#isekai crew

[colorninclothes]

New satchel/Fanny pack : r/evangelion

[hannahbarberra162]

Not My Monkey, Ch 1.

(Reverse Trope Isekai Reader)

I thought it would be funny to have a reverse trope -- instead of having one Isekai Reader who knows everything, too many isekai readers have already messed up the OP timeline beyond recognition.

I'm still writing all my other works, I just needed to get this out of my system. I don't think this will float most people's boats, but that OK.

on Ao3

Platonic Strawhats | Reader / Jinbei

This chapter's plot heavy, I had to get some of the world building out of the way. The rest will be more fun and silly / some romance / angst later. Also, this is my first time writing most (all?) of the Straw hats. It’s been challenging, so please be kind <3. There’s 10 of them but only one of me.

~~~

“Robin! Another one’s here!” Some kid in a straw hat was yelling right next to you, causing you to wince. You had a massive headache, you hadn’t felt this hungover since…wait. You didn’t drink anymore. You opened your eyes to a sunny day on…a wood boat? You were definitely sailing on open water. Maybe the ocean since you smelled salt… What kind of dream was this? Sure, you had anxiety dreams of drowning but nothing so pleasant .

A disembodied hand grabbed your ankle and held on tightly. It startled you but since this was a dream there was no need to worry. You were kind of enjoying the sun and the water, so what was a hand (with beautiful nail beds, but dry cuticles) going to do? You turned your head to find a black haired boy staring at you inches from your face.

“Gah! Don’t do that!” you said to the boy. He grinned at you and laughed.

“Shishishishi, it’s me! Luffy! You made it!” 

“Made it where?” Were you supposed to know who he was?

“To the Going Merry! You’re our twentieth reader -”

“Twenty third,” said another guy you hadn’t seen. This one was napping against the mast, talking with eyes still closed. He had luscious green hair that you’d want to check out later. You didn’t see any roots showing so either he had dyed it recently or…oh wait you were in a conversation.

“Sounds good, Loogie. I’m not quite following what’s happening.” This was the most complex dream you’d ever had. You’d never been able to interact like this before in a dream. It all felt like real life. You started to wonder if maybe something else was going on.

“Shishishi it’s LUFFY! But you know that! So what was the last thing you read?” The boy was still sitting incredibly close to you and practically vibrating with energy. 

“Um, I read a biography of Catherine the Great. Why?” Luffy tilted his head at your words.

“Is she in Egghead or Wano?” 

“Um, in Russia? I don’t think she’d be called an egghead though.” The green haired guy huffed and got up.

“Gonna be a difficult one. Robin can figure it out. Nappin’ on the other side of the deck,” he said to Luffy, walking away. He looked like he was flexing his back as you watched him retreat. His three swords clacked against each other, making you wonder how practical it was to have so many.

“No, she’s gonna be a great reader!” Luffy smiled at you again. You smiled back, but were very confused. The hand gripping your ankle was still there holding on tight. A breathtakingly beautiful woman with black hair, looking to be growing out some bangs, was walking towards you with her arms crossed in front of her. Even though she exuded radiance, her intense blue eyes pinned you with a stare. She sat down in front of you, keeping her arms crossed.

“Hello,” you said. Might as well be polite in dreamland.

“Hi,” the woman said smiling. “I’m Robin. What’s your name?”

Long ago, you were tired of baristas messing up your name (even though it wasn’t hard!). So when someone asked for your name, you supplied their own back to them. It usually worked out ok, and gave room for some awkward chit chat while you waited for your coffee.

“Isn’t that funny? My name is also Robin.” The woman quirked an eyebrow but kept her smile and nodded.

“Shishishishi two Robins! But what can we call you then? It’s too confusing having two Robins on board.” Luffy rubbed his chin in thought. 

“Interesting thought, Captain. For now, I have a prepared document I’d like you to read. It should answer the most common questions we get asked by Readers.” The woman handed you a scroll. What in the medieval ages was this?

“Robin TWO!” Luffy said, snapping his fingers. You untied the scroll. Might as well see what it said.

“I don’t think Robin 2 is a flattering name,” Robin told Luffy. “Let’s think of other ideas. In the meantime, let Robin read.” The hand patted your ankle. “It’s best if I keep a hold of you until the shock wears off. Saves a lot of time chasing people down.” She kept a hold of you? Whatever. Looking at the scroll, you saw an elegantly handwritten list.

~~~

Frequently Asked Questions - for Readers

Where am I?

You are on board the Going Merry . Franky has modified it so it does not bear complete resemblance to the original ship but it is also not the 1,000 Sunny .

Is this real?

Quite real. This world is as real to us as yours was to you. This is not a dream, hallucination, or simulation.

Am I dead?

We are not sure. It seems to be likely based on the anecdotes of previous Readers. However, there is no way to know conclusively.

Why was I brought here?

We do not know the criteria under which Readers are brought to our world. We believe it has to do with your intense love of “One Piece.”

What happened to my belongings?

It seems whatever you had last in your world is what came here, with a few exceptions. Cell phones, laptops, and other electronics never make it to our world. We have your belongings on the ship, if you would like to have them.

What will happen to me? Can I stay on the ship?

Readers have stayed in our world for 21 days, after which they disappear. We do not know what happens afterward. During your 21 days, you will remain with us on the ship. You may stay in the men’s quarters.

Is there a way to get back to my world?

Not that we know of. We are unsure if you are transported there once again when you disappear. 

Are there other readers?

There is only ever one Reader in our world at a time. The Strawhat Pirates have had the most Readers, though the Heart Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates have had a few as well.

What arc are we on?

The “timeline” that you know has been completely abandoned. With so much additional information and insight into future events, the events of this world have been drastically changed. We are not in recognizable “arcs” any longer.

What about Ace? Thatch? Whitebeard? Corazon? Sabo?

Thanks to the information supplied by Readers, Ace, Thatch and Whitebeard are all alive. Yamato has joined the Whitebeard crew with Ace. We had a time traveling Reader who saved Cora-san. Sabo has been made aware of Ace and Luffy and they have already reunited.

Can I fight? In our experience, Readers are quite weak and unable to fight. If you wish to try, you must first defeat Usopp in an arm wrestling contest.

Note: Please do not bring up our individual histories. We experienced them as real people and do not appreciate discussing them. Thank you.

~~~

You finished reading the scroll and re-rolled it. It addressed some of your concerns, but also had a lot of information you didn’t know what to do with. You handed the scroll back to Robin.

“You should call this the ‘Handbook for the Recently Deceased,” you told the raven haired beauty. You still had your sense of humor even when dead, it turned out. Er, maybe dead.

“That is quite an excellent suggestion, I think I shall,” Robin nodded solemnly and took the scroll with another arm sprouting from her own. You’d ask her about that later. 

“What questions do you still have?” Robin asked kindly.

“Why do I have to stay in the men’s quarters?” 

“Oh, that is not applicable to you. Nearly all of our Readers have been men, usually Torao has the female Readers. You can join Nami and myself in the women’s quarters.” 

“I’m dead then, huh?” You couldn’t wrap your head around the idea, especially when you felt so alive. 

“Robin B!” Luffy shouted from a few feet away. He still hadn’t given up on a nickname for you.

“No, Luffy, I don’t care for that,” Robin said calmly. “That would make me Robin A, which I am not. And yes, you are likely dead.” 

“That’s a bummer.” You’d think about that and deal with your feelings later, this was all too weird to believe right now. You fiddled with the necklace you were wearing. None of this felt real at all. Besides, one of your best traits as a person was your ability to roll with things. You had always been pretty open to change, though this change was…drastic.

“Interesting - few readers express that emotion upon arriving in our world. Readers are usually thrilled to be here with us.” Robin looked like she wanted to study you in a lab.

“Um, so what’s a Reader? Or a One Piece?” You might as well learn while you were here for the next few weeks. 

“You don’t have to be afraid,” Robin said, the hand patting your ankle. “We aren’t going to harm you for your information. We’ve probably heard it all already. We know that we’re a comic and a show in your world. You’re not in danger.” You hadn’t considered that you might be in danger, but you were thinking about it now.

“TWO Robin!” Luffy yelled from across the deck. He’d been pacing and trying to think of a good nickname this whole time.

“Luffy, that is the worst suggestion yet.” Robin frowned. 

“Aw, you don’t like any of ‘em! This is frustrating. Maybe we can just call her Mystery Reader !” 

“Not every reader is a Mystery Reader, Luffy. You can’t say that for -” Robin was chastising Luffy.

“Myst is fine. Short for Mystery.” You didn’t really care what they called you since, you know, you’d be going to the afterlife in about three weeks.

“ Shishishishishi I knew you’d be a good reader, Misty!” Luffy stretched his arms from where he stood to wrap them around you. Misty, sure. That was similar to what you said. What the…was this kid rubber? Add one more weird thing to the pile, why not? 

“What other questions do you have?”

You were gonna put your cards on the table. “Listen Robin, I’ll be honest, I didn’t get a lot out of your handbook. I don’t know any of those people, or any of you, or what this show is. I don’t know why I’m here, I have no information to give you. I watch documentaries and sometimes HGTV. This is like a new employee orientation for a job I didn’t apply to. ” Robin nodded sagely.

“I quite like that phrase - new employee orientation. Perhaps more of a ‘new reader orientation.’ In any event, you’re here with us now, whether you know any information or not. I am going to release you, and you can get settled in.” The hand holding on to you vanished as you watched. 

“Cool party trick.” 

“Yes, they are very useful, though not always appreciated at parties.” Robin stood up and you did the same. You stretched your legs and back as you’d been sitting for a while. Robin was a tall drink of water, you thought. You were average height, nothing crazy. But she was statuesque and slim, making you think of your own body. Sure, you had some self confidence, but as you approached closer to middle age, things didn’t look quite the same as they once did. And Robin looked like a supermodel, graceful and elegant.

“Do I hear the sweet voice of a lovely Mellorine?” said a handsome waiter, holding a glass of water on a tray. He was practically swooning and you’d never met before. A little strange, but maybe he was just enthusiastic. Robin looked at the waiter, who was wearing a three piece suit.

“This is Sanji, our chef. He is also one of the Wings to the Captain.” 

“Oh, sweet Mellorine -” 

“Wait, who is the Captain?” You cut off Sanji, you realized you didn’t know who was running this show.

Sanji’s expression showed surprise. He looked at Robin for clarification, pausing in moving the tray your way to your dismay. You really wanted that water.

“Misty, as Captain calls her, does not know anything about our world. We will all have to introduce ourselves.” 

“Wait, does that mean Luffy is -”

“The Captain,” answered Robin and Sanji simultaneously. That kid?! The one who suggested they call you “Two Robin”? You didn’t say anything so as not to insult their captain or whatever but the kid didn’t look like he could be older than 18. Not your circus, not your monkey. As long as the ship didn’t sink in the next three weeks, it didn’t really matter to you.

“Right, right. That seems…good. Um, Sanji, is that water for me? I’d really appreciate it.” Sanji looked like you’d asked him to senior prom.

“Oh, dear, sweet, beautiful Misty, it would be an honor to serve you this water.” He bowed to you with a flourish. Alright, time to nip this in the bud.

“Look kid, I’m old enough to be your mother. Cut it out. But thank you for the water.” He deflated a little but not for long. 

“Like wine, most women only get better with age,” he said with a charming smile. “As Robin mentioned, I am Sanji, the chef on our crew. Do you have any dietary restrictions?” 

“Oh, I’ll eat anything you make.” 

“Is that so? Truly, no restrictions? Preferences? Allergies?” For all his attempted flirting before, he seemed serious right now. 

“Well, truthfully, I’m vegetarian. So, no meat.” Sanji nodded, smiling once again.

“Not a problem. Do you eat fish?”

“Ah, no. No animals.” You saw a rubber arm going past you as Luffy rocketed himself to your side. Rubber had its uses it seemed.

“You don’t eat meat?!” Luffy yelled into your face, completely incredulous.

“Nope, haven’t in over 20 years.” You moved your head back away from his. Kid didn’t have much need for personal space.

“What do you eat then!?” It was like the kid couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of not eating meat. You shrugged. You’d had this conversation in various forms many, many times before.

“Vegetables, fruit, grains, legumes, things like that.” Luffy furrowed his brow in thought for a moment before it cleared into a bright smile.

“SANJI - can I have Misty’s portion of meat??” 

“No! If she doesn’t eat it, I’m not going to make more than usual.”

“But she’s our reader, you have to make her a portion! Then I can have it.” 

“But if she won’t eat it, I won’t make an extra portion,” Sanji already looked exasperated.

“But I want it!” Luffy was on the verge of a tantrum, you thought.

“No! You already eat all the food! Besides, if she doesn’t eat meat… ” The two of them seemed to be entering into an argument about meat rations, so you’d bow out of this conversation. It was only getting louder as they argued in circles. 

You drank your water and took a look around you for the first time. The ship seemed pleasant, though not very modern. There weren’t any electrical outlets or lights, and not much metal either. It was powered by wind, as you saw the giant sails. Maybe there wasn’t electricity here? You’d ask Robin later. Your eyes wandered up and you saw a giant jolly roger flag, the skeleton wearing a hat.

“So this is a pirate ship, huh?” The fighting made a little more sense now. Not that you wanted to. You’d let them handle that part of the afterlife. It made you a little nervous and you fidgeted with your necklace. A handsome young man wearing overalls and goggles locked eyes with you while holding your hair dryer. The next thing you noticed was that he had the most beautiful, long, luscious natural coils you’d ever seen in your life. It took everything in you not to ask him his wash day routine before you exchanged names. “Hey! That’s mine!” you yelled at him. You were protective of your tools, they were like your babies. The man looked scared for a moment, then apologetic. 

“Sorry, I just got excited. I’ve never seen a machine like this before. What does it do?” He was turning it over in his hands, looking at the barrel. He was holding it like a precious treasure, touching it with care. At least he could appreciate machinery.

“It’s a hairdryer.” Your guess that they didn’t have electricity seemed to have more merit now. Which meant he air dried all that hair every time? Coily King. 

“Interesting! How does it work? Obviously the electricity feeds through the cord, other readers have had corded things before -”

“Usopp! Where’s the new reader? I wanna see if they have pens!” An unbelievably sexy young woman wearing a tiny string bikini came up from below deck, her bright orange hair blowing in the breeze. Was every person on this ship attractive? How did her boobs defy gravity like that? You looked down at your own, hopeful that whatever force was keeping hers up might be helping yours. No dice. 

“Hi, I’m the new reader?” You extended your hand, which she shook. The woman smiled back at you.

“I’m Nami, Robin told me you don’t know anything about our world. So, the way it works here is that everyone pays a daily fee to stay on the boat. It’s 100 Beri a day. That’s how we afford to maintain the ship in tip top condition.” You could smell bullshit a mile away - you’d been working customer service jobs on and off for decades. You decided to play along to see what happened.

“Oh, of course. But how will I get money? I guess I’ll have to sell some of my belongings…” You pursed your lips for dramatic effect. “I know! I have some pens, I could sell those for…what was it you said? 1,000 Beri each?” Nami smiled even wider, a classic mistake. 

“Well, what’s money among friends? And besides, it’s not like you can take anything back with you. We have a lot of reader stuff left on the ship.” You paused, pretending to consider for a moment. 

“Hmm. You’re right. Maybe I’ll just drop them all in the sea. Y’know, like a, funeral. Since, I guess mine’s already happening. Maybe.” You didn’t want to think about your funeral, it had been a nightmare to figure everything out when your dad died. You felt bad for whoever was arranging it, probably your sister. You were zoned out thinking for a moment, and snapped back when Nami said something. “I’m sorry, I missed that. What did you ask me?”

“What kind of pens do you have?” Nami had taken the bait, hook line and sinker. You doubled down.

“I’d be willing to show them to you, for a price.” She raised an eyebrow, then broke it with a sincere smile.

“Welcome aboard! I’m the navigator for the crew, it’s nice to meet you. You’ll be staying with me and Robin, I hope you’ll have a fun time with us. Now about those pens…” You smiled at her introduction.

“Thank you, and I’d be glad to show you what I have. I’ve always got at least a couple on me. Where’s my stuff? We can see what’s there.” 

“Follow me, it’s probably in the crows nest. That’s where reader stuff usually appears.” She started walking toward a ladder that led up to a platform high in the sky. High, high in the sky. 

“Hell no!” you exclaimed. “I’m not going up there!” Usopp and Nami looked askance at each other.

“Why not?” asked Usopp, still holding the hair dryer like it was a puppy he was cuddling.

“I’m afraid of heights.” Not that unusual of a fear, you didn’t even like diving off the 3 meter diving board at the pool. They looked at each other again. You felt like you were in middle school again, asking to sit at the cool kids table. 

“That’s OK, I’ll go get it for you.” Usopp handed you the hairdryer and climbed the ladder. Nice, you got to sit with them. Score one for you. 

~~~ 

The last thing you remembered from your regular life was walking home from work, rolling your train case with you. You always took everything home with you, even though you trusted the salon you were working for. Force of habit after so many years. You didn’t remember anything after that, though it would be ironic if you got hit by a car. 

Usopp kindly carried your things down from the crows nest. It was weird seeing your train case and purse on a wooden pirate ship, like when you saw a Timex in a historical movie. You heard a distant crash and looked over. The green haired guy was fighting Sanji, both of them looked pretty angry. The green haired guy was using his three swords against Sanji’s kicking? Must have strong legs. Maybe all the fighting was with each other. Nami and Usopp didn’t even look up.

“Ooh, what’s in here? Treasure? I’ve never seen something like this before. Most readers have backpacks or purses.” Nami was eyeing your train case greedily.

“No, it’s for my haircutting tools, makeup, manicure supplies, things like that.” You’d been an esthetician for a long time, though you’d done other jobs here and there. Nami threaded her fingers together in delight.

“You’re a hairdresser?! And you do nails?! Big sister, you’re the best reader yet! Most of our readers are in eye-tea. Would you cut my hair?” Oh, she meant IT. Information technology. Made sense, lots of people worked in IT. You’d never really gotten all that good at computers, so that wasn’t something you’d ever pursued.

“I mean, yeah, we can talk about that.” Even in the afterlife, everyone wanted a haircut when they found out you were a hairdresser. “Speaking of, Usopp, you have the most beautiful hair I’ve ever seen.” Usopp looked flustered, like he wasn’t used to compliments. That surprised you, he was clearly smart, well muscled, helpful…if you were 20 years younger you’d have been all over him. Or maybe even 10. But he looked like he couldn’t be older than 20 and that really didn’t do it for you. You liked your men with their prefrontal cortex fully developed. Besides, you hadn’t dated for a long time. In fact, aside from Robin, everyone looked really young. You wondered if there were any other older people on board. Even Robin looked like she couldn’t have been older than 35 at the most.

“So, what do you do here?” It seemed like everyone had a specific job on board, might as well find out. 

“Well, I’m the great Captain Usopp, and I am one of the bravest and most notorious pirates on the seas. I’ve defeated -”

“Wait, I thought Luffy was the Captain.” Usopp’s train of thought was paused.

“Oh, he’s the Captain of this crew because I felt bad for him after I single handedly defeated a pirate fleet of 5,000 men. It was easy too, let me tell you the story…” Usopp went off on a long tale about his (obviously fake) adventures on the seas. But he was funny and entertaining and a really good story teller. You touched his arm to pause his story as he was explaining how he defeated a giant with a flaming sword.

“Listen, Usopp, if you ever want, I’ll style your hair for you. Braid out, cornrows, twist out, whatever you want.” You wished you could take a before and after picture for your business Insta, but based on what Robin had told you, your phone hadn’t made it through the…portal? Er, however you got here. You didn’t offer a fade or anything that would have you cut it - it was too gorgeous to cut. 

“Hmm, maybe I’ll take you up on that - I’ve been wanting a new look recently,” Usopp mused. Nami was pouting, you didn’t want to upset her. “Same for you, uh, little sister, I’d gladly style your beautiful orange hair. I’ve never seen a shade like it.” You hadn’t, it was like the shade of an actual orange. Nami was appeased.

“Thank you Big Sis, I’d love to do something with all this.” It looked like she was growing out a bob, and it was in that awkward transition stage. You could help style it a little better, whoever had been cutting it did a good job, just needed a few pointers.

~~~

A little while later and the sun was in its descent. You were still with Usopp, sitting on the deck. Nami had gone off to do some work, saying she’d see you later. He’d told you a few funny stories before he asked to see the electrical esthetician tools you had in your case. He was most interested in the nail drill, asking question after question. At some point, you didn’t have answers for him. You knew the basics of how it worked but your recollection of electron transfer was weak. 

“Dinner’s ready!” Sanji called. Perfect timing, you were getting hungry. Usopp helped you up and you headed to the galley. 

“How many people are on the ship?” you asked. You’d met five of them, not including the green haired man who didn’t introduce himself. 

“There’s ten of us, eleven including you. We’re a small but strong crew.” Usopp flexed his arm.

“By the way, I’m not going to arm wrestle you. I know my strengths, and fighting isn’t one of them.” Usopp looked relieved. “Not that I’d win anyway,” you continued, “you look strong. But I’ll let you handle the fighting.” Usopp smiled at your last statement. You wanted to compliment Usopp when you could, he seemed like he needed it. 

“Oh yeah, I’ve won every arm wrestling competition I’ve ever had. Let me tell you the time when I arm wrestled a giant octopus and won against every tentacle…” You smiled to yourself and walked to the galley together. Entering through the swinging door, you saw a large table filled with nine other people. Well, mostly people. There was also a skeleton, an android looking guy, and a gigantic blue man - merman? And speaking of the merman, holy shit. 

You’d spent time babysitting your nieces and had seen every Disney princess movie that had ever been released in the last 60 years. Their favorites were “Frozen,” and “Moana,” which was the better of the two. You found the polynesian demi-god to be…appealing. At least more than the white bread Cristoff. And that merman looked like Maui had decided to grow a meter and get more muscled. And turn blue. He was huge - maybe 3 meters tall - and you wanted to climb him like a tree. Did that make you a pervert? Maybe, but it was a gut reaction. You weren’t going to act on it. Besides, you weren’t blind, you could appreciate a good looking person when you saw one. He looked like he was around your age, or at least older than the group of younguns you’d met. Maybe the afterlife had its perks after all. 

[tahere-ravenword]

Blown Away

One Piece Isekai FanFic

Also available on A03 under the same name. First time posting a story so please don't be too harsh.

I will try to post fortnightly.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63692560

Chapter 1:

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I love storms. Love watching huge, ominous clouds roll in off the ocean. Love the feel of rain on my skin. Love the rumbling of thunder like the beating drums of great big giants in the sky. Love the striking patterns lightning leaves as it arches across the clouds. Most of all I love the wind. Ever since I was a child I've loved the wind. I love the howling, like the song of wild animals. I love watching twirlie devils scooping up leaves and ruffling hair. And most of all, when it's at its peak, feeling like one of those leaves as it blows you off your feet.

I have fond memories of walking home with my mum and being swept up in a gust, her hand strong and steady as I flap like a weird ass flag, giggling my head off, feeling like if I let go of her hand I would just fly away.

I smile to myself as I look out into the ocean, watching the sun set, boats silhouetted on the horizon with their tiny shimmering lights, and where the horizon meets the sea huge, black, clouds like the Nothing from the Neverending Story roll towards me.

The ocean is churning, roaring waves crashing loudly as rain comes down steadily, a rhythmic tempo as it hits someone's tin roof. Though not strong, gusts of wind swirl around me, trees swaying like they're dancing. And I join in, half humming half singing the lyrics to dancing in the rain as I do just that.

The sun dips below the clouds and dusk becomes night, the rain starts pouring down in buckets. The wind is stronger, feeling like hands pulling me out into the inky black ocean. I make the executive decision to go home.

Trudging back through the storm is more taxing than I expected, the side paths have gone slippery with mud so I opt to walk on the road in an attempt to avoid going ass up. The rain is coming down so heavily it feels like pins falling from the sky, made worse by the biting gusts of wind, tearing at me from all directions, the temperature dropping fast.

“Jesus fuck , why is it so cold all of a sudden!? I live in the tropics! What I wouldn't kill for a warm fire and hot chocolate right now..”

I'm about a block away from my house when a strong gust hits my back knocking me back off my feet, my head cracking hard against the curb.

I’m a dumbass… but that storm was gorgeous coming in..

Everything goes dark.

I feel like I'm underwater, I just float, my thoughts slow and sluggish, and I open my eyes. I see nothing but dark around me except light above me, looking like a glistening gem. I just float, watching the light above be, Idly thinking if I'm meant to go towards it or what.

When a shadow passes overhead my brain catches up, I exhale in shock, I'm actually underwater and need to breathe, need to breathe,needtobreath!

I desperately swim up, gasping and wheezing as I break through.

I just float there for a moment, catching my breath.

“What the actual fuck just happened” I mutter to myself, I look around seeing small boat and endless ocean. Too open it just keeps going on forever!

toomuchsky!toomuchsea!toomuchemptyspace

“Hey you ok?” A boyish voice calls out, pulling me out of my panic.

I look over to see a guy wearing a worn red vest and straw hat, looking at me with a mix of concern and confusion.

“Honestly I don't know, is it ok if I hitch a ride?”

“Sure thing!” He grins sunnily at me, then he reaches out and his arm stretches unnaturally, hoisting me up and out of the water and into the boat. My mouth hangs open in sheer shock at that.

I must have hit my head pretty hard.. I rub the back of my head feeling a decent lump.

“I think I probably have a concussion,tsitsitsi, I swear your arm just stretched like a bungee cord…” I chuckle awkwardly

“Shishishi. Yeah it did, cause I’m a rubber man!” I feel my eyes bulge as he pulls on his cheek and it streaches, and streaches, and streaches. What the fuck! How!? I pause, properly taking in the guy in front of me. He's so unassuming, messy black hair, tanned skin, dark brown eyes with a scar under his left eye. His clothes are pretty commonplace for coastal areas, but it's straight out of the pages of the manga, scuffed sandals, old jean shorts, faded red vest and worn straw hat.

“No way, w-what?” I mutter, what the fuck, what the actual living fuck!? No fucking way this is real, am I having a lucid dream? Yeah lets go with that, this is just a disturbingly vivid dream. No fucking way is Monkey D fucking Luffy sitting infront of me right now! I'm legitimately freaking out. Am I having a panic attack? Maybe? Almost? Probably

“Shishishi, you're really weird!” He says laughing “I’m Monkey D Luffy! Who’re you?”

“Y-yeah a-a lot o-of people th-think I'm w-weird. I-I’m Tahere Dy-Dynasty ” Between my anxiety and the chill from the storm I start stuttering and stumbling over my words.

“Nice to meetcha Tahere D Dynasty!” I'm sort of on auto pilot at this point.

Wait no thats not-

“Heey do you wanna join my pirate crew?” His grin widening.

I slump tiredly “Yeah s-sure, why n-not” I obviously have no control over whatever the fuck dream I'm having right now, might as well go along with it

“Yes! I got my first crew mate!” He yells, pumping his fist in the air. “What a great day!”

Wait first? How early in the series am I? I then notice the boat we're in is moving on its own. Looking around, please no… There it is, a great big fuck off whirlpooI sucking us in faster and faster!

“U-um captain..”

“Shishishi, you called me captain!”

“We're ah.. being sucked into a whirlpool”

“Hmm oh, whoops… I guess I was a little careless..” He laughs “Oh well, can't be helped, down we go.”

“Wait what!? nonononono!” I grip the sides of the boat screaming as we're sucked down into the vortex of swirling water, Luffy laughing the whole way down.

[catofadifferentcolor]

Terrible Fic Idea #91: Modern Girl in Thedas, but make it DA2

In honor of DA:V coming out next month I've been replaying DA:I. This is something of a trial because, having just finished a Hogwarts Legacy replay, it's easy to tell that this game is 10 years old - that, and I loved how focused and intimate DA2 feels. Yes, it has world-spanning implications, but it's really all about this guy trying to do his best by his friends and his family. I love it, and DA:I never inspired the same kind of feels.

All of which is a long way of saying: I got to thinking about that most famous of tropes, Modern Girl in Thedas, and I thought about how would I handle it?

Or: What if the MGiT were to appear in Kirkwall shortly before the Fifth Blight?

aka the Thedas is Not Enough fic

Just imagine it:

Rather than a true self-insert, I see this more as modern woman meets Thedas, with a middle-aged fan of the Dragon Age series waking up in the body of an unnamed background character in a Hightown estate sometime in early 9:30 following a severe illness. The keyword here is fan - the SI has played the games, read the fic, and glanced at the wiki, but couldn't write out a clear timeline or recall most codex entries.

The SI eventually learns that she's woken up in the body of Sofia Vidal, the 15-year-old daughter of the richest merchant in Kirkwall. Their family has a virtual monopoly on cloth trade on the northern cost of the Waking Sea and has distant ties to Orlesian Nobility as well as the Amells. Their Hightown estate abuts the future Hawke Estate, and if the term robber baron existed in Thedas it would probably apply to here them.

Now, going from the body of a middle-aged engineer from the modern world into the body of a teenager in a Medieval fantasy world is difficult... but luckily no one seems to notice, because it seems doubtful that anyone has ever noticed Sofia Vidal in her life, her family included. She was mousy and shy and easily startled and apparently an endless disappointment to the family for being more fond of books than hunting or fighting.

Because, as Sofia soon discovers, the Vidal family has aspirations. They can read the writing on the wall with regards to the current Viscount and are willing to go to any end to have their family be named the viscountcy.

To which end: Sofia is the youngest of seven children. Three died in the cradle or soon after. Her oldest brother - Gaspare, her senior by nearly twenty years - spends most of his time in Orlais with his titled wife, running the family business interests there. Their other two living siblings are mages, with Amalia sent to the Kirkwall Circle while her twin Agnese went to the Circle at Dairsmuid. It had been their father's hope that, should they not be able to secure the viscountcy themselves, one of his children could marry into the line... but Sofia is so unlikely to catch anyone's eye that her father despairs of her ever marrying at all.

All of which brings us back to the events of DA2.

Sofia may not know much, but she knows that the Blight is coming. She also knows that the conditions in Darktown are horrendous and only about to get worse as refugees flood the cities, so she buys a book on healing, collects some herbs, and sets up shop on the opposite side of Darktown from where Anders had his clinic. It's better than sitting around the estate all day and makes her feel like her transmigration has a purpose.

The events of canon proceed apace...

...which is something of a surprise, because for a long while it's quite easy for Sofia to forget that she's in a video game world at all. That is, until Anders appears at her door looking to swap healing recipes, trade potions, and - eventually - share a drink at the end of the day.

It's through Anders that she meets Garrett Hawke - a cheerfully sarcastic force mage of breathtaking power. He's the sort of powerful it would be easy to fear if he wasn't so affable and in control of his gifts. The idea that he could probably take over Kirkwall through sheer power of his magic and personality alone never seems to occur to him - which is good, because he could probably be DA's answer to Alexander the Great if he cared to try.

Sofia doesn't join the Kirkwall crew, however. She does her healing, gleefully watches their antics from the sidelines, and occasionally joins them for a drink at the Hanged Man.

Though she is the first to welcome the Hawkes to Hightown at the end of Act I, becoming quite close with Leandra. (For many years Leandra will harbor the hope that Sofia and her son will marry and give her many grandchildren to dote over, but neither are inclined that way. Especially after it's revealed they're third cousins.)

Sofia turns 19 in 9:34, the year Hawke becomes Champion.

It's also the year Sofia is introduced to Sebastian Vael, being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night to attend the prince, who is bleeding out in the foyer of Hawke's home following the events of Repentance. It's not the first time this has happened - Sofia's bedroom is infinitely closer than Ander's clinic - but it is perhaps the most embarrassing.

Embarrassing, because she prefers not to be introduced to royalty in her nightclothes. Sofia has standards - not many, mind, but she has them.

Luckily for her, Sebastian is far too out of it to recall what she was wearing. But he can't help but develop a crush on the kind healer who so diligently tended his wounds - one who also ministers to the poor and downtrodden, though she could easily choose to live a life of luxury.

What follows falls somewhere between the canon friend and rival romances. We get a Sebastian who wants to regain Starkhaven because Sofia deserves no less than a Prince but who has the calm and pro-mage sympathies of the friendship route.

But that of course takes time, because Sofia's not convinced at first that Sebastian's crush has nothing to do with seeing her in her nightclothes. (Nor, for that matter, does she particularly care for the idea of a chaste marriage or an aggressively anti-mage spouse. She'd not been a particular fan of Sebastian in the game, but hadn't hated him either.)

Canon proceeds apace. Hawke becomes Champion, Kirkwall is left without a viscount, and Sofia's father tries to marry her off to however looks most likely to succeed Dumar this week.

As the chaos mounts, the soft, slow romance between Sofia and Sebastian is a breath of fresh air. On Sebastian's part, it grows from a seed of fondness - and, yes, lust - to genuine affection as he gets to know Sofia. For her part, by the time Sofia realizes she cares for Sebastian she's already in deep. Its friendship turned to love, which is the best and strongest.

They wed in a small ceremony in 9:36, only telling Sofia's father after the fact. As Sebastian has to leave the Chantry to do so, they're forced to camp out at Hawke's estate for several weeks before finding a small place of their own. This is awkward - mostly because the Vidal estate right next door and Sofia's father is a pompous ass on the best of days.

As the calendar turns to 9:37, matters reach their tipping point. Anders blows up the Kirkwall Chantry and Hawke is forced to kill him in hopes of restoring order. This fails and events of the endgame play out with Hawke siding with the mages.

Hawke goes on the run, helping mages across the Free Marches get to safety.

Sebastian makes good on his promise of taking back Starkhaven for Sofia, making her a princess in truth. The city becomes a sanctuary district for many of the mages in northern Thedas, much as Redcliffe was for the mages in the south. This doesn't prevent the events of DA:I, but halves the numbers of conscripts available for Alexius to conscript later. They send forces to help Kirkwall rebuild... but the city is still lawless and in turmoil when the Conclave occurs in 9:40.

Per Sofia's urging, Sebastian helps the Inquisition in its early days... though she does make it clear that she thinks the Inquisition's only aim should be to close the Breach.

But for the most part Sebastian and Sofia end up living fairly happily in Starkhaven. They have a larger family than Sofia ever imagined herself wanting - 5 kids, but magical epidurals are a wonderful thing. It's not a utopia, but it's the best that can be expected given the politics of the time. Their eldest succeeds their father as Prince of Starkhaven while their next oldest, not to be outdone, eventually gets themselves named Viscount of Kirkwall - just as the Vidal family had always dreamed.

Bonuses include:

Sofia becoming deeply, deeply over-invested in the relationship between Hawke and Fenris. So much so that for a while Sebastian thinks she's interested in one or the other or both and resolves to let her pursue her happiness without any interference from him, only to have it knocked into his head by a third-party that Sofia doesn't want be with them, she wants them to be with each other. This should be played for maximum humor and confusion.

An exceptionally complicated relationship with the Chantry. Sebastian is very much a committed Andrastian, whereas Sofia was agnostic at best in the modern world. Are demons and magic and the Breech proof that the Maker exists? Should she follow the rituals of the religion for Sebastian's sake or be honest about her beliefs? Can she open her mind enough to give Andrastianism an honest try? &c.

Sofia coming to view Leandra as second mother. Though she tries her best to prevent the events of All That Remains, she's not a fighter. All she's able to do is injure Quentin and alert Hawke to the problem sooner; Leandra still dies, but it's before Quentin is able to reanimate his perfect bride.

An engineer being forced to come to terms with magic. It makes the transition to a world at Middle Ages level of scientific advancement easier than it otherwise would be (magically running water!) but still makes Sofia's basic knowledge of germ theory a great leap forward in her Darktown clinic; and

Sofia gaining a reputation for being a great storyteller by blatantly stealing stories from the modern world to entertain children at her clinic. Varric eventually "borrows" some of these ideas and ends up writing the DA version of Harry Potter set in a fictional Circle in the years leading up to the mage rebellion.

And that is surprisingly more than I had. To be frank, the Sebastian romance snuck up on me because it's not one I usually go for, but the muse wants what it wants. As always, feel free to adopt this bun - just link back if you do anything with it.

More DA Ideas | More SI Ideas | More Terrible Fic Ideas

[adelinash]

Cover for my new fanfiction, Oh No ! I've Been Isekaied !! Can't believe I am finally posting this, I feel like the idea has been in my mind for so long it actually started paying rent.

Can you tell who my favorite characters are ? >.>

Anyway, enjoy ! readable on AO3 and Wattpad. https://archiveofourown.org/works/61377919/chapters/156886669 Also in french, with it's own cover :

[caracello]

AND hondo is obsessed with me also he thinks i'm very funny and charming and he gets me a big fur coat made of wampa fur or something.

[kavehs-claymore]

I have the urge to write a Leverage x Genshin crossover…

[yandere-romanticaa]

Seen the request, so I shall deliver. Could you pls write a drabble or hcs of a yandere sunday with an isekaied reader?

Good timing because I'm actually planning a non yan isekai fic for him, I wonder if you saw that post. Here it is in case you haven't.

Sincerest apologies if this isn't the best, this fic is 100% emotionally charged by my obsession with him and frankly with a little bit of a high for passing a tricky exam. This is a treat for myself.

EDIT: Please check out this wonderful comic that @danijaci made me based off this fic!! 😭🫶

Picking up the cup from the fine oak table, you gazed towards the eerie galaxy before you, hundreds upon thousands of stars giving you a constant reminder of just how far from home you truly were. Taking a sip from the little porcelain cup you could not help but to hum in delight, the soft notes of the tea soothing your nerves ever so lightly as you pretended to ignore the heavy gaze which lingered at the back of your head.

Even from this distance, it was easy to tell that Sunday was eager to approach you. Still, he kept his distance and made a silent offering in the form of the very tea you drank at the moment.

Anything is better than Himeko's coffee but you were never going privy her to that.

In a not so distant past, all of this was nothing but fiction. The Express, the story, the characters - it was all nothing more but fiction, something to pass the time as your days went on and on, the same monotony repeating each and every day.

It was hard to not think about your friends and family, what sane person would not? Lord knows how they must be feeling right now, worried sick out of their minds with indescribable sorrow. In their eyes you had merely vanished, not a single trace to be found. For all they knew you could have been left for dead in a ditch somewhere, beaten, bloodied and broken, never to see the light again or if they were even more inclined to be morbid, you had succumbed to a fate worse than death. Death at the very least grants you finality, that all is over regardless of what happened moments prior.

But that was simply not the case for you.

Here you were, lounging about in a comfortable chair as you pondered on your old life while enjoying tiny little luxuries, far away where none of your loved ones could reach you. However, life was funny sometimes because it had some fun games in store.

Sunday was very kind upon arrival. He made sure to always be there for you, always checking up on you, always there to keep you company. You were already smitten with him but now to actually witness him in the flesh was just... Indescribable. You got along like a house on fire, so much so that the crew liked to tease that you ought to just get a room. Sunday, ever the gentleman, would just brush their words aside and assure you to not take their playful little jabs to heart.

You wouldn't say anything, resorting to merely giving him a smile but not because of what he said but rather of what he did not - never once did he actually shut down those perverse accusations. Never, not even once did he deny them.

He became an emotional crutch, someone to whom you would come running to when things got tough and he would always welcome you with open arms. Sunday would hold you tenderly, his serene voice dripping with honey along with a tender drop of ecstasy, for his excitement with holding you would just show itself sometimes. His grip would be too tight at certain moments, never quite ready to let you leave. His hugs were warm and comforting, he always smelled so good too. He smelled like kindness and sweet wildflowers, always lulling you back to him no matter the time. In dark corners and perhaps even under the watchful eyes of the crew, Sunday would wrap his scarf around your head, securing the soft fabric in order to provide you with a sense of comfort.

It was humiliating just how much you would try to inhale his scent as much as possible. You wanted it etched deep inside your memory, you wished for it to linger on your very soul and for it to follow you everywhere you went, sticking to your being like tar. The fabric of the scarf would muffle your ears a little but someone was always chatting in the background. Be it March bickering with Dan Heng, Mr Yang scolding someone for doing something they were not supposed to, or just Conductor Pom Pom trying to give a speech, all of it was irrelevant.

You were ready to kill whoever would try to pry you away from sweet Sunday. That thought came often which had left you worried - just what kind of person had you become? Regardless, you kept your mouth shut and had no plans of sharing such violent sentiments with anyone, particularly not to the one you held so dear.

When it was time to part for the evening you would bid the crew farewell and wished them a good night. You always made sure to take a few extra seconds with Sunday, just to ease your aching soul. He would tell you to sleep well and would see you in the morning, ready to take on any endeavor that crossed your paths.

As everyone parted ways, Sunday would wander off somewhere dark and distant, somewhere no one could see nor hear him. He would fall to his knees and clutch his chest in agony, fat tears streaming down his face as he did everything he possibly could to steady his raging heart. In a rush he would reach for the scarf which clung around his neck, his grip tighter than iron as he would bring it close to his nose. Taking a large, deep breath, Sunday was greeted by your familiar scent which would promptly calm his poor heart.

He sometimes wondered if his heart would start bleeding from the pain due to the sheer intensity of his emotions.

This was wrong, everything about this was not right and it hurt. Sunday was obviously ill but he had no clue on how to fight this... This emotion, this white hot feeling of need whenever you stood by his side. He started to choke on the air around him and fell into an abrupt coughing fit but even then, he could bring himself to remove the scarf from the lower part of his face.

Sunday wept and sobbed, filthy snot coming out from his nose but he could not handle that now. He needed you, Oh Heavenly Aeons, how he needed you. However was he going to tell you how he felt? How, oh how was he going to express the sheer magnitude of his true thoughts? He would scare you off, he was sure of it.

Even with this pain, even with these clipped wings and bleeding heart, Sunday had never felt so alive, so harrowingly present in the moment whenever he was with you.

Perhaps, he was doing himself a kindness by just letting you be. Drink your tea, be at peace.

He can always just make you another cup if you so desired.

Without knowing, you both haunted each other in the most agonizing way known to mankind and neither was strong enough to face the reality of the situation.

[hannahbarberra162]

Not My Monkey, Chapter 4 (Reverse Trope Isekai reader, platonic Strawhats, Reader x Jinbei)

on Ao3

The other chapters

Finally! An update no one asked for.  I tried not to be heavy handed about the hair stuff but I get the feeling 1) Usopp wouldn’t want locs bc of complicated feelings towards Yasopp and 2) growing up, people told him that his hair is “difficult” because it’s not straight / wavy. I just want my bby to ✨shine ✨ and there's definitely no old feelings I'm projecting onto Usopp. Also I’m not a hairstylist so idk if I got everything right. 

“So where’re we going anyway?” you asked while your hands busied themselves brushing out Usopp’s beautiful hair. You were sitting behind him on a stool while the young man sat on the deck of the ship, the two of you falling into easy conversation. You’d given him a few options for a style and he’d decided on half cornrows half natural. It made sense since you’d always seen him in a bandana to keep the hair out of his face while the rest of his hair hung freely. You were brushing part of the front out in preparation for the braiding process but at least Usopp wasn’t super tender headed.

“Right now we’re on the way to an island to restock on supplies. After that we’re headed to melee with some crews we’re allied with,” Usopp said, wincing as you got out a particularly large snarl with your brush.

“Melee? Like fight them? Why?” You replied, scrunching your face, the knot still fighting you. 

“Well, the so-called canon events that would have made us stronger didn’t happen. We still need to increase our strength so Luffy can be Pirate King. Luffy didn’t fight Crocodile, Doflamingo, Marineford didn’t happen…” You nodded along even though you didn’t know any of these people or events. “So Robin had the idea to have the crews fight one another, no holds barred. It’s us, the Heart Pirates, the Kid Pirates, and some of the Whitebeard Pirates. The only rule will be no killing,” Usopp said, bringing an already bitten nail to his mouth to chew. 

“Hmmm. And what do you do for fighting? Is that - er, how do you fight? Sorry, I’m not familiar with this kind of stuff,” you said to continue the conversation while separating his hair with a rat tailed comb and clipping the rest away, slapping some edge control onto the part. You had a little bit of edge control gel in a travel sized tub but you kept most of your braiding tools in another kit that was at your apartment. Most of the time all you did was cut, dye, and style for middle aged women, nothing too exciting.

“I’m the crew’s sniper,” Usopp explained while pantomiming a slingshot. 

“Really? That’s incredible!” you said with the comb between your teeth. You were starting to braid and Usopp winced slightly.

“Yow, those are tight!” 

“What, never had braids before?” you asked, laughing lightly at his expense.

“No, not really. I’ve always worn it plain. I never knew what to do with it and it was always so unmanageable -” you smacked Usopp gently with the comb before interrupting.

“It’s not unmanageable, don’t say that. And it’s not plain either. Maybe you just needed some instruction on how to get it to work for you.” You’d never liked when people were down about their hair, particularly when it wasn’t perfectly straight. “Your hair is stunning, so many of my clients would be jealous if they saw you. Probably ask you out too.” You dropped the last bit of information nonchalantly, like it had just slipped from your tongue. 

“Ah, heh. That’s - that’s nice. I actually have a, um, there’s a girl who I - well, we write letters now. But we were best friends when I lived in Syrup Village,” Usopp stammered, his cheeks turning dark red.

“You have a girlfriend? I’m not surprised given how handsome and smart you are. Tell me about her, what’s she like? How’d you meet?” you asked, genuinely curious. Usopp launched into his first mostly true tale, telling you about Kaya and how he’d met Luffy and the crew, how they fought Kuro and Django and saved Kaya from Kuro’s evil plans.

“That’s quite a story! No wonder she loves you,” you said at the end of his story, only about a quarter way through braiding. You had done cornrows quite a few times but it wasn’t your bread and butter. Other stylists were way faster than you, but they hadn’t pseudo died and ended up on a pirate ship so he got what he got. Besides, Luffy had already stopped by three times to see if Usopp was free to hang out. He’d watched you braid for a few minutes in silent contemplation before asking when you’d be done. It seemed Usopp was the Captain’s main babysitter…er, friend. 

“Mhmm, and that’s only the beginning of what’s happened. We didn’t do the whole Alabasta arc because a reader interfered with Thatch and Teach -” You stopped Usopp from launching into another tale so you could get a few details. 

“Yeah, about that. I need you to give me, like, the details of this world. Like, why can Luffy stretch? Why are there so many pirates? Who would you need to fight against? Who are those people? How much does stuff cost? Things like that so I can kind of understand what’s happening.” Usopp tried to nod but you had his hair tightly in your hands.

“ Ouch, oh, right. Ok, so, let’s start with Gol D. Roger, the One Piece, and Devil Fruits….”

By the time you’d finished braiding Usopp’s hair, you’d heard the history of Gol D. Roger, the One Piece, the Golden Age of Pirates, and that Luffy wanted to be King of the Pirates. “So what is it though? The one piece? Like a treasure chest?” you asked, tying off the last braid.

“No one knows, we don’t even know where it is. That’s part of what Robin does, she reads the Poneglyphs for us,” Usopp explained as you began putting things away. You heard delicate violin music dancing through the air, lifting your spirits immensely. You’d always loved violin but lacked the money to ever afford one or pay for lessons. You practiced piano at the Community center and had a cheap keyboard you’d bought at a garage sale years prior. You’d had the same piano teacher for years and you paid her in haircuts.

“So. We’re looking for something that we don’t know what it is, where it is, or what it does. And the person who suggested we go look for it was executed by the military. Just making sure I understand,” you said, raising a brow.

“Yes,” Usopp confirmed, fiddling with the ends of his hair.

“And there’s no official maps of the world, we’re using a compass that resets frequently and Nami’s brainpower to sail around on dangerous seas that are known for their unpredictable weather and extreme monsters,” you continued.

“That’s right,” Usopp said, now nibbling his lip.

“And there are several members of the crew, including the Captain, who can’t go into the sea or they’ll lose their will to live and drown. And there are huge bounties on all of you from the government of the world -”

“Well, the Marines, really -”

“And Robin is a former mobster, Zoro is a former bounty hunter, Brook is a twice over dead pirate who is now the top charting performer in the world, Chopper is a full reindeer and was trained by a quack doctor, and Franky turned himself into a cyborg who runs on coke. Did I get that all right?”

“Well, when you put it like that…”

“And Luffy - that Luffy” you said, pointing to the Captain who was currently picking his nose and wiping it on Chopper’s fur as the doctor worked, “will become a God in the near future, capable of bending reality to his whims.”

“Yes. Though now that it’s all laid out I feel like I’m getting sick,” Usopp confirmed while putting the back of his hand on his forehead. You had one more thought to clarify before you let the sniper go back to his duties. 

“Is Jinbei a mermaid?” you asked, your thoughts drifting to the helmsman as they had a few times that morning. Usopp laughed at you, making your face flush.

“H-hey! I’m not from here, how’m I s’posed to know these things?” you sputtered, putting the last of your things away.

“He’s not a mermaid, he’s a fishman. They’re kinda similar but separate species. He’s actually pretty famous, he was a Warlord for a long time but left them to join the crew when Luffy explained to him everything that happened. He’s really strong, he can control water, breathe underwater, knows fishman karate, he’s the best helmsman in the world, really respectful, yeah, Jinbei’s great,” Usopp trailed off after listing Jinbei’s qualities on his fingers. You added the information to your growing pile of Jinbei facts to be used in case you ever had an actual conversation with him.

“Alright, my guy. You’re all set, whaddya think?” you asked, handing Usopp a small mirror. He examined his appearance, giving his reflection a shy smile. “I think you look so handsome,” you said over his shoulder. He flushed a little but covered it quickly with a change of the subject. 

“Yeah, I mean but I’m more known for my fighting skills. Being handsome is nothing next to defeating 1,000 -” You cut off Usopp with a pinch to his cheek, pulling hard on his cute face.

“I’m off to piano lessons with Brook -I’ll be back later to do Nami’s hair. Maybe other crew’s too, if they want. Find me before you go to bed tonight, I’ll see if I have something for you to wrap your hair in,” you said, dismissing Usopp. You were nervous for your lesson with Brook, and not just because he was a nine foot tall living skeleton. You weren’t all that confident in your piano skills despite putting a lot of effort into practising over the last few years. And the piano on the ship was on the main deck - everyone was going to hear you if you made any mistakes. Crossing the deck to Brook’s piano, you saw he was the one playing the violin, his bone fingers deftly creating the tune everyone had been enjoying. You didn’t interrupt his performance but listened to the unfamiliar song as he continued to play. Ending on one long forlorn note, Brook lowered his bow as the note rang out in the air.

“Ah, Misty, thank you for joining me. Before we begin, may I -” you glowered at the skeleton in response to what you assumed his request would be. Maybe your angry face would stop him from asking to -

“-see your panties?” he continued in the exact vein you thought he would. You rolled your eyes.

“How can you see my panties if you have no eyes? And no,” you said dismissively, tossing your head with a saucy attitude. The skeleton looked at you for a moment then burst into a contagious laughter.

“YOHOHOHOHOHOHOHO, an excellent point! I enjoy those jokes myself. Now, let’s see where you are, would you like to warm up?” Brook said after wiping a tear from his eye, offering you his baby Grand Piano to play. 

And so, about an hour later, Brook was teaching you simplified music to the song he was playing previously, called “Bink’s Sake.” Despite his penchant for panties, Brook was an excellent piano teacher, even better than your old teacher Mrs. Howell. He was patient, kind, and you didn’t think anyone could know more about music theory than he did. After finishing the basic opening melody one more time, you sighed and rolled your head on your shoulders.

‘I apologize, I don’t think I have anything else in me right now,” you said, shutting the key lid as Brook lowered his bow.

“No need to apologize, I think you did excellently. I would love to hear any music you may know from your world. But perhaps another time,” the skeleton said with a bow.

“I have a hunch you’d like Billy Joel. But really, thank you, Brook,” you said, taking his bony hand in your own and patting it. Brook tilted his head but it was difficult to read his expression. 

“I’m sorry, do you not like being touched?” you asked, dropping his hand in case it made him uncomfortable.

“Not at all, I - I appreciate it,” he said in a quiet voice. You smiled and turned to head to Nami’s tangerine grove, where the redhead was tapping her foot in impatience for a haircut even as she smiled in anticipation. From one world to the next, there would always be those clients, you thought.

Sitting Nami down in a chair that was on the deck, you spoke to her about her preferences and what she was expecting out of her style. Brushing through her hair, you saw that whoever had been doing it previously was doing a pretty good job. They were obviously amateur but they had enough sense and skill to get it done quite well. 

“Nami, who usually cuts your hair?” you asked as you picked up your shears. Opening and shutting them a few times made you realize you’d need to sharpen them soon. Sanji probably had a whetstone or something you could use, he would have to sharpen his knives regularly as a chef. 

“Sanji does, he cuts everyone’s hair,” she explained, moving her head to gesticulate. Pointing her head back in the direction you needed you continued to cut her dead ends off.

“Seems like he does a lot around here,” you mused. No wonder Sanji smoked so much, you thought, the man was constantly working. Maybe you could show him some haircut pointers for after you died again. Just a few adjustments to his technique and he’d make a fine hairstylist, you thought.

“He does, but he likes it. You’ll see, he’ll be here in under 5 minutes offering us some kind of beverage and snack,” the redhead said with a shrug. “Wanna bet on it?” she asked with a grin. You declined-  Nami undoubtedly took in a lot of suckers but you wouldn’t be one of them. 

“So why did you want my pens? I think I have some more, I’ll have to dig around,” you said, not wanting to mix business and pleasure.

“If I don’t get pens from the Readers I have to go back to using a quill and ink for my maps which is so much worse. Messier, less legible, less precise, all around a pain in the ass. Generally I think your world seems like shit but you do have great pens,” Nami stated, moving her her for emphasis.

“You’re gonna have an uneven haircut if you don’t stop moving around,” you scolded her while redirecting her head and continuing to snip. As Nami had predicted, Sanji had come around with a serving tray with three deep red drinks and three plates of petit-fours. 

“For you, Mellorines,” he presented with a flourish. Nami took two drinks and handed one to you. 

“Thank you, Sanji,” she said as you took a sip. It was some kind of tropical juice, maybe watermelon mixed with passion fruit? You hadn’t had the flavor before but it was refreshing in the afternoon sun. A rubbery arm snaked around the nearest tangerine tree trunk to grab the third glass from behind but Sanji deftly kicked the Captain’s hand away without turning his attention away from you and Nami.

“Thank you Sanji, it’s delicious,” you said as Sanji preened. He had to shift to push the Captain’s face away with his foot as Luffy continued his attempts to eat the snacks. 

“It’s not FAIR!” Luffy whined, stomping his foot petulantly as he returned to his normal shape. “You always give Mellonades good snacks and never me! And I’m the Captain!”

“Mellorines, and OF COURSE I DO, they’re ladies! You don’t deserve them! I’ve seen you eat live bugs before!” Sanji yelled back, pulling the Captain’s ear like laffy taffy. You smiled as you worked on Nami’s hair - they were certainly a lively and entertaining bunch of folks to hang around. You didn’t know if you could do it long term but that wasn’t on the table anyway. 

“BUT I WOULDN’T IF YOU GAVE ME SNACKS!” Luffy insisted, launching to wrap himself around Sanji’s head. Nami continued talking, sharing some bits of information about the island you’d shortly be docking at. You started setting her hair in large curlers as it air dried - you really wished you had a hair dryer right about now. Maybe you could ask Franky to build you one. He clearly had a way with mechanics if he could power his own body on coca cola. You’d ask him later that night after you were done with the crew haircuts.

“Sanji, would you like me to show you a few pointers next time I cut someone’s hair? You’re doing a fantastic job, the crew all look wonderful. Since hairstyling is my main source of income, I can show you a few tricks to making the finished result look a little more cohesive? But only if you want. Like I said, you’re doing a phenomenal job already,” you explained, holding a tuft of Nami’s hair between your fingers. Sanji blushed so hard you thought blood was going to start coming out his nose. 

“Ah, that would be excellent, thank -” Sanji started before being cut off by Nami.

“Ha! Sanji got told he’s a good boy!” Nami pointed out, laughing without malice.

“He is a good boy,” you said with a firm nod to Sanji. The poor kid looked like he was going to pass out on the deck but no one seemed worried. Despite knowing him only a day or so, you could tell Sanji was a good kid. Sure, maybe he was a little fucked up, but who wasn’t? You trusted your instincts about people and they told you Sanji was a sweetheart.  

“Hey Luffy, can you show me some of your fighting moves? I’ve never seen any before but Usopp told me they’re really powerful” you asked while winding Nami’s hair around a large curler. Usopp hadn’t actually mentioned Luffy’s attacks but you thought it might change the subject and distract the Captain from annoying Sanji. The chef needed a break after all that work and teasing from the crew. 

“Oh yeah!! You’re gonna love this! Check this out – GUM GUM PISTOL!” Luffy yelled as he launched his arm towards the Crow’s Nest. Using the Crow’s Nest as a grounding point, he hurled himself into the air like a rubber band. It was kind of cool but you didn’t really see how it made him one of the strongest pirates on the seas like Usopp had said.

“LUFFY YOU FUCKING IDIOT! MAKE SURE YOU LAND ON THE BOAT!” Zoro yelled out from the Crow’s Nest. You watched Luffy turn into a small speck as he ascended higher and higher. Hopefully the kid had a good sense of his own limits, you thought, otherwise he’d be sinking to the bottom of the sea like Usopp had told you. As he descended rapidly you could hear Luffy’s childish laugh from where you stood as he slammed back down onto the deck, causing the ship to rock heavily to one side. The sensation wasn’t pleasant as your stomach turned with the large dip. You tried to think of something else to occupy the Captain so he didn’t do that again.

“What if Usopp shot things into the air and you tried to get them before they hit the deck?” you asked, already looking back down at Nami’s hair. It kind of reminded you of when your nieces showed you their “cool tricks,” which were mostly of them jumping off various surfaces and inevitably getting hurt. Luffy’s mouth and eyes opened wide as he threw his hands in the air.

“USOPP! COME SHOOT STUFF FOR ME!” 

“You know, this is just fetch,” Nami said to you quietly, turning her head from side to side in order to admire her hair in the mirror.

“Ha, yeah, I guess so. Does it matter? Look how happy he is -” you said, putting a bonnet over Nami’s hair for protection from getting wet while it set. 

“LUFFY NOT THE DISHES!” Nami yelled, already out of her chair with her fist raised to chastise the Captain - who had a plate in his hands. You couldn’t help but laugh - what a bunch of goobers. Deciding to offer cuts to the rest of the crew as a thank you for letting you stay with them for a few weeks, you looked around to see who was near. Robin was reading on a beach chair in the shade of a tree, turning pages with extra hands as she skimmed through the book.

“Robin, would you like a haircut?” you asked over the din of Luffy missing a ball Usopp had launched, the pair yelling and laughing. They’d been joined by Chopper who was watching Luffy stretch and jump to catch things with childish glee.

“No thank you, I’m content with the way it looks now,” she said with a smile and tilt of her head. “Besides, we are arriving at Widow’s Island momentarily. It will take the rest of us a few hours to get everything ready for departure from the ship but Luffy is likely to -”

“HEY! I CAN SEE THE ISLAND! WE’RE HERE!” Luffy yelled, immediately dropping the bowl he’d caught from Usopp’s last toss. Grabbing onto the mast, Luffy stretched himself backwards like Usopp’s slingshot.

“He’s not gonna -” 

“He is. It’s quite alright, he’s done this many times before,” Robin said calmly, a hand placing a bookmark between the pages she was reading. “Don’t worry, Jinbei, Sanji or Zoro will save him if he miscalculates his trajectory,” Robin continued, as if the Captain drowning was no big matter.

“Yeah, Usopp told me about Devil Fruits and drowning. That’s quite the price to pay for someone who spends their life on the seas,” you mused. You began cleaning and putting away your tools as the rest of the crew prepared the ship for docking. You’d help with whatever they needed as soon as you were done but everything had to be put away properly first.

“Mm. It’s not so bad, Luffy falls into the water most often. I haven’t once since I ate my fruit,” Robin said, handing her book to a hand that put it on a nearby shelf.

“I think Brook would have the worst time with falling in the water, no? I mean, he doesn’t have to breathe so it’s not like he’d drown. The rest of you would be dead in what - 5 minutes tops? That’s not as bad as Brook, who would drift down to the bottom of the ocean, slowly being crushed by the immense pressure of the water as he descended into pure darkness where not even a single ray of light could penetrate the inky depths. He’d be pulverized slowly over the course of months, maybe years, unable to see or hear or move as he waits for death in a sealed watery tomb. That would be worse, right?” you mused, thinking through the implications of drowning as a living skeleton. Robin nodded solemnly as she listened.

“I’ve never thought about it that way, but you’re quite right! Don’t fall in Brook,” she warned the musician with a light laugh, who was slack jawed with shock along with Chopper and Usopp. He took a step back from the side of the ship towards the middle of the deck.

“What? I’m just saying...and uh, Jinbei, Sanji or Zoro would save you before that happened so…don’t worry?” you hesitated as Brook slammed his jaw shut.

“I think you and I will become friends,” Robin said, putting a disembodied hand on your shoulder. 

“I’d like that,” you said with a smile even as the Thing-like arm unnerved you and patted your back. 

You looked over and Luffy had his arms stretched out the length of the ship, his feet hooked on the back railing as he prepared to fling himself. Looking over at you, he smiled widely. You could see why he’d attracted so many people - he had a strange kind of charisma that drew people in. 

“You’ll be here tonight, right? To tell me the next part of the story about Oz?” he asked, still holding the mast.

“Uh, yeah, I mean, I - where else would I go?” you asked, confused. 

“I dunno, sometimes Nami and Robin stay at hotels on islands but I don’t like to. Alright, you, me n’ Jinbe! It’s a date! Bye! YAHOOOOOOOO -” Luffy yelled, finally releasing his arms and catapulting himself to the island. Based on the sand cloud that appeared on the far away beach, he’d made it there safely. Or at least hadn’t landed in the water. You blushed lightly at the Captain’s choice of words but he didn’t mean anything by it.

“It is my turn to guard the ship and I too prefer sleeping on the ship - it is closest to the water. I shall be here to hear your story,” Jinbe said with a smile from his post by the helm. You didn’t know if Luffy had engineered the situation by chance or by choice but you would enjoy spending the time together regardless.

[tahere-ravenword]

Blown Away Chapter Two

Sweet Dreams Are Made of These

I am a mix of Australian, Canadian and Hungarian. I will use quite a bit of Aussie slang since I grew up here, with smatterings of Canadian slang and words in Hungarian. I will include an explanation and translations at the end of the chapter for less confusion.

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So somehow we both fit in that barrel… It's pitch black and unbelievably uncomfortable, we're wedged tightly in a tangled mess of limbs, Luffy’s elbow is firmly lodged in my ribs and his foot is in my face. How? Idk rubber man logic.

With all the chaos I’ve honestly lost track of time and couldn't tell you how long we’re in there. I have no words to truly describe the experience, but I imagine it's not dissimilar to being in a washing machine on a roller coaster designed by a madman.

Finally the violent movement stops, feeling the barrel gently bobbing in the water, I let out a sigh of relief.  

Luffy's voice pipes up after a few moments. I squint into the darkness, trying to make out his face. “So Tahi, why were you out in the middle of the ocean?” “Honestly, I have no idea, one moment I was in the middle of a storm on my way home and the next thing I know I’m waking up in the middle of the ocean, meeting you.” I attempt to shrug, unsuccessfully. I probably got knocked out by flying debris and my concussed ass is dreaming or hallucinating..Let's go along with it and see how this goes. I've had some pretty detailed and in depth conversations while dreaming.* 

“Wow! That's so weird, do you know how to get back?” He laughs at me.

“Eh, not really, but c’est la vie” I again attempt to shrug unsuccessfully. “How ‘bout you, you said I'm your first crew member? Is that really true?” I mean with the whirlpool we're probably up to  the whole Alvida thing.

“Shishishi yeah, I just set out from Dawn Island today! I made a promise to a friend a while back that I'd set out, gather a crew, find the One Piece and become King of the Pirates!”

I go to reply but am cut off by the barrel being jostled, the sensation of a rising elevator washing over me, then stops, muffled voices and the barrel tips over and starts rolling.The dizziness that had almost subsided comes back, thankfully the rolling stops soon enough and I hear more muffled voices outside. I feel Luffy shift and wriggle. 

“Wha-” I’m falling on my arse as the barrel explodes around me, Luffy jumping out with a yell. I let myself just flob on the ground, attempting to regain my equilibrium.

“Looks like we survived! I got so dizzy I thought I was gonna barf! Shishishi”

“I feel like-urgh-might still..” I groan from the ground my arm over my eyes in an attempt to quell the vertigo.

“Shishishi silly you'll catch a cold sleeping on the floor!” Luffy laughs at me.

“Aye aye mon capitan” I groan, giving a lazy wave and dragging myself to my feet. 

Once I'm standing I take notice of three imposing men and a bespectacled tween? Pink hair and round glasses, I'm guessing that's Coby? standing around us 

“Huh who the hell are you guys?/Nice day we're having ain't it?” Both Luffy and I ask at the same time. 

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU!?!?” they shout back in shock and anger,ignoring my question “And what the fuck were you doing in that barrel!?”

“Seemed like as good a place as any to take a nap” I shrug, these guys are annoying so I'll be annoying right back. Luffy seems to find it amusing so it works.

“Are you messing with us, when you know good and well that we're vicious pirates!” The guy with long greyish hair and tattoos points a cutlass at me. Oooh scary, what are you gonna do, dream pirate dude, stab me? 

“Hey I'm starving, got any food” Luffy asks the teen ignoring the pirates. At the mention of food I'm suddenly ravenous. 

“Oh hell yeah, I could totally eat!” Did I remember to eat today? I can't remember, I was sucked into crafting for most of the day, I'm surprised I even thought of going to the beach, my crafting moods can last days..

“Fuckers! don't you dare ignore us!” He yells, bringing his sword down. Some instinct telling me to move, I twist out of the way, but not soon enough. I feel a cold sting across my cheek and my heart plummets into the pit of my stomach as pain blooms across my face. I slowly reach up and touch my right cheek, hissing as it burns like the worst paper cut and see my fingers bloodied. Ow fuck that hurts! Wait… When did dreams have pain…I stare at the blood on my fingers. Oh... this isn't a dream. I blink. Oh my god this isn't a dream!! My eyes go wide. This isn't a dream and there's a very angry pirate trying to kill me right now! 

“Ohh shit!” I dodge as tattoo guy goes in for another swing at my head. Focus on not dying now, existential crisis after. I can't help but feel grateful for my mum teaching me some basic self defence shit. So I stand straight, make myself look tall and imposing, Look the man in the eyes and pull deep from my core.

“woof.” 

The pirate stops short mid swing, confused. This is embarrassing.. “Woof!”  If this doesn't work it's going to be the most embarrassing way to die…I growl, deep and low, clenching my teeth I just need to freak him out enough to back off. Come on LOUDER! “WOOF!” he takes a step back, looking at me like I've lost it. It's working! “Grrr! WOOF! Grr! WOOF WOOF! Grr! WOOF!” I go all out, putting my all into this feral dog impression. I step forward for each step back he takes. I widen my eyes, bear my teeth, snarling, barking and snapping at him. The fact that this is a legitimate self defence technique… The pirate keeps backing away, he's looking around, Luffy has already knocked out the other two pirates and (maybe)Coby has hidden himself somewhere. With no backup in sight he looks back at me, his face going through several emotions, then settles on resolve and determination. He takes a breath, tightens his grip on his weapon and… turns on his heel, running away. Yelling “Crazy bitch!” over his shoulder as he retreats.  I continue to growl and bark until he's out of sight. 

I stand there, This is the first time I've been in an actual fight. It was so fucking scary!! I'm panting, trying to catch my breath, anxiety coiled tight like a spring, ready to snap…

A hand slaps down on my shoulder making me jump a mile high. Swinging my head around fast enough to give myself whiplash, I see Luffy, doubled over one hand gripping my shoulder, the other clutching his side, laughing so hard tears are rolling down his face.

“W-why were you hahaha b-barking? Ahahahaha! And that guy just ran away! That's s-so stupid! Ahahahaha!” He gasps out.

I take a shaky breath, then register what he said. I cross my arms indignantly, “It-it worked didn't it?” I say tilting my head snootily, that was the least lethal way I know how to defend myself... aside from shitting myself and throwing it at the aggressor… no way in hell am I ever doing that! Never! I shiver, disgusted at the thought. I really need to learn how to defend myself, dream or not. I sigh. Right, this..this isn't a dream..and I really need to learn how to fight, there's gonna be way scarier guys after us and I've already committed to this shitshow.. I uncross my arms, turning to face Luffy “I have pretty much zero fighting experience, so I'll need some help and until I learn to fight I'll need you to watch my ass, kay Cap’n?” I say with a smile. 

“Of course! It's the captain's job to look after his crew after all!” His big black eyes are so earnest as he nods determinedly, throwing his arm over my shoulders.

“Thanks” I nod, patting his head appreciatively.

“So…” A voice behind Luffy squeaks out. We turn around and I get a proper look at the kid. He's pretty short, a whole head shorter than me, he's wearing a white button up shirt with navy blue accents and black pants, his pink hair is combed neatly, although it seems to have grown out of the intended style, he’s staring at us dazed. His whole getup screams Navy fanboy, but he really needs to develop a backbone if he wants to survive in the military..

“What just happened?” (definitely)Coby mumbles. 

“You got me/No fucking clue” Luffy and I answer in tandem.

Coby gasps with a look of dawning terror “Quick! You’ve got to run!” he shouts “If those guys come back here with their buddies, then they'll kill you both on the spot!” A loud rumble echoes through the hallway. My cheeks go red, Luffy laughs

“Yeah, I don't care about that! I'm hungry, and so is Tahi!” Luffy crosses his arms.

“How can you just blow this off like that!? There are hundreds of them up on deck and they're waiting for the opportunity to kill anything!” Luffy just starts walking away, I follow and Coby is dragged along.

“You're going the wrong way! No! Wait!”

It takes us no time at all to find the food storage. 

“It's a gold mine!” Luffy laughs in delight,leaving Coby at the door “Food! Food! Food! Food! Food!” He jumps down into the, uh pit? space? basement? starting to rummage, I grin following him down using the ladder. I hear Coby mutter something to himself as he quietly shuts the door, looking anxious. ”This looks promising!”I hear Luffy crack open a box and peer over his shoulder” Apples! Excellent!” He laughs, stuffing his face.”Heh, Tasty!”

“Yoink!” I grin, snagging an apple, biting into it hungrily. Mmm! He's right, these are pretty good! I pocket two more, finishing the first as I  turn my attention to other boxes. 

“Uh… Hey! My name's Coby. You're Luffy and she's Tahi? Is that right?” Coby introduces himself, timidly, “I’m Tahere, friends and family call me Tahi.” I give a friendly smile “also not a she, at least today. I'm gender fluid. Right now I'm feeling He/Him pronouns.” Luffy looks confused while Coby nods. I turn back to rummaging through boxes.”If you're unsure just ask and I don't mind people making mistakes, it can be hard to keep up with since how I feel changes with the weather.” 

“Got it” Coby nods, then fidgets “That was pretty neat when you guys jumped out of that barrel back there.” 

“I mostly fell on my ass” I shrug, having found a pry bar leaning on the wall, start using it to open some of the boxes around me. 

Mostly finding ingredients and stuff like flour, vegetables that need to be cooked and some lace tablecloths, not exactly useful when we're gonna end up in a small row boat, if the tablecloths were simple cloth I could salvage them for scrap cloth and diy bandages.. I keep looking, Luffy and Coby are chatting by the apple crate as Luffy eats. I hear Luffy telling Coby about us being dragged into the whirlpool making me shudder, remembering the damn thing. I never want to ride on the Vomitron 3000 again, thank you very much. I half listen to the conversation as I continue my search. 

“The big one outside!? No way! No one could've survived that!” Coby terrified exclamation draws my attention from a box of cutlery, where I had found some sharp knives.

“Yeah, I gotta say it was a big surprise!” Luffy laughs. 

“It seriously sucked… Pun unintended” I mumble distractedly sending Luffy into a fit of giggles. This is cool! These have protective sheaths. I grin, tucking a couple small knives into various pockets, making sure one is in the inside pocket of my denim jacket.

“So are you one of the pirates or one of the passengers?” Luffy asks.

“Uhm well.. it's a bit complicated…it was on a fateful day, long ago…” Coby starts telling us his tragic backstory. “I stepped out onto a small fishing boat on the outskirts of town to catch my dinner” I listen as I'm squirreling away anything useful.“Turns out that particular boat was actually headed for a pirate ship!”

So far, aside from the knives, I've found a couple cans of fruit, some granola bars and a packet of crackers. I put the granola bars into my jacket, shoving the rest randomly into the many pockets of my cargo pants. I'm so happy I decided to wear these when I went out to storm watch. Out of all the things to be Isekai-ed in they are both practical and comfy! Only wish I had my paratroopers, I'm fine booting around in thongs** but they're not really practical for running or fighting… 

“In exchange for them letting me live, I'm forced to live the life of a cabin boy.”

I look around seeing if they have a first aid kit but come up empty handed, I make my way back to the boys sitting on the floor next to Luffy.

“You're pretty stupid, you know that?” Luffy says bluntly.

“Gee thanks for your honesty.” Coby’s dejected reply has me reaching over and patting his shoulder sympathetically. 

“Why didn't you leave?” I ask.

“Are you kidding!? I can't do that! No way!Nuh-huh! Not a chance!” Coby exclaims, shaking his head “Just the thought of Alvida finding me scares me so bad, I wanna throw up!”

“You're a moron and a coward!” Luffy laughs, “I hate people like you!” I see Coby tear up.

“Luffy, that's rude!” I admonish. “Although I agree, you can't complain about your situation if you're not brave enough to even try to change it.” 

“You're right.. If I had the courage I could drift along in a barrel and be rid of these pirates..I actually have my own dreams”  He has a small, wistful smile as he continues “Someday…I'd like to live out of all of them.” He straightens up “so.. what about you guys? What was it that first got you to set sail on these seas?”

“Well, I'm going to be the King of the Pirates!” Luffy says casually, Coby’s jaw drops at the proclamation.

“The King!?”

“Yep.” 

“Are you serious!?”

“Yeah.”

“But..but that would mean you're a pirate, too!”

“Right.”

“ Yeah”

“And your crew?”

“Just added my first mate!” Luffy points at me. 

“And you! You're ok with this!?” Coby turns to me, shocked.

“Sure am! I didn't exactly leave home on my own accord, but c’est la vie. And I haven't figured out what my dream is yet, which is ok.” I shrug. “Sometimes you just need to take that first step without knowing the destination.” looking over at Luffy, who grins when our eyes meet. “I guess right now my dream is to find a dream” Coby freezes, mouth open. “I think we broke the kid…” I snort, snapping my fingers in his face, with no reaction.

I turn to ask Luffy something when Coby jumps to his feet shouting. “You're both nuts! What do you mean your dream is to find a dream!? That makes no sense! And you!” He points an accusatory finger at Luffy “King of the Pirates is a title given to one who obtains everything this world has to offer! You're talking about seeking the great treasure of wealth, fame and power. The treasure that you seek is the One Piece!”

“Yeah! Luffy says happily.

“Yeah!? That's it? Pirates from all over the world are looking for that treasure, ya know!?”

“Yeah, so?”

“No way! It's impossible, impossible, impossible!” Coby yells, shaking his head. “There's no way anyone like you could ever reach the pinnacle during this great pirate age! There's just too many out there that are meaner and better!” Luffy gives him a firm bop to the head.”Ow… Why did you hit me?”

“Cause I felt like it”

Coby groans “Oh well.. I'm used to that stuff.. my ship mates smack me around a lot..all the time in fact.” geez this kid’s had it rough…

“It's not about if I can.” Luffy ignores him. “I'm doing this because I want to.” He takes his hat off, smiling as he looks at it in his hand “I decided long ago that I'm gonna be King of the Pirates. If I have to die fighting for that… then I die.” He states matter of factly, “All right… Now that my belly’s full, I'm gonna get me a brand new boat.” he puts his hat back on and starts walking away, with me following. “They might even give us one if I ask nice enough.”

“Luffy, these guys don't seem like the generous giving types.. You'll probably have to kick their asses to get one.” I chuckle. “Hey, what kind of person do you want to add to the crew next?” 

“Hmm.. well I definitely need a cook and maybe a musician to keep us entertained!”

“Yeah, that makes sense. We'll also need a navigator, I'm not bad at land navigation but zero experience on the sea.” 

“Yeah!”

“Can I do something like that?” Coby asks from behind us. I look over my shoulders at him.

“Huh? Like what?” Luffy turns around.

“Do you think.. Do you think I could ever join the marines?” 

“Marines?”

“Yes! Catching bad guys is the only thing I've ever wanted to do!” He shouts passionately. “It's been my dream since I was a child! Do you think I can do it?” 

“How should I know that?”

“Then I'm gonna do it! I'm not gonna get stuck here as a cabin boy for the rest of my life!” He starts stomping forward as he yells. “I'll break out, then I'll turn right around and catch Alvida myself!” As he says that the roof is smashed in kicking up a cloud of dust.

“Who is that you plan on catching Coby?” As the dust settles we see a large woman in a cowboy hat and holding a spiked club  “And you actually think these brats are gonna help you? Well?” She looms over Coby, who is shaking like a leaf “ Answer me!” She booms. I jump as a bunch of blades pierce the door behind me. “My guess is that you're not Zoro, the pirate hunter.”

“Zoro?”

“Coby!” Alvida stands there grinning “ Who is the most beautiful of all the seas?”

“Well… I…Um…Gimme a sec… I know this..” He stammers

“Hey Coby, who's the fat lady?”

“Seriously most beautiful, More like most delusional..” I say, feeling very safe next to my captain. I nearly start cackling at the shocked and horrified looks on everyone else's faces.

Growls in anger, lifting her club “You…Runt!” She screams as she brings it down. Luffy and I dodging out of the way, Luffy, landing across the room, crouched down in front of Coby.

“Let's go,” He grins, grabbing me and Coby he jumps out of the hole Alvida made, right into a crowd of angry pirates…

“Fuuuuuuck! Shit! Kurva! Mutherfucking! Picsa! Cunt! Bosmeg! ” I scream,doing my best to dodge and weave as pirates try to cut me to ribbons. One grabs me from behind.

“You!” He turns us to face Luffy. “Stand down or the lady gets it!”

“I am not a lady!” I stomp on his foot and slam the back of my head into his nose, to finish off I perform the grab twist and pull. The pirate lets out a girlish scream as he collapses holding his nads. “It’s he/him pronouns today.” I nod to myself dusting off my hands only to duck as a blade cuts through the space where my head was previously.  A pirate coming right up in my face, on instinct I shove my hand out and up. Crushing his nose with the palm of my hand, he collapses, twitching, bloody foam coming from his mouth… I think I just killed that guy… I don't have time to dwell on that as I'm dodging more swords. I've completely lost track of luffy, and down another guy with an accidental headbutt.  I get a moment of reprieve as a guy is thrown into the crowd attacking us. I take the distraction to put some distance between me and the pirates, only for Luffy to bring a mob towards me as he runs from them. “God fucking damnit!” I exclaim, following him. From the corner of my eye I see Luffy grab the mast as he keeps running, his arm stretching behind us. I notice his cheeky grin as he meets my eyes running in place for a moment before turning to the pirates behind us. 

“Gotcha!” The pirates start running away. “Gum… Gum…Rocket!” Then he's hurtling back towards the pirates like a torpedo, taking pretty much all of them, except Alvida, out in one hit. 

“Tha-that… was… awesome!” I'm panting, leant over hands on knees, trying to catch my breath. 

“L-Luffy…What are you?” Coby asks, frightened.

“Oh… I'm a rubber man.” He pulls his cheek for emphasis. I make my way over.

“So you're… made of rubber…?” 

“He ate a devil fruit. Though it's not really common here in the east blue, there's tons of people on the grand line that have eaten them.” I notice Alvida standing behind Coby.

“Devil fruit huh.. I heard they existed but never seen proof before today.” She says contemplatively. “You're more skilled than the average deck swabber. And you.” She turns her attention to me. “You took out three of my men with little effort.” What do you mean ‘little effort’!? I nearly died.. a lot! “Are you two bounty hunters?” 

“We're pirates! I just added my first crew mate today so it's official!” Luffy says straightforwardly, looping his arm over my shoulder and pointing at me for emphasis.

“Pirates? Hah all by yourselves, just the two of you, on these waters?”

“These waters? Lady, we're in the east blue. The most peaceful of all the seas.” I roll my eyes. “ Plus I have faith in my captain to steer us where we need to go, a crew of two is still a crew” Huh.. I really do have faith in this dork. And not just because of the show. I look at him, standing tall and unflinching in the face of the hulking monster of a woman. He talks with such confidence that you can't help but believe him and trust in his word.

“Yeah! A crew’s a crew, so what if it's just me and Tahi today? We'll find more crewmates tomorrow, or next week, or something.” He says casually “I need… I dunno, like ten guys..Yeah, ten.” 

“Hah!” Alvida scoffs “Tell me… if we're both pirates, and we're not under the same flag, then that would make us enemies.” She says with a nasty leer. “Am I right?”

“Uh, Luffy, Tahi… Let's go.” Coby whispers to us anxiously.

”But why?”

“You saw how powerful her club is…And of all the villainous cheats in all these waters she's easily the most-” Coby cuts himself short, staring into Luffy's eyes. I smile, seeing him come to an epiphany. 

“Go on…” Alvida prompts smugly. “Tell me.” Resolve and determination light Coby's eyes as he yells.

You're the most… UGLIEST THING ON THE SEA!” Luffy is laughing uproariously, I let out a few snickers. Coby has his eyes squeezed shut tightly, tears pricking the edges, waiting to be struck. I pat his shoulder, causing him to jump, but I just smile, proudly. 

“What’d you say!?” Alvida gets out past(or through?) clenched teeth. Coby steps forward meeting her eyes.

“I'm leaving and I'm gonna join the marines! Then I'm gonna spend the rest of my life beating up dirty pirates like you!” Luffy is still laughing next to me and I'm smiling so hard I might crack a tooth.

“Do you have any clue what you're saying to me right now!?”

“Of course I do! and I'm gonna do what I want and no one's gonna stop me! And when I join the marines, I'm gonna join them! AND I'M GONNA CATCH YOUR LOUSY ASS FIRST!” He screams the last part, two years of pent up fear and frustration boiling over.

“You're dead, kid!” Alvida lifts her club with both hands, intent on crushing Coby. Luffy and I jump into action. 

“That was great, Cobester!” Still grinning, I grab Coby Pulling him back behind me.

“Well said!” Luffy dashes forward between us and Alvida. Her club slams down on his head, springing off him harmlessly. “Heh. That won't work.” he said in a sing-song voice.

“What!?”

“I'm rubber!” Luffy smacks her club to the side as if it was made of paper not steel. He pulls his arm back, letting it stretch back for a fair bit “Gum…Gum…Pistol!” With the sound of a plucked guitar string he lands a punch so powerful it sends Alvida’s huge form flying into the horizon. I put my hands up.

“SCORE!” I shout in my best referee impression.

“Hey you!” Luffy calls out to some of Alvida's men who were still conscious.

“Yes!”

“Go find a boat and give it to Coby. He's leaving your ship to join the marines; you're not gonna stop him.”

“Also load up a couple barrels of food and water while you're at it!” I pipe in. 

“Yeah… sure!” The move into action.

“Thanks, Luffy.” Coby says gratefully. “And you too Tahi.” I hear a couple bangs and a whistling sound, then the whole ship is rocking as cannonballs land around us, knocking me over, falling hard on my ass. Looking over the railing, I spot some marine ships. 

“Looks like the marines arrived…” I say as I get to my feet.

“Ooh! Perfect timing” Luffy says gleefully. “Head over there and tell them you wanna join.”

“Huh?”

“But I'm a pirate so I'm outta here!” He jumps down to the lower deck. “You coming Tahi?” 

“Yeah right behind you” I sit on the railing and jump down. I land hard and need a moment to shake it off as I follow my captain to our new boat.

“No, wait! you can't be serious!” Coby yells panicked “ I approach them like this, they'll just capture me like another pirate!” 

“Kay I gotcha.” Luffy stretches out and grabs Coby, who screams as he shoots towards us. “Ready to set sail!” with the assistance of the lingering pirates to launch the boat, we land in the water with a splash. Luffy and I start rowing at top speed. I never thought two years of dragon boat racing would end up being actually useful. We're able to escape the marines in one piece, I fall backwards exhausted, while I have the experience, that doesn't mean I have the stamina.. I stare up into the sky, watching clouds float by lazily.

“We actually managed to get away!” Coby exclaims elated.

“Ah.” Luffy sighs, sitting next to me with a relaxed grin. “What fun!” 

“Yeah...fun…” I snort sprawled out like a cat. 

“So, Luffy.” Coby interjects.

“Huh?”

“If you're searching for the elusive One Piece, then you have to be headed for the Grand Line right?” 

“Mhm., yeah”

“You know the people I've talked to call that place the Pirate Graveyard.”

“Ehh, it's not as scary as the rumours say it is.” I say lazily.

“Wait, have you been?” Coby asks.

“Not exactly, but I know quite a bit about it from first hand accounts I've read” technically true since it follows the strawhats adventure directly. “The first half, Paradise isn't too bad. There are a few Warlords set up there, Crocodile, Moria, maybe Kuma? He kinda just bounces around depending on who needs him for what.. but it's pretty chill. The New World, the second half, is were things get a bit crazy. The weather is insane and the people there are crazy strong. All of the four emperors have territories there and a few warlords too.” I'm starting to feel kinda sleepy.. The warm rays and gentle sea, lulling me into a near sleep. 

“That sounds so exciting!” Luffy wriggles in anticipation. “I didn't know you knew so much about the grand line! That's so cool!  We'll need an extra strong crew!” 

“What about Tahi?” Coby asks

“I'm working on it. And not every member has to be a powerhouse right off the bat, eh cap’n.”

“Yeah, you're right. But you know, you didn't do too bad against those guys! That whole barking thing was hilarious!” He laughs, then turns to Coby. “you mentioned some pirate hunter. So what's he like?”

“Oh, you mean Zoro? Last I Heard Was That he’s being held prisoner at some Marine base.” 

“Oh, well…A weakling, huh?” 

“No! You're so wrong!” Coby shouts “He's as violent as a demon, and three times as horrifying!” he pauses. “Why are you asking about him anyway?” 

“I figure if he's good enough I'll ask him to join my crew!”

“Chasing him down is just plain reckless!”

“You never know, he might jump at the chance to join me.” 

“He's a bad enough guy that the marines caught him!” He's so worked up the boat starts to rock. “No way! Not a chance!” I sit up watching Coby freak out “Forget it! No, no n-” I take a thong off and throw it catching Coby square in the face just as Luffy bops him on the head.”Ow! Why’d you guys do that!”

“Cause I felt like it.”

“If you keep freaking out like that you're gonna capsize the boat.” I retrieve my thong, sliding  it back on my foot and plopping down next to Luffy, resting my head on his shoulder. “Sleepy…” I yawn as Luffy laughs. 

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

*This is true. I have super vivid dreams that get super detailed. I wrote a few of them down, but got lazy lol. One of the ones that stuck with me was casually discussing the politics around Opium with Lau from kuroshitsuji. I don't even remember the specifics but I do remember enjoying the conversation, that was a fun dream lol. 

** When talking about “Thongs”I am not talking about underwear, I'm talking about flip flops or jandals.  Sometimes we call the underwear a thong or G-string.

With my Hungarian, since most of my family immigrated in the 50s, thanks to the time capsule effect some terms I use are dated, or just wrong.

Hungarian.

Kurva(Koo-r-voh) Whore/prostitute

Picsa(Pee-choh) Cunt

[kqutie]

EPIC: THE FAIR MAIDEN (not so platonic ver.)

CHAPTER ONE : THE SECOND MIRACLE

relations. : platonic various epic characters/reader -- platonic odysseus/reader ; polities/reader ; platonic eurylochus/reader ; platonic odysseus' crew/reader

chpt. sum. : you settle down for a game of animal crossing but faint and wake up in the EPIC: The Musical universe.

tags. : EPIC x ACNH ; reader is a comfort gamer ; female reader ; pure comfort ; reader helps ody get home ; happy ending for everyone! ; isekai and transmigration ; fix it fic ; animal crossing new horizons game mechanics ; characters know their future

length. : 5.5k

a/n : this is very unserious but is meant to be pure comfort. This is also pretty self-indulgent and is the result of my current obsession with EPIC: The Musical. I'm sad it's over but am happy to add to the fandom and make a place for myself in it (❀' ˘ '❀) I hope you darlings have a fun time reading!

navi. | series m.list

Pulling away from your phone, you sigh in content and stretch. EPIC: The Musical had become an obsession of yours and now that it was complete, you were delving into fanmade content; a mix of animatics, fanart and fanfiction. You had just finished reading a fanfic of the characters reacting to their future via the musical before it ever happens. The final chapter ends with all the characters returning to their original places in the universe, eager to avoid the mistakes they have just witnessed leading to their demise and Odysseus' change from man to monster.

Before they could be sent back, Odysseus took a moment to lovingly bid his beloved Penelope and only son, Telemachus goodbye while the gods pledge not to interfere with his journey home as long as he doesn't make the same mistakes. If they should encounter each other again, they will not be courteous and everything will unfold as it had been told to them in the musical.

The ending left you with a feeling of hope. In the universe of that fanfic, Odysseus will know what to do for a brighter future and you have full confidence in him fulfilling that – he is the warrior of the mind, after all.

It was still rather cold outside and leading into the evening, you were eager to bundle up in your giant beanbag chair with a blanket to play your favourite comfort game: Animal Crossing: New Horizons. First things first, however, you float into the kitchen to brew some tea and prepare a small plate of snacks. You have a lot of plans for your gaming session tonight. Your island was going under a huge revamp. For your new aesthetic, you're leaning into a cottage-core theme, something rustic with flourishing wildlife, trees, flowers and beaten paths. You were going to miss your fun, rural town island but you're very excited about the cosy vibes a countryside theme would bring. You're sure the change will only elevate the cosiness of the game.

It was going to be a huge undertaking but you've paid all your loans, gathered all the recipes, furniture and miscellaneous items, played the DLC, unlocked everything there is to unlock, collected all the fish, bugs and art to display in the museum, and you have an island full of villagers you adore. Revamping the island is the most exciting thing you can do now that you've played the game to the fullest. Hence why you were preparing your favourite snacks to have with your best blend of tea. Even though you've technically 'completed' the game, you're still eager to play it over and over again.

When you were finally curled up in your huge beanbag, wrapped in your fluffiest blanket with your tea and snacks on the side table, all you had left to do was put something on in the background; naturally, you chose the 'EPIC' soundtrack. You were obsessed.

Hopping into your island, you begin by erasing all your previous terraforming and rearranging your rivers and lakes. Everything you wanted to include had been planned out beforehand, all your new island decorative pieces were ready in your storage and you had your iPad with your mood board and notes showcasing your detailed plans at your side as well. Everything was going as planned. Your character was also wearing the perfect custom-designed dress for the occasion. It's a long, flowing white sundress with blue accents that you've paired with the cutest white platform heels. It always makes you giggle to see your character wearing the construction hat with such a cute dress — it adds so much charm.

As 'Polyphemus' begins to play, you shudder and press your lips into a thin line. This is the point where everything begins to change for Odysseus and your heart drops every time. However, you're reminded of the recent fanfic you read and hope the author takes the time to write a follow-up where the characters change their fates for the better. You adore them all so much; you want everyone to have their happy endings, especially Odysseus.

Focusing back on your island, you're finally happy with the layout and bring out your wooden shed to begin decorating, pulling things directly from your storage. However, where the storage menu should be showing, there's only a black screen.

"What's happening?" you ask yourself and press the buttons of your Nintendo switch randomly, confused at the suddenly unresponsive screen, "I thought this was fully charged...?" just as you begin to manoeuvre out of your curled-up seating, a sudden lightheadedness washes over you, making your eyes squint in confusion before you're finally pulled into the same darkness as your screen.

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

Odysseus etches the image of his wife and son's faces into the forefront of his mind. They've been his anchor throughout the ten-year war with Troy and now that they've won and are on their way back home, he needs them more than anything —especially now that he knows the potential future ahead. Determined to avoid such anguish, Odysseus, commands his entire fleet to avoid following the birds despite their dwindling food stores. Having also witnessed their potential future, his men readily oblige.

It was comforting to see that his bond with the crew had not suffered in the aftermath of the blessing they were witnesses to. Rather, they were moved by his struggles and his vengeance against Posideon, honouring every member with six hundred strikes. Their captain had made a god bleed for them, they dare not betray such a man. The musical was a moving epic that gave them the exact map to avoid if they wanted to reach home safely.

"I'll make it home soon, I promise," Odysseus promised his loving wife, remembering the love and worry in her beautiful eyes. They were the same eyes he had fallen for, soaked in a familiar affection that only seemed to grow after witnessing their potential future. Nothing had changed. She still loved him and that was a huge comfort.

"I know... I love you," he replies with a searing kiss, desperate and messy after ten years apart. Pulling away, he looks fondly at his son who looks at him with admiration and love thinly veiled by worry. Looking at Telemachus felt like looking into a mirror, all except for the eyes he shared with his mother. His son had the same head of wild hair as his own, the same strong nose and straight brows as his own.

"I don't want you to go yet..." there were unshed tears in his son's quiet plea and Odysseus had to pull his ten-year-old son into a bone-crushing hug.

"I won't be long. I know what to do now. I'll get home soon," Odysseus promises into his son's crown and presses a firm kiss through his brown curls. Pulling away, he stares fondly into Telemachus' eyes, his beautiful son. Had he ever seen a boy so perfect before? Only his wife could create such beauty and perfection, "Take care of your mother while I'm away,"

Telemachus launches himself into his father's arms once again, burying his face into his strong shoulder, "Always, father,"

That final interaction has been replaying in Odysseus' mind ever since he returned to the boat he and his crew had suddenly been swept away from. It felt like so much time had passed but they were returned to the exact location and time they were first taken from. What an experience that had been. A blessing and a curse all at once. To bear witness to such a horrific future was harrowing but Odysseus would take it as a lesson learned. He won't risk the life of his best friends nor his crew ever again. They had survived the war against Troy, all 600 of them; they should be able to return home unharmed.

"Odysseus, my friend," Polites' familiar voice calls to him, bright and merry but with a heavy weight upon it. He understands the reason without needing to ask.

"Polities," they greet each other with a smile, "I know you're worried about our stores but we can survive without them until we find another island," Polities doesn't protest but nods in understanding. There's a pause that stretches on but not in discomfort. The two merely absorb the moment, comforted by the knowledge that they have avoided a massive turning point in their journey.

"We are here for you, my friend. All I wanted was to make that clear," Polites looks at the crew rowing at the paddles, keeping a leisurely pace. "We are loyal to you, our captain, who has led us to victory after ten years," Odysseus smiles and nods demurely at his best friend in silent appreciation, "that future has not happened yet, nor will it ever happen. I know that you will make sure of that."

"If the crew should ever act up, we will be there," Eurylachous steps up to the two of them with a somewhat hesitant air, his posture stiff. Events of the mutiny he led against his brother-in-law and friend had not been able to leave his mind ever since his first viewing. The tall second commander shudders to think of himself ever becoming the shrivelled-up, hungry, desperate and vengeful man who dared go against the captain he had first betrayed by opening the windbag. He was determined to avoid such a fate. What a sorry fool he had turned out to be. It was unbecoming and he had since been congested with guilt.

Odysseus and Eurylochus silently take in the other. Eurylachous with a boulder of guilt in the pit of his stomach as Odysseus wears an unreadable expression. They were supposed to be brothers, friends, comrades. The people they had become in that future were not them now, and it will never be them. Ctimene's face appears in his mind. They share a similar goal; to return home, to the wives they adore and had fought the grueling war for.

The tension is broken by Odysseus who brings his arms up to wrap around their shoulders and pull them close, "Thank you, my friends," All three share a smile and savour the bond they share. It was one they valued all the more now that they knew of their potential fates, and it was a bond they were unwilling to sever. If they could make it out of Troy victorious after ten years of conflict, they could easily protect each other and the friendship they share. "We will make it home. I swear it."

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

It had been several days and yet, there was no island on the horizon, meaning no food to hunt and feed his men. Odysseus' mind was reeling. This cannot be. Surely there would be some kind of island they could set anchor nearby. After taking the proper steps to avoid the worst future they could possibly think of, had Odysseus inadvertently condemned his men to a much more painful and agonising fate? Slowly, his men across all 12 ships had stopped rowing; they no longer had the energy. And the winds were close to nonexistent, providing no aide to his fleet's sails. Should they have docked at the Cyclops' island anyway but made a proper plan to steal the sheep instead? But that was too high of a risk, and everyone agreed that it was not worth it. What tragic luck was this? Was his crew doomed to never return home alive with him as their captain? Was the miracle they were blessed with a waste, now that he had given the wrong command?

A headache begins to hammer at his temples and Odysseus groans, the rumbling in his stomach and the painful ache rippling from it was unquenchable. The image of his hauntingly starved self and crew flashes in his mind. The world seemed determined to make him suffer, though there was no god to blame; he had given the command to avoid the Cyclops' island altogether — this was his fault.

"Captain!" Elpenor's— their youngest crew member —shout brings him out of his spiralling thoughts and directs his, as well as everyone's attention to a wooden structure that had suddenly appeared on their boat.

"What is that?"

"This wasn't in that musical,"

"How did it get on our ship?"

Looking around, it appears as though this was unique to their ship only as none of the other 11 ships were causing the same chaotic murmuring as the one Odysseus was aboard. Of course. It had to be the captain's ship this strange phenomenon occurs on.

"It has a door, should we look inside?" Polites comments, reaching for the handle only to be stopped by Odysseus.

"Let me open it," he turns to everyone else and loudly commands that they step back and prepare for what may come from opening the door. After taking a slow breath in and slowly releasing, Odysseus finally flings the door back and jumps to the side as a body falls in a heap at his feet.

The crowd circle the figure and are shocked to find a woman. She looks foreign with clothes they have never seen before. Where had she come from? Odysseus looks back at the slim wooden structure to find it already closed. Polites was the first to kneel beside her, cradling her head and gently urging the strange woman awake.

"Polites, step away from her!" Odysseus commands as Eurylochus unsheaths his large sword and prepares for a potential threat.

"She looks harmless, Captain,"

"That's no excuse to let your guard down," Odysseus snaps, flashes of another dark future playing in his mind. Had avoiding one grizzly fate led to another, darker one?

Polities gives him a judging look, "Open arms, Captain," his best friend wasn't getting the point. Although Odysseus was appreciative of his friend's boundless optimism, he wasn't going to take any chances.

"Just keep your distance, we don't know how much of a threat she is until she's awake. And if she is a threat, you'll be the first in her way of attack!" Odysseus' words don't even allow a single drop of doubt to taint Polites' determined stare.

"Wait look! She's waking up!" Eurylochus points his sword and gets into a familiar, battle stance, ready to pounce.

"Polities! Get. Back!"

⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖

Groaning, you turn away from the harsh lighting shining down on you and nuzzle into a comforting warmth.

"It's alright, Captain," a distant voice assures, the shouting that follows only pushing you into the comfortable warmth further, unknowing of the effect your innocent action has on the individual currently holding your head in his lap. "She means no harm," you then feel gentle pats over your head as the same kind voice urges you awake, "Hey there... can you wake up for us?"

Propelled to respect the kind and gentle stranger's request, you brave against the harsh sun and will your eyes open. Blinking rapidly, you adjust to the world around you as you're helped to a sitting position. You part your lips to ask what's going on but no sound comes out and your confusion is evident on your face.

"Hi there," a warm face greets you, pushing away the confusion and worry at your sudden muteness. Gazing at the man before you, you can't help but lean in with interest. His face feels familiar and you're drawn to the curiosity of it. He wears square glasses and adorns rich, chestnut curls that fall over a headband. His skin is sunkissed and a little sunken into his angular bone structure, which makes you worry slightly, he doesn't look healthy at all. He looks starved. "Uhh.." Polites smiles shyly as you reach up to cup his cheek with furrowed brows, "My name is Polites, can you tell us who you are, fair maiden?"

You finally register the murmurs surrounding you and mutely gasp when you realise you're surrounded by a circle of men, dressed in clothes typical of ancient Greek times. Everyone had the same sunken, unhealthy appearance as Polites. What was happening?

"My friend asked you a question. Answer him at once!" a cold metal touches the underside of your chin and you're forced to look up the body of a large sword and into the eyes of another recognisable figure. Eurylochus.

This can't be...

Shaking your head in disbelief and denial of the situation, you fall back into Polites' arms, who sternly waves away his dark-skinned friend. "Sheath your sword, friend, she means no harm..." Polites' arms circle you but he doesn't pull you further into him, leaving space for breath between your body and his own. It was more comforting than you anticipated as you press your face into his shoulder, trying to deny the reality you were in right now. "Captain, Odysseus, please,"

A sigh draws your attention away from Polites' shoulder and towards a broad-shouldered man with bronze skin, dark, wavy hair and an imposing air of confidence and charm about him. Distinguishing him from the rest, he wears a purple cloak that's secured with a gold pin on his shoulder; he's the captain. Odysseus. Are you in the EPIC: The Musical Universe? Is this a dream?

"...if she meant to do harm, she would have done so already. Sheath your sword, friend," Odysseus nods towards Eurylochus' sword.

"Yes Captain," the second in command readily complies.

Finally breathing in relief, you turn back to Polites and take his hand into both of yours to shake happily in greeting. The solid feeling on his hand makes this feel less and less like a dream, which makes you all the happier that they don't see you as a threat anymore. Otherwise, you would have become fish food. However, dream or reality, you were going to live this to the fullest as an EPIC fan. Your actions make the crowd release the tension in their shoulders. A handshake is a sign of peace and shows the absence of a weapon in one's hands; Polites was right to believe in your innocence.

"Haha! See, Captain?" Polites smiles at Odysseus, who shakes his head in disbelief but smiles regardless. Trust Polites, to make such quick friends, "May we know your name?" Polites asks after returning his attention to you. Frowning sadly, you shake your head and tap against your throat. You go as far as to part your lips and attempt to speak but nothing comes out. "Can you... can you not talk?"

You shake your head in confirmation and miss the sadness shared between the men surrounding you both. "How should we address you then?" Odysseus asks aloud and you shrug your shoulders. You don't really mind how they refer to you, so long as it wasn't hurtful.

"As long as it's of no offence to you, can we call you by any name?" Polites asks, to which you readily nod and he smiles before thinking deeply, "How about we refer to you as fair maiden? It's simple and you're the only maiden here so, everyone will easily know it's you," without complaints, you nod and hear a murmur of the nickname amongst the group make its rounds; the crew testing the name for themselves. It makes you smile shyly. Although you love the main characters, you always adored the background vocals of the crew and to hear their murmurings was a little flustering.

"How did you get here? Do you know?" Odysseus takes a knee beside you and you try not to look visibly awestruck by the closeness, "You fell out of that thing," the captain points towards a familiar, slim wooden shed. It looks exactly like the shed you failed to access the contents of before you blacked out on Animal Crossing. Curiously, you stand and make your way over to the shed, the crowd parting and staring with interest as you do so.

Opening the door, a familiar storage menu screen finally reveals itself to you. And it's full to the brim with all of your collected items from Animal Crossing. From the curious but unruffled looks in the crowd surrounding you, it doesn't seem as though they can see the storage screen and you immediately close the shed door to shake your head 'no' at Odysseus, who looks disappointed but has no choice but the accept the unsatisfactory news. However, his expression lightens when his eyes drift upwards.

The Captain turns to his men and sends them to their stations at the oars, "Follow those birds, no matter how far they may lead us, it will be towards land. We have another mouth to feed so full speed ahead!" his words make your eyes widen and rush forward with your arms outstretched, waving your hands side to side and shaking your head — a clear expression against his command. In the distance, you can tell that Odysseus' fleet is still composed of its full 12 ships so he will be leading them to Polyphemus' island, where everything will take a turn for the worst and you don't think you're capable of going through such horrors first hand.

Odysseus narrows his eyes at you, "What do you mean 'no'?" he pauses for thought, "...do you know about the Cyclops too?" you're shocked at his words. How could he know about the Cyclops if he has yet to set foot on the island? And if he's already done so, why was Polites still alive?

You nod slowly. You do know about the Cyclops...

"We're long past the Cyclops' island, days past it, in fact," he looks at you with caution, "...how do you know about the Cyclops?" Naturally, being unable to speak, you can't explain your circumstances articulately but that was no longer satisfactory for the captain. Odysseus looks you up and down, taking in the unusual attire clothing you. It doesn't look like any garments he has ever seen before. It's a beautiful garment he would love to see on his wife but its unfamiliar style raises his suspicions, "What are you doing here? Are you another test from the gods? They promised not to interfere with my journey home unless I make the same mistakes as in that musical's future!" your eyes widen at his words and you make the slow realisation that you're not only in the universe of EPIC but specifically in the aftermath of the reaction fanfic you had just finished reading. You remember hoping the author would continue with a series that has the characters taking active steps to avoid their tragic fates.

The hostility being raised against you, from the Captain, no less, didn't bode well, however, so you rush back to your shed. You don't know why you have your animal crossing storage shed but you were going to use it. It may be your only way of expressing your peacefulness without a voice.

Opening the storage once more, you search through the categorised panels and select a basket of bread with your finger. The instant it's selected, the basket of freshly baked bread appears in your arms and you turn to Odysseus with a smile, outstretching the offering as a token of your peaceful intentions.

Odysseus stares at your offering of bread with a dropped jaw, similar to the one Eurylochus was displaying. How could you have been able to store freshly baked bread in such an innocuous structure? It was Polites who jumped forward with a shout of glee, "Fresh bread! My friends, look!" His words draw the attention of the crew from where they're actively rowing the oars. The sight of food makes them stop and slowly approach with grumbling stomachs, eyes wide and mouths watering. The closer they get, the more potent the smell of fresh bread becomes and there's a chorus of grumbling stomachs surrounding you. "Is this for us?" Polites looks at you with a smile that widens when you nod in affirmation.

"Wait! You take the first bite," Eurylochus insists, cautious after witnessing their encounter with Circe. The rest of the crew heed his words and reel back as if subjected to an electric shock. They had almost forgotten the cautionary tale of the musical. Everyone now watches you with judging eyes. Taking no offence, you select a small bun and bite into it with a grin. Everyone around you watches with bated breath but cheers when you swallow and there are no negative side effects. Food! Finally!

"Thank you," Polites nods at you with a grateful smile before distributing the basket to the crew members. Behind him, Odysseus is left speechless but soon meets your eyes with a similarly grateful expression. He and Eurylochous nod in thanks, which you bow in return to. The tension between you had fully evaporated. The crew do their best to evenly ration out the bread but a singular basket won't be enough so you return to your storage shed and bring out more baskets of bread that you have saved up, grateful that cooking recipes was one of your favourite things to do on the game.

"You have more food?" Odysseus voices beside you, suddenly very close and you nod with a bright smile, handing him another basket of fresh, warm bread. It appears as though, no matter how long it's been since you've cooked the recipe, it comes out fresh and warm. You have five baskets of fresh bread circulating amongst the crew now and see if other recipes also come out freshly cooked. With a silent hum, you select the minestrone soup and out comes a deep ceramic bowl with hot, appetising soup filling it to the brim. Like in the game, the portion looks enormous in your hands and looks capable of feeding more than one person. This will go perfectly with the bread and you leave your shed to hand the bowl of soup to a small circle of men sharing a bread basket. They're in awe of your offering and thank you endlessly, eagerly dipping their bread into the soup and savouring the delicious taste of food after days without. With a wide smile, you turn around and reach for Polites, who happily follows you back to your shed to help distribute more bowls of soup.

"How does that thing work?" Eurylochus reaches out to the shed once all the food has been distributed but you quickly block his way and shake your head. Suddenly tense, Eurylochus nods and firmly turns away, his hand safely back at his side, "Understood..." This wasn't a windbag but he wasn't going to make the same, silly mistake as he did in that musical. Never. He's just happy the crew and himself finally have some food to eat, the birds and a distant island without a Cyclops long forgotten.

"Thank you for your help," Odysseus walks up to you with a charming grin that you happily return, a warmth blooming in your chest at being able to help one of your favourite characters get home. Your easygoing, happy nature is very reminiscent of Polites and the Captain finds himself an easy victim to your warm and comforting presence, willing to follow your optimistic nature. Looking back at his smiling, feasting crew, he breathes a sigh of relief and bites into a round loaf he managed to take for himself as the bread baskets made their rounds. "Do you happen to have more food?" he suddenly asks, nervous of your response. "I have 550 more men to feed across eleven other boats," he tilts his head towards the rest of his fleet, closely following his ship. Odysseus was ashamed to ask so much from one person but felt an immense feeling of relief when he turned to see your kind smile and warm gaze. It's as if you were saying 'Of course, I do', eager to offer your help.

"You have more food, fair maiden?" Polites cheers, eagerly volunteering to help escort you onto the other ships for a delivery of food.

You shake your head but hold up a finger, wordlessly asking them to wait patiently. The 50 men of this boat had eaten all of the bread and soup you had stored so you had to make more from the crops and ingredients you had stored. All you needed to do was bring out your small kitchenette. Hopefully, game mechanics still apply when cooking and you'll have enough food to feed the 550 hungry men left of Odysseus' fleet. Returning to your storage, you easily bring out your kitchenette and follow the recipe for making more bread baskets and minestrone soup. It was easy enough, especially after realising that all you needed to access your personal storage without the shed was to think of it and it would readily appear for your eyes only.

While you were hard at work making more bread baskets and soup, you urged Polites, Eurylochus and Odysseus to sit down and eat calmly. They had been watching you the entire time, jaws dropped in awe and eyes gleaming with admiration, their hearts beating with hope and almost brought to tears at being given yet another miracle. They were going to make it home after all!

It took some time to make the first few baskets and soups for about five ships but, by that time the crew had already devoured their share and all eyes were back on you. Feeling shy, you convince them to focus their attention elsewhere by offering dessert via oranges. From living in the modern world, you know all about scurvy so oranges are the perfect fruit to offer; you make a mental note of bringing some oranges with you to the other ships too. The crew were delighted and eagerly devoured the abnormally large oranges you handed them. They were the perfect sweetness and were so juicy, that many who finished their share were left licking the juice from their fingers. They feel thoroughly fed, and, although it was a mere helping of bread, soup and orange, it felt like a feast fit for a king. Odysseus attested to that sentiment.

"Is she a descendant of the Goddess of Harvest? The Goddess Demeter?"

"She must be,"

"No, she was sent to us as a divine intervention. She must have been sent by Hermes."

"But look at the orange she gave us, it's the biggest, most delicious and perfect orange I have ever seen. She must be a descendant of the God of orchards and fruit, Dionysus."

"We are lucky to have her, she must have been sent by the Goddess Tyche of luck."

Many of the crew members begin to speculate your origins, with some raising their voices above the others, their words coming out more clearly. But you were none of those things. You can't even begin to explain how you got here and it isn't as though you could even attempt to voice any kind of explanation. It's quite flattering that they think so highly of you— enough to relate you to the gods and goddesses —but if any good person was capable of offering help then they would do so without regard for what it may cost them. And that was what you were doing. You were only doing what any good person would do. It's just your luck that you happen to have the same skills and itinerary as your ACNH character. The only unfortunate thing is that you were made mute because of it too –at least most seem to understand what you want to say by paying attention to your actions and movements, much like your villagers.

To distract from their high-praising musings, however, you get busy cooking enough food for the 550 other men left to feed, quickly filling up your personal storage after you had emptied it of the decorative pieces you originally wanted to dot around your revamped island. Once finally done, you turn to Odysseus and nod. The captain smiles widely, brushes away the orange juice from his chin and calls for a flag to be raised, signalling for the rest of his fleet to fall in line with his so that you could be escorted safely to deliver food.

"Polites and Eurylochus will escort you. They will also explain your presence to the rest of my men." Odysseus explains as you nod along and gently express that your shed doesn't need to be brought with you. Again, Eurylochus nods and backs away, calling for two men to guard the shed while they make the food delivery. In the distance, you watch the boats easily line up and a wooden plank is provided to bridge the distance between two ships. Just as you are being led away by Polites. Odysseus calls out to you, "Fair maiden," he bows at the waist, the rest of the crew following close after, bowing deeply and sincerely, "Thank you,"

When the crew and Odysseus finally look up, they are greeted by your bright, close-eyed smile and the faint outline of pink and yellow flowers in the air surrounding your face. You're a beauty, a kind embodiment of mercy bestowed upon them in their hour of need and they dare not take you for granted.

navi. | series m.list

next | two : the favourable circumstance

a/n : I hope you darlings enjoyed the read! I'm leaving this small passion project open to continuation as I do have more plans for it (Perimedes and Elpenor will make an appearance in the next chapter, for sure!) but nothing is set for how many chapters that would entail. This series will probably be pretty short but will definitely end happily ٩(^ᗜ^ )و '-

Please feel free to tell me your thoughts and what you may want to see happen. Who knows, I might be inspired to include your own daydreams ヾ(｡✪ω✪｡)ｼ

[mambodork]

Hi!!! So sorry to bother but I miss the isekai au and made some doodles for it! Is there possibly any more crumbs?

Either ways I love your aus!! Hope your day goes well!!

AHHH HAZEL OMGG THANK YOU SO MUCH <33 THESE ARE SO CUTEE 😭😭

Grian just looking longingly at his Scar design. Oh my god this guy is such a cringefail loser. How is he supposed to save the world... we are so doomed 💀

I LOVE HOW YOU DRAW SCAR SO MUCH, what a handsome fellar (^.^) and the big jellie is so cute WAUGHHH i love this smn Hazel you dont understand...

Anyways, some crumbs:

Boatem crew is like an RPG team in here... Mumbo is support, Scar is mage/sub DPS/AoE, Pearl is main DPS/fighter, Impy is tank/fighter/defense.

Rn Grian is completely useless, man cannot fight at all and can only help them by giving them hints via his "intuition" (nobody believes him when he says that all his life saving decisions to just be "intuition" they think that he's an oracle or something. There are many running theories).

[thethingsiwouldvedone]

I love isekai stories with Reader inserts but 👀👀👀

Readers who the main characters only find interesting because they've completely flipped as a person and just give top energy 24-7 so hard they've lk began to become somewhat of an icon in the kingdom.

Villainous character (isekai'd Reader) who instead of plotting, opts to get drunk with their advisor and knights in the slums. Instead of attending the ball that the main character ends up stealing the spot light Reader is on the other side of the city telling people that they'll give a gold piece for each rotation someone can complete while upside down on their head. (They've got the civilians break dancing in the street while the main characters are lk awkward and bored having no villain to push them all together.) They don't have time to make others' lives messy while trying to balance the shit they end up getting themselves into. Cue scene of black out drunk Reader falling asleep in some random cart (it ended up being up a box), and shipped to a foreign country. Cue traveling crew to panic about the fact they've kidnapped an important figure. Cue Reader slowly putting the lid back on the box much too hungover to deal with anything at the moment.

Shy Meak Prince/ess character(honestly a non royal character would go so hard) (isekai'd Reader) who suddenly begins to go missing every now and again and one day disappears altogether. The kingdom thinks they've been captured or worse but in reality they have a hard time falling asleep and opt to fall asleep next to a creek not knowing that venturing into the forest meant attracting the attention of beasts and monsters that lurked. Is Reader scared, fuck no? This is they're fucking moment, bitch grew up on how to train your dragon, this is their fucking moment. Enter Reader returning after a week. Mostly fine, a few nips, and bruises. Hair a mess and dirt caked but what really shocked people were the not one but two mystical beasts following closely behind them. (Or they just reappear. Nobody knows anything about the beasts as Reader tries to hide their newly made friends from the other characters).

Tailor/Seamstress/or? (Isekai'd Reader) who's blunt as hell and with horrible brain rot from their own world and just opts to not speak in the presence of others. Others think of them as just a wise and mysterious character with an excellent set of skills for design and fashion. Enter the mind reading character who's just absolutely shook about the absolute unfiltered filth that is coming from the reader as they get fitted for an upcoming ball.

[boredpotate]

Happier Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Arcane or any other kind of media mentioned or linked.

Concept: Isekai Fem Reader turns back time to fix her timeline, but has unforeseen consequences. (If you want to know the full idea I had then it's in the first chapter)

Note: Didn't mention in the first chapter, but I'm going to assume Vi was 11 and Powder was 6 in the opening scene since I don't think it has been confirmed.

(Edit: Forgot to add something. I'm considering letting Reader have a romance with Timebomb, but IDK. Not fully decided yet.)

Vander Pov

Five years.

Five years since two little girls lost their parents on that bridge and since I became a father of two. Didn't think I would take in two more kids from the streets after them, but then again I never thought I would be a father. The two new additions were boys, all together they became a loyal little crew of four Undercity kids. Speaking of.

"You sure this this one's gonna work Pow Pow? The last one almost gave me a concussion.", Vi asks as Powder works on another one of her latest inventions. Supposed to be some kind of smoke bomb.

Powder puffs her cheeks a little with a pout.

"I said I was sorry and I told you it was a test. I didn't mean for it to have a delay on it. The switch went off later than I planned.", she says grumpily, but a hint of guilt in there.

"Of course not. That's just because you're a jinx.", Mylo says teasingly which makes Vi sock him in the arm. Making Claggor chuckle a little. Deserved, honestly.

"It's fine. I just don't want you blowing yourself up."

I smile as I set down drinks for them, not alcohol of course, before turning to Powder.

"Just make sure you don't run any tests in here. Unless you all want to spend the day cleaning paint off bar.", I say before taking a good look at my troop of trouble makers.

Claggor, big and strong, but not dumb. Smarter and wiser than others actually. A kind soul..... unless you're looking for a fight. Kid can take hits and hit you back harder.

Mylo, not the biggest nor the baddest, but surprisingly cunning if you didn't know him before hand. Always putting up a cocky facade, but he does care. Though he has a problem with making his face enticing to punch.

Powder, youngest of them all has a knack for mechanics and inventing. A tinkerer through and through, like Benzo's boy, Ekko. So much potential in a little bundle of joy. She'll go far in life. As long as she doesn't blow herself up first.

Vi, the oldest, the protector and the leader of the four. Always wanting to put herself in front of all the danger for her family. Take on all the burden, like the stubborn girl she is. Especially for her sister. Most likely to kick a door down before checking if it's unlocked.

Together we were a family. Honestly this would have been enough for me, but to think I'd get my brother back too.

"I'm sure it will go well this time. I took a look at the mechanism, she only needs to make a few adjustments.", Silco says, sitting next to Powder while working on his notes and occasionally glancing at Powder's work.

Silco, my brother in every way but blood. I didn't think I'd ever be able to rekindle our bond from before. He read my letter. Apparently he stayed in hiding for a few years to think about all that happened and himself. I still remember when he came back, around the time I took in Mylo and Claggor, the feeling I had felt when he just came walking in one day like it was any other regular day.

We talked about our mistakes and regrets. We reminisced on the old days when we were young and dumb, and when Felecia was still alive. It took time, still is, but right now? We're in a good place now. Forgave each other and moving forward to help Zuan. He and Powder seem to get along well, which is good. Silco was always the smarts between the two of us; always had his nose in his notes or a book.

I couldn't help but smile when looking at the scene. The bar felt more alive nowadays, the kids I took in talking and bickering but safe, and the man who is like a brother to me is back. All in The Last Drop where it's safe. All we need is Benzo and his boy, Ekko, here and we'll have the whole party together.

Everything i-

Dad?

Damn. That damn voice again. Been bugging me ever since the bridge. Like a memory, but from talks I've never had with someone before.

SoOoo, QUiCk qUestIOn. wHo get's THE bAr wHeN YoU reTiRe? hM?

Who is that? I can barely make it out to be a kid's, but I never heard any kid like that. Yet, it feels like I'm supposed to know. It brings out that same feeling in my chest that I have for my kids.

"Vander?"

I look back up to Silco, who is looking at me with concern in his eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Is everything alright? You froze there for a second."

"Oh, don't worry. I'm fine, nothings wrong. Just.... something bugging my head for awhile."

He looks at me with some worry, but drops it after Powder grabs his attention. Probably something about her tinkering.

I go to clean a few glasses as I ponder on the voice again.

'Who is that?'

Reader Pov

"Get back here you little shit!"

I hear and ignore the shouts as I keep running. I managed to eavesdrop on a deal. Heard them talk about there drop off point for payment. The people came earlier than I expected for the money and I got caught in the act. Now I'm running through the streets with five people on my trail. Not my fault everyone ignores kids when discussing stuff.

I weave through alley ways and crowds in the streets with a mask and hood. After years of growing up in it, it's only natural that it's pretty easy to navigate. Especially as a kid; there's lots of little crevices and old pipe lines to slip into. Though these people are pretty persistent, but I can't really blame them. Seems like whatever job they did paid a lot based on the weight of the bag, though I am a kid so I could be wrong.

I take a quick look back to see that the crowd built me a good bit of distance before quickly ducking into another alley. I take many turns before getting onto another crowded street and build some distance before I start blending into the crowd. I see one of them pop out from the alley, but it's already too late. I'm good as gone now.

I steady my breathing as I begin to backtrack from where I ran from. They'll probably stay in this area and wait for me or some kid with a bag to come out, meanwhile my home is on the nowhere near here.

Home.

'I miss home.'

I thought it would be easier than this honestly. Not the living part, that's easy. Zuan isn't some drug filled city like before where everyone is trying to be on top. This like a playground compared to what it turned into. People still have a sense of community and gangs aren't taking over, or at least not completely.

Zuan went from being a dog town to a pit full of chickens and snakes. No more dogs ready to bark and bite for their own, ready to gather together and fight back when backed too far into a corner by the rich. Just a bunch of snakes chasing to be on top and taking out anyone who get's in their way. A bunch of snakes and fakes being led on by even bigger fakes and snakes; couldn't lead from the front or do their own dirty work.

What's hard is staying away from everyone, but it's worth it. To see them happy and together again. It'll really show it's worth in a few years. When everyone can come together and that bridge doesn't need to divide us anymore. Where markets can be opened and communities can intertwine with one another.

Plus, it's good to see Vander and Silco talking again. Even with everything that's happened last time; Silco grew on me. I never thought he would, but like Powder, he became another father figure to me. He didn't like to show it, but I knew he cared.

It took awhile to find him after I got Vander's letter from the mines, but after a lot of eavesdropping and investigating I tracked him down to some old bunker. Slipped inside when there was an opening and left the letter. Just had to hope that was enough to change his mind, and luckily it was.

Without Silco meeting Singed, Shimmer doesn't exist, and hopefully it stays that way for good. Though I still keep an eye out for it. Either way it's one problem dealt with, now onto the bigger one. Hextech.

That one damn job ruined everything, even when I tried preventing it from happening or going wrong. Things still went to shit. Hextech, always advertised as a sign of progress and innovation for everyone was only made for the wealthy. While Piltover thrived, Zuan was left in the dust and forgotten. It only stirred the pot and upped the heat. It just made people more frustrated, hateful, and more open to an aggressive stand against Piltover.

Watching all of this play out was one thing, but living in it? Watching as your very own home was slowly killing itself with no help from it's so called leaders? It was horrible. So many people I knew were killed, corrupted or became another addict hooked on Shimmer. Meanwhile the council and enforcers just let it happen. They could have at least gained control before it grew too big, it was obvious what was beginning to fester, but they didn't. Too busy enjoying the benefits of Hextech and luxury.

'Fuck Hextech.'

My mind wanders and procrastinates on possible dangers and outcomes as I make my way home. Before I know it I'm already across the Undercity, deep into the lanes where it reaches under the river above. Dark, smog everywhere and mostly filled with lowlife crooks and junkies, but less likely to run into the family. Here I can stay hidden.

I find my way home safely in an abandoned building. Parts of it crumbled away, but I managed to make a home for myself in one of the rooms on the upper floors. It was enough.

"Home, sweet home.", I say as I close the door behind me and lock it. I toss the bag aside to count later before flopping myself down on my makeshift bed. Not comfy, but better than nothing. I turn over and stare at the ceiling as I contemplate the future.

"I need to stop Hextech no matter what. One job. Get in, take the crystals, and get out before the crew get's there. Just gotta wait for Jayce to get here. Then it'll all be okay.", I say as begin to drift off into much needed sleep.

Powder Pov

"Stupid, Mylo. What does he know?", while fiddling with one of the toys Vander got for me. Looking out over the buildings buildings of Zuan and the few stars I can see in the night.

PoWDEr

I wheel my head around looking for the source of the unknown voice.

"Hello?", I call out but receive no response.

Y'kNoW, YOu'Re SmArTer tHaN yOu tHiNk yOu'Re RiGhT?

I hear it again, so I stand up and search my surroundings.

"W-Who's there!?", I say, trying to be as brave as Vi. I don't think I'm doing that good.

PoWder, pLEasE LisTen tO Me cAUse I mEAN it. yOU'rE nOt a jiNx. YOu'Re So mUcH MoRe tHaN yOu ThInK yOu ArE, yOU jUsT DoN't sEe iT yEt.

I hear the weird voice again. I realize it's not from someone but from my head, like when I remember a conversation, but much louder. I suddenly feel a sharp headache.

"W-What's happening?" I ask not knowing what's going on.

JinX oR No JiNx. I wiLl AlWaYs bE hERe PoWder. I pROmiSe. I wOn'T aBaNdOn YoU.

Why did that voice sound familiar? Why was it comforting?

"Who are you?"

"Powder!"

I lift my head and see Vi looking relieved, probably has been looking for me.

"There you are I was looking around for you. C'mon it's time for bed.", she says, but I stay still and wait for my headache to die down before taking a breather. I see Vi walk towards me before kneeling down and putting a hand on my head.

"Hey, is everything okay Pow Pow? What's wrong?", Vi asks with concern in her eyes and voice, but I don't know how to respond.

'I don't even know what that was.'

"....Yeah, I-I think so. Just a little headache.", I say, not wanting to worry her over was I heard. Remembered? I don't know.

"Are you sure?"

I do take a second to consider telling her the truth but.....

I wiLl AlWaYs bE hERe PoWder. I pROmiSe.

"Yup. It's fine. I think I'm tired from working on my stuff all day.", I say, trying my best to sound casual. She looks hesitant for second before nodding.

"Alright. Let's go to bed.", She says as she stands up and puts a hand on my shoulder and we head back inside.

As we walk to our room I can't help but think about that voice.

'Why do I remember it? Vi never said that, not Claggor, not Ekko either and definitely not Mylo. So, who is it?'

As I lay in bed and drift off to sleep I can't help but still feel that pull to that voice.

'Why can't I remember? And, why does that make me sad?'

3rd Person

As Powder goes to bed for the night with a head filled with questions about an unfamiliar, yet nostalgic voice. She doesn't know she is not the only one.

A voice being remembered by multiple people, but not able to be recognized by any. It only brings more questions and a feeling of longing and guilt for this voice. Unknowingly something darker lurks underneath all of it. Waiting.

Note: Might either do a little time skip next and work on a little more development for events and the reader, or just do a big time skip next chapter. IDK, I'll figure it out. I just didn't want there to be and immediate jump in time and at least have some kind of development on how things have changed and what reader is doing, and have been doing.

[portagas-chan]

Yours Forever and Ever : Part 1

Yandere Katakuri x Isekai Reader

Summary: [Y/n] is part of the Strawhat Crew. She followed Luffy and the others to retrieve Sanji. However, she was separated from her friends and was kidnapped by Big Mom's children. Luckily, she wasn't going to be killed but held as a hostage by none other than 'Charlotte Katakuri' who is considered to be the strongest sweet commander in the Big Mom Pirates.

Part 2: https://www.tumblr.com/portagas-chan/748738024063516672/yours-forever-and-ever-part-2?source=share

Nobody knew she was from another world, not even the straw hats. She never told anyone and when she first arrived here, she came up with a lie and they all believed her, even Zoro which was surprising. The straw hats accepted her and welcomed her to their crew. She felt joyful.

Anyways, that's not important. [Y/n] was in trouble. She got separated from Luffy and the others in the Seducing Forest. She would be doing okay if she encountered an opponent who was not a sweet commander. However, she would stand no chance against them if they were a sweet commander. She hoped Lady Luck would be on her side today.

[Y/n] walked and walked, she didn't know where she was going but it didn't matter. It wasn't like she could fly. There was nothing she could do. Suspicious enough, the trees shifted to form a path where she found herself outside the Seducing Forest. All the thinking was giving her a headache and she decided to be meh.

[Y/n] looked around in awe at her surroundings. The whole island was literally made up of sweets. It was even crazier seeing this in person. Suddenly, she felt her leg go numb and fell onto her knees. The last thing she saw was the triplets -Smoothie, Citron, and Cinnamon- staring down with Flampe laughing at her.

She widened her eyes in realization, 'I knew it was too good to be true. This was a trap made by Brulee.'

A harsh splash of water stung her face as she scrunched her nose and slowly opened her eyes. She looked at Flampe who had a now empty bucket of water, glaring at her, "Was that necessary?"

"You were sleeping so soundly. I thought you weren't going to wake up," Flampe retorted to which she rolled her eyes. She was tied up in a chair.

[Y/n] analyzed her surroundings. Sitting in front of her was Big Mom who stared at her with that creepy grin on her face. It was frightening to see her in person.

Then there was Katakuri and his triplets -Oven and Daifuku- looking intimidating as ever. There was Perospero licking his lollipop and Smoothie with her triplets and of course, Flampe. All attention was on her and it was not in a good way.

"[Y/n] from the StrawHats. I will admit, your captain is a brave one but to survive in the New World, bravery is not enough. Mamamama!" Big Mom laughed.

[Y/n] stayed silent. She would be lying if she said she wasn't scared at all. In fact, she was terrified. Terrified of what would happen to her. But she had faith in Luffy. Even if she was kidnapped, she knew Luffy would eventually come and save her. He would never abandon his crew member. That's just how he is.

"So, what do you think we should do with her, my children?" Big Mom asked.

"I say we kill her!" Flampe demanded.

'Bitch,' [Y/n] cursed in her mind.

"Now, now, don't be hasty. Taking her hostage can give us so much advantages in many ways," Perospero suggested.

Big Mom's expression seemed to brighten a little. It seems she likes Perospero's suggestion. "Taking her hostage? I like that! Which one of you would like to take on the job?"

Katakuri stepped up, "Mama, please allow me to deal with her. There's no way she can escape me."

"Katakuri?" Big Mom looked at him, studying his face. When she saw that he was dead serious, she laughed, "You're right! Then it's settled!"

[Y/n] didn't expect Katakuri to voluntarily choose to deal with her. She thought he wouldn't bother with this stuff. Either way, Lady Luck seems to hate her. She knew Katakuri had a soft side behind that mask of his perfect demeanor but it wasn't like she could suddenly bring out his soft side to her. If she ever saw what was under that scarf, he would be blinded by anger and accidentally kill her before he could even hear her out.

Big Mom placed cuffs on her wrists that explode if she disobeyed Katakuri. Crazy, right? She didn't even know you could give certain commands to the cuffs.

One thing she noticed about Katakuri was that he never let her out of his sight. She must always be with him but of course, she was left alone when he had something important to do but he always made sure it ended quickly. But she paid no attention to it, shooking it off as him doing his job and that it was due to the loyalty he had for his mother.

Sitting across him, she could feel the hard stare Katakuri was giving her. He always had that kind of stare whether he was doing it intentionally or unintentionally. Nevertheless, it made her feel nervous as she uncomfortably shifted in her seat.

"Why did you join the Strawhat pirates?" Katakuri started.

She looked up at him, "Are you using your observation haki thing again?"

Katakuri closed his eyes before opening it again, "I asked you a question."

"I will take that as a no," She muttered. "There's no deep meaning behind it, actually. They seemed fun and interesting, that's all."

Katakuri raised his brow, "That's all?" She nodded her head.

"Then will you join our crew under my wing if I promise to make it fun and interesting? I will make sure you stay happy too," Katakuri said.

[Y/n] was puzzled. Why would Katakuri want her to join the Big Mom pirates and be under his wing at that? She tried to think of a good reason but there simply was none. Sure, she could fight but she wasn't all that strong. She wasn't special at all. So, why?

"Why would you want me on your crew? I'm not strong," [Y/n] said.

"You don't have to be strong because I will protect you," Katakuri said and he meant it. He was not joking around. He was being serious.

To [Y/n], this was weird to see Katakuri acting like that. It was out of his character. It has just been a two days since they first met and he's acting like they have known each other for years.

[Y/n] remembered something important. "Why are you asking me that when you already know the answer?" She raised her hands to show the cuffs.

Katakuri smirked behind his scarf and [Y/n] could tell because his eyes changed a bit.

Katakuri stood up from his chair and walked towards [Y/n]. She tensed up when she saw him approached her. He sat on an empty chair beside her and dragged it closer to her.

He suddenly picked her up and placed her on his lap. His hand on her thigh slowly rubbing it while the other hugged her in place.

Don't get her wrong. She loves Katakuri but being this close to him like this and having no choice but to obey him in real life was scary. He was so huge too and it didn't make it any better.

"Katakuri?" She called out nervously.

"Are you scared?" Katakuri touched her hair, twirling a strand of her hair around his finger.

If she were to answer him honestly, it would be a yes and a no. He looks intimidating and scary, but she knows he's actually a cutie inside. He was getting touchy with her and she honestly doesn't know how to feel about it.

In the end, [Y/n] is unable to answer at all.

"It's okay. I won't hurt you," Katakuri reassured her. "And I promise you, no one will lay a finger on you."

[rollinouttahere-writes]

It took the better part of a year, but I've finally figured out where to go with Joyride. A lot of people have been asking for this, so I hope it lives up to your expectations.

Joyride (Part 2)

Part 1

Yandere Ace x GN Isekai Reader

4.8k words

Warning! This contains pretty much every Ace related spoiler btw!

When going into a world you already know everything about, you don’t exactly expect to be surprised by anything. Sure, there will be slight changes and alternate interactions now that you’ve been unceremoniously dropped in, but you had been anticipating for the story to follow all the same beats.

Which is why you were really thrown off when Ace didn’t go his separate way when he was supposed to.

Luffy had succeeded in defeating Crocodile and stopping his plan for dictatorship of Alabasta, but Ace was still here. Granted, having Ace around was hardly the worst thing that could happen, but you didn’t understand what was going on with him.

After your downright bizarre interaction during the little joyride he took you on, you’d honestly had every intention of avoiding him going forward. Then he threw a curveball at you by sincerely apologizing later that night. With everything going on right now he just got a little carried away, that’s all, he won’t harass you about it again. Or so he claimed.

You were skeptical initially, but true to his word, he hasn’t brought up you joining the Whitebeard Pirates since. Between that, and him having an unknown advantage over you by being a favorite character of yours, it was easy to find it within yourself to forgive him. You two have been borderline inseparable since, much to the chagrin of your crewmates. 

While Ace hadn’t openly made further attempts to convince you to join his pops’ crew, he’d found a thinly veiled loophole in the form of telling you all kinds of stories about them. You knew this was in and of itself, a method to win you over, but deemed it not worth calling out. Besides, who were you to refuse the opportunity to get some Whitebeard Pirates lore?

There were many late nights filled with quiet conversations about various shenanigans the crew got up to in their free time, of which there were many. An unsurprising fact because of course having that many sibling jam packed onto a ship would turn it into a vessel of chaos. 

If you had a weaker resolve, these stories might have won you over. But no, you need to go home.

Even though you weren’t convinced on switching crews, or even just staying here, there was a different problem arising from all your quality time together.

The longer you spoke and goofed around with him, the deeper and more intricate the conversations became, the more human he became to you. Or course, he’d technically always been a human being, but your mind had always registered him (as well as everyone else here) as a “character” first and foremost. A figure in a fictional story which you just so happened to be in temporarily. 

Now? After spending so much time with him, aftering seeing him make decisions based off his own experiences and preferences rather than being dictated by some omnipotent author, things have changed. He wasn’t Portgas D. Ace, the fan favorite character from One Piece. He was just Ace, your friend.

With this came something you never saw coming. Guilt. An all consuming, agonizing guilt that picked away at you every single second of the day.

You knew what was to come. You knew what was going to happen to him. What were you doing about it? Absolutely nothing. And for what? For the sake of preserving a story that’s already been altered from your mere presence?

What a disgusting excuse of a friend you were.

The internal conflict you were going through hadn’t gone unnoticed, not when it was taking such a high toll on you. Nami was the first to start grilling you on it. Naturally, she immediately started pointing fingers at Ace as being the cause, which while not wrong, she wasn’t correct in the way she believed herself to be either. It was hardly his fault that you had a heavy conscience. 

Sanji had also picked up on your struggles and was very concerned about the bags under your eyes, even offering to make some tea to assist with sleeping. An offer you turned down perhaps more harshly than truly necessary, but being trapped in a deeper sleep sounded awful with the nightmares you’ve been having.

It had been upsetting enough to watch Ace die through a screen, but in your dreams you were right there. It felt so real.

A suffocating heat burned at your skin and seared your lungs with every panicked breath, which only became more frantic as hot blood splattered over your face. Life was rapidly draining from Ace’s eyes as he collapsed into the waiting arms of his now deeply traumatized brother.

Your feet were rooted to the ground, all you could do was stare in horror as he looked up at you with tearful, pleading eyes. “Why?” The word was more so coughed out than spoken, spraying out more blood that he couldn’t afford to lose. An arm extended towards you, the hand locking onto your own. His nails dug into your skin, drawing out blood of your own to mix with his into a revolting cocktail. “You could have stopped this. How could you do this to me?”

The last word was wheezed out and his body went limp as his dead, lifeless eyes stared through you. A soul wrenching scream tore its way out of Luffy’s throat, only to morph into your own as you were mercifully ripped from your slumber.

The screaming damn near gave Ace a heart attack, you’re sure of it. This nightmare had occurred after you and him had become separated from the rest of the group while traversing the desert, and you had found a compact cave for the two of you to pass the night in.

What made it worse was how he reacted. He was so concerned, even fretting over you as you desperately tried to get your breathing under control. The compassion in his eyes had done nothing to comfort you, it only served to further sicken you. Here he was wanting to save you from something as trivial as a nightmare, yet you couldn’t be bothered to speak up on and prevent his upcoming demise.

The guilt was killing you, and the solution was not only clear, but easy. So why couldn’t you bring yourself to just tell him? To plead and beg for him to give up the chase and not throw his life away. Yet your lips remained sealed. 

All of these elements came to a boil and demanded your attention, so you did what seemed to be the easiest thing to do in your situation. Drink it away.

Now that Luffy had awoken from his brief coma after fighting Crocodile, Alubarna Palace was hosting a lavish party in celebration and thanks for what everyone had done. And what high end party would be complete without absurd amounts of alcohol?

It started with one, purely to help ease your nerves. However, when it didn’t, you poured yourself another. And then a few more. Zoro had initially been thrilled to have you as a drinking buddy, but apparently even he had his limits and had cut you off.

“The hell’s gotten into you? You’re drinking like you’re trying to run from demons,” the bottle of expensive liquor had been moved out of reach when you tried to go for it again.

“You have no idea,” you slurred out, head spinning from your evening of poor decision making.

Zoro shot you a questioning look, but didn’t press it, likely knowing full well that getting a coherent conversation out of you right now would be impossible. He heaved out a sigh and stood up, “I’m going to get you some water, stay right there.”

Thoroughly defeated, you slumped back into your chair. After all that, you still couldn’t get your dilemma out of your head. Your “demons” continued gnawing at your soul, and all that your drinking had done about it was ensure that you would have a miserable hangover in the morning.

Your head lulled to the side, and you caught sight of a familiar orange hat. Speak of the devil. While you were in the throws of self inflicted misery, Ace was happily taking advantage of all the food being offered. Good for him. He deserved a nice night. 

As if acting on its own, your body managed to get up onto its feet. You shambled towards him, doing your best not to fall flat on your face with each uncoordinated step. Whatever invisible force that had been helping you to make the walk to Ace failed you at the last second, and you crashed into him from behind.

“Shit! Wha- Oh, it’s just you,” Ace whirled around, visibly agitated, but his features relaxed when he realized who it was. He appeared to be ready to say more but you cut him off.

“I need to talk to you.” 

Ace quirked a brow, “Yeah? What’s up?” 

From the expectant look he was giving you, it’s clear that he’s waiting for you to spill your guts here and now. You shook your head, “No, it’s… It’s a secret. We have to go somewhere else.” Realization flashed across his face and he nodded. Fortunately for you, he led the way. You honestly did not think you’d be able to scout out a place for this discussion. You were finally going to come clean and tell him everything before you could sober up and come to your senses.  

It was going well. At least it was, until he passed out and took you down with him. You both collided onto the floor with a resounding thud, him on top of you. The hall you’d slipped into was empty, meaning there was no one here to help you. 

You groaned as you attempted to move, the fall had hit you harder than it should have thanks to the copious amounts of alcohol in your system. You were also mentally kicking yourself for not seeing this coming. He was eating when you stumbled into him, of course it was only a matter of time before this happened.

Whatever, there isn’t time to be bemoaning a minor inconvenience. You manage to shimmy out from under him and use the wall to get to your feet. Ace is snoring on the floor, not a care in the world. Hopefully he’ll wake up soon. 

Taking a look around, you see a door just a couple steps away. You inch your way over to it and try the knob. It clicks open, and you peer in. Looks like some sort of guest room, and it’s empty. Perfect.

Pushing the door open fully, you turn back to Ace. He’s still asleep, but you don’t want to wait around for him to wake up on his own and run the risk of being seen. You lean down to grab the closest part of him, his right foot, and pull. You’re not sure if he’s actually heavy, or if you’re just too drunk for this, but you tip over while trying to do this and fall flat on your ass.

“Huh?” Ace’s head snapped up and he looked around owlishly. The second his eyes connected with yours, he remembered what he was doing before his narcoleptic tendencies took the wheel. He laughed, a light blush on his face, as he got to his feet, “Sorry about that, you alright?”

“I’m fine, get in here,” you urged him to hurry, which he did. In the time it took you to stand again, Ace had already slipped into the room, closed the door, and flicked on a lamp so you two wouldn’t be talking in complete darkness. You eye the door for a moment, then grab a chair and drag it over to wedge it under the doorknob. Someone walking in on the conversation you were about to have would be something of a worst case scenario.

Ace watched this curiously, “Is everything okay?”

This probably looked weird, but oh well, it’s about to get a lot weirder. You decide to sit on the bed and motion for Ace to join you, which he does. You take one of his hands in both of yours and stare at him intensely, “I need to tell you something. It’s going to sound insane, but you need to promise me you won’t tell anyone about this.”

He repeated his previous question, asking again if everything was okay, but you cut him off, “Promise me, please!”

Your desperation got through to him, “Okay, I promise! What’s going on?”

Here goes nothing. You take a deep breath and take the leap, “You need to stop going after Blackbeard.”

Ace recoiled immediately, and if you hadn’t been holding onto his hand for dear life, he probably would have backed away from you. “What? I can’t do that, why would y-”

“Let me finish!” You snapped at him, only to immediately regret it. You sighed, “Please. There’s more, please let me finish talking first, and then you can talk.”

While he did not look happy about it, he did relax his shoulders and settled back into the bed. You took this as your cue to continue, “You need to stop going after Blackbeard because you will die if you do.” Ace exhaled sharply and rolled his eyes at this, assuming that this was coming from a place of fear and doubt.

“I know this because,” you took in a shuddering breath, steeling yourself for what was to come. “I know this because in the world that I came from… This world is a story.”

Ace stares at you wide eyed and slack jawed. He laughed, but was very clearly uncomfortable, “I, uh, I think you’ve had a little too much to drink tonight. How about I take you back to your room to sleep it off, okay?” 

He tried to stand, but you yanked him back down, “No! I’m not drunk! Well, I mean, I am, but I know what I’m talking about! I can prove it.”

His expression was nothing short of incredulous, but he indulged you, “Yeah, okay, sure. Go ahead, prove it.”

“You’re hunting down Blackbeard because he murdered Thatch so he could steal his devil fruit,” you started light. Ace had told you about Thatch being the one he was avenging, but he’d never mentioned the devil fruit before, likely not deeming it an important enough detail. His brows knit together and his eyes drifted upwards as he racked his brain to remember if maybe he actually had said something about it.

“Before you were with Whitebeard, you were captain of the Spade Pirates. Your first member was Masked Deuce, who you met while being stranded on an island together. It’s where you found your devil fruit and built Striker,” he hadn’t told you anything in regards to his old crew, and his face reflected that. You definitely had his attention now.

“You and Luffy were raised by mountain bandits because Garp couldn’t raise you two himself. It wasn’t just you guys, though, you had another brother named Sabo, but he was killed when he tried to set sail and got shot down,” at this point, you were saying whatever came to mind with no regard to whether or not it was a good idea to say this right now. You couldn’t bring yourself to keep looking him in the eye, so you settled for staring at his hand in yours. It was completely slack.

“Your parents are Portgas D. Rouge and Gol D. R-”

Before you could finish the sentence, Ace’s free hand clamped over your mouth with such ferocity that you almost fell off the bed. Forcing yourself to make eye contact again, you see that his are blown wide and wild. The color has been drained from his face and he looked physically ill from hearing everything you just threw at him.

An extremely tense moment passed with nothing to be heard beyond his labored breathing. Then, he hesitantly let go of your face and with a shaky voice said, “Okay. I’m sorry. I believe you. What… What’s going to happen if I keep pursuing Blackbeard?”

You attempted to swallow the lump in your throat, but it refused to go away, “When you catch up with him, you’ll fight, but lose. Your powers are no match for his, you don’t stand a chance against him. After your loss, he turns you in to the marines. 

“Because of who your father is, they decide to make an example out of you and sentence you to death.”

“That bastard turns me in and I get executed?” He sounds like the wind has just been knocked out of him. Disbelief and bitterness are the two most prevalent emotions in his tone, but many others brew beneath the surface.

“Not exactly,” it’s true that he gets turned in and killed, but it’s nowhere near that simple and straightforward. “Luffy comes to your rescue at Marineford, and so does Whitebeard and a lot of his crew.”

Before you could go more into detail, Ace speaks up, “They… W-Why would they do that?”

“Why would they- You have to ask?!” Your voice raises and you have to remind yourself of just how much character development he has to go through in that arc to finally realize and accept the fact that he’s genuinely loved. “Because you’re family, their family! They care about you and don’t want to see you die!”

Your outburst shocked him, but not as much as seeing you start to cry did. His hand is abandoned and you lurch forward to bring him into a suffocatingly tight hug, “Y-You are so loved, you know that? They l-love you so much! A lot of people do! I do! We all want to see you live and be happy!” You limply hang off of him as more tears bubble to the surface, greedily taking the chance to escape with every sob as you finally let out everything you’ve been keeping in. Ace makes no move to return your embrace, he just sits there stiff as a board. 

“A-And, at that battle, you’re killed by Admiral Akainu while protecting Luffy. He’s devastated by it, being forced to watch you die hurts him so bad,” you cling onto him tighter upon feeling him flinch from your words. “Whitebeard dies there too.”

“What?! How could anyone kill him? That can’t be right!” You’re wrenched off Ace violently and his stare is almost as unhinged as it was when you said his parents’ names.

“Blackbeard does it,” Ace freezes at this. “That should give you an idea of how strong he is. If he can kill Whitebeard, fighting you is nothing to him. Besides, you of all people would know how hard it is to kill him,” you chuckle but it’s humorless, empty even.

A heavy stretch of silence follows after that. Ace’s eyes don’t leave your face for even a second, desperately searching for anything that would tell him that this is all one big, sick joke. But there’s nothing of the sort. 

Slowly, he releases your shoulders and he shifts away from you to rest his head in his hands. Without his support, you allow yourself to fall back onto the bed. Between all the alcohol and your emotional outburst, you’re exhausted and want nothing more than to sleep. You try to force yourself to stay awake, but it feels like an insurmountable task. 

“Hey, Ace?” There’s no answer, but you continue anyway, “I’m sorry. I know that was a lot. If, um… If you don’t believe me about knowing what’s going to happen, stick around until after we set sail again. Bon Clay- Mr. 2- is going to bring the Going Merry over here so that we don’t have to backtrack. Marines will be all over the place, but he sacrifices himself so that Luffy and his crew can get away. Once they’ve lost the marines, Nico Robin will reveal herself to have been hiding on the ship and joins the crew.”

Ace continues to not react to what’s being said, you’re not even sure he’s listening to you at this point. As much as you want to comfort him, your limbs feel like lead and your head is swimming. The last thing you see is the jolly roger of the Whitebeard’s staring you down as you fade into darkness.

—

Consciousness comes back to you slowly. Painfully so. Before you can even make out your surroundings, you’re assaulted by the worst headache of your life. The stabbing pain behind your eyes is crippling, all you want is to retreat back to the comfort of sleep, but you know that’s not going to happen.

It doesn’t help that your mouth is so dry that you feel like you’re back in the desert. One hand comes up to gingerly massage your eyes. The action brought more discomfort than relief, but it did clear up your sight a little. 

As your senses ebb back into you, you hone in on the pressure all over your body. It takes considerable effort, but you manage to lift your head enough to take a look. Your nose is less than an inch from bumping into someone else’s. Chopper’s to be exact. He was curled up into your side and using your chest as a pillow. Looking past him, Luffy was sprawled across your lap, belly up. Both of them were still asleep.

You prop yourself up on one arm. Chopper shifts, but doesn’t wake. Off to your side is a bedside table with a glass of water on it. Oh, thank God. Using the arm you aren’t propped up with, you grab it and bring the cup to your lips. The water is divine, an absolute blessing for your dry throat.  

As you enjoy your drink, your eyes glance around to observe the rest of the room. It’s the one you all have been staying in since saving Alabasta. Most of your friends are in their respective beds, except for Chopper and Luffy, obviously. Zoro was also not in his bed, instead being slumped over in a chair next to your own.

Your eyes flicker over to the massive windows of the room, and you spot Ace sitting in the windowsill. From the way he’s positioned, he appears to be awake already. Your gaze narrows as you focus on him. Something tickled at the back of your mind, demanding to be remembered. But what?

“Y-You are so loved, you know that? They l-love you so much! A lot of people do! I do! We all want to see you live and be happy!” 

The water going down your throat is suddenly going out of it when you choke. Memories come back and hit you like a train as you realize what exactly it is you did last night.

Naturally, this wakes up Chopper and Luffy, who are both jolted from their once peaceful sleep by you choking on your drink. Chopper immediately starts to panic, “AH! Don’t die, (Y/N)!”

—

It was crucial that you speak to Ace again, but it seemed like the world itself was committed to making sure that didn’t happen. Ace slipped out of the room while everyone was fussing over you, and it honestly felt like he was avoiding you now. Everytime you thought you might be able to catch him alone, either he vanishes, or someone else comes out of nowhere to drag you away.

Today was the day you all set sail from Alabasta, and while that did put you in close proximity with Ace, it also put everyone else within earshot of you two. And considering the delicate nature of what you needed to talk about, that was extremely inconvenient. 

The only good thing was that the events following leaving Alabasta played out exactly how they were supposed to. Hopefully that meant that Ace would believe you and give up hunting down Blackbeard, but you won’t be able to confirm that unless you speak with him. 

You were so stressed that you’d barely been able to focus on Robin being here. She “introduced” herself to you as if she hadn’t had an extremely uncomfortable run in with you in an alleyway back in Rainbase, but all you could manage was a half-assed handshake before excusing yourself.

For probably the fifteenth time today, you checked to make sure that Striker was still tied to the Merry. It was, much to your relief. But where was Ace hiding? You haven’t seen him since Robin showed herself.

The stress of trying and failing to corner him was doing nothing to help with your hangover, your head felt like it was about to explode. Did you still have Advil in the bag you got isekai’d here with? Maybe. Pushing off the railing, you march to where your room is while praying that you’re right about the painkillers.

You open the door without much thought, only to stop dead in your tracks when you catch sight of Ace rummaging through your belongings and stuffing them into his backpack. The door opening did briefly make him stop and peer over his shoulder to see who it was, but the second he saw it was you, he went right back to pillaging. 

“Can I help you? Why are you robbing me?” You stomp over to where he’s crouched down and shove his shoulder. 

“I’m not robbing you, I’m packing for you,” Ace mumbled, sounding lost in thought.

“Why would you be packing for me? Actually, you know what? That’s the least of my concerns right now, we need to talk about last night.”

“We’ll talk about it later, not here.” He still hasn’t properly faced you, and you were getting sick of only making eye contact with his tattoo and not him. 

“Where else would we talk about it?!” You hissed.

Seeming content with his work, he stood up and kicked the dresser drawer shut, “On the Striker. Or maybe the Moby Dick, I guess. I’m going back and you’re coming with me.”

You can’t believe what you’re hearing, “Excuse me?”

“I’m going back to the Moby Dick, and you’re coming with me.” Ace had finally turned to face you. His eyes were sunken and vaguely bloodshot. 

The sight catches you off guard, “Did you sleep at all last night?”

He shook his head, “No, we’re going to have to stop somewhere else to sleep before going the rest of the way back home.”

“Ace, I’m not going with you. Look, I’m happy that you’re calling off your hunt, relieved honestly, but I’m staying here.” You will ideally be figuring out how to go home sometime soon, there’s no sense in hopping around from crew to crew now.

One of his eyes twitched, and he looked exasperated, “You can’t stay here. You aren’t safe here.”

“What are you-”

“Let me finish,” the words were spoken calmly, but very firm. “I don’t think you understand how serious this is. You apparently know everything about this world and what’s going to happen in it, do you have any idea what will happen to you if word gets out about this?”

“You’re the only person I’ve told, so as long as you keep your mouth shut, I’ll be fine.”

“Until you get drunk again and tell someone else, then what?” His words were just as scathing as his gaze.

Your face flushed in shame, “That won’t happen again.”

“You don’t know that!” Ace snapped at you, then sighed and dragged a hand down his face, “This is for your own good. Nothing good will come from anyone else learning about this. If it ever got back to someone like Big Mom, she would send every single one of her children after you so she could have you on her side. And that’s the nicer option. I’m sure the marines would be more than happy to kill you off so that no one else could have you if they can’t.”

Throughout this entire conversation, his face had remained uncomfortably neutral, but now it cracked. Fondness peaked through the exhaustion as his expression softened ever so slightly. He steps forwards and brings you against him in a crushing embrace. His skin is hot to the touch, effectively chasing away any chill that you may have had.

“You said you wanted to see me live, and I want to see you live, too.” The words are hushed, you wouldn’t have been able to hear him if he hadn’t been speaking right next to your ear.

Reluctantly, he pulls himself away. His face is serious again, “We’re leaving tonight, be ready to go.”

“But-”

“If you don’t come willingly, I will make you. The only thing that you resisting will accomplish is making this messier than it needs to be. Even if you don’t like this now, you will thank me for it later.”

Ace spins on his heel and heads for the door. All you can do is stand there gawking at him as he leaves. Just before the door closes behind him, he spares a glance over his shoulder to say, “I’ll see you tonight.”