "I will die for you" conclusion.

Which uh. Didn't really fix Sanji's self sacrificial nature, but it HELPED, lmao. Eventually he was able to let go of suppori=ting the Baratie to finally chase his dream...as long as he doesn't die for a crewmate in the process hsdhfhdsk

So YEA IDK how much their mentors/father figures knew/thought about their sacrifices, but there sure were willing choices to give up their limbs for the upcoming generation/era, no matter what. I loved Zeff emphasizing that to Garp in OPLA, I think that's extremely important and a huge theme to One Piece in general. Cycles, power, and how many conflicts rise from powerful forces refusing to let go of their power, thus suffocating the new generations (the World Government smacking down so hard on the age of pirates).

Shanks and Zeff gave their support and protection to ensure these kids could live their fullest lives, and I think that's beautiful!

[bumblebeeappletree]

This is a wildly different au. Modern au with a twist. Ace is the son of the Fae King who was taken to the human realm in order to be safe as the king had died while his queen went into hiding in order to keep their son safe. She died in childbirth. Sabo was originally meant to become a changling for Ace but the switch never came to be. Ace managed to be given a human appearance and was hidden within human woods. Eventually Sabo ran away from home and met Ace in the woods and they became friends. However Sabo had learn stories about the fae and quickly realize that Ace was a Fae child. Ace himself didn’t know he wasn’t human until he overheard a conversation about him.

Luffy met Ace and Sabo when they were seven and he was four. Luffy quickly attached himself to Ace and well, the three became brothers not long after. Ace and Sabo wanted to keep Luffy in the dark about Ace being a Fae child, but they taught Luffy everything he needed to know should he ever meet one of the Fae that wasn’t Ace.

Garp wasn’t too sure how to interact with his now three grandchildren. He knew the Fae King and he knew Ace, but he wasn’t sure how to deal with the fact that Ace had become brothers with a human child and Garp’s biological grandson. But, he still wants them to become marines. Hopefully Ace could join the human realm fully and stay safe there.

Shanks is a Fae who went to visit the human realm and quickly grew to like Luffy… especially after seeing how much alike Luffy was to the king. He wore the crown to the throne as to protect it, and to give it to the next in line. When he crossed paths with Ace he had come to realize that this was the prince, and yet he couldn’t help his gaze to travel to the younger child… Ace and Sabo aren’t sure how to regard the adult Fae and his intentions with their younger brother.

Devil fruits are strange fruits. They don’t come from the fae’s realm and can effect both those from the Fae realm and those in the human realm. The same consequence is to loose the ability to swim. Luffy ate the gum gum fruit and Shanks panics. After all, Devil fruits were much more rare in the human realm. How could Luffy interact with other humans if he’s now made of rubber?

After loosing his arm, and giving away the straw hat crown to Luffy, Shanks promises Luffy that he’ll send a friend to help him learn his powers.

Rayleigh had managed to sneak off into the human realm to see what favor Shanks exactly wanted from him. Helping a child learn how not to stretch with his new Devil fruit powers in order to keep a somewhat normal life was not it. Especially not the son of his king being the child’s older brother. Or even that the child with the Devil fruit powers being chosen to become the next Fae King. Was Luffy even partly Fae? But the two children with their human brother grew on him and he trained all three.

Years pass and on the day of Luffy’s seventeenth birthday, he ran from the house he grew up in, to explore the human realm he hardly knows even though he grew up in it his whole life.

Ace and Sabo panic.

Luffy gains a court full of humans, hidden Devil Fruit users, and a fishmen Fae that’s friends with Ace.

All the while Luffy actually doesn’t know what Fae are.

[kaigarax]

Of Knowing and Understanding

Sabo x Reader

Quote: “Fall in love with all the little things someone does.”

We are reflections of everyone who we have loved.

Sabo, someone who had certainly loved and lost didn’t always understand the meaning of the phrase. But how could he have understood the saying when he lay unmoving upon a raft, uncertain of who he was?

The strange saying had followed the young Revolutionary through his adolescent and developmental years; almost like an unwanted companion that always lingered in the breeches of his mind. Of course, he knew what the saying meant but that wasn’t the exact same thing as understanding it.

Now, in the beginning of Sabo’s official adult years, he found himself maybe beginning to understand what the strange saying might have meant after meeting you.

At first, you had been just another girl in a town that would soon pass him by. Sabo had been sent to this town, in the middle of the East Blue, in hopes of discovering some information when he stumbled across you for the first time.

Information, especially for an underground revolution, was an utmost priority. A task assigned only to the highest of those in the Revolutionary Army. Rumors of the underground Secret Keeper being on this Island had passed through the ears of the Revolutionary Army which was how Sabo suddenly found himself on your home Island.

The rumor was shaky at best and truthfully Sabo wasn’t all too sure he would likely find who he was looking for in the first place. Especially here, on this backwater middle of nowhere Island. The Secret Keeper was supposedly a figure who knew much about the World Government and had escaped years before. Some believed they were still a member of the Navy while others theorised that it might be a Yonko crew member or Shishibukai. All rumors had something to do with a notorious group of people, the only question was exactly who?

There was no way someone as renowned and infamous would be hiding here. But who was he to defy direct orders?

Sabo had begun by a scout from the outside. Curiously watching the villagers of this small town to see if anything suspicious was happening. To see anyone that didn’t quite fit in and to cross names off his long list.

You happened to fall into the category of potentially suspicious people.

Or at least that was what he told himself when he decided to approach you first.

The Revolutionary made a show of (re)sailing into town that morning. The townspeople flocked to him, curious about the strange newcomer. He supposed that not many new people came in and out of the small town. Out of all the faces of the townspeople, Sabo noted that you were not among them.

It was early into the evening when Sabo entered the tavern.

Taverns were great places to gather information, likely a place where the Secret Keeper would hang out. Though Sabo doubted that there would be much juicy information here in this small town. It wasn’t likely for the tavern to be the place where he uncovered the identity of the Secret Keeper but it was the best starting place he could ask for.

Another newcomer to the town, that Sabo had learned of, sat in the back of the room with their hood up. The Revolutionary concluded that the cloaked figure wouldn’t be handed out in the small town for very long - which made him a candidate.

There was also the new bartender that calmly kept watch over everything. Something with control over the environment and happened to know everyone here. Another candidate to keep an eye on.

And lastly, there was you. You were the center of attention with your small little band. With your voice that draws the attention of everyone towards you and a smile that makes it seem as if the person you’re looking at is the only other person in the world. Despite what every logical bone in Sabo’s body was saying, he knew that for certain that he would have regretted it forever if he didn’t at least say hi.

You, in all your elegance and glory, smiled in a way that Sabo would never forget.

Getting to know you could have easily been written off as trying to gain the trust of the people living there. As an attempt to get more information. Sticking around you was another story.

Being around you made Sabo forget about all the troubles and pressures. Pushed them to the back of his mind.

He was suddenly just a clear headed young adult experiencing a summer romance. Not a commander in the Revolutionary Army.

Never once in Sabo’s life had he regretted joining the Revolutionary Army. The idea of fighting for those who couldn’t fight for themselves made the boy feel like his life was worth something. It got his blood pumping and kept him in shape. But sometimes it did feel like… too much. Like a rubber band stretched too far.

Sometimes it was nice to be someone who had forgotten about needing to find some secret mythical agent. It was nice to just sit on a picnic blanket on a date with someone you wanted to know more about. It was nice to be able to do something that made you happy without feeling guilt about it.

Sabo was never able to enjoy his time with you. Instead he had to keep an eye and ear away. Making sure nothing suspicious was happening elsewhere.

Being on the Island for a month had begun to dwindle the Revolutionaries’ determination. He had even started to question if this ‘Secret Keeper’ fellow was even real. There was no way that someone that important would have stayed on an Island this long without Sabo even finding a smidge of a clue.

Yet he had continued to stay.

---

“Hello?” You waved a hand in front of the blonde’s face, “anyone home?”

Sabo smiled, “no, but if you have a message for the owner of this body I’d be happy to leave one for you.”

“Oh? And is there a limit to the kind of messages that you deliver?” You asked, tapping your fingers together and taking a seat directly across from him.

Sabo swallowed.

You leaned in close, your face barely inches away from his own.

“And what kind of message do you plan on leaving, Miss. (Y/n)?” Asked Sabo.

“What kind of message would you like me to leave?” You asked, your lips ghosting over his own.

Sabo’s eyes fluttered closed.

There was a long moment of silence as Sabo waited. His breathing slowed and time seemed to freeze.

And he waited.

Then there was a snapping of a camera.

You laughed, “hey, it looks like you’re back, Sabo!” The boy snapped his eyes open with a flush on his cheeks. The printing of the photo ended with a click as you flashed Sabo a smile. You gave a quick look at the blank photo before shaking it up and down twice and tapping your fingers together.

“(Y/n).”

“Yes~” You asked, trying your best to feign innocence.

Sabo had smiled mischievously. leaning forward and towards you in an attempt to snatch the photo. You leaned back and ended up cornered between Sabo and the ground. He grabbed your hands and pinned them above your head.

“It’s not nice to take photos of other people without their permission.” playfully scolded Sabo.

You nodded.

“And are you going to do it again?”

“Maybe~”

Sabo’s free hand moved down to tickle you.

“S-Sabo! I’m sorry!” You exclaimed between laughs.

He paused, “and have you learned your lesson?”

“Yes! I promise!”

“And what won’t you do again?”

You pondered playfully, “humm?”

Sabo raised a brow.

“Okay! I won’t take photos of people without their permission!”

“Good.” hummed Sabo before snatching the photo of him from your hands. You pouted. It was cute.

You picked up your camera again, giving it a quick look to make sure that it hadn’t been damaged anyway before tapping your fingers together, “can I at least have that photo of you?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t like it.”

“How do you know you don’t like it?” You smiled, “you haven’t even looked at it yet!”

“I don’t have to look at it to know I don’t like it. I was making a weird face when you took that photo!”

“It was a cute face~”

“You can have a photo of me when you ask nicely.”

“So then Sabo,” you tapped your fingers together, “can I have a photo of you?”

“How about we take one of us together?”

‘SNAP!’

The printing of the film ended quietly with a ‘tick’.

The sky looked absolutely beautiful today and Sabo just couldn’t resist snapping a photo. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises were common when one lived a life on the ocean but it didn’t mean that one just suddenly stopped enjoying the beautiful sights. In fact, it made the Revolutionary want to capture each one more. There was a special and different moment in every day that was worthy of being remembered. There was always a part that would forever linger in the recesses of your heart and mind.

Sabo pulled the photo out before shaking it slightly.

“You know, shaking the photo like that doesn't actually make the film come out faster.” said Koala, leaning on the ledge of the balcony above Sabo. The girl’s hair hung over her shoulders and framed her face in a playful way.

Sabo smiled, “I know.”

“If you know then why do you do it?”

“Hum?” Sabo tapped his fingers together, pondering for a moment, “I guess I don’t really know why I do it.”

“Well that’s lame.” Koala sighed, “so are you excited to head back to the East blue? It’s where your from right?”

Sabo nodded.

“How long has it been since you’ve been there?”

“Eight months.”

“Oh? What mission did you head to the East Blue for?”

“I was looking for someone.”

“Ah, right! The Secret Keeper!” Koala smiled, “did you ever find him? I can’t remember if you’ve told me already.”

Sabo shook his head, “no, I never found the Secret Keeper.”

“That’s a shame. You know, I don’t even think the Secret Keeper is real. Or at least they’re not a single person. But at least you got to leave base for a while. Weren’t you gone for two months when you went on that mission? It gets so mundane here sometimes, doing the same things over and over again.” Koala sighed, “I can’t wait until we get to head to the New World!”

“You’ve been there before, right?” Asked Sabo.

“Oh course! I’ve told you so many times before!”

“Would you tell me again?”

---

“What ya got there, (Y/n)?” Asked Sabo, taking a seat across from you.

You opened your mouth to answer but no words seemed to come out. You eyed your mug for a moment before smirking and saying, “guess.”

“Ale?”

“Nope.”

“Juice?”

“Wrong again.”

“Lemonaid?”

“Isn’t that a kind of juice?”

“Oh, I guess it is.” Sabo sighed, “well, I’m stumped. What is it?”

“You only guessed three times!” You exclaimed.

“And three is the total amount of guesses that I’m going to take. So tell me what’s in your mug.”

“Water.”

“What? Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Boring!”

You rolled your eyes playfully, “sometimes it’s the boring things that make all the difference.”

“So why are you drinking water out of a mug?”

You eyed Sabo curiously, “what’s wrong with drinking water out of a mug?”

“Well, most people prefer to drink water out of a glass. I mean,” Sabo pointed to a pair of individuals two seats over from where the two of you sat, “those two are drinking water out of glasses right now. Mugs are usually reserved for alcoholic beverages.”

“I guess it’s because my family was never able to afford glass cups. They’re rather expensive on this side of the world. And even when we could afford glass cups I suppose we had just grown used to drinking it out of mugs.” you tapped two fingers together before holding the mug out to Sabo, “do you wanna try it?”

“Sure.”

Sabo’s hand lingered against your own as you handed the mug to him. Your hand was softer than Sabo's but he supposed that was what came from a nice and comfortable life here in the East Blue.

Your eyes seemed to sparkle as you watched Sabo take a sip of the normal water.

---

“So what do you think, Sabo?” Koala asked.

Sabo didn’t respond.

“Sabo?”

“W-what?”

“I asked what you think.”

Sabo grinned sheepishly, “about what?”

“Nevermind.” Koala looked over to Sabo, “hey, what are you drinking?”

The Revolutionary smiled to himself, tapping his finger together, “just water.”

“In a mug?” Koala shrugged, “Anyhow, are you ready for tomorrow?”

---

Meeting you had always been such a strange moment in Sabo’s life. So many things had just seemed different. The world seemed to have operated differently from how he had believed it had. Even after just entering his official years as an adult, there was still so much change that had occured in his life.

The last time Sabo had suddenly felt displaced in a world where he belonged was when he first joined the revolutionary army. Just a boy floating in the middle of nowhere; uncertain of where he belonged. Someone who seemed to know so little about the world and understood even less of it.

Those two moments, while similar, were life changing in vastly different ways.

Sabo had known what kind of a life he wanted to live when he joined the Revolutionary Army. He had known where in life he wanted to go. With you, he didn’t understand everything he had been feeling. He didn’t know where his life might have been heading and where he wanted to end up. But he had finally understood something very important.

Perhaps he hadn’t understood it directly after meeting you, but it came to him eventually.

He knew it to be true because he had learned it from you.

We are reflections of everyone who we have loved and who we have lost.

Fall in love with all the little things someone does.

[missmungoe]

🌹 please because it’s a win for all, thank you!

(Another little bit from the Happy AU of Mnemosyne)

“So you’re Red-Hair,” the dark-haired one said, his face an impressive contradiction of cheerful freckles and the most serious frown Shanks had ever seen on a kid. He had his skinny arms crossed over his chest, and was looking him up and down, a scrutiny that would have given Garp a run for his money.

“Usually when someone says my name with that inflection, they’re in uniform announcing my arrest, but you’re a little young to be a cadet,” Shanks said.

When his attempted humour did nothing to budge that very serious frown, “You’ve got the patented navy look of accusal down, though,” Shanks said. “Hey, if you ever think about joining, I’ll be happy to write you a reference.”

When there was still no reaction, he murmured to Makino, “Should I be worried?”

“I don’t think so,” she said, with a prim smile. “He’s not armed.”

“What, because he usually is?”

The boy’s mouth firmed into a line, a note of challenge flashing in his eyes, before he bent his back, a perfectly performed bow, and Shanks’ brows lifted when he announced to the galley, “My name is Ace. I’m honoured to make your acquaintance.”

The whole galley was silent, his whole crew observing him with expressions varying from amusement to intrigue.

Shanks was grinning, but then he couldn’t help it. “The honour is mine,” he returned, as Ace straightened back up, his little features still furrowed. “You know, as polite as that greeting was, it would be a lot more convincing if you didn’t also look like you’re about to challenge me to a duel at dawn.”

“I’m grateful that you saved Luffy,” Ace said, crossing his arms again. “But you left her.”

The words hit their mark, but Shanks didn’t flinch at the stab of guilt, although didn’t meet Makino’s gaze now. And he didn’t tell the kid that he wasn’t giving her enough credit; that she had made her own choice to stay, knowing from the look in his eyes that his feelings ran deeper than adult logic could ever rationalise.

And he wouldn’t disparage him for being protective of her, when it was what she deserved, and what Shanks hadn’t been able to do for her.

And so, “I did,” Shanks said.

Ace’s brows furrowed a bit, before he shifted his weight, and Shanks wondered if he’d expected an excuse.

“Would you still have left if you’d known about the baby?” he asked then.

Shrewd kid. He couldn’t be more than ten years old, but the eyes watching him looked older. And had it been another kid asking, he might have sugarcoated it a bit, but this one wouldn’t be satisfied with anything but the truth, and so, “Yeah,” Shanks said.

This time he met Makino’s eyes, but she didn’t look away, only met his look calmly, but then she knew this part; the reason why he couldn’t stay.

But then, because this was also the truth, “But I was always going to come back,” Shanks said. “Even before I knew.”

Ace said nothing, only watched him, as though weighing not just the validity of his words but his honour, which was a frankly disconcerting assessment from a kid wearing a cheerful yellow bandaid with ladybugs across his brow.

He also wondered why it felt so familiar, as though he’d been subjected to this kind of scrutiny before, but couldn’t recall where.

Then Ace gave a nod. “Good.”

It wasn’t a full acceptance, not yet, but it was no small thing, Shanks thought.

Beside him, his blond-haired companion grinned. “Don’t take it personally,” he said to Shanks. “He’s always like this.” Then at Ace’s look of betrayal, “What? You are!”

“I’m trying to look cool, Sabo, what the hell?!”

“You should have taken off the bandaid then,” Sabo said, as Ace slapped his hand over it, the tops of his freckled cheeks colouring.

“It was the last one she had,” he grumbled.

“Really? Because Luffy said you fought him for that one.”

“S-Shut up!”

Grinning, Shanks looked between the two boys, before he lowered his voice to ask Makino, “Did you get a couple of tiny bodyguards while I was away?”

Her smile was soft, holding something small and private, and he felt a pang then, finding the months he’d been gone in it, as she murmured, “Something like that.”

Their eyes met. And she didn’t look very changed, taking in her short hair, mussed with sleep and freed of her usual kerchief, and her gentle features, her lines a little softer, evidence of her pregnancy in the way she held herself, a different kind of maturity than when he’d left her.

His hand spread over her stomach, rounding under the silk of her nightdress, and even prepared for it this time, his breath still caught when he felt it kick.

Small hands took his, guiding it to the side, her gently calloused palms pressed over his scarred knuckles as she directed his hand to where the kicking was the strongest. “There,” she said.

Watching their hands, her own small and fair in comparison, Shanks felt the movements beneath his palm, and the little presence, intertwined with hers. A little red thread.

“Hey, Shanks?” Luffy’s voice spoke up.

His eyes were still glued to her belly, and their hands atop it. “Hm?”

Looking up found him staring at the same thing, his features pinched with a contemplative look, before dark eyes met his, as Luffy asked him, “How did you put the baby in there?”

When all Shanks did was stare at him, Luffy continued, “Ace said he’d tell me, but he never did.” He shot an accusing look at the boy in question, who looked like he regretted ever opening his mouth, as Sabo nudged him with a grin.

“Oh do enlighten us, Captain,” Yasopp said, his grin echoed by the rest of the galley. Makino looked like she was trying to sink through the bench.

“I’d like to know, too!” a voice chimed in from across the compartment.

“Nevermind, Boss, I’ll explain! See, Luffy, when your ship drops anchor in a port, sometimes it stirs up silt from the seabed, and sometimes that silt—”

Someone gave him a shove, choking off his laughter, even as more rose to overtake it, filling the galley of his ship like lungs heaving for a much-needed breath.

Watching them, Luffy screwed his face up. “Why are you talking about anchors? I want to know how the baby got there!” Frustrated, he rounded on the two boys. “Why won’t you tell me?! Sabo!”

“Hey, I thought the anchor metaphor was really good,” Sabo said.

More voices chimed in, offering a variety of metaphors, although none of which seemed to satisfy Luffy, who demanded a better explanation, to their growing delight.

Looking down found Makino watching the spectacle, the smile brimming in her eyes holding him captive, before they lifted to his. Under their hands, the movements hadn’t stopped, as though the little presence within responded to the sound of their laughter.

“Missed us?” Shanks murmured.

The tears spilling over her cheeks was her answer, even before the laughing sob left her, as she pressed her brow to his shoulder.

[cyborg-franky]

Hey can I pls get headcanons for the straw hats boys, law, kid, sabo, and ace on how they would react to meeting their soulmate the first time?

Sorry if that's too many characters 🙏🏽 feel free to pick and choose who you want to do.

I'll a bunch for you just maybe not allllll I'll see how I feel as I get going! but please enjoy <3 I'll use a mix of different soulmate AUs too!

Sabo

- He'd never really thought about meeting his soulmate. - Not that he didn't want to meet them though, he'd just be surprised if he ever did. - He always wore long sleeves, so he never really thought much of the name on his wrist unless he caught sight of it while showing or getting changed. - He’d be elated to meet his soulmate, he’d grin ear to ear and embrace them. -------------- Ace - He never wanted to meet his soulmate. - He didn’t think he deserved to have someone love him. - Knowing love could be more troublesome then it was worth. - Maybe it was part of the reason he never sat still for very long, running away from another ‘destiny’ he didn’t need. - He would have mixed reactions when you came into his life, showing him matching scars on your body that he had, including his tattoos. -----------------

Kid - Whatever - Didn’t care for the idea of soulmates, didn’t need anyone trying to get him to settle down. - He’d be up for a one-night stand or some regular adult times but nothing more than the psychical perks of a relationship. - Again, don’t get in his way. - He would be pleased if a strong or worthy soulmate found him. - Would try and bullshit his way out of not having proof you were his soulmate since he’d lost the arm that had your name on it. ----------------------- Law - Are those feelings and emotions? Get those away from me. - Nothing good ever happens for him really, so the fact he may never meet you never crossed his mind as a negative. Just another thing in life. - He’d be surprised if you did find him, happier then he thought he would be. - Would be very protective and terrified of falling for you, his heart was fragile. - He’d lost so many people in his life that he hoped you’d never find him, happy knowing you were safe somewhere far from him.

----------------

Brook - You’d be long dead, no trace of your name or your connection anywhere on his body. He might not even remember he had one. - He had wished to one day meet you though. ---------------------- Zoro - Surprised but unphased. - Has a very ‘if it happens it happens’ mind set on it. - As long as you don’t want him to settle down and give up his life and his goals, he’s pretty happy and chill with you. - Doesn’t matter who you are, he’ll treat you with respect. - Might take him awhile to warm up. ----------------------- Sanji - The idea of soulmates always bothered him. Just another element of his life he felt he had no control over. - He ran away from the idea of soulmates when he left everything behind. - Always hid the soulmate mark, never wanting it to be a reminder to himself and to get in the way of his pursuit for other partners. - Something in him changes when he sees you though, the overwhelming feeling of love and connection he’d always wanted filling his heart. - He’d hug you so hard. ---------------- Luffy - Soulmate? Do you mean another friend and crew member? Then excellent! He couldn’t wait to meet you! -------------------- Franky - After modding so much of his body he’d lost the soulmate counter that counted down till the very second he would meet his. - Soulmates were always the last thing on his mind. - He didn’t need more then the loving friends and found family he’d surrounded himself with over the years. - Saying that though, he wouldn’t turn you away. -------------------- Usopp - EXCITED - No matter how lonely he’d felt growing up he always knew there was someone out there for him to love and to love him back, the thought of you made him less lonely. - He worried he’d disappoint you, not be good enough for you. - One of the reasons why he’d wanted to set of to sea was a better chance of finding you. - When the red string of fate finally tugged you closer, he’d be so happy.

[one-idea]

You know what would be hilarious in the Shanks raises ASL AU?

The boys accidentally causing Chaos for Buggy, and him finally getting his hands on them and trying to find their parents and find out who raised these nuisances, and then oop! They're his secret nephewz!

Oh we will get to Buggy.

Part of me says they don’t meet Buggy until in cannon on orange island. Because Luffy gets one look at Buggy and just yells “Uncle Buggy!”

He grew up hearing stories for Shanks about his childhood on the Oro Jackson. Hearing about his adventures with Buggy, and how much Shanks misses him.

Now face to face with his uncle, Luffy is PUMPED. He could finally give something back to Shanks and reunite him with his brother. He’s talking a mile a minute about how much Shanks misses Buggy.

Meanwhile Buggy is standing there staring at this crazy kid, who he has locked in a cage with a canon pointed at him, who is talking crazy about Shanks. Shanks doesn’t miss him! Wait how does this kid know Shanks? Wait is that Shanks/Roger’s hat?

(Note: Nami is standing there so confused by what this crazy kid is talking about.)

The other part of me wants all of ASL to run into Buggy. While leaving Dawn island they Red force stops to restock and they just happen to dock on an island where Buggy is.

ASL go off to explore, probably being trailed by Benn or another member in of the crew.

Of course shenanigans happen and the boys lose/ditch their adult supervision. And find their way into clown territory.

Buggy goes to chase the dumb kids out of his turf. He gets sacked upside the head by Ace or Sabo (probably both) for his trouble.

Cue scooby doo style chase between Buggy and ASL.

He finally gets a hold of Luffy. His hand flying out and grabbing Luffy by the back of his shirt (scruffs him like a cat) Ace and Sabo are furious. But of course he does this right in front of the Red hair pirates.

Shanks is furious that his sons are being chased around by another pirate. Especially with Luffy being held in the air like a misbehaving kitten (it’s eerily similar to how Higuma held Luffy over the sea. It’s a fresh wound)

But then he sees who is holding Luffy. “Buggy is that you?”

“Shanks? What are you doing here!?!” And then Buggy take a closer look at the kid in his hand. More specifically the hat he’s wearing. “And why does this kid have your hat? What’s going on? Wait I don’t care about you!” Buggy is all over the place. Literally, so many body parts are floating around. ASL hit him a lot.

“Shanks you know this big nose?” Ace asked pointing at the man holding his little brother.

“What did you just say about my nose?!?” Buggy hates these gremlins.

“Oh ya” Shanks ignores Buggy’s yelling. “Kids meet your Uncle Buggy.”

“Uncle?” ASL cries out looking at the clown. One with disgust, one with intrigue, and one with excitement (guess who’s who)

“Uncle?” Buggy says at the same time. He’s so shocked he drops Luffy. The kid landing with an oof. (How many women has Shanks knocked up?)

Wait until he finds out who Ace is!

Here’s a link to the main idea

[opfmorelikelythanyouthink]

Au Where...

Roger isn't dead/dies

So Ace is born

Shanks&Buggy at 17 leave to become their own Captains while the others are settling down a little to wait for the baby.

(They still visit a lot)

((If they don't the Roger Pirates will hunt them down and make a big show of them being ungrateful children that never visit their family anymore))

Then Luffy is born

And Dragon decides to Spite his father by giving his son to his father's rival. (Plus with the way he was raised. Knowing how the elders are. (Not really wanting his kid to be raised to be a marine) (and knowing both Roger and Whitebeard are good dads (it was a toss up to who he should give Luffy to)

Then Ace finds Sabo on an island and adopts him

(The others decided this happened because Luffy is too young to play/fight him (Luffy2 Ace5 Sabo5)

When Sabo gets hurt badly they decide to leave him with Dragon while he heals and Sabo likes it too much and asks to stay)

When Ace was younger sometimes he'd get into fights with people on the Oro Jackson and run away to his mom.

One day she's rather to far away or siding with the others and he runs off to Whitebeard's ship.

(Or he really ran away this time (to be his own pirate instead of on his dad or mom's ship) And Whitebeard picks him up)

There was once when Luffy was 7 that the Roger Pirates and Red-Haired Pirates teamed up and Luffy got in trouble and hurt. Shanks saved him and gave him Roger's hat (which Shanks stole himself around Luffys age)

Someone made a comment about Luffy being the next Pirate King (crowned prince or something)

Ace when asked: "Pirate King is a lame title anyway. Why would I care"

Roger sulked until he found Luffy following him around and mimicking him

It lasted a week.

After Shanks lost his arm and Mihawk refused to spar with him Buggy found a child and decided to curse bless Mihawk with him.

Perona of course ends up with him too.

(Ok so maybe The Roger Pirates had business they couldn't take kids on (at least not Luffy yet) And Shanks was watching him)

(And so for Luffy's 7th birthday they decided to give Luffy an adventure.

It began in Dawn (meeting up with Garp for Garp to chase them around a bit)

Then Garp left and some bandits appeared (maybe Luffy didn't know that wasn't part of the surprise or something)(same with the Devil Fruit)

Maybe they taught him how to use his Devil Fruit or brought him to Buggy so they could help.

The East Blue arc of One Piece kinda happens with them as little kids.

Luffy+Koby+Zoro

Shanks crew find them (and Garp picks up Koby&Helmeppo) (And after Luffy declaring Zoro is his first mate decide to take him with them to find which island he lives on (they don't think stopping by every island in the East Blue is that bad an idea)

So they take them to Buggy's island (Where Buggy is trying to scare off a little thief and find out why she's trying to steal from him)

Luffy bullys Buggy for bulling Nami and "saves" her

The Red-Haired Pirates decide to take Nami home (and find out what's wrong) but first take a stop at Syrup Island to restock, meet up with Usopp, and see if Zoro lives there (unlikely but worth a shot) (The kids run off on their own really quickly and they don't see why not)

After finding out Usopp's mom is sick And after the kids Adventure (which actually freaks out the adults when they learned what happened)

They split up. Part of the crew going to the doctor (probably Kureha or Crocus) with the old ship and the others staying in East Blue to wait for Roger to come back on the Going Merry

They head to the Baratie to have Lunch/Dinner and maybe try to talk to Nami about why's she stealing.

Then they get interrupted by a pirate and then Mihawk.

(Sanji and Zeff get into a fight and Sanji runs away (Zeff knows this and asks Shanks to look after him while he cools down and so Sanji can hang out with his new friends for a bit)

Nami runs away with the Going Merry (to sell it) and the others go after them.

The Arlong Park Ark (kids version) (maybe Bell-mère is still alive)

Loguetown Ark... Buggy comes to help with the kids while they wait for the Roger Pirates. The kids decide to scatter.

The Roger Pirates show up. Shanks has to leave to his crew and the kids need to go home.

The kids don't want to go home and Luffy has been following/mimicking Roger for a bit and Roger hasn't gifted him anything yet. And what would it hurt to prolong the Adventure a bit.

A lot happens.

Luffy finds the rest of his crew and then the Red-Haired Pirates find them (The Roger Pirates) and yell at them. (And return the kids to their parents (with the promise to let the kids meet up in the future)) (Zoro somehow ends up with Mihawk)

That leaves Luffy with the Roger Pirates and the other "Worst Generation/Supernovas" on Saboady.

Roger Decides it's time for him to finally have a fleet (one that will absolutely scare the Marines/World Government (for many years to come. Long after his death)

(time for training)

Then Roger finds out Ace Ran Away to Whitebeard/Edward Newgate

[mnemosyneslunarian-ocs]

Relationship & History with Ace

finally can sit and get to this-- now this is purely written for the verse where Ace lives. and the ‘how’ / ‘canon-devergents’ will also be noted here. (relationship & history spots are reversed here cause it gets long for the history-- with all the explaining of how canon story events still occur & get slightly changed)

Relationship with Alace:

the start of their relationship was awkward. with Ace being unsure if he’s good dad material and suddenly meeting his kid that’s already 2 almost 3. as well as Alace being shy / hiding at times, being nervous that he won’t like her.

it doesn’t take long though for her to become attached to Ace, her shy & quiet personaltiy changing to that of a cheerful kid with a lot of energy, and maybe a bit too much curiousity that caused her to cause trouble

given how Luffy was when they were kids, Alace’s clingyness doesn’t really bother Ace much. She’s often clinging to him in some way or other, either clinging to his hand, leg, his head (when sitting on his shoulders), his back when he’s sitting on the ground.

a main reason ace takes alace with him when he leaves to go regain the mera mera no mi, is both cause she threw crying tantrums when it was brought up about leaving her behind, and also considering that it might be safer (ironicly) due to the fact some who were trying to find this hidden village were also likely to destroy it & everyone within it.

ace isnt really the type to freak out over every cut & bruise, specially cause kids get them a lot if theyre adventurous or at least he did as a kid. he does get startled though when alace is seen suddenly on high places (like tree branches, counters, railings, the railing of the side a boat). he also likely would retaliate if someone hurt her, how though would depend if it was an adult or another kid.

MORE TO BE ADDED LATER, WILL REBLOG WHEN I ADD MORE.

History:

a few hours after the paramount war ended, on the way to where the gravestones would be placed. Ace is revived in critical condition via Marco’s awakened phoneix zoan df’s powers. due to this, technically he DID die. so the mera-mera fruit has started to respawn, and his vivre card did turn into ashes.

he’s in a medical coma for roughly 4-5 months, it’s durring this time that Alace meets him, mostly reconizing him from the bounty pictures Isuka used to show her from time to time.

Alace, being in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar faces, is quiet and reserved, as well as tends to stay in the room waiting for when Ace’ll wake up.

after 4-5 months, when he finally wakes up. being confused as to how he survived that, he’s more caught off gaurd & confused noticing Alace in the room.

the first few months for the rest of the year were a bit awkward, while he got the tldr story from others there and the letter Alace had with her. it was still hard for him to believe he had a kid, though he also could see resembalnces of him and isuka in her.

after the first year passes, things are a bit less awkward, though still a learning process, specially since Alace’s personality seemed to grow from shy & quiet to curious, troublesome & cheerful after his coma ended.

of course news of Ace’s successful recovery was sent to luffy and select other ex-commanders of the white beard pirates. the rest of the world still presumed him to be deceased though.

at the time of the two-year timeskip, Ace & Alace head off to dessarosa, hearing rumors of the mera mera fruit possibly being there

While Ace tried to convince Alace to stay behind, given her age, it just resulted into a crying fit and other childish tatics to get her way. 

Ace does reunite with both luffy and sabo at dessarosa, he works with sabo to get the mera mera fruit back from the colluseum while luffy heads off with zoro & sanji.

Alace was actually left with nami back on the sunny since Ace actually ran into that group when arriving in Dessarosa.

[laws-yellow-submarine]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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