#akainu will pay for separating my family like that

[moikey-croikey]

atp i would sell my left hand if that meant oda will bring back ace and let the asl brothers have the reunion they deserve

[where-s-all-blue]

Okay so, I was tagged into This post right here by @vinsmoke-luffy and since I didn't want to over complicate his/her/their post too much, I decided to answer the questions on a separate post. Thank you for tagging me buddy!

One Piece Questions

1. What got you into One Piece?

Honestly speaking, I saw one of the volumes in the local library and decided to read it. I found the thing to be interesting, but I'd only hear about the anime later on, around the age of 13. I first found out about the series when I was 6 years old.

2. What got you hooked into the series?

Oh man, it's been over a decade, it's so hard to say- probably the kindness that the characters portrayed, loyalty and friendship? Something that I'd totally yearn for taken in how oddball of a child I've always been.

3. Which character would you punch and why?

That's pretty much a tie between Black Beard, Akainu, Doflamingo and Big Mom, all four of them represent things that I absolutely despise; Lust for power, corrupt "Justice", lack of empathy/sympathy and abusive behaviour. I'd go into detail of why, but I am fairly sure that it's no brainer why I'd physically assault them on sight even if it'd probably cost me my life.

Sometimes, people who are in power, do not deserve the power they've obtained and in those cases they must be taken down before they can cause any further damage to the people.

4. Which moment will stick with you forever?

"Ikitai! Watashi wa isho ni umi ni tsureteitte!"

Robin's seyuu went all out in it and.. It made Something resonate in me. I am not sure what it was, but it'll stay with me to the end of my day's.

5. Which moment pops up randomly in your head?

The first time we meet Brook, that moment will forever haunt me. Brook's voice is so gentle and it just makes you pay attention to him in it along with just how nonchalant he is while he sips his imaginary tea.

6. Who is your favourite character and why?

Uhhhh I absolutely suck with choosing favourites, I can't even say what my favourite food is! But here's a list of the characters I'm attached to for no particular reason? I honestly never know why I like someone, it's not really that important to me, if you like someone, you usually like everything in that person. The following block of names isn't in any order because I am a chaotic dumbass.

Rosinante Donquixote, Coby, Eustass Kidd, Trafalgar D. Water Law, Killer, Shachi, Bepo, Penguin, Shirahoshi, Katamuri, Brulee, Pudding, Niji, Ichiji, Yonji, Reiju, Chiffon, Lola, Ikkaku, Portgas D. Ace, Sabo, Monkey D. Luffy, Roronoa Zoro, Black Leg Sanji, Cat burglar Nami, God Usopp, Tony Tony Chopper, Nico Robin, Franky, Jinbe, Emporio Ivankov, Sengoku, Fujitora, Rebekka, Vivi, Koala, Tiger, Otama, Okiku, Komurasaki, Izo, Marco, Edward Newgate, Thatch

7. How much has One Piece impacted your life?

I am literally as old as the manga (23 years old (2020)) so uhh... Use that as a measure I guess? No, don't really do that. But it's.. It's kind of hard to say, I have been a fan of the series since I was six years old, I've laughed, I've cried, I've grown a lot during the 17 years that I've been part of this fandom.

I can't say that it hasn't had any effect on me nor my views, because I can say that a lot of the way how I look at certain things like familial bonds and friendships were heavily influenced by the series, but I can't even start to measure the amount of impact it truly has had on me.

8. What is your favourite One Piece quote?

“There comes a time when a man has to stand and fight! That time is when his friends' dreams are being laughed at! And I won't let you laugh at that!” - Usopp

“Stop counting only those things you have lost! What is gone, is gone! So ask yourself this. What is there... that still remains to you?!” - Jinbei

“The government says your existence is a crime, but no matter what kind of weapons you may hold, just being alive isn't a sin! There's no crime in living!” - Franky

“You can spill drinks on me, even spit on me. I'll just laugh about it. But If you dare to hurt my friends... I won't forgive you!” - Shanks

“When they are shot through the heart by the bullet of a pistol? No. When they are ravaged by an incurable disease? No. When they drink a soup made from a poisonous mushroom!? No! It’s when… they are forgotten.” - Hiluluk Doctor

“Compared to the "righteous" greed of the rulers, the criminals of the world seem much more honorable. When scum rules the world, only more scum is born.” - Eustass "Captain" Kid

“Inherited will, a man's dream, and the flow of time. As long as man continues to seek out the answer to freedom, these things shall never be stopped.” - Gol D. Roger

Honestly, I couldn't choose only one out of this bunch, I've tried before and I always fail because they all are equally meaningful to me as a person.

9. Which laugh style gets to you most?

I-

I honestly have never thought about it? I don't really notice things like laughing styles, because to me laughter is one of the most beautiful things on earth. It shows the joy within us. And when you come to my age (or this might be more about me as a person) you just... Stop paying attention to something like that? Especially if it sounds natural to your ear.

But then again, my friends time and time again have to remind me that my sense of what is normal is very flexible and abnormal by itself. I might pass a person wearing a horse head out in the public dancing whatever is The meme dance currently and not even realise that it's not something that'd normally just happen in my home town. Yes the before mentioned has happened before.

But yeah, to sum it up: I have literally never paid attention to the laugh quirks of the characters I just don't see them as something that should bother me or make me react to it in other way than being happy for the person to be comfortable enough to actually laugh the way they would laugh when they are alone.

It's just... Laughter?

10. How will you feel when One Piece ends?

The same way as I feel about anything ending most likely, I'll be melancholic over it ending, but happy to have experienced it.

Tagging: @nue-nue-nomi @shambledsurgeon @whereistheonepiece @shadowstormdragon (TUMBLR Y U NO LEMME TAG?!) @ohnoluffy @luffytarhoe

Though if you're interested in answering these questions in general, do take a shot at it!

[thekytchensynk]

Ain’t No Picnic (4/9)

Summary: They were just supposed to head over to the island real quick, just to see what was going on. After all, if pirates were trying to ambush and kill the Straw Hat crew, how could Coby NOT go? And how could Helmeppo let him go alone? It should be simple enough, but nothing can be taken for granted in the New World, and when things go awry, Helmeppo finds himself separated from his captain on an island chain full of pirates who probably won’t be too happy to see a Marine if their paths cross.Oh yeah. And one of those pirates is the infamous “Surgeon of Death,” Trafalgar Law… Warnings: Occasional strong language Read it on AO3

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Whether it was the distraction of the plant matter he was dropping behind him or if he’d just caused enough damage that the vines were getting scared, he only had to cut loose of a handful more on his ascent. This time, when he broke the surface, he barely stopped. In basically one move, he hauled himself out of the water. Exhausted, barefoot and dizzy with lack of oxygen, he nonetheless got to his feet, staggered a little, then grabbed the pirate by one foot.

“Hey,” he heard a voice say, but he wasn’t paying attention at this point. He just ran on pure adrenaline. Gotta get away from that hole. Then I can catch my breath or this pirate can kill me or whatever.

Helmeppo didn’t make it all that far -- only about thirty meters -- before his strength finally gave out. His fingers released the pirate’s ankle and he collapsed to hands and knees, panting and coughing and generally enjoying the feeling of being alive while it lasted.

“Hey!”

That voice again. Helmeppo looked over to see Law slowly trying to get up.

Being dragged through the undergrowth had done him no favors. The guy’s coat and shirt were both bunched up under his arms and there were little bits of leaves caught in his spiky hair. He looked disheveled. He looked waterlogged.

He looked irritated.

“Why did you do that?” he asked.

“Trying to save ... your life,” Helmeppo said, too worn out to be scared of the glare. He had to speak a few words at a time. His lungs were more interested in air in than air out . “If you must … kill me for it ... can you … wait until I’ve ... caught my breath?” He paused, took one more deep breath and finished, “So I have a fair chance to run?”

“With me, there is no fair chance to run,” Law replied.

For a moment, the two men stared at one another. He wasn’t sure what the pirate was thinking, but Helmeppo’s mind was only debating was that a threat … or a joke? Or a threat? Or maybe a joke?

After what felt like an excessively awkward span of time, Law said, “You pulled me out of the water?”

“Looks that way.”

The guy’s eyes narrowed, and for a second Helmeppo was sure he was going to get killed now for having the gall to help a guy out. But then the expression went somewhere … else. Mindlessly, the pirate started setting himself to rights -- straightening his shirt, raking his hair into some kind of order with his fingers, checking that his sword still hung safe in its scabbard. He didn’t seem to be thinking about the current situation and had completely dismissed or forgotten about Helmeppo’s presence, looking lost in thought.

Helmeppo decided to follow suit -- with the setting himself to rights, not so much the getting lost in thought. He stood on exhausted legs and ran down the checklist. Two knives still, which was excellent. No shades -- the sun made him squint, but it was generally fine. He stripped off his vest and wrung it out before gingerly pulling it back on. Wet clothes. NOT his favorite thing. He sat down on the weathered stump of one of those massive leaves, still trying to catch his breath. It probably made him look weak, but his legs -- his everything -- needed a rest.

“So, assuming you’re not going to kill me or whatever, what’s the plan?” Helmeppo said when he was as put together as he figured he could get.

Law’s expression didn’t change. Has his devil fruit affected his face somehow? Instead of answering, he asked in return, “Isn’t it demeaning for a Marine to be begging favors from a pirate?”

The question startled a laugh out of Helmeppo. Probably a bad idea, but the question honestly surprised him. And the idea of it … pride had once been a constant companion, and he still clung to it when he thought he could. But pride didn’t last long when you were a chore boy for the marines, and it had an even shorter lifespan under Garp’s watchful eye.

Demeaning? What did that even mean anymore?

“I don’t want to die,” he said, letting the flat honesty just spill forth. “But frankly, I wouldn’t want to face my friend if I’d left you to die, either.”

He expected an eye roll or something like that -- fair considering that had been kiiiinda corny. What he didn’t expect was for the pirate’s stoic expression to finally change, however briefly, to a small, rueful smile.

“So let me guess,” he said to Helmeppo. “You’re another one of those who caught Straw Hat’s eye?”

Helmeppo let out a short, mirthless laugh. “You could put it like that.” Luffy had mostly just wanted to hit Helmeppo for being a jerk -- a not-undeserved reaction, he had to admit now. “But not me, so much. It was-”

And he stopped. Across the way a barely perceptible eyebrow raise was the only sign that the pirate had any interest in what he’d been about to say.

But he wasn’t sure if he should. Luffy was a secret Coby had kept reasonably well for two years now. Was it really a good idea to mention it now? Even if it might make this pirate more likely to let Helmeppo tag along? When Coby remained convinced his dream would be over if people found out?

Generally, Helmeppo didn’t think the other marines would care. Coby wasn’t the only one who had a dark shadow in his past. Hell, everyone knew Django had been a pirate before serving. And enough marines had a grudging respect for the Straw Hat crew that they might look at it as a positive mark.

But there was one who might see it as a terrible offense. The one that mattered most. Akainu, the one whose absolute justice burned through silly things like circumstance and history. And some nights, after they were called in to stop some depravity, to help some souls who had been pushed to their breaking point by evil men and women, Helmeppo’s dreams turned dark. In those dreams, someone -- usually his father -- traded information on Coby’s past and their fleet admiral turned his justice on his subordinate again, and-

Honestly, Helmeppo tried to think of his dad as little as possible these days. The guy had made it clear they weren’t family anymore, and that had taken … well, longer than he wanted to admit to actually come to terms with. He wasn’t entirely sure, even now, that he had come to terms with it. Sure, once your dad threatened to kill you to save his own skin, something in the relationship had broken beyond repair. And yeah, after a while he’d admitted he always knew his dad was like that. While he had definitely taken advantage of the perks his father’s promotion granted him, on some level he knew -- this is not a man to give this power to. Because his dad had always been excellent at leveraging any power he could lay his hands on.

But some part of him -- the part that remembered being small, and his father being the biggest, strongest, bravest person in the whole world -- kept wanting to insist it had been a mistake. That he wasn’t really as bad as everyone said. And he had to keep reminding himself of the depravity, of the soullessness, that his father had shown to the whole world.

And to him.

So yeah … he worried sometimes about his father coming back. Morgan had kept a low profile since his escape, so if he ever wanted to try to clean the slate, could he do it by trading information? And while accepting a known pirate into their ranks was on the marines, a man hiding his dark past -- actively lying -- would not fare so well under the gaze of absolute justice. Especially since the Fleet Admiral seemed to have forgiven or forgotten Coby’s insolence at Ace’s execution.

But had he?

And with all that haunting him, why would Helmeppo even consider giving that leverage to another pirate? To save his own skin?

But on the other hand, there was something about Straw Hat. He’d infected Coby with it, even. Some… energy. It made the people around him either hate him, or want to become better. And this pirate had worked alongside Straw Hat more than once. Which meant he probably wasn’t the same kind of asshole as Helmeppo’s father, at least.

Probably.

“My captain wants to grow strong enough to beat that Straw Hat kid someday,” he decided on. Then, realizing that could be VERY misconstrued, he hurried on. “Not because he… He… It’s …” The right words came all in a rush. “Watching that Straw Hat kid inspired him to stand up for himself. Let him think it was okay for him to … you know. To admit to his dreams. To chase ‘em. And I think he feels like, to pay him back, he needs to be as strong as Luffy.”

The pirate let out a small, sardonic chuckle. “Trust me, that doesn’t help. You can be just as strong as him, but he’ll drag you along behind him anyway.”

Yeah, that sounded about right. Drag you along. When they’d first met, it was clear that Coby’s bravery wasn’t quite the same as Luffy’s or Zoro’s. Right or wrong, those two acted on their decisions, from thought to movement with no hesitation. But with Coby -- slightly pudgy, short, soft -- there was that hesitation. He had to steel himself before he could act. But every time, the decision was to follow along in the current set forth by the pirates. Something had drawn him along behind them, even when it wasn’t easy. And now, Coby was the one drawing others in his wake.

“That’s what happened to you?” Helmeppo asked

A hesitation. Then, “More or less. We have common goals. But even in that case, you get swept up. Sometimes regardless of what you say.”

Helmeppo tried to remember what he knew of those two working together. Not many details came to mind, but not all the information that was fed to them at HQ matched reality. No surprise there.

“Does it always work out?” he found himself asking.

He wanted the answer to be yes. There was something about that kid. It seemed like when he set his mind to something, it would just happen. That the people around him would step up, and everything would be OK.

But he kind of knew the answer as soon as he asked. Nothing always worked out. No matter how powerful you were.

But when he looked up, Law had turned away, looking off toward where Helmeppo presumed he thought the shore was. “It works out enough,” he said. And he started walking away.

“Guess that means ‘moment of bonding over,’” Helmeppo muttered to the empty air. Shouldn’t have dug into that. He could use another few minutes of rest. He could still feel the shakiness in his limbs, but the pirate clearly wasn’t going to wait. His long legs were positively eating up the ground, his form disappearing into the overgrowth. With a sigh, Helmeppo looked around, hoping to see some sort of leaves he could use to make a makeshift pair of sandals from, or at least wrap around his feet to protect them. It was never, ever a good idea to traipse barefoot around a strange island. But nothing presented itself.

Well, make do. The sooner you get back the sooner you won’t have to worry about it anymore.

He started to stand up, but just as he got his legs under him, something slammed into the back of his head. He had just a moment of indignant surprise at being attacked, and he started to turn toward the source when the attacker struck again. The second blow pitched him forward.

He was out before he hit the ground.