#is zoro controlling his swords by using his king's haki on them

[hauntingblue]

ZORO LORE FINALLY ⁉️

[zorosangell]

⛥ﾟ・。 kunoichi

synopsis: the story of how you met the strawhat crew (and your swordsman)

cw: lots of fluff, comfort, angst if you squint, slightest hint of simp zoro, you're a bad-ass, luffy saves you.

a/n: reposted from another account

'I can't believe I let this happen... I'm such an idiot...'

You knew the creak of a disembarking ship all too well, which only told you that the Strawhats were back way before the estimated time.

'S'what I get for trusting Kovu with gathering intel...'

With a sigh, you placed the rolled up poneglyph prints in their respective tubes and tied them to your back, silently ducking into the shadows when you heard footsteps outside the door.

You were currently aboard the Thousand Sunny, the flagship of the Strawhats, trying to steal their poneglyph prints for your boss.

It was a simple job, too. They were docked at some random island for supplies, and the reindeer who was left behind to watch the ship had fallen asleep.

No one would suspect a thing.

You should've been back on land by now, handing over the prints and finally breaking free from his abusive reign.

This job was your ticket to freedom.

Yet Kovu just had to fuck shit up.

'I can't stay holed up in this room forever. They'll get too far from land.'

With a huff, you slowly opened the door, happy to sense that no one was around.

'I need to find a way to get to the back of the ship. I can jump from there, and probably swim back.'

Quietly, you ran toward the stairs, happy you went barefoot for this mission instead of using your getas.

There was no possible way to get back there without being seen, so the least you could do was be fast about it.

You were up the stairs in the blink of an eye, and now sprinting straight for the gigantic, cannon-looking thing attached to the back of the boat.

'Almost home free...'

For the first time in years, you smiled, freedom just in reach.

Until it wasn't.

"YOHOHOHO! Um, guys! There's a lovely lady trying to sneak off the ship!" a skeleton man shrieked, landing in front of you and blocking your easy exit, drawing a sword from his cane. "AHHHH! SHE HAS THE PONEGYLPHS!"

Soul King Brook

'Dammit! Time to try the front!'

You back flipped, twisting yourself in the air so you landed the oposite way, allowing you to book it in the other direction.

"You can't be serious!" a redheaded woman exclaimed, running up the steps and to the back deck with a small orange and white staff in hand.

Cat Burgler Nami.

She ran at you, the staff extending into something much larger.

She swung, aiming for your head, but you dropped into a split just in time, using your extended leg to sweep her feet and knock her on her ass.

You grabbed her staff as he was distracted, squeezing it by accident. Out of nowhere, it extended impossibly long, shooting you into the air.

'Luck may be on my side today.'

You smirked as you flew up the side of the mast, getting about halfway up before planting your feet on it, running up the rest.

You managed to get to the yard, perching yourself so you could look for another form of escape, when you sensed something.

Nico Robin.

You jumped off the yard, grabbing onto it like a monkey bar just as four pale arms sprouted from the wood, attempting to grab you.

"Whoa! That's so cool!" a giddy voice exclaimed from below.

Your gaze quickly shifted to the deck below, only to see that trademark hat, and the notorious man that it rested on.

'Strawhat!'

You could sense another attack coming your way so you swung yourself as if you were on uneven bars and let go, flying into the air.

"Is she nuts?! She's gonna kill herself from that height!" a large man with weirdly shaped blue hair exclaimed from below.

Cyborg Franky.

The swing was too short.

You wouldn't go overboard.

'Curse these heavy cuffs!'

One silver cuff was attached to each of your ankles, their being there out of your control.

Noticing you were getting dangerously close to the ground, you imbued your legs with some haki and landed safely, creating a small crater on the grassy deck.

As the dust settled, you realized you were surrounded by Strawhat, the Pirate Hunter, and Blackfoot.

'Shit.'

"GAHHHH! SHE'S SO GORGEOUS! LOOK AT HER SHORT KIMONO!" Sanji squealed as his eyes turned into hearts, blood shooting from his nose.

Despite the blonde man's... awkward display, you sensed another pair of eyes on you, so much so that it practically burned.

The Pirate Hunter?

The second you turned to him, your heart caught in your throat.

You had seen his face on his wanted poster a few times before, and you'd be stupid to deny that he wasn't a handsome man, but looking at him in the flesh...

The pictures didn't even begin to do him justice.

And before you realized, the two of you locked eyes, and in an instant, it felt as if your legs turned to jelly.

A warm, fluttery feeling spread throughout your stomach, and it felt as if everything else in the world had stopped.

'What is feeling? Have I been poisoned?'

Just going off his glare, you could already tell that most cowered under his gaze.

So why were you reacting this way?

Shaking your head, you snapped yourself out of it, focusing on the task at hand.

'No time to gawk... back to work.'

"You... what are you doing on my ship? And why are you stealing Robin's ponegylphs?" Strawhat asked seriously, his face quite the contrast from his giddy expression before.

You sighed.

There was no way you could lie out of this mess.

"I am a kunoichi of the Iguro clan. And I have been ordered to steal your ponegylph prints," you stated, tone firm.

"Any idea why?" Nami asked, her and the rest of the crew walking over.

"None. I am left completely in the dark," you shook your head.

Your expression quickly turned determined.

"But I do know that this final job is my one way ticket out of hell, so peacefully or not, I'm leaving."

You lowered yourself into an offensive stance, glaring at Strawhat as his lips grew a smirk.

He cracked his knuckles, "Alright, then."

"Luffy, you better not hurt her!" Sanji fumed from the sidelines.

Using your haki, you peered into the near future to see him punch you with an extended arm.

'Can't have that.'

"Gum Gum Pistol!"

You tilted to the side, avoiding his hit with ease.

The entire group gasped, save for Zoro.

Strawhat's grin grew even larger, if that was possible, and he wound up both arms.

'A barrage of fists.'

"Gum Gum Gatling!"

The attack came quickly, but you dodged just like the first, flipping, lunging, and performing splits to dodge.

Imbuing your arms with haki, you grabbed one of his arms, harshly pulling him toward you.

And like a bungee cord, he came, and you slammed a flattened hand into the pressure point on his neck, knocking him out.

"Luffy!" the crew exclaimed.

Without hesitation, Zoro drew two of his swords and broke into a sprint, so you dropped his captain and drew your own katana, meeting his two with a sharp clash.

He smirked, which made that fluttery feeling return to your stomach.

"I see you use Ittoryu," he remarked with a slight rumble.

You smirked right back.

"I'm knowledgeable in the style, yes."

The both of you pushed off, returning to your stances before running at each other again.

Swords flew through the air as the both of you met the other's attack perfectly.

You lunged into an attack, but he blocked it yet again, so you hooked your outstretched foot on his ankle, deepening your lunge to pull him down.

He grunted, doing everything he could to keep his stance planted and balanced; so, you imbued your foot with haki, and he did the same for his.

He seemed almost surprised by the fact that you were still pushing your sword against his—despite your compromising position—openly demonstrating your strength, and proving it was comparable to his.

No even Tashigi could do that.

And not only was he impressed by the woman in front of him, but in silent awe.

Sure, your beauty was what caught his attention first—he was a man, after all.

Smooth, chestnut skin...

Plump lips...

Beautiful hip dips and curves...

Sparkling, (e/c) eyes, which looked as if they held stars in your gaze...

But now that he saw your fighting prowess, and raw strength along with it...

Well, you could say you had him hook, line, and sinker.

Still, you kept strong, holding your sword firm in its place as the Pirate Hunter continued to push down.

That is... until the pain equivalent to a thousand lightning bolts stemmed from your ankles.

'No! Not now!'

As you let out a cry of pain, Zoro quickly pulled away his swords, moving before the electricity could be conducted to him.

You dropped your katana, falling over as you held yourself in agony, muffling your shouts of pain on your forearm.

"What's wrong? What did you do to her, moss for brains?!" Sanji asked, yelling at the green-hared swordsman.

"I didn't do anything to her!" Zoro fired back, glaring at the cook.

He didn't know why, but seeing you in so much pain made him hurt.

It was a sharp, pulling feeling, as if his heart was on a string connected to you.

"The shocks seem to be coming from her ankles," Robin pointed out, everyone's attention turning to the cuffs that adorned your feet.

"How do we git it off her? 'Cause that looks super painful," Franky asked, grimacing at the sight of you writhing in pain.

It was then that Strawhat got back up from the ground, looking at you with a blank face.

"Oi, (y/n)? Can you hear me?" your bossed asked, his voice coming from the cuffs.

"Shit," you cursed, weakly trying to get up.

"I'll take that as a yes," you could practically hear his smirk from the other side. "Lemme cut to the chase... you failed your mission, plain and simple. So, you know the consequences."

"No!" you let out a choking gasp, trying to speak through the pain. "I've... I've worked with you for ten years! My debt is paid! We had an agreement!"

"You stupid girl!" he cackled. "I was never going to honor our agreement! You're too good of an asset to pass up! You will work under me for the rest of your pathetic, little life!"

The ship went dead silent, the Strawhat crew looking at you sorrily as tears poured down your cheeks.

Ten years of your life... gone.

All because you believed in the word of a pirate.

He was right... you really were stupid.

Painfully, you turned to Strawhat, who looked over the situation intently.

That's when you got an idea, and settled on it instantly.

Down on your hands and knees, you bowed your head to the captain, the rest of the crew letting out quiet gasps.

"Strawhat, I... hnnggh... I apologize for knocking you out earlier and... un-understand that I am in no place to ask you for such a favor but..."

You lowered your head to the ground, accepting that you would have to die in a state of embarrassment and weakness.

"Please kill me."

If you thought the crew was shocked before, they were flabbergasted now.

Even Zoro.

"I've wasted the last ten years of my life with that monster. And now that there's no end in sight, I do not wish to live."

Strawhat kept the same neutral face as he slowly approached.

You took a deep breath, smiling as you realized your suffering would soon be over, and the bliss of nothingness would welcome you.

But it never came.

Strawhat instead walked past you, silently, and you understood.

'I should've known...'

Such a favor couldn't be done for someone who just stole from him.

Suddenly, you felt the weight release form your ankles, and the shocks stop.

Your eyes shot wide as you lifted your head, snapping around to see that Strawhat had broken the cuffs off for you.

"Hey, guy!" he shouted, leaning down to the broken pieces. "I don't know if you can hear me anymore, but know that (y/n) is under my protection! And she won't be paying back your stupid debt anymore!"

You breath was trapped in your chest, unable to comprehend the words coming out of his mouth.

In one motion, a man you had just met—a man that you tried to steal from—had set you free.

After ten years of hellish torture, you were finally free.

But you still tried to compose yourself, sniffling as he turned back around to face you.

"Why didn't you kill me?" you quietly asked, looking away from the man.

His smile grew into a full on grin, "All you needed was a little help. There was no reason to kill you."

Your eyes went wide.

There was no way.

This had to be a trick.

"Next time just ask."

Your ears perked at that part.

"Next time?" you asked.

"Oh, yeah! I meant to ask," he cheesed. "Do ya wanna join my crew? It'd be so cool if we had a kunoichi!"

You were shocked to say the least, looking over the rest of the crew's faces to see that they were smiling as well.

Never before had you been met with such kindness.

They weren't even getting anything in return.

You sniffled, clearing your throat.

"I would like that," you smiled, looking down at the ground.

As he cheered, and ordered Black Leg to cook a banquet in celebration, you wiped a stray tear from your cheek, looking up at the clear, blue sky.

Strawhat Luffy would never know the bounds of your thanks.

You could never repay him.

[doodleplus]

genshinified them…i wanted to know what zoro would look like with a vision and it devolved from there (first six are splash wips)

bare-bones details/mechanics of how this au would work under the cut hehe

Luffy is a young adventurer who wants to find all the gnoses (reasons unclear), was mockingly called ‘king of the archons’ as a result, then adopted that as his goal. He meets Zoro in Inazuma, where he was imprisoned under the ruling of the Raiden Shogun, and upon temporarily defeating her, they escape with no destination in mind. Nami decides to hitch a ride with them, promising that she’ll navigate their wave rider to the next place they are trying to go. (And they meet Usopp and Sanji and leaves for her hometown in Fontaine to pay off Arlong etc etc)

It follows the main story from then on, except it’s much more condensed (Teyvat is much smaller than the One Piece world), and there’s much more of a spotlight on how archons (and gnoses) work. Devil Fruits, Haki, Points, and other magical combat abilities are condensed into Visions (for the sake of world placement), though Vision strength levels get introduced to accommodate power levels of characters in One Piece.

Anyhow! I’ve thought of all the strawhats’ countries of origin + element + weapons so I’ll list them here: (since I’ve not gotten super far into the anime it’s not perfect (past Robin it gets hazy for me))

- Luffy

* grew up in Mondstadt, nation of origin Natlan, Khaenri’ah (though he doesn’t know nor care)

* has an anemo vision that he activated by grabbing a hollow vision out of a chest the red-haired pirates had found (matches his eating of the devil fruit in canon)

* catalyst user as he can’t fight with weapons well

- Zoro

* grew up in Inazuma

* has a dendro vision that he gained when he promised to become the world’s greatest swordsman with kuina (who already had a pyro vision)

* sword.

- Nami

* grew up in Fontaine, country of origin Inazuma

* gained her (hydro) vision after Arlong took her away and tried to sell it. when that failed, she refused to use it until she was free from Arlong. However, she doesn’t really know how to control her powers until she fights Ms. Double Finger with a spear specially forged for her.

* polearm user, most specially her clima-tact (as she calls it)

- Usopp

* from Mondstadt, father is from Natlan

* gained his geo vision after meeting Onion, Carrot, and Pepper and creating the Usopp Pirates, and he used it to avoid as much trouble as he could—he still usually uses it defensively

* bow user (obviously)

- Sanji

* grew up in Fontaine, born in Snezhnaya

* gained his (pyro) vision not when he tried cooking as a kid in the palace, not on the Orbit, but on the last day of him and Zeff being stranded on the empty island, starving. Zeff had already had a vision then, and it solidified his choice to take the kid in and teach him cooking

* he fights with his legs. catalyst

- Chopper

* from Snezhnaya

* got his cryo vision when he tried to help an injured member of his reindeer pack, which changed him into more of a humanoid reindeer hybrid, leading to him being ostracized until he met Hiluluk, a doctor

* bow user, to mimic the sniping function of brain point. other points function as his elemental skill and burst

- Robin

* from Snezhnaya, but has been in Sumeru for the last few years

* got her vision as she learned to read Khaenri’ahn, which then made her an outlaw

* catalyst user—her attacks make organic mimics of hands, formed by flowers and vines

- Franky

* grew up in Fontaine, country of origin Mondstadt

* got his (electro) vision when apprenticed to Tom as a shipbuilder

* claymore user because in-story he’d be the only character who would be able to use one comfortably

- Brook

* from Mondstadt

* gained his anemo vision when he was about to die on an island near Fontaine, and somehow it kept him alive, blowing food and causing rain storms constantly to where he was stranded (the strawhats have contemplated whether he has a gnosis on him)

* sword user! with great elemental mastery

- Jinbe

* from Inazuma

* gained his hydro vision almost immediately after seeing the ocean for the first time (he was born as a youkai and lived right next to the ocean so it was rather soon after he was born)

* polearm user, and is partial to tridents

BONUS:

- Ace

* grew up in Mondstadt, countries of origin Natlan, Khaenri’ah

* got his pyro vision when he got shipwrecked and stranded on an island after leaving Mondstadt

* is also a catalyst user

- Vivi

* from the desert portion of Sumeru, though has been traveling around Teyvat in disguise

* got her geo vision after fighting Kohza but doesn’t find it useful at all (she wishes she had a hydro vision and is confused as to why Nami rarely uses hers…irony)

* her assigned weapon is a polearm (the peacock feather whips do not have a direct translation into the game, which is frustrating)

If you read all of this, oh boy (and also thanks!)

[one-idea]

I don't think you understand the chokehold your AUs have on me.

Btw how's that dream dream no mi au comjng along?

Also I saw the voting poll. SANJI AND ZORO ARE GOING THROUGH IT

Oh thank you so much!!!! I’m glad you’re enjoying them.

I have a lot of thoughts on the dream dream fruit. And I’ll share two scenes with you

I know how I want it to start off.

I think it will start off with the crew getting attacked but a large “pirate crew.” While they out number the strawhats they are nowhere near their skill level, so the crew is having some fun showing off. Even Nami and Usopp and having some fun trying out different moves and showing off their skills to the other crew members. (In a serious fight they never get to see what the rest of the crew is doing, I can see them taking turns in a less serious fight and applauding after fancy moves)

And it’s all fun and games at first. Until Zoro and Sanji start counting KOs (they’ve been doing it the whole time for the whole crew, but Zoro definitely got the most in one move and now Sanji has to top it and it’s a constant back and forth)

Luffy moves to take his turn sweeping most of the enemies from the deck. While he finishes his move Zoro and Sanji start fighting each other. It’s stupid and petty, nothing out of the ordinary for the two. Luffy sees them and starts to laugh until he spots and enemy flying straight at Zoro.

He moves without thinking. He knows Zoro can watch his own back but he’s the captain, he takes care of his crew. Plus Zoro and Sanji are having fun, no need to interrupt them. So he blocks the hit.

And he drops like a stone.

Zoro sees the hit coming. He’s already pivoting to intercept it when Luffy blocks it. He can see Luffy moving to block it to, he’s got crazy observation haki, but he also trust Luffy. These are weaklings, no one here should be a threat and if Luffy wants to fight more Zoro’s not going to stop him. That is until Luffy drops, and Zoro’s world comes to a hault.

Because that hit was suppose to be for him. Luffy just protected him and got hurt in the process. This shouldn’t be happening. All of these “pirates” were weak. Not a single one is anywhere near the strawhats, Luffy shouldn’t be hurt.

But he is.

And he’s not getting up.

Zoro’s enraged and immediately goes after the perpetrator but they’re gone. A blink and you miss them disappearance. And it looks like the rest of the “pirates” are gone as well. Zoro and Sanji want to give chase but Robin wants to know what happened to Luffy before they rush in.

This is of course when they realize Luffy’s dream has been stolen.

Ive been playing with the idea that the devil fruit user can use the persons dream to control them, but maybe that’s after they’ve had possession of their dream for a while. (Still playing with it)

Another scene I’ve been thinking about is when they are trying to get Luffy’s dream back.

There first attempt ends with them popping someone’s dream and finding out they can destroy them.

I think in the second attempt they are able to knock the devil fruit user away from Luffy’s dream. But the Bubble almost pops via crashing into the environment.

Zoro moves to get in between Luffy’s dream and whatever might harm it. He drops his swords because there is no way he is destroying Luffy’s dream. And the bubble bumps into him (maybe he even catches it in his hands)

But the moment he touches it the world whites out for a second and when it comes back into view, he’s not where he once was.

Instead he’s standing on a beach besides Luffy. Shanks is a cross from them, wearing Luffy’s straw hat taking about how proud he is of Luffy for becoming the King of the pirates.

Before Zoro can get his bearing Mihawk joins them and Shanks turns to his old friend and immediately roasts him about losing his title to Zoro. And wait a second when did Zoro beat Mihawk? Like he would remember that!

But Luffy’s laughing (and it’s the first time he’s heard his laugh in days) and he smiles and says “of course Zoro won, he’s the first mate of the king of the Pirates, and the world’s greatest swordsman.” And he turns and just beams at Zoro. (And it’s the first time since this nightmare started that Luffy talked about his dream, not only that but believed in his dream AND in Zoro’s) it’s enough to make tears well because he’s missed this Luffy so much.

And as he looks around he can see their whole crew is around them. Nami is showing off her map to Vivi. Sanji and Zeff are together cooking food for the group, and he can hear Sanji telling Zeff about where the All Blue is. Copper is talking to Law about how to cure every disease. Usopp and Yasopp are talking and he can hear Usopp telling his Father about his adventures as a Brave warrior of the sea. Robin is talking to a group of their friend (Yamato/red hair pirates/heart pirates) about the true history of the world. Franky’s next to her blubbering about how his ship made it around the world. Brook is playing Music to Laboon who’s hanging out in the water. Jinbei is talking to Sabo about Fishman and Human equality.

And it’s perfect. Their crew is happy, and safe, and their dreams have all come true.

And Luffy is next to him smiling that grin that puts the sun to shame. And Ace is walking over the join the conversation.

And Ace is walking over the join the conversation……

And just like that it snaps into place that this isn’t real.

The world starts to fade out and when it fades back in Zoro’s back on the battle field. He’s on his knees with his swords around him. Right where he dropped them to make sure he didn’t pop Luffy’s dream

But Luffy’s bubble isn’t there and for a heart stopping moment he wonders if he popped it. In trying to save it did he destroy it?

And then Sanji’s in front of his screaming at him, because what the hell man! You had Luffy’s dream in your hands and you froze!?!? The devil fruit user took Luffy’s dream back and you did nothing to stop them!!!!

Nami comes over and yells at Sanji to stop because Zoro hasn’t moved. What if the devil fruit user took his dream to!

But Zoro pushes to his feet his brain finally catching up with everything that just occurred. And he know two things. 1) he’s getting Luffy’s dream back even if it kills him (he already knew this but now he’s got more motivation. He’s seen Luffy’s dream and it’s beautiful and no one gets to take that from his captain) 2) he knows why Luffy doesn’t believe in their dreams any more. It’s because their dreams have become part of Luffy’s. Luffy’s dream can’t come true unless they all accomplish their goals as well.

Ya but these are some of the ruff ideas I’m playing with.

I hope you like them and let me know if I should expand on anything!!!

[cherryorchrd]

basics.

the current user of the mythical zoan fruit, hito hito no mi model: tezcatlipoca.*

a tobiroppo of the beast pirates (though that is timeline-dependent).

one of the few known individuals who can use all three forms of haki.

bounty of 850,500,000 beri.

the self-proclaimed jaguar king, grimmjow jaegerjaquez. a pirate known for his brutal, violent, impulsive, and volatile temper. perfect for a member of the beast pirates. grimmjow does not hail from wano but instead somewhere from the south blue. where he does not say nor will he talk about it. the only thing that matters to him is fighting. his founding and then joining the beast pirates was primarily an accident stemming from a violent confrontation with queen that led to grimmjow standing and queen not. despite the tense rivalry between the two, kaidou allowed grimmjow to join. from there, grimmjow worked his way up the ranks, hitting tobiroppo but progressing no further due to his distaste for authority and his insubordination. while most would have disposed of someone who went against the leader, grimmjow still showed usefulness despite him not listening and often times reported positive things back even after ignoring orders.

during the events of the straw hat pirates and allies on wano, grimmjow simply watched. he was given no orders to attack them and despite his history of not listening, he stood by. besides, he wanted to fight the strongest among them and he needed to figure out exactly who that was.

during the events on onigashima, he was given orders to attack the straw hats and their allies but ultimately failed in that, getting his ass handed to him by zoro.

grimmjow's whereabouts after onigashima are unknown but rumors and reports alike have him somewhere near egghead island.

haki.

observation haki: advanced.

armament haki: advanced.

conquerors haki. advanced.

weapons.

zanpakutō / soul cutter: a sword of the skillful grade blades.

*hito hito no mi model: tezcatlipoca.

the devil fruit, hito hito no mi model: tezcatlipoca is a mythical zoan fruit, and while it does allow a level of shapeshifting like an animal-based zoan fruit, it's described as a hybrid form. it gives the user feline-like characteristics such as a tail, feline ears, claws, feet, and hands. it also alters their teeth, giving them fangs. the devil fruit gives the user increased speed and strength, far beyond what any normal human can do. the speed and strength along with the claws and fangs are a deadly combination. the strongest ability of the fruit is the desgarrón or the rending claw of the panther king. the ability allows for each claw to become long, sharp blades and he can wield all ten in a single go. it acts as a long-range attack where he slashes out at the opponent like swords, and he can control them like his regular claws. another ability grimmjow uses is called sonic wave which is sonic waves released with a roar and strong enough to throw enemies off balance and topple them over.

[stinkysam]

Roronoa Zoro - One day

Warning : none

Genre : fluff

Synopsis : Zoro and MR are married and they are training, Zoro is training with ENMA while MR was given Ame-no-Habakiri (Odens other sword that Momo declined to use). MR struggles trying to use the sword and Zoro tries to help him out with it, they end up fighting each other as some sort of practice and Zoro has him use both Enma and Ame-no-Habakiri and MR almost collapses due to the amount of Haki it drained him. Zoro cheers him up saying one day he will be able to master any sword and throws some flirtation.

Reader : male (you/he)

To have such swords… 

To say you were ecstatic was an understatement.

Zoro was holding Enma before you, smirking as you squealed at the deadly blade. It was truly beautiful. You could feel its power emanating from it just by watching.

You took Ame-no-Habakiri and grabbed Enma from his hands, and instantly felt their power taking over you.

Zoro eyed you as you swung them from side to side, ignoring Sanji and Nami yelling at you to be more careful.

"Wanna spar ?" He asked 

"You know it, hubby."

He snorted at the nickname before scurrying away with you to his training room.

You already had trouble with Ame-no-Habakiri, but with Enma it was another level of hard.

You felt them even during your warm-up. They were strong, and one especially was harder to handle. Enma.

It felt like it didn't fit in your hand, no matter how much you replaced it.

You began your fight with Zoro and you felt dizzy almost right away. You tried to ignore it and focus on the fight but you began to stumble and after a few swung…

You felll.

Zoro swiftly caught you before you could hit the floor and quickly brought you to Chopper, explaining what happened.

The both of them were worried, not understanding what happened until Zoro mentioned you using Enma and Ame-no-Habakiri at the same time.

"The swords were too strong, Zoro"

Right.

Not everyone was able to hold them and even less use them.

Zoro took a chair and placed it next to your bed, waiting for you to wake up to apologize.

"He's going to be fine. He just needs some rest"

"Got it."

Still, he stayed by your side until you woke up. Maybe he shouldn't have let you use them, he wonders…

"Watcha thinkin' 'bout handsome ?"

This snapped him out of his thoughts, pulling a small laugh out of his lips.

"I'm sorry, you collapsed because of me"

"No it was me, I should've known I wasn't worthy of these swords yet"

He thinks about your words for a second before shaking his head

"No."

"No ? And that's it ?"

He hums, not wanting to elaborate on that. "Are you feeling better ?"

"You're ignoring my question now ?!"

"I told you I almost lost control of Enma during my fight against King, I should've known this would happen."

You say nothing for a moment, rememoring what he told you about his fight and how it felt. Like it was ignoring him, stubbornly using its power before waiting for Zoro's order.

"You trust my abilities too much," you say, grabbing his hand and giving it a squeeze

He hums again and smiles at your words. It's true. He knows how great of a fighter and swordsman you are and trusts you with anything. He forgot you weren't at his level yet.

"One day though I'll be able to handle them"

He smiles, confident in your words. "Then don't keep me waiting, hubby." He says, making you snort at the nickname you used earlier.

[one-piecee]

#ONEPIECE1033

The amount of spoilers I had to avoid this week because of this chapter... and I'm so happy I did. I have been waiting for a chapter like this, centred around Zoro where we see more of his past, and more of the swords for so long and Oda has delivered. Anyways, let's just,,, get into it but bear in mind it's too difficult to put into words what I felt reading this when all I wanted to do was scream--

The chapter title is 'Shimotsuki Kozaburo'

From the title alone we can guess what the chapter will be about, because Shimotsuki is the swordsmith who forged both Enma and Wado...

The chapter starts off where it cut off last time with Zoro vs King, and Enma is still draining Zoro's power...

He can't seem to gain control over it, and that gives him a disadvantage with King, who keeps his attacks coming one after one - whereas Zoro's attacks don't seem to faze him at all...

According to Queen, who at this point honestly should just narrate the show with the amount of talking he does, thanks for the info, Zoro doesn't stand a chance against King, who's a Lunarian and a monster who "could thrive in any inhospitable environment the world threw" at him. Meanwhile King is preparing an attack against Zoro, setting himself on fire again and before that - let's just take a moment to appreciate the parallels between Sanji vs Queen and Zoro vs King

Both amazing panels of the two wings of the pirate king.

Even Shishi Sonson, one of Zoro's most notorious attacks did absolutely nothing against King

Meanwhile Enma keeps draining Zoro's haki, and he can't seem to gain control over it. At this point Zoro is trying to control Enma, and evade King's attacks at the same time.

While trying to avoid King's attacks he drops his swords, and while collecting them-

which by the way is another ode to how important they are to Zoro, because even King says 'so you're risking your life to save the swords? have you lost it?'

-he reminisces about how he got all of them.

And then he thinks about an 'old geezer' who lived on his old village, Kuina's grandfather, and that's where he connects the dots that Enma and Wado's creator was none other than that person (which by the way, is hilarious. You're telling me Zoro heard all about Shimotsuki Kozubaro and the Shimotsuki clan but never once said, 'hold up, isn't my village called Shimotsuki Village?' but then again, of course he didn't.)

This chapter is one of my favorite chapters of Wano so far, because we got so much more lore for the swords and swordsmen in general, and much more into Zoro's character as well.

Before we dive into the more serious topics, let's just cry together over HOW ADORABLE BABY ZORO IS LOOK AT HIM I MISS HIM

Anyways, so Zoro is talking to this 'old geezer' who happens to be the forger of both Wado and Enma (of course, unknown to Zoro at the time) and Shimotsuki starts talking about swords, who are creating initially to 'cut down people' -

My favorite part about the whole conversation Shimotsuki had with Zoro, was when he was talking about the cursed swords in particular - there's no such thing. Swords "exist to cut people down" and a sword that does that, even without his 'master's' approval is just doing what it's supposed to do, only the weak believe that deadly swords are cursed.

Enma, the lord of the underworld, was testing Zoro. And he just didn't 'live up to it's standards'.

Zoro finally understands, Enma doesn't just drain your haki, if you learn to control it, it can flow Haki around it, and 'taming' Enma, or controlling it, is what helps Zoro coat his swords with his haki - but not just any Haki! The characters on the above panel who all passed out because of Zoro's power only elude to one thing - conquerors haki. Zoro's main power-up in this fight is conquerors coating.

The conqueror's haki is flowing out of Zoro, but he uses it to coat all three swords - and it is at this moment where we all knew... King is over with. It was nice while it lasted.

I mean, has a Zoro fight ever lasted long after he smiles like that? Plus the fact that he mentioned his dream, and Luffy along with Kuina (my oldest friend, tears on my face guys, tears).

.

.

.

No break next week, but I'm betting Oda is going to cut to another scene, seems like the appropriate place for him to focus on somebody else before coming back for the grand finale.

And like always...

[whirlybirdwhat]

(One Shot, 15k+, Gen, Monster Trio, temporary character death, please see ao3 for more detailed warnings)

“Zoro!” The reindeer shouts, and uh oh that’s his scolding voice. What did Zoro do now?! “Where have you been? I need to check you over I want to make sure cutting that rock did nothing!”

“What do you mean, you’ve been with me the entire-“

Wait.

Had Chopper been with him? Out on deck?

Zoro can’t recall.

“I don’t care, sit down!” Chopper gives him the eyes, and dimly worried, Zoro acquiesces to his pleas.

It’s nothing, surely, he thinks, accepting the drink from Sanji and belatedly (uncaringly) realizing this is nothing like him to be so nonchalant about a lack of skill.

It’s nothing at all.

Hehehehe!

-

The Monster Trio arrive on a strange island.

what the ocean drags down

If he had to pinpoint a moment it all began, Sanji would say it was three days before that island, when he had woken up in the middle of the night to a nightmare -

(Along on a rock with his hands bleeding out and blood on his face, sticky behind the metal mask that locked him in with all his fears all of them all of them and oh, were those bones he could feel along his sides?)

And gone down to the kitchen to fix a snack to calm his nerves.

Nightmares were nothing new, of course. All the straw hats had them, at one time or another. A pirate’s life is rarely free of danger, and before this crew of dreams they weren’t always living the happiest of lives.

Seeing both Zoro and Luffy in the kitchen, however, is new.

Zoro is sitting on the floor in the galley corner, tense and hands white knuckled around the bottle in his hands. He seems high strung, though his swords are laid a carful distance away as if he doesn’t want to reach for them accidentally. His one eye flashes dimly in the light, as if he’s shaken and wary.

Sanji has never seen him look like this, save for the few times he had thought a crew member had died.

(Luffy shot in the back and not getting up, the wretched screaming of their captain’s name wrenching from Zoro’s throat-)

Luffy, next to him, is the exact opposite. Instead of sitting tall and wary, he is hunched and trembling minutely. He looks small, in a way Sanji has almost never associated with their exuberant captain and future king. His hat is laid low over his face as he looks with his head down between his knees. He’s slouching against Zoro, as if trying to keep quiet and on the lookout for someone.

As if to remind himself that he’s not alone.

(After their two years of training, it had been a month before Luffy decided that he could sleep in his own bed. He had been clingy (they all had been) and in quiet moments he had admitted that Rayleigh had left him with just the animals for the remaining six months of his training.

“It’s okay!” Luffy had said. “It was just like when Ace had left to go sea!” His brother’s name hadn’t cracked in his mouth. His captain is strong. “I was alone cause I had to get stronger, so I couldn’t visit the bandits or Makino or anyone! But it’s okay this time, because I knew I had you guys!”

Why did he always have to be alone when it was worse than being hurt?)

“Hey knuckleheads,” Sanji starts, voice soft. He knows not to startle them despite the newness of the situation. “Want something to eat?”

Luffy peeks up from under his hat, revealing one wet eye, and mumbles meat. He’s not getting some, because they do have to ration it and Sanji is checking storage tomorrow, but he will get something to help him sleep. Zoro grunts, his one eye finally focusing in and his body becoming a little less wired. He leans into Luffy more, letting his fingers relax from their tight hold on the neck of the bottle.

Sanji takes that as a yes, and pretends not to notice the way Zoro’s eye zeroes in his trembling fingers and the way Luffy’s eyes don’t but he notices the shaking anyway, uncurling from his ball at the sense of pain in his crew.

Sanji offers him a slight smile, and turns on the stove to a low simmer. Some cinnamon tea to help sleep, and some leftover onigiri from before dinner (because, with Luffy, there was never any leftovers after dinner) would be a good start.  Zoro grunts again and stands up, offering a hand to Luffy before grabbing his swords and sliding into the booth.

The kitchen is quiet, save for the waves crashing against the side of the ship. Robin is on watch, isn’t she? Or were they trying out Franky’s new automated watch system?

Ah. Whatever. Sanji will check once he gets these two (and himself) sorted out.

By the time the tea is done and the onigiri prepped, his hands have stopped shaking. Zoro is slumped into Luffy’s shoulder, and the captain himself has buried his face into crossed arms at the table.  His hat is now falling gently on his back, making something in Sanji calm.

(Luffy only ever pulls the hat over his eyes if he’s far too angry to think, has a point to make, or is making an expression (tears, fear, Sanji never knows) that he doesn’t want his crew to see.)

Sanji slides the tea and onigiri in front of them both, taking care to make sure the food lands more on Zoro’s side so he has a better chance of biting into it before Luffy gets his hands on it. He then takes a place to Luffy’s left, where he can slump into him as well, his own cup warming his hands.

He takes a breath of the steam coming off it, and takes a sip, gently smiling at the pleased sound Luffy makes as he does the same.

The temptation to speak, to ask what brought them to the kitchen is slowly creeping in, but it can wait.

The kitchen at night, when there is no storm or pressing adventure, is a place for quiet and warmth. No nightmares, no shaking hands or tense shoulders, can find them here with a warm drink between their hands.

Eventually, Luffy is the first to doze off, onigiri eaten (but not entirely – worrying) and drink all but gone. He slumps into Zoro who then carries him to the bench behind them, Sanji following, so that Luffy’s stretched out, head in Zoro’s lap and his legs thrown over Sanji’s. A calloused hand makes its way through Luffy’s hair as Zoro recounts the night, breaking the silence.

“I… had a dream.” He begins, voice low and soft. “Wasn’t a good one.” A grimace but no elaboration. That’s okay – Sanji didn’t really expect Zoro too. “Shook me up a bit. Went in here to get a drink and found Luffy on the ground where we were. I don’t know how long he was there, but I think it had been awhile. When I came in he kind of �� jumped? Like he didn’t expect me, which was odd, but I couldn’t really feel him either.”

Sanji was a smart man. He could connect the dots – either something had shaken Luffy and Zoro so bad that their observation haki wasn’t focused (Unlikely, considering they primarily used it in battle) or something more was going on…

He couldn’t remember if he had sensed them before entering the kitchen anyway.

Sanji hums and takes their cups away, gently moving Luffy legs first, as Zoro keeps talking.

“He wasn’t doing so good. I think he’s been up most of the night. Don’t know what woke him but… it couldn’t have been good.”

“A dream you think?”

“Maybe. You?”

“Had one too. You sleeping here?”

“Might as well. Sun rise is in an hour unless the weather wants to fuck with us.”

“Mmhm.” Sanji moves back to his old position, this time carrying a blanket. Zoro helps him stretch over the three of them, tucking it gently under their captain’s head.

It may be odd for all of them to be here at once, but nightmares and bad nights were nothing new to all of them. They were crew after all. Family. They helped each other. And truth be told, Zoro and Sanji didn’t always argue.

“Night, Shit Cook.”

“Night, Moss Face.”

Well. Almost.

(If Sanji had been any more awake and not thinking about being along and starving on a rock, perhaps he would have taken notice of the shift in the breeze, the slight lilt of the ship as their observation haki was suppressed under the guise of shaking nightmares. Perhaps he would have noticed the change in their course or the fog creeping in.

But he didn’t.

And that’s when it started.

Come to me, little pirates-)

-

Sanji woke to Nami shaking him awake. A heavenly sight, but an odd one, because he was usually the first up for meal prep.

“Nami-swan?” He asked, tiredly yawning. A part of him registered Luffy’s legs still across his, and the green head of hair his faced was smashed into. The moss-head must have leant over to use Sanji’s shoulder as a pillow while he slept, the bastard.

“Sanji you alright?”

“’Mm fine, Nami-dear.” He blinked the tiredness from his eyes, ready to focus on the wonderful light of his life. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing… you just slept past sunrise that’s all. Robin and Usopp made pancakes for everyone, but you’re going to have to make them for Luffy and Zoro and you. We aren’t skilled enough to keep up with Luffy’s appetite.”

Sanji’s eyes snapped open. He what?!

He took a look around, noting the table being cleaned up by a multitude of limbs and the faint smell of pancakes in the air. The sun was gently shining through the portholes, the brightness signifying it was well past the morning rush.

And Sanji had slept through it.

Hell, Luffy had slept through it if the weight on his lap was any indication.

“I’m sorry, you should have woken me up, I should have done that –“

“It’s okay Sanji. We figured if you weren’t up, and Luffy wasn’t going for our meals, then you three needed the rest… what happened?”

Sanji shrugs, getting up carefully and stretching. “I had a nightmare and woke up, came in here and found Zoro and Luffy, who apparently had the same thing. We drank the usual and had a bite to eat then fell asleep.”

No need to worry Nami about the lapse in haki. While they were in the process of teaching the crew armament and observation, they didn’t have to be concerned of what was going on with those in control of it.

Not yet at least.

Nami still looks concerned. Sanji brushes it off by waking Zoro with a kick to the head.

“Oi. Shithead. I’m making breakfast. You gonna get up or what?”

“Bastard, what’d you do that for?”

“You getting up or what?”

“Mmhm?” Luffy mumbles sitting up and narrowly missing the second foot that is flung at Zoro’s head, blocked with a sheathed Sandai Kitetsu. “Wassgoing on?”

“Breakfast, Luffy. You slept through it.” Nami levels him with a look before shaking her head at his panicked response.

“WHAT!? BREAKFAST? SANJI! FOOD!”

Luffy doesn’t miss this kick.

“Hold your horses shitty captain, it’ll be ready in five minutes.” Sanji relaxes his leg and turns to the kitchen. Least Luffy’s more energetic now. And by Zoro’s wheezing complaints, he’s less conscious of where he’s stepping too.

Just like normal.

(Flash of vibrant pink in the corner of his eye, a skeleton, a man with no legs in the corner of the room-)

Sanji turns and it’s just Chopper and Brook singing outside, Franky tinkering on deck viewed through the door Nami just walked out of.

It’s nothing, surely.

Right?

-

Sanji volunteers to take Usopp’s place for the first half of night watch. He’s not going to get any sleep anyway, so why not take the place of his crewmate and let him rest?

The crow’s nest is warm at night, though the outside sea is foggy and cold. Shadows dance across the deck in the soft moonlight and breeze, a calm unusual to the Grand Line.

It doesn’t help Sanji’s nerves.

He’s sitting on the window edge, cupping a mug of tea in his hands, blanket wrapped around him. Paranoia has been following him all day, despite the fact that he checked the food stores and they have enough to feed Luffy eight meals a day for two weeks. They are fine, and the sea is flooding with food.

His crew won’t starve.

So why does he feel like they might?

(Why does he feel like his former siblings are around every corner?)

Is he this shaken up by that nightmare last night?

Hehehehe~

What the fuck was that.

Sanji stands to his feet and looks out the window.

There’s nothing there, and nothing hiding in the shadows of the crows next.

Everything’s normal.

His observation haki – his observation haki seems fine.

Maybe he should have taken the chance to rest.

Maybe.

Sanji looks out the window, to the rising moon, and decides he can wake Zoro for his turn on watch.

Climbing down the crow’s nest and into the galley, he misses the ship rocking again, sharper this time. He misses the shadows crawling across the deck like mischievous devil children, with holes in their chests and limbs, and the fog that rolls across the deck once in a resounding breath.

Sanji turns his head once, but the view is silent and empy

He continues on, shakes Zoro non-too-gently awake, and collapses in his bed. Time to sleep…

Sanji never feels the devil sink into his skin

(but it doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.)

He falls into a fitful rest, a smile haunting his lips.

(It won’t be there for long!)

-

Zoro has never been one to sleep.

Let’s rephrase that.

Zoro has never been one to sleep when his crew is in true danger. Since he has no problem falling to sleep, he’s sure that there’s no danger here, but he can’t help but be unsure.

The ship has been… off these past few days. Laughter chimes in his ear when the deck is empty, and shadows seem to be full of things he must protect against. Nothings ever there, but it keeps dragging him back to that first night.

When Luffy had been shaking in the kitchen, and Zoro hadn’t noticed him get up.

(The ero-cook’s observation haki is the best out of all of them, though he’s sure once Usopp gets his act together that will change, but he hadn’t noticed either. Luffy is either suppressing his presence (a skill of the conquering king, but damnit, Luffy, we’re your crew!) or somethings wrong.

Zoro hopes it’s the former)

The rest of the crew doesn’t seem to notice anything’s off, beyond the usual bout of nightmares. They don’t notice Zoro’s tenseness or Sanji’s wariness, or Luffy’s almost apathy to the world around him. The crew doestake note of the shadows slowly growing under all three of their eyes, and takes them off the watch rotation, but otherwise do not comment.

Nami probably knows something, as does Robin with her damn eyes, but that’s about it.

Hopefully it is nothing, and Zoro can actually sleep without worrying that his crew is –

(falling down down down, dead and dreamless, smiling gently at him – won’t you help Zoro? Why weren’t you there Zoro?)

In danger.

Ah. Well. Might as well sleep. He’s done his training for the day, Luffy joining him (odd – Luffy prefers his own kind of training to lifting weights), so now he can nap by the figurehead.

A nice… long... nap….

-

He awakes to darkness.

Did he sleep through the day again? No – this is something different.

Something skitters across the deck – Zoro reaches for his swords only to find empty air.

Wha-

This isn’t Sunny’s deck.

This isn’t his home. His crew’s home.

Where is his crew?

(Did they get lost?)

A voice drifts in the breeze, eerily similar to a young child cry.

Zo-ro, Zo-ro, Zo-ro, Zo-ro… Where were you Zoro?

There’s a pawprint in front of him, big and painful and his captain, Luffy, is inside oh hell

His crew is here now, and they are all dead because he wasn’t paying attention, god damnit, no – What kind of hell scape is this?

“Zoro.” The girls voice, high and reedy, is solid now. He turns his face to the left.

Kuina.

A bloody sword is held to her throat. Wado-

“We weren’t strong enough Zoro.” The blade digs in and –

“NO!”

Zoro wakes to red and wetness on his cheeks.

Kuina, no, his crew dead, Luffy –

Luffy’s sitting on his lap right in front him. He’s the red. The wetness on his face isn’t blood but the salty sea spray and (maybe) some tears, slipping down his eyes. He can’t tell.

He hopes Luffy can’t tell.

“Zoro? You okay?”

“Ye-yeah. I am.” I will be.

His captain sounds tired. (Zoro sounds tired.) His eyes are tired too. (So are Zoro’s. And the Shit Cook’s.)  Nightmares? (A reoccurring theme.)

Luffy trusts him, and knows him in a way that few don’t, so he accepts Zoro’s truth and settles back down. A rubbery hand slaps at Zoro’s face.

“Nami says there’s gonna be an island tomorrow but there’s also going to be a storm tonight so she doesn’t know if there is actually going to be an island. There’s no maps of it either, so Nami’s excited.”

Zoro raises an eyebrow and looks around deck. Huh. Usopp and Copper are already climbing the rigging to get ready to pull the sails down.  It’s a wonder why the witch hasn’t yelled at Zoro and Luffy to get their asses moving.

(Or maybe the crew noticed a little more than he thought.)

Speaking of the witch, she’s making her way toward them now. Zoro nudges Luffy out of the way and gets up –

Hehehe-

A shadow, heading straight toward Nami, that seems to be alive and moving and perhaps not entirely real.

It slips and slides until it rests under her feet and the breath is stuck in Zoro’s chest as Nami slips and –

(getting her sword for another midnight duel with Zoro, Kuina had slipped and fallen, blood scattering the steps from the crack in her head. Died, because she was a little too careless; died, for no reason at all.)

Catches herself on the railing.

Nami’s strong, always has been.

(Kuina was strong too.)

She’ll be alright. Why is Zoro panicking?

(Kuina is dead.)

“Zoro?” Luffy prompts already standing, clothes waving in the wind. Storm must be coming faster then… “You coming?”

“Yeah.” Zoro affirms and heaves himself up as the first lightning bolt cracks in the difference. “Be right there, Captain.”

He turns toward Nami, but Nami’s emerging from the galley and already barking orders

(She hadn’t gone down the steps at all.)

The sky is dark, and any shadow mixes in with the chaos of a Grand Line storm. Zoro gets to work, pushing doubt and little dead girls out of his mind.

-

The storm was brutal. Zoro, however, is almost thankful for how exhausted he feels after it. Perhaps he can sleep now.

But no.

Instead of reaching the island tomorrow like Nami had thought, the hurricane and the coup de burst they used to get over the tsunami level swells and the sea king sneaking under the waves, had gotten them within distance of the island.

So they’re anchoring tonight at any available shore so everyone can sleep.

Zoro steadies his stance and watches as the sea smooths and ripples into familiar shore patterns.

“Jungle island,” Nami deduces just by the air, standing to his left. Zoro could ask how she does it, but it’s a talent that’s far beyond anyone but her. “Pretty big too. I think there might be a mountain on the other side, but this area here is just low-level jungle. Humid and hot, with pretty beaches.”  

“A barbecue tomorrow then?” Robin inquires from Zoro’s right. When the hell did she get there?

“Hmph. Maybe. I don’t know what kind of wildlife we’ll find, but we should restock. Depends on what the captain wants. Hey- Where is Luffy?” Nami looks around, eyes narrowing in an odd mix of distrust, concern, and acceptance that her captain has already rocketed his way to the island.

She’s wrong in her suspicious for once. Zoro tosses a thumb behind him. “There.”

Beneath the main mast is a dog pile of Chopper, Usopp, and Luffy. Chopper in Heavy point and Usopp almost protectively sandwiching Luffy between them. Relaxed, soaked and uncaring, the trio sleeps.

Nami’s shoulders slump. “Of course. Well, we’ll be there in thirty minutes. They can sleep till th-”

SKKKRECHHHHK!

There’s a crunching noise beneath them. A rock, glistening and black, jutting from the water.

It had lost to the Sunny’s Adam’s Wood hull but by the sound, it was a close thing.

“What the hell?” Zoro mutters as the rest of the crew wakes or comes up to deck at the noise. “What kind of rock is that?” Can I cut it?

THUMP!

“No trying to cut strange rocks till morning!” The witch screeches, fist still raised from where it wacked his head. By now she had a sixth sense for when the crew was trying to do some dangerous stunt.

“Damn, sheesh, okay.” Zoro mutters, casting a glare at Sanji as he laughs.

Ignoring their squabbling, Franky steps up to the rail and looks over. “That is totally NOT super. Nami-sis, where’d this come from?”

The navigator purses her lips. “Don’t know, it wasn’t there two seconds ago. I was checking the currents – there was no evidence of rocks.” She’s frowning heavily before she starts barking orders. “Bring up all the sails and get out the oars. I want us going slow – this is probably just some weird Grand Line stuff, but I don’t want any more surprises.”

“Aye-aye,” The conscious members of the Straw-Hat Pirates chorus.  Brook goes to wake the sleeping members as the rest prep the oars. They are rarely used, since the engine or a coup de burst can get them through any slow patch of wind but… they are good for going slow and careful.

Luffy takes his place in front of Zoro, rubbing sleep for baggy eyes, and prepares to row. Nami’s at the forefront, watching for rocks while Franky mans the tiller.

Slowly, paddle by paddle, they make their way through the small bay.

Nami’s right, Zoro thinks looking over the railing, these rocks are rising out of nowhere.

His observation haki (now, not at its best form admittedly) can’t even predict them. They look like shadows from waves at first, peaceful and innocent below the surface, before erupting through the surface in a silent, sharp spike.

A particularly tall one almost took out Zoro’s other eye before he sliced it.

Which, good. He can cut whatever this strange rock is. Bad, because the rock started faintly glowing in specks across the remained of the rock, and pins and needles went down his spine.

He doesn’t know what to think.  

Everyone else thinks it’s pretty at least.

It’s well past midnight by the time they reach a place close enough to shore that they can weigh anchor.

“Franky,” Luffy speaks for the first time in a while, once all the navigating’s done. “Will the watch system work?”

“It should, captain.”

“Will it work.”

“Aye.”

“Then everyone sleeps.” Luffy looks out over his crew from his position on the main mast, and Zoro knows he sees how tired they all are. Wet, hungry, exhausted, and paranoid because of dumb rocks, no straw hat is fit to take watch. “We’ll look over the island in the morning.”

And suddenly, as everyone’s shoulders slump out of relief, Luffy’s seriousness wipes away. “Sanji, meat?”

“I’ll whip up a snack.” Sanji agrees, tearing off his gloves on his way to the kitchen. “It’ll be ready in a few, enough for everyone to get dry and everything.”

“Then I’m going to take a shower – Robin you coming?” Nami sighs

“Sure.”

And just like that, the crew disperses off the deck until it’s just Zoro, staring at the shimmering rocks in the moonlit water. Shadows play at the edge of his vision, but he can’t trust him.

Can’t trust any of his sense.

Hehehehe!

Chopper tugs at his leg, and oh, his haki must have decided to work because he hasn’t looked down yet. “I’m coming Chop.” He takes one last look out at the sea and follows the ball of fur inside to get changed.

When he comes up to the galley, Chopper is sitting next to Luffy, bandaging a scape he got from banging his head in the storm.

“Zoro!” The reindeer shouts, and uh oh that’s his scolding voice. What did Zoro do now?! “Where have you been? I need to check you over I want to make sure cutting that rock did nothing!”

“What do you mean, you’ve been with me the entire-“

Wait.

Had Chopper been with him? Out on deck?

Zoro can’t recall.

“I don’t care, sit down!” Chopper gives him the eyes, and dimly worried, Zoro acquiesces to his pleas.

It’s nothing, surely, he thinks accepting he drink from Sanji and belatedly (uncaringly) realizing this is nothing like him to be so nonchalant about a lack of skill.

It’s nothing at all.

Hehehehe!

(Kuina falls down Sunny’s steps eight times that night as Zoro sleeps, each time whisking Wado across a different Straw Hat’s throat.

(And they had all smiled.))

-

Ace has been talking to Luffy in his dreams lately.

It’s nothing new.

Nightmares are always like this.

(A brother there and a brother not, fire licking at his chest – why is it always fire that takes his big brothers? There are holes and Luffy is falling falling falling and there’s no one but him. It hurts more than all the poison in Impel down, this crushing loneliness and oh – when can he wake up?

Thank you for loving me-Brothers forever-SABO-Crybaby- flashes of his childhood in Ace’s voice, still so vivid to this day—)

What’s new is what Ace has been saying.

Luffy knows his brother- his brothers. They are cruel and tough and strong, or were at any rate, but they have never been to cut the ones they care about without reason. Ace would never tell Luffy that he’s worthless, or that he failed, or that he’s alone.

He wouldn’t.

So why is his dream Ace saying things like that? Why is he killing his crew one by one, dying himself, why are his nightmares so twisted and wrong?

Luffy can’t make sense of it.

He tries not to sleep too much, but he’s like Ace and Grandpa and his sleeping schedule is all messed up, so he can’t help it.

It’s been going on for a while now, more than a week, and it hasn’t eased up, sleeplessness painting dark marks beneath his eyes.

(It’s gotten worse)

But there’s an island ahead, one with adventure, and it’s all that Luffy needs if only these dumb rocks would stop trying to trap their ship.

Shitty rocks.

It’s quiet on deck as the rest of the crew retires to bed. Luffy’s soaked from crashing waves, clothes sticking to his damp skin, and he knows he should change and go to bed.

But…

The shadows look familiar in certain lights.

And Luffy misses his big brother.

A cloud shields the world for the moon for a long moment, stirring Luffy out of his daze. He shakes himself, hand falling from his chest and goes inside.

He doesn’t notice the sea fading from sight or the fog rolling onto the deck – permanent, in a final kind of way this time. The water shifts into something darker and the island trees, tall and innocent, shift in place.

Luffy sleeps, curled next to Zoro, and doesn’t notice the island watching him.

-

Luffy wakes alone.

He does not panic.

He has woken alone too many times for this to be a cause of panic.

(Makino worked late and early, Garp rarely stayed, Ace ignored him then loved him then left for the seas, three years spent in the jungle, then one at sea, then Ace left for good and Luffy spent two years (alone) on Ruskuina.

Loneliness cuts deep, but it is a hurt that Luffy knows like he knows freedom.)

This was not where he fell asleep.

Luffy is sitting on soft, white sand on a barren beach. Before him stretches the sea, dark and gloomy, but he can’t see the horizon rising above it. The trees behind him are of the familiar kind – the kind he grew up with on the islands of Goa. Jungle bark and underbrush, thick and threatening unless you know its secrets. They are dark, almost black, like the lush green that should make them up isn’t there.

Luffy looks up, placing a hand on his hat, and doesn’t see the sky.

Wait.

His hat.

It’s not there.

Luffy lurches to his feet, panicking now.

“Hat! Where’s hat! Shit, where is it?!” He can’t see it in the fog that keeps drifting in and dragging like at his clothes like drowning me. “Dumb island, give me my hat back!”

Because, of course, it must be the island which took it. No one else is there, right?

The fog seems to pause and pull away. There’s a path, leading into the forest.

Luffy follows instinct and walks into the dark path.

(His haki, cut and lost, screams at him. It goes unheard.)

The forest swallows him and doesn’t look back.

(A child laughs in the forest.)

Hehehehe!

-

Sanji wakes to the sound of seagulls and the cold press of rock beneath his back. He’s up in a second, praying this is all a terrible dream, and praying he hasn’t woken up not on the ship.

(He’s had worse dreams as of late.)

Blue eyes blink open as a leg raises threateningly. The world around him is dark and covered in a fog. He’s on a raised, rock platform, jutting from the cliff side that rises far above him. Water, black and crashing, is on every side.

The sight is a familiar, demonized version of one of the most terrifying memories of his past.

The sea-damned Rock.

Damnit!

Sanji places his foot down once he is sure that there is no threat that he can sense or see. Something crunches and slides underfoot, and when he looks down, all he sees is gleaming white.

Bones.

A human fucking skeleton.

That hadn’t been there before, had it?

Had it?

He can’t tell.

The world is growing fuzzy as the waves crash higher and the cliff side looms above him.

Think rationally, damnnit. Don’t panic. You are here. Where do you go from here?

Up.

Something slithers over his foot. When Sanji looks, whatever it is has far too many legs and is some sort of a fucking bug.

Fuck.

He screams, not that he’ll ever admit it, wishes for a cigarette, and starts kicking himself into the air. He half expects to start falling with how weird this island is and how weird the past week has been but he gets up fine.

Easier than normal even.

He doesn’t like it.

At the top Sanji finds himself facing a dark jungle and finally goes to light that cigarette. He breathes in the smoke, familiar as a cooking fire, and breathes out a sigh of relief.

He’s alive. He’s off that damn rock. It was only a coincidence that’s all.

Metal slams over his face.

“HGHK-” He chokes as the cigarette falls from his hands. He scrambles at his face as the mask locks over it, shutting him in into a world without food or freedom or friends. It encases his head from front to back, a mimic of that helmet from his youth, and it sends such a spike of fear through Sanji that he steps back.

The mask had flung from the forest after all.

He takes another step back, panic blinding him still.

Another.

Another.

And Sanji is falling down the cliffside where he just jumped up. This time, however, he’s so weak that he can’t kick his legs out, paralyzed by fear as he is.

He falls and falls and falls and falls and –

Crack.

Darkness.

Hehehehe!

-

Zoro wakes up in a new location and shrugs. It’s nothing that hasn’t happened before, but it is odd that the world would change while a crewmate was sleeping next to him. Fate tends to be nice enough to let him nap with the crew, and he vaguely recalls Luffy shoving him aside to curl up in his hammock with him.

(It sometimes stopped the bad dreams for both of them.)

He’s at the top of some mountain, a cave behind him and a jungle, dark and looming, is a good ways below the cliff he’s standing at. The view, despite the height, is pretty shitty due to all the damn fog and no visible sky (why isn’t the sky there?) so Zoro doesn’t spend to long looking at it.

Instead, he looks at the only way down.

The cliffside.

“Huh.” He thinks aloud and reaches for Shusui and Kitetsu. They sink easily (with his strength at least) into the ground and don’t have a lot of give. Should work well enough.

Zoro walks over to the edge and hops down, sticking his blades into the wall before he can drop more than ten feet.

They stick.

Perfect.

Kitetsu’s oddly not whining about being used for something other than bloodshed, which normally would spark alarm bells in Zoro’s head.

Instead, there is nothing but the rushing of wind in his ears as he uses his swords like picks to make his way down the mountain.

It is steady going and good training for his arms. The wind blows harsh making it harder for his grip to stay tight, but he manages and enjoys the challenge.

Belatedly, he wonders where the rest of the crew wound up.

(This isn’t a Kuma situation, is it?)

He shudders, phantom pricks of pain running up and down his body.

(His captain had been hurt worse than that and got up running. Zoro has to get stronger so he can be worthy of the Pirate King. If not, Zoro will turn the promise he made Luffy swear on himself and stab himself through. It would only be right after all.

Zoro can’t lose.)

No, can’t be. The crew must be somewhere on this island, not spread out to the winds again. They have to be.

The wind whistles into his ear, louder and shriller this time. Zoro’s shaken from his thoughts. Focus.

“Zoro!”

He loosens his grip in shock and slips before catching himself. Shit- who was that?

“Zoro! Over here!” He turns his head to his right.

Standing there, on a small out cropping and hugging the cliff side for dear life is Nami.

“Nami!” He calls, smile breaking over his face as the oppressive loneliness to the island that he hadn’t noticed before breaks. “You okay?”

“yeah! Just come and get me! I’ve been stuck up here for the past hour!” She calls back. “And if you don’t I’ll add twenty hundred percent to your debt!”

“Dumb witch.” Zoro mutters but makes his way over anyway.  He pauses next to the outcropping that she’s at and gestures to his back with a nod of his head. “Hop on.”

Nami nods and carefully climbs onto his back. The added weight is difficult, but nothing he can’t handle.

In the back of his mind, he remembers the story Chopper told him of how Luffy must have reached the top of drum.

Zoro can handle this, if only to improve his strength.

Nami curls in tight, though her body doesn’t quite fit right against his. She’s constantly shifting as he makes his way down, hair tickling him and knees digging into his side.

“Could you quit it?” Zoro snarks after another movement.

“Sure, of course I’ll sto-” Nami’s sarcasm is cut off as she slips. “ZORO!” she screeches, still hanging on just by the arms linked around his stomach.

Zoro snarls, letting go of one sword to grab on to her. “Shit!”

It does nothing. Nami looks at him with wide panic in her eyes as she slips further down and further down in the matter of seconds. “Zoro…” She trails off as her grip finally weakens.

“NAMI!!” Zoro screeches reaching out a hand to her. Her finger tips brush his and that’s the last touch he gets with her.

He could have slipped down, he quick enough with his swords to do so but his limbs are locked. He can’t move, and his hand is glued to the hilt of his one katana.

Nami falls

and falls

and falls

until she’s nothing but a smear on the ground below. He should be too high to see the impact but it rushes through Zoro’s mind with sudden clarity.

He sees it all – all the gruesome details and twisted limbs.

Nami falls, just like Kuina did, and Zoro wonders how many more people he will let fall as the darkness sinks in around him.

He stays, hanging on the cliff, for hours.

Too weak. Everyone falls, everyone dies, meaninglessly because of you.

What are you going to tell the rest of the crew?

The fog grows thicker.

Hehehehehe!

-

The forest, Luffy finds, is a lot like Goa’s. Tall and winding and full of things hiding in the underbrush that are either tasty, delicious, or both. Of course, he hasn’t managed to catch anything yet, only glimpses of the rustling bushes, but he’s sure he’ll find meat soon enough.

As he passes by a familiar path and tree and trap, however, something stops in his heart.

There’s a shattered telescope by the roots of a large tree, the kind Luffy wanted when he was a kid. Drops of red splotch the edges and lead up the hardened trunk of the tree.

At the top is a tree house fashioned like a boat, unused and abandon. A flag waves at the top, and Luffy knows that this forest isn’t a lot like Goa’s –

It is Goa’s.

He rockets to the top of the tree house, and ducks in the door.

(Maybe his hat is here?)

Hehehe!

Luffy whips around and the laugh stops.

Wha-

“Luffy.” He turns his back to the voice that shouldn’t be there, it shouldn’t it shouldn’t. “Stop jumping at shadows, crybaby.”

Ace smiles, blood dripping down his chin, and Luffy sighs.

It’s a dream.

(Ace is dead, despite the fact that he’s standing here before him, hole through his chest and just as bloody and smiling and peaceful as the day he died.

Luffy doesn’t dwell on the past much, and he certainly doesn’t travel back to it.

Ace is dead.

This is a dream.

(He wants it to be real.))

“Ace,” Luffy rasps, not flinching as the corpse steps toward him. “Have you seen my hat?”

“No. You should take better care of your things, Lu. C’mon, I’ll help you look.” Ace stumbles out the door and down the ladder.

Luffy watches the blood drip drip drip after him, and follows Ace down.

(Just a dream.

His brother is dead.)

Hehehe!

“WHO’S THERE!?” Luffy yells when he hears the voice again. It stops, just as suddenly as it began.

The forest is silent.

What’s going on? Where’s my crew?

He hopes they aren’t dealing with this too.

“LUFFY!” Ace shouts, voice sounding wet. “YOU COMING?”

“YEAH!” Luffy says and takes one last look at the tree house before jumping down.

-

“The Drifting Fog Peninsula – known for the fact that is not a peninsula at all but an Island of rock and mountain. Those who see the fog should know best to turn back – to be caught in it is to be caught in a trap, and not one of a dumb beast. The island itself is a predator, and does not like its prey easy to dupe, or so the legend says. There’s only one, from the journals of a log forgotten traveler, J.B. This is the Grand Line however, and I doubt there’s much exaggeration, Nami.”

“Right. We can tell the boys tomorrow – I didn’t see any fog, so we are probably good for now. That storm was terrible! I need sleep and not screaming.”

“Fufufu! Aye!”

-

It’s not Ace at the bottom. Or at least, not the Ace Luffy knew last.

It is Ace as a child, angry and mean.

Ace is dead, and this is a dream.

“C’mon crybaby, let’s go find your hat.” Ace says, dashing away into the forest, pipe not clanking against any tree or rock.

Its dark. Luffy wonders how this Dream Ace can see where he’s going.

(At least he’s not being mean or saying things that Ace wouldn’t.)

“Ace! Wait up!” Luffy calls and runs after him, uncaring of the branches that whack at him or trip in his path. This jungle is like Goa if not for the fact that Luffy can’t easily dash through it.

Ace runs and runs and runs. It’s like Luffy is seven again, and chasing after his big brothers who are so much stronger than him. This time, however, his big brother doesn’t wait for him to catch up, and disappears into the thickening fog.

“Ace?” Luffy halts and calls hesitantly.

No answer.

He lost him.

(Again.)

Oh well. He still has to find hat – and this isn’t really Ace that he’s chasing, only a vision from his nightmares that he can’t seem to have a connection to.

(It’s an odd dream. Usually Luffy tries to hug Ace, or be with him, or talk to him more, but he doesn’t trust this Ace.

He’s never known an Ace was a Dream Ace before.)

“Luffy?” That’s not Ace’s voice that’s –

“USOPP!”

He lunges at his friend, wrapping limbs around him on instinct. Strong arms catch him, holding him tight.

“Luffy!” Usopp says again, smiling bright. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

He wonders when he woke up, because this Usopp is alive and solid before him. Usopp lets Luffy down, and starts to drag him deeper into the forest. “C’mon, everyone’s waiting. I swear you’re just as bad as Zoro, the beach is this way. Everyone’s waiting y’know.”

“Yeah?” Luffy stumbles as Usopp’s grip tightens around his wrist, urging him to keep up.

Odd, how Usopp isn’t screaming about the forest. He’s either really worried or he’s even more super than before, Luffy muses.

(He hopes it the latter. He doesn’t like it when his crew is worried)

“The ships okay, and the logue pose is set, we want to get out of here before we lose it or something. You got it, Luffy?” Usopp questions him, pausing in the forest trail. Weird, how the forest seems so much easier to navigate. “Why were you sleeping there in the middle of the forest anyway? Don’t you know-”

Blood blooms in the center of Usopp’s chest, from where he stands in front of Luffy. His words cut off as he stumbles once, twice, before falling into Luffy’s arms.

“Lu-luffy?” Usopp wheezes before growing silent.

Growing cold.

Dead.

(It’s too sudden, the warmth leaving to quickly and a projectile nowhere to be seen. There’s no enemy on this island, no one who would attack Usopp and leave Luffy alone. Luffy doesn’t care about any off the oddities as he sits there with his beloved friends’ body in his arms.

He failed. Again.

He’s too weak.

And now, in the forest, he’s alone again.)

-

Sanji wakes again to cloudy darkness, a pattern forming, but this time he can’t open his jaw or see much past the bars settling over his vision.

The mask.

Fuck.

What the hell, why the hell, is he is this damn thing again? Why why why why? Luffy, his crew, freed him from this, he’s free to chase his dreams and find the All Blue –

So why is he in this damn nightmare scenario? Who put this on his face?

What happened before this?

The rock, the rock, the bugs – fuck the bugs – leaping upward and darkness.

Right.

Take two.

Sanji gets up and touches the mask around his face. It’s heavy, heavier than he ever remembered it being, and weighs upon his shoulders like the weight of the world.

This should be nothing – Sanji is strong, stronger than any mask.

He can’t even jump more than ten feet with it on. Every time his head drags him back down to the ground, slamming him into the ground. He tries countless times, each time feeling his energy wane more and more.

Escape is so close, yet he’s still trapped on this damn rock.

Use your head, Sanji.

He takes a breath, again wishing for a cigarette, and steps back and falling until he is sitting down. The world seems to go a little hazy, a little blurry, and then he’s back.

Feeling so much weaker than before. Did he black out?

No – he hadn’t.

Had he?

Use. Your. Head.

Right.

Sanji looks down, and all sense flies out the window. His hands are practically skeletal in appearance, thin and drawn with barely any muscle. They are trembling as he looks, barely able to hold their curled shape.

What – what happened?

The last time he had seen this was with his Captain, who had starved waiting for his cook to come back. Then had been lost sailors arriving at the Baratie, and the first time…

The first time had been Sanji himself, and Zeff, standing on that rock.

He’s the rock again – again, oh shit, how the hell did he get here, fuck, fuck fuck fuck fuck-

His hand brushes something as he pushes it against the ground, trying to leverage his weakened body up.

It’s not a bug this time, Sanji notes, as he looks over at the item.

No, it’s not even close.

Its Robin, peacefully lying there as if nothing has happened. But –

She’s as skeletal as Sanj,i even as her hand lies outstretched to him. Her open eyes are glassy and her lips parched and cracked.

Her chest is still. She’s not breathing, and there are no wounds on her body.

Robin had starved to death on the same rock as him, probably begging him for food or a way out, and he didn’t even feed her.

Sanji didn’t feed her.

Terror seeps in deep as his heart painfully stops in his just. He didn’t feed her, oh god.

He didn’t feed his crew.

Are the rest of them the same? Starving?

Facing Sanji’s worst nightmare?

-

Zoro’s at the bottom of the cliff and he can’t find Nami’s body. Can’t even bring her to sunny to give her a proper pirate funeral.

What a failure, Zoro, you’re pathetic, Kuina’s voice rings in his ears. Wado hangs limply in his grasp.

Zoro doesn’t fear much. He never flinches, even at certain death (Take my head instead!) and monstrous beings and people hold no charge against him.

But this…

This failure to protect his crew, his dream, his family… To let them die because of something so simple and meaningless as slipping out of his grasp…

It’s like lead is in his stomach. Despair trembles through his veins.

Nami… oh god, Nami –

(Kuina was like an annoying older sister to Zoro. Nami is like her annoying counterpart, ragging on about his debt and how stupid he is but unlike Kuina she has always told Zoro that she thought he was a monster, and never thought of how much weaker she might become. She was family.)

She’s dead.

(Zoro knows death. A warrior’s death is something to be valued – dying in battle, or peacefully after a long life of victory and fall to someone greater than yourself. To die in the path of a dream. This is the death that Zoro can accept.

To die for nothing, for no reason other than accident – Zoro feels his chest tighten at the reality of it.

A thousand hells would be better.)

And he can’t even find her body.

He wants to feel denial. He wants to feel rage, something burning, something how he usually is.

All Zoro can feel is cold.

(A failure. He couldn’t protect her, couldn’t protect her from this horrible, horrible fate. A failure.)

He needs to find Luffy and everyone else so they can help him find her.

He starts walking, wandering the bottom of the cliff (as if some part of him believes he can find her body that way.) Time seems to wax and wane on this island – the featureless sky shifting from bright to dark in minutes, even seconds, as if its day and night all at once.

How long has he walked?

“Yo-ho-ho-h, yo-ho-ho-ho, Yo-ho-ho-h, yo-ho-ho-ho~”

“Brook?” Zoro echoes out at the sudden voice.

Bink’s Sake. He’ll know that tune anywhere. It’s coming from his right but…

That’s not the usual solo. That has piano in it – too many voices for one, single skeleton.

What’s going on?

He follows the song, for once not getting lost as he is prone to do. The voices grow louder in song, followed with suspicious thudding sounds. Zoro finds the coldness in him waning as concern grows. He starts running.

“Brook?” he calls again, waiting for the returning call, the breaking of song as the skeleton greets his beloved crew.

He doesn’t answer.

Zoro’s heart beats faster, his breath constricting in his throat.

Zoro comes upon a small clearing. There’s a small pond in the middle, deep with semi clear waters. Somethings in it, but he can’t tell yet.

The music’s ringing loudly now, but it’s only Brook’s voice now.

He sounds like he’s crying.

There’s a knock against his foot, and the music shuts off, leaving an eerie silence. A look down, and it was not Brook that was singing but a tone dial.

Brook’s tone dial, the one he was going to give to Laboon, the one of the Rumbar pirate’s last living song.

He never lets that out of his sight. Which means…

Cold washes over Zoro once again, like a beast digging into his heart. He steps closer to the pond, and peers in.

Brook, dead in the only way they knew for sure he could die.

Drowned.

Zoro collapses to his knees, and mourns for two of his family.

-

Usopp is left on the forest floor once Luffy struggles past the barrier in his mind (the one that screams just like Ace, all alone, you failed, you failed you failed, your alone, your weak, such a bad captain-) because Usopp had said the others were waiting for him.

What if something bad happened to them too? What if what if what if?

Luffy sprints through the trees and trips over metal, landing face first in the dirt if not for a quick arm.

He knows that clang. He wishes he didn’t, because this time there was no SUPER! shout to accompany it.

It’s Franky, curled into a ball, with his fleshy back bloody and pierced. In the center of his arms is Chopper, lifeless and limp and bloody.

Both of them aren’t breathing. Both of them are dead, no matter how hard Luffy tries to sense their force with his haki.

(Franky, it seems, had tried to protect the already wounded Chopper with his body. He had failed. Had whoever killed Usopp killed them too?)

“Franky?” Luffy croaks, still hoping he wasn’t to late. “Franky? Chopper?”

Denial shatters away like glass when there’s still no response.

His crew is dead.

Who knows who might else be?

“NAMI!? ROBIN!?” Luffy jumps up, looking around. Please not be there, please not be-

There. They are there. With Brook next to them, all dead and Sanji lying slumped next to him and Zoro… and Zoro lying right there. His swords run through him.

A familiar vivre card is burning away in his head. Sabo’s card.

His big brother is dying.

It burns away entirely.

His big brother is gone.

He has no one now.

Luffy’s alone, for good this time.

SNAP.

-

It has been days, Sanji thinks at least, since he found Robin’s body. And the others, a few days later, scattered around the rock. His memory as to how he got here, how his crew starved is hazy, but one fact remains crystal clear.

He let his crew starve to death, and is now starving himself, trapped in a mask.

Something he swore he would never let happen again.

How, he would ask, if he could get past the lead in his veins, how.

But he can’t, except sit there in numb terror as voices laugh in his head and shadows dance before him.

Taunting him, In that dizzying way of theirs.

It’s just like the rock, when every other day a mirage would appear on the water, tricking them into thinking some rescue was upon them.

This time, it was a mirage of his former family, or his friends at times, whispering and laughing at him and with him when he managed a crazed snicker.

(His chest felt tight and his ears were ringing. Is this what it was like to die?)

It was only when Zeff appeared, stretching out a hand to him, inviting him to stand up and get off the damn rock and join his crew did Sanji know he had finally lost it.

He reached out a hand anyway and –

SNAP.

The world flickered, for one, crystalline moment, and Sanji could see again.

That’s not Zeff.

The mirage came back but it was too late.

Sanji knew.

-

Zoro had dragged Brook out of the pond and laid his song in his skull. He would get Luffy, and ask Luffy what they should do about the tone dial – should they leave it with the last of the Rumbar pirates, or bring it to the whale it was destined for.

Perhaps both, and bury Brook at the sea of Reverse Mountain

He stumbles along, after carefully laying Brook down, and goes to keep searching. Each sight he finds is another horrible mockery of his crew, a death they didn’t deserve. He wants to stop and help them, but it’s like a child is tugging him along, insistent and stubborn, leaving him no choice but to follow the shadows further into the woods.

Franky dismantled. Robin collapsed. Usopp shot, Chopper with him. The shit cook dead with a cigarette still burning in his mouth.

Tears fall down Zoro’s cheeks and he’s trembling, eyes wide and horrified. His crew is dead.

(Where’s Luffy?)

(Behind you, hehehe!)

Zoro whips around at the invisible force in his head. Stumbling toward him is Luffy, looking lost and confused and with blood pouring from the wound in his chest.

“Zo..ro” His captain rasps, reaching out to him before stumbling.

Zoro catches him, watching numbly as his captaiin’s light fades from his eyes. His hat is torn and his chest slowly stops moving up and down.

Shadows sink their claws into Zoro’s body as he stands there holding his captains’ body – the man he vowed to protect, to live for, die for, give his dream for.

Suddenly, how far they have come, more than half way across the world in the most dangerous sea, doesn’t seem so far anymore.

(His captain is resting against him that first night in the dinghy, the first solid presence in a long while. He’s smaller than Zoro, but so much stronger, and the hat he wears on his head seems like a crown made of sun. Something settles in Zoro’s chest as the confidence that he will become the greatest swordsman in the world shifts into not quiet but not loud knowledge.

He will be the greatest swordsman, and Luffy will be king. Simple.)

Luffy has died before becoming king. The future King of the pirates is dead and so is his entire crew.

Zoro laws Luffy’s body on the ground and closes Luffy’s eyes with a gentle hand. There’s no smile on his face as Zoro thought there would be when this day finally happened. Just anguish.

Wado finds his way into his hand.

If you step in the way of my dream, Ill run you through with my own swords!

Luffy is dead (someone more than his own pride) and can’t fulfill his promise.

King or Dead. Guess they were dead.

Perhaps Zoro shall fulfill Luffy’s promise to him instead.

Hehehe!

Come on Zoro, Kuina’s voice lulls in his ear, join me at the top of the world.

He unsheathes Wado and –

SNAP.

Luffy fades away and it isn’t Zoro’s hand holding Wado but a shadowy one.

He doesn’t give the shadows a chance to return as the numb terror that has been so uncharacteristic finally flees from his veins. He can see clearly now, observation Haki back for just a moment, and the world makes sense again.

Zoro knows the truth.

And that was Luffy’s, living Luffy who would be the Second Pirate King, Conquerors Haki.

Zoro slashes with Wado Ichimonji and runs for the shores.  

-

The world shutters, much in the same way it did when his big brother died, but Luffy pays it no heed. He doesn’t open his eyes as he falls to ground and lets his haki pour forth. Rayleigh had trained it, drilled it into him so he had nothing but perfect control, but Luffy has never reacted to rage or sadness with anything but self-destruction.

(Before, when his crew disappeared, he had smashed his head into the ground. When his brother died, he destroyed a quarter of the island and reopened half his wounds. People scolded him, but how could he explain that he was nothing without his beloved crew? His family? His brother?)

And how could he react to all of his crew being lost, his last brother dying, with anything but soul crushing terror and rage?

Luffy is alone now. The world is bleak and cold as he opens his eyes. Count what you still have Jimbe said, and Luffy still hopefully has Jimbe, if he too isn’t gone somewhere else in the world.

Around him is a crater, his crew’s bodies suspiciously untouched by the force of his conquering will.

His will feels broken now, out of reach.

Ace sits before him, looking like the day he set out. Young, smiling, ready to brave the world.

He doesn’t say anything, and neither does Luffy. Ace falls eventually, now old again, into his arms, and Luffy feels terror seep into his veins. The body is gone in the next minute, as if it was never really there, but the blood coating his hands tells another story. Its just like Marineford

The world is black. Dark. Luffy is alone on this island with no family or friends. He doubts whatever is hunting down his crew spared Sunny.

He can’t feel anything any more. Just horror, sinking deep. As if something is sapping his soul, his rage, his anger, his fury at his family is being stolen, leaving nothing but the loneliness.

(Luffy has always been alone. Been left to shake in the dark while grandpas and idols and big brothers were at sea (or dead.) It shakes him, that nothing is perhaps real and there’s no one to love and cherish and treasure. It shakes him in a way he can’t understand, leaves him feeling unsteady and uncertain. He’s terrified of it.)

No shadows dance before his eyes and no voice sing out and laugh in his ear. All there is is the crushing void of being alone – it hurts, far more than Luffy thought it would.

He’s collapsed on the ground now, completely boneless, eyes wide and unseeing. His hat is still nowhere to be seen as his clothes still feel sticky with blood.

Luffy doesn’t want this.

(He wants to think there’s a way and if not I’ll make one but something is stopping that train of thought in his head like a sea stone wall. He’s powerless.)

He wants this nightmare to end.

Perhaps if he closes his eyes…

The world fades, little by little.

Hehehehe!

Luffy’s eyes snap open. He’s not alone in this place after all.

Someone else is on this island, and he’s going to stop them, for what they did to his crew. His family.

Then… then he can sleep.

For now, however, Luffy will fight.

(the shadows grasp at him as he runs but there will be time for burial and mourning later. This island, Luffy is sure, will not be their final resting place. Only the sea can have that that honor.

The shadows drag him back, but he will not stop – he will never stop.

Not when his nakama need him.)

-

Flames erupt, turning the world around Sanji hazy. The weight on his head, the heavy metal mask, falls away and when he looks down his limbs are fuzzy, as if their form isn’t truly there. It is though – Sanji knows this illusion of starvation is nothing more than that.

An illusion, designed to turn him insane on this hellish island. Sanji won’t stand for it anymore.

His friends’ bodies are still there, next to him, nearly bone now.

(Impossible, his mind says, knowledge telling him that humans don’t become bone that quickly and of coursethis is some hellish nightmare.)

Sanji ignores them and pushes against the shadows lapping at his legs.

He needs to do something, get to his friends, and the first step to that is to get free and to get off this damnrock.

Feed your friends, something says to him, voice a copy of his own, but you failed.

It’s trying to lure him back in.

“NO!” Sanji yells aloud, flames bursting around him. A cook isn’t afraid of fire but shadows should be – and these ones aren’t, still latching on to him.

Whatever.

He sinks ever so slightly into the ground, creating a crater with the force of his power, and leaps up. He makes it half way up the cliff before he needs to sky jump, and a third before the shadow things latch on to him.

(They are starting to form a shape now that they don’t have a nightmare to feed off of. Some are his ex-siblings, some are his starving friends, some are even Zeff but most are twisted, inhuman things, which act like every limb on their body isn’t theirs but they are moving them anyway.)

Sanji snarls at him and the traitorous thoughts they try to put in his brain and reaches the top of the cliff. This time, when the mask flies at him, Sanji is read. With a fiery foot the mask is kicked into the ground, smoldering and dented.

“Heh,” he says, talking just to hear his own voice again (to see if he was real), and kicks it again. The shadow things are hanging back now.

He’s sure they are thinking up a new strategy to get to him, but that won’t work anymore.

He knows their game – and he knows what he wants to win.

“Where. Are. My. Friends.” He growls out to the shadows, not expecting a response.

And he doesn’t get one – at least not verbally. When he finishes his snarl, the things melt and fly away into the darker forest like wisps.

Pieces of a puzzle he never knew existed are falling into place. Sanji finally finds a cigarette and lights it, taking a drab and billowing smoke into the air.

There’s no sky, he realizes. And no rock behind him at the bottom of the cliff either.

He takes another drag. And the shadows on the ship… the ones haunting him… were they the cause of his nightmares? The ones sinking into him and dragging his will and lifeforce out of him?

Which means…

Mosshead. Luffy.

Shit.

Sanji runs and doesn’t look back.

-

Zoro has been sprinting for a while now, and the shadows are still chasing him. Luffy is out there somewhere, alive, and so is Nami and Brook and everyone else.

These shadows, shifting and shapeless all at once with limbs that don’t belong to him, are just another barrier he needs to cut before he can return to his crew.

Zoro has one eye, but that doesn’t mean his vision is impaired. To be in a fight, to be a swordsman, to be a pirate means to always know more than what is there.

Observation haki just puts a word to it.

Except… his fucking haki isn’t there. And he can’t tell what he needs to cut yet.

Damnit.

Is this what had been going on in on the ship? Had the shadows been reaching out from this island so much that they caused his nightmares?

What is going on here?

When Luffy had let loose that conquerors haki, the world had been cleared for a second.

Assume nothing is real.

Any obstacle he could cut down.

All he needs is Luffy and his haki to cut off the head and find the real culprit of this hell hole.

Damn island! Damn it all! Bringing up memories of Kuina, of Marineford, of whatever the shite cook saw, of dead crew left and right – shit, if this is its tactics, then what is Sanji facing? What’s Luffy facing?

(Sanji’s hand shakes when one of the crew can’t eat and he hates wearing anything metal on his face. Nami had told them all about Whole Cake, about how his ex-siblings and ex-father were assholes, and how he used Sanji’s true family as leverage. Food doesn’t go to waste on Sunny, and the crew isn’t trapped or ignored. Zoro doesn’t want to imagine what it would be like to Sanji if those things did happen.)

(I’d rather be hurt than alone, Zoro, Luffy had told him once, when Luffy was in that post battle fever and had pushed himself too far. Zoro doesn’t think Luffy knows that he told Zoro, but it doesn’t stop Zoro from thinking of the two years where Luffy had thought he had lost it all – and was alone, no matter the reality.)

Zoro needs to get to his captain now.

A shadow swipes at his feet. Zoro jumps, sweeping out Kitetsu in an easy motion. It cuts the shadow, which had the vague appearance of Yosaku, and splits into two shadowy Kuina’s.

Damnit.

Where’s the shore in this place?

Zoro’s so far preoccupied with looking for the moon (moon controls the tides, therefore, follow the moon and you will find water) which isn’t there that he doesn’t notice the hat drifting in front of him, being chased by some other shadow.

Until that hat smacks him in the face that is.

It’s familiar, soft despite its straw material, and with a vibrant, old red ribbon crossed around it.

Luffy’s? Zoro pulls the hat away from his face with a questioning, concerned look. He’s about to examine it further when –

The hat disappears from his hands into some child’s before him. The child is small, freckled, and angry, staring up at him with silvered, unseeing eyes. He’s never seen him before, but there’s something in the shape of the nose and the curl of the hair that reminds Zoro of someone long ago.

He doesn’t know who that is though.

“Hey!” Zoro says to the stranger, reaching for the hat. “Give that back! That’s my captain’s!”

“Yeah?” The child snarls, vitriol practically dripping from his mouth. “It’s my brothers – your shitty captain ain’t ever getting it back.”

Brother?

The child turns and dashes away, leading the swordsman into the forest and anyway from where he thought the water was. Shit, Zoro thinks as he loses the kid, where the hell did he go?

He takes a right (or so he assumes) and then a left at the familiar big tree, and then another right at the big tree – is this tree moving?

Whatever.

The forest is watching him, mocking him, but there’s no child around him. His haki clears in spurts and burst, giving him clarity to see the truths of shadows past shadowy captains and Kuinas.

Zoro slashes them all and pauses in a small clearing, still looking for the brat.

The worlds growing dark again, not that it had gotten that much lighter. The shadows are twisting more and more, staying just outside the clearing, watching him.

Zoro tightens his grip on his sword as he looks out at the shadows. There’s something coming.  

No. Someone.

Red flies out of the bushes and barrels into Zoro, knocking him into the dirt and leaving him disoriented.

But there will never be a day he doesn’t recognize that sloping scar.

“Luffy?!”

-

Luffy feels like he can’t breathe, like his skin is buzzing with a thousand tiny needles under it. His despair and rage had turned into terror that was dragging at his heart making it sink low low low low low and beat so fast he was worried Chopper would yell at him for it.

(Except Chopper was dead now, wasn’t he?)

He didn’t know where he was going, only that he needed to lash out. He felt small, in the way he never did except when he was alone and there was a knife digging into his chest and twisting and twisting and twisting—

Luffy stumbles, breath catching in his throat, and barrels through the bushes. Tears from his panic threaten to fall but he won’t let them he won’t—

He crashes into something as his vision was going blurry, as oxygen refuses to enter his lungs.

But…

The world, previously blurry, zeroes in on a familiar, green shape.

“Zo..ro?” He chokes out, air still not entering his lungs as he looks towards his swordsman.

Breathing. Alive, with no blood or anything, just red tear tracks falling from his one eye.

“ZORO!” He shouts and sobs again, lunging at his first mate whose still lying on the ground, wrapping arms and legs alike around him. “ZORO!” He doesn’t know any other word.

Zoro is the same. “Luffy, LUFFY!” Zoro chokes out just as Luffy did, wrapping arms tightly around his captain. “You’re alive,” And Luffy’s not imaging the wet spot on his shoulder.

“You too, you’re alive, I thought you were dead, Zoro, Zoro!” Luffy clings tighter.

The shadows around his vision seem to bleed away, the longer he clings to his first mate. His chest loosens and he can breathe and he’s no longer alone.

And if Zoro’s alive… that means…

“Zoro.” It must be the thousandth time Luffy’s said it, but he still repeats it as he pulls away just enough to see Zoro’s face. “What’s going on? Where’s the rest of the crew? You were dead.” His heart tightens again, recalling the terror that’s now only just abating

“You were dead too. All of the crew was.”

The shadows titter around them and Luffy tightens his grip. He doesn’t need to ask Zoro more than that, can see it in his eyes that he was tempted too, by shadows with loved faces.

He hates it.

Hehehehe!

“It stopped when you used your haki.” Luffy nods at Zoro’s statement and hauls his swordsman upward. “I think it’s something with the shadows.”

“Hmm,” He hums and glares at the world around him. Fine then.

His hearts wild still, and he may still be holding on to Zoro’s sleeve, reluctant to let his new refound crewmate go but –

He’s not doing it (losing them) again.

Ever.

Luffy wishes he had his hat, but at least he can assume his crew is alive for now. And Sabo to, judging by the slip of a Vivre Card in Wado Ichimonji’s hilt.

Fine.

Luffy drags Zoro forward, and forces the world to kneel to him, in one wave of the Will of Kings.

Conquerors Haki.

The world goes still for just a moment.

Wind.

The shadows melt away, dragging themselves backward from trees and sky and people, as if being propelled by an invisible force field. The inky jungle is no more, and no longer resembled Goa’s lush trees and undergrowth. Instead it is barren, with sickly, endless trees that reach up to a cloudy sky. The fog is gone, apparently made of shadows, and there is a person up ahead, revealed by the force.

Luffy doesn’t dare let his will go, now that Zoro is before him and the shadows that laughed and took his crew away from him are gone.

The figure up ahead stands and waves, familiar hat in hand. Luffy charges forward, not letting go of Zoro’s arm and waved.

“SANJI!”

Sanji smiles and waves back.

-

A moment ago, Sanji was charging through the trees, the next, running over some bratty kid with a pipe and something that did not belong to him in hand.

The kid glares, and swipes at Sanji with his pipe, but Sanji has been mad for a while now and if the kid was looking for a fight, well.

Sanji breaks the pipe in half and snatches Luffy’s hat back from the freckled brat.

“Who the fu-“ He starts to ask before the island shakes.

Kneel. A will commanded that doesn’t end. Kneel.

It is Luffy, sending out another burst of conqueror’s and this time he seems to have gotten the clue that whatever was controlling the shadow’s will isn’t greater than his own.

Thank the seas.

Sanji watches as shadows seem to fling back from Luffy’s will, as if bouncing off a shield. The island becomes bleak as the inky figures melt from trees and shrubbery and sky, leaving a barren landscape.

And, with his captain and the mosshead in clear sight.

(Where’d the kid go?)

“Sanji!” Luffy shouts, running towards him, but Sanji is already moving to meet him. He slams into the both of them, yes, mosshead included, catching them in his arms as arms surrounded him in turn.

“You’re alive,” He cries, tears that his body told him he wasn’t able to shed (starvation) dripping from his eyes. “You’re alive!” He holds on tighter as Luffy and Zoro both tighten their own grip.

A huddle of emotions, for a minute, before instinct kicks in.

“Fuck off shit cook,” Zoro mutters, and if Sanji’s “Shitty-ass mosshead” wasn’t just as wobbly he would have teased him for years.

As it was, reunions could come later. For now…

Sanji plops the iconic straw hat on Luffy’s head. “Missing something captain?”

“Shishishishi! You found it! Thank you Sanji!” And rubbery limbs wrap around him again, damn it, he can’t breathe!

Luffy seems to get the hint and backs off, letting Sanji suck in some much needed oxygen. But still keeps a grip on his sleeve, as he was with Zoro, and Sanji understood.

He switches Luffy’s grip on his sleeve so that Luffy was gripping his head, and took a drag of his cigarette with the other.

“So… I’m assuming personal nightmares?”

The joy that had crossed Luffy’s face was no more. Instead, his lips form a stern frown as his hand made an aborted motion to reach up – presumably to touch his scar.

“Yeah.”

“Mmhmm.”

“Least you guys figured the conqueror’s haki thing out. Now we can actually find the bastard.”

The world is so much clearer now, without the oppressing force of the shadows on his mind, suppressing his haki. Like the glass has been wiped clean and now he can see the world, thanks to Luffy.

He hadn’t even affirmed the lack of haki before, but it must have started when the nightmares started.

Luffy cocks his head to the side. “Oh.” As if he just now noticing the vibrant sense in the world.

“Dumbass.”

“Hmph.”

It’s quiet as the trio looks around them. Luffy lets go of their sleeves to push his hat more firmly on his head and make a fist with his hands.

“It’s the island,” He says “Isn’t it?” Sanji’s captain’s voice is low, but it seems to tremble with anger. “Making us feel all that without our permission.”

The thing hurting them, targeting them, because they were the only ones who could sense it isn’t a person… it’s the entire island.

Puzzle pieces are falling into place. The island attacked them because they were able to sense its power, were strong enough to repel it, and tried to shut it down before it could reach that point but sending out shadows with fears in them.

Preying on them. Sanji feels disgusted.

He doesn’t know why, only knows that the Island had hunted them for sport, leeching off of their fear and despair and something awful. He doesn’t want to know what it showed the others, but judging by his own terror, it can’t have been pleasant.

The island is alive like the shadows in the Florian triangle, and Sanji wants to burn it to the ground.

Luffy’s in agreement, eyes flashing. “The shadows got to come from somewhere, right?” Sanji and Zoro nod. “Then we find the source and smash it to bits. That way it can’t come back.”

Finishing that, Luffy whips out an arm, stretches it, and knocks down half the trees to their left.

“COME ON OUT! IM GOING TO KICK YOUR ASS!” He yells and charges forward. With twin devil grins, Sanji and Zoro follow.

Luffy’s haki pours forth like the flood. He’s keeping it up, strong and steady and unrelenting as they rampage halfway across the island. He’s a conqueror, a true one, even if he never wants to rule over anything but his own freedom.

Sanji lashes out at the remaining foliage and shadows, thankful that his captain is Luffy.

But… the shadows are slipping away into something greater, convalescing at the center of the island, a shallow valley surrounded by the two mountains along the side. Its growing, growing growing, like a dark hole of loveless light. It has no eyes, nothing to give it meaning, but Sanji can tell it’s watching them.

As it grows bigger, so does its effort to fight against Luffy’s will. It can’t beat it, but his captain has to put in quite a bit of effort. Zoro and Sanji start taking up more of the fight as Luffy keeps his will extended, drawing back to protect his crew.

Sanji lets fire fly, and leaves it to Zoro to tell their captain to stop with the haki for a moment.

“If we know it’s there, we can’t be tricked anymore.”

Luffy nods, preps a King Kong Gun, and drops his haki as he unleashes a ground shattering attack.

The island shudders as if its hurt but the shadows don’t stop running. Sanji’s haki is fine.

Good.

It’s time to show this island what it means to be afraid.

-

The island is a lot smaller now without the shadows. The cliffsides that Zoro climbed are no more than perhaps five stories tall – he could have jumped that, if he wanted to, and not climbed down.  The jungle is no more than a mile, and the shore is clearly visible.

The island is a fake and Zoro can’t believe he fell for it.

The laughter stops as they reach the center. The sky’s bright and no fog covers the sea– the island itself is entirely razed to the ground by the force of their attacks.

The black hole like thing that sucked all the shadows in is nowhere to be found.

Instead, the child that Zoro had met before is standing in the center, looking like a glitch in reality. Light does not bend around him, like a painting without depth or reality. He’s there, standing over some pit in the ground, glaring with silver eyes. Blood drips from his mouth and his fists, scrapes across his knees.

The shit cook starts as if he too recognizes the brat. And since Sanji had Luffy’s hat he probably did meet him.

But Luffy…

Luffy freezes, and lets go entirely of the haki of the conquering king. (Zoro had thought he already dropped it. Guess he just made it so that Sanji and Zoro couldn’t feel it, which damnit Luffy that wasn’t the point of stopping it!)

“Ace?” Luffy whispers softly, sounding confused, and Zoro has never wanted to destroy anything more than he has in this moment.

“Luffy,” The brat – Ace, is this how that polite man looked as a child? Angry and lost? – says stepping forward. Zoro unleashes his anger at the surrounding area, which is shifting, and realizes the shadows have changed again. They have condensed into this caricature of their captain’s dead big brother, and melded to the environment, changing it from barren island to warring battlefield.

Zoro recognizes it from newspapers.

Marineford.

It ripples with every sword slice, shadows tearing apart and reconnecting and recoloring, but nothing can be as terrible as this war scene. Bodies strewn about, ice and fire glinting in the light.

The sky, so clear a moment ago, is dark. Zoro feels wrong-footed, and hearing the cook shift next to him, knows Sanji feels the same. What’s real? What isn’t How can we fight this? What are its weak points?

Luffy, before them, hasn’t moved.

“Hehehe!” Ace says, laughing, that laugh that has followed them through the island and laughed at their peril. “Little Brother, you can’t win here. No one can. So many people have fallen already, given their soul to—”

“I don’t care.” Luffy says, and there is ice in his tone. His will, his haki, grows, from when it paused at the sight of his brother. Zoro bares his teeth, and watches as the shadows step back. “I’m going to be King of the Pirates. I don’t have time for shadow guys again who like to hurt my crew. You aren’t Ace. This isn’t Marineford. So shut up.”

His voice reverberates throughout the valley. Luffy has always told people to get out of the way, to shut up or fight him, and this is no different. And Luffy rarely doesn’t get his way, because Luffy fights for want he wants.

(That, or the universe falls to his whims.)

This fake Ace takes a step back at Luffy’s indomitable spirit, then another. Sanji and Zoro as one step forward and attack the shadows around them, taking the mirage of their captain’s worst nightmare away from him.

(Though, hopefully he hadn’t noticed.)

It’s not enough, as the living island realizes it can’t beat them this way  and grows.

Freckled skin turns into scars and a tank top stretches into a marine jacket and flowered shirt. A cigar is bitten between gritted teeth as the figure grows and grows and grows. Blood boils and melts and solidifies into lava as Akainu stands tall in the center of the valley.

“Yeah, boy? Aren’t you scared now?” And Zoro hasn’t seen Akainu before or heard him, but he hates him already. He may just be a mirage, but it’s enough. “Big brother isn’t here to protect you

“Yeah. He isn’t.” And Luffy, without flinching or with a drop of terror, lunges forward in Gear Four.

“I can protect myself now.”

The island splinters as the attack hits, and Zoro knows no fear.

Fight, his captain says without speaking, and Zoro fights.

-

Akainu is here, and the last time Luffy saw him was when he was pulling his hand Ace’s chest. He’s not scared of him now, though he guesses the island thought he would.

Dead brothers, and war, and lost crew.

Luffy has already faced them. This island can’t throw them back at his face again. He might have despaired for his crew, but they are here now. The past doesn’t matter.

What matters is making sure his crew comes out alive wherever they are.

This is just training for when Luffy finally takes down Akainu.

He won’t lose. He isn’t scared.

Luffy attacks, and the battlefield erupts into dust.

-

Time flows differently on the Grand Line. Islands shift in and out of storms and fog, from one century to the next. Some theorize that Raftel is one such island, drifting between the shores one era and the next.

(In some way it is.)

It should come to no surprise that when an island falls it is as if it was never there at all. The sea is as unforgiving as it is beautiful, and time does not care for any rules but its own.

Luffy fights the will of the island for what seems like days. Zoro and Sanji whirling in action beside him, fighting back to back and arm to arm, never letting each other fall. Akainu – the island- falls to ruin with every cut and punch and kick.

Akainu falls, slowly, but surely, over the pit he came from.

A final Gum Gum Pistol and Ace is on the ground, bleeding out. One last trick to play.

But Luffy, nor any of the Straw Hats, like to dwell on the past on their own accord. A force of conquerors haki, and the island crumbles into a small stretch of rock and sand. No valleys or mountains around it.

The hole, the pit of darkness that the shadows came from, is all that remains. In it, a single skeleton, not singing or drinking tea. An unkept sword rests in its grip, wreathed in shadow.

Zoro ignores it, and they all ignore the skeleton.

When they look up, it is night, not sunny nor foggy. Endless stretches of stars, so familiar in the Grand Line, scatter the sky.

Luffy looks up and places a hand on his hat.

Terror does not pump through his veins, nor does horror or despair or grief. Only acceptance, and the feeling of an adventure completed.

Tiredness creeps in after.

“Let’s go home, guys.” He says, turning toward to the Sunny docked in the small bay that the sand and rocks create. The glistening black rocks of shadow, once used to attack and trap

They go home.

(behind them, as they set foot on the Sunny, the island sinks into the sea. Water fills the pit and the sword is swallowed up by the ocean’s force. Shadows seem to leak from it, fleeing into the sea like freedom flies to the wind. In a moment, it is gone, like rocks and sand and trees never existed.

The Peninsula of Drifting Fog, once part of a continent that has since fallen to the ocean floor, is no more.)

-

Luffy wakes to Nami screaming in his ear.

“WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!? WHERES THE ISLAND? WHY’S THE ANCHOR IN THE WATER!? WHY ARE YOU ALL BEAT UP!?” She’s standing in front of him as he is sitting on deck, but despite her words her actions as she moves to help him sit and look at his wounds are gentle.

Luffy’s just glad to see she’s okay, and ignoring the multiple scratches and burns scattered about his arm, catches her in a rubbery hug. “Shishishi! Nami!” Spotting the rest of his crew looking at them on neck, he stretches to include them in the hug as well. “Usopp! Chopper! Robin! Franky! Brook!!”

He doesn’t let them go, feeling that frenzied, awful feeling fade away, until Sanji and Zoro wake up and attract the attention of the crew, who scramble for them as well.

They had fallen asleep in a huddle by the mast, too tired to make it to their quarters.

It was the first restful sleep Luffy had had in a while but he still feels drowsiness in his veins.

But he’s not alone now, and his crew isn’t dead.

He can breathe again, without anger or despair coating his lungs.

He can live.

-

Sanji is the one to explain to the others what happened, in a brisk sort of manner. Luffy and Zoro are never ones to ask what happened, only what are you going to do. Sanji’s the odd one out in that regard.

An island, a living island, he tells them, with a cursed sword for a heart. Nami writes in down, in the log, in the passage she titled Drifting Fog Peninsula. There’s a space marked in her map for it as well, in colors of blue and gold, to show that it has been destroyed by the Straw Hat Pirates and is now sinking under the sea.  

(There’s guilt in her shoulders, for being too tired to mention the legend last night. It had truly been only a night, the island fucking with their perception of time, instead of the weeks it felt like.)

It targeted us, because we could sense it. Probably would have gone on to you next. It tried to keep Luffy down a lot, because of his Conqueror’s Haki. He tries to avoid what it used to attack but his crewmates aren’t dumb. They know it takes more than fire and attacks to bring down Luffy, knows something went on when Sanji’s is more frantic in the kitchen and Zoro naps near the bottom of the stairs and Luffy can’t go without clinging to someone for more than fifteen minutes. It used fears.

He doesn’t say what kind, doesn’t know what the others faced, and it certainly isn’t his right to tell them that Luffy saw his brother die again (and who knows how many times before, when he was alone,) and fought the man who killed him.

We figured it out, in the end, what was causing it, and Luffy used his haki so we could all get a clear head. It was easy on out from there.

He doesn’t mention burns, or the way Luffy hadn’t cried. The way Zoro looked distant and agree and the way Sanji couldn’t stop shaking when they got on the ship.

They don’t need to know, though he does trust them.

They’re crew. Family.

Somethings you just hold close to your chest, that’s all.

-

Two nights away from the island, however, Sanji still can’t sleep without nightmares.

Each time he awakes, however, paranoia drives him to he use his observation haki to see if it’s just his regular brain fucking with him, or shadow brains.

It doesn’t particularly matter.  Zoro and Luffy are in the same boat. They all keep quiet about it, and so do their crewmates.

The past is the past on this ship of dreams, and the future is only ever King or Dead. The present is all that matters.

And presently, Sanji finds himself as he was nearly a week ago, and every night since they have been back, stumbling, bleary eyed and shaking, into the kitchen with Zoro and Luffy on the floor.

He doesn’t speak, only whips up some cinnamon tea and a light snack, and unhesitatingly curling next to Luffy, who quickly links their arms as he was doing with Zoro beside him.

Luffy’s eyes are red, Sanji notes, but there’s an ease to his shoulders now that both Sanji and Zoro are here. Seeing his crew, his captain, eat, is also doing wonders for Sanji’s nerves.

Zoro’s tense, but in the way he usually is – almost entirely relaxed but ready to protect his crew if need be.

In a moment, they find their way to the aquarium with a blanket and little conversation other than a whispered Shishi! as Zoro and Sanji fight over opposite ends of the blanket.

They sleep then, huddled in a pile, nightmares frightened away. The next night they will rejoin the crew in the sleeping quarters, crewmates finding their way into bunks not their own, but for now…

They sleep, undisturbed, in the quiet of their home.

No nightmares, no shaking hands or tense shoulders, can find them here, with a warm drink between their hands

[waywardtravelerfart]

The Voice of All Things and other One Piece Parallels to Norse Myth

Oda has talked before about how his depictions of pirates are somewhat more like Vikings, and that a Viking TV show was one of his favorites as a kid. It stands to reason that just like Japanese mythology, he also may have studied a good deal of Norse Mythology in crafting his story, which I strongly believe to be the case. In this post I want to organize many thoughts and parallels that I’ve really begun to see:

* **Luffy=Odin**—Or at least an inverted version of him. Both are considered [sovereign individuals,](http://blogs.ubc.ca/hollyonclin/2014/01/28/the-sovereign-individual-in-popular-culture-one-piece-and-monkey-d-luffy-the-pirate-king/) or chiefs of their own made spheres, both started out with two brothers (Ace, Sabo, Vili & Ve.) While Odin just may be the inspiration for Nietzsche’s Ubermensch, both are known for being tapped into the [self-awareness of the world,](https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/odin/) and wearing wide brimmed hats. What has increased the parallel even further as of late is Luffy’s own quest for further knowledge, in this case knowledge of advanced forms of Haki. Like Odin sacrificing an eye to Mimir, [Luffy at least put his at great risk in learning his greater insight from Katakuri.](http://f13.readermanga.com/65/907d7ef79f5a1e/s5.jpg?token=8MJYMU8uSnkrf5DPQqZroQ&expires=1562630399) The second great endeavor for knowledge was to be bound in order to learn the flow of things (chains to learn the Sakura flow in Luffy’s case, ropes for Odin to look at the river flows of energy to discern the runes.)

* **Zoro, or Law=Thor**—Wield a weapon (sword or hammer) alongside a sovereign or in the name of theirs, but only Law has used [an electric attack so far.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGOL4HclV-Q/WwcVcp6Uc1I/AAAAAAAG-FM/h2PFWm3hjUU7i6pGk8K7AR8fSsAgjdHwACHMYCw/s0/015.png) I admit this is one of the weaker links and I need to get to reading on Thor.

* **Shanks=Tyr**—Tyr was the god of War & Honor, and lost an arm/hand baiting Fenrir into his trap so the latter could not fulfill his fate of killing Odin yet. Just like the man who taught Luffy his sense of honor.

* **Kidd=Loki**—Red haired icons of chaos who take insults too seriously and have relevant links to Odin/Luffy and Thor/Zoro/Law (Killer=Sigyn?.) One important link is the CoC that Luffy and Kidd share, which will become important when comparing CoC to seidr.

* **Bonney=Angrboda**—Jewelry Bonney shares many key traits with the [Dark Mother archetype in mythology;](https://badwitch.es/tag/dark-mother/) She can control not only her age, [taking on three major age forms,](https://paganmeltingpot.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/angrboda-and-the-dark-mother-figure-across-the-cultures/) but also the age of others, turning men to boys as if to overrule their egos. Both she and Kidd are from the South Blue. The question is if South Blue has any connections to Elbaf.

* **Yonko=Rokkr**—Monstrous Beasts that lay on the edge of the civilized world and threaten its destruction. In Norse mythology they were born by Loki and Angrboda. Whoever created such threats is just as much an danger (right?)

* **Big Mom=Hela**—Controllers of death, either lifespan or its realm (Helheim,) while Big Moms use and treatment of her children makes her parallel to the [Death Mother.](https://badwitch.es/tag/death-mother/) Close by to their territory is a master of insight (Katakuri=Mimir, see Luffy’s CoO above.)

* **Kaido=Jormungandr**—Snake bodied beasts holding dominion over or surrounding an isolated land, (Midgard, Wano) there is nowhere they can’t reach. Fated to reach a fatal draw with and die alongside Thor, be it Zoro or Law.

* **Blackbeard=Fenrir**—Dark or black haired, cunning (wolves have been associated with Odin’s knowledge) and fated to fight the known sovereign. While Teach wasn’t the one to take Shanks’ arm, he did leave a near-eye-taking wound with a claw-shaped weapon.

These parallels help set up what advanced CoC may turn out to be capable of. In Viking culture, the shamanic practice of [Seidr involved a death and rebirth](https://norse-mythology.org/concepts/shamanism/) whilst being [impregnated with the energies of the universe,](http://www.ancientpages.com/2018/02/10/god-odin-exiled-asgard-kingdom-gods-no-regrets-breaking-norse-societys-norms/) so as to determine, and if necessary rewrite fate. It was considered very unpopular for men to do such practices, especially chiefs or kings. So much so that partaking in it, as was the third knowledge seeking act by Odin, got him exiled from his tribe and home, the Aesir of Asgard, for ten years. It is safe to say that CoC’s Norse equivalent is Seidr.

Advanced CoC could merely be a boost in power from ones surroundings or something far more sinister. Something that [may have been](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cT-25pmEeF0/V4QWyQFNIpI/AAAAAAAA0I4/y_5oNwHh5pYCxvkKLH9gKMt6SbepGsOjQCHM/s16000/0647-009.png) foreshadowed by [Shirahoshi’s](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWcnmjDZmrU/V4QYhC3HVFI/AAAAAAAA0ZM/7w_002RhROo4TNX9nTCdoFOtEbUJob0VACHM/s16000/0647-013.png) and [Momonusuke’s](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh_n8OyN0Zo/WwcaCLMxXBI/AAAAAAAG-3E/6LmZTB95Nis6easOe0D_oI10YJlEWMytgCHMYCw/s0/003.png) abilities to direct [gigantic beasts in their own right.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R83z2w2SefE/WwcaTmgavrI/AAAAAAAG-5Q/BZyBGm5mkrUTz8R-T5cGR4QNK0qo40JuQCHMYCw/s0/011.png)

That’s right. The process of binding Sea Kings, Zunisha and other dangerous beings to the will of the user may just be a potential ability of advanced CoC, or using all three. One such conjecture on the process is to read and scan your target for weaknesses in their ego with CoO, draw them in with a reversed flow of CoC like advanced CoA flows, then inject your will while consuming theirs in exchange, [almost](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxDQ4EEwkGU/WwcRa-qQnmI/AAAAAAAG9sM/rCtxUYc2ijcFyeCspCoKSqq12z-TMM8hwCHMYCw/s0/006.png) resembling another form of [transplants.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz53kakLUDw/WwcRbTT-zbI/AAAAAAAG9sQ/BfJW-X9D4DEgHjHfDb7PuJBeaHHMXZqmQCHMYCw/s0/007.png) The main difference being the one wearing the crown (advanced CoC) retains all the control of both bodies.

Whether or not this discovery occurs on a territory such as Elbaf or another is uncertain, but said territory is comparable to the mythological home of giants, Jotunheim, which is foretold to provide a good deal of the host challenging Asgard when Ragnarok comes. What happens there could sway who many giants fight alongside in the Final War. Luffy and/or Shanks, if he appears here as Mr Morj has predicted, may debate or be hesitant to use such a technique on potential tools like the Yonko. I do not see Blackbeard or Kidd having such qualms however, if the latter makes it this far though, which I believe is possible. Kidd may require assistance in gaining an opening to do this however, which Bonney has the means and motive to do, both in her age abilities and her hatred of both Blackbeard and the WG.

Why the Yonko, though? I have a feeling that use as such weapons was their original designed purpose, as foreshadowed by Vegapunks interest in both Giants and Dragons, as well as his subsequent capture by the WG for studying the Lineage Factors in similarities to how Ohara was silenced. If the unusual power of those who made it to Yonko status is from some project the WG has long held secret, and the terror they put the world into can be laid at the feet of the WG for blame, what else could cause such doubt in their global legitimacy as Doffy described? This first occurred to me when baby Big Mom seemed way too strong to be born to normal parents, so something fishy was happening.

I know I haven’t touched on everything, I need to read much more Norse legends to fit/match everything, and I could expand on my thoughts, but I need to sleep before work. I’ve just been reading Norse for some time and needed to post my thoughts somewhere. Anyone more knowledgeable is free to add.

**TL:p;DR: Luffy is Odin, Kidd is Loki and they may have a huge debate on whether it’s okay to enslave the Yonko to fight the WG as the WG originally intended to use them. All based on Norse mythology.**

@eddathoughts @saisai-chan @op-headcanons @opdoodless

[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

[ramajmedia]

10 One Piece Fan Theories We Hope Are True | ScreenRant

 Eiichiro Oda’s One Piece is one of the greatest and longest-running fictional series of all time. After 22 years, Oda confirmed that only 80 per cent of the series has been completed so far. During that time, fans have developed plenty of theories regarding the series' plot and its characters. 

RELATED: 10 Anime To Fill The Void After Game Of Thrones

Some are more recent, while others have been left unresolved as far back as the series' debut in 1997. The following list features 10 ongoing One Piece theories that fans hope will inevitably come true. Fair warning, this list may delve into some spoiler territory, so proceed with caution.

10 Shanks is the Father of Makino’s Baby

On the cover story of chapter 614, Makino, a close friend of Monkey D. Luffy from his hometown, is seen holding an infant while smiling at the news of Luffy’s return. In SBS volume 63, Oda confirms that the child is Makino’s. He also teases that the father is "probably that person”. There are plenty of fans who believe that the father is none other than Red-Haired Shanks. After all, Shanks and Makino have known each other for years and have a positive relationship. Not to mention that there was plenty of time for Shanks to visit the East Blue during the two-year time skip. Therefore, the likelihood that they conceived a child together is pretty high.

9 Monkey D. Dragon Is A Wind Man

Monkey D. Dragon is one of the most mysterious characters in One Piece. Even after two decades, very little is known about him. The only thing that fans are certain of is that he likely possesses Devil Fruit powers. Based on evidence from the Loguetown and Post-War arcs, Dragon demonstrates that he has the power to control the wind and air currents. As a result, this would make Dragon a wind man and possibly a logia-type Devil Fruit user. With the power to control an element as versatile as wind, it is no wonder that Dragon is considered one of the most dangerous characters in the series.

RELATED: Jump Force: 5 Characters That Need To Be Included (& 5 We Hope Never Appear)

8  The Giant Strawhat Is Connected To Uranus

One Piece fans experienced quite a shock in chapter 906 following the revelation that a giant straw hat similar to Luffy’s is located in a frozen chamber under Mary Geoise. While not much is known about it, it appears shortly after Donquixote Doflamingo talks about Mary Geoise’s national treasure. During the Dressrosa arc, Doflamingo mentions that the treasure could shake the world to its core. With such implications, fans have theorized the national treasure is the Ancient Weapon Uranus and that the straw hat is somehow connected to it. Some fans theorize that the straw hat contains a secret message on how to locate Uranus, others say that it is Uranus and some even think that Uranus is hidden under it.

7 Big Mom Made Kaido Unkillable

In chapter 907, Big Mom and Kaido argue about who gets to eliminate Luffy for interfering in their respective affairs. During their conversation, Big Mom mentions that Kaido owes her a life debt. Several theories soon developed to determine what kind of debt a Yonko like Kaido could owe to someone as powerful as Big Mom.

RELATED: 10 Great Anime Featuring Strong Female Protagonists

One theory suggests that his inability to die is somehow linked to her power to control souls. Considering that they were part of the mysterious group Rocks over 40 years ago, it's possible that she could have inserted souls into him to save his life or make him stronger.

6 Luffy’s New Gear Fourth Transformations

In the current manga arc, the Strawhats and their allies are preparing for their showdown with Kaido. In preparation for his rematch against Kaido, some fans predict that Luffy will develop two new Gear Fourth transformations. The first possible transformation could be one that specializes in aerial combat like “Eagleman”. The other is a "Tigerman" form that could possess enough striking power to break through Kaido’s scales. In Japanese mythology, tigers and dragons are often portrayed as equals, and Oda has made it a habit of frequently using mythological references throughout the series. Thus, "Tigerman" sounds like a definite possibility.

5  Blackbeard Is Three People In One Body

During the Marineford Arc, Blackbeard turned the world on its head by using two different Devil Fruit powers. A feat that was supposed to be impossible. One popular fan theory suggests that Blackbeard pulled this off because he has a condition known as "fetus in fetu" and that he has two siblings inside him.

RELATED: Jump Force: The 10 Most Powerful Fighters, Ranked

 Evidence supporting this theory include how Luffy and Zoro mention during the Jaya arc that Blackbeard is possibly "more than one” guy. During the Marineford arc, Marco also mentions that Blackbeard's body is unique. Finally, his Jolly Roger has three skulls. A design that is similar to a two-headed Jolly Roger belonging to the pirate twins the Decalvan Brothers. All this points to Blackbeard being a genetic chimera.

4 The Ancient Kingdom And Raftel Are The Same

Before their deaths, the scholars of Ohara managed to identify the true name of the Ancient Kingdom. Unfortunately, the Gorosei made sure the name would remain a mystery by destroying them. After the Straw Hats meet Rayleigh, he explains that Gol D. Roger and his crew not only reached Raftel but also uncovered the secret of the Void Century and by extension the Ancient Kingdom. Furthermore, Whitebeard reveals in his final moments that the discovery of the One Piece will turn the world "upside-down". These facts help to support the theory that the island of Raftel and the Ancient Kingdom are one and the same.

3 Joyboy Was The Ruler Of The Ancient Kingdom

During the Fishman Island Arc, Robin discovers a Poneglyph inscribed with an apology from someone named Joyboy to a mermaid princess, who was also the Ancient Weapon Poseidon. A theory soon emerged that Joyboy was the ruler of the Ancient Kingdom. Evidence supporting this theory is based on how Joyboy shares several similarities to a Javanese king named Jayabaya, or Joyoboyo in Javanese.

RELATED: The 10 Most Powerful Sword Art Online Characters, Ranked

Jayabaya predicted the fall of his kingdom and had its history transcribed in books and epigraphs, much like how the Ancient Kingdom did with the Poneglyphs. He also prophesized that a chosen one called Ratu Adil would restore harmony to the world. This also reflects Luffy as the destined hero based on his connection with Shirahoshi, the current Poseidon.

2 Devil Fruits Are Linked To Electromagnetism

For years, countless fan theories were created to explain how Devil Fruits work. One theory developed by CAMUNAI explains that the properties of Devil Fruits are centered around electromagnetic waves. The theory uses the science behind electromagnetism to explain how Devil Fruits work, as well as their weaknesses to water, Sea-Prism Stone and Armament Haki. To summarize, water, composed of polar molecules, absorbs the electromagnetic waves of Devil Fruit users which weakens them. Likewise, Sea-Prism stone supposedly shares similar properties. It even manages to explain how Armament Haki affects Devil Fruit users thanks to a phenomenon known as “black body”, where a body or object absorbs electromagnetic radiation.

1 One Piece And The Inherited Will Theory

The "Inherited Will" theory by Ashura_KingFisher is one of the most popular One Piece fan theories. It explains that the One Piece is a project developed by the Ancient Kingdom that involves using the Ancient Weapons to destroy the Redline. Theoretically, this would unite the Grand Line, the Calm Belt, and all four Blues into one ocean. Furthermore, this would also create the legendary All Blue. In chapter 610, the mermaid Madam Shyarly has a vision predicting that Luffy would destroy Fish-Man Island. This also correlates with the theory because destroying the Redline would also destroy Fish-Man Island. However, this also means that its inhabitants would finally move to the surface. Effectively ushering a new era of coexistence between humans, fish-men and merfolk.

NEXT: 10 Best Dragon Balls Moments (That Have Nothing To Do with Fighting)

source https://screenrant.com/one-piece-fan-theories-we-hope-are-true/