#i think usopp likes working near zoro while zoro sleeps

[grandline-fics]

hellooo!!! i really liked your unconscious protector story so i wanted to ask if you could make a story about luffy and zoro in which the reader has the most beautiful smile ever and they would do anything just to see them smile

i think it would be really cute and fluffy😭😭

DESCRIPTION: Your smile is all they want to see

WARNINGS: fluff central, established relationships this time

CHARACTERS: Luffy, Zoro

WORDS: 1,030

A/N:  Thank you so much for the request. I'm still sick so I hope this turned out to your liking! I decided to do it a little differently for these guys but hopefully it still works

*REQUESTS ARE OPEN*

MASTERLIST

———————

LUFFY

The first time Luffy saw you smile was the sole motivation he had to try and convince you to join his crew. It was as simple as that. Sure you were a good fighter and someone he was willing to help when you first met but he had been more than happy to just leave things there when he and the rest of the Straw Hats were ready to move on but then you just had to smile. Finally able to express just how grateful you were to him and the others you broke out into the biggest, warmest smile and wished him a safe journey. Only it caught you and everyone else by surprise when Luffy’s hands latched onto yours and he stared intensely at you begging you to come with them. While you were thrown briefly you couldn’t deny the urge to see the world and seeing how sincere Luffy was you could only say yes and follow him loyally. 

Since then he made it his own personal mission to get you to smile at him at least once a day. It was almost like it was as necessary as his meals, sleeping, and water. If he didn’t get a dose of your smile he wasn’t his usual bouncy self. The only time it came close to a full on disaster was when the crew split up into two groups on an island and didn’t regroup until late that night. When you returned you were startled by Luffy tackling you to the ground, shouting your name. Since you were used to your Captain’s impulsive and energetic nature you could only reason his actions were fuelled by excitement. So you could only grin at him and greet him with a warm “I missed you too, Luffy.” After seeing that which he’d been deprived from all day his shoulder’s visibly relaxed and he pulled you into a tight hug. Those in the group that had to suffer their Captain’s foul mood made an unanimous decision to never go with Luffy again unless you were joining them. 

After you and Luffy became an item, he found it so much better because then he could see you smile all the time. You were both practically inseparable and while it was easy to get you to smile before by just pointing out things that excited him he found that being a couple brought new ways to see the thing about you that just warmed him and sustained him so completely. Getting to sit side by side with you on the Sunny with his arm around you and talking about anything and everything always brought a smile to your face, unable to believe how lucky you were. Even when you asked him why it was you he wanted, Luffy could only tickle your sides lightly until you broke out into a laugh and bright grin. “That’s why. It’s my favourite thing in the world.”

ZORO

“Ugh he’s in a bad mood again.” Usopp sighed and you looked across the Sunny to see your boyfriend doing pushups. Silently you looked at the focused determination on his face that the others would mistake to be one of his ‘come near me and I’ll cut you’ moments. However this wasn’t one of those moments. You bit back the smile fighting to creep across your features and you nodded slowly, lightly tapping the sniper’s arm you gave him a convincing reassuring smile and as you walked away you promised “I’ll speak with him.” You knew Zoro was just too focused on his training but you just didn’t want anyone else to bother him. In moments like these when the other’s were giving your boyfriend a wide berth you liked to take advantage of it and have some alone time with him.

Just as his body was close to the deck you lay over him abruptly, knowing that your added weight wouldn’t faze him. You grinned when he paused his workout, body locked in the position. Draping your arm over his shoulder you lay your cheek against his head and grinned. “Apparently you’re in a bad mood.” You told him when he resumed his pushups and made a small uninterested huff.“And you’re risking yourself by being in my very presence?” he asked in a low voice, knowing you were the only one that could hear him and with the perception that he was in a bad mood, no one would be looking his way which meant he could smile a little more openly. 

“Oh don’t worry about me,” you mused. “I know how to defeat you, Demon Pirate Hunter in one move.” Now Zoro chuckled, his workout promptly forgotten and you could tell by his posture that he was done. With a knowing hum you got off of him to let him stand and reach for a towel to wipe his face.  

“One move huh?” Zoro asked, throwing his towel across his shoulders, finding he was already missing the warmth of your brief, distracting embrace. Now he’d just have to settle with you standing in front of him, relaxed and playfully regarding him with your best imitation of his usually stoic expression. “Care to demonstrate?”

“I don’t know…it is pretty powerful. Promise you can handle it?” Zoro rolled his good eye, indulging you. Slowly he folded his arms across his chest and made a single gesture with his finger, signalling you to hit him with this so called powerful move. Unsurprisingly you accepted the challenge. 

Stepping forward you placed your hands on Zoro’s arms and peered up at him making sure his gaze was focussed on your face. Then you beamed up at him with a bright smile that only grew when you felt him tense immediately. “You’re bounty went up again! Congrats, babe!” You cheered, watching in satisfaction when Zoro quickly lowered his head to press it against your shoulder, his arms pulling you close. “Damn that smile of yours.” He grumbled lightly. As much as he hated the idea of being vulnerable in most aspects of his life, he couldn’t hate this.

“You know you love it.” You grinned. He did, he really did.

[gojo-mochi]

One Piece Men + Where they like to kiss you:

Content Warnings: Fluff + Little Suggestive + Slight Angst on Sanji’s Part

Pairings: Monster Trio + Fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.8k

❥ Luffy: Everywhere I swear… Any opening he can find, he will kiss you there. Wearing something off the shoulder? Bam! Shoulder kisses! Wearing shorts? Oop-! You’re getting thigh kisses now, even if you’re both out in public. Your face gets 80% of the kisses that Luffy gives, usually in quick succession. Sometimes he will Gomu-Gomu his way to you, arms tightly wrapped around your waist, yelling your name, as he crashes his lips onto your face, like literally crashes.

Clank Thunk. Clank Thunk. … ClankClankClank That was the sound of Luffy’s sandal hitting the wooden boards of The Thousand Sunny, as he ran around the desk of the ship looking for something fun to do. (Or someone to bother). Unfortunately for him, Usopp was below deck with Franky working on a new project, Chopper and Brook were in the Medical Ward checking on supplies, Sanji already kicked him out of the kitchen twice now, and Zoro was sleeping somewhere…

Jinbei and Robin were reading some boring books or whatever, and Nami is scary when she’s mad, so Luffy didn’t bother her much. So there left you… all alone and clueless as you were enjoying sunbathing out in this weather in your new bikini. Shades on and frizzy drink in hand. Not a care in the world at the moment. Until you start hearing… Clank.. Thud … ClankClankClank

“Y/N!!!!!!!!!!!”

Luffy called out your name as he ran, stretched his arms on to your lounge chair, and slammed himself on to you. Your shades flew off into the sunset, and your drink poured the rest of its content onto you and Luffy as it fell from your hand.

“Lu!” You scolded your captain, who only gave a sheepish grin in return. “ShiShiShi, Sorry bout that.” He doesn’t seem that sorry about it, but how could you stay mad at him when he gives that signature sunlight smile? You sigh and start to get up to clean off the sticky residue that your drink left on the front of your chest.

“Wait-Nooooooooooo, Don’t goooooooooo, it’s boring out here, play with me, pleaseeee!” Luffy whined out, throwing his lips out into a pout at the end of his pleas. To make matters worse, he began to wrap his arms around your waist, multiple times, to ensure that you would stay and relieve his boredom. The soda had also splashed on his arms, so it was making you even stickier than before. You heave out another sigh, still getting up, this time dragging along your whiny Captain with you.

“I need to go get clean, Lu, I’m not staying out in the hot sun with this (You gesture at the soaked bikini) all over me. You can join me if you like, though.” You huffed out.

Luffy grinned, happy to do something that wasn’t just running around the ship bored. Still with arms wrapped around your waist, he started to kiss you on any open, bare skin. And with only a bikini on, there were a lot of places he could choose from. Your belly button? Smooch! Your collar bones! PeckPeckPeck. Your hands that were now trying to push him off? Kiss, Kiss, and a Lick.

“ShiShiShi, you taste good, Y/N.” Luffy smacked his lips as he tried to go for another lick off of your fingers. You grab his face as your own starts to heat up, “That’s cause of the drink that you spilled all over me.” You hissed at him, walking faster to get to the showers, you can have some privacy. Luffy just stares at you for a moment before leaning out of your grasp to kiss your lips this time.

“Nah, I think you taste good all the time!”

❥ Zoro: The top of your head. Zoro isn’t the openly affectionate type, preferring to show his love in more subtle ways and behind closed doors. It took a while for the two of you to start holding hands in public! Nami got a good laugh out of how red Zoro’s face was that day. That is why he finds it easiest to just go for a brisk kiss on the top of your head if you are out in public or near anyone. He can just lean down, plant a kiss, and stand back up straight without most people noticing a thing. Though, He still prefers to kiss you in private…

“One hundred and one, one hundred and two, one hundred and three….” You counted out lazily from your place on top of Zoro’s back. You wanted to spend time with him, but he was still in the middle of working out, so you compromised by including yourself as part of his workout. It was boring, to say the least. After the first hour of just ogling your boyfriend’s pecs and muscles, you thought he was done already, but here he is still on another set.

You began to trace the outline of Zoro’s back, up and down his shoulders, across his neck, down to the middle of his spine, and back up again. He was sweaty, but you didn’t mind it much. Fingers drumming along his tan skin, outlining old battle scars that have yet to fade. Unbeknownst to you, Zoro was slowing just a tiny bit due to your touches, his cheeks turning pink in color. His arms wobbled just a little when he felt you get off his back, he already misses your presence and your touch…

You yawned out loud, stretching out your limbs. You turn to your boyfriend with a sleepy gaze and say, "I'm going to go to sleep ‘ere alright?” You walked over to a corner of the room without waiting for a response and plopped down. Leaning your head back against the wall and letting the slow rocking of the Sunny lull you to a peaceful slumber Zoro’s gaze never once left you, when your warmth left his back. He still had more sets to go, but seeing your sleeping form, he decided, maybe it was time for a small break…

After wiping off all the sweat from his body, Zoro walked over to your corner. He settled down next to you, just watching the soft rise of your chest, the way your head tilts a bit when the Sunny hits a small wave, how you part your lips open so invitingly…

Still… no matter how inviting, he hates to wake you up if he tries something. Instead, he just leans in closer, arms snaking around your shoulder, letting your head fall softly onto him. He spends a good while just sitting there, listening to the creaks of the Sunny and the noises of his crewmates down below. Once he felt his eye starting to droop, his free hand went up to lightly caress your cheek. He stares for a moment, then just as softly kisses the top of your head. Smelling your shampoo, feeling how soft your hair was, and just enjoying your presence. Once done, he nestled his cheek against your hair, pulling you in even closer as he let his tiredness wash over him.

“…I love you, Y/N.”

❥ Sanji: The back of your hand at first. When he was first courting (simping) you, Sanji would pull out all the stops to try to impress you. By being the best Gentleman he can be; opening doors, pulling out your chair, , helping carry shopping bags, and the works. Alright, alright, he already does this for Nami and Robin and practically every girl he comes across, but he’s serious this time! When you finally started to flirt back, he was over the moon about it, Still wanting to keep up with his Gentlemanly act, he would take your hand and kiss the back of it, every time you went on a date or an outing. Sanji would keep the kisses simple, one on the cheek if you allowed it and most on the back of your hand, as he bows so deeply when meeting with you.

Once you got more comfortable in the relationship, you told Sanji that he didn’t need to keep this act up or keep holding himself back from you. You could obviously tell that Sanji wanted to do more than just simple kisses, but his fears didn’t allow him to push further lest you abandon him too… Now that you’ve reassured him that wasn’t the case, he found a new favorite place to kiss you…

You were both cuddling together in the lounge of the Aquarium. Legs tangled together, pressed right up against Sanji’s Chest, arms squeezing your waist and rubbing your back. You sigh contently, nuzzling up to Sanji, purring when his fingers came up to ruffle your hair, his nails tenderly scratching the base of your scalp. It took you a lot of time and puppy dog eyes to finally convince Sanji to take a break for a day and let someone else do the cooking for once. Franky even offered to host a barbeque in his stead!

However, Sanji insisted on at least helping marinate the meat for the barbeque before he could take a break. You practically had to drag him down to the lounge after he saw Usopp and Luffy messing with the grill. But now that you’re both here, in each other’s arms, the light of the aquarium basking over you, it’s peaceful and quiet. Something you know Sanji definitely needed. While you love your boyfriend for being so chivalrous and helpful, you could tell it takes its toll on him sometimes. He always does something for someone, never takes a break, never dies anything for himself. You were worried that maybe he didn’t know how to treat himself properly.  

Now that you were here, though, you were going to treat him right and make sure that he knew what he meant to the crew and to you most of all. “Y/N… thank you for this..” Sanji murmured, burying his head in the crook of your neck. You giggled when his facial hair tickled you but didn’t move away. Squeezing your arms around him tighter, you say “Of course, my love, anytime you want a break, you come find me, ok?”

Sanji didn’t respond with words but instead gave you faint kisses on your shoulder blades and neck. Trailing up to your ear and back down again. It made you vibrate with desire, but Sanji just held you close and did not advance any further than kissing. To be honest, this was his favorite place to kiss you, at the small junction between your neck and your shoulder. The first time he kissed there, your knees immediately went weak, and you shivered in his hold. He enjoyed having this type of power over you in the sense that he could be the one that made you heat up so much.

It showed him that you desired him, maybe just as much as he desired you. Now wasn’t the time for anything more than just kisses, though; he wanted to stay here, with you in his arms. Just feeling you close and knowing that you loved him was more than enough.

“….Thank you for loving me…”

[oneirataxia-girl]

❝ i don't like most people, but you're an exception. ❞ for Mari pls!! (could even make it Midlaw, if you're feeling it, but anyone will do!)

ngl when I saw this I had the vision of the most devastating Mari moment during the timeskip - ‘twas a struggle to not write it out bc it’s a Character Development for her and therefore spoilers (and also bc I haven’t fleshed it out completely oop-). but here’s another place (not Midlaw tho 😔) I think this prompt would work

set sometime after Arlong Park, live-action friendly so psst opla girlies @auxiliarydetective, @starcrossedjedis, @xoteajays, @daughter-of-melpomene, I humbly present this offering to you (can you tell I'm sleep deprived asdjasldakj

A groan escaped Kenji as he sat down. Even after months of training, he was still nowhere near beating Zoro. The guy could at least pretend to struggle when Kenji tried to hit him, but no, he just had to yawn lazily and slam his knee into Kenji’s stomach. Now, he wasn’t one for holding grudges, but Sanji was right to have one against the swordsman, Kenji should help him hide all the booze on the ship. And some of the meat, since Luffy just kept laughing while his poor body got pummeled by Zoro, some captain he was.

“You alright?”

“Gah!” His hand felt for the handle of his revolver, drawing it out to face – “Mari?”

She answered with a thump of something landing in his lap. Something lumpy and smelling vaguely of the herbs the Marines used to ease their muscles after training.

Kenji waited for his crewmate to elaborate on the package. Mari was silent. But it’s possible she just left after tossing the stuff at him, she’s quieter than Nami and even less chatty than their navigator when she’s trying to read a new map. Plus, Luffy didn’t even have the decency to get someone else to keep watch in place of him, so Mari probably just came to grab something or another and brought that along for him.

Come to think of it, she does do stuff for him a lot – not that she doesn’t do stuff for the other members of the crew, but Mari definitely looks out for him more. If it were Usopp wincing from injuries, Mari wouldn’t bring a weird-smelling pack of whatever’s-in-this to help him; plus, she helps him get out of chores all the time. This could only mean one thing.

“Do you want help?”

Oh, She’s still here.

“With this?” Kenji asked. Then remembered that she couldn’t see what he was referring to and added, “The stuff you gave me.”

“Yes.”

Yeah, Mari would never offer to help Usopp apply medicine. Nor would she for anyone else, probably. Maybe Nami if she asked for help, but they seemed to be awkward around each other, so perhaps not.

So, who was he to turn down an offer possibly only he could get?

His crewmate was efficient in her day-to-day work; several weeks of being on the same boat taught Kenji that, but Mari was also pretty good at dealing with wounds. Apparently, Zoro’s injuries from Mihawk didn’t tear up halfway to Arlong Park because of her interventions, and after the fight there, she dealt with all the scrapes the crew acquired from kicking fishman butt and the ones the people of Coco Village, too. Kenji didn’t get to witness her abilities after that fight – thankfully – but feeling her hands applying a salve to his bruised knuckles, he had to admit, Mari was pretty good at avoiding more hurt when she pressed down to rub the ointment into his skin.

Which was good enough for him, he didn’t want to know if she could be gentle when she was cleaning cuts or snapping joints back in their places. He’d prefer it if bruises and burns and sprains were the only reason he had to ask Mari for medical assistance, thank you very much.

His non-bruised hand closed around a small bottle of something, “Apply a thin layer to anywhere you’ve been bruised, wraps are for the nasty ones.” Mari’s voice elaborated at his sound of confusion.

“What’s a nasty one?” Kenji chose to focus on that part instead of Mari leaving him to fend for himself, he could lament that later.

“Depends on you.”

That was not an answer, and Kenji told her so. Mari didn’t reply, so he counted that as a win for him.

“The ones swollen,” she said just as Kenji thought she left, “don’t wrap it too tight.”

“So the one on my stomach.”

Mari was silent, then said, “Sure.”

No help, absolutely none. Kenji was starting to doubt her proficiency in medicine.

“Is that everything?” He asked after a minute of silence.

Mari’s voice was a tad further away this time, “Any other injuries?”

“Yeah,” He began, wondering for a moment if it was smart to – “Can I ask you something, though?”

A beat.

“Sure.” That word was clearer, her face lit by a lantern as she stood with her arms crossed.

He didn’t get a lamp, or a candle, or anything when he settled down to keep watch.

“Where did you get that?” He couldn’t help himself as he pointed to the light in her hand.

She gestured at a wooden beam behind her. Kenji wasn’t sure if that meant the thing was there and she simply grabbed and lit it or something else. Come to think of it, when did she get it?

“Is that it?”

“Is what it?” Kenji repeated without thinking, then shook his head, “Nah, I’ve got another one.”

Mari’s head dipped slightly.

Bidding a goodbye to his preferential treatment, Kenji continued, “Why are you nicer to me?”

Mari’s head tilted to the side.

“Not that I don’t like it or anything, it’s just –” How could he say this without sounding like he was full of himself? “You’re definitely nicer to me than to Usopp or Nami or Luffy, is it because you like me or something?”

A line formed between her eyebrows, and Kenji was no master at reading faces, but was that… disgust on her face?

“No,” She shook her head, “Absolutely not.”

“I meant like in a friendly way…?” Kenji added, but it just sounded like a bad attempt at covering up, even to his ears.

At that, Mari’s face stopped looking like she was about to vomit at the thought of her liking him – seriously? He wasn’t that bad of a catch – and grew back into her normal expression. Which meant he had no idea what was going on in her mind, as usual.

“Maybe,” Came Mari’s answer after a while, during which Kenji contemplated whether he could hurl himself into the sea from his seat to avoid interacting with her ever again, “I don’t like most people, though.”

“But I’m the exception?” Kenji prodded further, then regretted it when she fixed him with the stare, the one that felt like she was looking through his mind.

Mari didn’t give him an answer for the next few minutes, just stared into his soul. Probably because she enjoys making people regret their decisions, who needs that long to decide if they liked somebody or not?

“Yeah,” She agreed, “But you’re the exception.”

Huh.

Well, that proved it, Kenji was Mari’s favorite. He couldn’t wait to lord that over Sanji the next time the cook started to wax poetic over the two girls in their crew.

His new favorite crewmember strode forward, “I’ll do the rest of your watch,” Mari told him, lifting him to his feet with a flick of her wrist, “Go get some rest.”

And since he was only human, he obeyed easily and started to go towards his warm bed.

“Himura?”

Kenji turned around at the mention of his surname.

“Don’t tell Blondie.”

So he still could brag about that to Usopp, got it.

“Or Usopp, or Nami.”

Ugh, at least he could tell Luffy –

“And especially not Luffy.”

“But I can tell Zoro?” Kenji couldn’t help but ask.

Mari finished lighting another lantern, “Peabrain only cares about being the captain’s favorite.”

Kenji shrugged. It did sound like Zoro, after all.

give me a prompt + oc and I'll write a drabble!

[myonepiece]

strawhats when you’re in a coma because of a really bad battle

(staying in the sunny's infirmary aka chopper's office)

warnings: excessive exercise, smoking, light angst, not eating, mentions of death (what if)

-his whole mood falls, if it were a medically induced coma or if you were just passed out like what happens to him and zoro after an intense battle, he'd be less worried and he'd still be upbeat and everything, bu this isn't medically induced, and you're not for sure going to wake up in four days tops like zoro and him, no one knows when -or if- you're going to wake up

-he stays in chopper's office with you most of the time, crawling into bed and laying on top of you or very carefully pulling you into his arms so he can spoon you

-he might leave to eat, but he might not more often he does but he hurries right back to you with an extra piece of meat just in case you're hungry (even though you're still unconscious)

-he will get pulled away to do something fun, distracting him, but no matter what he does he always does it for you (same as if you weren't in a coma)

-usopp pulled him away to go fishing so luffy caught the biggest fish (a medium sized sea king) and ran up to chopper's office calling for you, "Y/N! Y/N LOOK A THE FISH I CAUGHT!!" even though you can't see it, or talk to him, and he doesn't know if you can hear him, tells you about how he caught the fish and talks about how it looks like "AND LOOK IT HAS THESE SPIKEY THINGS!"

-whenever the crew can't find him they check chopper's office and there he is clinging to you like a koala, uncharacteristically quiet with his cheek pressed firmly to your chest, crook of your neck, or your own cheek, and he has his eyes shut tightly

-he's either working himself to exhaustion or he can't workout at all because he can't stop thinking and worrying about you

-when he was able to workout, he'd work for hours on end (nothing different there) until he had to sit down because he couldn't take it anymore, then he'd go straight to chopper's office- not showering or changing- and sit on the floor beside the bed

-your hand would be hanging off the side limply and zoro would stare at it for a few minutes before actually taking it, he'd hold it firmly and brush his thumb over your knuckles as he falls asleep beside the bed

-when he wasn't able to workout because of his worries, he'd sit in the infirmary pumping a single weight (or just sitting there), he'd fall asleep or polish his swords, try to find something to that let's him stay there with you

-at night it's always the same thing, continuing to sleep on the floor beside the bed, or brook brought a chair in and zoro would sleep in it with his feet up on the table in the room

-he'd ask chopper for daily updates

-each time he wakes up he checks if you feel cold or hot and he'll alter the room accordingly, if you're cold he brings a blanket or two (or four, you end up sweating) and if you're hot he pulls the sheet down to cool you off as well as getting the cold cloth and putting it on your forehead

-kisses on your temple <3

-when he enters the room he asks how you're feeling, and other times he'll tell you about a new attack he's learning or if he was. able to get to a new number of pushups

-poor man is going through cigarettes like they're candy, he keeps the window open so the smoke won't go near you

-when he's not trying to cook away his worries or cooking for the crew's meals, he's sitting in chopper's office either right beside your bed or by the window if he's smoking

-he wasn't his usual flirty, pervy, sexist, cheery, sarcastic (to zoro) self, instead he was just going through the motions like he was bored, except for when he'd finish cooking and he'd run to chopper's office

-when he sat with you he tried to be happy and cheerful and he's sit beside the bed holding your hand and playing with it while he talked about his day and asked how you're feeling (even though you're unconcious)

-that false facade only slipped a few times, then his voice would crack and he'd lower his head onto your hand holding it desperately as he sobbed and apologized

-he'd forget to eat so another crew members would bring him some food

-at night he'd put down blankets and a pillow on the floor beside the bed and sleep there

-everytime he enters or exits the room, before he goes to sleep beside your bed and right when he wakes up, he kisses your cheek softly, his lips barely making an indent in your cheek

-he always enters the room with a "goodmorning/night/afternoon, beautiful."

-he's either working in his workshop or he's sitting by the side of your bed with his elbows on his knees and zoning out with a worried look on his face

-he sits by your bedside telling you stories that he's made up or stories he's exaggerated, or he brings a new invention he was working on and shows it to you, explaining how it works and how he made it

-luffy and him play in the room because usopp is surprisingly stubborn about not leaving and luffy understands, they'll play cards on the floor beside your bed

-when he's pulled away to fish with luffy he always runs right back with a fish he caught and "shows" it to you

-when he's not silently worrying or telling you stories and having semi-fun, he's falling asleep leaning forward with his head on the bed because his sleep schedule got messed up after staying awake all night with the worst thoughts of you suddenly leaving in the middle of then night without him saying goodbye

-or he's crying with his head on your stomach, stuttering apologies between sobs

-he learns how to change your bandages and iv drips and he's very precise about it, changing them exactly when they need to be changed and switched out

-he brings food for you and sets it on the table

-he sleep on the floor like sanji, creating a makeshift bed of a single blanket and a pillow, or he'll fall asleep in the chair leaning forward with his head falling on the matress of the infirmary bed

-he's in his workshop most of the time, tinkering every hour on new things without finishing old ones, eventually late at night or technically early in the morning he'll break down and start sobbing, that's when he'll get up and run to chopper's office and fall down on his knees at your bedside

-then he'll work in there with you, but sometimes he ca't handle it and he disappears into his workshop until the first dash/bullet point repeats

-when chopper is going to change your bandages or iv drips, or do. anything to you, franky is there right away "supervising" with hopes you'll wake up

-he falls asleep in his workshop or with his head on his arms on the bed you're in, he would get into bed with you but he does not fit in it and it has a weight limit,, a cyborg isn't the lightest

-he works with chopper trying to figure something out despite not having medical knowledge

-he asks brook to sing for you so the skeleton comes in and plays violin

-franky finishes a lot of things during this time because of how much he tries to distract himself with his hobby, and he brings each invention to you to show it to you and explain it

-he's heard about people waking up from coma's when they hear a certain someone's voice so everyday for about 20-30 minutes he asks you questions like "can you hear me y/n?"

-very uncharacteristically quiet, he doesn't ask to see panties and he doesn't make skeleton jokes unless he's talking to you, he's having flashbacks of loosing his crew, he's thinking of how captain yorkie looked when he was laying in bed dying

-he's constantly at your bedside holding your hand in both of his, kissing your hand,,, even though he has no lips because he's a skeleton,,, yo ho ho ho,, sorry

-he has tea in the infirmary and always pours you a cup

-he tries to talk to you like there's nothing wrong or weird, but there's no cheerfulness in his voice only a gravelly sound like he's trying not to cry

-he plays music for you everyday at least seven times, it helps soothe him too, he plays violin or piano, he'll play the recording he has of his crew singing bink's sake

-he falls asleep in the chair or sprawled on top of you with his limbs dangling off the sides of the bed because he's too tall, or he's somehow on the floor

-he quietly dabs at you forhead and neck with a damp cloth, behaving like nurse for the most part honestly, he's just so incredibly quiet

-he puts his hand to your cheek to see if you feel too hot or too cold and he'd either get the cloth out again and pull the sheets down a bit or he'll grab three blenkets and tuck you in like he does it professionally

-even wwhen he breaks down and cries he's still quiet, holding your hand up to his lips as the should-be-impossible tears roll down his skull

-he tries to jokes but his laugh never sounds real, it sounds hollow

-she leaves to eat meals with the crew and quickly shower, she spends every other second in chopper's office sitting in a chair beside your bed

-usually she reads to you or she'll just hold your hand and gently caress your face, brushing away strands of hair and ghosting her fingertips over your thankfully warm cheeks

-she has a constant melancholic expression

-she'll talk to you about the shenanigans of the crew that you miss while you're in unconcious

-she fluffs your pillow and changes your bandages, she changes the sheets and brushes your hair, she dabs at your forehead with the wet cloth for at least two hours a day

-when she reads to herself she always hold your hand with one of hers and rubs her thumb over your knuckles

-when she gets upset and starts crying she very carefully climbs into the bed next to you and wraps her arm around your waist pulling you into her and crying into your hair pleading for you not to leave

-she refuses to leave the room except for meals, sometimes not even those if you're condition has worsened even the slightest, and no one dares to attempt to get her out, so of course she sleeps in there with you- in the chair beside your bed or in bed with you, coiling her arms protectively around your waist

-if the crew thought it was dangerous to anger her before then they're in for it now, any loud noises even if it's a simple pan dropping and clattering to the floor, is inspected by nami herself and whoever is responsible doesn't even know they're in danger until they spot her fuming in the doorway

-she leaves the infirmary to eat and to shower (and to scold the crew members) then she's back to you

-she reads to you or she works on her maps, she's set up a little desk area that she goes to between meals and she sits there working with occasional glances over her shoulder when she hopes to see you sitting up

-she tries to bribe you, "y/n if you wake up right now i'll forget about 2/3 of your debt.... fine the whole thing... just wake up.. please."

-she has another bed moved to beside the original one so she can lay down with you, she refuses to sleep anywhere else but she's not going to sleep on the floor, and there is no way her s/o is getting a measly single bed when they're going to be in a coma for who knows who long

-at night when she finishes working she slips into bed with you with a small smile and carefully wrapes her around you to pull you closer, she strokes your hair and listens to your breathing until she falls asleep, unless she can't then she does the same thing until morning

-whenever she walks into the room or leaves the room you have to give her a hello/goodbye kiss because that's how it was before and she is not letting it change now, so she leans down and kisses your cheek or nose

-she's probably the most cheerful during this, obviously not cheerful but she has an easier time smiling, only when she's alone with you does she possibly have a moment of weakness where she'll hold your hand tightly and begs you to keep fighting

(PLATONIC)

-he brings you food for every meal just in case you wake up and you're hungry

-he spends almost all of his spare time in his office trying to figure out safe ways to wake you up, ways to make you more comfortable in this state until you wake up, and trying to find an estimate of when you should wake up

-he falls asleep at his desk a lot but if he doesn't then it depends on your condition, if your state hasn't changed for a few days and he doesn't have any bad feelings then he'll sleep in his bed, but if your state is worsened even the slightest bit or if he simply has a bad feeling then he's staying in the infirmary with you

-he talks to you a lot, about what he's learned of your current state, of any clueshe's gotten to find your estimated time of wake, or he talks about his past and the journeys he's been with you and the crew, and if you missed anything exciting that day he excitedly tells you about it

-he checks on you every morning when he wakes up and every night before he goes to sleep, and of course in between

[imaeraser]

Hello again!

I LOVE YOUR WORK ABOUT QUITE Y/N WITH STRAWHAT PIRATES! It's just so accurate and I really liked the part with Luffy and Jimbei-

Also, I know it may be to much but-

Can I ask headcanon with same Y/n but she got kidnapped and she almost died because of how much the kidnappers tortured her. Of course, Strawhats came for her on time and..I wonder, will their behavior change or..?

Again, if you feel uncomfortable with it - please ignore this.

Have a great day!

Sorry for the late response!

Everyone is distraught

They let the youngest and weakest member get caught, and you ended up hurt because of them

And for once on the ship, everything is quiet

The only thing that can be heard is the splash of waves against the ship, and the sound of the wind whistling past the ship’s mast

Everyone feels guilty

After you recover, you notice that everyone talks in softer voices and tones

Are more mindful when they are rough-housing

And Robin makes you train with everyone now so that you never have to experience the same thing again

Jinbei is training you more intensely than ever. He also starts to get frustrated when you can’t do a move right, but once he sees you getting upset, he’ll call for training for the day

Zoro is keeping his eye on you now. Even when he is sleeping, you can always feel his gaze

He went up to Robin to ask if it was okay for him to try and teach you how to use swords. And after a bit of silence, she said it was okay

Sanji is ramping up the nutrition in your food and tries to teach you some basic kicks

Luffy tries to make everyone laugh because the morale of the ship has been low ever since you were kidnapped

Usopp makes you a weapon that is based on your skills, and I think that it gives everyone a little bit of comfort

Franky tries to cheer you up. He tries not to treat you any differently (so you don’t feel bad), but you notice that he steers you away from more of the dangerous stuff in the workshop that you two used to mess around with

Chopper is always on his toes about your health now. Seeing as you were almost killed, he has been super attentive since

Nami also keeps an eye on you. And when she can she likes to be near you to make sure nothing happens

Brook is very sympathetic. He understands that you feel as if you are being babied, but he also shows you the straw hat’s side

I think it gets to a point where you feel so suffocated that you would run away on the next island

This of course reminds the crew of when you were kidnapped, so they start to panic

But when they find you alone, safe, and crying they realize that they messed up

You guys have to try to rebuild the environment on the ship

But it’s hard for them because they almost lost a crew member

After discussing it for a long while, you guys all decided that it would be best if you trained for a while on land

And if you refuse, then your training with Jinbei is going to get intense

[strawbabysimp]

Sous-Chef || Jealous!Zoro x Reader

Genre: Light Angst

Category: Jealous!Zoro x GN!Reader

Warning(s): Misunderstandings, Obsessive Working Out, Relationship Insecurities

Request(s): "Hello!!! I found your blog a few days ago and I felt like I absolutely had to make a HC request! Your writing is amazing!! Do you think you can do a HC on Zoro having a partner who likes to cook and shares the kitchen with sanji? maybe a little jealousy?"

A/N: I started this as headcanons but I got a bit carried away and it became a fic~ I hope you don't mind💕

"Those two are getting along pretty well, huh?"

Zoro looked up from his lap, his drift into slumber interrupted by the long-nosed sniper's words. His brow furrowed in confusion before following Usopp's gaze, catching sight of you and Sanji laughing amongst yourselves about something he wasn't privy to by the kitchen door. He wasn't surprised to see you there, often spotting you alongside the chef cooking up some new recipe he didn't understand the specifics of but would end up eating nonetheless. At his Nakama's lack of response, Usopp hurried to calm down the already cool-headed man. "Not that anything's, ya know, happening, or anything like that! I didn't mean that- I mean... You know what I meant." Zoro shrugged off his concerns inturn for returning to his attempt at sleep, this time without interruption from his crewmate.

He fell asleep to the sound of laughter.

~~~

The next day was interesting, having woken up to the shuffling of clothes and hushed voices. His senses were keen and he picked up on the ones responsible for the disturbance immediately. What were you and Sanji doing?

"Hurry up before you wake up the Marimo. I have something to show you!" The cook's voice was raspy in his attempt at quietness and Zoro was tempted to steal a peek at whatever was so interesting you had to get up before sunrise to see. "Shhhh!" You scolded the other man's insistent words.

Right after the initial shock of this wore off, a much more cynical thought made its way into his head.

He wasn't welcome. That's why you hadn't woken him up. That's why he couldn't come along with you, clinging close to your side in the morning air as you laughed off the curly-brow's stare of discontent at the sight of him. Whatever this thing between you and Sanji was, Zoro had no place in it and that notion was supported by the both of you. Zoro wasn't welcome in this part of your life, even as a spectator, and you had made sure of that.

You stepped out the door and his heart ached. He wasn't mad - not at you at least. He was confused. He hated being confused. Anger at least meant he understood the situation, but right now, he was left alone in the bed you and he were meant to share, feeling far too lonely for a man whose partner was just outside.

You came back in after some time, getting back into bed with a content sigh, the heat of his body warming you up from the cold dawn air. He was stiff beside you and you called his name in a low voice. He didn't respond to your questioning tone and you gave a soft smile to his relaxed face.

Zoro could only sense your stare, not your feelings, and turned over with a small, well-placed groan.

~~~

The light shined through under the door and it was Zoro's turn to wake up before you. It had to have been a few hours since your mysterious departure and return to the room and while he was still plagued by the many questions your actions left in his mind, no good could be done laying around.

He quickly got ready for the day, fixing his clothes in the mirror for a split second before heading out to the deck. The smell of food hit him and he knew that whatever the cook was making was going to be good. Not a surprise. Despite the pleasant aroma, his calm mood shifted and he wanted nothing more than to get away from the tell-tale signs of breakfast.

"Zoro!"

Your voice rang across the deck and his chest tightened. He turned around to face you, the soft smile on your face a welcome sight no matter any internal struggles he was facing. He knew trust was a difficult and sometimes fatal thing but he truly did have faith in the fact you wouldn't do anything to hurt him. This was his own issue. He trusted you(and Sanji but he wasn't about to say that).

He put off his training for a later time, the cook calling out that food was ready soon after you had approached him. Everyone quickly gathered and as the food was placed down, forks at ready to fend off their Captain's gluttonous hands, the Strawhats dug in. Your thigh was pressed against Zoro's and in the approaching winter island weather - and truly any instance at all - the contact was most welcome. Zoro poked at your plate playfully, expecting a laugh as he half-heartedly went for your food, but was surprised to see it garnered no reaction. His eyes traveled up your neck and he spotted your upturned lips which had a small smile of his own gracing his face, but as he looked at your eyes he realized you weren't paying attention to him in the slightest. You were looking at Sanji. And he was smiling back.

The pleasant expression on the swordman's face dropped away and he went back to eating, catching Robin's eye whilst doing so. The two shared a blank look and Zoro nodded at her before continuing his meal.

Your cheek pressed against his shoulder as he chewed around his fork, the warmth that filled him at the action burning in a masochistic sort of way. He knew he should talk to you but some part of him was scared of the answer and avoiding feelings was something Zoro did best. Be logical and win. That's all he had to do. But was there even something to win? And if so, hadn't Sanji already won?

The affectionate gesture received no reaction just as his had before and you removed yourself from his warmth.

~~~

Breakfast ended and with a quick press to your forehead Zoro was off, no doubt going to train up until lunch. The smile you received was tender yet rushed and you tried to trust in the fact that Zoro would come to you if something was wrong. Confronting him made him uncomfortable and you tried to avoid that when possible, giving him a place to express himself freely without forcing it out of him.

You made your way back into the kitchen, asking Sanji if he needed help with anything. He turned down your offer politely, content with the process of making the crew drinks on his own, but at the look on your face, he changed his mood. Directing you off into the food storage to get him some supplies, what he had originally planned to be a simple hot chocolate was now turning into an assortment of treats. He could tell you needed something to distract you and what better than cooking alongside the ship's gifted chef to soothe your need for occupation.

The snacks practically made themselves, you and Sanji working in sync as you gave the occasional comment or request. By the time it was done, there laid mugs of hot chocolate topped with fresh whipped cream and an assortment of cookies for everyone to choose from that would hopefully satisfy them until lunch was ready.

Sanji took the liberty of handing out the food to the ladies, stopping by Chopper as well because who could resist the cuteness of the blue-nosed creature. It was hard to believe anyone could consider him anything other than adorable perfection. You were of course stuck with the boys, balancing the dishes as you handed them off with a word of thanks from the recipients - or the occasional attempt at grabbing another serving.

The only person left was Zoro and when you didn't find him in his usual napping spot you crossed the deck with a sigh. That man truly was too predictable.

"Hey Y/N! Looking for Zoro?" Usopp questioned, the chocolatey drink coating his upper lip as he smiled. You nodded. "He said he wanted to be left alone to train. I'll graciously take his food though!" The sniper reached out for the goods, taking them from your frozen hands as you frowned. You always delivered Zoro's food to him when he trained, even if it went cold he ate it just so you would stop by to bring it to him. Maybe something really was wrong with your boyfriend.

~~~

Zoro's muscles ached under the strain of the weights, he had lost count of the reps by now and had no intention of stopping any time soon. His arms begged him to put them down, already far surpassing his goal for the workout session, but he couldn't. He found peace in the rhythmic movements and the pain only seemed to calm his mind. The endorphins in his brain fueled him on and he could easily see himself becoming addicted to the act; if he wasn't already that is.

All the anger and confusion faded into the background as his body screamed at him to stop. The sweat dripped down his face and the plain white shirt he adorned was soaked through with the moisture. He would have taken it off but that would require a break and that wasn't something his mind allowed at the moment. He let the fabric cling to his body as he focused on the movements.

A knock at the entrance had him dropping the heavy equipment without a second thought, looking over to where he had set his swords. He worked to catch his breath, the pain in his chest yet to subside due to the lengths he had pushed himself when the smell of tobacco flooded his senses.

"What are you doing, Marimo?" Sanji said without his usual instigating tone, the cigarette balanced against his lip as he spoke. The declared "Marimo" huffed, not happy to be interrupted by the main cause of his grief.

"Get out."

"I'll leave when you get your grassy head out of your ass and stop doing whatever it is you're doing."

"And what exactly am I doing, Cook?"

Sanji shot him a look, annoyed by his Nakama's false ignorance. His next words weren't a suggestion. "Fix this."

He turned around without another word, leaving Zoro alone once again, his only company being the cigarette smoke lingering in the air as a cruel reminder of the other's words.

~~~

Zoro didn't have the will to leave the space, the workout equipment surrounding his now near-sleeping form. He knew avoiding the issue would only make it worse but the comfort of being alone to dwell in his ill feelings was too tempting to resist. Just as he was about to lay down for a quick nap a knock broke him out of his wallowing state. Could he not get an ounce of peace on this damn ship?

His eyes widened at the person approaching.

"Y/N?"

"The one and only," you said in a somber voice, approaching the man. You weren't used to the lack of alcohol flooding your senses as you got close. He always smelled a bit of the drink and the small difference had you shifting on your feet, only adding to the uncomfortable mess of the situation.

You sighed, tugging Zoro up and along behind you as he simply gazed at you in confusion. He wanted to rip his arm away from your grasp, not a fan of being grabbed so harshly, but the lack of physical contact between you two left him a little more lenient if it meant he could touch you.

The trek to the food storage was silent, the tension between you two lessening slightly despite no words being exchanged. You caught a few looks from the others, some sending concerned frowns or even a stern glare from Sanji directed at your boyfriend. He didn't come in here often unless it was to steal alcohol - he came in here pretty often - and the way his eyes shifted around the room made it obvious he was uncomfortable with the situation yet decided to stay to see whatever this was through.

You let go of his arm to make your way over to the corner, pulling a box into view that had Zoro walking over himself to see. The top came off with a crack and you moved over slightly so he could get a better look from beside you. The container was filled with what looked to be little balls of algae but couldn't possibly be from how they sat on top of one another.

"Sanji found these on the last island. He said they reminded him of you, well, he said they looked like some sort of moss ball which is basically the same thing-"

Your words faded off into the background as Zoro peered down at the box, the contents staring back at him mockingly. He picked one of the fruits up, surprised at the hard exterior, and turned to face you.

"Is this why you snuck off yesterday?"

God, he felt stupid.

"Snuck off?" Your eyes widened in realization.

"It was supposed to a surprise! I thought maybe I could make you something with them. I would never... What did you think was happening?"

Zoro met your gaze with a shrunken expression. His words sounding pitiful to his own ears. "I didn't know what to think Y/N," his hand came up to card through his hair as his eyes shut, "I didn't want to think anything."

You gave a soft smile, knowing the conversation could get far too grim at a time that was supposed to be pleasant. "Sanji wanted to show these to me. I think he wanted to do something nice for us. He can be a bit of a dick," Zoro laughed at your words, "but he's sweet." There was a million different things he could say in that moment to counteract your words but decided against it. The weight that had been crushing his ribs finally dispersed and with a smirk he asked, "So, what can you make with these?"

You grinned, going off on a tangent about all the things you and Sanji had tried, the swordsman watching with bright eyes at the enthusiastic verbal reenactment of your cooking trials.

[imasimpforshanks]

Love Languages - Straw Hats

Luffy:

• What he needs/responds best to:

I think Luffy would really need to receive gifts. The types of gifts that carry a lot of meaning and are sentimental. We've seen how he treats the Srraw Hat he was gifted by Shanks - he keeps it on him at all times, does everything in his power to make sure it doesn't go missing. Yes, the hat is part of a promise they made, but that's the whole point. That gift from Shanks inspired luffy and continues to inspire luffy. Another example is the water he receives from Toto in Alabasta. It's an important gift, something the old man worked hard to get, so to Luffy he knows and understands the effort and meaning behind it and for that he treats it carefully. That is why I believe Luffy would adore sentimental gifts like that from his significant other. It shows the thought, the energy, and the care you have for him. It's a great way to show him your love. Also, if he were to receive meat as a gift.... well lmao we already know how that would go down.

• What he gives:

There's not really any need to explain this, but Lufy gives acts of service. Luffy is for the most part, pretty selfless. He constantly helps people he just met, for absolutely nothing in return. Sometimes they don't even say anything, he just already acts. This would be how he expresses his love for you. He'd randomly share his food with you (this would be a big one), he'd ask what you want or need done and as soon as you tell him he'd go off and do it. That's just how he is.

Zoro:

• What he needs/responds best to:

Zoro is very focused on his goals. He has his daily routine - sleep, train, eat, train, drink, train, repeat. Training is such a significant part of Zoros life, it's almost nonnegotiable. We've seen him train immediately after incurring an injury, without rest or recovery. Therefore, quality time would be very important for Zoro. In particular, I think Zoro would feel most love and cared for with a partner who understands his desire and need to constantly train, and rather than telling him to stop and spend time together, they join him in his training sessions. For Zoro that is quality time. The same can be said with the other points in his routine. A significant other who spends quality time with him through drinking, eating, sleeping and training would make him feel so understood and⅕ loved. I feel like acts of service kind of go hand-in-hand with quality time for Zoro. You know Zoros routine, what he does, and so doing little things throughout the day to make it easier for him to stick to that routine and maximize his energy for training, I believe, is a good way to make the swordsman feel loved. Preparing his favourite drink (if you are on the ship, or buying his favourite drink the next time you are on land), offering him a sparring buddy. Those sorts of acts of service will really make him feel appreciated.

• What he gives:

Zoro is more of a doer rather than a talker, and while he may be an idiot (especially with directions), hes not stupid. He has a good sense of the needs and states of his crew members. Because of this, Zoros love language is most definitely acts of service, he would view the situation, gauge your current state and act accordingly without being told what you needed. He'd just know.

Sanji:

• What he needs/responds best to:

To be fair Sanji would probably respond well to any of the types of love languages LMAO, but, I personally think he'd respond best to physical touch and quality time. Sanji is a SIIIIIMP (I love the man, bless his horny little heart). Anytime a woman is even in the vicinity he gets a nosebleed and gets all love-crazy. Imagine what hes like when a girl actually touches him. Actually... we see what hes like in Dressrosa with Violet. He blushes, swoons and everything in between when she holds his hand or touches him. So making physical affection towards Sanji is definitely the best way to show him you love him. Also, I believe quality time would be a big one for Sanji. Going with him to get the groceries for the ship, spending time with while he cooks. Showing interest in his passion would without a doubt make Sanji feel all warm and fuzzy inside. He loves cooking for others, so to have his partner reciprocate that interest and share that passion with him would mean the world to the chef.

• What he gives

Like Luffy, the love languages Sanji gives are pretty self explanatory. Sanji would show his love through acts of service and words of affirmation. We already see him do this to an extent throughout the series for Nami and Robin. Sanji will make your favourite meal, your favourite drink, anything you want. He is extremely chivalrous amd takes pride in treating women correctly, so you best believe he will do everything for you so you dont have to lift a finger. He would also compliment you daily, encourage you and listen to whatever you have to say. We've seen him do this numerous times. He loves to let women know how beautiful, strong, and amazing they are.

Usopp:

• What he needs/responds best to:

This guys is so anxious and insecure. He constantly fixates on how he's weak and unworthy to be a member of the Straw Hats. It's likely that these thoughts and feelings would manifest in a relationship with him too. Therefore, Usopp is a person in desperate need of words of affirmation. He would absolutely thrive if you were to encourage, reassure and compliment him. Remind him that he is in fact a brave warrior of the sea, one you admire very much. I also just can't stop thinking that Usopp would respond really well to quality time with his partner. If his partner would just sit and listen intently to his stories (some true, some exaggerated and some entirely false) regardless if they've heard them before or not. It would make him feel so appreciated.

• What he gives:

There's not a doubt in my mind that Sogeking would show his love through words of affirmation and quality time. He knows how it feels to be anxious and insecure. To ensure you dint ever feel that way he would be constantly complimenting you, speaking words of encouragement and listening to whatever doubts you had and then instantly reminding you that you are in fact bad af and should never doubt yourself. Again, Usopp would spent so much quality time with you telling you an assortment of stories to make you smile, cry, and laugh.

Nami:

• What she needs/responds best to:

Is it a surprise that the beautiful navigator would respond best to receiving gifts? No, not at all. She's known for her love of treasure and money, AND, she epreally enjoys shopping any chance she gets. So, it's safe to say any sort of gift is a great way to make Nami feel loved. But, she wouldn't just appreciate big expensive, or really materialistic gifts, she would also respond really well to small, sentimental gifts too. She was gifted a bracelet from her sister (we see the flashback scene in Strong World). Its a really important and precious gift to her, that she wears at all times. So, receiving a gift of any kind would mean the world to Nami.

• What she gives:

Giving gifts would be Namis main love language. She's in charge of all the finances and treasure in the Straw Hats, so we see how cautious she can be with money. Therefore, if Nami were to use that treasure for a gift for her significant other, it's a really big sign, it's a giant communication of love! There is no way in hell she'd do that for just anyone. This is actually shown in the Sabaody Archipelago arc when Camie is being auctioned off and Nami says that they can use all their treasure and money to try and get her back. If Nami truly cares for someone, she'll show it through gift giving.

Chopper:

• What he needs/responds best to:

Again, Choppers is relatively self explanatory. This boy thrives when he receives compliments of any kind. So, words of affirmation are undoubtedly the love language he responds best to. There's really not much else to say about it.

• What he gives

Chopper really enjoys spending time with the crew, he's been shown to enjoy playing games with Robin, fishing off the Sunny, and goofing off with Luffy and Usoop. So, quality time is the primary way Chopper shows his love. He enjoys spending time doing anything with those he cares about, so his significant other would be no different.

Robin:

• What she needs/responds best to:

Robin has had a rough life, she may not have always been alone, but she really was alone for most of her life. She couldn't trust anyone, could 't get close to anyone, but now that she's found that person, spending quality time with them is going to be very important for her. She would really need her significant other to just be near her, even if it's in silence while she's studying, or allowing her to talk about her research. As long as the person she loves spends some quality time with her, Robin will be happy.

• What she gives

She's the intellectual of the crew. She can read people and is really good with her words. That's why I think words of affirmation are what she'll give to her partner. We've seen her calm down, reassure, and encourage some if the anxious bunch on the crew, so there's no doubt that she always knows the right thing to say.

Franky

• What he needs/responds best to:

I believe words of affirmation to be the love language Franky responds the best to. Being told how cool, strong, creative, and super he is would do wonders. You can actually see this in the way he responds to Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper's reactions to all his creations. When they go on and on spouting compliments, with every "oooh" and "ahhh" Franky gets motivated, more lively, it makes him feel great. So it stand to reason that words of affirmation is the best love language for Franky.

• What he gives

Franky is very hands on. He is a shipwright afterall. This cyborg undoubtedly shows love through acts of service. He'll make and do anything you need him to, sometimes even anticipating your future needs and having things prepared in advance. I also be,ieve receiving gifts goes hand-in-hand with Franky. He'd use his creative mind and skills to make you some outrageously super gift that you can use in battle alongside him.

Brook

• What he needs/responds best to

This poor guy spent most of his life alone, having lost all of his crew. So, Brook would require both quality time and physical touch. Physical touch would be a great reassurance, little touches here and there - physical affection - is a reminder to him that he is no longer alone. The same can be said about quality time. Doing anything in the presence of his partner is soothing to him, it removes any lingering reminders of loneliness.

• What he gives

Brook hands down shows love through acts of service. This man would learn all of your favourite songs and play them for you when he senses you're feeling a little off. That's just what he does. He's been shown to do that with the crew already, if it's too quiet, a lot of tension, or he feels the situation calls for it, he cracks a joke or plays some music for the crew. He would do the exact same for you.

Jinbei

• What he needs/responds best to:

Not gonna lie, i dont know if I have he greatest grasp on Jinbei as a character yet, so I'm not 100% sure what love language he would respond best to. However, I am leaning more towards acts of service. I just feel as though there's no better way to make Jinbei feel loved other than going out of your way to alleviate the stress in his life, even if that means talking sense into the straw hats so he doesn't have to (LMAOOOOO).

• What he gives

Like Robin, I believe Jinbei to be really good with his words making words of affirmation to be a love language he uses. He's been seen a few times trying to talk sense into Luffy, and because of this, I feel as though he'd be really good at encouraging, complimenting, and empathizing with his partner. Also, Jinbei is good at analyzing a situation, seeing what needs to be done and then doing it. It happened many times in Marineford (and I think in whole cake island). Acts of service is likely to be another love language he would use for his significant other.

[kazimakuwabara]

Fever, Fever, Go Away

Summary: Usopp dreams. Gets in an argument. Hallucinates. And then passes out. Post-time skip.

(So this is chapter two from a sick Usopp fic I’m working on, on A03. I really liked this chapter so I thought I’d post it here as a stand alone. The rest is on A03 under the same title if you’re interested ^^)

****

He was sleeping.

He wasn't sure how he knew he was sleeping, but he was.

A peal of breezy laughter floated in the air, light and soft, but somehow still able to cut through any noise. A laugh, which Usopp had not heard the likes of sense...

 Ah.

There it was.

That was why he knew it was a dream.

It was her laughter.

 Her.

His mother only existed in dreams.

Feelings and colors clarified; sounds smoothed out and settled into something understandable, and then the scene came into clarity.

Banchina, his perfect mother, was skipping down a hill. Not just any hill, but the hill below Usopp's family home. Syrup Village. This was Syrup village. He was home, no... no he was not home. He was just... remembering, or dreaming, or both, as the case was. He focused on his mother, her back so recognizable. From her strong posture, to her thin limbs, and her charming large hands which she used to make food, or make pottery, or when she was feeling especially industrious...

Mix chemicals.

She'd been a chemist, or something like it when he was a child. She even had a shed in the back, behind their house, that she used to mix all sorts of things together in. She had even taught him how to mix smoke bombs. There was a lot Usopp had gotten from his father... but there was a lot he'd gotten from his mother too. Usopp pulled himself back to the scene; back to his mother.

She hummed a tune as she skipped down the hill. One that Usopp hadn't thought about in a long time, but recognized immediately. Her hands were behind her back, one clasping her wrist loosely as she skipped and hummed, a few words slipping out as she half sang:

 "As the son of a son of a sailor    I went out on the sea for adventure...

   ...As a dreamer of dreams and a travelin' man    I have chalked up many a mile..."    

She did not sing the whole song, she stuck with humming mostly, seemingly only singing out her favorite parts or the song. But when she got to the chorus, her half meandering, half humming voice rose up, and she belted it out:

"Son of a son, son of a son Son of a son of a sailor Son of a gun, load the last ton One step ahead of the jailer!"

Behind her, screaming more than singing, a small child's voice echoed her. It was him. Little him.

He turned, or at least the scene shifted and then, a small boy, no more than five came running after his mother, tearing down this hill at a speed too fast for the slope. He was belting out the chorus too, eyes alight with delight as he thought of his father. The boy kicked up his heels when he got to, 'Ahead of the jailer,' and Usopp winced, knowing what would happen next. Little Usopp... tripped. And then, in a spectacular display of flailing, Little Usopp tumbled down, end over end, moving like a wild wheel down the hill, until his mother had stepped in front of him and caught him. Her face had been terrified during the moment, but now that she'd managed to stop the little boy's stumble, it smoothed out into a mask of calm.

She knelt to the ground, settling the little boy down about her lap, and in a soft voice asked, "Usopp! Are you alright?"

Little Usopp was shaking, half from fear, and the rest, from pain. The tumble had been quite dramatic, and would only get worse. Little Usopp hadn't seen it yet, but Usopp's knee was bleeding, and where it wasn't bleeding, it was scraped up raw, this skin stinging and irritated red.

Usopp, all grown up now, and nearing his twenties, still had the scar from this fall.

Banchina's eyes were on it, and she frowned with deep concern, and then Little Usopp spotted the injury. His eyes flooded with tears, and he took in a gulping breath---

But Banchina clapped her hands dramatically, and shouted, "Banchina... SPELL!!" She bellowed the word with a dramatic flourish, and then closed her eyes in deep concentration, and wiggled her fingers.

Little Usopp's head snapped to his mother, caught in rapt attention. Tears were still spilling down his cheeks, but his wail had been halted.

With an exaggerated grab at the air around Usopp's knee, and in a completely serious voice, Banchina began to chant, "Pain, Pain, fly away! Come again some other day!" She chanted these words over and over, each time her voice growing louder, more fervent, and more dramatic until she made a huge throwing motion, and tossed an unseen heavy load away from her son. Little Usopp sniffled and clapped for his mother's performance, and while he clapped, she removed a scarf from her neck and quickly tied it to his leg.

"Did that help?" She asked, still focusing on his bloodied knee.

"Yes," Little Usopp whispered, wincing as she tightened her makeshift bandage, "It still hurts."

"Yes... I think it will a little while yet!" Banchina whispered seriously, "You had a very big fall!" Once his knee was tied up, she scooped him up into her arms, and turned back towards the hill, "I shall have to cast more spells, but Usopp, you did very well! Brave boy!"

Little Usopp wrapped his arms around her, and buried his face in her neck. She was hurrying on up the hill, where she would treat his knee, but it would still scar.

Usopp, the big one who was watching his younger self with envy, knew this to be true. Absently, he touched the pant leg, knowing under it was the slightly hooked raised scar. As a child, he used to draw on it, and turn it into a yawning crocodile's mouth.

This was a nice dream. A nice memory to have. But it was sweet agony. Nice to see his mother... terrible to know that when he woke up... she would be gone.

He couldn't recall the last time he had dreamed of his mother.

As she reached the top of the hill, she paused, and turned around.

It was as if the distance between them had faded away. She stared at him. A young mother staring into her adult, or at least something like it, son's face. In reality, she'd never know his aged face, but she was looking now. Maybe she could see it, and know it.

Usopp stood a little straighter, puffed up his chest, and held out his arms. Would she like what she saw? Be proud of it? Even recognize it?

"Wh-what do you think?" He stammered. He hadn't meant to stammer.

Banchina looked him up and down appraisingly, in the way Robin might look at an ancient item, and then she whispered, "Wake up Usopp."

He blinked.

That was not her voice.

Banchina opened her mouth again, and Zoro's angry voice emerged, "Oi! Usopp! Wake up!"

                                                        *******

Usopp took in a ragged breath, startled into alertness. No. No, he was not startled into alertness, he was terrified into it. He was thrust, terrifyingly into alertness, and even screamed as the hands at his shoulders, clamped harder.

"Ah! Come on Usopp! Shut up!" Zoro barked, shaking Usopp once more.

Usopp took in a deep breath, and coughed, choking on the scream he'd been about to let loose. When he managed to catch his breath, he rubbed his eyes. Looking about, Usopp felt confused by his place of sleep. This was not the men's room, nor was it his workshop.

"Where....?" He began to question and then stopped. He knew where he was. The answer had suddenly popped into his head.

This was the crow's nest, and he had been on duty. He... had slept on duty... and been awoken by Zoro.

 Oh, no!

Even though they had been docked at Marah (The name of the island, which Robin liked quite a lot for some historical reason Usopp could not recall) for over a week, Zoro had insisted they still keep up their night watch routine. There'd been a few begrudging moans, but everyone had agreed. Seemingly, nice tourist location or not, the Straw Hats needed to be vigilant. They were all wanted people after all.

And Usopp had fallen asleep on his watch, a huge slight by the crew's first mate's, standards.

Zoro crossed his arms and glared, letting Usopp know he was due for a lecture. And then probably a punishment, in the form of some workout routine.

And any other day, Usopp would agree. He took watch very seriously. He had never fallen asleep at watch, well, at least not since his Sabaody days, where the care of the group's well-being seemed to be taken a little more seriously overall. And Zoro, despite how often he napped, never fell asleep on watch, and was not one to let it go if any one else happened to fall asleep on a watch. Even Chopper had gotten a stern scolding from Zoro when the little doctor had fallen asleep, and Zoro was soft on him plenty.

Any other day, Usopp would accept a scolding from Zoro, and he'd whine, but he'd accept a punishment too.

But today was different.

He had dreamt of his mother and seen her with such aching clarity. Because of that, Usopp couldn't bear to be yelled at, scolded, or punished today. He needed to go hide, and... and... and something. Mourn maybe? But he needed to do something, and he needed to do it alone.

Remembering his mother was as painful as it was wonderful, and for the momentary joy he got in having that dream, his day was now ruined. Zoro needn't punish him... he was punished enough.

Because now he was back in a reality where she was dead and gone.

And it was such a bitter thing, worse than any pain Zoro could give him.

And so, with a bit of tremor to his voice, Usopp got up and muttered, "I recognize I fell asleep, and that was wrong, but I can't be yelled at just now."

Zoro raised an eyebrow and scoffed, "What was that?"

Usopp grit his teeth, but forced himself to unclench and relax his jaw. Not meeting Zoro's eye, Usopp cleared his throat and said louder, "I was wrong for falling asleep, there's no excuse for that. But lecture me tomorrow-"

"So you admit to being in the wrong, but want to weasel out of the punishment?" Zoro snapped, talking over Usopp.

Usopp rubbed his head, a vein in his brow pulsing. His head hurt. His heart hurt. The scar on his knee, long recovered, hurt.

"Not now, Zoro," Usopp muttered, trying to get himself back into the present. Trying to readjust to being motherless. Why did it still have to hurt so much, years later? Why did tears still prickle at his eyes?

"What?" Zoro growled, his eyes narrowing as he tried to take on a frightening countenance.

But Usopp couldn't do with it today. He brushed past Zoro, and without a word, began to descend the rigging.

That was the wrong move apparently, because Zoro was soon descending after him, making a scene. Shouting his name over and over, and demanding for Usppp to stop. Usopp did stop, when his feet hit the deck, his teeth grit hard, and his head throbbing as Zoro continued to yell. The rest of the crew was looking from their own positions, and a few were starting to drift towards the scene, clearly curious as to what was going on.

"Do you think you can just walk away from this?" Zoro barked out when he was on deck. But he did not stop when his feet hit the deck, he kept walking, shoving his chest against Usopp's and glaring into the Sniper's eyes when he, at last, looked up.

Usopp had not been expecting the contact, and when he was met by Zoro's chest, he pressed back, surprising himself by doing it. Zoro too, looked surprised.

And it was probably Usopp pressing back against the riled-up Zoro that had Sanji calling out, "Oi! Moss-head! What are you doing over there to Usopp?"

Sanji's face was set in a protective frown, and he was stomping over, Luffy already ahead of him, although he only looked interested at the scene, and not upset.

"Usopp," Zoro spat, poking a hard finger to Usopp's bare chest, "Fell asleep on watch."

Sanji's eyebrows shot up, and he set his mouth in a hard line. He didn't have anything to say to defend Usopp, but his face said he clearly didn't like Zoro being so angry about it.

Usopp's head throbbed more, now embarrassed and ashamed to have the whole crew hear his missive.

"Usopp fell asleep?" Luffy asked, coming to stand near his First mate and Sniper. His voice held that innocence it usually did, but it had an edge. An edge that he was listening in now as a Captain, and not as a friend.

Usopp swore under his breath, shoulders sagging. This day was turning out into a real mess, "I know. I know I fell asleep. It was wrong. And I'll take full responsibility-"

"You'll take it, now!" Zoro snapped, "Not tomorrow, or not later when you feel like it!" He jabbed Usopp several more times with his finger as if driving a point into Usopp.

Usopp's jaw was beginning to hurt from how hard he was gritting his teeth, and Zoro's last jab, actually made Usopp stagger.

"Oi! Marimo, quit being a prick!" Sanji snapped, making a move to walk forward, but Luffy held out his hand and stopped the irate cook.

"If Usopp fell asleep, he needs to get scolded," Luffy said his tone cool but authoritative in that way that only Luffy could manage. He was staring unblinkingly at Zoro and Usopp, peeling back the layers of the scene, assessing something Sanji could not. There was something suspicious in Luffy's gaze, like he had an idea forming, but wasn't quite sure of it yet.

"This isn't about me trying to avoid responsibility-" Usopp tried to say, his chest hurting as his anger built. His heart was rattling inside his chest, and it felt like a panic attack was brewing inside of him.

 "Pain, Pain, fly away!" His mother sang in his ear.

"You, will stand there and listen to me!" Zoro said folding his arms, his voice leaving no more room for argument, "You fell asleep on watch, which is as stupid as it is dangerous. Anyone could have picked you off, or snuck on the ship and picked us off! Your life, and our lives are in your care when you are on watch. And do you know how terrifying it was for me to wake up to the dawn? I had third watch! You were supposed to change out with me, and so when I woke up, I thought something had happened to you! I thought you were hurt, or sick, or anything but asleep on the job!"

 "Come again some other day!" Usopp's mother sang.

Usopp, whose head was barely lifted as it was, sagged downwards. His head was pounding. His mother was still dead. He had made a mistake, but could Zoro just wait? His mother had been long dead. It shouldn't still hurt. His heart felt too small in his ribcage. It was tight. Why did Zoro have to chew him out in front of everyone? Couldn't he wait. Just a little while longer? He was so embarrassed already, so ashamed, he was not his mother's brave boy.

"Usopp!" Zoro barked for attention.

"Hey..." Sanji began to talk, his hand reaching for Zoro's shoulder, "Stop! I think-"

"Usopp!" Luffy breathed, voice sure, and eyes knowing something, in the way he always knew, "Do you feel sick?"

Usopp lifted his pounding head to look at his Captain, confused by the question. Looking at Luffy took a strange amount of effort, and it made Usopp's head hurt worse. He squinted at his Captain, confused by his change of voice, when a loud, heavy wet sound caught his ear.

The deck went silent, and the air got heavy.

Usopp looked down at the deck below his feet. A startling large amount of blood was at his feet, and there were clumps in it. Great big clots were in the wet puddle, and Usopp cringed in disgust taking half a step back. It was then, he realized the blood was coming from his nose, as his movement caused his still dripping nose to be at the right angle to drip onto his chest. This was not the only problem. That half a step back, had also thrown off his equilibrium, and he was falling.

"Usopp!"

He was falling... but everything has already gone white anyways so... so...

 Oh.

Usopp was unconscious.

[crashing-comets]

Panic

A little warning, panic attacks and blood. 

Let me know any mistakes or anything like that!

Take care of yourself!

Usopp was working in his workshop on some new pop green balls. One of the plants in the corner let out a little growl wanting attention. The man-eating plants were excellent company when he is alone. Usopp leans back on his stool and lets out a huff, his new idea was a little more complex than he intended. He scratched his head and stood up, and headed towards the door. He patted the plant’s head as walked out on the deck. Luffy was sitting on Sunny’s head, watching the water hit the ship’s side. Chopper was last seen in his office, and Zoro was training in the crow’s nest. Sanji was serving the sunbathing girls near the farther set of stairs, and Franky and Brook were sharing different ideas from music to minor fixes on the ship. The StrawHats would be docking on a nearby island for supplies. Usopp smiled and looked up at the sky, not a cloud in sight, perfect weather for drawing. He grabbed his sketchbook and sat leaning near the gallery door. He started to sketch, and Sanji stopped in front of him. 

“What are you drawing?” Sanji crouched down, trying to look at the sketch, but Usopp pulls the book to his chest, embarrassed.  

“Nothing!” He squeaked, Sanji hummed and walked back into the gallery. He cautiously looked at what he sketched, and it was a small sketch of his mother. He sat there for a moment, ‘Did she look like that?’ he jumped at the thought. He forgot what his mother looked like. His mood dipped, and he continued to try and get the perfect image of his mother, but after a while, he became frustrated and threw his pencil on the ground. After making minor changes to the portrait, he couldn’t see the true one. He crumples the sides of the paper as small tears built at the corner of his eyes. He got up and grabbed his pencil, and returned to his workshop. He shut the door and locked it, and the dam broke. Fat tears rolled down his face, and he rubbed the corner of his eyes as he sat in the far corner of the workshop. He pulled up his knees to his chest and took a look at the sketchbook before throwing it across the room with a huge thump. He tightened his grip on his elbow as he hid his face in his arms. He sobbed, and with every exhale, he could feel a slight sting on his elbows. It seemed to be hours passed before the sobs slowed to a small hiccup. Usopp pulled his head up and wiped the tear streaks on his cheek. Usopp shifted his position when he heard a knock on the door. 

“Oi Usopp, the shitty cook, said that it is dinner time. Come on.” Zoro’s voice boomed through the air. Usopp placed a hand on his lower stomach, and he wasn’t very hungry. Usopp sat there for a moment, and Zoro slammed on the door harder. “Hey, come on.” Usopp jumped and shuddered. 

“I’m not too hungry, so I am going to skip lunch.” 

“It’s dinner.”

“Right!” Usopp started to pick at the skin around his knuckles. “I need to finish this project, you know?” he chuckled a little at the end.

“Alright.” Zoro sighed and walked away. Usopp let go of the breath that he didn’t know what he was holding. He felt something sticky on his fingers and found blood was dripping from a wound he made on his knuckle.

“Shit.” He whispered and grabbed a small towel on his worktable. He squeezed the towel around the wound. The knuckle throbbed with his heartbeat, and his eyes started leaking again. He moved back to the corner and hugged his injured hand to his chest. 

“How could I forget her?” he whispered to himself. Another knock on the door made him jump. This time it was Sanji.

“Hey idiot, you missed lunch as well. Pause that project!” Usopp starred at the door in a panic. He could let Sanji see him in this state. After all, he forgot his own mother’s face. How could someone want someone like that on their crew? What was Luffy thinking! He moved through the thoughts at a thousand miles an hour, and his breathing kicked up. Sanji called him again, but Usopp couldn’t hear him. His thoughts were too loud, and his breath was gone from his lung. ‘I forgot his mother and my father forgot me, that’s why he left. I am useless on this ship. Why am I  here? I’m going to die on the next island. How could I let Luffy down like this.’ His thoughts suddenly stopped as a pair of rough hands were placed on his cheeks and softly patted them. Sanji was kneeling in front of him, patting his cheeks and whispering his name. Usopp looked past Sanji and looked at the door that was broken into pieces on the floor. Franky would have to fix that later. He grumbled at the thought of Franky’s disappointed look when he learns about the door. Sanji pulled his jaw towards him and said his name, but it sounded like static in his ears. Usopp looked at Sanji in confusion as he grabbed his chest and felt it move at an incredible speed. He realized what was happening, and he had a panic attack in front of Sanji. He remembers getting them when he was younger, but he had his mother to calm him down. The thought of his mother started a whole new train about how much he missed his mother, and he began to see black dots in his vision. Sanji took Usopp’s hands and placed them on his shoulder. “Usopp, if you can hear me, breath with me, okay?” Usopp could feel his hands lift and lower as Sanji breathed. He started to follow Sanji’s calm breathing and the black spots disappeared. 

It felt like an hour before Usopp’s breath was semi-stable, enough for Sanji to release his hands from his shoulders. He placed one of his hands on Usopp’s cheek and patted it to get his attention. 

“Hey Usopp, you doing okay?” His voice was softer than usual, and Usopp seemed to notice as well. Usopp’s head jumped up and looked at him. He took in a breath.

“I’m sorry.” He bowed his head and whined at the sharp pain that came from his knuckle. Sanji first noticed the blood that stained the towel and then saw the tears that started to fall slightly faster as he held Usopp’s wounded hand. 

  “Do you want me to call Chopper?” Sanji said in a low voice. Usopp’s eye’s widened, and he shook his head.

“No, I’m fine!” He said it a little too fast for Sanji to be confident in the answer. Sanji patted his cheek, picked Usopp by the knees and the back, and walked out of the workshop and to the infirmary. Luckily Chopper was still eating dinner, so Sanji placed Usopp on the bed, which was a little out of it to realize what was going on, and grabbed some bandages on the shelf and some ointment that he has seen Chopper use for his cuts. 

“Wanna tell me what happened back there,” Sanji asked, sitting next to Usopp and turned him towards him. He pulled the towel off Usopp’s finger, and the blood flaked off with a slight snap, waking Usopp from the trance that he was in. 

“What happened,” Usopp said, looking around the room then down at his finger. 

“You tell me.” Sanji opened the ointment and placed it on his fingers. He rubbed the cream on the wound and caused Usopp to wince. “Sorry.” He took the bandages and started wrapping the finger. 

“I think I had a panic attack.” He watched Sanji wrap his hand. 

“I could see that. Do you wanna talk about it.” 

“Not really.” His voice dripped with defeat. Sanji finished his wrapping and looked at Usopp’s face. Usopp was still looking at his hand. 

“You know that everyone is here for you, right?” 

“Yeah, I just. It’s nothing.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I just was freaking out for a moment.”

“Usopp.” Sanji’s voice was demanding and challenging, wanting answers, but a part of him knew that he wouldn’t get them tonight. 

“I’m fine, I promise.” Usopp waved his hands in front of him. Sanji sighed and got up from where he was sitting, and made his way to the door.

“Fine, but when you need to talk. Come to me.” With that, Sanji went out the door and left Usopp with his thoughts. He was debating if he should spill to Sanji about what happened on his way to the men’s sleeping quarters. 

“I’ll talk to him later. Maybe.” Usopp hopped into his bed and went to sleep. 

[adorkablenerd]

Swordsman’s Weakness

Recently got into One Piece and noticed how little tk content there was, so I made some 😄  Is it in character, probably not, but I hope y’all still like it 💕

(Takes place sometime after the defeat of Arlong) Lee! Zoro, Ler! Luffy and Sanji

Words: 1335

It was a slow day on the Going Merry and, while most were relaxing and healing, their captain was energetic as ever.

“C’mon Usopp, let’s plaaay!”  Luffy whined, not dealing well with his boredom.

“Luffy I already said no, I have to work on making more ammo.  Maybe later.”  Luffy let out an over dramatic sigh and went out to find some else he could play with.  He saw Zoro sleeping, as usual, and got an idea.  Slowly he snuck up to Zoro and put his hands right above the swordsman’s sides.  Feeling someone near him, Zoro began to wake up, Luffy making his attack at the same time.

“H-Hehey! What do youhu think you’re doing?”  Zoro tried to keep his laughter in as Luffy scribbled his fingers up and down the recently asleep man’s sides.  Zoro tried grabbing for the smaller boy's hands, but he would either just move to a different spot, or stretch his arms out, making Zoro’s efforts useless.

“I’m tickling you, duh!”  He moved his hands up to Zoro’s ribs and scratched just enough so that it wouldn’t hurt.

“Well stahahahap!”  Zoro’s struggles increased with his laughter.  Luffy realized this and chose to stay around that area, making Zoro’s laughter grow louder.  This caused a certain chef to come out and investigate the noise. 

“Would you idiots keep it down out here, I can barely hear myself think with all the noise.”  Despite hearing Sanji, Luffy continued, hands only moving higher.  Zoro’s hands were now tangled in Luffy’s stretched out arms, yet Luffy could still move his hands easily.

“Sorry Sanji, but I can’t stop, this is too much fun!  You should join!”  Luffy responded with a smile, too pure for the fact that he was on top of Zoro, tickling him to pieces.

“NOHO JUST GEHEHET OHOHOHOFF!”  Zoro had too much pride to start begging, but the tickling was almost unbearable with his hands stuck.  Sanji watched for a couple seconds then responded to Luffy.

“Yeah, no.  I’m not doing that, just keep it down before I kick both your asses.”  Luffy slowed down, going to Zoro’s sides again, more to give him a chance to breathe then fear of Sanji’s threat.  Always one to instigate, even when in his position, Zoro just had to say something.

“He’s juhust scared cus he knohows I’ll kick his ass if he tohouches me.”  Hearing this, Sanji rolled up his sleeves and marched over to Zoro and Luffy.

“You really think I’m scared of you, moss head?”  As usual, Zoro was never one to back away from a challenge.

“Yeheah, I do.”  Despite Luffy still tickling him, he was snarky as ever.  Similar to Zoro, Sanji wasn’t one to back down either.  

“You know what Luffy, I think I will join you.”  Sanji cracked his knuckles and gave Zoro a glare that could kill, accompanied with a terrifying smirk.  Zoro could already feel the regret sinking in, but he refused to admit it.  

“In fact, I have an idea.”  Sanji continued speaking to Luffy,”Why don’t you go behind Zoro and hold his arms up for me.  Shouldn’t be too hard with his hands stuck like that.”  

“Okay!”  Luffy stopped his tickling and moved himself behind Zoro, making it so the swordsman’s arms were bent over his shoulders,”Like this?”  This left Zoro extremely vulnerable, nervousness only growing, and a small blush even appearing on his skin.  Sanji nodded in response to Luffy.

“Yep, that’s perfect.”  He smirked, looking down at Zoro.

“You really wanna start this?  I’ll kill you after, got that?”  Zoro tried to threaten, but the small nervous smile on his face didn’t help him.

“You couldn’t even if you wanted to.”  Sanji sat himself on Zoro’s legs to prevent him from moving them.  He then held up his hands, wiggling his fingers threateningly.

"And if you could, you definitely won't be able to once I’m done.”  Zoro felt a shiver go down his spine, nervous giggles already wanting to come out, but he held them in, face only growing pinker.  Unfortunately for him, Luffy noticed.

“Woah!  Zoro, your face is really pink, did you get sunburnt?”  Though slightly lucky for him, Luffy didn’t really understand he was just embarrassed.  Though Sanji was different.

“Haha, the great swordsman Zoro is blushing?  What happened to the whole ‘I’ll kill you’ threat, hm?”  Zoro was about to make a remark back, when Sanji immediately began squeezing his hips, making him break out into loud belly laughs.

“AHAHAHASSHOHOHOLE!  GAHAHA, D-DOHOHON’T!”  Zoro couldn’t even try to stop his laughter from pouring out, not expecting the sudden start.  

“Ha! Zoro your laugh is really funny! You should laugh like this more!”  Luffy’s comments definitely weren’t helping either.

“Don’t what?  Don’t do this?”  The squeezing only increased in speed and pressure, driving Zoro insane.  

“YEHEHEHEHES THAHAHAT!  GEHEHET THE HEHELL OHOHOF!”  Zoro refused to resort to begging, but Sanji wasn’t going to give up until he did.  With all his focus on how much it tickled, Zoro had forgotten that Luffy could still move his hands.  However, he was quickly reminded of that fact.

“LUHUFFY NAHAHAHAHA!  GEHEHET AWAHAHAHAY FROM THEHEHERE!”  While Sanji was still digging into Zoro’s hips, Luffy decided to join and was wiggling his fingers into the swordsman's underarms, which proved to be a deadly spot.

“Heh, good job Luffy, I think you found his worst spot!”  Luffy had a proud smile spread across his face, as Zoro found himself in hysterics.  Sanji moved his hands up to Zoro’s belly, skittering his fingers all around.  THis allowed a little relief for Zoro, though his laughter didn’t go down too much, with Luffy still attacking his underarms.  

“LUFFEEHEHE!  WOULD YOU QUIHIHIHIHIT IHIT?!”  He still refused to properly ask for it to stop, but his will was slowly breaking. 

“Hm, nah, this is too fun!”  Was the captain’s cheery reply.  His regrets only deepened when Sanji decided to move his hands under Zoro’s shirt, the sensation instantly becoming worse.  

“GRRAHAHAHA FUHUHUCK NOHOHO!”  Having two bad spots tickled at once was almost too much, with Sanji scratching around the bare skin of his belly and Luffy wiggling his fingers all around his underarms, he wasn’t sure how much longer he would last.  Though he quickly found that it wouldn’t be very long.

“STAHAHAHAP NAHAHAHA!  NOHOHOHOHO MOHOHOHOHORE!”  Luffy had dug right into the center of his underarm, while Sanji decided to scratch around the sides of Zoro navel.  

“Oh?  What happened to all that big talk, huh?  Mr.‘I’ll kill you’ brought down by some tickling?  What would you do if an enemy chose to exploit this weakness of yours, huh?”  Zoro couldn’t even reply, too lost in hysterics.  

“What?!  Are there really people who use tickling to fight?!”  Luffy was barely paying attention to the man who he was tickling, too distracted by what Sanji was saying.

“Huh, I mean, maybe, but I don’t think there actually are.”  Sanji and Luffy started their own conversation over the sound of Zoro’s loud laughter, as they continued to tickle him.  Tears began to roll down his cheeks from laughing so much, finally using his last resort.

“STAHAHAHAP!  PLEHEHEHEHEASE!”  Sanji and Luffy gave each other wide smiles, knowing they had won.  

“Wow, so the moss head does know how to use manners.  What a surprise.”  Sanji moved his hands out from under Zoro’s shirt, Luffy following after.  Even after they stopped, small giggles were still slipping out, the feeling of fingers still stuck to his skin.  

“We should play this game again!”  Luffy laughed as he untangled Zoro’s hands, him and Sanji giving him some space to catch his breath.  After a minute or two of relaxing, Zoro raised his head and stared straight ahead.  Luffy and Sanji noticed and grew confused as to what he was staring at.

“You both have three seconds to run, 1…”  Luffy and Sanji took no time in getting up to run off.  Though Zoro eventually got his revenge on the both of them.

[myonepiece]

Could you perhaps do hc's for Killer, Ace, Luffy and Katakuri having a S/O who has a bird type zoan, and they go scouting in their zoan form, only for some enemy to just. Shoot em down and they plummet to the ground, S/O lives but shit hurts tm

Thanks in advance or for just listenin to me ramble it's cool if you don't wanna write it so like don't worry about rejectin this if you don't vibe w it

I’m sorry if this took long to reply to! I didn’t think I would get any requests so I didn’t check for them ;-;

I hope this is what you meant- Enjoy! <3

Also I love writing Killer and Katakuri headcanons so thank you

Killer, Ace, Luffy, Katakuri headcanon- their S/O with a bird type zoan is shot down by an enemy

•~•~•~•~

Warnings: slight angst

Killer

•Killer was watching you as you flew above the forest looking for enemies or any supplies the Kid pirates needed

•He heard the shot first but he didn’t know what it was until he saw your falcon form fall

•He sprung into action taking heat with his as they sprinted into the forest towards the spot you were falling towards

•Killer was first into the clearing and immediately launched himself at the groups of enemies waiting for you

•He cut them down in seconds and watched your form hit the ground a mile away

•He was frozen in place as he waited for you to emerge from the cloud of smoke, but when you didn’t he feared the worst

•Killer left Heat to tend the small group of enemies approaching as he ran to your landing spot

•He frantically cleared away the rocks and uncovered your bloodied human form

•He pulled your head into his lap and gently shook you while calling your name

•You still didn’t move

•His breathe was caught in his throat as he heard your pulse grow fainter, he couldn’t loose you

•You had promised to stay with him

•He picked you up bridal style and ran back to the Victoria Punk where he began shouting instructions to the crew’s doctor

•Kid and the rest of the crew watched Killed pace outside of the infirmary until the doctor brought the news of your survival

•Killer spent every spare minute next you holding your hand and watching your face for signs of pain

•He started to always follow under you on foot when you scouted in your bird form Kid totally teased him for being so whipped

Ace

•R.I.P enemies

•Ace was standing on the shore when Thatch called to him saying that you had been shot down

•Sure enough he saw the large pigeon falling from the sky

•His eyes widened and felt his stomach drop

•He ran towards the forest and burned down all the trees in his way as he followed your form to find where you would be landing

•Ace reached the target just in time to catch you, and just in time to catch the approaching enemies and burn them to ashes for harming his love

•He gently shook you, but when you didn’t respond he shook slightly harder snd started calling your name

•After minutes of no response he ran back to ship calling for Marco as tears rolled down his cheeks

•Marco took you into the infirmary and took out the sea stone bullets that were used to shoot you down

•You woke up shortly after, with an Ace clinging to your waist with tear stained cheeks

•He started to keep a closer eye on you when you scouted, and sometimes he would beg Marco to go with you

Luffy

•Oh ho ho poor attackers

•Luffy was playing with Usopp when he heard Chopper start screaming that you were falling

•Luffy turned and immediately sprung over the ship’s railing into the forest

•He broke down trees as he followed the path

•He used his df powers to reach up snd Grab you before you could hit the ground

•As the enemies appeared a little ways away, his only thought was murder, that was until he realized you weren’t moving

•Luffy looked down at the falcon in his arms that was now covered in blood

•He sprinted back to the ship and gave you to Chopper

•Luffy turned around to run back to the forest and give you’d attackers what they deserved for hurting you

•But Zoro held him back, knowing that you would be up soon

•Once Chopper was done and you were lying awake (but drowsy) in bed, Luffy ran in and tackled you

•He sobbed into your shirt for a good few minutes before he just protectively wrapped his arms around you a few times and “guarded” you for the rest of the time on the island (but you don’t know he could do that if he was just laying directly on top of you the whole time like a cat)

Katakuri

•OH HO HO DEAR

•He was watching your albatross form circle the trees, until he heard a gunshot and saw you start to fall, changing back to your human form as you neared the trees

•He sprinted into the forest easily killing the enemies he met along the way

•He reached a clearing where the gunman stood tying you up

•Rage took over as Katakuri saw no movement from your figure

•He tore the gunman and his groups apart quickly

•As he untied you and picked you up, still seeing to signs of life, he felt fear grip his heart as he feared the worst

•He ran back to the ship and demanded all doctors

•As be paced outside of the door, Brûlée tried to reassure him that you were strong and something as trivial as a few sea stone bullets wouldn’t kill you

•But Katakuri still couldn’t get the thought of waking up without you to leave his mind

•He couldn’t go through life without his princess

•Katakuri spent the next few days sitting next to you, he did all work in your room, and he would sleep right next to you- didn’t matter on what it could be a chair, a couch, or even the floor

•He just couldn’t imagine you not being by his side

[kbstories]

Bricolage

bri·co·lage (n.) The process of making do with what one has.

A talk about a captain's heart and acceptable consequences.

(Or: On Luffy’s Gears and the damage they cause.)

Tags: Aftermath of Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Recovery, Medical Inaccuracies, Nakamaship

Set between Whole Cake and Wano. No additional warnings apply.

***

Beyond the maelstrom and the currents raging in-between Jinbei disappears from view, and Luffy’s legs finally give.

It’s Sanji who catches him, at his side in an instant and taking his weight with a low grunt of effort, arm gentle around Luffy’s bandaged waist. Sanji’s gaze searches, falls on him; he calls, “Chopper!”

And Chopper forces his body to move, Rumble Ball and injuries and exhaustion be damned.

They’re still in Big Mom’s territory, the thrum of battle still pounding away in their chests; Carrot settles into the Crow’s Nest while Brook remains steadfast at the helm and Nami steps between Luffy and the world to command their retreat. With big, careful hands, Chopper carries their captain to the part of Sunny’s grass deck least affected by the scars left behind and gets to work under the open sky.

Just in case Luffy wakes. Just in case they don’t get a word in before he fades again. You made it. We’re safe. You’re free–

This is the thing Chopper does best.

*

Luffy’s out for two days and Chopper is with him.

He’s there when the wound won’t stop bleeding in a flurry of cotton candy snow; when night falls around them and fever hits; when Luffy mumbles – not yet, not yet – caught between unconsciousness and delirium and all there is left to do is hold his hand and hope.

Yet Luffy’s body is as much a miracle as the soul it contains: Luffy pulls through as he always does, and Sanji looks near-faint with relief when he’s finally, finally allowed to Luffy’s bedside.

Chopper drifts, then, one ear turned towards the quiet admonishments and even quieter apologies spoken in the safety of the infirmary. After that it’s the barely-there sound of Nami’s fingers running through unruly hair, hitching against invisible knots that she untangles with patience. Brook brings along a chipper tune hummed under his breath and the lingering scent of his favorite tea.

Underneath it all, a strong heart falters and recovers and continues to beat. That, only that, finally guides Chopper into sleep.

The New World decides to have mercy with them, for now. The cerulean horizon is only interrupted by the occasional cloud – made of nothing but water and air – and for once Chopper is glad there is no candy in sight. Ever faithful, the Thousand Sunny doesn’t mind their inexperienced hands as they try to fix the damage done to her, from the holes in her hull to the tear in the main sail that Chopper sews together like he would any other wound. Sanji descends on the sorry state of his galley like he’s possessed by the devil himself and emerges hours later, lunchboxes in hand and looking as close to calm as Chopper has seen him in weeks.

Luffy is there for parts of it, awake if droopy-eyed and pale under all that gauze. He’s immediately banned to the sidelines and doesn’t put up more than a token protest, chuckling at the unanimous veto from his crew.

“Yeesh! Okay, okay. You guys got this!”

It’s quickly forgotten as Sanji gives him his lunch to drool over before settling right next to him with his own. Without another word the rest of the crew joins them on Sunny’s lawn to eat and it’s healing, Chopper finds, to sit among friends and listen to them talk and laugh over a shared meal.

One made by Sanji, that is, and even if Luffy’s too worn out to steal anything out of their boxes he still tries. It just so happens that he gets a bite of every portion regardless.

And it’s Luffy’s pleased smile and the fond eye-roll it provokes from Sanji that melts the constant stress and worry of the past few days off Chopper’s bones entirely. Soon, they will reach Wano Country and they will be united once more – Chopper sighs happily, thinking of the stories Robin will read to him and the nice, long nap he will share with Zoro.

And if Sunny goes a little slower than usual, well, Franky will know what to do and Usopp will help mend their ship as he always has. In the grand scheme of things, this will soon be just another step on the path of her becoming a ship of legend, and of them becoming the crew of the Pirate King.

Carrot beams at Chopper from where she sits with her lunchbox propped on her knees and her cheeks full. Chances are, somewhere out there, Jinbei is wounded but alive and celebrating the past to embrace a future to come all the more freely.

Munching on another forkful, Chopper decides to have faith. Luffy gave Jinbei an order, after all.

*

“Oi, Chopper?”

Hooves pause on the clasps of the doctor’s bag; Chopper glances up and into brown eyes, surprisingly serious. “Luffy?”

Sitting cross-legged and relaxed against Sunny’s mast, Luffy says: “I gotta tell you something.”

Chopper blinks, follows the wordless pat on wood to Luffy’s side. The man smiles and reaches over, rubbing a knuckle across Chopper’s fluffy cheek and it helps, the gesture inherently comforting and so familiar.

“Um. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah.” No hesitation, no doubts, and Luffy’s gaze is fond now, solid like little else is on an ocean as capricious as this. Yet it’s rare, for him to linger after one of his check-ups when there’s a dozen more fun things to be done.

“Remember what we said, when we met again? About this.”

Luffy places a hand on his chest then, fingers splayed from the middle of his scar like he’s holding it – himself – together. Concern races across Chopper’s mind and he nods, mouth drawn with determination.

(Tell me, Luffy, please. If–

–anything changes or hurts, I’ll let you know. That’s a promise, okay? Don’t worry about it now.)

Luffy nods, too. “It hurts. Not the scar, I don’t think but– Below? Right here.”

Gently, Chopper’s hoof is taken and held just off-center. Calm and steady, Luffy’s heart beats against his palm. Chopper starts counting out of habit.

“Not always. Right now, it’s fine ‘cause it comes and goes. Like–”

Thump. Chopper is close enough to see the subtle wince of Luffy’s mouth before it eases again and he murmurs, “Yeah. Like that.”

Closing his eyes, Chopper puts both hooves on Luffy’s chest and he waits, feels the warmth of his skin and listens to the soft breathing that hitches with every beat Luffy’s heart skips– No, every beat it adds, fluttering in-between.

And still, Luffy’s pulse marches on, strong as ever.

Chopper squints for a moment against the day’s brightness and the swirl of theories and half-formed treatment plans in his brain. “Since when?”, he asks, keeping his voice light because there is worry in Luffy’s expression. It’s just well-hidden.

Luffy thinks then, head tilted and a thumb on his chin. “Dunno exactly but, um. Definitely when I was fighting Katakuri. My chest kept hurting and I thought it was… y’know. Everything else going on.”

Everything else being Luffy getting beaten blue and bloody by a man three times his size for hours on end, and out of all the things Chopper has been able to get through his thick skull, the details of his fights have always remained out of reach. Yet Luffy looks a little nervous, shifting with another beat that goes awry under Chopper’s touch.

“Luffy… Has this happened before?”

It’s not like Luffy’s made a habit of lying – not when his tells are so obvious even Chopper knows, sometimes – just that there are things he simply doesn’t talk about, not unless directly asked. Luffy glances at Chopper and there’s something there, not exactly guilt but close enough to make him worry, too.

“I think? A long time ago. When I went after Ace, everything hurt too. Don’t know if like this, though. It’s kinda hard to tell.”

And Chopper doesn’t know what to say to that because it’s Ace, and because he wasn’t there. All the information Chopper has about the war and its aftermath exists as a bundle of handwritten notes in his locker, neatly tied and given to him without further comment by the man who was.

But… There was nothing about Luffy’s heart in there, and Traffy wouldn’t have left anything out just to spare Chopper’s feelings. There is no room for that where life and death hang in such delicate balance.

“Chopper?”

Luffy’s voice is quiet now, like Chopper’s the one whose heart is struggling. Chopper looks at him, at the uncertainty on Luffy’s face that’s so rare it’s practically unheard of, and he knows his captain needs a doctor more than he needs a friend right now.

“It’s your heart, Luffy. It’s doing okay overall but it keeps beating out of rhythm– Feel that? It’s probably been that way for a while and only got painful because you pushed yourself beyond your limits.”

Again, Chopper wants to add but it's not needed, not when Luffy is listening with an intensity Chopper isn’t used to and it makes sense, what he did. It’s unlikely they’d be sitting here to talk about this at all if Luffy hadn’t kept Katakuri away from his crew for as long as he did – Chopper can’t argue with results like that.

But–

“This… This is a warning sign, Luffy. We have to take it seriously or your heart will give sooner rather than later.”

Luffy’s brows draw together – then he nods. Chopper exhales, finally easing off Luffy’s chest to sit on his knee instead.

“It’s my Gears, isn’t it?”

It’s worded as a question even though the answer is obvious to both of them. Luffy smiles at the tired look Chopper gives him. “I know. You warned me a million times about how tough they are on my body. I’m still figuring out a way around that… Can I still use them?”

Chopper sighs. There’s no point in sugarcoating this, either.

“You really, really shouldn’t. Just… hold back on them for now? I’ll come up with some medicine to help your heart heal. It’s important for it to recover while it still can.”

Out of all the things to be put off by in that statement, Luffy grimaces at the word ‘medicine’. “… ‘kay. But I can still fight. Right? I’ll be careful. No Gears.”

Chopper hears the implied if I can help it loud and clear. He lets him have it, patting his hand comfortingly. “Yeah. Ah, and another thing… Captain?”

“Hm?”

“Can I talk to Traffy about this? I want to ask him some questions about, um. About the war.”

There’s surprise on Luffy’s face, quick to melt away. “Oh. Sure thing. Although–”

It’s Chopper’s turn to tilt his head at him. For a moment, Luffy chews on what he wants to say.

“Maybe don’t tell the others? Traffy’s okay, he’ll fuss no matter what. But… Let’s keep all this heart stuff between us for now, yeah?”

Chopper is not one for secrets but this is Luffy’s decision to make and he trusts Luffy. And while it’s technically not an order it’s still important. Especially with the faraway look Luffy gives the galley, and the way he tends to sit a little straighter and smile a little brighter every time Sanji is close-by.

“Of course”, Chopper promises him with a smile, because some wounds need longer to mend than others and some scars ache even years later. 

Only a few days more and the crew will be complete; together, Chopper knows, they’ve always been strongest. Perhaps then, Luffy will be able to set aside some of the weight on his shoulders.

Soon, they will have time again. And if there’s anything that can’t heal, well – that’s what Chopper is for. It’s the thing he’s best at.

[creative-type]

Guess who wrote about Chopper keeping Zoro alive after Thriller Bark...again

Title: The Good Fight Rating: G Word Count: 2230 AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23204785

Sixteen hours of surgery. Ten pints of blood. Countless stitches and the devil’s own luck. That’s what it took to keep Zoro alive after the battle of Thriller Bark.

Chopper laid his head down against Zoro’s bed, listening with a clinician's ear to the beep of the heart monitor, the steady drip of the IV, the rasp of each shallow breath. If he strained hard enough he thought he could hear the rapid, thready beat of Zoro’s heart, but he knew it was his imagination. He’d stabilized his patient, somehow. Brought his heart back into rhythm and sewed his eviscerated organs back into place. Zoro’s veins and arteries, the connective tubing that pumped his lifeblood from head to toe, were now attached to their proper ports instead of leaking immense volumes of fluid everywhere except where it was supposed to go.

If Chopper had the energy he would have cried. Instead he took a shuddering breath through a face full of linens and tried to keep his hooves from shaking.

Zoro claimed god didn’t exist, but Chopper had fought Death itself too many times not to believe in some higher power. He hadn’t lost... yet. But there had been too many close calls lately for him to believe things would get better anytime soon. Chopper was afraid to even think it, but this latest battle had been a near thing, with Zoro’s life in the balance.

Too near.

He didn’t mean to doze off sitting like that, leaning over his patient like some kind of watchdog, but he must have because when there was a soft rap of knuckles against his infirmary door Chopper jerked violently awake. The sudden motion was enough to tip his chair over backward, and it was all Chopper could do to avoid cracking his head against the ground. The last thing anyone needed now was to give himself a concussion.    

“Hey, Chopper, are you okay?”

Usopp popped his head in the doorway, then rushed in when he saw Chopper laying in a dazed heap on the floor. He helped him to his feet and righted the chair, then brushed off the front of Chopper’s shirt like an older brother who wanted to help but didn’t really know how. Once assured that Chopper wasn’t harmed turned his attention to Zoro.

“Is he…?”

Usopp left the question unfinished. There was still an ashen, unhealthy pallor to Zoro’s normally bronzed skin, the barest hint of blue at his lips visible beneath the oxygen mask. But his respirations were steady and his blood pressure stable, and that was more than Chopper could have said sixteen hours ago.

“Everything has gone as good as I could have hoped for. Better, even,” Chopper said.

“That’s great!” Usopp exclaimed. He wrapped Chopper in a tight hug and danced around in a wild circle. Even after being set back on the ground, it took Chopper longer than it should have for the room to stop spinning.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” Usopp asked earnestly. “Everyone’s just starting to wake up, I think Sanji’s putting together a party. You should come out and eat something.”

Chopper shook his head. “I can’t. I need to know right away If he starts bleeding again, and with all the transfusions I need to be careful not to put him into fluid overload. Plus with all those open wounds there’s a huge risk for infection, and...and…”

He meant to say more. He needed to say more, for Usopp to understand that while Zoro was better, he was by no means well . But the harder he tried the more his tongue tied into knots. Chopper knew he wasn’t making any sense, which frustrated him even more , the emotion of it all building up within him with no valve for release.

Chopper let himself plop onto the floor before he exploded, sniffing piteously as his vision went unexpectedly fuzzy. Usopp blinked, body going lax as his usual bravado rushed out of him like Luffy after a gum-gum balloon.

“Hey, it’ll be okay.” Usopp knelt down and patted Chopper awkwardly on the back. “You did good. Maybe you need to take a nap or something.”

He faltered, his eyes going wide as saucers. “Wait, you’ve been up all this time? We were awake all night chasing zombies, and then that weird bear guy came and blew everything all to hell, and we found Zoro, and ohmygod you’ve been awake since before yesterday .”

“Zoro needed me,” Chopper said simply. “He still needs me.”

As if agreeing, Zoro groaned in his sleep, making a feeble attempt to scratch at the drain that kept his right lung from collapsing on itself under the weight of the blood and fluid in his pleural cavity. Chopper hurried over to sedate him, mentally running through the dosing calculations and praying that he wouldn’t drop his already-precarious blood pressure off of a cliff.

When Zoro was once again resting comfortably Chopper returned to his chair to document, jumping a little when he saw Usopp staring dumbfounded out of the corner of his eye. He’d forgotten anyone else was in the room.

“Y’know, I bet one of Lola’s crew is a doctor,” Usopp said. “Maybe I could go ask--”

“Zoro is my responsibility!” Chopper said shrilly. “I can’t trust Zoro with some random doctor I’ve never met! If something happens I need to be here, because if I’m not I...I don’t know what I’d do.”

“I mean, I guess,” Usopp said, defeated. “But  Zoro wouldn’t want you to run yourself ragged, either. What if you’re too tired and make a mistake?”

“I wouldn’t do that,” Chopper said stubbornly, even as statistics of the effects of sleep deprivation rolled through his mind unbidden.

“I won’t lose him,” Chopper said, more quietly. Except the won’t came out sounding a whole lot more like can’t , and he couldn’t stop the tears from falling. It made the fur on his face feel funny, and Chopper concentrated on that instead of the pitying expression on Usopp’s face.

He didn’t understand. He couldn’t, not without being a doctor. Chopper’s fight started when Zoro’s stopped, and it was up to him to make sure that his efforts, whatever they were, hadn’t been in vain.

A normal person would have died taking half of the punishment Zoro had. Even a fourth would have been crippeling. Yet Zoro stood tall, so much blood slicking his skin that it was a wonder he had any left inside. Usopp couldn’t know the look Zoro had given him right before falling unconscious, the faint smile of relief as he realized it was finally okay to let go, because his doctor was there to keep fighting the battle he had no right winning.

“Chopper?” Usopp asked, startling him back to his senses. There was something in his expression, hesitant and a little frightened, that made Chopper think it hadn’t been the first time he called his name.

“Hmn?”

“You did your part. Now let us do ours.”

The thing about Usopp was that he wasn’t afraid to play dirty, and when it was clear that Chopper had no intentions of listening to him, he went and found Robin.

Not that she looked much better than Chopper felt. Having her shadow forcibly stolen from her had taken its toll, and of all the Straw Hats she was the one he trusted to assist with surgery when he was unable to manage on his own. She had stayed until Chopper was reasonably sure Zoro would pull through, but only after making Chopper promise to call if he needed assistance once more.

But Chopper hadn’t needed assistance, at least not as much as Robin needed rest, so he had plowed on, breaking through his second, third, forth wall of fatigue through caffeine tablets and sheer force of will.

“Your hands are shaking,” Robin observed. She had a bottle of water with her that she handed to Chopper, fixing him with a look until he sheepishly took a drink. Chopper could see Usopp’s shadow in the doorway of the infirmary, whispering fiercely to Sanji and Nami.

Robin noticed his gaze and shut the door before kneeling down to his level. “I know it can be...difficult, at times, to ask for help. But we all have limits, and you have long-past yours.”

She pressed a hard candy into his hooves. “Sanji will be in shortly with a proper meal, but this should hold you over till then.”

“But if something happens--”

“I will wake you,” Robin said. “Nami is getting your bedding now, so you can rest here with Zoro. You don’t have to leave him if you don’t want to.”

All the air left Chopper in a rush. “Oh.” He unwrapped the candy and let it melt on his tongue, even that small amount of sugar boosting his dangerously low levels. When was the last time he had eaten?

“Why didn’t I think of that?”

“You are exhausted,” Robin said matter-of-factly. Then, with a note of reproach in her tone, “You cannot treat anyone if you do not take care of yourself.”

Before Chopper could argue there was a knock at the door. Sanji swept in, and foregoing his usual praise set a tray down at Chopper’s feet. There was a steaming bowl of cinnamon and sugar rice, milk, more water, and a cookie. Out of deference to Chopper’s patient, the cigarette that hung from his lips was unlit.

“Those shithole zombies took our food supply, and I haven’t had much luck raiding theirs,” Sanji said apologetically. “Looks like most went to feeding that great shithead Oars.”

Chopper nodded. Luffy’s appetite was bad enough on its own, but in the body of a giant it was nearly insatiable. “Thank you.”

The smell alone made Chopper’s mouth water, and he ate with mechanical efficiency, scarcely tasting the food before shoving the next spoonful into his mouth. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was, and the rice settled like a lead block in the pit of his stomach. His limbs felt heavy as he drank the rest of the water and his eyes burned with lack of sleep.

While he ate Nami came in with a pillow and blanket, but Chopper ignored it in favor of curling up in Robin’s lap. “Lemme know if his heart rate goes up and his blood pressure down, or if he wakes up, or if...if…”

“Hush, now,” Robin said, placing a calming hand against his back. Somewhere in the distance he thought he heard someone start to sing, but he couldn’t place the voice.

It sounded nice, Chopper thought, and he hoped he’d get to hear it again when he woke up.

Chopper woke up entangled in a pile of limbs and blankets. He blinked against the light of the infirmary, realizing somewhat befuddledly that his hat was not sitting on his head. His eyes were sleep-crusted and his throat was dry and he kinda had to go to the bathroom, but Chopper did not move. For some reason, he didn’t want to.

The smell of blood hit first and hardest. Somehow Chopper squirmed enough to get himself turned around and looking directly up at the bed were Zoro currently lay.

And if he was looking up that meant he had to be laying down . It took another long moment for his brain to reboot itself back to waking, and only then did Chopper realize he was on the floor and surrounded by Straw Hats. His head still lay in Robin’s lap while she herself was sitting up against the wall of the infirmary, and it was Nami’s arm that was currently wrapped around his torso. Sanji lay curled up on top of the blanket haphazardly thrown across Chopper’s legs, effectively pinning him to the ground.

Usopp and Luffy (when had he come in?) were on the other side of Robin, sprawled and taking every last bit of space, while Franky sat in Chopper’s tiny chair with his head rested against his massive forearms.

They were all here. They were all alive. Chopper took a deep breath, feeling it catch in the back of his throat.

Music came in through the doorway, a smooth caress to Chopper’s soul.

Maybe Luffy was right, and they’d gone too long without a musician. Hopefully he would find one soon, Chopper would like to study the therapeutic effects of music on the crew…

He drifted back into a deep and dreamless slumber.

The Straw Hats threw a party, as they always did after their biggest and hardest battles. Chopper still didn’t trust Zoro to leave him alone, and Luffy wouldn’t allow Chopper to miss out on the fun, so they arrived at the festivities together. Patient and doctor. Big and little brother. Crewmates.

Friends.

Chopper won this round, but deep down he was still afraid. Afraid that each success would encourage Zoro to greater recklessness, afraid that someday he’d go a step too far and Chopper wouldn’t be able to bring him back. Afraid that he wouldn’t make it in time.

But that was the thing about the Straw Hat Pirates, they trusted one another. Just like Chopper believed there was no one Zoro could not defeat, Zoro believed there was no injury he could not fix. That’s what it meant to be the greatest doctor in the world.

Chopper could only hope that he was right.

From across the room Brook began to play a round of Bink’s Sake. Beside him, Chopper’s small hoof nestled into his hand, Zoro smiled in his sleep.  

[whirlybirdwhat]

East Sea of Monsters - Chapter 20

There’s something hiding in Sunny’s Shadows, and sometimes it feels like Chopper is the only one who doesn’t know what it is.

-

Can’t believe we are at Chapter Twenty!!!! Think is this the longest multi-chap fic  I’ve posted, thank you all so much for the support!!

Read the entire series on Ao3 for better quality and author’s notes, especially warnings for content within the fic!! Tag “Ficart” on my blog should also show some fanart and podfics for this fic, as well as the link to translations! give them some love! 

-

Seeking - Chopper

Chopper’s captain is a selfish monster – this, Chopper knows well, in the way that his Captain has bloody fists and has torn gods with a smile.

He laughs in the dark, for he does not want the dark, and chases away tyrants because they hurt a friend. He welcomes strangers into his crew, women who stir revolutions and men who are all but bone.

He has climbed the cold mountains and stood behind a flag not his own for a small, insignificant reindeer. He is Luffy, who has struck down armies and governments and islands and kingdoms, all to save a friend.

All to get what he wants, and for so long, Chopper has been part of those precious few that Luffy calls crew.

So why, why does it feel like Chopper’s just falling behind? Falling out of reach, out of his stars endless orbit?

People walk aboard the ship at night away from Chopper’s prying eyes and he has to know, he must know what they are keeping from him, why he’s not part of this inner circle

He swore to be a monster for Luffy, and if a monster he must be, he had hoped Luffy would still accept him, for his captain loves him and is a monster too

But that’s not the case.

They are hiding from him, hiding something that they don’t want Chopper to know, and it’s been going on for a while now, perhaps sense the beginning.

(What do you say, he wonders, when it’s been before your very eyes in inhuman instinct and the smell of rotting flesh?)

Why do you hate me now? He wants to ask but can’t because this is his home and if he’s not home here, then he can’t be anywhere else.

Ever.

-

The truth comes as all thing Straw Hat do, in a moment that passes between things such as sanity and well into the world of something strange.

Typically, it would be wonderful as well.

It’s not.

The New World is harsh in the way that no other place is. Fire rains from the heavens and lighting brightens clear skies. There are pockets of storm and raging seas, all unpredictable, and an aura of danger that sharpens every sense.

(Every color, every scent, every sight and smell and breath and burst of laughter always seem brighter if they might be your last.)

There are also stretches of calm – and this is one of them. Islands move in the New World, or at least the waters do. Weeks and months and days blend together under the blue sky of the Grand Line – every island is a refuge from its harsh waters, but a rare refuge at that.

(They are pirates, of course, they have no home but the sea but occasionally… occasionally a soul must step foot on land to know what blessings the sea has – and what dangers a sailor courts to be welcomed into her embrace.)

Now, there are no islands in sight, and have not been for the past three weeks. The waters are dry in these parts, and normally, Chopper knows, Sanji would not be worried, but there are few fish to supplement their supplies and no enemies crossing their paths.

A crew of nine does not need much to subsist, but their crew consists of people with harsher metabolism’s than most.

There is no danger now, but there will be soon. Chopper knows this, as does Sanji.

(Chopper is merely considering with the welfare of the crew, but there is a deeper worry in Sanji, one that causes him to look towards the back of the meat locker with worry, so much worry, as his special meats supply starts to dwindle down. It’s Luffy favorite.

He doesn’t know why Sanji’s so worried. Luffy can survive a couple days without whatever kind of meat it is…right?

Maybe he should ask.)

(He doesn’t.)

They start rations on week three and a half.

The crew is agreeable, especially with the hard lilt to Sanji’s eyes but –

There’s something more to their movements and how they all get restless. The Straw Hat crew has never faced any adversary with nervousness and unease as a whole, so why, Chopper wonders, are we (they) doing it now?

They cast eyes towards Luffy, who is innocently sucking on a bone from the last meal, and Chopper wonders if this is another thing they are hiding from him.

(C’mon, he wants to scream, I’m your doctor! Trust me! Why can’t you trust me? I grew stronger too! I fought and trained like the rest of you! Why why why? Is it because I’m a monster now?)

Chopper doesn’t say anything, and watches as the crew leaves the galley, Sanji snapping a quick word at Luffy before leaving.

Chopper leaves too, and wonders why the Sunny suddenly feels so cold.

(Where’s the truth that soon to come?)

-

Chopper, before, before Marineford and training and a Captain so hurt, sensed something from his crew, something that made (makes) his hair stand on end and every animal instinct scream, despite his love for his saviors.

It came from Usopp and Luffy and Zoro and Nami and Sanji, and the way they would smile in the dark or smell or breathe a little too off. But Chopper ignored it, for they were his crew, and trained himself during his two years of training to accept rather than fear.

He can’t help but wonder if they are feeling what he felt (what he feels still), now in regards to him.

It hurts, more than he’d like to admit, especially when (Luffy smiles all jagged edges Usopp seems to bend and twist and scare Nami breaths and smells like ozone Sanji feels like bone and Zoro is lost on The Sunny but winks with two heads at Chopper-) they smile at him like nothing is wrong, and praise him in battle.

He loves this crew, so why, why?

Why doesn’t Luffy accept the monster?

-

Sunny is different than Merry, though Chopper loves both. Merry was white and young and lovely in the sun (but at night her shadows were never colder and there were always odd splatters on her hull.) Sunny is golden and bold and young too, not like a child (led to slaughter) but like an adventure at its start.

(The shadows in her hull and the splatters on the kitchen floor seem new, in the way that Merry’s weren’t, and of course they are for Sunny was built for them, but Merry… it seemed like there were shadows born onto Merry that they brought to Sunny.)

It is a surprise when Sunny starts feeling like Merry did.

(Like the night when the Doctor died, or nights when Doctorine couldn’t save a patient. The. Air of death and the stench of decay setting in, the sight of bodies, pale and unmoving, and sounds of anguish of those left beyond echoing through the air… Like hallowed grounds, when someone died, like an absence in the earth.

Chopper does not forget nights when all feels lost.

(Men die when they are forgotten, after all.))

Chopper doesn’t know why though, why there is sudden coldness mixed with home.

Because, suddenly, Franky is fashioning some sort of chains with Usopp, mixed with the sea stone they swore they would never use and Nami keeps checking in. Suddenly, Robin has more eyes everywhere, and Zoro’s scent (always tinged with blood) is now spiked with the worry he gets when the crews in danger. Suddenly, Brook is always on deck, playing a calming song and Sanji is giving Luffy more than the rations allotted him to have.

(The ‘special meats’ have run out.)

And Luffy…

(A hint of trepidation haunts the crews every step.)

And Luffy…

(Well. Here the thing- Chopper doesn’t know, because Luffy should be acting lethargic and hungry with the lapse in food but instead he’s tight lipped and unmoving – as if he moves to fast he will jump out of his skin. Luffy is tense and jittery and not meeting anyone’s eyes, so unlike his bold, uncaring self. It hurts, because Chopper wants to help his Captain but he can’t bring himself to move, because what if?

Is that really his captain?

Chopper is not, because his Captain certainly doesn’t have spikes on his skin or blood on his teeth, now, right?)

-

There’s something in the Shadows, Chopper notices.

Something dark.

(He’s always avoided the shadows before.)

It stalks in the night, slow and comfortable with the shapes of Sunny’s hiding spots. It hesitates, sometimes, when it’s so close that Chopper can feel its breath running down its back, and flees when Chopper turns, so that nothing else Is on deck save for Luffy or another of his crew mates.

Chopper doesn’t feel safe sleeping, not when he can smell the hunger radiating off of it.

He tries to distract himself with his studies, tries to have Robin and Franky distract him too, but it never seems to work. When he suggests a game (Hide n’ Seek, despite his hatred for it before (a fear to override a few)) Luffy and Usopp shake their heads.

(Well. Usopp does. Luffy’s sitting tense and with hands gripped tightly behind his back as he rests near Zoro. If Chopper could see it, he would see Zoro’s hand clenching Luffy’s wrist together, stopping him from clawing at himself or others in nervous habit. A precaution. A warning. A failsafe.)

“Not the best idea right now, aye Chopper? Why don’t you go see if Sanji’s ready for a meal, okay?” Usopp says while Luffy is far too quiet for normal.

(He’s been quiet a lot, recently. Chopper’s worried.)

The reindeer does as Chopper requests, and peeks in on the kitchen.

He has the strangest feeling that the beast is behind him again, the thing that lurks in the shadows, keeping him from sleeping soundly, but when he looks back, all he sees his Luffy shoving his face into Zoro’s shoulder.

It’s nothing… right?

-

Chopper misses the oddities of when simple games used to unnerve him. He wishes they were back to those times, instead of now, when every step is like waiting for an inevitable tripwire.

Dinner is small. Only a simple meal of pasta and water, with some sparse meatballs on top.

Luffy keeps his hands to himself and doesn’t snag anyone else food. He’s shaking, if anyone looks too closely, and if Chopper himself wasn’t half frightened by the look in Luffy’s eye he’d be ordering Luffy into the infirmary.

As it is, he looks at the way Luffy fidgets and keeps quiet.

Luffy’s just hungry, Chopper assures himself, we all are.

(He’s just scared and Chopper doesn’t know if he’s referring to himself or Luffy.)

After dinner, Luffy’s supposed to take watch but Zoro goes up with him.

(A conversation happens between the two’s eyes, Zoro the only one to get Luffy to meet him and its one Chopper will never be able to decipher, wonders if he even wants to.)

It’s not Luffy that comes back downstairs after watch, but Chopper is too afraid to turn over and look to see if it’s true.

(Hot breath runs down his back, and Chopper remembers that just because he has horns and a fruit it doesn’t mean that reindeer aren’t still prey animals.)

-

Day ten of rations, day five after the meats in the back of the freezer and run out and Luffy stops shaking.

He stands, in the middle of the deck, and the sun grows cold.

(Whatever Luffy is, he doesn’t fit into his skin, the mist surrounding his essence (a shield for the rest of the world.)

Luffy’s head cocks to the side as he fingers still, and Chopper looks at him, truly for perhaps the first time in a while, and wonder why he has been so blind. In Luffy’s stillness, scratches and startling thinness and dark spots emerge where there once was none.

I failed, Chopper thinks, and doesn’t know why he hasn’t been treating his captain, I failed.

Where did the sun go?

Luffy speaks. “Sanji,” He says, and is voice is like spiders on skin and maggots on corpses – exactly the tone it should be but always, never right. There’s power thrumming through his voice, like an unbridled beast, and Chopper, unwittingly, takes a step back.

“Sanji,” Luffy says, and Sanji steps forward, smoke in his step. “Help.” And Luffy breaks but not in the way Chopper knows – no, in the way that beasts do when they have been pushed too far on a hunt.

(Too long without food, the cold winter blows and all that’s left is red red red red red red death)

Luffy lunges as Sanji does, and then Luffy’s on the ground, held by strong legs and a pair of sea stone cuffs.

(He’s not really fighting now, Chopper knows, because Luffy’s stronger than the seastone they have when he wills it, but beasts don’t have will do they?)

(Chopper does. Luffy does.)

Sanji drags Luffy, so lethargic now, that unsettling restlessness gone until Luffy Is thrown into the Bay 6 of the Soldier Dock System (and how, how has Chopper missed the metal walls and places for hooks along the edges?) where he is cuffed and hooked to the wall.

Sanji gives Luffy a tight hug, hand holding his jaw so carefully away from him, and walks out.

He notices Chopper then, and softens at the horror in Chopper’s eyes.

“Chopper,” He says, and that’s it before he brings him away from their chained, starving Captain and up to the top deck.

As Sanji shuts the door with heavy chains, Chopper catches one last look at Luffy, slumped tiredly to the ground.

It’s not Luffy.

(the shadows…)

-

In the galley, between Robin and Nami, Chopper listens to a story weaved about a demon sea, and crew mates who hail from it. It’s not the entire thing of course (Chopper swears something is slurring Nami’s words together so that she can’t tell it all) but it’s enough to let the horribleness melt from Choppers bones.

They weren’t keeping secrets from him because they’d thought he was a monster, but because they’d thought he be scared.

And maybe he is, but most of all, he’s angry.

“I COULD HAVE HURT YOU! I DON’T KNOW YOUR PHYSIOLOGY, I COULD HAVE GIVEN YOU SOMETHING, SOME HERB TO HELP WITH SOMETHING AND KILLED YOU!” He screeches, mushrooms flashing through his brain. “I’M YOUR DOCTOR! TRUST ME!”

Nami shushes him, with assurances that they do, of course, but Choppers mind is on the most pressing subject.

Luffy.

Like a trance, he slides from his seat and onto the floor.

Luffy, he thinks, avoiding his crew mates to walk to the infirmary for a few precious materials.

Luffy.

My captain.

Chopper walks to Bay Six.

-

(Of course, he realizes that Luffy is the presence in the shadows and that his captain was hunting him. But, quite frankly, he doesn’t care to think about what the special meat was or what Luffy might have done had he not restrained himself, he only cares that his captain is hurting and he’s done nothing.)

(Sunny and Merry, floating above him, let their protection fall, and let Chopper see what Luffy asked them to hide. Their captain is hurting, and he must survive for they love him too.)

(The Veil has no mind, but there is laughter, ringing through the air, as a child realizes the monsters were not besides him or in him or under the bed but in his hero, his savior, his captain.

Tis a cruel world, isn’t it?)

-

Bay Six is dark when Chopper arrives. Dark and scary and so very, very lonely.

(Chopper thinks of two years without crew, and then thinks of Luffy and lets himself have one, single tear.)

When he pushes it open, there is someone waiting for him.

“Luffy,” He breathes out, and instincts hit him like a brick.

There is fear, and then there is terror, and then there is horror. Chopper is well past all these, into something far greater – the kind of emotion that occurs when heroes fall and all that is left is something dark and broken and unnatural.

The emotion prey gets when faced with certain, absolute death.

Before him is something (One who Feast, King of Beast, Demon of Pits and Hell, Hellshaker hell raiser, Voices would scream if Chopper could hear them) that isn’t human. It reeks of death and rotted flesh, a smell Chopper has known before, with blood tinging the scent with its own abhorrence.

All he sees is Luffy, but it’s not him. It can’t be.

“Luffy,” Chopper says again, and this time Luffy looks back. “Let me help you.”

Blood drips from one of Luffy’s cuts onto the ground.

Drip.

Drip.

Drip.

“No.” Luffy rasps, and its final, the way he says it, but Chopper can’t help but protest.

“Please! Let me do something, please, Luffy, Captain. You always help us but let me help you! I can do something, anything if you just let me-” Chopper is cut off by the force of a Conquerors Will slamming into him.

KNEEL.

It’s not love he feels, this time, like he usually does when Luffy’s presence washes over him.

This time, it is a heightening of the horror that he already felt, an execution that fells him to his knees, trembling, a force of will that makes him seem small and afraid.

Luffy, he can’t even bring himself to think, because this is his Captain but…

KNEEL.

Before him is teeth and hunger and horns, scars and scales rising with fire and eyes, eyes crawling to stare at Chopper with nothing but a ravenous greed.

It’s a selfish beast, and now it is a hungry beast, but before it was his Captain – it still is his captain.

(The Veil is a presence that which can be torn down by a will greater than the force itself. Conquerors who know it, breath it, live it, treat it as a play thing, a curtain to peel back and forth at will to show the truth. Few know, but all who see believe, and the veil has bowed to few in the past.

Luffy, who is never without the veil even among what some presume to be his kind, can shake the veil like he has torn down governments and islands and war lords.

Ruthlessly, and without mercy.)

KNEEL.

He falls to his knees.

“Chopper,” Luffy says, blood spilling from his mouth and dripping onto the floor, painting it in reds and blacks. “Go.”

Chopper does not want to go, but what can one do when faced with the soul of a conqueror, captain, king in the body of something from the depths?

Chopper leaves, and sobs outside the door because no matter how terrified Chopper is of Luffy, Luffy will always love them. Save them.

Be alone for them.

Chopper loves his Captain, and wonders why he ever thought Luffy wouldn’t like Chopper because he was a monster.

-

A Marine ship passes by in two days, but not before Luffy howls in his chains and every night is spent silent and huddled in the dark.

(Not before Zoro and Sanji stand guard by the door and knock their captain back every time he gets deranged enough to escape.)

Zoro and Sanji head out and come back with six prisoners. Chopper wonders what they want to do with them, when the Marine lifeboats are right there, but then they walk down to Bay Six and Chopper understands.

He doesn’t want to understand

(The thing about Luffy is that despite everything, despite his selfishness and greed, he will never demand something so significant from them. Only ask.

Join my crew, he will say, and take you anyway, but he will never demand that Chopper not help anyone but himself.

If Chopper truly wished it, he could demand that they let those marines live, in remembrance of an oath he never took. Instead, he helps Robin bring crates of fruit and meat aboard the Sunny, and ignores the screams from below and the blood on deck (Sunny will take care over it before long.)

Luffy would never demand that Chopper become a monster for him, but he does not ask either, and that makes Chopper give himself again and again and again to him.

If the price of his captain's safety, his sanity is perhaps some of Chopper’s morality, well –

He’s a pirate. He sought this out himself.

(It’s not a game, not anymore, and the Straw Hat Flag is the sign of Chopper’s freedom. If he is to deny that, then he is to deny that Straw Hat Luffy will never be the Pirate King and that is a lie.)

Chopper accepts the weight of knowledge and cries himself to sleep.

-

Luffy is alright soon enough, and they reach an island in another three days. This time, Chopper knows about the blood on Luffy’s lips and doesn’t question it.

(Rumors of men gone missing flutter through his ears at night, women weeping in the dark and children crying because they don’t understand loss.)

(Luffy needs it, Chopper knows, and he will never deny his Captain something so important, no matter how much it strikes blades at his heart and settles poison in his stomach.)

But now…

The beast in the shadows isn’t so terrifying anymore. And when Luffy comes down the ladders from watch, Chopper sleeps tight, knowing his Captain is there, and that Chopper now knows the truth.

His crewmates can sleep easy, heal easy, because Chopper can find dark tomes of demonic medicines to heal his crew and with the power of a conquerors slicing will, he can save them all, three heads or no skin or made of storm instead of bone.

(There’s more to Luffy he knows, even now.)

(Trust us Luffy!)

(His captain doesn’t talk about himself.)

Chopper climbs into Luffy’s arms, the upmost trust in his eyes, and knows that everything is finally okay.

Everyone is here.

Alive, Safe, and sound.

(Luffy would never eat them.)

(Right?)

[buymethesea]

dear @ask-kitchenwitchsanji! i was your secret santa for the @opsecretsanta2019 exchange and i’ve come to finally bring your gift (finally!). first, of all i want to apologize for the delay and wish you happy holidays and a happy new year. all the best for this coming decade ✨✨ for your gift, i wrote fic and i ended up going with the prompts of near death experience and angst, because that’s my jam too, and boy let me tell you, this one really ran away from me. i had a lot of fun writing and hope you enjoy it as well.

title: brave face characters: sanji, zoro, mentions of the rest of the straw hats. summary: actions have consequenses and zoro’s had enough. or, sanji puts his life in danger. again. words: 3 623 a/n: discussions of canon-typical violence and its more realistic consequences/death.

”What’s your problem, huh?”

Sanji blinks. Or he tries to, but his head hurts too much for the motion to be anything more than a slight wince.

Wait.

His head hurts?

Why?

What the fuck is going on? Did someone say something?

Fuck, it hurts.

---

”What’s your problem, Cook?”

There’s that voice again. Zoro.

Sanji grimaces. Of all the goddamn things in the world to wake up to-- He’s too fucking tired for this.

Shit, it really hurts all over. He must have been done in real good in their latest fight. Sanji grunts, tries to open his eyes. Slowly, his head is already pounding as it is. It takes a moment for his vision to clear, but sure enough he’s in the infirmary and the mosshead is sitting at the side of his bed. Gross.

Sanji moves his mouth. His lips are dry.

”What are you doing here?” he says. Tries to say. It’s annoying how hoarse his voice sounds, how weak. He must have been out of it for a good while.

Zoro doesn’t answer. Sanji would ask him again, but he’s too tired to bother and either way something is…off about the swordsman. The furrow of his brows, the set of his shoulders. It’s enough to unnerve Sanji, so he asks, has to ask:

“Is something wrong? Are the others okay?”

For some reason, that was the wrong thing to say because Zoro stands up abruptly, the look on his face mean as he replies:

“Look who’s talking.”

Normally that would be enough to goad Sanji into a fight but the shithead has a point. He’s too tired. He can barely keep his eyes open as is.

Zoro grunts and starts moving towards the door

“Everyone else is fine. I’m getting Chopper. Try to stay awake until he’s had a look at you, idiot,” he says and his voice is all even and quiet as he talks. Weird.

Try as he might it’s fucking hard, keeping his eyes open and Sanji feels himself drift back into nothingness.

 ---

 Third time’s the charm.

Sure, everything still fucking hurts when Sanji wakes but the fog clogging his head is slowly starting to clear.

“You have a real problem, you know?” Zoro’s voice comes from the side of the bed and Sanji wants to scream.

He turns his head (slowly, slowly) to glare at the swordsman.

“Hey fuckhead, you really got nothing better to do than torment me?” Sanji says and while the edge is missing from his voice at least it doesn’t give up on him in the middle of the sentence. Small steps and all that. “Last I knew the infirmary belonged to Chopper.”

Zoro grimaces, the look on his face harsh.

“Even doctors need to sleep. Wasn’t doing him any good, fretting over you every hour.”

Sanji’s mouth clamps shut. After a moments struggle, his compulsion to antagonize Zoro loses out to his increasing need to understand what the fuck is going on and what the hell happened to him. He starts out easy.

“What time is it?”

“Early morning, rest of the crew’s still asleep,” Zoro answers. “I’m on watch.”

“Sure,” Sanji says, and it takes all his willpower to not comment on the fact that the swordsman had apparently been spending his shift in the infirmary instead of the crow’s nest. There was probably a reason for that.

Sanji wets his lips. As he starts coming back to his body it dawns on him just how bad shape he’s in. All this from a fight? While he’s not sure exactly what happened, he remembers the skirmish and the small crew of two-bit marines they’d run into. None of the usual big guns that were after them, just some local division leader too high on his own supply to realize just how outmatched him and his men were.

It just doesn’t add up. From what Sanji can tell he’s been knocked out for a good while, and the crew had been worried enough to assign him a watch. And he feels like pure shit. His body feels weak, his limbs sluggish and heavy. Loathe as he is to admit it, Sanji doubts he could get out of bed on his own. His head hurts and, even worse than that, his chest aches. Not just the pain from broken ribs – that he recognizes – but his insides feel raw, irritated. Like his airways have been filled with broken glass, like something chafes with every breath he takes.

“What happened?” Sanji asks.

 “You drowned,” Zoro says.

Huh?

“Stop fucking around,” Sanji grits out.

“I’m not. You drowned.”

“Hey shithead, does it look like I’m in the mood for jokes?” Sanji shouts, “How the fuck would I drown?!”

Sanji doesn’t get an answer to that question. Right then the door is slammed open by Chopper who manages to look both rushed and newly awake, the hat on his head askew and his eyes wide-open.

“Sanji! You’re up,” their small doctor exclaims and then he pauses. Any other time and Sanji would have found it funny, the way Chopper’s face gave away the exact moment he took in the scene he’d walked into.

“Are you fighting?” Chopper asks, immediately he transforming into his man-form and getting between them. “But Zoro, you promised!” he berates as he drags the swordsman out from the infirmary.

“Yeah, yeah, apologies,” Zoro says, reaching up to straighten out the hat on Chopper’s head as he’s being shooed away. “The moron’s all yours, Doc.”

 ---

 With only Chopper left in the room with him, Sanji isn’t quite sure what to say. He can’t say he cares very much for the sickbed, and unlike the rest of the knobheads on their crew it’s not very often his injuries are bad enough to keep him confined. There are exceptions, sure, but overall this is a foreign experience.

“How are you doing?”

Chopper is the first to speak, expertly stepping into his role and Sanji has to smile.

“I’m fine,” he reassures, “Should be back on my feet in no time.”

So what, his body hurts. He’s alive and there’s no reason that anyone should have to worry about him.

“Don’t doubt that for a second,” Chopper replies as he comes closer. “Is it really that difficult, to rest up properly for once?” he wonders and it’s only when Chopper steps up right by the bed that Sanji notices just how wobbly a smile their little reindeer is sporting.

Sanji stays quiet while he’s examined from top to bottom. He doesn’t doubt Chopper’s capabilities, or intentions, but something about the whole thing seems—excessive and it makes his skin crawl.

“Hey,” he starts, keeping his voice to a gentle murmur so as to not startle Chopper while he’s drawing blood. “Everything good?”

Chopper hums, absorbed enough in his work that he doesn’t look up. “I’d need the results from your blood samples to make sure, and it still too early to rule out neurological damage…” he trails off, brain finally catching up to what he’d let slip. “Not that I’m too worried! Everything seems fine so far so you don’t need to worry either, okay?”

Sanji finds himself fidgeting, his fingers running over the small band-aid on the inside of his elbow.

“Of course not,” he says finally.  

 ---

 To his absolute dismay Sanji is prescribed further bedrest and Chopper expressively forbids him from returning to his duties in the kitchen. Sanji protests to the best of his ability, expecting to get some type of support from the rest of crew. But to his surprise there was only approval of Chopper’s decision, and Sanji realizes all hope is lost when he turns to his captain and Luffy’s face is been serious, as if he’d tried to think long and hard on the matter. "You need to rest up first Sanji. Captain's orders!"

Effectively barred from the kitchen and told to rest, there’s not much left from Sanji’s usual routine to occupy himself with. He sleeps a lot, and it’s not like it’s possible to be truly alone on a ship like theirs. Luffy seems to have made it his personal mission to fill Sanji in on whatever idiocy he and Usopp have come up with during the day, and Robin, bless her, has taken to dropping by with books from the library. One afternoon, Nami had cleared out space for herself at Chopper’s desk to work on her maps muttering something about the deck being too noisy ,and Brook keeps sticking his head in and asking for suggestions on what to play next, wandering off but somehow always straying close enough that Sanji can hear the music too.

Still, the days are long and the nights even longer, and so when the ship is quiet and dark, Sanji broods.

It’s starting to catch up with him, the strangeness of the situation and his mind is filled with thoughts he’d rather not linger on. Like the relief on the faces of the crew that morning when he’d first woken up, when they’d filed in one after another with that same expression on their faces and that same weight leaving their shoulders as they caught sight of him. Like the state of his body, still so goddamn tired and worn.

‘You drowned’ Zoro had said and Sanji still doesn’t know what that means.

 ---

 One night it all gets a little too much. Desperate to get a moment’s reprieve from the noise inside his head Sanji listens and waits. On the other side of the infirmary door the crew of the Sunny are slowly but surely settling for the night and finally the ship is silent. Sanji knows that Luffy has the first watch of the night which just means that their captain will be sleeping in the crow’s nest instead of in the men’s cabin, and so Sanji only looks around once before he steps out from the infirmary onto the deck.

It’s cold.

What was it Nami-san had said yesterday, they’d entered the climate zone of an Autumn island? It’s been a second since Sanji’s shivered like this, but wrapped in one of the blankets from his sickbed the chill against his skin makes him feel alive. He breathes in, holds the air, exhales. Fuck, he could really use a cigarette right now.

Sanji stands outside for a good while watching the sea and tasting the salt in the air. Some self-medication, he thinks to himself and snickers.

Next is the galley. He’s not stupid enough to go against doctor’s orders and try to cook something, but a cup of tea that he’s brewed himself, getting the stand in front of the stove and soak in the heat. He thinks that’d do him good.

So of course, because the universe hates him, he opens the door to the galley and steps inside only to find that he’s not alone. The lights are off but moonlight streams through the portholes and by the table Zoro is drinking.

Sanji stands by the threshold and curses the world.

Zoro looks up from his drink, his face infuriatingly stoic as he opens his stupid mouth.

“You’re not supposed to be here. Chopper’s gonna have your head.”

Sanji grits his teeth. Maybe it’s just as well that he’s not smoking, he would have bit through his cigarette by now otherwise.

“Shut up,” he mutters as he makes his way to the stove. It’s not worth it, starting a fight. Besides…”You’d snitch on me, mosshead?”

Zoro grunts and takes another swig from his bottle. It’s the good sake that Sanji had hid way back in the pantry. He imagines not much is left out of that stock.

Sanji inhales slowly and turns away. No fighting, he repeats inside his head like a mantra as he prepares his tea. It’s not worth it.

To his great disappointment Zoro's still sitting there when he turns back. He scowls as he takes a seat at the table but makes sure put his cup down gently.

He takes a sip, closes his eyes. Despite the unwanted presence on the other side of the table he feels himself relax. Why wouldn’t he? The galley is his domain, his second skin. Fuck, as much as he needed fresh air, this is it. Inside the galley, the heart of the ship, he’s okay.

When he opens his eyes he finds Zoro staring at him and at once the smile on his face drops. This fucker. The mosshead isn’t even drinking anymore. The bottle’s empty, his arms are crossed over his chest, the expression on his face unreadable as he keeps. Fucking. Staring.

Sanji’s had enough.

“What’s your problem?” he says and he tries to keep his voice calm, neutral. His voice is still raspy, even though it’s been days since he woke up.

Zoro face hardens.

“That’s my question.” He leans forward to rest an elbow on the table. “Actually, I've been asking you for a while now but no dice.”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Sanji wants to say. Unfortunately, he remembers the mosshead glued to his side in the infirmary, asking that one question with various degrees of rudeness attached. But that had only been until he’d woken up properly. The idiot sure had been making himself scarce since then.

“I have no idea what your taking about?” he says instead.

It takes a while for Zoro to respond, finally he says:

“Do you remember what happened?”

Sanji glares.

“No,” he admits finally. As much as he hates it he realizes at once what Zoro means and that this is his best shot at finally getting some answers.

“You drowned—” Zoro starts but Sanji interrupts him at once. He’s not here to listen to bullshit.

“Talk sense, mosshead. Start from the beginning.”

There’s no way I drowned.

It’s Zoro’s turn to glare, but if looks could kill Sanji would be burning in hell a hundred times over so he ignores him.

Then – finally – Zoro starts talking.

“We were about to leave the latest island when a bunch of marines ambushed us. The usual weaklings”

Sanji nods. That much he remembers, it had only been him, Luffy and the mosshead fighting while the others prepared the ship to set sail, stowing away their shopping and what not. It’s after that shit gets blurry.

“Well, their captain was apparently the ambitious type, had invested in all this advanced weaponry. Out of the norm on a small base like this one but still no different from the shit we’d run into before. We thought.” Zoro goes on speaking, his voice the usual drone but something about it is still unnerving, maybe it’s because Sanji knows that something ends up going south.

“So he kept going on about all his toys, you know the type, but then he mentioned something kinda troublesome. Some genius had come up the idea to combine those seastone nets of theirs with a bazooka or whatever. He said that, the marine captain, and aimed at Luffy.”

“Luffy didn’t notice, he was fighting some martial artist and he’s never been the type to listen twice to weaklings. But you did, Cook,” Zoro says, his face serious as he stares at Sanji. And Sanji realizes that that strange undercurrent to Zoro’s voice is rage.

“You heard the guy,” he continues, “and instead of shouting out a warning or kicking Luffy out of the way and dodging, you took the hit for him and was sent flying into the sea. And sure, you’re good swimmer but that net knocked the air out of you, and in the blink of an eye you were sinking. ‘S not like you can kick you’re way out of seastone, either.”

Sanji swallows. Not his greatest moment, but still.

“Big deal, someone got me out, right?”

Zoro’s not amused.

“You see, Cook. It took a moment, since both Luffy and I were busy with our own fights and that idiot is useless in the water anyway. But sure I jumped in after you and by the time I got you out the marines were done with. But seastone’s heavy, it slowed me down.”

Sanji’s stunned. That’s an unexpected confession, coming from the swordsman. It makes him uncomfortable.

“Called for Chopper when I got out because you weren’t responding. Think you swallowed a decent amount of water. He wanted to start compressions, you know, but seastone’s a bitch. It took you a while to free you, especially since four out of the crew couldn’t even help out.”

“You weren’t breathing when we finally got you free from the net. Chopper couldn’t find at pulse. You drowned.”

Sanji’s stomach churns. “Then what?” He manages to choke out.

Zoro shrugs. “Chopper started compressions, tried to get you breathing. The others helped him move you to the infirmary, and I guess they got you going after a couple of minutes. I’m not sure. I was trying to calm Luffy down."

“Why,” Sanji whispers.

“He would have killed those marines otherwise.”

Sanji runs his hands through his hair. He doesn’t want to look at the Zoro right now.

Fuck. The grip on his hair tightens. All this while he’d imagined all kinds of scenarios and yet the truth is worse than anythings he's managed to conjure up. He wants to accuse the other of lying, of making things up to fuck with him, but he knows Zoro’s not the type. Not even Usopp would lie about something like this. He feels bile at the back of his throat.

No wonder then. That he’d been feeling like shit. That the others had been looking at him like something fragile and precious. That Zoro was furious with him.

Speak of the devil.

“I’m gonna ask you again, Cook. What’s you problem?”

Sanji wants to laugh. Fuck this guy really, for choosing to do this now while his mind was still reeling.

“I don’t have a problem.”

“Then, why'd you take that hit in Luffy’s place instead of getting him out of the way?”

“Fuck if I know. I was just trying to save him. You would have done it too.”

Zoro sneers, the look on his face meaner than ever.

“Wrong. Anyone of us in the crew would have saved him, sure. Only you would put your sorry ass at risk, because you’re the only here with a death-wish.”

Sanji sees red.

“Like you’re the one to talk,” he spits out. “After Thriller Bark.”

“I was never going to die.”

Sanji stands up and it’s only the vertigo from rising so suddenly that stops him from kicking the swordsman through the wall. The hypocrisy is enough to throw all his senses awry.

“I was there, remember? I heard you offer your head in Luffy’s place!”

Sanji’’s self-aware enough to admit he’s the hotheaded type of guy. He doesn’t know how he finds it within himself to still keep a respectable volume.

Zoro grinds his teeth. Looking at him properly, Sanji can spot all these signs that tell him the calm Zoro’s projecting is a façade. The tense posture, the unnatural clench of his jaw. Suddenly Sanji’s tired, the fight running off him like water. He wishes they could just fight it out, cut through the tension with swords and kicks, without uttering a single world. Instead they’ve been reduced to this. It’s not like them.

“I remember,” Zoro says. “I know what I said, but unlike you I had the resolve to not die. Kuma was never gonna kill me.”

Sanji sits back down. He wants a smoke. He wants to not be here.

“You’re saying I would have died, and that’s why you knocked me out,” Sanji can’t help the resentment that colors his voice.

“Yes.”

“Because I’m weak.”

“Yes.”

There it is. It took two years but there it is. An admission.

“Don’t get me wrong, idiot. I’m not taking about your fighting ability, in that sense you’re as strong as any,” Sanji gets the distinct feeling that saying this out loud is like pulling teeth for Zoro. “But you’re fine with sacrificing your life, and that makes you weak.”

Sanji bites the inside of his cheek.

“That’s not true,” he counters but finds his voice unconvincing. He blames the early hour. The state of his body. Anything.

It would take a hundred years before he’d admit that Zoro has a point.

Zoro shakes his head and for a brief moment the mask is off. Instead of stern, he just looks weary and in the moonlit galley the shadows under his eyes are pronounced.

“I don’t how to get through to you,” he says and Sanji’s reminded of how young he is. How young they both are when it comes to the grand scheme of things; despite how much they’ve been through. But the moment passes and Zoro stands up.

Sanji realizes he missed his chance, but he not sure for what, and maybe that’s for the better.

“One more thing.” Zoro stops by the doorway, not even bothering to look back. “You’re not putting the crew through this again.”

The door falls shut behind him and Sanji is alone. 

He leans his head back to stare at the ceiling. 

Well, what the fuck am I supposed to do then?

Sure, this one was unecessary, but Sanji knows the sea is cruel. He's not naive enough to think that their little crew, however much they mean to him, are special enough to coast by without coming across tragedy or hardships. And maybe that means that somewhere deep down, unconsciously, he'd promised himself that when the time comes it's him and not them. Never them.

He'll just have to be smarter about it.

[laws-hat-headcanons]

Hiya Hat!! Can I please get some headcanons for Smoker, Kidd and Robin as parents please!!!

Oooooh!!! Oh I dont know what to call you with that name, because I usually just go the first part of the username but… uh anyway yes!! Great ask! 10/10. I love characters as parents and these are some of my faves!! Thank you! Hope you like it!!

Smoker, Kid and Robin as parents

Smoker

. The first time Smoker holds his baby in his arms he cries. Big tears, he doesnt even try to hold them back, he knows he can’t.

. How could he – of all people – deserve something as precious and wonderful as this?

. He is amazed by this little person. So small, so tiny, so fragile in his hands. He promises to protect his child until his death.

. Smoker is the over protective parent.

. Reads every book on parenting he can get his hands on and even then he isn’t sure it’s enough.

. Genuine pro at nappy changing. He has dealt with much worse than a bit of poop – he’s a Vice Admiral after all. There has been one or two occasions where he has just burned the clothes instead of bothering to wash them though.

. He baby proofs everything and once his kid starts walking he’s a nervous wreck.

. Every bump, scrape and scratch is like he has failed. And when his child cries his heart breaks a little bit each time. He will swoop in, pick them up and check them over and kiss them better, wiping away their tears.

. But he learns pretty quickly that children are resilient.

. Has a chest carrier, dose not give a shit if anyone makes fun of him.

. He only trusts Tashigi and Hina to watch his child. The rest of G5 isn’t getting near without a responsible adult present. Not a fucking chance.

. Genuinely loves going clothes shopping for his kid and picking out adorable little outfits.

. He has no idea on sizes though, just sort of holds it up to the child and is like “Yeah, i’m sure that will fit?” It’s not till Tashigi explains it that he actually starts getting the right sized clothes.

. Tashigi buys them matching outfits.

. Tries his best to not smoke around his child. Super super hard for him but he does manage it because his kid is more important than anything else.

Kid

. Lets be clear. Kid never wanted children and the only reason he has one now is because his partner wouldn’t get rid of it.

. So when he first sees the baby he is not expecting to feel anything other than annoyance.

. Which is exactly what he does feel when the little chewed up toffee is placed gently in to his remaining arm.

. When the nurse tells him to keep the head and neck supported he grunts and wonders how in the hell he is going to keep something so small and weak alive – on the grand line no less. Can't even hold it’s own damn head up.

. But he watches the baby, listens to the soft noises it makes and watches it’s little fingers opening and closing and something in him sort of shifts. And he gets this tight feeling in his throat that he can’t swallow away.

. He gives the baby to whoever will take it and leaves the room.

. Kid doesn’t hold the baby much after that. But he’ll watch it, in the night when everyone else is asleep and it’s just him and the kid. And he likes the way that when he puts his hand next to the tiny baby hand it curls it’s fingers around one of his and it’s so strong. And maybe he’s a little bit proud.

. He puts up panels around the ship so the toddler can’t fall in to the sea, but other than that it’s free to roam. There is always someone keeping an eye on it (mainly Killer, who is already wrapped around the babies little finger)

. When the child starts to crawl, then walk, Kid just lets it. He doesnt know the milestones for babies but he is convinced his child is above average.

. Doesnt realise it but he brags about his child all the time. To the crew. Random people. Sometimes his enemies. If anyone points it out he denies it and storms off.

. Makes really elaborate toys for his child. His kid has the coolest things to play with out of any child in the OP Verse.

. Whever Kid hears his kid crying he will be there in seconds. He might not always do anything. Might just tell the child to get up and stop being so lame, but he is always there – just in case.

. If anyone hurts his kid they’re in for a world of pain. Even if it was an accident. Even if it’s just a scratch. Kid isn’t having that.

. When it’s bedtime and his child won’t sleep, Kid will let them crawl in to bed with him, curled up around the stump of his arm with their back against his chest. And he will never, ever tell anyone. But he wouldn’t give those moments up for anything in the world.

Robin

. Robin never really planned to have children. Not because she didn’t want any, but because she didn’t think she would live long enough to get the chance.

. So when she finds out she is pregnant she is both shocked, pleased and a little overwhelmed.

. She doesn’t know if she should keep it – being a pirate is dangerous and she can’t. Can’t. Lose her child like she did everyone else she cared about.

. But she has the Straw Hats now, and they all promise her, above anything, they will protect her and her baby.

. And when the child is born she knows she made the right decision. When she holds her baby she can’t help the tears that trickle down her face. But she is smiling, and she doesn’t think she will ever stop smiling in that moment, looking down at her most precious treasure.

. All of the Straw Hats help to raise the child. It is spoiled rotten by Aunt Nami and Uncle Sanji. Never a dull moment with Uncle Luffy and Uncle Usopp. Always safe with Uncle Zoro and Papa Franky around. No scratch or scrape untreated with Uncle Chopper on hand and with Uncle Brook to sing them to sleep and Uncle Jinbei to snuggle with there are no bad dreams.

. Robin tells her child stories. She tells them of Ohara. Of her research on the Poneglyphs. Her time in Baroque Works and when she was imprisoned on Tequila Wolf.

. She promises her kid that there will be no secrets between them.

. While Robin trusts her crew with her life she always keeps an eye on her child no matter who is watching them. She doesn’t let the child out of her sight it she can help it.

. Nami and Jinbei are probably the only two she really trusts to be unsupervised with the kid.

. When they dock on new islands Robin takes her child with her to explore any ruins or ancient places she can find.

. She always makes sure her child is dressed correctly. Coats and boots for winter islands and cool clothes for summer islands. Robin keeps suncream and plasters on hand in case and she isalways prepared for any situation she might finger herself in where her child is concerned.