#otama is alright......

[hauntingblue]

ACT TWO BABEY

[snowywolf1005]

JOYBOY LUFFY X LUNALA READER VS KAIDO PT3

You and luffy are still again fighting kaido. Kaido is still mad at you two. "The King of the Pirate?!" Kaido yelled.

Luffy looked at kaido. "It's good to know that you two still impudent, Straw Hat! When you two mind and body catch up to your power, Awakening occurs! How ridiculous you two powers is!" Said kaido.

It made you pissed off that you wanna kill him so bad and for talking shit you two are. Kaido remembers the flashback of how you and luffy beat with you powers.

Luffy laughs for a moment. "I've already lost so much... I've lost so much of what I've built." Said kaido, he was pissed off what you and luffy, his crew did.

Luffy crew killed each one of kaido crew members. "My subordinates and the castle! You two lost a lot, too." Said kaido.

"Even so, there are things I have to take back!" Luffy yelled. Kaido turns to pruple lighting you and luffy turn to red lighting, lighting storm come out.

"You'll lose more and more! Because I will take more from you two!" Kaido yelled. Kaido jumped forward towards you and luffy.

"Kundali Dragon Swarm!". You transform your shadows' monster form. And use your wings to cover luffy as a blanket.

Your shadows monster:

Kaido hits each one of your wings, but you didn't let him stop you. You fly back, "Air Slash!" You scream, air slash:

The air slash hits kaido every each of his body, causing him to cough blood. Kaido walked back. You landed, you put luffy on the ground, and kaido got up a little.

Then you smell smoke, and you cough so as luffy. You look to see, a ground and a fire lit up. You and luffy were so confused.

"The floors and the castle are all on fire below. I'm sure thousands of your soldiers are stuck there, too. They'll all burn to death!" Kaido yelled.

"Don't underestimate them, kaido!" Luffy smiles, "Cause we believe in them, and they believe in us!" You smile too. Kaido was shocked.

"We left everything below in their hands! So we'll just... focus on kicking your ass!" Luffy yelled. Luffy runs forward, and he laughs, "The way you laugh annoys me! Demolition Gust!" Kaido yelled.

Luffy screamed, and he pulled his crotch up, and the slash missed him. "It almost hit my crotch!" Said luffy. Kaido was about to hit luffy, but luffy jumped behind kaido.

Luffy Bounce, really high, kaido turnaround was in shock. Lighting struck, luffy smiles. "I have an idea!" Said luffy.

"Oi! (Y/N)! I've an idea, and I hope you love it!" Luffy yelled. Oh yeah, you were flying watching Luffy beating kaido, making sure he okay. 'I hope it isn't stupid,' you thought.

At the bottom of the castle, everything is on fire. In the performance floor inside the dome, "it's not just the castle anymore! All the towers are burning! " Someone yelled.

"Everyone! Where are you?!" Chooper yelled, looking for his teammates. Then Nami heard Chooper voice, "Hey!" Chooper yelled again. "Chooper!" Nami yelled as she walked behind Chooper.

"Nami!" Chooper yelled, Chooper burst out of tears on his eyes. Chooper ran toward Nami and hugged her. "Are you alright?! Otama, are you hurt?" Chooper asked, "everyone protected me, so I was only slightly wounded." Said otama.

"I'll treat your wounds later." Said Chooper, "what about the others?" Nami asked. Chooper started crying, "What should we do? The fire can't be put out! Zoro, Sanji, Franky, Brook, usopp, Robin, and Jimbei! I can't find any of them!" Chooper cried. "Really?!" Nami asked.

"But... even if we tried to find them, the whole of Onigashima is on fire now! It's not safe here, either! Unless it lands, we have nowhere to go!" Said Nami, Chooper jumps off of Nami.

"Zeus, can't you use your rain to put out the fire?" Chooper asked, "the fire is too intense, I would get burned!" Said Zeus. "We all worked so hard to get to this point. It's so frustrating to see it end like this." Said Otama.

"Don't worry!". "What?" Otama question, "it's gonna be alright, so don't give up!" Said Nami, Otama smiled. "You're right! We have to see Big Bro, luffy win! And (Y/N)!" Said Otama, "wait? (Y/N) is alive?!" Chooper yelled.

Nami, look at Chooper, "Chooper, have you seen a gaint pruple bat?" Nami asked. Chooper thought for a moment, and he nodded his head. "Well, that gaint pruple bat was (Y/N)." Said nami. "WHAAAAAA!!" Chooper screamed in a surprise look.

In the basement inside the castle, everything is burning, and it starts to break. "We can't escape! The fires are everywhere!" Said the blondeguy.

"There's nowhere to run!" Said the guy with black clothes. (Forget his name, too) "Damn!" Blonde guy yelled.

On the first floor of the castle. Bepo was beaten up. "I can't take it anymore! I can't stand the heat..." He said. "You're giving us too much trouble, Bepo!" Said penguin, then they stopped to see they were dead end cause the fire is blocking their way.

"Ouch!" Penguin scream, "maybe this really is it." Said shachi, "I don't think we can get out of here!" They yelled. "Help! Captain!" Said Bepo. In the basement, where Brook and Robin were trapped by the fire.

"My precious afro is getting frizzier!" Said brook, "yeah! I don't want to end up like you." Said Robin, "what?" Said brook. Then, someone burst out of the door, "what?! Uh! A skeleton!" They scream.

"I know you're frustrated! "

"Look at you!"

"I don't know what to say... I feel sorry for you... you must have failed to escape and got burned!" They said.

"I'm not a burnt corpse! I am dead, though..." said brook, and then more fire became bigger.

"It's burning intensely! Maybe there's no way for all of us..." said brook.

"...to run." Said Robin.

On the fourth floor inside the castle, "I'm sorry. I can't die just yet..." said raizo, "don't mention it. I like helping people." Said jinbe."I was extremely lucky to see you here." Said raizo, "I'm in on your secret plan with pleasure!" Said jinbe.

"With my ninjutsu, now is the time to salvage this situation! Now is the time!" Said raizo. Jinbe and raizo walk until the building falls apart. "Everyone, endure it a little bit more... these loathsome flames... I'm going to put them all out!" Raizo yelled.

Pleasure hall, left-brain tower. Sanji is running with a group of girls behind him. But they were dead end, "Oh, no. We can't get outside because the yard is gone." Said sanji, "no, " said some.

"An abyss in front... And a hellish fire behind..." said sanji. He looked to see the woman who was scared. "We can't even turn back!" Sanji yelled, then the roof started to break and was about hit Some.

Some scream, "Careful!" Sanji yelled as he kicked some wood. "Don't worry! I'll protect you, ladies!" Said sanji.

"Thank you," she said. 'We're in the air, so there's no place to go... the fire and the collapse and the ladies... What should we do?' Sanji thought.

On the basement. "Stop complaining that it's hot! Break the wall! If we stay here, we're gonna die!" Yapoo yelled. The gaint cry as his arm hurt, "Just sacrifice one of your damn arms! That big body's so useless, you idiot!" Yapoo yelled.

The gaint told Yapoo to stop, "Do you wanna fight, you bastard?!" Yapoo yelled. On the basement again. "The heat and the flames have us backed in a corner! Is there a way for us to survive?!" Said hemlet.

"If we knew that, we wouldn't be having a hard time!" Said usopp, "we're gonna die from the heat if nothing's done!" Hemlet yelled. "Just run!" Usopp yelled back, then more building came blocking their path.

"Please do something, mister!" Hemlet yelled. Usopp doesn't know what to do. He got off, "I'm gonna put out this fire! Special attack green star! Sprinkler!" Usopp yelled, the flower trying to put out the fire.

"How's that?!" He yelled, but the flower was on fire. Usopp was surprised, "This is what 'a drop in the bucket' means, mister!" Said Hemlet.

"Shut up! I gotta figure out a way! I promised izo! I wanna save Kin and Kiku and myself as well!" Usopp screamed as he started to cry. "What?! Mister! Please include me in the list!" Hemlet yelled at usopp.

"Don't depend on me! You have to save me!" Usopp yelled back. Right-Brain Tower. Franky was running, holding zoro, who was passed out. "The castle is burning ridiculously!" Franky yelled, "Wait for us, big bro!" She cried, "where should we go?!" Franky question.

"Zoro's life is in danger! I have to take him to Chooper as soon as possible!" Said Franky, "we're all gonna get burned to death before that!".

"It's hot! It's hot! I don't wanna die!"

"Help us, big bro!"

"Who's whining?! I'm gonna burn you!" Franky yelled, "Please don't do that!" They whined. Third floor inside the castle.

"It's a dead end again! Damn! The flames and the debris keep getting the way! Did someone go around and set fire?!" Someone yelled. "There is no way I'm gonna be killed by fire and the enemy in a raid!" Said the bull.

"We're not gonna get defeated by fire!"

"Yeah! Let's survive!"

"Yeah!"

Fourth floor inside the castle. Jinbe is standing the hallway, "I'm ready, jinbe-dono! Thank you for trusting me!" Said raizo. "Luffy chose to form an alliance with you, samurai! There's no way I'd doubt you. Okay, come on!" Said jinbe.

"Yeah! I'm trusting you, too!" Raizo yelled, 'I was ready since that day...' Raizo thought, thinking his flashback.

'Toki-sama!'

'Momonosake-Sama!'

'Hiyori-sama!'

'Come on! Hurry up!'

"I couldn't save oden-sama that day! And I let Momonosake-Sama and the others suffer in the building castle. Even if I could use ninjutsu, I couldn't save anybody. That was a big blunder that I regret!" Raizo yelled.

"I never ever want... to feel that way again!" Raizo yelled, thinking of his flashback.

'Zou?!'

Zunesha pulled out some water in his trunk.

'Dogstorm, what kind of rain is this?!'

'Zunesha is bathing itself.'

'That's a lot of water! May I take some?!'

"I won't let those who took part in this raid die... in this damn fire! I'm sorry that it took so long, everyone! Let me show you the incredible water flow! Nimp: scrolling jutsu! The Elephant's Bath! Restoration!" Raizo scream.

Then, a bunch of water came in raizo scroll and is sucked jinbe making him swim. "This is enormous!" Said jinbe, "water heart! Fish-man jiu-jitsu! Ocean Current Shoulder Throw!" Jinbe yelled as he threw the waters, with his bear hands.

The roof crumble of more water coming, "run through every part of the castle!" Jinbe yelled. "Make it in time and save everybody, zou's water!" Said raizo, more water keeps pouring, putting out the fire.

First floor inside the castle. "Let me down, guys!" Said killer, "you have to let us do this for least, killer-san!" Said the crew. "Ouch!" They yelled, "What should we do?! There really is nowhere to go!" The crew yelled.

"What is that?! I feel a rumble..." one of the crew yelled, the water splashing them behind. "Water?!" They said, "we're okay now!" One of them yelled.

The whole castle started to rumble and broke apart. Chooper lost his balance, and Nami hold Otama. "Hurry up, Momonosake-kun!" Yamato yelled.

"Why?! Kaido is still alive!" Momonosake asked, "You have to sustain the island with your Flame Clouds!" Yamato yelled. "Sustain the island? That's impossible!" Momonosake yelled back.

"Kaido is reaching his limit... his flame clouds won't last much longer!" Said yamato, "What?". "You must create flame clouds to sustain onigashima!" Said yamato.

"What?!" Momonosake scream, "that way the only option from the beginning!" Yamato yelled. Momonosake lost his words. He couldn't say anything. Yamato, look at Momonosake.

"Otherwise, onigashima will fall," said yamato, Momonosake didn't want onigashima to get destroyed.

As for you and luffy, you watch luffy fly up, say he got an idea. Luffy grabbed a lightning strike, and it turned to blue. Kaido was shocked to see, then smile.

Hey guys, that is the end of episode 1073, but it is not over yet. So here is an episode 1074.

"You can do it, Momonosake-kun! Create flame clouds!" Yamato yelled, Momonosake tries to make the flame clouds, but it keeps disperse. "That will not be enough to sustain onigashima!" Momonosake said.

And a loud explosion erupted, and Momonosake was shocked and scared. "Momonosake-kun! Flame clouds!" Yamato yelled, "it is easier said than done..." said Momonosake.

Momonosake is still trying to make flame clouds. "I can't do it! They will not come out! I can't do it!" Momonosake cried, truma from his childhood.

When his house was on fire. 'The future? But I do not want to be apart from you!' Little Momonosake cried, 'Momonosake! Go along with kin'emon and the others. Leap 20 years into the future and rebuild the Kazuki Clan!' Said toki.

'I can't do it!' Little Momonosake cried, turns around but turns back hugging his mother. 'Then why will you and hiyori not come with us?!' Momonosake asked, still crying.

Toki look at Momonosake, 'I can't do it!' Momonosake cried. 'Momonosake-Sama! Your mother is suffering more than you!' Kin'emon yelled, Momonosake turnaround.

'This is the land of samurai! Where shame alone could end your life! For a man to complain after women set resolve... is mortal shame!' Kin'emon yelled.

'Now, let's leap into the future together! The future of the land of wano rests on your shoulders!' He yelled, 'I am only a child... I am only a child, so I can't... do anything!' Momonosake cries.

'With all due respect, since oden-sama is gone, you are no longer an ordinary child!' Kin'emon said, 'What?' Momonosake asked. 'You are the son of the great samurai! You will govern this country someday! Oden-sama ordered me to open the border of the land of wano! I shamelessly lived... at my lord's expense...' Kin'emon cries.

'Now it not the time to die! I am not allowed to just die! Allow me to speak plainly! Will you let us have another chance to fight?! If I am going to burn to death anyway, I would rather die wielding my sword for my lord! Will you please give us a chance to die as samurai?!' Kin'emon cried.

All samurai started to cry, waiting Momonosake answers. 'Momonosake!' Toki called, 'Mother... mother... I am going!' He yelled.

Toki cried, 'Yes... please, live on...' she said. "I am too ashamed to face Mother!" Momonosake yelled. "Momonosake-kun?" Yamato asked.

"Stop saying 'I cannot,' Momonosake! You made your own decision! I am not an ordinary child anymore! I am the man who will become the shogun of this country!" He yelled, "uh-huh!" Yamato said.

"I will save the land of wano! Stop! Onigashima!" Momonosake yelled, then the onigashima began to fall. "Wait! No!" Yamato yelled, "No! Don't not head towards the capital!" Momonosake yelled.

"Gum-gum... lighting!". Luffy throws the lightning strike at kaido, but kaido dodges the attack. And Flys toward to luffy. "You mean you can grab lighting?! How absurd!" Kaido yelled.

But all of a sudden, six lighting surrounded kaido. Luffy jumps each on of lighting and hits kaido. Then kaido was hit all six lighting.

'What an absurd power...' kaido thought. But kaido felt someone behind him. He turned to see you, "Moongeist Beam!" You yelled. Moongeist Beam:

Kaido was hit back, and he coughed some blood. Kaido turned around to see luffy, "Gum-gum...". Kaido hit luffy with his hassaikai. Luffy was thrown away, but he was lucky when you caught him.

Luffy was behind your back, and then you warp around your wings to make spend ahead. And you hit kaido stomach.

Kaido was lunch back, luffy grabbed kaido legs and threw him by rocks. Luffy went behind kaido and punched him in his face.

But kaido opened his mouth and blasted fire at luffy. Luffy was blown away, but luffy grabbed a lightning strike, spins around, and lunch himself to kaido. Kaido went toward to luffy.

Kaido hits luffy again, and luffy is lunch back. Luffy was on the clouds, smiling, and grabbing the thunder strike. Luffy throws all thunder sticks at kaido.

But kaido dodges all stricks, "Night shade!" You shot out some pruple laser eyes. Night shade:

It hit on kaido's chest, and kaido is getting weaker. Then kaido disappeared, you look around to find kaido, "you two can play around... all you want! But..." kaido.

Kaido was right behind, and he hit your chest with his hassaikai. You lunch back, and you were hit behind a rock. "(Y/N)!" Luffy yelled, luffy Flys toward to kaido, "a Devil Fruit power will never conquer the world!" Kaido yelled.

Kaido hit luffy cheeks, luffy hits on the ground, but bounced back, really flied up. "It's amazing how things work. Just like how Roger was not a Devil Fruit power user... Only haki... can trump all else!" Kaido yelled.

"Destroyer of Death..." Kaido hassaikai turn pruple and was about to smash luffy. "...thunder... Bagua!" Kaido yelled, kaido hits luffy once more. The pruple thunder destroyed all rocks building and made a loud explosion.

In the land of wano, people were celebrating. There was music, dancing, food, everything, people were holding sky boats. "To the deceased! Set sail!" The man yelled.

"Let go of your sky boat!"

"Steady!"

"Steady! Steady!"

"The festival is almost over... we must return to slave labor tomorrow..." the men said, everyone let go of the sky boats. And the sky boat went up high, "I hope I can survive another year..." he said.

"Steady! Reach Father!" Toko yelled. On the onigashima above was destroyed, cracks, holes, and rock mountain were everything.

Kaido was catching his breath, 'a Devil Fruit power will never conquer the world! He didn't have one, either...' kaido thought, remembering when he fought with oden.

But all of a sudden, kaido saw a hand grabbing his chest. "What?!" Kaido question, Kaido above the sky to see the arm lead top of the clouds.

"What are you doing?!" Kaido ask, the hand pulled kaido, "Damn! Let go of me! You're only betraying your location!" Kaido yelled. Kaido keeps hitting the arm with hassaikai, and he turns to his dragon form.

"Dragon Twister... Demolition Breath!" Kaido screamed, "Your vulnerability to cutting attacks hasn't changed." Said kaido. The demolition breath cut luffy.

luffy body started to bleed with cut all other his body. "Come down! Straw Hat!" Kaido yelled, kaido blast a gaint fire ball. Luffy wide eye, but you came and "MoonBlast!" You yelled.

Moon Blast:

The moonblast hit fire ball, causing it to explode. Luffy looked to see you're alive, "(Y/N)? You're alive!" Luffy cried, you smiled at luffy. "Of course I am, remember I make a promise that we always stay each other when we little?" You said.

Luffy nodded his head. In the house were on fire, where hiyori was at with orochi. Orochi was on fire, screaming in pain. Hiyori stand there watch orochi suffering.

Then, a loud burst, hiyori drop the needle. "Hey, it come off! Some kind of tremor pulled the Sea Prime Stone nail out!" Orochi yelled as he transformed a eight-headed dragon.

"Damnit... I'll at least take you down with me! Are you watching, oden?!" He yelled. Hiyori, fall back, "I'll take..." orochi was about to bite hiyori. "... Your daughter, along with me!" He yelled.

During the fight, hyogoro fell back. "Boss hyogoro!" The man yelled, "I heard onigashima's gonna fall!" The man said. Hyogoro chulked, "That means they cornered kaido... hey, guys! Which one do you prefer? If the straw hat and (Y/N) take down kaido down, we'll fall and die." Said hyogoro.

"If we survive, that means kaido wins!" Hyogoro said, the whole samurai laughed. "Oh, that's an easy choice." The man answered,

"I have a kid in Hakumai."

" I have a wife in Ringo!"

"If kaido gets taken down, they can live happily ever after!"

"That would be great! It's gonna be a good country!"

"Are you guys crazy, you damn samurai?! That means you're all gonna die!"

"That's fine." Said hyogoro, "Straw Hat, and (Y/N)-san! Kick kaido's ass with all your might!" Everyone cheered. Kid and law heard the samurai cheering.

The building is falling apart. "I don't wanna die! I don't wanna die!" Usopp screamed as he ran, "ow, ow, ow!" Hemlet yelled and also ran. "I don't wanna die!" Usopp yelled.

"The flames!" Hemlet yelled, "Don't give up, You fool! I'm not gonna die!" Usopp scream. Usopp ran through the flames, "Mister!" Hemlet yelled.

"I'm gonna survive no matter what!" Usopp yelled, "You're the best!" Hemlet yelled. Then, Usopp was splashed by the big water, so as Hemlet. "Water!" Usopp yelled.

"Kiku! Kin'emon! I'm not gonna give up!" Usopp yelled. At the wano place, everyone looked at the sky to see Sky Boat high up in the air.

You and luffy remember people voices and what their dreams is.

"To be able to drink clean water."

"I want to see my mother again."

"May my children grow up happily."

"For grandpa to get better."

So many people dream, you and luffy want them to be happy.

"You can do it!"

"Straw Hat-san!"

"(Y/N)-san!"

"Defeat kaido!"

"Straw Hat and (Y/N), you two truly amazing..." said hyogoro, remembering the words you and luffy said.

"We made a promise! We'll make this country a place where she can eat as much as she wants! We're here to take down kaido!"

"And we'll protect the weak"

"This battle... is not only meant to take down kaido... to take back... the country that stood still 20 years ago, we fought... if we can bring smiles back... to our families, our children, and our country," said hyogoro.

"We..." Hyogoro, watch the samurai cheering you and luffy telling you to defeat kaido. Hyogoro chulked, "Hey, (Y/N)! Straw Hat! A new dawn will surely come to Land of Wano. Right?! I can hear... your voice!" Hyogoro yelled.

"What are you two doing? Straw Hat? Why aren't you coming down?" Kaido ask, then a thunder strike. Kaido looked up at the sky and saw a large shadow.

"Stop! Onigashima!" Momonosake yelled, holding the kaido flame clouds. "Hey, momo!" The sound of luffy, Momonosake look at the sky.

Momonosake was shocked. A large big hand feist, "Let's finish this up! Shall we?!" You yelled. It revealed that luffy makes his fist larger, and you got larger with your shadows monster.

"Onigashima is in the way! Move it!" Luffy yelled, kaido chulked. "Look at that... they can destroy the whole onigashima." Said yamato, "Stop! Wait, luffy, (Y/N)! I still cannot -" as Momonosake was about to say something.

"Momo!" Luffy yelled, "we trust you!" You said, smiling. Momonosake was surprised, remembering his mother's smile. Momonosake has a tear on his eyes.

EPISODE 1075! Boy, it will take me a while to write this...

"Look at the size of that... they can destroy the whole onigashima!" Yamato yelled. Kaido was shocked to see. He knows he will get defeated from your attacks.

"Momo! Move onigashima out of our way!" You scream. "Do not do it, (Y/N), luffy!" Momonosake scream, "you can do it, right, momo?!" Luffy asks.

"Wait! Move onigashima out of your way?" Momonosake asks, he look at onigashima and the wano. He isn't quite, he can move onigashima.

"I... I can't do it!" Momonosake scream, kaido watch as luffy still holding his chest and look at you and luffy.

"Let's settle this!" Luffy yelled, but kaido got an idea. 'I got it.' He thought 'bring it on.', kaido mouth started to flame. And it burned Luffy hand, luffy let go of his hand.

"That burns!" He yelled, luffy blow at his hand. "That right!" Kaido yelled, you and luffy look at kaido, "you don't have to grab me! I'm not gonna run away!" Said kaido.

Kaido body cover with flames, "You know something, Straw Hat? 20 years ago, a hero of this country was burned to death! Since then, this country has been lawless! You guys are the heroes that they've been waiting 20 years for!" Said kaido.

Kaido Flys up, making himself bigger. "Flame Dragon Torch!" He yelled. "You're not going to throw your powers. Because you two gonna melt away." He said.

"We see about that!" You scream, yamato was surprised to see that the onigashima skeleton horn has been broken. And it falls towards her and Momonosake. They move away from the horn.

Kaido laughed. Burning luffy and you, "luffy! (Y/N)!" Yamato yelled. "We're... not gonna melt!" Luffy yelled, "I learned from the old man how to throw a punch without even more punch" he said.

'You call it haki, but we call it Ryuo in the land of wano. Don't strain yourself! Allow the unused Haki in your body to flow to your fist!'

"We're gonna knock you down to the abyss!" Luffy yelled.

"Gum-Gum..."

"Menacing Moonraze..."

"Rising Dragon!"

"Bajrang... Gun!" Luffy throws his fist at kaido.

"... Maelstrom!" Your turn to light skin. Menacing Moonraze Maelstrom:

"Flame Bagua!" Kaido yelled, then an impact of flash. Yamato was shocked. You and luffy try all your strength and power.

Inside of the castle, Usopp gasped as he finally survived from drowning. "What? What's going on?!" He yelled as he felt an impact grumble. Everyone felt it, too.

"What's happening out there?!"

"Is it (Y/N) and Straw Hat-san?!"

"Straw Hat!"

"It must be them!"

"I think it's Straw Hat, (Y/N)-san!"

"(Y/N)-san!"

"Straw Hat-san!"

"Go!"

"Please, Straw Hat, (Y/N)-san!"

"Go, (Y/N)-san!"

"Please, Straw Hat, man!"

"Take him down!"

"Please!"

"I'm begging you! Please!"

Kawamatsu rember oden say to them.

'I'm counting on you guys!'

'Run! To kuri!'

A loud shot bang.

'Oden... sama!'

'Don't look back!'

'Run!'

'Haha! It's easy to guess where the samurai are heading!'

'It's kuri!'

'The Kozuki Clan's heir is at the castle! Kill them all! Eradicate the Kozuki Clan!'

'Exterminate! Exterminate them!'

'He had a child?'

'I'll go finish things up.'

'Stop! Don't mess with the Kozuki Clan anymore!'

'Move!'

'Hahaha! You can shoot whoever stands against the shogun!'

'Hahaha! Witness how deep the kurozumi clan's grudge is! Take this!'

'Suffer!'

'You stupid Kozuki Clan admirers!'

'What happened to oden wife?!'

'We confirmed her death in Bakura town!'

'No one else escaped from Oden Castle.'

'Haha! Now the Kozuki Clan is gone! So you Daimyo, choose! Whether to enliven our Land of Wano...'

'You know what we'll say... that's nonsense question! The Kozuki Clan is our only shogun!'

'Avenge Oden!'

'Protect the land of wano to the end!'

'Don't be afraid of the enemies! Charge!'

Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. But I'm going skip of the story this cause it hurting my feelings when I watchand I don't wanna write it . And is it okay for guys how you love this story.

Hiyori stab orochi, "komurasaki! Everything was exactly as I wanted it! You started working at the Pleasure Hall of your own will, you slut!" Orochi yelled.

"Do you wanna get your revenge on me that much? Stop playing the victim! I still remember my grudge against the Kozuki Clan and what they did to me! What you're doing is the same as what they did to me! I'll kill everyone who rebels against me!"

"I'm not gonna just die! Komurasaki! I'll take you with me! Let's drink together again in the next life!" Orochi yelled as he ran toward hiyori. "Those eyes!" Orochi scream, remembering oden eyes.

"Stop!" He yelled. And orochi is dead, I hate that mf.

'Move onigashima out of the way? What should I do? I was right... I can't do it! I can't! I tried many times, but I could not do it!' Momonosake thought, then he heard someone called his name.

'Momonosake! Leap 20 years into the future and rebuild the Kozuki Clan!'

'Mother!'

'Don't worry. I know you can do it. Your hard work and dedication will touch everyone.'

'Hiyori!'

'Father!'

'I'm counting on you'

Momonosake cries as he hears his father, counting on him. "I have to hold on now! Or I will bring shame to the Kozuki Clan!" He yelled.

"Momonosake-kun!" Yamato yelled, Momonosake hit his head, "Everyone is believing in me! I am not going to give up!" Momonosake yelled.

Usopp heard a loud explosion. "There! There they are! Kin'emon! Kiku! You're still alive, right?! Don't ever die! Don't you ever die!" Usopp yelled.

The samurai was on their knees, praying for you and luffy.

"Please, Straw Hat, (Y/N)..."

"Take down, kaido!"

"If only kaido were gone!"

"Please... (Y/N), Straw Hat..." said hyogoro, "our 20 years battle... until kaido is gone... it will never end!" Kawamatsu yelled.

You and luffy are still struggling to defeat kaido.

PART 4 COMING UP!!!!

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (41867 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth Chapters: 11/?

Summary: In the aftermath of the raid on Onigashima everything changes. The path to the One Piece is a course that can only be charted by those who agree to join together as friends and fight without taking the easy way out.

catch up here.

-

Captain Luffy had gathered the whole crew together in one room for breakfast– a common activity on the ship, but one that was rarer while they were on land, and hadn't happened at all until now since they'd arrived on Wano. Everyone had been so busy.

Nami watched the crowd tear into their breakfast, her own half eaten in front of her as she took her time digesting exactly what she’d been told about what went down during the end of the fight with Kaidou.

Despite the heavy news, most seemed to be trying to keep in good spirits. Carrot seemed perhaps conflicted, and Vivi had a pensive expression as she poured a savory sauce on her rice even as she smiled and chattered away about being ‘excited to hit the sea again’.

Nami was dubious. Honestly… Luffy? Possessed by some kind of spirit? Her Luffy? Straw Hat Luffy the Pirate? It was absurd. 

But Luffy did look– well, pensive might not have been the right word, but maybe frustrated. "I'm not going to try to pretend it isn't something that I'm worried about," he'd said. "But I know I can count on everybody here to help me with… whatever it was."

There had been a general murmur of agreement from around the table. Nami heard Usopp mutter something about how being a god was supposed to be his gimmick, anyway. It was probably meant to be a joke, but who knew with Usopp.

"Doctor Chopper and I have taken blood samples," Caesar said, wringing his hands together. Having him on the crew was still odd to her, and she wouldn’t say she forgave him for the shit he pulled with those kids on Punk Hazard…but she was almost starting to get used to him. Almost. "But we won't be able to properly interpret them without the equipment on the ship."

"We're gonna start getting ready today," Luffy nodded. "So it's alright if you two just go back. I want to be gone before they have this parade that's supposed to be happening."

“Okay, Captain!” Chopper chirped as he nibbled on an omelet. “Caesar and I’ll get a head start back to the ship.”

Carrot tilted her head back and forth in thought, her furry brow furrowed in thought. “You think we can slip away before that? I know people are gonna be ah…really excited about it.”

Nami glanced at Robin, who’d remained quiet through most of the meal, before she rubbed her temples. Whatever it was, it wouldn’t get the better of Luffy…and leaving town before he was hailed as a hero would only help. If this thing was so ‘heroic’ inside him, it’d only be fed by that kind of shit, right?

Luffy waved a hand. "They can be excited without me, right? I usually love parties but I don't feel like it right now."

Zoro, despite having an ice pack on his head, reached across the table for a bottle of sake. "Honestly it's not even like the people are hailing us as the heroes. All I've heard is people whispering about gods. And the red scabbards of course."

Sanji snorted softly. “Good for the scabbards, genuinely. I’m a little less pleased our hard work’s bein’ chalked up to divinity and not the bullshit we went through to come out the other side.”

Robin sighed quietly, her eyes closed as she ate. “They can whisper about what they wish out of our earshot as we sail away, don’t you think? It won’t affect us once we’re away from its walls.”

Nami didn’t exactly feel hungry anymore as she poked at her morning meal, looking up at the conversation. Honestly, from what she gathered, even some of the scabbards and their retinue were feeling a little lost after the victory. She’d seen O-Kiku wandering in a haze the other day. And Otama had begged her to talk to Luffy about her joining the crew mere hours after she woke up from her over-exerted slumber.

Gods and the Red Scabbards indeed. 

"Let's sail tomorrow morning, then," Luffy said, nodding. 

He looked around the table, his eyes lingering on each of them. On her, Zoro, Sanji, Usopp, Chopper, Robin, Franky, Vivi, Carrot, Jinbei and Caesar. The crew had grown so much larger since they left the East Blue. 

She remembered when it was just her, Zoro and Luffy…and then Luffy kept adding crewmates, gathering them one by one until the rogues gallery of the World Government’s Most Wanted sat chattering around the breakfast table. 

"Is that enough time for everybody to do what they need to before we go? I have to check on what Traffy and Jaggy are doing but besides that, I'm ready to go."

Maybe it was a little sad. Luffy had really taken to Wano when they'd arrived on the island, but now Nami could tell he'd soured on it considerably.

They’d all taken to Wano when they’d arrived. It was a nice place, comfortable and interesting, full of people that they’d come to care for in various ways.

But the way things ended against Kaidou? She could see why it left a bad taste in Luffy’s mouth. She sighed before she nodded. “Tomorrow morning, huh? Yeah. We can finish shopping and saying goodbyes by then.”

Vivi tilted her head to the side with a curious smile. “Do you know if Yamato decided if he was coming with us or not, Captain? I haven’t seen him at all since the day before yesterday.” 

Luffy shook his head. "I haven't seen him either. If anybody does, can you find out if he's comin'? I don't want to leave him behind."

Nami saw the way Luffy's intense dark eyes lingered on Vivi— surely he was remembering leaving her behind, the first time.

Robin nodded to Luffy. “I’ll make sure someone goes looking for him, just in case.”

Carrot fidgeted before she spoke up “I gotta say goodbye to Inuarashi and Nekomamushi. Theyteia— they seemed like they were gonna try to convince me to come back to Zou last time we talked, and I want to set the record straight.” 

Luffy nodded at Carrot and smiled widely– one of his first smiles of the morning.. "Okay. We'll come looking for you if you vanish, Carrot. That's a threat!"

Zoro chuckled. "You never change."

Sanji slapped the table with a laugh. “Persistent bastard!”

She couldn’t help but smile, leaning on her hand. She caught Robin smiling too— they both knew the lengths their captain would go to keep a crewmate by his side.

Carrot sighed with relief, only a moment before catapulting herself across the table to tackle hug him with a grin, nuzzling his cheek. “Garchu! Thank you, Captain!” 

Luffy happily returned the snuggle, wrapping himself around her with his stretchy arms and legs

"Any time. You're part of the crew, and I'm not letting that change. Same goes for the rest of you!" He leaned his head on Carrot's shoulder as he looked around at all of them. "Any more business?"

Franky scratched his chin. "If the Doctors C are heading back to the Sunny, I'll go too. I'd better make sure she's ready to sail."

“Yay!” Chopper grinned widely as he clapped his hands together.

Robin rubbed her chin. 

“...I’m going to pay my respects to a few people.” she murmured quietly “Get in some last minute study, and some new books for my library. I will not be able to return here for some time, after all.” 

Nami tilted her head to the side. “Cap, are you gonna be sayin’ goodbye to anyone or are you running to the ship as soon as you’re done with Law and Kid?” 

Luffy cocked his head too-far in imitation of her, and gave a thoughtful expression. "Is there anyone you think I should say goodbye to? Who won't try to convince me to stay for the parade?"

She laughed into her hand. “Why are you asking me, Luffy? Geeze.” 

He leaned over from Carrot to smoodge over Nami instead, grinning brightly now. "Because sometimes I keep my important thoughts in the same place I keep all my money, Nami. Your pockets!"

Zoro snorted a laugh, covering his mouth to stop from spitting out his sake. "He's kind of got you there."

Nami laughed out loud, looping an arm around him with a huff. “You moron. Guess I’ll hold the important thoughts then. Otama was looking for you a few days ago. And you might wanna take some time to grab anything you think you might miss. Most of the Scabbards…they will probably try and getcha to stay. But I guess if you wanna say goodbye you can be sneaky about it, yeah?” 

He punched his fist into his hand. "Oh yeah, Otama! And I should check on Otoko too before we leave. You guys said you worked out a cure for the SMILE fruits, right?"

Caesar grinned that wide, twisted grin of his. "That's right. Don't worry, captain, it'll all be taken care of. Right, Doctor Chopper?"

Chopper flashed a bright smile , as he companionably jumped up to pat him on the shoulder. “That's right! We even had our first successful patient! We’re planning on taking care of Otoko, and then showing the local doctors what they need for a mass treatment!” 

"That's great!" Luffy slapped his hands on the table. "It's all set then. One more day on Wano, and then we're back at sea!"

One more day in Wano, and they’d be back to the chaotic sea. She’d be back to her maps and her instruments as they ventured ever deeper into the Grand Line.

She couldn’t stop the huge grin that crossed her face. Wano was lovely, it was true…but Nami could never say no to the deep blue sea.

“Aye aye, captain.” 

-

O-Kiku could tell that her new captain was in a good mood this morning. He was smiling when he said, around the table that included her, Otama, Speed,-- and the men she'd been introduced to as Basil and Killer– "Looks like we can leave this shithole whenever we want now, eh?"

Otama laughed cheerfully, nearly spilling her tea as she looked up at him “Looks like! Excited, Speed? I’ve been wonderin’ what things are like out there.”

Speed blinked for a moment, brushing her two-toned hair away from her eyes with an amused snort. “Shithole huh? Yeah, I’m kind of excited. It’s been a long damn time since I’ve been to the world outside.”

O-Kiku was still getting used to seeing the horse-woman sitting around the table…the ‘SMILE’ fruit users so very different from those gifted with animal transformation spells— fruits— or the Mink. She carefully tried to pour herself some tea with one arm as she nodded to Kid.

“So we should get everything packed straight away, then?” 

"Damn right," Kid nodded. "Have to hash out some final details with Law and Straw Hat and then we'll put our sheets to the wind. Not having second thoughts, are you?"

The captain this morning was attached at the hip to Killer, whom O-Kiku had seen briefly before, but only masked. Today his face was stern and visible– well, some of it, anyway, under a mop of blond hair

He too regarded O-Kiku with a curious look.

Basil quietly ate his breakfast, though the man kept sneaking looks at the two men with an almost pleased edge to his usually somber expression.

O-Kiku met where she imagined Killer’s eyes were, shaking her head slowly as she lowered the kettle with a soft hiss of pain. “Hardly having second thoughts, Captain. In fact, seeing you in such fine spirits only bolsters my resolve.”

It was in no small part to Killer. The formally masked man with his stern jaw and unruly hair was interesting…especially when she knew he was responsible for the good captain’s much improved mood. “This one is happy to see you healed up, Killer-san.”

Otama blinked , the young woman huffing softly as she adjusted her kimono. “...dunno why I’d have second thoughts now.” 

"Good then." Kid's grin hitched even wider. "You should take care of any business you have as soon as possible. I don't want any delays when we're ready to sail."

"Anything anybody needs a hand with?" the taciturn killer spoke up.

Even as Otama shook her head, O-Kiku raised her hand to indicate her missing arm. 

“Apropos turn of phrase, I suppose. There is something I could use some help with, as well as something I must do.” Her eyes lidded “I need a new sword…a good sword. My blade shattered in the battle, and the replacement is of shoddy make. I…this one needs to bury her brother. And this one needs to do something to ensure her use to your crew.” 

Both Killer and Kid turned their gazes to her. Killer seemed about to speak, but Kid spoke first and he fell silent.

"Good point," the captain said, his eyes falling on her missing arm. Perhaps reflexively, the metal fingers on his scrap-arm curled. "If you're a swordswoman, you'll need a good sword. What else do you need."

She smiled, quite genuinely before it fell from her face. “I need to find someone willing to make a prosthetic of some sort— or something of its nature. If for nothing else, this one’s balance is completely thrown off, and retraining my center of gravity will take time I imagine we do not have.” 

Kid nodded. "There are options. You don't have a devil fruit to make up for it, unlike Basil and me. But you're the third of us in the crew to be down one."

"Should I cut mine off, captain?" Killer drawled. Kid gave him a look, and he smirked thinly under his head. "Never mind."

Otama laughed , before clapping her hand over her mouth, and O-Kiku couldn’t help the small chuckle either.

“Please don’t. It seems to be rather common in this crew.” Basil mused “a little overplayed, perhaps.”

O-Kiku held up her hand. “It'd be one thing if I had a sorcery to compensate, or the time to train myself to fight one-armed…but if there’s something I can do, I would like to do it before we leave.” 

"I'll bring it up when I speak to Trafalgar and Straw Hat," he said. "There might be something I can pull from one of them. If not, I can make you a mechanical replacement."

“Oh….Luffy’s got some clever guys on his crew!” Otama chimed in, “maybe they’ll be able to do something!”

“Or Trafalgar Law, the Surgeon…” Basil looked up from his meal.

O-Kiku smiled again, her hand over her mouth. “Thank you, all of you. No matter which route we take…mechanical or otherwise…you have this one’s gratitude.” 

"Good," Kid nodded. "Let's not waste any time then."

-

The meeting between the trio of pirate captains was neither as long as the one the day before, nor as emotionally fraught. It was almost immediately decided that they'd each pick a different one of the three directions on the log pose and make their own attempts at the end of the Grand Line and the One Piece as, as Luffy insisted, friendly rivals.

The One Piece wasn’t exactly Law’s goal, but he was amicable to the whole plan anyway. The end of the grand line offered fascinating possibilities— medicines never before seen, old techniques lost to time and distance, answers to old questions…

And most importantly of all, something to think about aside from how that shitshow in Dressrosa turned out. So he picked his direction on the pose and vowed to see them all at the end of the road. 

"Glad we could work that out," Kid grumbled, his shockingly good mood deeply apparent. "Since we're all such good friends, I did have something to ask on behalf of one of my new crewmen."

Luffy, sitting on the table with his legs crossed, rocked back and forth. "Oh?"

“Wow, you’ve sure come around to this friendship thing,” Law drawled as he grinned Kid’s way. “Shoot.” 

Kid snorted and shook his head– but he didn't protest. That really spoke to his good mood.

"O-kiku, the swordswoman, has joined onto my crew. She lost an arm in the battle at Onigashima. I could provide a prosthetic for her, but I thought it worth asking if either of you had a more favorable solution."

Law’s eyes widened. “Wait, hold on. O-Kiku’s joined your crew? Wasn’t she one of the Scabbards? I thought they were all as loyal to the crown as they come?” 

Luffy meanwhile grinned widely. "Oh man, she's gonna be a pirate?"

Kid shrugged. "Take it up with her if you disbelieve me. I've taken on several new crew members as it happens."

Law scratched his chin.

“Huh. Several eh? Well you know what? Good for her, you lucky bastard.” He tented his fingers thoughtfully “I could replace her arm, easy.” 

"What's the catch?" he asked immediately.

Law stared him down for a moment. ‘What’s the catch’, like nothing good ever happened without a price. He was about to counter that when he thought it over for a moment and grimaced in agreement.

Nothing good ever did. Luckily, this was an easy ‘catch’ to deal with.

“I’ll need an arm. Preferably one that’s similar to hers so it doesn’t throw her off.” 

"Hmm…" Kid smirked. "Well, I have an idea for that, then."

-

"I'm glad Jaggy decided to get along," Luffy said, beaming widely as he followed Law through the corridor. Kid had gone to make the proposal to his new crewmate, and they'd meet up, supposing that she agreed.

“It’s a miracle, Straw Hat. It’s a Wano Miracle,” Law snickered as he tromped along the hall with his hands behind his head. “I guess we really made an impact on the guy, saving his first mate.” 

Luffy's smile grew a little more thoughtful and tender. "Guess so. That's the kind of thing that makes people friends, huh? That and beating somebody up together."

Law looped an arm around him with a huff. “With you? Absolutely. You make it have a kinda…something. Charm?” 

"A charm?" Luffy paused for a moment and looked confused as he leaned into Law's arms.. Then he grinned and grabbed the brim of his hat. "It must be this!"

Law had no idea whether he was making a joke, or completely serious.

He stared at him for a perplexed moment, his eyes squinting slightly and his mouth just a touch agape as he tilted his head to the side “....”

He snorted and smirked down at him. “Yeah , it’s the hat. You’re right.” 

Luffy snickered and Law had just enough time to realize he was absolutely joking before he threw his arms around his shoulders and pulled him into a kiss.

His face burned red as he caught himself stumbling, and wound up pressing Luffy to the wall with their lips entwined in a kiss.

The people of Wano would have a fucking heart attack if they saw this. 

Luffy of course, almost certainly wouldn't care even if it registered to him how inappropriate it would be to be seen like this. He ground his rubbery body against Law for a moment before breaking the kiss and looking up at him with his too-intense dark eyes.

"I'm gonna miss you while we're separate."

Law felt flushed, but he drew Luffy closer to him with a soft huff of breath and a fond edge to his smile. “Yeah… I’m gonna miss you too, Luffy. You and that ‘charm’ of yours.” 

"It's too bad we can't sail together," he murmured, wrapping his arms all the way around him. "It'll be fun to compete though, right?"

“Heh, I know I couldn’t sway you from your crew, Straw Hat. And mine’s pretty important to me too.” He gave him a firm squeeze, letting his hand rest against the back of his head.

“Maybe when we get a little deeper in the grand line we can make an excuse to have our ships nearby, eh? Until then it’ll be a blast…competition breeds success right? I think someone said that once.” 

"Maybe," Luffy giggled. He looked up at him with wide eyes. "Are you excited? I don't think I ever heard you talk about the one piece before."

Law smirked as he leaned down to rest his chin on top of his head. 

“I’m gonna be honest with you, Straw Hat. I’ve got more interest in the end of the grand line than the One Piece. There could be all sorts of medical knowledge hiding in the roughest seas.” He scooped him closer. “But if it lights a fire under your ass for the huge ridiculous treasure trove from hell? Yeah. I”ll challenge you head on for it.” 

Luffy grinned wider and shimmied to wrap his legs around Law now as well, nuzzling his face against his neck. "We'll race for it. And I'll beat you for sure. You'll be impressed."

“I’m sure my heart’ll skip a beat.” Law smirked down at him. “Might even throw myself at you.” Despite his deadpan drawl, he did flush a little under his trimmed beard. 

"Will you swoon?" Luffy teased. He reached up and tugged the short hairs on his chin.

“What if I do?” Law looked down at him as his arm looped around Luffy’s waist. 

"Hmmm, good question. I might have to catch you." He chuckled and kissed Law's lips.

Law’s laugh was smothered by the kiss, but he held the rival captain tight as he deepened it.

It wasn’t a lie at all…he really was going to miss the troublesome Straw Hat. In the months that they’d had their un-described but clearly present relationship, he’d found himself quite attached.

-

In the sea of the New World a gaudy ship flies two standards. Its gaudy captain hums as he stoops into the communications room and puts his hand on the back of one of the chairs where a pair of his officers are situated.

One, a blond young man with an eager, intense grin listens in on stray transponder communications. The other, a dark haired mature beauty stares off into the distance with haunting eyes.

"Anything to report?"

“We are in luck,” the beauty mused in a voice as far away as her stare “Crocodile has captured Smoker and his cadre as planned with the marines none the wiser.”

The young man snickered softly, listening in. “They’re still blabbing about troop formations"

"So he actually pulled it off." The long, lanky captain crossed his arms over the back of the chair, leaning over the woman's shoulder. "I guess I owe him a drink after all. I thought I was the charismatic one."

“It would seem with short tempered marines, Crocodile strikes a sort of ‘like attracts like’ chord.” The woman chuckled low under her breath, causing the blond to break out in a tittering giggle.

"You know, I can see it," the captain chuckled. "We should probably all be glad he never became a marine. Anything else I should know about?"

“That ugly motherfucker is sailing this way!” the blond tittered, to which the dark haired woman sighed and clarified.

“Blackbeard is headed towards this sector of the sea, but we don’t know his destination. He hasn’t said it within my range.” 

"Tight lipped bastard," the captain huffed. He pats the woman on the cheek. "Keep an eye on him, would you, sweetheart?"

She nuzzled gently against his hand with a fond smile. “Anything for you, Captain. You’ll hear the moment he slips up.” 

"Good girl," he said, kissing her head before standing fully. He put his hand fondly on the top of the other's head. "And you, too. Keep your ears out for anything the marines are saying."

The blond tittered and flashed a wicked smile at him. “But of course~~. But I want the chance to kill a few if we run into ‘em!” 

"We run into the marines, you can kill as many of them as you like, Derringer. You too, Violet." Doflamingo chuckled. "After all, it's open season thanks to Cross Guild."

Derringer cackled , his hands clapping together eagerly “I can’t wait to get some blood on my new shoes! Dunno if I’ve ever had this much FUN!”

Violet leaned back into her chair with a sly, fond smile up at Doflamingo. “Open season indeed. Doffy. I don’t think they’ll know what hit them.”

With a last appreciative chuckle, the captain left them to their work, walking back into the deck where his ship bore two standards. The Cross Guild, and the Donquixote Pirates.

-

If you're interested in the backstory of how Doflamingo escaped Impel Down and why Violet is with him, you can check out the completed Deicide side-story "Unbound by Blood, Stitched by Thread."

[forgottenwaters]

hey kid, you awake? you’re okay, everything’s alright now.

[otokou looks up at kappa with teary eyes, sniffling once before throwing his paws around kappa, much to his surprise.]

it was so scary, mister kappa. everything hurt so much, and it was like i wasn’t myself anymore. all i could think of was destroying, like i hated everything, i was so scared...

h-hey, it’s okay, it’s over now. it wasn’t your fault, kid. what you were feeling was all from the headless spirit, but kouemon helped get all the icky stuff out of you, and the river, too.

nn... what... what would happen if i turned into something like the headless spirit? would you have to make me disappear like the other bad spirits?

don’t worry about that. we helped you once, and we can do it again. listen, how about i stay here tonight, and in the morning you can meet up with nukue and otama?

o-okay...

[and so the night passes...]

[kasa-kunoichi]

@tsvestidiabolus​ said:

"My, my, you're a cute little one. What's your name?" @horamaru :)

She looked at the stranger with a guilty look. Master wouldn’t want her talking to strangers, and this once didn’t appear to be from Wano... On the bright side, he didn’t appear to be a Beast either! So it should be alright...

“I’m Otama.” She answered firmly. “Who are you?”

[odasballoontittyobsession]

Alright I've only just started the Wano arc but I would die for Otama

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (2627 words) by thesavagesabretooth

Summary: Realizing something is very, very wrong after the fight with Kaidou, Luffy seeks out Robin for comfort and advice. What he tells her is unsettling.

Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head.

-

The dust was settling, literally, on the end of the New Onigashima Plan– all of the lead-up and preparation culminating in one long night now already three days behind them. The Straw Hats had been resting in the capital all that time, and it was only earlier in the day that Robin had heard that their captain and his faithful swordsman had awakened.

She’d excused herself from chattering with Otama and Shinobu, smoothing her kimono as she stood and made her way through the familiar halls of their temporary residence deep within the Flower Capital.

She knew where the captain had been sleeping, though she hoped he hadn’t up and left already in his charmingly manic way. She entertained the idle thought of him hollering for meat as he raced through the capital streets, startling housewives and guards alike.

“Heheh…” She giggled into her balled fist “though it’s a pipe dream.” The battle three days prior had taken a lot out of him…even Luffy’s high spirits had a limit. 

In fact, she found him exactly where she had left him. Except instead of fitfully sleeping, having been attended by servants with damp clothes, he was voraciously eating as she imagined– attended by servants now laden instead with platters full of meat.

He paused mid bite to wave at her when he saw her approach.

“I see you found something to sate your voracious appetite, Captain.” Robin gave him a thin smile, her eyes briefly closing joyfully as she sat opposite him. “Good. They had to stop you from sleep eating three times according to O-Kiku.” 

Luffy swallowed and smiled, shaking his head. "I can't help it, I'm hungry, you know? It took a lot out of me!"

There was a twinge at the edge of the captain's bright smile that Robin didn't usually see.

“It was one of our toughest yet.” She agreed as a hand bloomed beside her captain to steal a piece of meat on the bone and pass it to herself, pointedly visible just out of the corner of his eye. “One of the most difficult too…I can tell you agree.” 

Luffy gave her an exaggeratedly betrayed look and his hand shot out to snatch the meat from her– stopping just short of 'managing'. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yeah, it was rough alright…."

The door slammed open at the back of the room, and Usopp hollered. "Luffy's awake!" More of the crew were behind him, too.

Luffy shook his head and smiled at Robin. "Maybe we can talk about it later?"

Robin raised the meat as several arms all shrugged at once, a long-suffering smile on her face “whenever we manage to peel away from the pack, Luffy. Let’s.”

Nami leaned in, the small ornaments in her hair jingling as she grinned from ear to ear. “it’s about time you woke up, you lazy excuse for a captain!” 

Luffy nodded to Robin quite seriously, and then his grin broadened, looking up at Nami. "Did you miss me that much? You could have come to nap with me!"

“And wind up a victim of your octopus arms? No thanks!” Nami teased back.

The party atmosphere really kicked off in the room, much to the servants' decorous surprise, and perhaps dismay.

Robin laughed into her hand, soft and pleased as she watched the chaos unfold. The Straw Hat crew never changed– and while she never reached quite the raucous heights her crewmates did, she was a part of the celebration all the same, even as her mind lingered on the raid on Onigashima and the difficult truths within.

-

It was almost a full day later– full of food and excitement and chatter about the upcoming festival that the capital was throwing for all the heroes– when Luffy finally came and found her alone. In fact, he took her by surprise as she was walking down a corridor taking a breather. The rubbery length of an arm snaked out from between sliding tatami doors, and tugged her toward the room.

Robin stumbled, skidding somewhat against the polished floorboards, before she allowed him to reel her in like a fish on a hook.

“Oh dear. I’ve been caught. I hope I’m not filleted.” she drawled in wry good humor.

Luffy beamed widely at her as he pulled her into a room full of cushions and low shelves that was probably someone's reading room and closed the door behind her.

"You know me, I just eat the fish whole," he teased. Whether or not he meant this suggestively, or just literally was unclear.

Three arms bloomed to loop around him as she let herself fall on the cushions by his side. “My, my. And here I thought that appetite would take a few more days to come back in force.” 

The captain wrapped his stretchy arms fully around her and more so, falling into the pillows with her. "I run on my appetite, you know?"

At least she could be certain whatever was on his mind wasn't enough to completely take away his usual cheer.

Robin leaned her head against his shoulder, her arms looped around him as tightly as his were around her. It was comfortable, the strange– and often alarming to outsiders– way that they could embrace with their powers.

“That you do. Most would wonder if it was the only thing on your mind….but not me.” she winked. 

"Most people don't think I have much room for anything else," he laughed. "I mean, they're not completely wrong but I have a few thoughts bouncing around sometimes!"

He nuzzled his nose against hers, his bright smile again tempered by something deeper and distracted.

Robin’s sharp nose brushed gently against his, her bright and serious eyes glancing up to meet his distracted stare. She shifted, and gently kissed the edge of his lips. “I can hear a few of them bouncing around even now. Clonking around in there.” 

Luffy nodded almost seriously. "You can hear them, huh? Not surprised."

“Loud and clear. It’s like they’re playing tennis in there.” Yet another hand bloomed, and reached up to start petting his hair from its spot on his shoulder. “A lot of very strange things happened, didn’t they?” 

He nuzzled his fluffy dark hair against her extra hand and nodded, biting his lip. "Yeah, a lot of strange things." He paused for a moment, and his dark eyes were distant and unreadable. "You saw me while I was fighting at all?"

Robin nodded slowly as her fingers traced through his hair. “Mmhmm. After I was finished saving Sanji from Black Maria. There were holes in the ceiling from where you and Kaidou were fighting…I caught a glimpse of something I couldn’t quite believe.” 

His voice was soft, and his question more hesitant than any question that usually came out of him. "...What did you see?"

“A blaze of white and the bonds of the natural world breaking and warping…far more than a devil fruit should warp its fabric,” she mused. “I saw something that looked like you, but not…quite…handling the King of Beasts Kaidou as if he were a toy.” 

Luffy nodded, his usually grinning mouth a firm line. "Something changed. It wasn't like my gear transformations. I know what's happening when I do those. It's hard to remember what even happened…"

“You don’t remember?” Robin asked with genuine surprise. “...I didn’t see the whole fight, but I saw enough for it to be properly burned into my memory, Luffy.” 

"I remember parts," he said, his soft jaw held tense, and sharp. "A lot of it even but… Robin…"

She watched him run his tongue over his teeth as he hesitated to continue.

Her fingers cupped his chin, rubbing along his jawline as she watched him with the slightest furrow of her brow “....Luffy. Whatever it is, you can tell me.”

He leaned into her touch, his whole body clinging to her, as tense as he ever got. "I know. But I want to make sure I say the right thing. Like, what I mean. It's… some of it didn't feel like me."

Robin’s expression grew tight. “...not…like you, Luffy?” 

"Like it was somebody else's ideas in my head," he said, the line of his mouth twisting and curling like he'd sucked a particularly difficult lemon. He seemed to grapple with exactly how to say what he meant. "I… it… they? It made me want to share the meat."

Robin knew what that meant. Her eyes widened as the implications bloomed in her mind. “They wanted you to be a hero?”

She’d heard of Zoan users slowly losing themselves to the will inside their devil fruits before. Upon awakening they’d be taken by the animal impulses and the metaphysical implications of the creature they had become. It was well documented– and a genuine threat if one didn’t have the willpower to control it.

But that was only the Zoan. Paramythia, Logia…they had no wills to overwrite you with. They were power, bringing you closer perhaps to a metaphysical concept, or in line with the metaphorical ideal of the fruit, but not changing who you were. 

He nodded solemnly. "Yeah. That was the feeling. And I think… it felt like I should kill Kaidou. That that was what would be…. best. Most heroic, I guess."

Robin shuddered against him. Kaidou was a man who had to be stopped, that much was true. His plan for taking over Wano–his ‘law of the jungle’ philosophy–the cruelties he perpetrated around the country of Wano in pursuit of his goals all spoke to that.

But she couldn’t help but imagine herself there, back in Alabasta with all she had done in the name of Crocodile, a man she still felt the twinge of fond feeling for, a man who she gladly helped up until the worst case scenario. She couldn’t help but imagine her Captain killing her and Sir Crocodile for their sins.

It’d be the heroic thing to do, perhaps.

“And this…presence…in you wanted to take the most heroic option and kill him? How strong was the urge?” 

He bit his lip. "I had to resit it. That was when I realized something was wrong. That it wasn't… me. It was like it was guiding me, but when it wanted to kill Kaidou, I remembered Speed telling us about his past, you know?"

It had been more than a week ago. Luffy had been the one to ask, and Speed had answered. Afterward, Robin had seen Luffy skipping stones on the pond quietly with Zoro standing nearby, neither of them speaking.

She knew exactly why. There was a sort of dark mirror in King and Kaidou, one that Luffy most assuredly knew well. She’d learned enough about the early days of the Straw Hats to see that. She’d watched the two for a long while before she gave them their privacy to interrogate the former Beast Pirate herself much to Otama’s frustration.

“And you were able to fight it off.” It was most assuredly an it. Whatever it was, the devil fruit or some kind of hideous possession from a yet unknown power, if Luffy had to fight it to finish the battle his way there was something deeply wrong. 

He nodded again, pressing his cheek heavily against one of her arms, squishing himself to her. "Yeah."

“Can you hear anything now trying to get you to share the meat?” She pet his hair, lovingly and tenderly as her many arms held him close. 

He nuzzled her arms again, shaking his head. "No, it's not there any more, I can't hear it. I think it was… whatever happened. The white stuff. Gear five."

“Gear Five.” she mused “which seems to be phenomenal power at a steep price.”

Her head rested against his “...Luffy, I’m concerned about what might happen if you use it again.” 

Luffy pressed his face into her neck, and twisted so that he could barely get his muffled reply out. "Me too."

Her arms squeezed him tighter. “I don’t understand why you’re starting to feel it, either…do you think it’s tied to your devil fruit like gears two through four?” 

"I don't know." He chewed thoughtfully on one of her arms for a moment. "If it was, I never noticed it before. And I practiced them a lot."

She let him chew all he wanted, soothing him with her fingers as her eyes narrowed in thought. “but this washed over you?” 

"Yeah," he nodded. "I was at my limit and it just… kind of came over me."

In a moment of weakness, when his willpower was eroded by the long and brutal fight…it took him and tried to turn him into a hero. Robin’s lips grew tight. 

“....” Her fingers dug a little into Luffy as she took several soft, sharp breaths. 

He clung to her tightly, his own fingertips digging into her in return. "I don't wanna be a hero, Robin. You know?"

“If you were a hero, you wouldn’t be our Luffy, captain,” he whispered back, clinging tighter. “...the man who saved me from my darkness wasn’t a hero– he was a pirate. A wonderful, silly pirate in a ridiculous straw hat…who understood that sometimes you have to be selfish...” 

Luffy looked up at her with his wide, dark eyes and nodded quietly. "I knew you'd understand. I don't… want to scare anybody with this stuff, but I'm worried, Robin. It scared me."

She kissed his forehead firmly.

“It’s scaring me too. But we’ll figure it out. I’ll see if I can research it, Luffy. If anything like this came up in my research into the past, or any of it.” She smiled down at him “...you know me. I’m hard to scare. I’m the scary one, right? ..I won’t let whatever this is take you.”

His bright smile returned to his face only slightly shadowed with worry, and he pressed his forehead to hers. "You're my scariest friend. And that's saying something."

“I’ll take it as a compliment then, captain.” Robin chuckled richly, her fingers finally loosening on him. “Maybe I’ll scare this thing out of you.” 

He squeezed her tightly once more and then loosened his own stretchy grip. "I bet you could. But… thank you. Just for listening."

Robin could guess why it had been her that he told, and not the rest of the crew. Luffy wasn't someone who liked to admit fear, not as a man, and not as a captain. She was the one that he trusted with that fear, and trusted that she wouldn't say anything to the others.

It reminded her in a way of someone else who had once trusted her with some of his fears– though he wouldn't have used the word trust. Rather, he probably would have said he allowed himself the risk of burdening her with his thoughts.

Crocodile.

She gently thumbed Luffy’s nose, playfully as she smiled. “You know you can talk to me any time, Luffy. Your secrets are my secrets, after all.”

Nostalgia…that was the feeling that filled her chest as she smiled down at him. Nostalgia for those days in Alabasta when Crocodile ‘burdened her with his thoughts’. His concerns, doubts and anxieties about the plans to come…in some ways, Luffy and Crocodile weren’t as different as their conflict made it appear.

And just as she felt during those hot Alabastan days, so too now did she feel the warm swell of affection as she took her Captain’s anxieties to hold and help him carry their weight. 

"I know." 

Finally, Luffy's smile had returned to full strength, worry departed as it was shared.

-

Note: This is very much meant as the beginning of a longer piece, but it stands on its own for the moment as a one-shot. Thank you for reading! <3

[the-bar-sinister]

Deicide (12394 words) by VickytheSnake, thesavagesabretooth

catch up here

Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon Rewrite, Wano Arc (One Piece) Spoilers, Possession, straw hat pirates polycule, Action/Adventure, Power of Friendship, Established Relationship, Kaidou Lives, basil hawkins lives, caesar clown joins the straw hats, Nefertari Vivi is a Member of the Straw Hat Pirates, Smart Monkey D. Luffy, Cuddly Monkey D. Luffy, Drinking, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change

Summary: Realizing something is very, very wrong after the fight with Kaidou, Luffy seeks out Robin for comfort and advice. What he tells her is unsettling.

Luffy is hearing the voice of a god, and he wants it out of his head.

-

O-Kiku had rested enough. Sure, the doctors attending her had told her otherwise– certainly, Kin and the other Scabbards begged her to heal while they took care of solidifying Momotaro’s rule as the new Shogun of Wano. But she had more than rested enough.

Her brother was dead. Gone for longer than she experienced on an adventure she couldn’t understand before he came home and died in the line of duty. A proper samurai’s death– and a silent goodbye to the sister who missed him terribly.

Her arm was severed, aching still with the thrum of missing nerves and fingers that still felt like they could grip her sword despite the fact they simply were not there. Wano was saved, but she was adrift. Sitting and pondering in silence would do nothing, so she had taken to wandering the halls on silent footfalls.

Somewhere along the way she had found Otama pacing around outside the room she knew Luffytaro was previously recuperating in. The poor thing was clearly at a loss, brow furrowed as she chewed on a few strands of her soft purple hair.

She had urged her to follow, the teenage kunoichi relenting when it became increasingly obvious the object of her nerves was bound to be tied up for a good long while. Together, they wound deeper into the stately home, a halfhearted conversation about the way Wano would soon be changing on their lips as O-Kiku continued her aimless wander…her solitary arm raised to her lips to cover the lower half of her face with her sleeve.

Did she have a place with the scabbards any longer? Their duty was done and the fight had left its mark upon her. As she looked sidelong at Otama, she wondered as well– what sort of place would the kunoichi find for herself? As the sole survivor of the Kurozumi clan, a woman of her own in her 18 years of age, what place would the scion of a house Wano declared as cursed find in their changing world?

Deep in her thoughts she nearly barreled straight into another person as they emerged roughly and suddenly from a room along the corridor. Captain Kid– one of the pirate leaders from the assault on Onigashima drew himself up and backwards as nearly collided with him, his fiery eyes blazing, metal fist clenched.

O-Kiku looked down at him with a warm smile from behind her sleeve.

“Ah. Captain Kid.” She bowed her head in greeting before tilting her head. “This one thinks perhaps you look bothered…are you quite alright?”

Otama let the strands of hair she was chewing on fall from her lips as she pointed. “You’re that metal captain! Speed told me about you!” 

"Hmph." He took another step backward, and leaned against the wall, a slice of a smile crossing his chiseled face. "'That metal captain', yes that's right."

He glanced at O-kiku with a penetrating gaze– perhaps deciding whether or not to even bother to answer her question. 

He didn't. Instead he said, "what are you doing here? Am I in your way?"

“Of course not.” O-kiku chuckled softly before lowering her sleeve with a smile. “I have no 'way' to get in the way of at the moment.”

Otama huffed, tossing her hair over her shoulder with a puff of her cheek. “I wanted to see if Luffytaro was okay, but he’s– he’s busy. So we’re just walkin’ and thinking a bit.” 

"He's busy?" Kid grimaced, and snorted with annoyance. O-kiku watched the complicated fingers of his metal hand shift and click. "There goes my 'way' too then." 

“Ahhh…” O-kiku folded her arm around her stomach, an old gesture now missing its other hand as she ducked lower to try and properly meet Kid’s eye level, making herself small for the comfort of another. Something she’d often done in the past. “You were planning on seeing him?”

“He’s kissing Law.” Otama said glibly, giving O-kiku a start. 

Kid choked and his face turned as red as his hair for a moment, looking away. 

"Oh so that's what they're up to. I guess I won't bother for some time then." His lip curled for a moment before he composed himself, smothering his expression back into a hard line. "I was planning to see him. Business about our alliance."

O-kiku’s brow furrowed for a moment before she tilted her head. “This one has heard of that…it wasn’t just for the Pirate-Mink-Samurai Alliance? You’re going to stay allied when you leave Wano?” 

"I intended that to be the topic of discussion," he said, inclining his chin. "I have some guesses what Law intends. Straw Hat however, is a mystery."

“Luffytaro is a bit of a mystery , isn’t he? Unpredictable,” O-kiku mused with a shake of her head.

Otama ran her hand through her hair, smoothing it away from her face with another on her hip “and here I was gonna try and convince him to let me sail with him again.”

O-kiku’s eyes widened. Wano was to be re-sealed for a time before it finally opened its borders…at the moment, it was still illegal to sail away…

Like her brother and Oden had. 

Kid raised his eyebrows, his gaze immediately drawn to the teenage kunoichi. "You're planning to turn pirate, then?"

Otama shrugged her shoulders. 

“Yeah, I was talking to Speed about it…and I’d talked to Luffytaro about it a little too but…” She trailed off, and flashed a bright smile at him “I’ve seen the good pirates can do first hand, you know? I’d love to be just like them– I’m a kunoichi, which means I’ve got the skills to make myself useful on a ship, as well as being a rudimentary seamstress and hatter!”

O-kiku was struck for a moment before she found her voice. “This one is surprised to hear you say that, Otama…you’re really thinking of running off to be a pirate?”

Kid snorted, his shoulders squared up against the wall, and he clicked the fingers of his metal arm again, looking off down the hall. "You're not the only one surprised about this. Speed was with the beast pirates, wasn't she? I'd think she'd tell you what pirates are really like. We aren't all do-gooders."

O-kiku’s dark eyes flicked down, her hand reaching up to rub the pained stump of her shoulder. “No, they aren’t all do-gooders. My brother told me a little of the life he’d had in the moments before I lost him again. This one understands it’s a life of combat and strife.”

“Well…yes.” Otama crossed her arms. “Speed told me all about that too, ya know? How the Beast Pirates were pillaging and ravaging Wano…I even saw a lot of that firsthand! But…at the same time, don’t you think there’s unique good that can only be done by people like you, Captain Kid? Pirates…who ain’t beholden by the laws of society an’ propriety?"

"Sure," Kid smirked meanly. "The laws of society and propriety are just there to serve the world government and let them be the ones to pillage and ravage without resistance. Pirates at least are honest about it. "

“Exactly!” Otama put her finger to her cheek with a radiant smile. “And I like that sort of honesty. Wano..”

O-kiku wondered just how she’d meant to finish that statement. Her own mind filled in thoughts, feelings. Both nostalgic and stifling as they flickered through her mind– she pressed her hand to her head with a shake of her head. “Did you know this one’s brother was a pirate, Captain Kid? I don’t know if you were there to hear that.” 

Kid shrugged. "I don't remember if I was. I've had a lot on my mind. Your brother was a pirate? What drove him to sea?"

“Chasing after our daimyo, frankly.” O-kiku laughed as she shifted on her feet. “He’d gotten it into his head to explore the world outside our walls…and he wound up dragged behind the ship of a pirate named Whitebeard…”

She closed her eyes. “This one’s brother joined his crew in his attempt to protect our daimyo, even after Oden came home from Roger’s ship. I think there was something about the life that called to him.” 

"Something like getting off this rock of an island?" Kid laughed cruelly and ran the fingers of his flesh hand through his hair. "This place with all its rules and codes and hierarchies and politenesses? I can't imagine how anyone wouldn't feel smothered here. I'm looking forward to sailing away."

Otama nodded with wide eyes. 

“I love a lot about my country…and I love my people, and being a kunoichi…but..well.” She chewed her nail “it can be stifling, especially when people start looking at you different due to the consequences of your birth.”

O-kiku’s fingers tightened against her wounded shoulder. “...Captain Kid? Might this one ask if we can sit down for a moment?” 

Kid's expression was somewhere between a grin and a sneer. "Surprised you want to keep talking to me. Sure, why don't we go sit down somewhere. Maybe we can have a drink."

After the encounter in the hall, Kid had followed along after O-Kiku and Otama for that drink. He was, as he had expressed, surprised they were still interested in his company. Usually after a few minutes of his rough demeanor people were looking for any reason to leave– especially he'd noticed– the polite people of Wano.

Otama followed apparently without a care in the world, unbothered by his demeanor entirely. O-kiku the samurai however seemed to have something heavy on her mind with the way her delicate fingers clasped over her mouth and the furrow of her brow.

She hunched, bending down more to his level as she shuffled just in front of him out into the street. A moment later, she pointed towards a hunched series of wooden shops ridged with flapping banners. “There's a bar down that way…one that is likely not to be heavily populated at this time of day.” 

"Less heavily populated suits me," Eutsass grinned. "Fewer people means fewer possibilities someone will piss me off without Killer around to cool me down."

Killer. His first mate. His best friend. His emotional support masked man. Despite his name, it was often Killer who stayed Kid's hand when he was charged up. And for the moment, he was out of commission

O-kiku chuckled quietly before she slipped on some footwear and started walking with visible exhaustion towards the bar. She probably should have been out of commission too, it was clear she was pushing herself.

Otama however turned to look up at him with wide eyes. “Do you get pissed off a lot?” 

"Constantly." He grinned nastily at her as he followed along. Maybe he was trying to scare her a little. Hearing that she was thinking of turning pirate was interesting– but the idea that she thought of pirates as potentially some kind of force for justice, rather than what they were– people who did what they wanted and took for themselves– set his teeth on edge.

O-kiku stopped before a wooden door, sliding it open across the street and gesturing them inside as Otama half circled Kid to look at him with her hand on her chin.

“Have I pissed you off yet?” the teenage kunoichi asked with a tilt of her head. 

"You're still breathing, aren't you?" he smirked. "I'm in a generous mood today."

Kid swaggered into the bar and didn't even bother to look around before he sat down. As long as there were drinks, it didn't matter to him what the place looked like. He was hoping to get out of Wano soon enough anyway. He was hoping not to get attached to their aesthetics.

The girl behind the counter startled, looking for a moment deeply afraid before O-kiku waved her down and ordered a run of sake for the group.

After that Otama popped herself down at the strip of polished wood ringed by cushions, her legs folded under herself as she laughed. “Gosh, a pirate in a generous mood huh?”

O-kiku sat opposite her, hand once more on her missing arm’s stump as she looked up at Kid with a half smile. “Do you dislike Wano, Captain Kid?” 

He sneered again, and let his true feelings spill from his lips. "I dislike the national character. The country is beautiful. The aesthetics are charming. Its people are sheep. Brave sheep, a few of them."

Otama tilted her head to the side, pursing her lips. “Kind of a broad statement to make, mister Kid.”

O-kiku accepted the sake from the waitress, who’s eyes were boring into Kid with a barely restrained disgust.

She poured the alcohol with one hand into a series of cups, and placed it down before handing him his with a low chuckle. “This one supposes she can see what you mean. Our ways must be stifling to an outsider used to unrestrained expression, freedom of a sort.” 

Kid sneered back at the waitress before accepting the alcohol from O-Kiku and taking a long drink.

"The 'way of life' on the island I was born on was too stifling for me, samurai," he said, taking another long drink. "And it was a lot less rigid than yours. There's a reason I took to the sea rather than stay at home."

“And did the sea hold the freedom and purpose you were searching for?” O-kiku asked as she picked up her own drink and raising it to her lips.

Otama took her own, sniffing it before taking a hesitant sip. 

"No question," he said, watching Otama and her drink. How old was the kid anyway? 15? 16? Older than he'd been when he set to sea, or younger? He wondered if she'd ever drunk before or was just doing what the 'big kids' she was following around were doing. "I feel alive as a pirate in a way I never felt before I left home. I take what I want. I kill people who need killing. My crew fights for me, and I fight for my crew."

Otama looked up at him with a tilt of her head, before she seemed to stare him down just as hard as he was staring at her. She tipped the drink down with a slight shudder. 

“...you know most people in Wano couldn’t get sake except during festivals?” she murmured before she looked up at him. “So you’re tightly knit…like a band of samurai! And you’re living the way that makes you happy!” 

The idea that they were killing people, stealing from people…either didn’t seem to faze her, or went over her head.

O-kiku’s smile took on a slightly amused quality as she tipped her drink back. 

“Not quite like a band of samurai. Not ones who still hold official titles and duties, anyhow.” She pointed her shallow cup Kid’s way. “Captain Kid…This one has been a samurai for a long time. Before that she was a dancer, a musician, playing as part of a traditional troupe alongside her brother. She’s been constrained by people’s ideas of her– just as this one has been constrained by the ideas of gender and status. This one has pushed past the expectations once placed on her to find her true self, but the specter of the past still rears its head with her old legacy.” 

Kid hunched forward over the low table toward her, with his sake cup in his good hand. He finished it off, looking her over. He wondered if she was leading up to what he thought she might be leading up to.

"Well that sounds like an extremely shitty position for 'one' to be in, samurai."

She smiled. “Especially a samurai whose purpose has been…damaged. My goal, my mission, was the protection of Oden and the freedom of Wano from Kaidou’s control. In the process, I’d lost my arm.”

She’d spoken more plainly, the first person pronouns leaking back in as her brow furrowed. “I’d lost my honor. I’d lost my brother. But the duty was done– Momotaro is shogun, the land is rejoicing…but what is a samurai without a purpose? Momotaro has the rest of the red scabbards protecting them now yet I am left disarmed and dwelling on my brother’s choices. My brother’s tales of the open sea.” 

"Disarmed," he repeated dryly. He touched his own shoulder, above the scrap he had used to replace it. "Seems to be going around. So you've been thinking about your brother's tales."

He knew what she was dancing around. He wasn't going to make it easy for her. She'd have to ask.

“If freedom and a purpose can be found on the sea…” O-kiku began, her eyes lidded as she poured Otama more sake. “then I wonder if I can find it myself before the jaws of Wano snap back shut until the time is right.”

"No one's going to answer a question like that for you," Kid said. He reached for the sake bottle, taking it from her and poured himself some more. "Only you can decide if you're going to be satisfied with what the world gives you– or try to take what you really want from it."

“You really don’t like Wano’s way, do you?” O-kiku’s amusement leaked into her voice as she smiled, her shoulders shaking despite it. “This one has been thinking of leaving home. Oden once said Wano was too small– too stifling. Kin has seen the world, the traitor has seen the world, my dearest brother has seen the world…”

She bowed her head “when will it be my turn? The answer it seems is ‘when I take the chance’, don’t you think? What better time to take the chance than now?”

Otama nearly spit out her sake “YOU TOO, O-kiku??” 

Kid laughed roughly and slapped his metal arm on the floor. "So you're both thinking of turning pirate. Do you really think either of you has the stomach for it?"

O-kiku looked up at him with surprisingly hard eyes, her smile grim and rictus on her face. He’d seen her briefly in the fray of Onigashima, wearing the mask of a demon and dancing through the corpses she’d left in her wake.

Kikonojo of the Lingering Snow, framed in falling droplets of blood. “Don’t mistake my kindness and demeanor for weakness, Captain Kid. I’ve seen horrors in Wano, and committed many deeds in the service of Lord Oden. I’m not one to have a weak stomach for what must be done.”

Otama put her fingers to her lips. “What do you mean, ‘the stomach for it’? I’m not some child…” 

"Heh," he waved his hand. "If you say so. So, which pirate crew are you planning to ask to sail under? I imagine that's why you were looking for Straw Hat?"

“I’d already asked Luffytaro,” Otama frowned as she messed with a lock of her hair “...he said no, at least before Onigashima. I was going to ask him again, but he’s too busy.”

O-kiku closed her eyes. 

“I wouldn’t impose on him, myself. Not with Yamato already planning on joining. I’d heard him speaking of it before and while I do like him quite a bit…things may be a bit difficult between this one and himself, for a time.” She sipped her sake “This one was wandering without an intention until now– still unsure on if to take the chance until we spoke..”

Kid put his sake cup down on the table with a rough clack and looked between the two of them.

"Ask me, then. If you're going to ask."

He'd already resolved that he wasn't going to ask a second time. It was only for the sake of these Wano people and their strange way of communication that he even raised the question.

O-kiku reached out her shaking hand, blood soaking through the bandages against her shoulder as she smiled warmly. “May I join you on the open sea, Captain Kid? May I find purpose amongst the pirates…your pirates?”

The kunoichi opposite her pressed her hand to her face for a moment, thinking hard for a moment. “Luffytaro already said no…” she murmured, before looking up with a sunny smile, “so will you allow it, Mr. Kid?”

A shadow fell over the sun, darkening the bar in which they drank. It shadowed Kid's eyes as he grinned widely. 

"I'll allow it. Sail under my flag. Leave Wano behind and take what you want from the sea."

O-kiku grabbed her mask from her hip, and raised it to her face as the demonic smile upon it bathed in shadow. “O-kiku of the Lingering Snow will do just that…her blade is your blade…and she shall take all the sea has to offer.”

Otama grabbed his arm suddenly and grinned. “And Otama, kunoichi of the village of the village of kasa weavers, will do it too! Horsalina will be so happy to be back on a pirate ship, too!” 

The crew was growing today. Good. More crew to carve their legend across the face of the sea.

"Welcome to the Kid Pirates."