#part of the ship part of the crew and all that

[inseobts]

If it's not too much to ask but could you please do a story of only one of the Monster trio like Luffy or Zoro or Sanji? (Or the whole straw hat crew) with a reader whose birthday it is on the same day as a holiday like valentine's day (even though we've already went past it, or it could be any other holiday that you think?) But only her best friend (one of the crew members) remembers her birthday and now the others feel bad, so they decide to throw an "apology birthday party" to make up for it?

Apology Birthday Party

zoro x strawhat!reader

a/n: I hope this is what you wantedddd, let me know if you want it different tho (づ￣ 3￣)づ

words count: 1.3k

tags: sfw, romance, soft zoro, nico robin bff

masterlist || ko-fi

The Sunny is draped in pink and red decorations, hearts scattered across the deck like confetti. Sanji is running around serving chocolates and heart-shaped treats, Nami is counting stacks of berries won from lovestruck islanders, and Luffy is eating whatever he can get his hands on.

It’s Valentine’s Day. And it’s also your birthday.

But no one seems to remember that last part.

You don’t say anything, of course. It’s not like you expect them to throw a big celebration or anything, but a simple “Happy Birthday” would have been nice. Yet, with everyone wrapped up in the holiday of love, your special day is completely overlooked.

Well, almost everyone.

“Here” Robin says, appearing beside you with a small, neatly wrapped box in her hands. She smiles, that knowing glint in her eyes as she hands it over “Happy Birthday.”

Your heart warms “Robin…”

“I know how it feels to be forgotten” she says gently “But you’re not.”

You unwrap the gift to find a delicate bookmark pressed with dried blue forget-me-not flowers. It’s beautiful. And, fitting.

Before you can properly thank her, a loud, boisterous laugh fills the air “Oi, Robin, what’s that? Love letter for y/n?” Luffy grins, oblivious as ever. That, of course, draws the attention of the rest of the crew. Sanji practically skids over, hearts in his eyes.

“A love letter?! From who?! I’ll destroy them—”

Robin sighs, sipping her wine “It’s her birthday present.”

Silence.

Utter, dead silence.

The entire crew stares at you, then at Robin, then back at you again. The color drains from Sanji’s face. Franky’s jaw quite literally drops. Usopp nearly chokes on his own spit. Nami’s eyes widen, and Chopper gasps in horror. Even Luffy, who usually doesn’t have a care in the world, looks like someone just told him there’s no more meat on the ship.

But the worst reaction? Zoro’s.

His eye snap to yours, and you see something flicker behind them, something that looks suspiciously like guilt.

“Wait,” Usopp wheezes, gripping his head like it physically hurts “Today’s your birthday? Like, right now?”

“…Yeah.”

A chorus of expletives follows.

“We’re horrible!” Chopper wails, flopping dramatically onto the deck.

“How could I forget such an important day?!” Sanji cries, dropping to his knees like he’s been personally betrayed.

Robin chuckles into her drink “At least you all realized it before the day ended.”

That kicks everyone into action. Nami immediately starts planning an emergency “Apology Birthday Party” barking orders while Franky dashes off to set up decorations. Luffy insists on getting you the biggest cake possible, while Sanji declares he will cook a full birthday feast worthy of redemption. Usopp starts crafting a birthday gift at lightning speed, while Chopper is still crying about how bad of a friend he is.

In the middle of all the chaos, you catch Zoro watching you. His arms are crossed, his expression unreadable, but there’s tension in his stance. And then, without a word, he turns and disappears below deck.

You don’t see him for the next hour.

By the time he returns, the impromptu party is already in full swing. The crew has somehow managed to pull together a spectacular celebration, with streamers, food, and a birthday banner that is only slightly lopsided. You’re seated at the center, laughing as Luffy shoves an unreasonable amount of cake into his mouth.

Then Zoro drops something onto the table in front of you.

You blink. It’s a small box, wrapped haphazardly, almost like he struggled with it. When you glance up at him, his face is turned away, slightly pink at the tips of his ears.

“Tch. Don’t make a big deal out of it” he mutters, arms crossed.

Curious, you open it and your breath catches.

It’s a charm. A small, silver sword pendant attached to a simple chain. The craftsmanship is rough, but undeniably his.

“…Did you make this?”

Zoro shrugs, still not looking at you “Had some spare materials lying around.”

Your fingers curl around the charm, warmth blooming in your chest “I love it.”

“…Good.” His voice is gruff, but you catch the corner of his lips twitching, just slightly.

The rest of the crew watches with barely concealed interest “Oi, oi, does this mean Zoro is getting all romantic now?” Usopp teases, wiggling his eyebrows.

Zoro immediately glares, hand twitching toward his swords “Say that again and you won’t live to see tomorrow.”

The laughter that follows is the best sound you’ve heard all day.

Maybe your birthday started off forgotten, but as you sit among your chaotic, wonderful crew, a handmade gift resting in your palm, you can’t help but think this turned out to be the best one yet.

The party goes on for hours. Sanji serves an extravagant feast, each dish crafted with your favorites in mind. Luffy challenges you to an eating contest, one you gracefully decline, knowing it’s a lost cause. Nami surprises you with a beautiful set of earrings, and Usopp proudly presents a handcrafted figurine of you in an exaggerated heroic pose.

Franky insists on a dance party, much to your amusement, and even Robin joins in. Chopper, still sniffling, clings to you, vowing to never forget your birthday again.

Through it all, Zoro remains close, never one for loud festivities, but always within reach. Eventually, when the night winds down, you find him on the ship’s upper deck, gazing at the stars.

“Thanks for the necklace” you say, leaning beside him.

He grunts, but doesn’t move away “Yeah.”

A comfortable silence settles between you. The ocean breeze is cool, but standing next to him, you feel warm.

After a moment, he exhales “…Sorry for forgetting.”

You glance at him, surprised by the quiet sincerity in his tone. Smiling, you shake your head “You made up for it.”

He finally looks at you then, and in the soft moonlight, his expression is softer than usual “Good.”

Zoro stays silent for a while, avoiding your gaze, and then adds, "Actually... I had prepared it for Valentine's Day."

For a moment, you remain impassive, smiling at the sea in front of you, but then your brain connects what he said.

You suddenly turn to him and gasp, "Wait, wh...what do you mean?"

He continues to avoid your gaze, trying to look indifferent, but the redness in his ears betrays him "I admit I forgot your birthday, but I didn’t forget Valentine's Day" he says.

You, even more flustered, reply "So it’s true what Luffy told me earlier, that you worked on the necklace for more than a week??"

Zoro shifts uncomfortably, scratching the back of his neck. He looks away, clearly embarrassed but trying to act nonchalant "I... I just wanted it to be perfect" he mutters, his voice barely above a whisper.

You blink, still processing the confession. It’s hard to believe this is the same person who usually brushes off any sort of emotional display "Zoro," you start, your voice soft, "You really made all of that... for me?"

He finally looks at you, and for the first time, his usual tough exterior seems to crack. His eyes are slightly hesitant, but there's a genuine warmth there, almost like he’s afraid of your reaction "Yeah, I did. It’s... not much, but I thought you’d like it."

You take a deep breath, your heart racing as everything sinks in. You can’t help but smile "I love it," you say, stepping a little closer "And I... I love that you cared enough to do this."

Zoro looks almost startled by your words, his cheeks turning a deeper shade of red. He clears his throat awkwardly "Well, don’t go getting any ideas... It's not like I’m suddenly a romantic or something."

You laugh, the sound light and genuine "I never said you were. But this is pretty damn romantic, Zoro."

He grumbles but there's a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth "Don’t get used to it."

You both stand there for a moment, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore filling the space between you. It’s not the most conventional confession, but somehow, in that moment, it feels just right.

And just like that, your birthday, and even Valentine's day, is perfect.

[hannahbarberra162]

Emperor's Prize, Part 6 (Yan Alpha!Shanks x Omega!Reader)

18+ MDNI | On Ao3

All the other chapters

TW: Violence towards the end.

Despite a tightening in your chest at the idea of being on a strange island, you couldn’t resist the excitement that bubbled up in you at the concept of being on solid ground again. You had assumed Shanks would flake on his promise to you once you came back to your senses and you searched his face for any signs of this being a trick.. You were fairly sure that it wasn’t a test but prior experience had made you wary of accepting too readily. Shanks waited for you to speak with soft eyes as he held your hands in his. The two of you were standing in his cabin, the door open to air out the scent of sweat and heat as the ship bobbed gently in the water in the rays of the morning sun.

“So what about it, Little Omega? You want to check out the island? I’m not sure what’s around, we’ve never docked here before -”

“We have, a few times actually,” Benn called from out on the deck as he walked past the open door to the cabin, his ever-present cigarette dangling from his lips.

“We have docked here, a few times actually,” Shanks corrected himself with a bright smile, his red hair falling into his face in an almost endearing way. You gave a small smile back at his foolishness and his eyes shone brighter at the sight.

“You know, that’s the first time you’ve smiled at me outside of heat,” he said as he ran a thumb over the back of your hand. You ducked your head as your cheeks heated at being called out so bluntly. But it also made you wonder what he meant by outside of heat. Had you been so happy during your fucked out phase that you smiled frequently? You considered questioning him on it but you had learned your place on Kid’s ship. You answered his question instead as you did your best to push your concerns away.

“Yes, please, I’d like to visit the island,” you stated and hoped your tone was deferential enough for him not to take it as sass. 

“Lovely! There’s nothing more fun than a day trip. We’ll get food on the island too, I’ll go grab some cash from Benn’s cabin. Let’s get moving,” he said as he turned and pulled you along behind him. You kept your eyes on the floor while you followed along meekly, too embarrassed to make eye contact with the crew on deck. After your heat abated, some of the crew had come back to the ship to sleep or gather belongings. Of course, they knew what transpired, it wasn’t like it was a secret, but it still made you feel self conscious to know they’d all been kicked off the ship because you had copious amounts of sex with their Captain. It seemed like Shanks did not have any of the same lingering shame that you did and carried himself as he always did. He was even wearing his Emperor’s cloak that you had in your nest through your heat, though he did wash it thankfully. Shanks pulled you to the middle of the deck while he continued on the way to Benn’s cabin.

“Stay right there, I’ll be back in a moment. Unless Benn changed the locks to his safe again, then it’ll take me a few minutes to pick them,” he called out as he left you standing near the main mast. Left on your own for the first time in days, you shifted your weight from foot to foot and looked down at your feet. You were still wearing Shanks’s far too large clothes rolled up at the wrists and ankles along with being barefooted. Luckily the fair weather made it easy to tolerate the breezy clothing until Shanks purchased proper clothing for you. You stilled when you heard footsteps approaching you and a familiar pair of shoes made their appearance in your field of sight. 

“Hiya,” Hongo said as he stopped in front of you. You weren’t sure how much Shanks wanted you to engage with his crew but, he had allowed Hongo near you in the past.

“Hi,” you rasped quietly with your eyes still trained on his boots, waiting for the Beta to tell you what he wanted.

“Look up please,” Hongo requested in a clinical tone. You immediately raised your head but were careful to avoid eye contact. You flinched back when he reached for you, old memories rising to the surface as your back hit the mast behind you.

“It’s alright, I just need to do a quick assessment. Quite the heat, no?” he said conversationally as you felt a familiar warmth crawl across your face. You gave a small nod in response as he tilted your head to look at the old bite. “Looks better, maybe healed faster during a heat with a new Alpha. I read that can happen sometimes, kind of interesting,” he hummed to himself while he ran a finger over the stitches. You heard rumbling in the background that pulled a laugh from Hongo.

“ ‘S alright Cap. Just checking her old bite before your date,” Hongo said before he removed his fingers from your skin. A familiar scent wafted to your nose as Shanks’s arm came to rest on your shoulders. You could still hear the rumbling from his chest but it subsided as his fingers drummed on the column of your neck, pulling you closer to Shanks’s chest. You peeked up at the large Alpha and felt your skin start to crawl at the sight of Shanks’s smile. It wasn’t the bright one that he had given you before that had the skin by his eyes crinkling, his stiff jaw and hard eyes making his expression look almost feral. You fought the urge to cower but Hongo just laughed again as your anxiety wound tighter.

It didn’t feel like the time to ask if this was a date or what your relationship with Shanks actually was. The questions concerning your next move or whether you would stay were something you’d been turning over in your mind since your heat started to wane. Yes, the Emperor had saved you from Kid and taken you from the ship before sinking it. He’d also helped you physically and guided you through your first heat, but you weren’t sure what that meant for the future. He hadn’t given you a claiming bite so you were technically still free. Shanks had also mentioned that you couldn’t reintegrate into society but, maybe he would be open to setting you free if you negotiated some kind of quid pro quo. You couldn’t be completely alone again but maybe there was some kind of alternative to being with Shanks on the seas. You didn’t hate Shanks, but you didn’t love him either. You’d gone unwillingly from one Alpha to another and you wanted to regain some of your independence that you’d worked so long to maintain.

“Gotta work on that jealousy, ‘s not gonna help you,” Hongo teased Shanks while taking another step back. Shanks huffed but the tension between the men eased as you snapped back to attention. Shanks’ arm tightened around you and he kissed the top of your head for good measure before you both started walking towards the dinghy that would take you to shore.

A short boat ride and walk later, you were strolling down the main boardwalk of the island with your hand still tucked within Shanks’s larger one. He hadn’t let it go and you hadn’t pulled it away, the familiar weight and warmth bringing you comfort. The marketplace was charming but it was overwhelming to be on land near so many strangers after months of being at sea with only a small group of people. On top of the bustle of the crowd, everything seemed to be intent on assaulting your senses as the smells and sounds of the market were more vivid than you remembered. You’d passed the trinket section before you neared the food stalls near the beach but everything was taking much longer than you’d expected. The villagers and vendors were excited to see the Emperor and often stopped him for small talk while you stood there silently. 

Shanks, thankfully, never made you speak nor did he try to show you off. When people tried to address you or offer you some of their wares, Shanks allowed you to hide behind him like the coward you felt yourself to be. You felt the back of your neck prickle like someone was watching you and that every movement was being tracked. You weren’t able to catch anyone in the act but it felt like eyes were always on you, even without Shanks bestowing his attention on you. 

Shanks had offered to buy you something to eat but you’d declined - the scents had grown to be almost nauseating and a headache had begun its steady throb across your temples. You didn’t remember everything being so much when you were on Beta Island. As you passed a particularly odorous food stall, you nearly gagged and had to use a hand to cover your mouth with Shanks’s sleeve to dilute the stench.

“You alright, Love?” Shanks asked as he quizzically looked between you and the food stall. They were selling taiyaki, which had been one of your favorite foods on your old island. Now the pungent odor of the sizzling oil and red bean paste made your stomach roll. You nodded in response but you kept your mouth covered with his shirt. Shanks’s eyebrows knitted together before he pulled you into a nearby alley away from prying eyes. Fresh air was still in short supply with the plethora of smells and scents so, you crouched down and put your head between your hands. 

You felt yourself get pulled into Shanks’s lap as the Emperor sat on the dirty ground of the alley, his hand gentle as he massaged your neck while his strong arm pulled you to his chest. You leaned into his familiar touch and brought your nose to the crook of his warm neck to inhale his scent. It calmed you more than you were expecting and you were able to take more deep breaths of his strong Alpha scent. His musk replaced the cloying smells of the market and your body grew slack as the pounding in your head receded. It felt like he was cocooning you against the real world, the only thing you needed was your Alpha to help guide you through your troubles.

“ ‘M sorry, not sure what’s wrong with me,” you mumbled into his skin as you pressed yourself into his scent glands. A niggling desire in you had you wanting to bite them but the thought was shooed away as soon as it appeared.

“Hongo said it might take you some time to adjust to normal now that you’re not on suppressants. It’s alright, we can take it easy. We’ll sit here for as long as you need,” he replied softly while his hand continued to rub slow circles on your neck. You nodded and his scent washed over you to soothe your aches as you scooted even closer to Shanks. Maybe you could see a future that included Shanks, you thought as you laid your head against his collarbones.

Shanks POV

All too soon the little Omega opened her eyes and showed she was ready to continue the trip when she pushed herself back from Shanks’s neck. Shanks allowed her room to stand up before did the same himself and settled his hand on the small of her back to guide her back to the marketplace. He usually enjoyed meeting the people in his territory and hearing about their lives. Shanks took pride in his people being happy and his most common way to spend time on islands was to plop down in some tavern and socialize. The laughter and conversation often became boisterous with the people who would come and go as they bought him drinks all day long. 

This time the experience differed as a strange itch caused by the little Omega grew under his skin. She wasn’t doing anything to upset him with her timid nature; she would hide behind him as he spoke with vendors and citizens. Shanks suspected it was the lack of claiming bite on her neck that bothered him and it made him set his usual carefree behavior to the side. She wasn’t bound to him in any true way, even though she clung to his hand like a life preserver as they wound their way through the stalls. Shanks could claim her at any time but it was said that a bond made during a heat cycle was the strongest of all and the least likely to reject. When he claimed the Omega it would be done properly.

Shanks had spoken to Hongo, who had started researching ways to bring the Omega into heat faster than her cycle would normally call for. Hongo wasn’t sure exactly when the Omega would go into heat again since it was already beyond irregular, so he didn’t think it would be a bad idea to force it into some kind of regular rhythm with medication. There weren’t a lot of medical resources available for Omegas but Shanks had faith in his crew’s abilities to perform the jobs he requested of them. He would claim her once the Omega went into heat again and, they’d both feel much more comfortable with their place in the world. Shanks’ thoughts continued to paw through possibilities as he led her towards the textile area of the market when you drew to a sudden halt.

“Look, they have a barber,” she said in her low tone. Shanks was curious about the voice she had lost but the permanent rasp in her voice never failed to send a shiver down his spine. He wouldn’t have let her change it even if she could. He peered in the direction she had turned her head and Shanks saw the familiar red and blue pole indicating a barber shop. 

“So they do,” Shanks said while he kept his tone carefully neutral. He mentally flipped through his current options and decided to acquiesce to her request as it could only benefit his attempts to build trust with her. “Would you still like to cut your hair?” he asked as he turned her to face him. The way her eyes brightened paired with the almost appearance of one of her rare smiles told him he made the right call. “After you, Darling,” he said before he opened the door to the bright interior.

“My Emperor! To what do we owe the surprise? Are we to be honored enough to cut the red hair off Red Haired Shanks?” A pudgy middle aged man called out and bowed deeply. Shanks sheepishly smiled at the man’s dramatic greeting before he moved the Omega to stand in front of him.  Her nose wrinkled at the scent of the antiseptic used for the combs as her eyes swept around the small, but neat, barbershop. A young man hovered by the barber and snapped to attention when Shanks came in. The barber smacked him out of his reverent stance before he sent him off on an errand, and the young boy skidded out the back door in his hurry.

“Ah, not for me, but would you mind cutting my Omega’s hair? She would like a trim,” he stated as she looked down at herr feet and wiggled her still bare toes. 

“O-of course, dear Emperor. Please, please have a seat,” the man hurriedly said as he ushered the Omega into a barber’s chair and Shanks into the one next to it. “Unless, er, perhaps you would like her to sit with you? I apologize, sir, I’ve never encountered an Omega before. I’m not sure what the rules of engagement are and I don’t want to -” Shanks laughed and clapped the barber on the shoulder lightly.

“Not to worry friend, I know you mean no harm. Besides, my Omega can bear to be without my touch for a few moments,” he said, tossing his sweet Omega a grin. She returned his grin with a blank face but nodded, the addition of a stranger having brought back her silence. The barber looked over the condition of her hair as he sprayed it down with water. She flinched at the feel of the soft spray against her skin and gripped the arms of the chair as she did her best to ignore the barber’s movements. Shanks reached out to soothe her and stroked her hand, sorry he hadn’t thought to warn her about the water. Shanks considered the overgrown mane she currently sported as he sat back in his chair. Shanks was loath for the entire length to go since he wanted most of it to remain for her next heat. Still, he wanted her trust in him to grow so he reasoned a small trim would be enough to mollify her .  

“And how would you like her hair cut, Emperor?” the barber queried as he brushed out the Omega’s hair. 

“I think cutting off the dead ends would be best, yes?” Shanks called out as he rested one foot over his knee. The Omega had opened her mouth to say something but had closed it as Shanks responded for her. The barber didn’t ask her opinion of the Alpha’s request and she didn’t offer it as he began to cut quite a few inches off the ends of her hair. It was still long enough for him to wrap around his fist, so it would be okay. The young boy came back with a cold six pack of beer which he presented to the Emperor with a flourish.

“That’s awfully kind of you, thanks, kid,” Shanks said with a grin as he took one of the bottles. He popped the top off with Gryphon’s hilt and the metal cap clinked to the floor. “Would you like one too?” The kid looked at the barber who issued him a parent’s silent command with a wide eyed look and a firm nod.

“O-of course, Emperor, thank you,” the young man said while he grabbed one for himself.

“And one for Dad too, yeah?” Shanks said and tossed another at the boy. The kid caught it with a broad smile which Shanks returned with the same enthusiasm. Shanks could feel it in his bones that this kid was a troublemaker. The boy opened his father’s bottle and set it on the counter as the older man worked on the Omega’s hair.

“Whatcha want to do when you get older, kid?” Shanks asked before he took a swig from his bottle. 

“I’m gonna leave this island and become a pirate!” The young man proclaimed and thumped his chest. The older man clenched his jaw hard enough to make his salt and pepper mustache wiggle but stayed silent.

“Is that so? You think you have what it takes?” Shanks continued to drink as he teased the young boy. 

“Yeah, I do! I’m strong, brave, and I wanna be free!” He exclaimed and did his best to mimic Shanks’ casual way of drinking. He made a face after his sip but Shanks was content to let him have his moment. 

“Being a pirate is the ultimate freedom, it’s true. Nothin’ like it,” Shanks mused and polished off his beer with a final swig. The Omega’s cut was nearly done, the barber now fussing over her hairstyle as he ran the brush through her slightly shorter hair. 

“What do you think, Emperor?” the barber asked and turned her to face Shanks. He had a mirror near the back of her head to conveniently show Shanks the complete cut without having to turn her around again. 

“Lovely as ever, wonderful job,” Shanks replied as the Omega stood up and softly touched her hair before she pulled it forward to see the results. Shanks pulled some beri out of his pocket and handed it to the kid.

“See ya on the seas,” Shanks said with a wink. The kid blushed so hard Shanks thought he was going to pass out as the two of you left the shop.

Your POV

You tried to get a look at your haircut via the glass as you left the barber shop, still being pulled along by Shanks. You weren’t able to see the back but then again, you weren’t asked what you had wanted anyway. Additionally, Shanks hadn’t offered you a beer out of the six pack or even asked if you were thirsty. You pressed your lips into a thin as you cataloged the various slights but did your best to ignore them as you continued down the sidewalk.

“Ready to go clothes shopping, Love? Bet you’re tired of wearing my stuff,” Shanks asked as he looked down at you, his arm around your shoulder. The sidewalk you were on had few people, the streets had cleared out for people to take their midday break. You nodded and after a few minutes of walking in silence, Shanks guided you to a women’s clothing store and held the door open for you. The racks of premade clothes, the bright lights, and the scents of lotions and perfumes were a lot for you to take in. You took a step back into Shanks, who simply kissed the top of your head as salespeople began to swarm you and the Emperor.

“We’re in need of women’s clothing, bring us a selection,” Shanks boomed out to the employees in the store. He wasn’t trying to be rude or intimidating but the nicely dressed Betas looked at one another before they gave you an assessing once over. They dispersed to all sections of the large store in a flurry, some going for shoes, others for dresses, shirts, pants, anything you could ever want. The nicest dressed man of them all calmly approached Shanks with his palms up in supplication. As he neared you noticed that the thin man’s upper lip was beaded with perspiration despite the cool temperature of the store.

“Emperor, I am Kuro, and this is our humble establishment. Please allow us to serve you and your Omega to the best of our abilities. To that end, would you prefer to observe from our comfortable couches while the Omega tries on our wares?” he said with a simpering tone and adjusted his circle framed glasses with his long fingers. You didn’t like the reedy man- while the barber had also only addressed Shanks, the salesman felt slimier somehow to you and you fought the urge to recoil further into Shanks. His scent was amiss too, but it was difficult to discern why it smelt wrong with so many perfumes in the air. Shanks didn't seem to notice anything odd and guided you down the hallway towards the dressing rooms in the back of the store. There was a large cushy couch in front of a coffee table, laden with champagne, hard alcohol and canapes that was adjacent to the try on rooms.

“It’ll be like a fashion show, pick what you want and show me how it looks,” Shanks suggested as you gripped the velvet of his cloak. Your gut told you that being seperated from him was a bad idea though you couldn’t articulate why. He glanced down at your fist clamped on his cloak and he gave you a quick kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right here the whole time,” he reassured you as he gently pried your fingers off, and sank down into the couch before he kicked his feet up on the pristine table.

You walked to the changing area while the slender man held the door open for you, three saleswomen already bringing you armfuls of clothes. You were practically pushed into one of the stalls as saleswomen handed you assorted items to try on. Some underwear and a bra were the first items pressed into your hands before they herded you towards the private changing room. You closed the door and removed Shanks’s clothes, taking care to fold them neatly and place them on the small chair inside the dressing room. You put on the underwear, thankful to whoever thought about it. Even if you bought nothing else in the store, at least you’d have some coverage now.

You used the next few minutes to look over your haircut in the floor length mirror since you hadn’t had a chance to get a good look yet. It was alright, you supposed, but it wasn’t really what you wanted. You had wanted it really short, above your shoulders but this was more of a trim that kept your hair longer. Maybe you would be able to convince Shanks another time, you thought as you frowned at the strand you held between your fingers. 

Turning your gaze to the mountain of clothes set out for you, you picked up the first shirt from the pile. It was more feminine than you tended to prefer, the cut designed to hug your body rather than the baggier clothes you usually wore. In fact, if Shanks’s clothes had been closer to your size, you and the Emperor could match every day. You liked large, breezy garments that allowed for movement and ease of mobility without showing off your body. Maybe there would be something else for you in the growing piles outside the dressing rooms.

“How’s it going in there?” Shanks yelled from the lounging area. With a small sigh, you grabbed the first pair of pants you saw from the pile as well and barely gave yourself a glance in the mirror as you pulled them on. They hugged your curves and clung to your legs in a way that left little to the imagination to your immense dislike. You opened the white painted wooden door, the scent of fresh paint strong in your nose. But it wasn’t strong enough to hide the faint odor of a Beta somewhere close to the small changing room. You hadn’t heard any footsteps going to any of the other dressing rooms and an alarm rang in your head as the proximity of the smell fully registered with you.

You nearly ran down the hallway that separated you from the Emperor to the lounge area. Shanks gave you a whistle and moved his finger in a stirring motion, so you obediently turned in a slow circle to show off the whole outfit. It was far from the worst thing that had ever happened to you but that didn’t make it any less demeaning as Shanks shamelessly ran his eyes down your body. The closeness of the unseen Beta made your skin prickle while a cold sweat began to dot your forehead. Your instincts screamed at you that something was wrong and you wanted to leave, now .

“Love it, get the outfit if you want,” Shanks said while he emptied a flute of champagne. “Try on some dresses too,” he suggested before he set down the glass to grab some hors d'oeuvres. You sat down next to him on the couch and gripped his knee as the salespeople looked at one another.

“Sh-shanks, there’s someone there,” you whispered to him. He smiled at you and wiped his hand on his shirt, then he settled his hand on top of your own in a failed attempt to placate you.

“Love, there’s a lot of people here. Are the scents too strong or-”

“Is everything alright here? May I refresh your beverage Emperor?” Kuro, just beyond your reach. Your eyes bounced between him and Shanks as your throat threatened to close from fear.

“N-no, there’s someone in the changing room, I could smell them as I came out. Please, please d-don’t make me go back there,” you begged while you gripped his pants with your fists. Shanks’s smile dropped as his gaze tightened at your frightened plea. He looked as much the Emperor as he had been the first night you’d met him and you shrank back from him on the couch. He stilled for a moment as his eyes seemed to focus on something you couldn’t see.

Before you could react Shanks whipped towards Kuro and sank his fangs into the thin man’s neck. Kuro’s garbled wail was replaced by the sickening sound of tearing flesh and sinew as Shanks ripped out his throat and spat it on the floor. The hunk of flesh landed on the now bloodied floor with a wet smack that broke you out of your frozen state. You opened your mouth to scream in horror but nothing came out as you watched the blood drip from the Emperor’s mouth. Shanks seemed unphased when he pushed the now dying man over, where he slumped on the floor as blood gurgled out of the open wound in a steady gush. 

“Bad outcome,” Shanks stated as he wiped the blood still dripping from his fangs onto his cloak. You responded to the gore just as you had on the Victoria Punk; you closed your eyes, covered your ears, and curled as small as you could. 

Shanks POV

Shanks sensed there would be a problem at the clothing store even before they entered. Something wasn’t hadn’t been quite right and Shanks had spent enough years on the sea to know to listen to his gut. Still, his Omega needed clothes and if Shanks couldn’t protect her from whatever it was, she’d be dead either way. So he’d allowed himself to be lured to the couch, drank the champagne, and pretended to be interested in whatever the pirate was trying to sell him. Better to play along while she was out of sight and keep his ears pricked for signs of trouble than potentially put her in worse danger.  

 When she returned from trying on her outfit, his fangs elongated of their own volition at the sight of her. He made sure to keep his voice as nonchalant as possible while he took in her tense posture and pale face before he beckoned her closer. He stiffened when he heard her hushed warning about a Beta lurking near the dressing room and allowed his future sight to wash over him.  

A searing rage erupted in him at what was intended for the Omega. The store, though it did sell clothes, was a front for a slaving operation led by the main salesman, Kuro. Kuro had heard that an unclaimed Omega was on the island and had already located a buyer willing to pay billions of beri for her. Kuro tried to separate you from Shanks as another pirate waited in your dressing room, ready to gag and restrain you and take you back through the secret door in the mirror. 

How Kuro was so arrogant to think he’d be able to take an Emperor’s Omega, Shanks didn’t know. What he did know was that seeing his sweet Omega bound and terrified in that vision, crying as someone kidnapped you again had his fangs in Kuro’s throat before he could think. The metallic tang of the Beta’s blood filled his mouth as he ripped out the pirate’s throat as easily as biting into a peach. The store erupted into chaos as blood gushed from their boss’s neck, the other slavers fleeing through secret exits as they screamed. Kuro’s body crumpled to the ground with a small shove, his final breaths a dull wheeze as his throat landed on the floor beside him.

When he turned to the Omega, she was curled up on the couch in a shaking ball. She cringed away from him when he put his hands on her and peeked her eyes open to peer at the Alpha. She put her hands up in front of her like Shanks was going to hurt her but didn’t bolt away. Pale and shaking, she whimpered as Shanks picked her up and left the store, passing Yasopp and Lime Juice on his way back to the marina.

“The clothing store’s a front for slavers. Find the people already taken, and free them. Still need women’s clothes from the store, bring some back to the ship. Deal with everyone else as you see fit,” Shanks said and jerked his head back towards the clothing store. As an Emperor, it was his duty to prevent slavery in his territories and to send a message that Red Haired Shanks wouldn’t allow his people to come to harm. The islands that flew his flag were under his protection and such behavior going on under his nose was an insult to his reputation. Shanks looked down at the still quivering Omega as she buried her face in his neck and her arms maintained a weak grip on his broad shoulders.

“Hey, nothing bad happened. It was going to, but I stopped it, yeah? I’ll always help you,” he murmured and placed a kiss on the top of her head as he walked her back through the market. The small gesture was one of his favorites, his way of showing you that he cared about you. The tenderness was tainted this time by the blood stains left in your hair from his face, your new cut now ruined. Shanks frowned but didn’t have another hand with which to wipe it off. 

She didn’t respond either, not that he expected her to. She’d been quiet all day, overwhelmed by your senses and struggling to readjust to life without suppressants like Hongo had said. Shanks guided her through it all, glad to be her safe harbor in stormy weather. He’d enjoyed caring for her, spending time with her, and showing her that there was still some fun to be had in the world. He was so proud that she had sought him out to help her when she needed it, showing how much more reliant on him she had already become.

“Love, look at me,” he requested in a quiet voice and gently nudged her head with his chin. She shook her head in a rare act of defiance and nestled further into him. Normally, Shanks would revel in this sensation, but he wanted to reassure her verbally. Shanks frowned at her behavior and repeated his request with a Command behind it.

“Love, look at me.”

She pulled back just enough to reveal her face as she glanced up at him through her eyelashes. She didn’t seem herself, even the overwhelmed or scared versions he’d already witnessed. Her eyes had a glazed, absent look like your mind was far off in some other place that Shanks couldn’t reach. Though he had arrived at the marina and could take the dinghy back to the Red Force, Shanks instead sat down on a bench facing the water with her on his lap. Her eyes were still trained on him as he’d told her to but that did nothing to distract him from the unsettling blankness behind them.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” he Commanded. Shanks knew it wasn’t fair - Commands weren’t meant to be used to have Omegas express their thoughts or feelings - but Shanks needed insight, needed to know what to do to bring that light back into her eyes. After the Command registered, she finally came back from her thoughts. She blinked several times and bit her lips shut to try to avoid the compulsion to answer. All the while she still stared at Shanks, as if truly seeing him for the first time.

“I - I -...” she started before she clamped her mouth shut again. It broke his heart to see her so unsure and scared.

“No matter what you say, I won’t be mad. I promise,” he said while he ran his hand up and down her back in an attempt at reassurance. She was still in the new clothes you’d changed into from the clothing store and the diminished smell of him on her made his primal instincts scream in indignation. There really wasn’t anything she could say that would sway his love but he knew she needed a lot of support and gentle handling given your background.

“What’s my name?” She asked quietly, her gaze on the sea as she sat on his lap. 

“What’s that, Love?” Shanks asked in surprise at her simple question. He expected her to talk about the bloodshed, or his power, or how overwhelmed she was - anything but that.

“My name isn’t ‘Love.’ Do you know my real name?” She asked again in her deep voice. Shanks considered her for a moment before he flashed her a smile that made his scars wink across his face.

“Guess not! Didn’t ask you, huh? Oof, I feel like a real heel.” he said while he rubbed her cheek with his thumb in slow strokes. “I thought you were scared of what happened in the store but you’re just worrying about silly little -”

“It’s not silly,” she said with a blank face as she continued to look away from him. Shanks frowned as he shifted her closer to his chest and wrapped his arm around her middle. He had half a mind to Command her to stop her talking about this unimportant topic but he said he wouldn’t be upset by whatever she said. “I don’t - you treat me like….like I’m just an Omega,” you said in a small unwavering voice.

“You are an Omega, Love,” Shanks replied and his eyebrows knit together as the point of her statement missed him completely. Perhaps he should ask Hongo to better explain her designation, maybe knowing more would help her adjust to her new reality.

“I’m more than that. I’m a person first.”

“Of course. No one is saying you aren’t -”

“You don’t treat me like a person. You treat me like I’m an object, something to possess, a treasure -” Shanks’s eyes narrowed as his fingers tightened on her waist. He tried to collect his thoughts as they raced at her admonishment and express them in a way your frazzled mind would understand.

“Yes, you’re a treasure. You’re my treasure -”

“I don’t want to go back to the -”

“ Stop talking,” Shanks Commanded her, his jaw clenched hard enough for a vein to stand out in his neck even as he continued to hold her gently. Her mouth snapped shut as she avoided his gaze and she hunched her shoulders as she felt a rumble begin to vibrate along her back. Shanks wasn’t sure how much of what she’d said was because he compelled her but he didn’t want to hear the rest of those thoughts. How could she say she didn’t want to return to his ship, to return to him ? How could she reject him after all he’d done for her, trying to leave him after he’d just shown her how he would protect her, help her, guide her? The rumble that emanated from his chest was like a war cry, not the soothing purr she had become used to. Shanks wanted to roar his anger loud enough for other islands to hear it, to slice the island in two with Gryphon, to hide her away where she’d never be able to leave him again. 

Tears streamed down her face as you remained silent under his Command. She sniffled and tried her best not to move, her strong scent of fear now wafting towards Shanks in a biological gesture of supplication to soothe his ire. Her fingers were intertwined tightly enough to whiten her knuckles as she tried to self soothe. Shanks’s anger deflated as he took in her pathetic form while he looked down at her.

  Of course she didn’t want to go back to the ship , he thought, she was scared and confused. She probably had a flashback at the clothing store to her time with Kid and Shanks’s surge of possessive anger did little to help.  He belatedly realized he didn’t tell her why he ripped out that man’s throat in front of her. At this point she probably assumed he was prone to erratic and extreme violence like Kid had been. He sighed and unwound his hand from her side to reach for her face. She flinched as he cupped her cheek but didn’t pull back.

“Love, I know you’re having a hard time adjusting. I’m not going to hold any of what you said against you, like I promised. Haven’t I kept all my promises?” Shanks asked while he wiped away an errant tear. She did her best to not dislodge Shanks’s hand when she responded with a small nod.

“How can we separate? Those people were slavers - they wanted to sell you to a Celestial Dragon, they already had a buyer lined up. I had to get rid of Kuro to protect you and the other people they’d already taken,” he explained gently as she sniffled again.

“You need someone to protect you, to prevent things like that from happening again. If not Celestial Dragons, you’d end up with someone like Kaido or Big Mom. You wouldn’t want that, right?” She shook her head at his questions, as the reason why she had to remain with Shanks finally hit her. He felt a little guilty but he needed to drive the point home, to make her see that she needed to stay with him. 

“Besides, you can’t even walk around by yourself, right? Remember this morning when we had to take a break for you to smell me? We’re well on the way to bonded if you’re acting like that, it’s going to happen sooner or later. We’ll be bonded and we’ll settle down into a life of happiness together, yeah? Everything will be so much easier for us both. You need me just like I need you,” Shanks said in a low croon and turned her face toward his. “Look at me, little Omega,” he asked this time without a Command. Her red rimmed eyes met his own as he leaned down within a hair's breadth of her face.

“We were meant to be,” Shanks said before he captured her lips in a kiss that seared the reality of her future with him into her mind.

Taglist: @v1ennie @staarflowerr @treelogirl @rebeccawinters @nocturnalrorobin @mochiclouds @cursedforlife666 @epochal-oracle @whore-of-many-hot-men @one-piecelover @anemonyee @joana7654-blog @mfreedomstuff @littlelovebug98 @hannya-writes @babi-lamb @sanjisleggy @princessuta061108 @twismare @iamrgo @littlelovebug98 @anonymousmuffinbear

[sunsburns]

Pirate Luke is the type of guy to flirt with you while he’s in in the middle of fighting or pretend his dead or injured followed up by “so can I get that kiss now” plus a corny joke about how you’ll heal him if you did

i would literally strangle the hell out of the guy, but yes pirate!luke would so do that. ᢉ𐭩

the raid had gone horribly wrong. chaos erupted the moment someone tipped off the navy, and now the crew was scrambling back to the ship, hauling whatever loot they could carry. adrenaline pushed you forward, your boots kicking up wet sand as you sprinted toward the shore—until you realized something.

luke was missing.

your stomach turned. your head whipped around, scanning the shore, the wreckage, the bodies littering the sand. and then—

him.

sprawled out in the surf, unmoving. his shirt torn, his cutlass half-buried in the sand beside him, waves lapping at his boots.

"luke," you breathed, already rushing toward him, falling to your knees at his side. your heart hammered against your ribs as you grabbed his face, tilting it toward you. his skin was warm beneath your palms—too warm. was he feverish? injured? your hands shook as you skimmed over him, searching for wounds, for anything—

"luke, c'mon, get up." your voice wavered, panic clawing at your throat.

he didn't move.

your breath hitched. you could still see his chest rising and falling, but he was dead weight, unresponsive. your mind raced. could you carry him? should you call for help? if he was bleeding, how much time did you have?

you pressed your hand to his cheek, desperation creeping into your touch. "luke—"

a low murmur cut through the crash of the waves. his lips parted, voice barely above a whisper.

"i... need... i..."

your pulse jumped. you leaned closer. "what? what do you need?"

"i need you..." his lashes fluttered. "mouth to mouth."

you blinked. "what?"

"i need mouth to mouth," he rasped, finally cracking one eye open—just enough to peek at you, squinting against the sunlight. his lips quirked, and suddenly, he wasn’t some poor, unconscious soul, but luke fucking castellan—all smugness, all mischief. that son of a bitch. "from you, hopefully."

you stared. you stared.

then, very slowly, his mouth parted, waiting.

heat crawled up your neck, but the panic that had gripped you seconds ago curdled into something much sharper. your fingers twitched where they still cupped his face, and he must have noticed, because his grin widened, like he was thrilled you hadn't smacked him yet.

"you," you seethed, "fucking asshole."

you shoved him off you and stood, kicking him in the side for good measure.

he let out a pained groan, rolling onto his side as you turned on your heel and stormed back toward the ship. "you care about me!" he called after you, utterly unbothered.

you didn't look back, but you did flip him off.

he laughed. laid there in the sand, watching you go, his eyes trailing over you—lingering, appreciating the sway of your hips and the curve of your ass.

yeah. he was gonna milk this moment for weeks.

[georgi-girl]

Epic the Musical ON STAGE!

So, Epic is obviously great (IMO it makes Greek mythology cool again) and while I love watching all the animatics people make for it, the best visual adaptation I can think of for it would be an official stage play.

Picture this: 

The play opens on a big prop wooden horse. Then the stage crew turns it around and reveals that it's hollow and Odysseus and the Greeks are sitting inside it. Notable men jump onstage as Odysseus says their names. 

The backup singers would wear traditional robes and masks like the Greek tragedies of old. 

Whenever Penelope and later Telemachus are mentioned, they appear on stage and Odysseus looks at them while he sings. 

God characters would stand on raised platforms and have colorful body paint. (Gold for Zeus, silver for Athena, metallic blue for Poseidon, etc) 

The stage lights would turn dark red whenever someone dies. 

The crew would sail on a giant ship prop. 

The lotus eaters would wear flower cloaks and crouch low to the ground. 

The cyclops would be played by someone on stilts with a spotlight for an eye. 

The stage would have a spinning thing like they use in Hamilton. Very useful. I don’t know what it’s called. 

Aeolus would have cyan body paint and sit on a mobile throne of clouds. 

When Poseidon appears, the lighting becomes blue. 

When Circe sings, her nymphs would stand behind her and pose like classical paintings. 

Hermes would have aqua body paint and fly on wires. 

During Circe’s songs, there would be wooden pig props in the background. When she touches them with her wand, they get turned around and the human men appear. 

Ghost characters would be covered in white body paint.  

As the ship sails past Odysseus’ mother, he would walk along it to see her better and as they part, they would reach towards each-other. 

The prophet would touch Odysseus’ face as he foretells the future.  

Former enemies appear behind Odysseus as he sings ‘Monster’. 

Intermission would be before or after the Thunder Saga. 

The sirens would have wings AND tails. The crew cuts them all off. 

Scylla would be represented by giant scary animatronic. 

When Odysseus is stabbed during the mutiny, the crew surrounds him as the scene changes. Then when they part, he’s tied up and they’re on the Sun Island.  

While Telemachus sings, Athena watches him from a distance. 

Right between ‘Legendary’ and ‘Little Wolf’ Telemachas puts up his dukes against Antonios. 

Whenever Athena appears, the lights dim and everyone but her and the one she’s singing to stand frozen.  

As Calypso sings to Odyseuss, she tends his wounds and tries to embrace him. As he sings, he tries to get away from her. 

During ‘God Games’ every god has different lighting. (That goes without saying) 

Calypso helps Odysseus make his raft as she sings.  

The stage spins around to represent the whirlpool.  

During “600 Strike” the ghosts of the crew appear in white body paint and help Odysseus wrestle Poseidon’s trident away from him. 

During “The Challenge” Penelope is followed by robed servants. In the background, other servants lead hooded Odysseus on stage. 

In the background of ‘Hold Them Down’ Odysseus picks up the bow and strings it, while servants pick up all the swords and spears. At the end of the song he shoots through the axes in Antonios’ neck. 

(I don’t know how to represent suitors being shot by arrows. Maybe the choir members can carry them)  

While Odysseus and Telemachus reunite, servants clean up the palace around them. And before Odysseus talks with Athena, the choir surrounds him and reveals him in handsome kingly clothes.  

In the final song the spotlight is on Penelope and Odysseus while all the other characters watch from the background. When Penelope sings “Waiting” she takes Odyseuss’ hands and they slowly lean toward each other for a kiss. 

What do you think? Be honest! Comments and suggestions are appreciated. I might add additional ideas when I come up with them.

[deathworlders-of-e24]

Thomas, Engineer

Part 5

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The klaxon call of the alarms.

Electrical shorts all around.

Sparks raining down as equipment blew.

The temperature rising as the last of the protective shields failed.

Burning-

Thomas woke up. He was still in bed and not in the CORE control room about to be incinerated. His quarters were still dark, and the air was cool. Almost hesitantly, he touched his arms, his chest, and finally his face. His skin wasn’t searing away as he had feared, however, it was slick with a layer of cold sweat. Inversely his throat was dry as bone.

Thomas kicked his damp blankets to the foot of the bed and swung his legs over the side. In the dark, the room looked… alien, for lack of a better word. The walls looked ugly with little variance in the shadows, and for the first time he was thankful there wasn’t a window to look out of. Thomas thought if he saw any more dark looking back at him he might be sick.

The single point of comfort was the soft yellow light coming from Roomba’s eyes as he sat atop Thomas’s desk on the quick-rigged charging platform they’d made. The little droid was recharging, napping as Thomas had joked, during the ship’s night cycle. In the low light Thomas thought he saw Roomba twitch, but decided it was just the dark and his mind playing tricks.

Water. Thomas needed water, something to drink to wash away the taste of dried saliva in his mouth. He pulled a hoodie over his head and stepped barefoot out into the hall to go hit the nearest Vending Machine. He swiped up his ear piece translator as an afterthought, not because he thought he’d have any conversations at 0400 hours ship time, but purely as trained reflex. One floor down and a hundred feet later, Thomas was chugging down a second glass of ice water when he felt the little tug on his pant leg. Looking down in surprise, he saw it was his mechanical companion, standing only a few inches taller than his ankle. Roomba looked up at him with bright eyes and lifted his little arms up towards him.

“Beep”

[Inquiry: are you experiencing a malfunction as well?]

“Nah buddy, I’m okay,” Thomas leaned down and scooped the small robot up from the floor, carrying him in the crook of his arm like a small child. “What about you? Seeing things again while you’re offline?”

“Beep.”

[Affirmative, this unit is experiencing a persistent malfunction of unknown complexity]

“Beep.”

[Diagnostics show zero fault anywhere in internal systems, and externally there were zero changes as well]

“Well don’t worry buddy, we’ll go see Miss Liz tomorrow after the shift, okay? If the two of us didn’t catch anything, a third pair of eyes might. You’ll be okay.” Thomas pat the little robot on top of his head twice before heading back to their quarters.

He sat Roomba down beside his charging plate again and half sat-half flopped onto his bed with a weary sigh. The idea of going back into his traumatic dreamscape wasn’t exactly relaxing. If the lights had been on he’d have been able to see the bags under his eyes in the mirror.

“Good night Roomba,” Thomas said, head on his pillow.

“Beep.”

[Good night Human Thomas]

A moment passed, then another. Thomas was about to take his ear piece off but stopped at the next-

“Beep.”

[I hope our malfunctions are repaired soon]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“That’s him, that’s the human,” whispered one of the crew, a young Mondonian woman in a Operations Management uniform, the blue suit conflicting with her crimson skin. She was whispering, unsuccessfully, to a Zilgrat from communications as they hid around a corner a ways away from Thomas. He’d noticed them the moment he’d stepped off the lift, as they’d immediately stopped their conversation to watch him start his work.

“You’re sure that’s the human from the CORE room failure?” the Zilgrat squeaked. Thomas tried not to pay any attention to it, choosing instead to think how nice it must’ve been for them in their home system. The Zilgrats and the Mondonians had actually evolved on sister planets in the same solar system, not even separated by an asteroid belt. How nice it must’ve been for their species to have always known they weren’t alone. It was no wonder you always saw both species on the same crews in the GAIL fleets. The Mondonians looked humanoid, but with dark cherry skin and something akin to rams horns growing out the sides of their heads. Zilgrats however were almost identical to Terran ferrets, just bigger, about as big as a mid sized dog.

Thomas gave up on ignoring them and decided to wave with a small smile. They startled briefly before sheepishly approaching.

“Apologies,” said the Zilgrat, “we didn’t mean to offend. It’s just… we had never met a human before, and you’re famous.”

“I’m what?” Thomas almost shorted out the panel he was fixing in surprise.

“Famous!” said the Mondonian. “Sorry, is the word not translating? I was just saying we’ve heard of you from the rest of the crew, they all said you’re a hero.”

Aw damnit, Thomas thought. That’s still going around.

“No, no, I got the translation,” Thomas feigned a laugh, “I was just surprised. You’re talking about the CORE breach right? That wasn’t anything too serious. I was just doing my job.”

“You are in maintenance yes?” The Mondonian asked. “Your job is to repair, not risk your life. I was wondering how you even overcame the fear, it must’ve been very frightening.”

“Well you know, adrenaline kicks in, you don’t really think about how scary it is, you just do it,” Thomas shrugged, wishing he was back on the lower decks right now.

“Adrenaline?” This time it was the Zilgrat. “You had a wartime stimulant injection during this?”

“What? No,” Thomas was confused, “no, just a normal, everyday adrenaline response, no injections.”

“You are saying that humans simply produce a level 3 restricted enhancement naturally?” The Mondonian woman questioned, concerned.

“I suppose I am, yeah. It’s a survival reflex, I think most of the creatures on Earth can make the stuff no problem.”

“E24 sounds like a truly terrifying place if all your creatures can produce such a dangerous chemical unrestricted. It’s highly regulated in our home galaxy.”

“Beep.”

[Warning: threat approaching]

Thomas, confused and alarmed, looked down at Roomba by his feet, the small droid half in half out of the wall panel they were working on. He was pointing back down the hall to the lift, the doors of which were closing behind someone in a white custodian uniform, with a rocky exterior.

“Roomba, what do you mean?” Thomas asked quietly as the two crew-mates they’d been speaking to made themselves scarce.

“Beep.”

[Explanation: a scan of the security chief’s logs list this individual as a security risk]

“When did you scan his logs?!” Thomas whisper shouted, concerned.

“Beep.”

[When task queue was updated to: protect Noah]

“Beep.”

[New Task parameters dictated more information was required, so this unit downloaded necessary archives from the Security consoles]

“Fucking how?” Thomas was so certain that Chief Ducane would kill them that he wasn’t even paying attention to the Sed man walking toward them anymore. That was, until the man in question intentionally stayed course and shoulder checked Thomas into the wall.

“What the hell dude, watch where you’re going!” Thomas cried out, understandably pissed.

“Be silent, human-AHH!” The Sed man howled in pain, confusing Thomas further. He hadn’t touched the guy. Thomas looked down, eyes widening in shock. Roomba had activated the soldering torch in his finger and grabbed onto the Sed’s foot, carving a little chunk of exoskeleton off with the miniature flame. He must’ve hit flesh down there too because Thomas smelt burned meat.

“INSOLENT LITTLE SCRAP METAL!” The Sed roared.

“Roomba, stop!” Thomas called, but it was too late. The Sed man cocked back his leg and kicked the little droid into the wall with a heavy metal KLUNK!

From down on the floor came a little-

“Beep.”

[Protect the Noah]

“Beep.”

[Protect Human Thomas]

“Roomba!” Thomas shoved the Sed away will all his might, sending him sprawled to the floor, and dove down to the droid, scooping him up and making a break for it back into the lift, leaving his tools and the bastard Sed behind, who was now leaning against the wall staring death in Thomas’s direction.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“I don’t know what to tell you Hardware,” Liz shrugged, “every internal diagnostic I’ve run said the little guy is running perfectly. Better than perfect.”

Roomba was sitting on the table as Liz from Biotech scanned over him with multiple pieces of equipment. Thomas stood beside her fretting, clenching and unclenching his hands.

“You’re sure he’s okay?” Thomas was wringing his hands together so much his skin had turned pale.

“Totally no damage,” Liz confirmed. “These little guys were designed to withstand massive blunt force, like the kind from getting run over by heavy machinery. Grite’s foot won’t do a thing to him.”

“Grite?”

“Yeah, at least that’s who I assume it was. Sed guy, white janitors uniform, right? Same guy who cost me an arm,” Liz folded her arms in front of her. “That guy sucks, in my professional opinion.”

“He’s that guy?” Thomas was incredulous. “How the hell is he still working here?”

“Political bullshit,” Luz said dryly. “The GAIL doesn’t want to deal this any more than we do, so we gotta wait till at least half the mission is over before we get relief personnel. At least, that’s what Danny told me.”

Danny, Thomas thought. Aw crap!

“Oh hell I’m in so much trouble!” Thomas whined. “Yeah the guy shoved me, but Roomba actually set the guy on fire! Ducane is gonna kill me.”

“God I wish I’d seen that,” Liz laughed.

“Beep.”

[Sed Grite was exhibiting hostility and violent behavior, use of force was warranted]

“Buddy, you can’t just do that, okay?” Thomas tapped the droid’s little head.

“Beep.”

[Human Thomas was threatened. Action was required]

“That’s really sweet, but you gotta be smart about it,” Thomas said, “you can’t just assault people.”

“Oh please, Grite deserved way worse,” Liz tutted, “fucker owes me an arm, but I’ll take a foot. Good job Roomba you little masterpiece.”

“Beep.”

[Affirmative, Human Liz, this unit will acquire a foot for you]

“No, no no, do not do that,” Thomas chided. “Remember, sometimes people joke buddy, don’t always take it seriously.”

“Beep.”

[Confirmed]

Thomas leaned over to whisper in Liz’s ear.

“That being said, I am going to rip that fucker apart with my teeth” Thomas said quietly, to which Liz laughed out loud.

“I’ll shoot a link to Jane, see if she can leave him in the waiting room afterwards.”

“You’re a good person,” Thomas joked. He glanced to Roomba and back again, before taking a half step further from the table, turning his back to it.

“And about that other thing we talked about? Is he okay okay?”

Liz too glanced toward the little droid before dropping her voice lower.

“As far as I can tell, he’s perfectly functional. But his code is rapidly evolving, changing its structure in a matter of nanoseconds. It’s like he’s a Padrino, but he doesn’t have any of their base directives.”

“What, so he’s got their code, but he doesn’t have to follow their rules?”

“Kind of,” Liz shrugged. “Every Padrino is a copy of the original AI construct downloaded into a mobile unit, that’s the guys we have on board. Once they’re copied, they become independent people with different experiences and perceptions. The big difference here is that eventually their base directives are to upload their memories back I to the original AI on their home planet. Follow so far?”

“Yeah, I know all this,” Thomas scoffed. “I might not have studied AI at the academy but I know how the Padrino operate.”

“Okay smart guy, here’s the kicker.” Liz pointed to Roomba. “When the Padrino on board upgraded him, they downloaded their own code into him too, without any of those directives. The Padrino might be individuals right now, but they’re all Pinocchios. I won’t deny their sentience, but they’re all following orders from the big momma back home. But your boy there doesn’t have any strings.”

“So you’re saying-”

“I’m saying he’s got a perfectly unique little mind in there, and he’s getting smarter. We’re essentially watching consciousness come into being in real time.”

“He’s been dreaming,” Thomas said softly, barely a whisper. “They aren’t malfunctions, he’s just evolving.”

“Exactly,” Liz was grinning now. “He’s gonna be a real boy soon I think.”

“You hear that buddy?” Thomas picked up the little robot. “Liz said you got a real good brain in there!”

“Beep.”

[This is accurate, yes]

“Beep.”

[Inquiry: can this unit make a request?]

“Uh, sure buddy, what do you need?”

“Beep.”

[Request: game pad please]

“Oh, sure,” Thomas pulled the tablet from his back pocket and gave it over. “But you know you don’t have to follow that task queue anymore if you don’t want to, okay?”

“Beep.”

[Acknowledged]

A short pause before the next-

“Beep.”

[The games are enjoyable]

“Beep.”

[This unit-

“Beep.”

[I like them]

“I think, if I’m right of course, that he might end up being the second fully confirmed conscious AI in the entire galaxy,” Liz said, after Thomas told her all Roomba said. “He’s showing signs of empathy, protectiveness, likes and dislikes. I could write like fifty papers on Roomba, just to start with.”

“Beep.”

[I could assist]

“My god I love him,” Liz cooed.

“I know right?” Thomas said delighted. “No more nightmares for you buddy, you’re gonna be just fine.”

Something trilled, and it took Thomas a second to realize it was his comm-link. He set Roomba down on the table and checked the message.

It was from the captain.

“Well, that was fun while it lasted, but I gotta go get fired now, so…” Thomas let the sentence drag.

“Oh, just tell him what happened, it’ll be fine. Skitch hates the guy too.”

“Can you watch Roomba for me while I go deal with this?”

“Sure. I can even watch him a little longer if you want, maybe give you some time to go see Jane maybe,” Liz seemed more serious now. Thomas turned back around and looked at her, eyebrow raised like it got caught with a fishhook.

“Why would I go see Jane?”

“Oh, I don’t know… maybe because you’ve missed your last two mandatory sessions with her?”

Thomas could feel his face getting pink.

“What makes you think so?”

“Dude, your therapy is right after mine, I pass by you in the waiting room. You haven’t seen her in weeks, and you look like you haven’t slept since then too.”

Thomas, now in a full on blush, tried to shrug it off.

“I’m sleeping fine,” he lied, hopefully convincingly, but the bags under his eyes told the truth to everyone who looked him in the eyes. “Just watch him for me, okay? I’ll think about it.”

“Just because you got a degree in psychology doesn’t mean you can do the sessions yourself.” Liz held out her cybernetic arm. “Just because I know how this works doesn’t mean I can avoid putting in the work.”

“Beep.”

[Human Thomas needs maintenance]

“I don’t know what he said, but he probably agreed with me.” Liz folded her arms again, ending the discussion.

“He did, actually, yes,” Thomas sighed. “Fine, after this if I still have my job, I’ll go to therapy.”

“Good.” Liz patted Roomba. “Now go, keep your job first.”

Thomas waved from the door and finally left. Roomba looked around the room from his perch on the table, settling on the tank of baby creatures in the wall. Liz sat down at her desk and watched him, delighted at the chance to observe.

Thomas made his way through the ship, occasionally catching stares, wondering what the future held for himself and his friends.

[faghubby]

little boat trip

"YES" I said excited. When my childhood friend Nick asked me if I would join a crew to sail to Italy. I had sailed some but never out on open water. It was okay he assured me I was the forth. So I might have to put up with some shit but it's a once in a lifetime experience.

Jen my girlfriend encouraged me to go as well, even though it would be a three trip. Sail there and then fly home. We were delivering the boat to some rich guy. We where leaving in a few days. I was told to pack light. Even though the ship was huge a 50' yacht. I met Mike the captain. And Martin the first mate. The day before we left. They ran ,e thru the ship made sure I knew what to do. Didn't want some idiot to panic in the middle of the ocean. Mike and Martin had been sailing since they where kids. They moved and worked as if they were a part of the ship. These two black bohemiths of men. Nick agile and quick tall and skinny. But not an once of fat on any of them. I felt tiny at 5' 7" standing next to them they where all at least 6' tall.

Jen came to see me off. I wouldn't see her for a month I thought as we sailed off. It was a perfect day to sail. Mike had us run drills for hours. By the time the sun was setting land was gone and I was exhausted. Martin had made a fest. I barely had the strength to eat. I realized I had not even stowed my gear. I didn't know where I would be sleeping. Mike sat next to me.

"You stink you need a bath" he told me. Without warning he thru me overboard. They all laughed and Mike jumped in as well as if to save me. We all laughed and he led me down to a cabin my gear tossed In the corner. Mike came in the room with me. He started to strip off his wet shorts. I was confused was this his cabin? I turned to grab some clothes out if my gear.

"Come here" Mike said his deep voice said softly. I turned he was naked laying on the bed. His legs spread. His cock was enormous.

"I think you got the wrong idea" I stuttered turning away.

"Nick told us how you used to play" he told me. I felt him get up his hand touched my shoulder.

"It's alright" he said turning me around. "See" his eyes glancing down. I was rock hard my dick throbbing. This was all just so erotic I thought. He pulled me close my head resting against his chest. I could feel him breathing. His massive hand slid down to my ass.

"Why don't you come to bed and suck my cock now" he guided me to bed.

"I have a girlfriend" I told him.

"And three weeks to forget all about her" he told me guided my head down between his legs. His cock seemed as big as my arm. I ran my tounge down the length Of it. I thought about when we where kids and Nick and I would sneak off and go skinny dipping. It was the year we turned 14. That I had noticed how much bigger his dick was. I was curious how it felt. I had jerked him off. As the summer went on I became obsessed with sucking his cock nearly everyday. He never even touched me. Until Labor day weekend when he pushed me over a rock and drove his cock in my ass. I let him use me for the next year. Until he found a girlfriend. I pushed it off as a phase. And also found a girlfriend.

But now I was licking this cock. And my god it was bigger then ones I had seen In porn. Just one of his balls filled my hand. Mike let me explore. Kiss, lick and suck his cock and balls. He had no hair even his balls smooth. I was able to fit the head of his cock in my mouth. And I could taste his precum. Theresa's no way I would ever be able to please him though he was way to big. I was so tired. Mike pulled me up to him my head resting on his chest agsin. His fingers teasing my asshole. I felt him apply lube. And one of his fingers slid on.

"You're too big" I wimpered.

"Baby it just takes practice" he whispered working in a second finger. I moaned and suddenly came all over his leg.

". See you been holding it in so long" he told me he pushed my head down to lick it all up. I did. As he continued to finger my ass. He managed a third finger. Then pulled them out and showed me a butt plug which he worked into my ass. He then just held me as I fell asleep. I woke early maybe the boat swaying to much. Mike still held me. Mike also had a massive hardon. I reached down and started to stroke him. Soon I was jerking him off and sucking on the head. He wasn't forcing me. No it was like when I was a kid I wanted to. I wanted to please him. Mike was soon moaning his hand ran through my hair. He tensed and I was drowned in his cum. There was so much. I pulled away and the second and third shit covered my face I recovered and swallowed the rest of his seed. The plug had come out in the middle of the night. And as I cleaned Mike's cock he worked it back in.

"Now we have limited hot water, but I don't want to see any of this hair after today" Mike told me. As he got up to take his watch. Leaving me in his bed.

I went to grab my gear. As I opened it I found a note from Jen.

Nick told me how you volunteered to be there fuck toy on your Great Adventure. I always knew something was off with you, don't worry about me my ex Tom will fuck me much better then you ever could anyway. I looked in the bag. There where no clothes only some of my things Jen figured I want . Pictures, some old comic books. I didn't know what to think. I was so sore. After yesterday and last night. My ass still had this plug stuffed in it. I put it all aside and showered.

I shaved. Then started to shave my chest. I got brave and shaved my pits as well. Soon I had one leg on a toilet and was shaving my ass. Suddenly the door opened and in walked Nick.

"Captain wants to know why your not on deck" he smiled. I turned to see Nick he only wore some swim trunks, his body glistening in sweat. I smiled and turned

"I was thinking last night about that summer." I said Nick didn't say a word he just dropped his shorts. His cock already growing hard. I stopped only one leg half shaved and dropped down and sucked his cock. It seemed bigger then when we where kids. But not nearly as big as Mike's. I tried to take him further. Stuff him down my throat. But kept gagging. Nick didn't care. I cupped his balls. Even sucking them softly one then the other. I was truly enjoying myself making him moan with pleasure. He suddenly grabbed my head and forced his cock down my throat. I tried not to panic as he pumped his load down my throat. I focused on breathing thru my nose. Before he let me go. I beamed with pride having swallowed hos load.

"Captain wants you on deck" Nick reminded me. I grabbed my shorts from yesterday since they where the only ones I had. And reported on deck. Mike looked at me disappointed.

"Half shaved, dressed inappropriately, late for watch" Mike stated. "I mean I guess in old days you would get a lashing" he smiled. He handed off the wheel to Martin as he stepped towards me.

"Strip!" He commanded I dropped my shorts.

"This is you new uniform" he told me handing me a little white bikini. I stared at him. He was serious. I didn't have any clothes. The one pair of shorts wouldn't last a month. I took the little pieces of cloth. I realized immediately that the bottom. Was a thong. Mike helped me tie the top. It felt wierd to wear. He explained that I was to please Martin, Nick and himself however they wished. I nodded as I understood. He smacked my ass as he dismissed me. I went back down below to finish shaving. Martin followed me. He pushed me into his room. Without a word he pushed me over his bunk yanked down the bikini and pulled out the plug. He drive his cock deep into me with one thrust. I screamed as he took me. There was nothing patient or gentile as he fucked me. He used me pumping his seed deep in my ass. I felt like he had torn me in two. He then just pulled up his shorts and left. I reached back my hand covered in cum and blood. I was worried I laid on his bunk and cried.

I must of fallen asleep. When I woke up I shaved the rest of my legs. And went on deck. I wasn't assigned a watch. I was supposed to be available for those not on watch, I was informed. That night I found myself once again in Mike's bed. Mike was happy with how well my ass had expanded in just one day. After the plug and Martin. He continued to finger and stretch my ass. As I again licked and sucked his cock. Again gagged and overwhelmed by the amount of sperm he created.

I spent my days between Nick was like pleasing a friend, Martin was abusive using me as a cocksleeve. And Mike who was gentile and comforting often holding me after. I was the one who decided It was time to take Mike's cock in my ass. He allowed me to control the rate. As I slowly lowered myself on his cock. After I could of fit my whole hand in my ass he had stretched me so much.

They provided several similar bikinis for me to wear. I was expected to act girly. Often laying out sunning myself. I took on the duties of making sure the boat was kept clean, laundry was done. Martin still did most of the cooking but left me to clean up the after. I had not even noticed how much I had changed when we sailed into the Mediterranean. It had been a smooth trip. Only having been caught in one storm. We dropped Martin off in Spain and continued on to Italy. As we dropped anchor and headed to Port. I didn't even think that I still wore my white bikini as we sped to shore on the dingy. I got some strange looks as we walked across the dock. Mike smiled as and pulled me close. He stopped and bought me a sheer wrap to wear. If anything it bought me more looks. We met with he broker. I just sat quietly. Suddenly very aware of how I looked.

Afterwards Nick said his goodbyes. Having secured a trip home on another boat. Mike and I checked into a hotel. We made love.

"You're mine you know that" Mike told me. I snuggled into his chest. I shook my head. "We should go home and meet your parents" he told me. I was worried but yes, I wanted to introduce him to my parents. I wanted everyone to know he was my man. Mike never gave me my payment for bringing the boat in. Instead he bought me a wardrobe. Of completely woman's clothes. He picked everything out. He told me how to dress. Mike didn't like to fly. So we sailed back home. With a couple of woman, Deb and Tina. Where married and wanted help sailing across the Atlantic. The girls helped me to learn to use makeup, mannerisms, just be more girlie. By the time we made port I could even walk in heels( not easy to do on a ship)

Mike took me home and introduced himself to my parents, who instantly rejected me. I now live with Mike we spend most of our time sailing other people's boats around the world. Mike told me he doesn't want a woman. He loves me being his girlie boy. Although he often does share me with the crew.

[adamarks]

Good morning Fox! (Letting you know I just woke up in case any of this is incoherent) First of all, I agree with a lot of what you’re saying about the crew and the pacing and whatnot. Finding Ed on a beach WOULD have made more sense for those reasons.

ON THE OTHER HAND, hear me out, I’d say the Izzy line is more important than a throwaway explanation and it was kinda vital for Stede to see him on the revenge.

Firstly, the line. “Seeing as you’re the one who kept his body aboard.”

Frankly, this doesn’t make like HUGE surface level sense, and if it was anything it was supposed to be in conjunction with “I have…. Love 🤢… for you.” But really, what it starts hammering home once again, is that Izzy is the personification of Ed’s coping skills— what makes Ed Blackbeard. Ed was drunkenly keeping his own shambling corpse on board for months. He didn’t want to be there; he wasn’t happy. He had become the “insane shell of a man that’s merely posing as Blackbeard.” The line, like most lines surrounding Izzy, is meant to tell us where Ed’s head is at.

The scene where he tells Ed to go off and become a fisherman -> Ed’s misaligned coping skill of running when things get too real or too uncertain

Izzy throughout season 1 -> Ed’s commitment issues and self sabotage

It’s why Izzy had to die. It’s why we heard “sit with me, Eddie” after Fang says “Do you think you don’t know how to sit with yourself?” And most importantly (to this conversation) it’s why Stede had to go ask Izzy for his tiebreaker vote. It was Ed saying he wanted to leave. Stede awkwardly and miserably standing there was him trying to respect Ed’s wishes etc etc you get me. Which is important! That’s what he’d learned at the end of season 1! He’s listening when other people make their stance on him clear.

As for leaving Ed on the Revenge, a complaint I see often is that we never see the auxiliary wardrobe in s2. What no one seems to understand is that the point was less that SPECIFIC room and more “I have a bunch of secret passages on the ship.” Ed being found in a secret passage in the belly of the ship was our return to the auxiliary wardrobe. It was the “let me let you into the most intimate parts of me, my hidden self” for both of them. Ed never actually left Stede’s love, and Stede is always willing to come meet him at the worst, at the most hidden parts of him. In this way, the reunion couldn’t happen on the beach, they needed to have that “auxiliary wardrobe” moment again.

I don’t disagree that the crew stuff would’ve shaken out better the way you proposed. Ideally, they would’ve just had 10 episodes, not been working with scraps, and would’ve gotten to actually do 2.06 the way it was intended. But I WILL say I think how they did the innkeeper was perfect and that a lot of the Izzy stuff/pacing makes more sense when you see him not just as like Ed’s fatherish figure but as his metaphorical daddy issues. That itself explains everything about the swiftness of his arc, the weird romantic/not-at-all undertones, and makes oooh daddy 80x funnier. Just food for thought. I don’t have a neat way to rap this up sorry xoxo

so let's talk about david jenkins saying the idea was that the crew would dump ed overboard in the mutiny before the writers changed their minds and had him kept in the hold.

he says they changed this for pacing reasons, so that the reunion could happen in 2x03 instead of being delayed longer, and i cannot argue with that, waiting any longer sounds excruciating. so i'm not complaining about this as, like, villainous interference from the WBD suits or anything, although it might be a decision forced by cutting the number of episodes. probably still the right call under the circumstances. BUT i'm interested in it because this explains a couple things that are weird about the plot structure of the whole season as it stands.

so first of all the crew throwing the body overboard just immediately makes a lot more sense because it doesn't actually require them to have failed to notice he wasn't dead. it would be pretty tough to carry the body into the hold and lay him out and cover his face with a lil washcloth and everything and not notice at any point during this that he's still breathing or that he has a pulse. and if they did notice you'd think they'd either finish the job quickly or try to treat him if they'd had a change of heart, not leave him to die slow. however the idea that they would beat him till he stopped moving then immediately chuck the body overboard, that totally makes sense, you wouldn't stop to check if he was already dead or not because one way or another he will be pretty shortly after you dump him in the ocean.

second the line from stede to izzy about "you were the one who kept his body onboard" always bugged me because it feels like it's meant to establish something about izzy but it's really unclear WHAT it tells us about him, in a way that doesn't seem like intentional ambiguity: i've seen people interpret it as a sign of his devotion and i've seen others assume it was a practical decision that the crew should keep ed's body around to claim the bounty on blackbeard. (and i've seen both interpretations from people both in and out of the canyon, so it's not even a normal izcourse divide.) i actually wondered at one point if the purpose was to foreshadow where izzy's arc is going to end by establishing that he thinks it's more respectful to bury a pirate on land than at sea, although if that was the idea it sure didn't work on the people who'd care most.

however this new info from djenks explains it pretty neatly, which is that the reason for the line isn't to establish character stuff about izzy at all it's just there to awkwardly patch a plothole. it's that someone in the writers' room was like "but it doesn't make any sense, why WOULDN'T they dump his body overboard once they'd killed him" and somebody else was like "idk uh maybe we can put in a line about how izzy stopped them or something."

now more interestingly! this also would change something bigger about 2x04. because i'm guessing the idea here would be that ed would have actually for real washed up on an island that looks just like the one in the gravy basket and just never actually gotten up off the beach, and stede would find him there, mermaid scene, and ed would wake up mad and storm off into the woods with where he meets mary read with stede already trying to follow him and the rest of the episode proceeds as normal from there. (and probably buttons would be just, like, hanging around following stede, or maybe he was already acting as a psychopomp and led stede to ed's body, idk, lots of possible ways to play that.)

this means you completely lose the beat of the crew voting ed off the ship. you wouldn't lose the idea of the crew being pissed at him; you could still have the kitty collar onesie probation stuff after he got back. but this is a BIG change.

first of all it solves a big obvious problem LOTS of people pointed out immediately when the episode aired which is that it makes no sense that stede would just stay on the ship after letting ed be exiled. reuniting with ed has been his driving goal for months and it's not even like ed has definitively told him to fuck off, he's just stomping off angry and incoherent and not even clearly in his right mind. but they couldn't let stede actually follow ed on his own initiative immediately, because it would undermine the later fisherman breakup if stede has already established that he's willing to leave his pirate career behind if that's what it takes to be with ed. so you end up with this awkward beat where he's just kind of passively standing there until buttons tells him what to do.

i think there's something even more important it does though! one criticism a LOT of people had about s2 was feeling like the crew all hated ed now and there was no clear sign they'd forgiven him by the end, and also some people had the impression that stede had just overriden the crew's decision (even though he does say he's going to ask their permission; it DOES feel weird we don't see that). now i've said before that i think there was probably going to be a reconciliation between ed & lucius, and by extension the crew as a whole, in the lupete wedding verision of 2x06, and i still think that. but regardless of whether i'm right or wrong about that. even without a reconciliation, this would seem like WAY less of a problem if the crew hadn't voted ed of the ship.

as it is, we have THREE scenes devoted to the idea that the crew as a whole (not just lucius & izzy, who both have more complicated individual relationships with ed) are uncomfortable with ed's presence on the ship - there's the initial one where stede's holding the meat on his face where they're all yelling at him, and then there's the actual walk of shame where they've just voted him off, and THEN there's the youtube apology scene where they're heckling him and stuff. and having three separate scenes like that makes it feel like the narrative is really hammering in this idea of a big dramatic rupture in the whole crew's relationship with ed. but only the last of those scenes was originally supposed to be there! the first two were just thrown into the plot to justify why ed ends up wandering around an island to run into anne & mary! if you only had the youtube apology scene, it would be much more clear that most of the crew weren't really all that mad - as it is, roach and jim explicitly saying they aren't mad feels like it's overshadowed by the weight of the earlier scenes.

(also a minor issue, but i've mentioned before that surprisingly often people think the vote was unanimous. this doesn't actually make sense in terms of the episode, because we know it was deadlocked and izzy cast the tiebreaker. but it is sort of weird, if the idea is that the crew is split on this, that we never get any sign of who voted which way; there's nobody but stede who is clearly presented as specifically not wanting ed to be exiled. which DOES end up making it feel like it's the crew as a unanimous block that wants him off the ship. but that makes sense if the whole concept of the crew wanting him exiled was sort of hastily written to patch a plot hole instead of being a fully developed idea.)

anyway. like i said i can't really complain about this as a pacing decision. but it is really interesting to me how many knock-on problems with the whole arc of the season were created by the change, and how much cleaner the original idea sounds like it would have been.

[ratstuckinamarble]

@lulughoul my ship may have been sunk but I'm sinking with it. If anyone wants to pay me a visit you can find me at the bottom of the ocean.

...I am already getting overtaken by marine organisms.

[dykedvonte]

I was rewatching mouthwashing, and I ended up thinking of the different reactions that Curly and Jimmy had in doing their tasks. How during the scene of Anya evaluating Jimmy and showing dread towards the idea of doing his evaluation, Curly was the one that offered to take it off her hands. He had no issue with adding more to his plate, because he knew - or well, thought, he knew that Jimmy wasn't going to "bullshit" with him since he's known him for a long time. When Anya hands Curly a note from Swansea, Curly goes to check out what the issue is and he takes care of it without a complaint, the only "complaint" he has is how this incident could have damaged the pods. Which is reasonable, those pods are their only way to be saved if anything tragic happens on the ship. However, in comparison to Jimmy being asked to do things, he's passive-aggressive about it. When Anya asks Jimmy if he could help her out with Curly's painkillers, he tells her that people should be worth their titles, specifically using her title as a nurse when she asked him for help and then when she says forget it, since he made her feel insecure, he still goes "Oh no, I'LL take care of it" as if he was doing a chore, a favor for her. Then, there's that part where he blows up at her for things that she didn't even ask him to do - more so the others asked him about it, like the code scanner, him deciding he needed to find the axe for the foam, and then, there's the medicine part (which when she does ask, and she reconsiders - going to do it herself, he takes that away from her). Jimmy complains about the tasks he has to do and he treats it like a big issue, a "woes me" that he has to do this and that - wanting the praise of the capital without actually doing any work. While Curly doesn't complain about it, in fact, he even mentions that he's aware of how well he is doing at his job as a Captain during that cockpit scene with him and Jimmy. If Jimmy only had to do a small amount of tasks to get irritated and annoyed at being captain, while Curly didn't which I feel like encapsulates their personalities. Curly understands what he's doing is a job, it's a responsibility, why would he complain at any point for doing what he's suppose too? Why would he be upset at people asking him to do tasks? While Jimmy on the other hand, isn't used to it at all and it's different to what he's had before and he's realizing that he doesn't actually like doing the work he has too. I just wanted to ramble about it even if it seemed kind of obvious xd

It’s obvious but it is a thing people miss or understate when trying to find parallels in Curly’s and Jimmy’s relationship/personalities.

Like the way people portray it as neither taking responsibility when it is almost split down the middle of Curly taking responsibilities and faults that shouldn’t be his and making himself unequipped to handle the ones that are while Jimmy refuses to handle the responsibilities he has because he wasn’t expecting the work that comes with them.

Not a lot to say but people forget that another thing the game comments on is prioritization of issues and responsibilities and how the guys fail at it in one way or another in the situation.

[inseobts]

TRAITOR pt.2

law x traitor!reader

PART 1 ⤳ PART 3 (coming soon)

words count: 2.6k

tags: series, enemies to lover(?), traitor reader

masterlist || ao3 || ko-fi

It’s easy to forget you’re lying when they make it feel real.

The Heart Pirates aren’t just a crew, they’re a family. They bicker like siblings, tease each other relentlessly, and somehow, without meaning to, you’ve been pulled into it.

You should’ve kept your distance.

But how could you, when—

“Y/N! HELP!”

You barely have time to register the shout before something massive collides with you, nearly knocking you over.

“Bepo—” you gasp, struggling under the weight of the massive mink currently clinging to you “You cannot use me as a shield... what the hell is going on?”

Shachi and Penguin sprint around the corner, looking absolutely murderous. Ikkaku follows close behind, arms crossed, her glare laser-focused on Bepo.

“There you are, you traitor!” Penguin points an accusing finger at the trembling mink still latched onto you.

You blink “Okay, wow. Let’s pause. Why is Bepo a traitor?”

Shachi glares “Because someone ratted us out to the Captain.”

You sigh, already piecing it together “Did you guys try to smuggle alcohol into the infirmary again?”

“… No.”

“You so did.”

Bepo’s ears flatten, guilt all over his face “I had to tell him! He was going to find out anyway!”

“You snitch!” Shachi wails.

“You idiots,” you correct, prying Bepo off you before he suffocates you with his fluff “Why do you always try to hide stuff from Law? You know he’s just gonna find out and punish you worse.”

“It’s about the principle of it,” Penguin grumbles.

You sigh, rubbing your temples “What was the punishment?”

Shachi pouts “No dessert for a week.”

You stare “That’s it?”

“That’s everything, Y/N.”

Bepo nods solemnly “They’re suffering.”

You shake your head, barely suppressing a laugh “You guys are so dramatic.”

Ikkaku crosses her arms “You’re laughing now, but if Law ever finds out about that thing you did, you’re not getting out of it so easily.”

Your breath catches.

Just for a second.

And then you force an easy grin “Which thing? I do a lot of things.”

Ikkaku narrows her eyes playfully “The one with the—”

“Shh!” You slap a hand over her mouth “Don’t tell them, it’s supposed to be a secret!”

The others immediately light up with interest.

“Oh, now you have to tell us,” Shachi says eagerly.

“I am so telling the Captain,” Penguin teases.

Bepo nods sagely “This is karma.”

You groan, regretting everything.

Despite moments like these, you don’t forget why you’re here.

Deep beneath the Polar Tang, hidden in one of the ship’s most secure rooms, is one of the reasons you really joined this crew.

The copies of the Poneglyphs.

You don’t know how Law got his hands on them, but you do know that your real crew, the one you actually belong to, wants them.

And you’re the one who has to steal them.

The thought makes your stomach twist.

Because despite everything, despite the mission, despite knowing you’re a liar.

You don’t hate being here.

You don’t hate them.

You should’ve. It would’ve made this easier.

But you don’t.

Some weeks later you meet the Straw Hats, and you immediately know you’re in trouble.

Not because they’re enemies, or because they’re a threat.

But because of Zoro. You've met him years ago, and even if your real crew was always subtle that no one actually know them, he knows you're a well known pirate between the bounty hunters, even without a specific crew name on it.

You see it in his face the second his eye land on you. That flicker of recognition... subtle, but unmistakable.

You know that look.

It’s the look of someone who remembers you.

He just doesn’t know from where.

And that’s a problem.

“You look familiar,” he says bluntly, eyes narrowing slightly “Do I know you?”

Your mind races. A dozen different excuses flash through your head, but none of them are good enough.

So you go for the simplest, most believable one.

“You probably saw my bounty poster,” you say smoothly, forcing a grin “I’ve got a pretty face, after all.”

Shachi and Penguin snicker behind you.

Zoro eyes you for a second longer, clearly unconvinced, but Luffy claps a hand on his shoulder before he can question you further.

“Zoro, stop being weird,” Luffy says, grinning at you “She’s cool, right, Law?”

Law, who has been watching the exchange carefully, nods once. “She’s one of us.”

The words shouldn’t make your chest tighten the way they do.

But they do.

And that’s dangerous.

The Kid Pirates are even worse.

Because Kid is loud, brash, and aggressive—but he’s also smart.

And he watches you.

Not like Zoro, who’s trying to place your face. Not like Law, who looks at you like you matter.

Kid watches you like he’s waiting for you to slip up.

Like he knows something’s off about you, but he just hasn’t figured out what yet.

“You don’t fit,” he says one night, after too many drinks.

You tilt your head, keeping your expression neutral “Excuse me?”

Kid leans forward, propping his elbows on the table “You’re a little too smooth, a little too good at blending in.” He smirks. “Like you practiced.”

Your fingers tighten around your glass.

“I’ve always been good at adapting,” you say, keeping your voice casual “That’s what a good pirate does, right?”

Kid hums, unconvinced.

And you realize, with a slow sinking feeling—

He’s not going to stop watching you.

The deeper you fall into this act, the more tangled it gets.

Zoro recognizes you but doesn’t know from where.

Kid doesn’t trust you but doesn’t have proof.

Law believes in you, and that’s the worst part of it all.

Because when the truth finally comes out...

This new alliance between the three is a sign for you, a sign that it's time to make a move and get away before someone finds out who you are.

You knew the time was coming. You knew.

But now that it’s here, a sick feeling settles in your chest.

Because you don’t want to do it.

It’s not supposed to be this hard.

You’ve done this before. You’ve infiltrated crews, stolen information, betrayed captains who thought you were theirs. It’s always been simple.

Get in. Get what you need. Get out.

But this time—

This time, it’s different.

Because you’re attached.

Because when Law smirks at you in that rare, teasing way, it makes your chest tighten.

Because when the crew laughs and drags you into their stupid antics, you enjoy it.

Because when Bepo whines about missing Zou, when Shachi and Penguin bicker like children, when Ikkaku rolls her eyes at all of them...

It feels like home.

And now you have to rip it apart.

You tell yourself you’ll make it quick.

One night. One chance.

Slip into Law’s office. Get informations and the Poneglyph copies. Get out.

The submarine has weak points, small openings where the sea meets steel, barely noticeable unless you know where to look. And you do.

A quiet escape. No blood. No confrontation.

That’s the plan. Fast and easy, right?

So why does it feel like a mistake before you even start?

You wait until late, when most of the crew is asleep, their laughter from dinner still lingering in the halls.

Law is in his office, like always.

You hesitate outside the door. Just for a second. Just long enough to remind yourself—

This isn’t real. They were never yours.

You push the door open.

Law doesn’t look up immediately, focused on some report in front of him “You should be asleep.”

You smile, stepping closer “So should you.”

He exhales through his nose, amused but tired “What do you want?”

You want him to make this easy.

You want him to be cruel, to be distant, to remind you why you don’t belong here.

But he doesn’t.

He just leans back in his chair, looking at you like you matter. Like you’re his.

Your chest tightens “Just… wanted to check on you.”

A lie. A stupid, obvious lie. But Law doesn’t question it. Instead, he rubs his temple, sighing “You’re always worrying about me.”

“Someone has to.”

“You shouldn’t.”

You swallow “Why not?”

“Because…” He hesitates, fingers tapping against the desk “Because if you care too much, it’ll be harder to leave.”

Your heart stops.

For a second, you think—does he know?

But then he looks away, staring at some distant point, jaw tight.

And you realize—

He’s not talking about you, he's talking about himself.

Not you...

Himself.

Law is the one who doesn’t want you to leave.

And that’s when it hits you... He trusts you. Completely.

Even now, when you’re standing in his office, pretending to care while planning to betray him—

He still trusts you.

Something in your chest aches.

You shouldn’t care. You shouldn’t...

But when he finally looks back at you, exhaustion clear in his golden eyes, and says “Stay a little longer”

And you do.

You sit with him. You don’t steal anything. You don’t run. You just stay.

And for the first time, you think... Maybe you don’t want to leave at all.

You keep telling yourself this is the last night.

You don’t want it to be, but you’ve known it for days now.

Law trusts you. The crew… they think you belong.

And that’s exactly why you have to leave.

Because once you’ve broken through their walls, once you’ve made them care about you, there’s no going back.

No matter how much they make you laugh. No matter how much you start to care about them.

You’re not one of them. You’re just a pirate with an agenda. A thief. A liar. And if you’re not careful, you’ll lose everything.

The night now feels different.

You slip through the ship’s corridors, the quiet hum of the Polar Tang weirdly comforting as you move.

You can hear Shachi and Penguin arguing somewhere above deck, their voices muffled through the metal walls, and it almost makes you smile. Almost.

Law is in his office again. Alone. The perfect time.

You reach for the door, your hand already knowing the cold steel of the handle. But just as you touch it, your pulse quickens—an unease settling in your gut.

Something feels… off.

You hesitate, fingers still resting against the handle. It’s nothing. You’re just overthinking.

But before you can turn the handle, you hear it—the sound of footsteps coming down the hall. Quiet but sure.

Law.

You freeze for a moment and then you start casually walking towards him.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

You look up at him, trying to mask the panic in your eyes “Just passing by.”

Law eyes you, a soft, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips “You know, if you keep trying to lie to me, it won’t work. I can tell when you’re lying.”

You swallow, forced to keep your face neutral, even though the tension in your chest is nearly suffocating “You don’t know me that well...”

He steps closer, not threateningly, but with a quiet sort of presence that makes your heartbeat rise “I think I know you better than you think.”

The distance between you two is closing quickly, and you feel a small, dangerous thought flutter in your mind—What if I never leave?

But you shake it off. This has to happen.

You step back, hand sliding into your coat pocket “I think I’ll take a walk. Clear my head.”

Law studies you for a moment, his golden eyes narrowing “You’re not very good at hiding things, you know that?”

You don’t know how to answer that. You don’t know how to lie when it’s getting harder and harder to look at him “I’m going to get some fresh air now”.

You’re standing at the edge of the Polar Tang, staring into the horizon. The sun is setting, painting the sky in oranges and purples.

Tonight, the mission becomes more urgent. The Straw Hats, Kid, and Law’s crew are all moving forward, and you’re running out of time. You know you have to finish what you started.

But how can you betray them?

How can you betray him?

You can’t keep pretending anymore. The lines are blurring. You’re starting to get too close, and you’re terrified of what will happen if you don’t leave soon.

The weight of it is heavy on your shoulders.

But there’s another reason you’re hesitating.

You’ve been hiding your power from them.

Law’s crew doesn’t know what you can do. And you’ve been careful to keep it that way. Because if they knew—if they saw what you could really do—things would change.

And they would fear you... they would all fear you. It happened before. When you’ve used your abilities to their full extent, it’s left a trail of broken minds and empty memories. You can make someone forget an entire conversation, erase their last few hours, manipulate their desires, twist their thoughts—it’s all within your grasp.

And once you start, you can’t stop.

You don’t want to be the monster they think you are. You don’t want them to see you as a tool for their own ends.

So you keep it hidden. You’ve been careful. But now…

Now, you’re feeling the pressure, and it’s getting harder to hide.

You’re walking back to your room, lost in thought, when you hear footsteps behind you.

It’s Law again.

He’s been following you for a while now, and you can feel his eyes on you. You don’t turn around immediately. Instead, you continue walking, your heart pounding.

“You’ve been distant lately.” His voice is calm, but there’s an edge to it—like he’s trying to read you.

You stop, then turn to face him, trying to keep your expression neutral “I’m just tired. There’s a lot going on.”

Law’s gaze narrows. He doesn’t buy it “You’ve been acting weird ever since we got back to the island. What’s going on, y/n?”

For a moment, the weight of the situation crashes down on you. He’s too perceptive. He’s too close to figuring it out.

You take a step back, trying to distance yourself from him, both physically and emotionally “It’s nothing. I just—”

“I’m not asking you to explain everything,” Law interrupts “But if something’s wrong, you can talk to me. We’re... crewmates. I trust you.” He hesitated at that word, as if he wanted to say something else—something much deeper—that scared not only you but himself as well.

You two always had some sort of relationship that started as casual and continued that way, without really talking about your real feelings, as if it were a given.

Anyway his words hit you like a punch. You can’t breathe for a moment.

He trusts you, he likes you.

And you’ve been lying to him this whole time. You’ve been using him. Using his trust to get what you need.

But what if he’s right? What if you do need to tell him?

No. You can’t.

You can’t risk it.

You force a smile “I’m fine, really. Just… need some time to think. I’ll be okay.”

Law doesn’t look convinced, but he nods, though the worry in his eyes lingers “If you say so”

You watch him leave, feeling the weight of his words on your shoulders.

And then—just when you think you might break—you hear the voice in your mind.

It’s your old crew.

The ones who know you better than anyone else, or at least that's what you think.

It’s time. You don’t have much choice now, you have to do it NOW.

[ashenwinds]

     There is no care to even command somebody to clean up the bloody mess -- one of them will do so, lest they wish to have the blood stain the hardwood of the deck. The first of many that will bleed out on this ship ; the first that will find their life slipping away at the hands of the cruel captain.      As long as the crew remains loyal, none of them will be on the receiving side of that cruelty.      Flameheart gives a glance around the captain's cabin, already making decisions on how he would redecorate it. Remove all hints of the previous captain and what shows this vessel had once been part of the GMU. It will become a beautiful flagship for a pirate, repurposed for something greater.      He picks up one of the trinkets sitting upon the captain's table, sneering a bit as he tosses it to the side before taking a seat in the chair. A moment to get comfortable and make a few silent decisions, before addressing Horatio, “ You seem to be the most capable of this lot. However, do not take this as a reassurance you won't find yourself on the receiving side of my pistol. ”      A lean back in the chair, crossing one leg over the other, “ Does any of this crew have experience in battle? ” Even if he has not had experience himself beyond the brawls on land, he has confidence battles would be easy to maneuver through. For now, he wants to know how skilled this temporary crew is.

The crew is fast to get to work when given the order- the former GMU sailors now turned pirates obeying their captain's command with efficiency. After all, they know how to work with each other, and they need little words to each move to their roles.

In fact, any talk they might have would be best to be kept below deck. Glances between the sailors betray there's still a lot left to be seen of this rocky start of a voyage.

The shot makes the shipwright look at the growing blood puddle on the hardwood. That's going to be a pain to get off...

Horatio perks up as Flameheart addresses him and he gives a nod. "Aye, captain." Best not to pay too much mind to the dying one. The shiv is forgotten near the railing. It failed to kill him, and if he's going to fight, he's going to do so with a proper weapon, not one used by cowardly little rats that scurry below deck.

As he follows Flameheart to the captain's cabin, he's fairly certain he's secured himself the position of right hand man. He just has to keep being useful, making himself necessary, and he'll be in right good hands. Horatio waits for his captain to speak first. It's best not to talk out of turn.

[neunhofferart]

Howdy, Heidi! You said that some fans picked up things that were done on accident… Were there more scenes like that? Also, were there scenes that you guys made on purpose but fans didn’t pick up / were aware of them? In shipping terms (hihi) and in general terms. Thanks!

I think in every type of media you will inevitably see versions of 'authorial' intent vs audience interpretation that overlap and differ from each other in many ways. (Authorial intent in quotes because in collaborative mediums like film and animation every single person on the pipeline who touches the work probably has a slightly different personal interpretation they're contributing to the final work, even under someone like a showrunner or a director).

Humans are smart and it's in our nature to look for connections and find explainations to questions, so most of the time if someone is putting something down, someone is going to pick it up, so to speak, and a lot of things ARE on purpose.

But this same phenomenon can also lead to us seeing connections in places that even the 'authors' might not have originally thought of while creating the work, and I think that can be pretty neat actually! I don't necessarily think reading alternate interpretations of works is wrong-- it can be very healthy to explore multiple reads of a narrative or a character/character dynamic. On Chaos Theory there were definitely times when we were like 'fans are probably gonna ship this even if it's not the text' haha. Sometimes fans latch onto headcanons you really have no control over. Sometimes things were animated slightly differently from how they were conceived (which is also a natural part of things).

But yes, sometimes I have seen a few other things that were interpreted in slightly different ways from how they were directed or written verbally, but I'm personally of the opinion that it's more fun to leave some things visual and open to a little interpretation rather than beating the words over the audience's head and having the characters constantly announcing 'I'm feeling this because of this!' And going 'this is the only way to interpret the show and the characters and if you don't you're wrong!'

It's usually not a huge deal. I think even as we were working sometimes I'd make connections to myself that weren't necessarily spelled out to us and go 'oh, this is a throughline for this character actually!'

Like for example- if I remember correctly, the original direction behind how Kenji reacted to Ben's apparent death was that it was supposed to the first time he'd ever seen someone he really KNEW seemingly die right front of him, and being unable to do anything about it deeply affected him. Ben is a very important turning point in his character development regardless of which way you read it.

And I think this is actually something that just continued to stack onto his character throughout both shows whenever any of his friends lives are seriously in danger. In Camp when he's still unable to do anything but comfort Sammy while she's poisoned, to deciding it's too dangerous not to trade Wu's laptop for Brooklynn, to eventually throwing himself between the spinosaurus his dad is about to kill Darius with and choosing his friends over his own father and being willing to die with/for them... and then in Chaos Theory it kind of reboots all over again with Brooklynn dying and then his dad dying right in front of him, and his complex of not wanting to be useless and trying to do whatever he can at the expense of even himself to keep the loved ones he has left safe is kicked into overdrive.

I think there are a lot of things like that where the intent is not always verbally spelled out, but the more important thing is that it's still (hopefully) making you feel something.

[assiraphales]

one of the funniest things is during all nine episodes luffy did not actively have one single plan except "become the worlds greatest pirate and find the one piece". he spent at max a month? less? at sea and everything he accomplished (taking down FOUR feared pirates in like a week, stealing the grand line map, finding a faithful and loyal crew, getting a bounty of 30 million on his head, etc) was mostly by accident. he stumbles into trouble and then proceeds to become the trouble

[sofieflee]

Some of my very many Yuma headcanons

These are mostly related to living in the submarine.

Since he came to Kanai Ward with no luggage other than a death god and some train related trauma I highly doubt he had any pyjama’s to wear (or anything other than his uniform honestly). Yakou probably wouldn’t really think anything of it until someone else asks Yuma about it. I imagine he then promptly threw one of his own old shirts Yuma’s way and called it a day. Desuhiko owning as many clothes as he does then gives Yuma a pair of shorts that actually fit him properly.

Also I like to think both Yuma and Yakou boss each other around when it comes to hygiene and health when the others aren’t around . Stuff like telling the other to take a shower or to go to sleep. Late in the evening and early in the morning the submarine is more of a home than a detectives orginasation (not to say that it isn’t like that most of the day anyway).

[forbiddentaako]

more monochrome practice I suppose

[kalofi]

zl fic idea

hii everyone i wrote something yesterday about an au idea i had for zolu and. i thought i'd share it here since its a bit too messy and disjointed in places to post on like. ao3 or something.

4.7k words, warning for temporary major character death but do not worry all will be fixed in due time. i'll put the rest under the cut

ok i have an idea for an au thats like kind of reincarnation but like reality displacement but like. okay just listen.

so we start at laughtale. its a couple years into the future from where we are in canon the strawhats are achieving their dreams luffy is about to find the one piece theres a big battle happening between them and the blackbeard pirates and whoever the fuck else is there idc. the rest of the strawhats are fighting the bb crew while luffy and zoro head off to find the one piece and also end up fighting black beard himself. luffy and zoro atp r like basically a thing but they never talk about it cuz theyre luffy and zoro and they kind of just exist with each other but like. theyre basically in love and everyone knows it. anyway they go off together luffy has the one piece almost in his grasp blackbeard attacks they fight its a big battle blood is shed bones are broken uumm in my mind luffy and zoro are like teaming up against bb bc his devil fruit is lowk broken and op and like ok theres gear5 too but i didnt rly consider that so lets just assume bb’s devil fruit can negate gear5 somehow or luffy exhausts it before bb is fully defeated. 

finally theyre able to knock bb down and hes out and theyre both tired and worn but they DID IT and the one piece is luffys and theyre facing each other grinning ear to ear and zoros saying “you ready, king of the pirates?” and luffy laughs and goes “not just yet zoro, i still gotta-“ and then theres a spear piercing right through his chest. and in the next moment its gone. 

theres a gaping hole through his captain and theres blood, theres so much blood and luffy’s still smiling like he hasnt realized it yet, like it hasnt even registered. zoros ears are ringing and he doesnt know what to make of whats hes seeing because its just not real, it CANT be. 

he looks over luffy’s shoulder and blackbeard is on the ground with his hand outstretched , black energy coiling back into his form and he’s laughing and laughing with bloodstained teeth. hes fucking laughing. one moment zoro is still standing parallel to luffy and the next hes in front of blackbeard and the mans head is rolling through the dirt and gravel, wado dripping crimson, a terrible gap toothed grin still stretching the man’s cheeks. 

zoro is breathing heavy, hes trembling and hes almost mesmerized by the blood pooling around a lacerated neck— then he’s remembering luffy and turning around and calling his name and he can see right through him theres a HOLE right through him and he chokes and stumbles and rushes to his side right as luffy starts to crumple to the floor . catches him and lowers him gently and doesnt know what to say. 

hes still shaking but cant move his mouth and everything is muffled, the sounds from the battle outside are distant and they dont matter but what does he do. what does he do. 

he snaps out of it when luffy gently calls his name. a strong “zoro,” like hes not fazed at all. like there isnt blood soaking into zoros clothes. 

his brain kickstarts and he’s speaking. saying things like “youre ok you’ll be ok” and “choppers right outside i’ll just call him and he’ll fix you right up” and “you always bounce back, right captain?” and hes thinking “dont die please dont fucking die. not now, not when we’re this close please dont fucking die” and hes silently praying to all the gods he doesnt believe in but luffy calls his name again and his mouth clicks shut. luffys saying it’ll be fine, that he had fun. that hes proud to have made it this far with all of them. and those sound a lot like parting words so zoro’s shaking his head no but luffy is still smiling. hes saying that hes glad he had zoro, that he made him happy. hes saying to tell everyone he’s glad they met, that hes glad they all had each other, that he knows theyll be just fine . 

zoro wants to say that luffy should tell that to them himself, when hes wrapped up and recovering and alive but his mouth is glued shut again and he feels that interrupting luffy now would be cursing him to death, like his words are the only thing keeping him tethered here, he just needs to get him to keep talking to stay awake. 

he tries to smile but it comes out ugly and wrong and he feels his lip wobble so he drops it. he settles on rubbing his thumb on luffys shoulder. something to keep him here. 

so he rubs and luffy talks little things until he cant anymore. until his eyes grow dull and his skin loses its warmth and still zoro rubs and he rubs.

—

thats how law finds them. zoro hunched over a body that should never be as still as it is. and its really no surprise hes there, hes been gunning for the one piece since the time he could captain a ship (or a submarine) but it all feels so wrong. 

zoro either doesnt notice him or doesnt care, but either way the man doesnt acknowledge law until he’s right behind him. its not like law can say anything to announce himself either, not after seeing the state of the body that zoros currently holding. the body that used to be luffy’s. hes still processing it all when the other man(the one whos alive) finally speaks. 

zoro asks if hes got a devil fruit. less of a question and more of a statement, but he should know anyway since theyve spent considerable time together and hes literally seen him use it. law cant unstick his jaw so he hums in affirmation. “and you can switch stuffs’ places?” another hum. “what about time.” 

that makes law pause. “what?” his voice comes out stronger than he feels. 

“what about time? can you switch things in time?” by this point law has awakened his devil fruit or some shit dont sweat the logistics but hes never tried anything of that sort so he kind of stumbles “im not- maybe? ive never attempted-“ zoro interrupts “send me back” 

“what?” 

“send me back so i can fix this. you can do that, right.” it clicks. law would pity zoro if he didnt know any better, instead he just feels mounting despair and resignation. 

he may not be crew, but he knew luffy too, he was allied with the man for fucks sake, and this just feels- wrong. he sighs, a tired, heavy thing. 

“what about your crew?” its useless. zoros as stubborn as his captain, with arguably a handful more screws loose. “it wont matter. they’ll never know because i’ll make sure this doesnt happen.” he still hasnt turned around. law doesnt know what expression hes making and hes sure he never wants to find out. 

hes ready to deny it, cut his losses and head for the one piece himself (hes not heartless, but if he stands here any longer and has to look at. well. he think he might never be able to move again) but then he really thinks about it. could he? would it even be possible? surely this isnt the way things were supposed to go, surely this isnt right. luffys never been one who was supposed to die just like that, like this, law knows that much. he thinks hes going to regret this, but he counts it as one last thank you for everything luffy did for him. 

youre gonna owe me big time strawhat-ya. if i even remember this, that is. 

he puffs a breath “i can try. i cant- promise anything but. i think we both know this,” he makes a vague, weak gesture, “isnt right.” 

zoro doesnt say anything, law didnt expect him to. he just bows his head slightly and law takes that as the acknowledgment it is. 

he brings his hand up, “dont do anything stupid, zoro-ya. or, at least, make it stupid enough to bring him back.” 

he positions his fingers in way so familiar, but the weight of it now is nearly unbearable.

room.

shambles

—

zoro’s world shatters, differently than before, and then theres nothing.

—

he wakes up in bed, bleary eyed and a pounding headache assaulting his senses. his alarm clock is going off which only adds to the drumbeat against his eyes. he grumbles and whacks around aimlessly to shut it off. the silence lasts a moment before his eyes fly open and he jolts up, sheets pooling around his waist. luffy. where was he? where was zoro? did the crew find him and take him back to the ship? did law fail? but this didnt look like chopper’s office.

he looks around to find hes in a room hes never seen before in his life, yet he instinctively knows is his. it all feels so wrong, like he doesnt belong in his own skin. he scratches lightly at his arm. he needs to go to work. 

work?

what the fuck is happening. 

its like his mind is at war with itself, one truth trying to dominate over the other. he trained at sensei’s dojo. he aged out of foster care. he was a swordsman, he was the first mate of the strawhat pirates. he didnt go to college, hes working construction. he made a promise, and kuina died. kuina…died. huh. his captain, his luffy, someone he knew so intimately and who knew him in turn. hes never met someone with that name his entire life. he needs to go to work, he needs to find his crew. 

he doesn’t understand what the fuck is happening. 

without his permission his legs stand him right up and he moves confusedly, surely, to the bathroom he didnt know he had. his reflection stares back at him in the mirror and its him, of course it is, he doesnt know why he expected someone else, but hes also…different. he has both function of his eyes, first of all. a scar in the same place as before but its light and healed over and doesnt seem to have blinded him like it once did. his hair is green, sure, but black roots peek out from underneath the familiar shade. hes grown stubble, he should shave. he needs to go to work. 

hes so confused, but his body moves like its been doing this its whole life. as far as zoro knows, it has. 

he continues getting ready, mind still at odds, and makes himself a cup of coffee (in his own kitchen. his own kitchen? the state of it leaves less to be desired. sanji would surely skin him alive) before tucking into his shoes, grabbing his wallet and keys and heading out the door. he seems to live in a single room apartment, and a crummy one at that. his legs move him faster, he has to go to work, he cant be late again (again?).

his car is parked outside the building, he has no fucking clue what it is but he unlocks it all the same and settles in. he feels like he shouldnt be operating this sort of machinery. franky would know better than him how it must work. he starts it up and backs out. trusting his gut to get him where he needs to be. he should be more concerned, he should be frantic and inconsolable, his captain was dead in his arms and now hes? what? going to lay some bricks or some shit? but he finds that part of him dulled in favor of following whatever mundanity this body is pushing him towards. 

uumm whatever whatever he arrives at work eventually i dont know how construction jobs work are there offices or something. idc thats not the point. johnny and yosaku are there and zoro is surprised to see them since, as far as he knows, the last time they were with each other was at arlong park which was years ago for him. but the two greet him like this is a daily occurence, like theyve been working together for years. and zoro thinks, knows, they must have. but this is good, this is great fucking news actually because until now theres been no confirmation if zoro was here alone (wherever “here” is) but now his proof is right in front of him because if johnny and yosaku are here, and they exist the same as from before, then that must mean everyone else is here too right? he clings onto this hope with both hands trembling. 

nami, usopp, the cook and chopper and robin and franky, brook, jinbe and fuck. fuck, luffy. theyve got to be here somewhere, zoro just has to find them. hes not sure if they remember things like he does but hes got to try because they are his as much as he has always been theirs and they should all exist together as it has always been. 

so then yeah he finishes his shift because its what hes ‘supposed’ to do but he doesnt go home. he drives around aimlessly before pulling into a random lot and pulling out his phone (theres no snail attached to it. weird.) he doesnt even know where to begin. hes not usually the one coming up with plans, he just goes where theres blood need to be shed. but no one seems to be in any danger here except for maybe himself, and its not like he has his swords anyway- shit. fuck did he still have wado? he must have right? he knows there was a kuina that existed here too, he knows because he remembers. and she, well she wasnt around anymore so he must have wado. he must. with shaking fingers he pushes that aside for now, though barely. he needs to find luffy, but he wouldnt even know where to start. luffy could probably find the rest of their crew by simply wandering around and happening upon them, thats how he did it before. but zoro has no idea where he’d be, he doesnt even know where he is. nami or robin would be a good bet to at least form a plan, but he wouldnt know how to find them either. 

is there even a coco village here? would robin still be part of baroque works? he needs someone who has a defined location that he could google or something (what the hell is google?). usopp would be at syrup village right? shit. is there even a drum island? these are all too broad, he needs something specific. specific…..a place with an identifiable name, somewhere smaller that would be easier to stake out…

a lightbulb goes off. 

fucking shit he thinks. of course. of fucking course it would come down to the cook. 

he types in “baratie” to his maps and a location pops up, just 27 minutes from where he is now. he hasnt eaten yet either, so he figures thats killing two birds with one stone. he taps the address, backs out of the lot and drives. 

(if it takes him nearly an hour to get there thats nobodys business but his own)

he pulls up to the building about a quarter after 7. it seems packed enough already, but if memory serves him right then that was just par for the course for baratie. he parks, gets out and locks his car, then shoves his hands in his pocket and resigns himself to another oncoming migraine hes sure to get upon interacting with the man hes certain is waiting somewhere inside. 

the tables are full, the host tells him, he slips a 20 from his wallet and suddenly (of course) theyre more than willing to serve him. 

he gets settled in a far and somewhat isolated booth and a waiter comes up to him, but he cuts the man off as hes introducing himself and says “you got a blonde working here? stupid ass side part with a weird eyebrow? goes by sanji” the waiter looks shocked and put off by his rudeness but quickly collects himself and says “we might. depends on whos asking” zoro snorts “just tell him hes got someone who wants to talk to him,” he cringes at this next part, tries to smile but knows it comes off as a sneer. hes not sure if he still has conquerors haki wherever he happens to be now, but he tries to channel that energy the same way he would if he were in battle and says “tell him im a fan.” the waiters eyes widen, in fear or surprise zoros not sure (most likely a mix of both) before he nods and scurries across the floor, weaving in between patrons and coworkers alike until he disappears behind the double doors to the kitchen. 

zoro sits with his arms crossed and skims through the menu out of boredom and impatience. its a couple minutes before he sees a familiar head of blonde hair emerge from across the way. a smile climbs onto his face despite himself. sure, the guy annoyed him to hell and back and their…friendship (if you could really call it that) was a tumultuous one, but it was good to see someone familiar nonetheless. he schools his expression before the blonde can spot him. a few moments pass before hes standing right in front of zoro, his stupid suit primped and pressed as always, and a cautious look on his face. 

“you asked for me?” his tone is the one he only reserves for men who he deems not worth his time. zoro grits his teeth but says “yeah, theres something ive gotta discuss with you.” 

hes never been one for tact, forever blunt unlike his swords. 

sanji quirks a brow “i dont plan on talking about anything with anyone unless theyre a paying customer” zoro feels his eyebrow twitch but grabs his menu nonetheless and points to a random item without looking “i’ll have this then, and whatever booze you got.” sanji leans in to see what hes pointing to before his one visible eye widens and a grin slowly overtakes his previously unaffected face. 

he speaks condescendingly. “wonderful choice sir, coming right up.” before zoro can get another word in he grabs the menu out of his hand, spins on his heel, and marches back to the kitchen. 

zoro clenches his fists and does his best not to grind his teeth into a fine dust. no matter where they are or what displacement in time the fucking curly brow never fails to be absolutely insufferable. at least this way though, zoro knows its him for real. 

its another 20 minutes before the shit cook reemerges from the back with a platter and a mug in his hand. he steps up to zoros table and places the plate and cup down in front of him with a smug look. zoro has no idea what the fuck hes looking at on his plate. he doesnt have time to question it before sanji plops down in the booth seat across from him, disregarding all previous faux-professionale and asking “so what do you want” zoro tears his eyes away from his plate and looks into sanji’s, trying to convey as much emotion, as much urgency as he possibly can. 

“luffy needs us. and we have to find him” whatever the cook was expecting him to say, it definitely wasnt that. the other man regards him more warily now, looking him up and down with a tense frown before replying “i dont know what the hell youre talking about. and i dont appreciate being mocked or having my time wasted” he goes to stand up but zoro grabs his wrist, yanking him back down unceremoniously. 

he blinks before rounding back on zoro, flaring his nostrils in a way zoro knows means hes about to get himself in deep shit “oi, what the fuck do you think youre-“ he doesnt let him finish “im not mocking you. this isnt some stupid prank or whatever youre thinking. and despite how much i would enjoy punching your teeth in right now im not looking for a fight either.” 

the cook still looks affronted but seems to actually be listening. zoro continues “look, i dont know what the fuck is going on. i was at laughtale with you and the others, with luffy, and then i woke up and now im here and i dont know how but this is all wrong. its all wrong but i need to find luffy and fuck, i cant do it alone. i need your help to find him. find everyone.” the blondes eye is wide, but he blinks and its gone. he looks more tired than zoro has ever seen him 

“im not paid enough for this shit. i dont know why i even-“ he looks like hes getting ready to leave again but zoro is desperate at this point so he blurts out whatever he thinks will convince the other man hes not bullshitting.

“we met you here, at the baratie. me and nami and usopp and luffy. luffy busted through one of your walls so your old man punished him by making him wash dishes. i dont, i dont know what luffy said to you, or how he convinced you to join us, but he changed your life like he did mine. we sailed together, and we had each others backs no matter how much we got on each others nerves. you were our cook. i was our swordsman. luffy was our captain and youd do anything to help him, i know you would, same as me. youre a pervert and an asshole and a damn annoyance, but youre strong. i could still kick your ass though” if the cook’s eyebrow could go any higher hes sure itd be clear off his forehead by now. 

“and you- your dream. you wanted to find the all blue.” he stalls there, engine sputtering. zoro doesnt know what else to say, so he snaps his mouth shut. 

the blonde is still gaping at him like a fish, but he mouths the phrase “all blue” like hes been searching for it his whole life, like he always knew but just never had the words. 

he blinks. 

then he blinks again, rapidly. there are tears pooling in his eyes. his mouth flaps for a moment before he seems to finally be able to push out words. 

“you- zoro?” he sounds small. he sounds hopeful. zoro grins. 

“yeah, yeah its me.” sanji stares at him a moment, then looks around, as if hes seeing everything with clear eyes for the very first time. zoro figures he might as well be. 

“holy shit. holy shit.” 

zoro laughs, a rough thing. theres a ball in his throat that he cant seem to dislodge. “nice to have you back, curly brow” sanji’s gaze snaps back to him before he scowls and tries wiping away the tears that are now streaking down his cheeks. its useless though, it seems they cant stop. zoro laughs again at the sorry state of the asshole in front of him, this time more full and genuine. he feels so relieved he doesnt know what to do with himself. 

“yeah yeah, whatever dick head.” sanji grumbles. zoro quiets down, glances away, lets him have his moment. “fuck, mosshead, im still on the clock and you unload all this on me? how the hell am i supposed to finish the rest of my shift?” his words are sharp but he doesnt sound angry at all. in fact, when zoro turns back to look, hes smiling. 

“you remember now though, dont you?” he has to be sure. 

“what does it look like, dumbass? think im tearin’ up cuz of pollen or some shit?” the cook rolls his eye. theyre both silent for a moment, trapped in their own heads, before he speaks up again. “so, what now?” zoro doesnt even have to think before he answers “we find everyone else, obviously.” “well no shit, but how?” zoro glances to the side. “i was hoping youd figure that out” sanji stares before bursting out laughing. zoro scowls and hunches into his shoulders. 

“of course!” sanji cackles “of course your dumbass wouldnt know what to do! you probably just typed in the most recognizable place you could remember and hoped one of us would be there!” zoro doesn’t answer, because yes thats what he fucking did, but it worked didnt it? he doesnt see whats so funny. 

“fuck you.” 

he wants nothing more than to bash that smarmy mouth in, but the familiar egging settles something in his soul. sanji gasps a few breaths before calming down, now wiping tears from his eyes for a completely different reason. 

“alright alright, well lets figure this out then, yeah? we figure out how we got here then we can figure out how to get back right? simple enough” 

zoro nods, “law was-“ he stops. remembers dull eyes and clammy skin and wrong wrong wrong. he shakes his head, “no, no we cant” sanji looks at him confused. 

“we cant go back,” zoro presses, “not until i fix things. i promised i would” the other man seems to pick up on his panic and his mood dampens, becomes more serious. “promised what?” 

zoros never been one to sugarcoat, but now he wishes he could find a way to soften the blow hes about to deal. he inhales, pushes the breath out. says, “luffy died, sanji.” the fact the hes actually using the other mans name seems to fly right over his head in favor of the first part. “what?” zoro huffs, is he really gonna make him say it again? “luffy di-“ sanji interrupts, angry now, fists clenched and whitened from the pressure “i heard what you said. but what do you mean.” 

he doesnt want to have to tell sanji what happened, doesnt want to talk about it at all, wants to slice it up into small enough pieces that it very well may have never existed.

he told law the others wouldn't have to know, that he would make sure of it, but he's realizing now just how unrealistic that is. as much faith as zoro places in his own abilities, he's aware he's only one man.

and, he figures, if there's anyone i can trust enough to share a burden heavy as this with, might as well be the one who's strength i'd count on just as much as my own.

sanji cant help if he doesnt know what went down once they got separated at laughtale, so zoro sets his shoulders, clenches his fists, prepares himself like hes riding into a battle he knows he has no chance of winning—hes the first mate for fucks sake—and resigns himself to filling the other man in on every horrible detail

by the end, the cook looks much the same as zoro feels, pale-faced and shaky. he runs a trembling hand through his hair and clenches his eye shut. “fuck mosshead, thats…” he doesnt bother finishing, and zoro stays silent—already knowing just how much of a shitty situation it is that theyve found themselves in.

—

(btw the reason sanji was so smug about what zoro randomly chose on the menu is bc its one of their most expensive dishes. even upon regaining his memories he still makes zoro pay it cuz hes an asshole like that. business is business 😁)

uuummm i dont feel like detailing the rest basically my idea is that they work together to try and track down all the members as well as law, since hes also a part of this. i dont know how or when or in what order but i do know finding luffy would come last. so yes its zolu but for a majority of it more in spirit than anything. maybe i can throw in some luffy pov of him living with ace and sabo . he knows something is off but cant place his finger on what. he knows something is missing but hes got his brothers with him so what else could he possibly need? etc etc. you get the idea