#one piece verse; tbn

[levixthxn-thegirl]

Continued from (x)

She tutted tip of tongue to teeth, shaking her head with a grin as she plucked herbs from glass jars and placed them into her large stone mortar. She was standing on a stepping stool, unfortunately too short to reach some of the jars in cubbies along the wall.

"And he's quite fortunate to have such good friends by his side. And knowledgeable ones at that, too." She glanced back at the young man, lilac eyes peaking over dark sunglasses that rested on her nose. "I've heard of too many tempted by its sweet smell, or eating it out of desperation from starvation." Ambrosine turned her head back and stepped down before making her way back to the counter. She tied back moonlight curls into a bun before getting to work, pressing and grinding the herbs into a smaller bits, so that way, it can be brewed into multiple batches of tea.

"This will help him certainly.", she gently grinded the mortar's contents with the pestle "However, and I do hate this for him as the sickness is punishment enough, but it is very bitter, and the tea has to be strong for it to be effective. The best medicine, though, is often the worst to swallow, they say."

@3katanas

[levixthxn-thegirl]

Delicate fingers clutched at her sweater, fist in a white knuckle grip as her heartbeat rang in her ears. How was she found? She thought she had shaken any bounty hunter off her scent long ago. In fact, she was the belief that her bounty was no longer up. She had faked her death and prayed that the world believed her performance.

That now was clearly not the case. Someone still hoped her alive, and for her head to be taken.

"You kiddin'?!" The taller and lankier of the duo barked out, teeth bared in a snarl. "You tryin' to keep the bounty to yourself, huh? Ain't that a bitch."

Lilac eyes shot up at the statement, wide in apprehension as she stared at the solid back of her now protector. He towered over her, an immovable monolith who was as steadfast as his spirit. Could he have known? Is that why they had came time and time again not for her goods and services, but in hopes that he could get her guard down well enough and in these woods, take her on in hopes to collect a bounty she believed to be closed?

"Maybe we could make a deal? If we all bring her in alive, we'd get more a profit, and then we can split it?" The stouter one spoke then, wringing his hands greedily as the thought of such a high amount of berries was almost intoxicating. "We can uuuh, comb over the details of the split later."

@levixthxn-thegirl liked for a starter for Ambrosine!

"I don't give a shit who she is, you attacked her while she was under our protection." Arms folded over his chest he stood in front of her smaller frame, a solid wall blocking her from the bounty hunters that had tried to claim her. The two of them deep in the woods looking for the herbs that Chopper required to heal a strange sickness that had overcome half of the crew. It was curable....if they could find an herb. One that he'd guessed would be difficult to locate even without a time crunch.

Which was why he'd asked the owner of the apothecary to assist, guessing that she'd know where different herbs and ingredients could be found. Thus, until she was done helping their crew, in his opinion, she was under their protection. Meaning these assholes weren't touching her no matter how fucking high her bounty apparently was.

[levixthxn-thegirl]

@ravarui liked this for a starter

Though bounty hunters and pirates are inhabitants of the same four blues, their worlds were in some literal senses night and day from each other. At least, that's how Ambrosine saw it. Stepping from the shadows of a ruthless and cold existence, only being treated like a human weapon without individuality or autonomy to the open skies and golden horizons with opportunities and freedoms beyond her wildest dreams. A paradigm shift from endless starless night turning sharply into hopefully blush red hope of morning.

Many faces she saw only in brief glimpses when passing their bounty posters were now flesh and blood before her, some encounters better than others. Many times, Ambrosine felt underwhelmed or even silly when becoming acquainted with those who she once considered 'prey', seeing them now as ordinary or kinder than their gruff and hardened appearances may portray. Others lived up to their rotten reputation, leaving a foul and rancid taste that took the strongest of rum to burn out.

She had yet, at that point, met those who legendary few, who were in it beyond the want of gold and glory but for the love of freedom and adventure. Those who, at least in her mind and from the stories she heard from the many bars and docks she stalked for her next bounty, were worthy of the fame and grandeur that followed them. And in her secrecy, felt relief when a fellow bounty hunter failed to capture them.

---

The Leviathan pirates were well into their merry making at the quaint bar at the equally quaint port side town. Despite their ghoulish appearance, the crew were leading shanties, drunkenly jigging along the wooden floor with the other patrons. The co-captain Ambrosine, however, found her place watching her crew from corner set at the bar, laughing as she told the bar maid with the lovely honey curls about the superstitions of Emerald Island, particularly about a certain phantasmal black dog.

"W-wait, huh? Nuh, uh, that's not true!" Hazel eyes twinkling in a grin as she playfully shoved her customer off the bar stool, now both clinging to each other in stop Ambrosine from falling. "Hold on now, hey!" The bar maid caught glance of an all too familiar red haired man, now motioning with a hand for him to come over. "Hey, you gotta hear this!"

[levixthxn-thegirl]

[ 👍 for a compliment! ]

Send 👍 and my muse will be forced to compliment your muse! || OPEN

The rear admiral adjusted his golden framed spectacles, taking a slow and deep puff of his smoking pipe. Cornelius had a habit of studying his fellow marines, particularly his subordinates. He had a natural knack for reading people, observing how they conduct themselves in order to peel back any mask they might wear to reveal their true face. And his favorite kind of people were those brave enough to wear their hearts on their sleeves. It made him hopefully of humanity.

"You are a very compassionate man, Commander. It is disheartening at times to see those who climb the ranks lose such an admirable trait in their pursuit of higher power and status. You would be surprised at how many in our positions abuse those lower on the ladder simply because it was done to them, as if abusing the non guilty will bring them any closure or justice, or perhaps they wish to feel something other than being powerless. They keep the cycle of abuse going, maintaining it like a well-oiled machine. You, however, are different. You, at least from my own perspective, are very kind and loving. Do not lose your love. Do not throw away such a rare thing in search of revenge or vindication. For love conquers all."

[levixthxn-thegirl]

Fifth time? In that month alone?

Ambrosine's eyebrows raised in bewilderment, then her head cocked to one side as she scanned the marine behind dark, round sunglasses. Muscular forearms concealed under a fur lined coat crossed over her chest.

She just couldn't be serious. Were the Marines that desperate for bodies? No, no, don't assume it was out of clumsiness or carelessness. Assumptions are the last thing you want to make out of anyone. That, she had learned, is what can get you killed.

In any case, she was very thankful all of the high money items were behind the counter.

"He probably wants you to be more careful. You can't fight pirates if you're blind, now can you?" She laughed, a bemused smile on her lips.

OPEN RP

Tashigi rubs her eyes sighing, "Don't ask me what happened to my glasses. Smoker already yelled at me for breaking them. This is the fifth time this month."

[levixthxn-thegirl]

Below: Headcanons for One Piece Verse (A brief use of violent language in the third entry and mentions of scarification in the fifth entry.)

(Many of these headcanons for Ambrosine's time as a pirate are relevant from the ages of 18 to 25, then again at 30 onwards after she joins her crew again a little ways after the Loguetown arc.)

• Ambrosine's first time on the sea wasn't with Leviathan's and the crew on the Queen of Heaven. In fact, as a child, she could always be found on her grandda's fishing boat, enjoying the sea salt spray and the big open waters. In a corny way of phrase, her first love was the sea, and it's never could resist its siren call. So the moment she sat foot on the ghostly galleon that was her new home, she immediately felt that same joy she knew long before.

• The folk on Emerald Island are inherently superstitious, and Ambrosine is still no different. One of her first and favorite moments being on Avalon (her grandda's fishing boat) was being tossed overboard and then being hauled back. They believed that, and drawing blood before fishing season would bring good luck. On the Queen of Heaven, some of the superstitions couldn't be avoided, like not sailing on a Thursday or Friday, but it was basically a carnal sin to whistle (it's believed that whistling would bring a storm.)

• Additionally, about Emerald Island, everyone from there has a very distinct accent (think the irl Irish accents), and the Lazarus Organization had to all but beat it out of Ambrosine as they deemed it 'unprofessional' and 'unruly sounding'. Eventually, she just would barely talk unless it was with Dimitrios, then it would be her working incredibly hard to tone down her native accent. Nowadays, it'll slip out in times of anger or shock, where emotions are high, rationale is low, and the conscious filter is turned off completely.

• You don't like shanties? Then your place isn't on the Queen of Heaven. The exit is right there (overboard). From morning till well into the night, the crew, if not chatting, is singing their hearts out. If it's night of celebration or there's booze involved, good luck getting any sleep as they'll sing till dawn, only stopping when sleep finally as them in their grip.

• Like how most pirate crews have a look or theme in which they dress themselves in, the crew of the Queen of Heaven is no different. In fact, if loyalty is being rated on the way they adorn themselves, they would be poster crew of ride or die as theirs is more than clothing and makeup. The most common look amongst them is a full body skeletal tattoo, with scarification of the same design being a second choice, but each member had their own add ons to their chosen methods, adding a unique touch to an otherwise uniform sign of devotion.

Ambrosine participated in the custom, with a brand vertical along her back that could be seen as black magic (specifically a binding seal, but what for?), along with her infamous scaly tendril sleeve tattoo, with the red violet eye at curve of her shoulder. In 'polite' company or in the company of other pirates were serious matters were being discussed, she'd wear her fur line trench coat to cover herself. If the event of a merry making or just amongst her own crew, then a backless halter top would be worn. To them, scars were nothing to be ashamed of and were physical testimonies of your survival.

[levixthxn-thegirl]

Ashen brows shot up and a scoffing laugh escaped her lips, gingerly biting her lower lip to bite back her laugh from leaving any further. Now, that was a level of 'serves you right' she was all too familiar with. That tough-love attitude was what she was raised and surrounded by in the Lazarus Organization, never coddled or babied. Although she was guilty as can be with how much she dotted her own children. Never the harsh disciplinarian as the hands that brought her up, she never wanted them to grow into weapons or harden them to a world she knew they would never see.

However, she did understand what it meant to be a pirate, and what it took to be one. A treacherous life, death ever around the corner from foe and 'friend' alike, only the fickle sea herself. Only the brave-hearted and gutsy would ever succeed or hope to. Another thing she learned from someone she still considers dear.

"One can only hope.", Ambrosine chuckled, pulling a brown paper sleeve from a drawer, along with a bigger brown paper bag. With great care, she took a metal spoon, pouring the contents in by heaping spoon fulls then once it was all in the sleeve, folded it shut and looped the string closure secure. Like a busy bee, she zipped from shelf to shelf, quickly scanning over a bottle before either setting it down with a curt shake of her head or giving a satisfied hum and placing it with great care into the bag. After three of these, she returned to the counter, placing the brown paper sleeve into the bag, and on a note card, swiftly scribing down instructions.

"The tea will need to be steeped for five minutes in hot, but not boiling water. He'll need to drink one cup on an empty stomach three times a day till the sleeve is empty. The tincture with the blue label is for fever if he has one, just two to three drops under the tongue to keep it down till it breaks, and the tincture with the green label will help with nausea. That can be taken at any time he starts to feel sick. Regardless, he'll need to be on a bland diet with plenty of clear fluids. Rice porridge, clear soups, things of that nature. I imagine your doctor and cook, if your crew has one, can come up with some kind of meal plan for him. If anything goes wrong or if he doesn't show signs of improvement, come back and I will give him a medicine of a stronger dose."

It wasn't surprising that it was a common fruit to cause poisoning. Hell, there had been a few times in the past when he'd come close to eating a fruit due to hunger. Though unlike Luffy, he'd learned to rub the juices on the soft skin inside of his wrist to test for ill effects. A method that had saved him a few times before he'd joined the hair-brained idiot he called his captain.

How Luffy had survived this long was a fucking mystery.

"He'll eat anything you put in front of him. Thankfully we have an extremely skilled doctor on the crew." Watching her grind the herbs patiently, well aware that trying to rush her wouldn't do anything other than most likely irritate her, he leaned back against the wall of the apothecary. Gaze shifting over the various boxes, drawers, and plants behind the counter. Well stalked and neatly organized, the room gave the impression of a well loved practice.

Her comment that the tea would be bitter drew a small laugh from his lips. "Good, maybe it will cause him to think twice before shoving unknown fruit into his mouth next time." Though he doubted it.