#but like during the cp9 fights

[perhapsifcake]

I love that the canonically explanation for Luffy's red hawk is "it's anime. Let it happen."

I MEAN. FAIR

[ace-no-isha]

y’all ever sit down and think of the burden luffy has on his shoulders as (a GOOD) captain? way back in the beginning of the story he saved nami’s life by clawing up a mountain. he went to alabasta and beat the shit out of crocodile cus he was destroying vivi’s home. he fought CP9, some of the strongest forces in the marines besides the admirals, just to bring robin home. he went after a fucking yonko to save sanji from living as a hostage. it especially shows during whole cake island. he’s fighting katakuri after barely sleeping for Days while fighting an onslaught of big mom’s crew and he’s so worn down. katakuri, big mom’s top officer. his crew looks at him with so much concern and he smiles to tell them he’s okay. he wouldn’t let them get hurt. he would die before they lay their hands on his crew, and his stubborn ass refuses to meet death. it’s moments like this where i’m like, damn, luffy’s grown up. he’s never been immature when it matters, but the degree of severity of the situation has never been this extreme. he trusts them to stay safe while he’s gone because they’re strong but he knows they’d drop everything and rush to fight alongside him if he even gave them an INKLING of a chance that he couldn’t do it. knowing how deeply exhausted he was when he smiled for them felt like holding up the sky for a second. you just learned how heavy of a load luffy carries on his shoulders.

[pigeon-paperweight]

My Kaku Good Guy Rant (help this is consuming my life) (this is very long)

(Spoilers for Water 7 and Egghead, obviously! I'll try and keep this in chronological order. I will mainly be using the manga for examples. This is gonna be lengthy, and ranty, and hyper-analyze...y. I will be using punctuation in this post for the sake of myself and everyone else.)

Let me start this off by saying: Is this the face of a man who hates his life?

Call me crazy (sarcasm), but I don't think so.

Kaku, though he is a Cipher Pol agent, is leagues away from any of the other Cipher Pol agents we've seen to date. The way he acts, the way he speaks, the way he treats others -- it all gets on my nerves because it makes me think he isn't so bad. But we've seen his actions! We've seen some of the things he's done and the bad people he is associated with! He's an evil person!

...Or is he?

Characters can do bad things, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are bad people, because things aren't always just black and white like that.

We know that Cipher Pol agents are taken in as children, and they are raised through the eyes of the government. They -- as messed up as some of these poor kids seem -- are conditioned to think in a way where the bad deeds they do are deemed 'right', just because they do so for the sake of 'justice'. They don't particularly know that what they're doing is wrong.

Part One: Water 7

When we see CP9 act during water 7, I've noticed that Kaku specifically was less involved in the brutal beatings of Iceberg and Paulie inside of the Galley-la mansion. He seems to stand to the side and let Lucci do the dirty work, along with all the talking.

At the end of chapter 344, Opposing Force, Paulie is seen bleeding with the blueprints in his hand. We don't see who beats him up, but it can be assumed that it was Lucci, due to him being closer to Paulie. Lucci is also the first to grab the blueprints from him. Kaku stands still in the background.

However, they could have both been fighting him, as Lucci says "Your resistance against us is futile..." although again, Lucci seems to talk for the both of them, as Kaku doesn't say a word up until Paulie reveals that the blueprints are fake. Even then, after that, Lucci still does the brunt of the talking.

In my opinion, it's highly unlikely that Kaku would beat up Paulie, because as far as I've seen, Kaku doesn't lay a hand on either him or Iceberg, aside from gently checking Iceberg's pulse.

What makes me think this? Well in chapter 345, Luffy, in casual Luffy fashion, busts in just as Paulie succumbs to the beating, to which Kaku attempts to catch Luffy with his Tempest Kick. Luffy dodges at the last second, but is apprehended by Lucci as he is stuck to the floor using metal prongs to hold him down.

Lucci then yells at Kaku to restrain Paulie, because this was "no time to be fighting (Paulie is nearly K.O'd and bleeding out on the floor)", and Kaku does this:

Notice those little lines next to his head? He's surprised.

Now, he could be surprised due to not thinking about restraining Paulie since he's literally already been defeated, but Lucci knows that Paulie could become a bigger problem if he got back up, especially with Luffy there with him. I picture Kaku as a bit of an extension to Lucci, and since they're both very smart, Kaku would know this too, wouldn't he?

Paulie could get up and free Luffy, or better yet free him and team up with Luffy to 'beat' the both of them. Kaku already knows that Paulie isn't dead, because Paulie's still conscious right in front of him, so why is he so obviously surprised at Lucci's order? Why was it so important to draw those little lines next to him?

Perhaps he was surprised because he was worried Lucci would tell him to restrain Paulie, and he was hoping he wouldn't have to.

Another reason for these little lines could be that Kaku could have been zoned-out, maybe having some heavy thoughts (regret, guilt, or some sort of existential crisis), and Lucci snapped him out of it by getting his attention.

Backtracking just a bit, back to chapter 344, right when Paulie reveals that the blueprints were fake, Lucci and Kaku understandably share a moment of shock.

Kaku, more so speaking to himself rather than anyone else (as he trails off at the end of the sentence), says: "What an idiotic thing to..."

This doesn't have to mean anything, as Paulie could be seen as both smart and an idiot for revealing this in front of them, however I like to think deeper into it, of course.

Kaku could have been calling this action idiotic due to the fact that he knew they would've had to kill Paulie afterwards, and that Paulie likely knew this too, and was just revealing this out of spite and to witness their surprise before he died.

Kaku's words seem a little out of place here. Lucci, of course, just goes straight into 'let's kill this guy 'cause he got on my nerves' mode, but Kaku's response isn't what I would expect. When I read this for the first time, not knowing that these two were in fact Kaku and Lucci, this just stuck out to me (it still sticks out to me, even now), and I can't exactly put into words why.

Again, this makes me think: "Why add this? Why is this so important?"

If they weren't so rudely interrupted by Luffy, Lucci probably would have finished the job and killed Paulie right then and there because Kaku was still standing around not doing anything and just adding random commentary.

One more thing from this chapter, then it's onward and upward from here! We'll get to the Zoro fight and Egghead soon enough!

When Luffy bursts in awkwardly through the wall, interrupting this uncomfortable encounter between the three of them, I stated earlier that Kaku tries to hit him with a Tempest Kick. Right before this, though, Kaku has a moment of hesitation before attacking Luffy.

Of course, as I've said, this can have little to no meaning.

But, can it mean something? Yes!

This little panel of hesitation could be a wave of guilt washing over Kaku, as he knows Luffy and the Strawhats weren't involved in the attempted assassination of Iceberg like CP9 made them out to be. He knows the Strawhats are good people, but he's just following orders. He's aware of the situation they've stuck Luffy with. This bit of hesitation could be him just further instating to himself that this is what needs to be done to get these blueprints.

When Kaku reveals himself to be one of the government assassins, he replies to Iceberg's disbelief with: "You're the one in the wrong. None of this would have happened if you'd handed them over to the government when it asked nicely."

That's rather depressing, combined with the expression on his face.

What is "none of this"? What does that mean? Almost killing Iceberg? Beating up your friends?

His sad expression is pushing me to think that there are more layers to this than just causing harm to Iceberg/Paulie/others.

Why would he need to justify that Iceberg was in the wrong? They were doing this for that sweet sense of justice, after all!

Perhaps the "none of this" really does mean this entire mission, as the whole reason CP9 was sent to Water 7 was to retrieve the blueprints from Iceberg. If "none of this" happened, Kaku would have never been sent to Water 7 in the first place. Makes you think about why he looks so sad, huh? He would have never gotten those five years of bliss.

Remember, Kaku was only 18 when he started the mission at Water 7. That is wild to think about, if you put yourself in his shoes. You aren't even fully developed yet, especially your brain by that time!

If you wanna dive even deeper into this, just think -- all of the other CP9 members are older than Kaku. Granted, Kalifa only has 2 years on him, but they weren't super close during Water 7, so disregard her for now. Lucci was 23 at the start of the Water 7 mission, for more reference of their age differences.

Lulu is 8 years older than Kaku, and Tilestone is 10 years older.

Paulie, however, is only one year older than Kaku. Paulie is his peer. His close friend.

I'm not saying that any of the other shipwrights weren't his friends, Tilestone and Lulu's behavior alone disproves that, however having friends -- especially when you're a teenager -- that are among the same age group as you is important, so it's a little easier to infer that Kaku has an attachment to Paulie, which could be a reason as to why Kaku isn't seen fighting him -- he grew up with him in those five years 'away' from CP9.

After it is revealed that the masked assassins were, in fact, Lucci, Kaku, Kalifa, and Blueno, Kaku is asked to check Iceberg's pulse to see if they can guess the whereabouts of the real Pluton blueprints. We can assume, that from this action, Kaku still respects Iceberg, as all of the other CP9 members have been treating Iceberg like a damn doormat.

Very polite. Just wanted to add this quick one in.

Then -- this is important -- shortly after that, we get this:

Mhm.

To me, here, Kaku is being genuine when he says this. The other members can say that they "don't have anything against Iceberg", but I believe Kaku is the only one who really doesn't have anything against him. He really is thankful for the opportunities Iceberg gave him during his time on Water 7.

Through his actions, Kaku is very obviously genuine, no matter how much someone wants to say he's not. Lucci + Co. beat Iceberg senseless, while Kaku, who could have very easily joined in with the other members, did not. He respected Iceberg down to the very last moment with him, much like I feel he did with Paulie, too.

The next few examples are going to be small, with little bits of my thoughts, because trust me, I really want to get to Egghead.

These examples are throughout the next couple of chapters.

Kaku's face, along with the bubble of an ellipsis at the sight of Paulie. Ouch.

Why does he look so disturbed from the action of hitting Zoro with his Finger Pistol? I'll say it again -- guilt?

Just wanted to add this in because it makes me sad. "Honing their skills to serve the government" is all they're good for, and they all know it.

Alright! That wraps this part up, now we're going to quickly touch on Enies Lobby and Kaku's fight with Zoro, because, honestly, not much needs to be said about the latter half.

Don't worry, the next parts will be shorter.

Part Two: Enies Lobby

I'm adding this section in after I've already finished the Water 7 part, and LET ME TELL YOU: I am currently high on 1 a.m. exhaustion-induced goofiness, and I literally had a dream about finishing this post last night so I'm WORKING ON IT NOW!! NOW!!!!

So please, if you could, excuse me. Me as a whole. Excuse everything.

ALRIGHT LET'S DIG INTO THIS!!!

So, like I mentioned just above the header for this section, I don't want to go too deep into this part, mostly because in my eyes the evidence speaks for itself (especially for the fight with Zoro) however I will go a little bit into some other parts that I find interesting.

EXHIBIT ONE!!! - 'Co-workers pressure you to eat mystery items? Hell yes!'

A bit unrelated, but I just wanted to say how I thought it was a bit funny how Kaku and Kalifa get peer pressured into eating their devil fruits, despite Kaku showing obvious disinterest, and can we talk about their reactions when handed the fruits??

You cannot convince me that they wanted to eat those. Kalifa is struggling. But of course, Lucci comes in with the "It'll be fun", so they just decided 'yep we're doing this i guess'. Was it really that fun, though? Everyone got their ass kicked two times over in the end, so did it really matter?

You poor souls.

Moral of the story, if someone tells you 'eat this thing I'm giving you because it will be fun' -- don't.

Exhibit TWO!!! - 'Crackhead Franky burns the blueprints'

These panels just make me feel some type of way. Of course, Kaku (as the other CP9 members are) is very upset that his five years of work just got burned up into dust in front of him, but it also means that it was ALL FOR NOTHING. Everything was for nothing.

Coming to Water 7, getting the job, liking the job, participating in your interest, making friends, having a good boss and then turning around and ruining it all for the sake of some papers (that you've already been faked out of once, mind you) that just disintegrated and basically never had any meaning in the first place, because 'how the hell are we getting those back, oh yeah, we can't', is what would be going through my mind.

I mean, karma is a bitch, but damn. Also -- are ellipses just Kaku's thing? I'm noticing a pattern here.

Exhibit TROIS! ahem.. Three. - 'Zoro's sword is moaning'

Now we'll get into the stuff with Zoro -- BUT ONLY QUICKLY BECAUSE I'M GETTING TO EGGHEAD, DAMMIT!!

When confronted by Zoro, Kaku stated that Zoro's 'Will you hand Robin's handcuff key over before I kill you?' was a foolish question, followed by another damn ellipsis! What is it with him and those??

Anyways, why is this a foolish question to him? Well, it could go both ways -- Kaku would kill Zoro before he could get the key, or Zoro would kill Kaku before he could give up the key. The first way was probably intended from Kaku's perspective... or was it? Kaku knows Zoro is strong, as he says literally in the same panel that he wished he could see what Zoro was capable of.

Based on Kaku's reaction to Zoro defeating him (which we'll get to in just a moment), I believe he was anticipating his own defeat by Zoro's hand.

Fighting Zoro was almost like a game to Kaku, as he said (during the lighter half of their fight) that this was fun, and the only way for the fun to stop was if Zoro beat him. This was fun for him to the very end of it. That's pretty sad, and I feel like Kaku was excited to have someone like Zoro fighting him, especially with them both being swordsman, as he seemed to really enjoy their fights.

Now for the finale!!

^^ This is right after Zoro informs Kaku that he's fired, rubbing salt into Kaku's many metaphorical and physical wounds. vv

Why did Zoro feel the need to say this? Did Zoro want Kaku to feel bad about what he did? Because usually, foes don't get the time to talk with the person that just beat their ass, because they get knocked out/killed before anything else happens. Did Zoro hit him just hard enough to delay him losing consciousness, just so he could rub it in (and so this would be Kaku's last thought before passing out) that Paulie was upset with him?

Why would Zoro do this? Kaku is an enemy, and at this point in time Zoro didn't know Kaku was going to willingly give him his key (as in he thought he was going to have to take it off Kaku after he was unconscious), so why the hell did he not just knock him out right then and there and get the key? Zoro is pressed for time, because he needs to bring that key to Robin -- so why do this?

Perhaps Zoro is aware that there is more to Kaku than just being a backstabbing government assassin, and that he could have possibly still had a conscience at that time so he just really wanted to rub it in his face that Paulie directly fired him -- because he knew it would hurt.

"You guys... are fired."

'Paulie said that? Oh... what a mess' Kaku says as if he wasn't expecting that? Excuse me, sir?

Sure, okay, maybe he hadn't had the time to think about Paulie and all them dudes with all the shit he'd been dealing with, but honestly, what was he expecting? That Paulie wouldn't say that?

Of course not. Those words just had a lot of weight coming from Paulie, let's be real here. He knew that he was fired. He knew this whole thing would end up with him being fired eventually, so why is he so sad at the fact that Paulie fired him?

This, along with the "assassins can never find other work" leads me to think he knows he's done for. He will be stuck as an assassin until he dies, and that's just how it's going to be. I'm wondering, was he expecting to die here?

I'm curious -- who was it that told him that assassins couldn't find other work? Who is 'they'? Was it you, Kaku? Is he telling himself that?

Or was it someone like Lucci, who wanted to drill into his head that this is what he was 'meant' to do, and there was no going back for him, as if he can't ever redeem himself (praying on this y'all, please Oda PLEASE), just because Lucci wants Kaku on his side to be his partner in crime. Stupid Lucci. I hate that guy.

The next picture will be a little more focused on Zoro's reaction to Kaku rather than Kaku himself.

Again, here we go with those damn ellipses. They are starting to paint a better picture of how complex this could actually get, though, so I won't dog on them anymore.

Let's actually talk about that for a second -- the Oxford Dictionary defines an ellipsis as "the omission from speech or writing of a word or words that are superfluous or able to be understood from contextual clues", and from a couple different sources ellipses in comics can be seen as "there is more to be said here, but you can figure it out because why not" or a character is thinking about something.

What is Zoro thinking about here? What's making him just stare at Kaku while he gets his key for him? Well, maybe Zoro wasn't expecting Kaku to just give him the key, so he's just... watching. Kaku is also laughing (at Zoro's zoo joke, for context), and if I was in his situation I very much wouldn't be, so that can be a bit confusing for Zoro as he might wonder why Kaku is being such a good sport.

This good sportsmanship displayed by Kaku could be giving Zoro a reason to believe in Kaku's complexity and ambiguity, along with Kaku giving him the key right before he passes out. Kaku really felt the need to give Zoro his key because he had earned it, yet Kaku wasn't killed to obtain it -- so this was Kaku's way of surrendering, and that is another reason why I think he was expecting this to be the end of the road.

Bonus to that:

Okay!! I'm done I'm done I'm done!!!!!!!!!!~ I talked a little more than I wanted to but that's okay because were onto EGGHEAD!!! WOO HOO!!!!

Part Three: Egghead

Reminder: MANGA Egghead -- ahead of the anime.

This part is going to be a bit unhinged because as I'm writing this Egghead JUST finished up (who's excited for Elbaf???? WOOP!!) and I have some STRONG feelings.

OK OK OK LET'S GET INTOOO ITTT!!

So Egghead starts and... and.. w-.. wait.

He's sitting on top of poor Sentomaru's battered body. This... this looks familiar.

Oh, that's why. That's weird. What a weird detail. Is this going to happen more in the future? Is this one of Kaku's weird things he does, just because?

Sidetracked, sorry. Anyway-

I'm going to start this off by saying that Lucci has definitely been getting on Kaku's nerves throughout the entirety of Egghead. Honestly, I understand. If I'd have to deal with stupid Lucci for as long as Kaku has I'd be pissed at him too.

It's okay, Kaku. You can kick his ass, I won't say anything.

But my point in bringing this up is that these little moments of Kaku being upset or annoyed with Lucci are building up to something much bigger. Kaku cannot catch a break, and in most of the scenes they're together in he's fed up with Lucci in some way.

Now let's talk about Kaku and Stussy.

He can say they aren't friends all he wants, but I beg to differ. We haven't necessarily seen a whole lot of CP0's interactions with each other outside of carrying out their missions, but there is an obvious connection between these two that I've grown fond of.

Kaku contemplating Stussy's 'Who do I live for?' is interesting -- he doesn't speak on this out loud, but clearly he's got something brewing in the ol' noggin.

This whole page is just wonderful. Also, I think that is the best face I have seen Kaku make. There's a lot to get into here.

So... I absolutely love that Stussy wanted to free Kaku, but what the hell does she mean by 'I know the first thing he'll do if he's released'?? Genuine question. I might have accidentally skimmed over something, because I'll admit I read egghead pretty fast (though I'm thinking about reading all of it a second time because there was just so much happening all at the same time that it got a little crazy) but I don't remember seeing anything else about what she thought Kaku was going to do.

Kaku was obviously not expecting Stussy to do this, as she was pretty much made their enemy because of her betrayal, but Edison's 'I'm sorry for making you betray that friendship' just makes me want to... like.. idk. Edison knew that Stussy and Kaku were good friends, which makes me think that Stussy has possibly talked about Kaku before to the Vegapunks?

I haven't really had a whole lot of time to think about this stuff so everything I say here I'm coming up with as I'm typing it -- it's more speculatory than the other sections.

I think Stussy asking to free Kaku is another case of rubbing salt into Kaku's wounds, albeit more indirect. Stussy cares about him, obviously, but I think what Edison said makes Kaku just do a reflection of his entire life.

Stussy betrayed Kaku, yet she still shows compassion for him because they were friends.

Kaku betrayed Paulie, but completely does the opposite of Stussy. He just completely cuts him off. Paulie and Kaku were friends. Stussy and Kaku are friends.

Despite being his 'enemy', Stussy wants the best for Kaku and tries to help him as best as she could.

This, I believe, makes Kaku do a 180. This situation with Stussy is what could have happened on Water 7 with Paulie, because if you guys remember, Paulie said he felt that Kaku and Lucci were still his friends, even after he'd witnessed CP9 beating up Iceberg.

That is why I think he looks so distressed after Edison apologizes for Stussy's betrayal to him, because he's betrayed his own friends multiple times now, and he's fully realized this isn't all that different from Water 7.

It sure does hurt to be the one betrayed, doesn't it? Now he knows how his buddies on Water 7 felt.

I also want to talk about Edison saying that Stussy's 'inner conflict is a calling card of humanity' (talking about having to choose between being on Kaku's side or being with the Vegapunks), and how Kaku has a little wobbly bubble with an ellipsis.

Has Kaku realized that having humanity might not be so bad? Cipher Pol agents, I'm assuming, aren't really supposed to have this concept of humanity, because they're supposed to be these almost superhuman monsters.

Or has he realized that he isn't like the other Cipher Pol agents, as he secretly does have a sense of humanity that he shoves down for the sake of being in CP0? If Lucci ever found out that Kaku really did have a sense of humanity he would probably deem him useless. However...

Lucci (for the first time ever, wow) shows compassion towards Kaku, being worried that Kaku would be killed in the midst of the chaos that was Egghead.

I always perceived Lucci to be the type to leave behind the wounded, as they weren't of use to him anymore, but he goes out of his way to ask Mars to spare Kaku, which was honestly very surprising. Maybe Lucci still has a speck of humanity in him. Perhaps there is hope.

You're seriously going to tell me that they aren't friends when they're both crying??

Also... do you know that one scene from Air Bud?? This scene between Kaku and Stussy reminded me of that the first time I read this chapter, lol.

Kaku is worried for Stussy's safety, as he knows that if Lucci finds her, he will kill her. And again with this -- what is Kaku going to do next?? I want to know, God dammit, JUST TELL ME!!

Is Kaku going to defy Lucci? Is he going to run away? TELL MEEEE!!

DUN DUN DUN!!!!!~~~

So Stussy is apparently dead, which, okay, when did that happen, and also, absolutely not, but why does Kaku look like he's seriously about to just unleash his rage on Lucci? Do it, please DO IT!! BEAT HIS ASS PLEASE. I HATE HIM SO. MUCH.

But the fact that he's resorted to talking in ellipses again with his face shaded, a huge frown and clenched fists is making me think that this is a breaking point for him. He's just so over Lucci and I would be too. Run, run for the hills Kaku!!!

Kaku's ellipsis bubble is also a teeny bit wobbly, and if you've ever read a comic you've probably noticed that the shape of the bubble pertains to the character's state, whether that be physical or mental, and their speech. But since he isn't talking, his wobbly bubble could mean (and I'm saying could because a lot of the bubbles in Egghead are misshapen, so take this with a grain of salt, this is just what I like to think) that his mental state is, well, not great.

So with a (presumably) dead friend, a long time of growing exasperation towards Lucci, and an already unstable mental state, I really hope Kaku can realize that a line has been crossed, so it's his turn to act.

So now, it's time for the conclusion.

Basically, I just want Kaku to be a good guy. He's so complex and I already like him so much as a character, and I would like him even more if he jumped to the other side. I feel that he's already halfway there. I hope that there might be some sort of redemption in store for Kaku and I will scream if it comes true. You might not think so, but I can dream!!

Anyways, that's my two cents! Or rather... my fifty cents.. or my dollar. That was a lot. Thanks so much for reading!

[deathmetalunicorn1]

Part 13 Enies Lobby

The Straw Hats make it to Enies Lobby to save Robin, Franky and Reader, (During the trip Franky tells Reader about his past and about his Mentor Tom) with Spadam planning to bring her to Marine HQ, (Giving him a higher position of power) as he tries to convince her that he’s a ‘Hero’ and Nico Robin’s a ‘Devil’, (Along with ‘Cutty Flam’ Franky and the ‘Monster Fishman’, Tom) he thinks she’ll believe him since kids are ‘stupid’, however she calls him a ‘Liar’, (She may be naive, but she can tell good people from bad people, no matter how well they hide it) calling Spadam the ‘True Villain’, making Franky laugh, only for Reader to get slapped by Spadam, enraging Robin and Franky

You can choose if Reader is with Robin being taken to the Gates of Justice or is with Lucci and helps Luffy in his fight with her power being seen in action (She’s hugging Luffy’s back tightly with her horn flaring up, allowing him to use 2nd and 3rd Gear even more effectively) but Luffy makes sure to thank Reader and gives her his Straw Hat as a promise that he’ll save her and Robin from this terrible place

When everyone gets to escape, Reader jumps in Luffy’s arms and cries as they’re escaping on the Merry (She has sparkly eyes after learning Grandma Kokoro is a Mermaid) who came to save them, however they have to put Merry to Rest, crying as they all think about the great memories they had on that ship (It’s just as hard on Reader because the Going Merry was the first place she ever got to call ‘Home’, and made a lot of happy memories) with everyone tearfully saying goodbye as they head back to Water 7

I like to think Robin used Clutch on Spadam even harder and broke his spine into a few more pieces because of what he did to Reader (Don’t anger Robin, especially when she’s Mama Robin)

-You stirred after about an hour or so and you immediately heard Robin, “Y/N!” your eyes opened to see both her and Franky staring down at you in worry.

-You were still on the train, as CP9 had taken the three of you, leaving Usopp and Sanji behind, and as you sat up, you winced, feeling a pain on your upper temple, lifting a hand to feel some bandages.

-Franky grinned, patting the top of your head, “You took a tumble then took a nap- but you’ll be just fine Y/N!” you looked up at him, as he was new, but you didn’t feel afraid of him, giving him a small smile.

-They did their best, keeping you calm, with Franky telling you about his past, with his mentor, Tom, who, with his help as well as others like Iceburg, created the Sea Train, which made your eyes sparkle brightly.

-Franky told you that his real name was Cutty Flam but changed it to Franky after his ‘death’ trying to save Tom and Franky, for the first time, had to deal with you crying.

-Robin thought it was rather cute, seeing Franky on his belly, to bring himself down to your level, trying to calm you down, panicking.

-As you arrived at Enies Lobby, Robin spoke to you before CP9 came in, “Y/N, I need you to be brave and stay close to me, okay?” you were scared but gave her a small nod, holding onto her robe as the three of you were led out.

-You didn’t like Spandam, he was a bad person, this you could tell as he was walking towards the three of you, mocking Franky first before shooting him.

-You gasped, “Franky!” before seeing that he was mostly all right, tears in your eyes before Spandam turned to you and Robin, sneering at Robin, “The Devil Child herself- to think you would be so easy to capture- and you as well, little Y/N! You’re going to make a lot of people very happy, including me! That promotion is mine!”

-You were confused, head tilting to the side, “Promotion? What’s that?” he grinned, thinking you were a foolish child, “Whoever in the marines deliver you to headquarters will get an increase on their rank, which means more power and money! You’ll help me do that right- I’ll put in a good word for you because you brought in this evil woman and that reckless and violent man! They’re bad people Y/N- come over here with me!”

-You glared, looking like an angry kitten, “Robin isn’t evil! And Franky was nice to me! You’re a bad man!” CRACK!

-Spandam, not liking that you were talking back, backhanded you across the face, sending you to the ground with a sharp cry. Franky screamed out your name from his spot on the ground, bound in chains, while Robin was quickly by your side, “Y/N!”

-You sniffled, holding your cheek as she helped you sit up before Kalifa grabbed you, holding you in her arms while Robin was put into chains herself, sealing her Devil Fruit abilities.

-You were quickly in tears, now scared before Spandam ordered Robin to be taken immediately to the Gates of Justice to be executed.

-You were stunned, eyes wide in fear before Kalifa passed you to Spandam, who was happy that you were now quiet, even if it was due to fear, and you left Franky behind, seeing him staring up at the two of you, unable to do anything.

-Your head was ringing from the slap, making you kind of dizzy, so you didn’t realize you were at the top of the stairs at the Gates of Justice until Spandam sat you down and you immediately fell to your rear.

-Robin dropped to her knees as you scrambled over to her, hugging her around her waist, she could see that you were trembling, scared as the other Straw Hats arrived, standing across the way, here to save you and Robin both.

-You then heard Luffy, “Say you want to live!!” tears hit your cheeks and you looked up, seeing Robin in tears, “I WANT TO LIVE!!” you turned, seeing Luffy grin before they charged in, including that masked man, Sogeking.

-CP9 went on the attack, just leaving Spandam, who quickly turned, rage in his eyes, “You’re not taking my glory away from me!” he drew his sword, preparing to strike Robin down then take you, but not before ordering a Buster Call, something Robin looked terrified to hear about.

-You were scared, not wanting to move, as you knew this man would hurt Robin- you felt your heartbeat in your ears as he got closer, going to grab you to get to her.

-You clenched your eyes shut, turning quickly, “Don’t hurt my mama!!” WHACK!!!!!

-Robin was stunned, eyes wide as you leapt up, taking your lesson from Nami to heart, and you headbutted Spandam hard in his groin.

-The scream he let out was unearthly, falling back as he clutched at himself and you grabbed the ring of keys he had, quickly rushing to Robin to unlock her shackles.

-You were trying not to fumble, feeling scared as Spandam was now mad, trying to get to his feet, tears in your eyes and as he grabbed his sword, you heard the click of the shackles, and instantly Robin had a hold of him with her abilities.

-Robin turned to you with a sweet smile, “Close your eyes and cover your ears for a moment.” You nodded and did as you were told as Robin turned, her sweet smile not falling as a murderous aura surrounded her and while blocked, you heard Spandam screaming out in pain as she broke every bone in his body, payback for putting his hands on you.

-You then heard, “Robin! Y/N!” you looked up with a smile on your face, “Luffy!” and Robin smiled as well before her smile fell, seeing Rob Lucci, now a jaguar, chasing after him.

-Franky arrived and grabbed Robin, going to grab you as well, to get out of the area, as Luffy was going to go wild, “We need to get out of here! That Buster Call is arriving!”

-You didn’t run to him however, you ran to Luffy, leaping onto his back as you saw that he was injured, pushing his body to the limit and your horn flared to life.

-Luffy instantly felt his strength and stamina returning and he grinned, punching his fist into his hand, “Thank you Y/N! I’ll treat you to something tasty after this!” you nodded, remaining silent as Luffy was able to go above and beyond his abilities, taking on Rob Lucci at full strength.

-As the fight drew to an end, Luffy made sure you were safe, holding you close as you were now panting hard, a fever taking control before he heard a voice telling him to jump.

-Down in the ocean, you both saw Merry there, looking like it was on her last legs, but there nonetheless and he shouted at everyone to get to the ship.

-Now resting, you felt your fever slowly leaving as you landed on Merry,  your home, before you saw Kokoro again and your eyes went huge, “A mermaid?!” while others weren’t pleased seeing that Kokoro was a mermaid, like Sanji, who just cried, you were sparkly eyed, completely entranced.

-Once safely back in Water 7, Nami helped patch you up, your family all furious that you had been injured, hit by a grown man. Robin was sitting next to you, “Y/N- who taught you to go after a man’s jewels?” you tilted your head to the side, “Men have jewels?”

-After scolding Robin, thinking she was tainted you, you beamed when Nami asked if you hit someone between the legs, “I did! He was going to hurt Mama Robin so I jumped up and headbutted him!” everyone except Robin turned white before many were yelling at Nami for teaching you that before she yelled back, “She needs to be safe!”

-You cried as you saw Usopp back, hugging him close, “I missed you!!” he smiled, hugging you close before you leaned back, seeing Sogeking’s slingshot and your eyes widened before smiling, “Did Mr. Sogeking give that to you?”

-You were so cute- you had no idea that Usopp and Sogeking were the same person, but Usopp wasn’t going to tell you that, “He did! He told me to use it to keep you safe.”

-You smiled up at him before tears welled in your eyes, “I wish I could have said goodbye to him. He was nice- like you, big brother!” Usopp was now panicking, unsure if he should go and change to make you happy again, much to Zoro and Sanji’s amusement.

-You hugged Luffy close who was also in tears as Merry, your home- the first place you ever called home and were happy to do, was in flames, burning it. All the memories, both the good and the bad, on Merry, were memories that were important to you, and to see that home go up in flames, you couldn’t stop crying.

-You were in awe of the new ship, Going Sunny, or just Sunny for short, your eyes sparkling like Luffy’s, Usopp’s, and Chopper’s, as you wanted to explore this massive ship.

-Sanji was given the task of showing you around and while you were in the galley, Sanji heard Franky screaming in pain and he peeked out, his unlit cigarette falling from his lips, seeing what Robin was doing.

-You heard Franky in pain, and you gasped, thinking he was being attacked, “We have to go help Franky!” Sanji just held you close, keeping you from going outside, “He’ll be okay- he’s just being disciplined.” You tilted your head to the side, “Like when you catch Luffy sneaking food?” he chuckled, ruffling your hair gently, “Exactly!”

-Franky couldn’t help but cry into his elbow loudly when you were told that Franky was joining the crew and your eyes lit up, “Really? I’m so happy!!” before hugging his leg. You were really too cute!!

[beaulesbian]

Thoughts and more thoughts about the potential of Rob Lucci after chapter 1111 - spoilers and theory

(disclaimer: this might be totally implausible and not at all what could happen, but it's something that's been on my mind since last chapter, so here are my thoughts on this. again, very long post ahead, I don't know how it keeps happening)

The way Oda allowed Lucci to feel during chapter 1111, is something I didn't expect to find so intriguing, and it points to how much depth really has each character in this story.

There is a subtle change of certain aspects of Rob Lucci's personality since the start of Egghead, and in the chapter 1111 even a bigger focus is on his reaction to meeting Mars Gorosei and asking for Kaku to be spared.

Given this swept away answer with seeing whom he's been serving all this time, there could come a realization that'd sort of wake him up. There's a potential to somewhat turn power of Cipher Pol agents from blindlessly following the World Government. To stop being the WG's shield.

It's very probable the story might deal with the reform or even collapse as a whole of the World Government - especially since the Gorosei are currently Luffy's main enemies. With that, the Cipher Poll intelligence could play a significant part of it as well, along with other moving pieces like the Revolutionary Army, Shanks, Luffy's fleet or even Morgans and his newspapers, and, of course, the Strawhats.

There's been comments of readers who only saw Lucci and Zoro's fight as one dimensional - one has to win, the other has to lose, and comparing points and skills without really diving into their respective characters - thankfully Oda knows those characters and knows how to make the story interesting and compelling. Where before I hoped we would get a follow up about the words directed at Zoro, instead Lucci was given more space for this chapter.

Where one would hope for Zoro to win and move to other parts of the island with the Strawhats, we instead stayed with Lucci and him witnessing Mars in his full on demon form - something that even Lucci was shocked to see.

Those two pages were such incredible moments for Lucci as a character who serves fully the Gorosei and the World Government in first place, yet! Yet! In the last part he's on the page, he's allowed and shown to be worried and caring for someone else than himself- after arcs and arcs where he appeared here and there just carrying out on orders and missions without seemingly caring about anyone to much depth before, he's given space to actually express the concern regarding Kaku.

Of course he's still this same of bloodthirsty killer, just like in Enies Lobby, (ch. 382),

both his immediate fight upon seeing Luffy on Egghead, and later against Zoro paints it clear what he's capable of.

Rob Lucci is regarded as one of the strongest assassin's in the Cipher Pol agency CP9 (and later with higher rank of CP0). Just reading his wikia to remember more moments, the section about his personality is mostly compiled of traits like cold-hearted, agressive, and especially taking the Wold Governments meaning of Justice into brutal heights, thinking all is allowed to accomplish his goals/missions/orders.

There's his past and how he has been trained by WG to do as they told him, or even go to length which he wasn't even ask to do, but knowing his position as assassin he did as he wanted.

By the end of Water 7 and leaving to Enies Lobby, where he preteded to be friends with Iceberg, Paulie and other shipwrights for 5 years, he didn't show any regrets leaving the place (contrary to Kaku, who seemed to really enjoy his work as shipwright and is sometimes shown really excited about new places and such)

Up until the chapter 1111 I mostly took him as someone really dutiful to follow orders through and through and not gave it much more thought beside that, but it's true that this already started to shift around chapter 1062, when we see Lucci, Kaku and Stussy on their way to Egghead Island:

"They want us to eliminate the most useful man in the world..."

"The last thing a man as keenly perceptive as you should be doing is looking for answers." (says Stussy, a double agent working for Vegapunk, lol).

I wouldn't call it distrust in WG, yet. At this point he was still adamant about following the mission to kill Vegapunk. But maybe it's more visible that he's thinking more about such orders and their consequences.

He fights Luffy immediately after setting foot on Egghead, calls it as it is in wanting to defeat Luffy and destroy his whole crew without any pretense (and maybe that honesty was why Luffy took his word for their brief cooperation in fighting Seraphim). ch. 1076

He says this honestly, yet after the Strawhats and Vegapunks are healing later on, Lucci still tries to attack Vegapunk, ch.1091

Once knowing Kizaru appeared too, Lucci returnes back to finish his mission, he strikes at Vegapunk again - unsuccessfuly because Stussy takes that attack, and Zoro pushes him from the lab and then keep him occupied until the latest chapter 1111.

And that is a big part of him, eyes always on the mission - get information to his bosses, to Navy/Saturn/Gorosei/Kizaru, and keep his enemies occupied or better yet - dead. This thinking was always present with him to this point in ch. 1111, and that is from where it could lead to even more nuance in his future decisions:

The first time seeing Mars in his demon form there's that blink-and-you-miss it expression of pure horror, hinting that even the highest ranking agents probably had no idea just what the true nature of the Gorosei looks like, and that a sight like that can pull this expression from Lucci:

After that brief shocked state, he goes back to immediately report all informations he has on Vegapunks, Strawhats, even their plan of escape, as well as mentioning the other Cipher Pol agents, trapped in the Lab:

then there's this panel, "well done. no further questions.":

which reminded me of very similar words Lucci said to Robin in Water 7, ch. 348: "you've fulfilled your role. good work."

Maybe it's not intended as parallel, but just that similarity of something he's been clearly hearing from his higher ups, that he added it to his own vocabulary.

But then there's this more surprising part of ch. 1111:

After his shock of seeing that monster in front of him, and after giving Mars all the informations, he still finds the strength to ask him to spare his partner's life, to save Kaku:

What he gets as an answer is along the lines of: "it might be difficult when everyone to us is like ants" and that's the last of Rob Lucci for this chapter.

Mars seem to share this same thinking like Saturn expressed before, while the navy guy heard that even the life of an CP0 agents isn't something Saturn (and Gorosei) would really be troubled over, if lost.

and hearing that from Mars could be an eyeopening moment for Lucci.

They're assassins and an intelligence agency of almost the highest standing among the World Governement, but even the lives of Kaku and such seem to mean nothing to the Gorosei.

The point of the current anime episode 1098 where Lucci & CP0 were just arriving on Egghead reminded me how he was asking Vegapunk about the missing Cipher Pol agents and their disappearances, ch. 1068:

It's not that he was only concerned about Kaku in the latest chapter, but since the end of Water 7 - and seeing how his crew cared for him to pay for his medical bills (cover story chapters 491 - 528, manga only, which is very interesting that the anime didn't adapt that cover story), I think he started to care more about "his own people" - the Cipher Pol agents in general - even to visit to their "hometown" while he was healing and defended that place (and the new young trainees) from the Marines who were sent to attack CP9 after their failure at Enies Lobby:

So the question is.. once Lucci saw just who he was serving all those years, the World Government and the Gorosei - and now seeing Mars in his bird monster form disregarding any care for any lives, even their own agents - will that be a tipping point for him?

He asked Mars to spare Kaku but got an answer that all of them, Cipher Pol agents even on the highest places, are still the same as insects in the eyes of the Gorosei

Could that be something that will help him make a certain change?

My possible theory of what he might do/what might happen (given that he still has the strength to walk after his fight with Zoro):

Find Kaku himself - he was trapped in the bubble like the other Seraphim - we don't know if anyone else un-trapped him in the meantime, and Lucci himself doesn't know about the bubble prison, given his flashback to Kaku is just him laying down, as he last remembers that from the Lab.

Sanji said to Kaku that Lucci abandoned him - something that Lucci kept taunting Zoro with during their fight - about the inability to sacrifice one from their team for the greater good. (It could mean that Kaku either wouldn't count on Lucci coming back, but it would work even better if it was shown Lucci actually coming back for Kaku

and they could go finish their side mission of rescuing the other Cipher Pol agents -

and that's another thing -

even during that brief panel of their rescue -they were thankful to Luffy! Despite their positions of agents of Government, which puts them always directly opposing pirates/Strawhats/Luffy, they appreciated and thanked Luffy for giving them food and saving them, ch. 1090

This together I feel could become a moment of all these agents realizing that Luffy isn't their real enemy - or wake up from their WG brainwashed thinking once they see just who is outside fighting: Gorosei in their monster forms vs. Luffy

I think that Rob Lucci stands there now as one of the few who could sway the Governments power to a tipping point from the inside.

Not precisely helping Luffy or Strawhats, but taking that power of the intelligence agency away from the WG and Marines.

It was shown in multiple pages how the Gorosei care more about the rank and position than any lives of their trained assassins, and think of them as something to be disgarded left and right.

Their intelligence agency and assassins act as a Shield to the WG, and the CP0 even carries that in their name: AEGIS, (a powerful shield from greek mythology).

If the other agents would follow Lucci in a different direction, he could be the one to take away that shield from the Gorosei, uncover one of the layers that act as their security, leaving them more exposed and vulnerable to future attacks (possibly from people like Dragon and Revolutionary army when the time comes for them to strike).

[moongothic]

It's so funny to rewatch pre-timeskip OP now that I have Terminal Crocodile Brainrot, because like. I don't think I ever really realized how the man just HAUNTS the narrative after Alabasta all the way until he's "reunited" with Luffy in Impel Down. How he keeps on being mentioned time and time again, the story never letting us forget about him like so many other villians Luffy had defeated thus far

Aokiji mentioning part of the reason he let Luffy escape with his life was because Luffy had dealt with Crocodile

That revolutionary explaining to Dragon how Luffy had gained a large bounty after causing not just an incident in Enies Lobby but also was the one who took down Crocodile

Blackbeard targetting Luffy and then bringing in Ace because he wanted the vacant Shichibukai seat from Crocodile

Kuma arriving at Thriller Bark to talk to Moria about the incoming war and how the Government was concerned about him fighting Luffy when Luffy had been the one who took down Crocodile

And let's not forget Miss Goldenweek's cover story during the CP9 Saga, letting us know ahead of time where Crocodile was heading

Not to mention the whole build-up to the reunion during Impel Down. Like the way we cut to Ace and Jinbei a few times and get to see Crocodile('s hook, primarily) as a little tease, and then there's also the few times he gets name dropped by other characters, constantly reminding us that He's Here (like Domino, who mentioned Crocodile taking the traditional 200 Celcius Bath at the prison's entrance like all new prisoners do without batting an eye, or Iva-chan who mentions to Bon-chan that their former boss was being held at Level 6 with Ace). But then there's my favorite, more subtle thing, where Impel Down essentially does a Baroque Works Countdown to reuniting with Crocodile. At Level 2 we reunite with Mr 3, Level 3 we reunite with Mr 2, Level 4 we get to see Mr 1. Skip ahead to the final level and there he is, Mr 0 himself. Like that's a fucking countdown, and it's so cute to me lmao

I dunno man, the way Crocodile haunts the narrative pre-timeskip is so cool in hindsight to me, the way Oda never truly let us forget about the man. And it really makes the way he kind of disappears from the narrative after the Summit War until the Final Fucking Saga so interesting. Like yes, we do get Two Whole Glimpses at the man in total during Dressrosa and Whole Cake (and there's minor stuff like in Punk Hazard when Luffy, Smoker and co are captured Luffy compares it to the time they were "held captive in Alabasta"). So he did keep on haunting the narrative. But it got far more quieter, those regular reminders that Crocodile exists are almost gone. And that's facinating, 'cause during pre-timeskip he was in fucking prison. Like he wasn't up to anything, nefarious or otherwise, 'cause he was behind bars, and yet the story would not let us forget about him and his impact on the story. Post-timeskip the guy's a free man, and yet we heard nothing about what the fuck he had been up to UNTIL Cross Guild happened.

I dunno man, it feels like a lot of weight to put on a character if he's not meant to become actually important to the plot

[sanjiaftersex]

Pre-timeskip thoughts :

I just finished pre-timeskip and before i get into fishmen arc here are some thoughts

Favorite Strawhat : Sanji, Luffy

Favorite non-Strawhat : nefertari vivi, Bonclay

Other characters I liked : Dr Kureha (girlboss), the baratie workers, portgas d Ace (*sobs uncontrollably*), Hachi the octopus, Vivi's duck karoo, boa hancock, Rayleigh, ivankov HEEHAW,

Favourite friendships : zoro-luffy, zoro-chopper, sanji-ace (sobs uncontrollably), nami-usopp, Luffy-vivi, Luffy-bon chan

Favorite island : Little Garden, Water 7

Favorite Villains :

Captain Kuro and the kuro neko pirates were good and i liked the unique fighting style they had (siam and buchi, then jango was hilarious as hell etc)

Don krieg was the scum of earth but he made the story progress into something more serious and thrilling.

Sawtooth Arlong, the fishmen were all intimidating as hell and the whole arc was filled to the brim with excitement

The Baroque works concept was very cool with all the code names and i felt eager to find out the powers of the duos being revealed slowly. I liked Ms. Goldenweek and Ms doublefinger and would love to see more of them in the future. Finally Crocodile served well as a villain and later as an ally.

Skypiea Eneru (enel?idk) was so formidable and his power was so very unique from all the villains up till that arc, so it was very refreshing to watch. Plus the priests and their fighting style was a good introduction to haki (called as mantra) and its influence in a fight. (Strawhats' fight with satori was fun HOH HO HO).

CP9 were all parts of ruthless and annoying about their government assigned crimes but i like that Chapapa guy the most, he's cute asf and Rob Lucci turning into a tiger gave me a shock lmao. But damn rob lucci as a shipwright was some hot shit

Aokiji gave me blood pressure from how angry he makes me but him letting go off robin in water 7 and all that time ago in ohara, he has left an impression and I'm looking forward to find out more about him

Bartholomew Kuma gave me the HOLY FUCK OH SHIT OH GOD FUCK HE IS HERE AGAIN jolts but then turned out to be a nice person with mysterious lore that im eager to find out so he deserves a place here. Plus his paw paw power is cute

Perona's negative hollow power was hilarious and she's a nice cutie girl who considers zoro a boytoy like me and Luffy so that's a plus

Favourite devil fruit power so far : tori tori no mi : model phoenix (marco) i like the flight and his regeneration power

Favourite moments : Enies Lobby Sogeking shooting down the govt flag as the strawhats announce war against them, sabaody archipelago Luffy punching a celestial dragon (GOAT Luffy), marineford Luffy punching Garp (GOAT LUFFY), Luffy crying after Ace's death, Luffy punching bellamy

Favourite fights : Luffy vs kuro pirates, Luffy vs Crocodile final battle in alabasta, Sanji on the train fighting that ramen guy, zoro vs hachi, little garden final battle

a few tears may or may not have been shed : Chopper's backstory, going merry funeral, little Luffy being kidnapped :(, marineford ace-Luffy

Best arc : Arlong, Little garden, Enies Lobby, Thriller Bark (i love spooky things and tb was hilarious)

Thoughts on the Strawhats :

Luffy : I've grown to love him a lot. His innocence, childlike excitement and badbitchery have rizzed me up, your honor. Also he is a musical genius, minami no shimawa has been SOTY for decades. Plus I really love Luffy's eating moments. He looks so cute and stupid and it melts my heart so much i know a Luffy mukbang show would go SO HARD

Zoro : His backstory felt a bit lukewarm but he later made up for everything. He turned out to be so thoughtful, brave and selfless, especially, zoro's character got new dimension during water 7 saga and ofc thriller bark zoro is one for the history books.

Nami : at first she irked me a bit, but after knowing her backstory, I started loving her. She's strong, resourceful, selfless and smart.

Usopp : his quirks, especially during the G-8 filler arc after skypiea, Usopp's CONDORRRIANO still cracks me up like no other. And him getting all the protective religious gears and garlic necklace when he saw Brook, was hilarious.

Chopper : little baby, soft fuzzy and dumb as fuck but has been so so traumatized. Also Tony Tony chopper has to be the cutest name anyone has ever been given, little baby is always too hard on himself (typical capricorn) and needs to chill.

Franky : I love his dance routines, and his franky family was cool as well. I once even followed one of his routines he does after he landed in the karakuri island (it was a good hip movement after binging one piece for HOURS). Also i miss mozu and kiwi dance icons

Robin : She filled me with rage during water 7, but after her backstory, I understood her more. She's cute and her nihilistic outlook on life is hilarious

Sanji : PERFECTION. He took my heart even before baratie (I saw a person doing leg karate in one of the openings and couldn't wait to meet him). His initial backstory (the starvation and zeff) moved me,and based on that i can see how thoughtful and kind he is. I can't wait to discover more about this wonderful character in depth. His badbitchery with fullbody, His kindness with Gin and don Krieg, the unique way he fights - he had me from the very first appearance. And I can't believe he has more depth to his already beautiful complex character. look at my pretty boy

Brook : i love how polite but chaotic he is and how easily he blends in with the strawhats. And i absolutely love how open minded Luffy was with Brook, and their interactions crack me UP.

General thoughts about op :

- op keeps me on my toes with the constant new islands, the new characters, both allies and villains, being gradually introduced feels very refreshing and thrilling

- Even the Strawhats slowly joined with a fun (sometimes sad) story. The introduction with a fresh face and the development of a new friendship felt good and didn't jumble my brain with too much information at the same time

- I love the dynamics of the strawhats and how wholesome all of them are in their own ways

- The summit war wasn't as exciting as i was expecting, it felt too drawn out and the constant switch between different fight scenes and fighting parties made things feel unfinished. On that note, whitebeard and his pirates were disappointing asf

- Excited to see more of Bartholomew Kuma, shanks, crocodile, mihawk, ivankov, perona, captain kidd, Law

- Bon chan is GOAT and i better be seeing him soon

Looking forward to see what the series has in store for me <3

[wesleysniperking]

One Piece Film: Red and What It Meant for Usopp

Part 1 (TL;DR)

(beware spoilers!!!)

I was catching up on the One Piece anime last night and a particular special, SP13 (aired a week before episode 1101) didn’t sit right with me. What bothered me was the lack of mention of Usopp (or even his alter ego, Sniper King).

The focus was on the CP9 agents, illustrating how far both the Straw Hats and CP9 (now CP0) had come. But the omission of Usopp’s significant contributions at Enies Lobby felt like a slap in the face.

Haters often consider Usopp and Sniper King as two separate individuals, ignoring that Usopp is the one behind Sniper King. It felt like reading a prejudiced abridged version (*cough cough* US History books *cough cough*) of a major historical event. They even omitted the part where Usopp inspired Luffy with his speech and told everyone to get on the Merry. It’s frustrating and disheartening, especially for those of us who are deeply invested in Usopp’s journey.

This brings me to my main point regarding Usopp’s role in the Wano arc and the Onigashima battle. There’s a significant amount of criticism and ridicule aimed at Usopp for his performance in this arc. I believe he did great, providing crucial support and not being a sitting duck. Yet, many fans view him as useless and fodder, fixating on the toad oil cream incident (he didn’t do anything wrong) and his plea to Nami to lie about Toko’s condition (there’s nothing wrong with that, I’d avoid fighting someone head on too! That should be the last resort). And the whole thing where he also wanted her to lie and say Luffy won’t be pirate king (so she—a friend—wouldn’t bite the dust!).

Some fans argue that Usopp should have showcased his marksmanship more during the battle. They blame Usopp rather than acknowledging that this might be a flaw in Oda’s writing. They say that all the Straw Hats got their power-ups and moments to shine, but this isn’t entirely accurate.

Luffy achieved Gear 5, Sanji embraced his genetic enhancements, Zoro mastered Enma and burst his haki, Robin enhanced her Devil Fruit to defeat Black Maria, Brook showcased new abilities, Nami summoned Zeus, and even Jinbei, Chopper, and Franky had their (notable?) contributions. However, everyone besides the monster trio got only a small slice of the spotlight. Yet, some fans still defend the non-monster trio Straw Hats while putting Usopp down as if he’s a pariah.

When fans praise Wano and the Onigashima battle, it feels like being at a party where everyone had a great time except you. They continue to talk animatedly about their experiences while you sit there, knowing you had a terrible time. It’s disheartening.

So, I had to look for a pick-me-up. I had to focus on what Wano and the Onigashima battle actually meant for Usopp. I needed to find the light at the end of the tunnel, hoping there’d be a light.

next part

Part 2

Part 3

Usopp fan club (feel free to join)

[aroenbylaw]

In case it wasn't glaringly obvious from the stuff I've reblogged in the past few days but I'm suffering from Rob Lucci brainrot, so I'll continue that and make a whole post talking about some thoughts I've had related to his and Kaku's future in the world government.

So, it seems like Kaku's and Lucci's view of the world government might actually, finally change. Lucci looked absolutely shocked when he saw (I think it was) Marcus Mars in his fuckoff big monster form. Then he, after he gave a full and comprehensive report on everything going on and after a whole life successfully serving the world government as one of their most infamous figures, simply asked Mars to even try and spare Kaku just for it to be disregarded. And that is the second time the world government completely disregarded him and his fellow agents despite literally having dedicated their life to the government and being some of its strongest figures.

Now, this technically is nothing new to them. I doubt that they didn't know they were seen as expendable losses if the worst happens even back in Enies Lobby but I doubt that experience didn't change them at all as people. CP9 helped gather the funds to pay for Lucci's treatment and then they went out to town and had fun together. While they were definitely a tight knit group beforehand I think it's safe to say that they weren't that close before the buster call and two of them getting severely injured.

Which is slowly bringing me to my point: CP0, specifically Kaku and Lucci going forward. Lots of people, me included, see a potential for them finally opening their eyes properly and potentially leaving the world government. Lucci showed obvious care for Kaku which got immediately shot down. Kaku has always been interested in the world around him and even mourned being properly fired from the Galley-la. In the picture we have of him as a kid he even has a model ship, implying he has had an interest in ship building. When they arrived in Egghead he was very excited about all the advanced technology around him. When Stussy asked if she was allowed to free him he had some pretty emotional facial expressions too.

Here's my prediction on what's going to happen to them, maybe not directly after the arc but in the future: I believe Kaku will leave the world government, maybe with Stussy or maybe under other circumstances, but Lucci will not.

Let me explain why I think that. As I mentioned earlier, Kaku has had interests outside of his job and emotions towards other people. He always put his job first but he doesn't shy away from enjoying himself. His ties to the world outside of the government are pretty prominent and I think him seeing the Gorosei as the monsters they really are might be the final nail in the coffin for him. Additionally, he and Stussy were friends and she absolutely does not need to help him but still does. He has a free spirit. Him freely jumping around buildings is among the very first things we see of him. So I definitely see a possibility of him breaking through his conditioning and taking the first steps for himself.

Lucci on the other hand has none of that. He has relationships with his fellow agents, both with Kaku and to some lesser extent with Jabura as we briefly see at the start of Enies Lobby. Them getting into petty fights seems to be a regular occurance and a habit Lucci willingly indulges in. I don't think it's far off to say that Lucci was seen as a de facto leader of CP9 with him being almost twice as strong as Kaku and Jabura (according to the power scaling they briefly used during that arc) so if he wanted to shut down Jabura's shit talking he absolutely could've but he never did which leads me to believe they are (or at least were) close in their own way. Also, he has Hattori, his pet bird that has miniature versions of Lucci's own outfits. A pet bird owned by someone with a cat zoan. And Hattori still loyally stays at Lucci's side through everything. I don't think I need to elaborate more.

But that's where his social relations end, just like the things he cares about. The way he presents himself is incredibly stoic and untouchable. Back in water 7 and Enies Lobby he stood out as cold hearted and tough even among the other agents due to his personality. Everyone else had their own quirks but he was dead serious, no nonsense the entire time with very few exceptions when he was with the other agents. Even in the beginning stages of his fight with Luffy he only talked in order to discourage him. It wasn't a conversation like there were in the other fights. The only things that override his blatant disregard for almost everything around him are his pride and his bloodlust. Chopper warned the strawhats about Lucci when he transformed because he has a carnivorous zoan which give users a thirst for blood and violence. He jeopardized Robin's transfer on purpose by letting Luffy find him by allowing Chimney to leave so she would tell Luffy where the underwater passage was just so he could fight him, most likely with the intention of killing him. The most recent example of him going out of his way to fight is on Egghead where he immediately threw away any rules and protocol to have another fight with Luffy (the anime did an amazing job with the fight holy shit). There we literally see how his devil fruit take over, his eyes whitening and he even runs on all fours. And he was having a great time! For me it's hard to remember and put together mentally that him in his zoan form and him in his human form are identical people. The awakening might fuck with his mind a little bit like it does with Luffy but if he minded that at all he wouldn't be nearly as ready to use it. As for his pride, I don't quite remember a lot of examples and the few I do remember are quite blurry but one example I have (that I hope I remember correctly) was when CP9 encountered Ussop in Water 7 on his own. Ussop bravely shittalked them and Lucci was definitely not happy about it.

The reason I recapped this was to show that we have not once seen him be interested and happy in anything but murdering. And when he isn't doing that, he puts on a stoic face. (hell, he even puts it on while murdering, trying to appear to be much more civilized than his urges and instincts make him) Unlike Kaku, he does not have any more. The world government has him on a leash, ans they point him in the direction of their targets, his prey, for him to go hunt and kill just for him to come back and repeat the cycle. I think Kaku, after Zoro defeated him and received the message that he was fired, even said that being an assassin doesn't exactly have a lot of skills transferable to other professions. But for Lucci that's all he has and it's all that he wants. He has learned other skills of course but those he uses as tools for his disguises and nothing more. He does not fit into anything in else the world. He would have absolutely no idea of what to do and why and how if the world government was to disappear suddenly. Lucci's being is entirely dependent on the government. Unlike basically everyone else working for the government he isn't limited by its restrictions and assigned roles, they are the things that let him be himself in the first place. They give him structure and a healthy amount of restraint.

And that is not to mention his pride. He was one of the, if not the youngest Cipher Pol agent in history at just 13 and has ruthlessly worked for them his entire life. It's the organisation that justifies and permits him his preferred way of living and in return he swore undying loyalty. He'd be too prideful and stoic to abandon ship even after seeing the Gorosei for what they truly are, I think. His stoicism might he used to cover up his bloodlust when he's working but it's also part of him as a person.

Additionally, he has scars in the form of the world government logo burned into his back. They were caused by cannon balls, injuries endured while on a mission for the world government where he killed 500 hostages, showing the messed up justice he gladly follows without question. He is literally brand marked with the ruthlessness of the government that he is a walking embodiment of.

That being said, Lucci isn't an idiot either and his current experiences on Egghead will change how he sees the government. He cares about a few things, one of which might go directly against the government in the near future. I think that he will end up acknowledging that the world government might not be as just as he thought for a long time and might even acknowledge its faults but he will remain by its side. I also think that he might be the one that lets Kaku go if Kaku ends up switching sides. I also think he will know that he's going down with a sinking ship much earlier than everyone else working for the government, be it the navy, cipher pol, or the gorosei.

My predictions for Lucci's end or conclusion in the story are either that he'll be killed or severely injured for helping Kaku (and maybe Stussy) out of government imprisonment and letting them go. Not immediately since he's skilled enough to not make it obvious but someone, somehow would find out and report it. Or the other thing I could see for him, that he will be one of the figures standing in Luffy's on his way to beat Im-sama just for him to be happily beaten in one hit. I'm not sure if it would be better for his character to die or to stay alive. Both of these ends would have their justifications and degree of satisfaction. Him dying would be a fitting end because, aside from the gorosei and Im-sama himself, he is the worst the government has to offer. Unlike the Celestial Dragons he knows about basic morality and friendship on a human level and still decides that these things are of no matter to him. He wasn't raised to believe that he was inherently and absolutely above others, it's a choice he made for himself. Him living would be fitting to complete his change in view on the government, which he only stayed with out of principle if my interpretation comes true, and free him out of their cold and soulless grip. Having it taken from him could force a change of perspective on him he wouldn't have gotten if he had left out of his own will. It could be the first step to him actually becoming more human, not just as a disguise but because of a forced change of perspective.

[pippin-pippout]

Strawhats are finally going to fight CP9 and

a) Not that I would ever hold anything against Nami but if she can't defeat Kumadori (thank you @weeaboo-god for his name) when she's already defeated Ms. Doublefinger with a less advanced staff then babe what are we doing?

b) WHY THE FUCK does Sanji have to fight the one female agent. Did they know? Was this planned? Was this just fate (Oda) working against us? I know from the intro song they do actually fight but lawd I know I'm gonna have to sit through some shit first.

c) the weird child and her cat are about to save the whole fucking day by accidentally finding a secret passage. The girl has big Luffy energy in that she's excellently chaotic.

d) cannot wait for Zoro to kick fake-long-nose's ass. Avenge the Merry! And tell that fuck he's fired. I kept thinking during their first fight, Zoro can cut through steel - their iron bodies shouldn't be a problem for him.

Edit: "Don't under-estimate a giraffe's limitless destructive power" and then Zoro just calls him lame, while his comrade laughs on (fair, I would too especially at the ear wiggle) and Zoro has a meltdown for insulting an opponent in an unsportsmanlike manner.

Also I do not know japanese at all but it sounded like 'lame' in japanese and his name, Kaku, are really similar. I looked it up and I think lame is Kakko warui so more guy was just fucked from the moment his parent's named him.

Uh oh the giraffe is angy.

[ncfertari]

Straw Hat verse: Water 7 / Enies Lobby Arc

This got lengthy which is why it's under a read more

Water 7:

At the beginning of the arc when they first enter the city, it could be either two groups she could be traveling with: Luffy/Usopp/Nami to go exchange the treasure for money to hire a shipwright or she would stay behind the ship with Zoro. She would not travel with Robin as she still strongly distrusts her even after the Skypeia arc because she does not trust that Robin would betray them once she no longer has a use for the crew. Neither has she forgiven Robin for everything that had happened to her personally or what she did to her kingdom. So what was happening was that Vivi was just ignoring Robin on the ship which Robin did not mind at all, so they just avoided each other. So, the rp partner would depend on which group she traveled with which could be explored in rps.

If she went with Luffy's group she would be amazed by the impression of the Galley-La Company and would hear about the business from Iceberg and the other members. If she was behind on the Going Merry, she would have been shocked to see Kaku when he came to do the inspection of the ship and would think he was another bounty hunter after the crew. Once he explained the reason why he was there she would relax and follow behind him as he did his inspection until he left. After Usopp is attacked and attempts to get the money back, Vivi is the one to take him back to the Going Merry and treat his wounds while the other members go to Franky House to get the money back.

Once they were back as they were making a decision on what to do with the ship, Vivi would be silent the whole time. During the agreement, she would not be able to look at Usopp knowing what he must be going through, however, when he disobeys Luffy, Vivi would agree about the duel as this could not be settled with just words. Emotions were high and no amount of diplomacy with just words would be enough to settle this disagreement. After the duel, she would be crying as they all go their separate ways.

Once, they learn that Iceberg was shot by Robin, Vivi would be very venomous with rage as she would be like I told you so....she would betray us. When the crew is searching for Robin, Vivi looks with Zoro and Kuroo as they search the city, but the princess does not trust Robin. Then her anger would only get worse when Sanji and Chopper inform the rest of the crew what Robin said while they are being blamed for the attempted murder of Iceberg. As the arc goes on, she tries to break into the building alongside Zoro, Nami, and Chopper break into the building, thinking that Luffy would have distracted all of the guards by aimlessly rushing in, only to find themselves surrounded by the Galley-La headquarters. As the fight goes on Zoro fends off the shipwrights using the backs of his swords and he, along with Nami, Vivi, and Chopper, make their way upstairs.

After everything that happens in Iceberg's room with CP9 they are about to leave to go after Franky; Luffy, Paulie, Zoro, Vivi, Chopper, and Nami break into the room. When Paulie finds out about the situation, he attacks Lucci only to be beaten easily. Lucci reveals that all CP9 agents are capable of using "Rokushiki", the six martial art techniques, to put them beyond any other human. The Straw Hats try to talk to Robin, but she leaves stating that there's a wish she cannot accomplish when with them. Vivi would feel that something seems off about Robin though when she encounters her something about her words feels lifeless compared to the other times they encountered her with the organization. She would feel conflicted until she learns the truth from Iceberg about how Robin told him that CP9 could call for an island-destroying fleet of battleships known as the Buster Call, thanks to permission from Aokiji and that they would use it on the Straw Hat Pirates if Robin did not help assassinate Iceberg and come with them to be executed at Enies Lobby. In other words, the goal she cannot reach when with the Straw Hats is for the six crewmembers, excluding herself, to leave the island safely.

Nami and Vivi rush to stop the Sea Train, led by Paulie and several other Galley-La workers, while Chopper and other workers search for Luffy and Zoro. As the train starts to leave, Sanji sneaks on board, but Nami and the others get there just in time to see it leave. Thankfully, the carpenters find a note from Sanji that states that he's on the train along with a Baby Den Den Mushi so they can contact each other once he finds a Den Den Mushi on the train. Thus, Nami switches her priorities to finding a ship to chase after them, but Paulie says it would be crazy to use a ship during Aqua Laguna. As they go searching for Luffy and Zoro, the trio hops across the buildings to where each respective crewmate is. While Chopper and Vivi try to pull Zoro out of the chimney, handing Zoro his sword upon request, Nami yells to Luffy that Robin gave up her life so that they could escape the government's wrath. Luffy then pushes the buildings he was stuck between apart and Zoro slices in half the building whose chimney he was stuck in just as the first wave of Aqua Laguna crashes towards them. They just barely manage to reach higher ground only to underestimate the strength of the waves and are engulfed. Thankfully, Paulie was close by and managed to pull them up, but it was still not over as they had to quickly reach even higher ground before they were caught again. They succeed and the two crewmates are told about the situation.

Nothing else would be different from this point moving forward with Vivi traveling on the train as they go to rescue Robin. The princess would have conflicted emotions until she is surrounded by the rest of the crew with them learning the truth she would happily go along with going to Enies Lobby to go get Robin back.

Enies Lobby Arc:

During this arc, I totally see Vivi going alongside Nami against Kalifa., as the girls would step in the help Sanji for sure as they look for the key. Kalifa would taunt the girls for sure about her being beautiful to make this personal, but it would be hard for Vivi to deal with her body becoming soap from the bubbles. Nami would have had her legs turned to soap while Vivi's arms would have been targeted so she would not be able to fight with her peacock slashers. Before she could finish the girls off, however, Chopper broke into the room, still in monstrous form and totally out of control, The giant Chopper attacked Nami and Vivi wildly, uprooting Kalifa's bath in the process. He threw it down the stairs to where Sanji lay unconscious below, drenching the whole area with water before storming off. The water from the bath washed away Kalifa's weakening bubbles; A splash on Nami's leg and Vivi's arms will have the girls realize her weakness was water to wash away the effects of the bubbles. Nami would still use Rain Tempo to restore them, but Vivi would help act like a decoy while Nami was building up her attack to use Thunder Lance Temp. Nami would have used Mirage Tempo to make Muptlie Vivis confuse and distract Kalifa before eventually being defeated by Thunder Lance Tempo and taking the key.

At the end of the arc, Vivi would have come to understand Robin's true feelings more and come to officially accept her into the crew. Vivi would talk to Robin about wanting to start over with a friendship with her as they could not change their past, but she could see that Robin had truly changed. The princess was scared of Robin which was why she would not accept her as she feared that her words were lies about not changing. However, her actions have proved what she is saying to be true, so Vivi wants to reach out for an olive branch to move on as she is no longer scared of Robin. It's at this point a friendship would form between the two.

[natedogx15]

The Supernova Pirates

What if all the Straw Hats except for Zoro and Luffy took different paths? What if the Supernovas also ended up in different situations that led them to meet Luffy and Zoro instead?

This au focuses on Luffy creating a more powerful version of his crew by recruiting the other nine Supernovas (without Blackbeard of course) instead of his canon crew. There will be some spoilers here if you aren’t caught up with either Wano or the manga.

Recruitment can look like this.

Roronoa Zoro: The same as in canon.

Jewelry Bonney: She’s hiding away in the East Blue and ends up working to pay off her own debts at the Bartie after trying to sneak away.

Trafalgar D. Water Law: He’s Kureha’s second apprentice on Drum Island along with Chopper and is working on developing his medical knowledge and devil fruit abilities further for his goal of taking down Doflamingo.

Killer: He joins Baroque works after gaining a reputation large enough that Crocodile wants him on his side for his plans. However, Killer only joins so he has more resources to find his old friend Eustass Kid after they were both kidnapped off their island and separated. So, he joins the Straw Hats after a talk with Luffy.

X Drake: Joins Baroque Works as an undercover agent after the Navy figures out Crocodile is after Pluton. He helps the current Straw Hats take down Baroque Works and is later given an order to join them and possibly take them down later by his superiors. However, through his journey with them, he ends up betraying the Navy for real during the battle against CP9.

Urouge: Urouge joins during the Skypiea arc after Luffy defeats Enel.

Scratchman Apoo: Joins the crew after Luffy wins his loyalty in a Davy Back Fight against Foxy.

Eustass Kid: Eustass joins the crew during Waters 7 when he meets Killer again. Killer manages to convince Kid to join them after Kid has been working as a shipwright the entire time while they were separated.

Capone Bege: Bege and his family act as a second gang in Waters 7 along with the Franky Family. After everything with CP9 goes down, he decides to put himself and his family in the Straw Hat Pirate’s care.

Basil Hawkins: Joins the crew after he gets his shadow back upon defeating Moria. His cards tell him that joining the crew is the best course of action.

Of course with this new crew, several events will play out differently than in canon.

The East Blue arc is relatively the same. However, you can decide whether Usopp, Nami, and Sanji join the Straw Hats.

Whiskey Peak to Arabasta will likely have some differences due to Killer and X Drake’s involvement. Plus, Law joining the crew.

Skypea won’t be that different unless X Drake has a way to hit Enel since he was sent by the Navy to stop another logia fruit user.

Water 7 and Enies Lobby will definitely be different as it will depend on whether you had Robin join the crew like in canon or if it’s X Drake and CP9 setting a trap together before Drake changes sides.

Thriller Bark will likely go down pretty different with the extra firepower that comes with this stronger crew. Plus, Hawkin’s involvement. However, the real difference I would say would be the Kuma confrontation because of his daughter Jewelry Bonney being there.

Summit War can be very different due to the magnitude of this new band of Straw Hat Pirates. All of the bounties on this small crew (barring you don’t add any more besides them during Paradise) are over 100 million and they haven’t even gone over to the New World yet. After Marineford is over, the entire crew could run and save Luffy before making their escape. Because of their and their captain’s exploits, they become the next beacon for pirates to look up to after Whitebeard’s death. The crew could still temporarily disband and train for two years before heading into the New World.

[sanzos]

ANY BIG NEL AND ERICA THOUGHTS UVE HAD RECENTLY.....

boy HOWDY do i always have thoughts about nel and erica! i don't really know what constitutes as "big" bc my brain is not working even remotely right now so i will give u a handful of smaller thoughts about my girls.

NEL

some sbs trivia for nel!!! - if she was an animal she'd be a chihuahua! - her color theme is coral pink! - she smells like freshwater! - if she lived in the real world, she would be polynesian! a plot point i'm working out for her is that she'll eventually fight her personal boogeyman during the wano arc! luffy is the one that defeats them during nel's personal arc, but i feel like it would be fun if they then started working for kaidou only for nel to be the one to kick their ass two years later >:)

ERICA

i don't think i've talked about erica before on here lmao. her's a little intro for her then! she's the granddaughter of rayleigh & shakky and her dream is to chronicle the journey of the second pirate king because she's tired of people slandering the first one. she's the user of the hair-hair fruit, which she "inherited" after her mother's death. unlike nel she's been given more of my own personality traits even though i didn't set out to do that with her??? characters are just reflections of their authors yada yada.... tl;dr she's easygoing, nosy, a perfectionist, and is rly into "girly" things like fashion and flowers and the color pink. she's very gyaru basically. ive been hammering out stuff for her and oops! ive made a whole list of aus for her where if one thing had been different in her life she could have ended up in an entirely different place, both physically and emotionally. one of those aus is where she ended up as a part of the cp9 and her theme song would be this!

[m-i-c-drop-doodles]

One Piece AU idea - Fallout 4 Crossover Part 1

general premise is as follows (subject to change)

Factions

Railroad -> Revolutionary Army

Railroad splinter group -> Heart pirates

Enclave -> Celestial Dragons -> Gorosei are influencing the NCR

NCR -> World Government

Institute -> Germa 66 -> has a alliance with the Enclave

SRB -> CP9 etc.

Nukaworld Raider/bosses -> Pack (Beast pirates), Disciples (Big Mom pirates), Operators (Donquixote pirates). -> Blackbeard is trying to be the Overboss.

Nukaworld splinter group -> Kid pirates (was a small time gang that got absorbed)

Gunners -> Cross guild/warlords

Previous Minute Men -> was led by General Gol D Roger

Post-Minute Men splinter groups/allies -> Red Hair pirates, Whitebeard pirates

Strawhats -> New Minute Men (kinda)

Mayors -> Goodneighbor (Buggy), Dimond City (Cobra), Bunker Hill (Iceberg)

Plot? -> the NCR is invading the Commonwealth (under orders of the Enclave) to "bring order" to Boston. The Minute Men tried to fight them off but failed (Rodger was executed, the one piece is exists).

Devil Fruit are replaced with mutations (can still be caused by fruit) known as Genos ,and are considered the 4th generation of super mutants but no one is entirely sure how it works.

Characters (in development)

Sanji (Synth - Gen 4 Prototype) - Was previously at the Institute as a prototype of a new generation of synths, with initial plans for him to be a new type of Courser. However was 'Born' with emotions/sentience. Fled with the help of the Railroad and Reiju. Had a mind wipe and now lives in Dimond City with Zeff (ex-raider) and works at Power Noodle (he can understand Takahashi like how Nick Valentine can). Friends with Usopp (runs Dimond City Radio and is the Railroad agent who helped Sanji escape and relocate after his mind wipe), Takahashi (is secretly relived someone else can understand them), and Nick Valentine (helped Zeff after he left the raiders, knows Sanji is a synth and acts like a weird uncle at times).

Robin (Synth - Gen 3 - Ex Courser) - Prior to gaining her sentience, was previously at the Institute operating in the Synth Retention Bureau. However slowly gained emotions through interacting and later saving Chopper and Jinbe who were both imprisoned experiments of the Institute. Now on the run from the Institute and currently hiding with Chopper and Jinbe, where they meet Franky who takes them in to live at GoodNeighbor. is now working at The Third Rail as a bar tender/back up singer for Magnolia. Is still haunted by her actions as a Courser.

Chopper (Intelligent mutant reindeer) - Was born in the Institute as a experiment to test the mental capabilities of a herbivorous mammals when exposed to a modified form of FEV . Was kept in captivity and raised by Dr Hiriluk and Dr Kureha in secret, as he was more emotionally intelligent then what the experiment allowed along side Jinbe. Was then discovered and befriended Robin who found the secret lab by a teleportation glitch. After the lab was raided by SRB looking for Robin, was assisted by Dr Hirluk in escaping who sacrificed himself to let the others escape the facility. He is now on the run from the Insitute with Robin and Jinbe, currently living with Franky at Goodneighbor working at the Memory Den. (Dr Kureha is alive and assisting the Railroad at the Memory den with Chopper).

Jinbe (Intelligent Deathclaw (quantum deathclaw)) - was captured and experimented on by the Institute. Was kept hidden in the secret lab with the help of Dr Kureha and Fisher Tiger (who was also an experiment). Helped the doctors to raise Chopper (he is pretty much Chopper's uncle/dad) and Robin with her new emotions. Tried to help the other Intelligent experiments escape but was unable to save Fisher Tiger, lost track of the others during the SRB Raid. Is now on the run with Robin and Chopper from the Institute, currently living with Franky at Goodneighbor. Works part-time at Daisy's Discounts (buys Chopper and Robin books with Daisy's help finding them)

Feed back is appreciated as I have no idea what I'm doing but this idea is consuming me

it was either a Fallout au or a Pokémon au (with original characters) as I'm bouncing hypefixations at the moment with One Piece taking over my life.

send help, this was cooked up in just one afternoon

[opbackgrounds]

my dude. she works for spandam. she probably found sanji actually adorable after having to deal with the unrepentant jackass that is spandam. the line about him already having three cups is i can imagine sanji flirted with her and shes just like "fuck it i could use a break". if anyone complains she can say she was delaying him like ordered, she just really wants some tea and a nap.

She says next chapter explicitly that her job is to kill, not delay, so no matter what she's not doing her job.

I never got the impression during the fight that Kalifa was in any way charmed by Sanji. She seemed pretty disdainful of his chivalry, which puts her in contrast to Nami later on. Feels more like a cat toying with its prey than anything, which fits the general vibe of CP9

[gatheryepower]

thoughts on water7 SO FAR:

usopp is so good. goddamn. he was already in my top 3 of the straw hats, but now even moreso (although i'm reluctant to give away the #1 and #2 spots held by chopper and robin)

the fight between luffy and usopp was so goddamn sick because, first of all i totally feel for usopp's position in the crew and i really sympathise with how he's feeling about himself, his friends, and the merry. watching him basically go insane over this and seeing the merry crash into the ocean was really heartbreaking and i did cry a little. but SECOND OF ALL : IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE USOPP ROCKED SOMEONE'S SHIT IN SOME FORM he spent so much of skypiea and long ring long land being very cowardly (no complaints about that, it's part of why i love him) but it's just so, so satisfying to see just how capable and strong usopp has gotten. he didn't win the fight because of course he didn't, but he showed just how goddamn smart he can be, and how genuinely formidable his goofiness is....

THAT SHIT HURTED SO BAD THOUGH

this arc overall has been such a treat as a Nico Robin and Usopp Fan. so much development for these two and so many great moments!! i've also been really enjoying sanji and chopper's roles in this arc so far, especially sanji on the train. his fight with that mad chef scientist dude was fuckin weird though. it gave me filler vibes (aside from the cool knife stuff)

i really really liked kaku when he first got introduced, and when i found out he was a member of CP9 i was actually pretty upset. i wanted to be able to root for him throughout because i found him delightful but Alas

i'm really looking forward to whenever chopper might get his next big moment. he's been great during this arc so far... i want to see him do some great stuff in a fight again sometime soon, the moment with luffy and zoro breaking through that wave had me so excited and made me realise which character's haven't had huge moments like that in a bit...

and oh boy. FRANKY. i REALLY REALLY LIKE FRANKY. as soon as he started doing those poses i knew he was a fave. his backstory with iceburg was so interesting and added so much context to his character; he reminds me of a more exaggerated/extreme version of Kid Naruto in his childhood. his concept is so cool, when i found out he was fuelled by soda i laughed out loud.

i also really like how franky and usopp interact. there's something about having two boastful/obscenely proud characters who like, are also really baffled by each other at times and argue, that's just really funny and endearing. it might be one of my favourite dynamics in the whole story if it's expanded on more!

and of course.... sogeking

my Actual favourite character.