#One Piece Masked Deuce | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

heliantart · 5 months ago

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❝HIRAETH❞

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«Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.» - No Man is an Island

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Soundtrack : ❝ Eyes Wide Open ❞ - Tony Anderson

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❝This mask was the conditio sine qua non for existing as I am.❞ — Deuce, One Piece Novel A

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❝ A Pencil and a Dream ❞ MASKED DEUCE

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WHILE DEUCE HAD A PARTICULAR TALENT for writing, she excelled in the arts. She was so attractive when she painted and drew, that it was difficult to take your eyes away from her.

It was for her particular talents that Arlys embarked on the Piece of Spadille after meeting two odd pirates on Sabaody island; a flamboyant young man and a masked writer.

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Sitting on the deck of the Peace of Spadille, Arlys found herself painting a new pirate flag. The previous one had been accidentally incinerated by one of their captain's overly powerful attacks.

As the crew's artist, Arlys was ideally suited for the task. Although she preferred to paint freely, she didn't mind tracing the symbol of their crew. She was able to memorise it with her fingertips, so that she could redraw it later on the pages of her sketchbook. She applied herself diligently to the task she had been given, taking only a few breaks to stretch and admire the island they were moored at.

A little further out on deck, a familiar figure was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

Deuce was about to join his comrades on the shore, but was interrupted when he saw the young woman busying herself.

As the weeks went by, he had quickly noticed her homebody nature. Arlys liked to stay on the boat most of the time, and was often on watch during stopovers.

Recently, however, he had noticed her hesitancy when the crew disembarked on an island. Over the last few days, the idea of leaving the boat had seemed to tempt her, and today was no exception.

Deuce stepped towards her.

- “Arlys?”

The latter looked up from the flag in her hands and met the young writer's eyes. Curious, she gave him her undivided attention.

- “Deuce?”

- “I'm going to explore the island too, do you want to join me?”

She remained undecided for a few moments, returning her gaze to the flag with the Jolly Roger almost finished, then to Deuce, then to the flag... Before finally deciding to follow him. Spending time with Deuce was a pleasant prospect after all.

She stood up, and laid the banner next to Kotatsu, who was asleep, lazily stretched out on the deck, enjoying the sun.

- “Keep an eye on this for me, Kotatsu.”

After a final pat on the head, and a questioning, sleepy meow from the animal, Arlys joined her comrade, taking with her a satchel that Deuce guessed was filled with her drawing supplies.

- “Let's go.”

She smiled at him, and Deuce's cheeks turned a light crimson.

He smiled back and they headed for the heart of the island.

While Arlys loved the peace and quiet of the ship, walking outside and discovering new islands was also a great source of inspiration for her.

They strolled around the city for several hours. So much so that the afternoon was drawing to a close. So they decided to visit the festival in the city centre.

After passing some of their companions, most of whom were busy eating their fill, Arlys soon noticed that Deuce seemed rather interested in the Ferris wheel. Of course, she was unaware that his last memories of the attraction were not the best, and in fact dated back to his and Ace's last visit to Sabaody.

- “Do you want to get in?”

Hearing the woman's voice surprised him. It was true that she didn't normally talk much. But before he had a chance to protest, Arlys gently pulled him by the arm, in the direction of the attraction.

She simply nodded in response to the ride steward, who greeted them, and climbed into the cabin without delay, dragging Deuce with her.

The atmosphere was much calmer and more pleasant than Deuce remembered; the last time he'd been on a Ferris wheel had been at Sabaody, in the presence of Ace and Iska, and the tension between them had been so heavy that all he'd thought about during the ride was getting out. For his part, Ace had seemed totally oblivious of the heavy gaze the young marine had been giving them all along.

This time, however, Arlys' presence made the atmosphere more comfortable. She had dropped his sleeve and sat down on one of the crimson seats. Deuce sat directly opposite to her.

Before the ride had even started, Arlys had already taken her sketchbook out of her satchel and, pencil in hand, was already sketching whatever had caught her eye.

──•••──

What Deuce didn't know was that she hadn't just immortalised the panoramic view from the top of the Ferris wheel. She had also sketched the writer's pensive profile, capturing every expression. Transcribing with the tip of her pencil the emotions of wonder that seemed to gleam in his eyes. This side of the pirate was refreshing, and Arlys had to make do with quick glances to detail his face. But as soon as she had more or less finished, she allowed herself to look at him without hiding behind her sketchbook, also occasionally casting her attention to the outside of the cabin.

No longer hearing the steady scratching of the graphite on the paper, which he found somehow soothing, Deuce looked away from the window to meet the pensive gaze of the artist, who was still watching him wordlessly.

- ‘’You stopped drawing? Did you finish your work?”

Caught off guard, Arlys kept her composure and nodded quietly. Rummaging for a moment through her numerous sheets of paper stamped with sketches, she hid the freshly sketched portrait by putting her drawing of the view from the Ferris Wheel, which she had done earlier, back on top.

Deuce didn't seem to notice that the woman's gaze had lingered on him for several minutes. ‘Good,’ she thought.

She then held out her illustration. Deuce picked it up delicately, and carefully observed the meticulous details of the pencil sketch.

He remained fascinated by her technique for a moment.

- “It's very well done.”

The landscape she had depicted seemed to pulse with life, and Deuce didn't even know what compliment to use. He was happy that Arlys was showing him some of her work. Although he would have liked to see a few more.

At last he took his eyes off the sketch and handed it back to her. Quite unconcerned by the simplicity of his comment, she thanked him for his compliment.

- “Is there a reason you joined the crew?”

Keen to seize the opportunity to have a conversation with the young artist, Deuce had asked the first question that came to his mind.

Although he had been there when Arlys had joined the crew, he had never really known her motives. For a long time, he had thought that it had been a matter of circumstances. When Ace was around, things sometimes happened in a very strange way. Perhaps it was their captain's radiant energy that had brought her to their side.

Arlys remained pensive for a short while, allowing herself a moment of reflection as she put her sketch back with the others, flat on her lap.

- "I'm an orphan, but I grew up with several other children back at Sabaody. Most of them were younger than me.”

Sensing that she was about to tell him something she had never told anyone before, Deuce listened attentively, interested and moved by her willingness to confide in him a little.

- “I'd like to help them out of their misery one day, and show them the world.” She said, thoughtfully. “When I saw you and Ace that day, I knew I wanted to set sail. And I think that's when I decided to seize the opportunity to pursue my dream.”

She clutched her pouch full of sketches and paintings between her fingers.

- “When I'll return to see them, I want to offer them a glimpse of what's beyond the sea. And tell them about the wonderful people I've met on my travels.”

She paused, and added;

- “You gave me the courage to start.”

This was the first time Arlys had told him about her life in Sabaody. And it was also the first time he had seen her shine so brightly, a gentle smile on her lips and eyes gleaming. He was so surprised by this side of her that he said nothing more until the attraction came to a halt, signalling the end of their ride.

When they emerged from the Ferris Wheel, both of them felt like they understood each other a little better than they did before.

──•••──

Night would soon fall, and as they walked in soothing silence through the festival's market aisles, lit by numerous lanterns, Arlys turned her gaze towards him.

- “Say, Deuce. Could I take a look at your diary one of these days?”

Deuce winced. After hearing the taunts of his comrades when they had secretly read his notes, Deuce wasn't really comfortable with the idea of letting anyone read his writings.

But he couldn't resist Arlys' gaze, shining with genuine curiosity.

- “Only if you show me your sketches.”

She grimaced, now as uncomfortable as he was. But her curiosity was stronger than her embarrassment, and she ended up smiling shyly at him.

- “All right, we have a deal.”

──•••──

When Deuce returned to his cabin that night, he wrote in his notebook about Arlys.

“I asked Arlys about her dreams today. Perhaps I should have asked her sooner, but then, her answer might have been different.

She said I gave her the courage to start, but I think that she would have left Sabaody earlier or later. She would have left to immortalise, with her pencils and paint brushes, landscapes and faces from all over the world. Meeting Ace and me only gave her an opportunity to start, but she already had the courage she needed, she always had. Because she is doing this for them, her siblings, waiting for her to return and to tell them all about her adventures. Ace was only the one that showed her the way, without even realizing it, just like he did for me.

Now I understand why she shines in her art, it's her dream that she traces, piece by piece, every day.

Arlys, too, has the soul of a true adventurer, a very kind one.”

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While Deuce was horrified when his comrades dared to read his notes over his shoulder, especially after their recent mockery, Arlys, for her part, was quick to get flustered and hide her sketches if one of her companions happened to glance indiscreetly at her drawings. Especially when she was working on a portrait. Suffice to say that the members of the Spade's took malicious delight in tormenting the two artists.

This time, however, it was Mihal who startled the young woman, as she felt a presence attentively observing the portrait of Deuce she was working on. It was the one she had started on the Ferris wheel, and was now busy perfecting it.

- “Mihal?!” She yelped, covering it immediately with her hands.

- “From what I've had time to see, it's very pretty.”

Mihal was very much a homebody, and often guarded the boat with her, but he was not insensitive to art. It may have been due to his profession as a teacher. Regardless, he was always curious and appreciative of the young woman's creations.

Arlys wasn't sure what to say at first, but finally thanked him, adopting a slightly more relaxed posture as she loosened her grip on the edges of her sketchbook.

Mihal wasn't the most talkative person on the ship, so Arlys naively assumed that he wouldn't point out what he had just seen. However, she was soon disillusioned when she saw the former teacher sit down opposite her, looking up to the person about to sneak up behind her.

- “Deuce, hm?”

Skull had just peered over the woman's shoulder, giving the portrait and then Arlys an inquisitive look.

His snide comment, full of insinuations, made her blush.

As a good informer, and often working in tandem with Arlys, Skull had more than once had the opportunity to rummage through the young woman's drawings. And although Arlys would be the first to deny it, Skull, and the other crew members who had secretly looked at her work, had noticed the higher number of portraits of Deuce in her sketchbook. Similarly, while she sometimes shared her other portraits without too much reluctance, she seemed to keep those of the young writer well hidden.

Of course, among the crew, no one had escaped Arlys' observant gaze, and everyone had had their portraits painted. Sometimes as individuals, sometimes as a group. Arlys had immortalised many moments of life on the Peace of Spadille. But the way she captured Deuce's gestures and expressions, his smiles, his gaze, the sparkle in his eyes… was very special.

She looked at him like a painter enamoured by his muse.

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Arlys appeared a lot in his notes, too much in fact.

Of course, her name had its place in his novel, Arlys was one of his comrades after all, and often stayed by his side. She was a pleasant, almost comforting presence, and he always enjoyed the discussions they had together. He had got into the habit of writing down some of his thoughts - which had no place in his adventure novel - in another notebook which he usually kept with him.

According to his deductions, it was life in the slums that had most influenced Arlys. Firstly in terms of her physical abilities: Arlys had built herself up on agility and speed, and was more suited to pickpocketing - although she seemed too honest to have given in to pilfering -. She had once told him that she used to spend a lot of time on rooftops. Firstly for her own safety, but also to keep an eye on the other street kids and to observe, out of sight, what was going on below. It was also where she drew.

While Arlys was not generally a very expressive person, Deuce had noticed that she was quite different when she was drawing portraits. She had a funny habit of unconsciously mimicking the expression she was trying to draw, thus reflecting the expression of the portrait itself. These scenes remained almost comical but also endearing in the eyes of the writer.

This thought prompted him to look around for the artist, and he found her sitting on a crate on the other side of the deck. Once again, she was drawing. Her expression was calm, almost pensive. Deuce wondered what she was sketching to look so peaceful.

He smiled, and began to scribble in his notebook the thoughts that were running through his mind.

When Deuce looked up from his notepad again, Arlys was now accompanied by Mihal, Skull and Banshee. The discussion seemed lively, and Arlys was visibly embarrassed. The scene was not very different from the usual moments of life on the Peace of Spadille. If Arlys had been out of the picture, she would surely have immortalised it with the tip of her pencil.

- “What are you admiring like that?”

Ace had just peeked his head over the shoulder of the writer, who gasped at the sudden appearance of his captain. The latter squinted his eyes to find what Deuce had been observing with a smile, until his gaze fell on the artist at the other end of the deck.

- “I see.” Ace's mischievous expression made Deuce freeze, as he tried desperately to maintain a detached attitude.

- “What?”

Ace raised an eyebrow. Deuce was trying to play it cool now? It wouldn't work on him.

He leaned against the rail of the upper deck, watching the lively conversation the four pirates below seemed to be having. He smiled at the sight.

Deuce was perplexed by his captain's change of attitude, but waited for his next comment.

- “She likes you too, you know.” He said, calmly.

Deuce turned his head towards him, speechless and visibly taken aback by his comment.

Ace considered his reaction out of the corner of his eye.

- “You didn't know that?”

Then he remembered that Deuce had never delved into Arlys' drawings like the rest of the crew had. And of course, he didn't realise the way she looked at him.

- “It's not-” Deuce tried, ready to deny what the young man was insinuating. His relationship with Arlys wasn't like that, was it?

Ace sighed.

- “Ahh, whatever, it's not my problem!” he said, placing his hands on his comrade's shoulder. “You'll find out eventually!” With that, Ace left, hands behind his head.

Deuce remained motionless for several long seconds, bewildered by this brief discussion. His gaze drifted back to Arlys, gently teased by Skull, under the amused gaze of Mihal and Banshee.

And for a brief moment, he met her gaze. She smiled shyly, before turning her head towards Banshee, who was addressing her.

The writer leaned against the railing, his eyes thoughtfully turned towards the sky as he remembered her words.

“You gave me the courage to start”...

Did she really view him differently?

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Arlys and Deuce met up on the upper deck in the late afternoon, as the sun was ending its journey across the sky, leaving in its wake only a warm, comforting, golden glow.

The artist had her sketchbook in her arms, and Deuce was holding his notebook in his hand.

Arlys had fallen back against the ship's rail, sitting on the deck. Deuce joined her without further thought. Sitting side by side, the atmosphere was peaceful, with only the sound of the waves and the distant conversations of their comrades filling the air.

Both of their minds were busy. Deuce was thinking about Ace's words, while in Arlys' mind, it was the conversation she had had earlier with her friends that was tormenting her.

Chasing away all distracting thoughts, Arlys chose to enjoy the present moment. After giving Deuce a sidelong glance, she handed him her sketchbook, which he took gently. And he in turn gave her his notebook.

Deuce took a moment to contemplate the sketchbook in his hands. In a way, Arlys' sketches were precious. Not only because they immortalised so many moments in their lives, but also because she had enough trust in him to show him the very crystallisation of her dream. The thought warmed his heart.

Arlys, for her part, had a similar moment of reflection. She too was touched by Deuce's faith in her. But curiosity soon got the better of her, and she began to read his work.

From the very first lines, Arlys smiled fondly; Deuce's writing was like him; simple yet imbued with his personality. She loved the way he thought and handled words, and was quickly absorbed in her reading, happy to catch a glimpse of Deuce's inner world, and discover another side of him.

Deuce couldn't help but study the young woman's reaction out of the corner of his eye. Seeing her smile so sincerely and kindly, Deuce could only blush with surprise. There didn't seem to be any mockery in her gaze. She really seemed to enjoy every word.

Embarrassed, Deuce returned his attention to the sketchbook on his lap, and finally decided to open it.

The first sketches he looked at were representations of Sabaody's landscapes; the merchant streets, the docks, the pirate ships moored around the island, the tall trees surrounded by the many characteristic bubbles... These illustrations reminded him of their last visit to Sabaody, and his first meeting with Arlys.

This was followed by numerous sketches and paintings of classic scenes of life aboard the Peace of Spadille; meals shared in the refectory, Ace’s antics, and even battles and training carried out aboard the ship. Arlys had sketched the expressions of each crew member with remarkable accuracy, immortalising their laughter, their facial expressions and their smiles. At this sight, Deuce could only give a gentle smile of his own, an expression that mirrored the one Arlys gave when she drew these scenes; a peaceful, tender expression. They both shared a mutual affection for their comrades, their true family.

The next paintings depicted various landscapes; Deuce recognised them as the islands they had visited during their travels, and portraits of the inhabitants were attached to the paintings. Once again, Arlys had succeeded in capturing insignificant moments and making them special. These people and landscapes, eternalized between the pages of this sketchbook, would never be forgotten.

He remembered what she had said to him one day, when she was painting a portrait of Ace and Kotatsu, both asleep on the deck. He couldn't remember the question he'd asked her, but remembered her answer clearly.

“One day, my hands will be so bruised that I won't be able to paint like I used to. When that day comes, I want to be able to open that sketchbook again, and relive every moment of this journey. I'll rediscover the faces of the companions who have changed my life and accompanied me for all these years.

Whatever awaits us in the future, I want to be able to remember each and every second.”

That was what she was planning to do once her dream would be fulfilled.

Arlys paused her reading to glance back at Deuce, who was pensively admiring her sketches. He seemed genuinely nostalgic.

When he turned another page and suddenly froze, Arlys couldn't help but look at him expectantly. She had hesitated to put those sketches and paintings at the end of her sketchbook. But she bravely left them there, encouraged by Skull and Banshee.

Portraits of him.

For a long time, Deuce stood speechless before his own portrait, sketched during their ride on the Ferris Wheel. His figure was bathed in the warm lights of the festival, cascading through the windows of the cabin, illuminating his peaceful face with bright red glows. The precision and colours of the painting were striking. Deuce had never seen another portrait as detailed as this one in Arlys' sketches. He felt like he was looking through a mirror, when in reality, he was looking through Arlys’ lenses.

- “I really like this one.”

He flinched at her comment. Turning his head towards her, he could see that she had been observing his reaction for a while, hiding her embarrassed face behind the pages of his notebook.

The ambiguity of her remark caught him off guard.

- “I... it's really well done.” He managed to stammer, moved by what was in front of him.

His expression of wonder, although slightly troubled, was sincere. When he met her shy, sparkling gaze, he couldn't help but ask her the question related to Ace's words, which he was beginning to understand.

- “Is that really how you see me?”

- “To me, this is simply who you are.”

Deuce's heart missed a beat.

Arlys returned her attention to the diary in her hands, which she closed gently, before holding it out to him, ready to give it back, a smile on her face.

- “I felt it when I read your work too, you're a talented writer and an admirable adventurer, Deuce.”

And for the first time, Deuce could see in her eyes the whole depth of her affection and admiration. The emotions that danced in her eyes when she saw him, her tenderness... all reflected in the way she smiled and portrayed him.

Without taking his eyes off her, he picked up the sketchbook and handed it back to her, brushing her fingers with his own.

- “You're wonderful too, Arlys!” he exclaimed ardently, a little louder than he would have liked, face flushed.

A laugh escaped the young painter. It was rare to see Deuce lose his composure, but she found herself wanting to immortalise this side of him too. Dropping her sketchbook onto her lap, Arlys placed her hands on either side of his face, and rested her forehead against his.

- “Let's promise to make our dreams come true together.”

Deuce admired her face, so close to his, lit by the last rays of the sun, about to fade over the horizon. The determination in her eyes sent a shiver down his spine.

He nodded, leaning his forehead against hers, eyes closed, to whisper his oath.

- “I promise.”

Her warm hands, which until then had framed his face, slid up his back, drawing him into a warm embrace. Arlys buried her face in the hollow of his neck.

- “Thank you, Deuce.”

He simply hugged her back, letting her snuggle up against him.

This time, they were sure, after tonight, that they understood each other far more. And undoubtedly realised the tender affection they shared for each other.

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- “Why are you drawing us so much?”

The sudden presence of Ace, leaning over her shoulder, startled her.

The page she was drawing on was filled with portraits of the crew members, Ace, Deuce, Kotatsu, Banshee, Mihal, Skull, Wallace, Kukai, Cornelia... No one had been left out.

- “So as not to forget you.”

Ace raised his eyebrow.

- “Are you planning to leave us?”

- “No, no! I just want to be able to remember your faces, if our paths ever part.”

- “We're not going anywhere, you know?”

Ace flashed her a big smile, which warmed the artist's heart. She now understood more and more why Deuce compared Ace to the sun. His presence was warm and reassuring.

She could only smile warmly back at him.

- “I know, thank you Captain.”

──•••──

Arlys stood perfectly still in front of the large tombstone. The long cloak of one of the four Emperors fluttered in the wind beneath his flag, but she could not look away from the hat placed on their captain's grave.

Next to her, Deuce was as silent as she was.

Arlys took a few steps forward and placed one of her carefully framed paintings among the swords and flowers, at the foot of the grave. Swallowing back her tears, she bowed and whispered her thanks to the two men who were resting here, for all they had done for them.

- “We won't forget you, Ace.”

Arlys gently took Deuce's hand in hers, communicating her support with the little warmth she offered.

In this frame, among blossoms and steel, a painting similar to a photograph; the crew of the Spade reunited, celebrating the arrival of their new recruit. At its centre, a captain and his first mate, locked arm in arm, mugs raised to the sky.

And if you looked long enough, you could almost hear the cheerful laughter and radiant chatter again.

The end of their adventure had been marked by the disappearance of a man akin to the sun, at the centre of everything and everyone.

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A year after the events at Marineford and the disbanding of Whitebeard's crew, Masked Deuce became a journalist for Big News Morgans newspaper.

Arlys followed and worked alongside him as an illustrator and photographer.

They both specialised in articles about the crew of the Straw Hat and the Revolutionary Army.

Despite Morgans' protests, Deuce refused to publish his writings on Ace. Arlys, for her part, kept her portraits from that period to herself. Sharing them only with Deuce, the crew members with whom she was still in contact, and the children who had grown up with her on Sabaody.

Time had passed, yet they still dreamt.

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Deuce Nation, how are we feeling?

On a serious note, I wrote this a while ago (in french) and recently decided to translate it, as I know there isn't much Masked Deuce content out there, especially one-shots. I'm not particularly proud of this one, but I enjoyed writing it. The romance is corny and maybe a bit awkward, but I hope it wasn't too bad overall and that Deuce didn't feel too OOC. Kinda tragic towards the end, as I often do.

I really love Masked Deuce as a character, and I'm happy to write about him. I hope you liked Arlys too.

I won't post for a while after that, since exams are gonna kick my ass, but I'll be back when I can indulge in my hobbies again.

Thank you for reading, hope you liked it!

#masked deuce #masked deuce x oc #masked deuce one shots #one piece oneshots #heliantart #one piece masked deuce #masked deuce one piece #cross posted on ao3

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