#listen. ​it just makes me sad that Ace never got to meet Luffy’s crew in it’s entirety 🥲

[whisperwillyou]

Me: I MAD respect Oda for standing firm in his plan to kill Ace despite pressure from his editor bc of how wildly popular Ace was/is & the potential backlash they could receive. I acknowledge and appreciate the role Ace’s death plays in the story & in Luffy’s character development and I love all the angst that came from it. I wouldn’t want Oda to change it.

Also me: …..Do you think Oda’s editor will convince him not to kill Ace in the live action?

[braindeadmaggot]

Hiya! For the OP ask: #3. Favorite romantic ship with Shanks? And Vivi? Hawkins too? #4. Favorite platonic ship with Usopp? And Robin?

I will be answering both of these from my pov as a writer. As a reader, I will read anything and will give you a 10 star rating no matter the pairing. Always. I found a random ZoroxBuggy knife kink PWP years ago (that is lost forever because I can't remember the name) and it was awesome. I recommend it.

3. Favorite romantic ship with Shanks? And Vivi? Hawkins too? I like to believe that Shanks had a preteen, puppy love romance with Buggy. While Buggy may have always had feelings for Shanks, he never acted on it until they were 13 and had their first pints of ale, got drunk and Shanks noticed how Buggy always looks at him with dreamy eyes. Since then Shanks instigated all their interactions and urged Buggy to open up and explore each other more. When the crew disbanded Shanks grew up and met new people, leaving Buggy behind to pine for him; begrudgingly so. It's one of the reasons why Buggy's so pissed off at Shanks now as adults. Of course Buggy got over it and no longer has feels for Shanks, not in the last decade or so, but getting over him was NOT easy especially when it wasn't even in his agenda to get under him, that was all Shanks' doing.

Shanks is now married to Makino and they have a baby boy together. I haven't seen Film Red yet, as it has not yet been released to the public, but whoever the fuck Uta is, she is not canon and I will be viewing this film as a very expensive fanfiction. Just like HP and the cursed child. She ain't real.

With Vivi, I do enjoy reading her shipped with Ace (there's this one fic I read ages ago that I can't find again, I thought it was Water Sector but alas I was wrong) but in my own writing Ace is with Smoker and only Smoker. Vivi: I don't mind her with Koza, I think she might actually marry him one day in canonverse... maybe. I like the idea of her with Nami, just not sure if i can write that. I mean literally I can, but I don't know if I can write it well. My heart's not in it just yet. I noticed when color coding names, Vivi's partners are all orange. It's fate

Hawkins... This is hard. When HAK (Hawkins/Apoo/Kid) alliance first came up, I immediately shipped him with Apoo. Why? Because rule 34 that's why. Like, I had it aaaall planned out. The meet cute, the debacles, the inconveniences, the second meet cute, all of it. It was like a Hallmark movie where Hawkins was a 30+ year old head strong business person that moved to a small town on a whim in the milk of autumn and met an eccentric local that pissed him off every which way and what, but they had exactly one, count it, ONE thing in common and now they're madly in love. Hawkins and Apoo..... Why did I do this? I don't even remember what it was anymore!! Wano arc came and *spoilers* the bitches were bitches and now I hate them Fuck their love, they can die alone.

That being said, ship Hawkins with his black cat mink crew member Faust because fuck it I don't care anymore. Joey Jordison looking bastard can go to hell (this makes me so sad because I fucking love Joey Jordison so fucking much. RIP #1)

4. Favorite platonic ship with Usopp? And Robin? Usopp is technically in a platonic relationship with everyone accept Kaya. But if we want to get into the could-have-been relationships, first off is Nami. I like to think she fell in love with the nerd some time after Little Garden or Drum but he shot her down and she was hurt for a while but got over it. I can kind of see her in a Shakky/Rayleigh type marriage with Luffy, but that's more like a "I'm your wife so you better listen to me" kinda thing because someone needs to be able to legally control the rubber idiot and also she gets 50% of everything he has so it's also an investment. But this isn't about Nami!!

Second chb is with Sanji. I love seeing SanUso art and they look so great together. In a perfect world I think SanUso could definitely be a strong and healthy thing, but this is One Piece and not a single thing is even remotely healthy about anything.

Third (and fourth) chb is if Usopp had stayed behind on Water 7. Franky joined Luffy and left, leaving Usopp all alone with no one on a completely new island. No friends, no Merry; nothing. He probably would have started working for Iceburg and became Paulie's apprentice. His ship designs would be highly sought for and he more than likely would have invented a lot of stuff of the yagara bulls and he also probably would have a Sogeking statue somewhere like how the dwarves have a Noland bust in Tontatta Kingdom. The entire island would be his friends but the two people that would love him the most, and he would love the most would be Kiwi and Mozu. They're just a couple of years older than him (Kiwi was 20, Mozu 19 when they met SHP), they're Franky's backup dancers/little sisters, they know the ins and outs of the underworld and black market, AND they look like Banchina. HIS MOTHER. He would have followed them around like a lost puppy calling them "Big Sisses Big Sisses". They don't know why he looks that them weird sometimes, why he always makes sure they're comfortable and makes them tea, like, ALWAYS, all the time. TEA. He even has extra blankets out in case they get cold because one, his mom, and two, they wear bikinis everywhere. They might get cold. He'd subconsciously revert back to his 10 year old self talking care of his sickly mom, K&M would more than likely get fed up because A) they're older than him and B) not in their own house you treat them like little kids. It would be very awkward but in the end I think Franky Family would have turned into Usopp Pirates 2.0.

Robin's got a major broship with Zoro.

[amindofstone]

Emptiness filled by sorrow

a/n: The moment I found out about Sabo and the way he grew up. The moment I learned about his amnesia. The moment I saw him take the pipe out of all the other weapons during his training as a kid, got me crying! I felt so bad for him. I was heartbroken! I was sobbing at 1 am and shedding tears. Damn me and my emotional and sensitive ass.

Words: 2332

Genre: anime imagine?

Warnings: This is going to be a bit sad. Just a bit, I guess. [Maybe grammar or spelling mistakes. (I genuinely apologize. English is not my mother tongue and I´m really trying to improve. So please be so kind and have mercy)]

Spoiler(s): Mention of the battle in Marineford, mention of Ace´s death, mention of his childhood with Ace and Luffy, mention of his amnesia. Other than that please don´t spoil me or any reader if there are any facts about him above that because I´m… well… I forgot what the title of the chapter was but Sanji is (I´m crying!!!!) getting married (?!). That´s where I am….

Character(s): Sabo/Chief of staff/ Sabo the revolutionary

Info: For better reading keep in mind that the words in italic are Sabo´s train of thoughts.

!!! Please do not steal my idea or work. Credit me if this is shared or published in any other platform or any other way. This took me a lot of time. So please respect me as the writer and my work. Picture is not mine. Credits to the rightful owner. If anyone knows who drew this please tell me ASAP so I can give them the credits (found on the internet). !!!

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“Thank you for helping me Koala. You were a huge help.”. the blond man smiled at his friend. “No need to thank me. I´m glad I could help. And besides I owned you anyways thinking about the last time you helped me reorganize the archive.”, the young lady kept talking to him while making sure to keep his mind occupied with anything but the news that put the world into a tremendous shook. “There we are. And now do all of us the favor and go to bed and rest. We can´t have you fall asleep in another meeting with Dragon.”, said the female partner and friend of the chief of staff. “No worries. I will definitely go to sleep. The amount of work I had to deal with today was enough.”, the tall blond man reassured his friend that he will rest before they both parted and wished each other a good night.

Sabo, the revolutionary army’s number 2, made his way to his room. His room that was a place in which he could drop the happy and jolly facet he had. His room, where he could stop pretending that he was fine. His room, his place, his four walls that could shield him from the eyes of the people who saw his as the strongest.

Sabo entered his room while he still had a little smile upon his lips. A smile he kept alive until he closed his door and locked it. He held onto the door handle tightly until his knuckles turned white and slowly laid his head on the door and closed his eyes. He tried his best to keep a hold of his mind. He tried his best to not let his mind trap him in scenarios that probably never happened. He tried to keep himself far away from his mind that told him that everything was his guilt. He tried his best to not listen to his mind that told him that if he wouldn´t have left and set sail 10 years ago the battle would have never happened. If only he could turn back the time and never leave his home. If only he stayed there and waited for a bit longer. If I stayed there. If I stayed in that hell of a whole that man called my home would I have been able to go back to Ace and Luffy? Would Ace be still alive?

Without knowing he was trapped in his mind all over again. Like every other night in the past three weeks. Sabo let go of the door handle and let out a heavy sigh.

He was exhausted. He was tired. He was restless.

It is not like he didn´t wanted to sleep. It´s just that he simply couldn´t sleep. Whenever he tried to close his eyes, whenever he searched for the comfort of his bed and sleep. His heart clenched while his soul asked him how he could sleep and rest when Luffy had to suffer all alone just by himself. Luffy, the boy he called his little brother.

Luffy. I wonder what you are doing right now. Did you eat? Did you sleep? Are you hurt? Are you alone or with your crew? I wish I could ask you but I don´t know if I would be able to look into your eyes after all the incidents and years that past. He felt numb. He felt small and weak, something he usually never felt. He was strong and a fantastic fighter. He was smart and a good man but he felt like all of that washed away. Fake is what he saw himself as, after he had all of his memories back. He felt like the person he grew into was not him. The person the entire world knew, feared and respected. The revolutionary army´s number 2 and chief of staff, Sabo.

The tall gracious looking man took of his beloved hat and placed it on his dresser that stood right next to his full length mirror. Who am I? What am I? Where is home? Who is home? He was lost. He felt lost like the moment he was nearly killed by a celestial dragon. He nearly got killed. He nearly was about to die. Die. Death. He never thought that he would ever want something like that. He never thought he ever would think about something as scary as that. But right at this moment that was exactly what he wanted. Death. He wanted to die. He wanted to be the one that got buried and not his brother. His brother that always suffered and was left alone. Ace. Sabo couldn´t bear looking at his face and turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. You didn´t deserve to die. Slow steps lead him to his closet which he opened with trembling hands. Left glove and then the right glove was taken off and neatly put away. Breath in, breath out. That’s what the young man told himself over and over again while trying to not tell himself that he selfishly left his brothers behind just to set sail alone although they promised each other to do that together when they were 17. We promised.

How could he leave his brothers alone? How could he be so selfish, when they promised to stay together forever and always? Tears threaded to fall down his cheeks but he held them back with all his might, when he remembered what Ace once said. “Did you guys know?! We can become brothers when we exchange this cup of sake!” He clearly remembers his voice. The voice of his brother he betrayed. He clearly remembers his little brothers laugh and excited look in his eyes when he heard what was said. A soft sob left Sabo and he put a hand over his mouth to hold back more. He tightly closed his eyes and tried his best to fight the guilt and pain in chest that grew with every minute passing.

He remembers the letter he wrote them. How could he forget the promise he gave them. He remembers every word he wrote. He remembers the joy he felt while writing to his brother. “We brothers should become pirates one of these days! Then we can meet again somewhere out there. This ocean is vast and free. We´ll meet again someday!”

He lied to him and Luffy. I lied. I lied and broke the promise. I lied and broke his trust in me. I lied. If he only could turn back the time. If he only set sail a bit later. If he only waited a bit longer. If he only waited for his brothers. If he only were a bit stronger. Weak is what I am. A traitor is what I am. His clenched fists trembled and he started to focus on his breathing again with the hope to calm down. Slow steps were made towards his balcony while his now open eyes were glued to the floor. His light blue curtain hid the door to his balcony that held him back to open the door and breath in the fresh air of the night. The fabric was thin and allowed the light of the moon dimly enter his bedroom that was other than that dark. Sabo pushed the thin fabric aside and let the light the moon put over the world shine into his room. The moon that filled his room with a bright light seemed to be his only comfort since the day he started to remember again. The door in front of the young man was now open what allowed the soft wind enter his room.

Careful steps were put to reach thr balustrade. As if someone might hear him. As if he would wake up every person on the island if he was to loud. With his head lowly hanging he reached for the barrier that stopped him from walking. That stopped him from falling and dying. How could he die? Ace, the little boy that never turned his back to any fight. The little boy that had no fear when it came to fights between stronger and taller opponents. The little boy that turned down any wild animal back at home. The little boy that always hunted the biggest animals with a huge grin on his face. The memories of him and his brothers as kids put a soft small smile on his lips. The thought about them coming back home with new wounds and a bunch of new scratches made a small chuckle leave the boy while hot tears streaming down his cheeks. “Ace. I´m so sorry.”, said the now fully crying revolutionary. “I´m sorry for not being able to keep my promise and see you and our little brother.”

“All this time I could have seen you. All this time I could have spend so much time with you, without having to fear anything. We could have watched over Luffy together. Oh, Ace…”, his hands that were tightly holding onto the balustrade turned his knuckles white from the pressure. He wanted to scream. He wanted to destroy anything around him. He didn´t know how to deal with the loose and the knowledge of him being able to have him around if only he would have been stronger. His legs turned weak and couldn´t hold him anymore so he fell on his knees. What did I do, that life hated me so much. I only wanted to be free and be left in peace. Am I asking for to much? His hands that were lying flat on the balconies floor turned into fists. They turned into fists only to be smashed against the floor over and over again. “Why!? Why!? Why did you have to die?!”, his heart was aching and his mind was going crazy. He didn´t know how to deal with the pain. The pain hurt him more than any weapon could. It pained him more than any war could. If only he could stop remembering. If only he could get back the emptiness that he felt in his heart. He might have felt empty and sometimes even lost but at least it didn´t hurt him as much as remembering did. He didn´t wanted to remember. He wanted to forget. He wanted to forget so badly.

Sabo didn´t know what to do anymore. He needed to let go. He couldn´t hold his emotion in anymore. He was in the verge of breaking and losing control. So he simply let go and let his emotions take overhand. He let the pain spread all over his body and let sorrow take over his mind and soul. The blond man sat up and looked up to the sky and screamed. He screamed from the top of his lungs while more and more tears wetted his cheeks. “You said you´ll never die!! What made you break your promise! Is it because I was unfaithful?! How could you betray our little brother!? How could you betray yourself!!”

Sabo let pain take over his mind and soul. He let his guards down and allowed himself to drown in sorrow and regret. The calm and peaceful night with the most beautiful full moon was confronted by the helpless screams and sobs of the heartbroken male. He forgot where he was. He forgot who he was and allowed himself to get lost in the emptiness that was now filled by hatred, pain and sorrow. Every person in the hideout could hear him. They could hear his scream and feel his pain. They felt horrible for the young man that always had a beautiful smile on his lips. They wanted to help him and comfort him but sadly no one knew how to. So it came that they all silently listened to his screams filled by pain and loneliness. And absolutely no one ´t dare to close their eyes to fall asleep while he suffered.

It took the heartbroken man a while until he calmed down. It took more than just an hour for his tears to stop falling and wetting his cheeks. But eventually they stopped. Stopped only for the boy wishing he could cry more. If only I were stronger.

The clear night sky over the revolutionary´s hideout was slowly darkening while the moon that shined brighter than any other night got bit by bit covered by dark clouds. Sabo couldn´t cry anymore but he wished he could. He wished he could cry away the pain over the loose of his treasure he called brother from the bottom of his heart. But he couldn´t. The quiet night that was his only comfort seemed to understand him and his pain that lingered upon his chest so it cried for him. It cried for him and over his lose like a mother would cry over the pain of its child.

Rain wetted his clothes and the land he was standing on. His head that was lowly hanging on his body looked up at the sky and let his face get wetted by the rain. His face that not even awhile ago was wetted by his hot tears, got now wetted by the tears of the night sky. And for once he felt understood and embraced with genuine love and support.

With a soft small smile upon his lips that barely could be seen, he stood up and slowly made his way back to his bedroom. Sabo was rain drenched from head to toe but he didn´t mind at all. He felt numb and at the same time relived. His eyes were burning from the huge amount of tears he shed and needed to rest just like his entire body. He looked around his room until his gaze fell on his bed to which he headed to only to let himself fall on it and close his eyes with only one thought on his mind.

I will find Luffy.

[fangirl-1523]

My Sworn Brothers [Luffy x Crossover!Sister!Reader x Ace x Sabo]

A/N: Hey, so I want to write a High School AU of the many, many anime I have watched/ read. Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Devil is a Part-Timer, Durarara, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist, High School of the Dead, InuYasha, Kill La Kill, Magi, My Hero Academia, Noragami, One Piece, Ouran High School Host Club, Pokemon, Saiki K, Sailor Moon, Seven Deadly Sins, Soul Eater, Sword Art Online, Vampire Knight, Your Lie in April, and Yu Gi-Oh. And I was wondering who would you like to be apart of your friend? And would you like to have a relation to any of the characters of the world. 

Summary: [Y/N] is the oldest sworn sister to Luffy, Ace, and Sabo. And after finding Ace and Sabo aboard Luffy’s ship, the Thousand Sunny, she explains to them who she is, her other sworn brothers and sisters, embarrasses the three of them (a regular Tuesday for her), and threatens them with a chalkboard for interrupting her. Multiple times. In this story, most of the anime I am into is in the same world (Bleach, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist, InuYasha, Magi, My Hero Academia, Naruto, Noragami, Seven Deadly Sins, and Sword Art Online.  I might do a part 2. 

Warnings: spoilers for the above mangas and animes, also, even though this is along the timeline of after the time skip (at some point), I took the creative liberty to have Ace alive during this meeting for a quad family reunion, might be language

Word Count: 1, 668

“How the hell am I suppose to believe that my three idiotic brothers would be in the same place at the exact same time I’m trying to find them?” the girl with [H/C] hair, old enough to be Luffy’s age, maybe a year younger or a year older than him. 

“[Y/N]!!” the rubber boy flung himself at her in a hug.

She fell down on her butt from the impact of the hug. She groaned before pushing the boy off of her and standing up, dusting herself off. “Geez, Lu. I was on a job, just finished, and I heard something about a Straw Hat, a Fire Fist, and a blonde with a top hat that put the mad hatter to shame. I just came to see if the rumors are true.” 

“What job did you have, sis?” Sabo said as he sipped a smoothie created from Vinsmoke Sanji. 

“Well, you see. In the ten years I’ve been gone, I’ve been busy. Both with being lazy and being diligent.” the girl explained. “I am a member of Fairy Tail. Dragon Slayer Magic, particularly fire, water, earth, air, and plant. Requip the Knight. Some space jumping there and vortex opening here.” 

“You got the two mixed up, kid.” Ace said from his spot next to Sabo. 

The girl grinned an evil grin. “Oh, did I, Ace of Clubs?” 

The raven haired pirate groaned at the nickname while Luffy’s crew members wondered after the nickname. Ace kept giving her the don’t-tell-them-anything look with a cut-it-out motion. She, like most people she knew, did not listen to reason. 

“Well, when we were younger, I attempted to teach the pour unfortunate souls that you call Luffy, Sabo, and Ace golf. And we played mini-gold. First hole we went to, the club flew out of Ace’s hand and crashed into the window where the pour lady working the club stand was clonked on the head and fell unconscious. Another fun fact: I’m overly competitive and therefore master of mini gold. Luffy on the other hand... beat my bowling high score of just a little over four hundred points.” [Y/N] explained. 

“THAT’S NOT HOW YOU PLAY GOLF, YOU IDIOT!” Usopp shouted at his captain. 

“Ace was a lot worse. However, on the eighteenth hole, got a hole in one. Although with team sports, I always sided with Luffy ‘cuz he was the baby of the family.” she explained. 

“Never play Volleyball with her unless you’re Luffy.” Sabo warned the Straw Hat Pirates. 

“Could you... possibly.... explain who you are?” asked Nami. 

“That’s an easy and excellent question, m’lady. I am [Y/N] [L/N], the daughter of the Demon King from the Demon Clan, Niece of Solomon, adoptive daughter of the great dragon, The Curse of Depravity, a mage of S-Class ranking, the best older sister anyone can have, a Shinigami, and the Pirate Fairy.” [Y/N] said with her hands on her hips like wonder woman. 

“You’re not wonder woman, dumbass.” Ace muttered. 

She scowled at the boy (who was now physically older than her). “I know that, asshole.” Ace shrugged his shoulders at that. “Anyways, I should get going. I’m here with my teammates. And Salamander will have a cow if he finds out I’m on a Pirate Ship. Which may or may not include Natsu asking you all to fight him at once for his sister.” [Y/N] shrugged. 

“SISTER?!” Luffy screeched. 

“YOU ALREADY REPLACED US?!” Ace and Sabo said in unison. 

“This is why I never took you to Amusement parks or sat next to you on a ride.” she clenched at her swollen ears.  “No, I was merely saying that I have something called [Y/N]’s Council of Brothers. They’re basically a band of boys I feel need my protection, wisdom, and power to embarrass them until they’re six feet under and rotting.” 

“She’s dark.” Nami said. “But can you explain this whole Council of Brothers thing. Because I’m not sure they,” the ginger pointed to the three brothers, “understand.” 

“Alright! I will go over a lesson here!” and suddenly a white board appeared by her side with writing already on it. 

“Where did you get the white board?” asked Luffy. 

“That’s not important right now.” she scowled. “Yes, Sabo.” 

“Was that Whiteboard always there and we just never noticed it?” the blonde asked. 

“No. Ace if this is a question about the white board, I will smack you with the same gold club that flew through that window. All questions about the stupid whiteboard will be answered after I explained everything. Got it?” 

The three brothers grumbled out a, “Yes.”  

“Good. Anyways, to start it off I have two half-brothers. Meliodas and Zeldris.” she slapped a pointer stick against the whiteboard. 

“Did she always have that?” Ace asked, whispering it to his two brothers. 

“I don’t know. I’m just glad someone noticed it besides me.” Sabo murmured back. 

“SILENCE, YOU INSOLENCE FOOLS!” and she threw a frying pan which hit Ace in the head. 

Why does she have a frying pan in her requips? Sabo wondered in his head, not wanting to get hit in the head with anything else she might have to throw at them. 

“Anyways, Meliodas and Zeldris are my half-brothers. Zeldris is the captain of the Demon Clan’s ten Commandments while Meliodas is the captain of Liones’s Seven Deadly Sins of which I am co-captain and the Phoenix Sin of Darkness. To be fair, I look more like my mother and I think the only thing me, Meliodas, and Zeldris share is our dumbassery we inherited from our father. Second off, my cousin is Magi Aladdin since my mother is his father, Solomon,’s sister. Now, that’s enough of my actual biological family. Now, I won’t go into detail about those three. Because you already seem well-acquainted with one another. Anyways, onto the next one. The next one on my list of brothers is a half-demon named Rin who is the son of Satan along with his younger brother, Yukio, but he doesn’t really need protection. next is Kazuto Kirigaya also known as Kirito. I prefer to call him that. He got stuck in a game where if you die there, you die in real life, but he defeated them. next, we have Satan himself, a king of demons, Sadou Maou. He works as a part-timer for a fast food chain which is sad to be honest. Next, we have Alibaba Saluja, a prince and a king’s candidate, also my cousin’s best friend. He wields the fire djinn, Amon. Also, he’s trying to be a gladiator while figuring out his feelings for Fanalis and former slave Morgiana. Next, we have actual God Yato who is a former god of calamity and a current god of war. I think. I’m not quite sure. But he and his two regalia, Yukine and a Nora named Kazuma, but also Kazune under Yato, must be protected by me at all cost. Then, we have Edward Elric, a alchemist missing both a leg and an arm because he wanted to see his mom’s smile again which kicks me in the heartstrings whenever I hear it. His brother, Alphonse, is an honorary member of the Council of Brothers. And he used to be entirely a soul attached to a suit of armor. No joke.” 

“Does no one else notice that they are mostly raven haired or blonde?” Nico Robin commented. 

The Straw Hat Pirates turned to the three sworn brothers who just shrugged their shoulders at that. “I admit I am guilty for that. But my actual brothers are raven headed and blonde, so that may be the reason. Anyways, off to the next people. Now, this person could make Luffy look like a genius. Sometimes. Natsu Dragneel, a salmon haired fire dragon slayer, is the brother of Zeref Dragneel, the black wizard, and also simultaneously END, the most powerful demon of the book of zeref which makes him one of the top fifteen most powerful demons. Next, we have strawberry boi, Ichigo Kurosaki, a shinigami who I’ve been helping train. He could see the dead and then he discovered his spiritual power, stole the shinigami powers of Rukia Kuchiki, and started to exorcist hollows and send souls to the soul society. Then, we have my favorite band of brothers since they could literally be in a band. Broccoli Boi, Izuku Midoriya, kinda has a power augmentation quirk, best way to describe it without giving too much away, Porcupine Katsuki Bakugo who can blow things up with help from his sweat. Zuko Wannabe Shoto Todoroki who can wield fire and ice. Also, his brother Touya may or may not be Dabi. Then, Pikachu Kaminari Denki who can utilize elctricity, but too much and he makes Luffy look like a genius. No joke. Well… maybe… I don’t really know. Anyways, then we have speedster Tenya Iida. Oh, there’s sharkboy Eijiro Kirishima. He can make himself go as hard as rock, but he has limitations. Then, we have spidertape Hanta Sero that can shoot tape out of his elbows. Then, half-demon InuYAsha who is the son of a dog demon and a mortal woman. There’s also Shippo who is an adorable little kitsune. And I think I got everyone.” the girl looked at her board before smacking it again as she noticed Luffy had begun to doze off while Ace had totally fallen asleep. 

The action alerted the two boys to wake up at once and glare at their older sister. And then, a silver haired undead man with a flying blue cat landed on the floor of the ship. “Thank goodness we found you. C’mon. We got a mission and you and your ‘Team Natsu’ have a job request from the old man and a princess.” 

“So Hisui and Bartra both agree to have us do something, but what is this so-called mission?” asked [Y/N]. 

Ban smirked. “We’re fighting slave-trading pirates.” 

“I want in!” Luffy cheered.

[leviathiane]

Fic Rec Friday - One Piece (SFW)

I am going to make this a thing. Even if its just me and like 3 people see it lol 

Ao3 Edition!

The Wanderer (MaiKusakabe) - Marco isn’t the firstmate of the Whitebeards. He’s never even met them, actually– he’s not even a pirate. But Whitebeard wants him to be one. Badly. // High Contender for my Favorite OP fic I’ve read out of all of them. Im just weak in the knees for reluctant/In-denial!Marco and the entire crew trying to reach out to their (future) eldest brother. Also has Immortal!Marco implications and im LIVING for it

Being Human (MaiKusakabe) - Slave!Marco gets taken in by Whitebeard // Listen yall know im gay for Marco-centric angst but this one really takes me by the lapels and shakes me to pieces ok i am laid low 

To Build a Home (endlessblankpages) - ASL pirates get recruited (read: kidnapped) by the Whitebeards as an apology for a misunderstanding and it All Spirals From There // Very well put together, and Completed! Incredible found-family affection and fondness, som brotherly angst, All Good All Good. 

wish by spirit and if by yes (midnightluck) - Sabo has his memories. A series of shenanigans of him and Ace just trying to take care of each other even with all their chaos and distance, with the Whitebeards and Koala as unwitting audience. // The exasperation and family affection got me fucked all the way up. Midnightluck consistently has my favorite characterization of Sabo out of everything I’ve read. 

Clipped Wings (Beyond_Kailani) - Sabo gives up everything, as long as it means his brother’s live freely. Away from his parents. // Angsty and INCREDIBLE found family trope usage. The mental struggle to do what Sabo thinks is necessary to survive vs live his life freely is A+

Trapped in Eternity (Skyleaf19) - Ace is stuck in a long term time loop and his mental health is really, really suffering from it. // this is an angst MELTING POT and i love it. It recently updated off of hiatus but im so excited about it i literally cant focus enough to read it adefsgrth LOTS of the whitebeards trying to help Ace and Ace struggling to pretend he hates them. fantastic. *chef’s kiss* 

Living Dreams (Maikusakabe) - Canon-timeline!Marco wakes up two years in the past. Before Whitebeard died. Before Ace died. Before Thatch died. He doesnt handle it well. // I dont even know where to start this is a bundle of some of my favorite tropes in one completed fic. The angst, the disbelief, the denial– it’s perfect. I’m in love

Inanition (Taizi) - small fic about how Luffy’s body works differently than his crewmates. // Short, and yet I keep coming back to it. It’s unebelievably sweet, and the tension of things left unsaid and suppressed anger out of worry is incredible.

Beginning the Next Dream (RikoJasmine) - Future!Luffy gets reborn as his own uncle, Garp’s kid and Dragon’s little brother. This changes a lot, esp. the ASL future. // Its still sort of in the beginning and already has 50k and my Heart I s2g every chapter i see updated makes me have to take a moment to calm down before I read it. Really worth the read. Very soft and sweet with the family vibes, and Luffy is a Hysterically overpowered child with haki. 

Guardian (Petiteneko) - Zoro’s POV for pre-post Dressrosa, and how Law slowly, quietly works through his frankly suicidal revenge plan. Includes lulaw // Im weak for outsider!POV mental health and trauma fics. That’s really all you need to know tbh

Acclimating (Justira) - Luffy may be the outspokenly crazy one, but he hand-picked his crew and the rest of the Strawhats are just as on his bullshit despite what they say. Law is struggling through a very nosy crew. // Similar to the fic above, Law trying to leave himself to his own self-harming tendencies and the Strawhats collectively having None Of It. 

Lionheart (cyan96) - Past!Law and Corazon get dumped into canon-timeline!Law’s submarine after a devil fruit incident. Trauma everywhere. // Manages to be funny and heartbreaking at exactly the same time! Lots of deeply buried trauma manifested suddenly and overwhelmingly. Incredible. 

The Games (Stormy1x2) - Humorous little fic about the Whitebeard’s participating in a sort of public-sport game, in which Ace volunteers and has a great time throwing shenanigans everywhere. // very cute!! another outsider!POV type as its in Marco’s POV while Ace runs around and is just excited and adorable. 

Older Brother’s Insight (Abyssal_one) - short fic about Older-brother!Luffy and Younger-brother!Ace w/ the Whitebeards // short and sweet! Im a sucker for role switch AUs and this one really highlights Luffy’s own eccentric sort of capabilities. 

Portgas D. Anne and the War of Shirts (glowingjellyfishtreelights) - Anne just doesnt like shirts. this has nothing to do with anyone else. // it’s Really funny. also incredibly accurate. 

Into Flame (Kurgaya) - Phoenix!Zoro, and the art of Not Actually Being Human But Never Saying That. // includes Zolu! Which usually isnt my jam, but im All Over non-human!AUs and this one is incredible. Zoro has three pairs of wings. Three. That’s wicked.

Pardus (ImperialMint) - A devil fruit materializes Ace’s worst fear. Which means he’s returning to the Moby Dick with Gold Roger himself at his heels. // funny, sad, and cute all at once. Cute family affection moments, lots of Ace being emotionally hurt and confused. 

Legacy (Anjelle) - Ace died and was sent back, all the way back to when his dad still was a pirate on the Oro Jackson. // Lots of emotional turmoil and childhood trauma neatly tied up with some cathartic mental revaluation ;) 

Paperwork of a Phoenix (ventusleone) - Marine!Marco and Marine!Izo happen to meet the Whitebeards during their downtime, every now and then, and, well, its not like theyre on duty. // Recently was completed! Slowburn platonic found-family vibes, a lot of Marco biting off more than he can chew and essentially being adopted in the process. 

Tension Headache and Migraine (JuHuaTai) Marco overworks himself and accidentally snaps at his crewmates, including Ace. // Very tense in the beginning and smooths out to something apologetic and softer. Has some nsfw in the end, overall Fanastic lmao

Tomorrow Never Happens (Midnightluck) - Sabo pickpockets the wrong marine and gets caught. Which sucks on a normal day, except this one is huge, and burly, and an admiral, and apparently his grandfather. // humorous and slightly angsty all at once! Another Sabo-Gets-His-Memories-Back-Canon-Divergence type story, because I am simple and predictable and it’s still fantastic. 

Blue Moon (MyLadyDay) - Werewolf!Marco protects the forest. It just so happens that (Witch?)Ace does so too. // Has some very quiet vibes I really dig, very calm and makes me think of a deep grey-blue color for some reason. Like Full moonlight through the trees. Very cute

[neverwatchedonepiece]

499-504: “The Battle Against the Big Tiger! Who Is Going to Be Captain?!”, “Freedom Taken Away! the Nobles' Plot Closing in On the Brothers!”, “The Fire Has Been Set! the Gray Terminal in Crisis!”, “Where Can Freedom be Found? A Sad Departure of a Boy!”, “Take Good Care of Him! A Letter from the Brother!” and “To Live Up To The Promise! Departures Of Their Own!”

R.I.P. Sabo.....?

I watched six episodes in a row and it was totally worth it.

Mobile users better limber up those scrollin fingers because this post is about to get long.

Quick 499 Filler Summary (so I can move on to the good stuff...)

I hate watching filler when I don’t know it’s filler. It messes up my sense of canon. I end up analyzing it, then get annoyed when I realise it was a waste of time. Still, I’m glad I picked up on Sabo telling Ace’s family secret in front of the old Filler Pirate from 498. Even though his character had only just been introduced, I knew he wasn’t the type to blab. Glad you guys pointed that out.

To sum up 499:

1. The boys have no luck with Big Tiger, so they train with Filler Pirate.

2. Ace is shocked to learn Filler Pirate does not loathe Roger.

3. Filler Pirate is returning to the sea to find his old crew. The boys end up helping him build a ship.

4. They train under Filler Pirate. With the power of friendship, they defeat Big Tiger together (without needing catnip, thanks Sabo!)

5. Filler Pirate teaches Ace Pirate Life Lessons such as: there is more to being a pirate captain than strength. Only your crew’s approval makes you a good captain.

6. Filler Pirate heads out to see. Bye, bye Naguri the Filler Pirate!

Now for the good stuff...

Poor People Blood Is Icky

Episode 500 opened on an ominous note. Not only was the title sinister but a literal storm ripped apart the boys’ refuge in the forest. Nice foreshadowing there.

To repair their hideout, Ace, Sabo and Luffy searched Grey Terminal for scraps. They were ambushed by Bluejam and Sweaty Chins. (Never found out his name, so Sweaty Chins he shall remain.) 

Instead of thinking, “Hey, maybe my terrible parenting caused Sabo to run away?” Sweaty Chins pinned the blame on Ace and Luffy, the nasty common children. They had tempted Sabo to run away. They were after his money. Ace did not like that latter comment one bit and tried to fight back. Bluejam smacked him and, horror of horrors, got some of Ace’s blood on Sweaty Chins’ face. 

Because everyone knows if you get poor blood on you, you might catch poor, right?

Poor Sabo begged them not to harm Ace and Luffy. “They’re important to me! They’re my brothers!” Of course, Sweaty Chins pulled the old, “If you come with me, they won’t be harmed.” Dying inside, Sabo agreed.

Sabo returned to his gilded prison. Ace and Luffy were dragged to Bluejam’s hideout. He tried to convince Ace and Luffy to stay away from Luffy. He told them Sabo only escaped to Grey Terminal as a mockery of the people who live there, that Sabo really looked down on them as an amusement to make himself feel superior. Of course Ace and Luffy did not buy his bullshit, so he said straight up that if they cared about Sabo, they’d have to let him go.

Weirdly, Bluejam gave them a job as couriers. I’m still not sure if this was because he genuinely wanted to recruit Ace and Luffy into his crew or if he wanted them to be part of the bomb plot and laugh as they realised they’d helped destroy Grey Terminal.

I Fell Into The Burning Ring Of Fire

Back in High Town, Sweaty Chins was hard at work trying to erase Sabo’s criminal record. He can do this because he has cash and social clout. Sweaty Chins tried hard not to part with cash, urging Sabo to lie. He had been tempted into those criminal acts by feral bandit children, after all.

Because Sabo isn’t awful, he refused to drop his brothers in it. Sweaty Chins kicked his chair away (excellent parenting there) and bribed the guard to erase Sabo’s record. Problem solved! Now he could become a good, obedient noble again. Hurrah!

Then things got weird...

Back at Sabo’s home, Mr and Mrs Sweaty Chins had adopted a sinister noble child called Stelly. The name might resemble Stelio Kontos, but this kid is nowhere near as cool. Stelly was replacement, in case Sabo didn’t work out, apparently. Lovely.

Turned out Stelly had a big mouth. He blabbed to Sabo that the Nobles of High Town had planned a spate of Social Cleansing By Fire because a Celestial Dragon was due to visit. The sight of all the icky poor people and the garbage heap might be too much for the Celestial Dragon’s delicate eyes.

This news freaks out Sabo because he is not evil. “But.. people live there!” 

“YES. THEY WILL BURN!” Stelly crowed with glee.

Sabo had a “screw this,” moment and jumped out the window. Seeking clarification, still unsure that anyone could be that heartless, he roamed High Town. For some reason, everyone was making fire jokes. “OHOHO, IT SURE IS WINDY TODAY. FIRES MIGHT SPREAD!” Unable to take it any longer, Sabo straight up asked an old gent if it was true.

It’s as if High Town had a residents’ meeting and thought, “Screw it, let’s just burn Grey Terminal. Cheaper than hiring a skim, am i rite?”

Of course, Sabo went nuts. He was surrounded by freaks. Utter psychos. His brothers would burn because the poor people of Grey Terminal were inconvenient. But before he got the chance to escape, he was caught. Sweaty Chins kicked him into a cellar and locked the door. What a guy! Watching Sabo beating on that door screaming for Ace and Luffy was sad. 

I would love to see Sweaty Chins have karma hit him like a brick one day, I swear...

Someone Set Him Up The Bomb

Back at Bluejam’s Courier Business, Bluejam finally let Ace and Luffy in on the big secret. The boxes they had been carrying contained oil and explosives which would be used to Blow Grey Terminal to Kingdom Come. But hey, he wasn’t the mastermind behind it, so that was alright, right? He was just getting paid. And speaking of money, did Ace and Luffy happen to have any lying around?

Because what Bluejam care about more than anything? Money. Turns out the mastermind of the fire was the King of Goa. Apparently, he promised Bluejam and his crew titles and status. As soon as Bluejam said this, I thought, “There is no way in hell, mate. You are being played.” Nobles barely help their own. As if they’d help you, one who was born a commoner.

I didn’t have long to wait. Bluejam hammered on the gate to Edge Town, gave the signal to be let in. But they were ignored by the guards inside, just like the desperate residents of Grey Terminal were ignored by the guards when they begged to be given refuge. When they retreated to the ship, they found that burning too. The king had double-crossed them.

The whole fire story was actually pretty brutal because something similar happened in real life that was all over the news where I live. A tower block of apartments where poorer people lived went on fire. Seventy-two people died. Some of the bodies will never be identified because they were living there illegally or were sub-letting while waiting for naturalisation papers. Why did the tower block burst into flames? Cheap, shoddy, flammable cladding. Why was the tower block clad in that material? To approve its appearance for the rich people who lived opposite. It looked grimy and run down. The sight of it might hurt their delicate eyes.

This entire plot just reminded me of that and I’ve got say, if Dragon asked me to join his army right now, I’d probably say yes.

And speaking of Dragon...

We Need Febreeze, Stat.

Desperate to save Ace and Luffy, Sabo escaped through a vent. He reached the city gate, tried to open it and had the crap kicked out of him by a guard. When a mysterious man in a green cloak approached, I thought, “YES! DRAGON IS HERE. HE WILL TAKE SABO AWAY AND LET HIM JOIN THE REVOLUTIONARY ARMY. ANOTHER FINE RECRUIT.”

Wherever there is injustice and class-cleansing, there is Dragon.

Dragon asked Sabo what happened. Sabo spilled his soul and I felt wretched watching him. The self-hatred Sabo has and his powerlessness to effect any change because of the firm grip the defective system has on the OPverse. 

“This town smells worse than Grey Terminal. It smells like rotten people. If I stay here, I’ll never be free. I’m ashamed of being born a noble.”

“I know how you feel. I was born in this country too. But I still don’t have enough power to change a country.”

“You’re really listening to me...” Sabo whispered. (That got to me. For the first time, an adult actually listened to him and acknowledged his feelings on the matter.)

“Yes,” Dragon said. “And I will never forget.”

Breaking News: The Poor Can Avoid Being Poor By Not Being Born Poor!

While Bluejam swore vengeance against the King (optimism!), the king himself had planked his arse on his throne and was complaining the sky was too bright because of the fire. Never has the urge to reach through reality to slap a fictional character been stronger.

“Daddy?” little noble daughter asked. “Why aren’t the people in Grey Terminal humans? Why do they have to burn?”

A great question! A potential ray of light! Might this innocent child stir the king’s conscience?

Did she hell.

Honestly, this scene was too real. People actually talk like this. They genuinely believe it. This may be filler, but damn, it is near-the-knuckle good filler.

Mama Bear To The Rescue

In the meantime, Bluejam had gone off the deep end because he realised the futility of vengeance and hit rock bottom. Out for blood, he cornered Luffy and Ace and insisted they died together... but first, that treasure they had stolen!

About to put a bullet through Luffy, a strange, blue haki-like moment felled every single member of Bluejam’s crew. Only Bluejam himself remained standing. I’m still not sure what happened here and who was responsible for it (Dragon? Was he the one who cut the path through the fire to help the Grey Terminal people escape?)

At any rate, it gave Dadan the opening she needed to storm in and rescue her boys. (I was so happy when she called them that. JUST ADMIT IT, DADAN!) “I won’t stand by and watch someone try to take my boys’ lives... even if I’m not their real parent.”

I was a bit annoyed by Ace standing his ground when Dadan wanted to scarper. He endangered everyone else and Dadan was horribly injured fighting Bluejam (mostly burns from fleeing the fire after). It was explained later that Ace is like Roger, who would never run from a right because he would rather let the ones he loves escape. The noble sacrifice only works if you can guarantee their safety. If you’re wiped out then the enemy turns on your loved ones, how can you protect them them?

It distressed Luffy too, who was carted off and didn’t hear from them for days.

At least that convenient path through the fire was created, eh? And where did that path lead?

A Revolutionary Army ship with Dragon, Ivan-san and BARTHOLOMEW BLOODY KUMA!

LOOK WHO’S IN THE BACKGROUND!

(I really hope this is canon because this is something I have wanted confirmation of for AGES. Please let it be true that Kuma was once part of the Revolutionary Army.)

I loved this entire scene. When Ivan asked Dragon how he knew what was going on in this East Blue Backwater and Dragon answered, “This country is an example of how the world will be in the future. There can be no happiness where the undesirables are thrown away. I will change the world.” For all Dragon’s deadbeat dad status, you can see where Luffy gets his ambition and stubborn determination.

Then Dragon addressed the tired, frightened, shivering crowd of poor, Grey Terminal outcasts and shouted: “Those of you who are willing to fight for freedom, come aboard!”

But there was one person missing. I must admit I looked for Sabo on the boat. I thought Dragon might have taken him along. Maybe Dragon didn’t because Sabo was only a kid and he might have had family. 

I wish he had. :(

Destination? Anywhere But Here

The next morning, the sun came out and the clear up began. Any survivors were to be shot on sight. The guards remarked how few charred bodies they found. Hopefully, most of them were Bluejam’s crew and the rest found their way to Dragon’s ship.

Sabo woke up in an alleyway. I was disappointed because Dragon hadn’t taken him. The disappointment was compounded when he was immediately caught and dragged home to High Town. Sweaty Chins enlisted two of the king’s goons as personal guards and calmly threatened to have Sabo killed unless he educated himself to be a noble.

“Be more like Stelly”, Sweaty Chins said, “who is so dependable and who will be getting new clothes to see the Celestial Dragon.”

Of course, Sabo would not be going. He could not be trusted. Sabo was imprisoned in his room. Everything was greyscale except Sabo. All colour had drained from his life. He had no idea whether Luffy and Ace were alive or dead. Was sure they were alive but realised trying to see them would place them in danger. Living like that would be awful. I felt sorry for Sabo, despite his privileged upbringing. The kid was straight up depressed.

“What is freedom?” he wondered. “Where can I find it?” Then he overheard a convenient conversation between his guards. The Celestial Dragon would visit tomorrow. Only one guard and Sabo would be in the house.

This was his chance. He wrote a note with a huge smile on his face.

The next day, a huge, flag-waving crowd gathered at the port to welcome the Celestial Parasite Dragon. I hate stuff like that, so I was already in rage mode.

My mood was NOT IMPROVED when Saint Jalmack SHOT SABO’S WITH A BLOODY BAZOOKA BECAUSE HE WAS A RUDE COMMONER.

:|

At that point, I was convinced Sabo was dead because his top hat (Sabo’s symbol) was seen drifting to earth). I’m still 70% certain he’s dead. Mainly because he hasn’t been seen since (unless there’s something I’ve missed). Sabo’s death also puts Luffy’s reaction to Saint Charloss in perspective. Luffy punched him because no one punched the guy who killed Sabo.

But... there was no body. That is my number one rule. And there was that moment when Dragon’s ship pulled in at tiny Zoro’s island (TINY ZORO!) with someone who was badly injured and needing Ivan’s treatment. Dragon had also been in the audience watching the ceremony for the Celestial Dragon. I have my fingers crossed but won’t get my hopes up.

Take Care of Luffy

Of course, that wasn’t enough heart-string tugging. This is One Piece. My feelings had to be put through the wringer.

Dadan and Ace finally made it home. That was the single good thing that happened in 503. They saved each others’ lives. Dadan punched Bluejam to death (metal) and ran through fire with Ace. Ace stole medicine, treated her burns and carried her back to the shack.

But Dogra (a bandit) also made it back with news of Sabo. Ace immediately flew off the handle, seeking vengeance. Dadan talked sense into him. This was a Celestial Dragon. They would only have him killed. “Your father’s death changed the world. When you become a man as important as that, you can do whatever you like!”

Oh, Dadan. Where were you at Marineford? Weirdly, her words were prophetic because Ace’s death really will usher in a new pirate era.

Then the letter from Sabo arrived. 

“Ace, Luffy, I hope you guys weren’t hurt in the fire. I’m worried about you but I believe you’re okay. I’m sorry to say it but when you get this letter, I’ll already be out to sea. Things led to things and I decided to set out before you. My destination will be anywhere but here! I’m gonna become stronger and be a pirate! The three of us have to become the freest pirates ever. One day, let’s meet up somewhere. Somewhere on the wide open sea, definitely. By the way, Ace, which of us do you think is the bigger brother? It’s odd but our brotherhood is my treasure. Luffy is still a weak crybaby but he is our little brother so take good care of him.”

At that point, I hadn’t seen the scene when Dragon’s ship pulled into Little Zoro’s island, so that brought a tear to my eye. I was so mad at the waste of Sabo’s life, mad that Ace and Luffy had already lost something so precious to them while they were still so young and mad that Sabo’s worthless parents hadn’t taken action against the slug who murdered their son. I was also mad at Dragon for not taking Sabo (but I still have hope that actually did happen).

After that, Ace swore to take care of Luffy. The boys worked hard to improve themselves. They even asked for help with their manners (that dine and dash thank you was hilarious). Now Ace’s well-mannered persona makes sense. Imaginary Sabo guided Luffy in his training, encouraging him just like he always used to.

Then, when they each turned seventeen, they broke Dadan’s heart by heading out to sea.

Why did they chose seventeen? Because that was Sabo’s deadline. At eighteen, he would become a full-fledged noble, so he intended to escape when before then.

Damn... this series. ;_;

[winglesscrows]

the past is remembered and the present is lived

AO3 I Patreon I FF.net

One Piece I G I Luffy & Zoro I 1k

Tama doesn't believe that Ace could be dead. Clearly Luffy is lying. To make her believe, he tells her a story.

Read on AO3 or under cut

Luffy’s heart does a little backflip in his chest when he recognizes the person ahead, and turns to ride to him at full speed. Luffy smiles wide as he calls out to his swordsman, and Zoro’s smile is just as bright as he sees Luffy coming towards him on a weird looking dog. Luffy doesn’t hesitate to literally jump into Zoro’s arms as he gets close enough, and Zoro hugs him back, the impact of Luffy’s jump not fazing him as he remains standing. They hug for a while until Zoro offers Luffy some food, which he eats despite knowing that it’s full of poison (he’s immune after all and it seems that Zoro only received some tummy aches after eating it).

“We have to get this girl to a doctor,” Luffy tells Zoro and points to Tama, who’s still unconscious at the top of the dog.

“Okay,” Zoro says, always willing to do whatever Luffy wants, and they both mount the dog again and continue towards the town. After only two short minutes, Tama wakes up again. She doesn’t register Zoro, even though he should be in her full view, but again she turns to Luffy and screams at him.

“You’re a liar!” She accuses, and Luffy has to remind himself that it’s the fever that makes her think that he even has the ability to lie, “He would never break that promise!”

She tries to punch him, but Zoro holds back her weakened arms, while Luffy keeps leading them towards the town. He’s told her what she needs to hear, but it might take some time for her to accept it. It certainly took him awhile.

“What’s she talking about?” Zoro asks, as he holds her back. She wimps a little, but seems to give up the struggle after awhile.

“Ace promised to come back and take her to the sea,” Luffy explains, and Zoro understands.

“You’re so cruel,” Tama says again, “Why would you lie to me? What do you even know about Ace?”

“More than you,” Luffy says without thinking and she begins fighting against Zoro again. They still have some time until they get to town, and Luffy thinks that she can’t be this hysterical when they get her to the doctor. Perhaps a story would help.

“How could you possibly know more about Ace than me? I spent a whole month with him. I taught him how to weave hats and he promised me that he would take me with him.”

“Ace made a lot of promises he couldn’t keep,” Luffy interrupts, slightly saddened, he’s mostly over it these days, but the hurt of thinking about it will never fade, Luffy thinks.

“Not true,” Tama says, possibly cries, “Ace always kept his promises.”

“I had two brothers,” Luffy begins, starting his story and hoping Tama would listen, “The three of us had different backgrounds. There was Ace, the son of the pirate king. There was Sabo, the son of a nobleman. And there was me, the son of the revolution’s leader.

“At the time, I didn’t know any of that. When it came to family, I only had my grandpa, but I saw him rarely and he would move me from town to town. I didn’t understand why at the time, but he probably did it to keep me safe. Eventually, I ended up in a small town, where I met a pirate captain. Just like you I looked up to him, asked him to take me with him to sea and he made me a promise to come return this hat,” Luffy gestures to his strawhat, “When I had finally become a worthy and strong pirate.”

“What does this have to do with Ace?”

“Just listen,” Zoro tells her, and she shuts up, having more respect for Zoro than Luffy at the moment.

“When that pirate left my town, my grandpa came back and relocated me again. I stayed on the same island, but with a group of mountain bandits. Another one my grandpa had left in their care was Ace.

“At the time, Ace was everything to me. He was strong, independent and cool. Of course, Ace didn’t care about me at first, but eventually he did and he introduced me to Sabo. The two of them wanted to become pirates and set out to sea, and since it was my dream too, we all worked towards that goal.

“But, a lot of things happened, and Sabo was taken from us and then died in a shipwreck,” Luffy leaves out the part about Sabo not really dying because that would just be confusing, and it isn’t the point of the story, “When Sabo died, I was so sad, I cried and I cried for days. Ace was different. He was the older one of us, and so he made me a promise. He promised me that he would never die,” Luffy smiles a little at the thought of the promise. It had been a ridiculous promise to make, one Ace could never have fulfilled, but he had said it to cheer Luffy up. To give him hope and make sure he wouldn’t cry.

“We made a pact,” Luffy continues, “We would set out to sea when we were seventeen. Because Ace was the oldest, he left first and I stayed behind and read about him whenever he made the newspaper, our caretaker even made scrapbooks of all of his deeds and I remember looking through them, hoping that I would be just like him when I finally set out to sea.

“And then, when I was seventeen, I sailed out, and I made my crew and travelled the world, until I got the news that Ace had been captured and was going to be executed. I was supposed to meet my crew in a certain place, but I couldn’t give up on the only brother I had left, so I went to the prison where he was held and I tried to save him. When that didn’t work, I went to the place of his execution and tried to save him. I would like to think I succeeded. I freed him from his chains and we fought our way through the army that was trying to stop us. I was so close.

“But in the end, he died,” Luffy says, his voice strong, “He died saving my life. I didn’t want believe it at first, even when I saw the blood and he was saying goodbye. I told him to keep his promise. I told him he couldn’t leave me,” Luffy bites his lip, “But that’s not how life works. And sometime bad things happen, and the only thing you can do is move on and look at what you still have.”

“But he was your brother,” Tama says, crying, “Your only brother, if what you say is true, then what do you still have left?”

Luffy looks to Zoro and smiles: “My friends.”

[my-muses-in-op]

Unexpected meeting

After parting with Marco, Ann went to the small island where Ace and Whitebeard were burried. She hadn’t been there at all, so it was about time she did pay them the respect. Even if she felt anxious about it. She tied the boat to the small port and for a moment she stared at the sea, bracing herself to face the graves. Her heart felt heavy and at the same time it raced.

With another sigh, she turned around and noticed the figure at the graves. She tensed lightly, but it could be one of her brothers or one of their former allies. No need to fear a fight, but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t be on guard. Alerted she walked closer to the two massive graves. She had to admit it was impressive and in her heart she thanked Shanks for doing this. Ace deserved this and Whitebeard even more.

The man was sitting down, shoulders moving. He cried and she was sure it was someone who knew either Ace or Whitebeard or maybe both. However, she didn’t recognize him, but then again, it was hard to remember all the allies and brothers she had gained over the years and Ace had been on missions without her, so it could be someone he met under those mission.

Not wanting to intrude, she stayed behind for a while, giving him space to mourn. It was kind of nice to know people still mourned and she wondered how many of her brothers and sisters did actually come here to mourn and pay the respect both Ace and Whitebeard deserved. She didn’t know and she felt awful for first coming here now, but she also knew that Ace and Whiebeard would understand.

One day she would bring Luffy here and he could tell Ace how he had become the Pirate King and how. She was sure Ace would like that and Luffy too. Maybe even his whole crew.

Her body tensed when the man moved, getting onto his feet. It was an unconscious reaction and she couldn’t help it. When he grabbed his hat and put a pipe on his back, her body ensed even more. The blond hair, the way he dressed and that pipe... It reminded her of a boy she knew. A long dead brother. No, her mind was playing with her.

She grabbed her tattoo, the one she had gotten a few months back. A reminder to a wow she once made and what was her biggest treasure.

Then he turned, a soft and sad smile on his lips. He didn’t look surprised that she was standing there and she got the feeling the sadness and guilt in his eyes were directed at her. She froze. Those eyes... No it couldn’t be. He was dead. She only had Luffy.

“Hello Ann... Long time no see, as you say.” His voice was sad too. She frowned. He couldn’t be that person, there was no way, but ... Then who was he?

As she didn’t answer, he stepped aside, showing her Ace’s grave better. A crate was in front of it, along with a newspaper of Luffy and ... and ... four red cups, filled with sake from the bottle that also stood upon the crate. No. Only her, Ace, Luffy and Sabo knew of this. It couldn’t be Luffy that placed it there and she hadn’t so ... But it was impossible.

“I’m sorry. I should have been there. There’s no excuse for not being there when my brothers and sister needed me.” He said, as she didn’t respond to him. That snapped her out of her thought. “Who the fuck are you?” She snarled, angry he spoke to her like they had known each other for a long time.

A sigh left his lips. “You hurt me, sis. Have you really forgotten me? The wow we made with Dadan’s sake that Ace stole?” He did look hurt, but she refused to believe his words. It couldn’t be Sabo. “Liar. I don’t know how you know about the wow, but I won’t tolerate an imposter. Sabo is dead. Dogra saw his ship blow up.” She growled.

The blond’s eyes widened and pain, hurt and regret flashed over his face. Ann wasn’t sure what to think about this situation. Part of her wanted to hit the man, but at the same time she didn’t want to. Fighting someone on the graves of her beloved brother and father? No, she couldn’t and shouldn’t do that. It was disrespectful and she wouldn’t do it.

“So you heard about that... I should have died, but I didn’t. Dragon found me, brought me along and gave me medical treatment. He wanted to bring me back to my parents, but I refused, though I didn’t know who I was. I had lost all my memories and if it hadn’t been for Ace... I might never have gained them. Reading about his death ... It brought all my memories back. Everything at once and my body shut down. Koala told me I almost died. For 3 days I was out.”

She listened to him, trying hard not to believe him, but his voice was so sincere and so sad. “You ... forgot us? Forgot Luffy?” It was hard to believe that someone would forget Luffy. He wasn’t one you could easily forget, but Dogra had tol dher about the ship and how it exploded. If this really was Sabo, it was a miracle that amnesia and the scars was all he’d gotten.

“Yes I did and I’m so sorry. I’ve spend so many nights and says, wishing I could turn back time or that I could have remembered sooner and been there. I almost lost my siblings without knowing. So thank you, Ann. Thank you for being alive.” There were tears in his eyes, but she could see he refused to shed them. She to felt a lump in her throat, but she didn’t want to cry.

She stepped towards him and he let her. He wans’t on guard, she could easily take him out now, but it wasn’t her intention. Instead she placed a hand on his cheek. They were about the same height, he a little taller, but just by few centimeters. For a moment she just looked into his eyes and she knew it was him. Her heart had known so from the moment he turned to look at her.

“Sabo... You shouldn’t apologize. Amnesia is an excuse. You simple didn’t know. Besides, there’s no telling if Ace would have survived or not. He didn’t turn his back on the fight. Remember?” Her voice sounded strained, as she was holding back the tears.

He nodded lightly. “Ace would never back down from a fight. When Luffy was captured and we had to save him from Porchemy, Ace didn’t turn around and run. Neither did you, Ann. Or when any thugs tried to steal from us. Nt once did you or Ace turn your back on anyone.” The memory flashed pass her eyes for a brief second and she nodded. It was a strength and weakness both of them had had.

It then reallyhit her that this was Sabo. Her brother. The one she had believed was dead. She might have lost Ace, but Sabo was here. He was here too and together they could protect Luffy. It was their duty as the oldest siblings. The burden wasn’t hers alone any longer. Furthermore, this was SABO.

All fight was lost, as she leaned into him, holding his jacket and let go of her tears. Thhese wasn’t tears of sadness, but of happiness, relief and regret. “I couldn’t save him... I was there and stil ... Oh god Sabo... He died in Luffy’s ARMS.” She sobbed, her heart aching.

Sabo hugged her gently, knowing how hard this must have been on her and Luffy. They saw Ace die. While they tried to save him. They failed. “Ace is dead, yes, but you’re alive and that makes me happy. I’m sure Ace will kick my ass for not being dead, but at the same time, he’s probably happy I can help you.” He tried hard not to cry with her.

She nodded lightly, calming down, but didn’t let go of him. “Ace died with a smile on his lips... He looked peaceful, as if he had found an answer to his question. I’m sure he did.” She said, knowing exactly what question it was. Sabo hummed to that. “That’s good. He deserved to know. I’m glad you both found a family that gave you what you needed. Now, what are you going to do now?��

Freeing herself from his emrace, she dried her eyes. “I’m going to do everything I can to help Luffy become the King of the Pirates.” Sabo smiled softly at this. “Well, why don’t you come with me for a little while? You can gather some Intel on some of the people Luffy might need to fight to be the Pirate King. It could help Luffy if his crew had some knowledge and you can provide it to them.”

She grinned. “That does sound like a good plan. Where are we going?” Sabo chuckled. “Dressrosa.”