#it's really in everyone's best interest that Sanji's legs are appreciated more

[bookbender]

Can we talk about how annoying it is when One Piece fic authors and fanartists draw/write Sanji's physique as dainty, as if Sanji's fighting style doesn't rely solely on his legs. That's his whole thing!!!! He has legs for DAYS!!!! This guy is in possession of an entire bakery, someone PLEASE write/draw Sanji with the beefed up legs we KNOW he has pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepl–

Anyways I hate Sanji, he sucks. He's stupid. ThighsSTUPID.

[mvrtaiswriting]

Menace x Black Leg Sanji ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :

hello hello hello! I know I said I would take a break to focus on uni work but ever since I had this dream I felt the need to write it. it kept bothering me and I simply couldnt focus on anything else but THIS. I adore this dork and I am happy I got to write about him. so.. here we go again :D I hope you'll enjoy this, do let me know what you think!

warning: MAJOR spoilers of The Whole Cake Island Arc. other than that, sfw, slightly angst, usual one piece violence I guess?? this was written with a fem reader in mind but apart from a lil description of the outfit, no pronouns are used and everything is pretty gender neutral.

feel free to reblog, like, and leave a comment. i would very much appreciate it. if you enjoy my works, click here to read more or buy me a coffee.

─── story under the cut to avoid spoilersss ↓

"I can't believe he's getting married." you said to yourself with grinned teeth, unable to even look at Sanji. You watched from afar as the whole crew greeted him and offered their congratulation, seemingly accepting the fact that he would leave the crew to join Big Mama's reign. It was a possibility you never considered, to not have him around all the time. Since when was he the type to be a loyal husband, the prince of a reign that never belonged to him - accepting the surname of the family that always rejected him?

To think he accepted the marriage without even consulting any of you, not even Luffy - it made your blood boil. He told you during dinner that he already packed his luggage, that this was the end of his journey - that his family wanted him to get married and he couldn't back away from it. He asked his beloved crew and captain to understand and to not start anything dangerous; he didn't want to be rescued or helped, he was fine accepting his destiny. "It's for the best", he kept repeating and everybody seemed to agree. But not you. How could he ever agree to something so stupid? How could he expect you to be fine with him getting married and disappearing from your life?

When the Germa66 ship finally approached the Sunny, it was time for Sanji to go. He had looked for you everywhere - he really wanted to say goodbye, to hold you in his arms one last time. But it was too much to bear for you; you were furious at him and watching him depart made your heart ache in way you didn't even know existed. And so you hid away from everyone, and from him. Staying in the gym the whole time trying to sweat your nervousness out, you could hear Sanji asking your crew mates to tell you he really wanted to see you once last time, which only made you punch the heavy punchbag in front of you stronger.

When Sanji finally sailed away, Zoro reached you in the gym, stopping the punchbag from swinging around.

"Luffy has a plan to rescue that damn chef. I think you might be interested." he said, a hint of sarcasm accompanying his words despite his genuine intentions. A tiny wave of relief crashed against your body - you knew Luffy wouldn't have let that stupid cook leave without a fight.

Exactly a week after Sanji's departure, you and your crew managed to sneak in Big Mama's territory. Perfectly blending in with the rest of the population, you safely navigated through the cities, which were all decorated for the wedding. Images of Sanji and her future wife flooded the streets; the wedding was the centre of every conversation and despite the visceral nuisance this caused you, at least it was easy for you to gather all the information you needed.

"You look beautiful." Nami smiled at you, fixing your hair. "You'll make his head spin, don't worry." she winked, smiling widely as she admired the way you were dressed.

A short, sparkly black dress wrapped your body gracefully, valuing your best curves and making it impossible to not look at you. One of Sanji's old blazer jackets completed your look, its golden buttons matching your jewellery. If you had to attend his wedding, you had to at least look nice. Your knee-high boots made your steps echo around the reception room, the rhythmic clicking of your heels contributing to the pre-existent noise.

Sitting down at your table, you noticed just how close you were to the altar. A shiver ran down your spine, the feelings you have constantly ignored coming to the surface all at once. Your hands started to shake as you realised you were about to see Sanji again after all that happened - the door you slammed on his face the last time he tried to talk to you, the goodbye you never got to say. A warm sensation came creeping him from your neck, rising to your cheeks and colouring them of a scarlet red. A subtle feeling of anxiety settled in your chest; you were about to see the man you love walk down the isle to marry someone else - without him knowing that you and your crew were moments away from blowing everything up and officially challenging one of the Four Emperors.

You sat and watched the ceremony in silence, tears flooding your eyes but never streaming down your cheeks. You bit your bottom lip as Pudding, Sanji's soon-to-be wife, read her vows; they were beautiful, surely. But how could they be true?

Unable to keep watching, you shifted your gaze away from the happy couple in front of you; finally noticing the mess your captain was about to make. It only took Luffy a couple of seconds to bring hell upon the ceremony, officially challenging Big Mama and everyone who tried to stand in his way, making your presence finally known - not only to the enemy, but to Sanji as well.

Realising what had just happened, Sanji scanned the crowd quickly - and for a moment, his eyes finally found yours after what felt like an eternity. A smirk formed on his face as he started to run towards you, kicking anyone who blocked his way. However, Big Mama had other plans than making the two of you reunite, and before Sanji could reach you, a big hand engulfed him in its grip, disappearing into the crowd and behind the majestic pillars of the ball room.

"SANJII!" you screamed at the top of your lungs, shutting down every other background noice and piercing through every walls, every ear, every heart. The battle stopped for a second as you fell on your knees - an excruciating pain held your heart hostage, making your chest ache with every breath you took.

"GO!" Nami screamed back at you, using her Clima-Tact to indicate the direction Sanji was taken to.

Heartbroken and more furious than ever, you finally got up. This was your battle after all, you didn't travel this far to give up so easily. Walking against the crowd's flow, you made your way to the palace in which Sanji was held hostage - ruthlessly eliminating any enemy you encountered along the way. Blood stains covered your face as you walked along the corridors of Big Mama's place, one confident stride after the other. Opening door after door, killing one guard after the other, frustration kept building inside your veins. You were tired of this, and you were angry; at Sanji, for accepting this stupid proposal, at yourself, for not confessing your feelings before, at every. damn. enemy. that kept coming your way.

Until something happened.

A weird, overwhelming, new sensation made your muscles tense and your senses heighten. Before you could even realise it, a powerful wave of haki destroyed every thing around you, causing window's glass to shatter against the floor and walls to crumble down one after the other, tumbling Big Mama's castle down. And that's when you finally saw him - in the middle of ruins, amongst a dusty cloud of concrete, his burning cigarette shined red. Those who were previously guarding him were now under the remains of the castle, setting Sanji finally free.

"You look beautiful." was all he said, his eyes piercing right through you as he watched you from afar, not moving a single muscle to shorten the distance between the two of you.

"We should go." you replied, shifting your gaze away from him, unable to maintain eye contact. Fighting against every fibre of your body, you stayed exactly where you were. He was safe, and single for all that mattered, and that was enough.

"So, this is it? Not even a little "I missed you?"" he asked, finally walking towards you. Before you could even realise it, now being only a few inches away from you - the strong, yet familiar smell of tobacco and his usual cologne tingling your nose.

"Guess we're even now." you replied stingy, hoping your words hit him exactly where it hurt the most.

"I just wanted to protect you." Sanji replied calmly, taking another hit from his cigarette and gently tucking your hair behind your ear.

"I don't need you to protect me, Sanji!" you said, placing your closed fist against his chest, trying to fight the lump in your throat. "I needed you to stay. I needed you to choose us, to choose me." you finally admitted, slightly punching him by letting your fist weakly hit his chest.

Sanji's entire body completely froze for a moment, processing what you just said. This was the closest thing he ever got to a confirm that, whatever was happening between the two of you, was real - not something he just created in his head. All the times you helped him clean the kitchen until late, the way your drunken self would always end up between his arms, looking for comfort. It all made sense now.

"I would always choose you." he said, resting his forehead against yours, making your heads slightly bump together. Noticing (and recognising) the blazer jacket you were wearing, he smiled before gently fixing the way it fell upon your shoulder.

"Hey." he said again, noticing how you sighed in response. "I mean it." he added, grabbing your chin in between his thumb and index finger, forcing you to look at him.

"Look at the mess we made for you." you laughed, trying to lighten the tension between the two of you.

"Jealousy looks hot on you." he smirked. "and makes you incredibly powerful, too." he appreciated, noticing how you destroyed every obstacle in your way.

"I'm not jealous, shut up." you hissed as you felt warmth spread around your cheeks, blushing like a teenager in love.

"Oh, so I could have gotten married anyway." he shrugged his shoulders, teasing you.

Grabbing him from the collar of his shirt, you pulled him towards you - his tall figure still towering you, noses brushing against each others.

"You better cut all the stupid swooning if you don't want me to earn your bounty. Deal?" you threatened him, a soft smile escaping your lips making you sound a little less terrifying that you wished.

A small laugh escaped Sanji's lips before he wrapped his arms around your waist, making you let go of his shirt.

"Deal, you little menace." he giggled, before finally pressing his lips onto yours.

[kbstories]

Deconstruction

de·con·struc·tion (n.) The act of breaking something down into its separate parts in order to understand its meaning.

To Trafalgar Law, trust has never come easy.

(Or: Luffy does his thing and Law recovers.)

Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Trafalgar Law Needs A Hug, Recovery, Nakamaship, Luffy Being Luffy, Minor Canon Divergence

Set between Dressrosa and Zou but Sanji is there because the author mixed up the canon timeline woops. Content warning for references to suicidal ideation (in the context of Law’s plan).

***

The coffee is good, Trafalgar Law thinks as he follows the wood grain pattern of the Sunny’s dining table with zero interest. His eyes itch like there’s a sandstorm raging between cornea and lid; Law is certain they’re swollen something fierce too, and can’t bring himself to care. Fuck, his head hurts.

Another sip, and Law’s lips twitch into a frown. Scratch that, the coffee is fantastic, and isn’t that another entry on the ridiculously long list of things-to-resent-Luffy-for. Admittedly, this particular dose was administered by Strawhat’s cook. Luffy-by-proxy, then.

Never let it be said that Trafalgar D. Water Law can’t be both a master strategist and a petty asshole.

Cigarette ever-present between his lips, Sanji regards him with something-like-sympathy. The look doesn’t stick around, there and gone while he prepares enough food to be considered a light lunch on the Thousand Sunny, and a veritable feast anywhere else.

Sour mood or not, Law can appreciate the space he’s given. Unlike a certain someone, most Strawhats know to leave him the fuck alone when Law asks for it.

With a porcelain click, a plate is placed next to his half-empty cup of coffee: It carries a colorful assortment of cut fruits and two onigiri, perfectly shaped. The portion is small enough not to challenge the loveless marriage Law has with his appetite, and the glass of water that follows is served sans the usual snide commentary.

So much for that.

Law glowers at Sanji but the cook has already moved on to the dozen other dishes in varying stages of preparation, and to have a staring contest with Sanji’s back would be, well, childish. And unproductive.

The past few weeks – and yes, it’s weeks and not years or decades as his overtaxed nerves will have him believe – have taught Law a great many things. How much he appreciates wonderful concepts like privacy and personal bubbles, for example, and that the Sunny is a parallel universe where those things simply do not exist.

Oh, and also that food is not to be wasted, or else.

Thus, Law doesn't. He eats, and a quiet breath makes it out of his mouth that is only partially the annoyed sigh he intended. Because the food’s fucking delicious, and his stomach decides to stop hating him because it’s his favorite, and the headache that’s been shadowing his every step since he woke up eases just like that. Suddenly, the mother of all emotional hangovers dims and for the first time in hours, Law can think.

Sanji smiles like he knows it, too, the bastard.

Weeks of this bullshit and he’s at his limit, defenses shot, walls badly patched up and crumbling regardless. Law blinks and groans, presses tattooed fingers to closed lids in a desperate bid for the moisture building there to fuck off already.

And he’d thought he’d cried himself into a desert just yesterday. A naïve assumption to make, on a ship populated by sentimental idiots.

“Luffy finally got to you, huh?”

Oh, Law does not want to talk about it. The crux of the problem is that he wasn’t raised among thieves – at least, not entirely – and with the empty plate in front of him and the pleasant tingle of caffeine in his system, politeness dictates some form of reciprocation. Bepo would be oh-so-proud of him, if…

Well. That thought is added to the pile of others he pushes far down to be able to function.

So Law mumbles, “That’s one way to put it”, a fleeting glance over the rim of his cup ensuring that yup, that damnable glint of kindness is back in Sanji's eye and this time it's going nowhere. Law’s shoulders draw up so tight they might as well be made of granite, as rigid and unyielding as he wants to be. Strawhat made quick work of that illusion, too.

“Listen, cook–”

“You really think you’re the only one?” Sanji interrupts him calmly, a statement-turned-question for Law’s sake, and Law shuts up and watches the other smoke for a few, tense seconds.

Tense for him, at least. Sanji looks like he does this every fucking day, leaning against the counter with his back straight and his legs crossed at the ankles and his words piercing past all pretense like he’s the one known to wield swords, not the other way around.

Law just gives him a look. Sanji chuckles and turns his head to blow out the smoke away from him; in return, the doctor spares him the comment about deadly habits that he’s probably heard from Chopper a thousand times anyways.

“Well, you’re not. Luffy pulled that shit with every single other person he’s decided to befriend, so we’re all – pardon the pun – on the same boat here.”

“…Everyone?”

Even Zoro? is the real question here, because Law can imagine pretty much every Strawhat losing it eventually (they’re an overly emotional bunch even on a good day) but somehow his mind blanks at their first mate. And Nico Robin, while he’s at it.

There’s a particular sort of glee in Sanji’s gaze, then. “Everyone. Captain’s a charming little shit, and he hates seeing someone being sad on his ship. With that fucker Mingo gone and”, he gestures casually at Law’s… everything, and Law glares, “it was only a matter of time, really.”

“I see”, Law says but he doesn't, not really. Even after sailing with him, fighting with him, bleeding with him, Luffy remains an enigma and ultimately unpredictable. Law taps a rhythm against the edge of the table, catches himself doing it, stops.

“I don’t know how you stand it.”

What he means is the incessant laughter, the constant interruptions, the Hi Traffy! and What are you doing, Traffy? and Traffy, play with us! and You’re funny, Traffy! – yet all he thinks of are intense brown eyes and a starburst scar and Luffy’s voice, quiet with sudden sincerity:

Don't you know? You deserve to be happy, Law.

Law misses the flippantly dismissive tone he was aiming for by a nautical mile and then some. He winces, looks away with a huff; there’s no way Sanji can miss the rough honesty in Law’s voice, obvious and crimson-red like a target sign, pointing to the parts of his soul left aching and raw.

All Sanji does is shrug as if to say, you get used to it, and he extinguishes his cigarette and picks up the plate and leaves the cup with a pointed look. The cook returns to his craft and just like that, Law is off the hook again.

Oh.

His coffee is cold by now but he finishes it anyway, downing the rest like a shot of liquor. Carefully, Law returns the cup to the counter next to Sanji’s elbow, and his murmur of thanks is accepted with an easy-going smile.

Law’s motivation to step outside and face the day is fractured and hazardously taped together at best. There is no reason to delay it any further: It’s a miracle the galley hasn’t been invaded already, especially with the smell of grilling meat wafting all over deck at this point. Law will take whatever his pitiful sense of luck will grant him.

That is, until he taps his hat in parting, opens the door and promptly stumbles over Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Strawhat Pirates and recently-assigned commander of an extensive fleet, as he loses balance and rolls into the room with a dumbfounded look of surprise on his face. Law stares as it is swiftly replaced by a delighted smile.

“Oh, hey Tra–!”

With a flash of blue and the dull flop of a book on wood, Law disappears.

*

The sun is dipping towards the horizon and painting everything in vibrant reds and gold when Law decides to stop avoiding Luffy.

It’s a bizarre amalgamation of factors that leads up to it: Nico Robin’s look of mild curiosity as he appears in the library without warning; the fact Law has already dug up and read every book that is even tangentially related to any of his interests (and those that aren’t, too); a rare sense of yearning to feel the wind on his face and to watch the sea as she tosses and turns playfully against the Sunny’s hull–

The sea is out there, however, and so is Luffy, and were his self-control to slip any further, Law would shudder with the nervous energy that tingles in his veins at the thought.

The truth is that Luffy is brilliant. Perhaps not book smart like Law or as mechanically gifted as his shipwright or his sniper – people and emotions, that’s what Strawhat Luffy knows better than anyone, and it’s fucking terrifying. By his own design, Law is more lies and deceit and meticulous strategy than he is a person; it’s what carried him from being a child-beyond-death all the way to Dressrosa, the island-that-would-be-his-grave. It’s the one element that didn’t change in a plan he revised and adapted a million times over the years.

And then Law shambled Luffy out of the air and Luffy smiled at him and they set sail again and there, with all escape routes barricated by endless blue, the man dedicated a whole week of his life to go look for what’s left of Trafalgar Law in the aftermath and just... No.

A real shame that the ally he chose turned out to be allergic to plans. And common sense, and doing things in reasonable amounts, and– He sighs, a tired little noise that is lost to the uncaring backs of countless books.

Yeah, this is getting ridiculous.

Thousand Sunny can rarely be described as quiet by any definition. Stepping out on the quarterdeck, Law is met with the idle cries of sea gulls high above and the fluttering of the gaff sail as it turns to catch a lazy breeze. The sight of a napping swordsman, a sun-bathing model, and a skeleton delicately partaking in afternoon tea with a reindeer really shouldn’t register as anything other than bat-shit insane. He finds himself immediately losing parts of the habitual scowl he keeps on his face, and once again he has to wonder what kind of forbidden magic the Strawhats wield to simply do that.

No matter. With steady hands, Law tucks the tips of his hair under his hat – it’s gotten rather long, without Penguin around to cut it – and makes his way across deck, side-stepping Zoro’s comfortable sprawl with an ease born of practice.

The same ease with which he ignores the mumbled comment of “Fucking finally”, as much as it makes his stomach churn. The notion that everyone on the ship knows is not a comforting one.

Your crew is waiting for you! Are you gonna give up on them, too?!

You don’t know shit about my crew, Strawhat!

Then again, a screaming match between two captains in the small hours of the night can hardly be categorized as ‘stealthy’.

Framed by the sun, Luffy is a proud silhouette atop the figurehead of his ship. His legs are crossed, hands hooked under his shins as if to limit the amount of excited twitching to be done; boundless energy slips through the cracks like the glow of a firefly held between two hands. Law huffs a breath, shakes his head. A botched attempt at holding back but an attempt nonetheless. He can respect that, at least.

The unwritten agreement among the Strawhats is that this spot, it’s Luffy’s and Luffy’s alone. The man claims no other luxury on his own ship – which contains a captain’s cabin, Law checked with the cyborg on that, it’s just that it’s used for storage because Luffy-bro doesn’t like sleeping alone, you know? – and there hasn’t yet been a situation which required contesting that.

Thus, Law hesitates just outside the invisible circle drawn around the Sunny’s wooden mane. And, while there’s little doubt the other can track his approach, he knows he owes him for the tactical retreat earlier in the day.

“Luffy.”

Law’s tone is neutral, expression marginally softened by the clear relief in Luffy’s reply of “Traffy!” that comes with a glance over his shoulder. The grin that follows may be the only predictable thing about the guy, and Law can’t find it in himself to begrudge him for that.

“Come up, come up! I wanna show you something.”

For once, he walks instead of using Room. There’s nothing to replace himself with up there except for Luffy’s hat, and (the expected outcome of his big plan aside) Law doesn’t actually have a death wish. Step by step, Sunny’s head reveals a breathtaking view that only a handful of people have seen: From end to end, the line between sky and ocean disappears in the purple-pink swirls of twilight and a world that stretches on to infinity below their feet. Up here, a universe of possibility is within reach for those courageous enough to try.

No wonder Luffy adores it so much.

Law sits next to him with as much grace as he can muster, one knee pulled close to his chest and disregarding the painful twinge from his side where the nerves of his arm have yet to fully reconnect. His gaze remains on the horizon for a while longer, soaking up the sight befitting of a king.

“So that’s why you’re always up here.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah! It’s cool, right?” Luffy snickers, patting the polished wood under them like one would a well-behaved dog. Or lion, in this case. “Sunny’s the best. But that’s not it. Look!”

Law throws him a measured glance to see what he means and gets stuck on the scrap of paper cradled in Luffy’s hand with care, inching straight ahead. “Nami says we’re getting close”, Luffy tells him, voice radiating warmth and giddy anticipation in equal shares. “I can't wait to see them all again!”

Bepo (Bear), it says in Law’s own writing, with a miniscule scribble of the Heart Pirates symbol next to it.

“That’s...”

His train of thought is derailed by the sudden longing wrapping around his heart, there and impossible to push aside. Law misses his crew, misses Bepo’s stupid apologies and Ikkaku’s stern reprimands and the hopeless blush Penguin and Shachi share when a woman merely acknowledges their presence. In hindsight, the months without them seem unbearably lonely, bleak and shadowed without the cozy togetherness of his family and the comforting hum of the Polar Tang all around him.

To Law, giving that Vivre Card to the Strawhats was the last bit of reassurance he needed to make his plan a reality – a wordless promise for them to find his crew and tell them it worked, perhaps some final words, if he got lucky enough to utter them. Now, after, it takes all his resolve not to snatch the precious paper away and never let it out of sight ever again.

He snaps himself out of it in time to stay exactly where he is, opening his mouth without the faintest idea where to begin putting it all into words, but by that point Luffy is already showing him his palm, offering Law everything he holds dear without asking anything in return or even a shred of hesitation.

A captain without a crew is sad and lost. Don’t you know? You deserve to be happy, Law.

In that moment, it doesn’t matter how vulnerable and exposed he felt the night before or that Luffy saw– Law takes the Vivre Card back and holds it up to his eyes, barely blinking as the paper wriggles impatiently between his thumb and index, surrounded by the tender colors of dusk.

“I... When? Tomorrow? The day after?”

“Tomorrow”, Luffy nods and it’s the tone he makes promises with, filled with determination and the courage to dream. He leans back on his hands, says, “Told ya we’ll take you home”, the smile on Luffy’s lips now soft with fondness.

It's an unfamiliar comfort, to watch the sun disappear knowing dawn carries with it a brighter future. For the first time in years, excitement bubbles warmly in Law's chest. Humming, he quietly admits, “Yeah, you did.”

Then Law laughs, rusty and a little awkward, and feels freer than he ever has.

[forcedapotheosis-blog]

Gloomy Days VI

(Or chapter VIII, or .. just as I wrote in the last post, I messed up with this)

Well fellas, here it is, my magnum opus’ next chapter (huehuehuehuehuehue). Actually, there are only two more chapters to come (plus the epilogue) before it’s finished. All of this has taken me a long time, thinking about the musings and of a coherent plot etc., the writing itself was done relatively quickly. And I just wanted to use this preface to thank you for the incredible amounts of support I’ve received. This author is very grateful for every like, every reblog, every kudo, every fav and every follow. Most of all, that shouldn’t be too surprising, I’m grateful for the people who’ve taken their time to leave a comment, that’s .. I don’t know, probably the Holy Grail for every writer (besides fanart, I guess, but contrary to commenting, not everyone can do that or has the time for it).

Where am I going with this? Well, dunno. I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed this ride with you very much and I hope that I’ll be able to give the story a satisfying end.

As a last note, I’d like to dedicate this chapter to user @alaznesweeran / @onepiecefeatstuff for being an infinite source of support. I appreciate it more than I’m able to express with words. Hope you like it.

Disclaimer: One Piece and its characters don’t belong to me. Which still is a shame.

Chapter VI – The Maiden of Honour / Tying Loose Ends

Can you hear the silence, fighting with the wind?

Numbed by the illusion, that nature is a wind

Flying trees can’t handle needs

Waiting for your call

In this kingdom, queens are ruling, all for you all

Witchcraft – Ghost House

She was a dream dressed in the colours of the night. The light tone of her skin went perfectly with the gown of night-blue she had chosen, it was flawlessly tailored aswell, emphasising all the fine, feminine assets she had inherited from her mother. Paired with her unusual height and her black, flowing hair, she sure was a sight to behold, frequently drawing lecherous looks from men old and young (besides the jealous gazes she gathered from a lot of women). All of these attributes together, her incredible looks, her height and the mysterious air of a seductress that was surrounding her, were carefully put together, though. Old habits did die hard and on more than one occasion in the past, she was able to gather informations from their adversaries, acting as a spy in all but name. Even at an occasion like the one she was attending right now, it definitely wasn’t to her disadvantage.

It was true, men were easily manipulated by looks and some of the older fellows might drop a hint or two about their families history, providing her with more vital informations for her line of work. At least sometimes.

Knowing all too well that she was able to turn men’s heads around the world, the recent moments were even more surprising to her, if slightly amusing. As mentioned, she was well aware of the fact that her looks were indeed working at peak performance, which made it all the more strange that the one man she knew who possessed an outstanding ‘beauty radar’ didn’t even take notice of her. Amusing and interesting at the same time.

Maybe it has something to do with the woman he was talking to? Maybe a conversation with her could be worthwhile. If she’s a witch, the worst thing that could happen would be her biting my head off. Oh, exciting!

The woman that had caught the cook’s undivided attention was leaving him alone at the bar, giving herself to the everflowing current of guests that surrounded this oasis for the brokenhearted, as it seemed. It wasn’t much of a problem for the maiden of honour, though, as her eyes and wits were as sharp as ever. She was quick to notice that the woman’s movements left the impression of not being mundane at all, even though she was surrounded by people, none of them even grazed her. The grace and flow that gave life to her movements were not natural, but in a good way. They were inhuman and it seemed to the archaeologist that her feet never really touched the ground, as if she was floating on a low air stream to reach her next destination.

Oh, shouldn’t I be looking for Luffy? There’ll still be time for that. Well, if she doesn’t bite off my head. Wouldn’t that be an interesting way to start a marriage?

She was quick to follow that woman’s trail, her height alone was enough to enable her to stride through the crowd. Maybe not as graceful as the other woman was, but it worked just fine. And if even that wasn’t enough, there would always appear a literal ‘helping hand’ to make space for her.

It took a few minutes to catch up to her and another few until both of them reached the crowd’s edge, a place were a normal conversation might actually be possible. Robin’s eyes met the woman’s back and she was astounded to see that her skin took the word ‘flawless’ and raised it through the roof. She wasn’t able to find even the smallest scar or the slightest disturbance on the woman’s skin, a fact that made her even more unnatural. The only people she could think of that might even be able to come close to it were the Celestial Dragons, but she was sure that this woman didn’t belong to them. The dragons, even though they didn’t have to breath in the ‘polluted’ air normal people were living on, were oftentimes hideously deformed due to countless generations of inbreeding. This strange woman though, at least as far as the archaeologist could say, was perfect in every sense of the word.

The only thing that was up for debate might have been the small tattoo that adorned her left shoulder blade. Tattoos were indeed prevalent in many parts of the world, but they usually didn’t appeal to the upper echelons of society. Instead, they were mostly found on the bodies of gang members or pirates, both professions not really fitting for the woman in front of her. It also was a rather peculiar and dark motive: A diving black bird, quite possibly a raven or a crow. Robin wouldn’t have thought twice about it if there wasn’t something special to it, though. The bird had three legs.

Just one more reason to start a conversation, and this would be the best time to do it, too. Robin raised a hand and softly touched the woman’s shoulder.

“Excuse me, madam?”, the touch made her stop in an instant and while Robin was lowering her hand, the woman turned around, a warm, approachable smile on her lips. The maiden of honour was indeed a little disappointend that she didn’t transform into some abomination from beyond the deepest depths of the ocean. A little disappointed.

That being said, the beauty found within her face easily matched the flawlessness of her body. I will never see eyes as clear and green as these again, not in a thousand years. Maybe the reason that cook-san didn’t notice me is more simple than expected?

“Pardon my impudence, but would you mind if I asked you a question or two?”, she began.

“Oh, I’d be delighted to, my dear.”, her smile widened a little and she brushed a lose strand of hair aside, a simple gesture that appealed to the subconscious mind, making the person who saw it think that they had their undivided attention now.

“I’m very grateful, thank you very much. When I was standing behind you, I couldn’t help but notice the ink on your shoulder and since then, there’s the gnawing question on my mind if it is what I think it is. Travelling the earth, I think I’ve seen this particular bird a few times already, venerated mostly by the inhabitants of rural and reclusive villages and a few hermits along the way. May I ask if that is indeed Yatagarasu, the heavenly messenger?”, the woman’s smile widened, if that was possible.

“My, I’m very impressed by your knowledge, my dear. Very impressed. Your assumption is correct, this little piece of ink depicts one version of the messenger, the most accurate one, in my .. opinion. It’s the version most relevant for the rural people from the North and West Blue, as a lot of their myths tell the tales of the Three-legged Crow.”

“While in the East and South Blue, he’s the Eight-headed Crow. I’ve stumbled upon a few of such tales whie I was working in those parts of the world.”, the archaeologist complemented the facts she stated, much to her delight.

“My, you are a sage and a scholar, my dear! I can’t tell you how wonderful it is to be recognised.”

To be recognised?, Robin raised a brow, waiting for a correction that should never come. Unfortunately for her, this was not the time to think too long about such trivialities and she moved on to the next topic, deciding not to pay attention to this remark.

“The last thing I wanted to talk to you about, though .. a few minutes ago, I saw you talking to one patrticular blonde man at the bar. He’s an old friend of mine, but we didn’t have the chance to have a conversation in years and I fear that this marriage might be a lot to stomach for him ..”, she paused as the other woman raised a hand, returning to this enchanting mixture of smirk and smile that was sure to break men’s hearts by the dozen.

“Ah .. I see, straight to the point, right? I adore this attitude, even though I’m of the opinion that the mind needs rest, at least from time to time. Oh .. alright, I’m guessing that you want to know how he’s holding up? Appropriate, regarding the circumstances, but still on the verge of making or breaking, if you allow me the jest. This man knows that the abyss returns even the boldest of gazes, but his decision to shy away from it is crumbling.”, Robin was left speechless. This woman wasn’t talking to Sanji for more than five minutes, yet she still possessed a unique insight both into his thinking and into the situation at hand. This could not be the work of five minutes of conversation alone.

“I’m .. astounded, to say the least. You seem to be understanding him better than a little chit-chat should allow you to. Could it be that you knew him way before your meeting here?”

“Dear, my dear .. this is not what you want to ask, we both know it. For all of your life, you have been nothing but efficient, there is no need to stray from that way, now.”, the woman was right. All throughout her life, Robin had to be efficient, she had to be sharp to outsmart those who hunted her, to forge bonds that she could use to her advantage. The dangerous knowledge she carried was a burden for her but a blessing for those who seeked the truth.

“I understand. So .. that leaves me to the question if he’s willing to accept that she’s getting married to another man.”, usually, it would have been more fitting for Robin’s nature to give a snide remark about the whole situation and move on with more important things, only that this time, the exact thing that was of the utmost importance was this situation. Even though she usually didn’t show it in the same flashy and over-the-top manner that her former nakama did, she cared deeply for these people. Her true friends and the closest things to a family she had all over the seas.

“At this moment? Yes, he’s willing to accept it. Even though he’s on the brink of crossing the river, all his strength and willpower will fail him when push comes to shove. Thus, yes, he’s going to accept it, her marriage and the fact that it will break him. As you probably have expected, this man is more than ready to sacrifice every single little thing that’s keeping him alive to see her happy. Even if that last thing is hope.”, her smile had faded away and the tone of her high voice had become increasingly sombre while she was speaking, according to the topic she was touching.

“What .. what is going to happen after the wedding?”

The strange woman shrugged before she answered. “I don’t know, to be honest. Nor do I care. Don’t mistake my role for an active one in your stage play, Nico Robin. It is my wish and my purpose to show the actors another way, but I can’t force it upon them. This is what free will is all about. The decision is up to any single person involved, and neither the Heavens nor any God can change a thing about that. The world keeps turning, my dear, but it’s neither stagnant nor unalterable. Personally, I’d like to see a world in that people are free. So free, in fact, that some of the branches of the current World Government would consider it a crime. Your former captain might have been able to bring about this future, but with how things currently are, the situation looks dire. I hate to say it, but this is the point of no return. The true test, Nico Robin: Hold fast! Or expire.”, she was turning away by now, ready to move on to wherever. Still, there was one question left to be asked.

“Does he still love her?”

She stopped in her tracks, turning around once more. This time though, she was smiling again.

“Irrationally so, yes. With all his heart. Dreams might be shattered, bonds might be broken or forgotten, but the love that this graceless knight is carrying within the depths of his heart will never waver. It is what will drive him insane.”, with those words, she vanished out of sight. Like feathers in the wind.

But Robin wouldn’t have been Robin if she was easily shaken. There were other, pressing concerns to be taken care of. The wedding was about to start and the clock was ticking lives away.

Her feet were moving on their own, carried her to the next destination without failure. The archaeologist’s former captain was still waiting were she left him and she used these few moments of reprieve to slip into Nami’s room, knocking twice while she was already opening the door.

“Sanji-kun?!” was what greeted her. (Author’s notes: See chapter II for their entire conversation, it’s been a while, I know)

“Not exactly, dear navigator-san. He’s here, though.”

With all the additional impressions she had gathered from her time here, this conversation was bound to be unpleasant. At the climax of it, the archaeologist finally asked one of the most important question of all.

“Are you happy?”

The appropriate answer for a bride would have been ‘yes’, but only silence was heard, occasionally interrupted by Nami’s sobbing.

Cook-san might have said that a woman’s tears always told the truth., she contemplated when she softly embraced her former navigator. There might have been some truth to it, too. As her tears were falling, her tongue was loosened.

“I should be .. I really should be, this was supposed to be the most wonderful day in my entire life .. look at me now .. it’s not, I don’t even know if it can be .. he’s here, Robin, you said it yourself. Is his purpose to mock my damn heart? Has fate decided that it would like to see me suffer? Why did I ever write his invitation?”, her sobbing became uncontrollably and it took her a few seconds to regain some composure.

“I’ve .. I’ve told myself that the only reason for his invitation was to prove to myself that I was strong again .. but from the moment the letter was sent, I felt weaker and more frail every day. Now that he’s here, I .. I just don’t know what to do! Can you send him away, Robin? Is that possible? Would you do that for me?”, irrational thoughts within a stressful situation were the norm, the mind was clinging to everything that might be able to reinstate normality.

“Shh, my dear navigator-san .. everything’s going to be okay, I promise. But .. if it helps you and if you really want me to send him away, I will do it.”, Robin knew all too well that this was a dangerous gambit, especially considering what some parts of her were hoping for each and every day of her life, all since the great divide. She had taken it with more countenance than most of her male nakama, but she wasn’t the ice queen that she used to be. And quite happy about that, too.

For a second it seemed that Nami would indeed beg her to send him away, and that would be the end of things. The true funeral of dreams, as throughout all of these lines, the central conflict was always the one that the human heart fought with itself.

Adversaties, though, could foster hope. And resilience. Within the darkest hours and against the backdrop of despair, sometimes, all it took was a moment of valour to burn the shadows away.

Though the tears didn’t subside, her voice was steady again when she answered.

“No .. no, Robin. I have to go through with this, I have to see him one last time or my mind will never have peace. It .. it might not be the most wonderful day of my life anymore, Robin, but clarity will do ..”, Robin was quick to recognise how much her friend had to fight with her demons to remain calm and composed, an admirable effort in the face of tragedy, past and present.

“We’re going to work something out, my dear. That much I can promise you.”, while she was talking, the powers of her devil fruit were invoked. Arms that came from nowhere sprouted on any possible surface, all the way from her dresser to where they both were sitting. All for the simple act of carrying tissues to her friend. She was a bride and had to look like one. Robin took the initiative, let go of her and began to dry her tears and clear up her makeup. A sysyphean task, but a much needed one.

“Why did he accept the invitation, anyway?”, the archaelogist had been afraid of this question for a long time, because back then, she wouldn’t have known what to answer. To be perfectly frank, she didn’t exactly know it right now. Up until this point, things went reasonably well, Nami had even regained her composure when she was standing on the very precipice to oblivion. This matter was a completely different one, though.

Well, what did my mysterious acquaintance say? ‘Hold fast! Or expire.’ Does it really matter what I say now? The situation is bound to end in tears, but what’s the lesser evil to go with? Wouldn’t it be my duty to tell her the truth? But what’s to come after that? She might cancel the wedding and they’d still be in the very same situation of days long gone by. Then, should I lie to her? I don’t like the prospect, even if navigator-san is able to live through the wedding just fine, wouldn’t I be damning her to sticking to the second-best? People are complicated and I’m not even a single step closer to knowing what to do.

“Robin .. are you still with me?”, the navigator sounded hesitant, excited and fearful to hear the answer at the same time.

“Yes, my dear .. I’m not going to leave your side until all of this is over.”, this might just buy her a few more seconds of thinking. This is not going to work out, I need a little more time .. just a little more. With a little luck, the others might have an opinion of their own on how we should act. Despite her undeniable intelligence, the archaelogist was a supporter at heart. It had always been like this, others would know where to go, but she would work out how to get there and collect intelligence.

“My dear navigator-san, he’s here for the same reason all of us are. He wishes to see you happy, no matter the cost.”, that was vague at best and distracting at worst, but some decisions could not be made on her own.

Nami affected a laugh and straigthened her back. She sure was grateful for everything Robin had to say, but a clear answer would have been very welcome.

“Would you excuse me for a moment? I’d like to have a word with our former captain, my dear. We’ll be with you again in a few minutes, if that is alright.”, Nami nodded and rose up from her chair, making her way to the dresser. She had to renew her makeup at all costs, a bride wasn’t supposed to look the way she was. “Don’t take too long, please.”

Leaving the room, the first thing to do for her was to look after Luffy. Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t ruining the whole buffet, instead patiently waiting for the beginning of the ceremony. The only odd thing about this situation was the deathly pallor his skin was showing. One more reason the archaeologist had to chuckle, stygian humor always was her go-to.

“Captain-san? I think that our navigator-san is as ready as she can be to .. say the words. Oh .. you look pale, captain-san. Could it be that you’ve seen a ghost?” The rubberman was known for his strange antics, no questions asked, but this time, his serious face was the source of all the weirdness.

“I don’t know, but .. Robin, I don’t think that Nami belongs here.” That actually was astounding. Monkey D. Luffy, as obstinate as he most of the time was, wasn’t one to take matters of the heart, at least of other people, into his own hands. Especially not if these matters promised a bright, or, at least, a good future. Nami’s marriage fulfilled all these qualities, Robin had a few conversations with Cassian and thought that he’d make a fine partner. Maybe not the perfect one, but a good one, nonetheless. If she had any other opinion, she would’ve told her good friend. It was still too early, though. And she had to act fast

Within an instant, hands were sprouting from his cheeks and pressed against his mouth to stop him from talking. The archaeologist closed the distance between the two and her voice was nothing more than a whisper. She was good at thinking fast, waiting for an opportunity. These things might have come with her past as a criminal, even an assassin. Acting too hurriedly was almost certainly bound to bring about a catastrophe. Not regarding the stress, her mind was working as quickly as ever and assumptions were made.

When I first talked to him, he wasn’t exactly delighted about the occasion, but he was still willing to take the role of being  her surrogate father for the ceremony. This has changed now. ‘It is my wish and my purpose to show the actors another way’, those were her words. I’ve seen her talking to cook-san and talked to her myself. Could it be that she had a little conversation with captain-san, too? And the others? That woman also said that she’s not playing an active part, only showing us another way. We were all supposed to be guests, to support her at such an occasion, could it be that ‘the other way’ is us taking a more active role? One that might change the outcome of this stageplay, as she called it? Oh, what a sly little devil the heavenly messenger is ..

“Please, captain-san, I can understand your doubts about her wedding, all of them. But I beg you, have a little patience. Just a few more minutes, until all of us .. until the ‘troupe’ is ready and the stage is set. No matter what happens, just .. just wait a few more minutes. You’ve seen her, too, haven’t you?”, she lowered her voice a little more. The door to Nami’s room was thick enough, but her navigator’s senses had been exceptionally sharp all throughout the time they’ve known each other. Finally, I’m beginning to get a grasp on the whole picture. I think.

To her surprise, the rubberman was shaking his head and mumbled something into the palms of her devilish hands. She loosened the grab enough to understand what he was actually saying.

“To her? No, Robin, I’ve talked to a long-haired fortuneteller! Yes, he really was one! Oh, he also has something to do with the wedding, but I didn’t care about that. He reminded me of something, Robin. Something that we used to live on.

Hope. Hope, as long as we still draw breath, there is hope. And as long as there is hope, we dream. For too long, I had forgotten what it meant to be dreaming. That is no longer the case.”, this man was incredible. Normally, during a conversation he was prone to make absolutely idiotic remarks, living up to his fullest only when facing danger. Could it be that his subconscious mind recognises Nami’s wedding as a danger to dreams that we thought long gone? But moments of clarity were just that, moments.

“Also, I think I’ll call him Halflight. When I was trying to get a grasp of him through my haki, this is what he appeared to be. A sudden glimmer of light within mostly confusing things. I think that he might like that name.”

“I .. eh .. yes. I’m sure he’s going to like it.”, she couldn’t add anything else, being astounded how quickly he was able to switch between insightful and inspiring to .. a child.

“I’m going to tell her that she’s got to bail out of the wedding. Right now.” Did this man ever listen? She stopped him before he was able to move, pressing her hands against his mouth again.

“Captain-san, please, listen to me. I’m of the same mind as you. This wedding is not what’s going to make her happy. But we have to wait just a little longer. I assume that your ‘Halflight’ was not only talking to you, but to all of us. And if I’m right, he .. or, well, she, is trying to show us a different way. Remember how we were invincible when we were together, no matter the odds? We have to act flawlessly, my dear captain-san. And soon. The bride is waiting, but the stage is still missing something. I will take care of that. Just heed my words. No matter what’s going to happen, wait for the right time.”, his nodding was good enough. She hoped that it would suffice. The hands that were pressing his mouth shut vanished into flowers and she took his hand, wanting to lead him inside of Nami’s room.

“Remember, alright? Don’t act until we’re all ready.”, the task was simple, but little did Robin know about the test to his resolve that was about to come up.

When they entered Nami’s room together, the bride was quick to hug the man who had been a brother and a surrogate father foremost, being her captain was of secondary importance. There was the test coming up, though. When they entered and both of them greeted each other, Robin was slightly relieved that he didn’t shout his thoughts out, as she expected he’d do. Up until now, things were working quite fine. Then, the request came up when the navigator walked towards her wardrobe. What’s she .. oh, please, no ..

“Luffy .. I .. I do have another request, one that you might not like. Most of these people here don’t know who I am and what I was. I .. I admit that I have forgotten myself for some time. But just this once, maybe for the last time, I want them to see my true colours. And I can’t think of a better way to do it than through you. All of you, my family.”, with these words, she grabbed the lonely strawhat out of her wardrobe, turned around and presented it to her former captain.

Needless to say, Robin feared for the worst. An emotional outbreak, him crying and telling her all the things they talked about, telling Nami to bail out of the wedding. Again, he surprised her. A truly astonishing man. Monkey D. Luffy, a feared pirate, a child, a relentless eater. But he also was deeper than one might expect, insightful when it was necessary and he was able to stick to a plan when his subconscious mind thought it being the right thing to do.

And within just a moment in time, king and crown were reunited once again, and even though they were just three friends standing in a dressing room, when he put it on his head again after too many years of absence, Robin was able to feel how the weight of the world fell down from his shoulders and shackles, thought unbreakable, vanished.

“I’ll see you outside, navigator-san, captain-san. There’s just something very trivial I have to take care of. Don’t worry about it, your rings are safe with me.”

After leaving the room, the archaeologist approached her objective as quickly as her feet carried her. Together, they were invincible, but how could they be together if one of them wasn’t walking the earth anymore? The solution was all too obvious.

“Storm’s coming, mates. It’s going to hit the harbor in about half an hour, if the folks here can be trusted.”

“So what? You afraid of a little wind and rain, man? Let’s just get hammered inside. If you’re lucky enough, one of the girls here will be drunk and blind enough to take ya home,” another one answered him.

“Oh bugger off, you know that I ain’t afraid of no storms. It’s what’s livin’ within these that I’m wary of!”

“Better shut the hell up about all your deadly fogs and storms and whatnot, man, I ain’t buying your shit about freakish voices in the dark and ghosts sailing ships! No ghost in his right mind would do that, they’d just swoosh around and find the first comely girl taking a shower!”

Robin cleared her throat and won their immediate attention. Too easy.

“Gentlemen, would you be so kind as to grant me a request?”

The men were looking at each other, under different circumstances, they’d have probably thrown themselves into the waves to impress the lady, but they had a job here and the ceremony would begin in just a few minutes.

“Please, it’s just a little change of plans. It actually is a request of the bride herself, she’d be very grateful if you grant her that wish, she said that she’d even take to you to meet some of her bridesmaids if you would find it in your heart to do her this favour.”

The men were still hesitant, looking at each other, as if one of them had the answer. But Robin knew that they’d accept. They didn’t know it, but they would, soon enough.

“Well .. if it’s the bride’s wish, I guess we’re ready to comply, miss. What’s the song she wants us to play? And when?”

“I’m very grateful, gentlemen, as is the bride. I’ll give you the sign, just don’t take your eyes off me, hm?”, she said, winking.

“And the song in question is ...”

[choppercuddles-blog]

Deal

I knew that Zoro would be on watch tonight so I silently crawled out of my bed and sneaked out of my room. The whole ship was silent, excluding Luffy’s and Franky’s snores. I could feel my face going pink as I thought about what to say. Why am I blushing? All I’m doing is thanking him. Dammit brain. Just had to calm down… I opened the door to the deck and felt the breeze wash over me. It was a clear night but it was warm. I didn’t feel cold even in my pale green nightgown. My cheeks reddened again. Why didn’t I change? Why did I have to pick green? I considered going back and covering up but I knew I would just end chickening out. It wasn’t that I was scared of Zoro, far from it. It was just that… Well, he wasn’t exactly approachable. Heart-to-heart chats weren’t really his kind of thing, it seemed. I swallowed as I looked up at the crow’s nest. His shadow was sat leaning against the mast. Do it, ___, or you’ll regret it… In my dress, I couldn’t climb the rigging. Thankfully, being raised in a forest made you pretty good at climbing. I nipped up the mast pretty quick and I was quite impressed with myself. “Hey, Zoro.” I mumbled as I stood on the wooden railing of the crow’s nest. His head turned slowly. He knew I was there as soon as I reached the top of the mast. “___… What are you doing up?” He asked with a soft frown. Frowning seemed to be his favourite expression. “Couldn’t sleep.” It wasn’t a complete lie; me wanting to talk to him kept me awake. “I wanted to talk to you actually…” He turned to me a little more to show me he was listening. Shit. I took a deep breath and sat down on the railing carefully. If the breeze picked up, he’d get a pretty good view up my dress so I kept my hands on my skirts. “Luffy said that it was your idea to do the funeral pyre for Greyjoy. Is that true?” His jaw clenched for a moment and then he nodded. “When did you suggest that?” His gaze moved to the sea. “Remember when you had your crazy turn and tried to throw yourself into the ocean?” Zoro said, almost bemused. I blushed harder. “Uh, vaguely. Someone pulled me back and then Chopper injected me with anaesthetic.” The green-haired swordsman nodded. “That was me. As soon as you were out cold, I said that you needed closure or else you’d never get over it.” A smile tugged at my lips. “I’m a drama queen, I can’t help it sometimes.” I muttered. A smirk appeared on his face for a moment before it disappeared. “If you hadn’t have done that, you’d have bottled it up for months. Better to get it out now than later.” Made sense. “Are you feeling better now?” He was looking back at me again. “I think so? It’s kind of hard to know. It doesn’t always hit you straight away, does it?” I was making an assumption here that someone he knew had died. I didn’t know anything about Zoro’s childhood or what made him into a bounty hunter so young. "Sometimes it can take a few days.” Zoro assured me. “It can depend on how close you were with them. Greyjoy was your nakama for years. He was your family.” I blinked and nodded. I hadn’t expected him to understand it so much. “It’ll get better, I’m sure. As long as no-one else goes dying on me.” I gave him a suspicious look as a joke. “You’re not planning on meeting your maker anytime soon, are you?” He huffed a laugh and my stomach did a flip. Oh no. "Let’s make a deal, hm? I won’t go jumping off any towers as long as you don’t go jumping off the ship again.” Tears gathered a little in my eyes but I blinked them back. He saw them anyway but he didn’t say anything. “Sounds like a deal.” I held out my hand. “Shake on it, or it won’t be real.” He had a roguish grin on his face and clasped my hand with his. It was warm and calloused. “I won’t jump if you won’t jump.” He then looked at me imploringly, sobering up. “That goes for if something happens to me outside of my control. If I’m bested in battle, you still can’t jump.” I frowned. “That’s a little unfair to add something on to the deal while we’re shaking.” “Fine. You can add something too.” I wasn’t going to make this conversation too serious; there was no way I was going to cry in front of Zoro again. “Hmm, okay, if I complain that my legs are tired, you have to carry me.” He squinted his eyes at me in a playful glare. “That’s unfair still, I thought you were going to go for something serious, like ‘you’re not allowed to put yourself in harm’s way to save my ass’. Something like that.” I blinked. “Yeah, okay, that too.” Zoro hit his forehead with his other hand (he was still holding mine, and quite tightly at that, what would the nuns at Kazzak say?). “Dammit, I basically handed that to you…” I laughed at his gloomy expression. “Alright, fine, you get another one. Make it a good one though, you’re making my hand go numb.” I joked. His grip immediately loosened. He was touching me like I’d break now. “Need a good one…” A smirk worked its way onto his lips and I tried to keep myself from staring and from going red. “Oho… Okay, every time Sanji pulls his shit with you, I’m allowed to hit him… No wait… Dammit, I’ve got so many jokes to play on him, there’s too many to choose…” I put my other hand on his hand holding mine and he looked up. Was that a pink tinge on his cheeks? “If that’s the path you’re taking, we’ll make as many deals as we need; I want to piss about with Sanji too.” If I had been feeling tired, it all melted away. “You sure? He’ll probably catch on.” Zoro raised an eyebrow but still grinning. “Meh, he’ll forgive me. You, however…” “Oddly enough, I think I can live with that.” I laughed again, properly with my head thrown back. “You’re happy again. You’re not even faking your smiles now.” I blinked at him. “Yeah, I noticed. Not everyone has but those of us with brains have.” I shrugged sheepishly, going to move my hands away from his in embarrassment. He grabbed them and pulled me down from the railing. I landed quite hard on my knees but I was confused. He turned himself to face me, cross-legged. “You don’t need to pretend around us. That’s a deal I want to make.” The joking and silliness had melted away, this was a serious deal. “You’re not allowed to fake being happy. You have to tell someone why you’re not happy.” “That’s two separate deals.” I complained indignantly. “Our hands are still holding each other’s so it still counts.” I glared. “Sly bastard.” I grumbled. “Fine. But now I want to make one.” He waited. “You’re not allowed to hide your feelings anymore either.” Was that another blush? “What feelings?” He grunted. “When you’re feeling sad. This is the first time I’ve really spoken to you, Zoro, properly without limitations. Call me crazy but it’s nice to be able to talk to someone without having to pretend. You’re the first person on the ship that I’ve been able to speak frankly with.” Uh oh, information overload. “If I sound stupid, tell me, okay, because then I’ll just go back to bed and leave you to continue your watch. But if you like speaking like this, then you have to make the deal.” His jaw was clenching and unclenching the whole time I spoke, and he never took his eyes off me. He was silent for about ten seconds, just gazing at me. I knew I was going red in front of him but it’s not like I can control that, is it? “Fine.” I blinked. I hadn’t actually expected him to say yes! “Really?” He sighed. “Yeah, alright. As long as it’s you I speak to like this.” I had to lighten the mood a little so I teased him. “Aww, have you got a soft spot for me?” I grinned mercilessly at him. Let me tell you, I thought I went red. He went the full business, red cheeks, pink across the nose and even the tips of his ears. “Shut up!” He yelled a little louder than he’d wanted to. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.” He muttered. “I’m just teasing you, silly. You’re cute when you’re embarrassed.” I may have gone red saying that but it was still nothing compared to him. “Is that steam coming out of your ears?” “NO!” I laughed, quite loudly and for a long time. Zoro seemed to snap out of his embarrassment after a little while and just watched me laugh. I sobered for a few seconds. “Why are you staring at me, weirdo?” I was still huffing for breath. “‘Cause you’re cute.” Uh oh, my turn. Now he was laughing. Dammit. I rolled my eyes and started to get to my feet. “You’re a bastard. Even if you’re cute, you’re still a bastard.” He grinned up at me, his hands still not letting go. “Gotta make it interesting, don’t I?” I rolled my eyes again. “Yeah, yeah. I’m going to go to bed now otherwise I’ll be dead tomorrow.” I went to let go of his hands but he clung on for a few more seconds. “One more deal, ___.” I frowned but nodded, kneeling in front of him. “If you can’t sleep and I’m on watch, come up here and we’ll talk.” I smiled. “Of course. I was going to do that anyway, silly.” I could have sworn he squeezed my hands minutely before he released them. “Goodnight, Zoro.” “Goodnight, ___.” I hopped over the railing and was about to slide down the mast when I remembered the thing that I came up for. “Oh, Zoro?” I asked, peeking over the railing. I heard him shuffle and his head appeared, suddenly very close to my face. “Mm?” He hummed. “Just wanted to say thank you for Greyjoy. We both appreciate it.” Incredibly, my brain thought it would be a good idea to kiss his cheek. I pretended not to make a big thing out of it even though I was internally screaming. His face was rather pink but maybe he was going for the same approach I was; dying on the inside. “‘Night!” I smiled and quickly slid down the mast before he could say anything else. I walked away as though nothing was wrong. “Oi, ___!” I heard and I turned around to see Zoro standing and leaning against the mast with his arms crossed. Badass sexy pose. Dammit.   “Yeah?” I called back. “Wear that dress again next time.” I frowned. “Why?” “Green looks good on you.” WAS THAT A WINK!? How did he even manage that with one eye? To tease him back, I curtsied, pulling the skirt up a little more. It wasn’t revealing exactly, but it was thin and down to my knees. He ran his hand through his hair before holding it up to wave goodnight. I returned it and headed inside. I reached my room and collapsed on the bed. It took a lot not to scream and roll around with joy. Calm down, ___. It’s probably just a little crush. Just avoid him. Nah. Don’t want to. It’s not like I can avoid him anyway. I’d go to sleep and just move on… If I could sleep.