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thesharktanksdriver · 9 months ago

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The star above wano still shining (platonic)

Sorry for the long wait on another determination. I’ve had uni, my wisdom teeth being pulled and other things going on so life has been pretty hectic. I’m still working on the law and Corazon part but somehow wrote this in like 2 days. Sorry if some people are out of character, I haven’t yet made it to wano so I went off of mainly clips online and the one piece wiki. Also I haven’t written in awhile so I’m probably kinda rusty, so sorry for that lol

U guys get some crumbs of lore for waiting so long And As always everything is platonic.

Guess which character is my favourite based on how long their section is lol

Warning: child death, described gore, spoilers for wano, don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled for some parts of wano. Read at your own risk

𝐓𝐚𝐠 𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @peachsuka28 @emptynessinmyworld @badluckinfrench @j-s-l-m @tigerfang-rage @madokamagicaa @rymtea @angstylittleb1tch @badluckinfrench @emmbny @kenkenmaaa @yunho-leeknow @chibiduck

You once remember wano being a place of peace the first time you visited it all those years ago

Roger had went to the country to eventually drop off Oden when the adventure was coming to an end

It was a place you’d considered ever laying low in if the time came

And though it wasn’t a long stay there (maybe only a day or so) you had throughly enjoyed the minimal time of the land in which the sprawling greenery and light pink of Sakura created an indescribable beauty

It had been so long since you’d been there

So much so that you hadn’t realized you had woken up there once more

Wano was shrouded with an air of oppression upon the people you once saw flourish

Oden despite his short time on Roger’s ship had taught you all about the place he called home

And whatever happened here was certainly something that wouldn’t happen under his eye

So you go off to investigate yourself

Feeling yourself drawn somewhere you can’t quite place your finger on

Black Maria

For a long while you walked aimlessly within wano, sticking out like a sore thumb due to your clothing

While everyone else wears kimono’s or yukata’s your just in full on pirate gear

It isn’t exactly the best thing since it seems travellers here weren’t exactly common

So much so that you decided to try and stick to alleyways and quiet streets during the night

But even then the city was bustling, though it did still give a better opportunity to blend in

And it’s there sneaking through alleyways and criss-crossing from place to place you end up behind a brothel

The beautifully dressed women on break taking a look at you with lidded painted eyes that were quickly filled with worry

Bruises and scrapes covering your legs, unwashed hair with things stuck in it along with the clear clothes of a foreigner within the land where no one could leave of get in

The pretty women quickly drag you in the brothel, making sure to avoid occupied rooms and taking you to a spare one as they got to work on sprucing up your appearance

Even giving you a patterned yukata if your own

The hiding your old clothes away beneath the floorboards as they whisper amongst each other

And it’s then after they quickly finished a large blond woman enters through sliding shoji doors

Raging Anger appearing in her eyes before they land on you

A small child with bruises still on your small form and bandages that covered some of your cuts

Her anger disappeared as does the geisha woman who silently gives you a look “don’t tell her”

It is there you meet the woman Black Maria, the owner of this pleasure house and apart of the Beast pirates

You’ve heard of those pirates before, how people shuttered at just the name itself as if it were a curse

But as Maria gently looks you over, large hands examining your bruises with a gentle touch you can’t help but think you probably got lucky

Especially when seeing the initial anger that then bubbled away

Manicured nails making sure not to cause you more harm as she grazes over wounds

It’s there she asks where your parents were and you answer truthfully, that their long gone and it’s been you on your own

You didn’t think it was possible but her eyes softened more, a turquoise blue reminding you of precious jewels

She contemplates for a minute, then eyes then hardening a bit as she asks you if you’d like to work for her as a delivery/message bringer and you agree

Working under Maria is certainly an…odd position

Though you worked delivery for Sengoku at Marineford working for Maria is much different for you

Especially since the horned woman seems to coddle you

When she’s not entertaining customers or doing her work she often spends her time with you

Helping style your hair with ornate hairpins or picking out patterned kimono’s for you to wear

Fretting over your scraped knee’s as she chastises you in being more careful

Teaching you to play the shamisen and being proud when you pick it up with flying colours

Singing you to sleep on the nights you find yourself restless

She reminds you of a mother, maybe not your own but an extremely dotting one

But despite all this you still see some of her cruelty towards others

Though it’s not directed at you, you’ve sometimes run into her punishing others

Getting a sick glee from hearing screams and bones crack beneath flesh

It’s disturbing…especially when she does completely switches when your around

A distinct contrast from the motherly persona she puts on for you

Kissing your forehead good luck in the morning as you set out to deliver before then killing someone in cold blood just minutes later

In some ways it’s terrifying but by now on the sea you’d seen and met so many people that it’s lost its punch it might’ve when you initially set out

So you go off, delivering her letters and such to others in the beast pirates ranks

A golden hairpin of a spider crawling across a branch of flowers added to your obi to signify your protection and status as her messenger

When you come back to her personal residence she pats your head and then tells you to eat up the meal she’d had prepared specially for you

It’s nice, perhaps even a bit nostalgic for you

And after checking you over she sends you to bed in a renovated room she gave you that’s near her own

She says it’s more convenient that way, for you to be onsite and close for when she needs more deliveries

But she doesn’t tell you about how she checks on you in the night when your small cries while asleep can be quietly heard through the thin walls

Doesn’t say how she personally threatened the other commanders that if they lay a single hand on you she’d deal with them herself

Doesn’t admit how she itches with a sort of possessiveness in knowing you work for her when others begin to gain a curious interest in the small fearless child she now calls her own

She likes the gentle feeling of warmth you give her heart

Likes how she can find herself to be kind and caring with you

Enjoys the fact you value her company over business or pleasure

When you smile at her it’s genuine

And the woman who weaves webs decides that one day a new spider would take her place

Perhaps you’d take that role

But for now your her dutiful little messenger

A cute little treasure she’d take good care of and nurture as if you were her own child

Because perhaps she considers you that

When a mother spider catches a brightly shining firefly in her web, she’s hardly content in letting it go after all

“Which would you like for today?” Black Maria questions as she holds out several folded up kimonos. Each look to be high quality, all with patterns and warm comfortable material to protect from the wano weather.

You look up towards her, tilting your head a bit in confusion. “Are you sure I need so many? I’m just your delivery-“

“Don’t be ridicules dear” she cuts you off, then placing a gentle hand on your head. Normally she’d ruffle it but she had already put in the effort of styling it and didn’t want to ruin her work. “You work for me. And I can’t have my precious little messenger underprepared for the weather. Besides, I have plenty spare kimono that are wasting away not being used.”

“I’ve survived with worse before. One time I was forced out in minus 10 weather while in nothing but shorts and a shirt”. That might’ve not have been the best thing you could’ve said cause her expression shifts to horror. “But it’s fine though!-“

She sighs, then lightly flicking your forehead. “Whoever did that to you better be dead or else.” She holds out the kimono again “no ifs, ands or buts. Now pick”. Under her fierce and loving gaze you choose one of the folded bundles, a dark blue kimono with the pattern of fireflies in a field is the one you decide on

Sasaki

You meet the green haired fishman when delivering a letter to him while he was drinking

It was right before your mandatory lunch break Maria practically forces you to have when hearing that you ran around all day without stopping

So after delivering the letter you decided to stay with the relatively laidback looking who invited you to join due to his curiosity

You find Sasaki to be a relatively odd figure, not only for his relatively lax demeanour but also his burning ambition

He wants to become an All-Star within the beast pirates ranks by defeating one and taking their place

As does his colleague Who’s-Who

To be honest you haven’t really cared to learn the hierarchy of this crew

All you knew is that it seemed like these “All-stars” were the highest on the chain besides their captain Kaido

Speaking of which, Sasaki talks about him quite a bit while sipping his sake

The clear alcoholic liquid being chugged as if it were water

Sasaki holds him in a high regard, but for others on the crew…not so much

Sure, there were a few that had earned his respect for them but in others he seemed to find them too haughty

Luckily for you it seems you’ve gotten on his good side

his easygoing and your calm mix well together, a laid back charm between the two of you despite being very different in other regards

It’s due to this that on your breaks the green haired man seeks you out

At first it’s the occasional asking if you’d like to join him for some food as you start your break

But later devolves into practically kidnapping you to join him and his subordinates to party

Typically at parties adults aren’t too keen on letting you sneak some alcohol but the fishman either doesn’t care or thinks it’s funny until Black Maria and more responsible adults are on his ass about it

Speaking of which, Maria can’t help but be a little exasperated that of all people it had to be Sasaki who was the first to get attached to you

Something he rubs in the face of others later on

And uses as a sort of leverage? Your not really sure how that happened but he’s definitely holding that above Who’s-Who and Ulti as if it were a gift from the gods

But either way you find him to be fun, especially when asking him about his devil fruit or his time as his own pirate crew

Both things he talks about in high regard

While on the sea you’d actually heard about his crew, and though you’d never met them it does pique your interest

Especially since how can someone as prideful as Sasaki go from being a captain of his own crew to being an underling to another?

It’s odd

But something kinda intriguing since something like that happens very rarely

Since typically the captain is killed

But instead Sasaki was able to rise in the ranks

He’s not at the top like he wants but it would be somewhat naive to say he isn’t powerful or lucky in his own regard

His devil fruit also interests you cause….dinosaurs!!!

You’d got to see some firsthand on your couple of times waking up on little garden (and then being quickly eaten by said dinosaurs if Dorry and Brogy weren’t there)

But getting to see one that doesn’t actively try to kill you is super cool

Especially since you get to examine without being stomped like a pancake

Sasaki seems to take pride in how amazed you look, especially when you start spewing out Triceratops facts

Some from first hand experience like “did you know they have the capacity to tear off your head if the wanted too-“ and ��their hardened skin allows for defence against other predators!”

To be honest after a long while of using his devil fruit the amazement effect of it had worn off

So having someone fawn over it is kinda nice

Sasaki feels appreciated by you, like he’s being listened to when he goes off on a partially drunken regal of his pirates days

And in a similar fashion Sasaki listens to you

For a unassuming kid you talk as if a library of knowledge was directly in your head

Along with that you seem to throw safety to the wind like the time you almost got into an arm wrestling contest with Ulti before he had to drag you away

Because who in their right mind would do that when she for sure would somehow accidentally kill you

You have guts for sure, something he definitely respects

But also leaves him worried shitless because what’s next? King have a tea party with you or something?!

Him and Who’s-Who made bets about whether that would happen or not and he has his good booze on the line if you somehow make that happen

And he prays that won’t happen for not only the sake of his booze and his own sanity

“Oi kid! Wanna join for some lunch?”

“I have one more letter to deliver-“ before you can finish the horned man picks you up by the scruff of your kimono giving a laugh.

“Eh don’t sweat it. I can send someone to do it for you after. You’ve been on your feet all day, you need a break”

Who’s-Who

Similarly to Sasaki, Who’s-Who is a relatively odd but interestingly determined figure

You had delivered stuff to him a few times but actually get to know him through Sasaki’s forced lunch breaks

He’s stone faced at first

But over time you see the chipping away of his somewhat serious disposition

Especially when people seemingly get on his nerves and his anger flares up

He has…quite the barrage of insults, so much so that the typically loose mouthed Sasaki covers your ears

But to be honest you’d probably heard worse with your years on the sea

Anywho (hah) you listen to a lot of his rants about his backstory

Specifically something to do with CP9? It was something government and marine related

Sounded vaguely familiar but to be honest you typically forget about the specifics of most things and people after a certain amount of time

So you just nod along as he keeps going off

Until he starts getting into stuff about history that’s blatantly wrong

Specifically about fishmen

So you correct him and that ends up in a landslide of rebutting his points with hard facts

And in that verbal exchange despite his biting tone you keep calm and explain what was wrong

And seemingly because you stood your ground he gained a liking for you?

Your not sure how but you guessed he thought you’d be a pushover (it depends on the situation)

But for a kid who’s job was being a messenger you seemingly proved yourself to him in some weird convoluted way

Though that might’ve also been because you answered some of his questions about some myths he had been interested in

The sun god and the star god

Apparently he’d heard about the two while in jail, the stories giving him hope of one day being free and having the power to achieve his goals

Two enigmatic beings that surpassed even you in how old they were

Two shining beacons acting as hope for the hopeless and shackled down

Giving people the power to rebel and achieve their dreams

Even you hadn’t heard too much about the two, just odd myths here and there

But with what you did have seemed to satisfy the pink haired man

But that brought up the question of how you knew those myths

Something you don’t really reveal and just write off as “heard it somewhere”

But at this point Who’s-Who didn’t care enough to question it

Let alone try and get you into trouble when you’ve been one of the only people to actually be able to give him more information

So he’s satisfied

At least for now

Sometimes you run into him on your way to deliver things and he joins you for a bit of the way if he has nothing to do

You slow down a bit to a brisk walk as he leisurely follows suit

Conversation following quickly after on a wide variety of topics

He’ll be damned to admit it but your way too good of a kid to be stuck here

Let alone be kinda working for the beast pirates considering their reputation

But he supposes that every has their reasons

And it doesn’t seem like you’d be able to leave anytime soon considering Maria practically dotes on you like your her own flesh and blood

But he won’t say that aloud

Not when the blond woman would throttle him

And you’d probably look at him all confused

For such a mature kid your still pretty naive and clueless in some departments

I mean come on! Do you not see how the scariest woman on the damn island is basically wrapped around your finger

She almost attacked Sasaki for sneaking you some sake and it was only because of you politely asking her not that she didn’t

He’s definitely partially convinced you have some sort of friendship devil fruit or something

That thought is only becoming more prominent when you somehow befriend Ulti

“So you and Sasaki want to become an “All-Star” right? How does that work?”

“Either Kaido elects you himself or you prove yourself by defeating an All-Star and taking their place”

You nod, then asking “so who do you wanna beat?”

He smiles “doesn’t matter, as long as I become an All-Star is the goal”

Ulti

The cutesy and hot tempered young lady is one you run into by accident since Maria didn’t trust that she wouldn’t blow a fuse somehow if you had to deliver a letter to her

But nether the less you both meet

And seemingly like Black Maria she finds you to be cute

Which means you have less of a chance to be victim to being attacked by her unless you reallly provoked her somehow

But luckily you haven’t! Especially when you can see subtly gestures as to when she gets irritated

She gets volatile pretty quick but it’s just as easy to be able to calm her down when you call her “lady Ulti”

She seems to like the idea of being a polite lady of high society and maturity

So much so that when she’s not angry she tries to fit this image

And she also seems to like cutsy girlish things

Both of which you indulge her in which gets you in her good graces much to everyone’s shock and amazement

To be honest you don’t really get the deal? This might be you just being desensitized to this kinda stuff but she’s honestly not to hard to deal with

Calling her “lady Ulti” or buying her a few cute charms with some of the money Black Maria gives you seems to placate her anger in most instances

Something that others seem to be thankful for

Though she’s a fierce-some pirate with a temper she also enjoys some of the more simple things in life

She likes to have tea parties with you and do mundane things like shopping or having her hair braided

Perhaps due to being the older sister and caretaker to her brother after their father died she hadn’t had much a childhood to experience such things

Not that you mind, you can’t even really remember your childhood before taking to the sea

Your parents faces blurred and distorted, voices lost like whispers in the wind, their warm hugs dissipated into cold nothingness

So you enjoy your time with her, reliving a time of innocent happiness just as she does

She gets a bit over excited at times not realizing her strength like the time she almost crushed your spine in a hug

But she slowly begins to realize how in comparison your much more fragile than her and others around her

Page one definitely helps her with this quite a bit, especially considering she was like this when they were kids and back then she also had to regulate her strength around people (aka him with her death hugs)

Speaking of her brother she actually pretty happy she’s found a friend?

He’s not really sure how it happened but he’s genuinely happy for her, (also cause she doesn’t cling to him as much, she still does occasionally but now your her main target lol)

She acts a lot like how a sister would

Though she’s sometimes bratty she’s still caring and mischievous in a fun way

Often dragging you away to play games or browse through the shops nearby

It’s honestly pretty nice (when she’s not angry)

But with this comes some genuine moments with her

After their dad died Kaido had taken her and Page one in

As the eldest she decided she needed to step up

And while she did do that she felt like she lost time in enjoying her childhood, of spending time with her brother and forming genuine connections

Being in the beast pirates is a constant power struggle

People always trying to climb to the top no matter the cost

She’s lost a portion of herself in establishing stability for both herself and Page one

Now trying to make up for it even if he saw her clingy affection as annoying

Because at heart she does care

She cares a lot about the few who’ve made the effort to see her

And even if she snaps like a twig when things don’t go her way she doesn’t really mean to

It’s just how she reacts and she can’t really hone it back despite her attempts to do so

But you see that when others don’t

And she deeply appreciates it in her own way

So when she barges in and takes you shopping it’s her trying to show how she appreciates the efforts

Or when she picks you up and sits you atop her shoulder so you can see above the crowd and not get lost

Black Maria is certainly in for a surprise when she finds the two of you having a tea party but decidedly joins in

It’s odd seeing Ulti so happy without snapping in the span of a few minutes but Maria is pleasantly impressed

Though she does get a bit annoyed when Ulti then starts hounding her to send more letters so she has more excuses to play Hanafuda with you (you let her win each time)

Everyone seems to pity your eardrums for when she squeals in joy

“Hey lady Ulti, do you wanna get matching Omamori charms?” You say holding up two of the small luck charms, she turns to you eyes widening with delight.

“Kya!! Really!”

“Sure, it’s why I asked”

Yamato

You met Yamato completely by accident not knowing who he was or why he was in the walls

But at this point you don’t question anything as he freezes in place and you just ask “yo…are you alright? Should I go orrrrr?” In which shakes his head

And then you leave

But then a few days later he finds you while on your way back to Black Maria’s

In which he talks to you

In many ways you find Yamato to be aspiring as you feel his determination burn brightly and strong

He’s faced adversity yet he stands tall admits it all

And….well seeing him idolize Oden and even pick up his mannerism is kinda oddly comforting to you

It must have been years (how many exactly you don’t know) since you last saw Oden but it feels like yesterday

You remember talking with him on the Jolly Roger

Remember him regaling proudly of his homeland and of the Whitebeard pirates who welcomed him aboard

Remember his goodbye to the Roger crew and his joyous hug before stepping off the ship into what now feels like a shadow of what used to be his home

And now your faced with someone who acts like him

Oden was a friend who felt like an old one despite how little time he truly spent with you

And as quickly as he came into your life he was gone like many others you’d met, and all the same it stings and burns like acid

You’d never met his family like he promised

Never had that giant feast he promised Shanks, Buggy and you when you’d all visit

Never got to fulfil in fully raising Momonosuke

Never had the chance in fulfilling his life before his spark was snuffed out

But as you talk more with the young prince you see that while he isn’t Oden himself it certainly feels like in some sense your talking a bit to Oden again

Seeing how Yamato seemingly fights against his father

Against all those you’d somehow come to know while technically working for the beast pirates is inspiring

Especially considering how strong they all are

You didn’t need to see them fight to know how powerful even non All-Stars were

I mean, Kaido wouldn’t be named an “emperor” of the sea and was able to conquer a nation if he wasn’t a powerhouse

Yet Yamato keeps fighting

Because Yamato wouldn’t back down…no he couldn’t back down

Just like Oden wouldn’t

You have to sneak out to hang out with the red horned prince but no one really bats an eye

Not when they just assume your being a kid

So at night Yamato and you hang out

And you tell him your experiences with Oden yourself

And much to your surprise he believes you

He believe you wholeheartedly so much so that it makes you confused

Until he pulls out an old book, partially withered by age yet loved and cared for to keep its contents in surviving longer

And in that book in which Oden wrote while on the high sea with the likes of Whitebeard and Roger

He mentioned a young sailor child that was on Roger’s ship, one he nicknamed within the book as “Chīsana hoshi”

Little star

An affectionate nickname the Daimyo would give to you

The mysterious child whom told stories of the stars and of tales untold

One with what felt like great burning stars in their eyes and wormed their way into the hearts of many

One that sang with the sea and knew secrets untold

To be honest you’d be more touched by the sentiment if Oden didn’t tact on to the end a stick figure drawing of you

Cause wow….for someone who was well educated and wrote so eloquently he really just outed you with a stick figure

Speaking of which, you’d gone years without there being proper photos or drawings of you to escape the world governments attention

But it’s a stick figure

A god damn stick figure

You can’t tell if your upset or kinda impressed

Either way it’s safe to say that Yamato hounds you with questions

But you can’t say you don’t enjoy it as it refreshes your memory a bit

Something you never mind especially when you find yourself remembering details your quickly forgetting over the years

And Yamato seems to notice this as you go blank for a few seconds trying to remember

The slow look of horror as you find yourself not being able to recall some moments

Some things completely lost to the static of your mind and time

And the ecstatic enthusiasm faded from Yamato seeing how broken down the more you try to recall

And realizing you can’t

So he instead shifts the topic

Talking about his yearning for freedom

Anything to take your mind off remembering

And it doesn’t work until he mentions a catalyst to this

Ace

“Ace…as in Portgas Ace?” You question warily watching as Yamato’s expression lights up. He practically springs up, taking out a small piece of paper you recognize as a vivre card

“You know him!” He exclaims excitedly.

“Yeah i helped raise him” you say pulling out the small sun charm as Yamato’s eyes widen in surprise.

“WHAT?!?”

King

Once more you meet him via deliveries but Maria gives you a fair warning about him

Announce your presence and do not go in without his permission lest you end up as ash pile on the ground

Fun

Though probably not one of the worst ways to die

You’d know that personally

But anyways you end up where his office should be

Never going this far into the fortress before now

To be honest the layout was a bit confusing but you made your way after asking a few passerby’s for directions

Them then giving you pitied stares as you go on your way

This guy can’t be that bad right?

And then arrive at the office announcing yourself with mail for him from Miss Black Maria

Keeping the honourifics just in case

For a moment there’s silence and then you hear movement

And the squeaking of something?

Why was there squeaking? Was he in leather pants or something-

And then the shoji doors open

And wow…..you didn’t expect that

Is he in…did you interrupt him or something???!??!

Your staring at this leather wearing head to toe dude with spikes and shit and- did he have a live flame in his back??

Yeah…this is weird even for you and that’s saying something

You hand him the letter and quickly scurry off

Not noticing the flame above him shining a bit brighter than usual

But he does

That’s Odd? Is what he notes to himself

When you deliver to him again it’s relatively the same routine as last time

Though you notice he pays closer attention

Watches your uncomfortable expression as you wait for him to take the letter and let you leave already

And when he does you scurry off again

For some reason though it happens again

His plume burning brighter than it usually would, an almost golden yellow colour rather than the typically orange and red he was used to

That hadn’t happened before

And now looking at it again did the fire begins to change shape?

But that….no he muses to himself that can’t be

It sounds vaguely familiar to something he once heard before the testing and before he lost his homeland

A legend whispered as comfort from a mother he can’t remember in his sleep

Something about a star and its burning flames

But king shakes his head

He’s suspicious but he doesn’t have much to go off now especially since the legends of his people are mostly lost

Besides not even he can remember the myths of his home

Barely old enough to even walk before being stripped of it and shipped off by the world government for testing

He wouldn’t be able remember much let alone remember it actively

Let alone know about a god they used to worship when barely anything is known of them compared to that of Joyboy

Plus your just some kid Maria took pity on, one that a few of the others seemed to have also taken a liking to

Nothing more and nothing less

But something deep in him told him the opposite

Like a small lick of a flame from a candle in the dark

A quiet glow in the sea of shadows

Faint and minuscule but there

Like a single star in the midnight sky, there shining but small and alone

…or at least that’s what this emotional constipated bird man says at first

Because you had apparently survived your delivery to King without being turned to ash has led to other messages being sent through Maria to you to him

Maria was enraged at first but you somehow talked her into it along with the fact that she gets more profit by charging for this service

Soo…. You end up meeting the learning wearing giant of a man

And somehow make conversation with him

To be honest not even he’s sure how it happened

It just did

Cause he asked about how your parents felt about this and it went into a long discussion with you

Specifically about how

A) their dead

B) you don’t remember them

And C) it’s been so long on your own you didn’t even remember where your home was

All of which he understands more than anyone else

To be honest that small question opened a floodgate in him he didn’t expect nor want

But either way it was opened and he couldn’t close it

Because every time he looks at you now he sees himself

Eyes that have seen too much for their age

Eyes that used to be wide and full of wonder reduced to that of tired ones

But unlike him at that age you don’t have the resenting anger he did

To be fair he perhaps had more to be angry about yet it also leaves him confused

How did you turn out the way you did despite it all?

A child who ended up in one of the worse environments possible yet thrives

A child who befriended or got on the good sides of notorious criminals and killers

A child despite seemingly loosing everything still keeping the spark to still find happiness

He sees in which you enjoy the rain despite the cold chill it leaves and the threat of sickness

Watches as you feed your packed bento from Maria’s cooks to a murder of crows even when your stomach grumbles

Observes while you keep strumming a guitar or keep walking even when your feet or fingers bleed

In a lot of ways your like him yet also the complete opposite

And it leaves him confused

And makes him watch

And-

“You don’t have to watch from the shadows you know?” You say not looking up from feeding your crow as he perches on your outstretched finger. You sit on the edge of the railing of a balcony, dangerously close to falling with a simple breeze “I don’t mind the company”

“You noticed me?” The lunarian man mumbles walking out from the doorway and stands by the rail as you continue to feed the bird. He watches the small winged creature, it caws in curiosity at his arrival and tilts its head curiously at the sight of his similar wings.

“You’re not too hard to notice to be fair….but it was your flame that sounded me off. It’s subtle but it’s there” you turn to look at him, petting the feathered little friend. “You notice that kinda thing after a while of being on your own. Even the smallest shift in the wind can alert your mind, giving the hope that someone else was there…but I get the feeling you know that already”

“I do”

A smile appears across your face. “Great minds think alike” your tone is somewhat joyous yet he hears a somewhat sad edge “don’t they Reggie?”

“Reggie? Is that the bird?”

“Yep, raised him and the flock myself!”

“You…raised them all?” Red eyes look out to nearby tree’s, at least 40 beady eyes stare out at him.

“Found them half dead after some villagers tried to kill them. Bad luck or whatever, but sounds like whack superstitions to me” you hold out Reggie to him (leaving out that these were the descendants of those same birds) “wanna hold him?”

King reluctantly takes the bird, the small gentle creature hopping onto his finger. It reacts….positively to him? Much to his surprise. King goes silent for a few moments, watching the midnight feathered bird then rubs its head against him. “I’m confused about you”

“Oh?”

“How are you the way are despite everything?” It’s a broad question “aren’t you angry at the world?”

You give a laugh “of course I’m angry. It took a long time to realize I was, so much had happened to me” you go a bit quiet at the last part but suddenly perk up again as you add “but I’ve met so many good people, seen so many beautiful things. And maybe…just maybe that makes me more content than it does angry. Don’t get me wrong, I still get upset but I have people there for me, some kinda healthy ways to deal with it I guess”

Reggie nudges king as the All-Star goes a bit quiet watching as you then stand on the balcony railing. He quirks an eyebrow beneath his mask, what are you doing-

“Wanna see something cool?” Before he can answer you raise out your arms leaning back dangerously, things practically go in slow motion for him as he races to grab you before you can do your trick

“WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!?, do you have a death wish or something?!?”

“death isn’t that bad? There are worse things than death, believe me. But I was gonna-“ dear gods if he didn’t have white hair already then it would be after that

After that king for some reason keeps thinking about that moment

More specifically your mindset of death

And what the fuck have been through?

But he’s not wondering that in concern of course (definitely not)

More-so curiosity and how it could benefit Kaido (of course)

So he keeps thinking about it

And you

And ends up worrying that you’ll do something stupid again so he goes to find you

And make sure you didn’t do something stupid again that killed you

And wondering if you know how many near misses with death you have on a daily basis

So he goes back to watching silently

And…then joining you when you point out you know he’s there

And it’s not his fault that you seem to ease up to his company

And that you aren’t as annoying as his colleagues (when your not doing near death stupid shit)

And-

Oh fuuuuuuuuuuuuck

He quite literally goes through the 5 stages of grief

First is denial, of course he didn’t care for you

You were just some kid Maria employed and it was just more convenient to make sure you stayed alive- oi why the fuck is queen trying to drag you on stage for his stupid concert

Second is anger, and he’s unsure if he’s angry at you, himself or the situation because honestly how could he possibly somehow get attached to a kid of all things?! Let alone a weird one that seemingly relates to….him and loosing a home he doesn’t remember

Third is bargaining, no! He’s in control here! He’s can just stop talking with you and stop worrying….wait didn’t you just say you were gonna go out in the beast infested forest

Fourth is depression, because oh god he’s attached. The literal only other person he’s attached to is Kaido for obvious reasons. He didn’t think he needed other attachments to others but now he cares and god does it suck when you a god damn extrovert who’s also a magnet for trouble

And finally is acceptance, because he’s attached now god damn it and it’s simultaneous yours and (mostly) his problem

To be honest you don’t really mind at this point

Coming to enjoy his more quiet company after getting over his…odd attire (something which you now poke at him for)

Plus his wings and fire was cool

Oh! And his rad devil fruit too!!!

Dinosaurs were cool in general so it’s definitely an A+ in your books

Not gonna lie the dichotomy of chill sweet kid that everyone has a soft spot for and literally the scariest dude out there is one you find hilarious

Especially after you walked past a confused Sasaki who got a “yo” from you and a death glare from king

It definitely causes heads to turn while king doesn’t care you just find it funny as hell

You find him to be like…a scary big brother

Sure, he rolls his eyes sometimes at your jokes but you know he cares in his own ways when he stopes you from falling down another flight of stairs Cora-style

He seems to express this by just being around you, listening and protecting you

It’s nice

And also gives you the warning that he’s more attentive than most others

Honestly he seems to have a sixth sense for when you try and hide yet another scrape or cut

Like you could have the smallest splatter of mud on your kimono and he’s already figured out you fell earlier

and then calling you an idiot before dragging you to the nearest doctor employed by his crew

It’s honestly impressive and a bit worrying

So you definitely are careful about some of the things you say

But you still tell him stories

Regal your woes of adventures but frame them as being on Wano

And he listens to them all the same

Soaking up your words

One day you give to him a charm fashioned of moonstones, a small piece of gold you carved into a small star,and spare feathers of your crows whom had come to immediately love him (especially perching on his shoulders for warmth)

And in return he give you one of his feathers, one freshly plucked from his wing that you later turn into an earring

What you don’t know is that of the little things he’s remembered of his home is that the gift you gave him was something akin to a lunarian’s gift towards a close friend

He knows at this point with his flame still turning a bright gold and changing shape it can’t be coincidence

But for now he leaves it be

That can be answered later

Especially when for once King feels like Alber again

A lone boy who lost his home who yearned to find someone like him

And though he didn’t find another Lunarian he found someone else instead

But that was fine for him

“This may be a weird question, but do you ever wish you could fly high enough to touch the stars?” You asked one night looking up towards a brightly shining night sky.

Alber looks up for a moment wings involuntarily flexing at the thought of it “it’s all I ever wanted”. It had been a dream of his ever since he had been locked away and prodded at, to fly so high to the stars that would comfort him with their warmth compared to his barely flickering flame. To let a god whose name he can’t remember hear his prayers.

You both share this silent moment both realizing something about the other

For you it’s how his flame shines a light gold, dancing as they formed a familiar four pointed star you’d yet to forget

While for him it’s the fact that for a moment he sees in the depths of yours eyes the brightest star in the sky that used to reside over his home

Queen

Once more you get a warning from Black Maria about him and you think it can’t possibly be more weird than king

You walk in on this dude having a full on concert whilst the crowd of beast pirates roar in cheers for him

Somehow you begin to believe that maybe Kaido hires the most insane weirdo’s out there

Like Roger literally sometimes found random people on the street and asked them to join

But this, this is a new level of finding people

He also gives you kinda off vibes

So you stay clear, handing the note to one of his men and asking forgot it to be delivered when his performance was done

Dodged a bullet there

Though you would admit his song was kinda catchy

…separate the art from the artist? Nah, he probably did some war crimes or worse

Next time your not so lucky though

Catching him just before his concert as apparently one of the lead guitarist flunked out due to being too hungover

Queen, not being to keen to really talk to anyone because this would fuck up his concert and he was very very fucking upset over that

Like borderline really dramatically upset about it

I mean, you guess you can’t blame him but still

He was taking it a bit far by throwing someone against the wall though

You’d rather not start a civil war if Black Maria heard he accidentally squished you like a stress toy so you step up instead

Taking the lone guitar held up by a relatively scared pirate and take a Quick Look at the sheet to memorize it after a minute or two

Looks like your deliveries would be on a bit of a pause until this was done

You just thank whatever gods there are that Maria is a forgiving boss (to you at least) and that over your many years alone on the barren sea you picked up just about every instrument you could and mastered them (partially to pass time and keep sane)

Though this was also partially due to Brook and the Rumbar pirates

Turning to the still scared shitless assistant yelling at him to tell you what you need to play

Which seemingly gets the attention of the large blond who was now looking down at your curiously

Picking you up by the scruff (why did everyone do that and why was everyone so damn tall here???) to get a proper look at you

Inquisitively trying to figure out just exactly who you were before seeing the hairpin Maria gave you

But then that brings up new questions

Ones he’s about to ask before you tell him that you’d fill in for the first half of the show as long as he’d get someone for the second half and take the mail you have for him

He quirks a brow asking if your any good

And just say that your rusty but good enough to get the job done

With that he puts you down, somewhat relived that at least you’d be somewhat competent

And with that the crowd keeps cheering waiting for him to come on stage

You tie up the sleeves of your kimono for more movement and ready your hand movements

It’s been awhile since you played guitar or even a bass but it would have to do

You would always prefer you ukulele anyways but you were decent with other instruments

So with that you enter the stage via a staircase up and through a side door

Just before queen is literally launched on stage

And then you begin as the crowd goes wild

Typically when you’d play you were by yourself so you could never really gauge how good you were

Like sure, you could sometimes see your progress but in other times it all sounded and played the same

In a sense it was lonely but filling at the same time

You were always a solo, yet it filled the sound of the quiet waves and relative silence you’d normally experience

A silence that sometimes became chilling as you laid there

Days to weeks on end

With no one

With nothing but memories

With nothing but your mind to fill it

It’s why you had found yourself taking to so many hobbies

If only to fill time and oblivion

You’d hands move on their own as you pick up on what was slowly lost to you

Becoming more complicated and impressive as you find yourself having fun with it

You even pull off a few tricks if only to make the show better

Might as well show off a little when you have people to show off too

Queen keeps singing as do the chorus of fans

Eh screw it

Lifting the guitar behind your head is more a challenge due to its weight rather than you playing it

You’d perfected the party trick after many many many attempts and practice

And after a moment of getting used to it again the muscle memory kicked in

The crowd goes wild and your not sure if it’s from Queen or your performance

Probably Queen

You close your eyes in concentration

It was easier that way when getting into the groove of it for you

Closing your eyes and concentrating

Just letting yourself play as the world around you faded out into a darkness that you’ve familiarized yourself with

Keep going even if your sweating buckets

Keep playing even if your things go numb and bleed

You dealt with worse

There was that time your hand was chopped off and you were left to die

To bleed out

You know the feeling Almost intimately

The pain

The drowsiness

The want for sleep

And then finish

Your hand strums down and the final cord rings out

You open your eyes and ears to the crowd silent for a moment

And staring at you

As does Queen and the others on the stage

Wow were you that bad-

Deafening cheers then ring out and you stand there looking around confused for a moment

Then spotting the new guitarist frozen and almost paper white, he must’ve been horrified at your performance

Hand him the guitar you pat his back

Giving him a small smile and a “break a leg out there” before rummaging through your pockets to hand Queen the letter

You look to the still cheering crowd and their hands already raised to catch you

Giving a peace sign to performers on stage and then you dive into the crowd

Letting them throw you into the air before catching you again multiple times, then eventually get you to the door

Not long later Queen tries to get you to sign a “music deal”?

Your not sure what that is but King quickly intercepted by kicking the door down and burning said paper

He’s still trying to get you to preform again

“If you think that was good, you should see my ukulele game. It’s my favourite” you say picking up the same guitar you preformed with last time, distantly in the crowd you see Sasaki, Who’s-Who and Ulti who seemingly dragged along Page One.

“Kid, I don’t think that will make you much money” Queen responds as he readies himself

“It’s not about money, it’s for fun. Besides, I’m not that good at guitar anyways”

“Say that to the crowd”

Kaido

While staying in wano and traversing the place of the beast pirates home you’ve noticed an odd pulling sensation

You noticed it when you first came to wano, but as you got closer to the layer of beasts it got stronger

Pulling and directing you deeper into the almost literal lions den

You’d yet to find out what it was but you’d sometimes come closer to it

As if it moved within this place

But today you’d have the opportunity to perhaps find it, apparently Maria wanted to drag you along to a meeting issued by Kaido himself

Why? Well you weren’t all that sure but it was something along the lines of Kaido’s curiosity and her deciding that it was best for you to get more Involved

Whatever that meant

You had the feeling she was wanting you to officially join

Something of which that others seemed to agree on

Normally when this would happen you’d have somehow died or run away but…your not sure what’s holding you back this time

Maybe it’s that mysterious pull

That’s what you chalk it up to yet you know there are other reasons

Maria for sure is one

King is another

Both for some reason are people you can’t quite want to say goodbye to

But you know it will come eventually

So you push the thoughts away for later

Maria eagerly dresses you up today, doing your hair with the upmost precision

Gently directing your head while she adds she light touches of makeup

She looks proudly at her work (or is it you?) before explaining what the meeting was about…pirates politics or something

You didn’t really get it but just nodded along as she giggled

Booping your nose and saying all you had to do was just be there

Which you were more than fine with

So you go with her

Deeper into Kaido’s territory

That odd pull getting greater and at the same time somehow weaker

Like a frequency on a radio

You hadn’t even noticed it but your now at the door to the meeting room

King crouched down to be closer to your eye level asking if your ok

You haven’t even noticed how much of a daze you were in

You nod, just saying your alright

He accepts it but clearly still has a bit of worry

And in you enter

Everyone but Kaido inside

Page one being Ashley’s with hugs by Ulti

Sasaki and Who’s-who glaring daggers as Queen and then King

Maria has you sit down beside her, cooing over how adorable you apparently look

Ulti then joining in

Other in the room giving you pitied stares

But that’s before shoji doors slide open

And everyone straightens in their seats

For a moment there is silence

And then

You hear your name

Looking up you catch eyes with the somewhat elusive Kaido but for a man who’s said to be bloodthirsty and stoic his face is molded into that of guilt?

Guilt, surprise and perhaps a tinge of sadness

Everyone’s eyes are on you now but all you can focus on is Kaido’s

Pools of gold tinged with recognition

He knows you

Or rather knew you

You try to think back

He knows you, you must’ve met him before but…you don’t remember

you didn’t remember him…..

You don’t remember

You don’t remembeṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t remembė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t rememb̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t remem̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t reme̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t rem̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t re̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don’t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don ̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You don̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You dơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

You d̵̯̰̈́̐̈ͅơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

Yoų̶̛͚͈̫̯̻̩͙̍̾͠ ̷͍͇̮̙̼͙̤̜͊́͗̓͠d̵̯̰̈́̐̈ͅơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

Yö̶̹͕̩͓͉̤̲̟̟́̾͜ų̶̛͚͈̫̯̻̩͙̍̾͠ ̷͍͇̮̙̼͙̤̜͊́͗̓͠d̵̯̰̈́̐̈ͅơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

Y̸̢̰̼̟̱͉̏̇͊͠ö̶̹͕̩͓͉̤̲̟̟́̾͜ų̶̛͚͈̫̯̻̩͙̍̾͠ ̷͍͇̮̙̼͙̤̜͊́͗̓͠d̵̯̰̈́̐̈ͅơ̶̗̱̅̑̒̅͂n̷̡̰̰̳̳̥̲͎̅̒’̴̛̺̋́͌̌̓̍̃̇̂t̸̺̪͈͔̮̫̉͊͆̓́̔̎͘͝ ̸̮̓́̎̊̉̕͘͠r̵̬͈̣̭̎̾̔͗̓̕͜e̸̤̎m̴͕͈̥̣͌͑̈̚e̵̢̟̤̠̥̓m̴̨̛̼̺̤͙̑̿͗̔̉̀͜b̶̧̝̕ė̵̡̬̰͓̜͚̰̤̯̈́̀̒̎ṙ̶̖͖͍͖̺̹̗̘͖̔͜

Your forgetting more and more

You know some things have been a bit foggy but you didn’t think you’ve forgotten someone again

How many times this has happened you’re not sure, is this the first? Or one of many?

You didn’t want to forget

But you had already forgotten your parents

Your home that now resembles an empty house within your mind

The distinct smell of something wafting in the air that’s familiar and sweet and warm and forgotten to your taste buds

Their voices muffled like hearing them rooms away, hearing but never distinguishing just what their saying

Your neighbour’s like blots of colour through the window as they tend a garden

Your old friends…..But did you have any in the first place?

You don’t know

You don’t know the answer to any of those questions anymore

But with the look in his eyes he knows you

But you don’t know him

And some sort of fear wraps around your heart

Squeezing it

Sweat running down your shaking form

Like a fawn in the jaws of a bear

Your head pounds with unease

You don’t know what to do

What are you supposed to say? Sorry I can’t remember you cause I’ve lived so long that I’ve began to forget stuff?!?

What do you do?!?

His eyes says he wants answers but even if you give him one you see the outcome

You see a possessiveness

Like a dragon and a horde

You’ll be stuck here like wano’s resident with the only difference in your case being that your given a special status

Like a prized pet

You run

Maybe it’s the cowards way out but this was coming either way

No matter how hard it always is

You knew this wasn’t forever and now your forced to do this

You have to die yet once more

Running through the halls with Kaido and many of his commanders on your tail isn’t a fun experience

But your small

And quick

And have ran for your life too many times to know your advantages here

Ducking and slide across wooden floors

You manage to loose them all after a small bit of running

Them splitting up to find you quicker

It’s too bad it ended up like this

Too bad you couldn’t leave on good terms

Or find that pull

But now comes the end

It’s ironic that it’s the balcony you sat on with king that one day

One that you were gonna jump off of regardless but now it’s not a trick where your crows would’ve caught you

And it’s even more iconic now that it’s king that notices you stand and then fall from that edge

But like before he catches you

Hand grabbing yours in an iron grip

His flame sparking up intensely

Your not sure what he’s feeling or what he’s saying

All you can focus on is static

And saying a small “I’m sorry” before slashing his hand with Maria’s hairpin

It cuts at the leather, for a moment you feel his human skin before you slip

Let go

And fall

His flame sparks up once more coming to the shape of that familiar four pointed star you’d see in moments once more

Gold light engulfing your vision

There’s a crack and then pain

And laying on the cold hard ground as blood pools

Reaching a bloody hand up you hold a small spark

Warm and familiar as you feel Maria pick you up in her own

It’s odd but she had been the closest thing you could compare to a mother

You wish you could’ve told her that but the spark holds your attention

Cradled in your palm

You bring it close to your chest in which it collides with

Sparks shoot out at the collision

Before a calm washes over you as cracks begin to form and you break away

“Oden?”

#platonic #determination!#one piece #one piece x reader #beast pirates x reader #beast pirates #Black Maria x reader #king the wildfire x reader #sasaki x reader #who’s-who x reader #Ulti x reader #Yamato x reader #kaido x reader

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dokifluffs · 8 months ago

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Their Kid(s) Falling Asleep on Him | Ikuya, Seijuro

Pairings: Ikuya X Reader (female)

genre: domestic, fluffy goodness yuhhh

Author’s Note: more free 😤😤

Sosuke, Makoto // Rin, Haru

gif from @makeusfreefromthisfandom

Ikuya: Ikuya’s is basically based off of Monsta X’s Hyungwon

“Ikuya, I’m home,” you called out as the plastic bags crinkled in your hold as you stepped out of your boots, making sure the snow didn’t get into the house

Warm air from the heaters welcomed you home as you peeled off your damp winter coat, stepping into the house

You went into the living room, hearing the sound of his voice grow as you carried in lunch

He sat beneath the kotatsu, reading aloud his favorite book, the little mermaid aloud as you entered, stepping down from the hard wood to the plush soft carpet

You two decided to buy lunch for today, being too lazy to really make anything on this fine winter day

The aromatic smell of the hot food made your bellies growl

“Hey, how was the drive?” He paused from his reading as he looked up

“It was alright, Not that many cars out there but the snowfall’s getting a little lighter.” You unpacked the foods

“Where’s S/N?” You asked, curiosity peeking

Usually when you came home, your four year old son would run out from wherever he was and greet you, hugging you but today, it was silent

“Here,” Ikuya set down his book as he lifted the Kotatsu, letting you look under

And there he was

S/N was fast asleep in Ikuya’s lap, head resting on a pillow

“He fell asleep a little after you left and couldn’t fall asleep, so I just started reading to him,” Ikuya smiled as he ruffled his son’s hair. “He really likes the story too.”

“Aw,” you leaned under, pressing a kiss to your son’s cheek as he slept, his thumb slightly in his mouth

“S/N,” you called out quietly, lightly shaking his shoulder. “S/N, time to eat,” you mumbled against his cheek before kissing him, slowly waking him

He stretched his body out, peeking his eyes open

“Sleep okay, buddy?” Ikuya chuckled as he helped his son crawl out, putting the back of his hand on the under edge of the kotatsu from bumping his head

“Mmhm,” he sat right in the corner, sitting in between of the two of you as you unloaded the bags, spreading things out

Ikuya ruffled his son’s hair as he let out a yawn, leaning back on his dad, wanting to nap a bit more

“Wash hands,” you chimed, pulling your son and husband to their feet as you all went to the bathroom and kitchen before coming back to your spots around the kotatsu

You ordered some fried shrimp, sweet tamagoyaki for ikuya while you got some oden, nikujaga, and sukiyaki

Everything smelt so fresh, it made Ikuya’s mouth water as he dug in while you portioned some things out into your son’s bowl

“Ah,” Ikuya offered a bite of his shrimp to his son, who took it but bit and chewed slowly, eyes blank as he just looked at the food

“S/N, eat up,” you placed his bowl plates in front of him on the table

He nodded quietly and lifted his training chopsticks, slowly eating his food bite by bite

You and Ikuya exchanged glances and looks, knowing what was going on and continued eating, watching your son eat

The room was quiet, the only sound of food being chewed could be heard

But the more you guys ate and the longer it went on, the sooner he was drifting

S/N’s head dropped and bounced back up, waking him up slightly as he sighed, taking another bite

“Chew chew,” Ikuya teased, playfully tapping his son’s cheeks as he could barely keep his eyes closed

“S/N?” Ikuya pushed back his food as he scooped up his son. “Chew, chew,” he looked but all the little boy could do was rub his eyes, pushing on chewing his small bite of rice before giving up

He swallowed the bite and sighed, reaching out his arms to hug Ikuya

A great smile spread on Ikuya’s face as he laughed, pulling his son close and stroking his hand down his back, letting him cling to him as he went on eating, taking bites of his food as well as some bites of food you fed to him, the two of you careful not to get any foods or sauces onto his back

Even when finished eating, he helped you clean up while your guys’ son clung to him, fast asleep as he held onto Ikuya’s sweater sleeve

“He must be so tired,” your voice quiet as you sat down beside your husband, setting down two mugs of hot cocoa with little marshmallows floating on top

His hair was soft as it brushed against your fingers, combing through them as you leaned closer, resting on Ikuya’s shoulder

“Hm, hopefully he won’t sleep too long.. He needs to eat..” Ikuya worried since his son only ate a few snacks since breakfast and just a few bites form lunch

“He will..” You assured your husband, resting your head onto his free shoulder as his head rest on top of yours, the three of you resting this wintry day together

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else!

#free!#free! imagines #free! x reader #free! domestic #free! dads #free! headcanons #ikuya #ikuya kirishima #ikuya imagines #ikuya x reader #ikuya headcanons #ikuya domestic #seijuro headcanons #ikuya kirishima iamgines #ikuya kirishima x reader #ikuya kirishima domestic #ikuya kirishima headcanons

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anonimusunnoaniswriting · 11 months ago

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𝙺𝚊𝚝𝚊𝚗𝚊 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙺𝚊𝚗𝚣𝚊𝚜𝚑𝚒

✿ 𝓡𝓪𝓫𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓼 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓦𝓱𝓲𝓽𝓮 𝓒𝓪𝓶𝓮𝓵𝓵𝓲𝓪 ✿

𝑴𝑫𝑵𝑰 🎀Age in bio or blocked🎀

Pairing: Yakuza!Nanami Kento x Geisha!Reader

Genre: MafiaAU, GeishaAU

Word Count: 3124

Warnings: mentions of blood and killing. Its a mafia au what do you expect. No smut, fluff if you squint.

Summary: You've just started your life as a full fledged geiko and one evening with a man you meet might just change your life.

A/N: I wrote this as a seperate fic for a friend for her birthday and liked it so much I waned to make a Nanamin version so here y'all go! :)

Part One

You sat at the table, your elder sister diagonally opposite you as she laughed and entertained one of the most respected and well-known gokudo leaders in Kyushu. A sharp man who regularly travelled down to Kyoto to sit with her and drink tea that she didn’t even brew, only poured into a cup for him. If only you could be like that; gain a danna so young and attentive and not to mention, a treat for the eyes.

The kimono you had been made to wear for tonight had special motifs on it. It had been gifted to the geisha house by a man – who if the hushed whispers circulating the hanamachi were to be trusted – more dangerous than the head of the gokudo himself. Not someone to be trifled with. Stories of his exploits – single-handedly taking down a small army sent by the National Police Agency; slitting the throats of young and foolish kobuns who sold the family secrets to make a quick buck; and being a life-risking loyal dog to his Aniki – had already been spread among your sisters like hot oden selling out on a cold winter evening. You had listened to all these and soaked in the knowledge. Knowledge that now came flashing up into your mind as you carefully poured out the hot tea, just as you had been taught and served it to your kimono gifter and his dark-haired friend. Your kimono, a pale blue silk, artfully decorated by the white camellia that flashed in the light of the lamps.

You thought back wondering why you of all people may have been chosen to entertain this very esteemed guest. Sure, your dance was good, but it wasn’t that it stood out beside your sisters. You could play the shamisen relatively well, but not like the masters did. Why had you been chosen, fresh out of your training period having just had your mizuage…

The only conclusion wracking your brain could lead you to was that perhaps it was because you, of all the maikos and geikos around you, were able to refrain from spreading the circulating rumours. Partake you did – but only so much as to listen…

Thankfully your sister had done most of the talking, leaving you to smile and pour the tea and ponder the meaning of what your Okasan had said earlier when she had come with the younger girl Hana to help you wear your make-up and jewellery.

The cool wet brush that painted your skin white, helped calm your nerves and when you looked in the mirror, you barely recognised the beautiful woman staring back at you with her blood-red lips and darkened lashes. As she had been painting, Hana had looked like she wanted desperately to ask you something but a sharp glare from Okasan quieted her eagerness; she continued to help pick out appropriate jewellery for your new kimono.

When she was happy with how you looked, Okasan made you stand and turn once so she could see all of you. An approving nod and then a sigh, “A white camellia, I see. Who knows what these men think…”

***

The pressure you felt to be perfect was unbearably high, and you were glad to have your elder sister there to help ease you into the conversation. There had been times that you had gone to the tea house before, but it was only to watch from behind the screen and learn from your elder sister; one of the most sought-after geisha in Kyoto. You had admired her smooth movements and the grace with which she carried herself – entranced by her much like the men she was there to entertain. This time, however, it was you dancing and entrancing while she played the music.

The men you had been called to spend this evening with had already been seated at a large square table. There were four of them. Geto-san of course whose eyes kept getting drawn back to your oneesan. It was always her company he valued more than that of any other geisha in the karyūka. To his right sat the aptly nicknamed right-hand man, Gojo-san. These two men you knew; were acquainted with even, but opposite to Geto and Gojo were two new men whom you were seeing for the first time. A tall man with a large hooked nose and tired eyes that seemed to carry the weight of the world, faced Geto. And between them a man with soft blonde hair and warm brown eyes.

As the night went on, you poured tea, giving way to pouring sake, and batted your lashes smiling with a practised ease. You couldn’t help but notice that the man beside you was drawn to you much in the way that Geto-san was drawn to your oneesan. He had been introduced to the two of you as Nanami Kento-san. And the taller, to your other side, Higuruma Hiromi-san. “Part of my organisation.” as Geto-san had put it. They were, no doubt, as close to him as Gojo-san was.

You felt those brown eyes on you as you poured the warm sake. Specifically on the stripes of bare skin left unpainted on the nape of your neck. Upon tuning – to hand Nanami-san the cup – you confirmed. It hadn’t been your imagination. He had been looking. A keen gaze that now pierced your eyes. An odd feeling in your stomach, made you blush and look away.

Geto-san’s voice suddenly pierced your reverie! “Kento-kun seems to have taken a liking to you my young geiko!” there was a smile in his voice that translated to his face too.

You look at him confused. What did he mean? You had just met! You looked at the man, a soft smile on your face, and hoped he would give you an explanation but he simply looked away, now turning beet red. You felt your cheeks heat up as well and looked down at your lap, focusing on the white camellia on the pale blue of your kimono.

Your oneesan laughed. “Don’t tease her Suguru-san! She’s still quite green!” You felt your face burn. What she said was true but you wished she wasn't telling him about it either way.

“Do you know what the white camellia means?” asked a tipsy Higuruma-san from the other side of you. You shook your head. No. You didn’t… Even though it evidently was apparent to all others who saw it.

“Yearning. It signifies yearning!” drawled Geto-san from the other side of the table chuckling. Seemed like the man had been poured quite a bit of sake already. Thankfully your sister chose this moment to intervene and promote your dancing to him which in turn had you getting up and away from the table while oneesan presented her shamisen and played and sang so you could dance.

When the night came to a close you still hadn’t quite understood what everything had meant and yet the fatigue pulled you under, helping you sleep quickly and without time to think long upon the night’s events…

“You have been requested for an evening out by Nanami-san!” Okasan squealed, barely hiding her happiness. Your jaw dropped open. It had been a few days since you had spent the evening entertaining the four men of the gokudo with your sister. The events of that day had stuck with you as you kept wondering what Geto-san had meant when he said “Kento-kun” had taken a liking to you. Okasan continued, “He has sent another kimono for you. It seems he has taken a liking to you!”

There it was again. “A liking to me? Already? What does it mean, Okasan?” You inquired.

“It means your training has been going well.” and that was all the elder lady offered.

You thought about it as your kimono was tied for you. This time, a soft sakura blossom pink all down to the feet where it deepend into a darker shade. The sleeves showed two rabbits bounding along playfully.

“Oh look, it’s devotion and intelligence this time,” Okasan joked. “This man and his kimono choices…”

You could not fathom why Nanmi Kento had such fondness toward you when you had not even met him before… Perhaps tonight, you could weasel the truth from him without it being too forward of you.

The tea house was bustling, you had been shown to a private room where Nanami-san waited. Although you were fresh out of your apprenticeship, he’d chosen you alone to accompany him for the evening, and you felt a nervousness upon entering. The Okiya rarely allowed geiko to entertain alone, such a luxury was reserved only for very respected customers, who of course, also had adequate coin.

You were equipped with your shamisen, in case he wished for music, but if he asked you to dance you would have to ask one of the staff at the tea house to step in and play for you. However, Nanami-san did neither. He only asked you to drink tea with him. You made sure that his cup stayed full, as you were trained. Along with the tea, Nanami-san ordered all sorts of wagashi. He only really spoke to tell you, “Here, eat some more of this.” or “Try the dango. It’s delicious.” in his warm baritone. There still hadn’t been an opportune moment for your question however, and this kept you feeling nervous.

As the night deepened, the tea turned to warm sake. You refrained from drinking too much as was custom, but the alcohol loosened your benefactor's tongue and he began to talk.

“I hope that you are enjoying this evening, Fukuhina-san.” You still weren’t used to being called by your chosen geiko name. Taking part of your oneesans name – Fukuhana – your new name was supposed to give off the appearance of how you were essentially a younger version of your oneesan.

“I am…” your voice trailed off as you wondered about the question that kept surfacing in your mind. You bowed your head to look at your lap not wanting to show the hesitation that was no doubt splayed on your face at the moment.

Nanami-san frowned, "If anything was not to your satisfaction you can tell me you know... You deserve the best. Only the best…”

There it was again. The strange – almost devotion that he seemed to have for you, coming up stronger now. His empty cup beckoned you so you took a moment to think while you poured more of the warm sake out for him. As the clear liquid overtook the cup you considered how best you could broach the question.

“Please do not worry, Nanami-san… Th- there was nothing that troubled me.” His admission of only wanting the best for you had you thinking further.

He hummed, "Troubled you no... I want you to enjoy yourself.... With me." He turned his head to properly look at you... "That kimono looks beautiful with you in it."

“I am told you sent it as well. I must thank you for your generosity and commend your choice, Nanami-san.”

You gather your courage and try again. “Nanami-san, I- forgive my impudence – but I must ask, What did Geto-san mean when he said that the other day. And Higuruma-san… pointing out the white camellia. And these rabbits… Okasan said they mean something – devotion and intelligence…?” Now that you had started, the questions poured out of you with no restraint. Almost everything you wanted to ask rushed out, but you quickly managed to cull the last one. Why are you being so nice when we have only just met each other?

Despite the dimness of the light in the room you could see how the man’s cheeks heated in front of you. He took a swig of his drink, emptying the cup – you filled it again, only to have it downed promptly. When you went to pour more he covered it with his free hand, then set it down and turned to look at you.

“Fukuhina-chan – may I call you that?” he continued after your nod. “Fukuhina-chan, there is a tale that is whispered among those of the gokudo, a tale that has spread all over Japan. There belongs to Geto Suguru, a tiger. A vicious creature that when it has sunk its teeth into its prey does not let go.” Nanami-san lifts his kimono sleeve to show you the snarling tiger tattooed across his arm. Its eyes seem to glow in the fire light. His muscles rippling under his skin make the animal look almost alive – ready to pounce.

“I am a fierce man. I will admit, I have killed many men – women too. I have more scars than that which I can count. Aniki regards me as his most trusted brother, right alongside Gojo and Hiromi.” you are taken aback at his confession but he continues, “But I am not a man without reason. What I do is thought out and done. What I say I think and say. So believe me when I tell you, I have not fallen for you on some boyish whim…”

He takes a deep breath, “You do not remember I am sure, but, it was about a year ago, I had been in a terrible shootout with a Kyoto gang and was injured. It was the coming of winter then as it is now, the streets were almost empty save a few stray cats and drunken men who were stumbling home. As I lay by the side of the road, I was certain that if they weren’t chasing after me with their guns, the blood loss would surely take me before my exhaustion did. And then there was a light…”

As he spoke you realised there was a certain familiarity in his story.

“I lay there, broken, bruised, a pool of my own blood forming around me. Whatever locals walked past, avoiding me like I could and would at any moment snap and take off their ankles. I was not ready to die – full of regrets.” He paused and took a sip of the cup only to remember it was empty as he had stopped you from refilling it. So he took the bottle from your frozen hands and poured himself a drink, and then, one for you, and continued.

“You came to me, out of the dark, holding that shamisen, very much in the same way that you did today walking into this room. Unafraid of how I looked. You, in that pretty blue kimono, your hair tied up and your face free of this makeup.” He gingerly touched your cheek. “And you pushed your little handkerchief into my hand and said to me, ‘stay alive, I will send help!’”

The memories came rushing back to your mind. That chilly evening, onee-san’s show which went on till late. You who played the shamisen for her to dance to, returning to the okiya with the instrument in your hands, stumbling upon this sorry-looking figure. Rushing to the nearest doctor's house and crying up a storm for them to go help the man! Even promising to speak to Okasan for some payment money but the request had never come and you now understood why! The man – then – had been smaller, sure and beaten up so badly that you didn’t recognise that that man and the one sitting before you now were one and the same, but you realised that the very aura that enveloped him then and drew you to him did so with you here as well. A commanding, yet gentle presence.

“The doctor and his helper arrived soon after that. They took me to his house, patched me up, and when I asked them how they knew, they told me of the young maiko who cried at the door in desperation, pleading for help and making promises she probably couldn’t keep.”

You felt yourself blush. “You didn’t owe me anything Nanami-san…” you mumbled.

“On the contrary Fukuhina-chan, I owe you my life. After that day, I worked harder than ever. At the time I wasn’t so high up in the ranks, but I worked and rose up among the gokudo to sit at the side of the most powerful yakuza leader in all of Japan – and make enough money to become your danna…” You gasped. It was one thing to be a respected patron but another altogether to become a geisha's danna! “That is, if you’ll have me…”

You could only nod your head, not daring to speak because of the lump forming in your throat. Your danna! That would mean the debt you needed to pay to your Okiya would be taken care of faster. That would mean you could become independent like Fukuhana-neesan was.

“I am glad you have said yes Fukuhina-chan as I want to lavish you with the opulence you so rightly deserve.” His hand brushed against your cheek again, the cold fingers, a stark contrast to how hot your face felt.

“Nanami-san.. I don’t know what to even say…”

“Well, you don’t have to say anything right now, just answer me this, when everyone was lowering their heads and quickening their gait, seeing me dying there, what made you stop? Why did you help me that night? I could have been a danger to you or you could have gotten in trouble with your Okiya…”

It is true, you had dreaded the doctor coming to ask for his payment, not really knowing what to say to you Okasan about why you had called the doctor for an unknown yakuza. In your desperation to see him saved you hadn’t thought that far but what drew you to save him?

“It was the way in which you held yourself… Even though you were almost dead, your head was high. And you were looking to the stars, not the people around you. You seemed to be wishing you could have done more, and I didn’t want to let you lose that chance.” In the silence around you even this whisper was deafening…

When Nanami Kento left the tea house that evening, stumbling back to the room he had booked at the inn, his mind was consumed with only one thought. How much he now wanted to kiss your lips. The ones that recognised who he was even before anyone else had.

Geisha are performers first and foremost, to kiss you and hold you, he knew, he would be asking a lot. But he wanted to show you that to him, you were the only thing that mattered now. He would woo you, and if luck happened to be on his side once again, he would be honoured to become more than just your danna.

End of Part 1

End of work A/N: I do not claim to know everything about geisha or yakuza as institutions/people. My understanding is a base level one and there may be things which are not so accurate here. Please allow me some leeway when reading and note that I am not an authority on these subjects. This was written for fun with a little research.

ᴍᴀsᴛᴇʀʟɪsᴛ

#anonimuswritings #anonimusunnoan #jjk #fanfiction #fanfic #nanami kento #kento nanami #mafia au #mafia nanami #yakuza #geisha AU #geiko #part 1 #nanami x reader #jjk nanami #jujutsu nanami #yakuza nanami #jujitsu kaisen #slow burn

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thetempleofthemasaigoddess · 4 months ago

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Being Kaidou's prisoner and falling in love with Yamato would involve...

Yamato x reader. My first One Piece animanga fic! This fic is dedicated to the amazing @wendigoselene!

Warning: mentions of gender dysphoria (Yamato fears that his partner will not accept the fact that he has a female body).

*****

👹 You were born in Wano, the eldest child of Shimotsuki Ushimaru, daimyo of Ringo. You spend your early childhood living peacefully with him, your mother and your younger siblings, as well as your father’s pet komagitsune Onimaru; you meet Oden a few times, and the two of you grow very fond of each other.

👹 Everything changes when Oden is executed by Kurozumi Orochi, backed up by Kaidou; your father and the other daimyo refuse to submit to Orochi, which leads them to be imprisoned on Onigashima. Your family expects to be wiped out, in order to avoid any future rebellion, but to your great surprise you are summoned in front of Kaidou: he has heard about the exceptional powers you alone in your family were born with, and wants you to put them at his service. In exchange, he promises, your family will be allowed to survive and even treated well, and you will want for nothing.

👹 Even at your young age, the thought of serving the man who has imprisoned your father makes you seethe with anger; nevertheless, you decide to accept, wishing to at least protect your mother and siblings, and to remain alive until you can get your revenge. Once you have sworn to serve Kaidou, you beg him to free your father and the other daimyo, or at least to allow you to meet him, but are coldly rebuffed.

👹 And so your life as a prisoner of Kaidou begins. You are kept in a small apartment little bigger than a cell, with three meals a day, a bed worthy of the name and your own toilet, but you’re still forbidden from going out if not under strict surveillance and from contacting your family, who is kept in a similar situation, if not through letters that are read by Kaidou’s men before being delivered, and a single meeting in person per year, also chaperoned. Your mother and siblings are kept healthy, housed and fed, which is more than can be said for most of Kaidou’s prisoners, but you’re never allowed to forget you are also prisoners, your family kept hostage to secure your subservience. You know that if your master -this is what you’re ordered to call him, and you do, the word tasting like poison in your mouth- were displeased with you, or had reason to suspect you are trying to escape or to oppose him, he wouldn’t hesitate to retaliate hurting the people you love.

👹 In the meantime, Kaidou has you trained by his men, in order to develop your natural powers. You’ve barely entered adolescence when you’re sent on your first mission, to which many others follow, against your master’s enemies, rebellious subordinates, or to subdue a new territory to his flag. You are strong, and determined to do what you have to for the sake of your family and the hope that one day you may gain freedom for you all, so it’s not long before you start making a name for yourself as one of Kaidou’s most formidable subordinates. In time, thanks to your successes, growing privileges are afforded to you and your family: more comfortable lodgings, good food, even a tutor for your siblings, who are now old enough to need formal education. You are paid more than well for your job, and your meetings with your family are increased to one every four months.

👹 All things considered, you have reason to be, if not happy, at least content with the existence you have carved for yourself, and relieved you and the people you love are at least safe and healthy, but you’re not. You hate your life, hopeless rage and shame and guilt filling your heart and, at times, making you feel as if you were suffocating. You keep repeating yourself that you’re only doing it for the sake of your mother and siblings, to keep them safe, that you’ll never be truly faithful to Kaidou and that you are still waiting for the chance to escape -or even better, to kill him- and you really are!, but you can’t help feeling that it’s not enough. After all, you have put your strength, and the powers you were endowed with, at the service of your mortal enemy, and your hands are stained with the blood of his enemies, innocents or people who simply wanted to regain their freedom; it’s them you should have tried to help, not this monster who helped that snake, Orochi, enslave your people and your land. Maybe you should have let Kaidou kill you, you think sadly, in order to spare yourself the indignity and at least die with honour; maybe, in that case, your father would have been proud of you.

👹 Speaking of your father; you know he died just days after his and the other daimyo’s imprisonment -and you never cried as hard as you did that day, having harboured in your child’s heart the secret hope he would one day come save you- but you were never told what had happened that day, instinctively thinking that he had sacrificed his life to oppose Kaidou and Orochi. You’re not sure that, even considering you were only a child when you were forced to choose between servitude to Kaidou and the slaughter of your whole family, he’d approve what you did and are still doing, but you allow yourself to believe that he’s still watching over you, and will be proud when, one day, you find a way to kill Kaidou and Orochi and avenge him, your lord Oden, and all those who have suffered and still suffer under the usurper.

👹 Soon after you reach adulthood, Kaidou chooses you as the leader of the Tobiroppo, a position you more than deserve but are supremely uninterested in, given the fact you care nothing about raising through the ranks of your master’s army, and that has the unforeseen consequence of earning you the envy and the resentment of many among Kaidou’s subordinates who had aspired to the same position. This matter leaves you indifferent as well; you’ve never made friends among the Beast Pirates, for obvious reasons on your part. Rather, you’ve always done your best to look cold and unapproachable, and some of Kaidou’s men also resent you for the apparent position of privilege you occupy, or distrust you because of your origins and the fact that you’re only serving Kaidou in exchange for your and your family’s safety.

👹 You don’t mind being alone, since after all you’re surrounded by enemies; you have your mother and your siblings, safe and sound even though you can spend so little time together, and that is enough, or at least you force yourself to be content with it. Today, though, you feel particularly melancholic and lonely, and not without reason: exactly ten years have passed since your father’s death, and even longer since you were taken captive. Ten years… it’s more than half the time you’ve been alive, which means that you have spent more time under Kaidou’s thumb than free, and you can’t help wondering if those years were worthy the shame and dishonour of having sworn loyalty to the man who had your father killed and the land of Wano enslaved under Orochi. There is nothing you would not do to keep your family safe, but you are an adult now, and while you still train tirelessly, you know you are no match for Kaidou, nor have you ever had even half a chance to kill him. Maybe you never will, and you’ll spend your whole life serving him, working and fighting for him, a -sort of- willing slave to the man you despise, your family’s honour forgotten and your father’s disappointment and condemnation waiting for you in the next world…

👹 That night a big party, as usual hosted by Queen, takes place at Onigashima, but you’re not in the mood to celebrate - not that you usually do. You even considered asking Kaidou for an exceptional meeting with your family, to celebrate your recent promotion, but you don’t want your mother and siblings to see you while you’re feeling so dejected and hopeless. You mustn’t forget that you’re not the only one for whom those last ten years have been hard, and lonely, and you don’t want your family to worry about you.

👹 You sigh, sitting on a large boulder facing the sea, on a little beach you sometimes spend time in when you want to be alone - which is most of the time. If only Oden were here, you wistfully think; you cried all your tears when you heard your noble lord hard been killed, and you don’t doubt that if he were still alive, and able to fight Kaidou fairly, he would easily dispatch both him and Orochi, and free the land of Wano. If Oden were here, everything would be different…

👹 “Hello.” Yamato says, making you jump.

👹 You’ve never formally met before, which is probably surprising, since Onigashima is a tiny island. You only knew vaguely Kaidou had a daughter, even though you had never even bothered to find more about her, even just her name, instinctively convinced as you were that your master’s child could not be any better than him, and consequently that she wasn’t the sort of person you’d ever want to make friends with. Yamato, on his part, only knew you vaguely as one of his father’s many subordinates; he discovered the truth about your identity only that morning, as he heard him discuss your recent promotion to leader of the Tobiroppo, and immediately decided he needed to meet you.

👹 You stand from your seat and turn to face the person who has joined you on the beach; he doesn’t seem intentioned to hurt you, but ten years as Kaidou’s prisoner have taught you to be wary of anyone you meet, and this white-haired man must be no exception, no matter how bright his eyes, and how lovely his smile, are. “Who are you? Were you spying on me?” “Not at all; I just wanted to talk.” Yamato answers in a friendly tone “You’re Shimotsuki (name), yes?” “Talk about what? And who are you?” “I’m Kouzuki Oden.” “WHAT?!?!”

👹 It takes you a few minutes to clear up the misunderstanding. You’re immediately concerned to discover that Yamato is Kaidou’s child, fearing he has been sent to spy or hurt you in some way, but he promises that he has no ill intentions towards you, and moreover, that he opposes his father’s actions and intentions as much as you do. “The reason why I wanted to meet you is… well, I have a message for you.” Yamato says, and his excited smile slowly turns into a serious, almost solemn expression “From your father.”

👹 You end up spending most of the night together talking. Yamato tells you about how he met your father, as well as the other daimyo, when his father locked him together with them to punish him; he, as well as Yamato himself, thought the daimyo would hurt him because of his heritage, especially after they had been given swords and a single portion of food, after days of starvation. “But they didn’t; they were better than that. They cut me free from my chains, and gave me food. I promised them I would fight to liberate Wano like they wanted to do, to free it from my father, and they… they sacrificed their lives to make sure I lived. I will never forget their courage and kindness; it’s thanks to them that I am here today.” he tells you quietly “As he and the others prepared to break out, your father told me: I have a daughter who is about your age; you remind me of her sometimes. I fear Kaidou will attempt to hurt her, and to break her will to his. If you ever meet her, tell her I love her more than anything else in the world; that even though she’s still so young, I know she will make me proud, and that she will never forget her duty and the blood that runs in her veins.”

👹 Yamato is at first hesitant, fearing you might blame him for your father’s death, but your reaction is the exact opposite. To know this young man was with your father when he died, and that he and the other daimyo trusted Yamato enough to sacrifice their lives for him… emotion has filled your eyes with tears, and to receive your father’s message today of all days, while you felt so full of doubts about yourself and feared you would never succeed in avenging him and free Wano from Kaidou and Orochi, has rekindled hope in your heart, and filled you with a new determination. All of it thanks to Yamato, who you immediately feel sympathy for, and who is happy to tell you about the courage and kindness of your father and the other daimyo, of how they deliberately suffered hunger to make sure he was fed, helped him read Oden’s diary, and entrusted him with their hopes that one day Wano would be liberated and its enemy punished.

👹 Yamato, on his part, envies you for having met his idol, Oden, in person; you have to admit that the two of you didn’t actually had that much of a relationship, since you only met a few times and you were too young to hold a conversation anyway, but you gladly share your memories of the man you both admire. You can’t help finding it a bit odd that Yamato has gone so far as to make Oden’s identity his own, adopting his mannerisms and even emulating his gender, but you deeply admire his courage in opposing his father, who clearly disapproves of his own son idolising his worst enemy, and who has done his worst to make him relent. That night, as you talk sitting on the beach, alone save for the waves crashing on the shoreline in front of you, a deep friendship is born between you and Yamato, a bond born of spiritual empathy and shared intent; you promise that you’ll support each other against all those who oppose you, united against the rest of Onigashima, and one day, when the opportunity arises -and it will; I promise, (name), one day we’ll get our chance. You mustn’t lose hope, your father wouldn’t want you to- you’ll fight together to liberate Wano and avenge both Oden and the daimyo.

👹 Your friendship with Yamato becomes one of the few sources of joy in your life. You had never fully realised how lonely you felt, having no one to confide in, share your fears and hopes with, and ask for comfort when loneliness and guilt threaten to crush you. For ten long years it was your family’s safety, and the secret hope of one day finding a way to avenge your father and realise his ambition to restore Wano to its previous splendour, that sustained you, but you did feel isolated, forced to rely on your own strength without a friend to watch your back and to dry your tears when the loss of your father and the fear you’d spend the rest of your life serving the man who had killed him threatened to destroy you. Now you have Yamato in your corner, and he’s worth more than a whole army of friends; for his part, he also treasures your friendship, both as a link to his idol and his past saviours and since you’re the only person in the whole of Onigashima who doesn’t oppose his desire to emulate Oden but rather supports him. One could think that, given his exceptional strength and position as Kaidou’s son, Yamato has lived an easy and privileged life, but even though he has been opposing his father ever since he was a child, courageously enduring all the abuse and violence Kaidou has inflicted to make him relent, he's sincerely happy he has found someone in whose company he can simply be himself, and who accepts and even share his desire to see a free, open Wano.

👹 That is not to say you are free to live your friendship in the open. Having agreed that knowing his two biggest detractors in Wano are spending time together would immediately make Kaidou suspicious that you're up to something -which you sort of are- you and Yamato find several ways to meet in secret, in the most hidden corners around Onigashima or on your favourite beach. You spend hours talking, but sometimes you bring food and drink to share a meal, an innocent pleasure you hadn’t known since the family dinners of your childhood. You also train together; Yamato is extremely powerful, not least thanks to the powers he acquired, he explains to you, eating a strange, foul-tasting fruit that allows him to transform into both a makami wolf and a human/wolf hybrid but took away his ability to swim. You spent your youth training under Kaidou’s orders, his underlings having no qualms about hitting and hurting a child, but this is different, this is you willingly sparring with a friend, both confident enough in each other’s power to use your own to the fullest. In those moments you feel free, powerful, in control of your own destiny - in a word, you feel alive, and all thanks to the young man who would have more reason than anyone to distrust you, but who has offered you his hand in friendship, and made your life worth living like it hadn’t been for a decade. In the depth of your heart, you don’t know if the two of you will ever be able to defeat Kaidou and free Wano; but even if your hopes were to be dashed, you’re happy to have met Yamato, and to have been gifted his friendship.

👹 Your moments together are the happiest of your life, as much as the few hours you are allowed to spend with your family; Yamato, who feels no filial love whatsoever for Kaidou, is nonetheless outraged you’re only allowed to meet your mother and siblings three times a year, for such a short time and always under strict surveillance. “I wish I could ask my father to allow you to spend more time together.” he sighs “But if he had reason to suspect we are friends, he’ll make sure we can never speak or meet again.” You assure him that you know, and that even though you are disappointed you can’t meet your family more often, you are grateful for his desire to help you.

👹 On one clear night, you are both able to steal away from the castle, and meet at your usual boulder, at the beach; Yamato has brought a bottle of fine saké he stole from the kitchen, you some sweets to munch on. You sit quietly side by side, enjoying the warmth of the night and the sweet song of the sea. “What would happen to Wano, though?” you mention after a while, unable to forget, even just for a moment, how unlikely the success of your secret plan appears to be “Even if, by some kind of miracle, we were able to vanquish Kaidou, and Orochi, and all the troops under their command, who should rule the country then? Oden is dead, and his children have disappeared. As far as I can tell, there is no one in the world with the right to become the next Shogun.” “In the past, when the Shogun was incapacitated or died without leaving an heir, it was the council of the daimyo that ruled the country. You’re the eldest child of your father, and the other daimyo’s families have been killed; so you could become the next regent, until a legitimate heir of Oden is found.” Yamato suggests, which gives you pause. Becoming the new daimyo of Ringo after your father is a destiny you have known awaits you since you were a child, and in the event you’re actually able to vanquish Kaidou and Orochi you’ll be proud to do it, and follow in the path of your ancestors. But governing the whole of Wano, even though only as a regent… well, that’s a different matter altogether. Would you be worthy of it? And what if it turns out that there is no one left in the country with Oden’s blood in their veins, and who could legitimately assume the role?

👹 “And what about you? What will you do once you’re no longer under your father’s power?” you ask, and Yamato grins. “I’m going to leave.” “What?!” you cry, dismayed, and your friend explains that as soon he has freed himself of the explosive handcuffs Kaidou has put on his wrists, and that prevent him from leaving Wano, he plans on sailing away as a pirate, just like Oden did in his youth, to live adventures and discover the world. “I can’t wait! It’s going to be great!” he exclaims, while you stare at your own feet, dismayed, already dreading the day your friend’s hopes will come true and he’ll depart, maybe forever, leaving you alone. As Yamato’s friend it’s your duty to encourage him, like you know he would do if he were in your place, and you can’t very well ask him to renounce his dreams to stay and keep you company, especially if by then you’ll have become the new daimyo of Ringo, but the mere thought is almost unbearable: you have become so fond of Yamato, and he’s the only person you love in the world besides your family, your dearest and only friend. The only thought of never seeing him again, of losing him, breaks your heart.

👹 Pretending you’re not upset is hard, but you’re able to hide your unhappiness. You and Yamato spend a couple hours sparring, finding out once again that you’re evenly matched, both feeling spurred to improve and do your best to defeat the other and still satisfied you haven’t been defeated, and in the end you say good-bye as usual before returning to your quarters. You are both walking back to the castle, but since it’s imperative to avoid being seen together, you reach it from opposite directions. You also make sure never to mention each other with other people, and even to keep your gazes from meeting -but not to the point it becomes evident you’re avoiding looking at each other- when you’re both forced to attend one of Kaidou’s parties or war councils.”I’ll see you soon, right?” you ask, and Yamato looks at you strangely, as if surprised you’d need to ask - as if surprised you had reason to fear otherwise. “Of course; you can’t get rid of me so easily, you know.” he jokes. Half an hour later you’re in your bed, in the small apartment you’ve lived in since you were eight but that you still refuse to consider your home; you stare at the ceiling, waiting to fall asleep, and think that you will never stop Yamato from leaving Wano, not even if it meant losing him forever, but you’ll treasure his friendship while you can.

👹 Months pass; one day, looking at the calendar on your wall, you realise it’s your birthday - not that you have ever celebrated it, given your situation; your mother and siblings will certainly send their wishes with their next letters, and that is all the celebration you can expect, or need. You have just come back from a long, difficult mission on Kaidou’s orders, so you treat yourself to a day of rest; you spend two hours in a meeting with the Tobiroppo -and then feel the uncontrollable urge to drink yourself into a stupor, as it often happens after you’re forced to deal with all six of your underlings together- and then take a walk by yourself in the woods. Later, you’re about to have a quiet, solitary, peaceful -and not lonely; you’re not lonely, you repeat firmly to yourself, not when the large majority of the people in the whole of Onigashima wouldn’t even spit on you if they saw you on fire- dinner in your room when you notice a piece of paper that has been slipped under your door: Kaidou summons you to a meeting, in a little-frequented wing of the castle. Grumbling -can’t you just have a moment of peace, at least late at night and at the end of a three-weeks mission?!- you leave your dinner untouched and leave, soon reaching the room you’ve been summoned to. You open the door, and…

👹 “HAPPY BIRTHDAY, (name)!” your mother, siblings, and Yamato cry out all together; the room is festively decorated, there is plenty of food on the tables, and wrapped-up presents with your name on them. “I’m so sorry; I have known you for years and never thought about asking about your birthday.” Yamato apologises as you share a hug, and you quickly tell him you could never be angry, since you don’t know his birthday either. “You’ve planned all of this? For me?” you ask, stunned, and your friend grins, openly satisfied with himself; he found out your birthday was coming soon by accident, and so found a way to meet with your family privately, and proposed to organise a party in your honour. “Nobody deserves it more than you, (name); and I made sure neither my father nor anyone else knows, so you don’t have to worry.”

👹 It is without a doubt the happiest day since you were eight; you open your presents -Yamato has ordered his in one of the best shops of the Flower Capital, your mother and siblings have used the allowance Kaidou has granted them on your request- eat much more happily than you were about to do alone in your room, and in the end, while Yamato entertains your siblings, you speak to your mother, for the first time without Kaidou’s men listening to your every word. “The last thing I could have imagined is you making friends with Kaidou’s child, but this young man is clearly different from his father.” she admits “I’m glad you can count on him, (name); you know how much we love you, but you need a friend to confide in.” You couldn’t agree more; you had never told your family you had made friends with the son of your worst enemy, not wanting them to worry for you, but you’re happy they appreciate Yamato as much as you do. “We’re going to save Wano, mother; we’ll defeat Kaidou and Orochi, and I’ll avenge father. You have my word, I don’t know how, but I’ll make sure they pay for what they have done.” you tell her, and she hugs you tight, murmuring that she’s so proud of you, of how strong and resilient you are, and she knows your father is as well.

👹 Yamato insists on walking you back to your room, again making sure no one sees; the silence between you as you walk is easy and comfortable as ever, but when you’re standing at the door you suddenly feel shy… like a girl deciding whether to invite a suitor to come in at the end of a date, which is clearly not your case, but then why do you feel yourself blushing? “Are you alright?” Yamato asks, unaware, and you rush to nod. “I’ll never thank you enough for this; I’ll return the courtesy for your birthday, but… It’s the kindest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you, Yamato.” “You’re very welcome; as I said, you deserve it.” “I’m not sure I do; but I’ll remember this night forever.” On impulse, you kiss him on the cheek; Yamato grins, but even in the darkness of the corridor you can see he has blushed furiously. You go to bed feeling much better than a few hours ago, falling asleep with your friend’s name on your lips.

👹 The unexpected event that leads you to question, at least in the privacy of your heart, your friendship with Yamato takes place on a day like many others, when you reach your usual beach to meet him for yet another evening to spend together, and find he’s not alone. “This is Ace; Ace, (name).” Yamato says, clearly enthusiastic as he clasps the shoulder of a young man -he’s still a boy really, much younger than you- who you’ve never seen before. “He is a pirate from the East Blue, he came here to kill my father; we just fought, he’s very strong!”

👹 Ace, you must admit, seems like a nice person, very friendly. You drink saké together, which you have stolen from the kitchens, Ace introduces you to his crew, the Spade Pirates, and tells you of his younger brother, Luffy, who he’s clearly fond of. “So your dream is to see the world outside of Wano? Why don’t you join us then, and leave with us?” Ace proposes in the end, once it’s time for him and his crew to depart, and you, standing only a few feet away, feel your heart break. Yamato thanks him for the offer but he’s forced to refuse, given the fact he's still wearing the handcuffs bound to explode as soon as he steps outside the borders of Onigashima; in the end, Yamato creates two Vivre Cards so that he and Ace can find each other in the future.

👹 “Are you sad?” you ask Yamato as, sitting on your usual boulder, you observe Ace’s ship getting smaller by the second on the horizon, and he shrugs, admitting his disappointment at having been once again precluded from leaving, this time in addition in the company of a person he had made friends with. “Well, that’s too bad; but one day we’ll meet again, I’m sure of it. Oden never lost faith in his dreams, and I don’t want to either.” he says then with a smile, bumping his shoulder against yours “Good thing you’re still here, (name); I don’t know what I would do without you.”

👹 Knowing that your friendship is important for Yamato makes you very happy, but at the same time meeting Ace, and seeing him and your friend together, filled your heart with an emotion you had never experienced… longing, tension, fear, and jealousy, but for what, since Ace has been perfectly civil, even kind and friendly, and did not upset you even unintentionally? It’s not fully his fault, you reason on the next day as, having been sent on a new mission by Kaidou, you contemplate the stormy sea your ship is easily sailing through, rather… the unpleasant sensation was due to the presence of a new person near your friend, who Yamato clearly liked, respected, and paid attention to. You like to think you’re not an egotistical, or possessive, person, and you should have been happy that Yamato had made a new friend, especially given Ace seemed to be a really good person and Yamato never neglected you to spend time with him; nevertheless, you felt your heart break when Ace offered Yamato to join his crew, which would have led him away from Onigashima, and away from you, and you did sigh in relief when the fire-powered pirate finally departed, leaving things as they were before his arrival, the routine you and Yamato had peacefully lived in for years.

👹 Whatever the reason for that emotional state you can’t quite give a name to, you do feel instinctively guilty for it. No matter how much his friendship means to you, Yamato is not a toy in your possession, but a man who is entitled to form relationships with other people and to live his life the way he wants, even if his desires were to lead him away from you. Nevertheless, in the depth of your heart, you can’t help wishing things were different; that your company, your presence by his side, were enough for Yamato, so that he would not feel the need for other people in his life, and that he would decide to remain in Wano after you’ve liberated it, or at least to make sure that wherever he decides to go, you can come with him. It’s wrong, and self-centred, and selfish, but you can’t help it; you don’t know why you’re feeling like this all of a sudden, you only know it all started when Ace entered the picture and you did feel better, safer, after he had left…

👹 Oh.

👹 You don’t really know what love is - romantic love at least. You know your parents loved each other; you never saw them exchange a kiss, that wouldn’t have been proper for a couple, but you remember the way they looked at each other as they danced together in your home following a music only they could hear, tenderness and an intimacy that had nothing to do with the fact they had had three children together. And you’ve never asked, but you know your mother loves him still, and that even should she marry again one day, she will never forget him. You’ve never experienced anything of the sort; you’ve never been in a relationship, and your only sexual experience has been an hour spent in a brothel during one of your missions away from Wano -you could have done the same in Black Maria’s pleasure hall, but you didn’t want the whole of Onigashima to know about your preferences in the alcove- that left you with a fleeting sensation of pleasure that soon disappeared, leaving only emptiness behind. You thought that maybe, one day, once you were no longer surrounded by enemies you were forced to keep your real allegiance secret from, you could find a partner, someone you liked and trusted and cared for, and with whom you could be yourself; it might be nice. Until then, you were more than satisfied with your family’s love… and Yamato’s friendship…

👹 Oh, shit. Shitshitshitshitshit…

👹 But it’s impossible. You’re not… you’re not in love with Yamato! How could you? He’s your best friend. You’ve never done couple-y things, like dancing and… and he’s never given you flowers like your father did with your mother at least once a month… all you do together is training and drinking saké, he’s organised a secret birthday party for you and you’ve patched him up a thousand times after his fights with his father, and you’ve shared secrets and laughs and tears, because that is what friends do! He’s your only friend, the only person you care for and who cares for you besides your family; is it so surprising that the simple thought of losing him breaks your heart? And yes, you do find him very attractive, how could you not? Yamato is tall and strong, and he has a beautiful smile, bright eyes, and there have been a few times during your training that you’ve felt his body pressing against yours and your heart skipped a beat and blood rushed to your face and then there was that time you went to the brothel, and when the man you paid for his time saw how unresponsive you were, he told you to think about something nice, and your thoughts instinctively went to Yamato, to that time you had fallen asleep together on the beach, holding each other close against the cold, his arms holding you by the waist and your cheek resting against the softness of his chest…

👹 That had been the closest thing to peace you had ever experienced; a sensation so pure and perfect you never wanted it to end, and you know it never fully will, as long as the two of you remain together. You can’t lie to yourself any longer: you’ve fallen in love with Yamato, a feeling that is deep and true and lasting, something that is not better than, or even completely different from, the deep friendship that has existed between you for so long, but that has grown from and is made more precious because of it. You still consider Yamato your dearest friend… it’s just that now you also shiver at the thought of kissing him and the sight of the many among his father’s underlings who try to attract his attention -or him, directly, in their bed- makes you seethe with anger.

👹 Should you tell Yamato what you feel? There have never been secrets between you, but this time, after agonising on the matter for days -and dearly wishing you could ask for your mother’s opinion; unfortunately all the time you spend with her and your siblings is still closely monitored, and you don’t even want to know what would happen if Kaidou found out you’re madly in love with his son- you decide it’s better if you keep it to yourself, at least until you have reason to believe he feels the same, since you want to avoid the heartbreak and awkwardness and that will surely follow a refusal. You still feel blessed to have him as your friend; and one day, you tell yourself, things may be different.

👹 Two years after you and Yamato have said good-bye to Ace, his Vivre Card disintegrates, which makes you realise he has died. You both mourn him, and you privately apologise to Ace for not having gotten to know him as much as you could have during your time together, and for the secret, unjustified resentment you felt for him in your heart. Later, you read about your friend’s demise on the paper, and also about his brother Luffy, who has become a powerful pirate captain. Yamato tells you that this young man you’ve never met could be exactly the person you were waiting for, to help you bring down Kaidou.

👹 You’ve been friends for exactly a decade -and you a servant of Kaidou for two- when finally everything changes, thanks to no one but Luffy himself, who just like Yamato expected has come to Onigashima to defeat his father, free Wano… and restore as a shogun Oden’s own son Momonosuke, who is miraculously alive -but, for some reason, is still eight years old even though he was born the same year as you and Yamato- and has returned together with his father’s retainers, the Nine Red Scabbards. In order to assist them, you decide to separate; Yamato goes to meet Luffy, and asks you to try and neutralise the All-Stars, the Beast Pirates’ top executives, in order to weaken Kaidou’s potential response to the invasion.

👹 Knowing that your friend trusts you enough to face as strong opponents as King and the others -and he’s not simply saying it to please you, since he clearly doesn’t want you to be killed- fills your heart with warmth. As you prepare to part, well aware that you may not survive the night and not wanting to die with more regrets than you already have, you impulsively grab Yamato by the front of his shirt and kiss him passionately; he freezes, clearly taken aback, but a moment later he’s taken you in his arms and is kissing you back. After all the time you had spent fantasising about your first kiss, reality is a thousand times better than everything you might have expected; so sweet and passionate you wish you could spend the rest of the night just holding each other and smooching, but you have a battle to fight and a land to liberate. When you finally part, you and Yamato are both grinning. “I’ve been wanting to do that for years.” you confess, and your friend, who has gone adorably red in the face, smiles and admits that he wouldn’t have minded - far from it. You hold each other tight, well aware that tonight all your dreams and aspirations could come true, or be cruelly crushed by an unforgiving reality.

👹 “See that you survive.” “Right back at you; I’ll see you later.”

👹 Having left Yamato, you force yourself to ignore the warmth of his kiss lingering on your mouth and the fact your heart is still pounding, to focus on the battle that awaits you, and that you have waited for since you were eight. First of all, you reach your family, quickly defeating the guards who try to stop you, and lead them to safety to a hidden room you had selected a while ago, expressly for this purpose. Your siblings beg to be allowed to fight as well, since they also want to avenge your father and liberate their home from Kaidou, but you convince them to relent: they need to protect your mother, and should the battle be won without you, it will be up to them to continue the family line and rule Ringo. Your mother embraces you; she doesn’t try to dissuade you from your duty, but begs you to be careful, and kisses your forehead in blessing.

👹 Your primary objective is to vanquish King, Kaidou’s right-hand man, and you find him on the castle’s Live Floor, fighting a young man who you assume to be a member of Luffy’s crew… a young man who looks exactly like your father did in his youth, except for the colour of his hair. You look at him, flabbergasted, and he looks back, equally stunned, having noticed the strong family resemblance between the two of you. “Who the hell are you?!” “Who the hell are you?! Why do we look like we are siblings?!”

👹 You’re completely astonished -this man does look like he could be your brother, but you’re ready to bet your father never betrayed his marital vows, not to mention that your new acquaintance doesn’t look old enough to have been conceived more than twenty years ago- but you quickly decide you’ll have time to talk later. “Name’s Roronoa Zoro.” “Pleasure, I’m (name). Mind if I help you against this guy?”

👹 King is one of the strongest fighters you’ve ever encountered, but Zoro is, you find out, an exceptionally talented swordsman, able to wield three blades at the same time, and joining forces you’re able to defeat him. You and Zoro share a grin, having already developed respect for each other, and then part; you later meet Momonosuke, and help a kunoichi named Shinobu protect him from Kaidou’s men while Yamato battles his father.

👹 You and Yamato find each other again after Kaidou’s defeat; you embrace tightly, happy and relieved to see each other unscathed. Together with your family, who you have freed from their hiding place, you witness Momonosuke, now in his adult self, present himself to the people of Wano as their new Shogun. Yamato introduces you to Luffy; you hear the two of them discuss Yamato joining Luffy’s crew, just like your friend did with Ace years ago, now that the straw-hatted pirate has removed Yamato’s exploding handcuffs, and you feel your heart break at the thought you’re going to lose him forever, just when a new future was opening in front of you. But you have known for years that this would happen, and no matter how painful it’ll be, you’re determined to encourage Yamato to realise his dream, rather than stop him or beg him to stay, whatever the price might be.

👹 Once things have come back to normal after Kaidou’s defeat, you have a long interview with Momonosuke, who officially makes you the new daimyo of Ringo, as your father’s heir, and you promise you’ll do everything you can to support him for the creation of a free, happier Wano. You and your family return to your childhood home; you cry tears of joy when you find out that Onimaru, who had run away after your father’s arrest, has survived, spent five years protecting the graves in Ringo’s cemetery, and then was cared for by Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards. Your father’s old pet happily joins the family once more, to the great joy of your mother and siblings.

👹 Speaking of your father. You and Zoro have a long conversation, soon realising that your resemblance is no coincidence but you are, in fact, related; his grandmother was Shimotsuki Furiko, your father’s younger sister, who in her youth left Wano with a small group of other people and -he tells you- settled in the East Blue. You introduce Zoro to your mother and siblings, and to Yamato, who also recognise his resemblance to your father, and Zoro tells you about his dream of becoming the world’s strongest swordsman, and about Kuina, who you both realise is also a relative of yours, through your clansman Shimotsuki Kouzaburou. You spar, get drunk on the best saké you were able to steal from Kaidou’s castle after his defeat, and quickly become friends.

👹 A few days later, a great festival takes place in the Flower Capital, to celebrate the return of the Kouzuki family to power; you and Yamato participate together with Luffy’s crew and your other allies, but at one point you’re forced to go intercept a Marines Admiral who has come to take Luffy, with no regards for the safety of Wano’s people. Momonosuke orders you to let him fight by himself, and he’s actually able to hold his own against the invader until the Admiral is forced to leave.

👹 Later on, you and Yamato take a walk together - or at least that was your plan, even though you end up hidden behind a hedge as you kiss senselessly, holding each other tight as the symphony of your moans fills the air. You’ve never felt so happy in your life, and once again, you wish you could spend the rest of your life held in Yamato’s embrace, hearing him purr contently as you kiss his neck; that will probably not happen, but you’ll enjoy your time together while it lasts. Yamato admits that he had known he didn’t just want to be your friend for a long while now, but never found the courage to tell you what he felt, mainly because he was almost sure you didn’t reciprocate his feelings.

👹 “The truth is… well, you remember when you told me you had gone to a brothel? The person who serviced you was a man.” “Yes, and?” “Well…” unsure like you’ve never seen him, Yamato points to his body “No matter how much I try to be like Oden, you know I still have the body of a woman. So I thought that maybe… if one day we’d become… intimate…”

👹 You immediately reassure Yamato that his gender has nothing to do with the affection and the attraction -yes, the attraction- that you feel for him. “If you really want to know… that night at the brothel, the man I paid did everything he could to make me feel good, but while he touched me I could only think about you.” you admit with a slight blush; how blind you have been, taking so long to realise friendship was not all you wanted from him! “I don’t care if you have the body of a man, or of a woman, or-or of both, or neither; you are Yamato, my Yamato, and I am in love with you. I will never stop wanting you… and I will still be here when you return from your journey at sea.”

👹 Yamato looks at you, suddenly crestfallen. “What? You’re not coming with me? I thought we’d depart together!” he protests, and you, while happy that he’s not planning on abandoning you to go gallivanting around the world -even though you could have told me at least!- point out that you can’t very well decide to leave on a whim. You are the daimyo of Ringo now, you have sworn allegiance to Momonosuke, and your land and your people need you, after so many years under Kaidou’s abusive rule. “But I don’t want you to remain only because of me; I’ll miss you like air, but you’ve been imprisoned here on Onigashima your whole life, no one deserves freedom more than you.” you add, forcing yourself to encourage him even though his happiness will automatically mean your loss “You can sail, either with Luffy or by yourself if you want, discover the world like you’ve always wanted… and when you decide to return, I’ll be here waiting for you.”

👹 You both reflect on the matter for a while, hand in hand as you sit on the stone steps of the Shogun’s castle, observing the fireworks exploding in the sky above you; the multicoloured light kisses Yamato’s pale skin and hair. “I want to protect Momonosuke too; I think this is what Oden would have wanted.” he says in the end, his tone pensive but not sad “And the Admiral’s attack today has proved that there are so many forces that could hurt him, and Wano; so I think I’ll stay, at least for a while.” “Are you sure? You’re not… disappointed?” “Well, the world is not going anywhere, is it? And in any case, departing without you would only be half the fun. Let’s promise this, (name); that one day, when there’s no longer need of us here… you can leave your mother and siblings to govern in your place for a while, and we’ll sail together.”

👹 Nothing in the world would make you happier, and you tell him; you and Yamato share a grin, finally free of fears about the future and your feelings, and kiss some more, oblivious to the fact you’re in plain sight, under the eyes of Wano’s partying people.

👹 “(name)?” “Yes, Yamato?” “I love you too.” “I know.”

👹 His cheek rests on your shoulder as you keep staring at the sky, where flowers of light bloom and disappear only a few moments later; you sigh, happy and in peace, and take your lover’s hand in yours, determined to never let go for the rest of your life.

#One Piece #Yamato One Piece #Oni Princess Yamato #Yamato One Piece x reader #Oni Princess Yamato x reader #Bellona's stuff

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