#made me think about how zosan would be like after a fight

[awaywithself]

after a real argument, a true misunderstanding that lacked the theatrical yelling and the kicking and slashing that often characterized their play fights, zoro and sanji leave to simmer in solitude. it’s easy to forget their anger, easier to forgive each other- harder to forgive themselves.

they’re both self-sacrificing and so self-critical, they’re disappointed and angry at themselves for the things they said, the way they behaved, the love they felt but failed to show. zoro makes his own food, feeling bad about desecrating sanji’s space but knowing he’d feel worse to assume that he still deserved sanji’s cooking- his thoughtfulness and his time. sanji sleeps on a couch, in a corner far away from their bedroom where there was no comforter, no warmth, no zoro, no love. the chill takes him to a place in his life confined by stone walls, and the punishment soothes him.

but they notice. and it hurts.

sanji puts away the sorry, microwaveable meal zoro had prepared for himself and cooks something kind and hearty, making sure to include all of zoro’s favorites. he packs it into tupperware so the love doesn’t leak out too much, staying nice and warm until whenever zoro feels hungry. he leaves a note and places it on the counter, removing himself from the scene. ‘eat properly, my marimo.’ when zoro eventually stumbles upon it, he sits at the counter, brows furrowed and chest aching as he takes his time to savor each bite, hoping that he’ll take long enough that he’ll be there when sanji next visits the kitchen.

at night zoro finds sanji on the ratty couch, trembling slightly from the cold but nonetheless sleeping. he shifts him, not-so-subtly prodding him around to make room for himself. sanji is roused from slumber, feeling how the cushions dip under zoro’s weight as he settles next to him, how his muscled arms wrap tightly around him and tuck him close. zoro buries his face in his neck and his broad figure shields him from the chill, protecting him from the emptiness of the room- his makeshift prison. ‘let’s move to the bed, dartbrow,’ he mumbles, and sanji fights tears as he nods, hand shifting to clasp around zoro’s and squeezing.

[nicestprinceofdeath]

Okey, so I've watched the fan letter of one piece, and it's amazing.

Anyways, it made me think that pirates in one piece are like the famous people in our world. People are their fans or heaters or just know they exist and that they are famous. People bet about them, make their own opinions, assumptions, thoughts, etc around pirates. In the fan letter for example, in the bar, the people were talking about the mugiwaras and discussing their own opinions about their strength and such.

So I thought that people would make fanfics about pirates and marines and those famous people.

Imagine people shipping Law and Luffy after they start their alliance. Or people shipping zosan because someone saw them fighting together against other pirates and they were awesome and deadly. Or people making fics about how Buggy made himself the leader of the cross guild. Some people ship pirates there too, some don't. People would write about captains and their firsts in command, like Luffy and Zoro, or Kid and Killer, ... People would write about Franky and Robin or Sachi and Penguin just because someone saw them talking once and thought they looked cute and started writing about them. And I think the more famous the pirate are the more fanfics about them there would be. Like the emperors have lots of fanfics written about them, and the warlords as well. The worst generation also is very famous now, so they would be the ones people are talking and writing now.

I don't really know, just people shipping pirates because they can, just as we do.

Some people would for sure write about marines.

There would be crazy stuff as well.

Some people would write fanfics about pirates with marines, because who doesn't like forbidden love?

And there would be like a secret system for people to write anonymously and for people to read those fanfics, because they don't want bad pirates or furious marines to find out, that could be dangerous. They are powerful so no one wants them to be aware of it. Or at least, no one wants them to know who are the writers and the readers of those fanfics. People'd like to be safe.

[inoreuct]

I've been lurking in the Zosan tag and I'm super in love with the snippets you've been posting! For a prompt, I really enjoy them being soft and taking care of each other after fights? Also love outsider POV if that seems fun to you.

wahshdhdhhs THANK YOU 😭 i’m having so much fun writing them and i had fun writing THIS :)) made it short and sweet and mostly from nami’s pov; soft but also they bicker because. when do they not. enjoy!

Nami huffed as she made her way to the galley, peckish after the battle. Sanji was probably there, but loathe as she was to admit it she’d feel a little bad to ask him to make something; that fight had taken a lot out of all of them, and she’d gotten off easy— The last she’d seen him he’d been wrapping his forearms with his shirt and trying to staunch the bleeding from several wicked slashes.

The door was cracked open when she got there. Strange. Sanji was meticulous about keeping it shut to keep Luffy out, but she supposed if he was to be lax at any time, it would be when he was injured. 

That was, until she heard the voices.

“Stop moving, shithead!”

“I’m not moving! The fuck are you—”

She peeked through into the kitchen and almost stopped breathing, hunger forgotten, fatigue banished, grin growing by the second.

“If you don’t stop fucking fidgeting it’s gonna leave a scar,” Zoro warned, tugging Sanji’s hand forward again and rolling his eyes at the cook’s dramatic sigh.

Sanji was perched on the dining table, one arm outstretched as Zoro shoved a needle threaded with fishing line through his skin. He tried to hide his wince at a particularly tender spot, shoulders jumping before they settled at Zoro’s soft sound of apology. Nami took a note at the back of her mind to get Luffy to befriend more doctors.

Still, looking at the arm that Zoro had already finished, the stitches were neater than Zoro would have done on himself; she’d seen the scars that he’d gotten from sewing himself up. They didn’t look like they’d had half this much care put into them.

“You’re lucky they aren’t that deep. The hell’d you go and do this for, shitty cook? You need your hands,” the swordsman mumbled, brows furrowing and actually sounding a little confused, and Nami simultaneously felt sorry for him and like she wanted to clobber the big idiot upside the head. 

“Ah, you know me,” Sanji sighed, slouching to the side dramatically but keeping his arm still. “Always the martyr—” Zoro levelled him with an unimpressed stare, cutting a stitch with a dry snip, and he faltered. “Well, I— I don’t know, marimo.” He shrugged, swallowing. His eyes were staring at something on the table. “I saw you there and just moved.”

Nami gathered her context clues and had to stop herself from pumping her fists. It was finally happening. The two idiots had been dancing around each other for ages; She and Usopp had a running bet on who would get their shit together first, but hell, at this point she didn’t even care who won.

Zoro sighed heavily, short and sharp, pushing Sanji’s skin together to finish off the last stitch. “Just— Don’t do it again.”

“The hell do you mean don’t do it again, you ingrate?!” Sanji squawked, outraged and hissing through his teeth when the fishing line was tightened. “I saved your life!”

“I would’ve been fine!”

“You would’ve been hurt—”

Zoro tossed the scissors and needle aside, brandishing a roll of gauze in Sanji’s face. “And what if you couldn’t cook anymore?!” 

“Well maybe, just maybe—” The cook snatched the gauze, gripping it in his fist with his eyes ablaze, “Really think about this, now— I care more about you than that, you moss-brained oaf.” He took a measured inhale, jaw working as he looked away. Nami was about to do a victory lap around the deck. “Good God, how long is it gonna take to get it through your thick skull…” 

“Curly-brow.” 

Sanji remained resolute, face turned to the side even as Zoro stepped closer.

“Oi, cook.”

He wound the gauze between his fingers, looking down.

“Sanji,” Zoro murmured. “Baby. Come here.”

Nami clapped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide as coins. This was a thing. They were already a thing. Oh, Usopp was absolutely going to lose his shit. 

Sanji swallowed, unable to escape when Zoro had callused hands on his knees and was dipping down to nose at his cheek. “First you want me to stop moving, now you want me to—” He cut off when Zoro kissed him, simple and sweet, thumb rubbing circles over his kneecap. “…Mm. Right, yes, I suppose that’s… a valid reason.”

“Thank you.” Zoro set his jaw, looking up at Sanji earnestly. “I mean it, curls. I know how much cooking means to you. And you said...”

Nami watched as Sanji’s face softened, his hand coming up to cup the side of Zoro’s face. “Of course, mon chou.”

The swordsman chuckled low in his chest. “Did you just call me a cabbage?”

“Wh— No.”

“Yes, you did.”

“How the hell do you know?”

“Our navigator doesn’t just have maps. Found a French dictionary lying around.” 

Shit, she’d been wondering where that had gone. Green-haired bastard.

“Said navigator’s been here since five minutes ago.”

Double shit. 

Sanji whipped around with a scandalised noise as she gave up the act and stood in the doorway properly. “Nami!”

“I didn’t see anything!” she cackled, just barely sheepish, hands up in a gesture of peace as she turned and hightailed it out of there. The smart thing to do would be to blackmail the shit out of Zoro—

But she thought of how gently they’d treated each other, the looks in their eyes, and sighed. She’d let them have this.

(But getting her to admit that they were good for each other or that she was happy for them would be harder than pulling teeth, she’d make sure of that.) *

“Go get me a wet cloth, darling, there’s blood in your hair.”

“You think she’ll snitch?” Zoro asked, running the tap over a clean dishcloth and wringing it out before walking back.

Sanji hummed, non-committal and slightly amused. “Would you mind if she did?” he asked lightly, seemingly unbothered as he wiped at the red drying tacky in Zoro’s hairline from where he’d been whacked over the head.

The swordsman laughed under his breath. He could feel the tension in Sanji from the way he was sitting, spine too straight as he wrapped his arms around the cook’s waist, hipbones pressed into the table’s edge between his thighs. “…Not really, no.”

“Nothing to worry about, then,” Sanji said, cool and composed, but this time he didn’t bother hiding the relief in his smile. “Now.” He pursed his lips, scrubbing the rest of the blood out of Zoro’s eyebrow. “To the showers with you, and then bed.”

Zoro held up the gauze. “Still gotta wrap your stitches.”

Sanji rolled his eyes again, the corners crinkling as he smiled. “Fine. Wrap, shower, bed.”

“Mm,” Zoro hummed, pulling him close and leaning up for one last kiss. “Perfect.” 

fin.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Obsession's Grip (Zosan X Reader) P2

Plot: After saving some of the straw hat crew from a prison, the crew help takes a young man away so he can have a fresh start in life. He's shy but seems to grow attached to Reader in an unhealthy way.

Warning: Bad Language, Violence and Making out

Reader is Female (Sorry), Zoro X Sanji X Reader, Poly relationship, established relationship. Reader has the ability to control the snake tattoos on her arms that come alive when she commands, they can change size and are connected to her emotions.

P1 - P3 - P4 - P5 - P6 - P7 - P8 - P9 - P10 - P11 - P12 - P13 - P14

The smell of delicious food and herbal tea fills the air as the crew dig into the plates, bowls and mugs set out along the dinning table. Percy was nervous at first about eating but when you have him a smile and a nod he happily tucked in, its clear he hasn't eaten properly in a while which is why Nami and Sanji slap Luffy's hand away from the young man's plate when ever the captain decides to try and grab food that wasn't his. Even though the cook doesn't like the young man he couldn't sit by and let someone go hungry, Chopper grew quite concerned when Percy took off the top of his janitor's uniform, the gray tank top underneath is baggy but the young mans collar bones and ribs where clear as day. Seeing this made everyone realize how dire his situation was and it even got Zoro thinking twice about kicking him off the ship and into the ocean. "Nami, could you please explain why this young man is on the ship?" Robin asks her soft eyes looking over to the navigator sitting next to her, Nami nods setting down her cup of tea then turning to Percy "I don't know too much about your situation so i think its best if you speak" The young man stops eating to look at her, you could see he was unsure as he wraps an arm around himself, but he nods at her before turning to look around the table. "Well i never wanted to join the marines but on my island there was a recruitment program, not many people accepted, so they started to use force, closing down shops, making rent go up, limiting ships coming in and out. It was hard but my people aren't fighters, were more academic so joining the marines to fight and only fight wasn't something we wanted."

Percy sighs looking down at his plate still full of food, but he doesn't touch it instead he gives it a sad look "More people joined but it wasn't enough for them, so they started taking people, going door to door and dragging out those who fit their criteria, i was one of them but i didn't make it past basic training, so they made me a janitor for the prison. It was hell, they called me a deserter even though i didn't try and run, their no point when the place is like a maze, and they treat you like a stray dog. One meal a day, no going outside, four hours of sleep and then the rest of your time is spent cleaning... Thank you, if it weren't for you guy's i would still be there so... Thank you" Percy manages a smile looking around the table, some of the crew smile back while Franky and Chopper both wipe away a tear "It's ok, were happy to help, your so brave" The two cry out feeling bad for the young man who seems to have gone through hell, your heart breaks at his story but you manage not to cry. Luffy give the young man a big smile while patting his over sized belly "You helped my friends so of course we'd help back" The others nod at their captain but Zoro sighs and crosses his arms over his chest "He can't stay on the ship forever, we should drop him off on the next island" The swordsman leans back closing his eyes only to be hit in the back of the head by a towel, Sanji glares down at the moss head throwing the towel back over his shoulder as Zoro turns growling at the cook "Be nice, he's a guest" Sanji yells as Zoro stands out of his chair glaring at the cook starting to bicker with the blonde.

Ignoring the two you lean forwards to look at the young man across form you "I hate to admit it, but he's right, we can't keep you on the ship its not safe, but i don't think taking you back home is a good idea either." You state getting the young man's attention, his eyes meet yours turning a little sad before looking down starting to shy away but you reach out and tap his hand bringing him back to you "That doesn't mean we're just going to dump you on the next island, we'll find an island with a village, a place where you can live and do what you want away from the marines." You smile seeing his eyes light up at your words, Nami nods agreeing with you while placing a hand on the young man's shoulder "She's right but until then we do need help around the ship" Robin lets out a giggle knowing the navigator will get what she wants while Usopp leans back in his chair and groans out the navigators name. Chopper sighs at her words shaking his head "I'd like to do a health check, i think he should rest for a few days before thinking of doing work" The doctor speaks up looking over at the orange haired girl with pleading eyes, the navigator goes to protest since she doesn't want someone lazing around the ship the whole time but you manage to interpret "Some good food and a descent sleep will do him good. He's not going to be sitting around all the time but like our Doctor said, he needs rest and time to recover. Right Doctor Chopper?" You ask turning to look at the reindeer who starts to wiggle with a dark blush spreed across his furry cheeks "That's right but you don't have to call me doctor, you idiot"

Nami sighs and nods her head giving in to the two of you, Luffy suddenly jumps up, running over to Percy grabbing his arm and pulling him out of his seat causing the young man to yelp in shock "Come on, i want to show you around" Before the captain can run off with the young man Nami grabs the back of Luffy's shirt while Chopper runs around the table to stop them from going anywhere "Be careful Luffy, i need to do a check up first" the Doctor panics a little not wanting the young man to get hurt while Nami pry's the captain's hand off Percy's arm "He needs a bath and clean clothes before going anywhere else" The navigator yells pulling the captain away from Percy, Usopp sighs and stands up starting to head out the room "I'll get the bath ready" he calls out, Brook stands up while looking Percy over "I'll find you some spare clothes, i'm sure we'll have something that fits" The skeleton then makes his way out of the kitchen, Robin soon stands up as well taking Nami by the shoulders to calm her down and stop the navigator from trying to strangle their captain "I'll get my kit to fix your hair, it must be uncomfortable with all that matting" Robin give Percy a smile who places a hand on his greasy and matted hair while nodding, Chopper takes the young man's hand starting to pull him over to the doctor's office "I'll give you a quick check up and then you can get a bath" The Doctor smiles leading the young man into the medical room before closing the door. The once noisy room is now much quieter since most of the crew have left, Nami left dragging Luffy out to do something, Franky headed out to continue fixing the stairs and Robin left to get her hair kit only leaving you, Sanji and Zoro.

Standing out of your chair you turn to see your too loves who are gripping onto each others shirts while glaring with their foreheads presses together, their no longer yelling at each other and have now decided to just angrily stare, waiting for one of them to give in. Letting out a small laugh you start picking up empty plates and glasses before walking over to the sink "You boy's gonna stand there all day?" You ask with a smile starting to wash the dishes, Zoro growls in resonance not taking his eyes off the cook "Not until he admits he was rude" Sanji's grip tightens struggling between wining the argument and helping you with the dishes "I wasn't being rude i was making a point" The swordsman growls back not willing to back down, huffing out a laugh you continue to wash the dishes starting to pile them up on the side "Would you like my input?" You ask hoping to defuse the situation, its fun at times watching the two bicker but it's been going on a while now and you know the longer it goes on for the more time it takes for the two to calm down. The two think for a moment before giving you their answer "Yes" they both hope you'll take their side but thats not normally how you do things, you try to look at things from different angles "Zoro, you were right to say that but the way you said it was rude" Putting the last of the dishes aside you dry your hands and walk back around to the table watching as your two lovers continue to glare "You made it seem like we were just going to kick him onto any island that we pass by, he was probably worried that it might be an inhabited one, and he'll be stuck" You continue picking up plates that still have food on them and stacking them up your arms.

Zoro sighs at your words not realizing how it sounded, but he didn't want to give in and say he was wrong, Sanji on the other hand gave the swordsman a smirk feeling victorious but that smirk soon vanishes at your next words "It sounded rude yes but it didn't deserve a hit, we could have avoided all of this if you just reassured Percy instead of hitting Zoro, Sanji" You smirk watching as the cooks once cocky smirk turns into a look of slight shock and sadness not liking it when you scold him, putting the half-eaten food in the compost you place the rest of the untouched, which is very little, into the fridge before returning to the sink "That's all i have to say, now if you two could please make up I'd like to spend some time with my boys before something else gets in the way" You giggle washing the dishes again as the two sigh and let go of each other, their glares soon vanish but after a while of the two not talking you clear your throat with slight anger getting the two to jump slightly "S-sorry for... being rude" Zoro struggles to get out, turning his head away the swordsman rubs the back of his head while Sanji sigh looking down at his shoes "I'm sorry for hitting you" The cook looks back up while holding out his arms inviting the green haired man in for a hug, a harsh sigh leaves the green haired man's lips, but he steps into the hug wrapping his arms around the blonde's waist, the two relax into each other "Y-you know i... I love you" Zoro mumbles pressing his face into Sanji's neck who lets a large smile grow at the swordsman's words "I know, i love you too... Moss head" The cook chuckles earning a jab in the side from the swordsman "I was trying to be nice"

Drying your hands you turn to look at the two seeing the situation much calmer and the two now joking around instead of actually fighting "I'm sorry i couldn't help myself, your so cute" Sanji laughs pulling Zoro's slightly red face out of his neck, the swordsman growls grabbing the cook's tie to pull him closer "I'm not cute" the green haired man glares before quickly pressing his lips onto the blondes, Sanji leans in expecting it to be longer but the swordsman pulls away quite quickly while pushing the cook away slightly "You don't deserve a full one" Zoro chuckles walking away from the dumbfounded cook and over to you "Need a hand baby?" The swordsman asks running his hand up and down your waist, grabbing a towel you push it into the man's chest before leaning it "You can be a good boy and dry the dishes for me" Zoro smirks down at you giving you a nod while bending down to kiss you only for your finger to stop his lips, standing on your tip toes your get close to his ear "You can have a proper kiss after" you whisper placing light kisses long his jaw line until your back to flat feet, pulling away from his hold the swordsman grumbles under his breath but gets to work on drying the dishes as you lean against the counter behind him. "My love, did you hear what the mean swordsman said to me?" Sanji sighs with a pout walking over to you after managing to snap himself out of the state Zoro left him in, turning you open your arms for him letting the cook rest his head on your chest as you stroke his hair "I know honey but you were being quite cheeky" You pout back trying not to laugh as the cook wraps his arms around your waist and buries his head in your chest "But he is cute when he blushes" The cook mumbles into your chest finally earning a laugh from you.

The vain on Zoro's head twitches as anger and embarrassment runs though him, quickly turning the swordsman throws the towel at the cook "I said i'm not cute" The green haired man yells but Sanji chuckles pulling his head away from your chest to watch you laugh, he loves seeing it, the way your eye lids half close over your slightly teary eyes, your fingers barely covering your lips as your laughter echo's out in such a sweet tune. Sighing Zoro gives in seeing he's already lost the cook's attention, but he can't complain he loves it when you give a hearty laugh, the way your body shakes with each chuckle, how your head is tilted slightly back leaving your hair to bounce and sway and the way your face scrunches up due to that big smile. Walking over the the swordsman puts his arm around your back admiring your features while you try and calm down "You have to admit Zo, you are kinda cute" Reaching up you pinch his cheek but instead of getting angry he just looks down at you with soft eyes while starting to lean closer his lips brushing against yours "You haven't finished yet" You playfully glare, Sanji hums but not in agreement instead he places his head in your neck giving it a kiss "Maybe he just needs some encouragement" Zoro chuckles at this while nodding taking your chin in his fingers, letting out one last giggle you close the gap kissing the swordsman who hums in delight, the swordsman licks your lower lip but you keep them closed while placing your hand on his chest lightly pushing him. Zoro groans puling away from your lips with an annoyed look "After your finished" You stare not giving in until he's done that one job, grabbing the towel off the floor he throws it on the counter before grabbing a new one starting to dry the dishes.

Sanji pulls away from your neck to look over your slightly red face "Your cute when you blush too my love" The cook whispers nudging his nose against yours before lightly kissing your lips, running your hands over his cheeks you pull him back in for a longer kiss which he happily leans into pulling your waist closer to his body. Lightly biting your lower lip the blonde asks for permission with you gladly accept, letting his tongue in the two of you hum in unison enjoying the gentle touches and warm lips for a while until air is needed. Cupping the cooks face you part from his lips slightly breathless, Zoro turns to the two of you finally done with his task, his hands wrap around the two of you as his head moves to your neck starting to kiss it "I'm done, do i get my reward now?" The swordsman asks with a smirk, the cook runs his hand over Zoro's cheek and into his hair slightly pulling to make the man move away from your neck "Since you've been so patient i think we can give you that, right love?" The cook asks turning to you while the swordsman looks between the two of you raising his eyebrow wondering what your up too, letting out a small laugh you nod running your hand up the swordsman's neck and into his hair lightly gripping it as well "I agree hun, he's done so well" You smirk leaning closer to Zoro along with Sanji both of you placing kisses on his cheeks and down to his jawline. "Hay Miss Y/N I-" Percy pushes open the door to the kitchen only to stop in shock at seeing the three of you together, his interposition causes the swordsman to growls his grip on his two lovers tightening as he glares angrily at the young man. Sanji sighs keeping his lips close to Zoro while giving the young man a side eye wanting him to go away, looking over you let out a sigh fearing that you've scared the young man.

Percy gulps frozen in place mainly because of the angry looks both men are giving him "I-I'm sorry, I-i just wanted to ask you something b-but I'll come back later" The young man takes a step back his hand reaching behind him for the door handle "Go wait on the mast bench, I'll be there in a few minutes" At your words the young man nods walking backwards out of the kitchen and closing the door. Zoro growls again not happy that you were interrupted and that you'll be leaving soon but you turn back to him starting to kiss his cheek and jawline again "Calm down, i'm not going anywhere until you get your reward" Your smile against his skin getting the swordsman to relax his grip on you and Sanji, the cook hums in agreement starting to kiss his cheek and jawline going back to how things were before being interrupted. Grabbing Zoro's chin you turn his face to you letting Sanji kiss down his neck while nipping at the skin, rubbing your thumb over the green haired man's lips you lean in placing a light kiss on his lips before taking his bottom lips between your teeth. His breath quickens unable to take your teasing, crashing his lips onto yours the swordsman forces his tongue into your mouth while your hand grips onto his hair keeping his head to the side so Sanji has free access. Zoro hums into you moving his tongue with yours until you pull away slightly breathless, letting go of his chin Sanji's hand takes your place and pulls the swordsman's face over to him giving you free access to the man's neck. The cook brushes his lips over the swordsman's before connecting fully while you start kissing down his neck and to his shoulder where you lightly bite earning a groan. "How's your reward?" You whisper against his neck as you start kissing up it again "I love it" Zoro mumbles against the blondes lips.

[the-fluff-piece]

Tropetember day 10

Zosan drunk confession

After discovering their mutual attraction, their blossoming romance was cut short by the events of the timeskip

But they didn't forget each other, they just need a nudge in the right direction

This is part 3

Part 2

Part 1

Zoro

He knew that they would meet again. After two years, the strawhats where reunited and celebrated together.

Neither Zoro nor Sanji have openly acknowledged what happened on Thriller Bark. It was almost as if it didn't happen.

The cook was swooning over the girls like always. While Zoro drank by himself. Like always.

For two years, Zoro had trained to become stronger, to lift a bit of the burden off Sanji's shoulders. To keep all of them alive.

When he woke up in Mihawk's Castle, Zoro desperately craved for the cooks food. For another secret embrace. No day would go by where Zoro wouldn't think about him, build scenarios in his head where he might have landed. And imagined how they would meet again.

Yet, sanji didn't let on anything. For all Zoro cared, he could pamper the girls all night long. But being so blatantly ignored hurt. For every time Sanjis eyes wandered past him, he drank.

Sanji

After two years in hell, he was finally back where he belonged, with his crew, the ladies. And Zoro. Not that he missed him. He missed the fighting. Missed a real man....

During lonely nights and stressful days on that wretched island, he often wished that Zoro would come and help him defeat ivankov and his subjects and save him.

But he couldn't admit that there was more to it. The whole picture of his manhood rested on his devotion to ladies, and his feeling put all of it into question.

He couldn't look at the swordsman right now. He had gotten broader, taller. More handsome. It was too much.

He went outside for a quick smoke, it was already late. As he stared up at the night sky, he heard someone approach. Uneven, loud footsteps.

"Marimo, drunk already?" He turned around - and was slammed against the wall with force. Enough to make him really feel it, but not so much that it hurt.

Zoro's hand was flat on his chest and held him in place.

"What's up with you?" He spit the cigarette bud on the floor, ready for one of his fights with Zoro.

"Finally looking at me?" Zoro said, his speech slurred, "I could almost think...that you're not happy to see me." He focused on Sanji with his good eye.

"As happy as I can be, seeing you" Sanji said. It meant all and nothing at the same time.

"Well I am....I am really glad that you made it back. Didn't forget what you did for me on Thriller Bark. And after." The pressure subsided and he let his hand fall to his side.

"Marimo, you're drunk. Go to bed." Sanji could smell the Sake on Zoro's breath and turned to leave.

Zoro's hand shot up in front of him and slammed into the wall, barring his escape. Now he was angry. He turned to Zoro, ready to kick, when he was taken off guard. He expected to be slammed into the wall, to be thrown around, hit by a sword hilt in the face.

Anything but Zoro's face coming nearer, pressing a kiss to his lips. It was a drunk kiss, rough-lipped, surprising and messy. Desperate.

He couldn't help but return it in kind, holding on to Zoro's arm that had stopped him before.

"I knew it" Zoro broke the kiss to whisper, "you missed me, too. Had a long time to think about you. Us."

Sanji was at a total loss for words, his head empty.

"If you're not talking..." Zoro grabbed his chin and devoured his mouth once more. The only answer Sanji had to give was to draw the swordsman's body closer. Zoro understood perfectly.

"I want you, too" He answered unspoken words between kisses. "I need you, too."

Sanji turned his head away, panting. He couldn't let Zoro take all the credit, do everything.

He may not be the smoothest gentleman right now, but he also wasn't with a lady. No rules he had ever obsessed about applied here. He didn't need sweet words, didn't even need to be gentle. He grabbed Zoro's coat and yanked him around, taking charge.

"I l..like you, too" the words came stuttered and insecurely, but the important thing was that he said them. He looked into Zoro's smiling face and knew - nothing would be as before.

_________

So full transparency: I am not really sure about it and of course I started far to late and have no expence in writing the couple.

Let's just see it as my personal practice for more ZoSan in the future.

[lex-munro]

[More Like Grand-Ish: Part 5] Selfish

Lost my place for a bit, there…OPLA ZoSan randomness; Sanji’s POV and speech use UK English.

Misunderstandings, because Zoro is prickly and Sanji is not great at reading him.  Reconciling one another’s priorities is a key step in a long-term relationship.

Timeline-wise, we’re still between Conomi and Loguetown, thanks to their little detour.

Canon divergent/universe alterations, gay!Zoro and anything-that’s-pretty-enough!Sanji, ubiquitous bad language.  Recognizeable characters belong to Netflix, Oda, Jump, etc.

 ***

Selfish

Sanji was kneading pasta dough and thinking.  He was thinking about the past, yeah…but also about the dream he’d abandoned and retrieved, and about the future, and about the way romances tended to progress.

“Oy, mossy,” he said.  Zoro made an inquisitive noise from the bench where he was catnapping, so Sanji went on.  “I’ve been thinking about stuff.  And I just wanna let you know that, if our dreams point us in separate directions, I won’t be selfish and make you stay with me.”

One dark eye opened and stared at him.  “Selfish.”

“Yeah.  Y’know…like how…maybe some guy’s wife lands the perfect job on another island, and since it pays more, maybe he gives up his own beloved career to move house.  I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“If it wasn’t selfish…would you want me to stay?”

Sanji paused, confused.  “What?”

“Say I achieve my dream first…would you want me around while you look for All Blue?”

“If you’d already achieved your dream, it’d be a moot point—I’m talkin’ about if the paths diverge.  Like, if I had an urgent lead, but some amazing master gave you a one-time offer to train with him before he dies.”

“But if I decided—all on my own—to follow you instead, would you be happy?”

Sanji blew his hair away from his eyes and aggressively kneaded the dough.  “How the hell could I be happy that you were giving up your dream because of me?”

“It wouldn’t be giving it up, and it’d be for me,” Zoro insisted against all logic.  “Pursuing my dream has already almost gotten me killed once.  Maybe it really will, someday.  So we go after your dream first, and then we go after mine.”

“Are you not listening to me at all?”

“I think you’re not listening.”

“I’m telling you I’m not selfish enough to do that!”

“Selfish,” Zoro said again, sitting up.  “So it’s selfish of me to want to be happy.”

Sanji glared at him.  “I didn’t say that.  I don’t wanna be the reason you put your wants aside, and I don’t think I could still love you if you just gave up on your promise.”

“Why would we part ways when we fight well together and being with you makes me happy?  But you’re saying that wanting to stay together makes me selfish.  I can’t want more than one thing, I can’t be human, I can only be the Demon of East Blue.  Go fuck yourself, shitty waiter,” Zoro hissed, and stalked out of the galley.

“What?” Sanji said to the empty room.

~

Zoro nursed his hurt feelings and stung pride up in the crow’s nest.

If Sanji wanted to call it quits, he could just say that.  He didn’t have to—to talk in riddles and obtuse hypotheticals.  And it didn’t seem fair, anyway, when Sanji had been the one to catch feelings first.

Right?

Was Zoro really so pathetic that he’d fall head-over-heels for the first guy who slept wth him for longer than a week?

……

Yes.

Absolutely.

A beautiful guy who fucked him right and understood his obsessions?  A guy whose own obsession permeated almost every moment of his life?  Yeah, he’d fallen in love basically right away.

Except apparently Sanji didn’t actually understand.  Fulfilling his promise would always be the most important thing in his life, but he could train and follow Sanji.  He could train and be in love; he was sure of it.

Maybe Sanji couldn’t.  Or maybe he had some weird guilt thing where he thought Luffy wouldn’t be ecstatic to look for All Blue and the One Piece at the same time once they hit the Grand Line.

Or maybe he was truly getting sick of Zoro.  Maybe he didn’t like the sweaty and salty smell, the rough hair, the admitted utter lack of social graces.  Maybe he missed delicate girls, polite society, tits…

Yeah.

Sanji was fancy.  He was (estranged) royalty.  That kind of people didn’t mingle with the likes of him in the long-term.  They slummed it for little stretches, trying to get a thrill or two, and then they went back to their fancy parties with unpronounceable food.

The novelty had come back for a while after Tuni, because somebody else had been playing with his toy, and now it was gone again.

Zoro leaned his head back against the mast and closed his eyes.

Fuck.

So stupid, getting so attached to somebody from such a different world.

“I’m shit,” Sanji called up from the deck, scattering every thought in the swordsman’s head.  “I’m awful.  The worst.”

Zoro peered over the edge of the crow’s nest.  “Don’t talk about my boyfriend that way,” he said.

Sanji pouted up at him.  “Can you find it in your heart to forgive me, precious?”

“Guess that depends on which part you apologize for.”

“If we go after my dream first and the All Blue doesn’t exist, you’ll be wasting your life.”

“Oh, us being together is a waste,” Zoro drawled, and settled back down to sulk.  “Thanks for clearing that up.”

“Wait, I didn’t mean it like that!  Why are you being so—so—”  Sanji made a frustrated noise.

“You don’t want a long haul, I get it,” Zoro offered.  “People fall in and out of love, don’t they?  It’s fine, it happens, and I know I’m nothing like your usual taste.  But you keep trying to put pretty garnishes on the hard shit, when you should just tell me the fuckin’ truth.”

“What about you?  Almost four months, and you still don’t even trust me.  We’re so close to the Grand Line that we could spit on Loguetown, we’re about to enter the Pirate’s Paradise, we’ll be facing life-or-death situations side-by-side on a daily basis.  You say you love me, and you say you believe me when I say I love you, but you don’t trust me.”

“I trust exactly two people in the world:  that rubberized embodiment of honesty we call a captain, and the man who tried to teach me to be more than some bloodthirsty savage with a sword.”

There was a long pause down below.

Any moment, he’d hear the click of metal-reinforced shoes going back into the galley…

Instead, “You don’t even trust yourself?” Sanji asked in a funny tone.

“Trust the guy who caused his only friend’s death and had to run away from home to keep his promise to her?” scoffed Zoro.  “The guy who routinely trades lives for berri?  The guy who couldn’t even tell his boyfriend had been replaced by a shitty copy for three weeks?”

“Stop being mean to my boyfriend,” Sanji said, and it sounded like he was trying to pretend it was funny when they both knew it was just tragic.

“Nah, fuck that idiot.  Trusting that guy has only ever led me to misery.”

There was another long pause, punctuated by the soft creak of rope and the idle flap of rippling canvas.

“I’d trust that guy with my life,” Sanji said, peeking over the edge of the crow’s nest.

Zoro made a face.

Sanji pouted again.  “Permission to come aboard?”

“You still haven’t apologized, or even said what you’re apologizing for.”

“I don’t not want to be with you,” Sanji said.

Zoro was not impressed.

Sanji ducked his head.  “Zoro.  Please, can I climb in and sit with you?”

“I reserve the right to jump,” the swordsman grumbled.

“Nah, yeah, that’s fair,” Sanji replied a little dispiritedly.  But he went ahead and climbed in, settling on the floor against Zoro’s side.  He was pleasantly warm.  “So, obviously I need to explain.”

“So obvious Luffy would notice,” Zoro agreed.

Sanji grimaced.  He pressed a little more firmly to Zoro’s side, like a cat begging forgiveness.  “I can do long haul.  After the first month, I kinda started aiming for it.  I had a dream one night…we were a lot older, gray hair and wrinkles and all.  We had our own ship in Luffy’s armada, where I ran a restaurant and you steered us from legendary opponent to legendary opponent, and young guys would come and prostrate themselves for a chance at your tutelage.  And we were so happy.”

Zoro sternly quelled the fluttering in his belly, but jostled Sanji gently with a shrug.  “That’s a good dream.”

“But it’s just a dream,” Sanji went on.  “And the more I thought about it, the more I knew I didn’t want to drag you into that, hoping for some fantasy, only to find years down the line that you felt trapped and resentful.”

Zoro watched and contemplated while Sanji fidgeted.  When he figured he’d drawn it out long enough, he said, “Every trap I’ve ever been in, I walked into it knowingly.  There are things more important than some abstract notion of ‘freedom.’“

“Right, but what I’m saying is—”

“You really think I’d stick around if I resented you?  That’s not how my version of loyalty works.”

“No, I know that—”

“Do you?”

Sanji stopped.  He blinked.  He stared at Zoro.  He gave a soft little self-deprecating smile.  “Yeah, I guess I do.  I’m just afraid of turning into my shitty father.”

“Well, if he fucks as well as you do…” Zoro teased, softening the blow by draping himself over Sanji’s chest and wiggling his eyebrows.

“Oh, ugh, yuck!” groaned Sanji.  “Guh, mental images—urgh, they’re not leaving—”

Zoro felt like he might burst with fondness.  Instead, he allowed a little chuckle and nuzzled noses.

“No, I’m not gonna kiss you.  You’ve traumatised me, you brute.”

“You sure?  Not even if I flutter my eyelashes and bite my lip and tell you how much I love you, despite you being a total dumbass?”

“Oy, you’re the dumbarse.”

“What a shame, to never kiss me again!” Zoro said, and heaved a theatrical sigh.

“I did not say never.  You’ll just need to be a little more persuasive after the horrors inflicted by my imagination.”

Zoro put on his blandest expression and said, “Oh, Sanji, you’re so handsome and magnanimous.  Surely you would be so benevolent as to kiss me until my lips are numb and I forget all that bullshit you were spouting earlier.”

“Ah, a terrible sacrifice,” Sanji purred, coaxing Zoro properly into his lap.  “But one I am assuredly willing to make.”

 .End.

[sukisukidaysook]

Okay, I have thought of more pairings for you for the bingo game:

• Lanamia;

• Krisnix;

• Wrightworth;

• Solkat;

• Vrisrezi;

• Zosan.

I'm sorry if it's too much. If you don't want to do a bingo for all of these, it's fine.

I’m putting in depth thoughts under a readmore bc it’s gonna get LONG BABY!!!

LANAMIA:

OUGHHHH THEY WOUND ME!!!! Intellectually attracted. Lana fumbled Mia soooo badly and honestly I ship them as an OT3 including Diego <333 Lana had to become corrupt to save her sister while Mia fought corruption and died because of it… Lana the chief being called by Mia’s killer and informed through that (which I get was a translation error BUT MY GOD THE IMPLICATIONS!!!)… Imagine Godot trying to contact Lana to discuss Mia after he wakes up or them meeting in prison after TT…. UGH. Lanamia.

KRISNIX:

I’m fuckding crazy. They are toxic. They match each other’s freak. They pretended to be friends but they knew they were lying to each other (but what if those feelings got too real? What if it wasn’t an act? but you can’t let your guard down, no, not now, not after everything you’ve worked for). THEY SPIED ON EACH OTHER. for seven years. Kristoph made Phoenix more corrupt but Phoenix made Kristoph more human but they damaged each other and spiraled into madness. Kristoph ruined Phoenix’s like and Phoenix returned the favor. They are the same polar of a magnet, the same in every sense but always five steps away from each other, never able to get too close.

WRIGHTWORTH/NARUMITSU:

What is there to say that hasn’t already been said? I went through the pipeline. I hated Edgeworth and then instantly understood why the pairing is so popular. Childhood friends, to strangers, to enemies, to friends, to enemies again (one sided), to friends, and then lovers. They have long periods where they don’t talk or see each other and yet their bond only gets stronger each time. I don’t believe in soulmates and I hate the concept but if soulmates did exist, Narumitsu has that going.

SOLKAT:

Homestuck is fucked for separating them but at least they were put back together RECENTLY. They are so DOOMED in the main webcomic. They are best fucking friends and the closest each other has (outside, maybe, Sollux and Aradia). “kk dont u2e the computer explo2iion code iit wiill explode your computer” “FUCK YOU” and then the computer exploded. Sollux is Karkat’s IT guy (romantic). I think they could easily vacillate flushed and pitch and pale and. Yeah they are soo multi quadranted (with flush as the main). Goddd I miss them. When Sollux left it BROKE me. Davekat could never have what they have.

VRISREZI:

EVERYBODY GIVE IT UP FOR TOXIC DOOMED YURI!!!! WOOOO!!! They find each other in every universe. They are perfectly pitched (but also a little flushed). They have a POWERFUL rivalry like nobody else and are always evenly matched, bouncing one step ahead of each other. They act like they hate (platonic) each other at times but it’s sooo clear how much they care about each other. They would do anything to stop the other (cuz they are pitched rivals) but they would do anything FOR each other too. They make my head hurt and I mean this positively.

ZOSAN:

The fandom has them so wrong they are NOT CUTE YAOI they are MEAN and they FIGHT and that is their love language. They are a great example of Homestuck pitched. Sanji cooks Zoro’s favorite food because he has it memorized and Zoro eggs him on and threatens him but he’s eating the food and so clearly enjoying it and they keep up their bickering which escalates to a fight but they are fully in sync every step. They are a POWERFUL duo in fighting and they cover each other’s weaknesses FLAWLESSLY. They CARE about each other and their “love to hate” was clearly shown early on through Dorry and Broggy’s parallel, which is the same arc where this dynamic started. I don’t want them canon because I do like the friend dynamic the crew canonically has, but they are WONDERFUL in fanon.

[theclearblue]

For the ship ask : ZoSan - Zoro & Sanji and MobRei - Mob (aged up) & Reigen and SatoSugu - Gojo and Getou.... Thx

Thank you for sending this is in!!

Zosan

Ship it

Fun fact I was pretty against this ship at the beginning when I first started watching (now it's my fave op ship lmao). I think the turning point for me was maybe Water 7/Enies Lobby when they really start working together, and Zoro worries about Sanji on the sea train. But when it became my favorite was probably the Nothing Happened scene and also when Kuma is chasing the strawhats in Sabaody. Just the way they clearly care so much for each other and their dreams where Zoro first protects Sanji in Thriller Bark, and then Sanji is worried enough about Zoro in Sabaody to protect him over Nami??? Yeaaaahhhh I started falling down the Zosan well pretty deep after that lmao

I think what makes Zosan fun is that they fight ALL the time but it's like...play fighting lmao?? If you've ever had cats where they just bat at each other and wrestle but they don't really hurt each other, it's all in good fun and then they snuggle up to each other? That's the Zosan dynamic to me lmaooo. But also under that I think they trust and respect each other more than anyone, both in a fight but also with what they view as the worst parts of themselves. Lots of potential with them I think (also VERY interested to see how the Wano oath will come back around because it will...)

Hmm I think sometimes when people write Zosan they either lean too much into domestic sappy lovers or just straight up toxic lmao. They are the pinnacle of cranky old married couple so when they don't make fun of each other anymore or playfight well..that's not Zosan lol, but then sometimes people go way to far the other way where they don't like each other at all and scream at each other and miscommunicate and that's just not any fun either, there's a balance.

MobRei

Don't Ship It

Usually I don't like an aged up ship unless you're aging up both characters, it's hard for me to get past an age gap that big because it colors so much of the dynamic. Even aging them up I think I couldn't stop imagining Reigen as the cringefail older brother/mentor type of figure to Mob.

Hmm honestly maybe aging Reigen down to Mob's age might be ok? As like a childhood friends kind of thing instead? I still don't think I would see that as romantic though.

Hmmm I think this one just isn't for me sorry

Satosugu

Ship it

God, what doesn't make me ship it? I know Ij ust made a post yesterday where I was like "You could interpret them as brothers!" and like, you COULD but this feels like the most obvious romantic subtext of all time with every scene they have. But I started shipping them when I read Hidden Inventory/Premature Death, and then the ship became really solidified with a JJK 0 reread and with the Gojo sealing scene. Gay disasters of all time.

I've talked about this a bit before but just the way that there is nobody else for them, nobody will understand Gojo like Geto does and vice versa. They are a pair, until they suddenly aren't, and neither really know how to navigate that. I think they embody a lot of the core themes of JJK really well, about love and death and corruption and loneliness. I think there are just a lot of different avenues to explore them, from pre HI arc to Geto's descent to the 10 years in between to JJK 0 and to Shibuya. They really do it all lmao, and of course, I am tragedy enjoyer first and foremost and they deliver.

Geto gets woobified waaaayyy too much by satosugu lovers. He is undeniably a victim under the jujutsu system and his struggles are very painful and even sympathetic, but I think some satosugu fans really erase his flaws way too much and end up blaming Gojo for everything? Which I think is wildly unfair.

[aimbutmiss]

https://www.tumblr.com/aimbutmiss/748143921530535936/i-just-came-across-a-zosan-post-about-zoro-on-wci?source=share

I don't know, I think we can all have different opinions.

And you know, I disagree with you. Look, I don't think they would fight, something that Zoro and Sanji have in common is not interfering in their captain's problems unless they see it necessary and Zoro is also someone very perceptive. Which makes me think that maybe he would have realized why Sanji was acting like that, who knows?

But I do know that Zoro would not have interfered in Sanji and Luffy's "fight", nor would he fight Sanji unless he thought it was necessary.

I advise you not to take their silly "fights" as something that would become a problem in a serious moment, when you know that in situations like this Zoro and Sanji put that aside to work together to the point of having the same opinion about the situation and supporting each other

Also stop believing that at this point Zoro would put Luffy first over all the Strawhats, it sounds similar to those who say that Zoro would kill any Strawhat if Luffy asked him to.

At this point in the story Zoro has learned because of what happened with Nami, Usopp and Robin, that it is better to first know what is happening before acting.

Yes, at first he had a different reaction with Sanji because their dynamic is different and he trusts Sanji and he felt betrayed, but that would not cause a serious fight, and after knowing what was happening he felt worried for Sanji (Luffy said it), but Zoro had to continue pretending that he didn't care about Sanji, because that's how they and their relationship are.

The Strawhats are his family and he is the protector of the crew, in situations like this he would first want to know what is happening and then decide what to do.

I was gonna start this post by thanking you for stating your disagreement in kind words but some sentences are too stabby for my liking so I'll skip the pleasantries. I will not hold it against you, though. I got really heated in my initial post too after all.

Look, we both clearly care about these characters and that's why my thoughts, which are clearly different to yours, bothered you so much—enough to write this long ass ask at least. So out of my respect and understanding for your feelings, I'm gonna try to go through everything you said one by one. Forgive me if I fail to be clear and miss anything.

First of all, you're making a lot of assumptions about me and my thoughts from simply one short post. I never said the "fight" in question would be anything like their gag fights. I wasn't even referring to a physical fight, more of a verbal clash of two individuals struggling through a mentally exhausting and borderline traumatising event. I could have worded it better initially, so maybe that's on me.

Zoro is emotionally intelligent indeed. He's good at reading people and he knows it's better not to assume, especially from experience Iike you've said. However, he's not one for words. He doesn't comment on things, and when he does he can be easily misunderstood because he's not good with words. And Sanji is an overthinker with deeply rooted self esteem issues. The two just don't mix, it's recipe for disaster. Even if Zoro knows something is wrong and Sanji has his reasons for leaving, he's not gonna be able to articulate that clearly. One wrong word could set off Sanji's already spiriling mind and set off a screaming match. Not a silly one, no, a very emotionally taxing argument that would do nothing in terms of them solving their problems. If anything, it would make things worse by pushing Sanji further away and making Zoro feel guilty and tired. The last thing Luffy needs is dealing with extra baggage.

I also hate when people say "Zoro would kill his crewmates for Luffy" because it completely erases Zoro's love for his friends. Here again you've put my words into my own mouth and made an incorrect assumption about my thoughts. We actually agree here, to some extent. You know I finished that post by saying "fanon thrives when it's built on canon" right??? Ignoring Zoro's love and care for his crewmates is exactly what I'm against because it stomps all over Zoro's character. When I said Zoro always puts Luffy first, I was referring to his dedication to his status as captain. He knows Luffy will never back down from getting back Sanji, and that is not a problem for him, however the moment Sanji does anything to disrespect Luffy his first mate instincts will clash with what Luffy wants. Just like back in Water 7 when he made sure Usopp apologized before coming back. What makes you think he wouldn't hold Sanji to the same standard??? "It's been two years, he must have learnt from his mistakes-" but was what he did even a mistake? I don't think so. Zoro is a man with ideals and he would have upheld them to the end, even if it ended up making things tougher on Luffy and Sanji. Because in the end, it was for the crew's own benefit.

Of course the straw hats are Zoro's family and he cares deeply for them. I never said that wasn't the case. But wanting to do what's best for your crew and actually doing it are two different things. People make mistakes, especially in high stress situations like Whole Cake. Zoro's not perfect, he's a 21 year old who's deeply worried for his friends and that means he could easily mess it up, just like any of them. But I just think Zoro's chances of reaching out to help Sanji in wci is much lower than other crewmates for reasons explained above. I truly believe Sanji would have benefited most from having Usopp or Robin there but I'm not gonna elaborate on that because this isn't about that.

Anyways, in the end I can't tell anyone what to do. Everyone has the freedom to read and write whatever they want. My post wasn't about that, I never targeted anyone either. I could have easily left a mean comment on the post I saw, but I'm not about bringing other people down. It just bothers me when people don't take the characters’ personality into account when they're coming up with scenarios and headcanons. I was frustrated so I made that post, that's it. You could have easily scrolled past it if it bothered you so much, like I did with the post I didn't like. Well, either way, thank you for deeming me worthy enough to waste your time on. I appreciate it 👍🏻

[reineyday]

lol i too dont actually know that much about hockey 😂😂 if i ever wrote this then id find a hockey fan and pick their brain properly, but honestly i'd prob actually approach it mostly from mihawk's pov and i highly doubt he knows much about ice hockey either :')

that being said, i do agree that sanji and zoro would be busy fighting amongst themselves that they become kind of memed for it lol.

there was someone else who tagged that zosan would protect usopp when usopp goes for the net and i agree with that too haha, it's probably a huge thing with pirates fans introducing the new team to new people and the noobs being all like, "arent those guys on the same team why are they fighting so much" and fans will just be like "that's just how zoro and sanji are, but if you're lucky you'll see them work together and trust me they're like, unstoppable". triply so when luffy's involved! and rip whatever player fron the ither team that decides to unfairly throw down because zoro and sanji will come after you.

uh i also think in shanks's time, benn would be an enforcer. (forgive me if the googling isnt up to par on this one. 😅) i mean, he's also an alternate captain (prob with yasopp) so he's not just an enforcer, but he's definitely out on the ice whenever other teams' fighters get put in. he's also a good strategist for their team.

i think probably shanks's team gets into the least fights altogether in the history of the pirates, but the ones they do get into are for the books lol. like 9 out of 10 times shanks will encourage his boys to stand down, but if he gets really tilted (probably from unjust targeting or unfair play that the referees either don't see or don't care about, or goading about things outside the rink) then he won't just think that a 5 min penalty is worth it, he'll be ready to stake his entire career on it haha. obviously his tenure ends with his injury, which means he wins and comes out on the right every single time. :') so like, out of shanks's pirates team, shanks does end up being the one that thinks penalties are worth it, but that team as a whole doesn't fight all too often.

idk man i think the pirates actually just end up finishing fights more than starting them, maybe with their matches against the white beards as exceptions, only bc they have a long-standing rivalry with them and so they play it up for fans. but like, everyone else seems to want to start fights with the pirates? esp the beasts, and the punks (from victoria lmao how perfect is that) get into it with the pirates both when shanks was captain, and when luffy becomes captain.

(shanks and kaido get into it bc shanks has heard things and Knows stuff but could never prove it, but when luffy gets into it again two years later, a whole bunch of really political shit comes out about kaido as well and it's Bad. the guy gets fired and also arrested lol. with kid, he just thought he was hot shit with shanks, who really showed him what's what, and then with luff it's a more amicable rivalry. uh, at least from luffy's pov LOL.)

hnn i hope that made sense ahaha.

Asking because I want to, who on the hockey teams would get into fights? Who sees the goalie get checked (knocked over, idk if you're a hockey fan or not) and decides that a five-minute penalty is worth it?

okay so I'm not a hockey fan by any means, and I actually have no idea what kind of rules we're talking about lmao

but considering that some of shanks' crew would be in the team with him, I kinda picture yassop being a little shit,

maybe more in the other teams, like the Pirates wouldn't usually start arguments, but they would sure as hell answer altogether if someone's hurt or something (again I have no idea how hockey work sorry--)

maybe @reineyday or @giurochedadomani could help me on that one as we've all been brainroting on that for a week-

thanks so much for your ask tho <33

[twirlyeyebrows]

How Could I Have Known?

(A Zosan Fic)

Link to Chapter 13!

Link to Entire Work on ao3!

Ch. 14 - “Cheers.”

The week that followed their last conversation had been interesting, to say the least. Trying to become friends with someone you’ve only ever argued with for as long as you’ve known them was difficult. Despite the little bit of discomfort, progress was being made. Zoro and Sanji could both tell, even the crew was starting to notice. Every small smile at each other here or there and any extra helping hand with a task added to the familiarity of the new bonds they were trying to make. They had even been having fewer fights over seemingly random things and when they did fight, they were a lot more civil with their bickering.

Sanji thought it was wonderful being able to act somewhat normal around the swordsman. He didn’t have to try to avoid Zoro anymore and he didn’t take that for granted. He no longer had to tiptoe around him, pretending to be ignorantly bliss of everything going on. Still, they weren’t in the place Sanji had hoped they would be. After all, his goal was to be friends with the other man, not just acquaintances. He’d concluded that Zoro was not going to make the first move. It drove Sanji a little crazy but he tried to understand things from Zoro’s point of view. In the end, he knew it would have to be himself who initiated any plan-making between them, which was admittedly stressful. Sanji had always gravitated towards women so how the hell was he supposed to build a relationship with Zoro when he had no experience?

He had been thinking about how to approach Zoro the entire time. Not only how to approach him but also what to say. He didn’t know what he wanted to do, let alone what Zoro would want to do. Every idea that came to his mind sounded too romantic or too cheesy. Sanji didn’t see a problem with this; If he was being honest with himself, any way he could spend time with the swordsman sounded like a good idea. He knew Zoro would probably think otherwise. He knew Zoro’s personality and figured he probably wouldn’t want to go get ice cream and walk around a shopping district.

Sanji sat on the edge of his bed, pondering these thoughts as he had been for the past week. He glanced over at the crumpled papers on the floor of his room. Every page detailed a plan for a certain way they could hang out. He had decided that every single one of them was going too far too fast. He knew that Zoro had feelings for him, but should they be doing things that are so… coupley?

He snapped out of his daze and stood up, making sure to pull the blanket out straight to get rid of the wrinkles that had been left. He walked over the corner of the room and picked the papers up one by one, throwing them in the small bin by his bedside table.

“Why am I thinking about this so much?” He asked himself, bending down to pick up the last torn-up page. He made his way over to the trash can and stared down into it. He tossed the ball of paper into the bin and paused. “There has to be something I can do. I can’t keep doing nothing.” Sanji felt like he’d said these words to himself about a thousand times before. He began to pace around his room, taking quick breaths in and out through his cigarette. He maneuvered around the freshly done bin of laundry at the edge of his bed that he had neglected to put away. “I bet that idiot moss isn’t thinking about this at all. When is there ever anything in his brain? I’m sure he’s not even worrying about any of this right now.” He spoke as quickly as he was walking around. “He’s probably just training or thinking about the next time he’ll be able to get his hands on more food and booze.” He sauntered over to the mirror and stared straight into it. He looked at his disheveled expression and chuckled. He couldn’t believe how much this was affecting him. Seeing it in the mirror only made it more real. “Maybe I should make him cook for once so he doesn’t have to wait for me.” He said sarcastically. Zoro had always had a problem with nagging Sanji for food, usually after he trained or took a big nap. The swordsman was always hungry and he tended to make it vocal. This was just one of the many things that had triggered their unending arguments.

Sanji watched his face change suddenly in his reflection. “Wait, that’s not a bad idea.” He said quietly. He talked to himself in the mirror as if it were a completely different person listening. “Cooking isn’t too cheesy right?” He asked, almost waiting for an answer. “If I teach him how to cook something then I’ll at least be in control of some aspect of all this…” He continued to think out loud. “And not only will that open doors between us, it would also mean I can get tomorrow’s lunch prepared a day early!” He laughed and lifted his arms into a shrug. As he kept pondering this idea, he folded his arms against his chest. “Although that would mean I’d have to let someone else in my kitchen, and they’d have to use my utensils.” He sighed at the realization. He never trusted anyone else with his tools and he didn’t want to start. Those appliances were the only things that felt like they were truly his. Anything that means that much to someone has to be hard to give up, even if it is only to one other person. He frowned at his reflection. “I guess that’s what this is all about though- trust.” He decided he’d consider it.

He only stopped staring in the mirror when he heard a huge crash from upstairs on the deck. Surely, it had to have been someone goofing off but he might as well go check it out. It certainly beats staying in his room talking to himself. Still, what could be happening this late at night?

He glanced at the mirror one more time, fixing his hair and pinching out what was leftover from the cigarette he had in his mouth. As he walked up the stairs and onto the deck, he grabbed another from the small box in his pocket, grabbed the lighter, and lit the cigarette in one motion. He puffed a small breath of smoke into the air before stepping out into the view of the rest of his crew.

Sanji’s eyes got wide as he surveyed the scene in front of him. Everyone was sitting around in a circle in the middle of the floor. Zoro was grabbing Usopp by his shirt with his other hand on one of his swords. Usopp’s face displayed confusion and terror as he tried to communicate something to the man inches away from him. Although he wasn’t able to due to his stuttering speech. Zoro looked like he was about to slice Usopp into a hundred pieces. The rest of the circle looked shocked but more than that, they looked intrigued. Luffy sat there with barely a clue of what was happening and the rest of them were on the edge of their seats. None of them had noticed Sanji’s appearance on the deck but he couldn’t stand by quietly, this was far too intriguing.

“I-It was… was just a simple question..” Usopp said, the beads of sweat dripping down his face like the air was boiling. Zoro gripped his shirt tighter and Usopp looked like he was fighting for his life at this very moment. Sanji watched with intent, waiting for the perfect moment to make himself heard. “You- You chose truth, d-don’t blame me!” Usopp had turned his head and closed his eyes as if he were bracing for an impact. Zoro let out a nasty huff and let go of the fabric in his grip. Usopp fell to the ground and picked himself up with his arms, leaning back and catching his breath.

“I did not.” Zoro looked at everyone in the circle. “You assholes made me.” He crossed his arms and broke eye contact. Even in the navy blue of the night sky, Sanji could see his cheeks flush red as the circle went silent.

Sanji had seen enough to pick up on the bigger picture of what was going on. He decided now would be a better time than ever to chime in, whether it was a good time for everyone or just him, he didn’t know, but he was too entertained to be stopped.

“So what was the question then?” Sanji asked as he swaggered over to the small crowd on the deck. Nami, Robin, and Chopper’s snickering stopped, Luffy smiled with a huge grin, Usopp looked about 10x more terrified now, and Zoro’s blush deepened by about 3 shades.

“Good god, what did they ask?” The cook thought to himself as his eyes grew wider.

Zoro looked at Sanji with a desperate look, as if to say “Please take back your question.” Sanji got the message but chose to ignore it.

This time, Luffy chimed in. “We’re playing truth or dare!” He said, throwing his rubber arms in the air. Robin peered up at Sanji from the ground and smiled as well. “We would’ve asked you to join but we didn’t want to interrupt you in case you were doing something important.” She said sweetly. Sanji opened his mouth to say something in response but Zoro cut him off.

“We’re not playing anymore. Game’s over.” Zoro said, standing up and turning away from the crowd. Sanji glanced over at him in utter confusion.

“But Zorooooo” Luffy whined. “You didn’t answer the truth Usopp gave you!” He said with a childish pout. Zoro turned back, shot a dirty look at Usopp (who yelped and shivered at it), and made eye contact with Luffy. “I chose dare, I was never going to answer any “truth” anyone gave me in the first place.” He said through gritted teeth. Nami rolled her eyes and sighed. “You say dare every time! It was getting boring.” She spoke in an annoyed tone, clearly not bothered by Zoro’s attitude. “Whatever. I’m not playing anymore.” Zoro said as he stomped away from the gathering and into the nearest room he could escape to. Sanji took note of that room coincidentally being the kitchen.

Sanji looked back to the group in awe. Since when did Zoro ever act so childish? The rest of them looked at each other with looks of disappointment. They’d obviously just missed out on something huge.

“So does anyone want to answer my question since he obviously won’t?” Sanji said, letting out a small laugh of shock. Sanji turned to Usopp who was still on the floor cowering in fear. “What did you ask him?” He said as he tried to conceal how curious he really was.

“All I asked was if he liked anyone! In terms of truth or dare, isn’t that basically small talk?” He said, his shaky voice finally calming down. “I don’t know what got into him.” He stood up and dusted off his pants.

Chopper stood up as well, adjusting his hat on his head. “I thought he’d just say no and move on…” He said skeptically. Nami hopped to her feet and helped Robin up after doing so. “It is odd how he reacted in such a way, isn’t it?” Robin questioned. Nami grinned from ear to ear.

“Guys! It’s obvious!” Nami chirped. She stuck her arms out at her sides. Everyone looked at her with a deadpan look. Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp tilted their heads to the side like dogs. Nami sighed and put her face into one of her palms. “You guys are hopeless.” She stated, removing the hand from her face. “It’s obvious that Zoro likes someone! Who wants to place bets on who it is?” Nami had an evil smile on her face, a smile of pure greed and willingness to exploit.

Sanji had been unable to process any of this information until now. He had been standing there with a blank stare the entire time but now it was starting to hit him. There was only one thought running through his mind; “This isn’t good.”

“Zoro? Liking someone? Doesn’t that seem… impossible?” Chopper pondered out loud.

“I can't think of a single time I’ve ever seen him act romantic at all. Except maybe around his swords, do you think he’s in love with one of his swords?” Usopp joked.

“I don’t think he’d be able to choose just one.” Robin giggled. Luffy laughed in tandem.

Sanji felt like he was going to throw up. Standing here and listening to everyone talk about this was worse than he’d imagined. That feeling of knowing more than anyone else was back and it sent an unpleasant chill down his spine. He had just gotten rid of that feeling, why did it have to come back?

“Now that you mention it, you’re right Usopp. When has he ever shown interest in anyone?” Nami asked, half-serious and half-rhetorical. Everyone shrugged. She looked as if she just lost the lottery with that one question.

“Why would he act like that though if that isn’t the reason?” Chopper stared up at Nami. Nami responded with a sound of puzzlement. The whole group looked stumped.

Luckily, it seemed that Zoro’s overall grouchy demeanor and vacancy of anything love related had saved both their asses today. Sanji let out an internal sigh of relief. It didn’t help much considering now he knew the thought of Zoro having a crush would be in the back of their minds. He battled within himself on whether to say something or not. He could either make the situation extremely worse or settle the discussion a little bit. Would he be able to steer them in the other direction if he did say something? Would they suspect him if he tried to speak up? The thoughts pooled in his swarmed brain so much that he didn’t even realize everyone was walking away as soon as he came back to reality. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, his body prepared to voice his opinion that would now be worthless. Why would they have cared what he had to say? It’s not like he had been there while they were playing, they probably wouldn’t have listened to him anyway.

As he watched the rest of the Straw Hat crew walk off presumably to bed, he heard them muttering amongst themselves. He tried to pick out keywords but there was nothing he could string together from their mumbles that could be formed into a coherent thought. This worried him beyond belief but as he remembered a certain man who had run into the kitchen a few minutes ago, those worries melted away. Of course, as things had been going so often recently, those worries were replaced with different worries. These new ones, only naturally, are of Zoro.

Sanji figured that it was now or never. All the conditions were perfect: the rest of the crew had just wandered off to bed and Zoro was already in the kitchen. There probably wouldn’t be another opportunity this good for a very long time. And as long as he makes his move now, whoever is on night watch tonight won’t be able to hear them from inside. He took a deep breath, told himself to get it together, and power walked his way to the kitchen.

He burst open the door and he saw exactly what he was expecting. There Zoro was, sitting at the table, his swords against the wall, and his face in his hands. He looked as miserable as he always did. When the swordsman heard the door open and the fumble of Sanji trying to catch his balance after his immediate halt, he lifted his head. He looked both delighted yet unappreciative that Sanji had barged through the door. There was no doubt he had a lot on his mind.

Zoro looked at Sanji with an unphased glare as if to show how used to all this shit he is by now. “So I’m assuming I don’t need to spell out for you what happened?” Zoro said, glumly.

Sanji laughed. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help it. This whole situation felt unbelievable, it was hard to comprehend that it was real. Everything had already been so difficult to work out when it was just between the two of them, but now there was the potential that the rest of their friends could find out? It felt like the universe was playing one huge prank on them.

“Yeah, that won’t be necessary.” Sanji said, reeling in his laughter. He walked over to the table and sat down across from Zoro. “Here we are again, mm? What is it with us and this damn table?” Sanji said lightheartedly, folding his arms against the wood. This elicited a chuckle from Zoro. “No clue.” He responded plainly. Sanji could tell he was still thinking about what had just happened outside. He thought he might as well try to clear the air a little bit.

“If you’re wondering if I told them, I didn’t.” Sanji began. Zoro pulled his stare away from the table and refocused it to Sanji. Sanji could feel Zoro pleading with just his eyes. He was clinging to every word that Sanji said. The cook gulped. “No pressure.” He thought to himself as he mapped out what to say next. “At first, they came to the conclusion that you have feelings for someone but they didn’t discuss who. We have Chopper to thank for that.” Sanji’s eyes wandered away from Zoro. Once again the eye contact had begun to feel like burning. Zoro cocked his head to the side and Sanji continued to explain. “Thanks to your stubbornness and overall lack of emotion, Chopper brought up the fact that you’ve never even acted interested in anyone, so how could you possibly like someone in that way?” Sanji took a deep breath through his cigarette and exhaled. He watched Zoro’s face turn to annoyance in his peripherals. Sanji considered that how he phrased that last sentence might have been a bit insensitive. Whoops, too late now.

“I guess that’s not as bad as it could’ve been.” Zoro said, his complexion returning to normal. Sanji nodded in agreement. He decided not to mention the mumbling he witnessed on his friends’ departure, he didn’t know if Zoro would be able to handle that. Plus, what would he even say about it? He wasn’t able to hear a single word of what any of them said so what would be the point in telling Zoro something that he had no information on?

Zoro cleared his throat and stood up from the table.

“Well, I guess that’s that. I’m gonna go to bed.” He said as he began to trudge towards the door.

Sanji repeated what he had said earlier in his mind once more. “Now or never, now or never.” He couldn’t let this opportunity go to waste. As weird and awkward as this may end up, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he didn’t at least give it a shot. He twisted his body to face Zoro.

“Hey, wait-” The words fell out of Sanji’s mouth. He wasn’t in control of his speech anymore. Maybe that was for the best. Zoro stopped in his tracks and turned on his heels. He looked at Sanji with that same look of pleading. If Sanji wasn’t mistaken, Zoro had been hoping he was going to say something more.

The chef cleared his throat. “Would you want to maybe, like, do something?” He nearly whispered. His face started to heat up, that was alright though because so did Zoro’s.

Zoro felt his heart race around in circles. He still wasn’t used to this whole love thing, but moments like this felt incredible.

“Sure.” He countered with no hesitation.

Sanji met his gaze back with a look that urged him to go on. Zoro stared for a few seconds, not knowing what else to say. Suddenly it clicked and his eyes went wide.

“Oh, you mean like now?” The flustered swordsman asked eagerly.

Sanji chuckled softly, closing his eyes. “Yes, “like now”, you idiot.” He said, mockingly. He opened his eyes again to see that Zoro had taken a few steps forward.

“What do you wanna do?” Zoro asked, trying to hide his enthusiasm. The way his eyes practically sparkled was a dead giveaway.

“I was thinking of getting a head start on food prep so I’ll have less work to do tomorrow. It would be nice to have an extra set of hands, if you wouldn’t mind.” Sanji shrugged as if he hadn’t planned this all out earlier today.

Zoro’s eyes were about to pop out of his skull. He felt his heart running marathons as opposed to just circles. His stomach flipped in excitement. He hated how easily Sanji made him feel like this but he decided to worry about that later. Right now, he was just in awe that the other man had offered to let him help with the cooking, he never let anyone help him cook. Zoro’s chest tightened as he realized the amount of trust Sanji was putting in him at this moment. This was a big deal, (even if the chef was trying to make it seem like it wasn’t) and Zoro was going to cherish every second of it.

After receiving no response from Zoro and instead just a blank stare, Sanji decided to speak once more. “I'm not just using you for free labor, by the way. You can have some of the meal if you’re still that hungry.” Sanji paused and puffed his cigarette. “Just don’t bank on this becoming a regular occurrence. I still have to feed five other mouths, y’know.” He was acting as collected as he possibly could. Internally, his mind was going a million miles a minute.

Everything from the thought of someone using his kitchen utensils to the thought of holding Zoro’s hand again crossed his mind. Sanji knew he wouldn’t be able to ignore those thoughts for much longer. He had started to connect the dots within his mind but came up with every reason in the world for them to be false. Until proven otherwise, nothing was going on.

Zoro took a few more steps forward. Sanji stood up from the table and walked over to where he was standing. Sanji stood inches away from Zoro, awaiting an answer to his request. The swordsman looked starstruck, maybe even petrified.

“So…?” Sanji spoke softly, egging Zoro on. Zoro felt a vibration course through his whole body. Why did the cook have to say it like that? This was the worst time for him to be feeling numb with affection.

“Yeah.” Zoro finally spoke. His voice was rough and shallow. He cleared his throat. “Yeah, I’ll help you, Curly.” He said while a small but authentic smile crept onto his lips. Sanji immediately took notice of how contagious it was to see Zoro actually smile. He smiled back.

Sanji clapped his hands together in a pleasant fashion. He grinned widely. “Great! Let’s get started then!” He said, cheerily. The excitement he had hadn’t been fabricated in any amount, it was 100% genuine. Not only was he cooking (his all-time favorite thing to do), he was finally getting to share that experience with someone else. Sure, he’d worked alongside other chefs at Baratie, but this was different. He’d never taught someone how to cook before, let alone someone he… well he didn’t want to think about that right now. What was important was starting on this dish. On his own, he could whip something up in a cinch with no problems. Now, he had to take into account the time it would take to teach, correct, and help the other party. This wasn’t something that bothered Sanji, though, if anything, he was giddy about it.

Zoro put his hands in his haramaki as if it were a set of pockets. He couldn’t stop telling himself in his mind not to fuck this up.

“So, where do we start?” Zoro asked, a small shake of anxiety lining his words.

Sanji laughed, detecting the nervousness. “Well, first you need to relax. I can hear the fear in your voice, it’s weird coming from you.” He said in an almost joking manner. Zoro blushed in embarrassment and looked away. His gaze was caught by the cook again as he began to speak in that gentle tone.

“I’m gonna walk you through everything step-by-step. Don’t worry, I’m not going to let anything happen to my kitchen. Just trust me.” Sanji said as sincerely as he could.

Zoro nodded in agreement. It was going to be difficult to let go of the fear of messing anything up. He knew that this could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Cooking with Sanji almost felt like a dream. Despite his thoughts, he trusted Sanji more than anything or anyone else on the planet. Even more so now that the cook had asked for his trust directly. He was going to try his best, and as long as Sanji knew that, Zoro knew he’d be alright.

“Alrighty! Now since that’s out of the way, we need to actually choose what to make.” The chef said with delight. Zoro smiled to himself. Since when did Sanji say things like “alrighty”? He truly did become a whole different person when he cooks.

Zoro waited for Sanji to continue his thought but he didn’t.

“Did you want me to choose something?” He asked, slightly concerned.

“Why not? I’ve made just about everything I can think of with the ingredients we have. This is your first time so naturally you should get a say in things.” Sanji spoke, still smiling ear to ear.

Zoro choked back a cough as Sanji described this experience as a “first time”. He almost made a joke about being a “virgin in food preparation” but thought best not to mention anything that could lead to “that” conversation. Zoro figured he’d pass away on the spot if things ever got to that point.

“Okay, uhh…” Zoro tried to think back to everything Sanji’s ever made. That was a very difficult task, as one could imagine. “What’s something that’s easy?” He inquired.

Sanji put his hand on his chin and thought.

“Honestly, everything I make is relatively simplistic, with a few exceptions of course. How good a dish can be is a lot more dependent on the skill and care of the cook than it is on the recipe itself. However, if you’re wanting something with minimal steps, we could always start with a basic fried rice.” The way Sanji spoke was clear and concise. Every time he spoke about food, it was clear he knew exactly what he was doing. It was extraordinary. All Zoro could do was nod along and attempt to follow.

“That sounds good-” Zoro cut his sentence short as he watched Sanji waltz over to the cupboards and instantly begin grabbing pans and setting them on the stovetop. Zoro awkwardly followed behind him. He stood there like a statue, watching Sanji get to work.

“Is there uh, anything I can do to help?” Zoro shrugged. He felt useless compared to the man who was feverishly rummaging through the spice drawer. Sanji paused and turned his head back to him. “Yeah, actually!” He exclaimed. Zoro couldn’t believe how Sanji’s entire demeanor changed so fast as soon as he began to work in the kitchen. “If you could go down to my room and grab my apron, that’d be great. There should be another one too in the same laundry bin if you don’t want your shirt to be covered in food by the end of the night.” Sanji quipped back at him. Zoro gave a shallow “Mhm” and headed out of the kitchen promptly.

The fresh nighttime air hit him in an instant. He folded his arms together, trying to get back the warmth he had just lost. The crisp air did feel refreshing, though.

His heart beat faster with each step he took. Anytime he had to go anywhere near Sanji’s room he felt a pang of curiosity. He’d been in Sanji’s room before, of course, but only a few times. There was never any telling whether it would be the same as the last time he was in there or not. He thought about it often. He had the layout completely memorized. From the position of the mirror to where his bed was, he knew that room like the three swords at this waist. He couldn’t hide the fact that he had daydreamed about this room a lot. Before he realized that he had feelings for the man, he never understood why he often hoped Sanji would let him sleep in there one day. Fast forward to after the realization, it was more than painfully obvious. He hated how much he dreamt about waking up next to the cook. He thought about the way his hair would look all messy against the pillowcase, how his voice would be hoarse from a good night’s rest, and how his eyes would have a hazy blue film over them as he woke up. He wanted to see all of these things up close. His heart craved them. It felt impossible to engrain in his head that this was never going to happen.

Zoro felt his heart give one solid beat as he stood outside the entrance of Sanji’s door. He can’t believe the cook was alright with him walking into his private space like this. Zoro didn’t feel like he was worthy to be in here. But Sanji had asked something of him, so there was no way he’d walk away.

Zoro turned the knob of the door and walked in. His senses instantly went wild. He was first hit with the smell of cigarette smoke and a floral fragrance. He turned on the light to reveal the contents of the room. The layout was the same- bed in the same spot, dresser still there, mirror over here. He took note of how Sanji’s room was being kept. The bed was pristine and well made as always. His eyes followed to where his nose was telling him the scent was coming from. His eyes locked onto the dresser and he walked over to it, making sure to take each step as delicately as he could. He peered at all the different bottles and little containers. There were lotions, hair gels, cuticle oil, colognes, and even a couple of perfumes. Zoro smiled to himself. He thought it was girly of Sanji to wear perfume but it’s not as if he could say anything bad about it when the scents always left him entranced.

Zoro looked to the bed, in search of the laundry bin, and let his eyes fall on the heap of crumpled papers in the trash can. He stepped closer to it and realized that they were all covered in writing that was none other than Sanji’s. His interest went through the roof. His brain told him to pick up one of the papers and unfold it but his heart told him that invading someone else’s privacy was a bad move. As badly as he wanted to know what Sanji could’ve possibly written on those pages, he decided not to look. He’d rather be unknowing for the rest of his life than make Sanji upset, especially with how things were looking up.

His eyes scanned along the rest of the bed, finally noticing the laundry bin by the end. He walked over and began to shuffle through the pile of Sanji’s clothes. Zoro used every fiber in his body not to pay close attention to anything he was grabbing as he searched for the aprons. After about half a minute, he was able to locate both of the garments. One is the classic baby pink apron that Sanji always donned while cooking, and the other is a royal blue blank one of the same material. Zoro never thought he’d find himself grabbing an apron for himself, but here he was. Now that his scavenger was complete, there was no reason to continue lingering in the other man’s room. He took one last glance around, trying to take a mental image of the space one last time, and headed out, eager to get back to Sanji.

As Zoro walked back into the kitchen, he was greeted by Sanji’s lovely smile and an entire spread of ingredients laid out on the countertop. Zoro strolled over and handed Sanji the pink apron. He watched with affectionate eyes as Sanji tied the knots around his neck and waist. Zoro had a bad habit of noticing Sanji’s silhouette in everything he wore. The apron was no different. He couldn’t help but stare at the man’s small waist and long legs. He looked so perfect, like someone straight out of a magazine. There was never a day that went by where Zoro didn’t imagine his arms around the chef’s waist, embracing him a warm hug that he knew would be the most ethereal feeling ever. Zoro was brought back down to earth by Sanji’s snicker.

“Something caught your eye, you love-sick swordsman?” Sanji said, taking note of where Zoro’s eyes had wandered.

The apples of Zoro’s cheeks flushed with a terra cotta hue. He’d been caught and he couldn’t defend himself.

“Didn’t I tell you that if you called me that, I’d kill you?” Zoro said, remembering their conversation from the week prior.

“I believe so, yes, but I don’t think you have it in you.” Sanji said suavely.

Zoro couldn’t do anything to protest. Sanji was right, he didn’t have it in him. He couldn’t even begin to think of doing such a thing.

“Just put your apron on, Idiot.” Sanji said in a sarcastic tone and a small giggle. He flashed another sly smile at the swordsman. Zoro put the apron on. Sanji chose not to acknowledge how much he enjoyed seeing Zoro’s broad figure in an apron that was admittedly too small for him. His thoughts were hypocritical and he knew it, but as he said, there wasn’t any rhyme or reason to why he was thinking like that, so what was the harm?

Zoro sighed and attempted to take his mind off of being cornered. “Okay so really, where do we start?” He asked, eager to get on with the cooking.

Sanji slid the cutting board across the counter and away from the sink, making sure to grab a small but sharp knife and set it on top. He whipped around and took the 2 green onion stalks within his grip, also placing them on the cutting board.

“First we need to cut up some vegetables. I put the green onion on here for you to chop.” Sanji paused and caught Zoro’s eye. “I’m assuming you know how to use a knife, right?” Sanji said. He tried his best not to let any of his nerves show. Sharing anything in his kitchen was nerve-wracking, even if it was just a knife and a chopping board.

Zoro smiled in disbelief. He made a gesture over the swords leaning up against the wall near the table. “I think I’ll be able to manage.” He said promptly.

Sanji let out a small breath, releasing a tiny puff of smoke into the air. “Kitchen knives are different from katanas, dumbass… but I’m sure you’re right.” He forced himself to have trust in Zoro. It’s not like he didn’t, but this was foreign to him. Letting someone else touch the tools that were most important to him was something he’d have to get used to if this ever happened again.

Sanji watched closely from behind as Zoro began to chop the onion. He was about to comment on how he was doing it wrong, but he couldn’t. Zoro wasn’t doing anything wrong. His hand was in the right position, the size of the onion coins was perfect, and he was remaining calm and confident as he diced. To say that Sanji was impressed would be an extreme understatement. He watched in awe as the swordsman finished the first green onion and set down the knife on the side of the cutting board.

“Is this good?” Zoro turned around, meeting Sanji’s gaze. He was caught off guard by how open the cook’s eyes were. “Did I do something wrong?” Zoro felt a rush of guilt flow through his body. How could he have already messed this up? How hard was it to cut an onion?

“N-No, you didn’t.” Sanji shoved himself right next to Zoro to look at the cutting board and the chopped vegetable on it. Sanji was too shocked to notice that their shoulders were completely pressed together. Zoro was not. “These are perfect! How did you do that?” Sanji said with a gaping mouth. Zoro let out a sigh of relief.

“It’s almost like I’ve been training with blades my entire life. I know these knives are different from my swords, but you tend to pick up a few things about different blades when it’s kind of your whole life.” Zoro said, nonchalantly. He scooted slightly away from the cook, just enough so that their shoulders were still touching, but not crammed. “I’m sure you wouldn’t be bad with a few swords yourself, Cook.” Zoro said with a little more tenderness than he meant to.

This comment snapped Sanji out of his impressed daze. That must’ve been one of the most endearing and sweet things he’s ever heard Zoro say. He felt his mouth get dry. Suddenly the man in front of him was far more interesting than the onion he had just sliced. He couldn’t say anything. Everything that came to mind felt too out of his comfort zone. Too warm. Too affectionate. He cleared his throat and switched back into a cooking mindset.

“Great! Well, uh, clearly you’re great at cutting things so… here. Do these too.” Sanji said, trying to regain his composure as he grabbed ¼ of a red onion and mushrooms. Zoro took the handful of vegetables from Sanji’s palms and set them to the side of the cutting board. He instinctively went back to the second green onion that had yet to be cut.

“When you’re done with the green onion, make sure you slice the mushroom finely and mince the red onion.” Sanji ordered.

“Got it, Chef.” Zoro retorted. He didn’t need to turn around to know the exact face Sanji was making. He knew his curly eyebrows were raised to his hairline.

Zoro was right, Sanji’s expression was one of pure shock. Not only had Zoro taken a command with no argument, but he had also understood the command perfectly. He didn’t need to ask for clarification on the difference between mincing, slicing, and dicing, something Sanji never expected anyone else but other cooks to know. And of course, the cherry on top, Zoro calling him “Chef”.

Zoro referred to Sanji as “Cook” all the time, it was one of his go-to nicknames and it had been for a long time. “Chef” was different. He had never heard Zoro refer to him like that. It felt formal, respectful, maybe even a little seductive. Sanji felt his cheeks flush with a light crimson blush and he desperately returned to his craft, needing something to distract himself from that.

“I’m gonna start on the eggs.” Sanji said with a strained voice. Zoro hummed in response but laughed in his mind. He made sure not to show how amused he was on the outside. Catching Sanji off guard had to be one of his favorite pastimes, he just always wanted to make sure he never went too far.

Sanji cracked both eggs into a bowl and began to beat them. When the eggs were done he set the bowl aside, oiled a pan, and set it on the stovetop. He turned one of the burners on and waited for the pan to heat up.

“You almost done slicin’ and dicin’?” Sanji spoke in a tone that made it sound like he was the lead heartthrob love interest in a terrible rom-com. Zoro loved it. He knew the second that sentence left Sanji’s mouth, he’d be thinking about that for the rest of his life.

Zoro couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Yeah, just about.” Zoro said, mincing the last little section of the red onion and separating it from the other ingredients. “Sliced. And. Diced.” He mimicked the cook’s tone.

Sanji gave him a nod of approval in response and grabbed the cutting board from Zoro’s station. He examined each of the ingredients carefully. Sanji was stunned at how perfectly everything had been tended to. He might’ve just found himself a new cooking helper if he could get that lucky.

He scraped the cutting board clean of the ingredients (keeping the green onions off to the side to be a garnish later), sweeping all of the vegetables into the warmed-up pan. He stirred them around with a spatula and began to fry them. At this moment, something hit him.

“Hold on…” Sanji said, deep in thought.

“Hm?” Zoro questioned as he set the dirty knife down in the sink to be washed later.

“I’m missing an ingredient. How could I have forgotten an ingredient?” Sanji said to himself, nearly in a panic.

“Oh shit, really?” Zoro said, trying to sound more alarmed than he was. He didn’t understand why Sanji would freak out over something like that, it didn’t seem crucial. What difference could one ingredient even make?

“Yeah, I should be adding corned beef immediately after the vegetables. I’ve made this recipe a million times, how could that have slipped my mind?” Sanji said, knowing there was more to it than just a simple slip-up.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine without it, is it that important?” Zoro asked, genuinely. He didn’t think it was that big of a deal but if it was, he wanted to be corrected. He understood the concept of how one thing being out of place can mess up something as a whole, he saw it all the time in his training. If his grip was too loose, a slash was too fast, or his stance was unbalanced, he could risk any one of his moves going awry. He tried to compare Sanji’s art to his own, in hopes of getting a better understanding.

“It wouldn’t be detrimental, but there would be a missing element of flavor, something I try to avoid at all costs.” Sanji couldn't help but be hard on himself.

Zoro made his way over to the fridge and pulled out the meat drawer. “You said corned beef?” Zoro called over to Sanji who was still stirring the vegetables.

“Yeah but I don’t think-” Sanji’s thought was cut short as Zoro smiled and held up an unopened package of corned beef that was presumably hiding in the back of the drawer.

“Here it is!” Zoro said, filled with pride at the simple find.

Sanji felt his heart drop into his stomach. Why was he getting so frazzled? How could he have not seen the container in plain sight? Why did Zoro helping him make him feel so appreciated? Why was his heart beating so rapidly at the swordsman’s tranquil smile?

“Oh. I guess we do have some. Thanks.” Sanji mustered up the ability to say.

“No problem, Twirly.” Zoro’s smile returned to a normal resting face but his facial expression still showed signs of contentment. “I guess I’m better at finding ingredients than I am at finding my way around a town, huh?” Zoro joked about himself. Sanji felt that flip in his stomach again.

Sanji opened the package, removed 2 ounces, and plopped it on top of the ingredients in the pan, letting it fry along with them. Sanji felt his hands shake. He had never felt like this before while cooking. He didn’t like it. He knew something was wrong when he was taking more glances at the moss head behind his back than he was at the food currently simmering on the stovetop. Luckily, the dish was almost done so he’d be able to get out of the situation quickly. Although, for some reason, when he thought about leaving, both his brain and heart yelled at him to stay.

“Oi, do you wanna do this part? You are the one learning, afterall.” Sanji asked Zoro once the concoction in the pan was at the right point.

“Absolutely.” Zoro said simply as he made his way over to the pan. “What do I do?” Zoro asked, kindly.

Sanji was able to calm down as he explained the next steps to the rice. Nothing grounded him more than what he knew best.

“You’re going to move the things in the pan to the side, add a little more oil, and then pour the eggs in.” He guided.

Zoro did exactly as he was told. He fumbled a bit with the eggs, accidentally spilling a little onto the stove, but that was to be expected.

“Okay, now,” Sanjii grabbed the container of rice that he had cooked the day prior. There was more than enough left for this recipe so there was no point in them making more. He popped the lid off the container, grabbed a measuring cup, scooped one cup of rice, and handed it to Zoro. “Since the egg isn’t quite firm yet, add the rice in and then stir it all together.” Sanji instructed.

Zoro emptied the contents of the cup into the pan and repeated this once more with a second cup of rice. Zoro was glad that Sanji hadn’t lied when he said this was an easy recipe. He had realized that cooking was a lot more fun than he thought it was. Even if all he had done was chop some things up and fry them, because of the simplicity of the meal, he was able to enjoy himself.

Sanji handed Zoro the salt, pepper, and soy sauce once everything looked as if it were just about completed.

“We’re almost done, just the finishing touches are left. You should add roughly ½ teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and 1 ½ teaspoons of soy sauce, that should be good.” The cook continued to detail.

Zoro would be lying if he said he knew those measurements off the top of his head. He didn’t know how much a teaspoon was without using a measuring spoon. He didn’t want to make that clear though, things had been going so well, he didn’t want to sound pathetic by asking for an aid. Luckily, he did know what a pinch was, so he started with that.

When he got to the salt, he did the same thing he did with the pepper, only he continued until Sanji told him to stop. It was a fool-proof plan. As long as he listened to what Sanji was saying, he wouldn’t add too much or too little of anything, and he could avoid asking for a teaspoon.

He felt confident as he grabbed the bottle of soy sauce, feeling like he had a general idea of what a teaspoon was. He began to pour and quickly heard the twirly eyebrowed cook gasp behind him.

“Zoro, that’s way too much!” Sanji laughed, grabbing the bottle out of his hand.

Sanji sounded unbothered but Zoro felt mortified. Of course, he had to fuck up on the very last step. He just prayed he didn’t mess up the entire dish. He was so nervous that he barely even registered Sanji saying his actual name.

“Fuck, I’m sorry.” Zoro said with remorse. “I hope I didn’t ruin your food.” Zoro felt like he had just killed the good energy completely. He knew how important food was to Sanji, especially the food that he made. If he messed that up, he didn’t know if he’d be able to forgive himself.

“C’mon, you’re being too hard on yourself. It’s just soy sauce, it’s an easy fix, I swear.” Sanji encouraged. Zoro moved out of the way to let Sanji in to fix the dish and within a minute Sanji grabbed a spoonful and exclaimed that it was perfect.

“Even if you would’ve completely messed it up, which you didn’t,” Sanji made sure to emphasize that Zoro hadn’t done anything wrong. “This isn’t my food, it’s ours. We made it together, don’t sell yourself short.” Sanji found himself blushing with these words. Zoro blushed back and avoided eye contact. He recalled when he had accidentally called Sanji “beautiful” out loud when he meant to say it in his head, he didn’t want this to be another one of those moments so he gazed at the floor.

Now that the meal was completed, Sanji didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t want to leave but he didn’t know if his heart could take it if he stayed.

He then remembered that he guaranteed Zoro a portion of the food once it was completed. This could either go surprisingly well or dangerously wrong, but Sanji couldn’t back out of this gamble, not after he had already promised.

Sanji sprinkled the green onion slices over the top of the rice and scooped out a large portion into a container. He snapped the lid on and put it in the fridge, saving it for the next day. He grabbed a spoon and scooped two bowls with the remaining rice dish in the pan. He made sure to add more to the serving he would be giving to Zoro.

The chef put out the cigarette in his mouth and threw the butt into the trash can. He grabbed both of the bowls in a typical waiter fashion and walked over to the table. Zoro followed closely behind him. The swordsman sat down as Sanji placed the dishes on the table.

“Where are you going?” Zoro questioned when Sanji didn’t sit down with him. He sounded like a puppy whose favorite toy had just got taken away.

“No meal is complete without a drink to compliment, I’m surprised that you didn’t bring it up first.” Sanji called back, tauntingly.

Zoro hadn’t thought about alcohol at all. Nothing could compete with Sanji when it came to taking up space in his mind.

Zoro laughed bashfully and waited for Sanji to return.

The cook came back with two glasses and a bottle of alcohol that looked like it had cost a lot.

“Are you sure you wanna drink this? That looks expensive.” Zoro said, pointing at the bottle.

“It is, but what’s the point of having it if it's just going to sit in the cabinet?” Sanji questioned.

“Yeah, but why drink it now? Don’t you want to save it for a special occasion?” Zoro sounded baffled.

“What do you mean? This is a special occasion, you cooked something for the first time!” He reminded Zoro, excitedly. Sanji then lowered his voice to nearly a whisper. “And… we did it together.” Sanji said with a shy smile. Zoro bit his tongue so as to not say anything stupid and romantic.

“I guess you’re right, Cook.” Zoro said, watching Sanji pop the cork and pour equal amounts of the liquid into both glasses.

“Cheers.” Sanji cheered, raising his glass in the air.

“Cheers.” Zoro clinked his glass against Sanji’s.

Both men proceeded to take a large sip from their cups, cringing at the alcohol content first, then admiring the flavor a second later. Setting the glasses down, they stared at each other for a moment.

The silence was comfortable. The company of one another felt right. The warmth of the alcohol had flooded both men’s faces and the taste of the rice they had made together was just right. They ate in silence until both men were done.

By the time both of their bowls were cleared, they had become extremely accustomed to each other’s quiet company. Who knew that simply just sitting and listening to the clanking of spoons against bowls and glasses against the table could be so calming? It was so nice, so relaxing. Definitely a moment they both needed after the hurricane of things that had gone on recently.

Now that their food was all gone, the question of “what do we do now?” remained.

The swordsman and the cook were both a little bit tipsy, not enough to make a huge difference in their characters, but enough to elicit an extra boldness they may not have had before.

Due to this, Sanji was the first one to speak after a few minutes of dead silence. He had a certain question he had been dying to ask for weeks now, he just never found the right time to ask it. As he looked at Zoro, more specifically, Zoro’s eyes, he considered this might be the moment.

They'd been having a great time tonight. Cooking had been a blast, the food ended up great, and now they both had traces of liquor flowing through their veins. It felt as if all the hardship before had been leading up to the present. This feeling was so good.

He knew there wouldn't be a better time to ask the question than now, so he grabbed his glass, sipped the last bit of the alcohol still in it, and prepared himself.

“Zoro?” Sanji looked up at the swordsman through hooded eyes. Zoro looked like he was about to collapse. His eyes glinted as the cook said his name. “Can I ask you something?” Sanji asked slightly nervously.

“Of course, anything.” Zoro meant it. He couldn't think of any question that would be off the table at this point. He was on such a high from how good the night had been so far, nothing could bring him down. Especially not when he was alone with his favorite person in the world.

Sanji nodded and stared down into his empty glass, rotating it in his hand and watching the leftover drops swirl in the concave. He looked up once more, making unyielding eye contact with the man in front of him.

“Why did you fall in love with me?”

[sanjiafsincedayone]

Why SaNa over other ships?

Now, this is not to hate on other ships or downplay them, because what shipping really comes down to is often simply preference. What characters or dynamics you enjoy and what reasons you might have for liking different things. 

No, this is simply my own reasons for why I like SaNa and also why I think they could make sense and thirdly why it’s possible Oda could be setting it up to actually happen in canon. It’s all just my views and I apologize if I forget a moment or add something that is more head canon, but again, this is my reasons and they will always be partially biased. (And there are too many to remember them all properly, so if you want to add feel welcome to do so.)

I think Sanji and Nami is a lovely ship even based just on fan content and the community. But we also get some great moments in the manga, and I personally think there is potential for Oda to make an actual romance work between them.

1. Why I like Sanji and Nami

I personally fell in love with Sanji before I even started to watch or read One Piece, simply based on his voice actor (Hiroaki Hirata), his design and his fighting style. So obviously I already have a bias towards Sanji (SanjiAFsincedayone having a bias towards Sanji? Who knew?). I didn’t ship Sanji with Nami from the start and even now I am a multi shipper who enjoys fan content with Sanji as a main part of several pairs, most prominently ZoSan.

So, when did I fall for SaNa then? Well, I have talked about it in various posts before which you can find in my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone, but for me shipping Sanji and Nami more seriously didn’t start until Thriller Bark. 

Sanji took a knife in the back for her as she is dressed in a wedding dress, even this one scene is enough to explain why someone might like to ship them together.

I for sure saw many SaNa moments before that, and felt Nami seemed special to Sanji, but I didn’t think it would have a big chance of happening and I preferred other ships above it when consuming fan material. Again, shipping is after all mostly fantasy and wanting more of something in a romantic/sexual way. Thriller Bark was when Sanji and Nami’s interactions caught my attention properly and I started to look a bit closer and actually note the way Oda wrote them and their moments. Going back after and rereading I think there is a lot of interesting things even before that. But the wedding theme and bridal carry and how Oda showed them in Thriller Bark was just too on the nose to ignore.

What got me into shipping Sanji with Nami were mainly three things. 

1. Their dynamics getting more interesting over time and Sanji and Nami being two of the most well written and interesting characters in One Piece. 2. Sanji consistently seeming to have a preference for Nami in combination with my belief that he is after true love and isn’t just a pervert forever doomed to be alone. 3.  The manga showing the potential of it actually happening and them finally catching my attention in Thriller Bark. Basically there are moments to follow and look at in the actual story as well, which in turn also leads to more fan content and material for shippers.

So point 1 and 2 really is mostly about my preference and how much I enjoy watching them together and how well I imagine they would fit together. I think their personalities and desires overlap well with them being able to understand and compromise for each other while aslo being on a similar level of intelligence and communication. They also have their kindness and empathy as a highlighted shared theme for their characters.

Them talking about the Children in Punk Hazard or Sanji helping Nami turn in the argument between both Luffy and Vivi and Luffy and Usopp are some examples. Or Nami letting Sanji smoke in her body because she knows how hard it is for him. Small gestures like this show both understanding and a willingness to compromise.

I think they are fun and have a relationship that right now might need working on, but it’s clear how much they care for each other and how they actually appriciate each other a lot.

Simply put I think they are interesting together and I think they could work as a romantic couple in the future, where their dreams and family oriented views migh allign. Again, from how I view them as characters and interpret their wants and possible futures I think Sanji and Nami is a good match. They can have a restaurant either traveling the world or docked close to both Cocoyashi and Zeff, Nami can tend to her mikans together with Sanji and they can manage a restaurant for a living. I also think they are the most parental members in the crew and has shown some possible signs of wanting to settle down with families. This would also work well as a final contrast to their less than happy childhoods (You might also want to check out my post (Part 3) Sanji x Nami hints - Thematic parallels).

There is a lot of potential in their dynamics and how different they seem while they also seem willing to adapt and try to understand each other that make them interesting as characters of romantic plots. At the same time they have enough in common to relate to each other and work well together. Again, as a fictional ship within the fandom there is a lot of great artists, writers etc. that truly explore them and make Sanji and Nami a great and fun ship with an active fandom to engage with.

Of course there are more shallow reasons like them matching in age and being good-looking but really I could ship Sanji with almost any woman if it was only about the looks. I mean, Purin is basically made to be a perfect match for Sanji, but I personally find his dynamic with Nami much more interesting and his dedication to Nami is of course unpraralleled thanks to the time Oda has spent on them over many years.

I love Sanji and Nami as individual characters and with the amount of moments between them there is also a lot to explore and enjoy in the manga. It makes them interesting in a third aspect for me, which is of course analysis and the potential of them actually ending up together and looking closer at the way Oda writes them from a story perspective. For me what we have gotten from Oda in terms of Sanji x Nami moments is very interesting and I see potential there even though it would need more development to truly work for the current story.

But, again shipping doesn’t have to mean anything for the actual story... There are crack ships or slash ships that surely will never happen but that could still be great and fun to explore for the fans. Honestly, everyone is free to ship whatever they want. We all have different taste after all.

So, what about the manga then? 

2. Why do I think they could make sense as a romantic couple even in canon?

First, my own view is that Sanji is someone who seeks true love, and as briefly shown with both Violet and Purin it seems like he would take an actual relationship seriously if given the chance. I also think it would make him happy and thus as Oda might want to create happy resolutions for the strawhats I think Sanji ending up with someone has quite a big chance of happening. This is combination with his preference for Nami and in turn Nami truly caring for him (though not yet in a romantic way) is something that makes me think it could happen. Other ships have potential too depending on how Oda decides to develop them, but considering how he keeps adding moments for SaNa in the way he does as of now I still think SaNa is the most likely ship for Sanji.

As I mentioned earlier I also think Nami has shown some possible inclinations for wanting a family (or at least being a great mother if we look at her with children in many arc, not the least Punk Hazard) and maybe even getting married eventually. 

If she ends up with someone we will need to see a more obvious attraction and want for romance from her no matter what ship we might consider. She has at this point not shown a lot, but I do think the thematic parallels she shares with Sanji in combination with how their moments are written has the potential to grow into something more. 

As a romantic pair I think Sanji and Nami would be happy, he would adore her and take care of her and both of them would probably find that ideal. In fact it’s already a big part of their dynamics and seem to make them both happy. They also seem to try to understand and show interest in knowing each other as seen with several scenes and general attention towards each other’s backstories. They also challange each other in different ways and we have seen them compromise a few times. I think compared to many other relationship in the manga Oda has shown more personal moments between them. So a romantic additional aspect is not too far off. Not that Oda would make it happen now, but that he would lay down the groundwork for it to work by the end of the series.

In short I think they would make each other happy, but also challange and grow thanks to the other. I think their dreams of traveling the world with Nami drawing her map and Sanji cooking on all the seas and finding All Blue and then settiling down together close to both their “homes” in East Blue with a restaurant and family seems to fit them both. It wouldn’t always be easy, but I think they would actually enjoy their dynamics with Nami bossing Sanji around most of the time.

Now this all sounds nice and all, but it’s of course just my imagination based on biased interpretations of the manga. So where do I get it from?

3. The way SaNa is portrayed by Oda

Now this is really the biggest point... Because again, I can ship whatever characters I want and it is just for fun. It doesn’t have to happen for me to enjoy it or I wouldn’t ship Sanji with Zoro. But with Sanji and Nami there are legit reasons in addition to my preference that makes me think it could happen in the manga.

It might take years to actually go through it all in order with my additional interpretations, but I will try to go through the basics themes and moments that to me could indicate SaNa over any other Sanji or Namji ship.

I think the obvious thing to talk about first is simply how Sanji definitely has a romantic (and sexual) interest in Nami. No matter what other character you might see with either of them, this has been shown consistantly over the whole manga. You may argue that Sanji might be interested in others equally, and though I wouldn’t agree it’s a fair point. However from a story perspective it would still need to be resolved. It’s highly unlikely for Nami to end up with anyone unless Sanji ends up with someone else and gets a happy ending too.

As for Sanji’s interest in Nami I personally think Oda has paid a lot of attention to it in a way that makes it the most likely ship for Sanji. He might yet add moments between other ships and develop them (most notably San/Pu of course), but in my opinion the way Oda has added Nami in other potential romantic moments with Sanji it seems Nami is above every other woman so far.

Most importantly I think we have seen: 

Sanji leave Violet who actually seemed to show interest in him to run off to save Nami (and the crew, but the point is that Oda chose to highlight and add this moment with focus on Nami to begin with).

Sanji being more focused on Nami even when Vivi and Robin has been on the ship or at the same place. Oda definitely puts Sanji with Nami above other women at least in amount of moments and involvment.

Sanji being very concerned with Nami in front of Purin and being shown happy with her (the bridal carry for example) and saying he loves her right in front of Purin.

Sanji having stronger reactions to Nami than other women. This could just be my way of seeing it, but I do think we have seen the strongest reactions from Sanji when it comes to Nami. Not the least with turning into a literal devil when he heard she was kidnapped by Absalom. For example compare Sanji rushing after Nami in both Skypiea and Thriller Bark even to him going after Robin. Or his reaction to Nami getting sick in Drum. We simply have a lot of strong reactions from Sanji towards Nami in different ways and more importantly Oda seeming to add focus on them. 

We also have him reacting to things like “women’s tears” or calls but only indicating Nami might be calling him personally. For example Sanji hearing Tashigi cry or saying he trusts Violet or Robin even though they are lying but for Nami adding things like “I think I heard Nami call out for me” or moments like “I leave my Nami to you”. Basically the way Oda writes it there often seems to be added a more personal stake in Sanji’s reactions and moments with Nami compared to with other women.

So from Sanji’s point of view, and the way Oda has written them so far, I think he puts Nami above every other woman. But more importantly, Oda shows us moments between them that he doesn’t add for other ships as consistantly or in romantic looking ways. Keep in mind that both Nami and Sanji are main characters, but they are not Luffy. Oda choosing to not use Luffy (who will obviously have strong moments with all of his nakama, like how he had his own time with Sanji both in Baratie and WCI) for some of these moments but rather insert Sanji or Nami instead for each other’s stories makes it more relevant. Because it’s not an obvious choice in the same way. It’s a choice based on their characters and dynamics within the world, not because of their roles as main hero or heroine. Here are some examples.

1. Their first meeting. Sanji is for the first time seen in love cook mode and he basically seem ready to leave everything behind for Nami. Right away his reaction to Nami is stronger than what we have seen from him and it seems to hold true even with time.

2. SaNa having interest and plot relevance to each other’s back stories. Sanji getting involved with hearing Nami’s back story and saving his sister.  Also, calling her “sister” which indicates a platonic familiarity where he puts Nami above Nojiko romantically (yes, despite flirting some with her). Nami in turn also getting involved and showing interest in Sanji’s backstory, pushing to go with Luffy to save Sanji and being the one to remind us of Sanji’s past and character traits.

3. Sanji getting personally tantalized by using Nami. This has happened several times, the first with Kuroobi in Arlong Park, but also with Mr. 2 in Alabasta, Absalom in Thriller Bark and then in Fishman Island (Zou too, but that wasn’t just Nami) and on Zou. You can check my post (thought not updated fully) Sanji and Nami – Fights and danger for a more detailed view. (Even in movies like Strong World Sanji has a direct talk with Shiki about Nami and it seems most people are aware of Sanji being extra sensitive to Nami.)

4. Sanji asking Nami if she is jealous or if she loves him, indicating again that he is interested to know is she is interested in him. Once even responding “I love you too”. In general Nami responding in these situations in a more “positive way” or Oda showing Sanji interpreting her actions as more romantic. For example the “proposal” or the hug in WCI.

5. Romantic looking moments or themes. Now this is of couse not something that has been done mutually between them and thus aren’t actually romantic scenes. But the tropes and common use for many of the things that Oda has chosen to use for Sanji and Nami are romantic in nature. Of course the two forced marriages are the strongest examples with them rescuing each other from getting married to someone else. But we also have the switch body trope, the slap and of course smaller gestures like the bridal carries or the way Oda drew the hug between them in WCI. I am not saying that SaNa is the only ship with romantic looking moments, because San/Pu And San/Violet obviously has some as well. However, considering the amount SaNa moments and the fact that he has left Violet and Purin in particular for Nami seems to make the SaNa moments trump any other ship. At least for me personally SaNa as it is now and as Oda has portrayed it in comparison to other Sanji ships gets in the way of Sanji ending up with someone else unless Oda starts to make some changes.

I want to make some emphasis on how Nami and Sanji seem to get some “bigger” moments between them in almost every arc. Again, compare this to Sanji with other women, or even Nami with other crew members.

Baratie - Their first meeting and Sanji’s reaction to Nami and interest gets focus. Arlong Park - Sanji shows interest in Nami’s past and Kuroobi mocks Sanji by specfically mentioning Nami. ( Loguetown Arc, Reverse Mountain Arc, Whiskey Peak Arc and Little Garden mostly have small moments, like Sanji asking if Nami is jealous or Sanji giving Nami his jacket.) Drum Island - Nami is sick and we see Sanji worry and care for her and in the end even sacrificing himself for her. Nami worries about him too. Alabasta - Sanji fighting Mr. 2 looking like Nami and lots of small moments like Sanji asking Nami if she loves him.

Jaya - Nami showing interest in Sanji’s back story. Small things like Nami hiding for the bugs behind Sanji or Sanji. Skypiea - Sanji being hell-bent of saving Nami and making the others look for her. Then him saving Nami and Usopp from Enel and Nami being worried in return. (Both times Sanji gets hit by Enel Nami is there and worries.) Then a lot of small moments like him giving her a flower and Nami pulling Sanji’s ear for flirting with Conis. Long Ring Long Land - Nami encourage Sanji be the ball and win, but mostly small moments like Sanji getting annoyed with Aokiji for flirting with Nami or him sitting next to her and trying to kiss her. Water 7 - Sanji leaving his love letter to Nami and Nami being worried for (and impressed with) Sanji. Enies Lobby - Sanji losing against a woman, Nami being understanding and then stepping in to basically revenge him. Also Sanji hearing it as Nami loving him and then him showing up to save Nami and Usopp from Jyabura.

Post-Enies Lobby - Not much, but Sanji stepping in to make Nami and Zoro stop fighting and make Nami understand Zoro’s pov. Thriller Bark - Sanji just being extremely focused on Nami and worried about her throughout the whole arc. Also him getting specifically selected by Luffy to save Nami. Of course the wedding theme with the bridal carry and Sanji’s reaction to Nami. Also Sanji’s Zombie protecting Nami (and later kicking Robin) and his “obsession with Nami” being mentioned. Sabaody Archipelago - Another smaller arc, but we do get Nami worried about Sanji possibly drowning. And smaller moments like Sanji being angry for Nami being put in danger by the Fishman Riders or him telling Franky to take care of Nami as he runs to protect Zoro. When they return we of course also get the nosebleeds, and Sanji daydreaming about Nami’s development.

Fishman Island - Sanji’s reaction to Jinbei and Arlong. Also the fishmen pointing out that Nami might be their weakness due to Sanji’s “over reaction“ to her falling. Punk Hazard - The body swtich, Sanji’s body saving Nami and Sanji being careful with not hurting her etc. Also them working together to save the children, Sanji listening to Nami’s request and saying he loves her more because of her kindness. Also small things like Sanji giving his jacket to Nami again. Dressrosa - Sanji leaving Violet behind to save Nami, insisting that he should be the one to save her and then him getting attacked by Doflamingo and Nami getting worried and not wanting to leave him. Sanji basically tries to sacrifice himself for Nami for the 4th time (Drum, Skypiea x2, also maybe in Thriller Bark). Zou - We get a lot of focus on Nami and Sanji together, and then of course when Sanji is gone Nami is the driving force for his plot. Once again Nami is also used to taunt Sanji (inside Capone). Then Nami is both the one to mention Sanji being from North Blue and to listen to Pekom’s talk about his family. Not to mention her insisting on going with Luffy to WCI and having a fight with Zoro as she defends Sanji. Whole Cake Island - The way she pushes for them to find Sanji, her hapiness when they find him and her hurt and the slap. We even get something like Nami being tantalized with Sanji by both Purin and Brulee. The only strawhat besides Luffy who gets a personal story thread with Sanji and a personal resolution for their conflict is Nami. The tension seems personal and combined with Sanji having another love interest but choosing Nami above her it does seem like Nami is the more natural choice both for Sanji and for Oda. 

There is also a distinct increase in romantic-looking moments between them, with them touching more than ever before.

Wano - Even after WCI it doesn’t seem like Oda is stopping the SaNa moments. Sanji manages to save and carry Nami three times in the beginning of Wano. On top of that we have the bath scene and of course a lot of small moments and mentions between them like Sanji asking Usopp to take care of “My Nami-san” or Sanji jumping in abobe Nami to save her from arrows. 

How many times have we had Sanji be the one to go after Nami or save her? By his own choice, by being the one present or even by Luffy asking Sanji to go. Oda puts Sanji next to Nami a lot, and I think it’s possible he might be doing it for a reason.

Who knows what we might get, but the fact that we have as much as we do really seems to show Oda having a preference to put them together in various ways.

The point is they have a lot of time and moments dedicated to them from Oda despite them both being secondary characters. At this point it’s possible Sanji is the person Nami has moments with the most in the story besides Luffy (and perhaps Usopp) as they often end up together. Of course this is including them thinking about and talking about each other as well, and not just direct interacting. For example counting the body switch and Nami being worried and focused on Sanji while on Zou. Oda doesn’t have to, but he has chosen to write it like this. On top of that he adds romantic interest from Sanji and romantic looking moments between them.

I could go on, and there are plenty of moments and examples to find between Nami and Sanji that are interesting to look a bit deeper at. You can check out my Masterpost - SanjiAFsincedayone for some of them. But as it is now here are the main points for why I think SaNa at least has a bigger chance to happen than other ships with the two of them as it is now.

One-sided attraction and romantic interest from Sanji’s side that needs to be resolved in one way or another.

Nami seems special to Sanji. Even small things like only using -san for her and -chan for others is a detail that makes her stand out to him.

Great involvement in each other’s stories. Oda likes adding Sanji and Nami in moments together both for interaction and explenation about each other. For example Sanji is also often used to save Nami.

Interactions of understanding and changing dynamics between the two, like them compromising for each other or wanting to know about the other’s past. Matching personalities and a possible future.

Romantic themes and moments, mainly the weddings, but also the amount of times Sanji has saved Nami and things like the hug being drawn in a very romantic looking way with Nami being more focused on.

Tension and urgency. This is basically Sanji and Nami having a lot of focus on each other in dire situations and Oda showing it with specific mentions.

So, to summarize, I like Sanji and Nami both as indvidual characters and together. I enjoy them as a ship and to explore their dynamics in a romantic way no matter what they might end up as in the story. Anyone should be able to respect that people have different preferences. Additionally I think and speculate that they would work well and could happen in the manga as well. This is obviously a biased interpretation and opinion. 

I might be wrong, but you should be able to respect that too as we have yet to get anything objectivly confirming any ship. We don’t know if any ship with end up canon at all. Maybe Sanji and Nami will remain a ship that never becomes canon, but even so they are a ship that is definitely worth enjoying.

I hope you found this post interesting and can enjoy your own ship and fandom while also seeing that it’s ok for others to like something different than you. Thanks for reading.

[bluegalaxygirl]

Am i crazy? (Zosan X reader) P1

Plot: Reader hasn't been sleeping or eating, they wont let anyone touch then and keeps having accidents. Everyone if worried or thinks they've gone crazy but the reality is so much worse.

Warning: Domestic abuse (Not by the hands of Zoro or Sanji), Bad language, violence, self harm, blood, mental damage, forced kissing and manipulation.

Zoro X Sanji X reader, Poly relationship, established relationship, Reader is GN.

Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8

It's been weeks since you last smiled, your face always tired and you body slumped when ever you sit or stand. You stopped doing all the things you used too, having to force yourself to do the minimum. Cuts and bruises covered your body form head to toe and the old scar on your lower back hurt when ever you did something, like someone was jamming their finger into it. The old scar looked worse than it actually was, You abusive ex stabbed you years ago and refused to take you to hospital, it took three days of begging and almost dying on the kitchen floor for him to let you out the house, your mother took you to hospital where you had to get surgery to fix the damage only for your mother to drive you back to him. You begged her to help you but his money was good, and she hardly had a roof over her head. It took you a while but you got out, you drugged him and ran away, left the island you were born on and traveled the seas. Joining the straw hats was the best thing that ever happened to you, you settled in quite quickly with the joyful crew and took it upon yourself to do all the chores and learn to fight. Falling in love again was hard but your two partners never crossed any lines, you were respectful, and they never raised a hand to you, they loved you and cared for you. Everything used to be so great but now you can hardly do anything without a looming feeling over you, a strange breath on your neck.

Sleep was impossible, whenever you fell asleep the pain in your back would get worse or your bruised ankle would get tugged, a kiss form one of your boys made you feel better but after words you'd feel a painful amount of pressure squeezing your arm or leg as if telling you to stop. You though you were going crazy and when you told Chopper about it he prescribed you sleeping pills. That night when you went to take the pills there was none there, you felt hopeless and just wanted it all to stop. Sanji made you more snacks than normal to keep your strength up and took up most of the chores around the ship for you, he praised you in every way but when he spoke like that you hurt in some way ending up walking away form him. Zoro refused to let you into the training room no matter how much you begged, he'd sleep near you where ever your sitting and staring into space. He'd try and get you to eat by sharing food from his plate but you always refused.

Dinner was almost over and you hadn't touched a thing, the feeling of someone looming over you made your heart race, no one was there but you could feel a breath on the back of your neck. Zoro sat next to you watching your tired and bruised up figure slump in the chair, his heart broke at the sight of you, he just wanted you back, the happy and energetic person he fell in love with. The breath leaves your neck as Sanji walks over standing behind you to look at your plate "Didn't take your fancy love?" he asks seeing your plate untouched. He sighs when you don't answer and picks up a fork putting some food on it "Please love, just a bite" he begs bring the fork to your lips. The pain in your lower back returns, feeling like a finger is twisting it so you push the fork away the pain subsiding as you do. Sanji sighs putting the fork back on the plate and taking it away from you and handing it to Luffy, the captain was more than eager to eat it, but he was worried about you, they all were but there wasn't much they could do. they had to trust in Chopper and hope you'll get out of your mental breakdown of sorts. "How about i run you a hot shower!" Nami smile getting up and offering you a hand. She was your best friend and tried her best to make you feel better. She would normally snap at someone for being like this, but she knew something was different about this, she didn't know what though. You stand not taking her hand as she walks out the door with you.

Zoro sighs watching you walk out the door, your cloths hanging loosely on your body, you were pale but with dark bags under your blood shot eyes. He hated it, he felt useless. Sanji sat next to the swordsman in the seat you left taking the mans hand trying to comfort the both of them. "Chopper" Zoro sighs gripping the cooks hand and looking across the table at the reindeer. "Yes?" Chopper looks up from the table to the two men. "Have you thought of anything else? Y/N won't tell us anything" The swordsman asks resting his head on his hand leaning on the table. Chopper looks down at his hands "The pills i've given them don't seem to be working but i am looking at other stuff, like teas." the reindeer looks back up with a sad smile. You're not talking much anymore and have refused therapy. "What do we do?" Sanji asks twiddling an unlit cigarette through his fingers. Chopper shrugs, he hates not knowing what to do, but he'll do his best no matter how hard the situation is.

Nami offered to help but you refused wanting to shower alone, maybe the hot water would help calm you down. The looming feeling was gone and you wanted it to stay that way. After getting undressed in the changing room and grabbing your stuff you headed into the bathroom, the shower running hot water, filling up the room with warm steam. Taking your towel off and putting your stuff down you stepped under the water, it felt good on your skin but the fresh cuts hurt a little. You felt around your body noticing new bruises on your arms and the one on your ankle a lot darker, running your hand behind your lower back, you felt the dent your ex left, it was sore and very sensitive, probably badly bruised too. You let the tears you've been holding back flow down your face, the water carrying them away as you sobbed under the shower. You managed to control yourself enough to wash your hair and then your body only to hear the bathroom door open and close. You froze, slowly turning your head to look at the door, no one was there but that looming feeling was back, your heart raced in your chest and you felt like you couldn't catch your breath.

A step hit the water close to you and you backed up into the wall dropping the body wash you were just using as you cover your mouth with your hand. More slow steps walked across the bathroom and to you only stopping in front of the running water of the shower. You trembled a little not knowing what was going on, maybe you have lost it, maybe you are crazy. Something reached through the water and grabs your arm pulling you through the water and throwing you across the room. You back hit the wet floor as you slid across the floor only stopping just before hitting the wall. You sat up and moved back about to yell out when something covered your mouth and pressure was leaning on your bruised ankle making you cry out in pain, what ever was covering your mouth made it very muffled. "Shhhhh.... don't worry little bird" your eyes widen at the male voice in front of your face, you recognized the voice and the nickname that makes you feel sick. A shimmer starts to form and soon vanishes revealing your ex boyfriend in front of you. His hand over you mouth and his foot pressing against your ankle. His other arm placed on his knee as he kneels down to you, his black hair now almost gone and his sickly handsome face smirking at you. "There we go" he whispers with a smile seeing you stop struggling under him. "You've grown over the past few years... i missed you" your eyes water as you look at him, all the bad memorized coming back to you. "Oh no you going to cry? i'm the one who should be crying" his anger boils the hand on your mouth squeezing tighter your hands going around his wrist to try and pull him away, but he's too strong in you weak state.

He sighs trying to clam himself and loosening his hand around your mouth "Will you be a good birdy and stay quiet for me?" he asks his eyes soft but you know better. You nod gritting your teeth as he slides his hand from your mouth down to your neck pressing you against the wall. "Good birdy, you still remember your place" he smiles pushing a strand of wet hair behind your ear. "You really hurt me sweet bird" he sighs leaning closer, you hold in a scream as his foot shifts on your bruised ankle only letting out a little grunt making him smile a little "I saw your wanted poster and knew i had to find you again. Im lucky you know, i had a lot of help but when i found you and saw you so happy with those two other guys" his grip tighten on your neck making you gasp for air trying to struggle under him as his eyes boil with anger "You're crew won't let you go willingly, so we'll have to make them kick you out" he slowly loses the grip around your neck as you pant for air tears falling down your cheeks "That's what i'm going to do. Make it so unbearable to have you around that they have to make you leave. i can't fight them even with my new devil fruit powers" he laughs a little shaking his head.

"W-What?" you whisper, his eyes connect with yours, he loves seeing the fear in your eyes. "There's this factory that makes devil fruits, it took me a while to get my hands on one, i was hoping i could use it to destroy your crew but when the Suke Suke no Mi fruit came along i knew it was the right one. The invisible man." his smile gets wider making you skin crawl "You've been doing this to me?" you ask your heart sinking in your chest, the past few weeks he's been around you, hurting you, stopping you form sleeping and eating and you had no idea. A part of you was happy you weren't crazy while the other part was full of fear. "Your too smart my birdy" he runs a hand through your hair before taking a fist full and slamming your head into the wall, you yell out in pain only for his other hand to go around your mouth again. "Now for some rules... Every time you do something wrong or that i don't like i'm going to hurt you like i normally do, if you do a good job I'll let you get a little sleep and eat a little, i can't have you dying on me." he leans closer to your face placing a kiss on your forehead.

"What are their names? Sanji and Zoro? if you touch them, talk to them, look at them or gods forbid kiss them i won't hesitate to kill them in their sleep, i want you to ignore then only and If you try telling anyone about me I'll make your life even worse" he lets go of your hair and wipe the tears off your face "I'm always with you and when i'm not, I'll lock you in your room where you'll be safe. i love you Y/n... All i want is to have you back, i'm the only one who can touch you" he lowers his hand back down to your neck and looks you over "I miss you so much" he whispers leaning in to kiss your lips but you turn your head away, you realize your mistake the moment it happened, you had no chose but to follow his orders and now you were going to pay the price. He growls pushing your body down onto the floor and getting in top of you to stop you form going anywhere. His hands around your neck as he strangles you against the ground "Don't you fucking turn away form me" he yells into your face before pulling a hand away and slapping you in the face, you cry out and try to push him off while yelling out apologies.

He lets go suddenly stepping over you and turning invisible as you curl up into a ball on the wet floor still apologizing over and over again. The door burst open Nami rushing in almost slipping in the wet floor as she stops next to you and gets on her knees to try and help you. Her hands touch your skin and you flinch away, you know he's watching you and you don't want to get hurt again "Y/N? what happened, your bleeding... there's no need to be sorry" she panics looking you over, seeing the back of your head leaking blood. She gets up and rushes out the room calling for chopper. You feel a hand on your back knowing it's your ex you don't flinch away knowing what will happen if you do "This time, I'll let that Nami girl and the doctor touch you... good birdy" he whispers stepping away as more foot steps approach. "Im sorry" you whisper one more time bring your hands up to your eyes to try and clear your eyes of the tears. Nami and Chopper run in and checks you over while Nami covers you with a towel and rubs your arm. You reach out your hand to touch her but pull away remembering he said they can touch you not you can touch them.

[vemuabhi]

Hii! It´s me popping here again! How are you doing? So, I would like to ask if you have a favorite Sanji moment and outfit (if it´s possible to chose hahaha) <3

Author san~~~ I'm doing good. How are you. And.... this ask... it took a long while for me to collect the pictures and scenes. I had so many scenes but I tried so much to cut them down to some of the scenes.

This is going to be a long freaking post. With cusses and spoilers.

Sit back and play a song for feels!

My Favourite Sanji scenes!!!

Warnings : Simping, Please be aware I sometimes cuss at that man because I love him. That is how I really am. I cuss the person that I love idk why. But not all the people I cuss are the ones I love. There will be a lot of difference and I'll respect that.

Disclaimer: This is solely my pure opinion.

There are just so many moments like when Sanji saves Otama or tries on his raid suit and all those but Tumblr won't allow me to post more than 10 pictures sadly. So I did the only scenes part here, I'll do outfits in other post and make sure I'll link it here too. Check it out also!

So.. yeah... here it goes. My favourite scenes of Snooj!!

1) Sanji VS Enel

the 1st thing I always remember about Sanjis Coolest scenes is the one at skypiea. Sadly its one of the underrated scene of the anime.

Sanji in this scene protects Ussop and takes the hit. See his smile at the end. Wait for it. The SanUso moment is so pure where ussop understands Sanjis feelings completely.

He stands still even after receiving the hit and then takes a puff of his cigarette and says "Thanks, I needed a light", then falls down. Please... why isn't he given more credit. He is an amazing chef and yes I know you see it but... he has his amazing fight scenes too.

I absolutely adore the way Sanji always thinks about so many things while he fights. I mean... he plays with the mind too. You see, in this same scene he made sure to ruin enels ark from the inside. He is like this in another movie too. Not only that, a scene in alabasta arc too, where he enters into the base of Mr. 3 and talks to crocodile.

2) Sanji saving the Vinsmokes

Even after facing so much of abuse, he still saved his father and siblings. Looking at them after saving their asses is a delight to watch.

This is the moment they all realise that Sanji won... he has become stronger without their genes and techniques.

3) Sanji shouts at Luffy for Ussop

As Ussop and Luffy start to argue about merry, Luffy almost says to pack up and leave but he was stopped in between because Sanji kicks gim in the face and shouts at him for almost saying Ussop should leave.

Sanji never lets anyone to talk about leaving (even though he left and had a huge ass arc for him). He really cares about his crew and hates and it is really shown here. Not only the ladies. He definitely cares about the guys of the crew too.

4) Sanji uses Knives to fight

Cmon... its the only fight of Sanjis that he uses knives. The person being a chef and using food to fight made Sanji even more angry. He was already trying to find Robin chan and got into this shit where another chef keeps his kitchen dirty and uses food, pissed him off.

He decided to teach him a lesson and got into the fight by using Knives (Improvisation on spot!) Isnt he excellent here.

5) Reunion with Luffy

Getting back to his King, his Captain Luffy was the only scene where Sanji smiled truly after coming to the Whole Cake island. Its way too adorable. Him realising what he truly wants and to know that his nakama would save him definitely if he is in any problem.

Their smile is definitely the most precious. Infact for me... their smiles are the one piece for me. The most valuable treasures.

Bonus scenes

* Sanji saving the Maid of Vinsmoke family

Never he lets anyone harm a lady. Its not him. I could add Kalifa scene here but... this is also a good scene. One of the reasons why I really respect him. Yeah it gets annoying some times but... still its just how he is.

* Him saving Tashigi because he heard her cry.

I know its Extra af but cmon, we are dealing with Sanji here. Its going to be like that.

* Sanji's Surgeries

He is the best plastic surgeon ever. I won't step back on this opinion. He just makes people to completely change their faces. There were 2 of these who were shown in the anime. I really wanna see more people though.

* AceSan and ZoSan moments

I definitely love these scenes so much. The Ace scene is just so beautiful + dreamy. He was so daamn polite and so nice with Ace. Yes Sanji is good with everyone if they are polite with him.

The ZoSan scene is perfect + precious. Yes this is the thirst quencher for me. I adore this moment very much. Please they could've kissed.

The next one is kinda personal and not that needed. So I suggest you to skip this.

Like Comment and Reblog this! And share your favourite moments of Sanji with me!!!

XOXOXOXO

But if you wanna read then go ahead.

* After Sanji and Pudding Kiss and also pudding cries.

This scene was so emotional and personal to me...

Its weird but... when she was crying, I was crying too. Idk why These feelings were there but... It was the moment I realised I liked that jerk Sanji. And... I actually dont like pudding. Everything about her felt a bit odd and not trustworthy. But... when she cried. I cried too. When I was rewatching that scene now again, I cried. I myself don't know why I cry watching that scene. I get so many mixed emotions and my feelings are not even clear to me. I don't know.

If you did read this. Thankyou for reading.

Like Comment and Reblog this! And share your favourite moments of Sanji with me!!!

Wait.. you say you didn't read my post on "my favourite outfits" then click here!!!

[sashi-ya]

{+18} – Cherry Blossom & Tangerines – Trafalgar Law x Y/n – Part 5

Modern AU. Trip to Jeju Island, SK. No spoilers.

Female reader. No physical descriptions. Everybody is +18, canon ages. Chopper is human.

Tw: NSFW, blindfolding, soft sub/dom, unprotected sex (this is just fiction, pls wear protection). Fluff. A little bit of ZoSan

A/N: I haven’t had the chance to visit South Korea due to Covid, so everything included is pure research. Excuse me in advance if there is something that’s not 100% accurate! Keep in mind is purely inspired ♥

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31059467

Word Count: 4.5 K

» List of parts: {P1} {P2} {P3} {P4} {P5} {P6}«

Chapter 5

“Y/n it's our turn, let’s sing!!” Vivi told me, while pulling me from my arm. “Vivi, wait”, I said. I kept watching how Law was still hugging the girl. “What is it?... Oi!”, Nami said, also witnessing the scene.

“Don’t go, just… wait”, I begged my redhead friend who was ready to kill him. I saw how the mysterious woman and Law laughed together. Zoro didn’t even care, he was more drunk than anything else.

The girl was ruffling his hair, pinching his cheeks. Law didn’t even look at me. I didn’t know if he was just simply so amused about the girl that he simply forgot about me, or, he was doing this on purpose, knowing that I’ll be watching, maybe to let me know he wasn’t going to commit to me in any way.

“That’s it. I’m leaving”, I stated. Vivi, Robin and Nami insisted on me shouting at Torao, but I couldn’t. I was so hurt, and, besides that, I wasn’t even his girlfriend, so I had no right to reproach anything to him.

The girls came with me, and we drove home. The boys didn’t realize we had left until long after we weren’t at the karaoke bar, when Sanji texted Nami asking what the hell had just happened. “Sanji, you should ask your stupid ass friend Torao, what the hell is he doing with a bitch?, plus, go get your boyfriend too, she is right next to him”, Nami said via audio.

Sanji sent an audio back, “Nami-swan! Zoro is not my boyfriend… wait, you were talking about him, right?, whatever, Torao is still with her, I’m gonna see who the hell is she and kick the hell out of stupid Law for hurting Y/n-chwan”.

I drove as fast as I could, at that point I only wanted to bury myself in bed and cry my eyes out. I was silent all the way. My friends knew there was no point in saying anything else, so they just strung along with me.

We got home, and Robin offered me some tea, yet, I politely turned the offering down and headed almost running to my bed. I covered myself up to my face, and pitiful tears sprouted from my eyes.

I heard my cell phone ring several times, I knew it was probably my friends asking if I was all right. But I didn’t have the strength to even see the screen.

“Why did you choose to hurt me like this, Law?” ... I whispered to myself, unable to understand why I was in that position, why after all the romantic stuff he has done for me he didn’t even care I was there…

I reached my phone and simply turned it off, I was fed up with it ringing. Some minutes, perhaps half an hour passed until I fell asleep, crying.

Suddenly, Nami’s loud screams woke me up. “TORAO, WHAT THE FUCK? WHY ARE YOU BRINGING THIS SLUT HOME?”.

I didn’t hear Law’s voice, but I did hear someone climbing the stairs, quickly, almost running.

The door opened suddenly with a loud sound, like someone kicking on it. I was still in bed, and the bang of the door made me take an upright position instantly.

There he was, the villain of my story with tears on his eyes, hopeless, shaking. “Y/n-ya!!! it’s not what you think, let me explain…” “STOP, what type of lie are you going to spit out from your stupid mouth?, plus, what the hell? I heard Nami saying you brought that girl home. Have you been drinking? Are you drunk? what the fuck?” I shouted at him, also crying.

Suddenly, before Law could say anything else, I saw a brunette, tanned, tall girl, with big eyes that resemble Law’s ones. She looked at me, smiling and peacefully said, “Hello Y/n, my name is Lami. Trafalgar, Lami”.

I opened my eyes, and mouth… “Trafalgar?”.

“That’s right! I’m Law 's sister! Nice to meet you! I’m sorry if you got things wrong!” she said to my stunned me. “Oi, brother, she is so pretty!! Even more than in the pictures!”.

“Oh God…”. I was somehow relieved that Law wasn’t flirting with a girl, yet mortified because not only me, but all my friends had called Law’s sister a slut… a bitch.

“I am… I am really sorry… And, uhm, N-nice to meet you…”, I said, wiping the tears on my eyes. “It’s ok, darling! I’m leaving you alone so you can talk in peace, I’ll be downstairs!”. “O-ok”, I said sniffing.

Law slowly approached to the left side of my bed and sat there, next to me, in silence. I wasn’t capable of saying anything to him, either. I had put up a show, he probably thought I was a toxic girl, jealous or even worse things. I had mistrusted him. It was probably the end of something that hadn’t even started.

Suddenly, Law hurled himself on me, hugged me and nuzzled on my lap. “I thought you wouldn’t believe me, I’m sorry, I really do. Lami lives in Jeju and I wanted her to meet you because she is not traveling to Seoul any sooner, we just decided that we will be meeting at the bar so… so you could get to know her”. He said, still with his head buried onto my legs.

“Law…”, I began to cry again. I petted his hair and told him “I am the one who should be sorry. I- I thought you were a bad guy, a typical man that doesn’t care about the girls. I am sorry…”. I felt horrible.

I could hear downstairs my friends laughing, Sanji and Zoro fighting, Luffy shouting. Luckily everybody would make Lami feel comfortable, after all. Law was still sobbing over my lap.

After several minutes I decided to speak up. “Law, stop, you are not the one who should be crying asking me for forgiveness. You did nothing wrong. I was completely mistaken. I hope you will be able to forgive me someday”, I said, gaining composure in order to make things clear.

He sat back, looked at me with teary eyes and asked, “someday? There is nothing to forgive. I want to be with you, I … L…”

“Oi, you two, stop crying, Lami is leaving”, said Nami leaning on the door frame, smiling at us. As she left, and Law wiped the tears off my cheeks, we stood up from bed. I was still dressed so we headed downstairs right away.

“Sis, let’s go, I don’t quite remember how to get your home from here, so you tell me”, said Law. Lami looked at him with loving eyes, and said, “My big brother is always taking care of me, I missed you doc”. Law’s cheeks became red, and he hid under the white with black spots cap he was wearing.

Lami said goodbye to everybody, except me, “she probably hates me”, I thought.

I was going to wish her a good night, when Lami held my hand and pulled from me. “Let’s go sister-in-law, come with us!”. I followed them into the car unsure if Law wanted me there, because he was still embarrassed as hell.

I let Law’s sister sit on the passenger seat, and I sat on the back seat behind Lami. A few seconds after Law started the car Lami said, “Oi, Y/n! did you know that Law has never ever introduced a girlfriend to the family before?”. I choked a little when I heard her say “girlfriend”, and simply chuckled. Law told her to stop, but Lami continued telling me how “emo” he was when he was an adolescent, making fun of his sibling.

We finally arrived at Lami's house. It was a traditional Jeju stone house, with big windows and a typical korean roof construction. On the entrance was a tall guy wearing a cap with “PENGUIN” written on it, waving at us. Law parked the car next to a black Hyundai Ioniq.

“Oi!! brother-in-law!!! How are you? It’s been a year my dear friend!” the guy at the door told Law. We descended the car, and the guy hugged Law in a way “man” do. Lami introduced me to the man, he was his boyfriend, and they had been living together for a few years, and apparently before dating Lami, Penguin knew Law since they were little.

We went inside, and had coffee while chatting about everything. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at any moment, Lami and Penguin were really warm people.

Law’s sister and I headed to the kitchen. It was a perfect opportunity to ask her about their parents so I thought of the best way to bring up the subject. I didn’t need to, because it was the first thing that Lami mentioned.

“Y/n, I’m sure my cold brother didn’t tell you anything about our parents… right?”, she said. I was helping her putting some mochi onto a plate, so I looked at her and said “Not really… At first I thought Rosinante was his father, but then I realized that his surname was Trafalgar, not Donquixote”.

“That’s right, Rosinante is something like Law’s dad. When my brother was 10 years old, my parents passed away in a car accident. They were both doctors, the best ones of this city. Law looks exactly like my dad when he was younger…”, she stopped for a little, and continued, “We stayed with our grandparents at the moment. After two years, Law became really ill and had to be taken to Seoul for some doctors to cure him. Luckily, Rosinante was a volunteer at the children’s hospital where Law was being treated. After six months of intense treatment, he recovered and forged a friendship with “Corasan” who took care of him… Oh sorry, I meant, Rosinante. Corasan it’s just a nickname Law gave him during… the chemotherapy...”, she concluded.

“Oh… poor baby…I’m sorry for your loss too, Lami” I said, feeling a lump in my throat. “Don’t worry, we are all right now, time has passed”, she said, grabbing my hand softly and smiling. She continued, “but let me tell you something, I’ve never seen Law with that type of twinkle in his eyes in the 24 years I’ve known him. He loves you; I can sense that. Plus, when you left the bar earlier, he became so desperate, he was truly worried about losing you”.

I blushed instantly, yet, I was so happy of hearing how he probably loves me that I giggled. And Lami, too.

From the living room we heard Law calling me, “Bab… Y/n-ya, let’s go home it is pretty late”. “Ah… my sweet loving brother and his ways…”, Lami said with a sarcastic tone, rolling back eyes. We both laughed and headed where the boys were.

“Oi Penguin, do you have a bottle of cold water? I tend to get thirsty when I drive”, Law asked Penguin and looked at me with some sort of look I can only label as… horny?. “Right, bro, let me get you one”, said the cool cap guy and headed to the kitchen. “He gets thirsty?” I said to myself a little confused, but dismissed the thought as my attention went to Lami who was showing me a photo of his brother when he was a little baby.

The happy couple invited us to the lantern festival that was taking place the next night at the historical center of the city. They told us to bring all of our friends too. We were excited about it, so we accepted the invitation and left the house.

During the ride along a road by the sea, Law asked me, “Babe, can you please turn the GPS on?, I don’t really know where I am going…”. I searched for my phone in my pockets, but realized I’ve left it at home. “I didn’t bring my phone… give me yours”, I told him. He grabbed his from the black jeans pocket and gave it to me. “Law, your phone is dead…”, I said, trying to turn it on.

“Yeah, my battery died after calling you twenty times when you left the bar…”, he said, kinda joking. “Oh…”, I gasped, and continued, “Well, let me enter the address on the car sat nav”.

I approached my hand to the little screen when Law stopped my hand and smirked. “It would be a shame if the computer wouldn’t work and we ended up lost…”.

“You clearly had this planned, right?” I said arching a brow. “Me, planning things? that’s not something I usually do…”, he said in a sarcastic way, but with a sexy tone that made me somehow fidget on my seat.

I came closer to his face and almost talking next to his ear I said, “Let’s get lost”. Law licked his lips, placed his right hand over my lap and said “Heh, sure… I can’t resist myself anymore”.

He suddenly turned the wheel and took a little road that took us to the beach. Finally, my lover parked the car, luckily it was a deserted zone, a cliff area, and there weren’t any houses or places nearer.

The beach ahead of us was lightened by an intense moonshine, the sea was choppy so the waves hit hard on the cliffs.

Law threw his seat back and patted his lap, “Strip for me, and come here, baby”. “Ah, so we are fucking on the car, nice…” I thought and began to take my clothes off.

“Don’t take that off, yet. You know that little bandanna you have on your head could help us…”, he said to me after I jumped over his lap. I felt a rock hard bulge under my core, he was already so ablaze for me.

He then untied the cloth that was holding my hair, smirked at me, and said “may I?” while covering my eyes with it.

“Lay you back on the steering wheel, baby girl”, he ordered me. I remember instantly how he likes to dominate me, so I followed his order to a “Yes, sir”.

His fingers ran from my mouth to my neck. He kept lowering them softly caressing my flesh. I could barely feel the touch of his fingers over my skin. He wasn’t talking, and I was unaware of what was coming next, I was blindfolded, but surrendered completely to this man.

All of a sudden I felt a cold sensation over one of my nipples, “Uhg…” I moaned, throwing my head back. Then the chilly stinging feeling moved to my other nipple. God, what is that?... and suddenly remember Law asking Penguin the cold water bottle. “Damn you, Law”, I said to myself but only being able to verbalize moans and grunts.

He began to trail an icy path from my breasts to my lower stomach. My heated skin mixed with the cold water that began to melt over my flesh, felt like a sweet torture.

“Your hot body is making the icy water melt and wet my jeans… or is it perhaps your own arousal for your Master, baby girl?”, he said to me, while running a thumb over my clit.

He then penetrated me with two fingers as he only knew how to, took them off and asked me to open my mouth. “Taste yourself, baby girl”, he commanded me, and I opened my mouth and sucked.

I heard - and felt- how he unzipped his jeans, and slowly took his member out. I could feel how he began to softly hit his manhood over my sex. He was playing with it, but my body couldn’t wait for it to be inside of me.

“Is it getting hot in here, huh?” he said and unbuttoned his black shirt. I knew it because he then grabbed my hands making me caress his skin. My hands wandered along his chest, but my mind was only focusing on how much I wanted to be penetrated by this man.

I was drowning in lust, I needed him to do something, but he didn’t. “Law… Sir… What are you doing?... fuck me, I want you to fuck me…”. He laughed, and violently but gently enough he pinched and twisted one of my erect nipples. A strike of intense pleasure hit my center, and it was so unexpected that I only purred at it.

He then ran his inked fingers through my hair and pulled me closer to his face, this time he wasn’t being gentle, he was being rough… and I loved it. “What do you think you are doing? I am the one who gives you orders in here, are we clear?” he said, whispering with a grunt in my ear.

“Y-yes sir, I- am sorry…”, I said, stuttering. “Good”, he said and kissed me. We made out, hard, feverishly. I could feel over my entrance how his sex became even harder.

He suddenly put his hands on each side of my waist and lifted me up a little bit, so I could place my knees on each side of the seat. He used his right hand to guide his pennis inside of me. It was just the tip of it, he was enjoying how I was probably miming the words “fuck me” repeatedly. After a few seconds of torture, he grabbing me again from my waist, pushed me down against his lap. “Ugh..” I said, opening my mouth, throwing my back to the steering wheel, so hard that I made the car horn sound.

I wanted to be penetrated, and he did it so roughly, yet so pleasantly.

I began to ride him, back, forward, up, down, tracing circles with my pelvis. My left knee hit the emergency brake handle, it hurt but I didn���t care. I placed my hands over his strong abs, letting all of my senses focus on the pleasure, imagining the expression he had on his face when I heard him groan.

Law pulled my hair and threw my neck back, again making me hit my back on the wheel, and used his hips to bang me, hard, burying himself into me. Every thrust made my body react with little spams; I was being sent to heaven.

Law untied the bandanna that was covering my eyes, and said in between the thrusts and an agitated voice, “I want to see your precious face when I make you cum”. My eyes slowly returned to its functions, admiring the sweaty thorax of Law, the way his stomach would go up and down picturing his rapid breathing. His face showed a red glowing, he was more than aroused. I was too, and as I reached for climax, placing my right hand over the steamy glass of the car window, Law did too with a hard “Huh”.

He bathed my insides once again. I remained still enjoying the warming sensation inside of me, trying to erase any worry at the time.

Law placed a hand on my back and pulled me closer to his chest, while lying his neck over the headrest of the yellow Sonata.

I rested my whole tired body over his, enjoying the touch of our warm skins, the scent of his body, with my lips wandering along his neck, leaving soft kisses over its skin.

“We should go back home; they might get a little bit concerned…” I told Law, still over him. “Yeah, you are right, let’s go back…”.

It was 4 am so once we got home and opened the door, we entered stealthily. I walked behind Law when he suddenly stopped, and I fell over him. “What is it, Law?!” I whispered, “I don’t know, this is kind of a slumber party…”, he whispered back at me.

Suddenly all the lights turned on. Everybody was sleeping on bare mattresses on the floor of the living room.

Little by little our friends but Zoro and Sanji woke up.

“Oh my god, finally…” said Nami and everyone began to laugh. They weren’t laughing at us, but at Sanji and Zoro who were sleeping cuddled.

Law looked at them and looked at everybody else and said, “Excuse me, is this something new to you? Oi Mugiwara-ya, tell them every time you three get to sleep at home they do the same”. Luffy nodded, still laughing.

No matter how much noise they made, nor Zoro or Sanji woke up, they seemed to be happily enjoying sleeping like this, so we didn’t want to bother them anymore.

“Let’s go back to sleep, guys. Y/n and Law you can sleep upstairs, we left Law’s bed intact”, said Franky winking at us. “Thank you!!” I said, and we went upstairs jumping through the multiple legs of our friends.

We climbed up the stairs, and went into the boy’s room. I was undressing when suddenly Law offered me a big loose t-shirt. “Don’t get me wrong I love your naked body, but what if the boys enter the room and see you naked?”, he said. “Oh, Law, are you jealous? hahaha”, I mocked him. “Well, let's not discuss jealousy…”, he said frowning.

I grabbed his white loose t-shirt with some kind of black power ranger called “Stealth Black” printed on it and put it on, giggling. I could have sworn he was a geeky nerd, and that was the proof.

Law and I jumped into his bed and muffled up with the bedding. He hugged me, kissing my head. “Thank you for making this the best holiday of my whole life…”, he said. “Thank you for paying the bus ticket that time…”, I whispered with my face pressed up against his chest. We both laughed and soon after fell asleep.

I woke up with the sounds of some birds chirping on the window. Law was still asleep beside me, with his ruffled hair, his cheek pressed against the pillow with his mouth open, snoring softly. I couldn’t help but drool over that image, so handsome even like that, the intimacy, the person I wanted to wake up to each morning.

I placed my head over the tattoos of his chest, following with my index finger the lines of ink on his skin. I remained there for a few minutes hearing his heartbeat, drunk of his skin scent.

Softly he began caressing my cheek, still without opening his eyes. He was probably half asleep yet.

I felt a million butterflies trapped on my stomach, I was so in love, I had fallen for this guy, hard. I felt a little guilty, I mean, how was I supposed to fall in love so quickly with a man?... I guess it was just love at first sight…

Law’s hand stopped moving, and suddenly I heard him mumble something like, “Mmmm- hum - I-I- love you Y/n-ya”. I widened my eyes, “did he just say he loves me? “I was completely surprised and even unsure if that was what he said or if it was just my imagination.

Some minutes later, he opened his eyes, slowly. “Good morning, baby girl”, he said, kissing my forehead. I was immobile, watching his face still trying to process what he had just said. “What is it?, are you sleeping with your eyes open? you are gorgeous but that would be a little creepy”, he said, surprised.

“N-No, uhm, I am awake, yes. Good morning”, I uttered. “Are you ok, Y/n-ya?”, he asked with a confused expression. “Yeah, uhm… Law… Do you sleep talk?”, I inquired him. “Oh… did I? I’m sorry... I do, yes. Sometimes. What did I say?”, he said this time with a worried expression. “Oh, no, nothing, I thought I heard something but I don’t know. It’s nothing”, I said, trying to settle the matter.

We remained cuddling up a little bit more, until we heard movements downstairs. They were probably waking up, so I decided to go to my room and get ready for the day.

“New pajamas”, I thought while taking off Law’s shirt. I folded and put it on my suitcase, I wasn’t willing to give it back to him.

I went ahead and showered. I let the warm water bathe my skin while thinking about Law saying “I love you” while he was asleep. Was he really? Did he really feel that or was it just a dream?... I guess I should wait…

After the bath, which clearly made me more anxious than relaxed, I went downstairs to the kitchen where Sanji was already preparing breakfast. I decided to help him with setting the table while chatting about the lantern festival of that night. Nami, Vivi and Robin joined us and were pleased that Lami and Penguin invited us to such a pretty event.

Our last day in Jeju passed with us visiting the Samseonghyeol Shrine, which is the oldest historic site in Korea. That place is considered as the birthplace of three demigods of the island, founders of the Tanma Kingdom that governed Jeju Island before the Joseon dynasty took over.

At noon we came back from the city and began to get ready for the festival that night. I received a message from Lami, “@TraffLami.06 > hello Sis! How is the day going? Is my brother treating you right?. Listen, we usually wear “hanbok” to the festival. If you want to too, you can rent them from a friend's shop. I send the location. See you tonight! ♥”. I got super excited for it, I loved cultural clothing and I wanted to see Law wearing those clothes too. I told my friends and we all agreed on renting one. Law, being the warm boy he was, wasn't so sure about it, but with a little kiss and a little begging I could convince him.

The night came and we all drove to the historical centre of Jeju. The place was all garnished with paper lanterns, string lights hanging from some bridges, lit inflatable displays, food courts, typical music being played that mixed with the buzz of hundreds of attendants that were enjoying the night.

I was wearing a hanbok in yellow and orange tones, while Law used a green and black one. He looked like a typical groom; I couldn’t help but fantasize a little about us getting married someday.

Luffy of course ran to the food stalls followed by everybody else, Zoro went ahead and attacked the stall where they were offering some kind of soju and Law and I waited for his sister and Penguin to arrive at where we were.

Law was more silent than usual and his face showed concerned. I thought at first about him missing his parents or family, maybe the festival triggered some memories, so I held his hand without saying anything. He squeezed my hand, and began to sweat.

“Are you ok, doc?”, I asked. He looked at me, I could sense he got really nervous and finally mumbled, “Y/n-ya we need to talk…” …

Part 6, FINAL

[chenziee]

Hello, I was wondering if you could please do a “right person, wrong time,” au with lawlu and side zosan? Just some hurt/comfort with a possible open ending?

Here you go anon~ Thank you so much for sending this in! I hope you like it :D

See you in the New World

Turning the old, tattered straw hat in his hands, Law tried not to pay attention the screams and sounds of trees falling over as a result of Monkey D. Luffy’s rampage. He really hoped Jinbe would calm him down soon or the young pirate would actually die and even Law could do nothing about it then.

That was the last thing Law needed after all the trouble that he went through.

Hell, who was he kidding; he really just couldn’t stand the idea of Straw Hat slipping through his fingers and disappearing from this world. It was the same reason why he went to save him in the first place; because Straw Hat didn’t even hesitate in beating up a Tenryuubito in that auction house and because Law couldn’t deny the interest and pull that he felt then. Because Law wanted to know more about the man, and about the D. in his name, and he wanted to see what more he could do.

Because the fire in his eyes made Law feel something he didn’t think he was capable of feeling.

Law wasn’t stupid, he knew what the sinking feeling in his gut and his wildly beating heart when Straw Hat first appeared on the live feed from the war meant, but he didn’t hate the realization as much as he probably should. He did question the sanity of his decision to go save his crush from the middle of the navy’s greatest, strongest seat of power, with all the world’s strongest people going at it and wrecking the entire place, however, he didn’t regret it. It was worth it knowing they had gotten away and that Straw Hat would live.

Definitely worth it just to be able to see his soft, gentle smile when he woke up for a little while a few days ago. When Law had noticed Straw Hat’s big eyes staring at him while he was changing his bandages, he froze in place, just waiting for Straw Hat to start asking after his brother. But he didn’t, his mind probably still hazy from his grave injuries and the cocktail of painkillers he was on, and Law was relieved. He didn’t know what or how to tell him if he did ask.

So instead, he welcomed the tired mumble, “You’re from the auction house. Torao, right?”

Law blinked but then he huffed in amusement, “That’s Trafalgar Law, Straw Hat-ya. But I’m glad you remember me.”

“Of course,” Straw Hat said, his smile widening. “Your powers are really cool. You can join my crew.”

Law laughed as he declined, “No, thanks. You might be cute but I have my own crew.”

“You think I’m cute?” Straw Hat asked him then and Law’s eyes immediately dropped to the bandages that he was supposed to be changing.

“What of it?” he asked back, hoping his embarrassment at his slip up wasn’t obvious.

“Just that I think you’re really handsome, too, so I’m glad.”

Law paused, slowly glancing back up at Straw Hat’s face. He was looking at him with a soft, open expression that told Law he definitely wasn’t lying—if a person as reckless and honest as Straw Hat seemed to be would ever even bother with lying—and somehow, Law wasn’t surprised when a hand wrapped in bandages came up to shakily touch his cheek.

The surgeon was impressed Straw Hat even had the strength to move at all. He didn’t fight him when he weakly tried to guide Law’s face towards his own, only searching his eyes for answers and finding nothing but trust and want. And a cheeky glint as if he was daring Law to back out.

And who was Law to refuse a challenge like that.

The kiss they shared a second later was clumsy, just a quick, chaste touch of lips but it felt like fire ran through Law’s entire body. Even his fingertips tingled and his heart was beating faster than it had in years and years. He wanted to kiss him again. And so he did.

But now, with Straw Hat’s mind fully awake and breaking... Law didn’t know what to do but wait. This wouldn’t be fixed by painkillers or a kiss. He knew how much Straw Hat had to be hurting. Knew better than anyone what it was like seeing the person you love most die right in front of you while you can do nothing but watch. Yet, even after all these years, he didn’t know how to deal with someone grieving like that. He could only hope Jinbe would do a better job than he himself would.

And that Luffy would be able to come out all the stronger for it. If he didn’t die from his wounds reopening first, that is.

Suddenly, Law was torn away from his thoughts by a huge splash followed by Penguin’s shouting about a neptunian fight. As if that was so surprising in the middle of the calm belt. What was surprising, however, was the Dark fucking King Rayleigh climbing out of the water moments later.

“I’m assuming Luffy is on this island, right?” he asked then.

Law regarded him carefully for a moment, but he didn’t sense any ill intent from him. Still he didn’t let his guard down as he slowly replied, “What if he is?”

“You seem quite protective of him,” Rayleigh laughed, walking past him and completely ignoring the glare Law gave him. “You’re a doctor, aren’t you? When will he recover?”

“He needs about two more weeks of rest, assuming he doesn’t kill himself today.” Law sighed as he gave up. But he really didn’t like where this was going.

“Great. Thank you for saving him.” Rayleigh looked at him, and though he was smiling when he spoke next, there was a threatening aura like he was just daring Law to refuse. “You can leave him in my care now. I’ll make sure he doesn’t over do it before the two weeks are up.”

There was heavy silence around the bay. Unwittingly, Law noted that even the sounds of Straw Hat going wild have stopped now.

“Fine,” he conceded eventually. He wasn’t blind or stupid enough to think he could do anything against this man anyway so he simply tossed the straw hat in his hands at the Dark King, who caught it easily before looking at it with a fondness that made Law wonder what he was thinking then.

As the Tang set sail again only minutes later, accompanied by Shachi and Penguin’s whining about not getting to enjoy the island of women, Law tried to ignore the painful throb in his heart. He didn’t like leaving Luffy with the Dark King, especially not while he was still recovering, but… maybe it was better that way. After all, it didn’t matter how much Law liked him, or how much Luffy might or might not like Law, because there was nothing in the future for them.

There was nothing in the future for Law. Cora-san was waiting for him and nothing was more important to him than that; he didn’t have the time or luxury for feelings, especially not now that he had finally made it this far. Everyone would just get hurt so it was better to leave, to end it before it started.

But he couldn’t help but hope that one day, when everything was over, that it might change. That one day, if they both still felt the same way, there might be a better time to see where they could go.

—————

“See you in the New World, Luffy.”

Law jumped at the words that were like an echo of his own from more than two years ago. He turned around from where he was watching his crew, the Straw Hats, and the minks dance and play around as they celebrated the reconciliation of the country’s leaders to glare at Zoro.

The swordsman paid him no mind as he sat down next to him. “Someone left Luffy a note like that. I had thought it might have been something from Ace but it was from you, wasn’t it?” he asked and Law froze in shock.

He didn’t know what to say, Zoro was right after all. But how did he know? “Why would you think that?” he asked instead of admitting it, but he was sure his long silence before that was telling enough.

“Ever since the crew met up again, he would stare at the note whenever he had nothing else to do but he stopped after we ran into you. And seeing how you two act around each other, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out,” Zoro explained, the smirk he gave Law turning into laughter when he saw the expression Law was making.

But he couldn’t help it. Straw Hat actually kept the note he had left him along with his hat back when he had left him alone on Amazon Lily. That knowledge was making Law feel lightheaded; startled and happy and embarrassed and hopeful. His eyes inadvertently slid back towards the centre of the party, searching for Straw Hat. It was almost disturbing how quickly he found him, like his attention was literally drawn to the bright smile and energy. Or maybe it was simply because the loud, bouncy idiot was impossible to miss even in the middle of a partying crowd.

Law still didn’t know what to say but it didn’t seem like Zoro was waiting for him to reply anyway. He ran his hand over the sheaths of his swords, then spoke up again, voice serious, “A word of advice. If you really want him, go get him before runs off to get married.”

“He’s not going to get married.” Law sighed and gave the man a blank look, wondering when and how exactly the conversation turned from his stupid old note to this.

“Luffy might not seem like the type to care about romance but he likes you, so you can never know.” Zoro shrugged.

Law stared at him for a moment, wondering whether he was just playing dumb or if he honestly thought Law didn’t know what this was really about. “I meant your boyfriend. Straw Hat said he’ll bring him back. He’s your captain, I shouldn’t have to be the one to tell you how stubborn he is.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” Zoro muttered bitterly, a frown on his face when he looked away.

Law laughed. He couldn’t help it, it was just so ridiculous. Law hadn’t been around the crew long but even he could tell the tension between these two was ridiculous. He had honestly thought they were together already. And here he thought Zoro had come to confront him about Law possibly seducing his captain but he really only came because he wanted someone to assure him his not-boyfriend was going to come back? What a round about way to do things. Not to mention Law had to question his sense of judgement in coming to Law of all people for this. Hell, Law couldn’t even handle his own problems, relationship or otherwise—after all, if it weren’t for Straw Hat and his absolutely maddening insistance on saving him and the entire goddamned country of Dressrosa, Law was ready to leave all his problems in Doflamingo’s hands. The man would have made absolutely sure Law would never have a single problem again.

Now, Law had to smile to himself and quietly thank Straw Hat for not leaving him to die in the end.

As if hearing his thoughts, Straw Hat started looking around as if searching for something, until his eyes found Law’s. Then he grinned in that way that made Law’s stomach do a flip and waved at him widely, gesturing for Law to stay where he was as he started weaving his way out of the crowd. 

Law shook his head and chuckled to himself before he said quietly, “Hey, Zoro-ya?” He didn’t even tear his eyes away from Straw Hat, who took a detour to the food table. This idiot was seriously impossible and Law was so helpless against him.

Zoro hummed in acknowledgement and Law continued, finally looking back at the swordsman seriously, “When the two of them make it to Wano, you do something about the not-boyfriend thing.”

Zoro huffed, not saying anything either way, but obviously accepting the challenge. “And you?” he asked, eyebrow raised.

“I’m about to do something really stupid right now.”