#opla shanks on the brain tbh

[thus-spoke-lo]

pairing: shanks x gn!reader cw: reader implied to be close to Shanks' age; suggestive flirting; alcohol. just a quick writing warm-up cuz i feel out of touch wc: 815

It’s late, later than you usually closed on a weeknight, but the crowd had been unusually pleasant and the tips unusually generous, so it couldn’t hurt to stay open for a just a little longer, til the moon rose high and the stars blanketed the sky in brilliant pinpricks that you could just barely see from the small window by the front door.

You chase out the last drunkard into the dimly lit streets, watching him totter off into the village square as you lock the door behind you, and turn to see you managed to miss one after all—a tall man, rosy-cheeked and scruffy, watches you from his barstool like a curious predator wondering if he was looking at prey. His crimson hair falls in his eyes as he sets his empty glass down on the bartop and wipes at his chin, a smile on his face you know all too well: the smile of a man who is about to try to scoot out of the bar without paying, or worse—the smile of a man who is about to try to barter his special brand of “goods and services” in exchange for his tab.

“Looks like it’s just you and me, kiddo,” he coos as he winks at you, slow and purposeful.

“Kiddo?” you scoff as you tuck your keys in your pocket, realizing he was about to attempt the latter brand of drink and ditch. “I’m no kid, pal.”

“Really?” He rests his chin in his hand, his tongue darting out to touch the corner of his mouth as he chuckles. “Could’ve fooled me. You look at least half my age but twice as dangerous.”

“You’re probably right about the back half of that.” You grip his shoulder when you walk by on your way behind the bar, giving it a firm, condescending squeeze and feeling the strong musculature underneath, letting your fingers drag across the plane of his back as you pass. “Compliments are nice, but they won’t pay for your drinks.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Hm.” He leans back a little on the stool and puts his hand on the back of his neck. “Too bad, I have a lot more.”

“Oh, I bet you do.”

“It’s a currency I always carry with me. It’s usually accepted anywhere, you know.”

You stand behind the bar and place your palms flat on the cool wood surface, steadying yourself; he’s charming, and certainly putting on a better show than the other drunkards that try to flirt their way into a free shot of whiskey or a mug of beer. But despite the heat that burns in your belly every time he glances at you through the fall of dark lashes, every time he tilts his head to move the salt-spray-styled hair out of his eyes, every time you wonder how he got that scar over his eyes that extends down to his chiseled cheekbones and what it would feel like under your fingertips—despite all of that, you are nothing if not someone of principle, and you weren’t about to set a precedent.

“The infamous Red-Haired Shanks might usually be able to pay with a wink and a smile and, well, something else”—your eyes flit downwards, as if you could see through the thick wood counter, right below his waist where you imagined your denial was beginning to pique his interest—“but not here. A good time doesn’t keep my lights on.”

“Ah, I see.” Shanks let out a low laugh. “So you know me, do you?”

“I know of you.” You fold your forearms on the bar, resting on them and leaning forward, your voice lowering to a quiet rasp. “Your reputation follows you.”

“Which reputation?” he grins as he moves a little closer, and you can feel the warmth of his whiskey-scented breath drift over your skin.

“I think you know the one.”

Shanks sets his wide, warm hand on yours, his calloused thumb stroking your skin lightly, light enough to make you shiver and a spark to light at the base of your spine. “So tell me then, gorgeous—do I have any chance with you?”

“Depends.”

“On what?”

“If you’re gonna settle up this tab or not,” you grin, returning the same slow, deliberate wink to him that he’d given you earlier.

“Aw, come on honey,” he groans, “you’re really gonna hold something like that over my head?”

“My till needs to balance before I can leave. So if you pay up, then I suppose I could close up for the night.” You lean close, lips almost brushing the shell of his ear. “I live just upstairs but I sure could use a strong, handsome man to walk me home. You know, with there being dangerous pirates around these parts and all.”

He practically purrs, smirking as he asks, “So how much do I owe you, then?”

[starcrossedjedis]

hiii hiii i am back (on my searching for opla oc crumbs voyage bc my exam-taking ass needs to live through y’all rn), and again i would like to screech abt Sun bc umm?? how could you give her so much pain?? also i need to know more abt her power?? like what does the sairen sairen no mi do and is it the fruit that gave Sun her full name or is it just a coincidence since it sounds very much like siren (if that was intentional i would like to steal your brain for naming oc purposes thank you /j); pls and thank you and i hope you feel better soon!! (if you’re still feeling under the weather that is..?)

Oh babe you can come here for crumbs anytime, it be keeping the hyperfixation going 🤩

I hope you're doing well aside from the exam taking. I'm actually alright, even though rn I am feeling more under the uterus than the weather 😂

Let's preface today's deep dive by me reassuring you that you do not - not - wanna be me when it comes to naming OCs. Literally, for like the first week her name was "either Lya or Sun", followed by a few days of her being "probably Sun but WHAT THE FUCK AM I GONNA DO ABOUT HER LAST NAME???" 🤣

And THEN as I proceeded to look for her special power was when it all came together -

I knew I didn't want to give her a Haki (mostly because she is a Shanks!OC and he already is The Conquerer's Haki Dude), so devil fruit it was. I spent a day or so going up and down and back up the list of known devil fruits and didn't find a single one that tickled my pickle. But - like so many times over the past weeks - it was @bravelittleflower to the rescue, because she pointed me to the mythical zoan devil fruits who basically turn people who eat them into mythical creatures and I decided that "fuck it, Imma just make my own"

By that time I had already gotten it in my head that I wanted "Lya or Sun Whatever-The-Hell-her-name-is" to be a more feminine, sensual character (maybe because Nami, at least in the beginning, was a little too Not Like The Other Girls for my taste ^^'), so sth of the nymph/dryad/mermaid/siren variety seemed like an obvious choice.

Google translate told me the Japanese word for siren was "sairen", making her fruit the Sairen Sairen No Mi and my brain just took the jump from there to "Sun the Siren / Sairen Sun" and since I still hadn't found a last name I liked, I thought a moniker that was actually given to her in the brothel at Shells Town would be a great place holder. It also makes for a pretty great pirate name tbh. ^^

(she has a last name btw, a last name we will learn later on and it comes with ✨drama✨ attached)

When we start the story, Sun doesn't know who gave her the fruit and she isn't really all that clear on the true magnitude of her powers. When we meet her, she simply has to touch men (and probably some women, too 😏) and tell them what she wants them to do.

(that did come in handy when teenage!Sun was looking to avoid chores at the bar or when harbour whore Sun left the less savory clients with the distinct impression that putting their hands on themselves rather than her would be the height of extasy 😈)

Her power doesn't work in active fight situations, which is why she is also able to hold her own with knives (although Zoro sees a lot of room for improvement and - much to Sanji's dismay - takes it upon himself to train her xD).

Maybe it's also her power that makes it easy for her to make friendships (one of the reasons Nami doesn’t like her at first is a kind of envy at how easy it is for Sun to fit in with this new group of people while she has to keep her distance). It could be that it makes people more open to her, but it's actually sth that makes her less self assured rather than more, because there is always that little bit of doubt about wether people care about her or if it's just her power at play.

I am also looking to expand on her powers as the story progresses (one version of the "Sun and Shanks reunite" ideas especially has great potential for Shanks trying to teach her to really tap into her ability).

"And how exactly do I do that?" - "You use it on me." 🥵

[smileysuh]

nova omg

I thought the layout of the opla fics were familiar it was YOU

🫶🏼🥹🫶🏼

always doing the work that needs to be done 🫡

chef’s kiss, always

ALWAYS AMAZING

(I’m in opla brain rot fr)

🍵

TEEHEEHEE YES THAT WAS ME!!!! God, I hardly ever steer out of my kpop lane but for ONE PIECE??? those men have me on my KNEES BRUH- 3 opla fics in like a week- my brain said 'wanna see some real speed-' I really have no excuses for them, I need Zoro, Mihawk and Sanji- and tbh.... Luffy and Shanks are on my menu too, I am RESISTING writing for them but it is HARD

who are ur mains from the show??? brain rot SO REAL