#if i were luffy i would haki knock out that big man... who is going to know....

[wesleysniperking]

Usopp and Conqueror’s Haki | part 3 (TL;DR)

previously

Resilience

Usopp may have hit rock bottom at one point, but he managed to bounce back from that as well. He survived Boin Archipelago, a man-eating island, and although in the Syrup Village arc he failed to convince the villagers that Kuro was a fake he still had the resolve to protect the villagers (the same people who wanted to attack him).

Heck, when the Franky family jumped/beat him up TWO times, he still came back and fought after the first time, and still tried getting up and fight.

When Sugar and Trebol got him the first time, he still had the resolve to help Luffy so Sugar wouldn’t turn Luffy into a toy (and a lot of people were after Usopp because Doflamingo placed such a hefty bounty on his head), so it was definitely risky.

Intuition

Easy. When he fought Perona, and defeated Sugar. He knew where to get ‘em. He figured it out. From Perona’s astral projections (and apparent fear of cockroaches) and Sugar’s fear of his face, he knocked them both out. Heck, Intuition was the facet of him unlocking Observation haki.

Then there’s the whole “his lies always come true” thing. That takes some great intuition. He was able to get the gist that someone was after Sanji based on Sanji’s bounty (leading up to the WCI events). And then there’s when he told everyone during the Buster Call at Enies Lobby to get on the Going Merry (and Zoro was against it and it seemed so absurd to get on a broken ship), and the Going Merry saved the crew. Because if he hadn’t kept her (and fought Luffy), she would’ve never come to save them (and he took the utmost care of the Going Merry).

Visionary

Heck, this was from the jump. Even back in Syrup Village (I honestly think that’s what encouraged the Romance Dawn Trio to recruit him). He had that trio of little boys following him around and he always expressed wanting to become a brave warrior of the sea like his father and a true pirate. Again, this is where he becomes a good storyteller and talks things into existence. From big fish poop (Little Garden) that's the size of an island to a beautiful swordswoman with meat (Rebecca back in Dressrosa), his lies come true.

Even back in Little Garden, he was inspired by the giants and wanted to furthermore become/resemble their image of what being a brave warrior was all about.

Then back in Onigashima, when those swordsman/samuari were wanting to surrender to their fate and not keep fighting. But Usopp was disgusted by that, and he gave a speech that further brought home his vision; his dream.

This even goes back to Boin, when he opted to lose weight and have Heracles’ train him because he wanted to become The King of Shooters.

Must be born with it

So, this just kinda makes me more speculative than anything. Some even say this trait is somewhat disputable. This is one thing on the list overall that brings me to a halt. In all fairness we don’t know how far Yasopp’s haki abilities go (he could quite possibly 5% of a chance have conquerors…but I’m not betting on…it?). AND we don’t know much about Usopp’s lineage that goes way beyond his dad. But this is kind of something you have to justify with or without research or evidence.

Moving On...

Yes, yes. Oda is quoted saying that Usopp will always be the “weakest” crew member…so? I’m not looking for Usopp to be this overpowered nut, and honestly, I love him the way he is. No doubt about it. But Conqueror’s Haki would be a cool add-on narratively and symbolically. Since I’m always comparing Usopp to King David (David and Goliath), I’m pretty sure David would have had conqueror’s haki; he was known as the warrior king too!

Conclusion

Either way, it’s just a funny thing to entertain. Conqueror’s Haki and Usopp in the same sentence didn’t feel right at first, but now it’s starting to.

I remember somewhere (it was Worstgen), where this person was discussing Usopp fighting Luffy in order to keep (or to obtain) the Going Merry, and they said if that’s not big d*ck energy then they don’t know what is. It literally made me LOL ‘cause that person’s perception of Conqueror’s Haki was soooo simple and crude. But I’m not judgin’. Anywho, I don’t think my words are an entirely accurate take on what Conqueror's Haki EXACTLY is, but it’s what I’ve commonly come across, and is still quite a mystery to the OP fandom and the world itself.

Off Subject or P.S.

A little off subject, but if we want to give a bit more perspective, some people even believe that the “Arlong Boys” will get conquerors haki (which includes Luffy, Zoro, Usopp, and Sanji).

Then fans even go off of the basis of Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp being the only ones who’ve fought their captain (Whiskey Peak, Water 7, and Whole Cake Island), AND even harming a celestial dragon (Sanji kicked the crap out of one, Zoro threatened one and was even willing to k!ll them, and Usopp accidentally fell on top of one who was about to hurt some innocent people AND it was the one with the most superiority in that vicinity).

Ah, this makes me so giddy just thinking about it. But seriously, Usopp getting Conqueror’s Haki would work well narratively. It would give the message of how even those seen as weak can truly be a conqueror.

A good evolution to Usopp’s growth.

A good ending point.

So, thank you for your time. This concludes my Ted Talks.

Part 1

Part 2

[aviculor]

To elaborate on my Katakuri theory, there's a lot of small details. For instance, despite being able to see the future, a jellybean he flicked knocked out the priest before he could shoot Sanji. When he invaded the Sunny, he literally sat down with his arms and legs crossed and just watched Brook and Chopper take his men out. Despite having a den den mushi and witnessing Luffy talk to his crew through a mirror shard, he at no point informs Perospero or any of his other siblings that the Strawhats are still alive. He doesn't even say anything about it to Brulee, Mascarpone, and Joscarpone who are also there in the mirror world. Basically, it would have been incredibly easy for him to kill the Strawhats and be done with it, yet he chose to do nothing simply to see how things would play out. Any time he took initiative, it was neutralizing an active threat to his family such as flicking jellybeans at would-be assassins and providing mochi earplugs during Big Mom's shriek. And, of course, fighting Luffy. Which as I said before, quickly revealed that he respects Luffy and ended with him lowkey making Luffy promise to bring down Big Mom. In short, Katakuri secretly wants his mom to be defeated.

During his backstory, the idea of going to his mom over what happened is never even brought up. No, despite being the princes and princesses of Totto Land, the Charlotte children were completely on their own. No special status. Free to be bullied, free to be assaulted and mutilated. They only had each other to rely on. In fact, when you look at the timeline, Linlin was sailing with the Rocks Pirates during most of her children's childhoods. I'm not even quite sure how she was doing that and also giving birth to at least one child a year for the last 42 solid years. But that's not important right now. What is important is that Charlotte Linlin is a bad mother who is not only negligent, but outright abusive and even willing to kill her children for getting in her way during a tantrum. Katakuri, a man who loves his siblings so dearly that he became a "perfect" cold and calculating killing machine just to keep them safe, has every reason to resent his mother. Additionally, I would imagine it bothers him how he needs to act so stoic and deathly serious to be taken seriously, yet Big Mom can act like a spoiled child and still be treated with the utmost respect and fear. Remember that's not only his mother, that's also his captain. He and Perospero essentially co-lead the Big Mom Pirates whenever Linlin isn't in her right mind, which is...often. Despite Katakuri explicitly being the strongest member of the crew outside of Big Mom herself, it's easy to think of Perospero as the #2 because he is the one at Big Mom's side carrying out her orders and acting in her interest. Katakuri...is not. If you notice, he barely even interacts with Big Mom except during the wedding ceremony. It's also worth noting he conspicuously stayed behind in Totto Land when the Big Mom Pirates sailed into Wano. All evidence suggests he's not actually that loyal to Big Mom, but he cannot openly defy her. Especially not without his beloved family turning on him.

So what happens when a young upstart pirate captain with a reputation for toppling empires named Monkey D. Luffy declares war on Big Mom and basically comes in her home to spit in her face? He personally goes to see if Luffy can put his money where his mouth is. Over the course of a long, long fight, he comes to realize Luffy might actually have what it takes and accepts defeat. He asks Luffy one more time if he still plans on coming back to defeat Big Mom one day. And when informed that Luffy successfully escaped from Totto Land, he smirks.

As for why he bothered getting in the way during Bege's assassination plot, it stands to reason his observation haki future vision told him his siblings would try to avenge her and throw their own lives away. And they would ask why he didn't do anything to stop it. Maybe he foresaw that it wouldn't even work. But much like Luffy wanting to beat up Hody Jones, it just wasn't the right way to do it.

[ask-tamatoa-with-axes-for-claws]

well, since i’ve finished the arc (finally) it’s time for my ✨dressrosa wrap-up✨

fourth gear luffy was very cool!! also seeing devil fruit awakening powers in action (for the first time, i think?) really cool and opens up a lot of options for how fruit powers can be used in the future!

USOPP AWAKENING OBSERVATION HAKI!!! MY BOY (also, in knocking sugar out the second time, the method was very funny. it was also funny the first time but it was funnier the second time.) also god usopp...iconic

i am DELIGHTED by bartolomeo, he is such a lovable dipshit. also for new characters, issho is a pretty rad dude, especially compared to...most of the admirals we’ve seen so far. he has a legitimate sense of non-sociopathic justice and isn’t blind to the flaws o. is aware of the flaws of the world government and their overreach and corruption. also glad to see sabo and luffy reuniting

my bellamy woobification arc...this dude is just straight up having a bad time

CORA MY BELOVED...god, law’s flashback is one of the hardest-hitting flashbacks in the series so far, probably up there with brook’s and nami’s (robin’s is still the most devastating to me)

okay time for me to be a hater. i simply do not care for law very much outside of when he’s trying to be Badass McCoolGuy and being reminded that he lives in a cartoon world and has formed an alliance with the cartooniest guy in that world. there are way too many times in this arc where there’s a death fakeout, then it turns out he’s not dead, and it’s just like. come on, man. his powers as shown in the previous arc are already insanely broken to the point it feels like there’s little-to-no tension in a lot of the fights he’s involved in somehow. 

i did not care for half the crew going off to zou partway through the arc and being offscreened entirely. 

ughhhhhhhhh everything about rebecca’s writing kind of sucks ass! this has been talked about in excruciating detail before but she ultimately does nothing of substance and is forced to be rescued multiple times. despite supposedly being one of the greatest gladiators in dressrosa, she’s repeatedly put in situations where she cowers in a corner, sobbing for someone to save her. the resolution to her “fight” with diamante, with her big strong dad coming in and going “girls shouldn’t fight! you need to remain Pure and Pristine!!” would probably have come off as incredibly sexist no matter what, but if there had been more of a focus on rebecca being forced to fight despite not wanting to, and in her feeling guilt over hurting and defeating the other contestants, it could have felt slightly less insulting

does anyone like the tontattas

seriously, anyone

maybe i wouldn’t have minded them so much if not for the stupid introductory scene where they crawl into robin’s dress (speaking of women who get sidelined hard in this arc...hoo boy) and the consistent official translation phonetically writing their dialogue in cutesy baby talk but like. they do nothing for me. i do not care for them. 

the same goes for, uh, basically all the gladiators? and also basically all the executives (except senor pink) ??  we spend a hell of a lot of time watching a bunch of dudes we’ve never met before this arc and have no emotional connection to fighting a bunch of other dudes we’ve never met before this arc, and honestly instead of introducing 50 new characters i would have preferred the offscreened strawhats get to fight instead. 

because of the multiple plotlines, it feels like we jump around every 2-3 chapters to a different story, and as a result, it feels like not much progress is made in each line. i really hope other people who were reading this were super invested in all of the plots because otherwise you spend multiple chapters in a row waiting to get back to the shit you actually care about 

overall i’d say the arc is...there are parts about it that work (everything that directly involves doflamingo, the doffy vs. luffy fight, issho) but unfortunately a lot that feels like it’s spinning our wheels waiting to finish up the main plot. i appreciate the dark parallels to alabasta and the vision of “here’s what would have happened if crocodile had won”, but i feel like alabasta handled it much more concisely, with characters i was more invested in, and allowed all the strawhats (and vivi) to be a key part of stopping the villain’s plan instead of having half of them leave halfway through the arc 

[seaoftales]

While he didn't have his crew sail such a far distance only to be turned away, Red Hair still couldn't help the smile. It was very clear that Law himself had a a loyal and cautious crew, and with how things were currently going after the mess at Marineford, he couldn't really blame them for being too cautious, either.

Now, there were two approaches he could take --- play along or be the big bad Emperor and demand to see their captain. The third option he'd rather avoid was simply using his Conqueror's Haki and knock them out before waltzing into the submarine like he owned the place, though Shanks couldn't be further from acting like that. He was a man who liked peace and peaceful negotiations and conversations whenever they were possible, not to mention that he simply wasn't that type of person.

He gave the two a small smile, holding up his hand to show that he had no ill intentions besides just a friendly visit and a conversation with Law if the young man would give him his time of the day.

"Word has it that he took care of Strawhat Luffy after the war at Marineford and saved his life. All I want to do is thank him for it."

Deterring tracking was definitely a reason he had opted to go with a submarine. And there tended to be less movement of the vessel beneath the waves than on them. Usually. And remaining below the sea was what he had intended to do for as long as possible after the conflict at Marineford- let the news cool off, raise his chances of not being immediately swarmed upon surfacing.

There was only so long supplies would last, however. (And only so long the crew could tolerate each other- even if they all got on decently well.) (There was just something about tight quarters that got people at each others' throats.)

A week had, perhaps, been a little too indulgent for a stay ashore. Not that he doubted any of the crew would appreciate it. It also didn't seem as if the Marines were looking too hard for them- who knew what that meant. Probably nothing good. Still, he'd take the peace while it lasted. Better than an unexpected conflict. Which might have been about to change, given the presence approaching his vessel-

Outside, last minute preparations were being finished- the last few crates of supplies in the process of being loaded. Coordination shouted among themselves, promises of activities for once they were done- until they were approached. Well. Shit. Shachi and Penguin glanced at each other, returned their attention to Shanks. "Why?" "Yeah, can't just have you walkin' in for no good reason."

[onepiecereactions]

Vice-Admiral Smoker and the joys of administration, OS

Smoker, Tashigi, Garp, Kizaru OS.

Humour.

Warning vulgarity.

2100 words.

English Version

Vice-Admiral Smoker and the joys of administration

Smoker hated coming backfrom a mission. Don't get me wrong, he loves his job! But two things annoyed him the most about these moments.

On the one hand, that meant not going on the sea for at least a few weeks. Indeed, Marineford had established a complex system of turnover of vice-admirals so, with some exceptions, at least 3 vice admirals are always present on the base in case of necessity.

The feeling of freedom, feeling the air on his face, not being locked, that was what made Smoker happy deep inside him. That and the feeling of having helped the citizens and brought some justice back to this damn world, obviously.

On the other hand, returning to base meant a horrible administrative mountain. And just thinking about it, headaches were already migrating through the vice-admiral's head. Luckily, Tashigi was always ready to help him and do some of his duties to let him rest.

So it was with a heavy heart that Smoker set foot on the base for the first time after months of mission. While Tashigi was already rushing into his office with the firm intention of working all night to do her report on time, Smoker was walking mechanically to his private apartments. He threw his dirty jacket on the floor, took a long, hot shower, and get into his bed, already cursing tomorrow's hellish day.

The next morning the vice-admiral woke up in a bad mood. He grabbed his jacket that he had left on the soaked bathroom floor and sighed: it was ruined. As resistant as the clothes made by Marineford are, staying intact when you get cannonballs in your back is complicated. And Smoker, unlike many of the women on the base, hated walking around topless.

So his first resolution of the day was to go find a new jacket. And of course, he was going to ask Tashigi to do it for him. At first, as a man of integrity, Smoker was remorseful about leaving so many of his tasks to his colleague, even if the latter was doing wonderfully. But after several years in Marineford, honestly, now he didn't care.

So he grabbed his den den mushis and called the brunette. After several seconds of waiting, Tashigi did not pick up. Smoker worried, it was very unusual for the young woman who had a reputation for answering even when she was asleep.

He then quickly took two cigars from his desk, threw his dead jacket over his back, and walked quickly to his office.

Misfortune never happening alone, of course, on the way he passed Admiral Kizaru. The latter joined him in his race to his office and took the opportunity to discuss. The Yellow Admiral had the reputation of loving to talk, much to the misfortune of Smoker who loved calm above all else.

"Oh, tell me dear friend, are the holes in the jacket a new fashion? I know that I am no longer very young but still, I don’t understant. Is it to provide a ventilation system? Don't tell me you have a fever my dear friend? Do you want me to call the dear caregivers of the "

Kizaru didn't even have time to finish his monologue when he got the door of Smoker's office in the face. The latter had already crushed his cigars to refrain from hitting the high-ranking officer in the face.

Once he was sure he heard the yellow monkey leave, he got into the chair across from his desk and reached into the second drawer to extract two new cigars.

After a few seconds of enjoying the smoke reaching his lungs, Smoker grabbed the stationary den den mushi of his desk and, as he went to call Tashigi, a note stuck to the back of his device intrigued him.

"Even though I warned you last night, that I sent you an official mail 48 hours before and that I slipped a note under the door of your apartment, I want to remind you, just in case, that I am absent that day until 7:30 p.m. All the captains have a meeting. I wish you a very nice day. Captain TASHIGI. "

Oh shit. For a little Smoker could have cried. It was certainly one of the worst announcements he could receive. No Tashigi. No Tashigi for a whole day! One more day after a mission! All the calls and assignments she receives today will go straight back to him, her boss! In addition to her work he was going to have to do his own! With holes in his jacket.

Smoker decided to go on strike. The schedule for that day was already far too scary to be able to live it. A thousand times he would have preferred to fight against Monkey D Luffy rather than going through it.

He then decided he would do what was necessary. He got up quickly from his seat, crashed out of his office and almost ran towards Building C. It was barely nine in the morning but the Vice Admiral thought he was fainting when he saw the huge queue in front of the door. . Obviously, it was Monday, and those morons in the administrative sector never worked weekends.

He then did like everyone else, walked over to the door to grab a numbered ticket, sat down on one of the few free seats and waited.

To his left was an ordinary soldier, without a shirt and pants, just his underwear. Smoker could smell a familiar scent of magma. Akainu had made his own again during the training of his subordinates.

Smoker looked at his ticket, number 38 and sighed. As he was about to improvise a nap while waiting his turn, his portable den den mushis rang.

"Vice-Admiral Smoker, I'm listening. » He said wearily.

The soldier at the other end of the line looked surprised to find the Vice Admiral and not the Captain. “Captain Tashigi is in a meeting, her calls are being redirected to me. If it's not urgent hang up ". Without further ado, the soldier hung up to the vice-admiral's delight.

1 hour later.

"I swear in front of Gol D Roger that if that damn den den mushi rings one more time I will blow his head against the wall." Grumbled the marine for the third time in a minute.

After an hour of waiting and 15 calls, the Vice Admiral was finally called into the room.

He almost tore his jacket from his back, put it violently on the desk while trying to keep his nerves and glared at the woman in front of him who remained unmoved.

"Vice Admiral Smoker, registration number XXXX, I need a new model 3 series AB size 98 jacket with option 13". Smoker had been clear, to the point, and hardly angry.

The woman, who was well into her fiftieth, looked at him indifferently.

“It doesn't work like that, vice-admiral. She said in a weary voice, as if she was talking to the first moron in the area.

Smoker struggled not to crush his cigars again but revised himself to think it would be difficult to face this without cigars.

"So how do you do in this case?" He asked sharply.

The woman didn't even bother to answer him, she just gave him a form. Smoker thought it was a big joke when he found himself with a five-page double-sided document in his hands.

" Are you kinding me ? Five fucking pages for a fucking jacket? Can't you just write 22 fucking words on a fucking post it note and talk about it? Bellowed the Vice Admiral who was already starting to turn to smoke in annoyance.

"Blblblbl, blblblbl, blbllb" The den den mushi began to ring, straining Smoker's last strength to stay calm.

" It's not my fault ". The woman began in a slow, boring voice.

Blblblbl, blbllblb, blbllb

"If you are too stupid"

Blblblb, blblbl, blbllb

"To complete a simple form"

Blblbllbbl, blblbl

"That even Kizaru gets to"

Blblbl, SCRATCH.

The vice-admiral's den den mushi flew across the room, finishing its course into the wall.

To the slow voice of the woman was added the tears of the den den mushi.

"FUCK OF," Smoker yelled as he stormed out of the room to make sure his fist didn't end up in the woman's face. He went out like a madman and locked himself in his office to try to find calm and serenity.

He grabbed a third cigar and after about ten minutes of relaxation began to fill out the damn form. He was only halfway through when the door to his office slammed open, knocking out the lustrous wood that had already received quite a few knocks.

"Ah my dear friend, I went to the infirmary and got you some medicine to lower your temperature. But beware, this is a suppository! ".

Smoker felt his heart stop beating when he saw the yellow admiral's face in front of his nose.

Blblblb, blbllb

"Oh my dear friend I think someone is trying to reach you on your stationary den den mushi. "

Blblblb, blbllb

"Maybe you should answer, maybe it's urgent, don't you think? "

Blblblbl, blbllb

Smoker had a vision. The den den mushi stuck, smeared with haki, right in the middle of the admiral's face, his nose bleeding.

It took phenomenal self-control for the vice-admiral not to reproduce his impulses. For the second time, he chooses to escape.

He took a pen with him to finish filling out the damn file that had become completely unreadable so much he had massacred it.

He found himself in front of the lingerie door, walked past all the soldiers and walked into the office. He barely had time to put a foot inside when he felt a stapler cross his face with its smoke.

"I DON'T THINK I CALLED YOUR NUMBER!" Yelled the woman who had "briefed" him earlier.

Smoker crushed the doorknob but stayed calm. He turned around, took a ticket from the machine, and sat down in the only seat available: the one next to Vice-Admiral Garp. "

Smoker sighed and prayed to all the gods that this old fool would leave him in peace.

So he settled down next to him and inspected him discreetly. He then realized that the old man's uniform was impeccably worn if the traces of grease were omitted from his shirt from all the donuts he had. But the Marineford hero wasn’t wearing socks.

"Don't ask questions kid." The grandfather simply told him when he met Smoker's gaze.

"Hey Smoker, I heard you're after my grandson. Did you know that when he was young he used to have fun sticking his finger up his nose to eat his boogers? Except that this stupid pirate, as he is elastic, he always ended up bleeding from the nose. Suddenly he would start screaming and running in all directions. Most of the time he would smash into a tree or a wall and fall apart, by the time the bleeding ended. Did you also know he got clean very late? I had to buy him pyjamas with an opening pocket on the buttocks because he never managed to undo his buttons and ended up pooping on himself? Ah and also the time when ”.

Smoker wanted to: die.

Blblblb, blbllbl

A mirage ? a hallucination?

"Vice-Admiral Garp, I'm listening. Ah hi Sengoku, how are you? A fishing trip? Now ? Ah I'm coming. By the way, don't you have pairs of socks to lend me? »And so the Vice Admiral disappeared through the maze of hallways, much to Smoker's delight.

It took no less than forty-five additional minutes of waiting for Smoker to finally put the damn file in the damn good drawer which, by chance again, was in building A and, as it happened, no administrative soldier was available to take the paper which he therefore had to deposit himself.

The same day, at 10 p.m.

"A call for you Vice Admiral Smoker." The bartender handed the den den mushi to the vice-admiral, who took a last sip of sake before answering.

"Good evening Vice-Admiral, I hope you had a good day! » Tashigi began. "I was wondering why you weren't answering den den mushi... I received an official document for you. It involves a fine for "disrespecting an administrative colleague" as well as a two-week ban from returning to the lingerie office. Is everything okay ”.

"I STILL PREFER TO WALK NAKED THAN TO RETURN TO THIS OFFICE".

[lo-55]

Lightning In A Bottle Ch. 2

Nanohana wasn’t changed much, to the point that Nao was beginning to wonder how long she had been inside her crystal prison. She had no idea how much time had passed, but if the boy who had broken her out of the rock hadn’t recognized her or her flag it had to have been a while. 

And that hat…

It had to be a duplicate, surely.

Nao tucked her hands into the pockets of her pants. Her high leather boots kept the sand out of her socks, at least, and when Luffy managed to burn whole sacks of Raindance powder her cape kept her dry. At her side, Odenta and Mikazuki hung as heavy comforts in their sheaths. They didn’t garner nearly as much attention in the city as Nao and the Gem’s had when they had arrived however long ago that was. Back there the city had emptied out as soon as they stepped foot in the sand covered streets of the Alabastan port. 

No, no one even looked twice at them, there were so many people going through the city. 

Not her, or Luffy in his hat. 

How peculiar. 

Nao made a mental note to get a hold of a newspaper as soon as she could, or maybe visit Ohara. They would have the best records about what she’d missed. 

It would have to wait. Ohara was a long ways from Alabasta, and it would be hard to sail Blood Stone without someone else helping her. The ship was just a little felucca, hardly big enough for fifteen people, but she was tough as nails and made for the roughest waters in the world. All the same, it wasn’t safe to sail alone in the Grand Line, where the weather might change without warning, when there wasn’t someone to stay awake and keep watch. Not to mention Marine’s, other pirates, and all sorts of other dangers. Sea Kings probably hadn’t gone extinct since she went under. She’d rather not deal with them. 

Nao was so busy contemplating her ship that she nearly walked right by the restaurant that Luffy went shooting into. 

She had to backtrack to poke her head inside. A crowd had gathered, and Luffy was ignoring it entirely in face of ordering lunch. A pair of unconscious bodies lay through several broken walls. 

Nao cocked her head. Had Luffy done that when hed stretched out and launched himself like a demented rubberband? She knew it had to be a Devil Fruit, but she didn’t expect him to go causing that much destruction mindlessly.  

What a weird kid. 

Ah well. Pirate.

Nao took a seat next to Luffy while the chef frantically started cooking. Whoever had been in before them had eaten a lot, with dirty plates stacked nearly to the ceiling. Now he was feeding Luffy, and her too. 

Nao made a mental note to tip him well. 

She casually elbowed Luffy’s face out of the way and stole a whole chicken to rip into. 

“Hey!” he shouted around a mouthful of food. His head stretched unnaturally away on his neck. “That’s mine!” 

“Finders keepers,” she said succinctly, and shoveled it into her face as fast as she could. Time hadn’t passed for her at all inside the stone. Her injuries from the battle weren’t healed, and she didn’t feel well rested. She was famished, but not starving like she’d spent months unconscious. 

Nevertheless, she’d always been a big eater. She needed the energy to keep up with her lifestyle, and to keep herself strong enough to fight. She wouldn't let her broad shoulders shrivel or her powerful legs grow weak if she could help it. It was a death sentence.  

She nearly bit Luffy’s hand inhaling spicy noodles next, and a hank of lamb. The chef was sweating and out of breath but he kept putting food on the counter and they kept eating. Luffy was chatting with the locals while he ate. 

“Why’s there a hole in the wall? Is that some weird hobby of yours?”

“YOU’RE THE ONE WHO PUT THE HOLE IN THE WALL!” 

She knew it. 

Nao was in the middle of a plate of roasted peppers when one of the formerly-unconscious men climbed out of the hole in the wall. She watched him get slammed back down by a man in a fur coat, and the next thing she knew she was getting dragged through the streets of Nanohara by Luffy. 

Why are we running? That guy isn’t even that strong...

“Tashigi!” the man chasing them shouted, “Stop them!” 

Nao looked forwards to see a girl with a sword. 

“I’ll handle her,” she offered Luffy, who nodded and let go so he could go bouncing up onto the rooftops like a ninja or something. In one smooth move Nao drew Odenta from her side and lifted it to block a blow from the other girl, Tashigi. 

“Nice sword,” Nao grinned sharply at the girl over their locked blades. Her form was good, but she wasn’t very strong. Too bad. 

“Yours is too. It’s a shame it’s being used by pirate scum!” 

“Xeshishishi, tell you what, if you can beat me you can have her.” 

 The man who’d been smashed into the floor landed next to the two. An orange hat rested on his head and he had a bad slung over one shoulder. Black hair fell in soft waves to frame his cheeks, which were covered with freckles. 

There was something familiar about him… 

“Excuse me, ladies,” he said politely, startling both of them into looking away from their crossed blades to him instead. He tipped his hat towards them, then the building that Luffy had jumped up onto. He was blocked from it by their swords. “I have to catch up with my brother now.” 

“Uh, sure,” said the marine girl. They pulled their blades away to make a path for him. 

“Why are you telling us this…?” the redhead countered, looking confused. She faltered when she got a good look at his face, recognition shooting through her. Nao sucked in a breath. He looked like- 

“Hey, hold on-!” 

“Sorry, I can’t,” Portgas waved to them and shot over the rooftops, after his brother and the marine. Nao shook her head. She would see him again, if he was chasing Luffy. 

Nao drew back and slashed again easily. Each move was economic and graceful. She spared no energy, partially because she simply didn’t have any. Tashigi blocked, but the force pushed her back a few feet. 

Nao parried her next attack and side stepped to smack her on the back of the neck with Odenta, sending her careening to the ground.  

Someone screamed, but no blood came from the fallen marine. 

She touched the back of her neck in confusion. “Wha-?”

Nao didn’t answer. 

She was already gone. 

Nao ducked around a corner and ran after Luffy, following his Haki until she caught up with him and a group of colorful people. Hadn’t he said he was a pirate? Or he was going to be King of the Pirates. That was what he’d said. Well, to be king of them you needed to be a pirate in the first place, right? 

That sounded right. 

So these people were probably his crew. 

When he saw her he grinned and threw his hand out. It stretched far enough to grab her by the wrist and yank her forwards. 

“Hey! You made it past the sword lady!” 

“Well yeah,” Nao landed beside him running. Her leg was starting to ache where a cut had caught her over the knee.  

“Who are you supposed to be?” A curly haired young man with a long nose demanded, eying her. 

“She’s a rock person I found,” Luffy said cheerfully.  

“That. About sums it up,” Nao felt herself smile involuntarily. “I’m Roche Nao,” she said for the second time that day. She really hoped they stopped running soon. Her leg was seriously starting to ache. 

“So Luffy picked up someone else weird,” an orange haired girl looked exasperated more than anything else. Nao felt like she should have been offended, but she just shrugged. She was too tired to be upset with people who hadn’t actually done anything to her.

Besides, she wasn’t wrong. 

They came upon a pretty caraval, with a sweet looking figure head. A sheep. Nao felt herself smile. It was cute and light hearted, like this crew seemed to be. Nothing at all like the swift, devil faced Blood Stone. Her eyes were two carved rubies, and a pair of snakes twined around her in a macabre necklace that matched the one that hung beneath Nao’s own shirt. 

“Permission to come aboard?” she asked Luffy lightly. The boy beamed at her and tipped the brim of his hat. 

“Granted!” 

They scampered onto the ship and in a whirlwind of motion they set sail. The caravel carried them away from the port. The pirate flag flapped in the wind, showing off a skull wearing a straw hat. 

Seriously, what was up with that hat? 

Had that up-and-coming volcano really given it to some upstart?

...actually. That sounded exactly like something he would do.

She realized that their little pet (a raccoon?) was staring at her only when he shouted suddenly. 

“Ah! You’re bleeding!” 

It was a testement to how tired she was that she hadn’t noticed that he was a mink, and not just a weird animal. 

“Hah? Where?” 

“Your leg! Quick, take off your pants and I’ll- ouch!” 

The orange haired girl smacked him over the head. “Don’t ask it like that!” she scolded. 

“But I need to see how bad it is! She might need a doctor!” 

“You’re the doctor!” 

Ah. Nao would have preferred they didn’t know she was actually injured, or weak, but there was nothing to be done about it. They seemed like good people anyhow, as far as pirates went. 

“Well then, mister doctor, where’s your office?” 

“A-ah! I don’t have a real office yet. We’ve been using the bathroom.” 

“Then lead the way.” 

The doctor, Tony Tony Chopper, guided her down to the bathroom. The Caravel was small without being cramped. Nao took off her boots and pants, now stained with blood, so he could clean and stitch her leg. He treated her smaller scrapes and bruises as well, and stuck bandaids across her cuts. 

He left so she could clean herself properly, wash her hair and get the blood off of her. She watched the pink water wash down the drain and wondered where her crew was. What had happened to Elba, Talisa, Adrien and Pearl? Were Rize and Hinami still injured? Had the marine’s tended to their wounds? Tier had escaped into the sea before a blast from a marine flagship had sent them hurtling out of the little cove they’d been hiding in and beached their ship. Had she made it back to fishman island? 

She needed to find out. She owed it to her crew after she  had failed them all.  

There was a knock on the door.  

She cracked it open to find the blond man standing outside, holding a bundle of clothes in his arms. Her red hair dripped across her shoulders, but in a few minutes it would be dry and wildly curly again. 

“I bought an extra outfit for Nami or Vivi, but now I see it was destiny that I have it ready for you!” 

He had literal hearts in her eyes when he presented them to her. 

Nao took them carefully. The clothes were lightweight and soft, so soft that they caught on the sword-callouses on her fingers. 

“Thank you?” Her clothes weren’t ruined, by any means. Did she really need a new outfit? 

“If you need any help changing I-” 

She shut the door on his face. “Nope.” 

They definitely didn’t recognize her. No one who did was stupid enough to flirt with her. Her dad would kill them. 

Nao changed into the clothes and was disappointed to find that they were dancers clothes. 

Yeah. No. 

She couldn’t fight in that! 

Instead she cleaned her pants as best as she could, used a small sewing kit she kept in her cape to fix the cut in them, and redressed. 

She'll have to find a hair tie eventually. 

When she came back up to deck the other man they’d run into was crouched on the outer rail. With his back partially to her while he chatted with someone else Nao caught a glimpse of a tattoo on his back. 

It was familiar, too. He nodded to Nao when she came to stand beside the green haired man. Solo? 

Most of his attention was on Luffy, not her. 

“Luffy. Will you come join the Whitebeard Pirate Crew? With your friends, too, of course.”

Whitebeard pirates. Whitebeard. Edward Newgate. 

Nao could feel a headache starting to throb behind her eyes. 

“No way!” 

The man laughed. “Just thought I'd ask! Whitebeard is the greatest pirate I've ever known. I want to make him the pirate king. Not you, Luffy.” 

Nao internally winced. Brutal. They were obviously close. Childhood friends? 

“That's okay! I'll just fight him.” 

Nao blinked at Luffy’s back. Was he stupid? Or just crazy? 

Either way, Nao liked him. 

She couldn’t start her hunt for her crew yet. She didn’t know how long she was trapped, and she didn’t know where everyone had gone. She also wasn’t in any shape to go rushing off and finding out. Her mother would have killed her for doing something as impulsive as grabbing the nearest Marine and demanding to know where her crew had been taken. And her dad… 

Her heart twisted in her chest. Nao shook her head. She wouldn't let herself have a breakdown yet. Not here. Not yet. 

“Hey, Luffy.” 

He turned his head to look at her. Nao offered him a half bow. “Sorry but, I’m going to have to take advantage of your hospitality for now. Until I can get in contact with my own crew.” 

Luffy shot her cheerful grin. “Sure, okay. You can hang out with us for a while.” 

“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” the blue girl stepped forwards. Nao really needed to figure out everyone’s names. She only knew Luffy and Chopper. “We’re not here for tourism. Where we’ll be going is bound to be dangerous.”

Nao cocked her head. Yeah. “I appreciate you worrying. But I’m a pirate as much as anyone else. I won’t change my mind just because it’s dangerous.” 

Besides, they were going to Yuba, where Nao was supposed to meet with her crew. 

Molly should have already gotten there and set up shop. 

“Wait for us, Moll. We’ll get there, even if it takes a while.”

Molly pursed her black-painted lips. “I don’t like it, captain. This splitting up stuff. You already sent Harry and Monty back to Zou. We’re stronger together.” 

“I know we are. But with dad-”  

“Don’t worry,” Nao looked the girl in the eye and lay her hand on Odenta’s hilt. “I won’t ask any of you to be responsible for me.”

“I am my own captain, after all.” 

[thekytchensynk]

Ain’t No Picnic (7/9)

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

__________

As they approached, Helmeppo heard someone shout out another line of words. This was followed a few seconds later by explosions, off to their left.

“This is a … sniper?” Helmeppo asked. It sounded more like a small artillery unit crossed with a demented gardener.

Law’s answer took so long to arrive that Helmeppo half thought the man wasn’t going to answer. “I guess maybe that’s not exactly right,” he amended. “But it’s the easiest way to put it. Let me go first.”

They stepped around a cluster of three massive leaves, Helmeppo letting Law lead the way. On the other side, they found a dark-skinned young man with a truly massive slingshot in hand. His sodden clothes and damp hair suggested he’d also taken at least one dunking today, and somewhat recently. He must have figured out the same thing Law had, then. He watched growing smoke plumes about half a mile off through a pair of goggles, a look of grim satisfaction on his face.

“Nose-ya,” Law said as he approached. His voice startled the sniper, who hopped in surprise and whirled on the pair. “Where is he?”

The sniper’s face told a whole story -- from relief at seeing it was someone he recognized to surprise at seeing a second person behind Law, to a searching glance away from them, off in the direction of the smoke plumes, as he considered the question. Whatever their relationship, apparently the guy trusted that if Helmeppo were a problem, Law wouldn’t have allowed him over here. Which … fair. So rather than asking the obvious question himself, he just said, “A little under a mile that way. I don’t know what exactly is going on, but I think they could use you.”

“Something wrong?”

“Maybe. Something’s going on near her tank. Everything I try gets intercepted. And Luffy should have already ended this. For some reason they can’t get to her and it’s hamstringing them.” Frustration weighed down his words. His attention kept going to the horizon, though there was too much distance and foliage for him to be seeing a mile off clearly. Haki. Definitely.

“And everyone else?”

The sniper looked like he wanted to protest the query, then thought the better of it. “Beppo was over there last I knew.” he pointed at about two o’clock from where he’d said Luffy was. “Shachi, Penguin, Franky and a couple others went back to protect the ships, in case they got rushed. Brook is with Luffy. Nami and Robin are with Chopper on one of the other islands.” He idly pointed in the direction of the stormclouds. “Zoro and Sanji both keep moving. For different reasons I assume.” He added the last partly under his breath.

Helmeppo couldn’t help it. “And Coby?”

For the first time, the sniper looked directly at Helmeppo, studying his bedraggled state. Then his eyes slid over toward Law, asking a question he didn’t want heard.

“That guy who showed up right before the island swallowed everyone,” Law clarified.

“Ah.” He looked off toward the battle’s center again, then back to Helmeppo. “Can’t be sure, but I think he’s up there too. Not too many people just hopping around in the sky, and I know the other one.”

Some internal spring that had been wound so tight for so long that Helmeppo had stopped even noticing it relaxed at that. So he’s still alive and fighting. He’s OK.

“Thanks,” he said, trying to pass it off as nonchalant. But this close, he could see the guy’s eyes through the lenses of his goggles. And in those eyes, he saw two things. First, the sniper was not buying his tone.

And second, the guy understood. Understood the relief of knowing a friend was safe, and understood the need to pretend that things were otherwise.

So- “Thanks,” Helmeppo said again, and this time it sounded like he meant it.

“I’ll cover you guys if you’re going in,” the sniper said. “Oh, and here.” He tossed something small, one to Law and then, after a brief hesitation, one to Helmeppo. Helmeppo glanced at the item -- a clear capsule with something green inside. Green and squirming. “Snap it if you need to get some distance. And cover your ears, I haven’t had much of a chance to test them yet.” He grinned.

Helmeppo pocketed the item, still a little unnerved that the guy was just accepting his presence -- and honestly still weirded out that Law hadn’t just ditched him once they got back here. Grateful, sure, but also very weirded out.

The pair moved through the ruined undergrowth in the rough direction of the first battlefield. The fighting must have been intense, and the ammunition types the Straw Hat sniper -- God Usopp, wasn’t it? -- used were doing it no favors. Large patches were open all the way down to the dark water,the surface littered with little torn bits of plant material. Massive leaves had been knocked over, letting the sun beat down on their path. Unconscious pirates lay here and there, often with no visible damage. Helmeppo tried not to be too impressed with the pirate, and maybe it was the stress of the day or the heat of the sun, but he was finding it difficult once again.

Despite the story not getting out to the public at large, Helmeppo had heard a fair amount from gossip around headquarters. Of a guy using a slingshot to out-shoot the crew’s guns from the top of one of the towers. If this was him -- the guy who’d shot the World Government flag, the one with apparently superhuman range as he protected Nico Robin -- well, he was glad they were on the same side for now.

Now and then, something would go whizzing past them, close but not too close, and something would explode or erupt ahead of them, and dismayed pirate voices would shout. And thus, Law and Helmeppo made it to the main battlefield without actually having to fight anyone else. Helmeppo wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

The battlefield featured far fewer combatants than it had earlier, but that just made the specific clashes easier to see. There seemed to be two big knots -- one by the mermaid’s tank, which still stood where it had been before and one all the way across the clear area. Like the last time he’d arrived on this battlefield, the guy he was following didn’t even hesitate, and that left Helmeppo trying very hard to keep up while attempting to even begin formulating a plan.

Coby was indeed on the battlefield, engaged with a wiry-looking fighter with bright red hair wearing loose, flowing clothing. They were darting around the space, clashing and parting and clashing again. Helmeppo could see the grim focus on his captain’s face. The other man said something, distance rendering it just movement for Helmeppo, but it led Coby to swing hard at the guy’s face.

It was a clean hit.

It should have been a clean hit.

It was a miss.

Helmeppo’s pace lagged as he tried to make sense of what he’d seen. The guy hadn’t moved. Coby’s punch should have caught him square in the jaw, but somehow slid off target, ruffling the ends of the guy’s red hair but causing no damage. The guy laughed, then countered, but Coby slid under his return strike.

Despite wanting to help, Helmeppo forced his attention away from that. He’d only be a distraction. Coby could take care of that guy, no problem, as long as he could focus.

Law was going to help out at the mermaid’s tank, where a press of people stood guard still, mostly watching the other fights. Though now, one or two had noticed Law’s approach and were pointing him out to the others.

Guess that’s the right place to go, Helmeppo thought, adjusting his angle.

From behind them, he heard another of the sniper’s projectiles whining across the island, growing closer. It shot overhead, on the dead-on course for the area near the Mermaid’s container.

Until it wasn’t.

At the last second, the projectile took a hard turn, veering into the undergrowth and exploding out of sight.

Law stopped at that, whirling to look back the way they’d come from, then toward the thin plume of smoke coming from, presumably, the impact site. Helmeppo stopped as well. What had the sniper said? Everything I try gets intercepted. That push and pull power -- was this related to that? That might also explain the weird difficulty Coby was having with his opponent.

“Hey.” Law’s voice cut through his thoughts. Helmeppo looked at the pirate, who gestured toward thesmoke with a tilt of his head. “The person who did that should be near the impact site. Can you take care of them?”

How was he supposed to know? But the guy did seem to have a quick mind for figuring things out. Would he ask if he thought the answer was no? And it might be the place he could be most useful.

“Sure.”

“Then go.”

He said it as though giving Helmeppo orders were an everyday thing. Maybe it was just a captain thing? Well, whatever. He wanted to watch Coby’s back, but maybe the best way would be to figure out what was going on. Law certainly seemed to have a better grasp on this situation than he did. So he only hesitated for a moment before changing his bearing yet again.

Ahead of him, a couple pirates moved to intercept him, though most eyes were still on other folks on the battlefield. Helmeppo pulled his weapons free, ready to cut his way through.

Then they were gone.

No. He was in a whole different place.

Slowing, he glanced over his shoulder to see those two pirates looking around, as confused as he felt. He’d been moved from there to … here. Near the edge of the clearing.

Well, that was unsettling. But again, he wasn’t going to let the moment escape. He shoved aside a leaf taller than he was and pushed into the dense vegetation yet again.

He wasn’t moving very quietly, but luckily the island was alive with massive noises -- shouts and explosions and the susurration of wind in the leaves. So he didn’t worry too much about it as he headed for the thin plume of smoke that indicated where the sniper’s attack had ultimately hit.

He wasn’t far from the battlefield when he caught sight of movement.

Slowing his pace, Helmeppo crept closer. Up ahead, a small cluster of pirates stood a little ways from a charred leaf stump. Smoke trailed from its sizzling ends in a thin line.

“I’m telling you, it’s not working,” one of them was saying as he got in earshot. “We lost the element of surprise. We need to run. And now that other pirate’s there!”

“No. Not yet,” another said. “We still have both twins. They’ll be calling him in any moment, as soon as someone takes care of that sniper. They still don’t really understand what they’re in for. We have to take this opportunity.”

“It’s not worth it. We’re going to lose!”

A slap echoed around the area, accompanied by a shocked sound from the first speaker. Helmeppo peered through a fan of long, grass-like leaves, trying to ignore that he’d stepped in something super oozy.

“You want to run, run Darvell,” the second person said. Helmeppo could see it was an older man, hair going salt and pepper, with a build and skin color that suggested there was shark fishman somewhere in his blood. Captain Darvell, presumably, stood a few feet away from him, one hand on his cheek, eyes furious. The captain wore a flamboyant coat over plain clothing. All looked dry.

“I just want us to be reasonable,” Darvell replied, voice tight and careful, enunciating every word. “Sure, Straw Hat killed the slave trade, but ain’t much revenge if you let the guy who ruined your life take it as well.”

“He ain’t taking anything yet,” the second man said.

In addition to the two arguing pirates, Helmeppo saw three others -- A woman in tight clothes and wearing two crossed belts full of little knives watching the pair with narrowed eyes, a scrawny young man with bright red hair who was looking up at the sky and a massive, older man with short hair with his back to everyone, talking to what Helmeppo assumed was a den den mushi in his hand.

Any further squabbling got cut off as the scrawny young man tilted his head and said, “Someone’s trying again. Watch out.”

He said it nonchalantly, as though commenting on the weather, while he walked toward the sizzling stump. The rest of the group shifted subtly away from the spot. The scrawny guy tilted his head the other way, then reached up into the air with both hands, closed his fingers as though grabbing the sky itself, and pulled.

As he did, Helmeppo heard it -- the whistling sound of another of the sniper’s shots, coming closer. The scrawny guy scampered away as something came hurtling out of the sky. On impact it unfolded into a series of vines -- not the same sort as had grabbed Helmeppo earlier, but clearly looking to do something similar. With no one close enough, they just waggled about impotently.

“He’s persistent,” the graying man said as the lady wandered over to peer at the vines from a safe distance.

“They all are,” the scrawny guy replied, looking at the sky once more. The others mirrored the movement. “We can’t let our guard down while we wait for the call.”

So, as if the hair wasn’t proof enough, that guy was the other twin. He didn’t understand the power, but figured that guy was the most important out of this group here. He felt like anyone else with the sort of power to match the Straw Hats would be out there fighting. So maybe they were here as a privilege of position or as a token defense force for that guy until he went to the battle? They definitely looked stronger than the ones from the cave, but he saw no guns and there were fewer of them. The power user looked like a kitten might be able to knock him over. Helmeppo thought he could take them.

Probably.

Assuming they didn’t have anything hidden up their sleeves.

At the very least, five on one wasn’t the worst odds he’d faced today.

He shifted his fingers, changing his grip until the kukri sat comfortably in his hands. The scrawny guy could use a pulling power, so he might lose his weapons fairly early. That meant he needed to move quick, get at least one of them out of the way very fast. If he went for the devil fruit user right away, they’d just gang up, and at this point, he didn’t want to deal with that. But if he took one out, that would mean fewer attackers and the others might hesitate.

He decided on the maybe-fishman first. He looked strongest of the four nearby pirates, and was the closest. Plus, he didn’t see a weapon, which might give Helmeppo a slight reach advantage. After that, he’d need to go for the power user. Either the woman or Darvell could be dangerous, but hopefully if they were, they’d display their strength quickly.

What was it people said? No plan survives contact with the enemy? No point in overthinking it. He focused on the fishman and rushed forward.

His target was caught off guard, eyes still turned toward the sky instead of the surroundings, but he recovered fast, crossing his arms to block Helmeppo’s strike. The blades bit in about half an inch, drawing blood and leaving a pair of long slices down his gray forearms.

“Attacker!” the guy shouted, pivoting and striking out at Helmeppo, who narrowly dodged. He could feel the strength of the punch as it split the air by his face.

Ok. This would need to end quickly.

Planting one foot, he spun and put the speed of that move into the next strike.

“Ren, duck!” Darvell shouted.

The shout disrupted them both. Helmeppo lost focus on where he intended to strike. As he was turning, the man started to duck, more out of knee-jerk reaction to the shouted suggestion than because he planned to. So what was intended to be two strikes near his elbow, to hopefully render it temporarily useless, turned into one knife into the shoulder.

And one in the neck.

Helmeppo froze as the fishman stumbled back away from him, one hand clapping to his wound. Blood spilled -- not to where Helmeppo thought he’d hit an artery, but enough. A lot.

“Shit. Get back to the ship, Ren! We’ll handle him,” the woman barked, casting a murderous look at Darvell, who shrank from her. The fishman backed off a few more steps, then turned and ran, presumably to do as she said.

Okay, four on one… wait, where had the one with the den den mushi gone?

No time to think about it. He’d take the better odds.

The woman had begun moving toward him, maybe angry about what he’d done to her friend. He considered just fighting her next. In all honesty, she looked stronger than Darvell, and her eyes showed more intensity than his. So while the man in the ridiculous coat was still closer, Helmeppo ignored that and eyed her.

Nope. Don’t draw this out. You have something to do.

He whirled toward the scrawny guy, blades ready. The man looked not at Helmeppo, but at the woman -- for orders? No matter. Helmeppo felt sure he could get to that guy before she could stop him. So he charged, trying to bypass her entirely.

The woman seemed ready for it, pulling one of the small knives from her belt and throwing it, not at him, but angled behind him.. To Darvell? But that man had a sword already, and the little knives didn’t even really have a handle -- they were meant for throwing, so-

He realized belatedly what might be happening, but understanding came at the same time as a sharp pain, lancing through him from a point low on the left side of his back. He stopped, startled, and reached back to yank the item free. The knife. Blood warned his fingertips and made a spot on the hilt of his kukri sticky. Looking up he saw the red-haired man’s hands balled into fists in front of him, not as though ready to hit him, but like he was holding something.

Fantastic. The guy had pulled that sniper's attack toward himself earlier, yanking it out of the sky. He’d realized he might lose his kukri to it. He’d had all the information he needed to realize that the guy could do the same thing with a tiny knife, he’d just been an idiot and not thought about it.

The woman already had another pair of the little weapons between her fingers. His understanding of the situation must have made its way to his face, because she grinned at him.

“Still time to run,” she said.

Not a bad idea.

So he did.

“Hey, hey!” the devil fruit user shouted, falling back a step as he saw Helmeppo again pounding in his direction. The guy almost bolted, then something caught his attention. He reached out, grabbing at the air.

Helmeppo threw himself to the left before the guy pulled. A knife soared by Helmeppo, flying straight toward the devil fruit user, who shrieked in an undignified manner and tried to dodge, but coordination didn’t seem to be a strong suit. He turned more than actually moving. The knife sunk into his left bicep. Then Helmeppo was there, channeling his first fight with Butterfingers.

At least this time, it only took one solid strike to the temple to put the guy out. Or maybe he wasn’t pulling his punches this time. With the water right there, he caught the guy by one limp arm and lowered him to the ground.

Jeeze, with the way this fight was going, maybe he could understand why these folks had been left out of the big fight.

If Darvell had kept his mouth shut, the blind-side attack he tried next might have actually hit home. Fortunately for Helmeppo, the guy let out a loud shout as before swinging at his back. There wasn’t enough time to move, but he did swing a weapon up and across his back before the sword struck home. The strike carried incredible weight, forcing his arm to an awkward angle and pushing the blunt side of Helmeppo’s weapon against his back hard enough that he felt sure he’d have a bruise across his shoulders later. Better than being split down the spine, he thought.

“Darvell, we’re getting beat by some sort of castaway,” the woman shouted in frustration. He thought she sounded closer. “Stop screwing around!”

The pressure on his blade let up enough that Helmeppo could shove it away and turn to face the two remaining fighters. “You should leave,” he said, both blades up in a ready stance as he tried to keep both of them in sight. “The Straw Hats and their allies are back together. They’re going to be cleaning up the ringleaders soon.”

The woman held fast, but Darvell had been primed for this. At Helmeppo’s words, he stepped back a few paces, glancing over at his sole remaining teammate. “Anne, I told you guys-”

“He’s trying to scare us off because we still have him outnumbered,” she replied with a patience that suggested this sort of dialogue was common between them. “We can take him if we just treat it like always. You always overreact.”

“Then where did Cap go?” Darvell said. “He was getting the reports from the guys with the mermaid. He booked it. Maybe this guy’s right.”

Anne’s eyes slid from her teammate to Helmeppo’s ready form. “Well if that’s the case, let’s kill him first. Maybe give us more time. Plus I’m mad now.”

As they discussed, Helmeppo took stock of his situation. Coming for the devil fruit user had put him at the edge of the huge hole in the lilypad -- not a great place to be, especially with the memory of those vines still fairly fresh. Plus, he wasn't exactly in great shape anymore. He didn’t have the free hand to check the wound in his back, but it definitely still hurt, and he could feel his clothes sticking to him worse where the blood soaked them. He didn’t fancy getting another dozen or so of those in him. He’d taken out the devil fruit user. Was that enough? If so, maybe a retreat of his own was in order. Maybe he could even draw them after him, so they couldn’t wake the guy back up.

Carefully, he side-stepped around the devil fruit user, edging toward the long, concealing leaves of the nearby forest. “Actually,” he said, “Maybe I’ll just go call one or two of them over here.” Come on, come on...

“Stop!” Anne shouted.

He pivoted and ran for cover, feeling a sense of relief as the plants closed around him.

Then something stepped into his path, too quick for Helmeppo to stop. The collision didn’t move the thing, but sent him rebounding back a step, caught entirely off guard. Before he could properly register what it was, a powerful kick slammed into his midsection, driving his breath from him and forcing him back out into the open. He tried to keep his balance, but the uneven ground tangled his feet and he fell backward to the ground.

“Cap!” Anne said. “Finally. Where did you go?”

“I was making sure this Marine didn’t run for help,” growled a voice.

“Marine?” Darvell sounded scandalized.

On the ground Helmeppo had released one of his weapons to wrap an arm around his chest. Oh boy. Something had definitely broken with that kick. Breathing in too deeply sent pain radiating from the center-right part of his torso. Got to get up,” he thought, pressing the knuckles of his other hand shakily to the ground. Got to get up now

“One of the two who showed up uninvited,” the new voice continued. “Weren’t you idiots paying attention to anything?”

The figure stepped out of the underbrush. In a petulant voice, Darvell said, “We had other things on our mind, Cap. You remember -- everyone getting dumped in the water?”

“So we should definitely kill him,” Anne mused.

Helmeppo looked up, gritting his teeth against the pain -- and stopped. His breath knotted in his throat for a second.

No.

The figure stopped just beyond the edge of the undergrowth, arms crossed. Helmeppo had to force his gaze up to the man’s face, just to confirm what he already knew in just those few words and that posture. The newcomer gazed down with a glower, all irritation and impatience, at the injured Marine. There was nothing like recognition there, and nothing like pity. But Helmeppo couldn’t stop one word from slipping past his lips.

“Dad?”

[inupibaldspot]

Saviour : Chapter 20

Emilia sighed as she approached Garp. It had been a week since they left Fuusha village,Goa Kingdom. And when they finally did reach marine headquarters after they reached the first half of Grand Line, Emilia learned that she could not enter the marine until she was 13 years old.

Emilia,who was 10 years old gave a look of disappointment towards Garp and it seemed even the old man didn't know that there was such a rule. Apparently people could join the marine at any age if they were in the four blues but then if they were going to be a marine in the Grand Line, a minimum age of 13 necessary with no exceptions.

Garp did ask "Do you want to go back home?" when he heard the rule but then Emilia refused. She decided that it was better if she stayed in the Grand Line and improve herself in many field such as strength, navigation and medicine. Garp happily accepted that decision, without asking Sengoku ,the Fleet Admiral of course.He would probably shout at Garp while the latter won't care and start digging his finger deep into his nose.

"Garp-san." Emilia said making Garp look at her with a frown.

"Call me Grandpa."

Complete ignoring the request she continued, "Can you introduce me to the navigator? I would like to learn from him."

The old man stared at the girl with a questioning face. "Are you that knowledge starved?" Garp asked folding his arms on his chest with a huff.

"Should I do something else then?" Emilia asked with a smile on her face. The smile dropped a few seconds later and then she sighed.

Garp flinched a bit. It seems that the girl was still quite angry at him and honestly it was down right depressing. It made the old man sad. "As long as you're not doing any action in the ship, anything is fine."

With that he looked over to his left and called over a tall man with a hat,who was in a marine uniform. And when the man reached Garp,he saluted. The old man laughed a bit and pointed at the other guy with his thumb.

"This is Bogard. Just ask him anything you need." With that Garp made a swift turn and walked away. Emilia sweat dropped as she watched Garp, noticing how smoothly the old man dumped his duty on his right hand man and ran away.

Emilia then turned her head and looked at Bogard,bowing a bit as she introduced herself. "My name is Ainsworth Emilia. I'll be in you care from now on." However the man didn't say anything and just stared at the girl,making Emilia sweat nervously. And after minutes which seemed like eternity the man nodded.

Emilia later asked Bogard to help her in training (which made Garp sulk since she didn't ask the Vice-Admiral instead) but she still didn't get a navigator and doctor to teach her.

Turns out on contrary to Bogard's cold and quiet appearance he helped Emilia a lot. He would help her train her swords and sometimes Garp also helped her in her 'training' which mostly ended with her having various bruises.

Bogard also introduced her to the ship's navigator named Zack, who was quite quite but really knowledge guy. He had dark hair accompanied with dark eyes with glasses, a stereotypical must have item for smart characters. He would teach her every details needed in determining the weather like the wind,the direction of clouds and even the directions fishes were heading.

Emilia could say she liked the guy.He was always friendly towards her, a bit clumsy and weak but he was a nice person.She could draw out that conclusion without a doubt.

....

It was again one of those mundane days of patrol. Garp was no where to be found probably sleeping somewhere- and the responsibility of running the ship was taken by Bogard.

Emilia followed Zack quietly and he started to explain about the weather as she nodded,taking in those information like a sponge.

"A pirate ship has been spotted at the east!" A marine shouted. "Its headed straight for us!"

Before any marines could do much preparation the enemy had already started to shoot out of their cannons making the marine ship shake.

The enemy ship had come much closer where even the pirates now started to jump in the marine ship causing havoc inside.

"Emilia-chan, head inside and hide!" Zack said and rushed ahead.

Nodding the girl ran towards one of the doors which led inside and only when she did step inside she realized it was Garp's room. A book shelf on one of the sides with various documents and a picture on its opposite containing a picture of five people. Garp in the center with Luffy in front and next to him was Emilia and finally Ace and Sabo on both ends.She would have taken time to observe the picture if it weren't for the enemy attack.

Emilia took one step forward when she realized she wasn't alone. A body laid on the floor behind the table.She rushed forward and gasped as it was Garp on the floor.

Did the enemy already come and knocked down Garp-san?-

However she trail of thoughts where cut of when she heard a loud snore coming from the old man making her eyebrows twitch with disbelief. How is the man not awake from the noise? The whole family were so similar remembering how Ace would suddenly fall asleep even when a tiger would attack them.

"Garp-San...Garp-san" she poked at him as she sat down next to him. The bubble coming from his snot blasted making the old man stir and slowly open his eyes.

"Huh? Brat? What are you doing here"

Emilia's eyebrows knitted and pointed towards the door. "Pirates are attacking the ship, Garp-San..."

"HUH?!" The old man exclaimed and quickly stood up. "WHY DIDN'T YOU WAKE ME UP SOONER!?" With that the Vice-admiral went and punched the door and went outside.

Emily sweat dropped at his action. Why didn't he use the door like a normal person and not break it to go outside... If she was going to stay with Garp, she hard to get used to this.

I wonder what Ace and Luffy are doing? Emilia thought as she sat down. Suddenly a body came flying inside the room from the hole Garp had previously made.

"Damn those marines..." a man,Emilia think is a pirate, cursed rubbing his head while he stood up. Turning his head he saw a small child sitting down .

Frown turning into an evil smile, The man stood up and walked towards Emilia stretching his hands out attempting to grab onto her. "Lucky! This child can be my shield! Hahaha".

When the hand was a few inches away from Emilia, the girl activated her armament haki making her hand turn into a dark color, and grabs onto the man's hand.

"Huh?! What's with this brat?!" The man shouted.

"Unlucky for you , I'm not really an easy target.." Emilia with an emotional face pulled the man towards her and punched him across the face making him fly off through the same hole he came from.

"GAH! Emilia!" A shout was heard making Emilia flinch. "You aren't allowed to fight!" Zack came in the room. Noticing the girl's unapologetic expression the man just sighed.

"What happened to the pirates?" Emilia asked walking towards the man.

"Vice-admiral Garp destroyed them. I came to check up on you but the you..." The man sighed as he brought his hands up towards Emilia's head.

Emilia closed her eyes and prepared to be hit on her head but the hand simply sat on her head. She opened her eyes and looked at the man with a confused stare as he simply smiled at her gently. The hand slowly rubbing her head. "Turns out you didn't need my help at all haha."

The confused expression on her face slowly turned into a smile.

.....

"Ughh! I don't want to do this!" Garp complained as he walked off the ship, followed by Bogard and tiny Emilia.

They were currently in the marine headquarters and to say Emilia was taken aback would be an understatement because this place was huge! The island had a large field, the Japanese styled building on a huge concrete foundation with the marine symbol in the middle, which were probably the offices surrounded by residential area for marines  and four tall peaks at the edge of the island.

"It is a must for you to send the documents regarding your recent works including documents regarding the recent bold pirate attack." Bogard said. It was quite unusual for pirates to come and attack marines after all. Perhaps they didn't know who they were dealing with.

"Sengoku's just going to complain about how I destroyed the ship and how he won't be giving me my pay." The man continued to complain but never the less walked towards  the main office.

Bogard stopped outside of the entrance of the building and saluted and then turned towards Emilia. "I will train you while we wait for Vice-admiral." With that he started walking towards the field with Emilia following him closely.

...

Akainu walked towards Sengoku's office with a marine following him. The marine continued to read the details of the documents which contained the places he patrolled, pirates he captured or any big news happening in this vast world.

As the man continues to walk two figures captured his attention making him stop in his tracks. A rather tall man,who he saw with Garp, was there in the vast field training a small child.

The small girl had quite fast reflexes and a speed to cooperate with it but what really caught his eyes were that the girl's hands and legs were completely dark. That tiny child can use haki?

"Who is that child?" Akainu asked.

The man who was busy reading the documents stopped and looked at where his Admiral was looking. "Ah...I assuming that girl is vice admiral Garp's grand daughter. Apparently she is training under his care until she reaches 13 years of age and then later join the marine herself." The man explained, abit confused as to why his scary Admiral was paying such attention to the girl.

"What's her name?"

The man was even more surprised but nevertheless he replied "I apologize but that's all I know about her,sir."

Akainu then faced forward and continued to walk. "See what her name is and when she does turn 13 make sure she joins my team."

[oneyeartoparty]

Meeting At Long Last - Chapter 2: A New Home

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24753607/chapters/59848063

The forest around her became a blur as she ran. It’s trees and bushes had become lost in the sea of panic that now spread through her with every rapid beat of her heart. As it spread, her haki retreated, and soon it faded altogether, forcing on her to now rely on her most basic senses, but these would be of no help against the more senior members Whitebeard Pirates.

Her best hope was that the crew would decide to focus on the town first. With any luck they would find Mozo, who would distract them long enough for her to get away. No doubt they would look for the person responsible for beating and restraining him, but it would take time for them find her hideaway.

The sea cave she had hidden her ship in was too small for most ships, so there was a chance they wouldn’t search it, assuming they even knew it existed in the first place. Reaching the entrance, she carefully pushed aside the vines that grew across it and slowly placed them back across once she had entered. Keeping the area undisturbed would go a long way to keeping the cave hidden.

The descent to the main cavern was short, and soon the light from the torches she had placed hours ago appeared ahead of her and she knew her ship was near. Escape was tantalizingly close.

These hopes were dashed when she turned the corner and saw the scene before her.

Her ship was split in two. It had been lifted from the water that made up the centre of the cave and dropped unceremoniously on the stone floor. She wondered if it was the drop that had caused the damage or if it had been ripped a part first.

Looking for a source, she quickly found it. Crouching on the stern was the one responsible; Marco, the first division commander of the Whitebeard pirates.

He didn’t look surprised at her presence. In fact, a sense of calm seemed to surround him, despite the fact he’d obviously expected someone to return to this ship.

“A rabbit mask? I didn’t know there was a carnival nearby. Wish I’d been invited.”

An obvious attempt at irritating me. she thought. Is he trying to gauge my reaction?

“You knew about the cave?” she asked, deciding it was best to ignore his previous comment.

He nodded. “Can’t guard your territory properly if you don’t know its layout.”

“Most pirates don’t keep tabs of every nook and cranny of an island.”

Marco gave her a lazy smirk, clearly amused by her response.

“Why’d you attack our island? Looking to start a fight with us?”

“I came became I heard the distress call. When I arrived, I found a pirate named Mozo the Mad raiding the village.”

“Then where is he?”

“I left him on a hill outside the town. I was taking him here when you guys showed up. I may be reckless sometimes but I’m not stupid enough to hang around when the Whitebeard Pirates come to defend their territory.”

“You’re smarter than most of the idiot crews we deal with if that’s true. But I gotta say its suspicious you just happen to be here.” He said, his gaze sizing her up. Clearly, he was thinking this would end in a fight.

She debates bringing up Ace. He was the second division commander, so Marco undoubtedly knew who he was. Still the question was remained; had Ace mentioned her? And if he had, would Marco believe her? She knew too little about Marco to gauge how he would react if he thought she was lying.

Marco didn’t give her a chance to decide. Two flaming blue and gold wings sprout from his back, their tips curling toward him. His calm demeanour remained, but with an added fierceness.

He is like a snake waiting to strike. All he needs is a reason.

“I don’t think you’re lying, but I’m going to bring you to Pops. He can decide what to do with you and Mozo if we find him.”

“I will come pea-“

She was cut off by an eruption of flame that came between her and Marco. The flames had intensity that made them seem alive, creeping along the cave walls and roof seemingly searching for something to consume. The flames lasted only a few seconds, but this was more than enough time for Ace to jump in front of her, acting as a shield against his fellow commander.

“Marco! What the hell were you going to do to Lily!?”

Lily could only see her brothers back, but she could still see the anger in his features and hear it in his voice. It wasn’t his usual anger. It was the type of anger Ace reserved for this who would dare to harm his family.

“You could’ve hurt my sister, you stupid bird brain!”

A shocked expression took over Marco’s face. “Sister? That’s her?”

So Ace had mentioned her.

“Yeah, the cute rabbit mask is a dead giveaway. I told you guys all about her.”

Marco facepalmed.

“You idiot! You never told us what she looked like! You were too scared we’d flirt with her if any of us met her, so you refused to tell us.”

Ace rubbed the back of his head. It was a habit he had developed as a form of wordless apology for when his hotheadedness got the better of him.

“Sorry Marco, but can you blame me? You know how certain crewmates of ours can be.”

Certain crewmates? I wonder who he is talking about.

“But listen Marco, do you really think the Lily I told you about would be involved? She would never hurt innocents like this.”

Marco held his hands up surrender and Lily noticed a weight seemed to be lifted from him.

He seems pleased this did not end in a fight.

“I believe you Ace, still Pop’s will want to see her and hear what happened. Take her to the ship after you gather her things. I’ll find Mozo.”

Ace nodded, and a satisfied Marco stood. He gave her a friendly smile before taking flight and heading toward the cave’s sea entrance.

With Marco’s departure Ace turned his attention to Lily. He gave her a once over, looking for any sign of injury. Satisfied, his smile grew, the joy of seeing his sister after so long plastered on his face.

“I’m so happy to see you Ace. Thank you for rescuing me.”

“What use would I be as your big brother if I couldn’t keep you safe? My family are my most precious treasures.”

Tears welled in her eyes. Only Ace could say something like that and not realise how meaningful it was.

Unaware of the effect his words had on his sibling, Ace turned, taking in the two halves of what had once been her ship. Taking the opportunity, Lily quickly lifted her mask and wiped away the tears with her gloves.

“Come on, lets gather what we can and head for the ship. We’ll take it to my cabin before we see Pops.”

With that the two began searching through the wreckage.

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

Lily was certain that Todd Knock, the Mayor of Bell Town was a strange man. The time she had spent on the Grand Line had made what was once extraordinary, mundane. When every island is unique, what was once strange becomes expected and true strangeness becomes a rarity.

Todd was, she thought, a true specimen of strangeness, though she was uncertain what feature truly made him that way. Was it the rusted colander he wore as a hat that was covered in red and green buttercup mushrooms? Maybe it was the suit and shoes he wore that appeared to be made entirely of a random assortment of feathers? Or perhaps his appearance was all a grand illusion created by the yellow spores being slowly expelled by the mushrooms, and apart from the colander he wasn't that strange at all.

The Whitebeard pirates that surrounded her on the deck of the Moby Dick took no interest in the Mayor’s strange appearance. No doubt this wasn’t their first-time meeting, so to them he was no spectacle at all. Instead their attention was focused on their captain, who was listening intently to the Mayor’s account of events, occasionally taking a swing from a sake bottle easily as tall as her in his right hand.

A few also shot glances her way, and while she had expected hostility, she instead saw curiosity and even smiles for a few. Thatch, commander of the 4th division seems especially pleased by her presence, giving her a small wave when she first boarded. She had returned it with a wave of her own and a small smile that only she knew was there.

“So, she wasn’t involved?” Whitebeard asked, as he swirled the bottle in his hand.

“No sir, if anything we should thank her for her help.”

Making good on his words, the Mayor turned to face her.

“Thank you for your assistance Miss Lily.”

Lily gave a small nod. “Of course, I’m happy you’re all safe.”

Whitebeard took a long swing of sake. Small streams of the liquid flowed out of his mouth and down the side of his face as he drank. Once he finished, he sat the bottle back on his knee.

“Now that matter has been resolved, we need to discuss her ship. Is it truly unfixable?”

Ace who had been standing silently beside her was the one who spoke.

“Yeah, Marco really did a number on it.” Ace turned to her. An amused grin plastered on his face.

“I hope you weren’t too attached to the ship sis. The pineapple head can be as dense as Luffy sometimes.”

“Oi! Don’t go blaming me, I thought she was our enemy.” Marco said in a defensive tone.

Ace chuckled again before addressing his captain.

“We should take her with us Pops, least till we can get her a new ship.”

Whitebeard’s eyes shifted to her. Her mask covered her face, but she could still feel his gaze met her eyes. She would have expected it to be filled with hostility or be at the very least intimidating. After all, he was one of the four Emperors. Yet all she felt was kindness and warmth, and surprisingly, a touch of concern.

“There is a shipwright island a month from here. We will take you there and pay for a ship equal to Mozo’s bounty. Mozo is ours though.”

His tone made it clear this wasn’t up for discussion, at least regarding Mozo. Still, she felt the need to protest travelling with them. Any bounty hunter seen travelling on a pirate ship would have their reputation called into question. Not to mention the possibility of a bounty if she became involved in the wrong incident.

Unsure how to respond, she looked at her brother. He had a wide grin on his face and a look of encouragement in his eyes. One of his greatest joys was spending time with his siblings and them being a part for so long made her realise he was eager to catch up and spend some time together, just as she was.

With an internal sigh and the feeling, she was in for quite the adventure, she spoke.

“Thank you, I gladly accept the offer.”

With the matter settled, Whitebeard turned his attention to his crew.

“Ace show her to a spare cabin. The rest of you make sure the town has enough supplies to rebuild then prepare to set sail.”

With their order given the deck burst to life, becoming something more akin to a busy city street then the deck of a pirate ship. People shifted around each other, all heading to different parts of the vessel. She had only just begun to take in her surrounding when a warm hand gripped hers and she was gently pulled.

Eyes temporarily blinded by the now rising sun, it didn’t take her long to realise that Ace was responsible.

“Come on Lily, I wanna show you around.”

Ace quickly came to a sprint, which Lily matched with ease. It wasn’t the first time one of her brothers had suddenly started dragging her somewhere. It bought a nostalgic feeling to her that made her smile.

‘Ace bring her back here! We haven’t properly introduced ourselves.” A voice shouted from behind. Lily turned to see its source but couldn’t see one amongst the mass of bodies moving to answer their captains order.

“Sorry guys, Pop’s orders!” Ace shouted back, the joy clear in his voice.

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

The two stood in front of three evenly spaced out wooden doors. They were identical to the many others they had passed, the only difference being the empty plaques on each that were just below her eye level.

“There’re more empty cabins on the other side of the ship, but I though you would like not having too many people nearby.”

Ace pointed to the middle door. “It’s this one, right?”

“Definitely. I need my space for my woodcarving. It gets weird sometimes.”

Ace arched an eyebrow. “Weird?”

“Have you heard of many woodcarvers who have been known to violently throw their failed creations?”

Ace laughed. “Still hitting people when their sleep like you did with Dadan?”

She smiled “I did hit a Vice Admiral in the eye when I visited grandpa. He just laughed and I almost got chased out of the marine base for it.”

Ace laughed and gave her a light pat on the back. It was a clear sign he was proud of her accomplishment.

“Shame you didn’t get a bounty, then you could’ve joined up with us.”

He looked her in the eyes, a serious expression on his face.

“Do you want to join? I’m sure Pop’s will let you.”

Lily shook her head “No thank you, Ace. I’m happy bounty hunting and piracy was never my dream as much as it was for you three. I’ve always wanted to keep people safe, and bounty hunting is how I can do it.”

“Fair enough. Do you think Luffy will accept when he goes out to sea?”

“Definitely not. Won’t stop you from asking though, will it?”

“Nope!”

As he finished speaking, a sudden realisation hit Ace’s face.

“Crap! We forgot the grab your stuff from my cabin. I’ll go get it. Wait here for me and don’t let Thatch show you around if he shows up, that’s my job!”

Before she could question him about why Thatch would be so eager to give her a tour of the ship, Ace was already running in the direction they’d come from.

Turning her attention back to the door, she clasped the handle and turned it, letting light flood into the room that would be hers for the next month.

The room was, unsurprisingly, sparsely furnished. A double bed was placed against the centre of the back wall, its wooden frame matching the two beside tables that were placed on each of its sides. To her right was a writing desk and chair, a box labelled ‘dozen candles and matches’ sat atop it. Her left had a large mahogany chest with a copper clasp.

Walking inside, she made her way to the desk and opened the box. She was happy to see wax holders were included. Ace was enough of a fire hazard and the last thing she needed was to have to deal with a candle causing a fire too.

Deciding to sort out the lighting situation before nightfall, she grabbed four candles and candle holders from the box. She placed one on each bedside table and two on each side of the desk. Lighting them, she closed the door to test her setup. To Lily’s delight the candles illuminated the room well. The corner with the chest was the most dimly lit, and she debated asking for a wax holder she could mount to the wall.

Four quick knocks on the door drew her from her musing. It wasn’t Ace, he would’ve talked to her through the door rather than knock.

“Lily, are you in this cabin? I brought you some breakfast.” It was a male voice she didn’t recognise, but the tone was a cheery one.

Her stomach rumbled in reply. It had been almost a day since she had eaten anything substantial and she would feel the effects if she didn’t eat soon. Eager for a meal, she walked forward and opened the door.

[neverwatchedonepiece]

645-647: "Destruction Cannon Blasts! Lucy in Trouble!", "The Legendary Pirate! Don Chinjao!" and "Light and Darkness! The Shadow Behind Dressrosa!"

There is something rotten in the state of Dressrosa right now. Doflamingo has some seriously shady shenanigans on the go. Turning humans into toys? Letting them live alongside relatives who - it appears - have their memories wiped? Tossing them for scrap if they show any signs of rebellion? Yeah, this whole situation is totally messed up. Now I get why a Resistance is mounting against the Donquixote Family. 

I watched three episodes because I thought I might see the end of the Block C battles. No such luck, but Luffy vs Don Chinjao has been fun so far. 

Still, that freaky Toy Human transformation reveal was totally worth it. 

(Will catch up on replies this week too! It’s been a weirdly busy couple of weeks but next week won’t be as rammed. :D)

Electric Fist Bump

I am still not certain that Brutal Bull is, in fact, going to recover. Let’s just pretend he will. At least Luffy gently carried him to safety and thanked him for fighting with him. ;_;

A random called Ideo (way too much eyeliner, Shoulders McGee) finished the job by punching Hajrudin out the ring. After Ideo’s brag-fest, I thought Luffy would be the one to kick his ass too, but it was funnier than that.

A random competitor called Jean the Bounty Hunter (no relation to Dog) had seen through Luffy’s disguise. He knocked off Luffy’s helmet and slashed his beard. Instead of giving up his disguise, Luffy chased him (lmao) to get his helmet back. 

Once exposing Luffy, didn’t work, Jean picked up all the weapons dropped by competitors who fell to Don Chinjao’s conqueror’s haki. Jean seriously thought he could defeat Luffy by carrying around a giant blade ball. Okay, mate.

Jean, at least, was allowed a quick shit-talk. He’d made so much money recapturing all the criminals Luffy set free from Impel Down. Now, Jean was aiming to snare Buggy (I guess he doesn’t read the papers), Crocodile, Jimbei, Ivankov and Shiryu (good luck with those names, mate).

Meanwhile, Luffy was standing there, reminiscing over all the old names like it was old times. “I wonder how Jimbei and Iva are doing?”

Jean got mad, threw his dumb sword ball and... it did not go to plan.

Luffy dodged.

Instead, a rather large and intimidating man absorbed all the swords.

Staring down Don Chinjao was too much for poor Jean. He was so scared, he made moe eyes before Don Chinjao took him out. (Good luck chasing after Crocodile from your new job on Doflamingo’s Factory Assembly Line!)

The fight between Luffy and Don Chinjao was actually fun to watch. The moment when they both punched out Sai and Ideo “Get outta the way!” was funny. And the Conqueror’s Haki clash was stylish (still love that blue filter), powerful (that Whitebeard soundtrack) and also pretty interesting.

Diamante watched the whole thing from his private booth. He used it as a teaching moment for Bellamy. “See, that is what it takes to be a king.” Don Chinjao sort of backed this up later when he said to Luffy that loads of people in the New World could use Conqueror’s Haki. “Only battling it out amongst themselves will reveal who the Pirate King will be. A battle of conquerors. That’s what’ll decide.”

I thought Conqueror’s Haki was a much rarer type. Maybe it still is, but that all the big shots are now concentrated in a smaller area, so there’s more chance you’ll meet someone with it. I know Shanks has it, I know Whitebeard had it, but I’m wondering if Big Mom and Kaidou also have it? (The jury’s out on Teach. Is he too much of a coward, or will he awaken it too? Who knows?)

Don Chinjao also kept veering between wailing with rage and attacking with rage at what Garp had taken from him (treasure and strength, apparently).  He also kept demanding Luffy tell him what Garp had done. Luffy was like, “No, you walnut. I have no idea. How many times must I repeat myself?”

Luffy didn’t know whether Don Chinjao wanted to be sad or mad. Maybe Luffy should set himself up as a therapist because I think it’s a bit of both.

At the moment, Don Chinjao has transformed into an Upside Down Tornado of Large Man, so we’ll see how that pans out in the coming episodes.

Oh, and by the way, Bobby Funk wore his brother like a jacket during the fight. Don’t ask. It was deeply, hilariously weird and I’m glad they got their asses kicked because I felt wrong watching that.

He’s Not an Idiot. He’s Directionally Disadvantaged

On the way to Flower Field, Wicka was astonished to discover Zoro is the opposite of a homing pigeon. They yelled at each other the entire time. Wicka because Zoro veered away from Flower Field yet again, and Zoro because Wicka “sucked at leading the way.” Meanwhile, the concerned residents of Dressrosa wondered why the strange man was yelling at himself.

Wicka kept punching Zoro for not going the right way. Because the Tontatta people make up for their lack of stature with super strength, I actually cheered when Zoro had enough of Wicka smacking him. He set her down in a plant pot, was like, “I have friends I care about too. Stop complaining or ask some damned cat to carry you,” then walked off.

Damn straight, Zoro. Don’t put up with that crap.

Luckily for Wicka, Zoro has no sense of direction. He circled straight round, which gave her the opportunity to apologise.

I guess it’s for the best. Otherwise Zoro would end up stuck on Dressrosa forever. Or at least until Sanji turned up.

And speaking of Sanji, he has teamed up with Kinemon again. They are currently lurking outside the Colosseum. They have spotted something ominous. Lots of Marines gathered outside, including new Vice-Admiral Bastille, waiting to swoop and arrest any unsuspecting Block A and Block B fighters leaving the arena.

I laughed at Kinemon’s weird cognitive dissonance. “Yeah, well criminals should be caught!”

Sanji would not have it. He smacked Kinemon and was like, “You are working with pirates.” Lmao, Kinemon. Old habits die hard, I guess.

At least Sanji has returned to the Sanji I like best: sneaking about, trying to solve problems. He knows Luffy needs to know about the Marines lurking outside, but how to tell him?

Plus, what’s happened to all the Block A and Block B competitors who lost their fight? Vice-Admiral Bastille is on to something. None of them have left the Colosseum. Not a single one. That is strange. Something weird, and possibly sinister, is going on here. (I wonder if they’re being turned into toys?)

This is Why I Like Nami

This was only a short scene but I loved it.

In the last couple of episodes, I assumed Nami, Brook, Chopper and Momo were retreating to regroup with a master plan to win back Sunny.

Nope. As if they would ever leave Sunny in the hands of an enemy. What was I thinking?

Even though Nami sees herself as weak compared to the DF eaters and haki users of the crew, she is not helpless. One, she is smart, and two, Nami has freaking weather controlling powers! Nami used both of those qualities to her advantage. Chopper and Brook were a distraction. While Giolla’s attention was on them, Nami readied some thunder balls.

BOOM! Direct hit on Giolla’s submarine. Now, as a DF user, she has no means to return to Dressrosa and all her goons were smoked by thunderbolt.

Your move, Giolla! :D

How About Hide-and-Seek?

Like, with a four day head start? 

No?

I guess Law must be content with running like hell from the two Absolute Monsters chasing him. Fujitora was not making it easy. Every time he sheathes that sword, a jet of purple (no idea what it is. Let’s call it pure purple) rocketed into the clouds and, hello meteor shower!

Luckily, Law can Room those and slice them like bread rolls, but Doflamingo’s bullet strings were another matter. Law scarpered, dodged, hid and tried to call Nami. To no avail. Why wasn’t she picking up?

“I know what you’re trying to do. You’re trying to buy time,” Doflamingo said. “And I’m not gonna let you have it your way.”

No Burger King for you, Law.

Poor, beleaguered Law screeched to a halt when he realised that, somehow, Fujitora had overtaken him. My new favourite Admiral was sitting on a rock, as if he’d been politely waiting for Law to show for ages. Then it was meteor time.

Even Doflamingo was like, “Wow, you have no mercy.”

Fujitora just said, “I’m all thumbs.”

Lmao, mate. Yeah, those extreme overkill meteors? I’m just clumsy. Nah, no one believes you, Fujitora. You love smashing felons. Admit it.

Meanwhile, deep underground, Usopp was beginning to regret feigning descent from Noland. The ominous, earth-shattering rumbles from Fujitora’s onslaught were passed off as “just Usopp’s amazing haki!”

When he realised the Tontatta people kept going on about the Donquixote Family, he consulted Robin. “Um, what kind of relationship do they have with Doflamingo exactly?” he asked.

“Well, they’re serious about fighting him,” Robin replied.

Usopp had an uh-oh moment. He drew Leo (the battle hype man) aside and asked why they wanted to fight Doflaming. That’s my Usopp! Asking all the right plot questions.

Apparently, the Tontatta want to rescue five hundred friends forced to work at the “shady factory”. Moreover, Doflamingo also holds their “obnoxious, selfish, mean, moody and short-tempered Princess Mancherie” there too.

Good sell, Leo. Good sell.

“Um, she sounds horrible,” Usopp said (lmao).

“Yup!” Leo cheerfully agreed. But then he added, rather sweetly, “But she’s one of us too. Noland would save everyone who’s in trouble, right?”

Usopp looked a bit ill at that point. He did not have to answer that question, as Flapper, another Tontatta kid, hoofed it into frame. Apparently, the Donquixote Family at the palace were on the move. Rumour had it they were probably moving to the Colosseum basement. And why were they moving there?

Under the Colosseum is only where the Shady Factory is hidden! :D

I thought the Factory would be in Green Bit. This is even better! Now I’m very suspicious about all the defeated fighters. They are prime for processing. At least I got one thing right about people being forced to work at the Factory (though it wasn’t related to stealing stuff). 

This Really Makes You Re-Think Toy Story

I knew it! I knew there was something weird with the toys. At first I just went with it because, well, One Piece, right? There are giants, sentient fruit-eating swords, dudes stuck in barrels. Anything goes, right? I mean, who can explain the wonder of Gekko Moria?

Turns out this does not extend to talking toys. Talking toys are not normal. Unless they’ve been invented by Vegapunk, as Franky rightly thought.

Nope. These toys are not the work of Vegapunk.

They are the product of a twisted Devil Fruit user under the employ of Doflamingo, who transforms humans into toys.

Why? I have no idea.

But the reason has got to be some dodgy kind of punishment for something. 

There was a creepy scene when a toy desperately tried to convince the woman who was once his girlfriend that he was a human, that they once lived together, were once happy together. The trouble was, his girlfriend could not remember him! She looked at him in disgust, said, “This toy has human syndrome!” and he was dragged off to a ominous looking building with the word SCRAP emblazoned above a forbidding door.

It seems a lot of the toys remember being human. Sol spoke to a guy called Milo, who is currently masquerading as Onepoko-chan the dog. Turns out the boy who plays with him is actually his son, and the boy’s mother is his wife.

What. The. Actual?

Sol asked the boy if he had a dad. Nope, was the answer. What about the wife? Had she ever been married? Don’t be silly.

Something really, really weird is going on here. And I never even mentioned the midnight curfew. Anyone who is caught outside after then is arrested (and probably turned into a toy). Toys and humans are allowed to hang about during the day, but at night? They are segregated. Toys live in toy homes. Humans remain in their homes.

This is totally weird and cool and I cannot wait to see where this goes.

Every time questions are answered in Dressrosa, another ten rise to take their place. :D

[wordsdrippinginink]

(3 of 4) OPVengers. Meeting Luffy. Again and for the 1st time. (because we all know that this is gonna be a mess of the highest caliber)

“Why do they call you Gol D Ace,” Steve asks curiously as Ace frowns at the newspaper that a bird had delivered. “I thought your name was Portgas D Ace, was,” he pauses. “Were you just too polite to correct us?”

Ace blinks slowly at him, the same way that Steve has seen Kotatsu do, before sighing, “About twenty, fuck I’m suppose to be twenty two? Twenty four years ago, there was a man who became the Pirate King, before his execution, he said that the person who made it to this island that he had left his treasure on would take his place. His name was Gol D Roger, he’s-” he gestures hopelessly. “-my male genetic provider.”

“But you’re suppose to be twenty two?”

“My mom, Portgas D Rouge, lived on a small island called Batterilla. That man stayed with her for a time before turning himself into the marines and the marines heard rumor that Gol was going to be a father. They killed a number of women and young children to prevent his bloodline from continuing.”

Steve feels sick because this is starting to make the Marines sound more like the Nazis in his memories, the men who would kill off another group of humans because they didn’t approve of them. For a government to willingly, publicly, approve of murdering children and pregnant women-

“My mother extended her pregnancy. I think it was Conquer’s haki, which forces your will over someone else but Gramps said it was will power, for almost two years. It killed her, she lived long enough to name me.”

“She sounds like an amazing woman,” Steve says instead, because he knows amazing women. Portgas D Rouge sounds as strong as Peggy and his mother, the number of other women that he’s met over the years. “I’m sorry you never got to meet her.”

“Thanks,” Ace says smiling softly before glancing back at his paper. “This says that Luffy’s been up to his usual shit, the little brat, and gives us an idea where he’s going to be heading, since Marco’s heard rumors about Luffy working with Trafalgar.”

“What a Traflga?” Tony mumbles into his cup, eyes narrowed at a speck of nothing on the table. “Is that a food?”

“Trafalgar Law, he’s a member of the Marine’s pet pirates,” Ace says shrugging. “He’s got a devil’s fruit that,” Ace shrugs. “It’s a little hard to explain, I think. But let’s say if you run into a blue circle, you’re fucked because he’ll dismember you. You’ll live and get everything reattached easily enough, but it’s annoying.”

Pepper hums looking at the map that Ace had taken from Marco, “Where is Fishman Island on this?”

“Under this,” Ace answers tapping on a landmass. “It’s underwater, you have to get the ship coated so that it can go under and this island is Saboady, best place in the world to find someone to coat your ship,” his finger trails to another island. “This is Dressrosa. If Luffy keeps on track then he’ll be here about the same time that we will.”

“Any plans for when we arrive?” Pepper asks finally, probably mentally calculating the days until they arrived. Steve has found that she plans as well her as she does for Stark Industries. She also looks more relaxed than Steve has ever seen her. “We’ve got several choices.”

“Undercover,” Ace answers simply. “The island has been taken over by one of the other pet pirates the Marines have running around. His name is Doflamingo and I would burn him alive if I got the chance.”

“What,” Clint asks raising an eyebrow. “is a pet pirate?”

“The marines have a group of seven pirates that they Warlords, whom work for them. They offered me a spot before I was revealed to be,” he taps his name in the paper. “It also offers protection, which is why some people take it. I wouldn’t but I know that Boa Hancock worked with my brother to try and help me escape execution, which means she’s playing her own game.”

The politics of this world are just as complicated as Ace and Marco had tried to explain to them in the beginning and Steve doesn’t know what to think. Sometimes he thinks that maybe pirates are right, maybe they’re the ones that are doing the right thing, but then, then. He doesn’t know what to think and it’s driving him mad.

“You said undercover,” Pepper says because she’s focused. “Undercover how?”

Ace smirks and Steve shivers because the last time that they saw that face, they had taken out a marine ship that had been chasing them and left the survivors for dead, “What do you know about disguises?”

“You don’t want to get involved with that,” Clint whispers as Luffy clings to the man that he thinks is Ace’s other brother, the one that Marco had mentioned, sobbing his heart out. “They’re already having emotional break downs.”

“I died in Luffy’s arms,” Ace says softly, leaning back against the statue that they’ve taken to hiding behind, not looking around it to catch sight of them. “And he’s got a big fight coming. I don’t think it’s fair to throw him off balance just yet.”

“And Sabo’s not doing the same thing?”

Ace hums, “your older brother dies when you’re not even in the double digits, but he comes back years later to tell you he’s alive before a big battle. Emotional, but not compromising. Your brother who died in your arms to save your life two years ago shows up alive?”

“Point,” Clint says softly. “What is your plan then? I know you made us all memorize what Luffy’s crew and this Trafalgar guy’s crew look like, but if Sabo’s running around too, who we don’t have a picture for just your description, he’s got to have allies.”

“That’s Sabo’s fault for being a member of the Revolutionary army,” Ace shrugs and Clint can see the tension in his shoulders.

“Would it be that bad? For Luffy to see you now?”

“Marco says Luffy was catatonic after my death. If you were that bad after someone dies on you, what would you do if they came back?”

Clint sucks in a breath through his teeth, “Jesus fuck. So we’re good to be spotted as we like, but you’ve gotta keep yourself out of sight. Do you have a plan to meet up with Luffy again?”

“After. There’s always time after fights like this and I think it’ll be better. Just,” Ace shrugs and he pushes himself upright, pulling the baseball cap that Pepper had shoved onto his head down to shade his face. “We can’t avoid to distract him now. I can’t afford to ruin this for him.”

“But after?”

Ace grins, halfhearted, “After this, I think Luffy would love to have both of his older brothers back in his life, don’t you?”

Doflamingo stops short at the swirling inferno that separates him from where Law has dragged Straw Hat, flames too hot and bright for him to risk a step further.

“You know, I think that you’re a little creepy about Trafalgar,” that’s a voice he’s heard before. The entire world had heard it. “But that’s my baby brother down there and no offense, you fucking nut job, but I don’t think you’re going to get a step closer to him.”

“I see the rumors about your death were exaggerated, Gol D Ace.”

Gol hisses and his eyes narrow, “Portgas, Noble.”

“Oh, you know about that, do you?”

“I know a lot of people and for those that I don’t Marco does. A little rumor about how the Donquixote family was disgraced? Marco is going to hunt down everything about that,” Gol smirks and the baseball cap looks foolish on his head. “He’s going to beat you.”

“A brother’s belief, I heard Straw Hat thought you would live.”

“I did, didn’t I? I’m standing here and,” Gol shifts and his shirt falls open revealing his chest and not a single sign of the wound that Doflamingo had expected to be there. “I certainly hope you don’t think I would be stupid enough to come that close to death again.”

They both stop at the sharp rise in Haki, Gol smirking viciously and with all his teeth, “I hope your death is ignoble and erased from history.”

He vanishes, the flames gone as fast as they appeared, Straw Hat once more on his feet and moving forward.

Doflamingo laughs, shoulders shaking, what an interesting day. He would be sure to sting Gol up after he had murdered Straw Hat, he would get his answers then, after all, how many escaped death?

Luffy smiles, exhaustion pulling at him as he’s watches Sabo, alive and well, talking with his crew. It’s nice, he thinks he should probably be more upset, but Sabo’s been dead to him for twelve years since he was seven.

“You expecting someone?” Zoro asks as someone knocks on the door. “Because we aren’t.”

“I’m not,” Sabo agrees. “Unless Koala thinks that I’ve taken too much time and wants me to hurry up, would one of you mind opening the door? I’m a bit far.”

“I have it,” Robin says, an arm sprouting from the door and opening it, her voice wavers part way through her greeting. “I do not believe that is Koala.”

Luffy tilts his head to look at the door and feels his heart sink in his chest at the silhouette in the doorway before they step inside.

“Sorry I’m late,” Ace, because it looks like Ace, says smiling softly. “I got a little lost, would you believe it? Took me ages to get home-” he turns into flames as one of Zoro’s swords slash at him. “That’s just rude.”

“Ace?” Luffy hates how his voice chokes up and breaks.

Ace’s smile goes impossibly softer, like when he was dying in Luffy’s arm, “Hey Luffy. I’m sorry, I didn’t know it would happen like this. Are you okay?” He takes a step forward and stops as Luffy’s crew steps between them. “Oh, right. Gotta prove I’m Ace, don’t I?”

Luffy wants to tell his crew to move, to let him see his big brother, but Ace, not Ace, is right. He needs to prove he’s Ace or Luffy will kill him. If, Luffy can feel the tears returning, if it’s Ace-

“Remember where you spent all your time after Sabo died?” Ace says after a moment, keeping his hands up and Luffy’s eyes shift away from him to where there’s a too big cat in the doorway, because either this will be right or wrong and he can’t look at him. “I promised you that I would never die before you. Punched you first, said you should worry more about dying before me, since you’re so much weaker than I am.”

“Luffy, is that?”

“Ace,” Luffy sobs holding out his arms because he’s too tired to move but this is Ace. “Ace, it’s-”

“Luffy, you crybaby.”

“-you’re alive!”

Ace moves forward slowly, dropping down beside Luffy on the bed, “I promised, didn’t I? That I wouldn’t die before you. I’m sorry it took me so long to get home, I’ve missed you so much. But look at you.”

“Ace!” Luffy sobs, wrapping his arms tight around Ace.

“I’m sorry,” Ace whispers leaning closer and hugging him back. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know it was two years, I was only gone a week. I’m sorry.”

Luffy squeezes tighter, feeling his exhaustion creeping up on him, “Don’t leave.”

“Of course not.”

“Another world,” Sabo says slowly looking at the people who had burst in when Ace hadn’t returned. “You went to another world?”

“I don’t wanna hear it from you, you got amnesia that only went away after my death. Marco was gonna beat you up if you didn’t know so much,” Ace shoots back, brushing Luffy’s hair from his face. “Kotatsu, come here.”

The big cat that’s been sitting in the doorway, jumps onto the bed with grace and curls up against Ace’s side, purring loudly. Sabo remembers this cat, it had been at the house with Marco the Phoenix when he had arrived to see Ace’s grave.

“Why does Marco the Phoenix know so much about your childhood anyway?” Sabo asks. “You told him a hell of a lot for a crew-mate.”

“Serious boyfriend,” Ace corrects, smirking. Sabo’s head aches and he knows he looks shocked, he is. “We were pretty serious when I died and Marco,” he tilts his head. “Marco asked to, if we could pick up where we left off and I’m weak.”

Sabo shakes and takes half a step forward, “may I?”

“I’m not gonna vanish if you touch me, Sabo.”

“Fuck,” Sabo hisses tripping over his own feet to hug Ace, biting back a sob when Ace doesn’t vanish and remains solid. “Ace.”

“I’m glad you aren’t dead too, you idiot.”

Sabo hides his face against Ace’s shoulder, “That’s my line, you idiot.”

Luffy is warm, he’s warm and he doesn’t want to open his eyes because he had the best dream in the world. Sabo had been alive and he had kept his promise to Traffy, and then Ace had shown up. He had dreamed up Ace, alive and smiling and coming back to apologize for being gone for so long, which wasn’t even fair.

“Tatsu,” Luffy hears a whisper, too soft to do more than just hear the voice. “Let him sleep, he’s tired.”

“He doesn’t look like he’s going to let go of you anytime soon,” Luffy doesn’t know that voice but he can hear Robin laughing, so it means that it’s safe. He feels safe. “Are we going to be here until he wants to let go, Captain?”

“I think I owe him that much.”

Luffy burrows close and pretends that his dream is real for one long moment before opening his eyes.

“We’re going to travel with him for a bit, aren’t we?”

“I am, you’re going to be leave to go home at some point and I wouldn’t dare keep you,” Ace says grinning. “Besides, Tony says that he’s making me one of those things you use and if I don’t talk to him once a day, he’s going to come back and kick my ass.”

The woman he’s talking to laughs, her head thrown back, “That sounds like Tony.”

“Ace?”

“Oh,” Ace is looking at him, smiling softly. “Did we wake you up, Luffy? I’m sorry, do you want to go back to sleep?”

Luffy shakes his head, feeling like he’s about to start crying again, “Ace’s real.”

“I’m real,” Ace promises.

[lovelawactually]

The Sound of Silence

Trafalgar Law sat at the small desk, deep in thought.  Through his alliance with Luffy, Doflamingo had been defeated and Corazon’s goal had been reached - but there was still a long road ahead.  He still wanted to see Doflamingo dead.  He needed to - he would not rest until that day came - but his pressing concern was that he and Luffy were in the sights of an Emperor.  

The Heart Pirates crew and newly acquired Straw Hat Alliance members were embarking to head toward Wano Country - to prepare for the inevitable battle against the very same Emperor - Kaido.  Luffy and his team had set sail for Whole Cake Island  days before to rescue Sanji from an arranged marriage to the daughter of Big Mom - yet another Emperor.  His mission was to set up base on Wano, recruit more Samurai into the alliance, and wait for Luffy and his team to return.  

Zoro, Robin, Franky, and Usopp from the Straw Hats were on board the submarine - as well as the Samurai from Wano; Kin’emon, Kanjuro, and the Ninja - Raizo.  They each had their reasons for seeing Kaido fall - and were valuable assets, in their own unique way.  A few of them were too loud for his taste, but Law knew that their chances of success were much higher as part of an Alliance - he would endure it for the sake of his goal.  

The day had been long and filled with handling logistics - to obtain sufficient supplies and make accommodations for the members of their newly formed alliance.  Sleeping quarters had been settled, bathing schedules created, and work spaces identified.

He was thankful for the quiet that came when everyone was asleep, and that there was still space available to allow him some solitude.  There had been entirely too much activity throughout the day for him to get any time to think. He needed to run through all the possible scenarios and come up with a plan.   He shook his head as he thought about the fact that all the planning he would do would be for naught once Luffy arrived.  

There was a soft knock at the door and Bepo’s voice calling, “Captain?”

“Come in.”

Bepo stepped though the doorway and made his way to the desk, his head bowed.  “Sorry.  I saw the light on, so I brought you some coffee.”

“Thank you, Bepo.”  Law turned to his longtime crew mate, and looked him up and down.   “Go to bed, tomorrow is going to be another long day.”

“Aye, Captain!”  Bepo sat the cup down on the desk and darted out the door, closing it softly behind him.  He rubbed his tired eyes as he made his way down the corridor to his sleeping quarters, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the Straw Hat’s swordsman - Zoro was looking out the porthole window, eyebrows furrowed - hand on his swords.  

“Someone - or something - is following us.”  Zoro spoke without breaking his concentration. He grit his teeth and closed his eyes to enhance his Observation Haki abilities.  

Bepo gulped. “Should I get the Captain?”  As the last syllable left his lips, a blue haze engulfed the pair - and Law appeared next to Zoro, his arms crossed.

“Do you feel that too, Zoro-ya?”

“Yeah - like something is following us.  I can’t tell what it is.”  Zoro’s face was marked with frustration.  

Law pat Bepo on the shoulder. “Go check the sonar module - and wake up Penguin and Shachi.”  

“Aye, Captain!”  Bepo bounded off in the direction of the control room.

“Zoro-ya, can you tell how far away it is?”

Zoro concentrated harder.  “50 meters away, give or take.”  He growled his frustration.  “The strange thing is that there is nothing there.”

Law frowned.  “Sonar should pick something up.”

Zoro shook his head and turned toward Law - opening his good eye.  “No, I mean it’s like there is nothing there.  Like that part of the world is missing.”

“Room.”  

Law reached out as far as he could with his abilities, searching for something to lock onto.  He felt the presence of a life form and grinned.  He pulled a coin out of his pocket and flipped it in the air.  

“Shambles.”  In an instant, the coin that flipped in the air was replaced with a human body.  The frame was slight, and appeared to a young man clad in covert style tactical gear.  Law extended his index finger in the air, halting the fall of the body.   He inspected it for a moment, gathering small details to determine the risks.   With a swift downward motion, the body slammed face down onto the ground.   Zoro spun on his heel, sword drawn.  He placed the blunt edge of his blade against the neck of the would-be-pursuer.  “Oi, who are you?”  

The body lay perfectly still - Law stepped closer to the body to investigate.  “Wait, Zoro-ya.  He might be unconscious.”  As Law knelt down to examine the body  - it disappeared.  

Zoro unsheathed all three of his swords - and took up a fighting stance.  

Law grit his teeth at the thought of Zoro getting over-zealous within the confines of the ship.  “Oi.  Zoro-ya.  Be careful with those swords.”  

Zoro smiled.  “Don’t worry.  If I cut you, it is because I mean to.”

The sound of a woman’s laughter echoed against the metal walls of the submarine.  “You cannot cut what you cannot see.”

Law stood still, his keen eyes watching for any sign of the woman’s position - his hand gripped his sheathed nodachi tightly.  

“I thought there might be a chance for a good fight.”  Zoro sighed, his shoulders slumped.    

The disembodied woman’s voice came again - it appeared to be coming from more than one place.  “You think that a woman cannot be a formidable opponent.  That’s unfortunate - for you.”  

Law grit his teeth as he tried to track the source.  He picked up the sound of footsteps against the floor grates - there seemed to be too many of them.  

“I don’t need to see you to cut you - woman.”  Zoro smirked - and closed his eye.  

The woman laughed again.  “Let’s make this more of a challenge for you then - swordsman.”  There was a brief pause, “Silence.”

The sound seemed to be sucked out of the room - neither Zoro nor Law could hear footsteps or the sounds of the submarine.  Law’s eyes widened in shock.  He heard the word that she spoke, and the affect it had - Corazon’s face flashed in his mind, and he thought of his benefactor’s ability.  Could it be?

Zoro growled.  “Oi!  Law!  I can’t hear her anymore.”

“Neither can I, Zoro-ya.”  Law drew his nodachi, and waited.  

Zoro dodged to the left  - a fraction of a second too late.  He felt a sharp pain in his flank as an unseen blade sliced through his skin.  His hand reached for the source of the pain to find that he was bleeding - he grit his teeth at the thought of allowing the strike to hit its mark.  “So you are a woman - and a coward.  Attacking from behind is a dishonorable action for a swordsman.”

Zoro felt a blade at his neck and breath on his neck - the woman’s voice whispered in his ear, “I am no swordsman.”

“Shambles.”  Law had seen Zoro’s reaction and switched places with him.  He was facing in the opposite direction of Zoro, and hoped the calculation was the right one.  

“Mes.”  A still beating heart - perfectly functional and preserved - appeared in Law’s hand.  He squeezed it tightly.  The woman’s face materialized, eyes widened in shock - screams of pain echoing in the same way her laughter had.  Her body writhed in agony on the floor until Law relaxed the grip on her heart.  She panted heavily and clutched at the empty place in her chest.  

Law leaned toward her, his demeanor cold - his eyes cruel.  “I have questions, and you will answer them.”

The woman smiled and gave him the middle finger.  “I don’t have to tell you shit - asshole.”

Law smirked sadistically - he tossed the woman’s heart in his hand.  “Are you sure about that?”

[nordictwin]

Meeting Her - A TittM AU

This is a little something for @tsume-yuki, to both wish you (late) happy birthday and thank you for adding my ideas for the father-daughter reunion in TittM ^_^ And also just because you're a nice person. (As a fellow May child I would, however, like to point out that I’ve clearly got the better zodiac that this month offers - Gemini ftw).

I sent you an ask awhile back, concerning what would've happened if Ri had just grown up on Melring and Raowl never died. After doing some thinking, I decided to write my idea for it.

Melring is hot.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s certainly not a bad thing, Ace thinks, compared to the Winter islands he’s encountered. And now that he’s a living furnace, he really doesn’t care too much for the heat.

The only problem is the humidity. It’s horrible. It’s like breathing honey, not air.

Why in the name of all that was holy Pops had wanted to stop by this little patch of land, he had no idea. And right in the middle of its summer, too.

At least there are no Marines here, and the people seem friendly towards pirates. Almost as if it’s normal for them. Maybe it is. Ace doesn’t really care. All he worries about is whether or not the little restaurant he and Thatch have sought out will run out of food.

That’s where he meets her for the first time.

The serving girl is clad in a variety of browns and whites. A skirt, a short-sleeved shirt and sandals. An apron is tied around her waist, and her red hair is twisted into a messy bun. Oddly enough, her bangs go well past her eyes, so you’d think it’d obstruct her vision, but no. She expertly weaves in and out between the tables and chairs and pirates, trays full of plates and mugs stacked high on her arms and shoulders, like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

She’s kind of pretty, he thinks. Certainly unlike any girl he’s ever seen before.

She stops briefly and look at them for a moment. Then she nods in the direction of the bar. “No tables left, go sit and I’ll be right over. Oi, Hudson! Got two more customers over here!”

She off, then, back into the crowd.

He sees her again a little later, when she stops to take his and Thatch’s orders. “So, Whitebeard pirates, huh?” She says as she quickly scribbles down their orders on her little notepad. “That’s not something we’d expect to see around here”.

“That’s right, Sweetheart,” Thatch grins at her. “The strongest crew out there”.

The girl just smirks and grabs the trayful of drinks the bartender hands her. “I don’t know. More of a fan of the Red Hairs myself”.

She leaves and returns with food several times throughout the course of the evening. He spots her chatting it up with both locals and pirates alike, like it’s second nature to her. Just another day at work.

He shrugs it off. Assumes Melring is some kind of safe-haven for pirates, what with the sparse Marine influence.

Melring isn’t a safe-haven for pirates. That’s what Marco tells him the next day. It’s too far out of the way of any points of interest for many people, and the oceans around it are risky to cross. Only a few merchant vessels frequently visit the island, and mostly for one thing only.

“I assume you’ve heard of Dracule Mihawk? Hawk-Eyes?” Marco asks him, while they’re making their way up a hill on the outskirts of the town. “His sister, Dracule Raowl, lives here. She makes log poses. And pops is looking to get a specific one made”.

That kind of makes sense, Ace thinks. He doesn’t quite get why this woman has to live this far away from ordinary routes, but if he had wanted a life in peace... yeah, then it’d probably make sense to him, too, to find a hidden place like Melring to live on.

The house is a small construction, but well kept. There’s a big tree, from which a rope, that is strangely covered in rocks, hangs. There are no decorations, like he’d have expected, no flowers in the windows or by the door.

They go and knock on the door. It’s almost immediately opened by a dark haired woman with the most creepy, yellow eyes Ace has ever seen. She looks at him and Marco for a few moments, then raises a critical eyebrow.

“Now, what could possibly bring two of Whitebeards’ commanders to my doorstep?” She asks, although the tone of her voice implies that she knows exactly what they’re there for.

“Our Captain wishes to do business with you, Madam,” Marco says politely. Maybe even more than he usually would. Ace understands. This woman and her poison-eyes scream danger.

She sighs and shakes her head. “Very well. Just a moment,” she turns around and yells, “Riskua! Chickadee, come keep our guests company while I get the gear - we’ve got work to do!”

The woman disappears into the little house, and Ace looks at Marco and Marco looks at Ace, confused as hell. Who is she-

That’s when he meets her for the second time.

Red hair pulled out of the way by a dusty brown bandana, revealing identical, startling eyes, the serving girl from the day before appears in front of them, her skirt and shirt replaced by a tanktop and shorts. She looks at the in much the same way as her... sister? Mother? and smiles.

“Hello again,” she greets him. “It’s good to see you again, Mr. Fire Fist”.

Ace swallows, trying to figure out how words work. She’s showing off a lot more skin than the day before, and while her eyes are just as piercing, they somehow seem milder than those of the other woman. He blames it on her darker tan - the lightness of Dracule Raowl’s skin must be what makes them all the more creepy.

As if summoned, said woman appears. She looks between Ace and the girl, a hint of dry amusement in her eyes. “Have you met this person before, Chickadee?” She asks. Next to him, Marco smirks and Ace doesn’t know what it means, but he swears he’s going to feel his wrath at some later point.

Not in front of the short girl with ruby hair and eyes of sunlight.

“I served him and a lot of other Whitebeard pirates at the restaurant yesterday,” she explains. “But I never got around to introducing myself, did I?” She tilts her head to the side, then smiles and sticks out her hand in greeting. “As Mama just said, my name’s Riskua. Dracule Riskua”:

“Well shit,” Ace thinks. Pretty girl just got a little more dangerous than expected.

Dracule Riskua is interesting, and he finds himself getting more and more intrigued by her throughout the week or so they spend on Melring, while her mother (a mildly terrifying individual who used to be a pirate, but quit for unexplained reasons years prior - reasons that were suddenly explained to the Whitebeard pirates at the introduction of her only daughter) goes about making some of the most intricate and accurate Log Poses that has ever existed.

Supposedly, at least. Raowl herself claims to doing it just for the money, but Ace is convinced it’s some sort of artform to her by this point.

Riskua isn’t around all that much, in contrast to her mother spending almost all daylight hours upon the Moby. At least not mentally. When she’s not working at the restaurant he’d first met her at, she’s either training (Pops had given her permission to practice her combat and something called Haki against a few of his brothers as an added bonus to what he’ll pay Raowl) or scribbling away in one of the many notebooks she carries around. She engages in conversations with Marco and Thatch about things that are utterly foreign to him, but he still finds himself listening, because, you know, her voice is kind of nice and she’s intriguing, but whenever his eyes stay on her for too long he finds himself on the receiving end of Thatch’s teasing, and that’s kind of annoying.

For what it’s worth, however, she seems to find him interesting, too. Once a day while they’re there, she approaches him for a spar, and he finds himself engaged in conversations with her for hours on the hill by her house, talking about nothing and everything, while she waits for her mother to come home. (Ace isn’t too happy about leaving her in the house all alone. YES Melring might be one of the safest places, and YES she’s more than capable of taking care of herself, but... better safe than sorry).

She sees hi-them, them - the entire crew - off on the morning they’re leaving.

He wants her to go with them. She just shakes her head, no - she’s already got plans for when and how she’s setting out, she says - but presses her familiar bandana into his hands.

“You can use it as a scarf or something, though I don’t think you’ll ever need it,” she says. The grins she gives him is warm and beaming. “Off you go, Human Torch. We’ll meet again someday soon, I’m sure”.

She stands back down on the island, waving as the Moby sails away. Later Thatch all but assaults him, teasing him about his summer island sweetheart, and Haruta calls him brave for getting with Mihawk’s niece of all people.

He’s wearing that bandana around his neck when he meets her for the third time, about 6 months later.

Aka the day he realizes just how dangerous she is, and not just through her own power.

(It is also the day he understands why, upon meeting Riskua for the first time, Pops had just shaken his head and said, “Really, you went and had a child with him? You disappoint me, Dracule, I thought you had higher standards than that”. He’d promptly been punched in the arm for it).

Out of all the places he could possibly meet Dracule Riskua again, he did not expect it to be aboard the Red Force - vessel of one Red Hair Shanks.

And yet, there she is, now sporting a wide-brimmed sunhat of pale straw, grinning and waving at him from where the other ship is anchored right next to the Moby. 

Fuck, he’s screwed. He can tell, just by looking at Red Hair (the glare he’s getting is withering) that he’s officially on his shit-list. And he was doing so well with the man Luffy idolizes.

Fuck his life. Honestly, fuck it.

Because now that they’re side-by-side, the resemblance is uncanny. It couldn’t be more obvious, really. If it weren’t for the eyes, you’d think Riskua was just a female copy of the other Yonko.

No wonder she was a bigger fan of the Red Hairs than the Whitebeards, like she’d told him the first time he saw her, he should’ve known. But he didn’t, and he got involved, and now he’s in so much trouble. Thatch puts a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Or he thinks it’s supposed to be comforting, until he says, “Well, it was nice knowing you, little brother!”

Ace is going to hurt him. Thatch is in for a world of hurt. That is, if Red Hair doesn’t hurt him first.

Shanks goes off to have a chat with Pops, and the crews take the time to mingle politely. Riskua immediately seeks him out, smiling warmly.

“It’s good to see you guys again,” she bows her head in greeting.

“You’re Red Hair’s daughter and Hawk-Eyes niece,” Thatch states, more or less in awe. She nods. “How in the world did that happen?”

Ace splutters and hits Thatch in the shoulder. “Don’t ask a lady that sort of questions!”

To his great embarrassment (and hers, it seems) she actually answers the question.

“I don’t know, I’m really not interested in knowing my parents’ sex-life,” she coughs into her fist awkwardly, trying to hide what Ace assumes is blush behind the brim of that hat. “I’m just the result of a happy little accident, I guess”.

Thatch is then called away to have a chat with the Red Hairs’ cook, leaving Ace with the fucking daughter of Red Hair Shanks. He suddenly realizes where a lot of her skill and strength comes from - not just her mother and uncle, but very intimidating father, as well.

“So you were referring to setting out with Red Hair, back then?” He asks casually. They’re strolling around the deck, she looking around in wonder, and she laughs.

“Nah, not really,” her smile is brilliant and her eyes shine like the sun. “You see, Papa used to tell me stories of this kid he met in East Blue. Wanted to be Pirate King, he said. And he’s convinced he can do it, too. And I thought to myself: that sounds like a man I want to follow - trying to be Pirate King, just for the freedom of it. Then, not too long ago, he told me met the brother of that little boy - a brother who told him of a promise made to set out at age 17″.

Age feels his heart halt, then beat even faster than he thought possible. Did she...?

“So I decided to do something similar. Papa was more than happy to take me on as a temporary crewmember - just until I get the hang on things. Learn about life at sea and such. And when that boy sets out, I’m going to go look for him,” her grin is wide and happy.

Ace finds himself grinning back. She’s going to sail with Luffy. She’s going to join forces with his brother.

Red Hair’s daughter has just endeared herself more to him than before, without even realizing it.

She touches the cloth around his neck.

“I didn’t think you’d actually keep this,” she says. “I’m flattered, Fire Fist”.

He gives her his necklace in exchange. Something to remember him by, he explains - both to her and to himself.

Though he wonders why he’d even think she might want to remember him.

Shanks leaves and takes his pretty daughter with him, but not before staring him down and threatening him with all kinds of pain if he touches so much as a hair upon his “darling little princess”.

Coincidentally, the next time Ace sees her (technically), is on a bounty poster. The picture shows her standing tall and proud, daggers in her hands, and his necklace hanging proudly around her throat. The brim of her hat covers half of her face so only one eye is visible, making her look proud and menacing. 

The text identifies her as Riskua, Princess of the Red Hair Pirates. Ace thinks it suits her.

Thatch, the bastard, won’t stop asking about “his princess” after that, though.

Time moves on and a lot of things change. His world shifts in an incredibly short amount of time.

Riskua’s bounty poster changes a lot, from what he catches in brief glimpses, and not just in the amount they promise to give for her head. At some point a “Dracule” is added, when the Marines realize her maternal heritage. Later on, it simply says “Dracule Riskua”, after she’s left her father’s crew.

For awhile there’s no info on her. Like she’s disappeared. And he worries, even though he doesn’t know why. She’s just a girl - an incredibly pretty and nice and strong and clever girl, but just another girl in the long run. (That’s what he tries to convince himself of, anyways).

So he’s incredibly happy (happier than he should be) that when he finally meets up with Luffy again, there’s a girl with ruby hair and eyes of sunshine with him, a happy smile on her face. Hat still in place, his necklace still hanging from that slender neck. 

He’s lost a lot. A lot of the time, he thinks he deserves it.

But he allows himself to be happy that she’s okay. That she still wants to associate with him, even through something as simple as wearing something that was precious to him, but given freely to her.

Maybe... maybe he can allow himself to love this girl.

Someday.

[sweettsubaki]

The thing is, there are a few big things that happened in between.

Sabaody wasn’t big just because the strawhats were separated (though it was important) or because it prepared for Impel Down and Marine Ford.

Luffy’s always been aware of the horror that were world nobles and tenryubitos. We know this from his flashbacks and welcoming Robin into his crew, but with Sabaody and the Amazons island we, as well as Luffy, were introduced to some of the worse they can do. Slavery goes against Luffy’s very core (he wants to be the free-est man in the world after all). And Sabaody followed by his meeting with Hancock shook him. Then his brother died, not because of what he had done but because of who he was. And Luffy has always known there were people like this (again, Grey Terminal), but he never thought his brother would actually die because of it (that’s the difference between knowing and living). If you add how he had to deal with the loss of his crew when we know how much he fears loneliness, we can understand how traumatic it was for him.

Until that point Observation Haki was just a basic tool for Luffy, it’s Fujitora and Katakuri that made him rethink his vision of it, because to him it was a completely different way of apprehending this ability.

As you said the old man from the buggy arc was much weaker. it barely took any strength from Luffy to knock him out and he was still mostly fine afterwards. Here, as far as Luffy knows, Fujitora is at the very least as strong as Luffy which means the power he’s gonna use is gonna be huge. So comparing the situations is useless.because he didn’t go into those situations with the same vision of his adversary.

Last addition, Luffy likes to fight, likes to have fun when fighting. Strong people are interesting to Luffy. It’s part of the reason he faced Fujitora, whom he appreciates.

Now take all of this into account. Sabaody and Amazon island helped him empathize a bit more with people. it’s not a huge change but you can see some bits here and there. But it’s not so much a question of Fujitora being blind making him weak that causes a problem with Luffy’s conscience. It’s that since Luffy doesn’t know how much Haki compensates Fujitora’s eyes, it’s not gonna be as fun and interesting for him and he doesn’t like this. I mean he still doesn’t mind beating him up in itself.

Fujitora’s monologue is about him only. It shows how he views people not how we’re supposed to view Luffy. It’s about Fujitora as a character. It’s about how he’s ready to see kindness even in the heart of pirates. How despite the fact that he had reasons for destroying his eyes, in the end it didn’t overtake his own empathy. It’s not about Luffy, it’s about Fujitora.

Luffy’s still msotly selfish. He isn’t kind, never has been and still isn’t but he’s nice. kindness is… it’s not a value so much as a state of mind. Luffy just likes being nice to people he likes if it doesn’t go against what he wants but he has started to make efforts to be a tiny bit less selfish. He was traumatized by the loss of his crew so if he has to try and be a tiny bit less selfish  to appease them, he will, it shows in how he tried to lie to Tama when she gave him food.

I may not buy that One Piece is an initiatic journey, but people change, all the time. If a character went through everything Luffy went through and didn’t change even a tiny bit, now that would be weird. Luffy’s still selfish. he just pays attention to a few more things that he used to.

What do you think about Luffy's fight with Fujitora? It really bothered me because Luffy have never cared if you were a fishman/mermaid, a woman etc. but when there's a blind person he suddenly starts to discriminate? I've always seen it as him not caring who or what you are so his ableism(discrimination against the disabled) is really bothering me. Even Sabo said he doesn't discriminate when he fought Fujitora.. I'm may be overreacting but I'm disabled myself so I'm taking this really personal.

This was a tough one because the nuances of what Luffy was saying mattered a lot here, and Mangapanda’s translation’s often sound like the product of shitpostgenerator, and Mangastream is much better but still is prone to over-coloqualizing things and messing up on important details (like they for this part). Powermanga is the only scan group I fully trust, and this was their translation

“I can’t just beat you up without saying anything when you can’t see what’s right in front of your face! It’s not like I hate you, old man!” Yeah… Luffy doing and saying this doesn’t seem right to me either. Not just because it might feel weird to many that Luffy is being overly-conscious and of the fact that someone he’s fighting is blind and possibly patronizing, but because it just plain does not make sense. Fujitora has Observation Haki! Luffy has already been trained in this by Rayleigh, and he knows just how powerful and effective it can be. I’m sure that Luffy himself can fight well with his eyes closed thanks to it. So why the heck does Luffy think he needs to announce his attacks to Fujitora when Fujitora already knows what Luffy is going to do before Luffy even says it? Why is Luffy just forgetting about the existence of Observation Haki here? 

And Luffy’s own explanation doesn’t really make that much sense either… he wants to beat Fujitora up… but he wants to give Fujitora a heads up about all his attacks because Fuji’s blind and Luffy doesn’t hate him? This is the same man who once, without a single word of warning, smashed an old man’s face (an actually WEAK old man) into a wall in order to knock him out so he wouldn’t get in the way or get more hurt

Luffy smashed an old man’s face into a wall, and that was an old man he LIKED. Yet now Oda is making Luffy be all “I need to beat you up but I wanna be nice about it” to a person who is most likely still stronger than him? This just does not feel like it makes sense. If Luffy fights Shanks in the future, or if he fights Kid, is he going to tie one hand behind is back because each of them only has one arm? Again, why have Luffy come out swinging–insisting on attacking Fujitora even though others were begging him to run–yet then have him fight with restraint? It goes without saying that Oda is trying to characterize Luffy as being a certain way here, but it does not feel like it works. It’s contradictory to Luffy’s past actions, and it completely ignores the obvious existence of Observation Haki. 

If I had to guess, I would say that Oda had Luffy do this as the lead in to Fujitora’s big reflection on Luffy being a kind person and wishing he could see his face. Oda had Luffy try to fight Fujitora while making it clear that he was doing it without ill-will in order to further impress upon Fujitora that Luffy’s a really nice guy when all the Dressrosa citizens came rushing in in order to protect Luffy from Fujitora and help him escape. However, in my opinion, this didn’t really work either. I don’t think that Oda actually made a very convincing case that Fujitora should look at Luffy like he’s the world’s kindest human or something just because the people of Dressrosa are so grateful to him for taking down Doflamingo. People can do good things for selfish reasons. That’s how this arc initially started–as far as Luffy knew, there were on Dressrosa to wreck Doflamingo’s factory just to weaken Kaido’s forces. And pirates are constantly fighting each other for the sake of power, profit, and glory. Kaido once defeated Moriah, but that doesn’t make Kaido kindhearted person. Blackbeard wasn’t a good person for attacking Drum and driving Wapol away. It makes sense that the people of Dressrosa would love Luffy for being the one who defeated Doflamingo, but it feels forced that Fujitora bought into their fondness for him so readily and decided that Luffy must be the kindest person he’s never laid eyes on. 

One Piece used to make it clear that Luffy is not always a kind person. One Piece used to press the subject of Luffy’s moral ambiguity much more readily. Remember when Luffy said he was willing to let Coby die if he hadn’t finally stood up for himself? Remember when Luffy said he wouldn’t have protected Usopp’s village if Usopp hadn’t fought himself? Remember when Luffy beat the shit out of Usopp for standing in his way as Captain? Remember when Luffy made it clear that he didn’t care how many people were hurt or killed by his actions in Impel Down because all he cared about was saving Ace? Luffy is definitely not always a purely good person. But for three arcs in a row now, Luffy has taken on the role of beloved universal savior. One Piece has been, and has the potential to be again, a remarkably complex and morally ambiguous story. But lately it feels like Oda has been downplaying that and simplifying things so that Luffy can do no wrong and everybody loves him. 

That’s what I don’t like about Oda giving Fujitora a big internal monologue about how kind Luffy must be. He included it because we as the readers are supposed to take it to heart and share in the warmth of Fujitora’s feelings about Luffy. Yet, if we actually look closely at the things Luffy has said and done on numerous occasions, we know that Fujitora’s thoughts and feelings aren’t accurate, so how are we supposed to be warmed by something we know isn’t really true? Luffy IS a good person, but that’s not all he is. He rarely cares about the well being of people he doesn’t know. He’s willing to let people he doesn’t respect get hurt. He sometimes has to even hurt people he cares about for the sake of his goals. But lately it feels like Oda’s downplaying this longstanding aspect of Luffy’s character in favor of him being loved by everyone and saving everyone and doing no wrong. In the past I’ve argued very passionately against the idea that Luffy is a generic shonen protagonist, but based on the last 3 arcs alone (5 entire years of story), he kinda has been.

So all this–Luffy feeling like he needed to announce his attacks to Fujitora and Fujitora walking away thinking so incredibly highly of Luffy’s kindness–felt off to me. It blatantly ignored Observation Haki and Fujitora’s strength, contradicts some of Luffy’s past actions, and tried to send a message that we know really isn’t that accurate. I was pretty interested in Luffy’s brash decision to pick a fight with Fujitora in the previous chapter, but then Oda took it in a direction that feels forced to me.

(To include some links… people can read Powermanga’s translation of the chapter HERE. Here’s a post I’ve made before exploring Luffy’s moral shortcomings, and here’s a post addressing whether or not Luffy has a “hero complex” like Doflamingo said he does this arc.)

[forcedapotheosis-blog]

Equilibrium (One Piece Oneshot)

I really don’t have a lot to say about this one, the idea hit me yesterday and here it is. It contains some spoilers if you haven’t read the few latest chapters, but should mostly be safe to read.

Disclaimer 1: OP and its characters don’t belong to me.

Disclaimer 2 (The arguably more important one): I don’t know if this is relevant, but I need to get it out of my system. The violence towards the end of this fiction is used solely for dramatic purposes. If you ever experience that kind of violence in your life, do not hesitate for even one second to talk to someone about it. You might feel as if you deserved it, but that is not true and will never be true. Nobody has the right to violate your bodily integrity in any way, shape or form. 

That said, have fun.

Equilibrium

Time stood still.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, there was a little respite. Just a moment to catch his breath.

He let himself sink into one of the few chairs that weren’t broken during the final clash between the Straw Hats and the Big Mom pirates. He just had to do it. There were moments to count the cost and moments to take a deep breath. He suppressed the trembling of his hands and put a cigarette between his lips, overcoming the struggle of igniting it with sheer force of will.

It’s not over. But .. it is something.

A moment of clarity in the eye of the storm.

His final duel against Big Mom’s second son, the dreaded Charlotte Katakuri, had taken a heavy toll on his body and mind. No matter where he looked, he seemed to be covered in wounds. Many of them deep enough to incapacitate out a lesser man. Every inch of his body was shrieking out in pain, begging for it to stop. But it would stop, given enough time, as this was the nature of wounds to a still living, breathing body.

The smoke was finally hitting his lungs and he revelled in it. The nicotine made his mind slow down and numbed the pain, eased the nigh overwhelming stress step by step, little by little.

Can’t believe I’m still alive .. that all of us are still alive ..

He had every reason to be happy about that. His wedding had been crashed and for the future, he wouldn’t be forced to be a subordinate for Big Mum .. or just be dead. He got back at his father in the most ironic way imaginable, saving him and his siblings from the prospect of certain doom and finally, all of them together were actually able bring about the fall of a tyrant.

Even though his mind was slowing down by now, he contemplated the fact that it had changed during his fight with the Sweet Commander. He transcended the normal bounds of human perception and came to understand the world a little better. When his Kenbunshoku Haki awoke, the only thing he had to do, also the only thing he could do, was to look at his opponent. He understood him on a level that was so much deeper than what he had ever seen .. no, ever felt before. Every movement, every breath he took told him stories about what his foe was going to do in the nearest future. Not one single story, no precise information, but the possibilities of things to come. Watching Katakuri through the second sight of his Haki felt like dreaming of statistics.

That was the reason on why he had to take chances. And since there had been no other option, he took them head on. It was not so much a clash of titans but a battle of wits, very close to a game of chess. One that was impossible to win with his wits alone. That was when taking chances became the most important part of this fight. Him willing to take these risks was what lead to victory. A pyrrhic one, but a victory nonetheless.

He had been wounded before and taking his opponent’s attacks head on could have very well killed him, but going through wit it anyway had been made much easier by the fact that there just was no third option to take.

One overly obvious move to lure Katakuri into an attack that nearly killed him was all it took to get the single opening he needed to go all-out.  A single attack, filled with tranquil fury was what it took to get the better of him. By now he knew that he never felt wrath before, up until this moment. Pure, barely controlled ire was racing through his body and mind when he finally set fire to the shackles of his soul.

And finally, he had been able to make the shadows afraid, reborn, purified with righteous wrath.  

Kind of a shame that fighting that guy isn’t the biggest obstacle to stand in my way. Vinsmoke luck, always rotten.

He couldn’t have been more right with that. The surrounding circumstances put that particular obstacle in the background, but it was still there, waiting for the right time to crush him. And after all the fights, the tears, after being on the verge of breaking again and again, it slid from the shadows, sneaking in for a coup de grâce.

Well, it’s not like I didn’t know that it was coming. In fact, everything from the moment I broke away from my nakama had been building up to this. I was living on borrowed time.. hahaha.

He didn’t really laugh, for one it didn’t go well with smoking and his body was too bruised to make it feel any good or relieving.

His ‘greatest obstacle’ was still out of breath, sitting on the ground with her perfect Clima-tact lying next to her. Sanji vividly remembered how she had used it to knock Pudding out cold when she tried to shoot him in the back. Again.

I guess you just don’t get inbetween a Goddess and her prey., he thought and couldn’t surpress a smile. The Goddess had protected him from harm just to be able to purge him herself. Irony really did write the best stories.

Now, after all this time, either spent apart or next to each other, each of them carefully avoiding to meet the other’s gaze, their eyes finally met again.

So it begins .. no, this might be how it ends., he thought with a heavy heart, closing his eyes for just a second. It was enough to summon the wraiths that were nourished by his guilt. Two shadowy figures that he could only see in the corner of his eye. One had taken the form of his captain, bruised, bloody and beaten within an inch of his life. But .. there was a genuine smile on his face. His signature smile. Sanji could feel the hand of this great man patting his back. Even hear his voice.

“I can’t forgive you, Sanji. Because there is nothing to forgive.”

But it meant nothing, as the second wraith slowly approached. He could only make out the colour of her hair. Fiery red, seemingly moving around even if there was not a breeze to touch it. But it was her eyes that scared him the most. They rightfully accused him, saw right through him. Even through all the physical pain he felt, this one stood out. It had been a simple slap, like the ones she had given him in the past, but oh-so different this time. She had not hurt his body, but her hit resonnated with his soul.

He opened his eyes again, feeling unable to face his wraiths. Nami finally rose up and, even through the sheer exhaustion of battle, she was the living proof that silk hid steel. Her every step resounded heavily within these silent halls .. and the halls of his heart. When she reached him, there was a long silence of exchanging glances and he cursed the fact that Katakuri didn’t kill him when he had the chance to.

“I’m waiting.”, she began, her voice so cold and emotionally barren that he feared that nothing would ever be as it was again.

“Nami-san, I ..”, but she stopped him in his tracks with just a glance. The Goddess didn’t want to hear his excuses.

“I .. I cannot undo what I have done .. please, Nami-san ..”, again, she didn’t want to hear his excuses and his pleads. Sanji wished for her to be irate again, wrathful, just showing emotions. But seeing her so calm and collected made him fear for the worst.

“ .. I nearly killed Luffy. I insulted his dreams. I lied to all of you, since the beginning of our journey. I lied to you because I didn’t think that it would ever be important for anyone again .. I didn’t expect my prediction to be so terribly wrong.”, somehow, speaking hurt. Not because of his bruised and beaten body, but because judgement was upon him. And instead of speaking in his defense, he just laid down all the proof of him being guilty as charged.

“No one could have foreseen that. Go on.”, the sound of her voice chilled him to the bone. Was her intention to torment him with everything he had wronged his crew in the past? Nonetheless, he continued. If it was someone’s right to do it, it was hers.

“I will never forgive myself for the things I put you through .. not .. not the crew, not our nakama. The things I put you through, Nami-san. Not only that my actions could’ve meant death for you .. oh gods ..”, he tried to swallow with increasing difficulty as his mouth was as dry as the desert. And smoking didn’t exactly help him with that.

“If not for Jinbe and the others, you .. you .. might have died, Nami-san.”, his voice failed him. The sheer thought alone was enough to tear open his wounds again. Sanji never wanted to hurt anyone. But when it all came down, his actions nearly killed the single most beautiful woman in the entire world who had been the center of his adoration for such an incredibly long time, no matter the hardships they faced.

“Until my last breath, I will not forget this, Nami-.., not a single line of this all. Not a single moment. Through my actions, I have chosen this burden. I deserve this penance. And everything that comes with it.”, he had consciously dropped the ‘san’, being sure that this meant the end. Whatever it was that developed between these two, whatever might have been possible before all of this had happened didn’t matter anymore, all that remained was a far cry, telling of what could have been.

Oh no .. please, please, please .. no .. not now .. please!

It was in the backdrop of his mind that his Kenbunshoku Haki slowly rose to power again. It had been awakened during his fight with Katakuri because the situation was life-threatening and it regained its sovereignty over his perception because of the increasingly high stress levels that this conversation put onto him.

The deepest, darkest fear of a human was the fear of the unknown. But somehow, knowing made it even scarier.

His eyes were fixated on Nami and he swallowed heavily when his Haki showed him everything and nothing.

Shadowy wraiths, the same he had seen before, but more numerous, were born from her body. They carried different shades of darkness, different colours .. but her voice. Some of them turned away from him, others silently accused him.

“I will never forgive you for what you have done, Sanji.”

“I swore that I would bring you back to the Sunny. Now that that’s done, we’re through.”

“You’re vermin, Sanji. I don’t care for your reasoning.”

“I want to never see you again, cook. And only because of our captain’s dreams will I even consider to suffer through your mere presence.”

“Maybe it would have been better if you starved as a child. For all of us. Think about it, if you died as a child, none of this would have ever happened.”

“Don’t you dare to approach me ever again, cook. We’re done.”

“If you ever so much as think about endangering our dreams again ..”

“I accept that you have to keep on travelling with us. But you’re no longer nakama. Not for me.”

“Couldn’t you just have ..”

“I will never ..”

“Don’t ever come ..”

“Never ..”

“Never ..”

“Never ..”

PLEASE, STOP!, his mind cried out in pain from all the things his Haki flooded it with. These perceptions were partly based on his knowledge and memories, but mostly they drew their influences from his present feelings and looking at her. Her body language, her voice that was as cold as ice. And it all felt so real. Everything was possible.

It only stopped when she made the next step herself. And for a moment, the slap he received felt .. unreal. Just another trick his mind had played on him. Her voice was just so different now, trembling, barely containing her ire.

“Do you remember Enie’s Lobby?”, she asked, seemingly in need to force herself through every word. The question itself surprised him, everything just seemed to be so far away .. still, he nodded.

Another slap, with more force behind it this time. So much that he nearly lost his balance. The cigarette between his lips fell to the ground.

And more words. More wrath.

“Do you remember the fight between Luffy and Usopp?”, again, he nodded and braced himself for the next slap to come. It didn’t do him any good. This time, it wasn’t the palm of her hand that hit him, but her fist. The sheer kinetic energy behind the punch was enough to effortlessly tear him down from the chair, putting him onto the cold ground. His wounds ached, but he remained silent. That was well-deserved.

“Do .. you .. remember .. me?”, what ..?, listening to hear voice brought tears into his eyes. Of course, he remembered it. Everything. Cocoyashi, Arlong, her tears, her wanting them to believe that she was a betrayer. Every line of it. He heard sobbing and thought that it was his own.

Nami fell to her knees, next to him. He expected another slap or punch or anything else that was supposed to hurt him. Yet seeing her, a neverending flow of tears running down her cheeks, realising that the sobbing belonged to her .. that was what finally did the trick. It was what hurt him the most of all.

“We could have avoided so much pain .. Sanji-kun, so many tears .. if we were only true to each other.”, and she was Just. So. Right. If only they had played with an open hand.

Still, he was at a loss for words. What answer could she possible expect?

“You’re right, .. you’re so right .. I’m sorry, Nami-san, please .. forgive me .. please ..”, Sanji forced the words out of his mouth and took a great risk by what he did next. He took her hand. And to his utter surprise, she let it pass.

More than that. Her fingers began to intertwine with his. And oh, her voice .. it seemed like it had finally found back to its roots. When she spoke to him again, a mighty wind blew away the clouds that hid the sun for so long.

“I swear .. to everything holy, Sanji-kun, that I will remind you to be sorry. Every day. Until the end of days. As long as the both of use still breathe.”

Wha .. does .. Nami-san .. is that .. am I losing my mind?!

It surely felt like it. A wonderful dream of Spring. The smell of tangerines in the air. Hair that playfully brushed over his face. Her warm hand in his.

Lips .. that tasted salty from her tears.

[inupibaldspot]

Saviour : Chapter 15

"Sabo! He is coming your way!" Ace said as he run as fast as he could against the harsh snow. "Don't let him get away!" Ace shouted as he smiled to himself. They already caught one in the morning so if they caught one more, it was going to be a feast. He sure wasn't going to let it get away. This snowy harsh weather ain't nothing if he got food in the end.

"Don't worry, I wont!" Sabo replied as he continued to chase after their prey. He made a swift turn making their prey trapped in between them.

The danpa (AN: the animal looks like a panda) hesitated for a bit and then changed directions directly towards a cliff in panic. Yes! He headed in the exact place we wanted. Sabo said now running along side with Ace.

"Luffy! Emilia! Get ready" Ace shouted knowing that both Emilia and Luffy were on top of the cliff waiting for the right moment to jump and attack.

"He is here." Emilia said looking at the bear. Knowing Luffy he must be trembling with excitement, after all this child really loved to eat meat. "Let's go."

As soon as she said that, Luffy and Emilia both jumped off the cliff with their weapons in hand. Luffy had a metal pipe just like Sabo and Ace whereas Emilia had a homemade kendo sword.

"I won't let you get away." Luffy said. Emilia reached on the ground first .She then infused haki into her sword. It didn't cover the sword completely but it was getting there. She hit danpa, making it fly slightly .

Luffy who was nearing the ground started to hold onto his pipe tightly. Luffy then raised his hand and hit the bear with his pipe, knocking the danpa out .

"We did It!" Luffy shouted with glee, also earning praises from Sabo.

As Emilia watched Luffy(who was celebrating around their dead prey) proudly since the kid finally got his first prey ( it was usually her or the brothers who dealt with the final blow) , however she suddenly noticed a figure approaching. "Luffy! Get away!" She said as he rushed to him, swiftly picking him up by the collar and grouped with Sabo and Ace.

Ace looked at Emilia confused. "What is It,Emilia?" He asked.

"Look there!" Sabo spoke up. A large tiger was on the top of the cliff, where Luffy and Emilia previously stood. This forest was home to very large and terrifying animals but this one was the mightiest.

"It's the tiger king!" Luffy said in trembling voice.

"He must have caught wind of our prey."

"We should get away from here!" Sabo suggested as he started backing away slowly. "It probably wants the danpa."

Just then the tiger jumped and landed on the ground making the ground shake a bit. The wasn't the first time Emilia saw this tiger but it never ceases to amaze her on how big it was.

Luffy looked at the tiger straight in his eyes and said with a trembling voice. "But Its my prize! I'm not going to let you-"

"Luffy, we back off now!" Emilia intervened pushing Luffy back , just in case this boy jumped unpredictably.

The three older children looked at each other and nodded. They all then picked up Luffy and ran away since the tiger was currently distracted by the dead danpa.

After that the team once again tried to catch another danpa to make up for the one they lost but unfortunately no animals were found which made Luffy even more depressed. And soon the sun set making them return back with the first danpa they caught early in the morning.

Luffy sighed as he was crossing the bridge. Sabo noticing that turned back.He reply ptried that small boy . "Sorry about your first prize, Luffy."

Ace frowned "Leave him alone. We had no chance against that tiger." He said,continuing to carry the danpa.

Luffy looked down with an angry expression and clenched his fist. "But that was my prize. He can't just steal it." He shouted as he jumped making the bridge shake, causing his older siblings to panic.

Luffy then smiled.

Oh no.. Emilia thought knowing that expression on Luffy's face meant no good.

And just as Emilia expected , Luffy jumped multiple times with all his force making the bridge swing harshly.

"You little..!"

"Stop, Luffy!-"

Just then the wood under Luffy unexpectedly broke making him sink into the hole and fall down.

In panic Emilia also without a second thought jumped off the bridge trying to hold onto Luffy. This then caused more panic making Ace jump and hold onto Emilia, then Ace was held by Sabo who fortunately stayed on the bridge and pulled them up with all his strength.

And in the midst of this chaos they managed to make the danpa, their dinner, fall into the river with no chance to retrieve it.

After that the team walked and soon reached home with a gloomy aura surrounding them.

"Next time don't do anything stupid like that, Luffy." Ace shouted as he hit a sulking Luffy.

"Also Emilia." He continued and he walked to the said girl and did a light karate chop on the girl. "I know you get really worried but next time think thoroughly and don't act so rashly."

"I won't...Sorry." Emilia said looking down.

Sabo smiled at the scene. "It has been a bad day so how about we go to bed already." He suggested.

The guys then made their bed and lied down.

"Oh.." Emilia suddenly said and stood up. Walking to the corner of the room and took out something from their belongings. She then sat infront of all them and placed clothing in front of all of them.

"This is.." Ace said as he picked it up.

"I made mufflers for all you." Emilia said. " but then I made them in only two colours, blue and red so you guys can pick the one you like."

Sabo smiled and looked at Emilia. "But since your the one who made it, you should pick yours first." Making Ace and Luffy also nod.

"Hmmm...if that's the case.." Emilia hummed as she thought. "I guess I'll take the red."

Ace then swiftly also picked up the other red muffler. "I'm also taking red."

"Ah!" Luffy shouted as he pointed at Ace. "No fair Ace, I wanted the red one!" But this was only replied with Ace's smug face.

"If you want you can have mine, Luffy." Emilia proposed.

"It's fine isn't it Luffy, we can be matching." Sabo intervened.

"Fine..." Luffy gave in. He then smiled not even a second later. "I'd rather have same as Sabo since he is kinder."

"Gahhh! What did you just say brat?!"

Emilia eyes wandered towards her muffler and then looked at Ace who was wrapping the muffler around his neck as he continued to fight with Luffy.

She bought her muffler close to her chest and smiled.

Luffy then layed down after the fight with Ace with a smile. "Siblings are really nice things. If you guys come on my ship...." Luffy said softly and then laughed to himself imagining all the adventures he could have in the future with these people.

"Laughing ain't gonna make your stomach full." Sabo said looking at Luffy.

"I've made up my mind!" Luffy said in a determined tone. "Ace, Sabo, Emilia! You guys come aboard on my ship,okay?! Say yes!"

"That's so sudden." Sabo asked.

Ace looked away. "We decided to leave it in the future."

"But then." Luffy continued smiling. "It'd be fun to with each other and also you'll need my help,right?"

Sabo and Ace then stood up. "You're the one who will need our help, aren't you? " Sabo said.

"No!" Luffy objected. "I'll be the one to save you guys."

Ace then smirked "You guys are welcome in my ship."

"No,my ship!" Both Sabo and Luffy quickly shut the opinion down.

"Then, this isn't gonna work." Ace continued.

Ah...Emilia who was still lying in bed,thought. They started again.

"How about this?" Luffy said. "The one who beats the tiger king can be the captain."

"Tiger king?" Ace asked confused. "Are you serious?"

"Then the chances of Luffy becoming captain is low." Sabo said with a smirk.

"That's not true.None of us can compete against him now." Luffy shouted frowning.

"Let's do it!"

"Emilia?" Sabo asked looking at the girl. "What about you?"

Emilia then opened her eyes and looked at Sabo. "I have no intention of becoming captain so you guys can sort this on your own. I'll just be a spectator."

"Let's decide who is gonna be captain then!"

.......

The following day, the three boys stood in front of the forest each with 3 large fishes on their back. They were trying to lure the tiger king with a bait.

Emilia looked at the boys from a distance, not too close yet not too far. She decided she would only intervene if the situation became too dangerous. Emilia wasn't sure if she could beat the tiger king, but she knew that she could if the boys backed her up.

Surely enough after waiting for a while a large roar resonated in the forest making the individuals involved tense.

Emilia looked at the large figure approaching. "It isn't the tiger king..." She muttered to herself as she looked at the large bear in front of the boys.

"Wait..." She heard Ace say. "It seems like he is as strong as the tiger. We can't beat the tiger if we can't beat him." He continued.

Right after that, Emilia watched as Ace rushed towards the bear and jumped, swinging the iron pipe towards the bear. But he didn't stop there, as he continued to fall, Ace twisted himself hitting the bear.

"As expected from Ace...." Emilia said. But I don't think the bear would go down so easily.

The bear who now had a large injury on his head,roared in anger and started chasing the boys. Emilia ran at the same pace but didn't go much close.

She watched as the bear reach closer and closer to the boys. Deciding that it was time to intervene, she sped up trying to move closer to the bear.

However before she could even pull out her weapon which was on her back, a rather large hammer went past the boys and hit the bear directly in his face. This  made the boys and Emilia stop in confusion.

An old man, wear a cloak and hat (along with an orange tinted sunglass), jumped out of blue and stood in front of the boys.

The bear, stood and ran in full speed towards the old man, even angrier than before.

This is bad. Emilia thought as she ran towards the man, ready with her weapon inorder to save him. But before she could actually reach them, a sudden whirl of wind appeared making the snow around them go flying.

Emilia watched in awe and she saw the man lowering his hands and say a few words , making the bear turn around and leave.

That man..Emilia thought as she looked at the man who was talking with the boys. He can also use it.

......

"You were a pirate and Captain,Naguri?!" Sabo asked the old man.

The team were currently cooking the fish they previously caught to use as bait, they also invited the old man as a sign of gratitude.

"Yes,indeed." The old man agreed.

"I knew it." Luffy shouted happily. "Only a pirate captain could do that."

"I guessing you are talking about Shanks, Luffy?" Emilia asked, poking the fish making sure if it was fully cooked.

"Yeah! The old man made the bear turn away just by staring at him ,just like Shanks." Luffy grinned. He was always excited to talk about Shanks. Emilia would listen to him talk about Shanks whereas Ace and Sabo would straight up ignore him. So having a new person listen to him talk about Shanks made Luffy every happy.

"It's cooked,Ace." Emilia muttered softly, ignoring Sabo and Luffy who started fighting.

Ace nodded and cut the fish in 5 pieces and distributed it.

"So, what is a pirate captain in a place like this?" Ace asked.

The old man went silent for a while and the said. "Do you guys know Gold Roger?". The question made the surrounding very silent.

Emilia looked at Ace from the corner of her eyes. At the mention of his father's name the boy went tense.If she wasn't mistaken Gold Roger,the pirate king, was Ace's father.

Naguri then started talking about his experience fighting The Pirate King's crew. "We fought him and lost. And due to that we split up." The old man looked at the ground sadly. "Every thing went downhill and I ended up like this."

Ace silently turned around and started walking away. Sabo who noticed that stood up and called out "Ace-"

But before he could finish Emilia stopped him. "Sabo,I'll go after him.You should stay here." She said as she walked away following Ace.

Emilia didn't say anything until they had finally reached their room. "Ace, are you okay?"

Ace didn't reply.He stood near one of the windows of the tree house and looked outside. He felt a tap on his shoulder making him look at the girl.

"Ace?" Emilia asked once more. Ace looked in Emilia directly in her eyes. It's not that he didn't notice before but then Emilia eyes were really beautiful. It was deep blue almost like the sea, and now that they were under the moonlight he felt as if her eyes had a slight shine in it. And beyond all that, he currently saw genuine concern directed towards him.

Ace sighed and placed one of his hands on his head. "Guess it's okay to tell you..." he muttered to himself.

"My father...My father is Roger, the pirate king." Ace said looking at Emilia, his fist clenching tightly.

"I always thought If I deserved to be born? After all I do carry the blood of the demon. I'm grateful to my mom for the name Portgas but my dad...I hate him."

Ace sighed as he sat down "Do you hate me now you know that I'm Rogers son?" He asked not looking at Emilia.Ace felt his voice tremble.

Emilia walked towards Ace and sat next to him. "Rather than hate I'm more shocked by the fact that Ace told me this."

"Huh?" Ace looked at Emilia confused.

"I honestly don't care who your father is, Ace. Also I don't know who my father is." Emilia looking at Ace smiling. "For me you're not Roger's son neither are you the demon child, you're just Portgas D Ace."

"And the Ace I know is a child who is very short tempered,cynical and rash.But at the same time someone who is very strong , and caring. The Ace i know cares for someone in a very subtle way and when we point that out he gets embarassed and starts shouting." Emilia continued as she looked at her fingers counting each characteristics. "Also at time he is very reliable and mature,you also lectured me yesterday. He is also someone who aspires to be polite." Emilia said the last line in a teasing tone.

"Gah?! You saw me read that book?!" Ace shouted covering his face,embarassed  causing Emilia to giggle slightly.

"The Ace I know also blushes easily and for me, each part of him is precious because upon adding every thing it makes the Ace in front of me." Emilia said softly. "After saying all that do you still think I will hate you?"

"For you to say I'm precious." Ace stood up quickly and when Emilia tired to look up, he placed his hand on her head and ruffled it. He smiled. "You're an idiot."