#Tenryūbito

[pterosaurparty]

Princess of the Kelpies!~ she's been kidnapped! A certain group of fishmen pirates will run into her and be tasked (begged) to take the beauty home.. but unbeknownst to them- they will be chased by the man meant to buy her~ Kelpies are the rarest of all mermaids after all.

This will be a challenge for the boys.. and by the end of it.. they might find it hard to say goodbye.

She Is a bratty and rather entitled little lass but The princess loves to provoke people~ she revels in a reaction, the bigger the better. Unfortunately that is exactly what gets her into trouble~ still she never learns..

Still- she will be forever protected by the men who picked her up~ 😏

Tagging my wife @speromintpatty because her LOVELY Jonah is there 🥺

[shoguns-second]

TON of Celestial stuff from the past couple months~ and a little look in to an arc me and my wife were having alot of fun on~

[mugiwarrasm]

ONEPIECE Ch. #1095 "Better off dead in this world" SPOILERS!!

Please tell me we are going to be absolutly destroy again

Fuck you, Saturno

Iva and Kuma are childhood friends.... Iva save Kuma... Iva was a slave

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

I should have known for the name of the chapter but man I'm trying so hard not to cry. This chapter was so hard.

So Kuma is from a race called "Buccaneer" good to know, theywere persecuted and slave by the celestial dragons, not so good to know.

They killed his father IN FRONT OF HIM, BECAUSE HE WAS SINGING

So it turns FUCKING OUT that the Tennryubitos make MAN HUNTINGS IN THE COUNTRYS UNAFFILIATED TO THE WORLD GOVERNMENT. Every fucking time we learn something about this bitches they get fucking worse.

[0lshadyl0]

Any HCs or scenarios on Yandere Hancock boa ?? I think she an interesting character 🥰

Of course, my dear, she is a fascinating character, in fact, she is my favorite female character after Nico Robin, I am weak to black haired women with cool powers and sad past.

Yandere Boa Hancock headcanons

• Brave of you to assume that she is not a yandere in the canon, that is, she has all the points to follow for her character to be a yandere, especially a delusional yandere

• sad past with traumatic events, no friends, position of power, no one contradicts her, she gets lost in her own fantasies, lives in her own reality and obsesses over a person beyond what is sanely possible, yeah she checks all the marks 

• But, she would only become obsessed with her romantic interest if he has a very specific personality (for example, Luffy)

• Ok, let's say that the key for her to fix her eyes on you is that you have heroic tendencies, that is, she likes people with a good heart, willing to do what others would consider crazy in order to help others. the others (such as hitting a Tenryūbito, better yet, killing one)  

• or just a very kind person with a great charisma, very positive mind but who doesn't take shit from anyone

• if things happened naturally, I'm pretty sure Hancock would be obsessed with a woman, Luffy is an exception to the rule (call it the power of the script thanks to being the protagonist of the series)

• Let's remember that the first men in her life that she met were the Tenryūbito and they are the worst experiences that a young woman like Boa could have, emotionally, physically and sexually (I'm 200% sure that she was raped by a good number of them, that's why despite being in love with Luffy she never sees herself having children with him… probably she can't even get pregnant due to irreparable damage to her sexual organ or simply they removed the ovaries so that she could not get pregnant by the Tenryūbito since she was a slave and the slaves are not worthy of having a child with a being as noble as a Tenryūbito is)

• Anyway, when she fixes her eyes on you, in her head she already begins to live in a world apart

• You've probably seen each other a maximum of five times and most of it in battles, possibly you saved her from some dangerous situation but not paying much attention to her, but in her head, you two are already engaged

• Yes, she is the type of women who, from a very young age, dreamed of getting married and having a large family full of love, a dream that has been transformed into only having a partner to love and be loved by because of the Tenryūbito and all their shit

• She is a relatively easy yandere to deal with, since the word of her s/o is divine law for her, she will never question you, nor will she go against you, she will not hesitate to put herself in danger or give her life for you, she literally will kill for you

• But, keep in mind, she is very jealous and in an unjustified way, nobody can look at you because she is already asking questions and imagining scenarios where you abandon her.

• Because, despite all that she says about being the most beautiful woman in the world, she actually has low self-esteem due to her past as a slave, she doesn't feel that she is worthy of you, because she is dirty

• But if you tell her that you are not interested in that person or deny knowing about the existence of the person who made her jealous, she will believe you without a shadow of a doubt.

• You can tell her that the sky is green and for her, yes, ultimately the sky is green and she will turn anyone who says otherwise into stone

• She is a stalker, she will follow you everywhere and will always be watching you, of course, at a respectful (Hinata-Naruto style) distance if the two of you get into a relationship, she will stick to you like gum, she is unbelievably clingy and has no idea of the meaning of personal space

• She is one of the few yanderes who have no sexual intentions, because she is traumatized with sex (she has never known about vanilla sex or consent) and considers it torture, she loves you too much to do you any kind of harm

• Oh, but if she were to get over her traumas and discover that sex can be enjoyed and is a way to stay connected to the one she loves, man, get ready for a long ride

[vocalux]

— transtenryūbito [ trans-tenryūbito ]

when an individual wants to be / identifies as being a tenryūbito !

[im-goofball]

☀️Hello again☀️ Do you any HC about what the Five like to do during their free time, past on post Wg if you want ? 🤔💖

POST WG CREATION

It's really hard for them to even find themselves any free time these days, especially with how tiring is their work. (The Lower Classes of Tenryūbito are so lucky they can enjoy "free time" more then the higher ranking ones)

But if they do find some hour/hours to spare then I think it goes like this:

Mars:

If he's alone:

He likes to transform into his full yokai form and hunt Sea Kings in Down Below, (that's how the Tenryūbito call the world beneath Marie Joa) or occasionally even some giant bird to munch on as he takes the corpses back to the Pangea Castle to have nice and quiet time with his dead prey. No, it's not considered cannibalism if you are an ancient evil bird demon . . . Right?

If he's with Peter:

He flies with Peter high in the sky, usually in the evenings but occasionally during nightime as well if neither of them are too tired (trying hard not to gain attention of some peasants living in the Holy Land or those insects Down Below). It makes them feel a sense of comfort and freedom, the only time when they can truly enjoy themselves without having their Master's constant gaze on their backs. Can be also taken as some sort of Father/Son bonding.

Peter:

If he's alone:

Sleeping. Lot's of sleeping. The child was not ready for this shit and is tired all the time. Let the worm-man rest for Nika's sake! Oh and he also has his own special garden in the Eastern Tower where he takes care of all types of plants. It's a fun time activity, especially during winter.

If he's with Mars:

Flying with dad just like Hiccup flies with Toothless. He also likes to take care of his dad's wings and tail grooming them with various types of brushes and other tools. Another form of Father/Son bonding I guess.

Ethan:

Likes to spar with the Holy Knights, especially Garling. Although he doesn't consider him as a very formidable opponent, he has to admit that the moon-haired man's techniques are almost impressive. Almost.

Sometimes goes into Wano in secret to drink in local bars. Once he is drunk enough, and believe me that takes a large amount of good sake, the other people in the bar can sometimes hear the bald samurai lament over his black-haired dragon slayer's death (his words, not mine) and how they could have spent eternity fighting one another as two celestial beings.

Warcury:

This man has no free time. He is the biggest workaholic out of all Five. Bold of you to even ASSume he had any.

Saturn:

. . . Experiments . . .

[breakonthroough]

God Valley incident and Saint Donquixote Homing. Theory.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

It seems like Oda is slowly starting to shed some light on this story.

According to Chapter 1095, this incident happened 38 years ago. We still don’t know clearly what exactly happened there. However, there is a high probability that it was this bloody and inhumane event that could have influenced Donquixote Homing’s tragic decision to lay down all the benefits and privileges of the Tenryūbito himself and his family, become ordinary people and move to live in the lower world.

And, perhaps, this decision reflected a desire not to participate in the outrages of the Celestial dragons anymore and a need for atonement arose.

These are just my thoughts, but looking at the events chronologically may explain it a bit.

41 years ago the first child, Doflamingo, was born into the Homing family. For three years he has been raised as a Tenryūbito, in the full sense of the word, instilling all their manners and arrogance. And three years is a very long time in raising a child.

39 years ago, two years later, Rocinante was born. A year after his birth, an incident occurs in the God Valley. Something changes in the worldview of Homing and his wife, Rocinante begins to be raised differently. After another five years, they move from The Holy Land Mary Geoise to meet their destiny in the world of ordinary people.

One way or another, this horrifying event could not but affect their fate, I am sure of it. Moreover, this also influenced the difference in the characters of the brothers. In some incomprehensible way, they managed to instill humanity and empathy into Rocinante. And also, perhaps, the need to atone for the guilt of the divine race of Celestial dragons in front of ordinary people. He also probably knows a little more about D than he told anyone, including Sengoku.

This may explain a lot about their history.

Russian translation below 👇

Инцидент в Долине Бога. Теория.

Кажется, Ода начинает потихоньку проливать свет на эту историю. Исходя из главы 1095, сам громкий инцидент произошел 38 лет назад. Мы ещё пока точно не знаем, что же именно там произошло. Однако велика вероятность того, что именно это кровавое и бесчеловечное событие могло повлиять на трагическое решение Донкихот Хоминга снять с себя и своей семьи все блага и привилегии тенрьюбито, стать обычными людьми и перебраться жить в нижний мир. И, возможно, в этом решении проявилось желание не участвовать больше в бесчинствах небесных драконов и появилась потребность искупления вины.

Это всего лишь мои мысли, но анализ событий по хронологии может немного это объяснить.

41 год назад в семье Хоминга рождается первенец, Дофламинго. Три года его воспитывают как тенрьюбито, в полном смысле этого слова, прививая все их замашки и высокомерие. А три года в воспитании ребенка это очень много.

Через 2 года, 39 лет назад, рождается Росинант. Через год после его рождения происходит инцидент в Долине Богов. Что-то меняется в мировоззрении Хоминга и его жены, Росинанта начинают воспитывать иначе. Ещё через пять лет они перебираются из Мариджоа навстречу своей судьбе в мир обычных людей.

Так или иначе, но это громкое событие не могло не повлиять на их судьбу, я в этом уверена. Более того, это повлияло также и на разницу характеров братьев. Росинанту каким-то непостижимым образом успели привить человечность и эмпатию. А ещё, возможно, потребность искупить вину божественной расы Небесных драконов перед обычными людьми, и, возможно, он знает о Ди немного больше, чем говорил кому-либо, включая Сенгоку. Это может многое объяснить в их истории.

[conquiistador]

I just have Some Thoughts about Doflamingo's dad. Not looking for a discussion here, just sharing my thoughts.

First of all.

What an irresponsible guy. There wasn't anything wrong with him wanting to live a "humble life" like a human ( even though they literally moved into a mansion and brought lots of gold lol, talk about being humble ). What WAS wrong was that he did absolutely zero research. He based his expectations on his claim that "humans/people are good." Sure, my dude, you might think that, but should you base all your expectations on that one claim you're making with 0 evidence to back it up? Why didn't he look into how people might treat former Tenryūbito? I mean, if you're going to move your whole family to a new place - a whole new country, and you KNOW you are different from the people who live there, wouldn't you want to research how they FEEL about people like you? But nope, he did zero research.

The second thing, is that he didn't prepare his children AT ALL. He just told them that they were going to "live like humans from now on". Okay, my dude, but THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS! You can tell that Doflamingo doesn't have a clue on what to expect. He doesn't understand why there aren't slaves, or why he can't buy new ones or why people don't fall to the ground before him. How would he know?? How would he know these things if nobody explained it to him? This isn't common knowledge for a Tenryūbito. Why hasn't he gotten any sort of "warning" on what to expect? Up until that point in his life, the only thing he's been taught about human life is that it's worth less than his own. So for Doflamingo it's like a whole new world that he's clearly completely unprepared for. How about giving your kids a head's up before throwing them into a new society???

Basically, Doflamingo and Rocinante are now stuck in a world where they have to constantly fear for their lives. What children (and people in general, but children especially) desire the most is SAFETY. Doflamingo has to watch his father, who is supposed to protect the family, completely fail, and their mother even dies as a result.

[ There is more to add here but, moving on ]

To the scene where Doflamingo is aiming the gun at Homing. "You can't make it right anymore", Doflamingo says. He's been waiting all this time for his dad to get him and his brother to safety. Yes, Doflamingo talks about wanting "power", but why does he want the power? To be safe!! All kids want to be safe!! Even Doflamingo!! He's aiming his gun at his father, but he's still having a "conversation" with him. When he says: "You can't make it right anymore", what he probably wants from his dad is for him to tell him: YES I CAN. He wants reassurance from his one living parent.

But what does Homing do?

He doesn't try to stop him AT ALL. He doesn't ask him to spare his life. He's failed completely at keeping his family safe, so surely, the one thing he should try is to not make things worse. He doesn't even try to plead for his life. Does he think that Doflamingo won't forgive him no matter what he says? I DON'T THINK SO. I don't think ANY parent would see their child in such a bad light ( especially when they're that young ). Maybe he feels like he doesn't deserve forgiveness ( fair enough ). But you'd think that even at this point he would want what's best for his boys. And, apparently, he thinks it's better if Doflamingo kills him. He thinks his boys will be safer without him. Without their father. Maybe he thinks Doflamingo will be successful in returning to the Holy Land if he is dead. But still, like... My dude, did you have to make your son shoot you. While your other son is watching. Like, maybe try to de-escalate the situation? To not traumatise both your boys to the max? Maybe say something like: "Yes, I'll give my life so you two can go back to the Holy Land, but you shouldn't have to do this, Doffy." YOU KNOW?? But instead, he just apologizes and basically gives Doflamingo the go-ahead ( since he doesn't try to stop him ). I think Doflamingo's line to Rocinante later:

Why must I BE FORCED to kill my family not once, but twice .

--- It shows that he, as a kid, at the time, felt like he had to do it. Just imagine the heartbreak. What Doflamingo wants from his dad is for him to tell him that he's going to make it all better, but instead his dad gives him nothing. Like, sorry kid you're on your own. And Doflamingo knows the only way for him and Roci to feel safe again is if he shoots his father. Holy shit the trauma.

All in all. Homing is the worst parent in history.

[riza-jes]

I rlly love this au, and being inspired by gorgeous au and arts so… 

This story: «When the reunion happened too early.»

linkhttps://archiveofourown.org/works/57585088

In that fateful night, the three brothers managed to reunite, but sadly that reunion was their last. And they will never be separated again, no matter what. 

Three little figures. Three little children. Three children who lost their lives too early.

Three lonely children who found family in each other, and strived to keep each other and stay free. 

In The World of the Living, Monkey D. Garp comes to Dadan, who has no strength left to fear. Who has been consumed by grief and her tears along with alcohol won't stop flowing. 

The day after the disaster, Garp arrives. The children managed to get a hold of them.

Their bodies, to be exact. 

Or what was left of their bodies. 

Three children.

 Ten, ten, seven. 

Burned but not broken, still holding on to each other until the end. 

Garp falls to his knees before the fire and gunpowder disfigured bodies of his children. 

«Tenryūbito»

«Sailed away in a little ship»

«Bodies washed up on the coast»

Half of Sabo's face and upper part of his body are burned: blindness and possible paralysis in the first seconds is assured, and the lethality of the wounds is guaranteed in the sea; Luffy looks the strangest most intact, but the marks indicate death by drowning. Fruitcake and Kid, brave at heart and adoring their brothers more than anything else in the world, and hating unfreedom and loneliness. Luffy stayed with his brothers till the end.

And Ace...

Ace looks worse than the others. 

His oldest grandson's body is like one big burn. 

His body took the first hit.  And there's a good chance he was defending his brothers. Garp has enough experience to deduce...

Garp falls to his knees and howls like a wild beast. 

Howls loud and fierce and shrill.

He clutches in his arms the little bodies of his grandchildren, his family, his boys. 

He howls as best as one who is mad with grief and carries the will of D in his name. 

He howls as only he can so that the whole world will hear and be shaken by the terror to befall. 

He will not unclench his arms and he won't let go his grandchildren. Because letting go means accepting reality. And Garp can't imagine them dead. He refuses to accept their deaths. 

They’re his grandkids. 

They’re his boys. 

Ten. Ten. Seven. 

Ace, Sabo, Luffy. 

His family, his precious most beloved treasures. 

His adorable grandchildren who will no longer smile, no longer smirk, no longer run around and make him either proud or anxious.

No more “shitty grandpa”, no more affectionate “'Gramps”. 

There will be no more hugs, no more smiles. He wouldn't witness them growing up.  

Garp sobs, choking on his feelings without hiding. He sobs loudly, reaching for the sky and the earth. 

Monkey D. Garp sobs and doesn't dare admit that his grandkids are  d e a d and won't wake up again. 

————————————————————————————

At the same time in the heaven. 

Or the place where all ghosts go.

Three children, still holding hands, are walking down the path, not knowing where they are going or why. 

They don't laugh, they don't cry. They don't quite know what's going on, but they never let go of each other's hands. 

/never again, no one, and now forever - they'll be together forever/

They just go on, keep going on and on. Until they meet someone. 

This woman. With freckles. With a flower in her hair, and a familiar wide smile on her lips. 

But that smile melts away when you look into the features of the oldest child. 

A beautiful, subtly familiar woman falls to the ground. 

Tragedy and pain. 

Sorrow and fear.

And great agony and wrenching suffering seen more clearly than ever.

��Oh my baby...”-the tears in the eyes of the woman- Portgas D. Rouge rushed in a steady flow. “My dearest baby...” 

Across from her looked the not much grown, her and Roger's precious mutilated child. 

Her Ace.

Her Gol D. Ace.

Her Ace who had never grown up. 

The hiccups and sobs intensified as her precious beloved-adored-loved child in an unsure voice (still so childish and tinkling, still so young) said words Rouge hadn't hoped to hear (and wouldn't have heard for a long time if it meant a long life, but...her baby is here, and he's not even a teenager): 

“Mommy?”

ghost reunion a bit too early

[pterosaurparty]

Alot of skitchy sketchy concepts~

I redesigned Ananias's big brother~ Saint Donquixote Haniel~ since I wanted him to stand out a bit more among his peers. He's still the SAME dude he's just a hot goth KING now 👀

And some proper faces to her two suitors~ who turned out so well too A little bit of info on them too~

Saint Figarland Elijah as we can see is a bit of a snide and giggly man, he's very smiley and will rarely be seen without it. He's quite underhanded, a gossiper behind your back and a nasty soul when provoked- not that he needs much provoking.

Saint Manmayer Cain on the other hand is TOO a gossiper but he doesn't care to hide it. He will parade around with his smug demeanor and go out of his way to get people fighting eachother. He finds alot of entertainment in watching an argument- even better when it escalates into a fight- and my god is he *always* cocky.

[shoguns-second]

Tenryūbito Propaganda 😈

[mugiwarrasm]

One Piece ch. #1096 "Kumachi" SPOILERS‼️‼️

First reactions

I don't like to ship Roger and Garp but...

I like that Iva has never been stupid

Wait, so Stussy was in fact close to White Beard

Are you who I think you are Gloriosa?

Curious, Iva almost got the Uo Uo, but of course they didn't got it, it doesn't fit her and akuma no mi for some reason (destiny, gravity, law of atraction) always match their users

Kuma save 500 people from the tenryūbitos, I love him even more now

I don't wanna cry!!! 😭😭😭

General Thoughts

Fuck that was a good fucking chapter, not only did we have the past of Kuma and the first spark of the revolutionary army but also got to see all the big names of the old era in action, and I just want to say that Garland didn't kill a single one of them. As if that was not enough the Tenryūbitos lost 500 prays that day.

A part from that we got to see how Kaido obtain his devil fruit or better said how LinLin got it for him.

However we know this story does not end well, not only for the current state of Kuma, but also because we don't know who this girl, Iva's sister, is in the present Day, so she is probably dead, and coincidering her eating habits she si probably Bonney's mother.

[conquiistador]

Oh, Mihawk knew more about him than he'd thought. It was not common knowledge that Doflamingo was a former Tenryūbito. It wasn't like it was a secret he guarded, but it wasn't something he outright DISPLAYED either. His heritage was one of the reasons why he had so much influence over the World Government. He wondered how Mihawk had found out. Clearly, the other was FAR more interested in him than he let on. Why else would he have researched him?

There were only something like --- two years? Between them. Doflamingo didn't go around remembering everyone's age, since it made no difference to him. He would become immortal. Everyone else would die. Mihawk included. He highly doubted Mihawk had gone around killing people as a toddler. Still, nothing was impossible. Perhaps you needed to start that young if you were going to become the World's Greatest Swordsman. He didn't comment. Didn't argue. These details weren't important to him, and he was not in competition with the other. Doflamingo wasn't in competition with anyone. Such a thing was impossible, when everyone was beneath him.

❝ Fu fu fu fu fu! ~ This is already a BATTLEFIELD. We could kill everyone here. ❞ He gestured to the view before them. ❝ I never suggested I should teach you how to kill. You are more than capable of that already. But you should enjoy it. Blood is ENTERTAINMENT! ❞ His grin was wide. Sharp teeth showing. ❝ The weak don't get to decide how they die. We could decide it for them right here and now. ❞ What a fun team activity, no? To go on a rampage here. He would love to see Mihawk's pretty golden eyes filled with bloodlust. See his clothes painted with blood splatter. Doflamingo could close off the whole area with his strings, and make sure nobody escaped. Nobody would even have to know who'd committed the massacre. That was the sort of power and influence Doflamingo had.

Mihawk's eyes narrowed at the oversized pink bird in human form just a little bit. Doflamingo wasn't entirely wrong about the whole situation. The swordsman had killed in the past --- he wasn't called Marine Hunter for nothing. Hunting the rats down and killing them was textbook definition of killing for sport, so really, he wasn't any better than his esteemed Shichibukai colleague. He also had no illusions about it, and he would be the first one to confirm that he indeed killed for sport back in the day. Now, however, things were different. He only disposed of idiots when he had to, which more often than not was when one or the other cocky bastard thought he could take him on in a duel.

He lie if he said Doflamingo was wrong. He wasn't. Mihawk every so often found himself toying with the idea of cutting down one or the other Marine who made snide remarks on his account because they thought he couldn't do anything about it. Fools, the lot of them. While he knew that heeding to Doflamingo's advice went against all reason, what was the worst thing the Marines could do if he really let loose and decimated a dozen or two of them ---- would they fire him? The thought alone had him smirk a little.

❝ I don't need the likes of you to teach me how to kill. I did that while you were still waddling around in diapers, living your lush life in Mary Geoise. ❞ It wasn't as if Mihawk was any younger, being only two years older than the other. He did, however, start out very young and had to make a name for himself unlike Doflamingo, who had it easy to be a member of the Celestial Dragons.

❝ Your offer, however, is still tempting. It reminds me of the good old days before all this, ❞ the swordsman continued. The days when he did kill for sport, the days he sometimes wanted to relive. It was only a matter of time when they would disband the Shichibukai and put them on the wanted list once more. Quite frankly, he was growing tired of the Marines and their little games. ❝ It sounds like you already have something in mind. ❞

[dragonofthedepths]

99/100 (7th of September 2021)

Godkiller 5.9.21 One Piece. Listening to the five yonko’s rap and hearing “What’s a god to a king—“ and me immediately thinking "prey" The D. kill gods, all of them have killed at least one as a right of passage, the Tenryūbito make it easy. Teach wants to become a god and has forgotten that this makes him prey to the rest of his kind.

Dragon v Teach 6.9.21 One Piece. Teach attempts to worm his way into the RA instead of the Shichibukai, claiming he has lots of information on the WG that they don’t want Dragon to known and that’s that’s why they’re framing and chasing him. After Dragon puts a fair bit of energy into securing Teach, Garp show up just in time to warn him the the WG didn’t frame Teach for anything and that Teach is looking to destroy him. The RA is very surprised when Dragon takes Garp’s warning at face value and rounds on Teach instead.

(99/100) Written/posted for the #100daysofwriting challenge by @the-wip-project

[cienie-isengardu]

Luffy and Zoro, equality presented by Wano Arc...?

The feeling of equality between Luffy & Zoro has been sitting on my mind a lot lately, so I finally decided to write down my chaotic thoughts on that matter. 

First, to be precise: I’m not talking about power levels between Straw Hats because One Piece proved on many occasions that power alone is not a good measure how one character will fare in a fight or that beating X does not automatically guarantee beating Y. In Thriller Bark Perona took down Luffy, Sanji, Zoro and Franky without a problem, but lost to Usopp out of all people. At the same time, Luffy, Zoro and Sanji will always be the main fighters of Straw Hats no matter the gap of power between them. Everyone is powerful on their own, but they may fare better in different fighting settings. I personally tend to think that Luffy and Zoro are closer to each other in terms of power, raw strength and will, but this is not exactly the matter of equality I wish to talk about. What I wish to talk about is how the Wano arc set Luffy and Zoro apart from the rest of the crew in a more tangible (visual) way.

Even before Wano Arc, Luffy and Zoro were singled out by narrative on various occasions. The most memorable is: the first meeting with Shichibukai (and Mihawk acknowledging them both), taking a beating in Mock Town to Nami’s dismay and Bellamy Pirates’ amusement, earning the title of Supernova and with that becoming part of the Worst Generation, independently attacking Charlos/Tenryūbito (though sadly, Zoro was stopped by Bonney) or killing together a dragon on Punk Hazard. In all cases, Luffy and Zoro were set apart from the rest of the crew and even other pirates, sharing unspoken understanding of other actions and needs or becoming a part of something bigger and more dangerous. 

Luffy will always be the captain (leader) and as the main character, the hero saving the day at the end of the arc. At the same time, Zoro may never be officially called the vice captain by other crew members (which is fair, Straw Hats Pirates don’t care nor have any need for ranks) but narrative puts him as the protector of crew (i.e. Kuma), the leader in the absence of Luffy what consistently is marked by narrative boxes (i.e. “Zoro team”,”Zoro side”) and the layout of frames (Zoro taking the central position that normally belongs to Luffy) or even having some confrontation with the final boss (Arlong, Hody). Zoro is also treated like the voice of reason; even if his words are harsh and emotionless, he will speak what must be said for the Luffy and crew’s sake (Alabasta, Davy Back Fight Arc, Water 7, Enies Lobby, Zou). He is also the one that provides Luffy comfort and support in dire situations (Usopp leaving the crew). 

Luffy cares equally about his nakama, yet the narrative likes to single out Zoro as someone usually standing by him but also as someone taking Luffy’s position of captain very seriously. Further details adding to the feeling of equality set up by narrative include the visuality of their most notable scars (under left eye/left eye and middle of chest), the running joke of people mistaking Zoro for an actual captain of Straw Hats Pirates or acknowledging him as a dangerous “beast”, Luffy and Zoro’s very similar mindset and attitude towards fighting powerful enemies and all the parallels in which both captain and first mate* did the same things on various points in the manga or color spreads/covers (x)(x)(x)(x)(x)(x).

In general, the story established how despite their different nature of extrovert and introvert,  Luffy and Zoro are similar when it comes to the serious and trivial matters about whose I could talk for days. What is vital though, for years such treatment of Zoro created the feeling of equality between him and Luffy. Not in the power sense per se because narrative has never been objective about that, but how they progress from rookies to men getting closer and closer to fulfilling their dreams.

And now the Wano Arc seems to single them out in ever more visible ways.

For one, anime dropped the individual eye catchers for the whole crew, except for Luffy and Zoro. At the end of each, all Straw Hats are showed standing together:

In both cases, Zoro is on Luffy’s right and both carry similar looking katanas: Kitetsu II and Sandal Kitetsu III. The swords may have different colors, but their tsuba have the same patterns, which double the feeling of equality between those two. 

Manga provides similar moments, starting with chapter 912

and cover of volume 91 (which was used for Luffy’s eye catcher apparently) and inside illustration included in volume 92

Then from all the crew, only Luffy and Zoro were pretending to be ronin (the masterless samurai), seen in box info

while the rest Straw Hats played the role of ninja (Chopper), kunoichi (Nami), ghost (Brook), geisha (Robin), toad oil salesman (Usopp), carpenter (Franky) and soba cook (Sanji). Even Law, another Supernova and equal to Luffy, hid his identity pretending to be some sort of wandering monk. And thinking logically, Law would be better ronin because unlike Luffy, he knows how to use sword in fight. 

Another visually prominent detail - Zoro and Luffy are the only one Straw Hats who have kimonos with ornaments resembling the sun that may be a symbol of the coming dawn, foretold by Lady Toki. A dawn that will end Kaido and Orochi’s reign on Wano.

Luffy’s ornament is straight taken from the crest of the Kozuki clan (and resembling the symbol Alabasta Kingdom). I have much more to tell about Zoro’s design but that will need wait for another time. For now, though it looks much sharper is no less reminiscent of the same solar symbol. Adding to the sign their status of ronin and we may call Luffy and Zoro, figuratively speaking, the samurai bringing sun (hope, new era, peace) to a country plunged in darkness, most likely in nearest future fulfilling late Kozuki Oden’s desire to defeat Kaido and open Wano  to world.

Of course, all Straw Hats, Heart Pirates, Minks and people of Wano are working together to defeat Kaido but Luffy and Zoro were visually set apart from everyone from the beginning of the arc. There is also their personal, strong connection to Oden’s children: Momonosuke and Hiyori who both were very impressed and protected by Luffy (Momonsuke) and Zoro (Hiyori).

Another detail binding Luffy and Zoro more to Oden and setting them apart from the rest of characters are new things they have acquired through the course of the arc. Namely, the better understanding & advanced techniques of Busoshoku Haki (Luffy) and late Oden’s great sword Enma (Zoro). Both things are capable of hurting Kaido.

Usually, during the arc, Luffy gets separated from the crew for the longest part of the story. And indeed, he gets struck first in prison (where he managed to win over imprisoned there samurais) and now, during battle, is running to face Kaido escorted only by Jimbei and Sanji (who wandered away in chapter 997). Surprisingly, Zoro too was separated by quite a long period of time, in which he met and befriended Yasue, Hiyori and Toko before he rejoined the crew for the final battle. Luffy and Zoro are the Straw Hats that openly admit they want to face Kaido in fight.

Another detail setting them apart from the rest of the crew: interacting with (and in case of Zoro, beating down) other Supernovas. They met Hawkins at the beginning of arc and fought him (Sanji too, met Hawkins and Drake once in public baths but ran away, securing Nami, Robin and Shinobi well being), then Killer and Kid before and during battle, Apoo and Drake which whom they had small crash, but now Drake were working with Roronoa against Apoo. Ironically, Drake is a friend with Coby who is a friend of both Luffy and Zoro. Coby literally met those two before Nami debuted. Also, the Supernovas allied with Luffy are learning in hard way that dealing with Zoro is not less stressing that working with Luffy.

How the Wano arc will turn out will show the upcoming chapters, for now though, not only Straw Hat has a strong connection to people of this land. For one, there is Tama, that both Luffy and Zoro came to like very much and literally started wreaking havoc in enemy territory because of her. Twice. Then there is mentioned connection to Oden - symbolic samurais of dawn and carrying Momonosuke and Hiyori’s wish to defeat Kaido and save the country but also Zoro’s personal connection to Shimotsuki clan that was hinted time after time and briefly explained in SBS that may or may not play bigger role, especially since Shimotsuki clan support Kozuki family. Which only adds to the whole connection between Luffy and Zoro and (good) people of Wano.

I feel like Wano arc was set up to establish the equality of Luffy and Zoro, not in the power sense that so many fans love to argue about, but as the relationship between them. Not just as captain and (powerful) subordinate but more like partners, the way Roger and Rayleigh or Kid and Killer are seen. The manga put a lot effort in creating parallels and the visual similarity between those two characters to dismiss the potential hints of Luffy and Zoro slowly falling apart from the crew in the sense of the role they will play in this and maybe future arcs.

[conquiistador]

This was nothing. REBIRTH did not come without pain. You couldn't walk into the flames and expect to enjoy the burn. He had fallen. But he was a PHOENIX. He would rise again. His faith in his destiny - in his ambition - never faltered. Not even once. Not when they locked him in this cage, and threw away the key. Fearful of him, they had even chained him to the floor. Kairoseki cuffs dug into his wrists and ankles. They even kept him from speaking to the other prisoners as to not rile them up, by gagging him. The only thing he could see was the stone ceiling above.

For the time being, this was his life.

He didn't think anyone would come to SAVE him. He'd never trusted anyone. Never relied on anyone but himself. However, he knew his chance would come. He was not meant to waste away here until his dying day. HE WOULD NEVER DIE. So he would endure. Come hell or high water, he would endure.

Every day.

Counting cracks in the stone ceiling above. Feeling the drops of humidity hit his face every now and then. Dry lips. Sore throat. Body starving for food while his muscles wasted away. The scars on his wrists slowly on their way to becoming permanent.

Every day the same.

Except - TODAY was different.

He heard the door to the dungeon open with its characteristic creek. No food was scheduled today he didn't think ( he was almost losing track of night and day at this point ). Something was happening. He heard the other prisoners call out the same cries for help they always spilled. Doflamingo said nothing. He didn't even turn his head. The next sound was the sound of his cell being opened. A sound he'd been wanting to hear every day since he got here. He resisted the temptation to pull at his cuffs.

He tipped his head as best he could to see who had just entered his cell. Out of ALL the people he had expected... He hadn't expected a Tenryūbito. He could tell from her outfit that she was a Celestial Dragon. Not only that, but he knew who she was. Cosima of the Saint Figarland family. Just as he'd placed her name, the slave carrying her placed her down on his chest. She was small, so the weight was nothing to Doflamingo. He just had never been stepped on before. He didn't let her see his displeasure, and his expression remained neutral. In the situation he was in right now, he knew she could order him to be killed at any time. How vulnerable he was. Pitiful, as she so rightfully called him.

What did she want from him?

His first guess was that she wanted him as a slave. Leave i to Tenryūbito to have the most insane and random ideas. She said she was here with a proposition to save his soul. Was she going to bring him out of here? In which case, he would take her offer, no matter what it was. This could be the opportunity Doflamingo had known would come.

How would you like to get your rightful divine status back?

He had to begin to wonder if perhaps he was hallucinating this whole scene. But the weight of her body felt very REAL. Was he being offered a return to HEAVEN? From this hell he was currently in? It seemed way too good to be anything but a fever dream. The slave that had carried her removed the gag from his mouth. He licked his dry lips. She lay down on him, like he was furniture to her.

His surprise could not be overstated. He knew it showed on his face, but his expression soon turned into its usual smile.

❝ Fu fu fu fu. ~ ❞ His voice was hoarse. It almost cracked, and perhaps it was even a little lower than usual. ❝ I will eagerly listen to any proposition you're bringing. ❞

Yes.

Doflamingo would do ANYTHING to survive. This was his chance, and he was going to grasp it with both hands. A lifeline. He owed it to himself to take it.

Divine Deals ~closed rp~

Cosima was irritated at everything right now. After the passing of her father, she waited very long to make it look like a natural death with his old age. She was the only heir left after, staging her brother's affair which resulted in his execution. All her hard work should have finally paid off, but once her father's will was revealed, she was pissed. It stated that she had to be married to another Celestial Dragon within one year of his death for her to inherit everything, otherwise it would just go to her uncle.

It's been nearly six months since she received that news which still angered her greatly. The goddess was taking her time to look through potential suitors as she wanted someone who would either stay out of her or act like a puppet. Plus, they needed to be attractive. If she was going to be stuck with another being, she at least wanted some eye candy. This greatly limited her options which drove her insane. She was the Figarland family, which meant she was the elite among the Celestial Dragons. The female was going to keep her name and any children she had would take on her family name. The female would not allow her reputation to be tarish. Once the few options she already had were nothing, but a great disappointment, she had to go with her last plan. Donquixote Doflamingo.

He was a good candidate even though his fallen had rejected their rightful status, no one dared accept him back in fear of the power that he gained in the lower world. However, that power is what she craved to keep everything she worked for. Being one of the most influential divine beings within the Holy Land, it was long before she got a marriage contract written up along with paperwork that would restore his divine status back to him for as long as they were married and she was alive.

Cosima would not be making a deal that she would lose, so she made sure to make preparations to ensnare the devil. If the fallen dragon wanted to come back to the heavens would be on a collar and leash that she held.

It was not long before she made a trip to visit the male in his prison cell in Impel Down. The World Government would not be able to go against her wishes, especially the will of the Saint Figarland family. Stepping into the cell itself, she watched as he was bound and gagged like a wretched being. Tsking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, she kept her head held high as she had her slave carry her closer. She would not let her feet touch the filthy ground. The woman smirked as she was placed on his chest to look down at him. Just as it should be. She was a merciful goddess who had come to save the fallen divine being so it was only right that he looked up at her.

"Donquixote Doflamingo, my my~ How pitiful you look, but fret no more as I've come with a proposition to save your soul. How would you like to get your rightful divine status back?" Nodding her head, she had the slave remove that gag from his mouth to hear his response as she laid out on his body as if he was a piece of sofa.

@conquiistador