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not what i was expecting to read on a friday afternoon but i am so here for it
We did it gang
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𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪☠︎︎⭑. taz skylar ; icons ༉‧𓊝˚.
⤹ live action | cast ⤹ like/reblog | @snghaobin ⤹ don't repost or claim as yours ⤹ cr if you use it
#maju#taz skylar#taz skylar icon#taz skylar icons#taz skylar edit#taz skylar edits#taz#taz icon#taz icons#vinsmoke sanji#sanji#one piece#oda eiichiro#mugiwaras#eiichiro oda#one piece icon#one piece icons#one piece edit#one piece edits#one piece live action#opla
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"Who's Hotter?" Live Action Event: The One Piece Gilf's
#red leg zeff#one piece zeff#zeff#monkey d garp#vice admiral garp#garp one piece#garp#craig fairbrass#vincent regan#one piece#one piece live action#opla#anime#polls#anime poll#live action event#whoishotteranimepolls
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go d. usopp hasn't seen them yet...
#one piece#zosan#digital art#opfanart#sketch#opla#sanji#black leg sanji#strawhatpirates#fanart#roronoa zoro#zoro#sanzo#post timeskip#pre timeskip
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Literally all I want is for Luffy to ask me to be a part of his crew. It's all I want😭😭😭
Chaos in Their Bones Ch. 3
Ongoing Series
Synopsis: All your life you’d listened to your friend, Usopp spin wild tales about pirates and adventure. Pirates weren’t a thing that came often to Syrup Village, but one straw hat pirate and his crew changed all that the day they arrived. Now, you aren’t so sure if your sleepy little village was always pirate-free or if no one had been paying attention.
Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x Reader
Genre: friends to lovers, frenemies to lovers, slow burn (I hope y’all like aching) eventual smut
Words: 12.6+
A/N: Guys. Idk where to start, but this chapter needs a warning because it is big and beefy. I didn’t want the 1.03-1.04 story arc to be dragged out further into 4 chapters and, because of that, this chapter exists. I truly hope it is one that you enjoy. It took a lot of time and love. So please, get out some 🍿 cause it’s going to be a ride. P.S. To everyone who has liked, commented, reblogged, and sent me messages about Chaos in Their Bones: thank you. You have all made this such a wonderful experience and a fun one. I hope it continues to be one you enjoy 🖤 Much Love, Jenn
Chapter 1 Previous Next
So far Operation Petty was getting off to a rough start.
Your original plan of stealing every glass of wine Zoro poured seemed like a good one. Golf claps for everyone. Except, that good idea slowly began to disappear five glasses ago.
Unfortunately for you, and to the dismay of the entire table, you were a giggling mess.
After the sixth glass you were lucky you could even see straight. It wasn’t until after Zoro poured the next glass and slid it over to you the wheels in your head finally added all the small clues you’d missed. Zoro had let you think you’d stolen glass after glass of his wine. When in reality, he’d just been trying to get you drunk.
Zoro was already on his fourth bottle of wine and still seemed able to function like a person.
You leaned, not so gracefully, over to his side of the table. A “Psst,” hiccuping out of you to garner his attention. You knew you had it. He was just hiding a majority of his face inside the glass.
Just to make sure though - “Psst!”
“Ugh, Doc, we can all hear you,” Usopp said somewhere behind you.
You waved him off. Your eyes honed in on both Zoro’s.
“What do you want?” He hummed.
“Hey, Mosshead,” you snapped. That got his head to swivel an inch away from the safety of the glass. “You did this on purpose.”
You were leaning so far forward your cheek was almost flush with your arm. Your fingers wiggled near him and you watched as his eyes darted down to watch them before side-eyeing you.
“Yup,” he answered, sharply pronouncing the p. “You want to steal my wine as payback, well I can drink you under the table.” You weren’t expecting him to drop the glass and move towards you. The movement wasn’t huge, but he was closer than you anticipated and it made you scared to blink. “I can be petty too.”
Fuck.
He was so close - almost kissably close and - No! Why are you thinking of kissing at a time like this? When Zoro’s close enough you could see the sun kissed freckles that dusted over the top of his cheeks and nose. The playful glint in his eyes that brightened them to shine like mini constellations.
With a devious smirk sliding across his lips, Zoro regarded you one last time before he straightened up. His hand reaching out to take back the glass he’d previously sat down and brought it back up to his lips.
“You are diabolical,” you huffed.
When you went to straighten up, you felt your world tilt. You were going to need - “Can I get some water, please?”
You needed to sober up and fast. Inwardly, you could already hear your inner monologue being set up to chastise your childish behavior. You were so worried about Zoro and annoying him that it was all you focused on.
I’m not here for him.
You’d come with Usopp with the goal in mind to help Kaya. That was who you’d come here for and who you still had every intention to help. The plan to do so was still there, but somehow within the last few hours you’d allowed yourself to be distracted by a pretty face.
A soft cough from Kaya’s direction was all the clarity necessary to get your head back on straight. Or as straight as it could be in your current state. No more Zoro. No more looking at him, talking to him, looking at him-
You could sense him moving off to your right, but you were not going to look. Nope. Most definitely not going to look, but was your head tilting?
Drunk you seriously needed to work on some self-control.
You were heavily lost in your head again. So lost that you weren’t sure how many times Luffy or anyone else attempted to bring you into a conversation. It wasn’t until a gentle hand on your shoulder jolted you back into the present.
Looking to your left, you saw Usopp waiting for you to answer him. His concern etched into every scrunch of his face.
“Luffy asked how long you’ve been a doctor,” he offered slowly, as if he spoke too fast he’d lose you again.
“Well, technically, I’m a doctor-in-training.”
“So, not a real doctor.”
Of course, Zoro just had to butt in. You still weren’t going to look at him.
“I am a doctor. Naan has taught me over the years how to handle every illness and broken bone that has come through this village. I think one of the biggest things she’s taught me is that sometimes kindness can be the strongest medicine and other times defending those who can’t defend themselves is a bigger responsibility.”
“Wow,” Luffy smiled in response. “You must have helped a lot of people. Your grandma must be really proud of you.”
Luffy looked so…genuine. The very thought of you going out of your way to help others seemed to make him regard you differently. While the smile on his face wasn’t expansive and filled with its usual childlike mischief, it held one of praise. As if it was a rare thing for someone to have the drive to help another person. Maybe over the last decade or so that might have been true, but Naan didn’t raise you to turn a blind eye to those in need.
You couldn’t help but respond to Luffy’s smile with one of your own. Although, you hoped it didn’t wilt as you prepared yourself with your reply.
“She’s an orphan,” Sham interjected as she set down a dinner plate that was intricately decorated with fish and vegetables. “Usopp too. Isn’t that right?”
Not true. Orphan meant that there had been no one there for you. No family to help take care of you when you needed protection, and while Naan wasn’t your real grandma she was family because she chose to be.
You dropped your hands down into your lap and could feel your fingers curl into your palms.
“What does it matter if they’re orphans or not?” Your eyes narrowed in on Nami. She sat beside Luffy, opposite of Usopp, and her cool gaze was trained on Sham. She watched closely while Sham placed the next plate hastily down in front of Usopp. “I’m curious to hear your answer.”
“Forgive my staff, Miss,” Klahadore stepped in. “Sham spoke out of turn when it was not her place.”
“I’m sure she meant no harm, Klahadore.”
Kaya smiled up at him and he responded with a smile of his own. You hated how Kaya was always apologizing for everyone around her, especially for those who didn’t deserve it.
“I don’t think that’s true,” Nami continued. “If she didn’t mean to say it she would’ve kept her mouth shut.”
“It’s not that big of a deal, guys,” Usopp offered.
You weren’t surprised to see him looking at Kaya. The two of them shared a small smile between them and it took everything in you not to lightly smack him on the arm. If Kaya wanted to be peacemaker, Usopp would do everything in his power to play along. Anything Kaya wanted Usopp would make sure he did everything in his power to make sure it happened.
What felt worse was that Sham’s attempt at an insult did bother you. It was meant to remind you that they considered you nothing, which was odd coming from waitstaff and a butler.
A doctor to pirates was about as valuable as gold.
“Yeah, not a big deal,” you mumbled. Your fingers riddled with your fork; debating if eating Buchi’s food was worth the risk. With your luck they probably poisoned it. “I do hope I make her proud someday, Luffy. I still have a lot to learn.”
Luffy was already a mouthful deep into his plate and wasn’t showing any reservation in taking another hardy bite. Thank god he waited to swallow first before he replied, “The fact you came here to help Kaya tells me all I need to know. You’re a good person, Doc.”
“That’s very kind of you, Luffy. Thank you.”
God, I will not cry right now.
Why did random words of kindness - from a stranger - matter so much? Luffy didn’t owe you any act of kindness or to bother being so nice to you or Usopp. Yet, here he was being an actual ball of sunshine. You knew dozens of people in this town who disregarded Usopp and his stories. Who grumbled and complained when he started talking. Luffy had only treated him with respect: he listened to his stories no matter how bat shit crazy they must have sounded.
You knew Luffy and his friends would eventually leave but for the time they were here (besides Zoro) you were grateful.
“It says a lot about who you are. You’re a good person.”
You felt your smile wilt a little as you watched a few flecks of food fall out of his mouth as he spoke. Flying food aside, you were really starting to count yourself lucky that Luffy and his friends ended up in your sleepy little village.
Sham was still depositing plates of tonight’s only special when you heard Kaya ask if she could try some. She’d barely finished asking before Klahadore was there beside her.
“I’m sorry that won’t be possible, Miss Kaya. You know how certain foods affect your constitution. Here,” he waved his hand free from his chest ushering in Buchi. “Buchi has prepared your special soup.”
“Why is it blue?” You blanched.
When all eyes turned to regard you, you realized you hadn’t said that in your head. The wine was seriously starting to make your body too comfortable.
“It’s made with a special fruit,” Buchi growled back.
“What’s the name of the fruit? I’ve skowered this entire island top to bottom with Naan and have never seen a fruit that color here.”
“It’s imported.”
“From where-“
“It’s not important where her food comes from,” Klahadore interrupted. Each word was more forced than the last. “All that matters is it helps Miss Kaya.”
“If that was true then why is she still sick?”
Klahadore’s eyes were practically shooting daggers into your skull. You were willing to bet a million berry’s that if he got you alone in a room, you wouldn’t be making it out. That thought only seemed to ignite something inside you that you’d been pushing down for months.
You rolled your tongue along your bottom teeth as you struggled to reign in your temper. The wine made your blood warm and fuzzy, but now you felt as if you were boiling alive. Your legs were bouncing uncontrollably underneath the table and your hands were curling into fists-
Suddenly a hiccup of a gasp lodged itself in your throat. The tip of a shoe was pressed gently against your ankle and the tip of said shoe belonged to the very moss-headed oaf who’d been plaguing your every waking minute. Yes, you said you weren’t going to look at him, but you didn’t expect him to touch you. Even just this small amount.
When you did glance at him, Zoro didn’t return your stare. His eyes were trained solely on Klahadore with a slight draw of his brow confirming your suspicions. Zoro was starting to notice something was off with Klahadore too and was warning you.
“Kaya it’s your birthday. You should be able to eat whatever you want.”
Nami’s soft voice cut through the tension and brought Klahadore back to the present. His eyes glazed back with mock servitude, but you’d seen it. Maybe now so had Zoro. Your eyes were only for Klahadore as you watched the exchange between him and Nami. You loved the way she was sticking up for Kaya and the challenge in her eyes as she stared him down-
“You need to relax.”
Fuck.
You struggled to keep a shudder from making its way down your spine but you weren’t so lucky in keeping the soft gasp from trickling out from your lips. The husk of his voice was unnecessarily sexy.
Slowly, you turned to look to your right and found Zoro casually sitting back in his seat. His eyes trained forward and his hands took his silverware as if he hadn’t just whispered across your skin like sin.
You couldn’t think past what had just happened. It didn’t matter how much you tried to formulate a sentence. Your brain was just not having it. You could do this. You were an intelligent woman who was not easily swayed.
“What?”
A masterful reply.
Zoro looked at you from his peripherals before placing the napkin down into his lap.
“I would stop antagonizing him before he kicks you out.”
And here you thought he was just worried about you.
“I’m a doctor and Kaya needs me.”
“Has she told you that? Has she physically looked at you and specifically asked for you to save her or do you just need to feel important?”
“Why are you such an asshole?!”
You spoke every word through gritted teeth. The anger that Zoro erased by killing your brain cells, which now felt like an insult to yourself, was stoked back to life. Your body singed with the need to get a hold of him because - who the fuck talked to people like this?
What you hadn’t expected was for that anger - god, that hurt - to soak deeply into your words. Each one raised and sharp with the intention he knew you meant it.
Zoro didn’t respond. He just started eating his fish. You suddenly didn’t feel hungry.
“Are you okay?”
You didn’t want to look at Usopp. Not when he sounded like that. What would happen if you did? Would you cry or scream that you weren’t? The panic you’d been shoving down the last few hours was beginning to weasel its way to the surface. You were running out of options and ideas on how you could help. What if Zoro was right? What if Kaya didn’t need you and you’d allowed yourself to be dragged into a story that wasn’t real?
The thought alone was enough to make you look at your best friend and the panic was replaced with guilt. The shame was enough to make the first sharp prick of tears threaten to spill free from your eyes. Usopp didn’t deserve your anger or your doubt. He may have told a lot of stories, but he was good. His heart was pure. You weren’t worried about whether or not you smiled at him if he could tell you were lying. You knew somehow Usopp would understand your frustration.
“Yeah, Usopp everything is alright.”
He side-eyed Zoro over your shoulder before he brought his attention back to the room. Clearing his throat, he looked over at Luffy and asked, “Luffy, isn’t there something you wanted to talk to Kaya about?”
“Ah, yes. Usopp tells me that you own the whole shipyard.”
Kaya smiled gracefully in reply, before she looked away. A sadness creeping into her voice.
“Well, actually, my parents founded the shipyard, and Merry’s been running the business since…well since they passed.” You watched as Luffy followed her words and glanced over to the man sitting at the table. A courtesy raise of his glass to salute the dead. For a split second, all the joy in Luffy was replaced by something that didn’t seem to fit. A melancholy that didn’t belong. “But all that’s about to change. At midnight tonight I will become sole owner.”
“Ah well, that’s great because we want to buy a ship from you.”
Now this was the Luffy you’d grown to know. All smiles and cheerfulness like a rainbow as he lifted his champagne glass and took a sip.
“I see,” Kaya responded in kind. “Usopp mentioned that you were sailors.”
“Nope, not sailors. Pirates.”
Your head spun sharply back in his direction. He seemed so happy about what he just said. Like it wasn’t the worst kind of omission that could get you all killed or arrested by the local Marines. Usopp definitely had a reason to be choking on his own drink.
You glanced at Nami and back at Zoro and both of them, respectfully, looked worried as shit.
“Pirates?”
“Yep. We haven’t sailed together for very long, but we have already defeated an evil clown, raided a marine base, and taken down a Marine captain with an axe for a hand!”
“Usopp, what is he talking about?” You whispered sharply over to him.
Usopp was still covered in his own spit as he furiously tried to wipe it off. The worry evident in the fine creases in his forehead as he glanced around the room.
“I don’t-“
“These sound a lot like your adventures, Usopp,” Kaya mentioned lovingly.
“Yeah. It’s crazy.”
Kaya thought that Luffy was joking! While you were sure Luffy meant what he was saying you were also incredibly confused. Pirates weren’t nice. The ones you’d met a few times had forced Naan to help them. They’d been rough, mean, and downright nasty. Luffy was none of that.
“Oh yeah, and we are just getting started!” Unexpectedly, Luffy stood up in his chair and began to stand on the table.
“What are you doing?” Klahadore snapped as he came forth from the shadows. “Get down from there this instant!”
“Being a pirate has been my dream for as long as I can remember and I’m finally going to make it a reality. We are heading off to the grand line where even more adventures await us.” With an eager smile gracing his lips, drink in hand, Luffy began to walk his way down to where Kaya sat. “At the end of the journey I’m gonna find the ultimate treasure, the One Piece and become King of The Pirates.”
When he got to Kaya Luffy stopped and took one last sip of his drink before handing it off to Klahadore. You would honestly pay to have this moment replay in a time loop, it was so damn good. Besides the fact that, you know, they were pirates.
“Kaya, you have a beautiful ship out there. A caravel with a sheep figurehead. It spoke to me. That is the ship we need to follow our dreams. I promise we will take care of it. Maintain it. Because a ship isn’t just a vessel; it’s also a home.”
It felt like such a genuine moment. Luffy didn’t appear to be like every pirate you’ve ever met. They were usually selfish, ugly, and cruel men who found pleasure in others misfortunes or creating them themselves. Even now, after his confession, it wasn’t the vibe you got from Luffy, and that’s what made it all the more confusing.
“That will be quite enough!” Your body gave a jump in surprise as Klahadore screamed. His body thundering over to stand next to Kaya. “I should’ve known Usopp would bring rift raft to our doorstep.”
“Klahadore it’s okay-“
Kaya tried to defend them, but a violent coughing fit cut her short. Usopp edged toward the end of his seat noticeably wanting to get up and go to her. The both of you knew if he made any moves right now, unfortunately, who knew what this butler would do.
“Now look at what you’ve done. You’ve all upset Miss Kaya. I want you all out of here, at once!”
“No,” Kaya interjected. “Let them stay the night.”
“Very well, Miss Kaya. But they are out of here first thing in the morning.”
Stay the night?
“Fuck,” you huffed under your breathe.
You had no intention of staying in this manor with any of them. You turned to tell Usopp you should both head back and noticed the way his puppy dog eyes followed Kaya as Klahadore led her away. He wasn’t going to leave her and maybe that meant you shouldn’t either.
“Well, that went well.”
Luffy really needed to learn to read the room.
You waited for Buchi and Sham to follow after their master before you pushed back your chair and did your best not to trip on any of the tulle at your feet. You needed to get out of this dress immediately. It wasn’t because you were much of a fighter. No, that wasn’t you. However, you did enjoy running from danger and this dress made it damn near impossible.
“Where are you going?”
Luffy and his kaleidoscope of happiness. You wondered what it was like to always be so optimistic.
“I am going back to my room and probably leaving.”
“What?” Usopp turned to look at you. “Why are you leaving.”
“Yeah. What was all that holier than thou talk about helping her,” Zoro cut in.
“Oh, what the hell does it matter to you, anyways?” You snapped. “First, you insult me for trying to help and now you insult me, again, for leaving.”
“Cowards give up when it gets hard.”
Was it physically possible to blow smoke out of your nose? It felt like it as your eyes narrowed in on him. He didn’t even have the decency to look at you.
“Zoro, you got a real stick up your ass,” Nami huffed as she grabbed her glass and took a drink.
“That’s not the real reason she wants to leave” he shot back, eyes on Nami. “Is it? It’s because she heard the word, “Pirates.”
“That’s crazy,” Luffy laughed around the words. “We’re good guys.”
“Pirates are not good guys,” you snapped at him. It was your turn to feel like an asshole as you looked between them. Luffy noticeably hurt. “I have met plenty of pirates when they came looking for Naan and her services. She hid me every single time, because she was scared of what they might do. If they would take me. Doctors are more valuable to pirates than gold. That was the lesson she taught me and I learned it well.”
“Pirates have been to Syrup Village?”
Usopp didn’t seem to grasp the fact that they hadn’t come raiding and he’d have to ring the bell for real. No one knew how close pirates really were to Syrup Village. It was one of the reasons why Naan’s home was hidden so deep within the bamboo forest.
“Yes, Usopp.”
You needed to get away. You were tired - drained - from feeling like you needed to apologize to them. You didn’t know what's real anymore and maybe you were being a coward. Maybe you were just tired of being wrong.
With one last tug on the tulle, you moved away from the table and gave them one quick glance before you headed out towards the dining room doors.
————————————-
It’d been over an hour since you’d made your less than graceful exit from the dining room. Even after getting back into the comfort of your own clothes, it didn’t keep the nagging feeling that you’d been an asshole from clawing its way to the surface.
You had been an asshole.
You’d been pacing the confines of your suite chewing on your nails until you were positive you must have gnawed them into dust. There was no denying Kaya’s home was beautiful. It was everything you could imagine money could buy in the form of creature comforts, but there was no happiness within its walls.
The room you’d been given was more than what you and Naan lived in now. When you’d first been shown inside, you’d felt silly having all this space and having no idea what to do with it. It was all lovely. From the four poster bed with intricate wooden detailing to the velvet curtains that ran the length of the wall that held a window overlooking the garden. The wallpaper, you were positive, held gold within its designs.
It wasn’t the fanciest, but you would take your small home with Naan then stay in a place like this. Speaking of home…
It would be so easy for you to turn tail and run. To go out the front door and never come back but what would you tell Naan? That you never got to see Kaya? That you were unnecessarily rude to a group of people who’d been nothing but friendly (except one) all because their captain called them pirates?
Coward. That’s what Zoro called you. The worst part was maybe he wasn’t wrong. So, ninety-five percent of your plan had gone to shit. You at least still had five percent of it.
Neither Luffy, Nami, or Zoro did anything that warranted your hasty judgment, and nothing they did reflected what you’d been exposed to all your life. What you hated the most was that you could feel the need for an apology brewing in your gut, and if you didn’t do it you would never get any sleep.
After you’d gotten dressed and strapped on much more comfortable shoes, you made your way out of your room and back inside the maze of hallways. You were closing in on the main corridor when the sound of a door opening made you stop in your tracks.
What if it was Sham? You prepared yourself to see her unpleasant face when orange hair wrapped in an orange designed bandanna crept out into the hall.
“Nami?”
She startled as you called her name and turned to face you. The sound of clanking caught your attention and your eyes followed the sound to a very filled pillowcase in her right hand.
You quirked an eyebrow as you asked, “Doing some spring cleaning?”
You watched as her usual friendly demeanor changed into squared shoulders and eyes filled with defiance. It made you feel like you were about to embark on a fight you didn’t realize you were having.
“You want to hurl some more generic insults my way? Tell me how much of a bad person I am-“
Now you were raising your hands up but not in surrender. It was an attempt to quiet her down. You’d already been berating yourself about words, and the power they held to equally heal or destroy someone. How many times had Naan chastised you about being reckless with your words? Reminding you that the things spoken can be enough to heal or mend hearts and bodies, but can also easily break them.
“A healer is more than just someone mending a body, girl. Sometimes we heal by listening. Giving dying men the forgiveness they seek.”
And here you were slinging verbal canon balls at these people.
I’m such an asshole
“Nami! Nami! While I hundred percent deserve that, it’s not what I was going to do.” She didn’t seem like she believed you in the slightest. That was fair. “I was actually on my way to try and find you guys.”
“Why? So, you could tell us some more about how you hate pirates?”
“Okay. That’s fair.”
“Oh, I think that’s more than fair. You are not the only one who hates pirates or holds the lottery for the shittest interactions with them.”
Again, your hands were up. Why did this have to feel like you were with a lion inside of a cage? One wrong move and you were sure she was going to bite your head off.
“I never said that, ok? Did I have a shit reaction to finding out that you were pirates? Yes. That’s why I’m here. I came to apologize to all of you. You defended me tonight at dinner. You didn’t have to do that.”
All the anger that swirled in the gray of her irises began to soften. Good. At least she was no longer looking ready to turn you into literal sashimi.
“Yeah, we’ll, she was acting like a real bitch.”
“Agreed,” you hummed, “but that’s beside the point. You didn’t have to say anything but you did and how did I repay that? By being an asshole so on that note: Nami, I’m sorry.”
Why was she just staring? You thought your heart was going to explode out of your chest at any minute. Nami wasn’t smiling or appeared angry or upset. She was completely stone faced and you were desperately trying not to fidget.
“I think that’s the first time anyone’s apologized to me before.”
“That sucks.”
God, you really did have a way with words. Nami was equally as shocked at your bluntness, but in a way that sent a warm smile to lift the edges of your lips. Nami sputtered out a laugh as she placed her hands on her hips. The motion and sound of clinking whatever was in there reminding you both that she was currently doing something illegal.
“Are you going to say anything? Report me to Klahadore?”
Even just the sound of his name was enough to drop the smile from your face. A sneer replacing it as you replied, “God no. I’d rather just let you steal than say anything to that jackal.”
“You and the waitstaff seem to be big fans of each other,” Nami teased.
It earned her a laugh as you looked down the hallway. Just to be safe since you were both equally unwanted in the manor and, well, Nami had a pillowcase full of the house goodies.
“I suppose you could say that.”
You stuck your hand between you both and waited patiently for her to take it. Nami regarded your hand like it belonged to a sea monster.
“Friends?”
“I don’t have any friends.”
Her words were soft and direct. As if she’d come to terms with being alone for a while now. You didn’t pull your hand away and let it fall back to your side. You kept it suspended between the two of you, and patiently waited for her to feel comfortable enough to take it.
“Well, at least now you’ll know you have one in Syrup village.”
A spark of something ignited in her eyes and whatever it was your words made her think of, it wasn’t something happy. When a small smile curled her lips it didn’t reach her eyes. They stayed distant; mourning something you may never be made aware of.
You felt your breath catch in your throat as Nami reached out her hand and gently grabbed yours. You waited to secure your fingers around her hand, just in case she had second thoughts. When she didn’t pull away you allowed yourself to fully smile at her, which earned you one back.
“Where were you headed to, anyways?”
You both released each other, and you started slowly moving around her to get to the corridor.
“I was going to look around for Luffy. I need to apologize to him too.”
“Check the kitchen. If you’re going to find him anywhere it’s going to be in there.”
“Thank you. You just saved me some time. See you later, Nami.”
You were a few feet away when she called your name. You turned halfway to see her still standing in the same spot you’d left her.
“Are you going to apologize to Zoro?”
“I’m still debating,” you answered truthfully.
You aren’t sure what Nami expected you to say, but apparently that hadn’t been it. She immediately erupted into laughter as she turned and headed to the next room.
You really hoped she wasn’t going to get caught by Klahadore or anyone else. You were positive it would get him all riled up and send him screeching for the marines to come. Maybe even throw in some insults, because that was just the kind of man he was.
It took you longer than you wanted to locate the kitchen and you were considering bringing it up to Kaya about putting signs up around the manor. Ones that let you know with arrows which way to go. Why was it so easy to get lost in such a big house? You were still trying to come up with a way to bring up that little suggestion when you heard Usopp’s voice coming from the kitchen. Usopp was there too? Your curiosity spurred you forward - almost at a sprint - until you heard another voice grumble from the kitchen.
“You don’t think she like - like likes me, do you?”
What kind of conversation were you walking into? You rounded the corner to find Usopp and Zoro staring at one another. Usopp looked hopeful while Zoro regarded him with as much emotion as a rock.
“You’re asking the wrong guy.”
“I would second that, Usopp.”
At the sound of your voice all eyes turned to you.
“Doc! Hey! What brings you to the kitchen?”
Luffy sounded like his usual happy-go-lucky self. He didn’t seem to be holding a grudge or feelings about what had happened only an hour ago between you. All Luffy seemed to care about was the leftover appetizers and being amongst friends.
How could you ever think he was anything like other pirates?
His cheerfulness was contagious and soon you found yourself making your way around to the stairs. Luffy waves you down to join him with an appetizer in hand.
“You didn’t seem to eat at the dinner. You should try some of these. They’re delicious!”
“Are you sure there is any left?”
“Oh, I have some in my pockets if you want those.”
He really was digging through his pocket to pull out some appetizers. You didn’t know why it surprised you so much but you couldn’t keep your laughter from bubbling to the surface.
“It’s okay, Luffy. I appreciate your willingness to share, but I’ll pass for now.”
“You sure? These are really good!”
Just to prove his point, Luffy popped whatever he pulled from his pocket into his mouth. His fingers noticeably tinted with a pink hue from it melting.
“Pretty sure.”
You snagged a stool on the opposite side of Luffy, which unfortunately kept you on the same side as Zoro. Who was actively staring daggers into your skull.
“I actually came to find you so I could apologize.”
“Apologize?”
“For how I acted at dinner.”
“Where’s my apology?”
Zoro’s husky voice cut through your good mood and instantly made you bitter. You turned in your seat to look at him, who was opening and closing drawers every two seconds.
“I’m still debating on if you deserve one.”
Zoro had been opening his next set of cupboard doors when he stopped short. His head tilting the slightest to glance at you over your shoulder. You waited for him to make another smart ass comment and when it didn’t come, well, color you surprised. All you got was a tick of his jaw before he turned back to opening and shutting doors.
“What is he doing?” You asked Usopp.
“He’s looking for something to drink,” Luffy offered up in between his next bite.
Where the hell did he find a chicken leg? You fixed yourself to sit more comfortably on the stool and placed your satchel on the table. You looked between the three men again and remembered what it was they’d been talking about before.
“So, what were you guys talking about?”
Usopp scratched the back of his neck and looked anywhere but at you. What was making him so nervous? You’d been friends since you were kids. There literally couldn’t be anything that embarrassing-
“Usopp is in love with Kaya and wanted to know if we think she’s in love with him too.”
Luffy happily continued to eat the chicken that you still couldn’t figure out where it came from. Usopp, on the other hand, looked like his soul was about to leave his body.
“Sounds about right.”
Your response must have been a shock to Usopp because that’s exactly how he looked. His hand was still nervously fidgeting with his bandana.
“You know?”
You rolled your eyes as you looked around the kitchen island. Maybe you were starting to feel a little bit hungry.
“Usopp, even Naan knows how you feel about Kaya. She called it like two years ago.”
You were still looking for something to eat when Luffy slid a plate with chicken thighs and legs between you. They smelled wonderful and the skin was perfectly crisp. It was garnished with what might have been green onion or chive.
“If you guys are going to talk about feelings I’m seriously going to need a drink.”
“Shocker.”
The few steps Zoro took came to an abrupt end just a few feet from you. You had a piece of chicken thigh between your lips as you made eye contact with his award-winning brooding face. There was a millisecond, as you both looked at each other, that you wondered if he would’ve replied.
“There’s a wine cellar down in the basement.”
“Why didn’t you mention that before?”
Usopp opened and closed his mouth. While he was unsure of what to say, you felt like you had plenty. Usopp didn’t waste another second as he grabbed his satchel off the island and started leading Zoro up the stairs.
“Luffy, you coming?”
“No, you go ahead. I’m going to sit with Doc for a while.”
They were walking on the opposite walkway, high up enough to look down at both of you. Zoro glanced over his shoulder at the both of you and it took every last ounce of control on your body not to stick your tongue out at him.
How odd it was that you felt like you could actually breathe now that he was gone. Sure, you knew you should say sorry to him and, realistically, him calling you a coward was part of the reason you’d stayed. Did you ever want to share that information with him? Hell no.
The man was already insufferable enough. You didn’t need to add to it.
The sound of Luffy’s chair scraping against the floor brought you back to where your attention was needed: Luffy. Not Zoro’s retreating back.
Why did he have to look good from both sides?
Shaking your head to bring you back to why you came there in the first place, you watched as Luffy went back to walking around the kitchen. He kept searching until he came across a bronze pot that was left on the stove. When he lifted the lid you could see the neon blue hue of Kaya’s soup from where you sat.
“What are you doing?”
Luffy turned with the large pot in hand and walked back over to the table. He looked like a child who’d gotten lost in a chocolate factory.
“Eating.”
You felt your brows enter your hairline and possibly the ceiling as you watched Luffy bring the pot to his lips, and begin to gulp the contents down.
“Are you seriously going to eat all of that?”
He took a few rather large gulps before he set the pot down to look at you. A blue mustache formed on his upper lip.
“Soup isn’t my usual choice, but it’s not half bad.”
You tried to shake the smile off your face but failed miserably.
“You know, you don’t need to apologize. I understand being protective of the people you care about.”
The change in topics was giving you mental whiplash. Luffy regarded you with a softness you hadn’t expected. Underneath was that playfulness you’d grown accustomed to, but it was submerged under something serious. Or as serious as Luffy could be. It was the softness you hadn’t expected, however, and you quickly looked down at your hands.
“Naan raised me to admit when I’m wrong, and I was wrong, Luffy.”
“You talk about your Naan a lot.”
“I have a lot of respect for her. She didn’t have to take me in, teach me what she knows, but she did. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to repay her.”
Luffy regarded you coolly as he picked up the pot and took another giant gulp. His mouth was getting bluer by the minute.
“I’m sure she appreciates you helping her, but I don’t think she’d want to keep you from your dream.”
“I don’t have a dream.”
“Everybody has a dream. Mine is to be King of the pirates. Now you say yours.”
Luffy was right. Everyone has a dream. Just not all of them were attainable. There were realistic dreams and unrealistic ones and yours had to be classified under the latter. Luffy’s too.
But who was to say dreams weren’t attainable if you weren’t willing to strive for them?
You inhaled sharply, your words exhaling in rush.
“I want to be one of the world’s greatest doctors. I want to help people. Not just humans, but fishmen and people who have eaten Devil fruits. Their physiology is so changed that no one knows what happens when they get certain wounds.”
“That’s great because I ate the gum gum fruit.”
How could anyone just casually chug an entire pot of soup? Or openly share that kind of information.
“I’m sorry, what was that? Did you just say you ate a Devil fruit?”
“Yup. It turned my body into rubber.”
“I have so many questions.”
“It’s a long story.”
His words came out slurred; as if they sat heavy on his tongue and made it impossible to speak. You watched as he blinked slowly to try and clear his vision and when that didn’t work he went to stand and immediately stumbled backwards.
“Luffy!”
Your body immediately launched itself over the table. You didn’t care that your clothes were covered in a rainbow assortment of food. By the time you’d already made it to his side of the table, Luffy fell back against a cabinet. His body sliding limp to the floor.
“Luffy! What's wrong? Can you tell me what you’re feeling?”
He was obviously lethargic. His pupils blown wide and unable to focus. It sounded like he was trying to answer your previous question, but his tongue had swollen up making none of it audible. You barely reached him before he completely crumbled to the floor. Your hands dove underneath his arms until you pulled him into a bear hug.
Luffy was too damn heavy. If you kept holding him you would end up in a heap together on the floor. With as much strength as you could muster you tried to hoist him onto the table.
“Zoro! Usopp!”
As you pulled him up onto the table, you heard countless silverware and plates crashing to the floor. There was so much commotion surely someone would have to come investigate. You didn’t have time to wait to see if anyone did. After you had him laid out as good as you were going to get him, you rushed over to his head. You pulled up his eyelid and watched as his eye rolled up inside his head.
“Damn it! Zoro! Usopp! Where the fuck are you guys!”
The panic in your voice was tittering on hysteria. You wanted to scream. You definitely were going to start crying if your brain didn’t get it together. Luffy needed you.
You placed two fingers on the artery in his neck. His pulse fluttered against your fingertips and with each beat felt slower than the last. Drawing your hands back you noticed the slight foam that was forming at the corners of his mouth and - “Poison.”
Your eyes zoned in on the now empty pot. Luffy had eaten all of it and whatever was inside was enough to make its effects be instantaneous. It was the same soup they’d given to Kaya. The same color as her tea.
“Son of a bitch!”
They’d been poisoning her this whole time. The only reason she didn’t drop dead in front of them was because she’d never even taken a bite. Every time Usopp told you stories about Klahadore, Buchi, and Sham it always felt off. None of it ever added up and now, now you know why.
Those bastards had been trying to kill her this whole time.
A soft groan huffed from Luffy bringing you back to the very important present. Why hadn’t anyone answered you? It didn’t matter. You needed to help Luffy - Kaya - before it was too late.
“Luffy, I have to go back to Naan’s. I can’t carry you out of here or we won’t make it. I promise I’ll be back. I’m going to save you. I’m going to save Kaya.”
With one last look at Luffy, you tightened the strap on your satchel and bolted for the nearest exit.
——————————
Your lungs were screaming with every breath you took and your muscles burning, threatening to collapse, as you pushed forward. You couldn’t afford to stop running. Not since you left the front door of Kaya’s house. The last time you saw Luffy glued itself to your retinas and refused to let go. A constant reminder that no matter how much your body wanted to give up, you couldn’t let it.
Luffy and Kaya were counting on you.
By the time you passed through the town and started up the hill behind the tree line to Naan’s you were running on fumes. It was probably the reason why you not so gracefully barreled through the front door. Your legs wobble to a shaky halt as you attempt to walk them over to the cupboard that held every tonic known to man.
“Naan! Naan, I need help, please!”
Your voice cracked and melted into the old boards of the house. You were still struggling to catch a breath as you opened the doors to the cupboard. Everything about you felt unstable. Your hands shook as they moved around the bottles, almost toppling them over and threatening to make a bigger mess of your night.
“What in the hell is going on down here?”
Naan’s voice crocked with sleep but her words were full of fire. She was pissed you woke her up, but it was all for a damn good reason. The dim light from her candle grew brighter as she advanced down the stairs.
“Naan, I’m down here. Please, I need your help.”
You rushed to the stars to wait to help her down the rest of the way. The minute she grabbed your hands to help her down, you moved to take her toward the cabinet but she held on tight. She wasn’t budging until you looked at her. She called your name repeatedly to get you to look at her. Why wouldn’t you look at her?
The overwhelming feeling of failure was crashing in on you. You’d known. You knew, in the pit of your stomach, that something wasn’t right with them. You should have fought harder. You could’ve done more and now, now Luffy was dying of a poison Kaya ingested for years and Nami, Usopp, and even Zoro were in danger.
A sob tore its way out from your throat, through your lips, and ended in a guttural scream.
“What in the hell is happening, child?”
“Naan,” you sobbed. “Naan, Luffy has been poisoned-“
“Poisoned?”
“With the same stuff they’ve been giving Kaya for years. Kaya has slowly been poisoned and she’s going to die. We need to help her. I need to help them Naan, please.”
You weren’t sure when it happened. When you were no longer supporting Naan but she was supporting you. Her paper thin hands held your face gently as her thumbs smoothed your tears down. She made you follow her breathing until your breaths were even and slow. Only then did she begin to talk to you.
“Do you know what kind he ingested?”
Fuck.
“No, I-“
Naan held her hand up to stop you. With one hand still supporting her weight on your arm, she came off the last step and moved towards the cabinet you’d massacred. You knew Naan had noticed it too when a displeased click of her tongue filled the silence in the room.
“If you don’t know what it is, it could be tricky. I can give you what I have, but you are going to need to examine them both before you give them anything. Give them the wrong one, and it will kill them as quickly as the poison will.”
Naan calmly went through each bottle. She knew by heart where everything would be. Just like she could blindly feel through ingredients or measure it without actually measuring it. She turned around with five bottles clutched in her hands and shuffled her way back over to you. She motioned for you to open your satchel and placed them one-by-one carefully inside.
“I don’t know if you should be doing this.”
For the first time, you heard the waiver in her voice. She watched as you secure your satchel closed; her eyes trained to the worn leather before she looked back at you. You weren’t expecting her to look so scared. It was your turn to place your hands on her shoulders and give them a soft squeeze.
“You’ve always taught me there is no greater service in life than to serve others. I can’t let them die, Naan.”
“I know,” she smiled sadly. The worry made the wrinkles more severe than before. “It’s just…be careful. Please.”
With another squeeze you did your best to smile at her, to reassure her, before you stepped back.
“I’ll be back, Naan. Don’t you worry.”
You didn’t know that for sure. There was a chance Klahadore or Buchi would spot you before you made it back to Luffy. Who knew what they were doing to everyone while you were here.
With that uncertainty of what could happen stewing in your chest, you leaned forward quickly and planted a kiss on Naan’s cheek before you bolted out the door. This time, your body was prepared for the brutal run back to the manor. You were almost to the edge of town when the bell rang out in warning and moments later the sound of Usopp’s, “The pirates are here!” Ringing out.
At the sound of his voice, you allowed yourself a moment to thank the universe that he was okay. You wanted to stop and turn back to the village. To find Usopp and ask him just to come back with you and the two of you would figure it out together.
Luffy didn’t have that kind of time.
With that truth taking over your thought, you began to pick up the pace. You had a captain to save.
—————————-
The front of the manor was beginning to be covered in the fog that was rolling in from the ocean. This was hands down the creepiest you had ever seen the Manor. It was giving definite horror vibes. The worst part? Even from this far you could see the damn pirate shutters were enabled.
“Fuck!” You screamed.
How in the hell were you going to get inside to help them? Those things were heavy and meant to be impenetrable. There was no way you were going to be able to break it down with a few kicks.
“Think,” you huffed, as your hand slid across your face.
What options did you have? You could go back to find Usopp, but there was a high chance you’d only end up missing each other in passing. You couldn’t just go up to the front door and knock. Not unless, you know, you wanted to die.
You were pacing back and forth when a very loud grunt echoed from the well.
You hadn’t read many horror novels, but the ones you had read, well, this was giving haunted zombie island vibes. You wish you could claim to be unafraid, but when the grunt came again, this time closer and louder than the last, you knew you’d be lying.
So, why were you ever so slowly edging your way towards the well? Curiosity did always kill the cat. Right when you finally got to the edge of the stone, you exhaled to prepare yourself to look over.
Who knows, maybe it was just your imagination overreacting. Right when you went to glance over the side, a hand smacked its way over the top and you felt your soul evacuate your body. A few seconds later, green hair popped over the top that sat on top of a familiar face, but your brain was stuck in fear mode, so when Zoro asked, “Doc?” The only response he’d gotten was your fist connecting with his face.
“What the fuck!”
His scream echoed into the well. You could hear him slipping and knew it was because you’d shoved your knuckles into his cheekbone. Just as he was about to slip, you launched yourself over the side to grab a hold of his arm.
“What the fuck!” Zoro shouted up at you.
“I’m sorry, okay! I thought you were a zombie and oh my god is that a fucking body?!”
You almost let Zoro go as your eyes focused on what looked like very real feet attached to very real legs.
“Yeah. It’s that Merry, guy.”
Zoro grunted as he tried to find purchase for the foot that had slipped. You were struggling to hold him up and each time his foot slipped it seemed to tug you down with him.
“For fuck’s sake, what are you made of bricks?”
“Oh, I’m sorry, is my weight inconveniencing you? If it wasn’t for you I would be out already,” Zoro growled out each word.
“I said I was sorry, okay! What more do you want?”
You move your hand further down until you reach his elbow. At first, it seemed like a solid plan. Strategically, it was a better option to give you more leverage in helping pull him up. The reality of it was Zoro was sweaty - very sweaty - from climbing about twenty-feet up the inside of a well. The minute your hand clamped down on the lubricated skin, it slipped free.
When he started to come loose from your hands you expected him to scream. All you saw was a grimace as his back slammed into the wall of the well and a glare that could give death a run for his money.
“Just pull me up already and stop screwing around.”
“I am trying but you are a hefty, hefty man,” you stated with each word strained.
Okay. You needed to get serious. You’d allowed his weight to lift your feet off the ground. You swung them back until you could get your toes pressed against the River rock of the well. Your heels were still slightly lifted in the air, but you knew this could work in your favor. You took in a deep breath and began to lean back as hard as you could. It may not have been super comfortable, but it was pulling him up enough that you could hear his boot finally find the footing it needed.
“Okay, you can let go now. I said you can let go-!”
You fully intended to let go. Whatever Zoro had done to help launch himself out, mixed with your pulling, sent you falling backwards.
With Zoro landing directly on top of you.
His weight mixed in with the fall knocked your breath clean out of your lungs. You were trying to get your lungs to expand by letting your body relax so you attempted to think of soothing things. The night sky and her stars were looking incredible tonight. It was the clearest you’d seen them in a while. Too bad it was on a night like tonight.
Zoro slowly lifted his head up from your shoulder, his arms on either side of you, until you were both face-to-face. Suddenly, it felt like the air was knocked out of you all over again.
His skin still held a sheen from his previous excretion of climbing. The edges of his hair was damp with sweat giving him a look that reminded you of when you’d run into him earlier wet from his shower. It shouldn’t have made him look this damn good.
You were painfully aware that he was still between your legs. Zoro was close enough you could feel his stomach extend with each heavy breath he took. Could easily count the freckles that endless days in the sun had kissed on his skin. His lips were parted, eyes scanning your face, and for one devious miscalculation of judgment, you wanted to fist your fingers in his shirt and pull him towards you to see if his lips were as soft as you imagined.
Nope. Nooooope!
That moment was enough to bring you crashing back to reality. Plus, Luffy. Kaya.
You smack his chest for good measure. Just to let him know you meant it when you said, “Are you trying to crush me to death? Get off me!”
“Don’t gotta tell me twice,” he grunted.
Once he was up, you expected him to stick his hand out to help you up. Instead, he was already walking in the opposite direction of what appeared to be away from the house.
“Hey! Where are you going?”
You scrambled up from your spot and hurried to try and catch up with him. Your hands rearranging your satchel to make sure your bottles weren’t crushed.
“I’m going back to the house.”
“Yeah, so am I but the house is back this way.”
Zoro stopped for a split second to look behind you before deciding what you offered was wrong.
“How about we split up and figure out who was right?”
“Fat chance, Mosshead.”
You fell into step beside him and you were positive if Zoro could’ve, he would’ve thrown you down the well. Just to make sure you stayed away from him. If this was a different time, one where you didn’t just pull him from a well where a dead body was, Luffy wasn’t poisoned, and Kaya and Nami were in danger you would have steered clear of him. So, unlucky for you both, you were newfound partners in unfortunate crime.
Neither of you spoke a word as you continued to walk down the path. You were pretty sure that Zoro was sending you the wrong way. You were two seconds away from telling him he was most definitely wrong, and you’d been most definitely right, until you both observed something up ahead.
Was that marines? And were they carrying- “Luffy,” you said in a hush tone.
Zoro saw it too. Two marines were carrying his limp body between them until he launched himself forward and began vomiting in the trees. It shouldn’t be possible. Poison when ingested - by anyone - was fatal. Even with as much vomiting he was doing it shouldn’t be possible. And yet, you saw it happening.
It has to be the Devil fruit…
Zoro waved for you to hide inside the bamboo but you brushed him off. As quietly as you could, you reached down and grabbed a fallen bamboo branch. You made sure you had a good grip on the bottom as you made your way quietly forward.
They were arguing between themselves. One of them with an extremely terrible haircut was holding a gun to the other with glasses and back to Luffy. The two spare marines were just standing watching and-
With as much force as you could muster, you smacked the one on the left on the side of his head. Zoro just used his fist for the other one. At the sound of their bodies falling, bad haircut turned around and when he saw Zoro walking towards him he turned sheet white.
“Zoro!” Luffy called happily as he got to his feet. “And Doc?”
You scratched the back of your head as you watched Zoro knock out bad haircut in one punch.
“Yeah. I came back to rescue you. Surprise,” you joked, throwing your hands up in mock celebration.
“Thanks. Come on. We need to get back to the house.”
Without another word, Luffy pressed between you and started making his way back towards the house. You side-eyed Zoro to see if he was paying attention, because Luffy had just proven you were right. You opened your mouth to tease him when a soft shout of Luffy’s name sent you all turning to see who it was.
They stood in front of you - pale as moonlight - and a little frightened with black rimmed circle glasses and pink hued hair. You weren’t sure who they were but all you needed to know was that they knew Luffy by name.
“Koby, I know you got a job to do. But I’m going to go back and help my friends. Don’t try and stop me.”
Yup. Luffy was officially the most polite pirate you’d ever met.
Koby gave Luffy the smallest of nods. A silent affirmation that he wouldn’t be following suit. You had so many questions about what happened between everyone tonight and would make sure to ask later. If given the chance.
Adjusting his hat back on his head, Luffy turned and started sprinting down the path. Zoro gave you one last look before he ran after him with his hands securely holding onto his swords. A soft groan left you as your feet padded along like the little engine that could.
“Ugh, why are we doing more running? I hate running.”
No one answered you and that was fine. You were going to need as much air as you could trying to keep up with the two of them.
——————————-
Zoro and Luffy were at the door when you came up. The two of them looked at the giant metal shudder. You were ready to tell them there wasn’t going to be any other way inside the house when Zoro bent down on one knee and worked his fingers underneath.
“That’s not going to work.”
Luffy turned to you with a wide smile.
“You don’t know Zoro.”
As if on queue, Zoro let out a grunt and began to push the shudder up. No way. It shouldn’t have been possible for him to even remotely lift it an inch. Usopp told you hundreds of times that pirate shudders were over six-hundred pounds of metal. They were meant to withstand canon balls and here Zoro was lifting it to his waist.
Luffy grabbed a statue and placed it underneath the shudder allowing Zoro to let go, and kick the double doors open. Luffy wasted no time in bending down and looking inside to make sure they could enter without interruption. When he was sure it was clear, he moved inside and Zoro shortly followed. Luffy went to shut the doors when you quickly moved inside.
“Doc, I think you should wait outside.”
“Fuck that,” you seethed. “These are my friends too, Luffy. I’m not leaving until I know they’re safe.”
Why was he smiling?
“Alright, but we split up. Cover more ground that way.”
Neither of them wasted any time taking off in their respective directions. It wasn’t until they were gone that you realized you didn’t have a clue where to go and what were you supposed to do if you found them.
You let out a huff of air that ended in a raspberry as you decided to go down the opposite side of the corridor than Zoro. You may not have any abilities from eating Devil fruit or be insanely good with swords, but you did have your wits. Yeah. That’s what was going to save you. Wits.
Maybe you could just go back to the kitchen and see if the pot was still there. If it was, you’d have a chance to get samples of what Buchi had laced inside the soup. In Kaya’s tea. God, just thinking about it pissed you off all over again.
If the house felt eerily quiet before, it felt even worse now. All signs of life were completely drained from the halls to the point your own breathing felt too loud in the large space. You were tempted to make noise, to call out for Zoro like playing a game of Marco Polo. Probably wouldn’t have been one of your best ideas in a house full of homicidal waitstaff.
When you got to the kitchen you made a quick note that the bronze pot in question was missing. Of course they wouldn’t have kept it. It was evidence of a plot they’d spent three years perfecting, but you just needed to search to be sure.
Quickly, you made your way around to the stairs and into the step down of the kitchen. Someone had done the dishes. It was all gone. You tried not to allow the bitterness of that thought to settle, but damn if it wasn’t hard. How were you going to be able to know what treatment to start giving Kaya if you didn’t have anything to base it off?
You looked around the kitchen one last time when the sounds of fighting erupted somewhere in the distance. It could be Luffy or Zoro. Hell, it could be one of the other three too. Either way, it didn’t matter who it was. You were going to help them.
First things first…
You looked quickly around the kitchen. There wasn’t much in the way of weapons that were going to strike fear in the hearts of anyone. You saw a tiny pot that was sitting on the sink counter and rushed forward to grab it by the handle. As soon as you knew you had it, you bolted back up the stairs and towards the main lobby.
The closer you got the more intense the fighting became. Swords. Those definitely sounded like swords, which meant it was Zoro fighting, but also someone else with swords. And here you were bringing a pot to a sword fight.
You weren’t given a chance to backtrack on your choice of weapon. The minute you came out from the French double doors that lead back into the foray of the house, you watched as Zoro fought off Buchi and Sham.
You never saw a real swordsman or met one for that matter. It wasn’t like Syrup village was brimming with up and coming anything, really, but as you watched Zoro effortlessly move between blocking and attacking you were willing to bet no one compared to him.
You were so caught up in gawking that you weren’t aware that Buchi and Sham were made aware of your presence until they hissed at you. Hissing? Really? You could feel a smart ass comment brewing, but now didn’t seem like the appropriate time to say it. Buchi was who turned on you first with Sham still attacking Zoro. She had her back to you, and when she came up from a missed swing you rushed forward and launched the small pot at the back of her head.
The sound of it connecting with its intended target resonated through the room. Sham’s head was as hollow as you thought.
Everything slowed down for a second as you all waited to see what would happen. Luckily for you, the result was Sham falling face first into the hardwood completely passed out.
“Holy shit. It worked! Zoro, did you see that!”
“You little bitch!”
How the hell did you forget about Buchi? He came stomping towards you causing the floor to shake as he did. You were getting ready to bolt in the opposite direction when Zoro jumped in the way. You took that as your queue to move.
You dashed toward where Sham’s body had fallen and kicked away her sword and - wait, was that a broom handle? You no longer felt embarrassed about using a pot.
Taking hold of the unconscious Sham, you began to move her more towards the front door. Zoro finished with Buchi with ease and knocked him unconscious. It didn’t dawn on you that something was different about him until he dragged Buchi over to where you’d placed Sham. Zoro was wearing a black bandana. And no, you did not notice how the veins in his arms were very much showing.
“We should get some rope to tie them up.”
“Good idea.”
By the time everyone made it down, Buchi and Sham had regained consciousness and you and Zoro were sitting far apart.
There was no denying when you saw them all come down the stairs, a relief so intense flooded your veins and soaked into your bones. When Usopp hugged you, you allowed yourself to hug him back just a little bit tighter.
A part of you knew that the adventures of yesterday would come to an end back in the shipyard. It would end with Kaya giving Luffy that ship he’d so lovingly given his speech for, and more so knew Luffy would ask Usopp to go with him.
It was Usopp’s dream - his real dream. Part of that dream was experiencing the freedom that the sea offered, just like his dad did. How could you ever ask someone you considered your friend - your best friend - to stay just because you weren’t ready to part with them? No. Usopp deserved adventures as grand as his stories.
While he’d been talking to Kaya you’d taken the opportunity to slip away. It’s not that you weren’t happy for him, because you were. The idea of not having him around anymore, however, began to dig a hole in your soul. So, you went to the one place that always mended it.
You were sitting with Naan at the kitchen table folding linens with water boiling on the stove and ingredients beside it. You were still waiting for Kaya to come by so you could perform an assessment. Before you could treat her, you would have to find out how extensive the damage was, and what would be the best form of treatment.
“So, Usopp’s going to be going, then?”
You didn’t expect Naan to sound sad. While she wasn’t mean like the rest of the village, she most definitely was not a fan of rising early just to hear the bell and the yelling.
“Yeah. They should already be out to sea.”
You were folding your next set of linens when Naan reached out and gently took your hand in hers. The act stops you from finishing the next fold.
“It’s all going to work out the way that it should, child.”
“I know, Naan.”
A knock on the door rescued you from having to continue whatever talk was brewing in Naan. It saved you from more than likely crying like a baby on her shoulder too. You got up from your chair and made your way over to the door when another knock came seconds before you reached it.
“Kaya, I’m coming! God, are rich people always so impatient?”
When you swung the door open, you hadn’t expected to find Luffy there smiling or the rest of the crew waiting behind him. Kaya was plainly missing from the group.
“Who is it, child?”
You felt too dumbfounded to speak. Why were they here?
“It’s alright, Naan,” you called over your shoulder, eyes still glued to Luffy. “It’s just Luffy.”
“Luffy?”
“Straw hat.”
The sound of her chair sliding back against the wood was what tore your gaze away. You looked back to find Naan struggling to get to her cane with her left hand holding her weight up by the table. You moved back from the entrance, waving him in as you rushed over to grab her cane and hand it to her.
“What are you guys doing here? I thought you’d be gone by now.”
“We were about to head out when the strangest thing happened.” You crossed your arms as you listened to Luffy. The cliff hanger his words left you on threatened to drop fresh anxiety into your gut. “I turned to get my crew onboard and realized my doctor was missing.”
“What?” You breathed.
“That’s you.”
You closed your eyes for a split second as you tried to collect your thoughts.
“Luffy, I wouldn’t make a good pirate.”
“You don’t have to be. Just like with Usopp, I saw what you did. The way you fought to protect people. I need you in my crew.”
You dropped your arms as you turned to regard Naan. The way her body leaned heavily on the cane. Her once strong body was becoming more frail by the day. You couldn’t leave her.
You swallowed hard before you replied, “Luffy, that is a splendid offer. One I don’t think anyone could pass up but I can’t leave.”
“Why the hell not?” Naan fired off.
“Naan-“
“And if you say it’s because of me, just remember you aren’t too old for me to throttle you with my cane.”
She finally pushed her hip from the side of the table and waddled over to the rack that held your satchel. Naan reached up and pulled it down, turning slowly until you came back into view, and tossed the satchel in your direction.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like? You know, for being smart you sure can be dumb sometimes.”
Your eyes looked down at the satchel in your hands. You rubbed the worn leather with your thumbs as you remembered her giving you this very bag on your thirteenth birthday. The pricks of tears came unannounced and most definitely unwanted a few moments later. It made you terrified to look up. For her to see that saying goodbye might kill a piece of you, you’d never get back.
You’d never get her back either.
“Naan-“ You tried to speak but your voice cracked around her name. “Who is going to take care of you if I’m gone?”
A tsk of disbelief shot from her lips. Both her hands now came to rest on top of the cane as she regarded you coolly.
“I’ve been an old woman for a long time now. I think I can manage without you.”
“See - it’s settled,” Luffy began. “You are welcome to join our crew and that way you don’t have to give up on your dream.”
He remembered?
How silly that question was. He was Monkey D. Luffy. Of course, he was going to remember. Glancing down at the satchel in your hands once more you allowed yourself to debate one last time before you grabbed the strap and placed it over your shoulder.
Before you took that first step towards the door, you turned one last time to Naan and took one of her hands in yours. You tried to tell yourself you wouldn’t cry. You never cried, but the first tear slid down your face and called you a liar.
“Please, take care Naan. You’ve done so much for me, my whole life. If it wasn’t for you I don’t know where I would be.”
“Dead,” she stated matter-of-factly.
It was so blunt. So incredibly Naan that you couldn’t stop the sharp bark of laughter that came from you. The soft feather of her hand reached up to cup your face and forced you to look at her. A long silence pulled between you, and you wondered if she was going to say anything at all when a soft smile cracked her thin lips.
“Go, child. Be great.”
Shaking your head in agreement, the both of you broke free and you followed Luffy out of the house. You spared one last glance at Naan’s home - your home - and found her at the door seeing you off. You raised your hand in one last goodbye and watched as she did it too.
Maybe Luffy was right. It was time to go on your own adventure and you had no doubt Luffy and his crew were going to give it to you.
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As always, comments and reblogs are always welcome
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If I missed anyone, please let me know! TY
#Chaos in Their Bones#one piece live action#opla zoro#roronoa zoro#zoro roronoa x reader#zoro roronoa x you#one piece x reader#one piece zoro#op zoro#roronoa zoro x reader#roronoa zoro x you#opla zoro x reader#opla#one piece#opla fanfiction#one piece fanfiction#frenemies to lovers#slow burn#friends to lovers#mutual pining#x reader
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this is a scene from opla s2, black leg gazpacho told me himself!!!
src by @op-trash-blog-of-hell
#one piece#black leg sanji#roronoa zoro#opla fanart#opla#zosan#one piece fanart#one piece live action#vinsmoke sanji#sanzo#comic#op comic#incorrect one piece quotes#did yall notice mackenyu has slight dimples. i cant stop noticing them now. 🥲💖#and taz skylar's smile... ah. 🥰🥰#anyways i saw this post and thought it was perf for opla bc zoro was like 'why are we bringing the waiter' lol#and i wanted to draw mackenyu's zoro a little bit bc he is so!! pretty!!!!!
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thanks for the light
I was just trying to figure out how procreate works but then the op brainworms got to me and 35 hours later here we are! can you tell I miss home-cooked meals :')
(no reposts; reblogs appreciated)
#my art#artists on tumblr#fanart#one piece#opla#zosan#blackleg sanji#op sanji#roronoa zoro#nami#usopp#monkey d. luffy#i was like wow procreate is so cool for letting me check time spent on each canvas...35 HRS and 22 MINUTES????#tbf it's spread out over 3 weeks BUT STILL#guys...the file name for this is nakama.png and im so emotional about it#something something comfort food and family and this is what love looks like and now im sobbing#im so predictable it's the found family that gets me every time#and the scene where they all announced their dreams with a foot on the barrel?? i swear i teared up a little#also this is lowkey the most complicated thing i've ever made im so proud#nothing but the best for these strawhats <3
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i would trust him with my life
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Thank you! Alvida should have stayed fat, even after eating the sube sube no mi. Maybe the fruit could have idk. Made her skin really smooth and her hair super silky? Just. We could have had fat skincare queen, hair goals Alvida pulling up to Loguetown and kept the part where everyone just thinks she’s the most beautiful thing. Alvida being fat and still being the only woman Luffy calls beautiful in the entire series (up yours, Hancock). We could have had nice things, but instead we got fatphobia that almost made me want to drop one piece.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't care how glorified the actress was for losing weight "for the role", I am not drawing Alvida skinny. She is fat and sexy and she will always be that here at matttheratking.tumblr.com
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the history book on the shelf is always repeating itself
#something sinister happens in my brain when I think about the 1 and a half parallels between these two like uhm#silly and grumpy. I’d get into it but we’d be here all day#one piece#luffy#roronoa zoro#zolu#red hair shanks#dracule mihawk#mishanks#OPLA#one piece fanart#my art
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what gear is this..?
#imperial nyx#my art#one piece#strawhat pirates#monkey d luffy#one piece luffy#opla#opla luffy#op memes
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Their accents truly were *a chef's kiss*
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𓏲 ๋࣭ ࣪☠︎︎⭑. one piece live action ; lockscreen ༉‧𓊝˚.
⤹ live action ⤹ like/reblog | @dprnama ⤹ don't repost or claim as yours ⤹ cr if you use it
#nama#one piece live action#one piece live action lockscreen#one piece live action edit#opla lockscreen#opla#opla edit#opla wallpaper#monkey d. luffy#mugiwara no luffy#strawhat luffy#luffy#zoro#roronoa zoro#nami#usopp#sanji#vinsmoke sanji#inaki godoy#mackenyu#emily rudd#jacob gibson#taz skylar#oda eiichiro#eiichiro oda#strawhat pirates#mugiwara no ichimi
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"Who's Hotter?" Live Action Event
#dracule mihawk#hawkeye mihawk#mihawk#captain buggy#buggy the clown#buggy#one piece live action#one piece#opla#anime#polls#anime poll#live action event#whoishotteranimepolls
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I'm loving how Zeff put Luffy's wanted poster underneath 'Employee of the Month'.
#op#opla#one piece#one piece live action#zeff#luffy#luffy opla#he still views him as an employee#:)#also loving the oregano dish on the bottom left
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